iniurie and outrage yet goe THEO follow our Sauiours Counsell preuent him in good render him good for euill cast vpon his head and heart burning coales proofes of Charitie that may wholy burne him and force him to a reconciliation You are not bound by rigour of law to giue almes to all the poore you meete but onely to such as are in extreamitie Yet following our Sauiours Counsell cease not to giue to euery poore bodie that you light on hauing still a respect to your owne condition and to the true exigent of your affaires You haue no obligation to make any vow at all yet bouldly make some such as shall be iudged fit by your Ghostly Father for your aduancement in Diuine Loue. You haue free libertie to vse wine within the termes of decencie yet following S. PAVLES Counsell to Timothie take onely so much as is requisit to comfort your stomake 5. In Counsells there are diuers degrees of perfections To lend to such poore people as are not in extreame want is the first degree of the Counsell of Almes-deedes to giue them some what is a higher a higher yet to giue them all but the highest of all to dedicate ones owne person to their seruice Hospitalitie out of the termes of extreame necessitie is a Counsell To entertaine strangers is the first degree of it but to stand in cōmon passages with Abraham to inuite them is a degree higher and yet higher then that to seate one selfe in a place of danger to harbour aide and waire vpon passengers Herein the great S. BERNARD of Menthon borne in this diocese did excell who being extracted from a noble house did for diuers yeares inhabit the shelues and topes of our Alpes established there a cōpanie to serue lodge assist and preserue pilgrims and passingers from the danger of tempests who might often perish amidst the stormes snow and thunder-clapes were it not for the Hospitalls which this great friend of God erected and founded vpon two mountains which taking their names from him are called GREAT S. BERNARD in the Bishopricke of Sion and LITTLE S. BERNARD in the Bishoptike of Tharētise To visite the sicke which are not in extreame necessitie is a laudible Charitie to serue thē is yet better but to consecrate a mans selfe to their seruice is the excellēcie of that Coūsell which the Clarks of the visitatiō of the sicke doe exercise by their proper institute ād many Ladies in diuers places imitating the great S. SANSON a gentleman and Phisition of Rome who at Constantinople where he was made Priest with a wonderfull charitie deuoted hīselfe to the seruice of the sicke in a hospitall which he began and which the Emperour Iustinian did raise and accomplish by the imitation of S. CATHARINE of Sienna and Genua of S. ELIZABETH of Hungarie and of the glorious friends of God S. FRANCIS and the B. IGNATIVS of Loyola who in the beginning of their Orders performed this exercise with an incomparable spirituall feruour and profit 6. Vertues haue then a certaine extent of perfection and commonly we are not obliged to practise them in the hight of their excellencie It is sufficient to goe so farre in the practise of thē that we doe indeede practise them But to make a further passage and gaine ground in perfection is a Counsell the acts of heroicall vertues not being ordinarily commanded but counselled onely And if vpon some occasion we find our selues obliged to exercise them it is by reason of some rare and extraordinarie exigent which makes them necessarie to the conseruation of Gods grace The happie Porter of the Prison of Sebastia seeing one of the fortie which were thē martyred loose courage and the crowne of Martyrdome tooke his place without being pursued and made the 40. of those glorious and Triumphant Souldiers of Christ S. ADAVCTVS seeing S. FELIX led to Martyrdome and I quoth he none at all vrging him I am also a Christian as well as he whō you haue in your hāds ād worshipe the same Sauiour ād with that kissing S. FELIX he marched with him to martyrdome and was beheaded Thousands of the auncient Martyrs did the like and hauing it equally in their power to auoyd or vndergoe martyrdome without offēce they choosed rather generously to vndergoe it then lawfully to auoyd it In these Martyrdome was an heroicall act of force and constancie giuen them by a holy excesse of Loue. But when it is necessarie to endure Martyrdome or to renounce Faith Martyrdome it doth not cease to be Martyrdome and an excellent act of loue and vallour yet doe I scarcely thinke it is to be termed an heroicall act not being elected by any excesse of Loue but by force of the law which in that case commands it Now in the practise of heroicall acts of vertue is placed the perfect Imitation of our Sauiour who as the great S. THOMAS saieth had all the vertues in an heroicall manner from the first instant of his conception yea I would willingly adde more then heroicall since he was not simply more then man but infinitly more then man that is true God How we are to conforme our selues to Gods will signified vnto vs by inspirations and first of the truth of the meanes by which God enspires vs. CHAPTER X. 1. THe sunne-beames in lightening doe heate and in heating doe lighten Inspiration is a heauenly raie which brings into our hearts a burning light by which at once we doe both see good and are inflamed with a desire to pursue it Euery thing that liues vpon the face of the earth is benūmed with winters cold but vpon the returne of the springtime withall heate they returne to their wonted motion Beasts of the earth rūne more swiftly birds flie more quickly and chaunt more merrily and plants doe put out their leaues and fruite more pleasantly Without inspirations our soules would lead an idle blasted and fruitlesse life but at the arriuall of the Diuine raies of inspirations we perceiue a light mixed with a quickning heate which doth illuminate our vnderstanding excitate and animate our will enabling her with strenght to will and effect the good appertaining to eternall health God hauing formed mans bodie of the slyme of the earth as Moyses saieth he breathed into his face the breath of life and man became a liuing soule that is he became a soule that gaue life motion and operation to the bodie And the same eternall God doth breath and blow into our soules the inspirations of a supernaturall life to the end that as saieth the great Apostle they might become quickning Spirits that is Spirits that make vs liue moue feele and worke the workes of grace so that he who gaue vs being giues vs also operation Mans breath doth warme the things it enters into witnesse the Sunamits child to whose mouth the Prophet Eliseus hauing laied his and breathed vpon him his flesh waxed hote and it is a Maxime of experience But touching the breath of God
a more solide and attentiue loue towards her father then though she had sheâ—en her selfe much sollicitous in begging his helpe to her cure in looking how they opened her veine or how the blood span out and in vsing a great deale of ceremonie in rendring him thankes certainely none can make any doubt of it For in taking vpon her the care of her selfe what had she gotten but an vnprofitable anxitie especially her father hauing care enough of her what had looking vpon her arme profited her but haue bene an occasion of horrour And what vertue had she practised in thanking her father saue that of gratitude Did she not better then to occupie her selfe wholy in the Demonstrations of her filiall affection which is infinitly more delightfull to her father then all other vertues 4. Myne eyes are alwayes to our Lord because he will deliuer our feete from the snare Art thou fallen into the snares of aduersitie ah looke not vpon this mishape nor vpon the Gyues wherein thou art caught looke vpon God and leaue all to him he will haue care of thee throwe thy thoughtes vpon him and he will nourrish thee Why dost thou trouble thy selfe with willing or nilling the euents and accidents of this world since thou art ignorant what were best for thee to will and that God will will for thee without thy trouble all that thou art to will for thy selfe Expect therefore in peace of mind the effect of the Diuine pleasure and let his willing suffice thee since he can neuer cease to be good For so he gaue order to his well beloued S. Catharine of Sienna Thinke of me quoth he to her and I will thinke for thee It is a hard thing to expresse to the full this extreame indifferencie of mans heart which is so reduced to and dead in the will of God for it is not to be saied me thinkes that she doth submit herselfe to Gods submission being an act of the soule declaring her consent nor is it to be saied that she doth accept or receiue it for as much as accepting or receiuing are certaine actions which in some sort may be termed passiue actions by which we embrace and take what soections befalls vs nor yet are we to saie that she permits permission being an action of the will and consequently a certaine idle emptie wish that will indeede doe nothing but onely let it be done And therefore me thinke the soule in this indifferecie that willeth nothing but leaues God to will what he pleaseth is to be saied to haue her will in a simple expectation since that to expect is not to doe or act but onely to remaine exposed to some euer And if you marke it the expectation of the soule is altogether voluntarie and yet an action it is not but a meere disposition to receiue whatsoeuer shall happen and as soone as the euents are once arriued and receiued the expectation becomes a coÌ„tentment or repose Marry till they happen in truth the soule is A PVRE EXPECTATION indiffereÌ„t to all that it shall please the Diuine will to ordaine 5. In this sort did our Sauiour expresse the extreame submission of his humane will to the will of his eternall Father The Almightie saieth he hath opened myne eare that is he hath declared vnto me his pleasure touching the multitude of torments which I am to endure and I saieth he afterwards doe not gainesaie or withdraw my selfe what would this saie I doe not gainesaie or withdraw my selfe but this my will is in a simple expectation and is readie for all that God shall send In sequele whereof I deliuer vp and abandone my bodie to the mercy of such as will beate it and my cheekes to such as will make them smart being prepared to let them exercise their pleasure vpon me But marke I praie you THEO that euen as our Sauiour after he had made his Praier of Resignation in the Garden of Oliuet and after he was taken left himselfe to be handled and haled by those that crucified him by an admirable surrender made of his bodie and life into their hands So did he resigne vp his soule and will by a most perfect indiffereÌ„cie into his eternall Fathers haÌ„ds For though he cried out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me Yet was that to let vs vnderstand the reall anguish and distresse of his soule but in no wise to impeach the most holy indifferencie of which it as possessed as shortly after he shewed concluding all his life and passion in these incomparable words Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Of the perfect stripping of the soule vnited to Gods will CHAPTER XVI 1. LEt vs represent vnto our selues THEO the sweete Iesus in Pilats house where for the Loue of vs he was turned out of his clothes by the soldiers the Ministers of death and not content with that they take the skin with them tearing it with the blowes of rods and whipps as afterwards his soule was bereft of his bodie and his bodie of life by the death which he endured vpon the Crosse But three dayes being once ruÌ„ne ouer the soule by the most holy Resurrection did reinuest her glorious bodie and his bodie its mortall skin wearing sundrie garments now resembling a Gardener now a Pilgrime or in some other guise according as the saluation of man and the glorie of God required LOVE did all this THEO and it is LOVE also that entring into a soule to make it happily die to it selfe and liue to God which doth bereaue it of all humane desires and self-esteeme which is as closely fixed to the Spirit as the skin to the flesh and strips her at leÌ„gth of her best beloued affections as were those which she had to spirituall affections exercises of pietie and the perfection of vertues which seemed to be the very life of the soule 2. Then THEO the soule may by good right crie I haue put of my garment and how can I find in my heart to resume them againe I haue washed my feete from all sorts of affections and can I euer be so mad as to soile theÌ„ againe I came naked out of the hande of God and naked will I returne thither God gaue me many desires and God hath taken them away his holy name be blessed Yea THEO the same God that made vs desire vertues in our beginning aÌ„d which makes vs practise theÌ„ in all occurrences he it is that takes from vs the affection to vertues and all spirituall exercises that with more tranquillitie puritie and simplicitie we should affect nothing but the Diuine Maiesties good pleasure For as the faire Iudith reserued indeede her costly festiuall robes in her Cabinet and yet placed not her affection vpon them nor yet euer wore them in the time of her widowhood saue onely when by God's inspiration she went to ouerthrow Holofernes so though we haue learnt the practise of vertue and the exercise of deuotion yet are we
faith ch 13. 121 Of the feeling of the Diuine loue which is had by faith chap. 14. 126 Of the great feeling of loue which we receiue by holy hope chap. 15. 130 How loue is practised in hope ch 16. 133 That the Loue which is practised in hope is very good though imperfect cha 17. 137 That loue is exercised in penance and first that there are diuerse sorts of penance ch 18. 141 That Penance without loue is imperfect ch 19 146 How there is mixture of Loue and sorrow in Contrition chap. 20. pag. 148 How our Sauiour louing inspirations doe assist and accompanie vs to faith and charitie chap. 21. 154 A short description of Charitie cha 22. 159 THE TABLE OF THE Third Booke OF THE PROGRESSE AND Perfection of Loue. THat holy loue may be augmented still more and more in euery of vs. chap. 1. pag. 162 How easie our Sauiour hath made the encrease of loue ch 2. pag. 166 How a soule in Charitie makes progresse in it chap. 3. pag. 170 Touching holy perseuerance in sacred Loue. ch 4. 178 That the happinesse to die in heauenly Charitie is a speciall gift of God chap. 5. 182 That we cannot attaine to a perfect vnion with God in this mortall life ch 6. 186 That the Charitie of Saints in this mortall life doth equalise yea sometimes passe that of the Blessed chap. 7. pag. 189 Of the incomparable loue of the mother of God our B. Lady chap. 8. 191 A Preparation to the discourse of the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 9. 196 That the precedent desire shall much encrease the vnion of the Blessed with God ch 10. 200 Of the Vnion of the Blessed soules with God in seeing the Diuinitie chap. 11. 202 Of the eternall vnion of the blessed spirits with God in the vision of the eternall birth of the Sonne of God chap. 12. pag. 206 Of the vnion of the Blessed with God in the vision of the Holy Ghost's production ch 13. 209 That the Light of Glorie shall concurre to the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 14. 213 That there shall be different degrees of the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 15. 215 THE TABLE OF THE Fourth Booke OF THE DECAY OR RVINE of Charitie THat while we are in this mortall life we may loose the loue of God chap 1. pag. 219 How the soule waxeth coole in holy Loue. chap. 2. pag. 223 Hâ—w we forsake heauenâ—y loue for that of Creaturs chap. 3. pag. 227 That heauenly loue is lost in a moment chap. 4. pag. 232 That the sole cause of the decay and slackening of Charitie is in the creaturs will chap. 5. pag. 235 That we ought to acknowledge the loue we beare to God to be from God chap. 6. pag. 239 That we must auoide all curiositie and humbly repose in Gods most wise prouidence chap 7. pag. 244. An exhortation to the affectionat submission which we are to make to the Decrees of the diuine prouidence chap. 8. pag 249 Of a certaine remainder of loue which oftentimes stayes in the soule t at hath lost Charitie chap. 9. pag 254 How dangerous this imperfect loue is chap 10. pag 258 A meanes to discerne this imperfect Loue. chap. 11. pag. 260 THE TABLE OF THE Fift Booke OF THE TWO PRINCIPAL EXERcises of holy loue performed by complacence and beneuolence OF the sacred Complacence of loue and first in what it consisteth chap. 1. pag. 264 How by holy complacence we are made as little children at our Sauiours breasts chap. 2. pag. 269 That a holy complacence giues our heart to God and makes vs feele a continuall desire in enioying him chap. 3. pag. 274 Of a louing condoling by which the complacence of loue is better declared chap. 4. 280 Of the commiseration and Complacence of loue in our Sauiours Passion chap. 5. 284 Of the Loue of Beneuolence which we exercise towards our Sauiour by way of desire chap. 6. 288 How the desire to exalte and magnifie God doth separate vs from inferiour pleasures and makes vs attentiue to the Diuine perfections chap. 7. 291 How holy Beneuolence doth produce the Diuine well-beloueds Praises chap. 8. 294 How Beneuolence makes vs inuoke all Creaturs to God's Praise chap. 9. 300 How the desire we haue to praise God makes vs aspire to heauen chap. 10. 303 How we practise the Loue of Beneuolence in the praises which our Sauiour and his mother giue to God chap. 11. 307 Of the soueraigne praise which God giues vnto himselfe and how we exercise Beneuolence in it chap. 12. pag. 312 THE TABLE OF THE Sixt Booke OF THE EXERCISES OF HOLY Loue in Praier A Description of mysticall Diuinitie which is no other thing then praier chap. 1. pag. 317 Of Meditation the first degree of Praier or mysticall Diuinitie chap. 2. 323 A description of contemplation and touching the first difference that there is betwixt it and meditation chap. 3. pag. 329 That loue in this life takes his origine but not his excellencie from the knowledge of God chap. 4. 331 The second difference betwixt meditation and contemplation chap. 5. 336 That we doe contemplate without paine which it a third difference betwixt it and meditation chap. 6. 340 Of the louing recollection of the Soule in Contemplation chap. 7. 345 Of the repose of a soule recollected in her well-beleeued chap. 8. 350 How this sacred repose is practised chap. 9. 354 Of diuers degrees of this repose and how it is to be conserued chap. 10. 357 A continuation of the discourse touching the diuers degrees of holy repose and of any excellent abnegation of a mans selfe practised therein chap. 11. 360 Of the melting and liquifaction of the soule in God cha 12. pag. 365 Of the wound of loue chap. 13. 370 Of some other meanes by which loue wounds the heart chap. 14. 375 Of the amourous languishment of the heart wounded with loue chap. 15. 380 THE TABLE OF THE Seauenth Booke OF THE VNION OF THE SOVLE with her God which is Perfected in Praier HOw loue vnits the soule to God in Praier chap. 1. pag. 388 Of the diuers degrees of the holy vnion which is made in Praier ch 2. pag. 395 Of the soueraigne degree of vnion by suspension or rauishment ch 3. 400 Of Rapture and of the first species of the same chap. 4. pag. 406. Of the second Species of Rapture ch 5. 409 Of the signes of a good Rapture and of the third species of the same ch 6. 412 How Loue is the life of the soule with a continuation of the extaticall life ch 7. 417 An admirable eâ—â—â—ertation of S. Paule to the extaticall and supernaturall life ch 8. 420 Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue chap. 9. pag. 425 Of some that died by and for Diuine Loue. chap. 10. pag. 429. How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. ch 11 pag 431.
feeblenesse and tendernesse of the one doth exalt and make more apparant the prudence and assurance of the other and euen this dissimilitude is agreeable on the other side children loue olde men because they see them buisie and carefull about them and that by a secret instinct they perceiue they haue neede of their directions Musicall concord stands in a kind of discord in which vnlike voices doe correspond making vp altogether one sole Close of proportion as the dissimilitude of precious stones and flowres doe make the gratefull compositiō of Imbosture and Diaprie so Loue is not caused alwayes by Resemblance and Sympathie but by Correspondance and Proportion which consisteth in this that by the vnion of one thing to another they may mutually receiue one anothers perfection and so be bettered The head doth not resemble the bodie nor the hand the arme yet they haue such a Correspōdance and are seated so neerely together that by their mutuall neighbourhood they doe meruelously enterchāge perfection so that if these parts had each one a distinct soule they would haue a perfect mutua◠Loue not by Similitude but by Correspondance which they haue in their mutuall perfection For this cause the melancolie and ioyefull soure and sweete haue often a correspondance of mutuall affection by reason of the mutuall impressions which they receiue one of an other by which their humours are reciprocally moderated But when this mutuall Correspondance meetes with similitude Loue without doubt is engendred more efficaciously for Similitude being the true picture of Vnitie when two like things are vnited by a proportion to the same end it seemes rather to be an Vnitie then an Vnion 11. The Sympathie then betwixt the Louer and the Beloued is the first source of Loue and this Sympathie or Conueniencie consisteth in a Correspondance which is no other thing then a mutuall aptitude making things proper to be vnited and mutually to communicate their perfections but this will be cleared in the processe of this booke That loue tends to vnion CHAPTER IX 1. THe great Salamon in a delitiously admirable ayre doth sing our Sauiours loues and those of the deuote soule in that diuin worke which for it's excellent sweetnesse is instyled the Canticle of Canticles And to rayse our selues in a more easie flight to the consideration of this spirituall loue which is exercised betwixt God and vs by the correspondance which the motions of our hearts haue with the inspirations of his diuine Maiestie he makes vse of a perpetuall representation of the loues of a chaste Shepheard and shamefast Shepheardesse Now making the Spouse or Bride first begin the parlie by manner of a certaine surprise of loue he makes her at the first onset lance out her heart in these words let him deigne me a kisse of his mouth Doe you marke THEOTIME how the soule personated by this Shepheardesse doth pretēd no other thing by the first expression of her desire thē a chast vnion with her spouse protesting that it is the highest ayme of her ambition and onely thing she breathes after For I pray you what other thing would this first sigh intimate Let him deigne me with a Kisse of his mouth 2. A Kisse from all ages as by naturall instinct hath bene imployed as a representation of perfect loue that is the vnion of hearts and not without cause we send out and muster the passions and motions which our soule hath common with brute beasts by our eyes eye-browes forehead and countenance in generall by his face a man is knowē saieth the Scripture and Aristotle giuing a reason why ordinarily great mens faces onely are pourtrated t' is saieth he that the countenances teach what they are 3. Yet doe we not vtter our discourse nor the thoughts which proceede from the spirituall portion of our soule called reason by which we are distinguished from Beasts but by words and in consequence by helpe of the mouth in so much that to poure out ones soule and scatter ones heart is nothing else but to speake Poure out your hearts before God saieth the PSALMIST that is expresse and turne the affections of your hearts into words And SAMVEL'S pious Mother pronouncing her praiers allthough so softly that one could hardly discerne the motion of her lips I haue poured out saieth she my heart before God in this wise one mouth is applyed to another in kissing to testifie that they desire to poure our one soule into the other reciprocally to vnite them in a perfect vnion and for this Reason in all times and amongst the most saintly men the world had the kisse hath bene a signe of loue and affection and such vse was vniuersally made of it amongst the auncient Christians as the great S. PAVLE testifieth when writing to the ROMAN'S and CORINTHIANS he saieth Salute mutually one another in a holy kisse And as diuerse doe witnesse IVDAS in betraying our SAVIOVR made vse of a Kisse to discouer him because this diuine SAVIOVR was accustomed to kisse his Disciples when he met them and not onely his Disciples but euen little Children whom he tooke louingly in his armes as he did him by comparison of whom he so solemnely inuited his APOSTLES to the loue of their Neighbours who as IANSENIVS reporteth was thought to haue bene S. MARTIAL 4. Thus then the Kisse being a liuely marke of of the vnion of hearts the Spouse who hath no other pretention in all her endeuours and pursuits then to be vnited to her beloued let him kisse me saieth she with a kisse of his mouth as if she had cryed out so many sighes and inflamed grones as my heart incessantly sobs out will they neuer impetrate that which my heart desires I runne alas shall I neuer gaine the prise for which I lance my selfe out which is to be vnited heart to heart spirit to spirit to my God my Spouse my life when will arriue the happie houre in which I shall poure my soule into his heart and that he will turne his heart into my soule that we may liue inseparable in that happie vnion 5. When the holy Ghost would expresse a perfect loue he alwayes in a manner makes choice of the word Vnion or Coniunction amongst the multitude of the faithfull saieth S. LVCKE there was but one heart and one soule our SAVIOVR praied for all the faithfull that they might be but on same thing SAINT PAVLE doth aduertise vs to conserue vnitie of minde by the vnion of peace These Vnities of heart soule and spirit doe signifie the perfection of Loue which ioynes many soules in one for so it is saied that IONATHAS his soule was glewed to DAVIDS that is to saie as the Scripture addeth He loued DAVID as his owne soule The great APOSTLE of FRANCE as well according to his owne Dictamē as that of HIEROTHEVS who he citeth writeth I thinke a thousand times in one Chapter OF DIVINE NAMES that Loue is of a Nature vnifying vniting referring recollecting
one Soule THEOTIME and an indiuisible one but in that one Soule there are diuerse degrees of perfectioÌ„s for she is Liuing Sensible and Reasonable and according to these diuerse degrees she hath also diuerse Proprieties and Inclinations by which she is carried to the pursuite and Vnion of things For first we see the Vine doth hate as one would saie and flie the Colewort so that the one of them are pernicious to th' other and contrariwise is delighted in the Oliue so we perceiue a naturall contrarietie betwixt Men and Serpents in so much that a mans fasting spittle is to them mortall and contrariwise Man and Sheepe haue a wonderous conueniencie and doth delight the one in the other Now this inclination doth not proceede from any knowledge the one hath of the birth of his contrarie or of the profit of him with whom he doth sympathie but onely from a certaine secret and hidden qualitie which doth produce this insensible contrarietie and antipathie as also this complacence and sympathie 2. Secondly we haue in vs the Sensitiue appetite wherby we are moued to the inquirie and flight of diuerse things by meanes of the sensitiue knowledge we haue of them not vnlike to Cattell wherof one hath an appetite to one thing an other to an other according to the knowledge which they haue agreeable or disagreeable vnto theÌ„ and this appetite resides or from it floweth the Loue which we call Sensuall or Brutall which yet properly speaking ought not to be termed loue but simply be called appetite 3. Thirdly in so much as we are reasonable we haue a will by which we are carried to the inquirie of Good according as by discourse we know or iudge it to be such againe we manifestly discouer in our Soule as it is Reasonable two degrees of perfection which great S. AVGVSTINE and after him all the DOCTOVRS haue named the two portions of the soule Inferiour and Superiour of which that is called Inferiour which discourseth and deduceth consequences as she apprehendeth and experienceth by Sense and that Superiour which reasoneth and drawes consequences according to an Intellectuall knowledge not founded vpon the experience of sense but on the discretion and iudgement of the minde of spirit hence this superiour part is called the Spirit or the Mentall part of the soule as the Inferiour is termed commonly Sense feeling or humane reason 4. Now this Superiour part discourseth according to two sorts of lights that is either according to a Naturall light as the Philosophers and all those who discoursed by sciences did or according to a Supernaturall light as Diuins and ChristiaÌ„s so farre fourth as they establish their discourse vpon Faith and the reuealed word of God and more particular illustrations inspirations and motions from heauen This is that which S. AVGVSTINE saieth that by the superiour portion of the soule we adheare and applie our selues to the obseruance of the eternall lawe 5. IACOB extreamely pressed with want of domesticall necessaries sollicited Beniamin that he might be led away by his brethren into EGIPTE which yet he did against his proper liking as the sacred Historie witnesseth in which he testifieth two wills th' one Inferiour by which he grudged his departure the other Superiour by which he tooke resolution to part with him for the discourse which moued him to disaproue his departure was founded in the sensible pleasure he tooke in his presence and the displeasure he was to feele by his absence which are apprehensiue and sensible grounds but the resolution which he tooke to send him was grounded vpon a reason of state in his familie to prouide for future and approaching necessities ABRAHAM according to the Inferiour portion of his soule spoake words testifying in him a kind of diffideÌ„ce when the Angell announced vnto him the happie tidings of a Sonne doe you thinke that by a CENTENARIE a child may be begotten but according to his Superiour part he beleeued in God and it was reputed vnto him for Iustice According to his Inferiour part doubtlesse he was in great anguish when he had receiued command to sacrifice his Sonne but according to his Superiour part he resolued couragiously to sacrifice him 6. We also dayly experience in our selues diuerse Contraâ—â—â—ills A Father sending his Sonne either to Court or to his studies doth not denie teares to his departure testifying that though according to his Superiour part for the Childs aduaÌ„cemeÌ„t in vertue he wills his departure yet according to his Inferiour part he finds repugnance in the separation and though a Girle be married to her owne contentment and her Mothers yet with her benediction she receiues teares in such sort that though the Superiour will giue way to the departure yet the Inferiour showes resistance We must not hence inferre that a man hath two soules or two natures as the MANICHEANS dreamed no saieth S. AVGVSTINE in the 8. BOOKE OF HIS CONFESSIONS AND X. CHAP. but the will inticed by diuerse baits aÌ„d moued by diuerse reasoÌ„s seemes to be deuided in her selfe while she is diuersly drawen till making vse of her libertie she maketh choice of the one or the other for then the more efficacious Will surmounteth and gaining the day leaues the soule to resent the euill that the debate brought which we call remorce 7. But the example of our Sauiour is admirably vsefull in this behalfe and being considered it leaues no further doubt touching the distinctioÌ„ of the Superiour and Inferiour part of the soule for who amongst the Diuines knowes not that he was perfectly glorious from the instant of his Conception in his Virgin Mothers wombe and yet at the same time he was subiect to Sorrow griefe and afflictions of heart nor must we saie he suffred onely in bodie nor yet onely in soule as it was sensible or which is the saâ—â— thing according to sense for himselfe doth attest that before he suffered any exteriour torment or saw the Tormentour by him his soule was heauie euen to death For which cause he made his praier that the Cup of his Passion might be transported from him that is that he might be exempted from it in which he doth manifestly show the desire of the Inferiour portion of his soule which discoursing vpon the sad and anguishing obiects of his Passion prouided for him the liuely image whereof was represented to his Imagination he gathered by lawfull consequence the absence and want of these things which he demanded of his Father by which we clearely see that the Inferiour part of the soule is not the sensitiue degree of the same nor the Inferiour will the same with the Sensitiue appetite for neither the sensitiue appetite nor the Soule in so much as it is Sensitiue is capable of making any demand or praier these being acts of the Reasonable power and especially they are incapable of speach with God an obiect aboue the senses reach to make it knowen to the appetite but the same Sauiour hauing thus
exercised the Inferiour part and testified that according to it and it's codsiderations his will declined the griefes and paines He shewed afterwards that he had a superiour part by which inuiolably adhering to the Eternall will and Decree made by his heauenlie Father he willingly accepted death and notwithstanding the Inferiour part of reason he saieth ah no Lord not my will but thyne be done when he saieth My will he takes it according to the Inferiour portion and in as much as he saieth it voluntarily he shewes in himselfe a Superiour will That in these 2. portions of the soule there are found 4. different degrees of reason CHAPTER XII 1. THere were three Portalls in SALOMONS Temple one for Gentils and strangers who hauing recourse to God came to adore in Hierusalem the second for the Israelits men and women the separation of men from women not being made by SALOMON the third for Priests and Leuits and then there was the Sanctuarie or sacred house the which was open to the Higâ— Priest onely and that but once a yeare Our Râ—â—son or rather our soule as she is reasonable is the true Temple of the Almightie who there takes vp his chiefe residence I sought thee Saieth S. AVGVSTINE without my selfe but found thee not because thou wast with in me In this mysticall Temple there are also three partitions which are Three different degrees of reason In the first we discourse according to the experience of Sense in the second according to Humane Sciences in the third according to faith but beyond all this we discouer a certaine Hight or highest point of reason and the spirituall facultie which is not guided by the light of discourse or reason but by a simple view of the vnderstanding and a simple touch of the will by which the soule yeelds and submits her selfe to Veritie and the will of God 2. Now this extremitie and Climate of our soule this highest point of our spirit is naturally well represented by the Sanctuarie or Holy place For first in the Sanctuarie there were no windowes to giue light In this degree of the soule there is no discourse which doth illuminate Secondly in the Sanctuarie all the light entred by the Port in this degree of the soule nothing enters but by faith which produceth in manner of rayes the view and gust of the beautie and bountie of the good pleasure of God Thirdly none entred into the Sanctuarie saue the high Priest In this point of the soule discourse approacheth not but onely the high vniuersall and soueraigne feeling that the diuine will ought soueraignely to be embraced loued and approued not onely in some particular things but generally in all things nor generally in all things onely but also particularly in each thing Fouerthly the High Priest entring into the Sanctuarie obscured euen that light which came by the Port and the abundance of perfumes from his Thurible repulsed the rayes of light which by the Port sought passage and all the light which is in the supreame part of the soule is in some sort obscured and vealed by the renunciations and resignations which the soule makes not desiring so much to behould and see the Beautie of the Truth and the Truth of the Bountie presented vnto her as to embrace and adore the same in suchwise that the soule would almost shut her eyes as soone as she begins to see the dignitie of Gods will to th' end that not being further occupied in that consideration she might more powerfully and perfectly receiue it and by an absolute complacence infinitly vnite and submit her selfe thervnto Fiftly to conclude in the Sanctuarie was kept the Arke of the Alliance and in that or ioyning to it the Tables of the Lawe MANNA in a golden vessell AARONS rod which in a night bore flowers and fruite and in this highest point of the soule first of all the light of faith figured by the MANNA enclosed in the pot whereby we quietly beleeue the truth of mysteries which our vnderstanding can not attaine to secondly the profit of hope represented by Aarons florishing and fruitfull rod by which we confidently expect our promised happinesse which we see not Thirdly the sweetnesse of holy charitie represented by Gods commandements which she containes wherby we repose in the vnion of our spirit with God's which we scarcely perceiue 3. And although Faith Hope and Charitie doe disperce their diuine motions into almost all the faculties of the soule as well reasonable as sensitiue reducing and holily subiecting them to their iust authoritie yet their speciall residence their true and naturall Mannor is this supreame region of the soule from whence as from a happie source of liue water it brancheth it selfe out by diuerse Conduits and Brookes vpon the inferiour partes and faculties 4. So that THEOTIME in the superiour part of reason there are Two degrees of reason in the one those discourses are made which depend of faith and supernaturall light in the other the simple repose of faith hope and charitie SAINT PAVLES soule found here selfe pressed with two diuerse desires the one to be deliuered from his bodie to flie vp streight to IESVS CHRIST the other to remaine in this would to labour in the conuersion of soules both these desires were without doubt in the Superiour part for they proceeded both from Charitie but his resolution of the later proceeded not from discourse but from a simple light and liking he had of his maisters will towards which the very point of the spirit of this great seruant turned to the preiudice of all that Discourse might conclude 5. But if Faith Hope and Charitie be formed by this holy Rest in the point of the spirit how comes it to passe that in the Inferiour part discourse is made depending of the light of Faith As we see Aduocats in many words pleade the facts and rights of parties at the Barre the Parliament or Senate from aboue resolues all the strife by a positiue sentence which being pronounced the Aduocats and Auditours rest not for all that to discourse amongst them selues of the Parliaments motiues ther vnto Euen so THEOTIME after discourse and aboue all that the grace of God haue persuaded the point and highest part of the spirit to beleeue and forme an Act of faith by manner of sentence the vnderstanding doth not leaue to discourse againe vpon that same Act of faith already conceiued to consider the motiues and reasons therof yet so as Theologicall Discourses passe in the lower Benches and Barre of the Superiour portion of the soule but the Arrests aboue in the Tribunall of the point of the spirit And because the knowledge of these 4. degrees of the reason is much conducing to the vnderstanding of all the treatises of spirituall things I haue enlarged my selfe in the explication therof The difference of loues CHAPTER XIII 1. LOue is deuided into two species wherof the one is called Loue of beneuolence or good will th' other Loue
contrarie to corporall drunkennesse doth not alienate vs from spirituall but from corporall sense not dulling or besotting vs but Angelizing and in a sort Deifying vs putting vs out of our selues not to abase vs and ranke vs with beastes as doth terreane drūkennesse but to raise vs aboue our selues and range vs with Angels so that we might liue more in God then in our selues being attentiue and busied by loue to see his beautie and be vnited to his Bountie 4. Now whereas to attaine vnto contemplation we stand ordinarily in neede to heare the word of God to haue spirituall discourse and conference with others as had the auncient Ancorets to reade deuote bookes to praie meditate sing canticles conceiue good thoughtes for this reason holy contemplation being the end and aime of all these exercises they are all reduced vnto it and such as practise them are called CONTEMPLATIVES as allso the practise it selfe a CONTEMPLATIVE life by reason of the action of our vnderstanding by which we behold the veritie of the diuine Beautie and Bountie with an attention of loue that is with a loue that makes vs attentiue or with an attention which proceedes from loue and augments the loue which we haue to loue infinite sweetenesse Of the louing recollection of the SOVLE IN CONTEMPLATION CHAPTER VII 1. I Speake not here THEO of the recollection by which such as are about to praie vse to place themselues in God's presence entring into themselues and as one would saie retiring their soule with in their heart there to speake with God For this recollection is made by Lous commaund which prouoking vs to praie moues vs to serue our selues of this meanes to praie well so that we our selues are cause of this retiring of our soule But the recollection of which I meane to speake is not made by lous commaund but by loue it selfe that is we doe not make it by free choise it nor being in our power to haue it when we please not depending of our care but God at his pleasure works it in vs by his holy grace He saied the B. Mother Saint Teresa of IESVS who wrote that the Praier of Recollection is made as when an VRCHIN or TORTIS doe drawe themselues together saied well sauing that these beastes drawe themselues vp when they please whereas recollection is not in our will but onely when it pleaseth God of his grace to bestowe it vpon vs. 2. Now thus it is done Nothing is so naturall to good as to draw and vnite vnto it selfe such things as are sensible of it as doe our soules which draw continually and tend towards their treasure that is towards that which they loue Herevpon it fals out sometimes that our Sauiour doth imperceptibly poure into the bottome of our hearts a certaine agreeable sweetenesse in argumēt of his presence and then the powers yea the very exteriour senses of the soule by a certaine secrete contentment doe turne it vpon that inward part where the most amiable and dearest spouse is lodged For as a young swarme of Bees while they are ready to take flight and chang their countrie is recalled by the softe sound of a bason the smell of Metheglin or else by the sent of some odoriferous hearbs so that they staie by the inticements of these sweetes and enter into the hyue prepared for them So our Sauiour pronouncing some secret word of his loue or pouring out the odour of the wine of his dilection more delicious then honie or else streaming the perfumes of his garments that is some sense of diuine consolations in our heartes and therby making them perceiue his most gratefull presence he drawes vnto him all the faculties of our soule which gather about him and staie in him as in their most desired obiect And as he that should cast a peece of an Adamant amōgst many needles should instantly see them turne all their pointes towards their well-beloued Adamant and hang vpon it so when our Sauiour makes his delightfull presence to be felt in the midst of our heartes all our faculties turne their points that way to be vnited to that incomparable sweetenesse 3. O God saieth then the soule imitating S. AVGVSTINE whither doe I wander searching thee ô infinite Beautie I sought thee with out and thou wast in the midst of my heart All Magdalens affections and all her thoughtes were scattered about the Sepulcher of her Sauiour whom she went questing here and there and though indeede she had found him and he spoke to her yet leaues she them disperced because she doth not perceiue his presence but as soone as he had called her by name behold her gathered together and laied fast at his feete one onely word puts her into Recollection 4. Propose to your selfe THEOT the most holy Virgin our Lady when she had conceiued the Sonne of God her onely Loue the soule of this well-beloued mother doth wholy recollect it selfe about this well-beloued child and because this heauenly friend was harboured in her sacred entrals all the faculties of the soule doe gather thēselues within thēselues as holy bees into their hyue wherein their honie was And by how much the diuine greatnesse was by māner of speach more restrained ād lessened in the virginall wombe by so much her soule did more dilate it selfe ād magnifie the praises of that infinite clemencie and her Spirit within her bodie lept with ioye as S. IOHN in his mothers wombe in presence of his God which she felt She lanched not her affections out of her selfe sith that her loues her delightes were in the midest of her sacred wōbe Now this same contentmēt may be practised by imitatiō amōgst such as hauing communicated doe perceiue by the certaintie of faith that which neither flesh nor blood but the heauenly Father hath reuealed vnto them that their Sauiour is in bodie and soule present by a most reall presence to their bodie and soule in the most adorable Sacrament for as the Mother-pearle hauing receiued the fresh morning drops of dewe doth shut her selfe not onely to conserue them pure from all mixture of sea-water but also for the delight she taks to feele the gracious freshnesse of this gift from heauen so it fals out with diuers holy and deuote soules that hauing receiued the Blessed Sacrament which containes all the dewe of heauēly benedictions their soule shutteth it selfe and all her faculties are retired not onely to adore this soueraigne king newly present by an admirable presence in their breastes but also for the incredible consolation and spirituall refreshing which they receiue to perceiue by faith the diuine shute of immortalitie within them where you are diligently to note THEO that indeede all this recollection is made by loue which perceiuing the presence of the well-beloued by the baits it castes in the midest of the heart doth gather and drawe all the soule towards it by a most amiable inclination most sweete turning and most delicious winding of all
hands eleuating his eyes towards Heauen raising his voice very high and pronouncing by way of iaculation with great deuotion these words of the CaÌ„ticles the last which he had expounded Come vnto me my dearly beloued and let vs goe toge-into the fields All the Apostles and in a manner all the Martyrs died in Praier The Blessed and Venerable Bede hauing foreknowne by reuelation the time of his departure went to Euensong and it was vpoÌ„ the Ascension day and standing vpoÌ„ his feete leaning onely vpon the rests of his seate without any disease at all ended his life with the end of the Euensong as it were directly to follow his Maister ascending vnto Heauen there to enioye the bright morning of eternitie which knowes no euening Iohn Gerson Chancellour of the vniuersitie of Paris a man so learned and pious that as Sixtus Senâ—nsis saieth one can hardly discerne whether his learning outstripped his pietiâ— or his pietie his learning hauing explicated the fift proprietie of diuine loue recorded in the Canticle of Canticles three dayes after making shew of a very liuely countenance and courage expired pronouncing and iterating by way of iaculatorie Praier these holy words drawen out of the same Canticles ô God thy loue is strong as death S. MARTINâ— as is knowen died so attentiue to the exercise of his deuotions that he could not speake another word S. Lewis that great king amongst Saints and great Saint amongst kings being infected with the plague praied still and then hauing receiued his heauenly VIATICVM casting abrode his armes in maÌ„ner of a Crosse his eyes fixed vpon Heauen yeelded vp the ghost ardently sighing out these words with a perfect confidence of loue ah Lord I will enter into thy house I will adore thee in thy holy Temple and blesse thy â—ame S. PETER Celestine wholy possessed with afflictions which one can scarcely speake off being come to the periode of his daies began to sing as a sacred Nitingale the last Psalme making these louing words the close of his life and song LET â—VERY SPIRIT PRAISE OVR LORD The Admirable S. EVSEBIVS surnamed the stranger deceased vpon his knees in feruent Praier S. PETER Martyr writing with his owne finger and blood the Confession of Faith for which he died and vttering these words Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit And the great Iaponian Apostle S. FRANCIS Zauerius holding and kissing the image of the Crucifix and repeating at euery turne of a hand this Eiaculation of heart O IESVS the God of my heart Of some that died by and for diuine Loue. CHAPTER X. 1. All the Martyrs THEO died for the Loue of God for when we saie many died for the faith we meane not that they died for a dead faith but for a liuely faith that is quickned by Charitie And the confession of Faith is not so much an act of the vnderstanding and of Faith as of the will and of the Loue of God And thus the great S. PET R conseruing Faith in his heart the day of his Maisters did yet quit Charitie refusing in words to professe him to be his Maister whom in heart he acknowledged to be such But there were yet other Martyrs who died expressely for Charitie alone as our Sauiours great Forerunner who was martyred for brotherly correction and the glorious Princes of the Apostles S. PETER and S. PAVLE but especially S. PAVLE was put to death for hauing reclamed those women to a pious and pure life whom that infamous Nero had wrought to lewdnesse The holy Bishops Stanislaus and S. THOMAS of Canterburie were slaine for a matter that touched not Faith but Charitie In fine a great part of sacred Virgin-Martyrs were put to slaughter for the Zeale they had to conserue their Chastitie which Charitie had caused them to dedicate to their heauenly Spouse 2. But there are some of the Sacred Louers that doe so absolutly giue themselues ouer to the exercises of Diuine Loue that holy fire doth wast and consume their life Griefe doth sometimes so long hinder such as are afflicted froÌ„ eating drinking or sleeping that in the eÌ„d weakened and wasted they dye whervpon it is a common saying that such died of Griefe but it is not so indeede for they died through euacuation and defect of strength True it is sith this faintnesse tooke them by reason of griefe we must auerre that though they died not of griefe yet they died by reason of griefe and by griefe so my deare THEO when the feruour of holy loue is great it giues so many assaults to the heart so often wouÌ„ds it causeth in it so many langours so ordinarily melts it and puts it so frequently into Extasies ad Raptures that by this meanes the soule being almost entitely occupied in God not being able to affoâ—d sufficient assistance to nature coÌ„ueniently to disgâ—st and nourish the sensible and vitall spirits begâ—n by little aÌ„d little to faile liâ—e is shortned and death approcheth 3. O God THEO how happie this death is How delightfull is this loue-dart which wounding vs with the incurable wound of heauenly loue makes vs for euer pining and sicke with so strong a beating of the heart that at length we must yeeld to death How much doe you thinke did these sacred langours and labours vndergone for Charitie shorten the dayes of the Diuine Louers S. Catherin of Sienna S. Francis Little Stanislaus Bosca S. Charles and many hundreds more who died in their youth Verily as for S. FRANCIS from the time he receiued his Maisters holy Stigmats he had so violent and stinging paines gripes conuulsions and deseases that he had nothing left on him but skinne and bones and he seemed rather to be an Anatomie or a picture of death then one liuing and breathing How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. All the Elect then THEO deceased in the habit of holy loue but further some died euen in the exercise of it some againe for it others by it But that which belongs to the soueraigne degree of loue is that some die of loue aÌ„d theÌ„ it is that loue doth not onely wouÌ„d the soule aÌ„d thereby make her languish but doth euen pearce her through hitting directly on the midst of the heart and so deeply that it forceth the soules depaâ—ture out of the bodie which fals out in this manner The soule powerfully drawen by the diuine sweetenesse of her Beloued to complie of her part with his deare allurements forcibly springs out and to her power tends towards her desired attracting friend and not being able to draw her bodie after her rather then to staie with it in this miserable life she quits it and gets cleare lonely flying as a faire doue into the delicious bosome of her heaueÌ„ly Spouse She throwes her selfe vpon her Beloued and her Beloued doth draw and force her to himselfe And as the Bridgroome leaues Father and mother to adheare to his deare Bride So this chaste Bride
to Egipt ād from Egipt to Iudea Ah who can then doubt but this holy Father being come to the period of his dayes was reciprocally borne by his diuine Nurse-child in his passage from this to another life into Abrahams bosome to translate him from thence to Glorie in the daie of his Ascension A Saint that had loued so much in his life could not die but of loue for his heart not being able to loue his deare IESVS so much as he desired while he continued amongst th◠distractions of this life and hauing alreadie performed the dutie which he ought to his non-age what remained but that he should saie to the Eternall Father O Father I haue accomplished my charge and then to the Sonne ◠my child as thy heauenly Father put thy tender bodie into my hands the daie of thy cōming into this world so doe I render vp my soule 〈◊〉 thyne this daie of my departure out of this world 2. Such as I conceiue was the death of this great Patriarch a man elected to performe the most deare and louing offices that euer was or shall be performed to the Sōne of God saue those that were done by the Sacred Spouse the true naturall mother of the saied sonne of whom it is not possible to make a conceit that she died of any other kind of death then of loue A death the most noble of all and consequently due to the most noble life that euer was amongst creaturs A death whereof the very Angels would desire to die if die they could If the primatiue Christians were saied to haue but one heart and one soule by reason of their perfect mutuall loue If S. Paule liued not himselfe but IESVS CHRIST liued in him by reason of the close vnion of his heart to his Maisters wherby his soule was as dead in the heart which it quickened to liue in the heart of the Sauiour which it loued O Good God how much more true it is that the Sacred Virgin and her Sonne had but one soule one heart and one life so that this heauēly mother in liuing liued not but her sonne liued in her She was a mother the most louing and the most beloued that euer could be yea louing and beloued with a loue incomparably more eminent then that of all the Orders of Angels and men like as the names of an onely Mother and an onely Sonne are names passing all other names in matter of loue and I saie of an onely mother and an onely Sonne because all the other sonne◠of men doe diuide the acknowledgment of their production betwixt their Father and mother but in this sonne as all his humane birth depēds of his mother alone who alone contributed that which was requisite to the vertue of the holy Ghost for the cōception of this heauenly child so to her alone all the loue which sprung from that production was rendred as due In such sort that this Sonne and this mother were vnited in an vnion by so much more excellent as her name in loue is different and aboue all other names for which of the Seraphins can saie to our Sauiour thou art my true Sonne and as such I loue thee And to which of his creaturs did our Sauiour euer saie Thou art my true mother and as my true mother I loue thee Thou art my true mother entirely myne and I am thy true sonne wholy thyne And if a louing seruant durst and did indeede saie that he had no other life then his Maisters Alas how confidently and feruently might this mother proclame I haue no life but the life of my Sonne my life is wholy in his and his wholy in myne for there was not a meere vnion but an vnitie of hearts betwixt this mother and this sonne 3. And if this mother liued by her Sonns life she also died of her Sonns death for such as is the life such is the death The Phenix as the report goes growen very aged gathers together in the top of a mountaine a quantitie of aromaticall woods vpon which as vpon he bed of honour she goes to end her dayes for when the Sunne being at his highest doth streame out his hotest beames this most singular bird to contribute the aduantage of action to the Sunns ardour ceaseth not to beate with her wings vpon her bed till she haue made it take fire and burning with it she consumes and dies in those odoriferous flames In like manner THEO the virgin Marie hauing assembled in her heart all the most amiable Mysteries of the life and death of her sonne by a most liuely and continuall memorie of them and withall RECTA LINEA receiuing the most ardent inspirations which her Sonne the Sonne of Iustice darted vpon mortalls euen in the heate of his charitie And further of her part making a perpetuall motion of Contemplation in the end the sacred fire of this heauenly loue did wholy consume her as an Holocaust of sweetenesse so that she died of it her soule being altogether rauished and transported into the armes of her Sonns loue O death louingly vitall ô Loue vitally mortall 4. Many sacred Louers were present at our Sauiours death amongst whom such as did most loue did also most greeue for Loue was then sleeped in griefe and griefe in Loue and all such as were feruent in loue towards their Sauiour fell in loue with his passion and paine But the sweete mother who passed all in loue receiued a deeper wound from the sword of griefe then all the rest Her Sonns paine was then a sharp sword which rāne through his mothers heart it being glewed ioyned ād vnited to her sonns in so perfect an vnion that nothing could hurt the one which did not as deeply hurt the other Now this motherly heart being in this sort wounded with loue did not onely not seeke to haue her wound cured but euen loued her wound better then all cures dearely conseruing the darts of sorrow which she had receiued in her heart because it was loue that shot them at her and continually desiring to die of thē as her sonne died thereof who as the holy Scripturs and all the Doctours doe witenesse died amidst the flames of Charitie a perfect HOLOCAVST for all the sinnes of the world That the Glorious virgin died of an extreamely sweete and calme loue CHAPTER XIV 1. OF one side it is saied that our B. Ladie reuealed to S. Mathilda that the sickenesse whereof she died was no other thing then an impetuous assault of loue Yet S. Brigit and S. Iohn Damascen doe witnesse that she died an exceeding peaceable death and both are true THEOTIME 2. The starres are wonderfull delightfull to behold and cast out pleasing shines yet if you haue noted it they bring forth their rayes by way of gatterings sparklings and dartings as though they were deliuered of their light by trauell at diuers essayes whether it be that their weake light cannot keepe a continuall equalitie of action or
the Loue that strikes straight through afflictions towards the will of God walkes in assurance For affliction being in no wise amiable in it selfe it is an easie thing to Loue it onely for his sake that send 's it The hounds in spring time are euery foote at default finding hardly any sent at all because the hearbes and flowres doe then smell so freshly that the freshnesse put downe the rowt or sent of the Hart or hare In the spring time of consolations Loue is scarcely acquainted with Gods pleasure because the sensible pleasure of the consolation doth so allure the heart that it troubles the attention which it ought to haue to the will of God S. CATHARINE hauing from our Sauiour her choice of a Crowne of gold or a crowne of thornes choosed this as better suteting with Loue. A desire of sufferance saieth the B. ANGELA FOLIGNY is an infallible marke of Loue and the great Apostle cries out that he glories onely in the Crosse in infirmitie in persecution Of the vnion of our will to the Diuine will in spirituall afflictions by resignation CHAPTER III. 1. THe Loue of the Crosse makes vs vndertake voluntarie afflictions as for example fasting watching haire-shirts and other tamings of the bodie renouÌ„ce pleasures honours aÌ„d riches aÌ„d loue in these exercises is very delightfull to the beloued yet more when we receiue with patience sweetenesse and mildnesse the paines torments and tribulations by reason of the Diuine will which sends vs them But Loue then is at its hight when we receiue afflictions not with patience and sweetnesse onely but we doe euen cheerish loue and embrace theÌ„ in regard of the Diuine will whence they proceede 2. Now of all the essayes of perfect Loue that which is practised by the repose of the mind in spirituall tribulations is doubtlesse the most pure and highest The B. ANGELA OF FOLIGNY makes an admirable description of the interiour panges which sometimes she felt saying that her soule was tortured like to one who being tyed hand and foote should be hung by the necke without being strangled but should hang in this estate betwixt death and life without hope of helpe and neither being able to keepe herselfe vpon her feete nor assist herselfe with her hands nor crie out nor yet sigh or moane So it faires THEO the soule is sometimes so ouercharged with interiour afflictions that all her faculties and powers are oppressed by priuation of all that might releiue her and by apprehension and impression of all that might attristate her So that at the imitation of her Sauiour she begins to be troubled to feare to be disamayed and at length to waxe sad with a sorrow like vnto that of one dying Whence she may rightly saie My soule is heauie euen to death and with her whole hearts consent she desirs petitions supplicats that if it be possible this Calice may passe hauing nothing left her saue the very supreame point of her Spirit which cleeuing hard to the Diuine heart and will saieth in a most sincere submission O eternall Father ah not myne but thy will be done And which is diligently to be noted the soule makes this resignation amidst such a world of troubles contradictions repugnances that she doth euen hardly perceiue that she makes it at least it seemes to her to be done so coldly that it is not done from her heart nor as it were fitting since that which passeth there in fauour of the Diuine will is not onely done without delight and contentment but euen against the pleasure and liking of all the rest of the heart whom loue permits to bemoane her selfe at least to moane that she cannot bemoane herselfe and to sigh out all the LAMENTATIONS of IOB and Hieremie yet with charge that a sacred peace be still conserued in the very bottome of the heart in the highest and most delicate point of the Spirit and this submissiue peace is not tender or sweete nor yet in a manner sensible though otherwise sincere stroÌ„g inuincible aÌ„d full of Loue aÌ„d it seemes to haue betakeÌ„ it selfe to the very eÌ„d of the Spirit as into the dungeoÌ„ of the Fort where it remaines corragious though all the rest be taken and pressed with sorrow And by how much the more Loue in this case is depriued of all helpes forsaken of all the aide of the vertues and faculties of the soule by so much it is more to be prised for conseruing constantly its fidelitie 3. This vnion or conformitie to the diuine pleasure is made either by a holy resignation or a most holy indifferencie Now Resignation is practised with a certaine force and submission one would willingly liue in lieu of dying yet since it is Gods pleasure that die we must we yeeld to it We would willingly liue if it pleased God yea further we would willingly that it were his pleasure to prolong life we die willingly yet more willingly would we liue we departe with a reasonable good will yet would we stay with a better IOB in his afflictions made an act of resignation since we haue receiued the good saied he from the hand of God why shall we not sustaine the the toyles and vexations which he doth send vs marke THEO how he speakes of sustaining supporting enduring as it hath pleased our Lord so was it done our Lords name be praised These are the words of resignation and acceptance by way of sufferance and patience Of the vnion of our will to Gods will by Indâ—fferencie CHAPTER IV. 1. REsignation preferrs Gods will before all things yet doth it Loue many other things besides the will of God but Indifferencie passeth Resignation for it Loues nothing but meerely for the Loue of Gods will in so much that nothing at all can stirre the indifferent heart in the presence of the will of God True it is the most indifferent heart in the world may be touched with some affection while yet it discouers not where the will of God is Eliezer being come to the fountaine of HaraÌ„ had a full view of the virgin Rebecca aÌ„d without doubt saw her too too faire and pleasing howbeit he staied himselfe in an indifferencie till he knew by a signe from God that the Diuine will had ordained her a wife for his Maisters sonne for then he presented her with the eare-iewels and bracelets of gold Contrariwise if IACOB had onely loued in Rachel the alliance with Laban to which his Father Isaac had obliged him Lya had bene as deare vnto him as Rachel they being doth Labans daughters and consequently his Fathers will had bene as well fulfilled in the one as in the other But because beyoÌ„d his Fathers will he coueted to satisfie his owne liking taken with the beautie and louelinesse of Rachel he was troubled to Espouse LYA yet by resignation tooke her against his owne liking 2. But the indifferent heart stands not thus affected for knowing that tribulation though she be hard-fauered as another LYA leaues
resisted the glorious S. PETER his Superiour in his face Certes euery one is not a S. PAVLE to know how to doe those things in the nicke But hot harsh presumptuous and reprochfull spirits following their owne inclinations humours auersions and the high conceits they haue of their owne sufficiencie draw the vaile of Zeale ouer their iniquitie and vnder the name of this sacred fire permit themselues to be burnt vp with their proper passions It is the Zeale of the health of soules that makes the Prelatshipe be sought after if you will beleeue the ambitious man that makes the Monke ordained for the Quire course about if you will giue credit to his disquieted spirit that causeth all those censures and murmuratiōs against the Prelates of the Church and tēporall Princes if you will giue eare to the arrogant You shall heare nothing frō him but Zeale nor yet see any Zeale in hī but onely opprobrious and rayling speaches hatred ād rācore disquiete of the heart and tōgue 5. Zeale may be practised three wayes first in exercising high actions of Iustice to repell euill and this belongs onely to publike officers to correct censure and reprehend in the nature of a Superiour as Princes Prelates Magistrats Preachers but whereas this office is worshipfull euery one will vndertake it euery one will haue a fingar in it Secondly one may vse Zeale in actions of great vertue for the good example of others by suggesting the remedies of euill and exhorting men to applie them by working the good that is opposite to the euill which we desire to banish which is a thing that belongs to euery one and yet it hath but few vndertakers Finally the most excellent vse of Zeale is placed in suffering and enduring much to hinder or diuert euill and scarce will any admit this Zeale A specious Zeale is all our ambition vpon that each one willingly spends his talant neuer taking notice that it is not Zeale indeede which is there sought for but glorie ambition's satisfaction choler churlishnesse and other passions 6. Certainly our Sauiours Zeale did principally appeare in his death vpon the Crosse to distroy death and sinne in men wherein he was soueraignly imitated by that admirable vessell of election and dilection as the great S. GREGORIE Nazianzen in golden words represents him for speaking of this holy Apostle he fights for all saieth he he poures out praiers for all he is Zealously passionat towards all he is inflamed for all yea he dared yet more for his brethren according to flesh so that if I may dare also to saie it he desires through charitie that they might haue euen his owne place nere our Sauiour O excellencie of an incredible courage and feruour of Spirit He imitats IESVS CHRIST who became a curse for our Loue who put on our infirmities and bore our deseases Or that I may speake a little more soberly he was the first after our Sauiour that refused not to suffer and to be reputed wicked in their behalfe Euē so then THEO as our Sauiour was whip't condemned crucified as man deuoted bequeathed and dedicated to beare and support all the reproches ignominies and punishments due to all the offenders in the world and to be a generall sacrifice for sinne being made as an ANATHEMA forsaken and left of his eternall Father so according to the true doctrine of this great Nazianzen the glorious Apostle S. PAVLE desired to be loden with ignominie to be crucified left abandoned and sacrificed for the sinnes of the Iewes that the curse and paine which they merited might fall vpon him And as our Sauiour did so take vpon him the sinnes of the world and became a curse was sacrificed for sinne and forsaken of his Father that he ceased not continually to be the well-beloued Sonne in which his Father pleased himselfe So the holy Apostle desired indeede to be a curse and to be separated from his Maister to be left alone to the mercy of the reproches and punishments due vnto the Iewes yet did he neuer desire to be depriued of Charitie and the grace of God from which nothing could separate him that is he desired to be vsed as one separated from God but he desired not in effect to be separated or depriued of his Grace for this cannot be piously desired So the heauenly Spouse confesseth that though loue be strong as death which makes a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule Yet Zeale which is an ardent loue is yet stronger for it resembles Hell which separats the soule from our Sauiours sight but it was neuer saied nor can euer be saied that Loue or Zeale was Like to sinne which alone separats from the grace of God And indeede how could the ardour of Loue possibly make one desire to be separated from grace since Loue is grace it selfe or at least cannot consist without grace Now the Zeale of the great S. PAVLE was in some sort practised by the little S. PAVLE I meane S. PAVLINE who to deliuer a slaue out of bondage became himselfe a slaue sacrificing his owne libertie to bestow it vpon his neighbour 6. Happie is he saieth S. AMBROSE who knowes the gouernment of Zeale The Deuil will easily scofe at thy Zeale if it be not according to science let therefore thy Zeale be inflamed with Charitie adorned with science established in cōstancie True Zeale is the child of Charitie as being the ardour of it Wherefore like to Charitie it is patient benigne not troublesome nor contentious not enuious or spightfull but reioycing in Truth The ardour of true Zeale resembles that of the huntsman being diligēt carefull actiue industrious and eager in the pursuit but without choler anger or trouble for if the huntsman's labour were cholerike harsh and wayward it would not be so earnestly loued and affected Zeale in like manner hath extreame feruours but such as are constant solide sweete laborious equally amiable and infatigable whereas contrariwise false Zeale is turbulent confused insolent arrogant cholericke wauering no lesse impetuous then inconstant How our Sauiour practised all the most Excellent acts of Loue. CHAPTER XVII 1. HAuing spoken at large of the acts of Diuine Loue that you may more easily and holily conserue the memorie thereof I present you with a collection or abridgement of it The Charitie of IESVS CHRIST doth presse vs saieth the great Apostle Yea truly THEO it doth force or vse a violence against vs by its infinite sweetenesse which shines in the whole worke of our Redemption wherein appeared the benignitie and loue of our Sauiour towards men For what did not this Diuine Louer doe in matter of Loue 1. he loued vs with a LOVE OF COMPLACENCE for his delightes were to be with the children of men and to draw man to himselfe becōming man 2. he loued vs with a LOVE of BENEVOLENCE enriching man with his diuinitie so that man was God 3. he vnited himselfe vnto vs in an incōprehensible coniunctiō whereby he
not onely in regard of the chastiments which the soueraigne Iustice of God doth practise in this world but also in respect of the punishments which he exerciseth in the other life vpon their soules that haue incurable sinnes so deeply is the instinct of fearing a Deitie engrauen in mans nature 2. But this feare being practised by way of a sodaine motion or naturall feeling is neither to be commended nor condemned in vs since it proceedes not from our election yet is it an effect of a best cause and cause of a best effect for it comes from the naturall knowledge which God hath giuen vs of his Prouidence and giues vs to vnderstand what dependance we haue of the soueraigne omnipotencie mouing vs to implore his aide and being in a faithfull soule it doth much aduance her in goodnesse Christians amidst the astonishments which Thunder Tempests and other naturall dangers cause in vs inuoke the sacred name of IESVS and MARIE make the signe of the Crosse prostrate themselues before God and exercise many good acts of Faith Hope and Religion The Glorious SAINT THOMAS of Aquine being naturally subiect to start when it thundered was accustomed to saie by way of Iaculatorie Praier the Diuine words which the Church hath in such esteeme THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH Vpon this feare then Diuine Loue doth make diuers acts of Complacence and Beneuolence I will blesse thee ô Lord for thou art wōderfully magnified Let euery one feare thee ô Lord ô you great ones of the earth vnderstand serue our Lord in feare and reioyce in him with trembling 3. But there is another feare that takes it's beginning from Faith which teacheth vs that after this mortall life there are punishments dreadfully eternall or eternally dreadfull prepared for such as in this world haue offended the Diuine Maiestie without a perfect reconciliation before their decease That at the house of death the soule shall be iudged by a particular Iudgment and that at the end of the world all shall rise and appeare together to be iudged againe in the Vniuersall Iudgment For these Christian truthes THEOT doe strike the hearts of those that doe deeply ponder them with an extreeme horrour and indeede how could one represent vnto himselfe those eternall honours without foming and quaking with apprehension Now when these feelings doe take such roote in our soule that they driue and banish thence the affection and will to sinne according as the holy Councell of Trent speaketh they are very wholsome We haue conceiued thy feare ô Lord and haue brought forth the Spirit of Saluation I saie hath it That is thy wrothfull face tertified vs and made vs conceiue and bring forth the Spirit of Penance which is the Spirit of Saluation so did the Psalmist saie my bones enioyed no peace but trembled before the face of thy anger 4. Our Sauiour who euen came to establish the law of Loue amongst vs ceaseth not to inculcate vnto vs this feare feare him saieth he who hath power to throw the bodie and soule into hell fire The NINIVITS did penance vpon the threat of their owne subuersion and damnation and their penance was agreeable to God to be short this feare is comprised amongst the gifts of the holy Ghost as many aunciant Fathers haue noted 5. But if Feare doe not deterre our will and affection from Sinne truely it is bad and like to that of the diuells who cease to doe mischiefe onely through a feare they haue to be tormented by the Exorcisme without ceasing to desire and will mischeife which is their meditation for euer Like to that of the miserable gallie-slaue who would euen eate the Captaines heart though he dares not stirre from the Oare least he might be beaten Like to the Feare of that great old Maister-heretike who confessed that he hated God because he did punish the wicked Certes he that loues sinne and would willingly commit it maugre Gods will though in effect he will not commit it onely least he might be damned hath a horrible and detestable feare for though he haue not the will to come to the execution of sinne yet doth he entertaine the execution of it in his will since he would doe it if feare withheld him not and it is as it were by force that he effectes it not 6. To this Feare one may adde another lesse malicious indeede yet no lesse vnprofitable as was that of the Iudge FELIX who hearing Gods iudgmēts spoken off was stroken into amazemēt yet did he not for all that giue ouer his auarice and that of BALTASAR who in seeing the prodigious hand that wrote his condemnation vpon the wall was so astonished that he looked agaste the ioyntes of his backe bone were disioynted his knees with shaking dashed one against another nor would he yet doe penance and to what purpose is it to feare euill vnlesse by feare we resolue to eschew it 7. Their Feare then that doe as slaues obserue the Law of God to auoyd Hell is good indeede but much more noble and desirable is the mercinarie feare of Christians who as hirelings doe faithfully labour yet not principally for any loue they beare their Maister but to be rewarded with the reward promised O that the eye could see that the eare could heare or that it could enter into the heart of man what God hath prepared for those that serue him Ah what an apprehension would one haue to violate Gods commandements least he might loose those immortall rewards What teares what sobbs would one cast out when by sinne one had lost it Yet should this Feare be blame worthy if it contained in it the exclusion of holy Loue for he that should saie I will not serue God for any loue I will haue towards him but onely to attaine the reward he promiseth should commit blasphemie in preferring the reward before his Maister the benefit before the Benefactour the inheritance before the Father and his owne profit before God almightie as we haue more amply showen in the second booke 8. But finally when we feare to offend God not to auoyd the paines of Hell or the lose of Heauen but onely for that God being our good Father we owe him honour respect obedience thē our Feare is filiall because a well borne child doth not obeye his Father in respect of the power he hath to punish his disobedience or because he might disinherite him but purely because he is his Father In such sort that though his Father were old impotent and poore he would not serue him with lesse diligence but rather as a pious Storke would assist him with more care and affection Euen as IOSEPH seeing the good man IACO◠his Father old in want and brought vnder his scepter ceased not to honour serue and reuerēce him with a more thē filiall tēdernesse and such as his brothers hauing takē notice apprehended that it would euen worke after his death and therevpon they made vse of it to obtaine
things In like manner may one fight with riches and temporall delightes either by the contempt they merite or by the desire of such as are immortall and by this meanes sensuall and earthly Loue shall be ruinated by heauenly Loue either as fire is extinguished by water by reason of its contrarie qualities or as it is extinguished by heauenly fire by meanes of its qualities more strong and predominant 8. Our Sauiour makes vse of both the wayes in his spirituall cures He cured his Disciples of their wordly Feare by imprinting in their hearts a Feare of a superiour rancke Feare not those saied he who kill the bodie but feare him who can throw the bodie and the soule into Hell fire WheÌ„ he would another time cure theÌ„ of an abiect ioye he assigned them one more high doe not reioyce quoth he that the euill spirits are vnder you but that your names are written in Heauen and himselfe also reiecteth ioye by sorrow woe be to you that laugh for you shall weepe Thus then doth the Diuine Loue supplant and bring-vnder the affections and passions turning them from the end to which selfe loue would swaye theÌ„ and applying them to its spirituall pretention And as rhe rayne-bow touching the hearbe ASPAIATHVS doth depriue it of its owne smell and giues it another farre more excellent so sacred Loue touching our passions takes from them their earthly end and bestowes a heauenly one in its place the appetite of eating is much spiritualized if before the practise thereof we put vpoÌ„ it the â—otiue of loue Ah Sauiour It is not to content my palate nor yet to saciate this appetite that I goe to table but according to thy Prouidence to sustaine this bodie which thou hast giuen me subiect to this miserie I Lord because so it was thy pleasure If I hope for a friends assistance may not I saie the manner of thy establishment of our life ô Lord was such as that we should stand in neede of one anothers helpe comfort and consolation and because so it pleaseth thee I will vse this or that man whom thou hast ioyned vnto me in friendshipe to this purpose Is there some iust occasion of Feare It is thy will ô Lord that I should feare that I may vse conuenient meanes to auoyd this inconueniencie I will doe so ô Lord since such is thy good pleasure If feare be excessiue ah God our eternall Father what is it that thy children and the chickes which liue vnder thy winges can dread Well I will vse the meanes conuenient to eschew euill but that being done Lord I am thyne saue me if it be thy pleasure and that which shall befall me I will accept because such is thy good pleasure O holy and sacred ALCHIMIE ô heauenly PROTECTION POVDER by which all the mettalls of our passions affections and actions are conuerted into the most pure gold of heauenly Loue. That sadnesse is almost alwayes vnprofitable yea opposite to the seruice of holy Loue. CHAPTER XXI 1. ONe cannot graffe an Oake vpon a Peare-tree of so contrarie an humour are those two trees nor can anger choler and dispaire be graffed in Charitie at least it would be a hard peece of worke We haue seene Anger alreadie in the discourse of Zeale as for dispaire vnlesse it be reduced to a mans iust defence or at least to the feeling which we ought to haue of the vanitie feablenesse and inconstancie of wordly fauours assistances and promisses I see not what seruice Diuine Loue can draw from it 2. And as concerning sadnesse how can it be profitable to holy Charitie seeing that ioye is rancked amongst the fruits of the holy Ghost adioyning vnto Charitie Howbeit the great Apostle saieth thus The sorrow that is according to God worketh penance vnto saluation that is stable but the sorrow of the world worketh death there is then a sorrow according to God which is profitably practised either by sinners in Penance or by the good by way of compassion for the temporall miseries of our neighbours or by the perfect in deploring bemoaning and condoling the spirituall calamities of soules For DAVID S. PETER MAGDALENE wept for their sinns AGAR wept when she sawe her sonne almost deade of thirst Hieremie vpon the ruines of Hierusalem Our Sauiour ouer the Iewes and his great Apostle groanes out these words many walke of whom I haue often told you and I tell you againe with teares who are enemyes to the Crosse of IESVS-CHRIST 3. There is a sorrow of this world which doth also proceede froÌ„ 3. causes For. 1. it comes sometimes from the infernall enemye who by a thousand sad melancholie and troublesome suggestions doth obscure the vnderstanding weaken the will trouble the whole soule and like to a thicke mist doth stuffe the head and breast with a rume and by this meanes makes a man draw his breath with difficultie and doth perplexe the poore trauailler so the euill spirit filling mans mind with daunting thoughts depriues it of the facilitie of aspiring to God and doth possesse it with an extreame vexation and discouragement to bring it to dispaire and perdition They saie there is a fish named a sea-toade or a sea-diuell by surname who by mouing and stirring the mud doth trouble the water round about her to hid her selfe in it as in an amboush wherein as soone as she perceiues the poore little fishes she falls vpoÌ„ them spoyles and deuoures them whence peraduenture came the common prouerbe of fishing in a troubled water Now the diuell of Hell vseth the same slight with the Diuell of the Sea For he makes his Ambushe in the midst of sorow who after he hath troubled the soule with a multitude of loathsome thoughts cast hither and thither in the vnderstanding he makes a charge vpon the affections bearing them downe with distrust ielousies auersions disgustes grieues superfluous apprehensions of sinns past adding withall a number of vaine bitter and sullen subtilities that all reasons and consolations might be reiected 4. Sorow 2. doth sometimes proceede from a mans naturall condition when a melancholie humour doth abound in vs and this is not vicious in it selfe yet doth our enemie make great vse of it to coÌ„triue and plot a thousaÌ„d temptatioÌ„s in our soules for as the Spyder doth hardly weaue her wâ—be saue in cloudie and close weather so this wicked Spirit finds neuer so fit a time to lay the snares of his suggestioÌ„s in sweete benigne ad cheerefull spirits as he doth in sullen sad and pesiâ—e hearts for he doth easily trouble them with wayâ—ardnesse suspicioÌ„ hatred slouth aÌ„d with a spirituall nuÌ„nesse 5. Thirdly and lastly there is a sorrow which the varietie of humane chaÌ„ces doth bring vpoÌ„ vs. What ioye ca I haue saied Tobie not being able to see the light of heaueÌ„ So was IACOB sorrowfull vpoÌ„ the newes of the death of his SoÌ„ne IOSâ—Pâ— aÌ„d DAVID for the death of his AbsaloÌ„ and this is coÌ„moÌ„ as well to the good
and Memorie for of the diuersitie of things which the Vnderstanding hath a power to vnderstand and the Memorie a power to remember the will doth determine those to which she will haue her faculties applie them selues or from which diuert themselues It is true she cannot manage or range them so absolutely as she doth the hands feete or tongue by reason of sensitiue faculties namely the Fantasie which doth not obaye the will with a prompt and infallible obedience which are necessarily required to the operations of the Vnderstanding and Memorie notwithstanding the will doth moue imploy and apply these faculties at her pleasure though not so firmely and constantly that the light and variable Fantasie doth not often diuert and distract them so that as the Apostle cries out I doe not the good which I desire but the euill which I hate so we are often compelled to thinke not the good which we loue but the euill which we hate How the will gouerns the sensuall appetite CHAPTER III. 1. THe Will then THEOTIME beares rule ouer the Memorie Vnderstanding and Fantasie not by force but by authoritie so that she is not infallibly obayed like as the Maister of the Familie is nor alwayes obayed by his children and seruants The like is touching the sensatiue appetite which as S. AVGVSTINE saieth is called in vs sinners concupiscence and remaines subiect to the will and Vnderstanding as the wife to her Husband because as it was saied to the woman Thou shalt returne to thy Husband who shall gouerne thee so was it saied to Cain that his appetite should returne home to him and that he should maister it And no other thing is ment by Returne to man then to submit and subiect it selfe vnto him O man saieth S. BERNARD it is in thy power if thou wilt to bring thine enemy so to be thy seruant that all things should succeede well with thee Thy appetite is vnder thee and thou shalt dominere ouer it Thy enemy can moue in thee the feeling of temptation but it is in thy power to giue or refuse consent In case thou permit thy appetite to carrie thee away to sinne then thou shalt be vnder it and it shall dominere ouer thee for whosoeuer sinneth is made slaue to sinne but before thou sinne so long as sinne getteth not entrie into thy consent but onely into thy sense that is to saie so long as it staies in the appetite not goeing so farre as thy will thy appetite is subiect vnto thee and thou Lord ouer it While an Emperour is not yet created he is subiect to the Electors Dominion in whose hands it is to reiect or elect him to the Imperiall dignitie but being once elected and eleuated by their meanes from thence they begin to be his subiects and he their Lord. So long as the will denies consent she presides but hauing once giuen consent she becomes slaue to her owne appetite 2. To conclude this sensuall appetite in plaine truth is a rebellious subiect seditious and stirring and we must confesse we cannot so defeate it that it doth not rise againe encounter and assault the reason yet hath the will such a strong hand ouer it that she is able if she please to bridle it breake it's designes and repulse it syth that not to consent to the suggestions therof is a sufficient repulse One cannot hinder concupiscence to conceiue yet well may we staie it from bringing foorth and accomplishing sinne 3. Now this concupiscence or sensuall appepetite hath 12. motions by which as by so many mutinous Captaines it raiseth sedition in man And because ordinarily they trouble the soule and disquiet the bodie in so much as they trouble the soule they are called perturbations in so much as they disquiete the bodie they are named passions as witnesseth S. AVGVSTINE All place before them selues Good or Euill that to atchiue it this to auoyde it If Good be considered in it selfe according to it 's naturall goodnesse it excites Loue the prime and principall passion If Good be represented as absent it prouokes a desire of it selfe it being desired we apprehend it possible it enters in vs a Hope if impossible Dispaire begins to sease vs. But when we enioie it as present it moues vs to ioie Contrariwise as soone as we discouer Euill we Hate it if it be absent we flie it if we propose it as ineuitable we Feare it if we think we can eschew it we doe emboulden and encourage our selues But if we feele it as present we Greeue and thē Anger and Indignation sodainely runnes out to resist and repulse the Euill or at least to be reuenged of it Which if it succeede not according to our mind we remaine in Griefe But if we repell or be reuenged of it we feele satisfaction and content which is a Pleasure of Triūphe for as the possessiō of Good doth glad the heart so the victorie ouer Euill doth satiate the courage And ouer all this multitude of sēsuall passiōs the will beares Empire reiecting their suggestiōs repulsing their embracements hindring their effects or at the very least stifly denying them consent without the which they can neuer endamage vs and by refusall of which they remaine vanquished yea euen a farre off weakned deiected defeated repressed and if not altogether slaine at least mortified and brought lowe 4. And THEOTIME this multitude of passions is permitted to reside in our soule for the exercise of our will in vertue and spirituall vallour In so much that the STOIKES who denied that passions were found in wise men did greatly erre and so much the more for that they shewed in effect that which in words they denied as S. AVGVSTINE shewes recounting this pleasant historie AVLVS GELIVS hauing embarked himselfe with a famous STOIKE a great tempest takes them whereat the STOIKE being affrighted begun to waxe white and Pale and sensibly to Tremble so that all in the boate perceiued it and tooke precise notice of him albeit they did runne the same hazard with him In the interim the sea waxed calme the danger passed and assurance did restore to eche of them Libertie to blame yea euen to raile at him A certaine voluptuous ASIATIKE gybed at the STOIKE and reproched vnto him his Feare which had made him become white and Pale by apprehension of danger whilst he for his part remained firme without Feare to which the STOIKE replyed by relation of that which ARISTIPPVS a SOCRATICAL Philosopher had answeared one who for the same reason had quipped him with the like reproch saying vnto him for thee thou hadst no reason to be troubled for the death of a wicked Rascall but I should haue wronged my selfe not to haue feared to loose the life of an ARISTIPPVS And the best of it is that AVLVS GELIVS an eye witnesse recites the storie but touching the STOIKES reply contained therin it did more commend his wit then his Cause sythens alleaging a companion of his Feares he left
of cōcupiscence Loue of concupiscence is that by which we loue things with pretention of profit Loue of beneuolence that by which we loue a thing for it's owne profit For what other thing is it to loue one with the loue of beneuolence or good will then to will him good 2. If he to whom we will good haue already obtained and possest it then we wish it him by the pleasure and contentment which we haue to see him possessed of it and hence springs Loue of complacence which is onely an act of the will by which it is ioyned and vnited to the pleasure content and good of an other But in case he to whom we wish good haue not yet obtained it we desire it him and thence that loue is termed Loue of desire 3. When Loue of beneuolence is exercised without correspōdance of the beloued it is called Loue of simple beneuolence but when it is practised with mutuall correspondance it is called loue of friendship Now Mutuall correspondence consisteth of three things to wit a mutuall loue a mutuall knowledge of the same conuersation and priuate familiaritie 4. If we loue our friend without preferring him before others t' is Simple familiaritie if with preference then this familiaritie turnes to be Dilection or as one would saie A loue by election as making choice of this from amongst many things we loue and preferring it 5. Againe when by this Dilection we doe not much preferre one friend before others t' is called Simple dilection but if contrariwise we much more esteeme and greatly preferre one before another of the same ranck then this friendship is called Dilection by excellencie 6. But if the esteeme and preference of our friend though great and without equall doe yet enter into comparison and proportion with others the friendship shall be called Eminent dilection but if the eminencie therof doe without proportion incomparably passe all others then it is graced with the Title of Incomparable soueraigne and supereminent dilection and in a word it shall be Charite due to one God onely And indeede in our lāguage the word deare dearely indeared doth testifie a certaine particular esteeme prise or valewe so that as amongst the people the word HOMO is almost appropriated to the male-kind as to the more excellent sexe and the word ADORATION is in a manner due to God onely as it 's prime obiect so the word CHARITIE is appropriated to him as to the supreame and soueraigne dilection That charitie ought to be named loue CHAPTER XIIII 1. ORIGIN saieth that the holy Scripture in his opinion vsed the word Charitie and Dilection as termes more honest least the word Loue might giue occasion of euill thoughts to the weaker sort as being more proper to signifie a carnall passion then a spirituall affection But S. AVGVSTINE hauing deeplier weighed the vse of Gods word clearely shewes that the word Loue is no lesse sacred then the word Dilection and that as well the one as the other doe sometimes signifie an holy affection as sometimes also a depraued passion alleading to this purpose diuerse passages of holy Scripture But the great S. DENIS as chiefe Doctour of the PROPRIETIE OF DIVINE NAMES goes much further in fauour of the word Loue teaching that the Diuins that is the Apostels and their first Disciples for this Saint knew no other Diuins to disabuse the vulgare and tame their Phansie who took the word Loue in a profaine and carnall sense the more willingly imployed it to signifie diuine things then that of Dilection and though they thought that both were indifferently taken for the same thing yet some of them were of opinion that the word Loue was more proper and agreeing to God then the word Dilection Hence the diuine IGNATIVS left these words written MY LOVE IS CRVCIFIED And as these Auncient Diuins made vse of the word Loue in heauenly matters to quit it of the touch of impuritie wherwith in the worlds imagination it was suspected so to expresse humane affections they pleased to vse the word Dilection as exempt from all suspition of dishonestie Whervpon some of them as S. DENIS reporteth saied thy Dilection hath made entrie into my soule as the Dilection of women In fine the word Loue doth signifie more feruour efficacie and actiuitie then that of Dilection so that amongst the Latins Dilection is much lesse significatiue then Loue. CLAVDIVS saieth the great Oratour bears me Dilection and to saie it more excellently He loues me and therefore the word Loue as the more excellent hath iustly bene imposed vpon Charitie as principall and most eminent of all Loues For these reasons and for that I pretended to speake of the Acts of Charitie more then of her habits I haue intitled this small worke A TREATISE OF THE LOVE OF GOD. Of the conueniencie betwixt God and man CHAPTER XV. 1. AS soone as a man takes the Diuinitie into his consideratiō with a little attētion he feeles a certaine delightfull leaping of the heart witnessing that God is God of man's heart and that our vnderstanding is neuer so filled with pleasure as in this consideration the least knowledge wherof as saieth the prince of Philosophers is more worth then the greatest of other things as the least Sunne beame is brighter then the greatest from the Moone or starres yea is more lightsome then the Moone and starres alltogether so that if any dreadfull accident assaie our heart it hath presently recourse to the Diuinitie protesting therin that when all other things faile him that onely stands his friend and when danger threateneth that onely is his soueraigne good and can saue and warrant him 2. This confidence this pleasure which man's heart naturally takes in God can spring from no other roote then from the conueniencie which is betwixt God and man's soule a great but secrete conueniencie a conueniencie which each one knowes but few vnderstands a conueniencie which cannot be denied nor yet be well founded we are created to the similitude and likenesse of God what is this to saie if not that we haue an extreamely great proportion with the diuine Maiestie 3. Our soule is spirituall indiuisible immortall vnderstands willeth and that freely is capable of discourse iudgment knowledge and of vertues in all which it resembles God It is all in all and all in euery part of the bodie as the Diuinitie is all in this our All and all in euery part therof man knowes and loues himselfe by acts produced and expressed by his vnderstanding and will distinguished in them selues remaining notwithstanding inseparably vnited in the soule and in these faculties from whence they proceede So the Sonne proceedes from the Father as his knowledge expressed and the Holy Ghost as loue expired and produced from the Father and the Sonne both the Persons being distinct in them selues and from the Father and yet inseparable and vnited or rather one same sole simple onely indiuisible Diuinitie 4. But besides this conueniencie of
the botton of nature till she met with her obiect which sodenly excited and in a sort awakened strikes the stroke and turnes the yong Partridge's appetite to her former dutie T is the like THEOTIME of our heart which though it be couied nourished and bred amongst corporall base and terreane things and in a manner vnder the winges of nature notwithstanding at the first view it takes of God vpon the first intelligence it receiues of him it 's Naturall and prime inclination to loue God which was dull and imperceptible doth waken in an instant and of a sodaine appears as a sparke from amongst the finders which touching our will lanceth her with Supreame loue dew vnto the Soueraigne and prime principale of all things That we haue not naturally the power to loue God aboue all things CHATPER XVII 1. THe Eagle hath a good heart and that seconded with a strong winge for flight yet hath she imcomparably more sight then winge and doth cast with quicker dispatch and in further distance her eye then her bodie so our soules animated with an holy naturall inclination towards the Diuinitie hath farre more light in her Vnderstanding to see how much it is amiable then force in her will to loue it in effect For sinne hath much more debilitated mans will then dimmed his Reason and the rebellion of the sensuall appetite which we call Concupiscence doth indeede disturbe the Vnderstanding but it is quite contrarie to the will stirring vp against it seditions and reuoults so that the poore will wholy infirme and shaken with continuall assaults which Concupiscence waigeth against her cannot make so great progresse in diuine Loue as Reason and Naturall inclination suggesteth that she ought to doe 2. Alas THEOTIME how faire arguments not onely of a great knowledge of God but also of a great inclination towards him haue those great Philosophers SOCRATES PLATO TRISMEGISTVS ARISTOTLE HIPPOCRATES SENECA EPICTETES left behind them SOCRATES the most laudable amongst them came to the cleare knowledge of the vnitie of God and felt in himselfe such an inclination to loue him that as S. AVGVSTINE witnesseth many were of opinion that he neuer had other ayme in teaching morall Philosophie then to purifie their witts for the better contemplation of the Soueraigne good which is the most indiuisible Diuinitie And for PLATO he doth sufficiently declare himselfe in his definition of Philosophie and of a Philosopher saying that to doe the part of a Philosopher is nothing else but to loue God and a Philosopher no other thing then A Louer of God What shall I saie of great ARISTOTLE who so efficaciously proues God's vnitie and spoake so honorably of it in diuerse occurrences 3. But ô eternall God! those great witts which had so great knowledge of the Diuinitie and so great a propension to loue it wanted all of them force and courage to loue it well indeede By visible things they came to the inuisible things of God yea euen to his eternall vertue and Diuinitie saieth the Apostle in so much as they are inexcusable as hauing knowne God and not hauing glorified him as God nor rendred him thankes Indeede they glorified him in some sort attributing vnto him the soueraigne Titles of honour yet did they not glorifie him as they ought that is they glorified him not aboue all things not hauing the heart to ruinate Idolatrie but cōmunicated with it detaining Veritie which they knewe prisoner by iniustice in their hearts and preferring the honour and vaine repose of their life before the honour due vnto God they vanished in their owne knowledge 4. Is it not great pitie THEOTIME to see SOCRATES as PLATO reports speake vpon his death-bed concerning the Gods as though there had bene many he knowing so well that there was but one onely Is' t not a thing to be deplored that PLATO who vnderstoode so clearely the truth of the Diuine vnitie should ordaine that sacrifice should be done to many Gods And is it not a lamentable thing that TRISMEGISTVS should so basely lament and plaine the abolishment of Idolatrie who in so many occasions had spoaken so worthily of the Diuinitie But aboue all I admire the poore good man EPICTETES whose words and sentences are so sweete in our tongue translated by the learned and faire Plume of the R. F. D. IOHN of S. FRANCIS Prouinciall of the Congregation of the FVLIANS in GAVLE not long agoe exposed to our view For what a pitie was it I pray you to see this excellent Philosopher speake of God some times with such gust feeling and Zeale that one would haue taken him for a Christian comming from some holy and profound meditation and yet againe at diuerse times mentioning the Pagan Gods Alas this good man who knewe so well the vnitie of God and had so much gust in his bountie why had he not a pious iealousie of the diuine honour to th' end not to flatter or dissemble in a matter of so great consequence 5. In somme THEOTIME our catiue nature disinabled by sinne is like our countrie Palme-trees which in deede make some imperfect productions and as it were essayes of fruite but to beare entire ripe and seasoned Dates is reserued for a better Climate for euen so certes mans heart doth naturally produce certaine Onsets of God's loue but to proceede so farre as to loue him aboue all things which is the fullnesse of loues grouth due vnto this Supreame goodnesse this is proper onely to hearts animated and assisted with heauenly grace being in the state of holy charitie and this little imperfect loue of whose touches nature in her selfe is sensible is but a will without will a will that would but will not a sterill will which doth not produce true effects a will sicke of the Palsie which seeth the healthfull Pond of holy Loue but hath not the strength to throw herselfe into it to conclude this will is an abortiue of the good will and hath not necessarie life and generous vigour to preferre God in effect before all things Whervpon the Apostle in person of the sinner cries out There is will in me but I find not the meanes to accomplish it That the naturall inclination which we haue to loue God is not without profit CHAPTER XVIII 1. BVt seeing we haue not power naturally to loue God aboue all things why haue we naturally an inclination to it Is not Nature vaine to incite vs to a Loue which she cannot bestow vpon vs Why doth she moue in vs a thirst of a precious water wherof she cannot make vs drinke Ah THEOTIME how good God was with vs the perfidiousnesse which we did commit in offending him deserued truely that he should haue depriued vs of all the markes of his beneuolence and of the fauour which he deigned to our nature when he imprinted vpon her the light of his diuine countenance and indued our hearts with a ioyfulnesse to perceiue themselues inclined to the loue of the diuine
his order rancke place distance and proportion And one not acquainted with the secret would be astonished to see proceede from one Act so great varietie of effects So THEOTIME Nature as a Painter multiplies and diuersifies her Acts according as the workes she hath in hand are diuerse and she takes great time to finish great effects But God as the Stamper gaue being to all the diuersitie of Creaturs which haue bene are or shall be by one onely touch of his omnipotent will drawing from his Idea as from a well grauen stampe this admirable difference of persons and other things which succeede in seasons ages and times in their due order and being this Soueraigne vnitie of the diuine Act being opposed to Confusion and Disorder not to Distinction and Varietie which it implies in the composition of beautie reducing all Differences and Diuersities to Proportion Proportion to Order and Order to the Vnitie of the world which compriseth all things created visible and inuisible all which together are called the Vniuerse peraduenture because their Diuersitie is reduced to Vnitie as though one would saie One-diuerse that is One and Diuerse Vnitie with Diuersitie or Diuersitie with Vnitie 6. In somme the soueraigne diuine Vnitie doth diuersifie and his permanent Eternitie giues change to all things because the perfection of this vnitie being aboue all difference and varietie it is able to furnish all the diuersities of created perfections with their being and contains a vertue to produce them In signe of which the Scripture relats that God in the beginning saied let the lights be made in the firmament of heauē and let them separate daie from night and let them be signes for times daies and yeares further we see euen to this daie a perpetuall reuolution of times and seasons which shall continew till the end of the world to teach vs that as One word of his commanding will Doth all the world with motion fill So the onely eternall will of his diuine Maiestie extends his force from age to age yea to the ages of ages to all that hath bene is or shall be eternally nothing at all hauing any beeing but by this sole most simple and most eternall diuine Act to which be honour and glorie Amen Touching the diuine prouidence in generall CHAPTER III. 1. GOd then THEOTIME needes no diuersitie of Acts syth that one onely diuine Act of his All puissant will by reason of it's infinite perfection is sufficient to produce all the varietie of workes But we mortalls must treate of them in such an intelligible methode and manner as our small capacities may attaine vnto Following which in treating of the Diuine prouidence let vs consider I praie you the raigne of the great SALOMON as a perfect modell of the art of good gouernment 2. This great king then knowing by diuine inspiration that the Weale-publicke dependeth vpon Religion as the Bodie vpon the Soule and Religion vpon the Weale-publicke as the Soule vpon the Bodie he disposed in his minde of all the parts requisite as well for the establishment of Religion as that of the Common-wealth and touching Religion he determined that a Temple was to be erected of such and such a length breadth and hight so many Porches and Portalls so many windowes and so fourth concerning the rest which belonged to the Temple Then so many Sacryficers so many Singers and other officers of the Temple And as for the Common wealth he ordained to make a Royall Palace and a Court for his Maiestie in it so many Stewards so many Gentlemen and other Courtiers And for the people Iudges and other Magistrats who were to execute Iustice further for the assurance of his kingdome and establishment of the wealpublicks repose wherof himselfe was partaker he appointed in time of peace a powrefull Preparation for warre and to this effect two hundred and fiftie Commanders in diuerse charges fortie thousand horse and all that great furniture which the Scripture and Historians doe testifie 3. Now hauing thus made his count and disposed in himselfe of all the principall things requisite for his Kingdome he came to the Act of Prouidence and passed in his cogitation all things necessarie for the structure of the Temple to maintaine the sacred Officers Ministers Royall Magistrats and men of armes which he had proiected he resolued to send to HIERAM for fit timber to begin commerce with PERV and OPHIR and to take all conuenient meanes to procure all things requisite for the entertainement and good conduct of his enterprise Neither staied he there THEOTIME for hauing made his proiect and deliberated in himselfe about the proper meanes to accomplish it comming to the practise he created officers according to his determination and by a good gouernment caused prouision to be made of all things requisite to comply with and execute their charges so that hauing the knowledge of the art of well gouerning he executed that disposition which he had passed in his mind touching the creation of Officers of euery sort and effected his Prouidence by the good gouernment which he vsed and so his art of good gouernment which consisted in disposition prouidence or foresight was practised in the creation of Officers Gouernment and good carriage of things But for so much as that dispositiō was frutelesse without the Creation of Officers and Creation also vaine without Prouidence which lookes for necessaries for the conseruation of Officers created or erected and in fine that this Conseruation effected by good gouernment is no other thing then Prouidence put in execution and therfore not onely the Disposition but also the Creation and good gouernment of SALOMON were called by the name PROVIDENCE nor doe we indeede saie that a man is prouident vnlesse he gouerne well 4. Now THEOTIME speaking of heauenly things according to the impression made in vs by the consideration of humane things we affirme that God hauing had an eternall and most perfect knowledge of the Art of making the world for his glorie First in his diuine Vnderstanding he disposed all the principall parts of the Vniuerse which might render him honour to wit Angelicall and Humane Nature and in the Angelicall Nature the varietie of Hierarchies and Orders taught vs by the sacred Scripture and holy Doctours as also amongst Men he ordained that there should be so great diuersitie as we see Further in this same Eternitie he made accompt in himselfe and foresaw all the meanes requisite for Men and Angels to come to the end for which he had ordained them and so made the Act of his prouidence and without staying there to effect his Disposition he Actually created Angels and men and to effect his Prouidēce he did and doth furnish reasonable Creatures with all things necessarie to attaine Glorie So that to speake in a word the Soueraigne prouidence is no other thing then the Act wherby God doth furnish mē or Angels with the meanes necessarie or profitable to the obtaining of their end
which came from the eies of his maister permitting himselfe freely to be moued and carried by the gentle blast of the holy Ghost and looking vpon those comfortable eies which had stirred him vp he read's in thē as in the booke of life the inuitations to pardon which the diuine clemencie doth offer him drawes frō it a iust motife of hope goes out of the Court cōsiders the horror of his sīne ād detests it He weeps he sobbs he prostrats his miserable heart before his Sauiours mercy craues Pardon for his faults makes resolution of an inuiolable loyaltie and by this Progresse of motiōs practised by the healpe of grace which doth continually conduct assist and further it he comes at length to the holy remission of his sinns and passeth so from grace to grace according to that which S. PROSPER doth auerre that without grace a mā doth not runne to grace 4. So then to conclude this point the soule preuented by grace feeling the first essaies and consenting to their sweetnesse as returning to her selfe after so long a sownd she begins to sigh out these words ah my deare SPOVSE my friend draw me I beseech thee and take me by the hand otherwise I am not able to walke but if thou doest draw me we runne thou in helping me by the odour of thy perfumes and I by corresponding by my weake consent and by relishing thy sweet's which doth recreate and strengthen me till the Balme of thy sacred name that is the wholsome ointment of my iustification be spred within me Doe you marke THEO she would not Praie if she were not excited but as soone as that is done and that she perceiues the draughtes she Praies that she may be drawen being drawen she runns marrie she would not runne if the perfums which inticeth and by which she is drawen did not reuiue her heart by the vertue of their odour and as her course is more swifte ād as she approacheth neerer her heauenly Spouse she hath a more delicious taste of the sweetenesse which he sends out in such sort that in the end her heart begins to melt like scattered Baulme whence she cries out as being surprised by this contentment not so quickly expected but vnlooked for ô my spouse thou are as Baulme poured into my bosome it is not strang that young soules dearely esteeme thee 5. Thus my deare THEO the diuine inspiration doth come vnto vs and preuent vs mouing our wills to sacred loue And if we doe not repulse her she walkes with vs and doth enuiron vs continually to incite and aduance vs not abandoning vs if we abandō her not till such time as she hath brought vs to holy Charities Gate performing for vs the three good offices which the great Angell RAPHAEL did for his deare TOBIE for she is a guide to vs through all our iorney of holy penance she is our warrant from daungers and assaults of the the diuell and doth comfort loue and fortifie vs in difficulties A short description of Charitie CHAPTER XXII 1. BEhould at length THEO how GOD by a progresse full of ineffable sweetenesse conducteth the soule which he made goe out of the Egipt of sinne from Loue to Loue as from Lodging to Lodging till she haue made her entrie into the LAND OF PROMIS I meane of most holy Charitie which to saie in one word is Friendshipe not a loue of proper interest for by Charitie we loue God for his owne sake by reason of his most soueraignely amiable Bountie But this friendshipe is a true friendshipe being reciprocall God hauing loued all such eternally as haue doe or shall loue him temporally it is showen and acknowledged mutually sith that GOD cannot be ignorant of the loue we beare him he himselfe bestowing it vpon vs nor can we be ignorant of his loue to vs seeing it is so published and that we acknowledge all the good we haue as true effects of his beneuolence and in fine we haue continuall communication with him who neuer ceaseth to speake vnto our hearts by inspirations allurements and sacred motions he ceaseth not to helpe vs and giue all sorts of testimonies of his holy affection hauing openly reuealed vnto vs all his secrets as to his confident friends and for the accomplishment of his holy LOVE-COMMERCE with vs he made himselfe our proper foode in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and as for vs we haue freedome to treate with him at all times whē we please in holy Praier we hauing our whole life motion and beeing not onely with him but euen in and by him 2. Nor is this friendshipe a simple friendshipe but a friendshipe of dilection by which we make election of God to loue him with a speciall loue He is chosen saieth the sacred spouse from amongst a thousand she saieth from amongst a thousand but she would saie from amongst all whence this loue is not a loue of simple excellencie but an incomparable loue for charitie loues God by a certaine esteeme and preferance so high and transcending all other esteemes that other loues either are not true loues in comparison of this or if they be true loues this loue is infinitly more then loue and therefore THEO it is not a loue which the force of nature either angelicall or humane can produce but the holy Ghost doth giue it and poure it into our hearts and as our soules which animate the bodie haue not their origine from the bodie but are there put by the naturall prouidēce of God so Charitie which giues life to our hearts hath not her extraction from thence but is poured into them as an heauēly liquour by the supernaturall prouidence of his diuine Maiestie 3. For this reason and for that it hath reference to God and doth tend vnto him not according to the naturall knowledge we haue of his goodnesse but according to the supernaturall knowledge of faith we name it supernaturall friēdshipe Whence she together with faith and hope keepes residence 4. And as a Maiesticall Queene is seated in the will as in her Throne whēce she conueies into the soule her dainties and sweetes making her therby faire agreeable and amiable to the diuine Goodnesse so that if the soule be a kingdome wherof the Holy Ghost is the king Charitie is the Queene set at his right hand in a Robe of gold wrought in varietie If the soule be a Queene Spouse to the great king of heauen Charitie is her Crowne which doth roially adorne her heade yea if the soule with the bodie be a little world Charitie is the Sunne which beautifies all heates all and reuiues all 5. Charitie then is a loue of friendshipe a friendshipe of dilection a dilection of preference yea and an incōparable soueraigne and supernaturall preference which is as a Sunne through all the soule to lighten it with his raies in all the spirituall faculties to perfect thē in all the powers to moderate them but in the will as in his
puts them by the practise of holy loue 3. In heauen THEO the louing attention of the blessed is firme constant inuiolable and cannot perish or decrease their intention is pure and freed from all mixture of any inferiour intention In some this felicitie to see God clearely and loue him vnchangably is incomparable And who would euer compare the pleasure one might take by sea if any can be had to liue amidst the dangers continuall torments agitations and mutatiōs which there are to be endured with the content of a royall Pallace where all things are at a wish yea where delights doe incomparably passe our wishes 4. There is then more content pleasure and perfection in the exercise of sacred loue amongst the heauenly inhabitants then in that of the pilgrims of this poore land some notwithstanding haue bene so happie in their pilgrimage that they passed in Charitie diuers of those Saints who were already possessed of the eternall Countrie for certainly it were strang that the Charitie of a great S. IOHN of the Apostles and Apostolicall men were not greater yea euen while they were detained heare belowe then that of little children who dying in the onely grace of Baptisme enioyed immortall glorie 5. It is not ordinarie that shepheards are more valiant then soldiers and yet the little shepheard DAVID cōming into the Armie of ISRAEL foūd that euery one was more expert in the vse of armes then he neuerthelesse he was more valiant then all they Nor is it ordinarie that mortalls haue more charitie then the immortall and yet there haue bene some mortalls inferiour in the exercise of loue to the immortall who notwithstanding haue gone before them in charitie and habits of loue And as making comparison betwixt hote iron and a burning lampe we saie the iron is hotter yet the lampe is clearer and lighter So if we parallel a glorious child with S. IOHN as yet prisoner or S. PAVLE a captiue we shall saie that the child in heauen hath more brightnesse and lightnesse in his vnderstanding more heate and exercise of loue in the will yet S. IOHN or S. PAVLE had euen in earth more fire of Charitie and heate of loue Of the incomparable loue of the mother of God our B. Lady CHAPTER VIII 1. BVt what or whersoeuer I speake my meaning is not to make comparison with the most Sacred virgin Mother our B. Lady ô God no FOR SHE IS THE DAVGHTER OF INCOMPARABLE DILECTION the onely doue the most perfect spouse Of this heauenly Queene from my heart I pronounce this louing and true thought that at least towards the end of her mortall daies her charitie passed that of the Seraphins for though many Daughters heaped together riches she surpassed the all The Saints and Angels are but cōpared to starrs and the prime of those to the fairest of these but she is faire as the moone as easie to be singled and discerned from all the Saints as the Sunne from the starrs And yet I thinke further that as the Charitie of this MOTHER OF LOVE excells that of all the Saints of heauen in perfection so did she exercise it more perfectly yea euen in this mortall life neuer offending venially as the Church esteemes she had then nor change nor stop in the way of Loue but by a perpetuall aduancement ascended from Loue to Loue. She neuer felt any contradiction of the sensuall appetite whence her Loue as a true SALOMON reigned peacebly in her soule and was exercised at her pleasure the virginitie of her heart and bodie was more worthy and honorable then that of Angels So that her spirit not diuided or separated as S. PAVLE saieth was occupied in diuine thoughts to please her God And in fine a mothers loue most pressing actiue and ardent an vnwearied and insatiable loue what could it not work in the heart of such a mother and for the heart of such a sonne 2. Ah! doe not saie I pray you that this virgin was subiect to sleepe no saie not so THEO for doe you not see that her sleepe is a sleepe of Loue so that it is euen her Spouse his will that she should sleepe so long as she list ah take heede I coniure you saith he that you awake not my well-beloued till she please No THEO this heauenly Queene neuer slept but of loue sith she neuer gaue repose to her precious bodie but to reenforce it the better thence to serue God which is a most excellent act of Charitie for as the great S. Augustine saieth Charitie doth oblige vs to loue our bodies conueniently in so much as they are necessarie to good works as they make a part of our person and as they shall be participant of eternall felicitie Certes a Christian is to loue his bodie as a liuing Image of our Sauiour incarnate as issue of the same stocke and consequently of his kindred and consanguinitie especially after we haue renewed the alliance by receiuing really the diuine bodie of our Redeemour in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar and when by Baptisme Confirmation and other Sacraments we haue dedicated and consecrated our selues to the Soueraigne Goodnesse 3. But for the B. Virgine ô God with what deuotion was she to loue her virginall bodie not onely because it was a sweete humble pure bodie obeissant to diuine Loue and wholy embaumed with a thousand sacred sweetes but also for that it was the liuely source of our Sauiour's and did so strictly belong vnto him by an incomparable dependance For which cause when she gaue her angelicall bodie to the repose of sleepe goe to aied she repose ô TABERNACLE OF ALLIANCE ARKE OF SANCTITIE THRONE OF THE DIVINITIE ease thy selfe a little of thy wearinesse and repaire thy forces by this sweete repose 4. Besides deare THEO doe you not know that bad dreames voluntarily procured by the dayes depraued thoughtes are in some sort sinnes in so much as they are dependances and executiōs of the precedent malice euē so the dreames which proceede from the holy affections of such as are a wake be reputed vertuous and holy O God THEO what a consolation it is to heare S. CHRYSOSTOME recounting on a certaine day to his people the vehemencie of his loue towards them the necessitie of sleepe quoth he pressing my eye-lids the tyrannie of my loue towards you doth excite the eyes of my mind and euen while I sleepe me thinks I speake vnto you for the soule is wonte in sleepe to see by imagination what she thought in the day time so while we see not one an other with the eyes of flesh we supplie it with the eyes of Charitie O sweete IESVS what dreames was thy sacred Mother to haue when she sleept her heart watching Did she not dreame that she had thee yet folded in her wombe as thou wa'st for nine monthes space or else hanging at her breasts and pretily pressing the sacred nible of her virginall dugge Ah what sweetenesse was in this soule
admirable in their Maiestie if they were set at a lesse distance with our capacitie 4. Let vs crie out then THEO in all occurrences but let it be with an affectionat heart towards the most wise most puissant and most sweete prouidence of our eternall father O the depth of the riches wisdome ād knowledge of God O Sauiour IHESVS THEOT how excessiue are the riches of of the diuine goodnesse His loue towards vs is an incomprehensible Abisse whence he hath prouided for vs a rich sufficiencie or rather a rich abundance of meanes proper for our saluation ād sweetely to applie them he makes vse of a soueraigne wisdome hauing by his infinit knowledge foreseene and knowen all that was requisite to that effect Ah what can we feare nay rather what ought not we to hope for being the children of a father so rich in goodnesse to loue and desire to saue vs so vnderstanding to prouide meanes cōueniēt so wise to applie thē so good to will so cleare sighted to ordaine and so prudent to execute 5. Let vs neuer permit our minds to flutter by curiositie about Gods iudgemēts for as little Butterflies we shall burne our wings ād perish in this sacred flame These iudgmēts are incōprehensible or as S. GREGORIE Nazianzen saieth inscrutable that is one cannot search and sound the motiues the meanes and wayes by which he doth execute and finish them cannot be discerned and knowen And though the power of smelling be neuer so perfect in vs yet shall we at euery turne be at default not finding the sent for who can penetrate the sense the vnderstanding and intention of God Who was euer his Consellour to know his purposes and their motiues or who did euer preuent him with seruice Is it not he contrariwise who doth preuent vs in the benedictions of his grace to crowne vs with the felicitie of his glorie ah THEO all things are from him as being their Creatour all things are by him as being their Gouernour all things are in him as being their Protectour To him be honour for euer and euer Let vs walke in peace THEO in the waye of holy loue for he that shall enioye diuine loue in dying after death shall enioye loue eternally Of a certaine remainder of loue which oftentimes stayes in the soule that hath lost Charitie CHAPTER IX 1. THe life of a man who languishing on his deathes bed by little and little decaies doth hardly deserue to be termed life sith that though it be life yet is it so mingled with death that it is hard to saie whether it is a death as yet liuing or a life dying Alas how pitifull a spectacle it is THE but farre more lamentable is the state of a soule which vngratfull to her Sauiour goes hourely backward withdrawing her-selfe from God's loue by certaine degrees of indeuotion and disloyaltie till at length hauing quite forsaken it she is left in the horrible obscuritie of perdition and this loue which is in it's declining and which fades and perisheth is called imperfect loue because though it be entire in the soule yet seemes it not to be entirely that is it hardly keepes in the soule any longer but is vpon the point of forsaking it Now Charitie being separated from the soule by sinne there remaines oftentimes a certaine resemblance of Charitie which doth deceiue and put vs into a vaine muse and I will tell you what it is Charitie while it is in vs produceth many actions of loue towards God by the frequent exercise whereof our soule gets a habit and custome of louing God which is not Charitie but onely an impression and inclination which the multitude of actions leaues in our hearts 2. After a long habit of preaching or saying Masse deliberatly it happens often that in dreaming we vtter and speake the same things which we would saie in preaching or celebrating so that custome and habit acquired by election and vertue is in some sort afterward practised without election or vertue sith the actions of such as sleepe generally speaking haue nothing of vertue saue onely an apparent image and are onely the similitudes or representations thereof So charitie by the multitude of actes which she produceth doth imprīt in vs a certaine facilitie to loue which she leaues in vs euē after we are depriued of her presence I remember when I was a young scholler that in a village neare Paris there was a certaine well with an ECHO which would repeate the words that we pronoūced by it diuers times And if some Idiote without experience had heard this repetition of words he would haue beleeued that there had bene some bodie in the botome of the well who had done it But we had euen then knowen by Philosophie that none was in the well to reiterate our words but that there were onely certaine concauities in some one whereof our voices were assembled ād not finding through passage least they might altogether perish and not imploy the force that was left them they produced secōd voices ād they gathering together in an other cōcauitie produced a third the third a fourth ād so consequetly to the eleauenth so that those voices heard in the well were not now our voices but resemblances and images of the same And indeede there was a great difference betwixt our voices and those For when we made a long continuance of words we had but some few of them rendred by the ECHO shortning the pronunciation of syllables which she slightly passed ouer with tones and accents quite different from ours nor did she begin to forme her words till we had quite pronounced them In fine they were not words of a liuing man but as one would saie the words of any emptie and vaine Rocke which notwithstanding did so well counterfeit man's voice whence she sprung that a simple bodie would haue bene misled and beguiled by her 3. Now this is it that I would saie when holy CHARITIE meets a pliable soule wherein she doth long reside she produceth a second loue which is not a loue of Charitie though it issue from Charitie but it is a humane loue which is yet so like to Charitie that though she leaues behind this her picture and likenesse which doth so represent her that one who were ignorant would be deceiued therein not vnlike to the birds on Zeuxis his painted raysins which they deemed to be true raysins so generally had Art imitated nature And yet there is a faire difference betwixt Charitie and humane loue which she doth beget in vs for the voice of Charitie doth pronoūce denoūce and worke in our hearts Gods Commandments humane loue which remaines after her doth indeede pronounce the commandments and denounceth sometimes all of them yet doth neuer effect them all but some few onely Charitie doth pronounce and put together all the sillables that is all the circumstances of Gods commandments humane Loue alwayes leaues out some of them especially straightnesse and puritie of
our condition and so proper to testifie the respectfull loue we beare him that he hath ordained we should render and yeeld all honour and glorie vnto him 3. Thus then the soule who hath taken a great complacence in God's infinite perfection seeing that she cannot wish him any encrease of goodnesse because he hath infinitly more then she can either wish or conceiue desires at least that his name may be blessed exalted praised honoured and adored dayly more and more And beginning with her owne heart she ceaseth not to prouoke it to this holy exercise and as a sacred Bee flies hither and thither amongst the flowers of the diuine workes and excellencies gathering from them a sweete varietie of complacences whereof she works and composeth the honnie of heauenly benedictions praises and honourable confessions by which as farre as she is able she magnifies and glorifies the name of her well-beloued following the great Psalmist who hauing enuironed and as it were in Spirite runne ouer the wōders of the diuine goodnesse sacrificed vpon the Altar of his heart the mysticall Hoste of the out-cryes thereof in Canticles and Psalmes of admiration and Benediction My heart flies here and there Borne vp on fancies winge In admirations aire She heauenlily doth singe A Sacrifice of praise And on the Harpe she plaies A BENEDICITE To Sions heauenly Kinge But THEO this desire of praising God which holy Beneuolence doth excite in our hearts is insatiable for the soule that is touched with it would wish to haue infinite praises to bestowe vpon her well-beloued because she finds his perfections more then infinite so that finding her selfe to fall farre short of her aime she addes force to her affection to praise at least in some measure this most praiseworthy goodnesse and these endeauours of Beneuolence are meruellously augmented by complacence for according as the soule finds God good tasting more and more his sweetenesse and taking complacence in his infinit goodnesse she would also raise higher his benedictions and praises And againe as the soule waxeth hote in praising the incomprehensible sweetenesse of her God she enlargeth and dilateth the complacence she takes in him and by this enlargmēt she doth animate her selfe more earnestly to praise him So that the affection of complacence and that of praise by their reciprocall motions and incitements doe aduance one another with great and continuall encrease 4. So Nightingales according to Plinie takes such complacence in their songes that by reason of this complacence for fiue dayes and fiue nightes long they neuer leaue warbling forcing themselues to sing better in despight one of the other so that when they chirpe the best thy take a greater complacence and this encrease of complacēce carrieth them to force themselues to a better quauering augmenting in such sort their complacēce by their songe and their songe by their complacence that often they are seene to fall downe dead spliting their weeseells with the violence of singing Birdes worthy the faire name of Philomele sith they die in this sorte of and for the loue of melodie 5. O God THEOT how the soule ardently pressed with affection to praise God is touched with a dolour greatly delicious and a delight greatly dolorous when after a thousand essaies of praises she finds herselfe to come short Alas this poore Nightingale striues still to lance out her accents higher and perfect her melodie the better to sing the praises of her well-beloued By how much more she praiseth by so much she is more delighted in praising and by how much greater her delight in praising is by so much her displeasure is greater that she cannot yet more praise him and yet to find what content she can in this passion she vseth all endeauours and amidst them falls in languishment as it happened to the most glorious S. FRANCIS who in the pleasures he had to praise God and sing his Canticles of loue shed a great abundāce of teares ād through faintnesse let often fall what at such times he had in his hands remaining in languishment as a sacred Philomele ād eftsones lost breath in breathing after his praises whō he could neuer praise sufficiētly 6. But marke a fine similitude vpon this subiect drawen from the name which this louing saint gaue his religious for he called them Cygales by reason of the nightly praises they sunge to God Cygales THEO haue their breasts set with pipes as though they were naturall orgaines and to sing the better they liue onely of dewe which they take not by the beake for they haue none but sucke it by a certaine weesel they haue in the midst of their stomacke by which also they sed out their tunes with such a noyse that they seeme to be nothing but voice Now this is the state of the sacred Louer for all the faculties of her soule are as so many pipes which she hath in her breast to resound the well-beloued's Cāticles ād praises Her deuotion in the midst is the tongue of her heart according to S. BERNARD by which she receiues the dew of diuine perfections sucking and drawing them to her as her foode by the most holy complacence which she takes in them and by the same tongue of deuotion she tunes all her praiers Praises Canticles Psalmes Benedictions according to the testimonie of one of the most famous spirituall Cygales that euer was heard who sunge thus Blesse Sions King my Soule Inflamed with heauenly flame My powers my thoughts and all Cease not to speake his name For is it not as though he had saied I am a mysticall Cygale my soule my spirits my thoughtes all the faculties that are met together within me are organes Let all these for euer blesse the name and resound the praises of my God Summing vp thyne endlesse glorie I 'le spinne out an endlesse storie In singing onely which I 'le rest And thou Myne Aide shalt pleasure take To heare it for thy Mercies sake And helpe a sillie heart oppress 't How Beneuolence makes vs inuoke all Creaturs to God's praise CHAPTER IX 1. THe heart that is taken and pressed with a desire of praising the Diuine Goodnesse more then it is able after many endeauours goes often times out of it selfe to inuite all Creaturs to helpe it in it's designe As did the three children in the furnace in that admirable Canticle of Benedictions by which they excite all that is in Heauen in earth and vnder the earth to render thankes to the Eternall God in Blessing and praising him soueraignely as also the glorious Psalmist wholy moued by a holily irregular passion to praise God goes without order leaping from heauen to earth from thence to heauen againe inuoking pel-mel Angels fishes mountaines Waters Dragons Birdes Serpents Fire Haile Fogges assembling by his desires all creaturs to th' end that they all might conspire piously to magnifie their Creatour Some in their owne persōs celebrating the diuine praise others affording matter of praise by the
wōders of their differrent proprieties which manifest their makers power so that this diuine royall Psalmist hauing composed a great number of Psalmes with this inscription Praise God after he had rūne through all the creaturs holily inuiting them to blesse the diuine Maiestie and passed ouer a great varietie of meanes and instruments fit to celebrate the praises of this eternall Bountie in the end as falling downe through shortenesse of breath he closeth his sacred song with this Eiaculation Let euery spirit praise our Lord that is let all that hath life nor liue nor breath but to blesse their Creatour following the encouragement he had elsewhere giuen VVith high and animated straine Let 's striue to celebrate amaine Euen who can best th Eternall's fame Let shirlest voice awakt by Loue Beare vp the starrie vaults aboue The Peeleresse glorie of his name So the great S. FRANCIS soung the Canticle of the Sunne and a thousand other excellent benedictions to inuoke the creaturs to aide his languishing heart in that he could not according to his desire praise the deare Sauiour of his heart So the heauenly Spouse perceiuing her selfe almost to sound amidst the violent essaies she vsed in blessing and magnifying the well-beloued king of her heart ah cried she out to her companions the diuine Spouse hath led me by contemplation into his wine-celler making me taste the incomparable delightes of the perfections of his excellencie and I haue so moistened and holily inebriated my selfe by the holy complacence which I tooke in this abisse of beautie that my soule languisheth wounded with a louingly mortall desire which vrgeth me euerlastīgly to praise a goodnesse eminent Come alas I beseech you to the succour of my poore heart which is vpon the point of falling downe dead For pitie susteine it and vnderprope it with flowres solace it and enuirone it with aples or else it will fall in a trance Complacence drawes the diuine sweetes into her heart which doth so ardently fill it selfe thereof that it is ouer charged But the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE makes our heart sallie out of it selfe and spend it selfe in vapours of delicious perfumes that is in all kinds of holy praises And yet not being able to doe it with the aduantage which it desires ô saieth it let all creaturs come and contribute the flowres of their benedictions their aples of thankesgiuings honours and adorations so that on euery side we may smell odours poured out to his glorie whose infinite sweetenesse doth passe all honour and whom we can neuer worthily enough magnifie 2. It is this diuine passion that brings out so many sermons makes the Zaueriuses the Berzeses the Antonies with a number of Iesuites Capucins and Religious and other Churchmen of all sorts passe the pikes in India Iaponia Maraig to th' end the holy name of IESVS may be knowen acknowledged and adored through out that vaste nation It is this holy passion which penns so many spirituall bookes build's so many churches altars and pious houses and to conclud which makes so many of God's seruants watch labour and die in the flames of Zeale which doe consume and spend them How the desire we haue to praise God makes vs aspire to heauen CHAPTER X. 1. THe soule in Loue perceiuing that she cānot saciate the desire she hath to praise her well-beloued while she liues in the miseries of this world and knowing that the praises which are giuen in heauen to the diuine goodnesse are sunge in an aire incomparably more delightfull ô God saieth she how praiseworthie the praises are which are poured fourth by those blessed spirits before the throne of my heauenly king how blessed are their blessings ô what a happinesse is it to heare this melodie of the most holy eternitie where the delicious concurrence of vnlike and wholy different voices doth make these admirable accords wherein all the parts redoubling one vpon another by a continued succession and an incomprehensible combination and pursute perpetuall Allelui'as doe resound from euery side 2. Voices which for their sound are compared to thunder trumpets or to the noyse of a troubled seas waues yet voices which for their incomparable delight and sweetenesse are compared to the melodie of harpes delicatly and deliciously touched by a most skillfull hand And voices which doe all accord in one to sing the ioyfull Pascall Cāticle ALLELVIA praise God Amē praise God for know THEO that there is a voice heard from the diuine Throne which ceaseth not to crie to the happie inhabitants of the glorious heauenly Hierusalem Praise God ô you that are his seruants and you that feare him great and little at which all the innumerable multitude of Saints the quires of Angels and men with one consent doe answere in singing with all their force ALLELVIA praise God But what is this admirable voice which issuing out from the diuine Throne doth announce the ALLELVIAS to the Elect if not the most holy complacence which being receiued into the heart makes them feele the sweetenesse of the Diuine perfections wherevpon a louing beneuolence the source of heauenly praises is bred in thē so that complacence cōming from the Throne intimateth Gods greatnesse to the Blessed and beneuolence excites them mutually to pouer out the odours of praise before the Throne And so by way of answere they eternally sing ALLELVIA that is praise God The complacence come frō the Throne into the heart and Beneuolence goes from the Throne 3. O how amiable is this TEMPLE wholy resounding with praise ô what content haue such as liue in this sacred Residence where so many heauenly Philomels and Nightingails doe sing with strife of loue the Canticles of eternall delight 4. The heart then that in this world can neither sing nor heare the diuine praises to it's liking falls into incredible desires of being deliuered from the bands of this life to passe to the other where the heauenly well-beloued is so perfectly praised and these desires hauing taken possession of the heart doe often times become so strōg and powrefull in the heauenly Louers heart that banishīg all other desires they make all terreane thīgs disgustfull and render the soule languishing and loue-sicke yea sometimes the holy passion goes so farre as if God permitted one would die of it 5. So the glorious and Seraphicall Louer S. FRANCIS hauing bene long wrought with this strong affection of praising God in the end towards his death after he had had assurance by a speciall Reuelation of his eternall saluation he could not conteine his ioye but waisted dayly as if his life and soule had fumed out like incense vpon the flamme of ardent desires which he had to see his Maister incessantly to praise him So that these flames dayly encreasing his soule left his bodie by a force which he made towards heauen for it was thought good to the Diuine prouidence that he should die pronoūcing these sacred words O Lord drawe my soule out of this prison
but one yet containes it the vertue and propertie of all the others and is called a contemplatiue affection 6. So it is an opinion amongst Diuines that Angels higher in glorie haue a knowledge of God and the creaturs much more simple then such as are inferiour and that the SPECIES or IDâ—AS by which they see are more vniuersall so that what the lesse perfect Angels see by diuers SPECIES and lookes the more perfect see by fewer SPECIES and castes of the eye And the Great S. AVGVSTINE followed by S. THOMAS saieth that in heauen we shall not haue these great vicissitudes varieties changes and rechanges of thougtes and cogitatioÌ„s which passe and repasse froÌ„ obiect to obiect and from one thing to another but with one sole thought we may be attentiue to the diuersitie of many things and get the knowledge of them By how much further water runs from its source by so much the more it doth deuide it selfe and weare out its banks if it be not kept in by a continuall care and perfections doe seperate and deuid themselues according as they are more remote from God their source but approaching nigh him they are vnited till such time as we shall be swallowed vp in this soueraignely singular perfection which is the necessarie vnitie and THE BETTER PART that which MAGDALEN made choice of and which shall not be taken away from her That we doe contemplate without paine which is a third difference betwixt it and meditation CHAPTER VI. 1. NOw the simple view of contemplation is performed in one of these three fashioÌ„s we doe sometimes onely eye some one of Gods perfections as for example his infinite Bountie not thinking of the other ATTRIBVTS or vertues thereof As a Bridegroome simply staying his eye vpon the faire complection of his Bride yet by this meanes should truely see all her countenance for as much as the complection is spred in a sort through all the partes thereof aÌ„d should not be attentiue to the feature grace or other respectes of beautie for in like manner the mind often times considering the soueraigne goodnesse of the DIVINITIE although withall it sees the IVSTICE WISDOME and POWER yet is it onely attentiue to the GOODNESSE to which the simple view of it's contemplation is addressed Sometimes also we doe attentiuely behold in God diuers of his infinite perfections yet with a simple view and without distinction as he who with one glance of his eye passing his view from the top to the toe of his spouse richly deckt should attentiuely in generall haue seene all and nothing in particular not well discerning what carkanet or gowne she wore nor what countenance she had or how she lookt but onely that all was faire and comely For so in contemplation we often passe ouer sundrie Diuine Greatnesses and perfections in generall with one onely touch of consideration with out being able to render a reason of any thing in particular saue onely that all is perfectly good and faire and finally we doe at other times consider neither many nor onely one of the diuine perfections but onely some Diuine action or worke to which we are attentiue as for example to the act of MERCY by which God pardons sinnes or the act of Creation or the Resurrection of Lazarus or Conuersion of S. PAVLE as a Bridegroome who should not eye his Spouses eyes but onely the sweetenesse of the lookes she castes vpon him nor take notice of her mouth but onely of the delight of the words vttered by it And in this point THEO the soule makes a certaine sallie of loue not onely vpon the actions she considereth but vpon him whence they proceede Thou art Good ô Lord and in thy goodnesse teach me thy iustifications Thy throte that is the word which cometh from it is most delicious and thou art wholy desirable Ah! how sweete are thy words to my bowells sweeter then honie to my mouth or else with S. THOMAS My Lord my God and with S. MAGDELEN RABBONI ah Maister 2. But take which of these three wayes you will Contemplation hath still this excellencie that it is done with delight for that it supposeth that God and his holy loue is found that he is enioyed delighted in saying I haue found him whom my heart loueth I haue found him nor will I let him goe In which it differs from Meditation which almost alwayes is performed in paine labour and discourse our mind passing in it from consideration to consideration searching in many places either the well-beloued of her Loue or the loue of her well-beloued IACOB labours in meditation to obtaine Rachel but in contemplation he reioyceth with her forgetting his labours The diuine Spouse as a shephearde which he also is prepared a sumptious banquet according to the countrie fashion for his sacred Spouse which he so described that mystically it represented all the mysteries of mans RedeÌ„ption I came into my gardeÌ„ quoth he I haue gathered my myrrhe with all my perfumes I haue eaten my honie-coÌ„be with my honie I haue mingled my wine with my milke eate my frieÌ„ds aÌ„d drinke and inebriate your selues my dearest THE ha when was it I pray you that our Sauiour came into his garden if not when he came into his mothers purest huÌ„blest and sweetest wombe replenished with all the flourishing plaÌ„tes of holy vertues And what is ment by our Sauiours gathering of his myrrhe with his perfumes but to ioyne sufferaÌ„ce to suffereÌ„ce vntill death aÌ„d death of the crosse heaping by that meanes merit vpon merit and treasurs vpoÌ„ treasurs to enrich his spirituall children And how did he eate his honie-combe with his honie but when he liued a new life reuniting his soule more sweete then honie to his pearced and wounded bodie with more holes then a honie-combe And when ascending into heauen he tooke possessioÌ„ of all the circumstances and dependance of his diuine glorie what other thing did he if not mixe the reioycing wine of the essentiall glorie of his soule with the delightfull milke of the perfect felicitie of his bodie in a more excellent manner then hitherto he had done 3. Now in all these diuine mysteries which containe all the others there is sufficient to eate and drinke for all the deare friends and to inebriate the dearest some of them doe eate and drinke but they eate more then they drinke and so are not drunke others eate and drinke but drinke more theÌ„ they eate and those are they that are inebriated Now to eate is to meditate for in meditating a maÌ„ doth chewe turning his spirituall meate hither and thither betwixt the teeth of consideration to bruise breake and digest it which is not done without some trouble To drinke is to contemplate which we doe without paine or difficultie yea with pleasure and facilitie but to be inebriated is to contemplate so frequeÌ„tly and ardently that one is quite out of himselfe to be wholy in God O holy and sacred drunkennesse which
faculties towards the well-beloued who drawes them vnto him by the force of his sweetenesse with which he drawes and ties the heart as bodies are drawen by materiall ropes or bands 5. This sweete recollection of our soule in her selfe is not onely made by the apprehension of Gods presence in the midst of our heart but euen by placing our selues in any manner in his sacred presence It happens often times that all our interiour powers doe gather and shut themselues vp in them selues vpon an extreame reuerence and sweete feare which doth sease vpon vs in consideration of his soueraigne Maiestie who is present with vs and beholds vs So that notwithstanding we are distracted if the Pope or some great Prince should appeare we recall our thoughtes and reflect vpon our selues that we may be present to our selues and respectiue The blew Lillie or flowerdeluce is saied to shut it selfe at the sight of the Sunnes approach because by his brightnesse it doth shut and locke it selfe vp within it selfe in whose absence it remaines desplaied ād opē all the night The like happēs in this recollectiō of which we speake for vpō the onely presēce of God or feeling we haue that he beholds vs either from heauen or from any other place out of vs though as then we thinke not of the other presence by which he is in vs our powres and faculties doe assemble and gather together within vs out of respect to his diuine Maiestie which loue makes vs feare with a feare of honour and respect 6. Verily I was acquainted with a soule to whom as soone as one mentioned any mysterie or sentence which put her a little more expressely then ordinary in minde of the presence of God either in confession or priuate conference she would so deeply ēter into her selfe that she could hardly recouer her selfe to speake and make answeare so that outwardly she remained as one destitute of life and all her senses were absorpt till her Spouse permitted her to returne which was sometime sooner sometime later Of the repose of a soule recollected in her well-beleued CHAPTER VIII 1. THe soule then being thus recollected within her selfe in God or before God doth now and then become so sweetly attentiue to the goodnesse of her well-beloued that her attētion seemes not to her to be attention so purely and delicatly is she imploied as it happens to certaine floods which glide so faire and smoothly that it seemes to the beholders and such as saile that they neither see or feele any motion because they cannot be discouered to swell with billowes or waues And it is this admirable repose of the soule that the B. Virgin TERESA of IESVS names praier of quiete not farre differrent from that which she also calls the sleape of the powres if at least I vnderstand her right 2 Certes humane Louers are sometimes content with being heare or within sight of the partie they loue without speaking to him or discursing alone either of him or his perfections satiated as it were and satisfied to relish this deare presence not by reason of any reflection they make vpon it but by a certaine quiet and rest which the minde takes in it My well-beloued is to me a Posie of Myrrhe he shall remaine betwixt my breastes my well-beloued is myne and I his who feedes amōgst the Lillies till the day approch and shaddowes vanish Shew me then ô thou friend of my friend where thou reposest where thou liest at Noonetide Doe you see THEO how the holy Sunamite is contented in knowing that her well-beloued is with her or in her bosome Parke or elsewhere so she know where he is and thence also she is Sunamite wholy peaceable calme and at repose 3. Now this repose becomes sometimes so still that all the soule and all her powers are put into a sleepe remaining without motion or action sauing the will euen which also doth no other thing out receiue the content and satisfaction which the presence of the well-beloued doth afforde And that which is yet more admirable is that the will doth not euen perceiue the delight and contentment which she receiues enioying him insensibly being not mindfull of herselfe but of him whose presence yeelds her this pleasure as it happens frequently that taken by a light slumber we doe onely heare indistinctly what our friends saie about vs or perceiue imperceptibly how officious they are towards vs without perceiuing we perceiue it 4. Notwitstanding the soule who in this sweete repose doth enioye this delicate touch of the diuine presence though she doe not perceiue it as an enioying yet doth she clearely shew how deare and precious this happinesse is vnto her if one offer to depriue her of it or diuert her from it for then the poore soule plaines cries out yea sometime weepes as a little child awaked before he had yet taken his full sleepe who by the griefe he resenteth in being awaked doth sufficiētly shew the content he had in sleeping Herevpon the heauenly shephearde adiureth the daughters of Hierusalem by their Roes and the Harts of the fields that they should not raise vp the Beloued till herselfe would That is that she should rise of her selfe No THEO a foule thus recollected in her God would not chang her repose for all the riches in the world 5. Such in a manner was the rest of the most holy Magdalen when set at her Maisters feete she heard his holy word Behold her I beseech you THEO she is set in a profound tranquillitie she speakes not she weepes not she sighes not she grones not she stirres not she praies not Martha full of businesse passeth and repasseth through the Hall Marie regardes her not And what doth she doe then she doth nothing but onely hearkē and what would this saie she hearkeneth It is to saie she is there as a vessell of honour to receiue drope by drope the myrrhe of sweetenesse which the lippes of her well-beloued distilled into her heart And this heauenly Louer iealous of this loue-sleepe and rest of his well-beloued chid Martha for offering to awake her Martha Martha thou art sollicitous and troubled about many things and yet one thing onely is necessarie Marie hath chosen the better part which shall not be taken from her But what was Maries portion or part To remaine in peace repose and quiet neare vnto her sweete IESVS 6. The well-beloued S. IOHN is ordinarily painted in the last supper not onely lying but euen sleeping in his Maisters bosome because being set after the fashion of the East his head was towards his deare louers breast vpon which as he slept not a corporall sleepe there being no likelihood of that so I make no questiō but finding himselfe so neare the breastes of the eternall sweetenesse he tooke a profound mysticall sweete sleepe as a child of loue who locked to his mothers dugges suckes in sleeping and sleepes in sucking O what a delight it was to this Beniamin child of
soule saieth she melted as soone as my well-beloued spoke The loue of her Spouse was in her heart and breast as a strong new wine which cannot be contained within the peece For it ouerflowed one euery side and the soule being led by her loue after the Spouse had saied thy breastes are better then wine streaming out precious ointments she addes Thy name is oile poured-out and as the Spouse had poured out his loue and soule into the heart of the Spouse so she againe turnes her soule into the Spouse his heart and as we see a honie-combe touched with a hote sunne-beame goe out of it selfe forsaking its forme doe also flowe on that side where the sunne toucheth it so the soule of this louer runns that ward where her well-beloued is heard going out of her selfe and passing the limits of her naturall beeing to follow him that spoke vnto her 3. But how is this sacred liquifaction of the soule into the well-beloued practised An extreame complacence of the Louer in the thing beloued begets a certaine spirituall impotencie which makes the soule not finde any more power to remaine in her selfe And therefore as dissolued Baulme that hath no more firmenesse or soliditie she permits her selfe to slide and runne into the thing beloued for she neither casteth her selfe by way of iaculation nor locks her selfe by way of vnion but lets her selfe gently glide as a liquide and fluent thing into the Diuinitie which she loues And as we see cloudes which thickned by the winde at Noonetide resoluing ād turning into raine cannot containe themselues but doe fall and showre downe and mixe themselues so inly with the earth which they moisten that they become one thing with it so the soule which though otherwise in loue remained before in her selfe goes out by this sacred liquifaction and saintly flowing and forsakes her selfe not onely to be vnited to the well-beloued but to be entirely mingled and moistened with him 4. You see then deare THEOT that the liquifaction of a soule into her God is a true extasie by which the soule trenscendes the limits of her naturall behauiour being wholy mixed absorpt and engulfed in God Hence it happens that such as attaine to these holy excesses of heauenly loue afterward being come to themselues can finde nothing in the earth that can content them and liuing in an extreame annihilation of themselues remaine much weakned in that which toucheth sense ād haue perpetually in their hearts the B. Mother Teresa her Maxime ALL THAT IS NOT GOD IS NOTHING And it seemes that such was the louing passion of the great friend of the well-beloued who saied I liue now not I but IESVS-CHRIST in me and our life is hid with IESVS-CHRIST in God For tell me I praie you THEOT if a drope of Elementarie water throwne into an Ocean of liue water were liuing could speake and declare it's condition would it not crie out with ioye O mortalls I liue indeede but I liue not I but this Ocean liues in me and my life is hidden in this Abisse 5. The soule that runnes into God dies not For how can she die by being shut vp in life but she liues without liuing in her selfe because as the starrs without loosing their light shine not in the presence of the Sunne but the Sunne shines in thē and they are hid in the light of the Sunne so the soule without loosing her life liues not being mixed with God but God liues in her Such as I thinke were the feelings of the great S. PHILIPPVS NERIVS and S. FRANCIS ZAVERIVS when ouercloied with heauenly consolations they petitioned to God that he would withdrawe himselfe for a space from them sith his will was that their life should a little longer appeare vnto the world which could not be while it was wholy hidden and absort in God Of the wound of loue CHAPTER XIII 1. All these termes of loue are drawne from a certaine resemblance which is betwixt the affections of the minde and the passions of the bodie GRIEFE FEARE HOPE HATRED and the rest of the affections of the soule enters not into the heart but when loue doth drawe thē after it We doe not hate euill but because it is contrarie to the Good which we loue We feare future euill because it will depriue vs of the good we loue Though an euill be extreame yet doe we neuer hate it but according to the opposition it hath to the good which is deare vnto vs. He that doth not much affect the Commonwealth is not much troubled to see it ruin'd He that doth not much loue God doth also not much hate sinne LOVE is the first yea the Source and origine of all the Passions And therefore it is LOVE that first enters the heart ād because it doth penetrate ād that well nigh to the very bottome of the will where his seate is we saie he wounds the heart It is sharp-pointed saieth the Apostle of France and enters the heart most deeply the other affections doe also enter but by the meanes of loue for it is he that pearcing the heart makes passage The onely point of the dart woundeth the rest of it doth but enlarge the wound and encrease paine 2. Now if it wound it doth consequently put vs to paine Pomegranats by their vermillion colour by the multitude of their cornes so close set and rancked and by their faire crownes liuely represēting as S. GREGORIE saieth most holy Charitie all redde by reasō of her ardour towards God crowned with the varietie of all vertues and who alone doth beare away the crowne of eternall reward 's but the iuice of Pomegranats which as we know is so delightfull as well to the sound as sicke is so compounded of sweete and soure that one can hardly discerne whether it delights the taste more by it's sweetish tartnesse or tarte sweetenesse Verily THEOT Loue is in like sorte bitter-sweete and while we liue in this world it hath neuer a sweetenesse perfectly sweete because it is not perfect or euer purely saciated and satisfied and yet it leaues not to be maruelous agreeable to the tartnesse thereof correcting the Lusshiousnesse of it's sweetenesse as the sweetenesse thereof sharpens the delight of it's tartenesse But how can this be there haue bene young men seene enter into conuersation free sound and frolicke who not taking care of themselues plainely perceiued lōg before they could get cleare that loue making vse of glaunces gestures words yea of the haire of a weake and fraile creature as of so many darts had smote and wounded their poore hearts so that you shall see them sorrowfull sad and dismaied Why I praie you are they sorrowfull With out doubt because they are wounded and who hath wounded them LOVE but loue being the child of Complacence how can it wounde and aggreeue Sometimes the beloued obiect is absent and then my deare THEO Loue woundes the heart by the desire which it excits which while it
cannot be saciated it doth much torment the mind 3. If a Bee had stung a child it were to sweete pourpose to saie to him ô my child the very Bee that stung thee is the same that makes the honie which likes thee so well for it is true might it replie her honie is very pleasant to my taste but her sting is painefull and while her sting stikes in my cheake I shall neuer be at rest and doe you not marke that my face is all swollen with it THEO Loue is indeede a Complacence and by consequence very delightfull so that it leaues not in our heart the sting of desire for when it leaues it there is left with it a great paine True it is this paine proceedes from loue and therefore is an amiable and beloued paine Heare the painfull yet louelie eiaculations of a royall Louer My soule thrisleth after her strong and liuing God Ah! when shall I come and appeare before the face of my God my teares haue bene bread to me night and day while it is saied vnto me where is thy God And the sacred Sunamite wholy possessed with dolorous loues speaking to the daughters Alas saieth she I coniure you if you meete my beloued tell him my griefe because I languish with the wound of loue Delaied hope afflicts the soule 4. Now the painfull wounds of loue are of diuers sorts 1. The first touches that loue giues our heart are called wounds because the heart that was sound entire and it 's owne before it loued being strook with loue begins to separate and diuide it selfe from it selfe to giue it selfe to the beloued obiect nor can this separation be made without paine seeing paine is no other thing then a separation of liuing things that were vnited 2. Desire doth incessantly sting and wound the heart in which it is lodged 3. TAEO speaking of heauenly loue in the practise of it there is a kind of wound giuen by God himselfe to the soule which he will perfect for he giues her admirable feelings and incomparable touches of his soueraigne goodnesse as pressing and soliciting her to loue him and then she forcibly bears herselfe vp as to soare higher towards her diuine obiect but lighting short not being able to loue with proportion to her desire ô God she feeles a paine without paragon At the same instant that she is powerfully drawen to flie towards her deare and well beloued she is powerfully retained and cannot flie as being chained to the seruile miseries of this mortall life and out of her owne impotencie she wisheth the winge of the doue to flie to her repose but finds it not So that she is roughly tormented betwixt the violencie of her desires and her owne impotencie ô miserable wretch that I am saied one of those that had tried this tormēt who will deliuer me from the bodie of this death And then if you marke it THEO it is not the desire of a thing absent that doth wound the heart for the soule perceiues that her God is present he had already led her into his wine celler planted vpon her heart the banner of loue but howbeit though already he see her wholy his he vrgeth her and from time to time toucheth her with a thousand thousand darts of his loue shewing her by new meanes how much more louely he is then he is beloued And she who hath not so much force to loue as loue to force her selfe seeing her forces so weake in respect of the desire she hath to loue him worthily to whose worth no force of loue can reach alas she finds her selfe stroock with an incomparable torment for in the same measure that she sobbs out more deeply the longings of her coueting loue the panges of her paine are augmented 5. This heart in loue with God desiring infinitly to loue sees notwithstanding that it can neither loue nor desire sufficiently Now this vnaccomplished desire is as a dart in the breast of a generous spirit yet the paine which proceedes from it is amiable because whosoeuer desires earnestly to loue loues also earnestly to desire And would esteeme himselfe the most miserable man aliue if he did not continually desire to loue that which is so soueraignely good Desiring to loue he receiues delight but louing to desire he is paied with paine 6. Good God THEOT what am I going to saie The Blessed in heauen seeing that God is more to be beloued then they loue him would sownd and eternally perish with a desire to loue him more if God's holiest will did not impose vpon theirs the admirable repose which they enioye for they so soueraignely loue this soueraigne will that the desire thereof doth quiet theirs and God's contentment doth content them being willing to be limited in their loue euen by that will whose Goodnesse is the obiect of their loue If this were not their loue would be equally delicious and dolourous delicious by the possession of so great a good dolourous through an extreame desire of a greater loue God therefore continually drawing arrowes if we may saie so out of the quiuer of his infinite beautie wounds the hearts of his Louers making them clearely see that they doe not loue him nigh so much as he is worthy to be beloued what mortall soeuer desires not to loue the Diuine goodnesse more loues him not enough sufficiencie in this diuine exercise doth not suffise him that will make a stand in it as though it suffised him Of some other meanes by which loue wounds the heart CHAPTER XIV 1. NOthihg doth so much wound a louing heart as to perceiue another heart wounded with the loue of it The Pellican builds her nest vpon the ground whence serpents doe often sting her younglings Now when this happens the Pellican as an excellent naturall Phisition with the point of her beake doth woūd her poore younglings on euery side to cause the poyson which the Serpents sting had spred ouer all the bodie to depart with the blood and to get out all the poison she lets out all the blood and consequently permits the little troope of Pellicans to perish in this sort but seeing them dead she wounds her selfe and spredding her blood ouer them she doth reuiue them with a more new and pure life her loue wounded them and fourthwith by the same loue she wounds her selfe Neuer doe we wound a heart with the wound of loue but we our selues are straight wounded with the same When the soule sees her God wounded by loue for her sake she receiues from it a mortall wound Thou hast wounded my heart saied the heauenly Spouse to the Sunamite and the Sunamite cries-out tell my well-beloued that I am wounded with loue Bees neuer wound but themselues are wounded to death And we seeing the Sauiour of our soules wounded by loue for vs to death and death of the crosse how can we but be wounded with him yea I saie wounded with a wound so much more dolorously
amiable as his was amiably dolorous nor can we neuer loue him as his loue and death requireth There is yet another wound of loue when the soule knowes well she loues God and he treates her in such sort as though he knew not she loued him or were diffident of her loue for then my deare THEO the soule is put into an extreame anguish it being insupportable vnto her to see or perceiue any apparence that God distrusts in her The poore S. PETER found his heart full of loue towards his Maister and his Maister making shew not to know it Peter quoth he dost thou loue me more then these Ah Lord saied the Apostle thou knowest I loue thee But Peter dost thou loue me replied our Sauiour My deare Maister saied the Apostle truely I loue thee thou knowest it But this so cote Maister to proue him and as shewing a diffidence of his loue Peeter saied he dost thou loue me Ah Sauiour thou woundest this poore heart who much afflicted cries out louingly yet dolorously Maister thou knowest all things indeede thou knowest well I loue thee Vpon a certaine day while a possessed person was exorcised the wicked spirit being vrged to tell his name I am quoth he that accursed creature DEPRIVED OF LOVE and S. CATHARIN who was there present sodenly perceiued all her bowells moued and disordered in onely hauing heard these words PRIVATION OF LOVE pronounced for as the Diuels doe so hate the diuine loue that they quake in seeing the signe of it hearing it named that is in seeing the crosse or be a rāg the name of IESVS pronoūced So such as doe entirely loue our Sauiour doe tremble with griefe ād horrour when they see any signes or seen by worde that doth brīg to mīd the priuatiō of this holy loue 2. S. PETER was certaine that God who knew all could not be ignorant how much he was loued by him yet because the repetition of this demaund Peter dost thou loue me hath some apparence of diffidence S. PETER is much afflicted in it Alas the poore soule that is resolued rather to die then offend her God and yet feeles not a sparke of feruour but contrariwise an extreame coldnesse which doth so benume and weaken all her parts that she frequently fals into very sensible imperfections this soule I saie THEO is all wounded for her loue is exceeding dolourous to see that God doth not seeme to see that she loues him leauing her as one that appertaines not to him and she apprehēds that amidst her defaults distractions and coldnesse our Sauiour doth strike her with this reproach how can'st thou saie that thou loue'st me seeing thy minde is not with me which is as a dart of sorrowe through her heart but a dart of sorrowe which proceedes from loue for if she loued not she would not be afflicted with the apprehension she hath that she loues not 3. Sometimes loue doth wound vs in the very memorie we haue that there was a time in which we loued not our God O how late I haue loued the auncient and new beautie saied that Saint who for thirtie yeares was Hereticke Life past is a horrour to his life present who passed his life past without louing the Soueraigne Goodnesse 4. Sometimes loue doth wound vs with the meere cōsideration of the multitude of those that doe contemne the loue of God so that hereby we sownd with griefe as he who saied my Zeale ô Lord hath withered me with griefe for that my enemyes haue not kept thy lawe And the Great S. FRANCIS thinking he had not bene heard wept vpon a day sobed and lamented so pitifully that an honest man ouer hearing him ranne to his succour as thinking some had offered to kill him and finding him all alone asked of him why dost thou crie so heard poore man Alas quoth he I weepe to thinke that our Sauiour endured so much for the loue of vs and none thinkes of it and hauing saied thus he begun againe to weepe and this good mā fell also a sobbing and weeping with him 5. But howsoeuer this is admirable in the woundes receiued from the diuine loue that their paine is delightfull and all that feele it consent to it and would not change this paine for all the pleasures of the world There is no paine in Loue or if any it is a beloued one A Seraphin on a day holding a golden arrowe from the heade whereof issued a little flame he darted it into the heart of the B. Mother Teresa and offering to drawe it out this virgine seemed to haue her bowells drawen from her the paine being so excessiue that she had onely force to cast out weake and smale sighes but yet it was a paine so amiable that she desired neuer to be deliuered of it Such was the arrowe that God sent into the heart of the great S. CATHARIN of Genua in the beginning of her conuersion whence she became another woman dead to the world and things created to liue onely to her Creatour The well-beloued is a posie of bitter Myrrhe and this posie is also the well-beloueds who remaines dearely seated betwixt the breastes of his well-beloued that is the best-beloued of all the well-beloueds Of the amourous languishment of the heart wounded with loue CHAPTER XV. 1. IT is a thing sufficiently knowne that humane loue doth not onely wound the heart but euen weaken the bodie mortally because as passions and the temperature of the bodie hath a great power to encline the soule and draw her after its so the affections of the soule haue great force in stirring the humours and changing the qualities of the bodie but further loue when it is violent doth beare away the soule to the thing beloued with such impetuositie and doth so wholy possesse her that she is deficient in all her other operations be they sensatiue or intellectuall so that to feede and second this loue the soule seemes to abandon all other care all other exercises yea and her selfe too whēce Plato saied that Loue was poore trent naked barefoote miserable without house that it laie without dores vpon the hard ground alwayes in want It is poore because it makes one quit all for the thing beloued It is without a house because it vrgeth the soule to leaue her owne habitation to follow hī cōtinually whō she loues It is miserable pale leane and ruinous for that it makes one loose sleepe meete and drinke It is naked and barefoote sith it makes one forsake all other affections to embrace that of the thing beloued It lies without vpon the hard ground because it laies open the heart that is in loue making it manifest its passions by sighes plaintes praises suspicions iealousies It lies all along at the gate like a begger because it makes the louer perpetually attentiue to the eyes and mouth of the beloued hanging continually at his eares to speake to him and begge of him some fauours wherwith it is neuer saciated
cole taken from vpon the Altar seconding in this sort his desire The Myrrhe-tree bringeth fourth her gumme and first liquor by way of sweate and transpiration but that she may be well deliuered of all her iuyce she must be helped by incision So the diuine loue of S. FRANCIS appeared in his whole life in manner of sweate for all his actions sauored nothing else but heauenly loue But to make the incomparable abundance of it plainely appeare the diuine Seraphin came to giue the incision and wounds And to th' end it might be knowen that these wounds were woundes of heauenly loue they were made not with iron but with raies of light ô deare God THEO how louing a paine aÌ„d how painefull a loue was this for not onely at that instant but eueÌ„ his whole life after this poore Saint went pining and languishing as being very sicke of loue 6. B. PHILIPE NERIVS at fourescore yeares of age had such an inflammation of heart through diuine loue that heate making way by the ribbs did greatly dilate them and broke the fourth and fift to receiue aire and be refreshed B. STANISLAVS BOSCA a young youth of fourteene yeares was so assaulted by the loue of his Sauiour that diuers times he fell downe in a sownd and was constrained to applie linnen dept in cold water to his breast to moderate the violencie of the burning which he felt To conclude THEOT how doe you thinke that a soule who hath once a little wishedly tasted diuine consolations can liue in this world so full of miseries without almost a continuall paine and languishing That great man of God S. ZAVERIVS hath often bene heard laÌ„ching out his voice to heaueÌ„ thinking him selfe all alone in these termes Ah my God doe not for pitie doe not beare me downe with so great abundance of consolations or if through thy infinitâ— goodnesse it will please thee to make me so abound in delights take me to Heauen for he that hath once tasted thy sweetenesse must necessarily liue in bitternesse while he doth not enioye thee And therefore when God hath somewhat largely bestowed his heauenly sweetes vpon a soule and after withdrawes them he wounds her by the priuation and she vpon it is left pining and sobbing which Dauid Alas the day when shall I see Thy sweete returne my heart shall free Out of her painefull panges And with the Apostle Vnhappie man that I am who will deliuer me out of the bodie of this mortalitie The end of the sixt Booke THE SEAVENTH BOOKE OF THE VNION OF THE SOVLE WITH HER GOD WHICH IS PERfected in Praier How loue vnits the soule to God in Praier CHAPTER I. I. WE speake not here of the generall vnion betwixt God and the soule but of certaine particular actes and motions which the soule recollected in God makes by way of Praier to be more and more vnited and ioyned to his diuine Goodnesse for in good-south there is difference betwixt ioyning and vniting one thing to another and thrusting or pressing one thing against or vpon another because to ioyne or vnite it is onely required that the one be applied to th' other so that they touch and be together as we ioyne vines to Elmes and Iasmins to the crosse-barrs of Arbors which are made in gardens But to thrust and presse together a strong application must be made which doth encrease and augment the vnion so that to thrust together is to ioyne strongly and closely as we see Iuie ioyned to trees which is not vnited onely but pressed so hard vnto them that it euen penetrats and enters into their barke 2. The comparison of little childrens loue towards their mother must not be left out by reason of its innocencie and puritie Behold then this fine little child to whom the mother being set downe presents her Pape it casts it selfe sodenly into her armes gathering and foulding all its little bodie into her bosome and louely breast and see the mother as mutually receiuing it close and as it were glewe it to her bosome and ioyning her mouth to it 's kisse it But see againe this little babie allured with it's mothers huggings how for it's part it doth concurre to this vnion betwixt his mother and it For it doth also as much as possibly it can shut and presse it selfe to it's mothers breast and cheeke as though it would wholy diue into and hide it selfe in this delightfull wombe whence it was extracted Now THEO in this case the vnion is perfect which being but one proceedes notwithstanding from the mother and the child yet so that it hath it's whole depâ—ndance of the mother for she drewe the child to her she did first locke him in her tresses pressed him to her breast nor had the babe such force as to betake and locke himselfe so hard to his mother yet the poore little on doth for his part what he can and ioynes himselfe with all his force to his mothers bosome not consenting onely to the delightfull vnion which his mother makes but contributing with all his heart his feeble endeauours which are so weake that they seeme rather to be essaies of an vnion then an vnion it selfe 3. Thus theÌ„ THEO our Sauiour shewing the most delightfull bosome of diuine loue to the deuote soule he drawes her wholy to himselfe gathers her vp and doth as it were fould all her powers in the bosome of his more theÌ„ motherly sweetenesse and then burning with loue he thrusteth ioyneth presseth and glueth her to the lips of his delightes and to his delicious breastes kissing her in the holy kisse of his mouth and making her taste his dugges more sweete theÌ„ wine The soule allured with the delightes of these fauours doth not onely consent and prepare her selfe to the vnion which God maketh but in the strife of her heart doth cooperate endeauouring more and more to ioyne and locke her selfe to the Diuine Goodnesse yet in such sort that she doth ingeniously acknowledge that her vnion and tye to this soueraigne sweetenesse is wholy dependant of Gods operation without which she could not so much as make the least essaie imaginable to be vnited vnto him 4. When wee see an exquisite beautie beholden with great ardour or an excellent melodie heard with great attention we are wount to saie such a beautie holds the Spectators eyes glued vnto it such a melodie holds their eares fastened and that such discourse doth rauish the Auditours hearts what is it to hold the eyes glued the eares fastened to rauish the heart but to vnite and closely to ioyne the senses and powers whereof one speakes to their obiectes And the soule is pressed and ioyned to her obiect when she doth intensely affect it that pressing being no other thing then the progresse and aduancement of the vnion and coniunction We make vse of this word in our tongue in morrall matters He presseth me to doe this or he presseth me to staie that is he doth not meerely vse
persuation and intreatie but doth it euen with earnestnesse and strife as did the Pilgrimes 1. Emaus who did not onely petition to our Sauiour but euen pressed and vrged him by force and compelled him by a gentle violence to remaine in their lodging with them 5. Now in Praier this vnion is often made by manner of little yet frequēt ierts and aduancings of the soule towards God and if you take notice of little children vnited and ioyned to their mothers breastes you shall see them euer and anone pressing and ioyning themselues by little iertes which the pleasurs they take in sucking makes them giue so the heart vnited to God in Praier makes often times certaine surcharges of vnion by motions which doe more closely presse and ioyne it to the diuine sweetenesse As for example The soule hauing made a long demoure in the feeling of the vnion wherby she sweetely tastes how happie she is to be Gods in fine augmenting this vnion by a cordiall pressing and ierting forwards I Lord will she saie I am thine all all all without reserue or else ah Lord I am so verily and will be daily more and more or else by way of Praier O sweete IESVS ah drawe me still more deeply into thy heart to the end thy loue may deuoure me and that I may be swallowed vp in thy sweetenesse 6. But at other times the vnion is made not by iterated ierts but by way of a continued insensible pressing and aduauncing of the heart towards the diuine Bountie for as we see a great and heauie masse of leade brasse or stone though not thrust doth so presse cleeue to and sinke into the earth where it lies that at length it is found buried by reason of the inclination of its waightie poise which makes it incessantly tend to the center so our heart being once ioyned to God if without being distracted it remaine in this vnion it sinkes still deeper by an insensible progresse of vnion till it be wholy in God by reason of the holy inclination giuen it by loue to be continually more and more vnited to the soueraigne Goodnesse For as the great Apostle of France saieth Loue is a vnitiue vertue that is it bringes vs to a perfect vnion with the soueraigne Good And sith it is a doubtlesse truth that Diuine loue while we are in this life is a motion or at least an actiue habit tending to motiō euen after it hath attained simple vniō it ceaseth not to act though imperceptibly still more and more to encrease ad perfect it 7. So trees that require to be transplanted as soone as that is done they sprede their roots and lodge them deeper in the bosome of the earth which is their element and nourishment nor doth any perceiue this while it is a doing but onely after it is done And mans heart transplanted out of the world into God by celestiall loue if it doe earnestly practise Praier certes it will continually extend and ioyne it selfe to the Diuinitie vniting it selfe more and more to Gods Goodnesse but by imperceptible grouths whose progresse one can hardly discouer while it is doing but onely when it is done If you drinke any exquisite water to wit imperiall water the simple vnion thereof with you is instantly made vpon your receiuing of it for the receiuing and vnion is all one in this behalfe but afterwards by little and little this vniō is encreased by an insēsibly sensible progresse for the vertue of this water penetrating the parts will comfort the braine sttengthen the heart and will disperse its force through the spirits 8. In like manner a taste of loue for example that God is good hauing got entrie into the heart it doth presently make an vnion with this Goodnesse but being held a while as a precious perfume it penetrats euery parte of the soule poures out and dilats it selfe in our will and doth as it were incorporate it selfe with our spirit ioyning and locking it selfe more nerely to ech part of vs and vniting vs to it And to it this which the great Dauid doth teach vs when he compares his sacred words to honie for who knowes not that the sweetenesse of honie is vnited more and more to our senses by a continuall encrease of sauorinesse while holding it a pritie space in our mouth or softly swallowing it the relish thereof doth more deeply penetrate our Taste And in this wise the taste of the diuine Goodnesse expressed in this word of S. BRVNOS O BOVNTIE or by these of S. THOMAS MY LORD MY GOD or these of MAGDALEN AH MAISTER or these of S. FRANCIS MY GOD AND MY ALL this taste I saie hauing bene kept a while in a louing heart it is dilated dispersed and sinkes into the Spirit by an inward penetration and doth more and more perfume it with it 's sent which is no other thing then to encrease the vnion in the nature of a precious oyntment or Baulme which falling vpon cotten doth so sinke into and vnite it selfe to it by little and little that in the end one will not easily saie whether the cotten is perfumed or it is perfume or else whether the perfume is cotton or the cotten perfume O how happie is the soule who in the peace of her heart doth louingly conserue the sacred feeling of Gods presence for her vnion with the diuine Goodnesse shall haue continuall though insensible encrease and shall throughly water the spirit with infinite sweetenesse Now when I speake of the sacred taste of Gods presēce I doe not meane it of a sensible taste but of that which doth inhabit the top and Supreame point of the Spirit where heauenly Loue doth raigne and keepe his principall exercises Of the diuers degrees of the holy vnion which is made in Praier CHAPTER II. 1. SOmetimes the vnion is made without our cooperation saue onely by a simple consent permitting our selues to be vnited to the Diuine Goodnesse without resistance as a little child in loue with his mothers breastes ād yet is so weake that he cannot moue himselfe towards them nor to cleeue to her being there onely he is glad to be drawen into his mothers armes and to be pressed by her to her breasts 2. Sometimes we cooperate when being drawen we willingly runne to second the force of Gods Goodnesse which drawes vs and lockes vs to him by loue 3. Sometimes we apprehend that we begin to vnite and ioyne our selues to God before he ioyne himselfe to vs for that we feele the action of the vnion of our part without perceiuing that which God doth on his side which yet doubtlesse doth alwaies preuent vs though we doe not alwaies perceiue his preuention for vnlesse he vnited himselfe to vs we should neuer vnite our selues to him he alwaies choseth and laieth hold on vs before we chose or laie hold one him But when following his imperceptible touches we begin to vnite our selues vnto him he doth often make the progresse
vnion doth vrge and aide vs towards the spirituall vnion of which we speake Of the soueraigne degree of vnion by suspension or rauishment CHAPTER III. 1. VVHether therefore the vnion of our soule with God be made perceptibly or imperceptibly God is alwaies the Authour thereof for none can be vnited to him but by going vnto him nor can any goe vnto him vnlesse he be drawen by him as the Heauenly Spouse doth testifie saying none can come vnto me vnlesse my Father drawes him which his holy Spouse doth also protest saying Drawe me and we will runne in the odour of thy perfumes 2. Now the perfection of this vnion consisteth of two points that it be pure ād that it be strong May not I goe towards a man with intention to behold him better to speake to hī to obtaine some thīg of him to smell the perfumes which are about him to be supported by him and in that case certainly I goe towards him and ioyne my selfe vnto him yet my approch and vnion is not my principall pretention but I onely make that a meanes and way to the obtaining of another thing But if I approch and ioyne my selfe vnto him for no other end then to be neere vnto him and to enioye this neighbourhood and vniō it is then an approch of pure and simple vnion 3. So many doe approch vnto our Sauiour some to heare him as Magdalen some to be cured by him as the sicke of the fluxe others to adore him as the three kinges others to serue him as Martha others to vanquish their incredulitie as S. THOMAS others to anointe him as MAGDALEN IOSEPH NICODEMVS but his diuine Sunamite seekes to find him and hauing found him desires no other thing then to hold him fast and holding him neuer to quit him I hold him saieth she and I will neuer let him goe IACOB saieth S. B RNARD hauing fast hold of God will let him goe so he may receiue his benediction but the Sunamite will not let hī depart for all the benedictiōs he can giue her for her aime is not the benedictions of God but the God of benedictiōs saying with Dauid what is there for me in heauen or in earth what can I pretend but thy selfe thou art the God of my heart and my part for euer 4. Thus was the glorious Mother at the foote of her sonnes Crosse Ah! what dost thou search ô mother of life in this Mount of Caluarie in this place of death I am looking would she haue saied my child who is the life of my life And why dost thou looke him to be close by him But now he is amidst the dolours of death Ah! it is not mirth I seeke it is himselfe and my heart in loue makes me looke all about to be vnited vnto that amiable child my tenderly beloued In fine the pretention of the soule in this vnion is onely to be with her Louer 5. But when the vnion of the soule with God is most strict and most close it is called by Diuines an INHESION or ADHESION for that the soule thereby is taken fastened glued and nayled to the Diuine Maiestie so that she cannot easily loose or drawe her selfe backe againe Looke I praie you vpon a man taken and locked by attention to the delight of a harmonious musike or else which is idle to the fopperie of a game at cardes you would drawe him from it but cānot what businesse soeuer attend him at home there is no forcing him thence in it euen meate and drinke is forgotten O God THEOT how much more ought the soule that is in loue with God to be fastened and locked being vnited to the Diuinitie of the infinite Sweetenesse and who is taken and wholy possessed by this obiect of incomparable perfection Such was the soule of that great vessell of Election who cried-out To th' end I might liue with God I am nayld to the Crosse with IESVS-CHRIST and with all he protests that nothing no not death it selfe can separate him from his Maister This effect of loue was also practised betweene Dauid and Ionathas for it is saied that the soule of Ionathas was glued to Dauids to conclud it is a famous AXIOME amongst the Aunciant Fathers that Friendshipe that can know end was neuer true Friendshipe as elswhere I haue saied 5. See I beseech you THEO the little childe cleeuing to and colling his mother if one offer to take him thence to laie him in his cradle it being high time he delaies and essaies by all the meanes he is able not to forsake that amiable bosome and if one make him loose one hand he claspes hold with the other but if one carrie him quite away he fals a crying and keeping his heart and his eyes where he cannot keepe his bodie with shrikes he pursues his deare mother till by rocking he is brought a sleepe So the soule who by the exercise of vnion is come to be taken and fastened to the Diuine Goodnesse can hardly be pulled from it by force ād a great deale of paine It is not possible to make her loose hold if one diuert her Imagination she ceaseth not to apprehend her selfe taken by the vnderstanding and if one loose her vnderstanding she cleeues by the will or if yet by some violent distraction they vrge her will to quit her hold from moment to moment she returns towards her deare obiect from which she cannot be entirely vntyed but she striues all she can to linke together againe the sweete bands of her vnion with him by the frequent returns which she makes by stelth experiencing in it S. PAVLES paine for she is pressed with two desires to be freede of all exteriour imploiment to remaine with IESVS-CHRIST in her interiour and yet to put hand to the worke of Obedience which the very vnion with IESVS CHRIST doth teach her to be requisite 6. And the B. S. TERESA saieth excellently that the vnion being arriued at this perfection as to hold vs taken and tyed to our Sauiour is not distinguished from a rauishment suspension or hanging of the Spirit But that it is called onely vnion suspension or hanging when it is short and when it is long Extasie or rauishment because indeede the soule which is so firmely and closely vnited to her God that she cannot easily be drawen thence is not in her selfe but in God as a crucified bodie is not in it selfe but vpon the crosse or as Iuie grasping the wall is not in it's selfe but vpon the wall 7. But to auoyde all equiuocation know THEO that Charitie is a place and a place of perfection and he that is endued with more Charitie is more straitly vnited and fastened vnto God And we speake not of that vnion which is permanent in vs by manner of habite be we sleeping or waking we speake of the vniō made by action which is one of the Exercises of loue and Charitie Imagine then that S. PAVLE S. DENIS S. AVGVSTINE
without being rauished or prophecying as one may also be rauished and prophecie without hauing Charitie but I affirme that he that in his Rapture hath more light of vnderstanding to admire God then heate of will to loue him is to stand vpon his garde for it is to be feared that this extasie may be false and rather puff vp the mind then edifie putting him indeede as another Saule Balaam and Caiphas amongst the Prophets yet leauing him amongst the reprobate 3. The second marke of true Extasies consisteth in the third species of Extasies which we touched aboue an Extasie wholy sacred wholy amiable and which crownes the two others and it is the Extasie of the worke and life The entire obseruance of Gods commaÌ„dement is not within the bounds of mans strength yet is it within the the confins of the instinct of mans mind as being most conformable to naturall light and reason so that liuing according to Gods Commandements doth not put vs by our naturall inclination yet besides God's CoÌ„mandmets there are certaine heauenly inspirations to the effecting of which it is not onely requisite that God doe raise vs aboue our owne strength but also he must eleuate vs aboue our naturall instincts and inclinations because allbeit these inspirations are not opposite to humane capacitie yet doe they exceede it surmounte it and are placed aboue it in such sort as we doe not then liue a ciuill honest and Christian life onely but a supernaturall spirituall deuoute and extaticall life that is a life which in all respects is without the compasse and aboue the condition of our nature 4. Not to steale not to lye not to commit luxurie to praie to God not to sweare in vaine to loue and honour ones Father not to kill is to liue according to mans naturall reason but to forsake all our fortuns to fall in loue with Pouertie to entitle and obserue her in the qualitie of a most delightfull Mistresse to repute reproches contemptes abiections persecutions martyrdomes Felicities and beatitudes to containe ones selfe within the termes of an absolute chastitie and in fine to liue amidst the world and in this mortall life contrarie to the worlds opinions and MAXIMES and against the currant of the worlds floode dayly by resignatioÌ„s renunciatioÌ„s and abnegations of our selues is not to liue naturally but supernaturally it is not to liue in our selues but with out and aboue our selues and because none is able to raise himselfe in this manner aboue himselfe vnlesse the Almightie draw him thence it is that this kind of life is a perpetuall rauishment and a continuall Extasie in action and operation 5. You are dead saied the great Apostles to the Rodians and your life is hidden with IESVS CHRIST in God Death seperats the soule from the bodie and the confines thereof What will then these words of the Apostle saie THEO you are dead it is as much as though he had saied you liue not in your selues nor with in the compasse of your naturall condition your soule doth not now liue according to her selfe but aboue herselfe The Phenix is Phenix in this that by the helpe of the Sunne beames she doth annihilate her owne life to exchang it for one more sweete and vigorous hiding as it were her life vnder the dead cinders Silke-wornes doe chang their beeing of wormes becoming butterflies Bees are bred wormes then they turne Nymphes and creepe and finally they become flying bees We doe the like THEO if we be spirituall for we forsake our naturall life to liue a more eminent life and aboue our selues hiding all this new life in God with IESVS CHRIST who alone sees knowes and bestowes it Our new life is heauenly loue which doth quicken and animate our soule and this Loue is wholy hidden in God and Godly things with IESVS CHRIST for as the sacred Euangelicall Text saieth after our Sauiour had a while showen himselfe to his Disciples in mounting to heauenwards at length he was eÌ„uironed with a cloude which tooke him and hid him froÌ„ their view IESVS CHRIST theÌ„ aboue is hidden in God And IESVS CHRIST is our loue which is the life of our soule Therefore our life is hidden in God with IESVS CHRIST and when IESVS CHRIST who is our Loue and coÌ„sequeÌ„tly our spirituall life shall appeare in the day of IudgmeÌ„t we shall theÌ„ appeare together with him in glorie that is IESVS CHRIST our Loue will glorifie vs coÌ„municating vnto vs his felicitie aÌ„d brightnesse How Loue is the life of the soule with a continuation of the extaticall life CHAPTER VII 1. THe soule is the first act and principle of all the vitall motions of man and as Aristotle expresseth it the PRINCIPLE wherby we liue feele and vnderstand whence it followes that from the diuersitie of motions we gather the diuersitie of lifes so that beastes that haue no naturall motion are entirely lifelesse Euen so THEO Loue is the first ACT or PRINCIPLE of our deuote or spirituall life by which we liue feele and moue and our spirituall life is such as are the motions of our loue and a heart that wants motion and affection wants loue as contrariwise a heart possessed of loue is not without Loue-motions As soone therefore as we haue set our affection vpon IESVS CHRIST we haue consequently placed in him our spirituall life Now our Loue is hidden in God aboue as God was hidden in it while he was heare belowe Our life therefore is hiddeÌ„ in him aÌ„d wheÌ„ he shall appeare in glorie our life and our Loue shall likewise appeare with him in God Hence S. IGNATIVS as S. Dâ—NIS reporteth affirmed that his Loue was crucified as though he would haue saied my naturall and humane loue with all the passions that depend of it is nailed to the crosse I haue put it to death as a mortall Loue which made my heart liue a mortall life and as my Sauiour was crucified and died according to his mortall life to rise againe to an immortall life so did I die with him vpon the Crosse according to his naturall loue which was the mortall life of my soule to th' end I might rise againe to the supernaturall life of a loue which in that it can be exercised in Heauen is also immortall 2. When therefore we see a soule that hath Raptures in Praier by which she goes out of her selfe and mounts vnto God and yet hath no Extasies in her life I meane leades not an exemplar life vnited to God by abnegation of worldly desires mortification of the will and naturall inclinations by an interiour calmenesse simplicitie humilitie and aboue all by a continuall Charitie beleeue it THEO all these Raptures are exceedingly doubtfull and dangerous These are Raptures fit to stirre vp men to admiration but not to sanctifie them For what can it profit the soule to be reared vp in rauishment to God by Praier while in her life and conuersation she is rauished by earthly foule and naturall
euen as the flame began to sease hpon her the Eagle came in with a quicke flight and beholding this vnlooked for and sad spectackle strooke through with griefe she loosed her talons let fall her prey and spred herselfe vpon her poore beloued Mistresse and couering her with her wings as it were to defend her from the fire or for pities sake to embrace her she remained there constant and immoueable couragiously dying and burning with her the ardour of her affection not giuing place to the ardour of flames and fire that by that meanes she might become the VICTIME ād HOLOCAVSTE of her braue and prodigious loue as her Mistresse was already of death and fire 3. O THEO to what a high flight this Eagle moues vs our Sauiour hath bred vs vp from our tender youth yea he formed vs and receiued vs as a louing Nource into the armes of his Diuine Prouidence euen from the time of our Conception Not beeing yet thy holy hand did make me Scarce borne into thy armes thy loue did take me He made vs his owne by Baptisme and by an incomprehensible loue doth tenderly nourish both our bodie and soule to purchace vs life he suffered death and with his owne flesh and blood hath fed vs Ah what rests then my deare THEO what Conclusion are we to draw from hence but onely that such as liue should liue no more to them selues but to him that died for them that is to saie that we should consecrate all the moments of our life to the Diuine Loue of our Sauiours death bringing home to his glorie all our preys all our conquests all our actions all our thoughts and affections Let vs behold THEO this heauenly Redeemour extended vpon the Crosse as vpon a funerall Pile of honour where he died of Loue for vs yea of loue more painefull then death it selfe or a death more pleasant then loue it selfe Ah doe we not spiritually cast our selues vpon him to die vpon the Crosse with him who for the loue of vs freely died I will hold him should we saie if we had the Eagles generositie and will neuer depart from him I will die with him and burne in the flames of his loue one and the same fire shall consume the Diuine Creatour and the miserable creature My IESVS is wholy myne and I am wholy his I will liue and die vpon his breast nor life nor death shall euer separate me from him Thus is the holy Extasie of true loue practised while we liue not according to humane reason and bent but aboue them following the inspiration and instinct of the heauenly Sauiour of our soules Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue CHAPTER IX 1. LOue is strong as death death doth seperate the soule of him that dies from the bodie and from all earthly things Sacred loue doth seperate the Louers soule from the bodie and all earthly things nor is there any other difference sauing that death doth that in effect which loue ordinarily doe onely in affection I saie ordinarily THEO because holy loue is sometimes so violent that euen in effect it causeth a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule making the Louers die a most happie death much better then a thousand liues 2. As it is proper to the Reprobate to die in sinne so is it proper to the Elect to die in the Loue and Grace of God yet in a different manner The iust man neuer dies vnprouided for to haue perseuered in Christian Iustice euen to the end was a good prouision for death He dies indeede sometimes sodainely or a sodaine death For this cause the most wise Church in her Litanies doth teach vs not onely to demand to be deliuered frō sodaine death but sodaine ād vnprouided death It is no worse for being sodaine if it be not withall vnprouided If some weake and common soules had seene fire frō Heauen fall vpon the great S. SIMEON Stilits head and kill him what would they haue thought but thoughts of scandall yet are we to make no other conceit of the matter then that this great Saint hauing perfectly sacrificed himselfe to God in his heart already wholy consumed with loue the fire came from Heauen to perfect the Holocauste and entirely burne it for the Abbot Iulian being a dayes iorney off saw his soule ascend to Heauen and thervpon caused incense to be offered in thankesgiuing to God The Blessed man Good Cremonius on a certaine day set vpon his knees most deuotly to heare Masse rose not at the Ghospell according to custome whēce those that were about him looked vpon him and perceiued he was dead There haue bene in our time most famous men for vertue and learning found dead some in the confession seat others while they heard the Sermon yea some haue bene seene falling downe dead at their going out of the Pulpet where they had preached with great feruour and all these deaths were sodaine yet not vnprouided And how many Good people doe we see die of Apoplexies Lethargies and a thousand other wayes very sodainely others of madnesse and frensie without the vse of reason and all these together with children who are baptised died in Grace and consequently in the Loue of God But how could they die in the Loue of God since they thought not of God at the time of their departure 3. Learned men THEO loose not their knowledge while they are a sleepe for so they would be vnlearned at their awaking and be forced to returne to schoole The like it is of all the habits of Prudence Temperance Faith Hope and Charitie They are continually in the iust mans heart though they be not alwayes in action While a man sleeps it seemes that all his habits sleepe with him and when he awakes awake with him So a iust man dying sodainely or oppressed by a house falling vpon him kill'd by Thunder or stifled with a catarre or else dying out of his senses by the violence of a hote Ague dies not indeede in the exercise of holy Loue yet dies he in the habit thereof wher-vpon the wise-man saieth if the iust-man be preuented by death he shall be in a place of refreshing for it sufficeth to obtaine eternall life to die in the state and habit of loue and Charitie 4. Yet many Saints haue departed this life not onely in Charitie and with the habite of heauenly loue but euen in the act and practise thereof S. AVGVSTINE deceased in the exercise of holy contrition which cannot be without Loue. S. HIEROM in exhorting his deare children to the loue of God their neighbours and vertue S. AMBROSE in a Rapture sweetely discoursing with his Sauiour immediatly after he had receiued the holy Sacrament of the Altar S. ANTONIE of Padua after he had recited a hymne of the glorious virgin-mother and while he spoke with great ioye to our Sauiour S. THOMAS of Aquine ioyning his
our fâ—â—ble â—ight cannot constantly and steaddily behold them by reason of the great distance So ordinarily Saints that die of loue experience in themselues a great varietie of accidents and symptomes thereof before they come to their eÌ„d many sobings many assaults many extasies many laÌ„guors many agonies and one would thinke that their Loue brought forth their happie death by trauell and 〈◊〉 endeuours which happens by the weaknesse of their loue which is not as yet perfectly perfect so that it cannot continew affection with an equall steadfastnesse 3. But in the B. Virgin it was a quite other thing for as we see the faire AVRORA encrease not at diuers essayes and ierts but by a coÌ„tinued dilatation and encrease which is in a sort insensibly sensible so that she is indeede seene to encrease her light yet so softly that no interruption seperation or discontinuation can be apprehended therein So God's loue did euery moment encrease in the Virginall heart of this glorious Ladie but by a gentle smooth and continued encrease without agitation tosse or violence at all Ah no THEO we must not admit any forcible agitation in this celestiall loue of the virgins motherly heart for loue of it selfe is sweete gracious peaceable and calme And if it doe sometimes assault and make force against the mind it is because it meetes with opposition But when the passages of the soule lye open to it without oppositioÌ„ or coÌ„tradiction it peaceably makes progresse with an incoÌ„parable sweetenesse Thus then holy loue exercised its force vpon the virginall heart of the Sacred mother without force or violent boisterousnesse because it found therein neither stop nor staie For as we see great riuers froth and flash back againe with a great noise in craggie corners where the points or shelues of rockes doe oppose themselues and hinder the waters course while contrariwise they dâ—ie smoothly without violence glid and steele ouer the plaines So diuine Loue meeting with many impeachments and oppositions in humane hearts as in truth all hearts haue them though differently makes force fighting against naughtie inclinations beating the heart thrusting the will forwards by diuers shuggs aÌ„d sundrie essayes to make way be made to it selfe or at least to ouerpasse the obstacles But all things in the B. Virgin did helpe and second the course of heauenly loue making in her a greater progresse and encrease then in all other creaturs yet a progresse that was infinitly sweete peaceable aÌ„d calme No she sownded not with loue or compassion at the foote of her crucified sonne though there she had the most hote aÌ„d stinging fit of loue that euer heart could thinke for though it was an extreame fit yet was it equally strong and sweete powerfull and calme actiue and peaceable composed of a sharpe yet sweete heate 4. I doe not denie THEO that there were two portions in the B. Virgins soule and consequently two appetits the one according to the Spirit and superiour reason the other according to sense and inferiour reason so that she could feele the oppositions and contrarieties of both the appetits for this trouble did euen our Sauiour her sonne endure But I affirme that all affections were so well ordered and â—anged in this heauenly mother that diuine Loue did most peaceably exercise in her its power and dominion without being troubled by the diuersitie of wills and appetits or contrarietie of the senses because the oppositioÌ„s of the naturall appetite and motion of the senses did neuer come to be so much as a veniall sinne but contrariwise all these were holily and faithfully imploied in the seruice of diuine Loue for the exercise of other vertues which for the most part cannot be practised but amongst difficulties oppositions and contradictions 5. Thorneâ— in the common opinion are not onely differeÌ„t from flowers but contrarie to them and it seemes it were better if there were none in the world which made S. Ambrose thinke that but for sinne there had bene none at all But yet â—ith there are some the carefull husbandman doth fetch profit out of theÌ„ making there hedges and inclosurs about his closes and springing trees being their defence and rampire against cattell So the Glorious virgin hauing had a part in all humane miseries sauing such as doe directly tend to sinne she imploied them most profitably to the exercise and encrease of holy vertues of Hope Temperance Iustice and Prudence Pouertie Humilitie Sufferance and Compassion So that she was so farre from hindring that she did euen assist and strengthen heauenly loue by continuall exercises and aduancements And in her Magdalen did not trouble the attention wherewith she receiued from her Sauiour the impressions of loue for all Martha's heate and sollicitude She hath made choice of her Sonn's loue and not any thing doth depriue her of it 6. The ADAMANT as euery one knowes THEO doth naturally draw Iron vnto it by a secreet and most wonderfull vertue yet 5. things there are which doe hinder this operation 1. a too great distance 2. a DiamaÌ„t interposed 3. if the IroÌ„ be greesed 4. if it be rubbed with an onyon 5. if it be too waightie Our heart is made for God who doth continually allure it neuer ceasing to throw his baits into our hearts But fiue things doe hinder the operatioÌ„ of his draughtes 1. Sinne which puts vs at a distance with God 2. affection to riches 3. sensuall pleasures 4. Pride and vanitie 5. self-loue together with the multitude of inordinate passions which it brings forth and are to vs an ouercharging load bearing vs downe But none of these hindrances had place in the Glorious virgins heart 1. she was perpetually preserued from all sinne 2. perpetually most poore of heart 3. perpetually most pure 4. perpetually most humble 5. perpetually a peaceable Mistresse of all her passions and exempt from the rebellion which self-loue raiseth against the loue of God And therefore as Iron if it were quit of all obstacle yea euen of its owne waight were powerfully yet softely aÌ„d with aÌ„ equall draught drawne by the AdamaÌ„t yet so that the draught should still be more actiue and forcible as they came nearer the one to the other and the motion nearer to its end So the most holy Mother hauing nothing in her which hindred her Sonns diuine Loue she was vnited vnto him in an incomparable vnion by gentle extasies without trouble or trauell Extasies in which the sensible powers ceased not to performe their actions without disturbing the vnion of the mind as againe the perfect application of her mind did not much diuert her senses So that this virgins decease was more sweete then could be imagined drawen delightfully by the sent of her Sonns perfums and she most amiably springing after their sacred sweetenesse euen into the bosome of her Sonns Bountie And albeit this holy soule did extreamely affect her most holy most pure and most amiable bodie yet did she forsake it without paine
his owne will and shall haue onely one Mistresse regent and vniuersall will which shall quicken gouerne and direct all soules hearts and wills and the name of honour amongst christians shall be no other but THE WILL OF GOD IN THEM a will which will rule ouer all wills and transforme them all into herselfe so that the will of Christians and the will of Christ are but one onely will which was perfectly verified in the primitiue Church when as saieth the glorious S. Luke in the multitude of the faithfull there was but one heart and one soule for he meanes not there to speake of the heart that animats our bodie nor of the soule which doth animate the heart with a humane life but he speakes of the heart which giues our soules a heauenly life and of the soule that animats our hearts with a supernaturall life the singular hearts and soules of true Christians which are no other thing then the will of God Life saieth the Psalmist is in the will of God not onely for that our temporall life depends of the diuine pleasure but because our spirituall life is placed in the obseruance thereof wherby God liues and raignes in vs making vs liue and subsist in him Contrariwise the wicked from ages that is alwayes haue broken the yoake of the Law of God and haue saied I will not obay wherevpon God saieth that from their mothers wombe he named theÌ„ Transgressours aÌ„d Rebells and speaking to the king of Tyria he doth reproch him that he had placed his heart as the heart of God for a reuoulting spirit will haue his heart to be its owne Maister and his owne will to be Soueraigne as the will of God He will not haue the Diuine will to raigâ—e ouer his but will be absolute and without controwle O eternall God doe neuer permit that But effect that not my will but thine be done Alas we are in this world not to worke our oâ—ne but the will of the Bountie which put vs there It was written of thee ô Sauiour of my soule that thou didst the will of thy eternall Father and by thy soule her first humane act of willing at the instant of thy conception thou didst louingly embrace this law of the diuine will and placedst it in the midst of thy heart there to raigne and haue dominion for euer Ah who will blesse my soule with the happinesse to haue no will but the will of God! 7. Now when our Loue is exceeding great towards Gods will we are not content to do the Diuine will onely which is signified vnto vs by the Commandements but also we put our selues vnder obedience to follow counsells which are onely giuen vs to the more perfect obseruing of the Commandements to which they haue a certaine reference as S. THOMAS saieth excellently well O how excellent is his obseruance of the prohibition of vniust pleasurs who at once doth renounce the most iust and legitimate delights How farre is he froÌ„ coueting another mans Goods who doth reiect all riches yea euen such as holily he might haue conserued How farre is he froÌ„ preferring his will before Gods who to performe the will of God doth submit himselfe to the will of a man 8. Dauid vpon a day was in his Campe and the Philistian Garrison in Bethleem now he made a wish saying ô that some would present me with a draught of water out of the Cisterne which stads at BethleeÌ„s Port And behold he had no sooner saied the word but three braue Caualeers did set out prepared theÌ„selues for the exploit passed through the enemies troupes weÌ„t to the Cisterne of Bethleem drew water and brought it to Dauid who seeing the hazard to which these gentlemen had exposed themselues to content his appetite he would not drinke that water purchased at the perill of their blood and life but poured it out in sacrifice to the eternall God Ah marke I beseech you THEO the feruour of these Caualeers to their Maisters seruice and liking They fled and broake the rankes of their enemies with a thousand dangers of loosing themselues to complie with one onely simple desire which their king intimated vnto them Our Sauiour wheÌ„ he was in this world declared his will in diuers occurrences by way of Commandement in others he onely signified it by way of desire for he did highly commend chastitie Pouertie Obedience and perfect resignation the abnegation of ones owne will widdowhoode fasting ordinarie Praier and what he saieth of Chastitie that he that could winne the prise should beare it away he saied sufficiently of all the other Counsells At this desire of his the most generous Christians put themselues vpon the Course and maugre all opposition restlesse lust and difficulties they haue arriued at holy perfection submitting themselues vnder the strict obseruance of the kings desires and by this meanes beareing away the crowne of Glorie 9. Verily as witenesseth the Diuine Psalmist God doth not onely heare the Praiers of his faithfull but euen their very desire and the meere preparation of their hearts to praie so fauorable and forward he is to doe the will of those that Loue him And why shall not we then by reciprocation be so iealous in the point of performing Gods holy will that we should not onely effect his Commands but euen that also which we know he liketh and wisheth Noble soules neede no other spurre to the vndertaking of a designe then to know it is the desire of their Beloued My soule saied one of them dissolued when I heard my beloued speake That the contempt of Euangelicall Counsells is a great sinne CHAPTER VIII 1. THe words in which our Sauiour exhots to pretend and tend to perfection are so forcible and pressing that we cannot dissemble the obligation we haue to engage our selues in that designe Be holy saieth he because I am holy He that is holy let him be yet more sanctified and he that is iust let him be yet more iustified Be perfect as your heauenly Father is perfect For this cause the great S. BERNARD writing to the glorious S. GVARINE Abbot of Aux whose life and miracles haue left so sweete an odour in this Diocese the iust man quoth he doth neuer saie enough he doth still hunger and thrist after Iustice 2. Truly THEO as for temporall goods nothing doth suffice him who is not sufficed with that which is sufficient for what can suffice a heart that holds not a sufficiencie sufficient but touching spirituall goods he that is sufficed with that which doth suffice hath not that which doth suâ—fice since a true sufficiencie in diuine things consisteth partly in desire of abundance God in the beginning commaÌ„ded the earth to bring forth greene herbs such as seedeth and that euery tree should beare fruite hauing seede each one according to his kind 3. And doe not we see by experience that plaÌ„ts and fruits are not come to their full groth and maturitie till they begin to seede
sodaine for it is often a trike of the enemye to moue vs to vndertake and begin many desines to th' end that ouerwhelmed with the multiplicitie of businesse we might accōplish nothing but leaue all vnfinished yea sometimes he doth suggest vnto vs a desire to vndertake to begin some excellent worke which he foresees we will not accomplish to deturne vs from prosecuting a worke lesse excellent which we had easily performed for he cares not how many purposes and onsets be made so that nothing be effected He will not hinder the mysticall women that is the Christian soules to bring forth men-children no more then Pharao did prouided that their groth be preuented by slaughter Contrariwise saieth the great S. Hierome amongst Christians we doe not so much note the beginning as the end One must not eate so much that he cannot disgest it The Spirit of guile stayes vs in the beginnings and makes vs content with the florishing spring-time but the Diuine Spirit neuer moues vs to reflect vpon our beginnings saue to attaine the end neuer to make vse of the flowres of the spring but with intention to enioye the ripe fruites of the Summer and Autumne 2. The great S. THOMAS is of opinion that it is not expedient to make many consultations and long deliberations touching the desire one feeles in himselfe to enter into a good and well ordered Religion and not without reason For Religion being counselled by our Sauiour in the Gospell what needs much consultation It is sufficient to make one good one with a few friends who are prudent and conuersant in such a businesse and such as may assist vs to make a short and solide resolution But after we haue once deliberated and resolued as well in this matter as in any other that appertaines to Gods seruice we must be constant and vnuariable without permitting our selues to be shaken by any apprehēsion of a greater good for oftentimes saieth the glorious S. BERNARD the Diuell makes vs rūne the riot and to draw vs from the effecting of one good he proposeth vnto vs some other good that seemes better which after we haue set vpon to diuert vs from that againe he presents a third being willing that we should often begin so we neuer come to an end Nay one is not euen to goe from one order to another without very waightie motifes saieth S. THOMAS following the Abbot Nestorious cited by Cassian 3. I will borrow a fine similitude of S. Anselme writing to Lanzon As a plant often transplanted can neuer take roote nor consequently come to perfection and rēder the wished fruite so the soule that doth transplant her heart from one desine to another cannot profit nor come to the true groth of her perfection since perfection is not found in beginnings but in accomplishments Ezechiel's holy beasts went whither the ouer bearing-furie of their spirits carried them nor did they in going looke backward but each of them went on out right before them Wee are to goe whither the inspiration moues vs not turning about or returning backe but tēding thither whither God hath turned our face without looking ouer our shoulder He that is in a good way let him worke his saluation It happens sometimes that we forsake the good to seeke the better and that hauing forsaken th' one we find not the other Better is the possession of a smale treasure alreadie found then the pretention of a farre greater which is yet to be sought for The inspiration is to be suspected which moues vs to quit a present good which we enioye to purchase a better we know not when A young Portugaise called Francis Bassus was admirable not onely for Diuine eloquence but also for the practise of vertue vnder the discipline of S. PHILIPE NERIVS in the Congregation of the Oratorie at Rome Now he perswaded himselfe that he was inspired to leaue this holy Societie to put himselfe in a formall Order which also he resolued vpon But the B. PHILIPE being present while he was receiued into the order of S. DOMINIKE he wept bitterly Wherevpon being demanded by Francis Marie Tauruse who was afterwards Archbishop of Sienna and Cardinall why he shed teares I deplore quoth he the losse of so many vertues and indeede this young man who did so excell in wisdome and pietie in the Congregation after he was become a religious man was so inconstant and fickle that tossed with many desires of noueltie and change he gaue afterwards great and grieuous scandall 4. If the Fowler goe straight to the Partridge nest she will come before him and coūterfaite her back to be broken or that she is lame and raysing her selfe vp as though she would take a great flight she will tumble downe of a sodaine with show that she is able to doe no more to th ēd that the Fowler being busied in looking after her whom he thinks with ease to catch may not light on her little ones in the nest but as soone as he hath pursued her a while and thinkes he is vpon the point of catching her she escapes by flying away So the enemye seeing a man by Gods inspiration vndertake a profession and manner of life most proper for his aduancements in heauenly Loue persuads him to enter into some other way more perfect in appearance but hauing put him out of his first way he makes him by little and little apprehend the second way impossible proposing a third that so keeping him occupied in the cōtinuall enquirie of diuers and new meanes of perfection he may hinder him from making vse of any and consequently from attaining the end which he seekes for which is perfection Young hounds loose the sent at euery double and rūne counter but the old and well sented hounds neuer rūnes counter but keepes still the same sent they are vpon Let euery one then hauing once found out Gods holy will touching his vocation stick to it holily and louingly practising therein fitting exercises according to the order of discretion and with the Zeale of perfection Of the vnion of Mans will to Gods in the inspirations which are contrarie to the ordinarie Lawes and of the peace and tranquillitie of heart the second marke of Inspiration CHAPTER XII 1. THus then THEO we are to behaue our selues in the inspirations which are no otherwise extraordinarie then in that they doe moue vs to practise ordinarie Christian exercises with an extraordinarie feruour and perfectiō but there are other inspirations called extraordinarie not onely because they make the soule passe the bonds of an ordinarie proceeding but also moue a man to actions contrarie to the lawes rules and common customes of the most holy Church and which therefore are more admirable then imitable The holy Damsell called by the Historians Eusebia the strang left Rome her natiue soyle and putting her selfe in mans attire with two girles more tooke shipe to goe by Sea to Alexandria and thence to the I le of Co where
anguishes succourlesnesse interiour oppressions such as neuer was or shall be For though the supreame portion of his soule did soueraignely enioye eternall glorie yet would not Loue let glorie spred its delightes neither in his sense imagination or inferiour reason but left the whole heart exposed in this sort to the mercy of sorrow and distresse 5. Ezechiel had a vision of a picture of a hād which tooke him by an onely locke of his head-haire and hoist him vp into the aire In like manner our Sauiour reared vp into the aire vpon the Crosse seemed to be held in his Fathers hand by the very extreamitie of the Spirit and as it were by one haire of his head which being touched by the sweete hand of his eternall Father receiued a soueraigne abundāce of Felicitie all the rest being drunke vp in sorrow and griefe Wherevpon he cries out My God why hast thou forsaken me 6. They saie that the fish termed the Lanterne of the Sea in the midst of the tempest thrusts her tongue out of the water which is so bright shining and cleare that she serue the marriners for light-houses or Beacons so in the midst of passions wherewith our Sauiour was beset all the faculties of the soule were swallowed vp and buried in the torment of such a number of paines excepting onely the point of his Spirit which being free from all paine remained bright and light with glorie and felicitie O how blessed is the Loue which raignes in the top of a faithfull soule while it is tossed vpon the billowes and waues of interiour tribulations Of the practise of the louing indifferencie in things belonging to the seruice of God CHAPTER VI. 1. Scarcely can we discouer the Diuine pleasure but by the euents and as long as it is vnknowen vnto vs we must adheare close to the will of God which is alreadie declared and signified vnto vs but as soone as the Diuine Maiesties pleasure appeares we must presently and louingly submit our selues vnto it 2. My mother or my selfe all is one are sicke in bed what doe I know whether it be his will that death should ensue verily I am ignorant of it yet know I well that in the interim till the euent arriue he hath ordained by his signified will that I vse meanes conuenient for the cure I will therefore faithfully doe myne endeauour not omitting any thing that I can well contribute to that effect But if it be the Diuine pleasure that the remedies should not preuaile against the disease which brings death with it as soone as I shall haue intelligence thereof by the euent I will louingly yeeld to it in the point of my heart maugre all the opposition of the inferiour powers of my soule I Lord will I saie it is my will because thy GOOD PLEASVRE is such so it hath pleased thee and so it shall please me who am the most humble seruant of thy will 3. But if the Diuine pleasure were declared vnto me before the euent thereof as was the manner of his death to the great S. Peter to the great S. PAVLE his shakles and prisons to Hieremie the ruine of his deare Hierusalē to Dauid the death of his sonne then I were at the same instant to vnite my will to Gods in imitation of the great Abraham and with him if we had such a command we were to vndertake the execution of the eternall Decree euen in the slaughter of our owne childrē O admirable vnion of this Patriarch◠to the will of God who beleeuing that it was the Diuine pleasure that he should sacrifice his child willed and enterprised it so couragiously Admirable that of the child who so meekely submited himselfe to his Fathers sword to haue Gods will performed at the price of his owne blood 4. But note here THEO a marke of the perfect vnion of an indifferent heart with the Diuine pleasure behold Abraham with the sword in his hand his arme extended readie to lend death's-blow to his onely deare Sōne this he did to please the Diuine pleasure and see at the same instant an Angell who of the part of the saied Pleasure sodainely stops him and presently he waighes his blow equally readie to sacrifice or not to sacrifice his sonne his life and death being all one to him in the presence of Gods will When God giues him order to sacrifice his Sonne he is not sorrowfull when he dispenseth with the order giuen he is not ioyfull All is one to this resolute heart so Gods will be done 5. Yes THEO for God oftentimes to exercise vs in this holy indifferencie inspires vs with high designes which yet he will not haue accomplished and as then we are boldly couragiously and cōstantly to set vpon and pursue the worke to our power so are we sweetly and quietly to submit our selues to the euent of our entreprise such as it pleaseth God to send vs. S. LEWES by inspiration passed the Sea to conquer the holy Land the successe answered not his expectation he sweetly submitted hīselfe to it I doe more esteeme the tranquillitie of this submission then the magnanimitie of his enterprise S. FRANCIS went into Egipt to conuert the infidels or amongst the infidels to die a Martyre such was the will of God yet he returned without performing of either and that was also Gods will It was also the will of God that S. ANTONIE of Padua both desired Martyrdome and obtained it not The B. Ignatius of Loyola hauing with such paines put on foote the Companie of the name of IESVS whereof he saw so faire fruit and foresaw much more in the tyme to come durst yet promise himselfe that though he should see it dissolued which was the sharpest displeasure that could befall him with in halfe an houre after he would be resigned and appease himselfe in the will of God Iohn Auila that holy and learned Preacher of Andalusia hauīg a designe to erect a cōpanie of reformed Priests for the aduancement of Gods glorie wherein he had alreadie made a good step as soone as he saw that of the Iesuites on foote which he thought did suffice for that time he presently stopt his designe with an incomparable meecknesse and humilitie O how happie are such soules as are couragious and forceable in the enterprises to which God inspires them and withall tractable and facile in giuing them ouer when God doth so dispose These are markes of a most perfect indifferencie to leaue of doing a good when God pleaseth and to returne in the halfe way when Gods will which is our Guide doth ordaine it Ionas was much to blame to suspect that God did not accomplish his Prophesie vpon the NINIVITS Ionas performed Gods will in denouncing vnto the Niniuits their ouerthrowe but he let his owne will and interest enter into the worke wherevpon seeing that God did not fulfill his prediction according to the rigour of the letter he was offended and murmured vnworthily Whereas if Gods will
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
not to affect them nor reinuest our heart therewith saue onely so farre forth as we discerne it to agree with God's good pleasure And as Iudith wore still moorning weedes except onely in this occasion wherein Gods will was that she should be in pompe so are we peaceably to remaine vested in our miserie and abiection amidst our imperfections and infirmities till God shall exalt vs to the practise of excellent actions 3. One cannot long remaine in this nakednesse voide of all affection Wherefore following the aduise of the holy Apostle as soone as we haue turn'd off the garments of the old Adam we are to put on the habits of the new man that is to saie of IESVS CHRIST for hauing renounced all yea euen the affection to vertues neither desiring of these nor of other things a larger portion then may beare proportion with God's will we must put on againe diuers affections and peraduenture the very same which we haue renounced and resigned vp yet are we not therefore to resume theÌ„ for that they are agreeable profitable honorable and proper to content our selfe-love but because they are agreeable to God profitable to his honour and ordained to his glorie 4. Eliezer carried eare-jewels bracelets and new attire for the mayde whom God had prouided for his Maisters sonne and in effect he presented them to the virgine Rebecca as soone as he knew it was she New garmeÌ„ts are required to our Sauiour's Spouse If for the Loue of God she hath bereft her selfe of the auncient affections which she had to Parents Countrie Father's house and allie she must take a span new affection louing euery of these in their ranke not now accorcording to humane considerations but because the heauenly Spouse doth will command and intend it so and hath established such an order in Charitie If one haue once put off his old affectioÌ„ to spirituall consolations to exercises of deuotion to the practise of vertues yea to his owne aduancement in perfection he must put on another new affection by louing all these graces and heaueÌ„ly fauours not because they perfect and adorne our minde but for that our Sauiours name is sanctified in them his kingdome enriched his good pleasure glorified 5. So did S. PETER vest himselfe in the Prison not at his owne election but at the Angels command He puts on his girdle then his Sandales and afterwards the rest of his garments And the glorious S. PAVLâ— bereft in a moment of all affections Lord quoth he what wilt thou haue me doe that is what is thy pleasure I should affect since throwing me to the ground thou hast deaded me to myne owne will Ah Lord plant thy good pleasure in the place of it and teach me to performe thy will for thou art my God THEO he that hath forsaken all for God ought to resume nothing but according to Gods pleasure he feeds not his bodie but according to Gods ordinance that it may be seruiceable to the Spirit all his studie is to assist his neighbour and his owne soule according to the Diuine intention he practiseth not vertues as being according to his owne heart but according to God's 5. God commanded the Prophet Isaie to stripe himselfe naked which he did going and preaching in this sort for three dayes together as some hold or for three yeares together as others think and then the time prefixed him by God being expired he resumed his clothes Euen so are we to turne our selues out of affections little and great as also to make a frequent examine of our hearts to discouer whether it be willing to vnuest it selfe as Isaie did his garments as also to resume in their time the affections necessarie to the seruice of charitie to the end we might die with our Sauiour naked vpon the crosse and rise againe with him in newnesse of life Loue is as strong as death to make vs quit all it is magnificent as the Resurrection to adorne vs with honour and glorie The end of the ninth booke THE TENTH BOOKE OF THE COMMANDEMENT OF LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL things Of the sweetenesse of the Commandement which God gaue vs to loue him aboue all things CHAPTER I. 1. MAN is the perfection of the Vniuerse the Spirit the perfection of man Loue the Spirits and Charitie the perfection of Loue. WheÌ„ce the Loue of God is the end of perfection and the Excellencie of the vniuerse In this THEO doth consist the hight and primacie of the Commandement of Diuine Loue called by our Sauiour the first and greatest Commandemet This Commandement is as a Sunne giuing luster and dignitie to all the holy lawes to all the Diuine â—ordonances and to all the holy Scripturs All is made for this heauenly Loue and all tends to it Of the sacred Tree of this Commandement all consolations exhortations inspirations and euen all the other Commandements haue dependance as it's flowres and eternall life as it 's fruit and all that tends not to eternall Loue tends to eternall death O great Commandement whose perfect practise remaines euen in the euerlasting life yea it is no other thing then life euerlasting 2. But marke THEO how amiable this law of Loue is ah Lord God was it not sufficient that thou shouldst permit vs this heauenly Loue as KABAN permitted IACOB to Loue RACHEL without daigning farther to inuite vs to it by exhortations and vrge vs to it by thy Commandements Nay more ô Diuine Goodnesse to the end that neither thy Maiestie nor our miserie nor any other pretext at all might delay our loue to thee thou dost command it vs. The poore APELLES could neither abstaine from louing nor yet aduenture to loue the faire COMPASPE because she appertained to ALEXANDER the Great but wheÌ„ he had once leaue to loue her how much did he hold himselfe obliged to him that did him the grace He knew not whether he should more loue the faire COMPASPE granted him by so great an Emperour or so great an Emperour who had granted him the faire COMPASPE O sweete God THEO If we could vnderstand it what an obligation should we haue to this Soueraigne good who doth not onely permit but doth euen command vs to loue him Alas my God I know not whether I ought more to loue thyne infinite Beautie which so great a Bountie hath ordained that I should loue or thy Diuine Bountie which ordaines that I should loue so infinite a Beautie O Beautie how amiable thou art being granted vnto me by a Bountie so immense O Bountie how amiable thou art in communicating vnto me so eminent a Beautie 3. God at the day of Iudgment will imprint after an admirable maÌ„ner in the hearts of the damned the apprehension of their losse for the Diuine Maiestie will make them clearely see the Soueraigne Beautie of his face and the Treasures of his Bountie and vpon the sight of this Abisse of infinite delights the will desires with an extreame violence to cast her selfe vpon
him to be vnited vnto him and enioyâ— his Loue But all in vaine she shall be as a womaÌ„ who in the panges of child-birth after she haue endured violent paines cruell conuulsions and intollerable panges dies in the end without being deliuered For as soone as the cleare and faire knowledge of the heauenly Beautie shall haue penetrated the vnderstandings of those infortunate wretches the Diuine Iustice shall in such sort depriue the will of her force that she can in no wise loue this obiect which the vnderstanding shall propose vnto her and make cleare to be so amiable and this sight which should beget in the will so great a Loue in lieu thereof shall engender an infinite desolation which shall be made eternall by a memorie of the Soueraigne Beautie they saw which shall for euer liue in these lost soules a memorie voyd of all good yea full of vexations paines torments and endlesse desperations For so much as in the soule shall be found both an imposiblitie yea and a dreadfull and euerlasting auersion and repugnance to loue this so wishfull an Excellencie So that the miserable damned shall liue for euer in a desperate rage to know so soueraignely amiable a perfection without all hope of euer being able to enioye or loue it because while they might haue loued it they would not they shall burne with a thrist so much more violeÌ„t by how much the remeÌ„braÌ„ce of this source of waters of eternall life shall more egge their ardour they shall die immortally as dogges of a famine by so much more vehement by how much their memorie shall more sharpen the insatiable crueltie thereof by calling to mind the heauenly banquet of which they were depriued The damned soules in foming rage Shall wither vp and drie away And nothing shall their griefe asswage VVhat ere their daring hearts essaye I dare not affirme for certaine that the view of Gods Beautie which the damned shall haue in the maÌ„ner of a flash of lightning shall be as bright as that of the Blessed yet shall it be so cleare that they shall see the sonne of maÌ„ in his Maiestie they shall see him whom they pierced and by the view of this glorie shall learne the greatnesse of their losse Ah if God had prohibited man to Loue what a torment would that haue bene to generous hearts what paines would they not vndertake to obtaine permission to Loue him DAVID entred into a very dangerous Combat to gaine the kings daughter and what did not IACOB doe to espouse RACHEL and the Prince SICHEM to haue DINA in marriage The damned would repute them selues Blessed if they could entertaine a hope euer to Loue God And the Blessed would esteeme themselues Damned if they harboured a thought that they should euer be depriued of this sacred Loue. 4. O Good God THEO how gustfull is the sweetenesse of this Commandement seeing that if it pleased the Diuine will to giue it to the damned they would in a moment be deliuered of their greatest misfortune and since the Blessed are not Blessed but by the practise of it ô heauenly Loue how louelie thou art in the fight of our soules And blessed be the Bountie of God for euer who so earnestly commands vs to Loue him though his Loue be otherwise most to be desired and necessarie to our Happinesse and that without it we must necessarily be vnhappie That this Diuine Commandement of Loue tends to Heauen yet is giuen to the faithfuâ—l in this world CHAPTER II. 1. If the law be not iÌ„posed on the iust maÌ„ because he preuenting the lawes and without the laâ—es sollicitation doth performe Gods will by the instinct of Charitie which raignes in his soule how free are we to esteeme the Blessed in Heauen from all commandements since that from the possession of the Bountie and Beautie of the Beloued in which they are a sweete yet ineuitable necessitie to Loue for euer the most holy Diuinitie doth streame out and runne vpon their hearts We shall Loue God aboue THEO not as being tyed and obliged by the law but as being allured and rauished with delight which this so perfectly an amiable obiect shall yeeld vnto our hearts Then the force of the Commandement will cease to the end it may giue place to the force of contentmentâ— which shall be the fruite and crowne of the obseruance of the Commandement We are therefore ordained to the contentment which is promissed vs in the immortall life by meanes of the Commandement giuen vnto vs in this our mortall life in which truely we are strictly bound to obserue it because it is the fundamentall law which the KING IESVS deliuered to the Citizens of this militant HIERVSALEM whereby they may merite the BVRGVERSHIP and ioye of the triumphant HIâ—RVSALEM 2. Certes aboue in heauen we shall haue a heart free from all passions a soule purified from all distractions a Spirit infranchised from contradictions and forces exempt from opposition and therefore we shall Loue God with a perpetuall and neuer interrupted affection as it is saied of the foure sacred beasts which representing the Euangelists doe incessantly praise the Diuinitie O God what a ioye when we being established in those eternall Tabernacles our Spirits shall be in this perpetuall motion in which they shall enioye the so much desired repose of their eternall dilection Happie who in thy Mansion liue And in all Seasons praises giue But we are not to aime at this Loue so exceedingly perfect in this life of death for as yet we haue neither the heart nor the soule nor the Spirit nor the forces of the Blessed It is sufficient for vs to Loue with all the heart and force which we haue While we are little children we are wise like little children we speake like children we Loue like children but when we shall come to our perfect groth aboue we shall be quit of our infancie and Loue God perfectly Yet are we not for all this THEO during the infancie of our mortall life to leaue to doe our best according as it is commanded since it is not onely in our power but is also most facile the whole Commandement being of Loue and of the Loue of God who as he is soueraignely good so is he soueraignely amiable How notwithstanding that the whole heart is imployed in sacred Loue yet one may Loue God diuersly and also many other things together with him CHAPTER III. 1. HE that saieth all excluds nothing and yet a man may be wholy Gods wholy his Fathers wholy his mothers wholy his Princes wholy his coÌ„mon-wealth's his children's his friend 's so that being wholy euery on 's yet he is wholy to all which happens for that the dutie by which a man is wholy on 's is not contrarie to the dutie by which a man is wholy an others 2. Man giues himselfe wholy by loue and with proportion to his loue he bestowes himselfe He is therefore in a soueraigne manner giuen to God when
each one of them in particular from their first vse of reason A loue sufficient for euery one and necessarie for all that will be saued An illustration of the former chapter CHAPTER VII 1. VVE doe not alwayes clearely know nay not at all certainely at least by a certaintie of Faith whether we haue the true loue of God requisite to our saluation yet haue we diuers markes thereof amōgst which the most assured and in a manner infallible is seene in the opposition which the loue of creaturs makes against our designes of God's loue For in that occurrence if Diuine Loue raigne in the soule it makes appeare the force of the credit and authoritie which it hath ouer the will shewing by effects not onely that he hath no Maister but that he hath euen no equall repressing and prostrating all opposition and making his intentions be obeyed When the accursed companie of hellish spirits reuolting from their Creatour essayed to draw to their faction the troupes of the Blessed Spirits the glorious S. MICHAEL encouraging his fellow-soldiers to the loyaltie which they ought to their God cried Marry after an Angelicall manner with a loude voice through out the streets of the Heauenly Hierusalem WHO IS LIKE TO GOD And in this word he ouerthrew that Traitor Lucifer with his route who equalized themselues to the Diuine maiestie and thence as it is saied S. MICHAELS name was imposed since that MICHAEL imports no other thing then WHO IS LIKE TO GOD And when the loue of created things would draw our hearts to their PARTIE to make vs disobedient to the Diuine Maiestie if the great diuine loue be found in the soule it makes head against it as an other MICHAEL and makes good the powers and forces of the soule to Gods seruice by this word of assurance WHO IS LIKE TO GOD What beautie doth there appeare in creaturs which ought to draw man's heart to a rebellion against the soueraigne bountie of God 2. As soone as that holy and braue gentleman Ioseph perceiued that the loue of his Mistresse tended to the ruine of that which was due to his Maister ah quoth he be it farre from me that I should violate the respect which I owe to my Maister who reposeth so much trust in me how can I then admit this crime and sinne against my God marke THEO marke how there are three loues in the louelie Iosephs heart for he loues his Mistresse his Maister ād God but as soone as his Mistresses loue riseth vp agaīst his Maisters he sodainly forsakes it and away he runnes as he would also haue forsaken his Maisters if he had found it contrarie to God's Amongst all the loues God's is so to be preferred that is one must alwayes stand prepared in mind to forsake them all for that alone 3. SARA gaue her maide AGAR to her husband ABRAHAM to th' end that he might haue children by her following the lawfull custome of those times But Agar hauing conceiued did greatly contemne her Mistresse SARA till then scarcely could one discerne whether ABRAHAM bore more affection to SARA or AGAR for AGAR was as well his bedfellowe as SARA yea with fertilitie to boote but when the God Abraham came to make comparison betweene his loues he made manifest which was the stronger for no sooner had Sara made her complaint that she was contemned by Agar but he told her thy chamber maide Agar is in thy power doe vpon her what thou think'st good So that from thence forth Sara did so afflict the poore Agar that she was constrained to retire her selfe Diuine Loue doth willingly permit that we should haue other loues nor can we sometimes easily discouer which loue is the cheife in our heart for this man's heart of ours doth oftentimes most eagerly draw the loue of creaturs into the bed of his Complacene yea it happens withall that he makes more frequent acts of his loue towards creaturs then towards his Creatour while yet Diuine loue in him leaues not to excell all the other loues as the euents make cleare vpon the Creaturs oppositions to their Creatour for then he takes sacred loues part submitting vnto it all his affections 4. There is great difference betwixt the bulke and value of things created One of Cleopatras pearles was more worth then one of our highest rockes marry this is greater the one hath bulke the other worth It is made a questiō whether the honour which a Prince atchiues in warrs by feats of armes or that which he merits by iustice in time of peace be greater and me thinks that militarie glorie is bigger the other better euen as of instruments drumes and Trumpets make more noise Luts and virginalls more melodie the soūd of the one is stronger the other sweeter and more spirituall An ounce of Baulme giues not so strong an odour as a pound of Spickenard oyle howbeit the smell of baulme is alwayes better and more pleasing 4. True it is THEO you shall see a mother so busie about her child that it might seeme she had no other loue but that hauing eyes onely to see it mouth to kisse it breast to giue it sucke care to bring it vp and one would thinke that her husband were nothing to her in respect of her child but if she were to make choice whether she would loose one would then plainely see that she more esteemes her husband yea and that though the Loue of her child was more tender more pressing and passionate yet that the other was more excellent forceable and better So when a heart Loues God in respect of his infinite Goodnesse though with neuer so little a portion of this excellent loue it will preferre Gods will before all things and in all the occasions that shall be offered it will forsake all to conserue himselfe in grace with the Soueraigne Goodnesse without being hindred by any thing at all So that though this diuine Loue doth not alwayes so sensibly vrge and soften the heart as doe the other Loues yet in the occurrences it performes so high and excellent actions that one of them onely is better than tenne millions of the others Conies are incomparably sertile Elephants neuer haue more then one calfe yet this one onely young Elephant is of greater price the all the Rabbets in the earth Our Loue towards creaturs doth often abound in the multitude of productions but when sacred Loue doth its worke it is so eminently purfect that it surpasseth all for it causeth God to be preferred before all things without reserue A memorable historie wherin is more clearely seene in what the force and Excellencie of holy loue consisteth CHAPTER VIII 1. HOw great an extent then ô my deare THEO ought the force of this sacred loue of God aboue all things to haue It is to surpasse all affections to vanquish all difficulties and to preferre the honour of God's Beneuolēce before all things yea I saie before all things absolutely without exception or
1. AS Loue rends towards the Good of the thing beloued either by taking delight in it being obtained or in desiring and pursuing it not being obtained So it brings forth hatred by which it flies the euill which is contrarie to the thing beloued either in desiring and striuing to be quit of it being alreadie present or in absence by essaying to diuert and hinder its approch But if euill can neither be hindred to approch nor be remoued loue at least leaues not to make it be hated and detested When loue therefore is seruent and is come to that hight that it would take away remoue and diuert that which is opposite to the thing beloued it is termed Zeale So that in proper speach Zeale is no other thing then loue in its ardour or rather the ardour that is in loue And therefore such as the loue is such is the Zeale which is in ardour If the loue be good the Zeale is Good if bad the Zeale is also bad Now when I speake of Zeale I meane to speake of iealousie too for iealousie is a SPECIES of Zeale and vnlesse I be deceiued there is but this onely difference betweene them That Zeale hath a respect to all the Good of the thing beloued with intention to remoue the contrarie euill from it but iealousie eyes the particular good of friendshipe to th' end it might repulse all that doth oppose it 2. When therefore we ardently set our affections vpon earthly and temporall things beautie honours riches Place That Zeale that is the ardour of that Loue ends ordinarily with enuie because these base and vile things are so little limited particular finite and imperfect that being possessed by one another cannot entirely possesse them So that being communicated to diuers each one in particular hath a lesse perfect communication of them But when we loue in particular to be ardently beloued the Zeale or ardour of this Loue turnes into Iealousie because humane friēdshipe though otherwise a vertue hath this imperfection by reason of our weaknesse that being diuided amongst many euery ones part it lesse Wherevpon the ardour or Zeale we haue to be beloued will not permit corriualls and companions which if we apprehend we haue we presently fall into the passion of Iealousie which indeede doth in some sort resemble enuie yet is farre an other thing 1. Enuie is alwayes vniust but iealousie is sometimes iust so that it be moderate for haue not such as are married good reason to looke that an others shareing with them doe not cause their friendship's decrease Enuie makes vs sorrowfull that our neighbour enioys a like or a greater good then we though he diminish not that which we haue one iot But iealousie is in no wise troubled at our neighbours good so it touch not vpon our coppie-hold for the Iealous man would not be sorrie that his companion should be beloued of others so it were not of his owne Mistresse Yea properly speaking a man is not iealous of Competitours till he apprehend that he himselfe hath alreadie atchiued the friendshipe of the partie beloued And if there be any passiō that preceedes this it is not iealousie but enuie 3. We doe not presuppose any imperfection in the partie we enuie but quite contrarie we apprehend that he hath the good which we doe enuie in him Marry we presuppose that the partie whereof we are iealous is imperfect fickle subiect to corruption and change 4. Iealousie proceedes from loue enuie comes from the defect of Loue. 5. Iealousie neuer happens but in matter of Loue but enuie is extended to all the subiects of good to honours to fauours to beautie And if at any time one be enuious of the affection which is borne to another it is not for loue but for the profit that is in it The Enuious man is not a whit troubled to see his fellow in grace with his Prince so that he be not in occurrences gratified and preferred by him That God is Iealous of vs. CHAPTER XIII 1. GOd saieth thus I am thy Lord thy God a iealous God Our Lord is called Iealous God is iealous then THEO but what is his iealousie verily vpon the first sight it seemes to be a iealousie of Concupiscence such as is a husbands ouer his wife for he will haue vs so to be his that he will in no sort haue vs to be any others but his No man saieth he can serue two Maisters He demands all our heart all our soule all our spirit all our strength for this very reason he is called our spouse our soules his Spouses And all sorts of separations from him are called fornication Adulterie And indeede it is high reason that this great God singularly good should most entirely exact our whole heart for our heart is but little and cannot store vs with loue enough worthily to loue the Diuine Goodnesse is it not therefore conuenient that since we cannot afford him such a measure of Loue as were requisite that at least we should afford him all we are able The GOOD that is soueraignely louely ought it not to be soueraignely loued and to loue soueraignely is to loue totally 2. Howbeit Gods iealousie of vs is not truely a iealousie of concupiscence but of SOVERAIGNE FRIENDSHIPE for it is not his profit that we should loue him but ours Our loue is vnprofitable to him but to vs gainefull and if it be agreeable to him it is because it is profitable to vs For being the Soueraigne GOOD he takes pleasure to communicate himselfe by loue without any kind of profit that can returne to him thereby whence he cries out making his complaint of sinners by way of iealousie They haue forsaken me me that am the fountaine of liuing water and haue digged vnto themselues Cisterns broken Cisterns that are not able to hold water marke a little THEO I praie you how this Diuine Louer doth delicatly well expresse the nobilitie and generositie of his Iealousie they haue left me saieth he me that am the Source of liuing water I complaine not that they haue forsaken me in respect of any damage that their reuoult can draw vpon me for what worse is a liuing spring that men will not draw water at it will it therefore leaue to glide and slide ouer the earth but I am sorrie for their misfortune that hauing left me they haue busied themselues about wells without water And if by supposition of an impossible thing they could haue light vpon some other fountaine of liuing water I should easily endure their departure from me since I pretend nothing in their loue but their owne good but to forsake me to perish to flie from me to fall headlong is that which doth astonish and offend me in their follie It is then for the loue of vs that he desires that we should loue him because we cannot cease to loue him but we begin to be lost nor withdraw any part of our affection from him but we
loose it 3. Put me saied the Diuine shepheard to the Sunamite put me as a seale vpon thy heart as a seale vpon thy arme The Sunamits heart was full of the heauenly Loue of her deare Spouse who though he possesse all yet is he not content in that but by a holy distrust of iealousie he will be set vpon the heart which he possesseth and will haue her sealed vp with himselfe least any of the loue due to him might escape out or any thing get entrie which might cause a mixture for he is not satisfied with the loue in which the Sunamite is compleat vnlesse she be also vnchangeable purely and onely his And that he may not onely enioye the affections of our heart but also the effects and operations of our hands he will also be as a seale vpon our right arme that it may not be streched out or imployed saue in the works of his seruice And the reason of the Diuine Spouse his demande is that as death is so strong that it separats the soule from all things yea euen from her owne bodie so sacred loue which is come to the degree of Zeale doth diuide and put the soule at a distance withall affections and doth purifie her from all mixture for as much as it is not onely as strong as death but it is withall sharpe resolute stife and pitilesse in punishing the wrong done vnto it in the admittance of Competitors together with it as Hell is violent in punishing the damned And euen as Hell full of horrour rage and crueltie admits no mixture of loue so doth iealous loue tollerate no mixture of another affection striuing that the whole should be reserued for the Beloued Nothing is so sweete as the Doue yet nothing so mercilesse as he in his iealousie towards his hen If euer you tooke notice THEO you haue seene that this milde birde returning from his flight and finding his mate amongst her companions he is not able to suppresse in himselfe a certaine sense of distrust which makes him churlish and humourous so that at their first accosting he circles about her with a soure and out faceing countenāce trampling vpon her and beating her with his wings though he haue otherwise assurance that she is loyall and sees her snowie white in innocencie Vpon a certaine day S. CaTHARINE of Sienna was in a Rapture which did not bereeue her of her senses and while God was shewing her wonders a brother of hers passed by and with the noise he made diuerted her so that she turned towards him and eyed him one onely moment This little distraction which did on the sodaine surprise her was neither sinne nor disloyaltie but an onely shadow of sinne and an onely resemblance of disloyaltie and yet the most holy mother of the heauēly Spouse did so earnestly chide her for it and the glorious S. PAVLE did so confound her in it that she thought she should haue melted away in teares And Dauid reestablished in grace by a perfect loue how was he treated for the onely veniall sinne which he had committed in taking a List of his People 4. But THEO he that desires to see this Iealousie put downe in a delicate and excellent expression let him read the Instructions which the Seraphicall S. CATHARINE of Genua made in declaration of the proprieties of pure Loue amongst which she doth instantly inculcate and presse this which ensueth That perfect Loue that is Loue which is come to the perfection of Zeale cannot endure any mediation interposition or the mixture of any other thing not euen of God's gifts yea it is in this hight of rigour that it permit's not euen the loue of Heauen but with intention to loue more perfectly therein the Goodnesse of him that giues it So that the Lampes of this pure Loue haue neither oyle weeke nor smoake but are all fire and flame which no worldly thing can extinguish And such as carrie these burning Lampes in their hāds haue the saintly feare of holy Spouses not the feare of adulterous women Both feare indeede but differently saieth S. AVGVSTINE The chast Spouse feares the absence of her Spouse The adulrous the presēce of hers That feares his departure this his staie That is so deeply in Loue that it makes her iealous this is not annoy'd with iealousie because she enioyes not Loue This feares to be punished but the punishment which that feares is that she shall not beloued enough yea rather in very deede she feares not not to beloued as is the custome of the Iealous who loue thēselues and will needes be beloued but her feare is that she loues not him enough whom she sees so loue-worthy that none can loue him to the worth ād accordīg to the large measure of loue which he merit's as before I haue faied Wherefore her Iealousie is not a IEALOVSIE OF PROPER INTEREST but a pure Iealousie which proceedes not frō any concupiscence but from a noble and simple friēdshipe A Iealousie which extends it selfe to our neighbour together with the loue whence it issueth for since we loue our neighbour as our selues for Gods sake we are also iealous of him as of our selues for God's sake so that we would euen die least he might perish 5. Now as Zeale is an inflamed ardour or an ardent inflamation of Loue it hath also neede to be wisely and prudently practised otherwise vnder the cloake of it one may violate the termes of modestie and discretion and easily slipe out of Zeale into anger and from a iust affection to an vniust passion wherefore this not being the proper place to put downe the markes of Zeale my THEO I aduise you that for the execution thereof you haue alwayes recourre to him whom God hath giuen you for the direction of your deuote life Of the Zeale or Iealousie which we haue towards our Sauiour CHAPTER XIV 1. A certaine Caualeere gaue order to a famous Painter to draw him out a horse rūning and the Painter hauing represented him as in a curuet with him vpō his backe the Caualeere began to storme whervpon the Painter turning the picture vpside downe be not angrie Sir quoth he to change the postures of a horse in his Carriere into a horse in his curuet a man is onely to turne the Table vpside downe He that desires to discouer what iealousie or Zeale we are to exercise towards God he is onely to expresse to life the iealousie we haue in humane things and then turne it vpside downe for such will it be as that which God for his part requires at our hands 2. Imagine THEO what comparison there is betwixt those who enioye the light of the Sunne and those who haue onely the glimps of a Lampe they are not enuious or iealous of one an other for they plainely see that that great light is abundantly sufficient for all that the ones fruition doth not impeach the others and that nones possession in particular is lesse for that all in
and are so capable of the impressions of heauenly loue that to make them participate in its Sanctitie they neede onely to be by it that is neare a heart which loues God So to make grapes tast like Oliues it is but planting the vine amongst the Oliue-trees for by their onely neighbourhoode without euer touching one another these plantes doe mutually enterchange fauours and properties so great an inclination and so strict a conueniencie is there betwixt them 2. Certes all flowres except those of the tree called the Pensiue Tree and others that are monstres in nature all I saie are gladded displayed and embellished at the Sunnes approch by the vitall heat which they receiue from his rayes But all yellow flowres and especiall that which the Grecians terme HELIOTROPIVM and we TVRNE-SOLE are not onely gladded ād pleased with his presence but euen follow his beames allurement by an amiable winding about to looke and turne themselues towards it euen from the rysing to the setting So all vertues doe receiue a new lustre and an excellent dignitie by the presence of holy Loue but Faith Hope the Feare of God Pietie Penance and all the other vertues which of their owne natures doe particularly tend vnto God and to his honour doe not onely receiue the impression of Diuine loue whereby they are eleuated to a great value but they hang wholy towards him associate themselues with him following and seruing him in all occasions for in fine my deare THEO the holy word doth attribute a certaine sauing sanctifying force and proprietie to Faith Hope Pietie Feare of God to Penance which is an euidence that those vertues are of great price and being practised by a heart in Charitie they become more fruitfull and holy by excellencie then the others which of their owne nature haue not so great an agreement with heauenly Loue. And he that cries if I had all Faith euen in such a measure that I could transport mountaines and should want charitie I am nothing doth sufficiently shew that with Charitie this faith would be very fruitfull Charitie then is a vertue without compare which doth not onely adorne the heart wherin she is but with her meere presēce doth also blesse ād sanctifie all the vertues which she meetes therein embalming and perfuming them with her celestiall odour by meanes whereof they are raysed to a high rate in the sight of God which yet she performes farre more excellently in Faith Hope and other vertues which of them selues doe naturally tend to pietie 3. Wherefore THRO of all vertuous actions we ought most carefully to practise those of Religion and Reuerence towards diuine things those of Faith of Hope and the most holy Feare of God taking occasion often to speake of heauenly things thinking and sighing after eternitie frequenting the Church and Diuine seruice making pious lectures obseruing the ceremonies of christian Religion for sacred Loue is fed according to its hearts desire in these exercises and doth in greater abundance streame out its graces and proprieties vpon them then it doth vpon those vertues which are purely naturall like as the heauenly rainebow makes all the plantes vpon which it lightes odoriferous but the Asphalatus incomparably more then all the rest That Diuine Loue doth yet more excellently sanctifie the vertues which are practised by his ordinance and Commandment CHAPTER IV. 1. THe faire RACHEL after an earnest desire of issue with her deare IACOB was by two meanes made fertill whence also she had children of two sundrie kinds for in the beginning of her marriage seeing she could haue no children of her owne bodie she made vse of her seruant BALA as it were by loue which she drew into her societie by the exercise of the functions of marriage saying vnto her husband I haue here my handmaide BALA take her in wedlocke and companie with her that she may beare vpon my knees and I may haue children of her and it fell out according to her desire For she conceiued and brought forth many children vpon RACHELS knees who receiued them as though they had bene truely her owne since they were begotten by two bodies whereof IACOBS belonged to her by the right of marriage BALA'S by the dutie of seruice and againe because the generation was effected by her order and will But she had afterwards two other children without her command or order which were conceiued begot and sprung from her owne bodie at her owne bent to wit Ioseph and the beloued Beniamin 2. I must tell you now THEOT that Charitie and holy loue a thousand times more faire then Rachel married to mans heart doth incessantly wish to produce holy operations And if in the begining she her selfe cannot bring forth of her owne extraction by the sacred vnion which is singularly proper vnto her she cals the other vertues as her faithfull handmaids makes them cōpanions with her in marriage commanding the heart to make vse of them and beget holy operations of them yet operations which she doth adopt and repute her owne as being produced by her order and commandment and of a heart which belongs vnto her sith as we haue formerly declared Loue is the Maister of the heart and consequently of all the acts of other vertues made by his consent But further heauenly Charitie hath two acts which are her owne issue properly and are of her owne extraction the one is EFFECTIVE LOVE who as another IOSEPH vsing the fulnesse of regall authoritie doth subiect and range the troopes of our faculties powers passions and affections to Gods will that it might be loued obeyed and serued aboue all things by this meanes putting the great celestiall commandment in execution Thou shalt loue thy LORD thy GOD with all thy heart with all thy soule with all thy Spirit with all thy strength The other is AFFECTIVE OR AFFECTIONATE LOVE who as a little Beniamin is exceedingly delicate tender pleasing and amiable but in this more happie then Beniamin that Charitie his mother dies not in his birth but as it were gaines a new life by the delight she takes in it 3. Thus then THEOT the vertuous actions of the children of God doe all belong to Charitie some of them because they sprung from her owne wombe others because she sanctifies them by her quickning presence and finally others by the authoritie and commāde which she exerciseth ouer the other vertues whence she made them spring And these as indeede they are not so eminent in dignitie as the actions which doe properly and immediatly issue from Charitie so doe they incomparably passe those which take their whole sanctitie from the presence and Societie of Charitie 4. A great Generall of an Armie hauing gayned some renowned bataile will without doubt haue all the glorie of the victorie and not without reason for he himselfe will haue fought in the forefront of the armie essaying many braue feates of armes he will haue rancked his troopes ordained and commanded all that was
conserue life after Charities death who gaue them life The Lake which profane authours doe commonly call Asphalitus and sacred authours MARE-MORTVVM hath so heauie a curse put vpon it that nothing that is put into it can liue when the fish of Iordaine doe come neere it they die vnlesse they speedily returne backe against the streame The trees vpon the brims of it produce nothing aliue and though their fruit be in apparance and autward shew like to the fruits of other countries howbeit when on puls them they are found to be skinne and core being full of asshes which flie away in the wind These be the markes of infamous sinns for the punishment whereof this Coūtrie which was peopled with three populous Cities was of old conuerted into a pit of filth and corruption and nothing was deamed better to represent the mischeife of sinne then this abominable Lacke which had its origine from the most execrable disorder that could be cōmitted by mans bodie Sinne therefore as a dead and mortall sea kills all that comes neere it nothing is found liuing in the soule which it possesseth nor all about it O God THEO nothing for sinne is not onely a dead worke but is withall so infections and venimous that the most excellent vertues of the sinfull soule doe produce no liuing action And though the actions of sinners haue oftentimes a great resemblance with those of the iust man yet are they indeede barkes onely stuffed with wind and dust whē they are truely looked into and are rewarded of God onely by some present benefits which are bestowed vpō thē as vpon the chambermaids children yet are they such barkes as neither are nor can be so tasted and relished by the Diuine Iustice as to be rewarded with an eternall crowne they die vpon the trees and cannot be conserued in the hand of God being voyd of true worth as it is saied in the Apocalypse to the Bishop of Sardis who was reputed a liuing tree by reason of diuers vertues which he practised and yet dead he was for that being in sinne his vertues were not true liuing fruits but dead barkes glorious to the eyes but no wayes sauorie to the palate so that we may all cast out this true voice following the holy Apostle without Charitie I am nothing nothing doth profit me and with S. AVGVSTINE saie Giue Charitie to a heart and all doth profit depriue it of Charitie and nothing doth profit it I meane towards life euerlasting for as we haue saied the vertuous works of sinners are profitable to our temporall life But my deare THEO what doth it profit a man to gaine all the world temporally if he loose his soule eternally How holy Loue returning into the soule doth reuiue all the works which sinne had slayne CHAPTER XII 1. THe works then of a sinner while he is depriued of Charitie are not profitable to eternall life and therevpon they are called dead works whereas contrariwise the good works of the iust man are saied to be liuing for that the Diuine Loue doth animate and quicken them with its dignitie And if afterwards they loose their life and worth by sinne they are held to be workes that are deaded extinguished or mortified onely but not quite deade especially in the Elect for as our Sauiour speaking of the little Tabitha Iarus his daughter said she was not dead but slept onely because she continued dead so small a time till she was resuscitated that it seemed rather to be a sleepe then a true death So the works of the iust man but especially of the elect who by the commission of sinne dyeth are not called dead works but onely deaded mortified stounded or put into a trance because vpon the next returne of holy Loue they either ought or at least may reuiue and returne to life againe Sinn 's returne depriues the soule and all her workes of life the returne of Grace doth restore life to the soule and all her actions A sharpe winter doth dead all the plants of the fields so that if it continued still they would still continew in the state of death Sinne the sad and daunting winter of the soule doth quayle all the holy workes that it finds there in and if it did alwayes continew neuer would any thing recouer either life or vigour But as in the returne of the pleasant spring not onely the seedes which are sowē by the helpe of this delightfull and fruitfull season doe gratefully bud and blossome euery one in his kind but euen the old plants which the rigour of the winter past had bitten withered and deaded waxe greene and doe resume new force vertue and life So sinne being blotted out and the grace of Diuine Loue returning into the soule the new affections which this spring of grace doth bring doe blossome and bring forth ample merites and blessings but the works that are dried vp and withered by the rigour of the winter of sinns ouer passed as being deliuered from their mortall enemye resume their force waxe strong and as risen from the dead they florish a new and store vp merits for the eternall life Such is the omnipotencie of Diuine Loue or the Loue of the Diuine omnipotencie If the impious turne away himselfe from his impietie and shall doe iudgement and iustice he shall viuificate his soule conuert and doe penance for all your iniquities and iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you saieth our Lord. And what is that iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you but that the ruine which it made shall be repaired So besides a thousand courtisies that the prodigall sonne receiued at his Fathers hands he was reestablished euen with aduantage in all his ornaments graces fauours and dignities which he had lost And IOB that innocent picture of a penitent sinner did in the end receiue the double of that which he had Verily it is the Councell of Trēts desire that we should encourage the penitents that are returned into fauour with God allmightie in these words of the Apostle Abound in euery good worke knowing that your labour is not vnprofitable in our Lord for God is not vniust to forget your worke and the Loue which you haue showen in his name God then doth not forget the works of those who by sinne hauing lost loue recouers it againe by penance Now God is saied to forget our workes whē they loose their merite and sanctitie by sinne committed and he remembers them when they returne to life and vigour by the presence of holy Loue. So that amongst the faithfull it is not necessarie to the reward of their good works as well by the encrease of grace and future glorie as by the enioying of life euerlasting in effect that one fall not into sinne but it is sufficient according to the Councell of Trent that one depart this life in God's grace and charitie 2. God hath promised an eternall reward to the works of a iust man but if the
Maiestie then our crucified Maister 's crowne of thornes his scepter of a Reed his robe of scorne which they put vpon him and the Throne of his Crosse vpon which the sacred Louers had more content ioye glorie and felicitie then euer Salomon had in his Iuerie Throne 5. So is Loue often times represented by the Pomegranate which taking proprieties from the Pome-granate-tree may be saied to be it's vertue as also the gift thereof which out of Loue it offers to man and its fruit sith that it is eaten to refresh mâ—ns taste and finally it is as it were its glorie and Beatitude bearing the crowne and diademe How diuine Loue makes vse of all the passions and affections of the soule and reduceth them to her obedience CHAPTER XX. 1. Loue is the life of our heart and as the couÌ„terpoise giues motioÌ„ to all the moueable parts of a cloke so doth Loue giue all the motioÌ„ the soule hath All our affections follow our Loue and according to it we desire we reioyce we hope we dispaire we feare we take heart we hate we flie we sorrow we fall into choler we triuÌ„phe Doe not we see men who haue giuen vp their heart as a prey to the base and abiect Loue of women that they haue no desires but according to this Loue they take no pleasure but in it they neither hope nor dispaire but for this subiect they neither dread nor enterprise any thing but for it they are neither disgusted with nor flie from any thing saue that which doth diuert them from this they are onely troubled at that which doth depriue them of it they are neuer angrie but out of iealousie neuer glorie but in this infamie 2. The like may be saied of couetous misers and glorie-hunters for they become slaues to that which they loue and haue neither heart in their breast nor soule in their hearts nor affections in their soules saue onely for this 3. When therefore Diuine Loue doth raigne in our hearts it doth in a kinglike manner bring vnder all the other Loues and consequently all the affections thereof for as much as naturally they follow loue this done it doth tame sensuall Loue and bringing it to subiection all the sensuall passions doe follow it For in a word this sacred Loue is the soueraigne water of which our Sauiour saied he that shall drinke of this water shall neuer thirst No surely THEO he that hath Loue in a certaine abundance he shall neither haue desire dread hope courage nor ioye but for God and all his motions shall be quieted in this onely celestiall Loue. 4. Diuine Loue and selfe loue are in our hearts as IACOB and ESAV in the wombe of REBECCA there is a great antipathie and opposition betwixt them and doe continually presse on vpon another in the heart Whereat the poore soule giues an outcrie alas wretch that I am who will deliuer me out of the bodie of this death that the onely Loue of God may peaceably raigne in me Howbeit we must take courage putting our trust in our Sauiours word who promiseth in commaÌ„ding and commandeth in promising victorie to his Loue and he seemes to saie to the soule that which he caused to be saied to REBECCA two nations are in thy woÌ„be and there shall be a diuision betwixt two people in thy intrailles the one shall surmount the other and the elder shall serue the younger for as Rebecca who had onely two childreÌ„ in her wombe whereof two people were to descend was saied to haue two nations in her wombe so the soule hauing two loues in her heart hath consequently two great troopes of motions affections and passions and as Rebecca her two children by the contrarietie of their motions made her suffer great conuulsions and paines of the wombe so the two loues of our soulâ— puts our heart as it were into trauaill And as it was saied of Rebeccas two children that the elder should serue the younger so was it ordained that of these two loues of our heart the sensuall should serue the spirituall that is selfe-loue should serue the Loue of God 5. But when was it that the eldest of thaâ— people which was in Rebecca's wombe serued thâ— youÌ„gest Surely it was onely wheÌ„ Dauid ouercame the Idumeans in warre and that Salomon ouerruled them in time of Peace When shall it then be that sensuall loue shall serue Diuine Loue It shall then be THEO when armed Loue being arriued at Zeale shall by mortification subiect our passions but principally when aboue in heauen Blessed Loue shall possesse our whole soule in peace 6. Now the meanes whereby Diuine Loue is to subiect the sensuall appetite is like to that which IACOB vsed when for a good presage and beginning of that which was afterwards to come to passe ESAV coÌ„ming out of his mothers wombe IACOB held him by the foote as it were to trample vpon to suppliant and keepe him vnder or as they saie to keepe him tyed by the foote after the manner of a Hauke such as ESAV was in qualilitie of a hunter and as he was a fierce man For so holy Loue perceiuing some passion or naturall affection to rise in vs must presently catch it by thâ— foote and order it to his seruice But what is it to saie take it by the foote it is to bind it and bring it downe to a râ—solution of seruing God Doe not you see how Moyses transformed the serpent into a rod by taking her onely by the tayle euen so by bestowing a good end vpon our passions they turne vertues 7. But what methode are we then to obserue to order our affections and passions to the seruice of Diuine Loue Methodicall Phisitions haue alwayes this APHORISIME in their mouthes Tâ—at contraries are cured by their coÌ„traries tâ—â— Alchymists haue another famous sentence contrarie to this Saying that like are cured by their like Howsoeuer we are certaine that two contrarie things make the light of the starrs disappeare to wit the obscuritie of nightly foggues and the greater light of the sunne and in like manner we doe fight against passions either by opposing contrarie passions or greater affections of the same sort If any vaine hope present it selfe vnto me my way of resistance may be by opposing vnto it this iust discouragement O senselesse man vpoÌ„ what foundatioÌ„ dost thou build this hope dost thou not see that the great one to whom thou dost aspire is as neere to his graue as thy selfe Dost thou not know the instabilitie weaknesse and imbecillitie of the spirit of man To day his heart in whom thy pretentions are is thyne to morrow another carries it away from thee vpon what then is this hope grounded Another way of resisting this hope is to oppose to it another more strong hope in God ô my Soule for it is he that deliuers thy feete out of the snares neuer did any hope in him and was confounded throwe thy thoughtes vpon eternall and permanent