18. make that admirable vowe to doe in all things what she conceiued or should be informed were most to God's honour and glory or of most perfection which is a wonderfull thing and a rare act to tye her selfe so strictly vnder the penalty of a mortall sin doing the contrary But this is the efficacy and effect of diuine loue and this she did exactly performe during her life and her desyre of god's glory and honour was so great that she prayed earnestly that his diuine Maiesty would depriue her of the fauours which he bestowed vppon her and giue them to others that might doe more good with them for the conuersion of soul's and the good of his Church only that he might be the more honored glorified and praised 9. One of these soules though but simple and ignorant will doe more good in the Church of God then many eloquent preachers with all their art and learning Consider S. Francis who had no learning and our Holy Mother a simple woman yet it is admirable to see what great good they haue done in the Church of God and how many thousand soules by their meanes were and are daily saued and so of others who did the like the spirit of God doth efficaciously concurre with them and their words doe powerfully moue such as they conuerse with to a vertuous life and the loue of God of these things you may read more at large in her life and workes for I doe speake but briefly of them heere to giue some small notice of what his diuine Maiesty is graciously pleased to worke in the soules which dispose themselues and endeauour in what they can to loue and serue him that others may be encourraged to vse this Holy exercise of prayer in which God doth communicat his fauours and gifts to deuout soules and giue them a taste of those ioyes which are in heauen I beseech his diuine maiesty to graunt this gift of prayer to many for his glory and the good of his Holy Church Amen THE V. CHAPTER Of seuerall other eleuations of the spirit and how they differ from vnion 1. OVr Holy Mother doth declare that they that come to perfect vnion commonly haue visions and reuelations extasis flights and rapts and that though the extasis flights and rapts seeme to be one and the same thing yet in truth they are not as they who haue experience of them by their effects can easily obserue in themselues I shall touch briefly some of them heere and so with God's help end this worke leauing the reader to peruse them more fully in her workes whence I haue collected these and where they are farre more plainly exprest then I doe heere 2. The difference betwixt vnion and these others and of these betwixt themselues is knowen by their effects and first the effects of vnion are inward only the soul alone enioying that happinesse of which I spoake in the former chapter for the body is senslesse and destitute of any operation or comfort I speake of the totall or perfect vnion but in the extasis or raâ—â—â— the effects are inward and outward for the body is not destitute of its operations also one may resist the vnion though with great paine but not the others for often on a sudden the soul is surprised and carryed away she then not thinking of God and vnlesse the rapt be very great or in the height for then she knowes nothing as in the vnion the senses are not lost and one may perceiue that the head is drawen after she spirit and somtymes by the force of the spirit the whole body is eleuated vpp into the ayer and the party then seing the body so farre aboue ground doth begin to feare and wonder at it yet in this both body and soul haue great comfort and ioy 3. Heere the soul doth obserue the great power of God to whom there can be no resistance but when he is pleased he will eleuat both soul and body without our consent and against our will for at these tymes as we are nothing so we can doe nothing with our selues but he as Lord of all disposeth of his owne as he thinks fit so that the soul is carryed in these rapts she knoweth not whither how or by whom but away she must goe and for her greater comfort his diuine Maiesty is often pleasd to shew vnto her the kingdome of heauen and what glory he hath prepared there for his true seruants for euer at other tymes the Angells then some saints also his magnificent power and he doth make 2. Gor. 12. v. 4 her vnderstand high misteryes and great secrets of which as S. Paul saith it is not lawfull to speake also she doth see the Queene of Angells the Mother of God in great glory and the sacred humanity of our Sauiour in vnspeakable Maiesty and glory and when he is so pleased she doth enioy the sight and company of the most Holy Trinity and at other tymes she is endued with the spirit of Prophecy and knowledg of things to come and the vnderstanding of the Holy Scripture our Holy Mother In her life chap. 37. Mans 7. chap. 1. doth relate as by obedience she was commanded how the holy Trinity did appeere vnto her in the very center of her soul and that she could not but see euery person and the admirable glory and Maiesty that was present she did speake to euery person in particular and they to her in which her ioy and content was so great that it cannot be imagined and it is no wonder if the senses should not returne to their owne functions from so great happinesse that they doe there enioy neither would they willingly vnlesse it were as seruants doe to obey and fullfill the will and command of their Lord for his Maiesty will often haue it so either for her spirituall profit the good of others or his owne honour and glory 4. She also doth relate how she was in a rapt eleuated and taken to behold the kingdome and Glorious inhabitants of heauen her owne parents and some frends and was brought to the blessed throne of God to behold how the eternall Se her life chap. 38. word the second person of the holy Trinity the sonne of God is resident in the bosome of his Father and she saith that the soul in these occasions can doe nothing of it selfe nor behold litle or much but only what our Lord will haue her to see or know and as there be seuerall degrees of eleuations of the spirit or rapts in euery one of them the light is greater the knowledg more and purer the alienation from all things created more perfect the vertues more solid humility chiefly more profound and the loue of God increasing as they ascend one degree after an other is so ordent and vehement that the soul doth loath to liue on earth and her absence or separation from God is so heauy a loade that she doth
the soul loosing her forces and the vse of her powers and senses is like to yeald the Ghost and thus with loue and excesse of ioy both she and all the powers are not themselues but sopited and like to one as is said wholy senslesse and the ioy and content which is heere had by farre exceedeth that of the former degree yet his diuine maiesty with this not contented to manifest his loue the more to this his beloued spouse he bringeth her into a solitude beyond all that is created and this is the fourth step or degree called vnion where all are absorpt and drowned ouer head and eares for she and all the powers are wholy vnited to God and ingulfed in the depth of his diuinity and she is become one and the same with God quite forgetting all that is in heauen and earth and the very body which during the tyme of vnion is voyde of sense and in a manner dead neither doth she know whether she be in the body or no. in this vnion she doth not continew long perhaps halfe an hour or there about before some of the powers doe returne to them selues and often not finding the like content as one should say in their owne house they goe willingly back againe and are drowned in the same depth and burned with the same fire and in this coming and going some houres may be spent but not in the totall or perfect vnion of all for as our Holy Mother saith it is so strong and forcible that our weake nature is not able to endure it long but by degrees his diuine Maiesty doth enable the soul and make her capable for receiuing those supernaturall fauours and diuine communications 12. In this totall vnion the soul knoweth nothing as is said but enioyeth a content and happinesse surpassing sense yet what she doth enioy or how she vnderstandeth not but doth remaine absorpt and vnited to the diuine essence and thus she is become God's captiue tyed and chayned fast by loue and hath no power to free her selfe vntill his Maiesty be pleased to set her at liberty neither would she though she could esteeming it a greater captiuity to be left to her owne liberty and farre more liberty to be in that sweet and happy captiuity this is a greater and more eminent gift and fauour then all the former it is a most blessed vnion or coniunction a most diuine transformation a most happy death a true deification and most happy life in God 13. Note that in that quiet prayer the will only is vnited and not the other powers in that other of the sleepe of the powers the will and the powers are vnited but so that they are not perfectly vnited or wholy lost but in this vnion they are all wholy and perfectly lost vnited and in gulfed in the diuine essence and they are wholy dead to all the world drowned in vnspeakable delight and the profit of the soul in this degree is vnexplicable her loue is come to so great a height that nothing but the enioying of God wholy and perfectly can giue her content Therefore his diuine Maiesty doth lead her to an other step or degree farre beyond her selfe and all that hath beene sayd eleuating her spirit and opening her eyes to set and know somwhat of his greatnesse and the treasure of his celestiall glory with visions and reuelations of high matters hidden and most profund misteryes and this is called and exstasy or rapt where she vnderstands cleerly and plainly how all things created are a meere shadow and nothing compared with what she then doth enioy and see in God and this rapt some tymes is so forcible and vehement that it doth eleuat the very body with the soul from the earth and remayneth hanging in the ayre and it doth so participat of the inward ioy and glory of the soul that it doth loath to be longer on earth and faine would be inuested with immortality for all eternity and after these great raptes commonly when the soul returneth to her selfe the body as yet and perhaps for some dayes will not be able to vse its owne functions nor the powers and senses are themselues but all are out of order for they are as yet drunk with the memory of the glory and delight which they enioyed and the introuersion and application of the powers and senses is so great that they cannot but with difficulty attend as yet to any outward things and though they see and heare at those tymes yet they neither well see nor know what they see or heare this soul now is no more her owne but wholy belongeth to God for she hath consigned her selfe her will and the keyes therof vnto his diuine Maiesty so that she liueth not now but Christ doth liue in Gal. 2. v. 20. her in so much that she myndeth nothing but the honour glory and praise of God and heartely desireth and laboureth that all may loue and praise him for euer her vertues are solid and of great perfection her loue is so excessiue that her life on earth is a continuall martyrdome and death by reason of her forcible and languishing desyre to be dissolued and be with her beloued Christ Iesus in glory for all Eternity 14. Thus deere Christian soul our Sauiour doth reward euen in this mortall and myserable lyfe the litle labour and endeauours of a louing soul O who would not labour for so great a good and willingly serue so good a Lord O who would not affect so true a louer and deere a frend o who would not freely forsake all this world for the loue of so bountifull and Gracious a God O Blessed Lord praysed and exalted for euer and euer mayst thou be who art so choyse of vs and ha'st prepared so great happinesse for such wormes of the earth as we all thy creatures loue and praise thee for euer more Amen THE II. CHAPTER Of Recollection and quiet Prayer more in particular 1. WHereas this recollection is so great and inward and the powers not troubled with the noyse of worldly and vaine thoughts and that God is there present what must the soul doe in this recollection first she must consider that he is there only attending to giue audience and ready then to heare her petition and that she can without any impediment speake to him being so neere for as our Holy Mother sayth the In her life chap. 27. soul seemes to haue other eares and tongue inwardly and needeth not speak loud or cry out with noyse of inward words or consider him in heauen or a farre of or without her selfe to be heard or vnderstood but she may rest there with him for he is not a frend of many words and accustome the vnderstanding to worke very slowly and as it were in silence carefully attending to what is said and with what reuerence and confidence she speaketh to him and if the vnderstanding can be kept quiet sweetly beholding that
in God therefore woords of discourse must be omitted or that content lost 12. Our Holy Mother doth declare in In the castle of the soul mans 4. a good manner the difference betwixt the comforts and consolations which proceede from our discourse and that which his Maiesty giueth without our labour comparing them to water which in two wayes or manners doth water a garden the one is brought from a farre of with labour and through conducts or gutters and falling into some sisterne is distributed or cast heere and there to water the garden this is like the noyse and labour of the vnderstanding that with many reasons and discourses doth moue the will to some pious affection wherin she is comforted and delighted but the other is neere hand and at home increasing allwayes in silence and not perceiued whence it cometh but the sisterne is seene full and runing ouer which watereth the garden better more plentifully and without the labour of the gardener by reason the spring is in the bottome of the sisterne whence without noyse the water doth issue euen so the gusts and comforts had in quiet prayer doe proceede from the euer liuing spring that great God of glory and all consolation who is in the center of the soul and without any industry or labour on our part doth fill vp the sisterne of our heart with vnspeakable ioy whence not knowing how the water of comfort ouerflowing in silence runneth to all partes of the garden that is to all the powers senses and the very body it selfe watering and delighting all and they admire whence that so great content should be which they doe feele and in this sweet content and delightfull admiration they doe rest the other water doth penetrat but litle in comparison of this for this doth enter into the very depth and inward substance of the soul and leaueth her satisfied for a long tyme by reason it is more plentifull and in greater abundance 13. And this is the benefit of an humble soul for as water remaine's not on the tops of hills or mountaynes but fall's into the lowe places and valleys so The good of a humble soul the water of comforts and the grace of God cannot stay vppon the hills or mountaynes of proud and presumptuous spirits but doe fall into the valley of humility which is the humble heart that thinketh lowly of it selfe for he doth loue to be with the humble and vppon them his Holy Spirit doth rest and to them he giueth his grace and bestoweth such fauours vppon them that with the great content and inward ioy which they feele the powers and senses are suspended when he is so pleased and the waters of delight doe so recreat and comfort both soul and body that some being sick going to prayer and brought to this quietnesse are not only during the tyme of that prayer senslesse of any sicknesse but after prayer are voyde of all paine and in good health and many going to it with sore heades after that prayer are very well and this is a knowen thing by experience 14. So that this prayer leaueth great effects in body and soul for besyde what is said aboue it dilateth the heart and maketh the soul more capable of diuine fauours and free from seruile feare worldly affections and proper interest she now doth take delight in doing of pennances she regardeth not commodity or health so she may but please and serue God in any thing her faith is more liuly her desyre to suffer persecutions and wrongs for loue of him increaseth she doth more feare to offend God then all the torments and deuils of hell by reason she doth now loue him whom she doth then perceiue to be truly loue and praise worthy by all creatures for his owne goodnesse and perfections and therefore she doth vnderstand that it is an vnworthy thing to offend so high a Maiesty in the least thing which doth cause her to keepe a pure conscience as neere as she can her hope and confidence in his diuine Maiesty and desyre to enioy him in glory for euer is greater and more constant then formerly and thus are the labours of a louing soul well recompensed 15. O how highly then ought we to esteeme this benefit and desyre to please him who hath so great a care of vs O my deere Iesu the true louer of humble soules why are there not many more that by this way of prayer doe seeke after thee to partake of these diuine benefits and celestiall communications since thou art so good so liberall and willing to enrich all with these and many more heauenly blessings and fauours our Holy Mother sayes that the reason of it is In her life chap. 11. that we doe not dispose our selues as we ought and put on a strong resolution to forsake all things at once and our selues chiefly but doe reserue some interest or other that we ought for his pure loue vtterly to mortify and forsake though we esteeme them but small matters which really are of great importance though it were but our affection to our parents or frends or perhaps they doe not belieue what is written of these things by reason they seeme to them vnpossible and that what is sayd of these rare matters is but a flowrish of faire and sweet words and no reall truth but my God thou do'st well know that they are reall deedes and therefore the humble soules that goe on in thy seruice by this way of prayer thou do'st often make wonderfull to the world in their liues and workes which others doe not take to heart nor consider a right Therefore I beseech thy diuine Maiesty to giue all that shall read this booke and follow this path of prayer a true feeling of what is heere said for then they shall see and know this truth and how farre short all words and expressions are to what really and ioyfully is had in this blessed exercise of prayer THE III. CHAPTER Of the sleepe of the Powers 1. IN the former degree you haue seene what quiet prayer is and how sweetly the soul is pleased with the inward content and satisfaction which she doth feele therin so that she doth think that there is nothing more to be desyred in this life But whereas the power of God is infinit and his workes without limit we must conceiue allwayes greater matters of his diuine Maiesty and that as we dispose our selues with the grace of God increasing dayly in humility and loue he will impart his blessings and communicat his fauours more and more vnto vs. 2. Yet true it is that the least of these diuine and supernaturall communications is so sublime and transcending the capacity of our weake vnderstanding and is so comfortable and delightfull to the soul not vsed to the like that she doth esteeme it very much and thinketh that nothing more or greater can be had or desyred in this life But the wayes and inuentions of God
to communicat himselfe to soules and bring them to his diuine loue are many and farre beyond our reach and vnderstanding and he is powerfull to giue them great gifts and vnknowen fauours though it is vnpossible for vs to expresse by words the fauours which we doe receiue in prayer being supernaturall vnlesse his diuine Maiesty be pleased to giue vs the ability to know the gift and how to make it to be vnderstood by words for there is great difference betwixt feeling and vnderstanding what we feele and as our Holy Mother saith it is one fauour to receiue a gift and an other to cause vs to vnderstand the supernaturall gift which we receiue In her life chap. 17. and an other to know how by words or examples to expresse it and cause it to be vnderstood by our directour 3. And this as a speciall fauour was In her life Chap. 30. granted vnto her by God aboue any that I haue seene or read that wrote of those diuine communications for the very cleerest of them all is obscure enough but she as one well experienced and instructed by the holy Ghost hath so plainly and clearly declared the seuerall wayes that in euery degree of prayer God worketh in the soul and what effects he doth produce in her and what in these occasions the is to doe and how to behaue her selfe that the directour knoweth reading her writings what to examin and the penitent how to vnderstand and declare herselfe that her directour may be well informed of her spirit and conceiue things aright which otherwise though neuer so learned without the experimentall knowledg of them he could not vnderstand nor she expresse and so the penitent soul by the Ghostly Father not vnderstanding her might suffer very much and be hindred of her spirituall profit as our Holy Mother and others that she writ of were and put rather backward then forward in prayer and vertue 4. Now to speake more of this degree then is spoaken in the first chapter seemes superfluous but deere Christian soul the more that such matters as these are repeated and some litle thing giuen better to be vnderstood the more profitable they are and not in any way superfluous therefore out of her workes I will adde to what is formerly said of these degrees and of this in particular that which I haue obserued which may be the better vnderstood by this example 5. A young chield desyring somwhat that he doth want not able to help himselfe doth fall a crijng and is not at rest vntill his Mother or nourse doth take him into her lappe or armes and giueth him the brest to suck with this he is silent and quiet and when he hath taken sufficiently and his belly is full as we may say he begins to slumber and fall a sleepe and at last he is soe heauily and deadly a sleepe that she takes the dugge out of his mouth and placeth him where she please to rest he not knowing nor feeling what is done to him or with him In like manner the soul in meditation is the child crijng for somwhat that she doth want and is not at rest vntill his diuine Maiesty doth take compassion vppon her seing her weryed and almost tired by the labour of the vnderstanding and will seeking to find him then taking her into his lappe he giueth her the teat of his holy presence which is supernaturall by which she begins to suck the sweet milk of deuotion and diuine consolation and is thereby made silent and contented this is quiet prayer then hauing taken sufficiently of that celestiall nectar in that quiet content with the dugge in her mouth as we may say or that diuine presence she is so ouer delighted and satisfyed and all the powers so ioyed that by degrees they begin to slumber or fall a sleepe forgetting by litle and litle all things of the world where they are and what they doe this is called the sleepe of the powers yet is not the soul in a dead sleepe for she holdeth the dugge as yet in her mouth and doe not omit to worke somewhat at last she is so replenished with that diuine liquor as one drunke and quite ouercome she falls into a dead sleepe she looseth the dugge and forgets absolutly all whatsoeuer is in heauen or earth and then she is put to rest yet where or how or by whom she knoweth not being drowned and in gulfed in the diuine essence with all her powers vnited the poore body for that present left quite forgotten senslesse and in a manner dead and this is called vnion that is the soul and all the powers are vinted to the diuine essence and she becomes one with God or as our Holy Mother sayth he taketh her and shut's her vpp within himselfe in the height of this vnion the soul knoweth and vnderstandeth nothing but soone after for it holds not long she knoweth what a great good she did enioy wherin all goodnesse is But now to the sleepe of the powers I returne which are not lost yet the ioy of the soul is so great that she knoweth not what to doe with her selfe through the vehemency of loue and she cannot containe her selfe her ioy and glory is so great she faine would cry out to giue notice to all creatures of her delight and paine for this excesse of loue is not without a delightfull paine that all might partake thereof and praise God she doth feele those effects in her selfe so perfectly that they put her farre beyond her selfe 6. And then she doth speake many words of loue in the praise of God without any order not knowing what to say or doe the will seemes to be in a kind of frensy with loue the vnderstanding doth see so many things together that she knoweth not what to fix vppon but is kept suspended in admiration the memory myndeth nothing but what is present so that the soul in this spirituall frensy and strang disposition knoweth not what best to doe whether to be silent or speake to lough or weepe for she is in a restlesse quietnesse and a sweet rest lessnesse through loue then to thinke of returning to vse the things of this world againe is very odious to her to walke is troublesome to speake and not of him is very painfull to eate is a kind of death though nature doth require it Se her life chap. 37. to sleepe is worse in fine all things which may in any wise hinder her of the enioying so great a good though for a moment and for her very health doth molest her and giueth her no satisfaction nor content 7. She doth not desyre to see or speake with any in this world but with such as are in the same frensy or sick of the same disease faine she would enioy God wholy and know nothing but him it seemes that S. Augnstine was sick of this disease when he sayd our heart o Lord is allwayes vnquiet vntill it
liue but a painfull life or rather a tormenting Martyrdome and lingering death so that all her desyre is to be dissolued and be with Christ yet though the paine which she doth suffer is very great her inward ioy is no lesse if not more but you shall see what she speakes of rhese degrees 5. The first after vnion is when the soul like vnto a flame proceeding or ascending from a well kindled fire burning with the fire of diuine loue goeth out of her selfe ascending vpwards and some tymes it goeth to a great height farre beyond the fire whence it doth proceede and this doth seeme to those that went no further to be the same with vnion but it differs much For vnion is like to the fire which only burneth inwardly not giuing any flames ascending vpwards but this going out of her selfe is like flames ascending vpwards from the fire and not to the fire it selfe so that this fire increasing and not able by reason of its vehemency to containe it selfe from blasing foorth the sweet wynd of the Holy Ghost blowing on it the soul is eleuated out of her selfe and as this firye flame increaseth it doth more and more consume in her all terrene affection and leaueth her farre purer and with greater freedome and liberty then in vnion and though she knoweth not how it came to passe yet she cannot but admire to see such an alteration and change in her selfe and her profit to be farre greater and with very great ioy 6. At other tymes his diuine Maiesty is pleased that the soul be struck and wounded at the very heart with a fearefull noyse in the most inward of her substance by a certaine delicat subtile and penetratiue impulse and as it were with a firy dart or bolt on a sudden proceeding from a thunder she not knowing how or by whom it came and though she hath hence great paine her ioy and comfort is farre greater then in the former and though this noyse is not heard with corporall eares for it is inward and a very silent noyse yet instantly heard and vnderstood by the soul and she doth cleerly and perfectly know that she is so called vppon by God as with a whistle and that she cannot but heare it and suddenly feele a great certainty of his presence and it is of that Maiesty and efficacy that it causeth all the powers and senses instantly to be recollected attentiue and giue their attendance though at that present they were much distracted and they dare not then moue or stire and this celestiall call impulse or firy dart doth so inflame her that she is burning and a consuming with the fire of diuine loue penetrating through her very bowells and the very inward substance of the soul and her paine by reason of the wound and the vehemency of loue is so great that she cannot containe her selfe but lament and with most sweet and amorous words complaine of her paine not being able to doe otherwise to her deerely beloued whom she knoweth to be present and will not manifest himselfe which is a spurre to forward and augment both loue and paine and though this paine is with vnspeakable delight it doth not continue long but cometh and goeth and allwayes doth leaue the soul inflamed with diuine loue her desyre to please him and serue his maiesty in great matters doth increase and her only feare is least she should become vngratfull for this and his other great fauours and benefits which doth encourrage her dayly to better her life to content him the more 7. Note that in this rapt the powers and senses are not suspended nor drowned but all stand in admiration to see the soul in so great paine worthy of compassion and yet with vnspeakable delight they wonder much what this should be and they can neither helpe nor disturbe her but remaine in their attendance with admiration In these degrees it doth happen that the soul hath many strong and sudden motions when one doth heare a good sermon or God well spoaken of or praised or musick or at the sight of some sweet and deuout picture and this cometh with an impulse in the depth or most inward of the soul so vehement sudden and swift that she cannot resist it more then a chyld to a Gyant but away she is taken and eleuated sometymes aboue all that is created where she hath the visions and reuelations formerly mentioned and with the greatnesse of the glory and Maiesty which she beholdeth in God she is much terrified and doth conceiue a reuerentiall feare which causeth the very haires of her head to stand and then she doth grieue that she or any other euer offended à Lord of so high and incomprehensible a dignity power and Maiesty and some tymes it is so excessiue that the body in the rapt is eleuated forcibly a great height from the earth as loathing all things on earth and tending to the place where it doth expect to be in endlesse happinesse 8. Neither is the soul and powers for a long tyme after these great rapts perfectly themselues for they are not yet out of that sweet sleepe or risen from that delightfull drunknesse for they had Ps 35. v. 9. taken plentifully of the varietyes and abundance of his house and drunke without measure of the torrent of those diuine liquours with so excessiue delight that they for a tyme after know not where they are or what they doe 9. Also when they returne to themselues all things of this world are so disgustfull and displeasing to them by reason of the great ioy they had that they haue an auersion from them and would not daine if they could to vse the least of them 10. She declareth an other degree or sort of rapt which she doth call a flight of the soul farre different from the rest and greater this she doth compare to a fire that suddenly falling doth fire and burne all whence proceedeth a great flame so as the soul is suddenly fired all ouer and doth burne so strongly with the fire of diuine loue that her spirit like vnto a great flame with a most swift flight getteth out of herselfe in such a delicat and subtile manner that it is admirable and in an instant she is placed where she doth see and vnderstand many great misteryes together with all clearnesse and truth and she doth not only see the Holy Trinity and speake with euery person but also doth obtaine some particular fauour of each of them 11. Likewise she doth relate that God doth shew how all creatures are contayned in his diuine essence and may be seene as in a faire christiall glasse suppose saith she that there were a great round cristiall glasse greater then all the world without which there is nothing and in which all things are included and seene very cleerly the same conceiue of God in whom really and truly all things are contayned and euen the very thoughts words and deedes of euery
secure way is to be indifferent to be disposed of as his diuine Maiesty shall thinke fitt and esteeme our selues vnworthy of any fauours 16. Our Holy Mother doth giue vs notice of other deceits which are incident to manie that haue some degree of supernaturall prayer and doe vse great and indiscreet pennances and thereby doe bring themselues to great weaknesse and of others who by nature are delicat tender and weake these soules feeling in prayer those gusts and ouer ioyed with consolations and inward sweetnesse doe languish or rather through weaknesse yeald as one whose spirits are decaying and failing and doe leaue themselues in a manner dead as if they were in a kind of rapt by which nature is extreamly hurt and more weakned and they think it to be some effect of prayer or the spirit of God that doth worke so in them and therefore they remaine in that manner for some houres to gether 17. But they must resist that weakenesse and shake of that sluggish disposition for it is no other and if that weaknesse doth proceede from too much austerity or pennance by the aduise of their Ghostly Father or directour they must eat and drink sleepe and recreat themselues well for some dayes vntill they acquire strength for as is said indiscreet pennance is hurtfull to body and soul and if it doth proceede from the tendernesse or weake constitution of nature they must be more employed in the actiue life and outward things then in the solitary or contemplatiue life for the very solitude is able to make them weaker and therefore let them be obedient being applyed to outward things and let them be sure that this is very gratfull to God and they no lesse saints for as I said sanctity doth not consist in contemplation or hauing visions or such like but in true vertue and conformity of our will to the will of God 18. So that if obedience command the actiue more or rather then the contemplatiue to be obserued we must be wholy indifferent and resigned to embrace it with content also euery complexion is not fitt for solitude contemplation and much recollection for some that giue themselues to this cannot goe forward nor profit by reason of their indisposition of nature that would be saints if they had applyed themselues to the charitable and humble workes of the actiue life for though Martha gaue her selfe to the practise and exercise of the actiue lyfe yet she was a S. as well as her sister Mary Magdalen who gaue her selfe wholy to the contemplatiue 19. So that they must in this case resist that weaknesse and belieue for certaine that it is no effect of supernaturall prayer for in this sort of prayer the body is rather comforted and delighted then troubled or weakned by reason the ouer great content and ioy of the soul doth redowne to the body and it doth partake of her inward felicity as it is knowen by experience vnlesse it be in the prayer of vnion when the soul powers and senses are wholy vnited and drowned in Gods diuine essence for though then the body be destitute of all force this doth not continue but for a short tyme as I said elswhere and it doth returne to it selfe againe with strength content and great satisfaction and in that vnion though the body be for a short tyme as dead yet the soul it more liuely inwardly with God which in that other she cannot be but heauy and dull without any good effect yea rather with many euil and hurtfull to body and soul Obserue also if God be pleased to giue you any of those fauours of Rapts visions Reuelations or other supernaturall things of that sort whether you be terrifyed or fearfull at first for commonly if they be true they worke that effect in the soul though soone after she is in great quietnes and content moreouer you must not goe to prayer through curiosity to know any thing by reuelation nor adheare to your owne opinion or proper iudgment concerning any thing reuealed but easily submit to the saying of your directour or other learned men Likewise marke whether they be of vaine things without any necessity or profit to your selfe or others and note that whensoeuer by visions words or any such which you haue in these degrees of supernatutall prayer you find not your soul bettered in humility or that you perceiue in your selfe any litle smoake of selfe interest proper esteeme or vaine glory make no accompt of them but set them at naught as false and proceeding from Sathan but the prayer or vision bringing humility with it is to be much esteemed and God highly praysed with many thankes for it 20. Deere Christian soul you may read of these things more at large in the life of our Holy Mother and in the bookes which she wrote called the castle of the soul or the mansions and the way of perfection for I haue collected these thence only that they which God doth bring to these degrees or haue visions or reuelations may vnderstand reading this litle treatise what prayer they haue and whether their visions be true or false that they may not be troubled or in continuall feare of being deceiued by the deuil as our Holy Mother was which will be a great comfort to their mynd and quietnes to their conscience THE VII CHAPTER Of some obseruations for the better vnderstanding of what is said concerning Prayer 1. WHereas in the treatise of Prayer there is often mention made of the sensitiue appetite inferiour and superiour part of man also of seuerall degrees of contemplation which I suppose are knowen to the learned I thought good for the better satisfaction of the ignorant and vnlearned to speake somewhat of them in the conclusion of this worke The sensitiue appetite is a faculty consisting of two members in the inferiour part of man and hath its seat in the liuer and heart or as others say in the heart only and it hath for its obiect sensible good or euil as it is apprehended by the imagination as conuenient or disconuenient the members or partes of it are the concupiscible and irascible The office of the concupiscible part is to incline to and be moued to that which is good or agreable to it and to decline and shun that which is euil or contrary to it The office of the irascible part is to fight against the difficultyes which may occurre in the acquisition of the good and shuning the euil in these two the eleauen passions which are in man are resident six in the concupiscible and fiue in the irascible 2. The passion is a motion of the sensitiue part which is moued by the apprehension of some good or euil as conuenient or disconuenient pleasing or displeasing to it The passions of the concupiscible are loue desyre ioy or gladnes hatred flight griefe or sadnesse Loue is a propension of the appetite towards that which is apprehended as good desire or concupiscence is a
and by conderation or meditation come to the contemplation of those things which are eternall for meditation is a discourse of the vnderstanding by which we labour to find out the truth of things which being found the vnderstanding doth rest beholding that truth with content which is contemplation In meditation we are like a shippe at Sea tending towards its port of hauen through many dangers and crosse winds for there come's one crosse wynd of an euil representation then that of an other distraction then a tempest of some great temptation then the heauy waues of the sensitiue appetites and passions though not allwayes giuing vs very litle rest but as the shippe with contrary wynds and swelling sea 's doe tosse vs too and froe thinke then what great labour must the Superiour part take in this case therefore great dilligence and art is to be vsed to get forward and secure our selues that all difficultyes ouercome we may rest at length in the hauen of sweet contemplation which is but a simple view or beholding of the knowen truth with content for there we are like a shippe at anker and rest in the hauen so long and so much desired and wished for by which you see that meditation is the high path way to contemplation and without the long vse and practise of it that rich iewell of conteÌ„plation is not had 9. Contemplation thus described hath three degrees the one naturall the other supernaturall the last diuine by the first we contemplat God as the authour and creatour of all things and naturall verityes in them as many philosophers did in the second by a supernall light infused we contemplat God as the authour of grace of whom we receiue spirituall fauours and benefits for we are borne the children of wrath and by grace in baptisme we are made the children of God and come to know the workes of grace by the third which is diuine as proceeding from the gift of the Holy Ghost called wisdome we contemplat God and his diuine perfections as that he is infinit immense eternall goodnesse it selfe c. to these three degrees of contemplation there are three appetites or facultyes in vs corresponding the sensitiue the rationall and the spirituall by the first we loue God for our being as our creatour by the second we affect him for his many benefits of grace as our chiefe benefactour by the third we loue him for his diuine perfections only as worthy of all loue for himselfe and according to these three we may regulat all our actions in this life of these that proceede according to the first S. Paul said The naturall man 1. Co. rinth 2. v 14 Collos 3. v. 5. that is he that followeth sensuality receiueth not the things of the spirit of God of the second that tend to Christian perfection he sayes mortify your members which are vppon the earth of the third it is said by God to Abraham Gen. 17. v. 1. walke before me that is in his Holy presence and be perfect as Abraham and Dauid did who said to God the meditation of my heart is allwayes acceptable in thy sight for those doe all things for the honour and glory of God 10. Yet misticall diuines doe speake of an other degree of contemplation which they call Sapientia vnitiua an vniting wisdome and it doth consist in the affection of the will rather then in the operation of the vnderstanding for by anagogicall or ardent acts of loue and diuine aspirations the will inflamed in a manner without the operation of the vnderstanding getteth out of it selfe earnestly endeauoring to be vnited and to adheare actually to God this is of great perfection But that diuine contemplation of which I spoake formerly is an act of the vnderstanding suspended in admiration of eternall things proceeding from the gift of wisdome with an inward gust and experimentall taste of celestiall sweetnes for beholding so many rare and stang things together the vnderstanding stands in admiration this admiration causeth a serious attention this attention bringeth a pure and very cleere knowledg of Eternall verityes with so great inward gust and sweetnes thâ—â— the vnderstanding remaines wholy suspended hence diuine loue increaseth the soul is inflamed and knoweth not what to doe with her selfe 11. The effects of this diuine loue are many but those principally An extasy by which the soul seemeth to goe out of her selfe with seruour of spirit to be transformed into her beloued then liquefaction which is a kind of tenderdesse or melting of the soul that the pores all open she might drawe her beloued into her selfe as the spunge doth water Vnion by which they are vnited and doe touch each other as we see two things ioyned together mutuall inhesion by which hey now vnited doe strictly embrace each other Penetration by which with cordiall affections she getteth within her beloued Transformation by which she 〈…〉 to be changed into the forme and perfections of her beloued Zeale by which she doth so burne that she can endure no Society of any in that good which she doth possesse these effects of loue are more forcibly produced when the thing beloued is in her possession but if her beloued be absent her desyre to enioy him is so vehement and this is called feruour that it doth procure an other effect of loue called languor by which out of the excessiue griefe and paine which for his absence she doth conceiue she is often in danger to dye for in deede it is able to procure a separation of body and soul and it doth happen to some you may read of these things more at large in seuerall bookes but chiefely in the booke written by the R. Fr. Iohn of Iesus Maria called the instruction of the nouices and that which he wrote of oration and contemplation in the treatise of the passions note that all the degrees of prayer and contemplation of which our Holy Mother speakes may be reduced to those formerly mentioned as the prayer of recollection quiet prayer sleepe of the soul vnion c. which are supernaturall and haue contemplation 12. As for a rapt it is a certaine eleuation by which the soul is exalted by the spirit of God to supernaturall things with a kind of abstraction from the senses you must obserue heere that a rapt doth include a violence which doth not consist in that the soul is carryed towards God by reason that is agreable to her nature but because she is with so great swiftnes carryed from the senses by that abstraction yet the senses as is formerly said are not wholy lost vnles it be when the rapt is in the height but they are much altered by reason of that sudden and violent abstraction of the soul from them yet they doe well perceiue in that rapt when the body is eleuated from the ground that the body is in that height which causeth great admiration in the soul so that the rapts properly doe not consist
THE THIRD PART OF THE SOVL'S DELIGHT Collected and composed out of the workes of the GLORIOVS VIRGIN St. TERESA OF IESVS Author of the reformation of the Holy Order of the B. V. MARY of the MOVNT CARMELL BY THE R. F. PAVL OF St. VBALD RELIGIOVS OF THE SAME ORDER For the comfort of those that are more spirituall and haue supernaturall Prayer Sine intermissione Orate Pray without intermission 1. Thesal 5. v. 16. Meditatio cordis mei in conspectu tuo semper The meditation of my heart is allwayes in thy sight psal 18. v. 15. IN ANTWARP By WILLIAM LESTEENS in Hoochstrat at the signe of the Pellican 1654. THE THIRD PART Of the soul's delight wherein is treated of supernaturall prayer and seuerall degrees thereof THE FIRST CHAPTER A briefe relation of supernaturall Prayer 1. OVr Holy Mother S. Teresa in her life and her other woorkes doth declare and explicat this matter so well that I neede not speake much of it But by reason her workes or bookes cannot be had by euery one I will briefly say somwhat of it out of her for the comfort of pious soules and to encourrage many to goe forward in this Blessed exercise of mentall prayer seing to what great happinesse they may attaine by it 2. For the better vnderstanding of what is to be sayd you must obserue that as there are vertues which we call acquired by reason they are gayned by our labour industry and practise there be also vertues which we call infused that is not gained by our industry or labour but are giuen vs by the meere gift of God which are certaine habits of vertues that doth cause vs promptly and with facility to vse and produce vertuous acts these are infused into the soul she not knowing how but that she finds by the effects that it is a speciall gift of God which is suddenly perceiued and to which she could not attaine with the labour of many yeares 3. In like manner there is prayer acquired or naturall and infused or supernaturall that naturall is gayned by the long practise of it as we get other artes or trades by the dayly vse of them but this infused is in an instant giuen vnto vs by God and it doth cause vs to worke in a more perfect manner and more knowingly and more feelingly we not knowing whence or how it came and therefore it is called supernaturall being beyond our reach but sometyme this prayer is giuen only for that present and perhaps at other tymes yet it is not habituall because it is not permanent though supernaturall and this doth produce great and good effects in the soul but the other cometh with a presence of God so perfect that going to prayer though you were in diuerse occasions of businesse instantly before which were sufficient to distract a man a whole day suddenly set on your knees in prayer with a looke on that presence of God you are recollected and haue sufficient matter to employ the powers in so that the soul is in a great content with the inward satisfaction which she doth feele and this is not without contemplation and though the naturall contemplation delighteth the mynd and adorneth the soul much yet this other giueth more content and satisfaction in an instant then that is euer able to reach vnto with all industry possible 4. This is commonly giuen only to soules that are pure and after long labour in the practise of the other prayer mortification of their senses and passions and pennance for their sinns are wery of the world and doe loath the vanityes and pleasures thereof and doe aspire to the loue of God and true perfection these soules doe now desire solitude and doe betake themselues from all occasions into the most secret places they can find fit for their purpose to giue themselues to holy reading prayer and other spirituall exercises as the antient saints did into the wildernesse solitary and desart places to be employed and familiar with God alone 5. For these places are most fit for recollection and contemplation and the spirit of God hath this property that it desireth to be in priuat employed only in heauenly things and such as are eternall and this doubtlesse was the cause that in former tymes when there were more saints in the Church then now the Abbayes and monasteryes were built in remote and solitary places farre from the noyse of people where all things and euen the very solitude most did moue and inuite them to recollection and contemplation of diuine matters 6. For euery creature there doth teach vs to know our selues our creatour and his perfections for there we shall see nothing but the heauens ouer vs the earth vnder the water ebbing and flowing going and coming the trees hearbs and flowers now springing then faire soone after withering decaying and fading away the beasts feeding and bellowing the byrds flying and singing all of them in their kind manifesting and praising their common Lord the creatour of all things 7. The earth when we looke downe telleth vs that we are dust from it and must returne to it againe be we neuer so powerfull or great this dayly experience doth confirme the water and its courses shewes the vncertainty mutability and vnconstancy of the life of man and his vaine desyres the trees flowers and the rest doth shew how long a man is coming to perfection and on a sudden is gon by death the beastes tell vs with all others that we are not of our selues but haue a God who gaue vs our being infinit wise and prouident preseruing and prouiding for all in their owne kind when we looke vpwards we see the heauens and they tell vs that there is the place and seat of all felicity and happinesse where God and his Angells in glory are resident and that we are created to enioy God there and therefore ought to tend thither and labour to compasse it by seruing and praising him who hath so created vs and prouided for vs as to be with himselfe in all ioy and glory for all eternity this good and much more solitude affordeth in those desart places the soul then that is desirous of perfection and therefore doth retyre her selfe from occasions and in that solitude doth giue her selfe to more reading and praying to come to the more perfect knowledg and feeling of God that she may loue and serue him in a better and more eminent way then euer before must resolue to seeke after God alone all other things whatsoeuer neglected and forsaken which the great God of mercy and goodnesse obseruing and seing how that poore soul doth labour in prayer with her vnderstanding and will to find him by loue and is often tyred vsing great diligence heerein at length taketh compassion vppon her and eleuating her spirit doth set her at rest with great sweetnesse in a deepe recollection farre within her selfe in a solitude of an other kind where she enioyeth so perfect a feeling
of his presence within her selfe that she could neuer haue imagined it which setleth all the powers in an instant and giueth her admirable content and inward satisfaction farre surpassing what she Felt before This solitude within Apo. cap. 5. v. 10. 1. Cor. 3. v. 16. chap 6. v 19. 2. Cor. 6. v. 16. her selfe is the kingdome and liuing temple of God and the seat of his eternall wisdome the manner of going thither as is said ' is by an inward recollection introuersion or rather attraction of the powers and senses so strongly and suddenly that the soul is in admiration to see so sudden an alteration but how or what it is she knoweth not but she doth plainly perceiue that she is so well employed and her happines so great that she would not be thence though she could for all this world 8. This recollection is farre different from that other which we procure of which I spoake formerly for that doth consist in this that we doe seriously by some pious consideration apply the powers to the presence of God which we doe conceiue or frame inwardly which giueth great content and causeth them easily forget outward things yet the soul cannot but feele the powers working with the noyse of words and know that they are in their owne proper home and that by their industry that recollection is procured but this othet is not procured but suddenly giuen them and they are more deeply recollected and in a greater solitude so farre within the soul that they admire how they came thither and they woorke so slowly and attentiuely that they doe neere forget both house and home with the present content so that the one is had with labour and difficulty the other is giuen them with ease and sweetnesse the one is acquired or naturall this other infused and supernaturall farre surpassing our capacity and reach more inward with greater light sweetnesse and satisfaction and a deeper impression of truthes in the soul for it proceedeth from a more noble of spring and begining which is God himselfe also it leaueth and disposeth the soul richly and well for higher matters so that in the first we worke in our selues that recollection in this other we are the patient and God worketh it in vs therefore he sayd by his Holy Prophet I will O see 2. v. 14. lead her into the solitude or wildernesse and there I will speake vnto her heart he doth not say that she will goe but I will bring her thither to shew that the worke is his and a gift that the soul with all her labour and industry could neuer reach vnto or compasse that she might be the more gratefull 9. But you must vnderstand that as by degrees we acquire morrall vertues or the perfection of naturall prayer so by degrees or certaine steps as we may say God leadeth his beloued spouse into this solitude and Paradise of delight and first he giueth her a continuall presence of him selfe which is supernaturall with so efficatious and feeling a knowledg that she cannot but certainly belieue that he is there within her yet she perhaps taketh no notice of it to know what it is but the light is great and the effects of his presence are very euident this is not an imaginary presence but a light that bringeth a Maiesty with it which with one looke on it procureth in the soul most profound humility and an admirable reuerentiall respect towards his diuine Maiesty out of which aspect and respect there followeth a sweet content and many delightfull teares so that when the soul please she may looke in and presently find with whom to conuerse without any labour and sufficient matter to keepe her employd and this is the first step or degree 10. The second step wherein he leadeth her forward is that recollection of which I spoake last for the ioy and content which proceedeth from that continuall aspect instantly recollecteth all the powers though they were neuer so much distracted before and giueth them so serious employment that they easily forget all outward obiects attending only to what is there which bringeth the soul to haue great freedome hauing nothing to diuert her intention nor attention out of that recollection and serious attention the light and affection doe increase at which the powers are in admiration and silence and this is the third degree expecting to see what will be the conclusion for Heere the soul seemeth truly to haue found whom she loued Cant. 3. v. 4. and sought for and now doth hold himfast and will not let him goe as is said in the canticle they are heere present to gether very euidently and feelingly there is no noyse of words inwardly but by affection and loue they are vnited forcibly resting sweetly in the bed of delight and the very powers haue so great content and satisfaction that they would not haue the very body to moue or breath least as our Holy Mother sayth In her life chap. 15. so great a good should be lost or scape out of her hands as if by that meanes she could keepe it being the gift of God depending only of his diuine will and pleasure who giueth it when to whom and for as long tyme as he thinks fitting and it can be no longer heere the soul truly feeleth how great the power of God is and how sweet he is to those that loue him 11. Hence his diuine Maiesty leadeth her forward into the depth of the inward solitude that is to a higher and more eminent degree of prayer where she may more perfectly and fully enioy his presence and receiue greater blessings then in the former this is called the sleepe of the powers for in the former they all were in great silence and therefore it is called quiet prayer or the prayer of rest by reason all the powers there doe rest from their operations or discoursing are quiet and in silence out of which the soul falling more deepely in loue the delight and inward ioy increaseth so as the powers are in a manner ouercome and are begining to loose them selues by degrees as one slumbering and falling a sleepe that know's not what he doth or where he is this soul is like to one that lyeth a dijng his forces failing by degrees vntill he grow so weake and feeble that he has scarse any sense or feeling of any thing knoweth no body nor where he is nor what he doth or is done to him yet is not dead but betwixt both as we may say our Holy Mother compareth the soul in this degree to one who is gon so farre into a In her life chap. 16. deepe water that it reacheth to the chin goe forward he cannot neither doth he know how to turne back neither would he though he could and thus she betwixt both begins in a manner to sink and fall a dijng for the waters of delight are now in such a height that the powers are ouercome and
repose and delightfull contemplation they as Martha are well employed in outward actions and some laudable occupations yet they are not so attentiue outwardly that they doe wholy forget the inward and we may compare them to one who hath one eye looking on what is outward and the other to what is inward for they doe well know that the will which is their principall part doth remaine there vnited in ioy and that there their most attendance ought to be so that they are not perfectly in the one nor in the other but this good that memory and cast of the eye to what the will is a doing bringeth to the soul that when the outward employment is ended they quickly desyre their former solitude and are easily retyred and recollected with the will and then the soul doth remaine in great quietnesse tranquility and inward peace with admirable content and satisfaction by reason all doe concurre and assist her more seriously compleatly and perfectly to enioy her only good and praise her God without impediment 17. At other tymes his diuine Maiesty is pleased to keepe the will and vnderstanding captiues and vnited leauing the memory and imagination free at liberty and they finding themselues alone and not regulated or directed by the vnderstanding are very vnquiet and troublesome and doe endeauour to disturbe the soul from her peaceable content and rest desirous to bring the other powers to themselues but though it be a cruell warre they are able to effect nothing wanting the assistance of the vnderstanding and will yet howsoeuer they doe molest her much and the imagination doth present so many things runing from one to an other that the poore soul cannot doe what she would by reason whereof she doth often lament and make her moane to his diuine Maiesty that she is so diuided and not wholy vnited in his loue and praise and at length he causeth them for her comfort to be vnited with the other powers and to burne in and with the same fire in which the others are almost consumed loosing in a manner their naturall being and liuing supernaturally in him In this and the like cases and occasions when any of the powers are at liberty and troublesome you must doe as is formerly said of quiet prayer not regard them nor attend to what they doe but as a wiseman taketh no notice of what a foole saith or doth so she must doe with them and remaine as much as she can possibly in her sweet rest and repose this is of importance to be knowen by such as are come to these degrees of prayer 18. And when a soul is come so farre as to begin to be wholy dead to all things of the world and liue to God alone her desyre to be with him and enioy him is to vehement and her paine thence so great that if his diuine Maiesty by a speciall way had not preuented it and preserued her it were more then sufficient as is said to seperat the body from the soul for she can think vppon nothing desyre nothing is satisfyed with nothing but God alone and the enioying of him in his kingdome of glory which she cannot haue being a prisoner in the miserable and corruptible body and therefore there is no death so cruell that could be offered but she with vnspeakable ioy would endure that set at liberty she might the better and without any impediment possesse for euer whom she doth so deerely loue our Holy Mother doth affirme that the paine and agony that the soul hath in this degree with that desyre to be dissolued and liue with Christ where he is seene cleerly face to face is such that the soul hath neede to haue great courrage to beare and endure it Therefore she aduiseth that the soul in this occasion must resolutly cast her selfe wholy into Gods hands and care and leaue her selfe to his Holy disposing in all things for she doth know that she cannot doe litle or much in this case neither hath she other ability but to giue her consent and resigne her will to receiue those fauours and embrace such gifts as his diuine Maiesty is pleased to bestow vppon her 19. To this happinesse ordinarily they only come who are mortified voyde of selfe interest diligent in Gods seruice feruent in his loue prompt to doe his will carefull and sincere in all that is to his honour glory and praise these are they that his Maiesty bringeth into the wynecellar to drinke of the choyse and best to eat at his owne table to be in his priuat chamber to rest in the place of repose and bed of delight o how sweet is their conuersation how diuine their embracement how strong their loue he said to his spouse with perpetuall charity I loued thee Heere he giueth her a taste a begining and a feeling of those ioyes Ieremy 31. v. 3. and glory which are eternall O who would not labour to attaine to so great happinesse which is so easily granted and had 20. Come deere Christian soul to him by the practise of this Holy exercise of prayer put on once a good resolution and though perhaps in the begining you may haue some difficulty and be in darknesse yet in tyme with your perseuerance you shall be illuminated and eased come to him I beseech you though neuer so heauy loaden with sinne be not a shamed nor a frayd for he is truly in loue with the least and worst of vs all and I belieue farre more forward with loue of vs then we can be with loue of him this his coming from heauen to earth his Bitter Passion his Pretious Blood shed and his painfull death on the crosse for vs doth testify come therefore with confidence to him and you shall not be confounded nor get a deniall nor repulse the manner how to come to him King Dauid doth declare saying with all my heart I sought after thee and not Ps 110 v. 145. with a diuided heart that is that he loued nothing else but God for he resolued not to admit any other loue into his v. 145. heart but his and in an other verse of the same psalme he said I cryed vnto thee o Lord with all my heart and therefore he was heard for his prayer like incense ascended vnto God from the altar of his penitent and louing heart and it was so gratefull to his diuine Maiesty that the 1. kingâ— 13. v. Scripture saith that he was a man according to God's owne heart 21. Be not thou then daunted come to this thy louing Lord take delight in prayer in his holy conuersation and seruice come with all thy heart and then aske what thou wilt for thy good and doubtlesse it will be granted the petions of thy heart he will regard and if thou wilt dispose thy selfe well and be perseuerant thou mayst obtaine this happy degree of prayer and at last his diuine Maiesty seing thee according to his owne heart will crowne thy
one in particular may be plainly seene she sayth that this vision was one of the greatest fauours which God did vnto her and that a soul hath great neede of a strong courage to behold what are there chiefly the horrid and foul sinns committed against his diuine Maiesty and the many abuses and iniuryes which dayly are done to him in the world this is able and sufficient she sayes to cause a separation and an absolute diuision of the soul from the body if God had not giuen her strength to bere it or disposed of her otherwise 12. She doth also speake of an other sort of rapt farre beyond the rest and saith that it is more then a rapt for it is a very vehement and eminent rapt and of great value and worth this suddenly at the hearing God well spoaken of or calling to mynd that he is absent whom she doth loue most entirely and often without any of both she doth find in her selfe a vehement motion and desyre to be with him which is so forcible that in an instant it doth penetrat the soul wholy she knoweth not how it is but doth feele it and is not able to resist it and she is taken and powerfully carryed beyond all that is created and placed in a strang solitude desolat and destitute of any comfort from heauen and earth and she doth conceiue that none of any of both would keepe her company or be a comfort to her in that desolation neither doth she desyre any comfort or company from them but would there willingly suffer and dye 13. And it doth happen as she saith that his diuine Maiesty doth communicat him selfe to her in so subtile and admirable a way that it cannot be vnderstood lesse expressed by any but by himselfe but she hath so cleere a knowledge then left in her of his greatnesse and goodnesse and his other incomprehensible perfections that it doth increase her loue and augment her paine and torments loue doth burne and consume her her desyre to be with him is able to separat the soul from the body and she doth not know how to help her selfe but by death and therefore dye she would to enioy his blessed presence in glory this torment is the greater that the memory of him is so perfect and cleere notwithstanding he doth absent himselfe which addeth much to her affliction 14. In other degrees or rapts the ioy doth mitigat her paine but in this she is destitute of all ioy or consolation and left in the furnace of tribulation which is a very strong martyrdome and so painfull that as ioy and ouer much delight in the other degrees did suspend the powers and senses so paine doth in this and it is of so great vehemency that the very body doth partake with her of it and it is so disioynted that aâ— the members seeme broaken and for many dayes after no one member can be moued without great and vnexplicable paine 15. It is able to moue a stony heart to read how our Holy Mother doth describe it in her life and what lamentation In her life chap. 20. and loud cryes she giueth out to express her paine only desyrous to be dissolue and be with Christ and for her greate torment in that solitude she is put in mynd of that verse I watch and am as she Ps 101 v 3. solitary sparrow alone in the toppe or roofe of the house and she thinketh then that she is so and in that case and solitarinesse she doth remember these words Ps 41. v. 4. 12. without procuring it where is thy God as if it were said to her where is he in whom thou ha'st placed all thy confidence where is he why doth not he now helpe thee in this distressed case hath he so forsaken thee whom thou do'st so deerely loue and seeke after now he hath left thee destitute of all comfort and consolation if he had loued thee he would not forsake thee thus are all thy labours come to this that thou art left in desolation without comfort or helpe from heauen and earth where is thy God this God so permitting doth duble her paine and increase her desyre so vehemently to see and be with him that it is sufficient to take away many liues if she had them and that saying of S. Paul was represented vnto her I Gal. â— v. 14. am crucified to the world and the world to me so that she remaines in the greatest torment that may be imagined as it were crucifyed betwixt heauen and earth 16. Our Holy Mother doth compare this paine to the paines of Purgatory it is so excessiue and when the soul doth perceiue that his diuine Maiesty is to bring her into this solitude and anguishes of death for truly it is no other she naturally doth feare and tremble but once that she is in it she would not be out of it true it is that the sensitiue or inferiour part cannot but loath it being so ouer painfull and apt to separat the body from the soul yet the superiour or spirituall part taketh content in so suffering for the loue of God esteeming it as in deede it is of great value and profit fot in this she is most like vnto our Sauiour Crucified destitute of any comfort Math. 27. v. 46. from heauen or earth which caused him to say my God my God as what ha'st thou for saken me and therefore she doth reiect all that formerly were wont to comfort her to remaine in this paine and conformity to Christ our Sauiour suffering for as the gold by fire she in this is tryed purified and refined as if she were come from Purgatory her loue is now purer and so excessiue great that nothing can content or satisfy her burning desyre but the possession and enioying of God wholy as he is and not any particular part of him and since she cannot iustly procure her owne death to be with him with great tendernesse of heart she doth lament and bewayle her long bannishment resigning her selfe wholy to his diuine disposing and earnestly praying that her liuing as yet in this case may be very highly to his honour and glory which she doth allwayes and in all things regard more then her selfe and desyre rather then her ease or to be free from her paine though she were certaine it should continue to the world's end 17. In this paine dying life and excesse of loue towards God our Holy Mothers soul was commonly in her later dayes and the impulses of loue were so penetratiue and forcible in her that with the vehemency of one great impulse of loue her pure and blessed soul departed the body not of any other sicknesse and ascended into glory where she doth most happily enioy him whom she so deerely loued this she did declare appeering to the venerable Mother Catherin of Iesus Prioresse of Beas the very day of her death I beseech his diuine Maiesty to grant this diuine loue
counter fit or appeere with that maiesty light cleernesse and liulynesse with which our Sauiour doth appeere for he doth come so resplendent and glorious and his person is so beautifull that the soul cannot but know that it is he and often his glory and her ioy at his presence are so great that she is wholy rauished and depriued of all forces and this doth leaue in her a true feeling knowledg that he alone is absolute Lord of heauen and earth and with this she is extreamly comforted hauing a liuly impression of him printed in her vnderstanding euen after he is parted which the deuil cannot effect let him doe what he can In this manner his diuine Maiesty was present for some yeares with our Holy Mother wheresoeuer she went But in the intellectuall vision which is more euident eminent and more secure from all deceit being very supernaturall and representing the Angelicall manner of knowing or vnderstanding without words formes or shapes or any image by a notion so diuine with admirable light and cleernesse she doth know and see in the very center of the soul the most Blessed Trinity and in this manner the three persons remayned in our Holy Mother as wittnesses of what she did and they did often admonish and forewarne her to preuent some imperfections into which in occasions she had fallen if she were not foretold of them and she was so replenished with knowledg of diuine Misteryes and those chiefely of our Holy faith that she was able to dispute and conuince the most learned protestants shew their errours and make the truth plainly and euidently appeere this she doth write at which I thinke none can admire she being full of diuine wisdome taught and instructed by the truth it selfe 9. And obserue that these high and great visions are not as a certaine presence of God or some influence of the diuinity which in quiet prayer vnion or other degrees of supernaturall prayer are had but in these is the blessed body and proper person of Christ himselfe true God and man the very son of the Glorious and immaculat Virgin Mary of which the soul cannot doubt neither can the deuil as is said represent such great beauty glory and Maiesty with which our Sauiour doth appeere for all the glory that can be imagined is but a darke cloud compared with this and heere also is the most Holy Trinity it selfe the very diuine essence one God and three persons and each of them doe speake to her and she to them and of euery of them she doth begg and obtaine some speciall fauour or gift 10. And note that some tymes there are wordes without any vision the party not knowing how or whence they come but they are heard with the corporall eares other tymes inwardly in the very depth of the soul but cleerly and perfectly vnderstood also there are visions and no words yet the soul doth get great benefit thereby and there are visions and words to gether But in what kind so euer they be the soul by the signes and effects mentioned will easily know whether they be good or no true or false which is a very great comfort to her moreouer when the visions and speeches are true they worke so effectually in the soul that she doth find her inclination to vices and imperfections decay and true vertue taking roote in her which the deuil with all his witt and wyles is not able to doe Blessed be God who hath prouided so well for his owne seruants he is truly wonderfull in all his workes and as he is omnipotent so nothing is to his diuine Maiesty vnpossible 11. But though these signes heere layd downe by which one may discerne the true from the false and the good from the bad are very good yet she doth aduise In her life chap. 19. though the fauours be great that none must trust litle or much to himselfe or his owne iudgment but in all and euery thing be circumspect and prudent only acquainting his Ghostly Father or directour with what visions or other fauours God doth grant vnto him and both of them must not diuulge any of them but vse all secrecy and silence commending it to God vntill tyme doth try the truth or his diuine Maiesty by some other way doth make it manifest and knowen if he will haue it so for the deuil is apt to tempt and deceiue and our nature is prone and inclined to proper esteeme and vaine glory on small occasions much more in these like 12. And such as are desirous of true perfection must be carefull not to affect or seeke after supernaturall gusts visions and reuelations for it is a true token of an vnmortifyed spirit litle humility and much presumption and to these God doth not commonly giue those fauours but to the humble that thinke themselues altogether vnworthy of any such for humility in this way of Spirit doth preuaile much with God and gayneth all 18. Moreouer if in these supernaturall degrees you find your prayer allwayes after one manner and your gustes and quietnesse of spirit at all tymes to be the same your prayer is to be suspected not to be right but from Sathan and in visions if you can for a long tyme without alteration behold that which doth appeere whether it be our Sauiour or any Saint it is to be esteemed an illusion and deceit of the deuil for all these great vnions rapts and visions are of no continuance but speedily doe alter and passe away that is to say they doe not continew in that height of Maiesty or glory though they may continew in a more obscure manner and be present and perfectly perceiued for a very long tyme. 14. And you must obserue that in these visions of our Sauiour and his saints you must haue a great respect vnto them though they be from the Deuil and make your spirituall profit of them for you are not to hate or contemne a sweet picture that representeth one whom you deerely loue because it is made by a painter of an euil life but rather loue it by reason it doth put you in mynd of your beloued which is a comfort to your mynd euen so though the deuil being an excellent painter should frame or represent in vs the forme or image of our Sauiour or any Saints we must not disrespect it because it is framed by him but vse it for our profit with humility and reuerence for their sakes whom we loue and it doth represent 15. Also you must not thinke them the holyest that haue consolations visions and reuelations for many are great saints that neuer had any of them and others that had visions and gusts are not therefore saints for true sanctity as I often said doth consist in solid vertue and true conformity of our will to the will of God in all things but the visions and gusts are good when they are from God yet not to be affected or desired and the best and most
the better vnderstanding of what is said concerning prayer Of the most marcable things contayned in this third Part. The first figure will shew you the page or syde of the leafe The second when it is will designe the marginall Number where that is to be had which is sought for and. this word ibid. Shewes that it is in the place lastly cited A. ACquired vertues what p. 3. n. 2 Acquired prayer what p 4. n. 3. Abbayes built in solitary places in former tymes and wherefore p. 6. n. 5. Attention to discourse or inward words doe hinder the benefit of quiet prayer p. 31. n. 11. Absence from God a heauy loade to a louing soul p. 66. B. THe Body doth participat of the inward ioy in supernaturall prayer the Body in vnion woyde of sense p. 56. n. 2. the Body eleuated aboue ground in rapts p. 63. n. 2. The true Body of Christ is seene in some visions p. 85. n. 9. C. COnsolations not to be affected p. 29. n. 10. Consolations and comforts which comes by discourse farre different from those which God giueth in supernaturall prayer p. 31. n. 12. Consolations and comforts supernaturall doth recreat body and soul p. 32. n. 12. They giue health to the sick p. 33. n. 13. diuine Communications are highly esteemed by the soul p. 37. n. 2. Charity ordered in the soul p. 43. n. 8. p. 44. n. 10. Christ more in loue with vs then we with him p. 35. The way to come to God ibid. Concupiscible part of man what p. 95. n. 1. Contemplation what p. 102. p. 104. n. 10. D. DIscourse not to be vsed nor regarded in quiet prayer and wherefore p. 27. n. 9. p. 31. n. 11. Death desired to be with God p. 74. n. 13. Desire what p. 69. E. ELeuations of the spirit in prayer are many yet distinct betwixt themselues and from vnion p. 62. n. i. Theyr difference is knowne by their effects p. 63. n. 2. Exrasis haue their effects inward and outward ibidem Extasy described p. 105. n. 11. F. FOrce not to be vsed in prayer and why p. 89. n. 9. Flight The passion what p. 69. n. 2. Flight the rapt compared to a sudden fyre p. 71. n. 10. G. GOds presence supernaturall p. 4. n. 3. p. 10. n. 9. p. 24. n. 5. God and his Angells where p. 7. n. 7. God doth worke recollection in vs. p. 10. n. 8. God doth reward our labour in prayer p. 8. n. 7. Gusts in prayer not to be desyred and why so p. 29. n. 10. God contayning all creatures in himselfe seene in a rapt and the sins committed on earth p. 72. n. 11. Ghostly Father to be acquainted with all visions c. p. 87. n. 11. H. HVmility to be vsed in prayer p. 28. n. 9. want of Humility in prayer very preiudiciall p. 29. n. 10. It is not want of Humility to acknowledge that one is fauored by God p. 25. n. 7. It rather moueth to greater humility ib. The benefit of a humble soul p. 33. n. 13. Hatred what p 96. They are not the holiest that haue visions p. 89. n. 15. I. IMagination troublesome in prayer p. 47. n. 17. Very liuly in some p. 81. n. 5. Infused vertue what p. 3. n. 2. Infused prayer what p. 4. n. 3. Infused prayer is commonly giuen to mortifyed soules p. 5. n. 4. Inferiour part of man what p. 99. n. 6. Ioy what p. 96. Ioy suspendeth the senses p. 74. n. 14. K. KNowledg clearer and purer in euery degree of rapts p. 66. L. LOue praised p. 47. n. 15. Loue what p 95. n. 2. Loue like a flame ascendeth vpwards from the soul p. 66. n. 5. The effects of diuine Loue. p. 6. n. 8 p. 105. n. 11. M. MArriage spirituall p. 58. n. 6. Meditation what p. 101. n. 8. Musick often the cause of rapts p. 69. n. 7 N. NOyse inwardly heard how it terrifieth p. 68. n. 6. O. OFfice of the concupiscible and irascible part of man p. 95. n. 1. P. PRayer supernaturall p. 4. n. 3. 4. VVhy doe not many profit and receiue great fauours of God in prayer p. 35. n. 15. Passion what p. 65. n. 3. Power of God not to be resisted p. 64. n. 3. The powers for a long tyme after great rapts not themselues p. 70 n. 8. Paine suspendeth the powers in a certaine rapt p. 74. n. 14. The Prayer that is allwayes after one manner is to be suspected p. 88. n. 18. Q. QViet prayer what p. 13. n. 11. 13. p. 22. n. 4. In what doth it principally consist p. 23. n. 5. Some are mistaken thinking they loose their tyme when they doe not discourse in quiet prayer p. 26. n. 8. VVhat to doe in that prayer if feruour be decaying p. 28. n. 9. what the soul is to doe in that quietnesse p. 30. n. 10. 11. Other effects of quiet prayer p. 34. n. 14. R. REcollection what p. 8. n. 7. 8. 10. p. 19. n. 1. More particularly p. 22. n. 4. Rapts with their effects p. 17. n. 13. p. 62. n. 1. 2. 3. Specially p. 107. n. 12. More clearly rapts are not in the affectiue but knowing powers ibid. n. 12. 13. Religious seeking after the things of the world are like dogges returning to the vonit p. 20. n. 2. 3. Revelations visions and speaches intellectuall and imaginary p. 78. n. 1. 2. S. SLeepe of the powers described p. 13. n. 11. p. 41. n. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. to 16. Solitude fit for contemplation p. 5. n. 4. 5. The description of solitude p. 7. n. 7. Spirituall solitude p 8. n. 7. Sensitiue appetite what p. 95. n. 1. Superiour part of man what p. 99. n. 6. Supernaturall prayer the reward of purity and solitude p. 5. n. 4. Supernaturall prayer see prayer Spirituall drunknes p. 43. n. 8. 9. to Suffer for God's sake giueth great content to a soul in loue p. 48. n. 15. Simple soules being vertuous doe more good in the Church then many learned p. 61. n. 9. Sadnes what p. 99. the Senses not lost in all rapts p. 63. n. 2. T. THe Holy Trinity often seene in seuerall visions p. 64. n. 3. p. 71. 10. To be terrified at the first receauing of any great fauours from God a good signe p. 93. 19. S. Teresa dyed of loue and not of any other sicknes p. 77. n. 17. V. VNion described p. 14. n. 11. 12. p. 41. p. 55. n. 1. 2. Very cleerly the effects of vnion great p. 59. n. 6. 7. 8. The diuine essence doth penetrat the whole substance of the soul in some vnions p. 58. n. 5. Vnion distinguished from extasyes flights and rapts p. 63. n. 2. Visions a speciall sort of them described p. 71. n. 11. Visions deuided into outward and inward and these into Imaginary and intellectuall 78. n. 1. 2. how to discerne when they proceede from God or the deuil p. 88. n. 18. whether from God or framed by our selues p. 81. n. 5. p. 16. Those without words described p. 86. n. 10. W. THe will what p. 107. n. 13. The whistle of God p. 68. wiles of the deuil discouered by certaine tokens and gâ—eâ—s p. 78. n 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.