to redeem us from the tyranny of Satan Mourning is an attendant as unseparable from man as the shadow from the body He that condoles the death of a dear friend mourns in black for a year How long then shall he mourn that lives as an exile upon earth If he call to mind his manifold sins how can he do less then mourn Or if he seriously think of the dreadful day of Judgment how can he but fearfully consider what he shall be and mourn not knowing the event Or if he fix his thoughts on the many miseries and dangers of this Life should he not mourn considering where he is Or finally elevating his eyes from the residence of mortality can he contemplate the joyes of Heaven and not aspire and sigh with David because his sojourning is prolong'd not mourn because he is not where he would be O my Soul What hast thou been Sinful Where shalt thou be As yet it is unknown Where art A Prisoner in thy Body in a vale of tears Where art thou not Not in Heaven not with God thy Centre but in the way a Pilgrim going towards him Run then that thou mayst comprehend And seeing to be dissolv'd and he with Christ is thy happiness weep with him that with him and by him thou mayst be comforted Here pause a while and then consider To contemn the world is to be poor in Spirit To have Repose of Mind is to be meek after which follows Mourning For if a Man attend to himself and others he shall find nothing but what is lamentable while he beholds his own and all the enormous crimes of the world which is altogether bent to malignities Who then can be so insensible as not to mourn so drie as not to shed one tear O my Soul Is it thou which art so barren If to suffer with Christ be to reign with him to be comforted thou must weep with him If he call thy sins his own if he mourn for thine as if they were his own if he shed tears to wash away thy sinful blotts canst thou forbear weeping Canst thou be so stony-hearted as not to be transfixt with grief seeing his tender Heart wounded and his Eyes shedding tears for thy sins Not one tear for thy self while he showers down so many to purifie and cleanse thy festering Heart soyl'd with so many Crimes O blessed Saviour Thou art the true Moses and hast a Rod to strike as well as to guide wound I beseech thee this stubborn Rock of mine this obdurate Heart that it may bleed with grief and sorrow for my sins That mine Eyes may gush forth with tears for this is the onely grief which I desire this the mourning which produceth Consolation for thou hast said it Blessed are they that mourn for they shall he comforted in this Life with spiritual solace given to true penitents and in the future with perpetual joy in perfect Beatitude Perfect Beatitude Compleat Happiness O! shall I not mourn to find comfort there Or shall I rather seek the fleeting Pleasures and transitory Consolations of worldly felicity which to enjoy is instantly to be reduc'd to mourning Shall I not then mourn and sigh after those Comforts which once obtain'd shall exempt me from all mourning Alass Whither can I cast mine Eye in this vale of tears and not behold an Object that extracts tears and invites to mourning Here I behold manifold diseases There dysastrous and untimely deaths In this place mortal Hatred accompanied by Revenge In that I hear Detractions horrible Oaths and Blasphemies with infinite miseries and calamities And if I reflect an Eye on my self what mutinies of rebellious Passions and disordinate Appetites I discover in my own bosom which made even Saint Paul himself mournfully to cry out Ay me unhappy Man Who shall deliver me from the body of this death that is from a body which causeth a spiritual death to the Soul Notwithstanding all this shall I think to transform this our vale of tears into a Paradise of delights This our gloomy shade and shadow of death into a solid substance of joy and contentation Do I not know that Enosh a Man in the Hebrew Tongue signifies one subject to diseases infirmities and miseries What then is this wretched world but an Hospital for the sick and a House of Lazars with which what suites better than mourning How can I then but reflect on my self and bewail what I am a Child of Adam born of a Woman saith Job and living but a short time subject to many miseries Amongst which shall I live in jollity with the Voluptuous sport with the Libertine gourmandize with the Epicure joy in worldly pelf with the covetous or in honors with the ambitious No I have reputed laughter an error saith the Wise-man and to joy I said Why art thou in vain deluded The end of joy is seiz'd on by sorrow and mourning And it is better to go to the house of mourning then to the house of banquetting Better is it amidst of afflictions to mourn with our Lord weeping on the Cross than amidst vain joys and transitory delights to exult with the impious Better to shed one tear with thy Redeemer drench'd in a briny flood than a thousand for temporal disasters Ah! me-thinks I see dropps of blood distilling from his Head wounded with thorns and from thence descending to his weeping Eyes to make a mixture such as was in his Heart of blood and water Tears from his Eyes trickling down his pale cheek to ascend from thence to the Throne of his Father to speak in my behalf As David said it may be in the person of Christ Hearken unto my tears And shall I joyn with him in this Petition exhibited for the washing away of my sins and yet not distill one tear Shall the Master of Requests present to his Majesty the Humble Petition of some great Delâ—nquent with tears in his Eyes and the party guilty stand by not onely tearless but also with a merry countenance Nay should he second it with laughter what were it but to make expression of the little or no resentment and feeling he had of his crime and present peril Such is the state of voluptuous sinners who are so far from mourning that they rejoyce in evil-doing spend their dayes in mirth and jollity and in an instant descend to Hell Oh! rather let us sit with the Israelites by the Rivers of Babylon fleeting delights of the world elevate our Eyes to our Heavenly Country and mourning say How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange Country the world into which we came weeping surcharg'd but with one sin and shall we not mourn here overloaden with many Not return to Earth from whence we came powring out if it were possible a flood of tears for the expiation of our manifold crimes The Myrrh-Tree wounded distills abundantly tears so may the Sinner pierc'd to the heart by compunction The Turtle mournes for the absence
they are cruel who unbraid and deride them or expose them to the derision of others by discovering their sins to whom they should be as merciful and charitable in concealing as if they were their own not forgetting the severe sentence of S. James Judgement without mercy be unto him that doth no mercy Consider how God is so pleased with mercy shewed to our Neighbour that to such only as do it he hath promised mercy And withall hath commanded us to beg for pardon and remission of our sins as we remit and fully forgive them who trepass against us And that so freely and absolutely as not to retain the least rancor or malice in our hearts Which to accomplish when any enmity or uncharitable thought is slily creeping into thy heart reflect thine eye on Christ crucified who as saith S. Bernard to heap mercies on mercies gave his life and out of his wounded side brought forth the price of satisfaction whereby he fully pacified his Father according to the words of David With our Lord is mercy and plentiful redemption Hereupon thou mayst infer that whosoever seek for mercy and security in Christs wounded side must come like Noe's Dove to the window of the Ark that brought an Olive-branch in his Beak which is the type of mercy and peace To signifie they must be merciful and charitable to others who expect to find mercy there O my soul arise and shake off those dull cogitations of enmity that surcharge thy heart that thou mayst nimbly fly and be like the Dove nestling in the hole of the Rock the pierc'd and patient side of thy Saviour That when thou art pursued by the Enemy like a Dove by the Hawk that shrowds himself in the hole of a rock here thou mayst find succour and secure thy self Here is the gate of mercy and pity which always stands wide-open where at all times thou mayst find habour in the secure calm of mercy To be merciful is to have a grievous and pitiful heart Ah! how pitiful was that wounded heart of thy Saviour which for thy sake was pierc'd through with a Spear Compassionate and have with him a heart wounded with grief and pity Commiserate the distressed members of his mystical Body in him and then thou canst not but be merciful to thy self and find mercy for thy self being one of his O merciful Redeemer I behold blood and water streaming from thy heart and issuing out of thy wounded side By that precious blood I was redeemed and made one of thine And by the water of Baptism I was purified and made one of thine To persevere still and continue one of thine still may that door of mercy thy wounded side be open unto me May I be dead to the world and sin that wounded as with a Spear with true love and charity I may never by sin cause this gate of mercy to be shut against me Thou O Lord didst vouchsafe to give freely the last drops of blood which were in thy heart for a more compleat Redemption Grant I beseech thee that I may spend the remnant of my days in thy holy service in works of mercy spiritual and corporal that finally I may obtain mercy through thee my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen O my soul consider what it is to find mercy through Jesus Christ to which thou so often sayst Amen or So be it It is to find mercy by the vertue and merits of his bitter Passion Yet this will not suffice if thou beest not merciful to him likewise in his So great is the vertue of Mercy saith S. Leo that without it all other vertues will not profit thee No though a man be faithful chaste and sober and endued with singular ornaments yet if he be not merciful he deserves not mercy And remember that thy works of mercy must be done through Christ our Lord to be dignified by vertue of his Passion and for his sake otherwise they shall have no reward The right hand must not know what the lest hand doth No sinister or by-intention must intrude A charitable work must be a work of justice when we render to God the glory only due to him and to our selves reserve the reward which promised we expect Nay more an Alms hath the honour to be call'd Justice it self For our Saviour adviseth us to beware that we do not our Justice before men that we may be seen by them and have the applause and praise of men In fine Who would not in this manner be merciful that knows in the old Law no Sacrifice Ox or Sheep might be offered in the Temple that had not a tail which in a mystical sense might prefigure that even in the Law of Grace no work of mercy which is a kind of Sacrifice to God can be acceptable which hath not an end that is a right intention tending to Gods honour and for his sake If we cry out with Zachaeus Ecce Behold when he gave so great an Alms as the moity of his Goods it may seem to savour of ostentation till we add farther with him Domine Behold O Lord I give to thee what is thine as to Caesar what is his in respect of his figure stamp'd in it So in my Alms I behold thee and contribute thine for thy sake like Zachaeus little considering my poor ability yet present a work like the Widow with her Mite great in regard of a free and willing heart Should I give it to be magnified by others What could I behold therein but mine own shape like a Narcissus enamored with himself court the shadow and lose the substance An Alms is a work of Redemption Redeem thy sins by Alms works of mercy It is an entire Expiation Give Alms and all shall be pure unto you The Sixth BEATITUDE Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God EMBLEME VI. The Fig-Tree Nec Cornisi punctum 6. So pierc'd and pierc'd with sorrow's dart Compunction from a sinners heart And eyes extracteth tears while grace The opposite to sin takes place OF this Tree there are several kinds differing according to the several Countries wherein they grow the name being generally attributed to all those Trees which bear a fruit that hath some resemblance to the Fig. But that which is the subject of the present Emblem grows commonly in Spain and Italy though possibly brought thither at first from some other parts of the World It bears a Fig without the production of any precedent Blossom which as it should seem hath in it during the time of its greenness a raw humour whose crudity is such that it ripeneth not till a certain Fly or Gnat gives it a prick or wound Soon after the Fig hath receiv'd that wound there distills from it a kind of tear which falls to the earth After which the Sun entring in at that narrow passage made by the Fly the Fig by degrees comes to maturity Behold here the Emblem of a Heart truly contrite wounded by
I never mourn but for my sins nor grieve but for the loss of thee IV. On thy sacred Mouth crying out I thirst I read thou didst hunger and thirst after righteousness that I might be justified by thy Death and Passion Grant sweet Jesu I may ever hunger and thirst after this V. By thy wounded Side I find thou wert merciful giving all thy precious blood for my redemption May I be merciful to thee in thine that I may finally find mercy VI. Let thy pierced Heart most pure and exempt from all fin teach me to prepare a pure and clean heart for thee VII By thy sacred Hands nailed I understand thou wert the grand Peace-maker Vouchsafe to infuse into my soul true and perfect Charity that I may have peace withall for thee and during this life make my peace with thee VIII Lastly By thy Feet pierced with nails I read they are blessed that suffer persecution which thou didst even unto the death of the Cross Grant me grace to suffer for thee to bear afflictions patiently that with thee I may reign eternally Amen O good Jesu to reign with thee is to suffer with thee On the Cross thou art surrounded with the eight Beatitudes Here I must seek them exemplified in thy self on Mount Calvary to find them perfected on Mount-Sion the heavenly Jerusalem I. I behold the Cornel-tree where without leaves to shrowd it the blossom lies naked and expos'd to the blustring winds And on the Tree of the Cross as naked I behold my Saviour poor in Spirit poor in Will and Desire as naked dying as born for us Uncloath thy self then O my soul and be as naked in thine affections to the leafy vanities and riches of this life which is but a so journing for poor mortality II. I see the arch'd Indian-Fig-tree greedy to possess the Land with a thousand shoots which descend to take deep root in the earth And on the Tree of the Cross I behold our Lord meekly bowing down his Head humbled even to the death of the Cross to take possession of the Land of the Living for me an exile by as many shoots as sighs prayers tears and drops of blood as he shed for me a lost sinner O my soul where are thy humble shoots that should descend that they may ascend to the Land of promise where are thy submissive thoughts that should lowly bend to the earth by acknowledgment of thy unworthiness and ingratitude to so good and merciful a Lord Thou art now in possession of a barren Land thy body where thou canst not nor must not take deep root Heaven is thy Land this thy place of banishment Thither let thy thoughts ascend to be deeply rooted by an eternal possession III. I view the Myrrhe-tree weeping drop after drop but when prick'd and wounded it more abundantly distills Thus came I weeping and mourning into a vale of tears like a taper by the wind soon extinguish'd like a spark in the Sea as soon swallowed up like a froth suddenly vanishing and a vapour scatter'd in the air Have I not then cause to weep to prevent a future mourning and acquire a happiness and consolation which is promised to Mourners Then I cast mine eyes on Christ crucified and weeping on the Cross why for my sins Why like a Myrrhe-wee wounded over all his body distilling blood To give light to my glimmering taper fire to my spark substance to my frothy soul and purer air to my dusky vapour Thirdly I will summon my heart and expostulate with my soul why she would be usher'd by her eyes to the aspect of vainer objects yet never made use of them to bewail her sins with tears And if the Myrrhe tree stab'd or launc'd with a knife dissolves it self into tears why doth she not procure by her sighs and prayers that my heart woulded with true compunction may be liquified into tears of grief IV. I seem to behold the Clove-tree hungring as it were and thirsting after the strengthning moisture of the earth which it continually attract Then I seem to hear my Saviour cry out I thirst to express his ardent desire of our Salvation And then O my soul say I canst thou hear thy Lord crying out I thirst and yet present him with no other potion then a cup full of absinth thy sins which are more bitter to him then Vinegar and Gall of which he tasting would not drink O my soul taste and see how sweet our Lord is who to revive and refresh thee which wert like dry and barren earth showred down his precious blood from his wounded body veins and heart till it was totally exhausted O what an excessive thirst did this cause in thy Saviour what a Consummatum est was this what bounty when hereserv'd not to himself so much as one drop of blood O my soul if he gave thee all that was most precious doubt not to say with his royal Prophet What shall I give unto our Lord for all he hath given me what less then an entire heart and soul with all her powers to love honour and serve him V. Next I imagine I see the fruit of Adams Apple-tree cut in two which presents us with a cross which bare the Saviour our of the World in whom I behold as many crosses as stripes and scourges enterlac'd in his tender flesh It was the fruit of the forbidden Tree wherein being eaten were included as many crosses as miseries now incident to wretched man As hunger thirst cold heat infirmities c. which render him miserable and consequently to be pitied O my soul commiserate at least thine own self encompassed with so many frailties casualties and anxieties of mind Turn which way thou wilt thou canst not be long exempted from one calamity or other Wherefore seeing to be Misericors that is to say merciful is to have an agrieved and pitiful heart as it were always bearing a cross let thine he dolor sorrow and compunction for thy sins VI. Imagine you behold the green Fig pick'd and pierc'd by a little Gnat or Fly whence distills a drop as it were of hony And then say O my green hard and immature Heart where is that compunction that is requisite for thee O that thou wert thus pierc'd and wounded with grief for thy fins that sweet delight like a honey-drop might issue forth for while it resides within thee thou canst never come to maturity for where sin predominates Grace must needs be an Exile Then reflect your Eye on our Saviour's Heart wounded with a Spear and say Lord Were not thy larger wounds in thy Hands and Feet sufficient pledges and testimonies of thy excessive Love Why then after thy death wouldst thou receive so deep a wound in thy Heart Ah! If Death were stronger than Love in thee when by him thou wert vanquisht he seizing by Heart Love again even after Death was more powerful by opening that sacred rift whence issued the Sacraments and where the Gate of
was then in the Universe the Earth opening Rocks splitting the Temples Veil rending the Thief reviling and the Jews blaspheming And if at that time the Stars were shining they were like so many Eyes to admire the wonderful meekness and patience of our Redeemer In fine If the corporal Eye dull'd and dazled with a long and tedious aspect of glittering objects If I say that be refresh'd by looking stedfastly on a green Emerald shall not the sight of his sacred Head meekly inclining be as powerful to banish from the inward Eye that dark cloud of passionate wrath that circumvolves and stupifies the intellectual part I will go said Moses and behold this great Vision why the bush that burns consumes not For could he expect less than a crackling noise from a thorny Bush environed with Flames If this were miraculous what is it to behold that very God of Abraham God of Isaac and God of Jacob which appeared in the Bush with a Head meekly bowing down wreath'd with a Crown of Thorns amidst flames of Love burning but not consuming meekly hearing the Jews and patiently suffering while they blasphem'd revil'd and scorn'd him O my Soul what a great Vision is this to iuvite thee to meekness and patience Thou likewise art inclos'd as in a thorny Bush thy Body where for a light injury or small affront thou dost not only burn but art even consum'd with the flame of wrath and indignation sparkling and crackling like a Fire amongst Thorns To prevent the like flames of fury go sometimes to see this great Vision the Head of thy Saviour crown'd with Thorns meekly bowing down and as it were beckning unto thee to come and learn of him to be meek and humble of heart learn to possess thy self and thereby take possession of the Land which he hath promised to the meek and humble of heart God placed in the Clouds his bended Rain-bow that he might be mindful of his Covenant and on the Cross he hath fix'd his only begotten Son whose head meekly bending while he beholds he becomes a meek and merciful God to man who by his manifold sins provokes him to wrath How then canst thou elevate thine eyes sparkling with wrath against them that injure thee and not be pacified when thou beholdest this meek wounded Head bowing down to give thee the kiss of Peace meekly hearing and patiently bearing blasphemous words and wrongs that were so outragious and injurious to Innocence What then should a guilty soul patiently suffer for his sake If His sacred head be crown'd with sharp thorns wouldst thou have thine notwithstanding be encompassed with Roses If his head meekly bow down shall thine be rais'd up by pride or threaten revenge to them that offend thee Finally if his brow pierc'd with thorns be not any way contracted with wrinkles against his enemies smooth thy furrowed brow by meekness and for his sake and according to his example love even those that hate thee The Third BEATITUDE Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted EMBLEME III. The Myrrhe-Tree Tam lachrymosus homo 3 So of himself as soon as born The tender Bahe begins to mourn But after pierc'd with griefs and sears Hee 's more and more distilling tears THe Myrrhe-Tree of it self naturally distil's and as it were sheds tears but more abundantly when it is prick'd and wounded Behold the Embleme and Type of Man who is born weeping as being to use Saint Austin 's expression a Prophet presaging his own future calamities Man likewise naturally weeps for the loss or death of a dear friend so doth a Parent for his lost or deceased Child as Jacob did for Joseph and David for his Son Ahsalon Such tears ought to be moderate according to the saying of the Son of Sirach Modicùm plora super mortuum Weep not much over the dead Temporal losses and afflictions do also force tears from those who suffer them as they did from Job cap. 24. v. ult My harp also is turned to mourning and my organ into the voice of them that weep But when a man sheds tears out of remorse and compunction he is wounded like the Myrrh-Tree Thus was David wounded when he said In the night-time I will wash my bed with my tears What sins how great and enormous soever but may be swallowed up in such a flood as Pharaoh and his Army was in the red Sea Or what Flames can be so great as not to be extinguish'd by such a fountain There are likewise tears of Compassion as Job says I wept over him that was afflicted and my soul took compassion on the poor After this manner David weeps for Saul and Tobias for his Countrey men oppress'd with miseries With like tears of Commiseration we may mourn with our Lord while we meditate on his bitter Passion for as S. Agustine says He is not a true member of Christs Body that weeps not with the Head There are likewise tears of Devotion which issue forth out of an ardent desire to enjoy the happy Vision of God Or when a devout Soul replenished with the sweetness of God mourns for the absence of her beloved Spouse For Love saith S. August is impatient neither is there any moderation in tears unless the Lover may enjoy that which he loves Tears likewise are shed by devout persons when they behold grievous sins committed which are so injurious and offensive to Almighty God After this manner Esdras wept and the Apostles for their Lord when he was so cruelly treated by the Jews as he had foretold saying you shall mourn and weep Moreover tears are shed by those who out of Devotion and excess of spiritual joy even melt with the contemplation of heavenly Mysteries Which kind of joy S. Augustine had experienced when he assures us that the more a devout Soul is filled with holy and fervent desires the more abundantly he weeps in Prayer and mourns as David did crying out Ay is me that my sojourning and abode on earth is prolonged I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Kedar my soul hath been a long time a stranger Therefore my tears have been bread to me day and night while it is said unto me Where is thy God Our blessed Saviour speaking of his Passion calls it a Baptism by which his sacred body was bathed in blood and his face in tears like the Myrrhe-tree wounded on all sides and parts of his body with thorns whips nails and spear Behold him in this sad and heavy plight mourn and weep with him while he exemplifies in himself the third Beatitude Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted CONSIDERATIONS ON THE III. BEATITUDE Of the Eyes of our Blessed Saviour weeping IN this third Beatitude consider a happiness opposite to flesh and blood viz. to weep and mourn which our Lord did many times but never was seen to laugh He mourn'd and wept on the Cross and was comforted seeing by the effusion of tears and blood he was
then he should do who loves any thing besides him according to Saint Augustine's opinion Fourthly He that is in mortal sin hath an impure Heart and loves not God Therefore to be clean of Heart and thereby blessed and by Grace in the way to see God I must imitate the pure white Ermine a little beast which rather chooseth to fall into the hands of the Hunter than make an escape through a dirty place and defile it self Me-thinks Christ our Saviour stretch'd and nail'd to the Cross resembles a Cross-bow which while I behold his Heart darting forth fiery Arrows of Love a clean and pure Heart seems like the White plac'd in the midst of a Butt at which it is aimed upon which representation I shall here insert a short Descant I long since made in Verse Tender Arms for our offence Drawn and stretch'd with violence Like a Bow-string now I see While upon the bloody Tree Cruel nails both long and rough Sacred Hands are piercing through Thus while tender Arms extend The string 's fastned at each end Jesus Heart is like the Nutt Of the Cross-bow where are put Nimble shafts with vigour sent Thus the Bow stands ready bent Sinners then prepare your Hearts From this bow flie wounding darts Stand his Butt th' Arrows glow As th' are flying from this bow Midst the Butt to place the White Stand his mark and let him smite Let him pierce and wound thy Heart With his torments pain and smart Shafts of sorrow grief and pain For thy sins return again So thy Soul being cleans'd from sin And by Grace made pure within Stand Christ's Butt that when contrite A clean Heart may be the White Such is a Heart disengaged and disenteressed from all inordinate desires that may soil or streighten that habitacle design'd and resign'd to God In such an absolute manner is this to be imagin'd that one may confidently say with King David Tuus sum ego Lord I am totally thine not mine own nor the worlds nor of the flesh nor of sin but entirely thine by a full resignation submission and oblation of my self To thee I dedicate an entire Heart with all my senses and cogitations all my words and works And restore unto thee what I had from thee a Soul washt and purified by Baptism and a Heart contrite with Grief and cleans'd again by true Repentance Yet still again and again to be wash'd and more and more purified If by the least mote the corporal Eye be obscur'd much more that of the Soul If I never cease till I have cleans'd and clear'd the one that I may have a perfect sight of each object which occurrs shall I not alwayes be cleansing and purifying that inward Eye which is capable when clear of the sight of God The Seventh BEATITUDE Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God EMBLEME VII The Wood-Bind Pacis conjunctio firma Thus while two foster deadly hate A third steps in to end debate Makes Peace unites both Hearts and Hands How blest is he who makes such bands TO make a better comprehension of this Beatitude the Devout Christian is to imagine that he sees two limber Stands or young shoots hardly able to support themselves on their tender roots and in perpetual agitation by reason of the violence of the wind which causes them to assault and injure each other till the Peace-making Wood-Bind gently twining it self about them takes away that opposition and disposes them to a certain reconciliation and friendship According to this representation the Wood-Bind which bears the Honey-Suckle a name derived from sweetness may well be the Emblem of the blessed Peace-maker who by the sweetness of his Couversation and Amicable Interposure in the Differences of his Neighbours endeavours to reconcile them In the Latine Tongue the Wood-Bind is called Mater Sylvae viz. The Mother of the Woods And peradventure it is for this reason That as a loving and indulgent Mother huggs and embraces her Child so this Plant clasps and twines it self about every other Tree that it can fasten on In like manner is it the endeavour of the blessed Peace-maker to dispose all those between whom he heareth there are any differences to Unity Peace and Concord making all other interests and concernments subservient to that grand one of bringing all things to composure and quiet And this is that whereto the Apostle writing to the Ephesians exhorts them viz. to walk with all lowliness and meekness long-suffering and forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace For Peace is the Hand-maid of Charity whose property it is to unite and take away all animosities jealousies distrusts and heart-burnings Justly therefore hath our Blessed Saviour pronounc'd him Blessed and the Child of God who like the Hony-Suckle by a sweet insinuation and affability endeavours to compose the Minds of the litigious and like the Wood-Bind is as ready to unite the contentious and dissatisfi'd into Amity as he is to make Peace within himself as in Charity he is bound And to this is it that the Apostle exhorts us when he sayes Have Peace and the God of Peace and Love will be with you But how comes it that the Peace-maker hath this particular prerogative and advantage to be called the Child of God We may imagine it proceeds hence that as God our Father is the God of Peace so we may pretend to the title of his Children if we are like him and look on it as our concernment to make Peace between Men. We may also upon this further consideration be called the Children of God that he who came into the world to reconcile it and to bring us that Peace which passeth all understanding hath vouchsafed to call us Brethren Nay that great Saviour and Peace may seem to have their birth at the same instant for then was it that there was a Proclamation made by Celestial Heralds to wit the Angels that Peace should be on Earth and good will towards Men. Then like the chearful break of day appear'd that beauteous Peace fore-told by the Prophet Esay whereof there should be no end inasmuch as it came with that Son whose other titles are clos'd with this that he was to be the Prince of Peace It is no other then our Blessed Saviour Christ himself who is the great Peace-maker and came like the Wood-Bind to unite a pair of shoots as I may term them to wit Justice and Mercy which were opposite while the wrath of God like a violent wind incited Justice to Revenge which Mercy oppos'd What a conflict was between these two till our Lord on the Cross like a Wood-Bind united them in one As David by a prophetique spirit said Mercy and Truth that is to say Justice have met together Justice and Peace or Mercy have kissed each other like two branching shoots surrounded by a Wood-Bind which onely Christ could do the great
Should I behold thee in the poor and not commiserate thee or behold thee in the naked and not cloth thee or in the sick and not visit thee or in the hungry and not feed thee Thou gavest all even to the last drop of Blood to redeem me a vile Sinner O that I could give and surrender all I am and have to thee my God and Saviour O that I could love thee with an entire Heart and with all the powers of my Soul On his Heart Against Impure Thoughts O Good Jesu I behold thy tender Heart pierc'd through with a cruel Spear and seem to hear thee say Blessed are the clean of Heart for they shall see God O that my sinful Heart were transfixt with sorrow for my sins by true compunction that I may have the happiness to behold my God by having a clean Heart and purified Soul by true Contrition Jesu be merciful to me a Sinner that I may have a Contrite Heart deeply wounded and transfixt with sorrow as often as I behold thy wounded Side and Heart whence flowed Blood and Water With which thou O Lord shalt sprinkle me and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow On Christ's Hands Against perturbations of Mind O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Hands pierced through with nails and seem to hear thee say Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be call'd the Children of God Thou O Lord wert the great Peace-maker who didst interpose thy self betwixt thy Heavenly Father and us Sinners Thou hast made our Peace yet still I find disquiet of Mind upon sleight occasions vain fears and worldly respects Therefore I appeal to thee the great Peace-maker and Son of God and beseech thee to assist me with thy powerful Grace that I likewise may be a Peace-maker not onely externally amongst such as are at variance but likewise inwardly that I may pacifie my own Soul and thereby become the peaceful Child of God who seeks repose in a Soul free from anxious thoughts and worldly perturbations Amen On his Feet Against Fear of Persecution O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Feet pierced through with nails and seem to hear thee say Blessed are they that suffer Persecution for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Thou O Lord wert persecuted unto death even the death of the Cross For which God gave thee a Name above all Names O Blessed Saviour since thou hast promised a Kingdom to them that suffer with thee and for thee I must not I cannot presume to reign with thee unless I suffer for thy sake And since no Man shall be crowned but he that lawfully fights for thy Honour and suffers for thy Glory why should I be so backward so timorous so unwilling to undergo whatever Persecution it pleases thee to send or to permit which I should receive as a Favour from Heaven and certain pledge of thy Love and Favour who being a Loving Father receivest no Child whom thou dost not chastise Under whose Rod of Correction may I humbly through thy powerful Grace submit and fully resign my Will to be a chosen Member of that Kingdom which thou hast promised to them that suffer Persecution for thy Names sake Amen Amen Part of the 143. Psalm paraphras'd concerning true Beatitude O Rescue me out of the hand Of such as thy behests withstand Degenerate Children they wholly And utter naught but vanity Whose powerful Arms in my distress Were Arms stretch'd forth to wickedness Whose Youthfull Sonns like to a Spring Of vigorous shoots are flourishing Whose Daughters dress'd their Pride display Deckt Temple-like in rich array Whose store of Corn abundant lies Heapt up in their rich Granaries Whose Ewes are fruitful flocks that go Mantling the Earth like drifts of snow Whose Oxen prosper fat and fair And in whose Walls no ruins are Nor noyse of Thieves or Rogues that meet Or hideous out-cries in the Street Such some admire and Happy call Cause they have blessings temporal But I him Blest have understood Whose Lord to him is God all good FINIS
and Qualities that make it contribute to our design And therefore we shall with Gerard call it Adam's Apple-tre The merciful man which in the Latine Tongue is called Misericors is he who hath a sorrowful and compassionate heart for anothers misery a heart inclining him to relieve and succour such as stand in need of his assistance in their extream wants Such a merciful man may be design'd by this Tree whose Roots being as it were but small threads or fibres do shoot forth leaves that are five or six foot in length and near three in breadth Insomuch that they serve for Table-cloaths and Napkins and being dry'd they may serve for Mattresses and Quilts very convenient and soft to lye upon Behold here the Emblem of a merciful Man who parts with his leafy substance to cloath the naked to relieve the poor to supply the wants of the needy to succour the necessitous This is the man who by his charitable endeavours conceals the miscarriages and imperfections of his Neighbour For mercy when it is the issue of Charity hath the same prerogative with the Parent which is as St. Peter saith To cover a multitude of sins Moreover this Tree which groweth above the reach of an Elephant would continue a low shrub and the Leaves would bend downwards to the ground if they were not cut off from time to time by which means the Tree grows up higher and the Leaves become larger What can more pertinently denote the Merciful man who by a voluntary defalcation of the things of this World is rais'd so much the nearer Heaven I and the more freely he parts with the transitory goods of this life the greater treasure does he lay up for that hereafter By these advantages doth he still ascend higher and higher while others keeping all to themselves do like shrubs lye groveling on the Earth in their covetous desires There is this further Remark made upon this Tree that it needs be planted but once though it bears but one year For it continually shooteth forth new stalks as the old decay and in some Countries they are soon ripe after they spring and the Inhabitants will have ripe fruit from some of the Plants at all times The case is the same with the Merciful man who as soon as he hath done one act of Charity is ready to do another and so successively as if he were oblig'd to exhaust himself to supply others and this from time to time till his own be come to its period and that he leaves the young shoots of his posterity to succeed him in his good works Hereto we may add this further observation that besides this Tree there is only one other that hath a strange property to wit that which way soever their fruit be cut when it is come to maturity the meat thereof which is white as snow represents in the midst of it the figure of a Cross especially if it be cut in thin slices as commonly we do Cow-cumbers Thence is it that the Spaniards and Portugueze think it a crime to put a knife into it and are extreamly scandaliz'd to see it broken otherwise then with the teeth Hath not this some resemblance to the heart of a Merciful man who hath a certain fellow-feeling of the miseries and calamities of the poor whom he views with affliction of mind Which way soever he casts his eye of pity and beholds the distressed he compassionates them as if the like cross of adversity were fix'd in his heart If he behold his Saviour on the Cross his heart is wounded with pity as if the passion were figured in it Again if he view his Neighbour oppressed with wrongs or miseries he is so sensible thereof as if that very cross of affliction were engraven in his heart In a word he sees no man poor whom he pities not no man miserable whom he does not compassionate still like the fruit of this Tree cut bearing in his heart a cross by which he suffers with him Nay more while he beholds Christ in a poor man whom he pities and relieves he bears Christ's shape in his heart whom he likewise relieves Happy therefore is the merciful man that bears such a cross as renders him for ever blessed who no doubt may say with St. Paul God forbid I should glory in any thing but in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Now fix thine eye on the bleeding side of Christ whose blood issued from a wounded heart where was always engraven a cross not only the instrument of his passion but as many crosses as were the sins of the World And as many as were the acts of mercy and compassion which he produc'd towards sinners Verè pius verè misericors And shall he evacuate not only his veins but likewise his heart Shall he disburse all the treasure of his most precious blood and yet wilt thou be so penurious and pitiless as not to relieve the necessitous with part of thy dross Ah! view and view again that bountiful and pitiful heart that streameth forth at his side and proclaims them blessed who are merciful and promiseth they shall obtain mercy CONSIDERATIONS ON THE V. BEATITUDE On the side of our Blessed Saviour bleeding FRom his sacred Mouth descend to his pierced side which may be likewise term'd a mouth as were all the wounds of his body that speak and proclaim him a bounteous and merciful Lord who having given all the blood of his body and veins for our Redemption would finally suffer his heart to be pierc'd that the last drops of his precious bloud might stream from thence for a fuller satisfaction or rather expression of his infinite Love Whereas the least drop thereof might have redeem'd many Worlds and reconcil'd to his Father as many Nations as he shed drops of blood Consider what a merciful giver was God the Father who so exceedingly loved man that he gave unto him his only begotten Son a Son likewise so good bounteous and merciful that he would annihilate and lessen himself by taking upon him the form of a Servant And after as the Factor did for one precious Pearl gave all his precious blood and life to purchase and redeem thy Soul and thereby obtain mercy for it Which notwithstanding thou shalt never find unless thou also be Merciful To whom To thy self and thy Neighbour To thy self according to the words of the Son of Syrach Take pity and compassion on thine own soul pleasing God Think how many Souls are languishing in sin How many starve for want of the food of Life the Blessed Sacrament How many groan under the heavy burden of sin And how merciless they are to themselves that rescent not the dangerous estate of their own souls To these thou art merciful when thou prayest for them or by word or example endeavourest to reclaim them Thou art merciful likewise when thou forgivest injuries or when thou dost commiserate and condole the defects and imperfections of others Contrari-wise
compunction and pierc'd with sorrow which before while it was green was not in a capacity to receive the influences of the Sun of Righteousness and consequently could not be ripned till a passage was made for the evacuation of the peccant humour that so the beams of grace might efficaciously work upon it Let us then consider that if this delicate fruit does upon its piercing or wounding distil tears and that in order to its attainment of maturity it is much more requisite that the devout Christian should endure the stings of remorse and compunction in order to his being advanc'd to that perfection which is requir'd in the pure of Heart To this end is it that a Man ought sometimes as Saint Augustine sayes to make his appearance at the Tribunal of his own Soul where his own Thoughts will be his Accusers his Conscience the Witness and Grief the Executioner to wound the sinful Heart Then saith he let the blood as it were of the Soul fâ—w and issue forth by tears Notwithstanding all this Who saith Solomon will glory that he hath a clean Heart True it is no Man should glory herein but give the Glory onely to God Yet since the pure of Heart shall onely see God such purity of Heart is required as is produc'd by the expulsion of sin and infusion of Grace Therefore David humbly desired that his sin might be blotted out and that within him might be created a clean Heart Not a new Heart created but purity therein which being produc'd without any precedent merit of the finners part may be term'd a Creation Therefore Saint Paul tells us That Charity which is the same spiritual quality with Grace is transfus'd into our Souls which gives life and vigour in some sort as the Soul created and infus'd informs and gives life and motion to the body Me-thinks a Fig when but green pierc'd and wounded as it were by the Gnat lies expos'd to the bright and hot beams of the Sun as the Heart of a sinner doth to the Sun of Justice when 't is plerc'd by compunction Ah! what Light of Faith and heat of Love enters through those new â—ade passages of the Contrite Heart by which it becomes as it were a new Heart ripened by Virtue and embellished by Grace Now elevate thine Eyes to behold the wounded Heart of our Lord not with the sting of a Gnat but with a sharp Spear not to receive any light or heat of Consolation but to lay out the entire summ of that infinite treasure of his precious blood besides water to purifie thy impure Soul that thou mayst be blessed and see God thereby to enjoy eternal Beatitude CONSIDERATIONS ON THE VI. BEATITUDE On our Blessed Saviour's wounded Heart HAving in the Fifth Beatitude like a Dove nestling in the hole of a Rock as at the Gate of Mercy entred by Contemplation into Christ's wounded side now make a step farther or rather with reverence stay and view his wounded Heart most pure and clean where sin could never find entrance and say with the Patriarch Jacob Verily here is no other than the House of God and the Gate of Heaven This is the Blessed One pure of Heart who ever had the happy sight of God Consider what it is to be clean of Heart It is to be the Temple of the Holy Ghost To be in the state of Grace that is not guilty of any mortal sin And since the Heart is the Source and Fountain whence our thoughts perpetually flow to suppress all impure cogitations as they are rising is to have a clean Heart when it is accompanied with a pure intention directing all our actions to the Honor and Glory of God And as Saint Augustine saith Whatsoever we do whatsoever we laudably desire must tend to obtain the Vision of God beyond which nothing can be desired Think of the Question propounded by King David O Lord Who shall dwell in thy Tabernaele or who shall rest in thy holy hill And then attend to the Answer which is this He that liveth uprightly and worketh righteousness c. This is a hard saying Must the Heart be so clean as not to have one spot The Child but a day old is not free and in his Angels God found iniquity Who then shall be justified in his sight Or who can be clean of Heart while the All-seeing Eye of Heaven beholds it Appeal then to the pure Heart of thy Saviour rely on his Innocence not on thine own on his merits not on thine Seeing that Vessel of Election said he was guilty of nothing and yet in that he was not justified yet doubted not to say A Crown of righteousness was due unto him which the just Judge would give him I will therefore say with David O Lord turn away thy face of thy severe Justice from my sins And with him add further Shew me thy face that is to say of thy mercy and I shall be saved According to thy great mercy and multitude of thy mercies cancell my iniquity wash me again from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin that I may be clean of Heart to enjoy thy sight O my Soul Keep thy Heart as the Wise man adviseth thee with all kind of custody for out of it saith he proceeds life Keep it pure let not in one mortal sin to defile it for then from the Heart would proceed Death destruction of Grace and loss of the sight of God for Grace is the seed of Glory Let thy Heart be ploughed by Contrition harrow'd and cleans'd from the weeds of sin that this divine seed may be sowen in thy Heart which springs up by holy desires and is ripened by virtuous exercises O my God thou hast commanded me to love thee with an entire pure and sincere Heart Give me I beseech thee what thou commandest by creating in me a clean Heart and renewing a right Spirit in my bowels that I may love thee with all my Soul that my Will may be resign'd to thine without any contradiction with all my Mind and Memory alwayes to think of thee and with all my powers that I may employ them in thy service To perform all these things I must observe four things First Seeing all I am and have Body and Soul spiritual and temporal blessings I have from God I must be alwayes mindfull of his benefits Serve honour and thank him for all love him above all and for him my Neighbour Secondly I must consider the excellency of God And seeing he is infinitely greater than our Heart though we serve him with all our Heart and powers of our Soul yet are we defective and insufficient and must therefore think we never do enough Thirdly We must not suffer the world to usurp the least corner of our Heart by disordinate Love for that were injurious to God as was the placing of the Idol Dagon by the Ark. He is too covetous saith Saint Jerom whom God cannot satiate And he loves God less
Peace-maker and Son of God who fully pacified Justice by suffering death for Man by which redeem'd Mercy likewise had her desire embrac'd with Justice then pacified when she beheld from Heaven our sins severely punish'd in Christ Never could Man have fully conceiv'd the wrath and hate of God against sin had he not expiated the same by the death of his onely begotten Son Nor could we have apprehended his infinite Mercy had he not given this his onely Son for our Redemption Behold his Hands nailed and thereby know how the Hand of Justice being fastned Mercy and she embrac'd and kissing were united by Christ our Wood-Bind whose design was to make our Peace saying I leave you my Peace I give you my Peace not as the world gives I give you Peace For the world charmes and enchants a Soul slumbering in the conceipt of a sweet repose even when she is amidst the harsh discords of impiety yet hears them not nor sees her present danger Which made David cry out Englighten mine Eyes O Lord that they may not at any time sleep in death CONSIDERATIONS ON THE VII BEATITUDE On Christ's Hands pierc'd with nails FRom his Heart ascend to his Hands tran fixt with Nails that he might thereby fasten and stay the Hand of Justice ready to chastise us for our sins while he himself suffered in his Body what our enormous crimes deserv'd Imagine you see a King enrag'd against his Vassal for some heinous offence with his sword brandish'd and ready to kill him Which the Prince his Son seeing notwithstanding the injury as neere concern'd himself comes in and to save the Delinquent receives the thrust in his own Body pacifies his Father begs his pardon and restores the Criminal to the King 's gracious Favour How infinitely oblig'd you will say was this Subject to the Prince Thus did God the Son incarnate interpose himself betwixt his Father and sinful Man And on the Cross wounded by the Hand of Justice for our manifold iniquities pacified his Heavenly Father and thereby was our Peace-maker Consider now if this Subject reconciled to the King should by the Princes means be made a Vice-Roy of some petty Kingdom with charge given him to govern and preserve Peace with Subordination to his Majesty Notwithstanding should this Vice-Roy forgetting all favours and former Clemency rebelliously conspire against both King and Prince What punishment would you think too great for such a Traytor Is not every Man a kind of Vice-Roy to manage a petty Kingdom which is within him What his Passions Are they not at least should be his Subjects Together with his Appetites and Concupiscences which rebell against Reason And as often as Man sins mortally is he not guilty of High Treason against the Majesty of God his Dread Sovereign Who being every way infinite it follows the punishment due is infinite Hence I will conceive a great hatred and detestation against sin and ingratitude to the great Peace-maker my King and Saviour under whom as a Vice-Roy I must govern and be a Peace-maker And that I may the better preserve Peace withâ—n me I will set a Guard over my outward Senses over mines Eyes that they may not behold vain and curious impertinencies nor curiously prie and search into other Mens Actions Over my Tongue that it may not intrench upon my Neighbours Reputation Over mine Ears shutting them against Detractors c. Thus being outwardly guarded I may the better preserve inward Peace by suppressing inordinate thoughts and desires In such sort that having within me a peaceful Kingdom subordinate to Reason God may quietly inhabit in my Soul whose place as David saith and residence is in a peaceful Heart not disturbed with worldly cares nor embroyled with the Passions of fear and wrath which ordinarily raise a tumult in our little Kingdom But to be a perfect Peace-maker indeed one should be so totally united to God in his affections as not to desire any thing with out him and onely repose in him the onely centre and support of the Soul And remember what Saint Augustine sayes That they are Peace-makers in themselves and for themselves who subject all the tumultuous motions of the Soul to Reason that is to the Mind and Spirit For by subduing and suppressing carnal Concupiscences they become the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth Where being Peace-Makers they are likewise the Children of God and resemble their Heavenly Father to whom it is proper to enjoy himself who is Peace and tranquillity it self extending from end to end strongly and disposing all things sweetly O my soul thou feest what thou shouldst be Now consider what thou art How soon is the little Kingdom within thee disturb'd How suddenly anger disquiets it What perturbations of mind are caus'd when but a lighter cross or slight affliction lights upon thee Yea even an unkind word from a friend breeds a great discontent and trouble within thee And when all succeeds not according to thy expectation thou art so far from being a peace-maker that distracted in thy thoughts thou art vex'd and perplex'd within thy self How then art thou the Child of God in whom he desires to repose Art thou not rather like a whining Babe that for every trifle is crying and thereby disquieting the whole house O blessed Saviour though I dayly say Thy Kingdom come I am yet like that Regulus that little King little in the knowledg of my self and like his Son I lye infirm and weak and subject to my disordinate passions I can do all in thee who strengthen'st me Enable me therefore I beseech thee by thy powerful grace that thy Kingdom may come that thou mayst reign in me and over me the true Solomon and peaceful King that I with all the powers of my soul may rest in peace and be wholly resign'd to thy will Therefore I daily say Thy will be done What is it then can disturb my peace of mind If affliction if sickness or whatever else hapneth be according to thy will or permission it must be done Nay I daily pray it may be done And should I otherwise desire yet if it be thy holy will and pleasure it must be so Why then should not I be a peace-maker and qualifie all passions and disordinate desires which when I have perform'd internally I may and not before make peace amongst others externally O Jesu it was the Will of thy Father which thou didst punctually observe And that which thou didst teach was humility in conversation stability in faith modesty in words justice in deeds mercy in works discipline in manners and not to do but to suffer injuries This is to be a peace-maker and the Child of God This is the peace proclaim'd by the Angels at thy birth-day This is the peace thou didst leave us and with this peace we desire to depart and rest in thee that our peace and Kingdom begun here by grace may by thee be perfected in glory Amen O what a happiness it