hath left in man deepe markes of his anger yea euen a middest the graces of his Mercy as for example the necessitie of death sicknesse labours the rebellion of the sensualitie yet the Diuine Assistance hauing the vpper hand of all these takes pleasure to conuert these miseries to the greatest aduantage of such as loue him making Patience rise out of their trauailes the Contempt of the world out of the necessitie of death a thousand victories ouer Concupiscence and as the Rainebowe touching the Thorne ASPALATHVS makes it more odoriferous then the Lillie so our Sauiours Redemption touching our miseries makes them more profitable and amiable then Originall Iustice could euer haue bene The Angels in heauen saieth our Sauiour doe more ioy in one penitent sinner them in nintie nine iust and so the State of Redemption is an hundred times better then that of Innocencie Verily by being watered with our Sauiours Blood caused by the Isoppe of the Crosse we are reduced to a whitnesse incomparably more excellent then the snow of innocencie returning out of the Flood of health with NAMAN more pure and vnspotted as though we had neuer bene Leprous to th' end that the diuine Maiestie as he hath also ordained we should doe might not be ouercome by euill but ouercome euill by good that his Mercy as a sacred oyle might keepe aboue Iudgment and his commiseration surpasse all his workes Of certaine speciall fauours exercised by the diuine prouidence in the Redemption of man CHAPTER VI. 1. CErtainly God doth admirably show the riches of his incomprehensible power in this great varietie of things which we see in Nature Yet doth he make the Treasurs of his infinite Bountie more magnificently appeare in the incomparable varietie of benefits which we acknowledge in Grace For THEOTIME he was not content with the holy excesse of his Mercy in sending to his people that is to Mankind a generall and vniuersall Redemption by meanes wherof euery one might be saued but moreouer he diuersified it in so many sorts that his Liberalitie did shine amiddest that varietie and that varietie againe did mutually imbellish his Lliberalitie 2. And following this he first of all prepared for his most holy Mother a fauour worthy the loue of a Sonne who being most wise omnipotent and good was to prouide himselfe of a Mother to his liking and thefore he ordained that his Redemption should be applied to her by way of a preseruatiue to th' end that sinne which ranne from generation to generation might stop before it came at her so that she was ransomed in so excellent a manner that although the Torrent of originall iniquitie came rolling her vnfortunate waters vpon the Conception of this sacred Lady euen with as great impetuositie as against the daughters of ADAM yet being arriued there it did not dare a further passage but made a sodaine staie as did of old the waters of Iordaine in the daies of IOSVE and for the same respect for the flood stopt his course in reuerence of the Ark of Alliance which passed and originall sinne made his waters retire adoring and dreading the presence of the true Tabernacle of Eternall Alliance 3. In this sort then God deturned all bondage from his glorious Mother giuing her the good of both the states of humane nature retaining the Innocencie which the first ADAM had lost and enioying in an excellent sort the Redemption which the second did acquire Whence as a garden of election which was to bring fourth the fruite of life she was made florishing in all sorts of perfections This sonne of eternall loue hauing thus decked his Mother with a Robe of gold wrought in faire varietie that she might be the Queene of his right hand that is to saie the first of the elect which should enioy the delightes of God's right hand so that this sacred Mother as being altogether reserued for her Sonne was by him infranchised not onely from damnation but euen from all danger of damnation giuing her Assurance of grace and the Perfection of grace not vnlike an Aurora who beginning to appeare encreaseth continually in brightnesse till perfect day light Admirable redemption Master-pece of the Redemour and Prime of all Redemptions by which the sonne with a truly filiall heart preuented his Mother in the benedictions of sweetnesse he preserued her not onely from sinne as he did the Angels but euen from all danger of sinne and euery thing that might diuert of hinder her in the exercise of holy Loue. Protesting that amongst all the reasonable Creaturs he had chosen this Mother was his onely Doue his entirely perfect his wholie deare well beloued without all paragon and comparison 4. God also appointed other sauours for a small number of rare Creaturs whom he would assure from the perill of damnation as certainly he did S. IOHN BAPTIST and probably IEREMIE with certaine others which the Diuine Prouiuidence seased vpon in their mothers wombe and stated vpon them a Perpetuitie of Grace by which they might remaine firme in his Loue though subiect to delaies and veniall sinnes which are contrarie to the perfection of Loue not to Loue it selfe and these soules in regard of others are as Queenes continually crowned with Charitie holding the principall place in the loue of their Sauiour next to his Mother who is Queene of Queenes A Queene not onely crowned with Loue but with the Perfectiō of loue yea which is yet more crowned with her owne Sonne the soueraigne obiect of Loue being that childrē are theire Fathers and Mothers crownes 5. There are yet other soules which God determined for a time to leaue exposed to the danger not of loosing their saluation but yet in perill to loose his Loue yea he permitted them to loose it in effect not assuring them Loue for the whole time of their life but onely for the periode therof and for certaine precedent times Such were the APOSTLES DAVID MADELAINE and diuerse others who for a time remained out of God's grace but in the end being throughly conuerted they were confirmed in grace vntill death so that though from thence they continued subiect to imperfections yet were they exempt from all mortall sinne and consequently from danger of loosing the Diuine loue and were as the heauenly spouse his sacred soules adorned indeede with a wedding garment of this holy loue yet for all that not crowned a crowne being an ornament of the head that is of the prime part of a man now the first yeares of the Soules of this ranck hauing bene subiect to terreane loue they were not to be adorned with the crowne of heauenly loue but it is sufficient for them to weare the Robe which renders them capable of the marriage-bede with the heauenly Spouse and to be eternally happie with him How admirable the diuine prouidence is in the diuersitie of graces giuen to men CHAPTER VII 1. THere was then in the eternall Prouidence an incomparable fauour for the Queene of Queenes
iust man turne from his iustice by sinne God will no longer remember the iustice and good works which he hath done But yet if this poore fallen man doe afterwards rise and returne into Gods grace by penance God will thinke no more of his sinne and not remembring his sinne he will turne mindfull of his former good works and of the reward which he promised them since sinne which alone had blotted them out of the diuine memorie is wholy raysed out abolished annihilated so that in that case God's Iustice doth oblige his Mercy or rather his Mercy doth enforce his Iustice to looke a new vpon their precedent good works euē as though he had neuer forgottē thē otherwise the sacred penitent had not dared to saie to his Maister render vnto me the ioye of thy saluation and confirme me with thy principall spirit for as you see he doth not onely require a newnesse of heart and spirit but he pretends to haue the ioye rendred vnto him which sinne had bereft him off Now this ioye is no other thing then the wine of heauenly Loue which doth reioyce mans heart 3. It fares not alike with sinne in this behalfe as with the workes of charitie for the iust mans workes are not blotted out abolished or annihilated by the commission of sinne but are onely forgotten marry the sinnes of the wicked are not onely forgotten but are euen raysed out clenged abolished and annihilated by holy penāce wherevpon the sinne that is committed by the iust man doth not cause the sinne that was once pardoned to liue againe because it was entirely annihilated But when loue returnes into the penitent soule it makes her former good works returne to life againe because they were not abolished but onely forgotten And this obliuion of the works of the iust man who hath forsaken his iustice and charitie consisteth in this that it made them vnprofitable while sinne made him vncapable of eternal life which is their fruit and therefore as soone as by the returne of Charitie he is rancked againe with the childen of God and thereby made capable of immortall glorie God recals to mind his auncient good works and they become againe fruitfull It were not reasonable that sinne should haue as much power ouer Charitie as Charitie hath against sinne For sinne is an issue of our infirmitie Charitie proceedes from God's power If sinne abound in malice to ruinate vs Grace doth superabound to worke the reparation and God's Mercy by which he blots out sinne doth rayse it selfe continually and becomes gloriously triumphant ouer the rigour of Iudgement whereby God had forgotten the good workes which went before sinne In this sort in the corporall cures which our Sauiour did by miracle he did not onely restore health but withall added new benedictions making the cure farre passe the desease so bountifull is he to man 4. I neuer saw red nor heard that waspes oxebees flies and such other little hurtfull creatures being once dead did reuiue and returne to life againe but that the vertuous and harmelesse honie Bee can rise againe it is a common report and I haue often red it It is saied these are Plinies words that if one keepe the dead bodies of the drowned bees all the winter with in the house and expose thē to the sunne beames the spring following couered ouer with ashes of the figue tree they will rise againe and be as good as euer That iniquities and sinfull workes cā returne to life after they haue once bene drowned and abolished by penance truly my THEO neuer for as muche as I know did the Scripture or any Diuine saie it yea the contrarie is authorised by holy writ and by the common consent of Doctours But that good works which like vnto the sweete Bee doe compound the honie of merite being drowned in sinne can afterwards regaine life when couered with the ashes of penance they are exposed to the sunne of grace and Charitie is held and cleartly taught by all the Diuines nor are we to doubt but that they become profitable and fruitfull as before When Nabuzardan destroyed Hierusalem and Israel was led in captiuitie the holy fire of the Altar was hid in a well where it was turned into mud but this mud being drawen out of the well and exposed to the sunne after their returne from Captiuitie the dead fire kindled againe and the mud was turned into flames When the iust man is made slaue to sinne all the works of his life are miserably forgotten and turnd into durt but being deliuered out of Captiuitie to wit when by penance he returnes into grace with heauenly Charitie his former good works are drawen out of the well of obliuion and touched with the raves of heauenly mercy they returne to life and are conuerted into as cleare flames as euer to be sacrificed on the sacred Altar of the diuine approbation and to be restored againe to their wonted dignitie price and value How we are to reduce all the exercise of all the vertues and all our actions to holy Loue. CHAPTER III. 1. BRute beastes though they know not the end of their actions doe indeede tend to their end but pretend it not for to pretend is to tend to a thing by purpose before we tend to it in effect They cast as it were their actions towards their end yet forecast they not but follow their instinct without election or intention But man is Maister in such sort ouer his humane and reasonable actions that in them all he proposeth some end and can direct them to one or many particular ends as he pleaseth for he can change the naturall end of an action as when he sweares to deceiue another whereas contrariwise the end of an oath is to hinder deceite He can also adde another end to the naturall end of an action as when besides the intention of succouring of the needie which is the end of Almes-deedes he adds the intention of obliging the needie to render him like for like 2. Now we adde sometimes a lesse perfect end thē is the end of our actiō sometimes we adde an end of equall or like perfectiō sometimes also an end that is more high and eminent for besides the assistāce of the poore which is the principall ēd of Almes-deedes may not one pretend 1. to gaine his affection 2. to edifie his neighbour 3. to please God which are three diuers ends whereof the first is the least the second is not much better the third farre exceeding the common end of almes deeds So that as you see we haue power diuersly to perfect our actions according to the varietie of motiues ends and intentions which we haue in doing them 3. Be good Exchangers saieth our Sauiour Let vs be carefull therefore THEO not to change the motiues and ends of our actions but for our profit ād aduātage ād to doe nothing in this trafike but by good order and reason Behold for exāple this or that man who
he who because he was delaied in the possession of this happinesse protested that his teares were his ordinarie bread night and day so long as his God was absent and his enemies demanded where is thy God Alas what would he haue done if he had not had some hope one day to enioye this good after which he sighed The Diuine spouse wailes and pines with loue because she doth not readily find out the well-beloued she searcheth for The loue of the well-beloued had bred in her a desire that desire begot an ardour to pursue it and that ardour caused in her a languishment which had consumed and annihilated her poore heart vnlesse she had hoped at length to meete with that she pursued So then least the vnrest and dolourous langour which the essaies of coueting loue causeth in our soules might make vs quaile in courage or carrie vs to dispare the same souueraigne good which moues in vs so vehement a desire doth also giue vs assurance that we may with ease obtaine it by a thousand thousand promisses which he giues vs therof in his holy word and by his inspirations alwayes prouided that we will imploy the meanes he hath prepared for vs and which he offers vs to this effect 2. Now these diuine promises and assurances by a particular miracle encrease the cause of our disquiete and according to that augmentation they ruinate and destroy the effects yea verily THEO for the assurance which GOD giues vs that Paradice is for vs doth infinitly fortifie the desire we haue to enioye it and yet doth weaken yea altogether distroy the trouble and disquiet which this desire brought vnto vs so that our hearts by the promises which the diuine goodnesse hath made vs remaine quieted and this quiete is the roote of the most holy vertue which we call hope For the will assured by faith that she hath power to enioye the soueraigne good vsing the meanes appointed makes two great acts of vertue by the one she expects from God the fruition of his soueraigne goodnesse by the other she aspires to that holy fruition 3. And indeede THEO betwixt hoping and aspiring there is but this difference that we hope for things which we expect by an others assistance and we aspire vnto those things which we thinke to atchiue of our selues by our owne endeuours and for so much as we attaine the fruition of our soueraigne good which is GOD by his fauour grace and mercy and that notwithstanding the saied mercy will haue vs cooperate with his fauours by contributing the weaknesse of our consent to the strength of her grace our hope is thence in some sort mixed with aspiration so that we doe not altogether hope without aspiring nor doe we euer aspire without altogeither hopeing in which hope keeps the principall place as being founded vpon heauenly grace without which like as we cannot euen so much as thinke of our soueraigne good in such sort as we ought to arriue there so can we neuer without hope in a competent manner aspire to the obtaining of it 4. Our aspiration then is a young shoot of hope as is our cooperation of grace and as those that would hope without aspiring would be reiected as degenerous and negligent so those that should aspire without hopeing would be rash insolent and presumptious but when hope is seconded with aspiration and that hopeing we aspire and aspiring we hope then deare THEO hope by aspiration becomes a couragious desine and aspiration is changed by hope into an humble pretention while we hope and aspire as GOD shall inspire vs. Howbeit as well the one as the other is caused by the coueting loue tending to our soueraigne good which by how much more surely it is hoped for by so much it is more affected yea hope is no other thing then a complacence of loue which we take in the expectation and pretention of our soueraigne good All that is there is loue TH. As soone as faith had showe me my soueraigne good I loued it which because it was absent I desired it and hauing vnderstood that he would bestow himselfe vpon me I loued and desired him yet more ardently ād indeede his bountie is so much more to be beloued ād desired by how much it is more prone to cōmunicate it selfe Now by this progresse loue turned his desire into hope pretention and expectation so that hope is a pretending and attending loue and because the soueraigne good which hope expects is God whom also she doth not expect but from God himselfe to whom and by whom she doth hope and aspire this holy vertue of hope bounded on euery side by God is by consequence a diuine or Theologicall vertue That the Loue which is practised in hope is very good though imperfect CHAPTER XVII 1. THe loue which we practise in hope aymes at GOD indeede THEO marry it redounds vpon our selues his aspect is vpon the diuine goodnesse yet with a respect to our owne profit it tends to this supreame perfection but it pretends our owne satisfaction that is it carrieth vs not towards God for that he is soueraignely good in himselfe but because he is soueraignely good to vs in which as you see there is a certaine respect to our selues and our proper interest so that this loue is truely loue but loue of Concupiscence and profit Yet doe I not affirme that it doth in such sort returne to our selues that it makes vs loue God onely for the loue of our selues ô God no For the soule which should not loue God but for the loue of her selfe placing the end of the loue which she beareth to God in her proper interest should alas commit an extreame sacrilege If a wife loue her husband onely for the loue of her seruant she should loue her husband in nature of a seruant and her seruant in the nature of a husbād so the soule that loueth not God but for her selfe loueth her selfe as she ought to loue God and God as she ought to loue her selfe 2. But there is a faire difference betwixt this word I loue God for the good which I expect frō him and this I doe not loue God but in regard of the good which I expect from him as it is also a farre other thing to saie I loue God for my selfe and I loue God for the loue of my selfe for when I say I loue God for my selfe it is as though I should saie I loue to haue God I loue that God should be myne my soueraigne good which is a holy affection of the heauenly Spouse who an hundred times in excesse of delight protesteth my well-beloued is wholy mine and I entirely his I to him and he to me but to saie I loue God for loue of my selfe is as one should saie the loue which I beare to my selfe is the end why I loue God in such sort that the loue of God would be dependant subordinate and inferiour to the loue of our selues
heart for the obstinacie of the Iewes 2. Yet be sinners neuer so obstinate let vs neuer desist to aide and assist them for what doe we know but they may doe pennance and be saued happie is he that can saie to his neighbour as did S. Paule I haue neither ceased night nor day to admonish euery of you with teares and therefore I am cleare of your blood for I haue not bene sparing in denouncing vnto you Gods good pleasure in euery behalfe So lōg as there remaines any hope that the sinner will amend which alwayes remaines as long as life we must neuer reiect him but praie for him and assist him as farre forth as his miserie will permit 3. But lastly after we haue wept ouer the obstinate and performed towards them the good offices of Charitie in essaying to reclame them from perdition we must imitate our Sauiour and the Apostles that is we must remoue our mind from thence and place it vpon other obiects and imployments more to the aduancement of Gods glorie We were first saied the Apostles to the Iewes to announce the word of God vnto you but whereas you reiect it and make your selues vnworthy of the raigne of IESVS-CHRIST we will betake our selues to the Gentils The kingdome of God saieth our Sauiour shall be taken from you and shall be giuen to a nation that will make some profit of it Nor can one indeede spend much time in bewailing some few without loosing time fit and necessarie to procure the saluation of others It is true indeede the Apostle saieth that the losse of the Iewes is a cōtinuall corrasiue vnto him yet he spoke it in no other sense then we saie that we praise God continually for we meane no other thing thereby then that we praise him very frequently and in euery occasion and in the same manner the glorious S. Paule felt a continuall griefe in his heart caused by the Iewes reprobation for that in euery occasion he bemoaned their mishape 4. For the rest we must for euer adore Loue and praise God's reuenging and punishing IVSTICE as we loue his MERCY being both daughters of his goodnesse For as he is good yea soueraignly good he makes vs good by his grace by his IVSTICE he punisheth sinne because he hates it and he hates it for that being soueraignly good he hates the soueraigne euill which is iniquitie And in conclusion note that God doth neuer otherwise withdraw his MERCY from vs then by the iust vengāce of his punishing IVSTICE nor doe we euer escape the rigour of his IVSTICE but by his iustifying MERCY and howsoeuer whether he punish or gratifie vs his good pleasure is worthy of adoration loue and euerlasting praise So the Iust who sing the praises of Gods MERCY for such as haue wrought their owne saluation shall reioyce euen in seeing Gods vengance The Blessed shall with ioye approue the Sentence of the Reprobats damnation as well as that of the Elects saluation And the Angels hauing exercised their Charitie towards those that they had in keeping shall remaine in peace while they see them obstinate yea euen damned We are therefore to submit our selues to the Diuine will and kisse the right hand of his MERCY and the left hand of his IVSTICE with an equall Reuerence How the puritie of Indifferencie is practised in the actions of holy Loue. CHAPTER IX 1. THe most excellent Musician of the Vniuersitie and one that had a skeelfull hād vpō the Lute became in time so deadly deafe that his hearing serued him for nothing yet ceased he not for all that to sing and to handle his Lute marueilous delicatly by reasō of the perfect habite which he had therein whereof his deafenesse did not depriue him But taking no pleasure in his song nor yet in the sound of his Lute as being depriued of his hearing he could not perceiue the sweetenesse and delight of it so that he neither sung nor plaied saue onely to content a Prince whose natiue subiect he was and whom he infinitely desired to please as hauing an infinite obligatiō vnto him for his breeding from his childhood Hence he tooke an incomparable delight to delight him and when his Prince made shew to be delighted in his musike he was rauished with delight But it happened sometimes that the Prince to make triall of this louing Musician's loue gaue him order to sing and presently vpon it leauing him there wēt a hunting yet the desire which this Chaunter had to accomplish his Maisters desires made him continue his musike as attentiuely as though his Prince had bene present though in very deede he had no content in his owne song for he neither had the pleasure of the Melodie whereof his deafenesse depriued him nor the content of pleasing his Prince who being absent could not enioye the sweetenesse and pleasure of the ayre which he sung My heart to sing is readie and dispos'd A hymne in honour of thy name compos'd My soule and spirit ardently essayes To sing thy praise Vp then my glorie vp and quit thy rest In Harpe ād Psaltere let our lord be bles't Mans heart is the true Chaunter of the Canticle of sacred Loue himselfe the HARPE or PSALTER Now ordinarily this Chaunter is his owne auditorie taking a great pleasure in the Melodie of his song I meane our heart louing God doth taste the delights of this Loue and takes an incomparable contentment to loue so louely an obiect Marke I praie you THEO what I would saie The Little young Nightingales doe first essaie a beginning of song by imitating the old one but hauing got skill and passing Maisters they sing for the pleasure which they take in their owne song and doe so passhionatly addict themselues to this delight as I haue saied in an other place that by striuing to send out their voice their weseele bursting they send out their life So our hearts in the beginning of deuotion loue God that they may be vnited and become gratefull vnto him and imitate him in that he hath loued vs for all eternitie but by little and little being formed and exercised in holy Loue they are imperceptibly changed and in lieu of louing God to please God they begin to Loue him for the pleasure they take in the exercises of holy Loue and insteede of falling in Loue with God they fall in Loue with the Loue they beare him and stand affected to their owne affections not taking any more pleasure in God but in the pleasure they take in his Loue contenting themselues with this Loue because it is theirs that it is in their heart whence it proceedes for though this sacred Loue be called the Loue of God because God is loued by it yet it is also ours we being the Louers that Loue by it And herevpon we come to chang for insteede of louing this holy Loue for that it tends to God who is the beloued we Loue it because it proceedes from vs who are
Ordinarie generation by man and woman finally by Extraordinarie generation of a woman without man he determined that the worke should be effected by the last way and of all the women he might haue choisen to this end he made choice of the most holy virgin our Lady by meanes wherof the Sauiour of our soules should not onely be Man but euen a Child of mankind 4. Furthermore the Sacred prouidence determined to produce all the other things as well naturall as supernaturall in behalfe of our Sauiour to th' end that men and Angels in seruing him might participate his glorie in sequall wherof though God would create as well men as Angels endewed with Freewill and possessed of Libertie to elect good or euill yet neuerthelesse to testifie that of his part they were dedicated to glorie he created them all in Originall Iustice which is no other thing then A most sweete loue disposing conuerting and weighing them to eternall felicitie 5. But because this Supreame Wisdome had deliberated to temper this Originall Loue in such sort with the will of his Creaturs that Loue should not force the will but should leaue her in her freedome he foresaw that a part yet the lesse of the Angelicall nature voluntarily quitting the diuine loue should consequently loose their Glorie And for that the Angelicall nature could not offend herein but by an expresse malice without temptation or motiue whatsoeuer which might pleade their excuse and that on the other side the farre greater part of that same nature remained constant in the seruice of theire Sauiour God who had so amply glorified his Mercy in the worke of the Creation of Angels would also magnifie his Iustice and for his indignations sake resolued for euer to abandon that woefull and accursed troope of Traitours who in the furie of their Rebellion had so villanously abandoned him 6. He also foresaw well that the first man would abuse his libertie and forsaking Grace would loose Glorie yet would he not treate humane nature so rigorously as he deliberated to treate the angelicall T' was humane nature wherof he had determined to take a blessed peace to vnite it to his Deitie He saw that it was a feeble nature a winde which passeth and returns not that is which is dissipated in passing He considered the surprise which Satan made against the first man and weighed the gteatnesse of the temptation which animated him He saw that all the race of men perished by the fault of one onely so that moued by these reasons he beheld our nature with the eye of Pitie and resolued to take it to his Mercy 7. But to th' end that the sweetnesse of his Mercy might be adorned with the beautie of his Iustice he deliberated to saue man by way of a rigorous Redemption which being it could not well be effected but by his Sonne he concluded that he should redeeme man not onely by the price of one of his amourous actions though more then most sufficient to ransome a thousand millions of worlds but euen by all the innumerable amourous actions and dolourous passions which he should doe or suffer till death and death of the crosse to which he determined him that so he might be made a companion of our Miseries to make vs afterwards companions of his Glorie showing therby the riches of his Bountie in this copious abundant superabundant magnificent and excessiue Redemption which regained and restored vs all necessaries to attaine Glorie so that no man can euer plaine as though the Diuine mercy were deficient to any That the heauenly prouidence hath prouided man of a most abundant redemption CHAPTER V. 1. NOw THEOTIME affirming that God had seene and willed first one thing and then secondly another obseruing an order in his wills I intended it according to my declaration made before to wit that though all this passed in a most sole and most simple Act yet in that Act the order distinctiō and dependence of things were no lesse obserued thē in case there had bene indeede many Acts in the Vnderstanding and will of God And sith that euery well ordered will determined to will diuerse obiects equally present doth loue better and aboue all the rest that which is most amiable it followeth that the Soueraigne Prouidence making his eternall purpose and designe of all which he would produce he first willed and Loued by a preference of Excellencie the most amiable obiect of his Loue which is our Sauiour and then the other Creaturs by degrees according as they more or lesse belonge to his seruice honour and glorie 2. Thus was all things made for that Deified Mā who for this cause is called THE FIRST BEGOTTEN OF ALL CREATVRS possessed by the diuine Maiestie in the beginning of his wayes before he made any thing created in the beginning before ages For in him all things are made he is before all and all things are established in him and he is the head of all the Church hauing the Primacie in and through all things The principall reason of planting the vine is the fruite and therfore the fruite is the first thing desired and aimed at though the leaues and the buds are first produced So our great Sauiour was the first in the Diuine Intention and in the Eternall Proiect which the Diuine Prouidence made of the production of Creaturs and in contemplation of this desired fruite the Vine of the world was planted and the succession of many generations established which as leaues or blossoms doe preceede it as forerunners and fit preparatiues for the production of that Grape which the sacred Spouse doth so much praise in the Canticles and the iuyce of which doth reioyce God and Man 3. But now my THEOTIME who can doubt of the abundance of meanes to saluation hauing so great a Sauiour in consideration of whom we were made and by the merits of whom we were ransomed For he dyed for all because all were dead and his Mercy was more Soueraigne to buie the Race of mortalls then Adams Miserie was Venimous to loose it And so farre was ADAMS fault from surmounting the Diuine Benignitie that contrariwise it was therby excited and prouoked So that by a most sweete and most louing ANTIPERISTASIS and contention it receiued vigour fuom it's aduersaries presence and as recollecting it's forces to vanquish it caused grace to superabound where iniquitie had abounded Whence the holy Church by a pious excesse of admiration cryes out vpon EASTER EVE O Sinne of ADAM truly necessarie which was cancelled by the death of IESVS-CHRIST ô Blessed fault which merited to haue such and so great a Redemour Certes THEOTIME we may saie as did that Auncient we were lost if we had not bene lost that is our losse brought vs profit sythens in effect humane nature hath receiued more graces by the redemdemption of her Sauiour then euer she should haue receiued by Adam's innocencie if he had perseuered therin 4. For though the Diuine Prouidence
be idle he vrgeth vs by this generall commandement to imploy it and to th' end this commandement might haue effect he furniseth euery liuing creature abundantly with all meanes requisite thervnto The visible Sunne toucheth euery thing with his liuely heate and as the common louer of things belowe doth impart vnto them requisite vigour to produce And euen so the diuine goodnesse doth animate all soules and encourage all hearts to her loue none at all being shut vp from her heate The eternall wisdome sayeth Salomon preacheth in publicke she makes her voice resoūd amōgst the places she cries ād recries before the people she pronoūceth her words in the gates of the Citie saying ô children how long will it be that you will loue your infancie how long will fooles desire hurtfull things and the imprudent hate knowledge Conuert your selues returne to me vpon this aduertissement ah behould how I profer you my spirit and I will shew you my wordes And the same wisdome pursueth in EZECHIEL saying Let no man saye I am dead in sinne and how cā I recouer life againe Ah no! for harke God saieth I am liuing and as true as I liue I will not the death of a sinner but that he be conuerted and liue Now to liue according to God is to loue and he that loues not remaines in death See now THEOTIME whether God doth not desire we should loue him 2. But he is not content to denounce in this manner publickly his great desire to be loued so that euery one might receiue a part of the seedes of his loue but he goes euen from doore to doore knocking and beating protesting that if any one open he will enter and suppe with him that is he will testifie all sorts of good will towards him 3. But what would all this saie THEOTIME but that God doth not onely giue vs a meere sufficiencie of meanes to loue him and in louing him to saue our selues but euen a rich ample and magnificent sufficiencie and such as ought to be expected from so great a bountie as his The great Apostle speaking to the obstinate sinner Dost thou contemne saieth he the riches of the bountie patience and longanimitie of God art thou ignorant that the benignitie of God doth draw thee to penāce But thou according to thy hardnesse ād impenitēt heart dost heape vp against thy selfe anger in the day of Anger My deare THEO God doth not therfore exercise a meere sufficiencie of remedies to conuert the obstinate but imployes to this end the riches of his bountie The Apostle as you see doth oppose the riches of God's goodnesse against the treasurs of the impenitēt hearts malice and saieth that the malicious heart is so rich in iniquitie that he despiseth euē the riches of Gods mildnesse by which he drawes him to repentance and marke that the obstinate doth not onely contemne the riches of God's goodnesse but euē riches attractiue to repentance Riches wherof one cānot well be ignorant verily this rich heape and abundant sufficiencie of meanes which God freely bestoweth vpon sinners to loue him doth appeare almost through the whole Scripture For see this diuine Louer at the gate he doth not simply beate but stayes beating he calls the Soule goe to rise my well-beloued dispach put thy hād to the locke to try whether it will open When he preacheth amidst the places he doth not simply preach but goes crying out that is he continues his crie and when he proclaims that euery one should conuert themselues he thinkes he hath neuer repeated it sufficiently Conuert your selues conuert your selues doe penance returne to me liue why dost thou die ô house of Israel In conclusion this heauenlie Sauiour forgets nothing to shew that his mercyes are aboue all his workes that his mercy doth surpasse his Iudgment that his Redemption is copious that his loue is infinite and as the Apostle saieth that he is rich in mercy and by consequence that his will is that all men should be saued none perish How the eternall loue of God doth preuent our hearts with his inspirations to th' end we might loue him CHAPTER IX 1. I Haue loued thee with a perpetuall charitie ād therfore haue drawen thee vnto me hauing pitie and mercy vpon thee and againe I will reedifie thee and thou shalt be built againe virgin of ISRAEL These are God's wordes by which he promiseth that the Sauiour coming into the world shall establish a new raigne in his Church which shall be his Virgin-spouse and true spirituall Israëlite 2. Now as you see THEOT it was not by any merit of the workes which we had done that he saued vs but according to his mercy his auncient yea eternall charitie which moued his diuine Prouidence to draw vs vnto him For if the father had not drawne vs we had neuer come to the Sonne our Sauiour nor consequently to saluation 3. There are certaine birds THEOT which Aristotle calls Apodes for that their legges being extreamly short and their feete feable they haue no more vse of them then though they had none at all so that if at any time they light vpon the groūd they are caught neuer after being able to take flight because hauing no seruice of their legges or feete they haue no further power to rayse and regaine themselues into the ayre but remaine there peuling and dying vnlesse some winde fauorable to their impotencie sending out his blastes vpon the face of the earth sease vpon them and beare them vp as it doth many other things For then making vse of their winges they correspond to this first touch and motion which the winde gaue them it also continewing it's assistance towards them bringing them by little and little to flight 4. THEO Angels are like to the birds which for their beautie and raritie are called birds of Paradice neuer seene in earth but dead For those heauenlie spirits had no sooner forsaken Diuine loue to be fixed vpon Selfe loue till sodainely they fell as dead buried in Hell seeing that the same effect which death hath in men seperating them euerlastingly from this mortall life the same had the Angels fall in them excluding them for euer from eternall life But we mortalls doe rather resemble Apodes For if it chance that we quitting the ayre of holy and diuine loue fall vpon the earth and adheare to creaturs which we doe as often as we offend God we die indeede yet not so absolute a death that there resteth in vs no motiō together with legges and feete to wit some weake affectiōs which enableth vs to make some essaies of loue yet so weakly that in trueth we are impotēt of our selues to reclaime our hearts from sinne or restore our selues to the flight of sacred loue which catifs that we are we haue perfideously and voluntarily forsaken 5. And truely we should well deserue to remaine abandoned of God sith we haue disloyally abandoned him but his eternall charitie doth often not
inferiour in nature and grace did brauely and couragiously perseuer How came it to passe that Lucifer excellent by nature and superexcellent by grace fell and so many Angels with lesse aduantages stood to theire fidelitie Truely such as stood ought to render the praise therof to God who of his mercy created and maintained them good But to whom can Lucifer and all his crew ascribe their fall if not as S. PAVLE saieth to their owne will which by her libertie deuorced her selfe from God's grace that had so sweetely preuented her How art thou fallen ô great Lucifer who euen like a faire morning came out into this inuisible world clothed with prime charitie as from the beginning of the brightnesse of a faire day who ought to encrease till the mid-day of eternall glorie Thou didst not want grace which correspondant to thy nature thou hadst most excellent of all but thou wast awanting to grace God did not depriue thee of the operation of his loue but thou depriued his loue of thy cooperation God had neuer reiected thee if thou hadst not reiected his loue O most good God thou dost not forsake vnlesse forsaken thou neuer recalls thy giftes till we recall our hearts 7. We robbe God of his right if we take vnto our selues the glorie of our saluation but we dishonour his Mercy if we saie he failed vs. In concealing his benefits we wronge his Liberalitie but we blaspheme his bountie if we denie his assistance and succour In fine God cries faire and high in our eares thy perdition comes from thy selfe ô Israël I onely am thy succour That the diuine bountie's will is that we should haue a most excellent loue CHAPTER XI 1. O God THEOT if we receiued diuine inspiratiōs in the full extent of their vertue in how short a time should we make a great progresse in sanctitie Be the fountaine neuer so copious her streames enter not into a garden according to their plentie but in a measure according to the littlenesse or amplitude of the chanell by which they are conducted thither And though the holy ghost as a source of liue-water doth driue vpon our hearts euery side to water them with his graces yet so as he will not haue them enter without the free consent of our will He will not pouer them out but according to his good pleasure and our owne disposition and cooperation as the Holy Councell saieth which also as I suppose by reason of the correspondance betwixt our consent and grace calls the receit therof a free receit 2. In this sense S. PAVLE exhorteth vs not to receiue God's grace in vaine For as a sicke man who hauing receiued the potion in his hand and should not take it into his stomacke should truely haue receiued the potiō yet without receiuing it that is he receiued it in an vnprofitable and fruitlesse sort so we receiue the grace of God in vaine when we receiue it at the gate of our heart without permitting it to enter into our hearts consent for so we receiue it without receiuing it to wit we receiue it without fruit sith it auails nothing to feele the inspiration vnlesse we consent vnto it And as the sicke man who had the potion giuen into his hand if he tooke it not wholy but in part onely had also the operation therof in part onely not wholy so when God sends a great and puissant inspiration to imbrace his loue if we consent not according to it 's whole amplitude it will but profit vs in the same measure It happens often that being inspired to doe much we consent not to the whole inspiration but onely to some part therof as did those good people in the Gospell who vpon the inspiration which God gaue them to follow him made reseruations the one to goe first and interre his father the other to take leaue of his friends 3. As long as the poore widow had emtie vessells the oyle whose multiplication HELISEVS did miraculously impetrate neuer left running but when she had no more to receiue it in it seased to flow In the same measure in which our heart dilats it selfe or rather in the measure in which it permits it selfe to be amplified and dilated not denying the freedome of it's cōsent to Gods mercy he streames out continually and without delay poures in his sacred inspirations which still increase and make vs increase more and more in heauenly loue But when there is no more freedome left or that we giue no further consent he staies their course 4. What is the reason then we are not so much aduanced in the loue of God as was S. AVGVSTINE S. FRANCIS S. CATHERINE of GENVA or SAINT FRANCISCA THEOT it is because God gaue vs not the grace and why did not God giue vs the grace for that we did not cōply as we ought with his inspirations And why did we not comply Because hauing libertie we did therin abuse it But why did we abuse our libertie Ah THEO we must stop there For as S. AVGVSTINE saieth the deprauation of our will proceeds from no cause but from the defect of a cause which causeth the sinne 5. The deuote brother RVFIN vpon a certaine vision which he had of the glorie which the great S. FRANCIS should attaine vnto by his humilitie made him this demande my deare father I beseech you tell me in earnest what opinion you haue of your selfe The Sainte answered verily I hould my selfe the greatest sinner in the world and one which serueth God the least But brother RVFIN replied how can you saie that in truth and conscience seeing that many others as we manifestly see commit many great sinnes from which God bethanked you are exempt To which SAINT FRANCIS answered if God saieth he had fauored those others of whom you speake with so great mercy as he hath me certaine I am be they neuer so bad now they had bene farre more acknowliging of God's giftes then I am and would serue him much better then I doe and if my God did abandon me I should commit more wickednes then they 6. You see THEOT the opinion of this man who indeede was rather no man but a Seraphin vpon earth I know it was humilitie that moued him to speake thus of himselfe yet neuerthelesse he beleeued for a certaine trueth that an equall grace granted by a like mercy might be more fruitfully imploied by one sinner then by another Now I hould for an Oracle the feeling of this great doctour in the sciēce of Saints who brought vp in the schoole of the Crosse breathed nothing but diuine inspirations This Apothegme hath also bene praised and repeated by the greatest deuotest that followed him amongst which diuerse are of opinion that the great Apostle S. PAVLE saied in the same sense that he was the greatest of all sinners 7. The blessed mother TERESA of IESVS a virgin indeede altogether angelicall speaking of Praier of repose saieth these words There are
and perfection not vnlike vnto Bees who hauing their extraction from honie haue also their foode from it 2. Wherefore like as Pearls are not onely bred of dew but fed also with it the Mother-pearls to this end opening their shels towards Heauen to begge in a manner the droppes which the fresh aire makes fall at the breake of the day so we hauing receiued Faith Hope ād Charitie of the heauenly Bountie we ought alwaies to turne and bend our hearts thitherwards thence to obtaine the continuation and augmentation of the same vertues O Lord doth the holy Church our mother teach vs to saie giue vs the encrease of faith hope and charitie And it is done in imitation of those that saied to our Sauiour Lord encrease faith in vs and following the counsell of S. PAVLE who assures vs that God onely is able to make all grace abound in vs. 3. It is God therefore that giues this encrease in consideration of the imploimēt which we make of his grace as it is written to him who hath that is who doth imploy the fauours receiued more shall be giuen and he shall abound Thus is our Sauiours exhortation practised Heape vp treasurs in heauen as though he should saie to your precedent good workes adde still new ones for Fasting and Almes deedes are the peeces wherof your treasurs are to consists Now as amongst the treasurs of the Temple the poore widdowes mite was much esteemed and as indeede by the addition of many little peeces the treasurs waxe great and a greater value is set vpon them so the least of little good workes though performed euen somewhat coldly and not according to the whole latitude of the Charitie which is in vs is agreeable to God and esteemed by him In such sort that though of themselues they cannot cause any encrease in the precedent loue being of lesse force then it yet the Diuine Prouidence waighing and out of his goodnesse highly prising them doth forthwith reward them with encrease of Charitie for the present and for the time to come with a more ample glorie in heauen 4. THEOT the delicious honie is the Bee 's Maister-peece nor yet is their waxe therefore neglected but is an honour to their labours Louing hearts ought to endeuour to bring forth workes full of feruour and of high value to the end they might puissantly augment Charitie yet if they bring forth some of lesser value they shall not loose their recompence for God will take them in good part that is to saie he will therby loue them a little more Nor doth God euer loue a soule that is in Charitie more without bestowing also vpon her more Charitie our loue towards him being the proper and speciall effect of his loue towards vs 5. By how much more liuely we looke vpon our picture in a looking glasse by so much more attentiuely it lookes vpon vs againe and by how much more louingly God doth cast his gracious eies vpon our soule which is made to his Image and liknesse our soule mutually with so much more attention and feruour is fixed vpon the Diuine Goodnesse answering according to her littlenesse all the encrease of Diuine Loue which this soueraigne sweetenesse work 's in her The Councell of Trent saieth thus If any saie that iustice receiued is not conserued yea that it is not augmented by good workes in the sight of God but that workes are onely the fruites and signes of iustification acquired and not the cause of its encrease let him be accursed Doe you marke THEO how iustification wrought by Charitie is augmented by good works and which is to be noted by good works without exceptiō for as S. Bernard saieth excellently well vpon another passage nothing is excepted or nothing is distinguished the Councell speakes of good workes indistinctly and without reseruatiō yet giues to vnderstand that not onely the great and feruent but also the little and faint workes doe cause the encrease of Charitie but the great ones in a greater manner the little ones in a lesser 6. Such is the loue which God beares to our soules such his desire to make vs encrease in the loue which we owe to him The Diuine sweetenesse renders all things profitable vnto vs takes all to our aduantage and turnes all our endeuours though neuer so faint and of low condition to our gaine 7. In the commerce of morall vertues little works bring no encrease to the vertue whence they proceede but contrariwise if they be very little doe impaire it for a great Liberalitie doth perish while she is busied in bestowing things of smale value and of liberalitie becomes niggardnesse But in the traficke of vertues which issue from God's mercy and especially from Charitie euery worke returnes profit Nor is it strang that sacred Loue as king of vertues hath nothing either great or smale which is not amiable sith the Baulme tree prince of sweete trees beares neither barke nor leafe that is not odoriferous and what could loue bring fourth that were not worthie of loue or did not tend to loue How a soule in Charitie makes progresse in it CHAPTER III. 1. LEt 's make vse of a Parabole THEO seeing it was a methode that pleased the Soueraigne Maister of Loue which we are to teach A great and braue King hauing espoused a most amiable young Princesse and hauing on a certaine day led her into his secret Closet there to conuerse with her more at his pleasure after some discourse he saw her by a certaine sudden accident fall downe as dead at his foote Alas he was extreamely astonished at this and it did well nigh put him also into a sownd for she was dearer to him then his owne life Yet the same Loue that gaue him this assault of griefe did fourthwith giue him strength to sustaine it and put him into action to th' end that with an incomparable promptitude he might remedie the euill of the deare Companion of his life so that with a nimble speede opening a Dresser which stood by he takes a cordiall water infinitly precious and hauing filled his mouth with it by force he opēs the closed lippes and teeth of his well-beloued Princesse thē breathing and spurting the precious liquor which he held in his mouth into his poore Loues who lay in a sownd and poureing the rest of the glasse vpon her nose her temples and about her heart he made her returne to her selfe and senses againe that done he helpes her vp softely and by vertue of remedies doth so strengthen and bring her to life that she begins to stand and walke fairely with him but in no sort without his helpe for he goes assisting and sustaining her vnder the arme till at length he laied to her heart an Epetheme so precious and of so great vertue that finding her selfe entirely restored to her wounted health she walkes all alone her deare Spouse not now surtaiening her so much but onely holding her right hand softly
but one yet containes it the vertue and propertie of all the others and is called a contemplatiue affection 6. So it is an opinion amongst Diuines that Angels higher in glorie haue a knowledge of God and the creaturs much more simple then such as are inferiour and that the SPECIES or IDâ—AS by which they see are more vniuersall so that what the lesse perfect Angels see by diuers SPECIES and lookes the more perfect see by fewer SPECIES and castes of the eye And the Great S. AVGVSTINE followed by S. THOMAS saieth that in heauen we shall not haue these great vicissitudes varieties changes and rechanges of thougtes and cogitatioÌ„s which passe and repasse froÌ„ obiect to obiect and from one thing to another but with one sole thought we may be attentiue to the diuersitie of many things and get the knowledge of them By how much further water runs from its source by so much the more it doth deuide it selfe and weare out its banks if it be not kept in by a continuall care and perfections doe seperate and deuid themselues according as they are more remote from God their source but approaching nigh him they are vnited till such time as we shall be swallowed vp in this soueraignely singular perfection which is the necessarie vnitie and THE BETTER PART that which MAGDALEN made choice of and which shall not be taken away from her That we doe contemplate without paine which is a third difference betwixt it and meditation CHAPTER VI. 1. NOw the simple view of contemplation is performed in one of these three fashioÌ„s we doe sometimes onely eye some one of Gods perfections as for example his infinite Bountie not thinking of the other ATTRIBVTS or vertues thereof As a Bridegroome simply staying his eye vpon the faire complection of his Bride yet by this meanes should truely see all her countenance for as much as the complection is spred in a sort through all the partes thereof aÌ„d should not be attentiue to the feature grace or other respectes of beautie for in like manner the mind often times considering the soueraigne goodnesse of the DIVINITIE although withall it sees the IVSTICE WISDOME and POWER yet is it onely attentiue to the GOODNESSE to which the simple view of it's contemplation is addressed Sometimes also we doe attentiuely behold in God diuers of his infinite perfections yet with a simple view and without distinction as he who with one glance of his eye passing his view from the top to the toe of his spouse richly deckt should attentiuely in generall haue seene all and nothing in particular not well discerning what carkanet or gowne she wore nor what countenance she had or how she lookt but onely that all was faire and comely For so in contemplation we often passe ouer sundrie Diuine Greatnesses and perfections in generall with one onely touch of consideration with out being able to render a reason of any thing in particular saue onely that all is perfectly good and faire and finally we doe at other times consider neither many nor onely one of the diuine perfections but onely some Diuine action or worke to which we are attentiue as for example to the act of MERCY by which God pardons sinnes or the act of Creation or the Resurrection of Lazarus or Conuersion of S. PAVLE as a Bridegroome who should not eye his Spouses eyes but onely the sweetenesse of the lookes she castes vpon him nor take notice of her mouth but onely of the delight of the words vttered by it And in this point THEO the soule makes a certaine sallie of loue not onely vpon the actions she considereth but vpon him whence they proceede Thou art Good ô Lord and in thy goodnesse teach me thy iustifications Thy throte that is the word which cometh from it is most delicious and thou art wholy desirable Ah! how sweete are thy words to my bowells sweeter then honie to my mouth or else with S. THOMAS My Lord my God and with S. MAGDELEN RABBONI ah Maister 2. But take which of these three wayes you will Contemplation hath still this excellencie that it is done with delight for that it supposeth that God and his holy loue is found that he is enioyed delighted in saying I haue found him whom my heart loueth I haue found him nor will I let him goe In which it differs from Meditation which almost alwayes is performed in paine labour and discourse our mind passing in it from consideration to consideration searching in many places either the well-beloued of her Loue or the loue of her well-beloued IACOB labours in meditation to obtaine Rachel but in contemplation he reioyceth with her forgetting his labours The diuine Spouse as a shephearde which he also is prepared a sumptious banquet according to the countrie fashion for his sacred Spouse which he so described that mystically it represented all the mysteries of mans RedeÌ„ption I came into my gardeÌ„ quoth he I haue gathered my myrrhe with all my perfumes I haue eaten my honie-coÌ„be with my honie I haue mingled my wine with my milke eate my frieÌ„ds aÌ„d drinke and inebriate your selues my dearest THE ha when was it I pray you that our Sauiour came into his garden if not when he came into his mothers purest huÌ„blest and sweetest wombe replenished with all the flourishing plaÌ„tes of holy vertues And what is ment by our Sauiours gathering of his myrrhe with his perfumes but to ioyne sufferaÌ„ce to suffereÌ„ce vntill death aÌ„d death of the crosse heaping by that meanes merit vpon merit and treasurs vpoÌ„ treasurs to enrich his spirituall children And how did he eate his honie-combe with his honie but when he liued a new life reuniting his soule more sweete then honie to his pearced and wounded bodie with more holes then a honie-combe And when ascending into heauen he tooke possessioÌ„ of all the circumstances and dependance of his diuine glorie what other thing did he if not mixe the reioycing wine of the essentiall glorie of his soule with the delightfull milke of the perfect felicitie of his bodie in a more excellent manner then hitherto he had done 3. Now in all these diuine mysteries which containe all the others there is sufficient to eate and drinke for all the deare friends and to inebriate the dearest some of them doe eate and drinke but they eate more then they drinke and so are not drunke others eate and drinke but drinke more theÌ„ they eate and those are they that are inebriated Now to eate is to meditate for in meditating a maÌ„ doth chewe turning his spirituall meate hither and thither betwixt the teeth of consideration to bruise breake and digest it which is not done without some trouble To drinke is to contemplate which we doe without paine or difficultie yea with pleasure and facilitie but to be inebriated is to contemplate so frequeÌ„tly and ardently that one is quite out of himselfe to be wholy in God O holy and sacred drunkennesse which
accords best with the will of God But in little and dayly exercises wherein the fault is nether of moment or irreparable what neede is there to chant a QVANTA PATIMVR by engaging ones attention in importune consultations To what end should I put my selfe vpon the racke to learne whether God would rather that I should saie the Rosarie or our Ladies Office since there can be no such difference betwixt them that a GRAND-IVRIE should be impannelled vpon it That I should rather goe to visite the sicke in the hospitall then to VESPERAS That I should rather goe to a Sermon then to a Church where there are Indulgences commonly there is no such remarkable thing in the one more then the other that the matter requires any great deliberation we must walke simply not subtily in those occurrēces and as S. BASILE freely doe that which licks vs best without wearying out our wits loosing our time and running hazard of disquiet scruples and superstitiō Now my meaning is alwayes where there is no great disproportion betwixt the two workes and where there occurrs no circumstance more considerable in the one then th' other 5. And euen in matters of moment we are to vse a great humilitie and not to thinke we can fish out Gods will by force of examination and subtilitie of discourse But hauing implored the light of the holy-Ghost applied our cōsideration to the search of his good pleasure taken our Directours counsell and of two or three spirituall persōs more if they chāced to be there we must absolutly resolue and determine in the name of God neuer after to call our choice in question but deuotely peaceably and constantly to vndergoe and improue it And albeit that the difficulties temptations and the diuersitie of euents which crosse the execution of our designe might make vs doubt whether we had made a good choice yet must we remaine constant not waighing all this Yea we are to consider that if we had made an other choice we had peraduenture bene an hundred times worse besides that we wot not whether it be God's will that we should be exercised in consolation or desolation in peace or in warre The resolution being once holily vndertaken we are neuer to doubt of the holinesse of the execution for vnlesse it be our fault there can be none to doe otherwise is a notable marke of selfe-Loue of childishnesse or bransicknesse The end of the eight booke THE NINGTH BOOKE OF LOVE OF SVBMISSION WHEREBY OVR WILL IS VNITED to Gods Of the vnion of our will to the will of God which is the WILL OF GOOD PLEASVRE CHAPTER I. I. NOthing excepting sinne is done but by the will of God called an absolute will and of GOOD PLEASVRE which cannot be hindred by man and which is not knowen vnto vs but by the effects yet being arriued they make manifest that God willed and determined them 2. Let vs conside◠in grosse THEO all that hath bene is and shall be and rauished with amazement we shall be forced to crie out with the Psalmist O Lord I will praise thee because thou are abundantly magnified thy works are wonderfull and my soule doth acknowledge thē very much thy knowledge is become admirable of me it is made great nor can I reach to it And from thence we passe on to a most holy Complacence reioycing that God is so infinit in WISDOME POWER and GOODNESSE which are the three Diuine Proprieties whereof the world is but a small taste or scantling 3. Let vs behold men and Angels and all the varietie of nature qualities conditions faculties affections passions graces and priuiledges which the diuine Prouidence hath established in the innumerable number of those heauenly INTELLIGENCES and humane creaturs vpon which Gods IVSTICE and MERCY is so admirably practised and we cannot containe our selues from singing with ioye full of respect and louing dread True Iustice and true Iudgment are The obiect of my dittie VVhich vnto thee I offer dare Most iust and full of pitie THEO we are to take an exceeding complacence to see how God exerciseth his MERCY by the sundrie benefits which he doth distribute amongst men and Angels in heauen and earth And how he practiseth his IVSTICE by an infinit varietie of paines and chastisements for his IVSTICE and MERCY are equally amiable and admirable in them selues since both of them are no other thing then the same most singular Goodnesse and Deitie But the effects of his Iustice being alwayes sharpe and and full of bitternesse to vs he sweetens them with the mixture of the effects of his MERCY conseruing the greene Oliue amidst the waters of the Deluge of his iust indignation and giuing power to the deuote soule as to a chast doue to find it in the end prouided alwayes that like to the doue she doth louingly meditate So death afflictions anguishes labours whereof our life is full which by Gods iust ordinances are the punishments of sinne are also by his milde MERCY made ladders to ascend to Heauen meanes to encrease grace and merits to obtaine Glorie Blessed is pouertie hunger thirst sorrow sicknesse persecution death for in truth they are the iust punishments of our faults yet punishments so seasoned or to vse the Phisitions terme so aromatized with Diuine sweetenesse benignitie and clemencie that their bitternesse is best beloued A strang yet a true thing THEO if the damned were not blinded with the obstinacie and hatred which they conceiue against God they would find consolation in their torments and see the Diuine MERCY admirably dispersed amongst their eternally-tormenting flames So that the Saints considering on the one side the torments of the damned so horrible and dreadfull they praise Gods IVSTICE in it and crie out thou art iust ô Lord thou art iust and iustice for euer raignes in thy iudgments But seeing on the other side that these paines though eternall and incomprehensible come yet farre short of the crime and trespasse for which they were inflicted rauished with Gods infinite MERCY ó Lord will they saie how good thou art since in the very heate of thy wroth thou canst not keepe in the torrent of thy MERCYES that it streame not its waters into the deuouring flames of Hell Goodnesse o Lord hath not thy soule forsooke Euen while thy iustest iustice vengeance tooke Midst hellish flames nor could sterne ire represse The torrent of thy wounted graciousnesse Thou still pour'st out and still dost enterlace Thy wrothfull strokes with strikes of grace And then turning our eyes vpon our selues in parcular and finding in vs diuers interiour and exteriour goods as also a greatest number of interiour and exteriour paines which the Diuine Prouidēce hath prepared for vs according to his most holy IVSTICE and MERCY and as opening the armes of our consent we doe most louingly embrace all resting in Gods most holy will and singing vnto him by way of a Hymne of an eternall repose Thy will be done in earth as it is in
had bene the onely motiue of his actions he would haue bene as well content to haue seene it accomplished in remission of the paine which the Niniuits had merited as in punishments of the fault which the Niniuits had comitted Our desire is that the things which we vndertake or haue a finger in should succeede well but there is no reason that God should doe all that we desire If Gods will be that Niniuie should be threatned ād not throwen downe since the threat is sufficient to correct why should Ionas find himselfe ageeeued in it 6. But if this be so we are then to affect nothing at all but abandone our businesse to the mercy of the euents Pardon me THEO we are to omit nothing which is requisite to bring the worke which God hath put into our hands to a happie issue yet vpon condition that if the euent be contrarie we should louingly and peaceably embrace it for we are commanded to be iealous in that which appertaines to God's glorie and to our office but we are neither obliged nor charged with the euent which is not placed within our reach Take care of him was it saied to the Groome of the stable in the Parable of the poore mā who lay halfe dead betwixt Hierusalē ād Hierico It is not saied as S. Bernard remarkes cure him but take care of him So the Apostles with an vnspeakable affection preached first to the Iewes though they foresaw that in the end they they should be forced to leaue them and betake themselues to the Gentils It is our part to plant and water carefully but it belongs to God onely to giue encrease 7. The great Psalmist makes this praier to our Sauiour as in an exclamation of ioye and with presage of victorie O Lord for thy beautie and comlinesse sake bend thy bow march prosperously and get on horse back as though he too would saie that by the arrowes of his heauenly Loue shot into humane hearts he made himselfe Maister of man to handle him at his pleasure not vnlike to a horse well trained vp O Lord thou art the Royall MAISTER OF THE HORSE who can turne the heart of thy faithfull Louers into all postures sometimes giuing them full bridle they runne at full speede in the enterprises to which they were inspired ād againe at thy pleasure thou stopest them in the midst of their careere and at the hight of their speede 8. But further if the enterprise begun by inspiration doe perish by his fault into whose hāds it was put in trust how can one saie then that a man is to submit himselfe to Gods will for some will saie vnto me it is not Gods will that hinders the euent but my fault which is not caused by Gods will It is true my child thy fault was not caused by Gods will for God is not Authour of sinne yet it is also true that it is Gods will that thy fault is followed with the defect and ouerthow of thy designe in punishment of thy fault for though his goodnesse cannot permit him to will thy fault yet can his Iustice permit the paine due to it So God was not the cause that Dauid offended yet he inflicted vpon him the paine due to his sinne Nor was he the cause of Sauls sinne Marrie he was cause that in punishment of it the victorie perished in his hands 9. When therefore it happens that in punishment of our fault our holy designes haue not good euents we must equally by a solide repentance detest the fault and accept the punishments thereof Of the indifferencie which we are to haue in our Spirituall aduancement CHAPTER VII 1. GOd hath ordained that we should imploy our whole endeauours to obtaine the holy vertues Let vs thē forget nothīg which might helpe our good successe in this pious entreprise but after we haue once planted and watered let 's then know for certaine that it is God which must giue groth to the trees of our good inclinations and habits And therefore from his Diuine Prouidence we are to expect the fruits of our desires ād labours And if we perceiue not the progresse and aduancement of our hearts in deuotiō such as we would desire it let 's not be troubled at it let 's liue in peace let a smooth calme alwayes raigne in our hearts It belongs to vs diligently to labour our heart and therefore we must faithfully attend to it But touching the plentie of the croppe or haruist let 's leaue the care thereof to our Lord and Maister The Husbandman is neuer reprehended that the haruest is not plentifull but onely that he did not carefully till and sowe his ground Let 's not be troubled to perceiue our selues continually NOVICES in the exercise of vertue for in the MONASTERIE OF A DEVOTE LIFE euery one holds himselfe a continuall NOVICE and there the whole life is the yeare of PROBATION there being no more euident argument not onely that we are NOVICES but that we are euen worthy of expulsion and reprobation then to esteeme and hold our selues PROFESSED For according to the Rule of this Order not the solemnitie but the performance of the vowes makes the Nouices Professed nor are the vowes euer performed while there remaines yet something to be done for their performance nor is the obligation of seruing God and going on in his loue ended but with the end of life I but will some say vnto me if I know that it is by my owne fault that I profited not in vertue how could I but be greeued and disquieted I haue saied the same in the Introduction to a deuote life but I doe willingly iterate it because it can neuer be saied sufficiently one must be sorrie for faultes committed with a setled constant and calme repentance but not with such an one as is distempered turbulent or disencouraging Are you sure that your backwardnesse in vertue was caused by your fault goe to then humble your selfe before God implore his Mercy fall prostrate before the face of his goodnesse and demand pardon confesse your fault crie him mercy euen in your Ghostly Fathers eare to obtaine absolation But this being done remaine in peace and hauing detested the offence embrace louingly the abiection which you feele in your selfe by reason of delaying your aduancement in vertue 2. Alas THEO the soules in Purgatorie are there doubtlesse for their sinnes and for sinnes which they haue detested and doe highly detest but as for the abiection and paine which remaines to be tyed to that place and to be depriued for a space of the beloued Loue of heauen they endure it with Loue and deuotely pronoūce the Canticle of the Diuine Iustice Thou art iust ô Lord and thy iudgments are rightuous Let 's therefore expect our aduancement with patience and in steede of disquieting our selues that we haue so little profited in the time past let vs diligently endeuour to doe better in the time to come 3. Behold I beseech you
truth or a most true humilitie that indeede we are most vnprofitable and vnfruitfull seruants to our Maister who by reason of his essentiall superabundancie of riches can haue no profit by vs but conuerting all our works to our owne aduantage and commoditie he makes vs serue him with as little profit to him as much profit to our selues who by so small labours gaine so great rewards 3. He was not then bound to paie vs for our seruice if he had not passed his promis for it yet doe not thinke THEO that he would so manifest his goodnesse in this promise as to forget to glorifie his wisdome yea contrariwise he did most exactly obserue the rules of equitie mixing comelinesse with liberalitie in an admirable manner for though our works are indeede very small and in no wise for their quantitie cōparable to Glorie yet in regard of their qualitie they are very proportionable therevnto by reason of the Holy Ghost who by Charitie dwelling in our hearts workes them in vs by vs and for vs in so exquisite a manner that the same workes that are wholy ours are more wholy his sith as he doth produce them in vs so we againe produce them in him as he doth them for vs so we doe them for him as he operats them with vs so we cooperate them with him 4. Now the holy Ghost doth dwell in vs if we be liuely members of IESVS CHRIST who herevpon saied vnto his Disciples He that abids in me and I in him he brings forth much fruit and it is THEO because he that abids in him is made partaker of his diuine Spirit who is in the midst of mans heart as a liuing fountaine of water springing vp vnto life euerlasting so the holy oyle which was poured vpon our Sauiour as vpon the head of the Church militant and triumphant doth spread it selfe ouer the societie of the Blessed who as the sacred beard of this heauenly Maister is continually fastened to his glorious face and doth drope vpon the companie of the faithfull who as clothes are ioyned and vnited by loue to the Diuine Maiestie the one and the other troope being composed of naturall brethren hauing hereby occasion to crie out Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell in one as oyntment on the head which ranne downe vpon the beard the beard of Aaron which ranne downe vpon the hemme of his garment 5. Our works therefore as a little corne of mustard are in no sort comparable in greatnesse to the tree of glorie which they produce yet haue they the vigour and vertue to worke it for that they proceede from the holy ghost who by an admirable infusiō of his grace into our hearts makes our works his and yet withall leaues them our owne since we are members of one head whereof he is the Spirit and ingraffed in a tree whereof he is the sape and whereas he doth in this sort act in our actions and we after a certaine manner doe operate or cooperate to his operation he leaues vs to our part all the merite ad profite of our seruices and good workes and we againe leaue him all the honour and praise thereof acknowledging that the beginning the progresse and the end of all the good we doe depends of his mercy by which he hath come vnto vs and hath preuented vs he came into vs and assisted vs he came with vs and conducted vs finishing what he had begun But ô God THEO how mercifull is this Bountie vnto vs in this diuision we render him the glorie of our praises alas and he giues vs the glorie of his possession In somme by these light and passing labours we obtaine goods permanent for all eternitie Amen That perfect vertues are neuer one without the other CHAPTER VII 1. The heart is saied to be the first part of a mā which receiues life by the vnion of the soule and the eye the last as contrariwise in a naturall death the eye begins first to die the heart the last Now when the heart begins to liue before the other parts be animated life is feeble tender and imperfect but still as it gets further possession in the other parts of the bodie life is more vigorous in each part but particularly in the heart and we see that life being interressed in any one of the members it is weakened in all the rest If a mans foote or arme be agreeued all the bodie is disseased stirred troubled and changed If our stomake paine vs the eyes voice and countenance are sensible of it Such is the agreement amongst all the parts of man for the enioying of this naturall life 2. All the vertues are not gotten in an instant but one after another as reason which is as the soule of our heart rids it selfe now of one passion now of another to moderate and gouerne them and ordinarily this life of our soule takes it's beginning in the heart of our passion which is Loue and branching it selfe ouer all the rest it doth euen quicken the very vnderstanding by contemplation as contrariwise morall or spirituall death makes its entrie into the soule by the consideration Death enters by the windowes saieth the sacred Text and its last effect is to distroy the good Loue which once perishing all our morall life is dead in vs so that though me may indeede haue some vertues seperated from others yet are they but at most languishing imperfect and weake vertues since that reason which is the life of our soule is neuer satisfied or at ease in a soule vnlesse it occupie and possesse all the faculties and passions of the same and being once agreeued or hurt in any one of our passions or affections all the rest loose their force and vigour and strangly doe pine away 3. Marke THEO all the vertues are vertues by the proportion or conformitie they haue to reason and an action cannot be named vertuous if it proceede not from the affection which the heart beares to the decencie and beautie of reason Now if the loue of reason doe possesse and animate the mynd it will be obedient to reason in all occurrences and consequently will practise all the vertues If IACOB loued RACHEL in respect that she was Laban's daughter why did he despise LIA who was not onely the daughter but euen the eldest daughter of the saied LABAN But because he affected RACHEL by reason of her beautie he could neuer equally loue the poore LIA though a fruitfull and wise maide not being so faire in his eye He that loues a vertue for the loue of the reason and decorum that shines in it he will loue them all since he will find the same motiue in thē all and he will loue each of them more or lesse as reason shall appeare in them more or lesse resplendēt He that loues Liberalitie and not Chastitie shewes sufficiently that he loues not liberalitie for the beautie of reason for that is
of Paula and they stood in neede of a thousand sundrie kinds of assistāces according to the varietie of the aduenturs of their Pilgrimage and the sharpnesse of it 4. Howbeit Perseuerance is a gift the most to be desired of any thing we can hope for in this life and which as he Councell of Trent saieth we cannot haue but from the hand of God who onely can assure him that stand's and helpe him vp that falls Wherfore we must incessantly demand it making vse of the meanes which our Sauiour hath tought vs to the obtaining of it Praier Fasting Almes deedes frequenting the Sacraments conuersation with the good the hearing and reading of pious lessons 5. Now sithens the gift of Praier and deuotion is liberally granted to all thar freely doe consent to diuine inspirations it is consequently in our power to perseuer Yet not so that I would hence inferre that Perseuerāce hath her beginning from our power for contrariwise I know she doth spring from God's mercy whose most precious gift she is but I would saie that though she doth not proceede frō our power yet comes she within the compasse of it by meanes of our will which we cannot denie to be in our power for be it that Gods grace is necessarie for vs to will to perseuer yet is this will in our power because heauenly grace is neuer manting to our will while our will is not wanting to our power And indeede according to the great S. BERNARD'S opinion we may truely saie with the Apostle That neither death nor life nor Angels neither depth nor hight can separate vs from the Charitie of God which is in Iesus Christ no for no creature can take vs away by force from this holy Loue but we onely can forsake and abandon it by our owne will nor is there any other thing in this behalfe to be feared 6. So THEO following the aduise of the holy Councell we ought to place our whole hope in God who will perfect the work of our Saluation which he hath begun in vs if we be not wanting to his grace for we are not to thinke that he who saied to the Paralitike goe and sinne not gaue him not also power to auoide that which he did prohibit him and surely he would neuer exhort the faithfull to perseuer if he were not ready to furnish them with power required therto Be faithfull till death saied he to the Bishop of SMIRNA and I will giue thee a crowne of Glorie be diligent and remaine in faith labour couragiously and comfort your selues doe all your workes in Charitie runne so that you may obtaine the Prise We must eftsonnes with the great king demand of God the heauenly gift of Perseuerance and hope that he will grant it vs. Doe not permit thy seruant 's fall O Lord my onely HOPE my ALL In th-winter of this mortall day But when vntired time shall hasle To render back to th-earth the waste Of what I was be thou my stay That the happinesse to die in heauenly Charitie is a speciall gift of God CHAPTER V. 1. VVHen the heauenly king hath brought the soule which he loueth to the end of this life he doth not cease to assist her also in her blessed departure by which he drawes her to the mariage bed of eternall glorie which is the delicious fruite of holy Perseuerance And then deare THEO this soule wholy rauished with the loue of her well-beloued putting before her eyes the multitude of fauours and succours wherwith she was preuented and helped while she is yet in her pilgrimage she doth incessantly kisse this sweete helping hand which cōducted drew and supported her in the way and confesseth that it is of this diuine Sauiour that she holds her felicitie seeing he had done for her all that the Patriarch IACOB wished for his iorney at such time as he saw the Ladder to heauen O Lord saieth she then thou wast with me and guided me in the way by which I came Thou fedst me with the bread of thy Sacraments thou clothed'st me with the wedding garment of Charitie thou hast happily conducted me to this MANSION OF GLORIE which is thy HOVSE ô my eternall Father What remaines ô Lord saue that I should protest that thou art my God for euer and euer Amen O God my Lord my God for euer deare Thy hand hath bene my stay thy sacred grace My surest Guide and did me vpwards reare To the honour of thy heauenly MANSION PLACE Thus then we walke to eternall life for the accomplishment of which the Diuine Prouidence ordained the number distinction and succession of graces necessarie to it with their dependance of one another 2. He willed first with a true will that euen after the sinne of ADAM all men should be saued but vpon termes and by meanes agreeable to the condition of their nature endewed with free-will that is to saie he willed the saluation of all those that would contribute their consent to the graces and fauours which he prepared offered and distributed to this end 3. Now amongst these fauours his will was that VOCATION should be the first and that it should be so accommodated to our LIBERTIE that we might at our pleasure accept or reiect it and such as he saw would receiue it he would furnish with the sacred motions of PENANCE and determined to giue Charitie to such as should second these motions to those againe that were in Charitie he purposed to supplie with helpes necessarie to PERSEVERANCE and to such as should make vse of these diuine helpes he resolued to impart finall Perseuerance and the glorious FELICITIE of his eternall Loue. 4. And thus we may giue a reason of the order which is found in the effects of PROVIDENCE tending to saluation descending from the first to the last that is from the fruite which is GLORIE to the roote of this faire tree which is our Sauiours REDEMPTION For the Diuine Bountie doth follow MERITS with GLORIE CHARITIE with merits PENNANCE with CHARITIE OBEDIENCE to the first Vocation with Penance The VOCATION with obediēce to the vocation and our Sauiours REDEMPTION with a vocation vpon which Iacobs mysticall ladder doth rest as well towards heauē it ending in the louing bosome of the eternall Father in which he doth receiue and glorifie the Elect as also towards the earth being planted vpon the besome and pearsed side of our Sauiour who for this cause died vpon the Mont-Caluarie 5. And that this continuance of the effects of Prouidence was thus ordained with the same dependance which they haue of one another in the eternall will of God the Holy Church in the preface of one of her solemne Praiers doth witnesse in these words O ETERNALL and Almightie God who art Lord of the liuing and dead and art mercifull to all those whom thou foreseest are to be thine by faith and works as though she had acknowledged that Glorie which is the encrease and fruite of Gods Mercy towards
men was onely ordained for those whom the Diuine wisdome had foreseene that in tract of time seconding their vocation they should attaine a liuely Faith which work 's by Charitie 6. Finally all these effects haue their absolute dependance of our Sauiours Redemption who did merit them for vs IN RIGOVR OF IVSTICE by the louing obedience which he exercised euē till death and death of the crosse which is the source of all the graces which we receiue we who are the Spirituall graffes ingraffed in his stoke and if being ingraffed we remaine in him we shall beare without doubt by the life of grace which he will impart vnto vs the fruite of Glorie prepared for vs. But if we prooue broken sprigges and graffes vpon this tree that is if by resistance we breake the progresse and successe of the effects of his Clemencie it will not be strang if in the end we be wholy cut of and be throwen into eternall fires as fruitlesse branches 7. God doubtlesse prepared heauen for those onely whō he foresaw would be his Let vs be his then THEO by faith and works and he will be ours by Glorie Now it is in our power to be his for though it be a gift of God to be Gods yet is it a gift which God denies no bodie but offers it to all to giue it to such as freely doe consent to receiue it 8. Nay marke I pray you THEO how ardently God desires we should be his sith to this end he hath made himselfe entirely ours bestowing vpon vs his death and his life his life to exempt vs from eternall death his death to possesse vs of eternall life Let vs remaine therefore in peace and serue God to become his in this mortall life more his in that immortall That we cannot attaine to a perfect vnion with God in this mortall life CHAPTER VI. 1. RIuers doe restlesse rūne and as the wiseman saieth returne to their source The Sea which is the place whence they spring is also the place of their finall repose all their motion tend's no further then to vnite themselues to their fountaine O God saieth S. AVGVSTINE thou hast created my heart for thy selfe and it can neuer repose but in thee But what haue I in heauen saue thee ô my God or what else in earth can I desire yea Lord for thou art the Lord of my heart thou my part and portion for euer Howbeit the vnion which our heart aspires to neuer attaines to it's perfection in this mortall life we may commence our Loues in this but neuer consummat them till the next world 2. The heauenly Spouse makes a delicate expression of it I haue found him at length saieth she him whom my heart loues I hold him nor will I let him goe till I haue led him into my mothers house and into her chamber who brought me fourth The well-beloued hath gotten him then For he makes her feele his presence by a thousand consolations she holdes him these feelings causing in her strong affections by which she doth holde and embrace him protesting neuer to release him O no! for these affections turne into eternall resolutions yet cannot she perswade her selfe that she giues him the mariage kisse till she meete with him in her mothers house THE HEAVENLY HIERVSALEM as S. PAVLE saieth But see THEO how this Spouse thinks euen to keepe her beloued at her mercie as slaue in Loue and so leade him at her pleasure bringing him to her mothers happie abode though indeede she her selfe must be conducted thither by him as was REBECCA into SARA'S chamber by her deare ISAAC The heart pressed with loue doth still gaine ground towards the thing beloued And the Spouse himselfe confesseth that the Beloued hath forced his heart hauing tyed him with one onely heire of her head acknowledging himselfe her prisoner by Loue. 3. This perfect coniunction then of the soule with God shall onely be in heauen where as the Apocalypse saieth the Lambs marriage-banquet shall be made In this mottall life the soule is truely espoused and betrothed to the immaculat Lambe but not as yet married vnto him They haue passed their words and promisses but the execution of the marriage is differred so that we haue alwayes time though neuer reason to disclame from it our faithfull Spouse neuer abandoning vs vnlesse prouoked by our disloyaltie and vnfaithfulnesse But in heauen the marriage of this diuine vnion being celebrated the tye of our hearts to their soueraine PRINCIPLE shall neuer be vndone 4. It is true THEOTIME that while we expect the kisse of this indissoluble vnion which we shall receiue of the Spouse aboue in glorie he begiues vs some few kisses by a thousand touches of his gratfull presence for vnlesse the soule were kissed she should not be drawen nor would she runne in the odour of the Beloued's perfumes whence according to the originall Hebrew Text and the 70. Interpreters she wisheth many kisses Let hī kisse me saith she with kisses of his mouth But whereas these little kisses of this present life haue reference to the ETERNALL KISSE of the life to come the holy vulgar Edition hath piously reduced the kisses of grace to that of Glorie expressing the spouse her desires in this wise Let him kisse me with a kisse of his mouth as though she should saie of all the kisses of all the fauours that the friend of my heart or the heart of my soule hath prouided for me ah I doe not breath after or aspire to any other thing then this great and solemne marriage-kisse which remaines for euer and in comparison whereof the other kisses merit not the name of kisses being rather signes of the future vnion betwixt my beloued and me then vnion it selfe That the Charitie of Saints in this mortall life doth equallise yea sometimes passe that of the Blessed CHAPTER VII 1. VVHen after the trauailes and dangers of this mortall life the happie soules arriue at the Port of the eternall they ascend to the highest and vtmost degree of Loue to which they can attaine and this finall encrease being bestowed vpon them in recompence of their merits it is distributed vnto them not onely in good measure but is euen pressed and thrust downe and yet doth scatter on euery side as our Sauiour saieth So that the Loue which is giuen for reward is greater in euery one then that which was giuen for to merit 2. Nor shall euery one in particular onely haue a greater loue in heauen then euer he had in earth but euen the exercise of the least Charitie in heauen shall be much more happie and excellent generally speaking then that of the greatest which is hath bene or shall be in this fraile life for aboue all the saints doe incessantly without any intermissiō exercise loue while heare belowe God's greatest seruants racked and tyrannized with the necessities of this dying life are forced to suffer a thousand and a thousand distractions which oftentimes