the benefits which hee had donne to his Soule and to his People Some with a spirit of Contrition to aske him pardon of his Sinnes and other some with a spirit of Affliction joyned with greate Confidence to Implore his ayde in Tribulations And therefore to ruminate them or to say them with proffit wee must clothe ourselues as Cassianus aduertiseth with the same spirit wherewith they were spoken Collat. 10 cap. 10. as if wee ourselues had made them to the same ende And euen Experience teacheth vs that hee that feeleth himselfe cheerefull for the benefits receiued from God sayeth with Deuotion the Psalmes of Ioy as are Benedic anima mea Domino omnia quae intra me sunt nomini sancto eius c. Laudate Dominum de caelis c. And at such time hee findeth not so much juice in the Psalme of Miserere mei Deus And contrarily hee that is afflicted with his Sinnes sayeth with Deuotion the Psalme of Miserere mei and applyeth not himselfe then to the Psalmes of Ioye VVhich wee are to consider that wee may choose for matter of meditation those wordes and Praiers which accord with that Spirit which wee feele and with the ende that wee pretende This second forme of Praying is most proper to those that walke in the Illuminatiue way pretending the knowledge and Vnderstanding of the Verities of Faithe so to encrease in Spirit and of this wee will set downe the practise in the second and third parte meditating in this sorte vpon the Salutation of the Angell vpon the Song of the Virgin vpon the Praier of the Pater noster and vpon certaine Sentences and Praiers of our Lord Christe vpon whose wordes wee will alwaies medltate with more attention because as the Spouse saide His Lippes are distilling the first Mirrhe Cant. 5.13 Ioan. 6.68 Ibidem 63. that is they teache most excellent Vertue the first and most surpassing of all other and as S. Peter saide His wordes are the VVordes of eternall life and our Lord himselfe saieth That his wordes were Spirit Life And therefore whosoeuer meditateth them as is fitting hee shall drawe out aboundance of Spirit and most pure life of Grace by the which hee may bee worthy of life euerlasting 3. The third forme of Praying is by way of Aspirations and Affections which aunswere to the respirations of the bodye procuring that betweene Respiration and Respiration there may breathe out from the inward parte of our Soule some holy Affection or some Groning of the Spirit or some short Praier of those which wee call Iaculatorye spending the whole time that is betweene one respiration and another in the Pondering or Vnderstanding and Spirituall Taste of what wee desire or aske or of the thing for the which wee grone and sigh vnto God This forme is most accomodated to those that walke in the Vnitiue waye aspiring and thirsting for Actuall Vnion with God and with this desire they labour to pray with the greatest continuation and frequencye that they can for Praier is as necessarye for the perfect spirituall life of the Soule as respiration is for the life of the Bodye according to that of Dauid which sayeth Psal 118 131. I opened my mouthe and drevv breath because I desired thy Commaundements And in testimonye heereof as often as they open their mouthe to breathe so often would they praye And now seeing this is not possible thorough our Imbecillitye they take at certaine times some space for this exercize frequenting in this forte the Iaculatory Praiers whereof wee will presently speake casting them vp to Heauen like Dartes or Arrowes which are shotte from the Hearte as from a Bowe with vehement Affection of Loue. Of Contemplation and of the manner how some may vse Mentall Praier without manifoldnesse of Discourse §. 10. BY what hitherto hath beene saide the ordinary formes that are to bee vsed in Mentall Praier are declared which are accomodated to all fortes of Persons that desire to treate with God though all goe not after one manner For some in their Praier haue more discourse and lesse affection others contrarily content themselues with litle discourse and busye themselues most in affections And others haue neede of no more but a single sight of the Truthe and therewith they are moued to all the Actes of Deuotion that haue beene rehearsed and these enjoy that which wee call Contemplation Ex D. Tho. 2.2 q. 180. art 3. which as S. Thomas saieth is a single Viewe of the eternall Veritye without variety of Discourses penetrating it with the Light of Heauen with greate Affections of Admiration and Loue vnto the which ordinarily no man arriueth but by much exercize of meditation discourse In such manner as a VVoman when shee intendeth to marrye with a man spendeth many daies in asking and certifying her selfe what hee is Inquiring of his linage wealthe Condition Healthe Affabilitye Discretion Vertue and other partes discoursing and thinking much vpon them and finding him to bee to her liking shee is content to loue him and takes him for her Spouse but afterwardes when she hath knowen him and taken him for her Husband shee needeth make no newe Discourses but with onely seeing him or remembring him or hearing his name she loueth him and desireth to giue him Content and to bee allwayes in his Companye The like passeth with a Scholler that would make choise of some newe master or with a Seruaunt that intendeth to take a newe Lorde or with one freinde that desireth to make a newe and strict league of Freindship with another Euen in like sorte Principiants in Vertue in the Exercise of Praier had neede to spende much time in meditations and Discourses inquiring what and who God is who is Christe our Sauiour his perfections and Vertues and his meruailous workes mouing themselues with these Considerations to loue him and to take him for their master for their Lorde for their freinde and Spouse of their Soules But after they are much exercised and practized herein it hapneth oftentimes that a single viewe or remembraunce of God without newe discourses is enough to inflame them in his Loue and in the other affections aforesaide Yea there are some that with onely hearing the name of IESVS or Father or with hearing the name of Mortall sinne Hell or Heauen penetrate in a moment what is comprehended therein with greate Assections of Loue or Sorrowe True it is that as our Vnderstanding layeth not much holde on things that it perceiueth not with the Senses it easily looseth the estimation of spirituall and diuine things and forgetteth them and so hath neede often to renewe those meditations and Discourses which it made at the first for otherwise it will finde itselfe much distracted and drye vnlesse it bee when as our Lord by speciall fauour will without them giue light and knowledge enough to inkindle the Affections of Loue communicating the grace of Contemplation By what hath beene saide
From this example of holy Simeon I am to collect two things very proffitable to attaine to a good Deathe the first that deuoute holy men experiment in this life the accomplishment of the diuine promises as is that hundreth times as much as they left for Christ to be heard in their praiers to be protected by the diuine prouidence in their necessities and dangers and with this experience they recouer greate hope that God will accomplishe vnto them the promises of the life to come and animated with this hope they desier Deathe to enioy them saying with Dauid In peace I will sleepe Psal 4.10 and repose for thou o Lord hast singularly confirmed me in hope The second is that those holy men who haue arriued by Contemplation to see Christ his greatenesses haue tasted the sweetenesse of eternall things are forthwith weary of temporall as of things vile and vnworthy of their veiwe and so they holde life in torment and Deathe in desire saying with S. Paul Phil. 1 23 I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ to beholde him and to enioy him for euer Therefore o my Soule if the peace and quietnesse wherein the Sainctes and holy men dye be pleasing vnto thee imitate the feruour and spirit wherein they liue for a feruent life is the cause of a quiet Deathe Finally I will ponder what content the B. VIRGIN receiued to see her Sonne knowne and reuerenced Luc. 2.33 and to heare the meruailes that were spoken of him for as S. Luke the Euangelist reporteth she and S. Ioseph were meruailing to heare these things and glorified the eternall Father for the knowledge that thereof he gaue vnto men The third Pointe THe blessed VIRGIN being in the middest of this ioye Simeon blessing her Luc. 2.34 saide vnto her with a propheticall Spirit Behold this Childe is set vnto the ruine and vnto the resurrection of many in Israel and for a signe which shall be contradicted and thine owne Soule shall a sworde pearce that out of many Heartes cogitations may be reuealed Concerning this prophecye I will consider first the dessignes of God in alaying the Contentments of the VIRGIN for that when as she was most joyfull of the honour that was donne vnto her Sonne he would discouer vnto her the Afflictions that the Childe was to suffer the sworde of sorrowe that for his sake should peirce her Soule that forthwith she might begin to beare the peircing of that sworde and might taste the bitternesse of his passion O most wise Colloquie and most louing God how much thou likest to giue vnto thy elected these mixtures of Consolations and disconsolations sometimes thou exaltest them vnto heauen Ps 106.26 and againe thou abasest them vnto the depths sometimes thou woundest their heart with the woundes of Loue and sometimes with the sworde of dolour demonstrating in the one and in the other the profundity of thy wisdome and the sweetenesse of thy Charitye which seeing thou hast so dessigned beholde me heere prepared for all peirce my Soule with this sworde as thou wilt so that I may be accounted in the number of thy elected Amen Secondly I will ponder two memorable things that Simeon prophecyed of the Childe the first that he was set for the resurrection and falling of many for that many for his cause should raise themselues from Sinne to a high degree of Sanctitye and others for that they would not make their proffit of his comming Isa 8.14 15. should come to fall into the depth of iniquitye of the which they themselues are in the faulte for Christ our Lord for his parte desireth to be a resurrection vnto all and not a stone of offence vnto any The second is that he should be a newe prodigious and admirable signe but yet a signe which his enemies should contradict resisting his Doctrine calumniating his miracles and persecuting his life euen vnto the nailing him to a Crosse Isa 11.10 where he should be to the elected a signe of life but to the reprobate of Damnation by whose power should be discouered the fidellitye and loyaltye of the Disciples which was couered in their Heartes Pondering these two things which continue euen to this daye I am to be astonished at the iudgements of God in this case and to be compassionate for the perdition of such a multitude of Infidells and euill Christians procuring to haue my Soule peirced with the sworde of Dolour as that of the blessed VIRGIN was peirced and withall beseeching this our Lord that his comming bee not to my fall but to my resurrection and that it may be to me a signe of life in whome I may beleeue and hope and whome I may loue and imitate in being one of his Disciples whome he calleth by the Prophet Isaias a signe and a prodigye Isa 8.18 endeuouring that my Wordes and Actions may be admirable like his And if heereupon it shall happen that many doe contradict and persecute me I am to reioice thereat taking it for an assurance that I am much fauored by God seeing he maketh me so like vnto his Sonne The fourth Pointe AT this time also the holy Spirit was pleased to manifest the Childe to another holy woman Luc. 2.36 as he manifested him to a holy man choosing to this ende an auncient widowe whose name was Anne who spent her life in fasting and praier seruing God in the Temple day and night And by Inspiration of the holy Spirit she went vnto the Temple when the Childe entred and knowing by the light of Heauen that he was the Messias she brake sorth into the praises of God and into speaking meruailes of the Childe to all that expected the redemption of Israel Heerein we may contemplate the seuerall wayes that God hath to cherish and comfort his Seruantes for to Simeon before he sawe the Sauiour he promised that he should see him to kindle the desire that he had to see him and to entertaine him with the promise but vnto Anne we knowe not that he made any such promise but that he sodainely inspired her to goe see Christ our Lord with whose sight he comforted her and rewarded the good and long seruices that in fourescore and foure yeares she had donne him Secondly I will ponder sixe vertues of this holy widowe whereby she made herselfe worthy of this fauour that is Chastitye continuall Praier Fasting Obseruation of Gods lawe Deuotion to such things as belonged to the diuine worship with Perseuerance in all for many yeares In these vertues I am to endeuour to imitate this holy woman if I desier to obtaine that which by them she obtained O king of glory Colloquie giue me these sixe wings of the Seraphines that serue thee in the temple of thy Church that I may flye with them in thy seruice vntill I arriue to enioy thee in the Temple of thy glorye worlde without ende Amen The XXVI Meditation wherein
vnworthy of them nay rather of our parte wee are to refuse them with Humillitye because of the Daunger wee may incurre of being deluded by Sathan transfigured into an Angell of Light But when God shall communicate them they are to bee receiued with Humillitye and Thankesgiuing and with greate Cautele In the 19 meditation and Prudence following certaine Aduertisements which wee shall giue in this booke especially in the third parte meditating the miracle wherin Christe was helde for a Phantasme And in the fifth parte meditating the apparitions In the 3 meditation and the resifolovving and reuelations that Christe our Lord made to his Apostles Disciples wherein wee will set downe the signes and effects that are wrought in the Soule by the visitation of God the comming of the holy Spirit to what height of Life hee exalteth by the meanes of his seuen guiftes celestiall Inspiratiōs which is that wee all ought to desire pretende But that wee may haue some Light of these extraordinary and meruailous meanes that God hath to cheare Soules to communicate himselfe vnto them in Mentall Praier I will pointe at some of them wherein also are touched certaine things that passe ordinarily in all and it is good to knowe them for they will helpe to vnderstand an ordinarye forme of Praier by application of the Sences whereof wee are hereafter to treate For declaration whereof I aduertise that as the Bodye hath his fiue exteriour Senses wherewith hee perceiueth the visible and delectable things of this life taketh experience of them so the Spirit with his faculties of Vnderstanding and VVill hath fiue interiour Actes proportioned to these Sences which wee call Seeing Hearing Smelling Tasting and Touching spiritually with the which hee perceiueth the inuisible and delectable things of God and taketh experience of them Ex Cassian collat 12. cap. 13. Ex Gerson 3. p. tract de mistica Theologia cap. 2 de diuinis nominibus from which springeth the experimentall notice or knowledge of God which incomparably exceedeth all the knowledges that proceede of our Discourses as the sweetenesse of Honye is much better knowne by tasting a litle of it then by making greate Discourses to knowe it And so by these Experiences misticall Theologye is obtained which is the sauoury wisdome Science of God in such sorte that S. Dionisius saithe of Diuine Hierotheus that hee had knowledge of Diuine things not onely by the Doctrine of the Apostles nor onely by his Industrye and Discourse but by Affection and Experience of them the which is obtained by meanes of the fiue Interiour Senses of which the saied Scripture maketh much mention Aug. lib. 10. cōfes lib. de spiritu anima c. 9. Bern. lib. de digni natura amoris diuini c. 6. sequentibus Serm. 22 in Cant. Ad Heb. 11.27 and the holy Fathers especially S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Bernard and others whose sayings S. Bonauenture copiously alledgeth in his Treatinge of the seuen wayes to eternitye in the sixt waye from whome I will borrowe somewhat of that which I here shall deliuer presupposing that as the glorious S. Bern. saithe In huiusmodi non capit Intelligētia nisi quantum experiētia attingit In many of these things the Vnderstāding attaineth no more thē that which Experience perceiueth And therefore I will goe also pointing as it were to that which belongeth to all 1. First God our Lord communicateth himselfe sometimes by a spirituall presence with his Illuminations communicating to the Vnderstanding a manner of Light so eleuated that by it like another Moises it beholdeth and regardeth the Inuisible as if it were visible And albeit it rest with the Vertue of Faithe yet it resteth so illustrated and perfected concerning the mysteries thereof that it appeareth another light This sight vseth to goe accompanyed with a kinde of Spirituall Alacritie which is called Iubilie leaping as it were with pleasure and Ioye for the strangenesse of the Diuine Greatenesses that it hath seene according to that which is written in Iob Iob. 33.26 I will make Praier to God and will appease him and I shall see his face with Iubilie To this manner of Contemplation or Interiour beholding our Lord himselfe inuiteth vs saying Vnbusy yourselues Psal 45.11 and see for I am God which is to say Cease from Sinnes and disoccupye yourselues from terrene businesses and attend carefully to the consideration of my VVorkes and you shall come to see with greate light that I onely am God glorious among the nations and exalted ouer the whole Earthe Psal 76.3 96.11 Somewhat hereof our Lord communicatcth very ordinarily to his Seruauntes by certaine sodaine Illustrations which like Lightenings discouer vnto them some Veritie of our holy Faithe after a manner very different from what they perceiued before which allbeeit they passe sodainely yet they leaue the Heart very much Inflamed in manifolde Affections of the Loue of God or Sorrowe for Sinnes according as the Veritie requireth which with that light they haue seene VVith these same Illuminations our Lord God also toucheth Sinners to conuert them discouering vnto them on a sodaine the gratenesse of their Sinnes the Daunger of their Damnation and other like Verities to moue and affectionate them to chaunge their liues which wee shall speake largely of in the fift parte in the twentieninth meditation of the conuersion of S. Paul 2. The second manner of our Lordes communicating himselfe vnto vs is by a Spirituall Hearing speaking within our Soule by his Inspirations certaine interiour liuely and effectuall wordes at times as distinct as those which are heard with our bodily eares with the which hee teacheth some Veritie or discouereth his VVill with such efficacie that it affecteth the fullfilling thereof And at times Cantic 5.6 as the Spouse saieth of herselfe the Soule is mollified waxeth tender and melteth in the Loue of God And that which helde the Hearte sad dismayed frozen and indurate or hardened for spirituall matters with one of these interiour wordes in a moment maketh it joyfull confident inkindled and softned for whatsoeuer God will doe with it And allbeeit these Interiour speakings vse to come after such an extraordinary manner that it is onely knowen to him that heareth them yet after another ordinary manner they passe thorough all and are called Inspirations for as the glorious Doctor S. Augustine saith The Interiour speaking of God our Lord is a secret Inspiration Lib. de triplici habitaculo by the which inuisibly hee discouereth to the Soule his VVill or his Truthe VVith this hee speaketh to the Iust and to Sinners but oftnest to those that are very spirituall whome hee teacheth correcteth reprehendeth or exhorteth comforteth moueth to the workes of Vertue and Perfection And therefore Dauid Psal 84.9 as one well experimented in feeling these Inspirations and diuine Impulsions saide I vvill heare vvhat our Lord God vvill speake in
which rashely I would Iudge of 4. q. 53. ar 5. The fourth vice is Inconstancie and Mutabilitie in the good that I haue determined easily altering my opinion from whence proceedeth the not accomplishing the good resolutions that I had purposed the not keeping my worde with God and with men and the easie giuing credit to the temptations of the duiell and to the flattering deceites of the fleshe And with this inconstancie goeth adioined mutabillitie of thoughtes suffering myselfe to bee carried by foolish imagination which blunteth the vnderstanding and maketh it franticke and inconsiderate in thinking vpon diuerse things without any order From hence also proceedeth mutabillitie in good exercises skipping from one to another onelie to satisfie my owne pleasure and by the noueltie of them to take away their tediousnesse 5. The fifth vice contrarily is Peruersenesse Cassian collat 17 cap. 5. 27. and Pertinacie in my owne iudgement and opinion beeing vnwilling to yeild or submitte it to the iudgement of my superiors or those that are more wise whome I ought to obey and to giue credit vnto This is the idole of discordes from whence spring many sinnes of disobedience and rebellion against our Prelates many obstinacies and contentions in disputations and greate errours Iob. 18.7 D. Th. q. 55. ar 3. and illusions of the diuell for as it is saide in Iob my owne counsell is my downefall 6 The sixth vice is Subtlety or fleshly prudence and vvorldely vvisdome craftily inuenting meanes to accomplish my carnall and worldely intents from whence spring fraudes and deceites in wordes and deedes and hipocrisies This vice vseth to goe accompanied with foolishnesse simplicitie or dullnesse of vnderstanding in iudging and discerning the things of God and the spirituall good of our soules esteeming basely of them measuring them with the vaine rules of the worlde and not with those of God 1. Corin. 2.4 For as the Apostle saith the sensuall man perceiueth not the things that are of the spirite of God for it is foolishnesse to him and because hee is ignoraunt of them hee blasphemeth them 7 The seuenth vice is Curiositie Iudas in epist canon 10.2.2 q. 167. desiring disordinately to knowe that which is not meete for mee as to desire to knowe things hurtfull to my soule or which exceede my capacitie by euill meanes or things that are vnprofitable and vaine and disagreeing with my estate and profession or if they are conuenient to desire to knowe them with a disordinate affection and onely for curiositie or vanitie contrarie to that of the apostle desire not to bee more wise Ad RoÌ„ 12.3 then behoueth to bee wise but bee wise vnto sobrietie These are the seuen vices of the vnderstanding in the which if I examine myselfe I shall finde myselfe very culpable and thereof I am to accuse myselfe humbly before God collecting from hence what estate my poore soule is in if her vnderstanding which is that which guideth her Mat. 6.23 15.14 bee so miserable For as our sauiour Christe saithe if the eye bee obscured the whole bodye shall bee in darkenesse and if the blinde bee guide to the blinde both fall into the ditch falling fom the internall darkenesse into the eternal of hell And therefore I am very carefully to indeuour Psalm 11.7 Isai 11.2 Colloquie partely by penance partely by mortification to purifie myselfe of these seuen vices that my vnderstanding may bee like siluer seueÌ„ times refined beseeching the holy spirit with his seuen giftes to puritie mee of them O diuine spirit illustrate my soule vvith the gift of vvisdome against my ignoraÌ„ce dullnesse Giue mee the gift of counsell against my imprudencie the gifte of vnderstanding against my temeritie the gift of science against the peruersenesse of my iudgement Ad RoÌ„ 11.20 the gift of fortitude against my mutabillitie the gift of pietie against fleshly prudence and the gift of feare to oppose to my curiositie that beâ—ing free from these vices and illuminated vvith these giftes I may begin a nevve spirituall and perfect life follovving thy diuine inspiration vvithout euer diuiding myselfe therefrom Amen The Second Pointe THe second pointe shall bee to consider the sinnes that spring from my owne will and what hurt I receiue by fillowing it pondering well first that it is my owne will for this onely is sufficient to abhorre it My owne will is that which attendeth onely to seeke my owne pleasure omitting that of God of my neighbours And it is called my owne because my will beeing the workemanship of God created to conforme itselfe with his diuine will I rebell against that and appropriate it to myselfe alone as if it were mine owne and vse it to seeke onely that which is to my owne liking For what Theft is more vniust and what Robbery more tirannicall then to steale and robbe from God the will that hee gaue mee and therewith to rebell allwaies contradicting his will And what wickednesse is there more horrible then that my will entring into battell with the will of God mine should remaine vanquisher and Gods will vanquished treading vnder foote his will in regarde of mine owne Colloquie Cassian collat 19. c. 8. O omnipotent God by thy infinite mercie permitte not in mee such inustice 2 Then will I ponder how my owne wil is the roote of all the vices and sinnes that I committe and of all that are committed in the worlde all which wee may reduce to three heades The First is a generall disobedience to all that God commaundeth by himselfe or by his ministers So that our owne will is the capitall enemie of all lawes both diuine and humaine but especially of religious lawes for all religion is founded vpon the mortification of selfe will which if it liueth religion dieth and if religion must liue selfe will must dye The second vice is to wrest and make abortiue the intention in good that it doeth doing it not because it is the will of God but for other endes of their owne vaine interessed and sensuall pleasure D. Bern. serm 71. in CaÌ„tic. Isa 58.3 VVhereby the good is conuerted into euill and that which might haue been pleasing to God becommeth displeasing vnto him as our Lorde himselfe saide by the Prophet Isaias Your fasting is not pleasing to mee because therein you doe your owne will The 3. vice is to appropriate all things to our selues that wee may without considering what hurt may ensue thereof to others From whence spring innumerable iniustices auarices cruelties conteÌ„tions processes oppressions discordes treading vnder foote all the lawes of iustice and of mercie towardes our neighbours as likewise the lawes of charitie which as S. Paul saieth seeketh not her owne 1. Cor. 13.5 And therefore selfe will is the poison and totall destruction of charitie 4 From whence it is that as selfe will is the queene and capitanesse of all vices and sinnes so it is the peopler of
instant From hence it is that for the Glorye of the Redeemer and of his Redemption it was very conuenient to vse this mercye towardes her that was to bee his mother redeeming her with the best manner of Redemption that was possible preseruing her from the Infamye and Miserye of Originall Sinne at such time as shee was to fall into it honoring and beautifying her with his Grace that the mother might bee like vnto the Sonne in Puritye they beeing both conceiued without Sinne hee by Right and shee by Priuiledge hee as the Redeemer of the Worlde and shee as his Coadjutrice in the worke of the Redemption O Sonne of the liuing God Colloquie Ephe. 5.27 that beeing borne of the Virgin becamest man to make a glorious Churche without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection I render vnto thee all the thankes that I can for that it was thy good pleasure that thy blessed Mother by speciall Grace should enjoye euen from her Conception that puritye from Sinne that the rest of the Elected obtaine in Glorye O most Glorious mother I rejoice at the Puritye wherewith thou entredst into the Worlde bright shining with the Light of Grace as entred thy Sonne the Sun of Iustice Well mayest thou say in this first entrance as hee saide in his Psal 39.9 That thou art readye to accomplish the Will of God and that in the middest of thy Hearte is imprinted his Lawe which is His Grace and his Charitye And seeing my Redeemer graunted thee this fauour that thou mightest assist him in his Office beseeche him to applye vnto mee his Redemption with Excellencye pardoning mee my Sinnes committed and preseruing mee from those I am likely to committe with so greate an horrour of Sinnes that I may not continue in them so much as a moment And this is the principall fruite that I am to collect from this consideration beholding this spot-lesse Mirrour the most sacred Virgin Sap. 7.26 to imitate her Puritye with the greatest perfection that possibly I may remembring what God saide to his People Bee perfect Deut. 18.13 Ex D. Th. 3. p. q. 27. ar 3. sequent and immaculate in my Presence The second Priuiledge was to take from her Fomes Peccati the Roote Seede and Foode of Sinne which is the Rebelliō of the Fleshe against the Spirit and of Sensuallity against Reason that the house of her Soule with all the inhabitants thereof which are the Faculties might haue perpetuall Peace and Concord for that it was to bee the Habitation of the Prince of Peace whose Dwelling place saithe Dauid is in Peace itselfe Psal 75.3 So that this blessed Ladye neuer felt that interiour Warre which all wee feele and mourne for for her flesh lusted not against the Spirit Gal. 5.17 nor the Spirit founde any Difficulty in gouerning the fleshe Rom. 7.23 the Lawe of the Appetites contradicted not the Lawe of Reason neither did Reason labour to subdue the Passions of the Appetites nay rather with greate pleasure they were vnited and accorded in subjecting themselues to the eternall Lawe of their God O Princesse of Peace Colloquie much good may it doe thee the interiour Peace that thou enjoyedst without hauing past thorough any Conflict or Warre obtaine for mee most B. Ladye that the interiour Warre which I suffer may bee moderated to the ende that I may some what enjoy the sweetenesse of thy Peace The third Priuiledge was after a most singular manner to confirme her in Grace so that in all the time of her Life shee should neuer sinne actually neither in Deede nor in Worde nor so much as in Thought our Lord assisting her in all her Workes with particular Prouidence that they might all bee as S. Ephe. 5.27 Paul saieth of the Churche Workes glorious and pure in the three Degrees of Puritye that is without spot of mortall Sinne without wrinckle of Veniall Sinne without any Imperfection at all shee leauing not only Euill but also Imperfect lesse good choosing all waies what shee helde for Best imprinting in euery worke the glorious Purity that is in the Triumphāt Church This manner of Purity in that degree that it is possible for mee I am to procure to aske it of our Lord saying vnto him O eternall God that didst sanctifye the Tabernacle of thy Mother Colloquie Psal 45.5 assisting immutably in the middest of her euery day rising very earely to aide her in all her Workes sanctifye also my Soule assist her perpetually arize earely preuenting mee with thy Grace that my VVorkes may bee pure without spot or wrinckle or any thing else that may bee displeasing vnto thee Amen The fourth Priuiledge was to replenish her in that instant with Grace and Charitye with the other Vertues Giftes of the Holy Ghost with such Plentye Aboundance that shee exceeded the Angells Seraphins of heauen to the end shee might bee the worthy Mother of God Queene of the Angelicall Hierarchyes Heb. 1.4 making her so much better holyer then they as the name was better which hee intended to giue her of his mother then that which they had of Seruantes and ministers in his house so that this sacred Virgin began her Carreere where the Angells ended theirs beeing on earthe had greater Degrees of Sanctitye then those which liued in heauen excepting that which is proper to that estate fullfilling in her that which the Prophet Dauid sayeth of the Citty of God Psa 36.1 That her foundations were vpon the high mountaines for the beginnings of her Life were higher raised in Sanctitye then the highest height that euer the greatest Sainctes of the Church arriued vnto O what contēt receiued the most B. Trinitye in beholding the excellencye of this Childe The eternall Father rejoiced in hauing such a daughter The Sonne of God was exceed ingly pleased to see her so beautifull that was to bee his mother And the Holy Spirit was full of Ioye to haue such a Spouse And all Three entred in her by grace dwelled in her with high Delight O Angells of Heauen that adored afterwardes the Sonne of God when hee entred into the VVorlde Colloquie come now at this instant to reuerence her that is to bee his Mother your Queene O Queene of Angells I now salute thee in the VVombe of thy Mother Luc. 1.29 with those VVordes which shall after bee spoken vnto thee by the Angell S. Gabriell Haile full of Grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among VVomen for in the first instant of thy Conception thou foundest Grace before God aboue them all Beseeche him B. Ladye to purifye my Spirit to bridle my fleshe to moderate my Passions to replenish mee with his Grace that I may begin to serue him with greate feruour and perseuerance vntill I obtaine the Crowne of Glorye Amen The fourth Meditation Of the Life of our blessed LADIE vntill the Incarnation
with a good will suffered this Imprisonment and this mortification of Senses to free vs from the euerlasting prison and to satisfye for the libertye and ouermuch loosenesse of Eua who going to recreate herselfe in Paradise bebelde the fruite of the Tree and contrary to Gods commaundement tasted thereof And so likewise to satisfye for the libertyes and Lightnesses of my Senses and to animate mee by his Example to mortifye them and to suffer any shutting vp or streightnesse whatsoeuer in my Chamber or bed or in whatsoeuer else pertaineth to the pampering of my fleshe I humbly thanke thee o diuine VVorde incarnate Colloquie for this entrance thou hast made into the VVorlde suffering so streight a goole such a horride prison and so long and tedious a mortification of thy fleshe by the which I humbly beseeche thee to deliuer mee from the eternall Prison of Hell and from the troublesome gaole of my Vices ayding mee to mortifye my passions and with the spirite to restraine the disordinate vse of my Senses The tenth Meditation Of the excellencyes of the most holye Soule of our Sauiour Christ D. Th. 3. p. q. 34. etiam q. 7 cum sequ and of the heroycall Actes of Vertue that hee exercised in the first instant of the Incarnation The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider the Graces and Excellencyes of our Sauiour Christ as hee was man his Soule beeing vnited with the Deitye the which were Immense for as his Fore-runner saide of him Ioa. 3.14 God gaue him not his Spirite by measure for the Father loueth the Sonne and hath giuen all things into his hande that is to say To the rest of the Sainctes hee giueth them his Spirit by measure and the graces of the holy Spirit as S. 1 Cor. 12.81 Paule sayeth are diuided among them some beeing giuen to some others to others but to our Sauiour Christ his Father gaue him his Spirit without measure for hee gaue him these graces all at once Ephes 4.7 not only for himselfe but with power to distribute them to others giuing to euery one his measure for hee loueth him as his only begotten Sonne with a most singular Loue and therefore hee communicated vnto him such fullnesse of Wisdome Grace as was fitting for the Glorye of such a Sonne whereupon his Euangelist S. Iohn saide of him VVee sawe the glory of him Ioan. 1.14 glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace Veritye Besides this the eternall Worde hauing communicated to this most blessed Soule the principall thing which hee had which was his owne personall Essence it pertained vnto his Honour to communicate likewise vnto it the Immensenesse of those Graces giftes that were conuenient for that which had so noble a Beeing These graces wee may reduce vnto 7. heades The first was Immense Puritye in such sorte 1 Pet. 2.22 that hee neither sinned nor could sinne nor erre nor bee deceiued nor haue any Imperfection that might bee repugnant to this Puritye and Cleanesnesse of Hearthe Ioa. 1.17 for hee was the Lambe of God not the earthly but the heauenly Lambe the most Innocent Lambe without any blot whose comming was to take away the Sinnes of the Worlde and so by Right was free himselfe from them all The second is the Grace of Sanctitye the which incomparably exceeded that of men Angells all togither And in this measure hee had Charity and Humillitye and Obedience and the rest of the Vertues in such sorte Dan. 9.24 Isa 11.2 that for Excellencye hee is called the Holye of Holyes in whome the holy Spirite reposed filling him with his seuen giftes with an Immense Plenitude The third was Grace consummated which is Blessednesse and the blessed-making Vision for from that very first instant his Soule sawe the Diuine Essence with greater Clearenesse then all the Blessed togither and in this proportion it loued God and rejoiced with vnspeakeable Ioye for the which it is saide of him that God annointed him with the oyle of Gladnesse aboue all his Companions Psal 44. â— From hence proceeded the 4. Colos 2.3 Grace which comprehendeth the Treasures of the Wisdome and knowledge of God not diuided but all togither as S. Paule saieth that hee might knowe all things created passed present and to come and that nothing might bee couered from him hee beeing to bee the Iudge of all things to rewarde the good and to chastize the euill The fifth is the Power of doing miracles without any Limitation meerely by his owne Will by the which hee had power to giue Life to the Deade Luc. 4.14 32.36.39 to heale all that were sicke to cast out Deuills out of Bodyes possessed to commaunde the Windes and the Sea and all the Elements all subiecting themselues to his commaunde The sixt is Matt. 6.9 vltim 18. the Power of Excellencye in pardoning Sinnes conuerting Sinners chaunging their Heartes ordaining Sacraments and Sacrifizes and distributing among men Graces and supernaturall Giftes The seuenth is Colos 2.10 Eph. 1.22 the Grace of beeing a Heade as well of the Church militant as of the Triumphant of men and of Angells beeing superiour to all and the Fountaine of all the celestiall blessings and of all the giftes and Graces that proceede from the Father of Light Iac. 1.17 for the good of the mysticall Bodye whose Heade is Christe From hence it is that this our Lorde was the first and principall of all the predestinated for whose respect our Lorde predestinated others that hee might haue many Companions in Glory but especially for that hee might bee as the Apostle S. Rom. 8.29 Paul saieth the first borne of many Bretheren like and conformable vnto him in the giftes of Grace as they were in nature and so hee entred first before all men into this Glorye and sawe the diuine Essence and opened the Gates of Heauen that the rest might enter in to beholde it Considering these 7. kindes of Graces that our Sauiour Christ hath and euery one of them I am to collect from them seuerall Affections sometimes blessing and praysing the eternall Father for the Giftes hee gaue to his Sonne as hee was man sometimes rejoicing at the benefits which this our Lord hath giuing him the Much good doe it him thereof and sometimes beseeching him to imparte vnto mee of what hee hath for of his fullnesse all wee haue receiued Ioan. 1.16 and therefore with greate Loue I may say vnto him O Sonne of the liuing God Colloquie Psal 44.3 Cant. 5.10 Zacha. 3.9 I reioice to see thee so beautifull aboue all the Sonnes of men white red elected among a thousand O liuing and corner stone how sightly thou art with these seuen eyes of vnspeakeable splendour put into thee by the hande of thy Father O Sonne of man how well doe these seuen starres become thee giuen thee for thy Glorye Apoc. 1.16
is set downe a forme of Prayer applying the interiour faculties of the Soule to the contemplation of the mysteries that haue beene meditated IN the eleuenth § of the Introduction of this booke I made mention of a forme of Praier by application of the Senses vpon the mysteries of our faithe and it is a forme rather of Contemplation then of meditation for as there it is saide in the tenth § Meditation runneth from one thing to another seeking out bidden verities as hitherto hath beene donne but Contemplation is a simple beholding of the Truthe without varietye of Discourse with greate affections of Admiration and Loue and as regularly it is obtained after meditation so after we haue meditated these mysteries of our Sauiour Christ it shall not be amisse to runne ouer eache of them againe with this manner of affectuous Contemplation which wee call Application of the faculties for as the exteriour faculties doe very breifely without the windings of discourses perceiue their objects and are delighted and pleased in them so in this Contemplation the interiour senses of the Soule which are her owne interiour faculties with the variety of their Actes without newe discourses presupposing those which haue beene donne at other times per ceiue these Verities and collect from thence meruailous affections of Deuotion our Lord preuenting them with his especiall grace without the which we shall erre in entring into this manner of Contemplation as in the place before cited hath beene saide Allbeit we for our parte may somewhat ayde ourselues in this manner that followeth The first Pointe THe first pointe shall be to beholde with the interiour eye of the Soule be it the Imaginatiue or the Intellectuall all such persons as were in the Inne at Bethlehem or in the Temple of Hierusalem and what they doe with the circumstances which are the object of the Sight collecting from them Affections of Admiration and Loue of Ioye or Compassion or Imitation and if from these there happen to proceede any newe ponderations and meditations as our Lord vseth to communicate in these cases I am to admitte them detaining myselfe in them all the time that the light shall continue that was giuen me The practize is this beholding God-man layed in a Stable with Beastes I will shrinke vp my shoulders with admiration and astonishment of so profounde Humillitye to be resplendent in a Lorde of so greate majestie Beholding him made a tender Babe to make himselfe more amiable because Babes ordinarily are amiable I will melt myselfe in the Loue of so precious and beautifull a Babe wantonning with him as with my elder brother the heire of my father and so much mine that he is borne for me and for my benefit Beholding the Hearte of the Childe burning in Loue and in Desier of my Saluation shedding teares of Sorrowe for my Sinnes and offring himselfe for them to the eternall Father I will joyne my Heart vnto his that he may fasten vnto it that Loue and that Sorrowe entring into Discourse with him that he may joyne me vnto himselfe So likewise beholding his Vertues his Pouertye Humillitye Meekenesse and Patience I am to collect them to my owne vse as one that gathereth a nosegay of mirrhe to weare before his brest and to joyne it to his Hearte saying vnto him with greate tendernesse Cano. 1.12 My beloued shall be to me as a bundle of myrrhe I will alwaies haue him in my eye that I may neuer loose the sight of him nor neuer forget him The like may be donne contemplating our blessed LADYE the VIRGIN and Mother with affections of admiration contemplating with what Modestye Deuotion and Reuerence she standeth before the Childe with a Desier to imitate her and beholding what compassion she hath of the Teares of the Childe with a spitit to accompanye her and to be compassionate with her Beholding likewise S. Ioseph or holy Simeon and the feruour and Spirit resplendent in them I will admire at the giftes that God hath giuen them with a desier to imitate them in all that I ought or am able according to my abilitie The Second Pointe THe second Pointe is to heare with the eares of the Soule the wordes that are there spoken attending to hearken vnto the interiour Wordes and Inspirations that God shall speake vnto my Hearte Wherein it is to be considered that not only in this pointe but for any other forme whatsoeuer of mentall or vocall Praier that as was pointed at in the third § of the Introduction of this booke being placed before God and contemplating these mysteries it is good for a while to staye with reuerence as one that attendeth to heare what is saied or to receiue the almes that is vsually giuen him placing himselfe as the Woman of Chanaan saide Matt. 15.27 like a whelpe that standeth at the table fixing his eyes vpon those that eate hoping they will cast him some small morsell of breade Psa 122.2 Or as the Prophet Dauid sayeth like the good Seruant that hath his eyes fixed vpon the handes of his Lord attending what he commaundeth him as did the Prophet Abacuch when he sayed Abac. 2.1 I will stand vpon my watche and fixe â—â—y steppe vpon the munition and I will behold to see what may be said to me and what I may aunswere to him that rebuketh me Which is to say Seated in my Contemplation I will hearken what God inspireth into me what he speaketh within my hearte either reprehending and correcting me for the euill that I haue committed or comforting and exhorting me to the good that I ought to doe or giuing me some interiour aunswere to what I desier as the holy Spirit did the like in praier to S. Simeon And hauing continued a while in this silence if I feele not some Inspiration of our Lorde I am not to stand Idle but to prouoke him to speake vnto mee I speaking vnto him and saying with Samuel 1 Reg. 3.9 Cant. 2.14 Speake Lord for thy Seruant heareth Or as he himselfe sayed to the Spouse Let thy Voice sounde in my eares for thy Voice is very sweete vnto mee O eternall God that saidest by thy Prophet Colloquie I will lead her into the wildernes and will speake vnto her hearte Ose 2.14 cause in my Spirit an interiour solitude of wandering Cogitations that thou only maiest speake vnto me with thy Inspirations and that I may heare and fullfill what therein thou commaundest mee Then putting myselfe in the presence of the Childe IESVS I will with the eare of my Soule hearken vnto the wordes which he speaketh to his eternall Father and vnto the amorous colloquies he holdeth with him vpon the businesse of our Saluation rejoicing to heare them and making my proffit of them I will also hearken vnto the exteriour Lamentations that he maketh and will learne to lament my sinnes I will heare what this Childe would say vnto mee if he should speake to me there
Angell Gardian may bee alledged that hee comply with the Office hee holdeth to present our praiers vnto God and to procure a good dispatche of them and that his honour is interessed in our beeing good and hauing a happy issue of our pretention of Heauen and that seeing the Deuill sleepeth not to tempt vs that hee sleepe not but bee watchfull to defende vs. After this sorte wee may speake to the rest of the Sainctes that shall offer themselues in the matter of meditation or to whome wee are deuoted rather to stirre vp deuotion in ourselues then to moue them thereby for as they loue vs and desire our Saluation they are very much inclined to sollicite it Of the Vertues that accompany Mentall Praier and of their Excellencies §. 3. BY what hath beene deliuered in the two precedent paragraphes it followeth how excellent a thing Mentall Praier is wherein are exercized so many Lib. 2. de orando Deo ad finém and so heroycall Actes of the most principall Vertues that are in Christian life For the which S. Iohn Chrysostome saide with very greate reason That as when a Queene entreth into a Citty there enter with her in her Company many Ladyes Noblemen of the Courte beside her Garde and Innumerable People that followe her so when Praier entreth into the Soule there enter with her all the Vertues accompanying the Spirit of Praier Some Vertues goe before preparing the waye and disposing the Soule to pray as it ought as are Faithe Humillitye Reuerence and Puritye of Intention and others which hereafter wee shall speake of according to that saying of the VViseman Eccles 18 â—3 Before Praier prepare thy Soule and bee not as a man that tempteth God Other Vertues goe side by side with her as are Charitye Religion and Deuotion and VVisesedome and those other guiftes of the holy Ghost which illuminate the Vnderstanding and ayde meruailously to Praier as in the 27. meditation of the fifth parte of this woorke shall bee seene Innumerable other Vertues followe after her as are feruent Desiers and Purposes of all that is good in matter of Obedience and Patience of Temperance Modestye Chastitye and the rest And aswell the one as the other inweaue themselues with Praier and among themselues exercize diuerse Actes that are an Ornament and Decking the one of the other for Humillitye ioyneth herselfe with Confidence and Charitye D. Chri. lib. 2. de orando â— Deo Homil. in Psal 4. Nilus ca. 13. de oratione Climacus gradu 28 Charitye with Religion and Thankesgiuing Religion with Obedience and Resignation and thus with a celestiall and diuine Consort they make a musicke of many voices VVhereupon many holy Fathers say That Praier maketh men like Angells not onely for that it is a VVorke of the superiour faculties wherein men are like them but for that it communicateth vnto men an Angelicall life full of puritye and Sanctitye By Praier when it is perfect they participate the ardent Loue of the Seraphins the fullnesse of knowledge of the Cherubins the peace and quietnesse of the Thrones the rule ouer themselues of the Dominations the power against Diuells of the Povvers the Magnanimity for meruailous thinges of the Vertues the discretion in gouernment of the Principallities the Fortitude in difficult and hard things of the Archangells and the Obedience in all things of the Angells and finally the VVisdome Chastitye and Cleane-nesse of the celestiall Spirites For there can bee nothing saithe S. Chrysostome more wise nor more just nor more holy then a man that speaketh to God as it is meete for him from whome hee receiueth most aboundantly those gâ—â—â—â—es and graces wherein consisteth true VVisdome and perfect Iustice and Sanctitye The reason hereof is because as our Lord is very courteous and gentle and Inspireth vs to pray hee speaketh to vs when wee speake to him and conuerseth familiarly with those that enter into theire heart to treate and conuerse with him and the conuersation and speache of God is not of wordes alone but of workes Serm. 45. in Cantica for as S. Bernard saieth Locutio verbi est infusio doni For God to speake is to communicate guiftes infusing his Graces and Vertues vpon them to whome hee speaketh filling them with that spirituall joy that cannot bee expressed with that peace that passeth all Vnderstanding 1. Petr. 1.8 Ad Phil. 4.7 Psal 84.9 And hereupon saide Dauid I will heare what our Lord God will speake in mee because hee will speake peace vpon his People vpon his Saintes and vpon them that are conuerted to the Heart Hereupon it is that in Praier wee are in such sorte to speake vnto God that wee bee attentiue to hearken and to heare what hee speaketh vnto vs by his Inspirations to obey them and to dispose ourselues to receiue those guiftes which thereby hee pretendeth to communicate vnto vs as wee shall see in the second parte in the 26. meditation By what hath beene saide appeareth the excellencye and necessitye of mentall Praier of the which Cassianus saith Colla. 9. c. 1. That it hath such a connexion with all Vertues that neither they can bee perfectly obtained nor conserued without Praier nor perfect Praier bee obtained without them for it saith hee is the ende of all and to it are directed all the Labour and Trauell wee take to gaine them Forasmuch as Praier whereof wee here treate in its perfect degree embraceth vnion with God by the mean 〈◊〉 actuall knowledge and Loue with greate Ioye in possessing him Gradu 28. From whence it ariseth that God as S. Iohn Climacus sayeth in Praier payeth in readye mony a hundreth times double of that which is left or laboured for his cause besides greate pledges of the last rewarde that is to bee giuen in the life euerlasting Many things I might say of this Soueraigne Vertue which I omitte because this booke is written for those that desire to exercise it in respect of the greate estimation they holde of it And in the Prologues and Introductions to euery one of the sixe partes of this booke some thinge shall bee spoken to discouer the excellencye of this soueraigne exercise and the good that proceedeth of it Of the matter of Mentall Praier for Meditation §. 4. THE matter of Mentall Praier wherein the three Faculties of the Soule especially the Vnderstanding are to exercize their Actes is all that which God hath reuealed in the Diuine Scripture especially the principall mysteries of our Faithe which therein are most expressed and recommended These mysteries may bee reduced in generall to three Orders Ex D. Dionys cap. 3. de Eccles Hierar cap. 5. P. Ignatius in annot annotatio 10. Iacob 4.8 Psal 33.6 accomodated to the diuerse Estates of those that meditate among the which some are sinners that desire to get out of their Sinnes or young Principiants or beginners that desire to mortifye the Vices and Passions of
the three degrees of Soules to witte the Vegetatiue proper to Plantes the Sensitiue proper to brute Beastes and the Rationall proper to Men the Superiour besides his owne workes doth likewise the woorkes of the Inferiour though after a more excellent manner so also as S. 2.2 q. 24 art 9. maxime ad 3. Thomas sayeth in the three Estates of People that dedicate themselues to Praier and to the Seruice of God those which are Proficients or Goers forward are to exercize themselues in the meditations and workes of the Beginners or Principiants and the Perfect in those of them both but after a more perfect manner drawing out of them the fruite which they pretende with more aduauntage that is more perfect mortification of themselues and a more excellent manner of Imitating our Sauiour Christe in his Vertues Besides this Experience teacheth that when a greate Spirit or Affection of any Vertue whatsoeuer is predominant in a Soule vpon what thing soeuer it meditateth it taketh occasion to feede and augment it If the Spirit of Humillitye predominate whither hee meditate vpon Hell or vpon Heauen whither hee thinke vpon his owne Miseries or vpon the Diuine Excellencies hee will extract or drawe out of all Affections of Humillitye And if in his Hearte the Spirite of Loue doe predominate though hee meditate vpon Iudgement and Hell hee conuerteth all into the Affections of Loue. So likewise Prinâ—ipiants Proficients and those that are Perfect vpon whatsoeuer they meditate they may drawe out those Affections and Purposes that are fitting to their state and necessitye From hence it is that albeit by the ordinary Lawe wee are to obserue the Order propounded yet neede wee not to bee so tied to it that it shall not bee lawfull to change it nay rather sometimes it is conuenient for some cannot applye themselues to Considerations of Feare who yet are easily moued with meditations of Loue and other contrarily Some finde Deuotion and Proffit in considering the misteries of the Childehood of our Sauiour Christe others in considering the mysteries of his Passion some in one mysterie and some in another and it is not good to force them ouermuch nor to drawe them from their consideration to passe them to another wherein they shall not finde what they desired And for this cause our Lord hath prouided the matter of meditation to bee so copious and ample that euery one may finde some that is fitting to his Purpose Of Entrance into Praier §. 5. IT is the Counsell of the holy Ghoste before Praier to prepare the Soule Eceles 18 23 for to goe without preparation is as it were to tempt God pretending the ende and fruite of Praier with out vsing the meanes ordained to obtaine the same It is therefore necessary before wee enter into Praier to carrye the matter forseene which wee are to meditate vpon for regularly meditation cannot bee attentiue nor recollected if the matter bee not first prepared well digested and diuided into pointes after that manner that wee heere shall prescribe And yet for all this wee hinder not if our Lorde by speciall Inspiration shall mooue vs to thinke vpon some other thing but that wee may occupye ourselues therein omitting till some other time that which before wee had premeditated because Diuine Impulsion or mouing is the principall cause of this worke which wee are to followe but with this aduertisement that it procede not from lightnesse of minde nor Instabillitye of Hearte to dashe out of one matter into another without sufficient cause This beeing presupposed before wee begin meditation wee are to doe these things following 1. First wee are to lift vp our Heart and the Faculties of our Soule to God our Lord beholding him as hee is there present with an Interiour attentiue reuerende and louing aspect for that if a man bee to speake with a Prince it is necessary that hee goe to his Palace or to the place where hee is and present himselfe before him for with one that is absent wee cannot speake and seeing God is present in Heauen and in Earthe and in euery place assisting all and beholding all when I am to pray and to speake vnto him I neede not goe seeke him in any other place but to quicken my Faithe and to beholde how hee is there present perswading myselfe that when I pray I am not alone but that there is also with mee the most holy Trinitye Father Sonne and Holy Ghoste to whome I speake who seeth mee heareth mee is accustomed to aunswer within my hearte with Inspirations Illuminations communicating the light of Truthe to the Vnderstanding feruent affections of Deuotion to the VVill and infusing guiftes and Vertues and other Graces into the Soule as before hath beene saide Sometimes I may beholde God as hee is rounde about mee incompassing mee on euery side myselfe within him as the fishes are within the Sea Othertimes I may beholde him as hee is within mee by Essence Presence and Power knowing what I doe and ayding mee to doe it And in this manner is fullfilled the saying of our Lorde christe VVhen thou shalt pray enter into thy chamber Matt. 6.6 Ex D. Hilario can 5. in Matth. Amb. lib. 6. de sacra c. 3. Aug. coÌ„e 2. in Psal 33. that is into thy Hearte hauing shutt the dore of thy senses pray to thy Heauenly Father in secret thy Father vvhich is there and seeth in secret vvill repay thee that is will giue thee what thou askest This Truthe of the Presence of God within mee round about mee wheresoeuer I am praying I am much to quicken that it may moue mee to reuerence and confidence to due Attention And if with this consideration I shall perceiue myselfe moued to these and other like affections of Deuotion I may well detaine myselfe to enjoy this morsell that God giueth mee for the time it will last for this already is a Praier and a very good one But the ordinary shall bee to detaine myselfe in this Cogitation a Pater noster while albeit in all the time of my meditation I must not loose out of sight the presence of God according to that of Dauid Psal 18.15 The meditation of my Heart is in thy sight alvvaies but in the time of my Petitions Colloquyes I must fenewe it with more feruour povvring out Psal 141 3. as Dauid saithe our Praier in the sight of our Lorde This donne secondly I am to make a greate and 2. Para. vlt. flecto genu cordis mei profounde reuerence to the maiestie of God bending before him the knees of my hearte and of my bodye once and three times as they doe that enter into the presence of kings I am to adore him in Spirit acknowledging him for my God and my Lorde the Father of immense Maiestie and the king most worthy of infinite reuerence and with my bodye to humble myselfe euen to the fastening my mouthe
multitude of businesse to disturbe them with Pride and Ingratitude to make them drye And seeing wee ought to bee no lesse prouident and carefull of our good then the Diuell is of our euill it is greate reason so to order our workes and businesses of the Daye that they may all helpe to further well our Praier And so with this in some sorte wee shall fullfill what Christe our Sauiour saide Luc. 18.1 It behoueth alvvaies to praye and not to bee vvearye for hee alwaies prayeth that spendeth his whole time in praier or in preparing himselfe thereunto VVith this Confidence I am to enter into mentall Praier saying to the Diuells that of the Psalme Psal 118.115 Departe from mee ye malignant and I vvill searche the Commaundements of my God And to my Powers Cogitations and Affections I will say that of another Psalme Psal 94.6 Come let vs adore and fall dovvne and vveepe before our Lord that made vs because he is the Lord our God and vvee the People of his pasture and the Sheepe of his hand Of the maner how wee may aide ourselues with the Imagination and the Tongue and the rest of the faculties for Mentall Praier §. 7. ALbeeit Mentall Praier as hath beene saied is the worke of the three supreme faculties of the Soule in respect of that parte which is pure spirit and is called Mens from whence this Praier also is called Mentall ◠yet notwithstanding the other faculties of the Soule which are more Inferiour doe ayde to the exercise of the same 1. Among these the first is the Imaginatiue the which when it is vntamed and disordered as it notably hindreth Praier so also it aydeth much when it can with facilitye forme within it selfe certaine figures or Images of such things as are to bee meditated for this is as it were to tye it to one onely place and to set before the Soule spiritually the thing that it meditateth as if it were present According to this it were good before wee begin meditation to procure with the Imagination to forme within ourselues some figure or Image of the things wee Intende to meditate with the greatest viuacitye and propriety that wee are able If I am to thinke vpon Hell I will imagine some place like an obscure straight and horrible Dungeon full of fier the Soules therin burning in the middest of those flames And if I am to meditate in the birth of Christ I will forme the figure of some open place without shelter and a Childe wrapped in swadling Cloutes layed in a manger and so in the rest But heere wee are to aduertise that this bee donne without breaking the heade for whosoeuer findeth much difficultye in forming such figures it were better to leaue them and vse onely the spirituall Faculties in the manner aforesaide And contrarily those that are very Imaginatiue are to bee very well aduised because their vehement Imaginations may bee vnto them an occasion of many Illusions supposing their Imagination to bee reuelation that the Image which they forme within themselues is the same thing which they Imagine And so thorough their indiscretion they vse to breake their heade and conuert to their hinderaunce that which taken with moderation might haue beene to their proffit 2. The tongue likewise may helpe in Praier for as S. Thomas sayeth Mentall Praier 2. 1. q. 83 art 12. Vocall which is donne with exteriourwordes are not contrarye but Sisters that helpe one another Mentall Praier vseth sometimes to breake out into Vocall speaking to our Lord Exteriour wordes arising from the Interiour feruour Psal 15.9 and deuotion and vocall Praier vseth to quicken the Soule to make it more attentiue to mentall For when therein wee perceiue ourselues to bee distracted or drye it is a good remedye to speake some wordes that may awaken Ex D. Aug. epis 121. ad Probam cap. 9. and recollect vs either speaking to our Lorde or to ourselues for as the Body aideth the Soule so the workes of the Bodye are accustomed to ayde those of the Soule and the exteriour worde and that which the Tongue speaketh Processu 7. religionis cap. 3 vseth to touch the Hearte This as S. Bonauenture aduertiseth may bee practized in twoe manners The one is euery one composing the wordes as his necessity or Deuotion shall dictate vnto him not standing vpon this whither they bee well or ill ordered for our Lord regardeth rather the agreement of the Hearte and the feruour of the Affections then of the VVordes and hee is better appeased with the rude speaches of the stammering Childe and penitent Sinner then with the well composed wordes of a Learned man that is prowde The other manner is saying some Praier made by another as are those of the Churche or of some Saincte appropriating them to himselfe and speaking them with such feeling and affection as if hee himselfe were composing them after that manner which in the 9. § wee shall prescribe 3. As for our Corporall senses there can bee no certaine rule giuen for some finde themselues best holding their eyes shut others helpe themselues with opening them looking vp to Heauen or beholding some Image Some are troubled with the hearing of any thing others are inflamed with hearing some Song or Musicke of the Churche Some feele deuotion with striking themselues often on the brest as S. Hierome did in Imitation of the Publican Others with much bending of the knee as did Symeon of the Pillar who praied bowing the knee with his heade euen to the grounde and then raising vp himselfe and repeating thus Innumerable times The like wee may say of other motions comportments of the Bodye as to stretch the armes in forme of a Crosse to lye prostrate on the grounde to stande fixed in one place to walke in some parte or to sit in some lowly seate in all which wee must make choise of that which helpeth most to the quietnesse and deuotion of the Hearte hauing consideration of the VVeakenesse of him that prayeth and of the edification of such as are present if the place bee publike for in such case that setling of the Bodye is to bee vsed that may not bee offensiue to the standers by Of the examination of Praier and of the fruites that may bee drawne from thence §. 8. PRayer being ended it is ëxceeding proffitable to examine what hath passed vs therein and albeit this examination ought to bee made after any worke or exercize whatsoeuer of Vocall Praier whither it bee Diuine offices the Rosarye or the Masse yet particularly it ought to bee donne after retired Mentall Praier wherein a man hath spent one or more houres 1. First I am to examine whither I haue obserued the aduertisements of those things that are precedent to Praier as whither I premeditated the matter of the meditation whither I put myselfe well in the presence of God whither I offered vnto him this Action in Spirit
mee desiring that God would speake vnto him and shewing himselfe prepared to complye with whatsoeuer hee should saye These twoe manners of Praier or Contemplation by spirituall Seeing and Hearing holy Iob touched Iob. 42.5 when hee saide to God VVith the hearing of the eare I haue heard thee but novv my eye seeth thee wherein hee giueth to vnderstand as S. Gregorie noteth that it is a more noble manner of knowing God Lib. 35. moral cap. 4. by an Interiour Beholding then by the Hearing for the Hearing hath more obscuritye in the Darkenesse of Faithe and the Sight more perspicuitye beholding God more neere and as it were more present albeeit other times in the Scripture supreame Contemplation is declared by meanes of Hearing as in the Introduction of the third parte wee shall see 3. The third manner of Gods communicating himselfe interiourly is by a spirituall Smelling infusing into the Soule an Odour and fragrancye of spirituall things so sweete that it comforteth the Hearte and reuiueth it to pretende and seeke them running as it is said in the booke of Canticles after the odour of his sweetest Ointements Cant. 1.4 Ex D. BonoueÌ„t sup distinct 6. And the glorious Euangelist S. Iohn as one well experienced in this inward conuersation with God was wont to saye Odor tuus Domine eccitauit in nobis concupiscentias aternas Thy odour o Lord hath raised in vs eternall desires and Affections Odour hee calleth a very spirituall sensibillity of eternall things which wee see not and yet beleeue and hope to obtaine from which proceede foruent Actes of Hope with inkindled desires to pretend them and greate animositie and courage to vse all possible meanes to obtaine them Ad Rom. 12.12 with a greate alacritye which the Apostle S. Paule calleth Reioycing in hope For as Houndes by the sent followe the chase with greate swiftnesse and pleasure not staying till they come to the place where if they can they laye holde on it so Soules that in Praier receiue this sent and Odour of the Diuinitie of God our Lorde and of his most sacerd Humanitye of his Charitye and Bountye and his other Vertues runne with greate feruour and diligence in the pretention of those eternall thinges which they haue sented not staying till they possesse them in such manner as they may in this life with hope to possesse them entirely in the other Of the which wee haue some token in such Persons as God calleth to a religious life and giueth them any Sence and Odour of the Sweetenesse Security and Sanctitye that they shall finde therin for the which they treade vnder foote a thousand difficulties and rest not till they obtaine what they desire And for this very cause saieth S. Paule 2. Corin. 2.15 that the just are the good Odour of Christe our Lorde For that their notable examples doe comfort and mooue vs to followe them and to imitate Christe from whome they principally doe proceede 4. The fourth manner of God our Lordes communicating himselfe is by a Spirituall Taste communicating to the Soule such feruour and sweetenesse in spirituall thinges that those of the flesh seeme vnsauorye vnto him Psal 83.3 And as Dauid sayeth The fleshe itselfe togither with the Spirit rejoiceth in the liuing God and in all his workes and by the experience of this sweetenesse and of the meruailous effectes thereof commeth to knowe the Greatenesse of God the Excellencye of his Lawe of his Vertues and celestiall Rewardes VVhereupon Dauid sayde Psal 33.9 Taste yee and see that our Lord is svveete that is to say If you taste what God is and the workes that hee doth within you by this taste you shall knowe how sweete hee is how good how wise how potent how liberall and how mercifull And after the same manner may wee say Taste and see how sweete is his yoke and his Lawe how sweete is Obedience and Humillitie Patience Temperance Chastitie and Charitie For euery Vertue hath his proper sweetenesse where vpon the same Dauid sayed Psal 30.20 hovv greate is the multitude of thy svveetenesse o Lord vvhich thou hast hidde for them that feare thee Hee calleth it greate and manifolde to signifye that as in meate there is varietie of sauours so God hath in his mysteries and Vertues much varietie and greatenesse of Consolations Sap. 16.20 For yf Manna beeing but one meate had the sauour of all meates to cherishe the just with this corporall sweetenesse with how much more eminencie hath God the sweetenesse of all things for the consolarion of those that conuerse with him by the meanes of Praier for to some hee geeueth it meditating his Perfections to some meditating his Benefits and to others meditating his holy Lawe Psal 18.11 118.103 which Dauid saide was more sweete vnto him them hony and the hony combe But this sweetenesse is hidden for those that feare God and reuerence him for they onely taste it with most abundance yea and hauing tasted it they haue saithe Cassianus no tongue to declare it Collat. 12. c. 12. for it farre surpasseth all whatsoeuer that our sense attaineth vnto Truthe it is that God giueth parte heereof to Principiants yea and to Sinners to weane them from the milke of their terrene Consolations but much more abundantly hee giueth it to those who for his Loue haue mortified themselues in depriuing themselues thereof 5. The fift manner of Gods communicating himselfe is by a Spirituall Touching touching with his amourous Inspirations the inwardest of the Hearte and our Lord himselfe joyning himselfe to the Soule with such Gentlenesse Affection as cannot bee expressed but by those Similitudes whereof Osculetur me osculo oris sui Ad tactuÌ„ eius coÌ„mota suÌ„t viscera mea Dextera eius amplexabitur me 1. Cor. 6.17 Cantic 3.4 the Booke of Canticles maketh mention which I omitte leaste our grosâ—enesse should bee dazeled with so much tendernesse but yet all rest in this saying of the Apostle S. Paule That He that cleauet to God is made one Spirit with him for God interiourly imbraceth him with the Armes of Charitie and chearisheth him giuing him inwarde Testimonyes of his Presence of the Loue that hee beareth him and of the care that hee hath of him with greate tokens of Peace and very familiar friendship And whosoeuer perceiueth himselfe so fauored imbraceth himselfe with God himselfe with the Armes of Loue saying that of the Bride I helde him neither vvill I let him goe And heere are exercised those tender Colloquies those Petitions with gronings vnspeakeable and those Actes called Anagogicall high eleuated in matter of Spirit which our Lord graunteth of his faire Grace to whome hee pleaseth but these are not to bee pretended but receiued when they shall bee giuen as already hath beene saide These are the extraordinary manners of our Lordes communicating himselfe by the Interiour Senses of the Soule It belongeth to our account onely Ex D. Bonauen
Desperation hee excessiuely aggrauateth our Sinnes and exaggerateth the rigour of Gods Iustice against them Hee will tell mee that hee that liued euill must not dye well and that hee that laide not holde on Gods mercye must fall into the handes of his Iustice 1. Petr. 4.18 And if the Iust man shall hardely bee saued what shall become of the wicked and the Sinner And as hee is a Lyer and the Father of Lyes and a false Accuser of men if God tye not his handes limitte his Power hee will set before mee a thousand false Imaginations and accusations with Cosenages horrid Visages to trouble mee and to make mee sweate with agonye and to passe greater Anguishes then those of Deathe it selfe These are the feares that in that last traunce shlal afflict mee if I prouide mee not in time to hinder their Vehemencye which I am to doe by entring into my selfe and considering if Deathe should now attache mee what it is that would giue mee greatest terror and deuising how to remedye that in time And if I would not that Deathe should seaze vpon mee in the present estate that I am in I am to endeuour presently to get out of it for it is neither lawfull nor secure to liue in an Estate wherein I would not dye I will conclude this Meditation setting before myne Eyes Christe our Lord naked and nailed to the Crosse at the Instant of giuing vp the ghoste and I will with greate feruencye beseeche him that by his Deathe hee will graunt mee a good Deathe and that if the Diuell come to my Deathe as hee came to his that hee would deliuer mee from him and graunt mee so assured a Confidence that like him I may say in that hower Psal 118 109. Colloquie Father into thy handes I commend my Spirit O morcifull Father my Soule is yet in my ovvne handes but readye to flye out of them and in perill to fall into the handes of her Enemies O doe thou receiue her into thine that the vvorke of thy handes for the vvhich they vvere nailed to the Crosse may not hee destroyed I offer myselfe to imitate in this life thy Pouertye and nakednesse that in Deathe thy handes may receiue mee and may carrye mee vvith them to the repose of thy Glorye Amen VVee may likewise make Speeches and Praiers to our blessed Ladye the Virgin and to the Angell of our garde and other Saintes requiring their fauour for that hower for while wee liue wee negotiate that which should aide vs at that Instant To this purpose wee shall make our proffit of a manner of preparation to dye well which shall bee put in the fourth parte in the fifteth and first meditation collected from what Christe our Sauiour did at his Deathe as likewise of what shall bee saide in the fifth parte in the thirteth and fourth meditation concerning the glorious passage of our blessed Ladye The ninth Meditation of the particular Iudgement that is made of the Soule in the Instant of Deathe D. Th. 3. p. q. 59. art 5. IN this meditation I am to presuppose that Veritie of our Faithe 2. Cor. 5.10 Ad Rom. 14.10 that all men as S. Paul saithe are to bee presented before the Tribunall of Christe that euery one may giue a reason of all that hee hath donne either good or euill while hee liued in this Bodye Ad Heb. 9.27 and this Iudgement is made Inuisibly after Deathe for that Statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori post hoc Iudicium It is the Infallible Decree of God that all men shall dye then followeth Iudgement from the which as from Deathe no man shall escape Before this Tribunall of Christe I am to present myselfe in Praier Imagining this Soueraigne Iudge seated on a Throne of fier Daniel 7 9. as Daniel sawe him to represent the terriblenesse of his VVrathe against the wicked or in a most pure white Throne of most resplendent light Apoc. 20 11. as S. Iohn sawe him to represent his infinite wisdome and Puritie and his Clemencye towardes the good And of both these figures I may make my proffit as in the following pointe shall bee seene The first Pointe FIrst are to bee considered the persons assistantes at this Iudgement regarding the quallities and semblances of eache one of them These are foure at the leaste 1 The first is the Soule that is to bee Iudged the which shall stande alone naked without her Bodye and all visible things clothed onely with her workes For allbeit at the time of Deathe there bee present many kinsfolke and many religious Persons yet in that Instant that it issueth out of the bodye there is none of them can beare it cōpanye nor fauour it As desolate shall bee the Soule of a King as that of a Clowne of a riche Man as of a poore man of a learned man as of an Idiot for Dignities Riches remaine here and though it carry with it its Sciences there is no account made of them but of VVorkes Apoc. 14.13 whereby I shall see what a greate Inconsideration it is to procure with so much sollicitude that which cannot helpe mee in that conflict and to loose that which most of all Importeth mee 2. Zach. 3.1 Psal 108 6. D. Greg. hom 39. in Euangelia On either side of the Soule as is collected out of holy Scripture shall stand at least the Angell Gardian and the Deuill with different semblances accordingly as they suspect what is like to succeede I may Imagine that on the right hande of the wicked the Diuell standes very cheerefull for the pray that hee expecteth and the Angell on the left hand with a sad semblance for the losse that hee feareth But contrarily it shal bee in the good yet allwayes the Diuell willbee there with his fierce and horrid Semblance 3. The fourth Person is the Iudge which is God himselfe who is to giue this Iudgement inuisibly allbeeit hee will giue tokens of his preseence Imprinting in the wicked terrible feare and horrour and in the good peace and consolation For as he is infinitely wise hee cannot deceiue himselfe in Iudgement as hee is absolutely good hee cannot wrest Iustice as hee is Omnipotent no man can resist his Sentence and as hee is the Supreame Iudge there is from his Tribunall no Appeale nor Supplication his Sentence is allwaies diffinitiue and Irreuocable for all that may bee seene in this processe hee seeth and comprehendeth it at first sight so that a reuiew is superfluous Pondering these thinges I will Imagine that my Soule standes to bee Iudged before the Tribunall of so vpright a Iudge as God our Lord is And considering a while my Sinnes to mooue mee to feare I will beholde the Iudge in Indignation against mee with a seuere countenance and an inexorable minde And I will beholde Sathan standing on my right side full of Content and as it were victorious applying to myselfe
art ignorant what shall become of thee to morrowe for thy life is as a Vapour which soone vanisheth awaye Therefore it were fitter thou shouldst say If our Lorde will and If I shall liue I will doe this or that for otherwise thou shallt finde thyselfe deceiued if God haue determined the contrarye The second Deceite is to promise to myselfe not onely long life but also to assure myseffe that I shall haue healthe strength and content with all the goods that I possesse and that they also shall last as long as I from whence it proceedeth that hereupon I exhort my Soule saying Requiesce comede bibe epulare Take thy rest eate drinke and make good cheere giue thyselfe to banquetting and Pleasure for thou shallt want nothing And this is a most grieuous Illusion for all this dependeth vpon God who can take from mee my goods before my life bee ended and though hee take not away them Eccles 5.18 hee may as ecclesiastes saith take from mee my healthe and strength that I may not enjoy them The third Deceite is to forget to prouide what is necessarye for the other life as if there were no more but this present And this was the most quallified folly of this riche man that hauing prouided his Soule of so much wealthe to passe this temporall life hee was alltogither obliuious to prouide it of those necessarye goods for life euerlasting for the which it must needes bee that the vnhappy Soule that in this miserable life did eate drinke and banquet must afterwardes endure perpetuall Hunger and Thirst and eternall miserye Pondering these three deceites I will examine if my Soule bee beguiled with them and will exhort her contrarily to this riche man saying vnto her O my Soule promise not to thyselfe many yeares Colloquie for peraduenture thou shallt not liue out this present Glory not of to morrovve for thou knovvest not vvhat the daye that is to come shall bring forth Giue not thyselfe to rest but to labour not to feastings and banquets but to Fasting and Teares Prouer. 27.1 Eccles 9.5 Haue a care of eternall life vvhich attendeth thee for after Deathe there is no meanes to meritte any durable rest or saciety O eternall God deliuer mee of thy Infinite goodnesse from these miserable Deceites before Deathe seaze vpon mee in them Exhort thou my Soule to vvorkes that are pleasing vnto thee that this day it may more and more separate itselfe from all such things as offend thee Amen The second Pointe SEcondly I am to consider the greate losses they suffer in Deathe that haue beene thus beguiled all their Life drawing them from the wordes of our Lord God to this riche man Stulte hac nocte animam tuam repetent à te quae parasti cuius erūt Thou foole this night they require they Soule of thee and the goods that thou hast scraped together whose shall they bee wherein are touched fower greiuous losses Psal 33.22 for the which king Dauid had greate reason to say that the Deathe of Sinners is very euill 1. Stulte The first Losse is to dye in his very Folly without falling into a reckoning thereof till it bee past remedye For late or earely both good and euill shall come to perceiue their errours but in a different manner for the wicked continue in their errour vntill Deathe and then with the experience of their torments and miseries they fall into a reckoning how much in their life time they were beguiled Sap. 5 calling themselues Insensati men without wit or Iudgement But the good in their lifetime perceiue their errour by the light of faithe prepare themselues for Deathe before Deathe seaze vpon them Therefore o my Soule to perceiue thine owne errours take for thy mistresse this diuine Light if thou willt not haue the experience of eternall miserye to bee thy mistresse and beware by other mens daungers before this Losse light vpon thee with thyne owne 2. Hac nocte The second Losse is to dye in the night that is by a sodaine and hasty Deathe in the midst of their Crimes for oftentimes when men are healthefull contented as this riche man was God intimateth vnto them the Sentence of Deathe and executeth it with all passing from a temporall night to an eternall Matth. 8.12 from the interiour Darkenesse of the Heart to the exteriour of Hell VVith this feare I will aske very earnestly of our Lorde that hee would in such manner aduise mee of the perill of my Deathe that I may haue time to dispose myselfe thereunto Isai 38.1 4. Reg. 20.1 as hee aduised king Ezechias by the meanes of the Prophet Isaias saying vnto him Order thy house for thou shalt dye But to this ende I am not to expect Reuelations from Heauen but my Prophet Isaias must bee the light of Faithe and of reason the Inspiration of God the Experience of the Deathe of others the greiuous sicknesse that assaileth mee and the aduise of the Phisition when hee telleth mee I am in daunger And generally seeing I haue no certaine daye of Life and euery daye I may expect Deathe it is wisdome to imagine that God sayeth this daye vnto mee Order to day thy Soule for to morrowe thou shalt dye to doe it presently 3. The third Losse is to dye by force Repetent and with violence requiring and pulling out their Soule in despite of them VVherein I will ponder the difference betweene the Iust vnbeguiled and betweene Sinners beguiled for the Iust offer themselues voluntarily to Deathe when Gods will is that they should dye and they say vnto him with Dauid Psal 141.8 Psal 30.6 Deliuer o. Lord my Soule out of this prison that it may praise thy holy name and Into thy handes I commend my Spirit for thou redeemedst mee o God of Truthe And although nature somewhat shunneth Deathe yet Grace preuaileth against it when God requireth of thē their Soule they yeilde it with greate resignation But the wicked abhorre Deathe and beare it very Impatiently therefore it is saide that the Deuills the ministers of Gods Iustice doe require and pull from them their Soule against their will Colloquie O eternall God graunt mee that I may liue so vnfleshed from all things of this life that there may bee no neede to pull from mee my Soule perforce Require it of mee vvhen thou vvilt for I am ready and vvilling to giue it vnto thee in vvhat day soeuer thou requirest it The third Pointe 1. THirdly I am to consider the dreadefullnesse of that terrible question that God our Lord maketh The things that thou hast prouided vvhose shall they bee wherein is represented the finall Losle of those who as hath beene saide liue forgetfull of Deathe which is sodainely and with greate griefe to leaue the goods which they possessed without enjoying them or disposing of them or knowing to whome they shall come
fornace of sensuall temptations with a purpose to giue no consent vnto them Angells fauorably repaire vnto them to the ende that these flames doe not burne them nor touche them in the superiour parte of their soule and with winde and deawe of heauen they quenche the heate of the fleshe prouoking them to glorifie God for the victorye hee hath giuen them against it And therefore when I shall see myselfe forced with these temptations Colloquie I am to call vnto them saying O yee glorious Angells gardians of virgins protectors of the chaste Friendes and companions of men that are pure come yee and fauour mee that the fier that circlith mee may not burne mee Disperse the flame that burneth vvithin my fleshe that it may neither touche nor damnifie my spirit and negotiate for mee the gentle vvinde of Gods spirit that it may coole and refreshe the ardours of my fleshe 2. D. Basil in lib. de vera virginit The second fauour is that God himselfe with a particular protection assisteth to garde such as are chaste who by their puritie not onely make themselues like vnto angells but euen to the Lord of the angells himselfe the fountaine of all puritie who is delighted to conuerse familiary with the chaste and to admitte them to his freindship O eternall God that feedest among the lillies Colloquie Cāt. 2.2 D. Greg. ibi D. Hier. epist. ad Demetriadem Ex Cassian collat 12. cap. 8. lib. 6. cap. 9. Daniel 13.23 Oseae 2.19 for it is thy foode and thy pleasure to conuerse vvith chaste soules indue mine vvith chastitie that thou maiest daigne to inhabite it and to conuerse vvith it From these two fauours I am to collect a most effectual meanes tovanquishe temptations when on a sodaine and alone they assaile mee by lifting vp presently the eyes of my soule vnto the Angel which is present but much more to the presence of God himselfe shaming to doe before them what I would not doe before men and with this consideration I shall aunswere the temptation like as chaste Susanna did the dishoneste olde men that solicited her I will rather die then sinne in the presence of my God 3 The third fauour is for the carnall mariage that I renounce to admitte mee to a spirituall espousing himselfe spiritually with my soule with the espousal of faithe mercie and charitye and communicating vnto mee such soueraigne delightes of the spirit as I shall forget those of the fleshe fullfilling heerein his worde which hee gaue Mat. 19. Ita Cassian collat 12. c. 12. 13 when hee saide That whosoeuer should leaue a wife for his loue renouncing that facultie that hee had to bee married hee would giue him an hundred fold in this life that is a delight so greate that should a hūdred folde exceede the delight hee should haue in mariage for so excellent is the sweetnesse of chastitye Colloquia that it is impossible to knowe it but by proouing it O spouse of chaste soules graunt mee such vertue that thereby mine may bee thy spouse O my soul seeing thou art such a louer of delightes renoūce liberally the vile delightes of the fleshe that thou maiest enioye the most svveete delightes of the spirit 4 The fourth fauour is for those carnall children which I might haue had to giue mee abundance of spirituall children incomparably better filling mee with good workes with riche merits and with many soules gained to Christe by my example and worde of which I may bee the spirituall father and mother Isai 56.3 Non dicat Eunuchus c. fullfilling that which hee promised by his prophet when hee saide Let not the eunuche say behold I am a dry tree for I will giue him in my house and within the walles of my churche a place and a name much more excellent then those that haue children a sempiternall name that neuer shall perish O happie chaste man to whome God graunteth the soueraigne dignitie both of a sonne and of a father of a sonne by the singular grace of adoption and of a father in spirit by the copious fruites of Benedictiō 5 The fifth fauour comprehendeth many very singular graces and priuiledges which hee graunteth them in testimonie of the greate loue hee beareth to chastitie for as the chaste eleuate themselues aboue the ordinary lawes of nature liuing in fleshe as if they had no fleshe so God will sometimes exalt them a boue the ordinary lawes of grace in honour of their chastitie The virgin our Blessed Ladie thorough the rare vowe shee made of virginitie was exalted to the dignitie of the mother of God himselfe The euangelist Sainct Iohn for his puritye was much beloued by our Sauiour Christe from whome hee receiued extraordinarie fauours in the supper and on the crosse and greate reuelations in the which also for this cause were very famous Elias Eliseus Daniel and other sonnes of the Prophets and the fier of Babilon touched not the three children because they had vanquished the fier of Luxurye 6 The Last fauour is Apocal. 14.4 that singular priuiledge to followe the lambe in glorye where euer hee goeth for whosoeuer imitateth him in this life imbracing his virginitie D. Aug. lib. de vera vir ginit c. 27. D. Hier. lib. de laude virginit and puritie hee shall also imitate him in the other participating of his most excellent glorye vnited to his sweete companie with particular ioye O most pure immaculate lambe graunt mee that I may followe thy puritye both in bodye and spirit that in issuing out of this straite prison of the worlde I may with thee in thy spacious Heauen dilate myselfe and reioice Amen VVith the consideration of these sixe fauours I am to arme myselfe to resist those combats which shall happen to mee against chastitye saying as chaste Ioseph saide to the woman that sollicited him God hauing donne mee so many benefits Genes 39.9 and promising mee such fauours if I liue chaste Quomodo possum hoc malum facere peccare in Deum meum How can I committe this euill and sinne against my God Colloquie O Lord of heauen and of earthe I vvill leaue not onely my cloke like Ioseph but my honour vvealthe and life rather then offend thee For thou madest Ioseph for his chastitye and loyaltie vice-king of Egipt but mee for mine thou vvilt make a king in thy heauen The xxj Meditation of Auarice The firste Pointe AVarice is a disordinate desire of riches and temporall Goods wherein we may many waies sinne First in desiring to take that which is another mans contrary to the tenth commaundemēt of the lawe of God or taking it in deede or retaining it cōtrary to the seuenth which is not to steale Secondly with nigardise abusing that which is our owne not shating it when the lawe of iustice or of charitie and mercye obligeth vs with the needye but beeing harde-hearted against them Thirdly in in seeking
with the same measure that wee shall mete it shall bee measured to vs againe for our liberallity encreasing towardes our neighbours the liberallitie of God shall encrease towarde vs 2. Cor. 9.6 so that hee that soweth much shall reape much Therefor o my soule bee liberall towardes God and for his loue towardes others God by himselfe and by others willbee liberall towardes thee Prou. 11.24.25 Alij diuidunt propria ditiores fiunt For the soule vvhich blesseth shall bee made fatte that which giueth shall bee inriched and he that inebriateth himselfe also shalll be inebriated receiuing much because it giueth much 3. From hence I will mount to ponder the greate benefits that I shall receiue if I embrace the second waye of mortifing auarice forsaking all things for Christe and giuing them to the poore because as this is a much greater liberallitye towardes God so God shall bee much more liberall towardes mee fullfilling the promise which hee made to giue in this life a hunder folde for what wee giue him and afterwardes life euerlasting with a speciall promise to giue vs at the daye of iudgement thrones of greate glorye to iudge the tribes of Israel Mat. 19.28 Colloquie and the nations of the worlde O happye poueritie that is revvarded vvith so greate riches O blessed liberallitie vvhose guerdon is a measure so abundant O if I could mortifie the loue of terrene riches to obtaine diuine possessing all thinge in God O most svveete IESVS that camest from heauen to earthe to giue vs an example of pouertie by the vvhich vvee may mount from earthe to heauen and madest choise to dye naked vpon a crosse departing the vvorlde vvithout possessing any thing of the vvorld graunt mee to abhorre temporall riches that I may serue thee vvith perfection and obtaine riches euerlasting Amen 4. From these considerations I am to collect a very firme resolution to mortifie auarice in all things that in the first pointe haue beene spoken of obseruing some manner of pouertie conformable to my estate First liuing content with my estate though it bee but meane without coueting what is superfluous or what belongeth to others Secondly in vsing well what I haue and beeing liberall to those that wante Thirdly in taking away the ouergreate loue thereof 1. Cor. 7.30 possessing it as if I possessed it not Fourthly in delighting sometymes to suffer want of some thing to imitate in some thing the pouertie of my redeemer Finally endeuoring to serue him not because hee should giue mee temporall goods but because hee is worthy to bee serued with a hope that hee will giue me goods euerlasting Amen The XXII Meditation of wrathe and Impatience The first Pointe VVrathe is a disordinate appetite of reuenging iniuries D. Th. 2.2 q. 158. 1.2 q. 48. a disordred inflaming of the hearte for things that happen against our liking from whence proceede three sortes of sinnes Some of Thought as are the hatred of our neighbour determining to be reuenged of him desiring some misfortune to him reioycing at his mishaps sorrowing for his good happe and taking delight in reuenge Some sinnes are of the Tongue to witte Vindicatiue and iniurious wordes in presence or murmuring in absence maledictions high and vntuned wordes demonstrating choller contention and peruersenesse in disputations to maintaine a mans owne opinion and other such like Other sinnes there are of Facte contrarye to the fift commaundement as to kill to strike or euilly to entreate our neighbour against reason and iustice or to doe some acte onely to reuenge an iniurie or to require this reuenge of the iudges not for loue of iustice but for rancour and hatred not to pardon him that hath donne the iniurye when hee asketh pardon but giuing exteriour demonstrations of enimitye against him Also discordes processes brawlings schismes factions and warres proceede from wrathe with many other sinnes that accompagnie them 4 Finally with wrathe goeth ioyned Impatience for the euills that happen to vs against our healthe honour or wealthe ouercharging ourselues with heauinesse thorough a vehement and disordinate desire to be deliuered from them from whence vse to proceede many sinnes against God against our neighbour and against our selues Such as are complaintes against our Lord because hee afflicteth vs with appearances of blasphemye litle conformitye to his will Distrustes irksomnesse of life impatient desires of deathe and ragingly to lay violent handes vpon ourselues To bee ill-conditioned rough and intractable towardes others giuing them occasion of indignation and liuing at discorde with those of our owne house beeing angrie euen with the beastes and insensible things Ionae 3.9 as Ionas was angrye with the iuye that withered whē the sunne oppressed it with heate Considering these sinnes and finding myselfe culpable thereof before God I will conuert my wrathe against myselfe onely because I haue sinned beseeching our Lord that hee will assist mee to vanquish it O infinite God vvhose vvrathe is terrible Psalm 4.5 Colloquie but yet iust against those that are angrie vvithout measure cleare the eyes of my soule that considering the terrible chastizements that proceede from thy sacred indignation I may restraine those euill and vehement passions that proceede from mine The second Pointe SEcondly Ex D. Gre. li. 5 moral c. 30. circa illud Iob. 5. Stultū interficit iracūdia I will consider the dammages and chastizements of this vice as well those it bringeth with as those which God of his iustice addeth in this life in the life to come First anger destroieth the likenesse with God whose workes are ful of greate trāquillitie it disquieteth the conscience it stoppeth the fountaine of Gods mercie it strangleth the spirit of deuotion and the consolations of the holy ghoste who dwelleth and reposeth in the humble and meeke hearted Ex D. Basil hom de Ira. and flyeth from the wrathefull in whome the euill spirite inhabiteth For furious wrathe is a frenesye of the soule a short madnesse and a voluntary diuell that prossesseth the spirit with such visages as the diuell maketh when hee possesseth the bodye 2 Besides this as our Lorde is the God of vengeance hee exercizeth it with rigorous iustice against those that wrathfully reuenge themselues by killing or opressing their neighbours For the which sentence was giuen against the two first wrathfull homicides that were in the worlde Genes 4.15 24 Cain and Lamech that of Cain vengeance should bee taken seuen folde and of Lamech that was not warned by Cain seuenty times seuen that is a vengeance so compleate that it comprehendeth all the kindes of torments that are in this life 3 But aboue all I will ponder what Christe our Lord Mat. 5.23 saide in his gospell against this vice vvhosoeuer is angry vvith his brother shall bee in daunger of iudgement And vvhosoeuer shall say to his brother Raca shall bee in daunger of a councell and vvhosoeuer shall say thou foole
by vvhose sentence the faint hearted and slothefull perished in the desert vvithout entring into the lande vvhich thou hadst promised them I confesse that for my slothe I deserue to bee cast out of thy house to bee excluded from thy kingdome and beeing bounde hande and foote to bee cast into vtter darkenesse I am grieued o Lord for my former slackenesse deliuer mee from it for they mercie that I may merit to enter into the lande of eternall promise Amen The third Pointe THirdly I will consider the greate benefits that I shall obtaine by vanquishing slothe and imbracing spirituall alacritye and feruour in the seruice of God Mat. 20.12 for First the workes of vertue shal bee easie and sweete vnto mee I shall labour litle and thriue greately encreasing much in a litle time like to those workemen who comming late to the vineyarde laboured so feruently that thy merited as greate rewarde in one hower as the slacke did that had laboured many howers bearing the burthen of the daye and of the heate which burthen they had not felt if they had feruently laboured for the alacritye of the spirit maketh the burthen of the lawe very easye and the yoke thereof very sweete And besides this it augmenteth merites it doubleth the talents receiued it causeth greate peace in the soule and it much assureth Perseuerance to the obtaining of glorye 2 I may likevvise ponder that God our Lord exceedingly delighteth to bee serued with zeale and alacritye for as hee is essentially alacritye itselfe and as all the workes that hee doeth and the rewardes that hee giueth vs are with greate alacritye reioicing in dooing vs good most iustly hee commaundeth mee to serue him and giue him what hee requireth not with yrksomnesse and sadnesse not perforce with repugnancye but with feruencye and alacritye of harte Hilarem enim datorem Psalm 103.31 Psalm 99.2 2. Corin. 9.7 Psalm 36.4 Psalm 50.14 Colloquie Psalm 18.6 diligit Deus For God loueth a cheereful giuer To such a one hee doth greate fauours and heareth the petitions and desires of his hearte And finally hee giueth him a taste of that alacritye that is enioyed in heauen because hee fullfilleth cheerefully Gods will vpon earthe And therefore I am most earnestly to begge of God our Lord this most noble spirit of alacritye in his seruice saying vnto him with Dauid Render vnto mee the ioye of thy saluation and confirme mee vvith the principall spirit O sauiour of the vvorlde that reioycedst like a giant to runne thy carreere though it vvere very sharpe graunte mee that healthe and allacritie of spirit that thou gainedst for mee that I may in such manner runne my carreere that I may merit to gaine an eternall crovvne Amen The XXV Meditation D. Th. 1.2 q. 100. ar 4. 5. seq vpon the ten Commaundements of the lawe of God FOr the ende of this meditation it will much helpe to forme in the imagination a figure like the vision which the Prophet Zacharie had Zachar. 9.1 wherein hee sawe a volume or parchment extended which was ten cubits in breadth and twenty in length wherein were written the sinnes of him that stealeth and of him that sweareth falsely and the malediction that shall therefore light vpon him which volume came flying to his house and destroied it vntill it had consumed all the wood and the stone In the same manner I will imagine before mee a greate booke or parchement very broade and long and in one side thereof I will beholde written my oathes theftes murmurations and all other sinnes that I haue committed against the ten commaundements of the lawe of God for as I goe writing them in the booke of my conscience God goeth writing them in the booke of his iustice to chastize the in his time And on the other side I will beholde written all the maledictions and punishments that God menaceth to such as breake these ten commaundements or any ofthem making comparison betweene the sinnes and the punishments in number grieuousnesse and continuation For if my sinnes bee many the punishments shall bee manye and if they were very grieuous and of long continuance the punishments shall bee very grieuous and of so long continuance that they shall bee eternall And for that chastizements when they are behelde very farre distant terrifye but litle I will imagine that this booke of Gods iustice commeth flying very swiftly to light vpon the house of my soule Volumen volans and peraduenture it is allreadye very neere and will this day light vpon it deathe or chastizement seazing sodainely vpon mee For if I make haste to sinne God will likewise hasten his punishments and make desolate my bodye soule honour wealthe and all that I haue VVith this holesome apprehension I will beseeche our Lord to illuminate my soule that I may knowe the sinnes that are written in this booke and the chastizements that I haue deserued ayding mee with his grace bitterly to bewaile them that with my penance I may blotte out the sinnes and that his mercy may likewise blotte out the maledictions that hee had written against them This beeing presupposed I will begin the meditation discoursing vpon the ten commaundements of the lawe of God with aduertissement that as Cassianus sayeth the commaundements of God haue Collat. 14 two senses one literall and the other spirituall Collat. 14. cap. 11. D. Bonauent opusc de dieta salutis tit 3. sermon de 10. praeceptis tâ—mo 2. Exod. 20.3 The first serueth for ordinarie people that pretende no more but to saue themselues The second for those that desire greater perfection who are not content to flye onely mortall and veniall sinne but also desire to flye whatsoeuer imperfection is contrarie to the ende of the precept And according to this second sense I will declare in what manner wee sinne against euery commaundement The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider what God commaundeth and prohibiteth in his holy lawe and in what sorte wee doe sinne against it running through the ten commaundements and thorough that which spiritually they include within them The first commaundement commaundeth the principall workes that appertaine to the vertue of faithe hope charitie and religion that is to say to adore one onely God to beleeue firmely all such things as hee hath reuealed to his churche to expect those which hee hath promised and to loue him more then all things that are created Against this I may sinne First by idolatrie or infidelitie adoring false Gods or denying that which God hath reuealed or doubting thereof I may likewise sinne as the holy scripture sayeth adoring the idole of mine owne iudgement 1. Râ—g 15.23 Ad Phil. 3.19 Ad Tit. 1.16 and will rebelling against the will of God or holding for my God my belly or money or denying God by my workes or not obseruing due loyalltye vnto him Secondly I sinne in despairing that I shall obtaine heauen or pardon for
my sinnes or that God will heare my praiers according to his promise and contrarilie in presuming to obtaine this without vsing the meanes that God hath therefore ordained Thirdly thorough hatred or want of loue louing some creature more then God or reiecting the will of God to fullfill that of the creature or in beeing slacke in louing him with all my heart minde and soule and with all my force much forgetting both him and his benefits 2 The second commaundement prohibiteth euery defect whatsoeuer in the truthe iustice reuerence and necessitie of an oathe so that I may not by swearing affirme any thing contrarie to my beleefe or promise any thing without intention to fullfill it or any thing that is euill or not fullfill that which is good nor swear without necessitie or vtillitie nor without considering well what I saye nor without that reuerence that is due to the soueraigne name of God whensoeuer I take it in my mouthe I may likewise sinne breaking my vowe or causelessely differring to fullfill it or beeing slacke in the obseruation of it derogating from the perfection that I professe 3 In the third of sanctifying the feastes I may sinne in doing in them any seruile worke that is prohibited or in not hearing a whole masse or in not assisting thereat with due reuerence and attention or wasting such dayes in things vnworthy of the feaste and of the ende for the which they were instituted which is to praie and to glorifie God 4 The fourth commaundeth to honour our parents according to the fleshe to susstaine them in their necessities and to obey them in their iust preceptes and in like manner our spirituall fathers prelates and superious obeying their ordinances without contradiction or without peruersenesse of iudgement without repugnancy of the will and without delay in the execution Ad Philip 2.3 1. Petr. 2.13 And to drawe this out more curiously I am in humillitie to holde all for my superiours honoring all and subiecting myselfe to euery humaine creature for God 5 The fifth not to kill prohibiteth all that hath beene declared in the two and twentieth meditation of wrathe and spiritualizing the seuerall wayes of killing First I kill my soule by sinne taking away from it the life of grace Secondly 1. Ad Thess 5.19 Ad Heb. 6.6 I extinguish the spirit that is the inspirations of the holy spirit reiecting those good desires wherewith hee inspireth mee Thirdly I crucifie Christe with in mee and trample vpon his blood doing workes for which hee might againe bee crucified if the first crucifying had not suffized Fourthly I kill the soules of my neighbours with scandall beeing to them a stumbling blocke by my euill example D. Amb. d. 16. c. pasce fame morientem si non pauisti occidisti 2. Corin. 2.17 Ex Cassian collat 14. cap. 11. or not succouring them with correction or counsaile or spirituall almes when charitie obligeth mee thereunto as wee call it killing of the poore when wee succour them not with the corporall workes of mercie 6 The sixth not to committe fornication prohibiteth all that which is declared in the 20. meditatiō of Luxurie But yet there are other sortes of spirituall fornication and adulterie forsaking God which is the true spouse of our soules to ioyne mysefe by disordinate loue vnto some creature or adulterating the workes and wordes of God doing and saying them not to please him or to ingender spirituall children that may bee pleasing vnto him but for my owne pleasure or temporall proffit Or finally beeing alltogither forgetfull of God and diuerted with idle occupations The seuenth not to steale prohibiteth all that hath beene spoken of in the one and twenteth meditation of auarice and besides this spiritually I robbe and destroie many things pertaining to others conrarie to the will of their owner For I robbe God of his glorie and play the banqueroute with his giftes I am an vnthrift of the time that I had to spende in his seruice I pay him not the debtes that I owe him by reason of my sinnes or of his benefits satisfying for the one and beeing thankefull vnto him for the other I robbe my will which I deliuered him by my vowe of obedience D. Basil sermo de abdicatione rerum and I vsurpe his authoritie interposing myselfe to iudge the secrets of my neighbours which belong to his tribunall And in like manner I destroye the charitie and spirituall riches of my neighbours ayding the Captaine of theeues the diuell who is continually busied in robbing them 8. The eigth not to beare false witnesse prohibiteth all sinnes of the tongue that are against the honour and fame of our neighbour whereof mention was made in the two and twenteth meditation of wrathe Also to iudge rashly of his affaires or to suspect euill of them taking them in the worst parte without a sufficient foundation or to deceiue him by any manner of lye or fiction as is that of hipocrisie adulation flatterie worldely compliments and offers hauing no purpose to fullfill them And spiritualizing this precept I beare false witnesse against God when I thinke basely of his goodnesse and mercie of his iustice and prouidence And when by my euill workes I defame and discredit his lawe and his doctrine and am a cause that his holy name is blasphemed among the gentiles Isai 52.5 Ad Rō 2.24 or lesse esteemed and reuerenced among the faithfull I also lye to God when I fullfill not my worde hauing giuen it vnto him nor the resolution that I made to doe some thing in his seruice The ninth and tenth commaundements are declared in the sixth and seuenth After I haue considered these sinnes I am to charge myselfe with them before our Lorde with greate dolour and shame for hauing committed them And allbeeit I had broken but one commaundement onely Iaco. 2.10 I may esteeme myselfe as the Apostle S. Iames saithe gilty and culpable of all for in euery sinne I shall finde that which is spiritually prohibited in all for one mortall sinne onely in the forme that hath beene declared is as idolatrye infidelitie hatred adulterye theft infamye and homicide And therefore reprehending myselfe Colloquie I may call myselfe by these infamous names saying Idolater infidell adulterer theefe hypocrite and homicide hovv hast thou dared to iniurie so many vvaies a God of so infinite maiestie VVhy doest thou not breake thy hearte vvith griefe for hauing broken the so iust commaundements of thy Lorde O God of my soule Psalm 118.136 that I might say to thee vvith Dauid Mine eies haue gushed forth issues of vvaters because they kept not thy lavve Graunt vnto mee these teares so abundaunt that I may vvashe therevvith my innumerable sinnes The second Pointe SEcondly I am to consider the maledictions that God powreth out vpon the breakers of his lawe and the terrible punishments that hee menaceth vnto them both in this life and in the other 1. This I
all which allthough they are temporall accomodated to the estate and condition of that imperfect people yet they are a signe of others much greater and spirituall which God giueth to Christian people who with all want not these temporall after a more excellent manner Mat. 6.26 for the prouidence of our heauenly Father as his sonne himselfe did promise vnto vs is carefull to prouide for vs those that are meete Psalm 144.16 giuing them for an addition to those that obserue his lawe For thee that openeth his hande and filleth with his blessing brute beastes shall open it much better to replenish his children 2. From hence I will ascende to ponder the spirituall benedictions which God giueth to those that keepe his lawe in the keeping whereof hee hath with greate excellencye included three kindes of good to witte honest good proffitable good and delectable good Psalm 18.8 of the which Dauid in the eighteenth Psalme maketh another sweete catalogue For first the law of God is most pure and most holy conuerting soules replenishing them with wisdome and all vertues It is also most proffitable to obtaine all good that may bee desired not onely for the soule but for the bodye as healthe Prou. 3.2 Psalm 18.11 Eccl. 24.27 long life sustenance and prosperitye And therefore it is more to bee desired then Golde or then precious stones or more then all the treasures of the earthe It is also most delectable much more then honye or the honye combe and cheereth mens heartes with a greater alacritye then any that can bee giuen by all the sweet things of this life From hence it is that God preuenteth principiants with the benediction of delight Psalm 20.4 Psalm 83.8 that they may cheerefully begin the waye of his commaundements To those which are proficients this diuine lawgiuer giueth his benedietion that they may encrease from vertue to vertue vntill they arriue to the height of perfection Prou. 10.6 Psalm 23.5 Mat. 25.34 And vpon the heades of the iust that are perfect hee powereth his blessing in abundance giuing them some taste of what in glorie they shall enioie And finally in the daye of iudgement hee will giue them the supreame benediction saying vnto them Come yee blessed of my father to possesse the kingdome prepared for you as allready wee haue pondered Considering these blessings and comparing them with the curses which in the precedent pointe were declared I am principally to collect three affections of very much importance The First is agreate Sorrovve for hauing infringed a lawe so holy so profitable and so sweete making myselfe vnworthy of its celestiall benedictions incurring the three euils contrarie to the three goods that haue beene spoken of for togither with the breache of the lawe marche those vices that pollute both bodie and spirit all the temporall and eternall hurtes that bodie and soule doe suffer and all the heauinesses and bitternesses wherewith our heart is afflicted 2 The Second affection is of Confidence assuredly hoping that if I obserue the lawe of God I shall obtaine the blessings that hee promiseth mee calling to mindethose memorable wordes of Ecclesiasticus who saieth Homo sensatus credit legi lex illi fidelis The wise man beleiueth the lawe of God Eccl. 33.4 and the lawe is faithfull vnto him which is to say The iust man and the lawe are faithfull one to another The iust is faithfull in obeying the lawe and the lawe is faithfull in rewarding the iust It defendeth him in perills It comforteth him in his aduersities it directeth him in his prosperities it counselleth him in his doubtes it fauoureth him in his businesses it maketh his praiers to bee hearde it aideth him in life it protecteth him in deathe and finally it croweneth him in glorie Colloquie O my soule bee faithfull to the lavve of God and the lavve shall bee very faithfull to thee Faile not thou in doing vvhat it commaundeth thee and it vvill not faile to doe vvhat it promiseth thee Praise thy soueraigne lavvgier vvith the psalterion of ten strings keeping his ten commaundements Psalm 32.2 Malach. 3.14 and thou shallt forthvvith bee partaker of his promises Say not vith the vvicked Israelits It is a vaine thing to serue God and vvhat prossit haue I in keeping his commaundemenis Conuert thyselfe truely to our Lord vvith a contrite heart for hauing broken them and thou shallt see by experience the difference betvveene the iust and the sinner betvveene those that obserue his lavve and those that infringe it 3 The third affection must bee greate loue and estimation of the lawe of God Prou. 3. 7. endeuoring as Salomon saieth to write it in the tables of my hearte which are the three faculties of my soule In my Memorie to bee alwaies mindefull of it In my Vnderstanding to meditate continually thereon and in my VVill to loue it and if neede were to laye downe my life for it saying Deute 6.7 as Moyses to his people I will meditate thereon in my house and vpon the waye at my downe lying and vp rising I will put it as a signall in my handes to worke thereafter and I will haue it before my eyes to guide mee thereby saiyng with Dauid Lord Psalm 118.97 how haue I loued thy holy lawe all the whole day it is the matter of my meditation O most sweete lawgiuer who when thou becamest man didst forthwith put this lawe in the middest of thy hearte and by thy grace write it in the heartes of thy elect Psalm 36.31 Ierē 31.33 write it also in my hearte in such manner as may neuer be blotted out that I may bee worthy to bee written in the booke of life without euer being blotted out thereof worlde without ende Amen The Conclusion of what hath beene saide OF all that hath beene saide in this meditation I will recollect a briefe summe of the Titles therein aswell to procure greate contrition for hauing broken the lawe of God as to animate myselfe to keepe it with perfection First beause it is iust and holy and with greate excellency imbraceth al kind of good Secondly to deliuer myselfe from the maledictions plagues both temporall and eternall that it menaceth Thirdly to enjoye the innumerable benedictions that it promiseth in this life and in that to come Fourthly and principally for the lawgiuer that gaue it to witte God infinitely good wise and potent and my infinite benefactour vpon whome dependeth all my good both temporall and eternall And this reason onely shall suffice to moue mee to loue a lawe giuen by such a Father and to bee infinitely sorry to hauen broken it The fifth Title is for that the lawemaker himselfe becomming man put it in the middest of his hearte and came to fulfill it entyrely without omitting any iotte or tittle to moue mee by his example to the perfect accomplishement therof The sixth is for the fidelity of the
of thy eternall in hell where the fiue senses as allready hath beene noted shall suffer incredible torments in chastizement of their vnbrideled appetites Therefore o my soule shut the dores and vvindovves of thy senses if thou vvillt not haue deathe disorder enter in thereat Stoppe and bridle thy mouthe that thyne ovvne tongue doe not kill thee Hedge in thy eares vvith Thornes that others mens tongues doe not pricke thee dravving from vvhat thou hearest sinnes of thyne ovvne The third Pointe THe third Pointe shall bee Mortification of the Senses to consider the greate good which the holy curbing and mortification of the the senses bringeth with it First for that besides shutting the dore against so many euills as haue bene spoken of it openeth it for the spirit of God to enter into the soule which willingly inhabiteth in soules mortified to the fleshe and to the delightes of the senses It likewise openeth it to let in the spirit of praier deuotion and contemplation for our Lord loueth to conuerse with soules that are inclosed gardens and there hee speaketh vnto their hearte conforting and communicating vnto them his giftes And for this cause when wee pray Math. 6.6 hee commaundeth vs to enter in to the closet of our hearte and to shut after vs the gate of our senses that nothing may enter in to disturbe our praier to interrupt the conuersation wee haue with our celestiall Father 2. Besides this the senses when they doe their actes according to the will of God which is the ende of their mortification are the dores and windowes whereby life entreth and what they seee and heare taste and speake aydeth them to obtain the spiritual life of grace and augmentation therof From whence I am to inferre what S. Iaâ—ob 3.11 Iames the apostle saithe That as a fountaine giueth not forth out of one hole sweete and sowre water so from the selfe same tongue ought not to procede blessing and cursing good wordes to blesse God and euill wordes to curse our neighbour but all ought to bee good wordes pleasing to God profitable to my neighbour and sweete to my owne conscience and in like manner in at the selfe same eyes and eares ought not to enter life and deathe but they ought allwaies to be shut to all that is an occasion of deathe and open to that which should giue mee life herein consisteth their true abnegation 3. To this I am to adde that the modestie and mortification of the senses is a signe and testimony of the interiour vertues it much edifieth our neighbours and casteth from it such a fragrancie that it filleth the house of the Churche Ex D. Ambr. lib 2. de virginibus and religion with good credit and renowne for as a good portall honoreth the house and giueth a desire to enter in to see what is within so the modestly and composing of the senses and exteriour membres is the most beautifull portall of vertue and a religious life making it so amiable that it prouoketh a desire to enter in to enjoy what interiourly is inclosed within it wherupon saide S. Ad Phil. 4.5 Paul That our modestie should bee manifest to all men for that God is nigh and present with vs and in the presence of so potent a king all wee his seruauntes ought to carrie our selues very modestly Finally the fiue senses shall receiue in heauen as afterward shall be seene particular crownes of glory with greate pleasure in rewarde of the mortification that they suffered on earthe And so with the hope of all these benefits I will encourage myselfe to mortyfie them with greate feruour I wil conclude this meditation with a sweete colloquye with our Lord Christ crucified pondering the mortification of his fiue senses which hee suffered on the Crosse The which on the one side was most holy casting forth resplendent rayes of admirable vertues and on the other side was most paineful with the mixture ofterrible dolours which hee suffered for the sinnes that I with my fiue senses committed And discoursing how his eyes were obscured with spittle his eares tormented with blasphemyes his smelling with the smell of mount Caluarye his taste with gall and vineger and his touching with VVhippes thornes and nailes beeing compassionate of all this I will say vnto him Colloquie It grieueth mee o svveete Sauiour for the sinnes that I vvith my fiue senses haue committed for the vvhich thine vvere so direfully tormented by the dolours vvhereof pardon I beseeche thee the many sinnes of mine With the blood that issued out of thy fiue precious vvoundes vvashe the staines that haue issued from these my fiue impostumated fountaines Cease novv o Lord their abhominable current and ayde mee vvith thy grace to destaine it that imitating the mortification that thou didst exerctze in thy life and sufferedst in thy deathe I may meritte to obtaine thy glorie Amen The XXVII Meditation vpon the Interiour Faculties of the Soule The first Pointe THe first pointe shall bee to consider the vices and sinnes that haue their particular seate in the vnderstanding and the hurtes that proceede therefrom examining that parte which appertaineth to mee in euery one of them which may in all bee reduced to seuen 1 The first is D. Th. 2.2 q. 77. ignorance of those things that I am obliged to knowe as are those which I ought to beleeue to aske to receiue and to doe which are included in the creede and praier of pater noster in the sacraments and in the commaundements of God and in the other obligations proper to euery mans estate and office for I can but ill accomplishe them not vnderstanding them And as S. 1. Corin. 14.38 Paul saieth if any man knowe not hee shall bee vnknowen God saying vnto him I knowe thee not VVith this vice ciphreth much the culpable forgetfullnesse of God and of his lawe and of such things as I may and ought to remember of which wee may likewise say that whosoeuer forgetteth shall bee forgotten for if I sinfully forget God and his things God willbee forgetfull of mee and mine 2 The second vice is Imprudence D. Tho. 2.2 q. 53. oâ— Precipitation VVante of consideration in those things that I haue to doe or say casting myselfe into them with violence of passion without first considering whither they bee lawfull or vnlawfull or without taking concerning them conuenient counsell From whence proceede innumerable errours and defectes in all the matters of vertue 3 The third Vice is Temeritie 2.2 q. 60. ar 3. in iudging the sayings and doings of my neighbours condemning them or supecting amisse of them without sufficient foundation wherein I doe iniurie to God our Lorde vsurping his authoritie and interposing myselfe to iudge that secret that is properto his tribunall I likewise doe iniurie to my neighbour condemning him without sufficient reason therefore and I doe hurt to myselfe for ordinarily I come to fall into that
in resisting the committing it And therefore hee is no lesse admirable that with humility confesseth well his sinnes then hee that exercizeth other vertues These seuen actes so heroycall accompanie confession and make it of greate merit before God and of greate glorie before the angells and before discreete and prudent confessors and therefore I am to endeuour to exercize them with greate spirit that the fruite and the grace may bee more aboundaunt Eccles 14.16 saying to myselfe that of Eccesiasticus Giue and receiue and iustifie thy soule and seeing God is willing to giue thee pardon of the seuen deadely sinnes and grace with the seuen giftes thereof geue thou vnto him these seuen actes wherewith thou mayest dispose thyselfe to receiue thē crie out seuen times like the childe whome the Prophet Elizeus raized from deathe budding out these seuen affections 4. Reg. 4.35 that God may exalte thee to a newe life and exalt thee to the height thereof The third Pointe THirdly I am to consider the graces and fauours that God doth to those that confesse themselues receiuing the sacrament with that disposition which is requisite The which wee may reduce to three Ad Rom. 14.17 Math. 3.2 Ex D. Aug. in illud ps 95. Confessio pulchritudo in conspectu eius wherein S. Paul putteth the kingdome of God saying that it is iustice peace and ioy in the holy Ghost which kingdome is promised to those that truely doe penaunce First hee graunteth them iustice which is the grace of iustification iustifying them of all their sinnes making them his freindes and adoptiue children and inheritours of his heauē And with this grace hee giueth them charitye and vertues infused and the giftes of the holy Ghoste and the true beautye of the soule which goeth togither with humble confession And if they come to confession with iustice there it is augmented cōmunicating vnto them greater grace and fullfilling that which is saide in the Apocalips Apocal. 22.11 Eccl. 18.22 Hee that is iust let him bee more iustified endeuoring not to cease iustifying himselfe more and more vntill deathe 2 Secondly hee graunteth them peace supernaturall not onely for that hee reconcileth them to himselfe but also for that in rewarde of the glorious victorye which they obtaine of themselues vanquishing the difficulties of confession hee giueth them three victories ouer their enemyes destroying some putting others to flight ād subjecting the rest vnto thē Hee destroyeth sinnes casting thē into the profunditie of the sea the diuells with their tēptation fly away for there is nothing that more terrifieth them then to manifest the woundes of the consciēce to the phisition Prou. 16.7 that is to cure thē And the passions of the flesh begin to yeilde thēselues to the spirit for whē the waies of a man are pleasing vnto God hee will make his enemyes to bee at peace with him Ex Cassian collat 2. c. 10. 11. D. Bonauen in speculo disciplina p. 2. c. 3. Psalm 10.10 And threfore it is a greate meanes of vanquishing temptations and passions to manifest them to the confessor and spirituall father for while they remaine concealed the diuell is in peace and wee in a terrible conflict but in discouering them hee flyeth and wee remaine in peace 3 Thirdly hee graunteth ioye in the holy Ghost banishing the feares and heauinesse that spring from an euill conscience replenishing them with alacritie with the newes of pardon according to that of the prophet Dauid Thou shalt giue to my hearing ioye and gladnesse and my humbled bones shall reioyce For taking from them the most heauie burthen of their sinnes which wayeth them downe like leade and the spirit of sadnesse which withered and consumed them they growe greene againe and lift vp their heade with the hope of pardon and with the pledges they receiue of life euerlasting 4 VVith this consideration I am to resolue myselfe to execute all that is necessary for confession how painefull shamefull and troublesome soeuer it seemeth remembring that all is but litle in comparison of the greate good that God promiseth mee and of the eternall euill from which hee deliuereth mee And if I consider what Christe our Sauiour did for the pardon of my sinnes what dolours what ignominies and what paines hee suffered for them that will soone appeare but litle vnto mee that God requireth for their pardon And againe if I ponder how much God might require of mee if hee would extend his rigour seeing I merited dolours ignominies and eternall torments I shall presently see that hee requireth of mee but very litle And therefore I may imagine that the same wordes are spoken to mee 4. Reg. 5.13 which were spoken to leprous Naaman by his seruantes Father if the prophet Elizeus had commaunded thee to haue donne some very grieuous thing to cure thy leprosie thou hadst reason to doe it how much more hauing tolde thee a thing so easye as to washe thyselfe seuen times in Iordan Colloquie O my soule if God should commaunde thee many things very sharpe and heauy to heale the leprosye of thy sinnes it vvere reason thou shouldst doe them vvith greate prōptnesse ād speede hovv much more bidding thee doe a thing so easie to doe as is Confesse thy sinnes and thou shallt bee healed vvashe thyselfe seuen times in the Iordan of penance accompanying thy confession vvith the seuen affections aboue named and thou shallt bee cleansed of the leprosie of thy sinnes Vaunt thyselfe like Iob Iob. 31.33 Eccles 4.24 of not hiding thy sinne as a fraile man nor couering vvith in thy bosome thy iniquitie Take the counsell of the vviseman vvho saieth for the saluation of thy soule bee not ashamed to confesse the truthe for there is one shame that dravveth on a nevve sinne and another that dravveth on greate honour and glorie If vanquished by shame thou cōcealest thy sinne thou encreasest it but if vvith shame thou confessest it thou shalt obtaine a crovvne of greate glorie for the victorie thou gainedst by confessing thy sinnes The XXXI Meditation of Preparation to receiue the holie Sacrament of Penaunce The ende of this Meditatiō is before my Confession to make of myselfe so perfect a Iudgement as may make plaine all the difficulties that may happen in the sacramentall Iudgement to bee made by the Confessour that I may bee secure in the last Iudgement which the supreme Iudge is to make of mee In this Iudgement I myselfe am to execute the office of the accuser the witnesse the Iudge and the tormentour And hereupon S. Gregorie saieth that conscientia accusat lib. 25. moral c. 26. ratio ludicat timor ligat dolor excruciat My conscience is to accuse mee of all my sinnes without omitting any one My reason is to iudge what I merit for them sentencing that I am worthy of greate punishment for hauing committed them The feare of God and of his rigorous iudgement is to binde mee
and humbly to subiect mee to vndergoe what penaunce soeuer that reason shall dictate and the Confessor shall impose vpon mee And dolour as an executioner is to torment mee breaking Psal 4.5 and shiuering my hearte for the offences I haue donne to my creator These foure Iudiciall actes am â—to doe within the hall of my hearte quickening them with the considerations which to this ende are ordained Iob. 23.4 35.14 Isai 43.26 and much more with the remembraunce of the presence of God the iudge of the quicke of the deade whom I am to beholde seated in the Throne of his maiestie as in the 9. Meditation hath beene declared for that the viewe of this most righteous Iudge will bee a cause to make mee doe it with greater diligence The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider D. Tho. 3. p. q. 90. act 2. that our Lord Christ would that our owne actes should bee partes of this sacrament to witte contrition confession and satisfaction which aunswere to the three sortes of sinning by thought worde and deede that I myselfe might concurre to the grace of my Iustification and that seeing I sinned with my actes with the same I might dispose myselfe to receiue my pardon And now that it hath beene the good pleasure of our Lorde to ennoble my actes making them the Instruments of his grace it is reason that I should exercise them with the greatest excellencie that I may Eccles 33 23. labouring as the VViseman saithe to bee in them superexcellent requiring of the three Persons of the Godheade particular fauour for euery one of them Of the holy Spirit to whome is attributed Charity I will begge contrition of hearte beseeching him that hee will kindle in my soule the fier of his loue from the which may proceede such a dolour as may consume all the drosse of my sinnes Of the SoÌ„ne of God who is the word of the eternal Father to whome is attribued wisdome I will begge light to knowe my sinnes and such humble wordes to coÌ„fesse them that I may bee purified and cleansed of of them Of the eternall Father to whome is attributed Power I will begge force for the workes of satisfaction with perseueraunce vntill I haue paide all the paines that I owe for my sinnes Colloquie O most blessed Trinitie assist in my hearte in my lippes that I may vvorthily confesse all my sinnes and obtaine compleate remission of them Amen Then am I to consider all that is necessarie to exercize these three actes with greate perfection discoursing of euery one of them The Second Pointe 1. AS coÌ„cerning the first acte Of Contrition which is sorrowe for sinnes I am to procure to haue it the most perfect that may bee not contenting myselfe with an imperfect sorrowe which they call Attrition proceeding from feare of the paines of hell but procuring the perfect sorrowe which they cal ContritioÌ„ and procedeth from the loue of God aboue all things as before hath beene saide And this sorrowe must bee the greatest that possiblie may bee because it is the measure of the grace that is giuen in this sacrament So that if the sorrowe bee imperfect and little the grace shall bee litle if it bee perfect and greate the grace shall bee greate for looke as sorrowe encreaseth so shall grace and if there bee no sorrowe no grace shall bee giuen And therefore the principall parte of this preparation consisteth in the perfectioÌ„ of sorrowe vnto the which I am to mooue myselfe with the coÌ„siderations that were set downe in the fift Meditation and with some similitudes deduced out of holy scripture to mooue vs vnto the teares of loue 2. Of the teares of loue Hierem. 6.26 Sometymes it telleth mee that I should weepe bitterly as a mother weepeth for the deathe of her onely begothen vpon whome shee had laied all her loue and repose so will I weepe for the spirituall deathe of my soule which is my onely one and by reason is much to bee loued yet I myselfe haue cruelly slaine her by sinne and subiected her to deathe euerlasting And seeing I haue so greate a feeling of the losse of those things that I loue a much greater feeling am I to haue of this because it is the greatest of all and herein teares are well employed For a mother let her weepe neuer so much shee shall not giue life to her sonne that is deade but I with the teares of Contrition shall obtaine life for my deade soule O infinite God Colloquie I am very much greaued for the iniurie I hune donne thee by killing vvith sinne the soule that thou gauest mee and seeing it is more thine then mine haue mercie vpon it Deliuer my soule from the svvorde of death Psalm 21.21 my only one from the dogg of Hell that I may liue to thee and confesse thy holy name amen 2 I will likewise weepe for my sinnes because with them I haue killed the only begotten Sonne Zacha. 12.10 Ad Heb. 6.6 who through excellencie meriteth this name Christ Iesus my Lord whome within myselfe I haue crucified againe and haue as much as lieth in me giuen occasion that he should die O only begoten Sonne of the Father I am exceedingly sorroufull for my sinnes Colloquie for hauing binne thereby a cause of thy death returne a Lord to liue in my soule vvith thy grace seeing thou dydst die to giue it life 3 Othersometimes it telleth mee that I should weepe like a Bride that hath by death lost her beloued spouse vpon whome depended her whole remedie and reliefe thereby remaining a widowe poore and abandoned And so will I weepe for my sinnes by the which I haue lost God the spouse of my soule and with him haue lost the iewells of his grace and Charitie and the giftes that he had giuen me remaining like a widowe not able to engender children of good workes merittes of life euerlasting but abandoned Colloquie and left dessolate without the protectioÌ„ of so sweete a spouse O if my harte vvould shiuer and breake vvith the force of dolour for hauing lost such a spouse such Ievvells and such amiable protection And yet notwithstanding if I perceiue that my harte is still hardned and melteth not with the considerations of loue Ex D. Bern. serm 16. in Cant. I will make vse of those of feare before mentioned that feare as S Barnard saieth may quickne me and open the dore to loue excitetur vt excitet Let feare be awakned that it may awake me Feare o my soule the face of the Iudge whome the powers of heauen doe feare the wrathe of the Omnipotent the face of his furie the noise of the worlde that shall perish the fire that shall burne it the voice of the Archangell and the most rigorous wordes of the finall sentence Feare the teeth of the DragoÌ„ the belly of Hell the roating of fierce beastes that stand readie to
him with the same liuing Faith I shall receue the same grace Againe there is hee that went thorough the world teaching preaching curing the sick rasing the dead and doing good to all with innumerable miracles And especially I will ponder that it is hee himselfe that for my sake was takeÌ„ scourged crouned with thornes scorned and crucified who being nailed on the Crosse praied for his enemies pardoned the theefe and promised him his paradice And seeing hee himselfe in parson is in the most blessed Sacramente representing his passion with the same blood that he shed therein he likewise both may and will worke in me the same effectes Finally he that dispoiled hell rose againe in glory and sitteth on the right hand of his eternall Father and shal afterwardes come to Iudge the whole worlde euen he himselfe with the same glory is in this holy Sacramente for not content to haue his Courte and Throne in heauen hee will also haue another Throne on earth for the comforte of vs that liue therein And there he doth to vs the offices that hee was wont to doe in the worlde of our Master Phisition Redeemer Pastor and High Preiste desiring that we should come vnto him with the same Faith and confidence as if we did see him in his mortall and visible fleshe seeing he himselfe is really there though couered vnder the accidents of bread wine O my svveete Redeemer Colloquie vvhat thankes may I giue thee for thy bovvles of mercy vvherevvith thou comest euery day to visit vs from on high VVhy chall not I considently come vnto thee seeing thou comest from heauen only for mee I adore thee glorifie thou in this venerable sacrament and in spirit I cast myselfe as thy feete like Mary Magdalen that thou maist pardon mee vvith the vvoman that had the fluxe of blood Ioan. 20.27 I much thy sacred Vestment that thou maist cure mee and vvith S. Thomas I feele thy soueraigne VVoundes that thou maiest illuminate mee quicken my Faith vvith the vvhich I say and confesse that thou art my Lord and my God vvorthy of Highest honour glory vvorlde vvithout ende Amen The Second Pointe Secondly I am to consider in what gentle and amiable maner Christe our Lord commeth to visite mee I being so miserable and abhominable a sinner 1. Numer 21.8 Ioan. 3.14 First I will ponder that it might haue sufficed for my saluatioÌ„ to beholde this most blessed SacrameÌ„t as it suffized the Israelites beeing wounded by serpeÌ„ts that their wouÌ„des might bee healed to beholde a Breazen serpent erected vpon a pole which was the figure of this Sauiour Or it might haue suffized onely to touch it with the haÌ„de Luc. 8.44 as the woman that had the fluxe of blood was whole with touching only the hem of his garment and to giue mee but this libertie were an ouergreate honour But the Charitie of this greate God was not contented herewith but that hee will also ioyne himselfe vnto mee with the most entire and penetrating vnion that any corporal thing can ioyne itselfe to man for in the forme of meate he entreth in at my mouth and passeth thorough my throate and maketh his dwelling and habitation within my breaste so long as the species of the sacrament doe remaine and so renueth that famous miracle whereof the prophet Hieremye spake Hierem. 31.22 a newe thing hath God done vpon the earthe Famina circundabit virum A woman shall beare within her a perfect man in wisdome and sanctitie which is Christe for euery day whatsoeuer womaÌ„ or other Person that communicateth beareth within them for that time this man perfect in age and as greate and beautifull as hee is in Heauen 2 But this will seeme a much greater nouelltie vnto mee if I consider the vilenesse of the persone that beareth it within him the basnesse horible straightnesse of the house whereinto he entreth Colloquie O Soueraigne nevve man calestial Adam vvhat nevve inuentions of loue are these that shou makest to cherish meet knovvest thou peradueÌ„tur into vvhat house thou entresiâ— Behoulde vvhat I am a vessell of inyquitie a caue of basiliskes a house of perdition Then why wilt thou enter into so vild a harbour or how dare I entertain thee therein My tongue is a worlde of impieties how shall I touch therewith him that is the fouÌ„tain of all good My throteâ—â—s a sinke of gluttonie and drunkennesse then how shall the auathor of purity sanctitie passe thorough it My brest is a puddle of wicked cogitations and desiers how shall I harbour therein him that is Charitie itselfe O Soueraigne kinge how well it befitteth thee to be the Father of mercy seeing thou wilt dwell in a house of so greate miseries Reneue it first o Lord cleanse adorne it that it may bee for thee a worthy abiding place O infinite God Inclina Caelos â—uos descâ—nde Incline thy heauens descende Psalm 143.5 And seeing thou wilt descende humble thyselfe to dwell within me what is it for the heauens to humble themselues descend Let come the celestial vertues into my soule let come liuely Faith assured Hope much enkindled Charitie let come humilitie obedience deuotion conuerte into heauen that which must be the habitation of the king of heauen himselfe 3 The like Colloquies I am to make to the three persons of the Godheade beseeching them that they would make me a nâ—we man renued in spirit to receiue this new Celestiall Adam that is willing to harbour himselfe in my soule especially I will say to the holy Spirit O most holly Spirit that didst purifie adorne the soule of the most sacred Virgin that it might be avvorthy habitation for her some Purifye mee also and adorne me vvith thy grace seeing the some God that entred into her is to enter into me The third Pointe THirdly I am to coÌ„sider the endes that Christe our lord preteÌ„deth in this coÌ„ming beseching him assone as he entreth to put theÌ„ in executioÌ„ that my indignitie may be no meanes of the hinderance thereof This may be pondred running through some of the offices that this our Lord did in the worlde which hee commeth to exercise in my soule 1. First he commeth as a Sauiour to pardon mee my sinnes applying vnto me the price of the blood hee shed for them Secondly he commeth to cure al my spirituall infirmities like a Phisition that entreth into the house of a sicke man and coÌ„meth neere him to apply vnto him his remedies Thirdly hee commeth as a Master to illustrate me with the light of his inspirations and to instruct mee in the way of vertue and perfection Fourthly he commeth as a high Preist to apply vnto me the fruite of the bloody sacrifice which hee oftred for me vpon the Crosse and to moue me to offer vnto him the sacrifice of an humble and contrite harte the Hostia of of
a liuely faithe of himselfe inclosed in this sacrament And to this ende faithe must helpe itselfe with meditation and contemplation penetrating the greatenesses of this Lord as hath bene saide in the first pointe of the precedent meditation The actes of faith are to be exercized in this forme I beleiue that vnder this vaile is couered Iesus Christe my Lord his body his soule his blood and his diuinitie I beleiue that there is present the Sonne of the euerliuing God infinite eternall immense allmightie wise and holy yea wisdome and sanctitie itselfe I beleeue that there is my Sauiour my master my father my iudge and my glorifier hee that for mee was borne in a maunger and was whipped crowned with thornes and crucifyed All this I beleeue for that hee himselfe hath reuealed it and I am most assured that he had knowledge Colloquie power and will to doe it O my king and my God although I see thee not clearely it suffizeth mee to knovve that thou art there that I may reuerence adore and glorify thee as if I did see thee I reioice to haue thee present and I giue thee thankes for that thou daignest to bee vvith mee quicken my faithe o Lord that I may loue euer to bee vvith thee Amen The second Pointe Actes of Hope Secondly are to bee exercized the Actes of Hope resting vpon the same foure pillars that faithe doth to witte vpon the infinite wisdome goodnesse and omnipotencye of God and vpon his fidellitie to fullfil all that hee promiseth seeing hee hath knowledge Power and will to performe it Vpon this foundation Hope is to exercize its Actes ayding itselfe with prayer to aske and obtaine what it hopeth and desireth And what here is to bee hoped and desired is the performaunce of the promises that Christe our Sauiour made to those that worthily receiue him in this sacrament as may bee collected out of the 6. chapter of S. Iohn saying thus vnto him Ioan. 6.35.50 c. I hope o my Sauiour that if I eate this breade of life I shall neuer die I shall liue for euer I shall remaine in thee and thou in mee vnited thou with mee and I with thee I hope that as thou liuest by thy Father so I shall liue by thee and by thy meanes I shall obtaine life euerlasting and thou willt raize mee againe at the last daye Colloquie O breade of life I come to receiue thee vvith greate confidence that thou vvillt quicken my spirit comfort my hearte cheare vp my soule for tifie my povvers make chaste may fleshe and chaunge mee into another man Aug. 7. confess cap. 10. for I shall not chaunge thee into mee vnlesse thou chaungest mee into thee O most svveete Sauiour augment in mee confidence that I may bee vvorthy to obtaine thy soueraigne promise But hope must passe yet farther hoping in the goodnesse and omnipotencie of this our Lord who is not tied vnto the sacrament but may graunt mee all these benefits onely for a liuely desire in mee to receiue him and therefore beholding this diuine sacrament I may exercize these actes of faithe and confidence Math. 8.8 sometimes with the Centurion saying vnto him Lord I am not vvorthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roofe but onely say the vvorde and my soule shall bee saued Numer 21.8 And sometimes I will say vnto him If to beholde the brasen serpent suffized to heale those that were wounded it may likewise suffize mee to beholde thee with a liuely faithe and thee to looke vpon mee with thy mercye that thou mayest deliuer mee from all miserye Other sometimes as the woman that had the fluxe of blood Luc. 8.44 Actuū 5.15 I will say within myselfe if I can but touche the garment that couereth my Lorde without doubt I shall bee safe And if the shadowe of his apostle healed the sicke how much more shall the shadowe of his diuine sacrament heale my soule VVith this confidence ought I to enter into the churche to assiste at masse and to beholde the sacred hoste and chalice when they are eleuated For as S. Bernard saieth Serm. 38 in Cant. greate faithe attaineth to greate things and the more the affection of confidence dilateth itselfe the more wee shall obtaine of Gods mercy The third Pointe FInally Actes of Charity Charitie is to exercize her actes with the which spiritually wee are vnited and Ioyned with Christe our Lorde with the Vnion of loue which is pretended in the Communion of this blessed sacrament The principall actes are to reioice in the goodnesse charitie omnipotencie and liberalitie of Christ which is resplendent in this banquet to joie to see mee so beloued of him that hee giueth himselfe vnto mee for meate to desire all waies to bee vnited with him by actuall knowledge and loue and to bee like vnto him in all his vertues To desire that all may knowe loue and reuerence him in this most blessed and soueraigne sacrament and may enjoie the benefits that therein are inclosed And to offer myselfe with greate earnestnesse to haue in all things the same willling and nilling that hee hath placing my whole liking in complying with his Colloquie O my most svveete Sauiour vvhere soeuer thou art thou art exceedingly amiable but in this sacrament thou art most vvorthy to bee beloued vvith all the vvhole forces of loue O that I did loue thee vvith all my hearte vvith all my soule vvith all my spirite and vvith all my fortitude May I loue thee for the bounty that herein thou discouerest for the loue that herein thou demonstratest vnto mee for the benefits vvhich herein thou doest mee for the euills from vvhich thou deliuerest mee for the good thinges vvhich thou promisest mee and for the much that thou desirest that I should loue thee Fullfill o Lord this desire vvhich thou hast and vvhich I haue graunting mee to loue thee as thou desirest to bee loued vniting mee vnto thee vvith the vnion of perfect charitie that it may remaine vnto life euerlasting Amen Diuerse other Meditations with seuerall formes of preparing our selues to communicate shall bee set downe in the partes that followe following the order of the euangelicall historie and shall easily bee found by the table The XXXV Meditation of thankes giuing after Communion AFter wee haue communicated it is of greatest Importaunce to knowe how to enioie the swete Presence of the guest that wee haue receiued for there is no better tyme to negotiate with him then when wee haue him within vs for here likewise it is truthe that hee saide that while hee is in the litle worlde of euery mā hee is the light of the world Ioan. 9. 12. and therefore it behooueth vs to walke whilest this light lasteth before it bee hidden and darknesse ouertake vs. And as this diuine sacrament is so soueraigne a Benefit and so high a Guift of his diuine liberalitie so we are to bee
VVherein is treated of her Natiuitye her Presentation in the Temple and her Betrothing to S. Ioseph The first Pointe FIrst Of the Natiuitye of our blessed LADIE Natiuitas tua gaudium annunciauit vniuerso mundo I am to consider how the nine Moneths after the Conception of the Virgin beeing accomplished shee was borne in the house of her Parents to the ioye of the whole Worlde according to the saying of the Church Pondering the ioye of the most holy Trinitye in seeing the birth of this his beloued Childe by whome hee intended to worke things so glorious for his owne Glorye and our Benefit And therefore it is to bee beleued that vpon that day hee communicated to the Angells of heauen and to the Righteous on earthe and to the holy Fathers in Limbus a newes of accidentall Alacritye allbeit all knewe not the cause thereof as a Prognostication of the Ioy that they should receiue by the comming of God into the Worlde whose Mother that Childe was to bee as the birth of the Morning causeth a certaine kinde of ioy and solace in liuing Creatures because it is a token of the rising of the sun For if many reioiced at the natiuitye of S. Iohn Luc. 1.14 because hee was the Day-starre and fore-runner of Christe many more doubtlesse reioiced at the Birth of the blessed VIRGIN who was to bee his mother And with this consideration I will moue myselfe to affections of Praise and ioye giuing the Much good doe it to the most holy Trinitye for the birth of this Babe To the eternall Father for that there is borne vnto him such a Daughter To the Sonne of God for that shee is borne that is to bee his Mother To the holy Spirit for that there is borne vnto him such a spowse O most blessed Trinitye Colloquie much good may it doe thee the Birth of this thy Beloued share to mee of that ioye which thou giuest to others because shee was borne also for me From hence I am likewise to collect another motiue of greate spirituall ioye Deuotiō to our blessed LADIE is a signe of predestination pondering that as the Natiuitye of the Virgin caused Alacritye in the Worlde for that it was a signe of the comming of the Sauiour to redeeme it so also when the Deuotion of the Virgin is bredde in the soule it causeth therein wonderfull ioye beeing a greate pledge that allmighty God will come to visite it and to saue it Heerevpon saide S. Anselme Lib. de excellent Virginis cap 4. That to bee much deuoted to our blessed LADY is a signe of being predestinated in heauen For with deuotion to her enter the effectes of Predestination shee negotiating them for such as are deuoted vnto her Shee as a mother solliciteth for vs the Inspirations of Heauen the Vocation of God the Grace of Iustification the Victorye of Temptations the Preseruation from falls the Augmentation of Merits the Perseueration in Grace and the Crowne of Glorye Colloquie Eccl. 24.16 as in the discourse of the Meditations ensuing shall bee seene O sacred and soueraigne Virgin who by the Commandement of God layest deepe rootes in the elected for Heauen fixe in my soule so deepe Rootes of thy deuotion and Imitation that they may bee assured pledges of my eternall Predestination The Second Pointe SEcondly Of the name of MARIE I am to consider how the Parents of this our blessed Ladye gaue vnto her the Name of MARYE as is credibly supposed by reuelation from God who also reuealed the name of the Baptiste and consequently with the name God pretended to declare the Greatenesses of this Childe Luc. 1.13 Nomen Virginis MARIA which as they were very many so also hee chose a name that in diuerse languages should haue many significations because shee was borne for the good of all Ex D. Bonauent in specul B. Virg. c. 3. Num. 24.17 For MARYE interpreted signifyeth Starre of the sea or Bitter sea Ladye or the Exalted Illuminated or Illuminatrice or Mistresse of People And all this is founde in the Virgin Shee is the Starre of the sea for that shee is the Light Consolation and Guide of those that sayle in the sea of this Worlde combated with the greate waues and tempestes of temptations and Perills of their damnation who by the Praiers of the blessed VIRGIN with her examples and with the fauours that shee doeth them are cheered and fortified and guessing at the right way arriue at the Porte of Saluation Shee is a Bitter Sea for diuerse respectes Ex D. Ber. serm 2. in missus est a Sea for the Immensenesse of celestial Graces contained within her communicated by the liberallitye of him that elected her for his Mother Bitter for the Immensenesse of Bitternesses that shee suffered in the Passion of her Sonne for God vseth to mete equally the measures of Consolations and Afflictions and so did hee with this sacred VIRGIN Shee is a Lady and Exalted for that shee was supereminently a Lady and Gouernesse ouer her Faculties and Appetites and ouer her Imagination and senses commaunding all with supreame Authority as already hath beene saide Shee is likewise Ladye of the Angells exalted aboue them all and is that much when as after a sorte shee was likewise the Ladye of God himselfe she commaunding him as hee was Man and hee obeying her as a sonne that was subiect vnto his Mother She is the Illuminated or Illuminatrice Luc. 2.51 for that shee receiued from God greate light of ce lestiall Wisdome not alone for herselfe but to illuminate others and therefore shee was the Mistresse of the Apostles and of all the faithfull as heereafter wee shall see With these breife considerations I will awake in my soule seuerall Affections of Ioye and Confidence and of greate Deuotion to the sacred name of MARIE beseeching the VIRGIN to doe vnto mee those offices that her name doth signifye O most sacred VIRGIN Colloquie with much reason I may say that thy blessed name like that of thy sonne is Oyle powred out for that it illuminateth cōforteth Cāt. 1.2 heateth and reioyceth my hearte Powre vpon mee this so pretious Oyle with a liberall hande and seeing thou art the Starre of the Sea guide and protect mee in my temptations and perills Seeing thou art a Sea of Graces and Bitternesses share them also with mee for it is no lesser a Grace to receiue giftes from Christ then to bewaile with bitternesse his paines Bee thou my Mistresse illuminating my ignorances ayding mee to bee Master of my Passions and guide mee in the pathe of Perfection that with the inuocation of thy holy name I may arriue to the toppe and excellencye thereof Amen Heere also may bee considered Vide Suarez tom 2. disp 3. sect 7. how this blessed Babe beginning to haue the vse of Reason whither in the wombe of her mother by speciall priuiledge like S. Iohn Baptist or about
three yeares before shee was presented in the Temple shee presently began with greate feruour to negotiate with those giftes and Graces which shee had receiued by those meanes which in the fourth pointe shal be declared The third Pointe THirdly Of the Presentation of our blessed LADIE in the Temple I am to consider how the blessed VIRGIN beeing but of small age as it is thought of three yeares by Gods inspiration was by her Parents presented in the Temple that shee might there bee dedicated and occupied in his diuine seruice with other Damosells that had made the like Profession Concerning this Presentation wee are to fixe our eyes vpon three Persons interposed therein The first was the Maiestye of God who elected this blessed Childe and inspired in her this her retiring into the Temple demonstrating his Fatherly prouidēce towardes her in drawing her from the noise and trafficks of the Worlde and attracting her to his howse and Temple for that shee was to bee the House where hee would bee incarnate and the liuing Temple where hee himselfe would liue And therefore with greate loue hee saide vnto her Hearte those wordes of the Psalme Psal 44.11 Heare ô Daughter and see and incline thyne eare and forget thy People and the Howse of thy father and the king will couet thy Beautye The blessed VIRGIN hearkened to this Voice and Inspiration of God shee sawe the fauour that heerein was donne her shee inclined her Eare speedily to obey what was commanded shee wholely forgot her People and renounced the howse of her terrestriall Father to accomodate herselfe to the good liking of her celestiall Father who called her his Daughter And so much increased her beautye with this newe Obedience and Humillitye that the king of Heauen and of Earthe cast his Affection vpon her and reioiced for hauing elected her to bee his mother From hence will I collect how greate a fauour God doeth to him whome hee effectually inspireth and withdraweth from the Occasions and Perills of the Worlde making him to abandon his Countrey and the House of his Father for his seruice and how greate Reason wee all haue to bee obedient to such an inspiration when wee perceiue it seeing it is a true signe that God loueth vs as his well beloued Children Gen. 11.31.12.4.19.12 drawing vs like holy Abraham from the fier of the Chaldeans or like iust Loth from the burning of Sodome Secondly may bee pondered the Deuotion of S. Ioachim and S. Anne the Parents of the blessed VIRGIN who as holy people not only diuerted not the good desiers of their daughter but tooke her by the hande and mooued by the inspiration of God himselfe offered vnto him the only fruite of their wombe retourning vnto him what hee had giuen them esteeming themselues happye that God might bee serued by their daughter and depriuing themselues of her to giue her vnto him And this they did with no lesse spirit 1. Reg. 1 24. then Anna the mother of Samuell offered her sonne vnto God because they knewe how acceptable this offering would bee to him From whence I may also learne to offer vnto God with spirit and feruour the onlie and best beloued daughter of my soule which is Libertye the principall of her Affections which is Loue with de termination to will nothing but what hee willeth and to loue only what hee loueth offering myselfe to giue him what soeuer hee shall aske mee Thirdly I will ponder the Deuotion of the blessed Virgin herselfe in this Presentation For her parents had no sooner tolde her that they would carrye her to the Temple but shee was replenished with ioye saying that of the Prophet Dauid Psal 121. I reioiced in those things that were saide vnto mee we shall goe into the House of our Lorde But in arriuing at the Temple Ezech. 40.6 shee began to mount the fifteene degrees or steps with greate feruour of spirit resoluing to ascende by all the degrees of Vertue vnto the highest toppe of Perfection Psalm 83.6 fullfilling that of the Prophet Dauid Blessed is the man whose helpe is from thee he hath disposed ascensions increases in his hearte in the valle of tears in the place which to this end he hath appointed They shall ascende from Vertue to Vertue the God of Gods shall be seene in Sion O manlike Colloquie Psal 45.6 and blessed Babe whome God fauoured with his ayde and to assist whome hee was earely vp in the morning what zealous resolutions makest thou in thy Hearte and how well dost thou dispose the Augmentation of Vertue in this place which thou hast chosen for thy habitation Ascende now happily by these degrees from Vertue to vertue for thou hast an entrance by the Contemplation of allmighty God to looke into this holy cittye of Sion No sooner was the blessed Virgin ascended the Temple but that prostrate vpon the earthe shee adored the Diuine Maiestye and presented and offered herselfe to his perpetuall seruice for her Intention was not to offer herselfe for a yeare or for ten like other damosells but for euer with a resolution as much as lay in her to serue him all her Life in his holy Temple O how was allmighty God pleased with this Offering With what pleasure might hee accept it and what Thankes and Giftes might hee retourne vnto her The VIRGIN might say Beholde mee heere o Lord I am come into thy house to bee thy perpetuall slaue receiue mee into thy seruice for I desire no other Lot more glorious then to serue thee To this our Lord might aunswere within her hearte Come my Spouse enter into my garden Cant. 5.1 for in thee I will place my Throne thou shalt bee the Sun where I will assent my habitation Psal 18.6 and issue out of it as the bridegroome from his chamber Adorne it with the flowers of Vertues for the time shall speedily come of celebrating therein my mariage In Imitation of this blessed LADYE I am to present myselfe before God and to offer myselfe to his seruice as his perpetuall slaue with a determination neuer to seperate myselfe from him The fourth Pointe FOurthly Of the Life our blessed LADYE ledde in the Temple Lib 2. do Virg. Prou. 4.18 Eccl. 33.23 I will consider the most excelleut Life that this Childe ledde in the Temple For first as shee grewe in Age shee grewe in Spirit before God and before men And as S. Ambrose sayeth shee accompanied euery step of her body with exercice and augmentation of Vertue increasing like the Light of the morning vntill perfect day For the Holy Spirit sollicited her with his Inspirations and shee cooperated with all the force that shee had endeuouring as sayeth the Wiseman to bee most excellent in all her Workes with foure Excellencyes First that in euery one shee increased in Charitye and Sanctitye Secondly that they were all workes replenished with the greatest proofe fullnesse of perfection that was
glorious a Salutation shee was astonnied not so much at the sight of the Angell as because shee founde in her selfe no foundation of such Praises and greatenesses as hee declared And then shee shewed her Prudence in thinking well what Salutation this might bee and to what ende it was ordained And therefore shee would not thrust to aunswere inconsiderately till the Angell had somewhat more opened himselfe Whereby shee shewed how much shee loued Silence holding her peace at that time and retourning for aunswere the exteriour semblance of her humble bashefull amazement O most pure VIRGIN how well befitteth the at this Instant that which thy Spouse saide Cant. 1.9 Thy Cheekes are beautifull like the Turtles a bird shamefast chaste for in them is resplendent the beautye of thy Chastitye the splendour of thy humble VVisdome These Vertues of the Virgin are more eminent Gen. 3.3 comparing her with the first Woman Eua who when shee was yet a Virgin went wandering and gazing thorough Paradise and the first Question that the euill Angell in forme of a Serpent did aske her shee made aunswere and helde a long discourse with him wheerein shee discouered Pride Curiositye Imprudence and Desire of talking other Vices wheerein wee her Children doe imitate her Which considering I am to bee astonished imploring the ayde of this most prudent VIRGIN that in the like Occasions I may followe her Vertues The fourth Pointe THe Angell knowing the holy Disturbance and Feare of the B. VIRGIN saide vnto her Feare not MARYE for thou hast found Grace with God Wheerein I am first to consider that it is the propertye of the good Spirit to pacify and calme any Feare or Disturbance of the Hearte whatsoeuer that it may quietly receiue the Reuelation and Visitation of God And allbeeit the Astonishment of the B. VIRGIN was without any kinde of Sinne or imperfection yet thereby wee may gather with what Care the good Angell endeuoreth to take away those Disturbances that spring from sinne or our owne imbecillitye And I for my parte am to labour to remoue them leaste they hinder mee of the Visitations of God remembring how Christ our Sauiour reprehended Martha when hee saide Martha Martha Luc. 10.41 thou art carefull and art sroubled about very many things when as but one thing only is necessarye And this am I to require of the Angell of my Garde saying vnto him O most blessed Angell Colloquie remoue from my Heart all vaine feare that it may bee capable of Diuine Loue appease the Disturbance that it suffereth in earthly things that it may contemplate the things of Heauen contenting myselfe with that one wheerein consisteth my eternall rest Amen Secondly I will ponder that most sweete Worde added by the Angell to perswade the blessed Virgin not to feare For that sayeth hee thou hast founde Grace with God How greate a good it is to find grace with God which was to say vnto her Thou needest not to feare the Deuill nor Hell nor visible nor inuisible Enemyes neither hast thou cause to suspect the Greatenesses that I haue spoken to thee of in this Salutation nor other greater that I shall presently tell thee of for I doe thee to wit that thou art fallen into Grace with God And this is sufficient to secure thee for from hence it proceedeth that thou art full of Grace that our Lord is with thee and that thou art blessed among Women for whosoeuer findeth Grace with God what benefits shall hee not receiue from his liberall hande O happy a thousand times happy is that Soule that findeth Grace with God! If it be helde among men for a high felicitye to fall in grace with an earthly king how much greater shall it bee to fall in Grace with the king of Heauen From that grace proceedeth abundance of Riches Honours Dignityes and many other temporall benefits that a king bestoweth vpon his Fauorite and yet sometimes all endeth with Disgrace But from this Grace proceedeth an abundaunce of Vertues heauenly giftes that God bestoweth on his beloued for the which it is saide in holy Scriptures of the greatest Sainctes as of Noe Gen. 6.8 Exo. 33.17 Act. 7.46 Moyses Dauid and other such like that they founde Grace with God but aboue all the most sacred VIRGIN founde much greater and neerer Grace with God yea so neere that shee was allwayes with him and hee with her euen to the containing him in her Wombe as his mother O sweetest mother Colloquie I rejoice that thou hast founde Grace before God with such singular fauour And seeing Queene Esther for that shee founde grace before king Assuerus Esth. 2.9 was a cause that her People founde the like and was by him very much fauoured bee thou our Mediatrix that wee may finde Grace before God and obtaine that perfect Grace which is eternall Glorye Amen But I am very carefully to consider that allbeeit God doth not this fauour thorough the merits of man but thorough his meere mercye yet Humillitye doth most of all dispose vs to obtaine it by the which the blessed VIRGIN obtained it And therefore saide the holy Spirit The greater thou art Ecol 3.20 humble thyselfe in all things and thou shallt finde grace before God bocause the might of God only is greate and he is honoured of the humble Hee sayeth that the Humble doe him Honour for that they attribute vnto him the Honour and Glorye of all that they haue for the which God honoreth them much more and they finde greater Grace before him Therefore o my Soule if like the blessed VIRGIN thou willt finde Grace neere vnto God humble thyselfe in all things like her For God resisteth the prowde and giueth his abundant grace to the Humble Iacob 4.6 The seuenth Meditation Of the manner how the Angell annunciated and declared to the blessed VIRGIN the Misterye of the Incarnation The first Pointe THe Angell hauing quieted the holy Amazement of the blessed VIRGIN deliuered his Embassage in this manner Luc. 1.31 Beholde thou shallt conceiue in thy Wombe and shalt beare a Sonne and thou shalt call his name IESVS He shall bee greate and shall bee called the Sonne of the most High and our Lord God shall giue him the seate of Dauid his Father and hee shall reigne in the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome there shall bee no ende In these wordes are to bee pondered the greatenesses and Excellencyes of the Sonne that the Angell promiseth to the Virgin The first is that hee shal bee IESVS the Sauiour of the Worlde with greater excellencye then all other that had this name as heereafter shall bee declared The second that hee shall bee greate aboue all greates without any Limitation greate in his Diuinitye and Humanitye greate in Wisdome and Sanctitye In Life and in Doctrine In Example and in Worde and finally greate in Power for that hee shall haue power aboue all
Holye Ghoste are perfect hee came withall vpon her with newe fuullnesse of Grace to dispose her to so soueraigne a Worke. The second that the Power of the most high should ouershaâ—owe her preseruing her from sensuall Delight in Conception and forming of her purest blood the Bodye of this Childe as the bird couering her egges with her Wings giueth them Life with her Heate The third Promise was a Giuing a Reason of the other two Because that which was to bee so holily conceiued should bee the Sonne of God not by Adoption as the rest of the Iust but by the Vnion of Humane nature with the Diuine Person so that hee should bee Holy not by Priuiledge but by the Power of his holy Conception O what an exceeding ioye caused these three Promises in the Virgin O most blessed VIRGIN Colloquie if when the Angell entred thou wast already full of Grace how much more fuller shallt thou bee the holy Ghost comming vpon thee with this newe Plenitude If before our Lord were with thee for thy Gouernment Protection and Consolation how much more shall hee bee now the Power of the most High comming to ouershadowe thee now mayest thou o blessed LADYE say with a newe Title Cant. 2.3 I sate vnder the Shadowe of him whome I desired and his fruite is sweete to my Throate Thou art seated vnder the Shadowe of the most High which shall take from thee the sensuall Pleasure in Conceiuing and the fruite of thy Conception shall bee Delectable to God pleasing to the Angells sweete vnto thee and to the Saluation of vs. Much good may doe thee o Purest VIRGIN so greate a fullnesse so happye a Shadowe with Hope of so sweete a fruite And seeing thou hast this day founde so greate Grace with the Holy Spirit beseeche him to come anowe vpon mee and with his Power to ouershadowe mee that beeing seated vnder his louing Protection I may taste the sweete fruites of his Diuine Presence From hence I am to collect that whereas for the Virgin to conceiue the Sonne of God it was necessary that the Holy Ghost should come vpon her from Heauen to accomplish this Worke and that the Power of the most High should ouershadowe her so likewise that I may conceiue in my Soule the Spirit of Saluation Isa 26.8 Ex D Fulgentio lib. de Incar natione cap. 20. whereby I become the adoptiue Sonne of God it is necessary that the Holy Ghost doe inspire mee and that the Power and Omnipotencye of God doe ouershadowe mee tempering the Heate of my sensuall Concupiscences and protecting mee in all Temptations daungers and in this Faithe I am to crye to Heauen saying Colloquie O most Holy Spirit come from on High to my poore Soule sowe in it the seede of thy Diuine inspiration that it may conceiue within itselfe the Spirit of Saluation Psal 16.8 Psa 139.8 O power of the most High protect mee with the Shadowe of thy VVings couer mee with them in the Day of Temptation that the Puttockes of Hell preuaile not against mee and that I loose not through myne owne VVeakenesse what thou hast begun in mee by thy Grace Amen The fourth Pointe TO what had beene saide the Angell added Luc. 1.36 Beholde Elizabeth thy Cosin shee also hath conceiued a Sonne in her olde age and this moneth is the sixt to her that is called barren because there shall not bee impossible with God any worde In these Wordes the Angell pretended three meruailous things the first to reueale to the blessed VIRGIN a thing that would giue her much Content because of the Abundance of her Charitye Rem 12.15 whose Propertye is to weepe with those that weepe and to rejoice with those that rejoice And as the blessed VIRGIN had a feeling of the Barennesse of her Cosin because of the greife that shee receiued thereby so shee rejoiced at the newes of her beeing with Childe because of the greate Ioye that it would giue her The second was to confirme his Embassage with some sensible Token as if hee should say Seeing shee hath conceiued that was olde and barren thou maiest well beleeue that a Virgin shall conceiue for with God nothing is impossible hee can doe the one with as greate facillitye as the other Whereby wee see how it is the Propertye of the good Spirit to chastize the incredulous that require a Signe or a miracle with an affection of Incredulitye as this S. Gabriel himselfe chastized Zaâ—harias Luc. 1.20 because hee asked a signe to bee assured that hee should haue a Sonne himselfe beeing olde and his Wife barren whereas contrarily to those that haue Faithe hee giueth a Signe allbeeit they aske it not as hee did to our blessed LADYE the VIRGIN to chere and to comfort her and by the waye to confirme her more and more in her Faithe From whence I will collect how much it importeth constantly to beleeue the matters of Faithe for to beleeuers our Lord vseth to giue interiourly greater signes of his Truthe Ioan. 15. which hee denyeth to the incredulous Isa 7.9 iuxta 70. according to that of the Prophet Isaâ—as If you beleiue not you shall not vnderstand The third was that the Angell pretended to discouer the fundamentall reason of all that had beene spoken Luc. 1.37 adding that so glorious Worde that to God nothing is impossible which is to say Hee can doe all that hee will can accomplish all that hee promiseth especially those two miraculous things that I haue tolde thee of to witte That the Barren and the Virgin may conceiue bring forth From whence I will collect two other for my spirituall Comfort The first that by the Omnipotencye of God our Lord any Soule whatsoeuer that hath beene long time barren of good Workes how deepe rooted soeuer this Barennesse bee in it may bee altered and become fertile And as barren Elizabeth conceiued Iohn which signifieth Grace so it may conceiue in itselfe the fruites of Grace and of Benediction very gracious and pleasing vnto God And with this Hope I am to cheere and animate myselfe to pretende this happye Fertillitye remembring what is saide by the Prophet Isaias Isa 54.1 Gal. 4.27 and the Apostle S. Paule Reioite thou barren that bearest not breake forth and crye thou that trauailest not for more Children shalt thou haue that wast barren like Sara then shee that was fruitefull like Agar The second is that as our B. LADYE the VIRGIN by Vertue of the Holy Ghoste might conceiue and haue a Sonne which should bee worth a hundred thousand so those which promise and keepe Virginity shall conceiue Spirituall Children which shall bee incomparably more worthe then the Carnall Matt. 19.29 Isa 56.4 our Lord fullfilling vnto them that Promise which hee made them thereof by the Prophet Isaias as was declared in the first Parte and the 20. Meditation The eigth Meditation Of the finall Answere giuen
with her Soueraigne Prudence and Vertue and full of Ioye for hauing fullfilled what allmighty God gaue him in charge for these two things are matter of speciall Ioye to the Angells and to the Righteous for there is no Ioye equall to the accomplishing the Will of God and to see it accomplished by others for therein Psal 29.6 according to that of the Prophet Dauid consisteth our Life Secondly I am to consider how the Angell departed presently to Heauen without staying any moment more to giue vs to vnderstand that the Angells hauing fullfilled that ministery which allmighty God incharged them with on Earthe make no tariaunce there but forthwith retourne to their Center which is Heauen Instructing vs especially such as bee Religious that hauing fullfilled our Ministeries with our neighbours wee make no causelesse tariaunce among them but that forthwith wee retire ourselues to our Oratorye which is our Heauen to repose ourselues with God And as wee after our humane fashion imagine that the Angell entring into Heauen gaue account to allmighty God of his Embassage and presented himselfe readye to serue againe in whatsoeuer hee should bee commaunded so wee hauing fullfilled our Obligations are to present ourselues before God ready to accomplish whatsoeuer hee shall anewe impose vpon vs or giue vs in charge according to that of holy Iob Iob 38.35 Shalt thou peraduenture send lightenings and will they goe and returning shall they saye to thee heere wee are O eternall and omnipotent king Colloquie make mee like one of these caelestiall lightenings resplendent with thy light inflamed with the fier of thy Loue quicke in obeying thy holy VVill and thankefull in retourning to giue the thankes for the accomplishment thereof I may likewise piously contemplate how the Angell S. Gabriell beeing entred into heauen preached to his companions the excellent Humillitye Wisdome and Sanctitye of the blessed VIRGIN all of them beeing full of alacritye for that God had founde vpon earthe a Person that was as pleasing and acceptable vnto him as the inhabitantes of heauen for it is the Propertye of the Saintes to rejoice that there are many others that supplye what they want in louing and seruing with greate feruour our Lord God to whome bee Honour and Glorye worlde without ende Amen The ninth Meditation Of the execution of the Incarnation and of some Circumstances thereof as concerning the bodye of our Lorde Christ The first Pointe FIrst D. Th. 3. p. q. 32. 33 I am to consider how the blessed VIRGIN hauing giuen her Consent in the very same instant the Holy Ghoste formed of her purest blood a most perfect Bodye and created a most excellent reasonable Soule and joyned them togither with the Person of the eternall Worde God beeing made man and man God Ioan. 1. and God beeing espoused with Humane nature in that Virgin Chamber and the Virgin herselfe exalted to the Dignitye of the Mother of God In this Action wee are to ponder the Content of all those Persons that are interposed heerein principally the Contentment of the most blessed TRINITYE to see his promise fullfilled and to haue made this Demonstration of his Omnipotencye and of his Bountye and Charitye O how joyfull was the eternall Father for hauing giuen vs his Sonne and with what infinite Loue loued hee this his Sonne true God and man And how was hee pleased in him aboue all that was created seeing as S. 1. p. q. 20. ar 4. ad 1 Thomas sayeth God much more loueth Christ alone then all the Angells and men and then all the Creatures togither Phil. 2.9 for hee would giue him a name aboue all names which is the name and beeing of God And therefore was much more pleased and did more rejoice to beholde him then to beholde all the rest of the Created or to be created With this Consideration I will rejoice at this Ioye of the Father and will bee thankefull vnto him for the fauour hee hath donne vs beseeching him that seeing hee so much loueth this Sonne for his sake hee will also loue mee and graunt mee his holy Loue. O eternall Father and our Protector Colloquie Psal 83.10 beholde the newe face of thy Christ in whome thou art so much pleased and seeing hee made himselfe semblable to vs in our nature make vs semblable to him in his Grace Then will I ponder what Contentment the eternall Worde had to see himselfe made man and with what hearty Loue hee loued that his most sacred Humanitye vniting it to himselfe with a purpose neuer to forsake what once hee had taken vpon him And in respect thereof hee desired to embrace and to put into his bowells all mankinde as his kinred And therefore I may confidently say vnto him as Ruth saide to Booz Ruth 3.9 Colloquie Spreade thy mantel vpon thy seruant because thou art nigh of kinne O diuine VVorde true Booz and Fortitude of the Father seeing thou hast made thyselfe of the kinred of men spreade vpon mee the cloke of thy diuine Protection vnite mee vnto thee in Faithe and Charitye and giue mee the kisse of Peace with the kisse of thy mouthe Cant. 1.1 Cant. 2.6 and embrace mee with the right hande of thy Omnipotencye that nothing created may bee able to seperate mee from thy Friendship Wee may likewise contemplate the Contentment of the Holy Ghoste for hauing acted this Worke which is attributed vnto him because Goodnesse and Loue is proper to this Person and it seemeth that then hee satisfied fully his Desier when hee had acted the supremest Worke of Loue that hee could Vpon which the Prophet Isaias saide Isa 11.1 A Rodde shall sproute not of the roote of lesse and from that roote a flower vpon which the Spirit of our Lord shall take rest For in this eternall Worde Incarnate figured by this Rodde and flower of Iesse the holy Spirit founde rest and perpetuall Ioye as in the thing that hee most loued From hence I will passe on to consider the Ioye of that most sacred Humanitye when it sawe itselfe exalted to so greate a greatenesse and that from the depth of nothing it had mounted to the heighth of the Diuine essence saying with greate Ioye that of the Spouse in the Canticles Cant. 3.4 I haue founde all that which my Soule could desire I will with greate Constancye preserue it and will neuer forsake it O most sacred Humanitye Colloquie I ioye for thy Ioye and for thy good fortune and seeing thou art so content with thy beloued giue vs parte of that Loue which thou hast that togither with thee wee also may enjoye it Then will I ponder the Content of the most blessed VIRGIN in that instant of the Incarnation for God our Lorde gaue vnto her an extraordinary Light whereby shee sawe the manner how this misterye was wrought in her Intrailes for when shee sawe God made man within herselfe and saâ—e herselfe a Virgin and a
was replenished with God vttered with her mouthe this soueraigne Canticle full of Affections of God which Canticle hath ten verses and is as it were a Psalterion or Harpe of ten strings like to those Psal 42.4 91 4. 143.9 which Dauid commaundeth vs to touche for to glorifye God and therefore it shall not bee amisse to meditate all her Wordes that wee may knowe how spiritually to rehearse them to the honour of the VIRGIN ioyning to euery worde or Verse some holy Affection or ioye of the Vertues of this our Ladye with the peticion and colloquye belonging vnto it My Soule doth magnifie our Lord. In this first Verse the sacred VIRGIN teacheth vs the Spirit of praising God thinking highly and magnificently of him magnifying that which is his in all that is possible that is his Bountye and Mercye his Wisdome and Charitye the excellencye of his Gouernment And this not only with corporall wordes but with the Soule and all her interiour Faculties inuiting them with Dauid to praise our Lord. Psal 102.1 103.1.33 And shee sayed not My Soule did magnifye or will magnifye but doth magnifye to signifye that her principall office and perpetuall occupation was to magnifye God doing on Earthe that which the Angells doe in Heauen O that my Soule might allwayes magnifye our Lorde Colloquie Eccl. 43.30 o Lord of infinite greatenesse litle can I magnifye thee with my praises But as I may I praise and magnifye thee and confesse that thou art greater then I am able to say or to thinke O Soueraigne VIRGIN Psal 33.4 whose Soule allwayes magnified our Lord and like another Dauid inuited all others to magnifye him impetrate for mee that my Soule may likewise magnifye him occupying herselfe continually in singing his Greatenesses worlde without ende Amen And my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Sauiour In these Wordes the B. VIRGIN discouereth the manner of our rejoicing in God The manner of rejoicing in God nothing fiue Conditions of this Ioye to make it pure and perfect For first wee are not to place our principall Ioye and Alacritye in corporall thinges but in things spirituall nor so much in giftes receiued as in the giuer of Giftes who is God himselfe And allbeeit we are to rejoice in God as he is our Creator yet principally as he is our Sauiour and Sanctifyer for in this sorte he is the fountaine of spirituall Alacritye which is founded vpon the Saluation of the Soule sanctified by Gods grace And this loye is principally to consist in the Spirit or superiour parte of the Soule that it may be the more pure from all that tasteth of fleshe as the sensuall Ioye of the Bodye vseth to doe allbeeit sometimes the Ioye of the spirit redoundeth likewise into the fleshe Psal 83.3 15.9 according to that of Dauid My Hearte and my Fleshe reioiced in the liuing God Finally our Spirit is not to reioice in itselfe as if it had thorough it owne merites those giftes for which it reioiceth but our Ioye is to bee in God our Sauiour who gaue them vnto vs and vpon whome our ioye is to rest as saithe the Prophet Dauid My Soule shall reioice in our Lorde Psal 34.9 and shall bee delighted in our Sauiour Such was the Ioye of the blessed VIRGIN who at this instant behelde our Sauiour whome shee bare in her Wombe and rapt with his exceeding Loue shee saide My Spirit hath reioiced in God my Sauiour O my Soule exalt thyselfe aboue thyselfe in Spirit like the VIRGIN and reioice purely in Christ thy Sauiour placing in him only all thy Alacritye Psal 36.4 Ioan. 16.32.24 Matt. 25.21.23 If thou desirest Ioye reioice in God and hee shall fullfill the desires and petitions of thy hearte that thy ioye may bee full and that none may depriue thee of it vntill at last thou maiest enter into the eternall ioye of thy Lorde Because he hath regarded the Humillity of his Handmaide In this Verse and in those following the B. VIRGIN declareth ten soueraigne benefits three speciall and seuen generall which are the principall causes and respectes that shee hath to magnifye God to reioice in him and to shewe herselfe so thankefull The first is for that he regarded the Humillitye and lowlinesse of his Handmaide In which wordes the VIRGIN pointeth at two rootes of the Diuine Benefits The one principall of Gods parte and the other of our parte It is of allmighty Gods parte that he daigneth to regarde vs with a good eye and to be mindefull of vs to doe vs good For allbeeit it is truthe that he seeth all things yet he is not saide to regarde nor make account of those which he leaueth in the abysme of nothing or in the profunditye of their miserye but of those which he regardeth to vse towardes them his greate mercye The roote of our parte is the acknowledgement of our Lowelinesse by the which we may dispose ourselues to receiue the giftes of his Diuine Liberallitye And so the blessed VIRGIN as illuminated by God joyned both these togither magnifying God for that he daigned to regarde the Humillitye of his Handmaide By the which wordes shee confesseth not so much of herselfe that she hath the Vertue of Humillitye as she exercizeth it for as a true humbled one either she esteemeth not so herselfe or she would haue concealed it but with Humillitye shee confesseth that she is lowly base and contemptible as a Slaue or a Handmaide and that notwithstanding all this allmighty God disdained not to regarde her Whereby shee teacheth vs that the foundation of the Praises of God and of Thankesgiuing for the benefits he doth vs is to bee the acknowledging of our owne basenesse and indignitye for in this sorte there will be no perill of mixing vaine selfe-pleasing as it happened to the prowde Pharisee Luc. 18.14 Rather this Lowlinesse is to be the respect why to beseeche allmighty God to regarde mee with a good eye and to doe mee greate fauours Psa 112 6 for his Condition as Dauid sayeth is to beholde the lowely things in Heauen and on Earthe and to doe them greate mercyes Psal 30.8 And this the saide Dauid had experience of saying of himselfe Because God regarded my Humillitye and Lowelinesse he deliuered my Soule from all her miseries O highest God whose Habitation is in the highest Heauens Colloquie Psa 112.5 beholde the lowelinesse of this thy vile Slaue and vse towardes him thy accustomed mercye raising this begger from the Dust and this poore wretched one from the Dunghill to place him with Princes and to sanctifye him aswell as they Amen Beholde from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed And this is the seconde respect that the B. VIRGIN had to magnifye God for that from that moment that he behelde her Humillitye and that he regarded her all the nations of men that beleeued in Christ aswell the present as those to
her memorye recording how our Lord God had defeated the plottings of prowde Lucifer who had saide Isa 14.13 I will ascend vp in to Heauen I will exalt my throne aboue the Starres of God will be like vnto the most High As also the plots of those prowde ones that would haue builded the towre of Babel Gen. 11.5 Exod. 10. 11. Dan. 4.28 and the punishments that he inflicted vpon Pharao vpon Nabuchodonosor and other such prowde ones And for all these regardes she likewise magnified God seeing for them he is worthy to be praised as did our Sauiour Christ when he saide Matt. 11.25 I confesse to thee o Father Lord of Heauen and Earthe because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent hast reuealed them to litle ones He hath deposed the mighty from their seate and hath exalted the humble The hungrye he hath filled with good things and the riche he hath sent away emptye These two Verses containe two other respectes of praising God for the coniunction he maketh of his Mercye with his Iustice demonstrating his power in deposing the mighty of this Worlde from their Thrones and Seates depriuing them of the Kingdomes Dignities and Greatenesses which they helde and in their place exalting and inthronizing the lowely and humble As he threwe from the celestiall Throne the prowde Angells and in their place exalted humble men from the Throne of this Worlde he cast the prowde Prince Sathan who had tirannized ouer it and in his place exalted Christ the master of Humillitye Dan. 2.34 who beeing litle as a Stone descended from Heauen without handes or worke of men ouerthrewe the Statue which signified the Foure monarchies of the Worlde and by his Humillity increased till he came to be a greate mountaine And this custome he hath alwayes obserued Iob 5.11 40.6 seq as it is saide in the booke of Iob fullfilling that which is written That he that exalteth himselfe shall bee humbled and he that humbleth himselfe shall bee exalted And in like manner the poore and hungrye that are in necessitye which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse he replenisheth with spirituall benefits fullfilling their desiers and contrarily the riche that thinke they haue abundance and that they haue no necessity of others he sendeth awny emptye according to that of the Prophet Dauid The riche were hungrye and in want Psa 33.11 but those which seeke God shall haue abundance of all good things O my Soule magnifye thy Lord for this most noble condition that hee sheweth Colloquie in fauoring so much the humble and hungrye of the Earthe O my Spirit reioice in God thy Sauiour Psal 102.4.5 for that he crowneth thee with mercyes and filleth thy desier with innumerable benefits Prize thyselfe for beeing lowely hungry and full of neede that God may exalt thee fill thee and replenish thy Desiers but tremble to be prowde riche and disdainefull least hee cast thee out of thy seate and leaue thee emptye of his Grace He hath receiued Israel his Childe beeing mindefull of his Mercye as he spake to our fathers to Abraham and his seede for euer These two Verses containe other two most powerfull respectes to moue vs to rejoice in God and to praise his most holy name One is the Care and Prouidence that hee hath to prouide for those whome he hath taken to his charge as for his Children and Domesticalls comming personally to redeeme them And allbeeit it seemeth that for a time he forgetteth them yet when he seeth time he is mindefull of his mercye and remedyeth them as he was mindefull of Israel and of the whole worlde comming to remedye it when he made himselfe man The other respect is the greate fidelitye that God hath in accomplishing the promises hee had made to our fathers fullfilling them faithefully to all their seede for euer vnto the ende of the worlde As he fullfilled his Worde to Abraham and to Dauid which he gaue them that hee would come to remedye them and to giue to their Children life and Saluation worlde without ende These two considerations inflamed the Soule of the VIRGIN to magnifye God and her Spirit to rejoice in God her Sauiour and with these my Soule and my Spirit are to bee inkindeled with the like affections seeing euery day I beholde this Prouidence that God hath of his Children and with what faithfullnesse he accomplisheth complisheth what he promised to the Apostles our Fathers not forgetting the faithfull which are their seede vnto the ende of the worlde And these are the ten causes and respectes alledged in this Canticle by the blessed VIRGIN to glorifye God inspired thereunto by the eternall Worde Incarnate whome shee bare in her Wombe of the which I may make another Psalter and Harpe of ten strings to the same ende praising and glorifying God sometimes for one respect and sometimes for another which because I cannot doe as I ought I am humbly to beseeche the Incarnate Worde to teache mee as he taught his blessed mother and her to obtaine it me for the glorye of her Sonne Amen The fourth Pointe FInally I am to consider how the sacred VIRGIN remained with her Cosin about three moneths Pondering the greate good shee might doe to all that dwelled there with her Discourses and with her examples of Modestye Humillitye and Charitye for if she did so much at her first entrance it is to be beleiued that in those three moneths she would augment what she then did especially towardes S. Elizabeth discoursing of these mysteries and both of them exhorting one another to Praier and Conuersation with God and to diuerse Exercises of Vertue For if because the Arke of the Testament was three moneths in the house of Obed-enlom God filled him 2 Reg. 6.11 and all his with so greate benefits that Dauid with an holy Enuye desired to drawe the Arke to his owne house that God might cast vpon it his benedictions how much more are we to beleeue that this diuine Arke of the newe Testament within the which was Christ himselfe hauing remained about three moneths in this house would fill it with a thousand benedictions And if I with a liuely Faithe could vnderstand them I would presently be desirous to drawe it to my house and that the Deuotion to this Soueraigne LADYE should dwell in my Soule not only three moneths but all my whole life that she might replenish mee with all spirituall Benedictions But it is not without a mysterye that our Lord by meanes of the blessed VIRGIN hauing donne so greate mercyes to S. Iohn and to his mother yet would not heale his Father Zacharias nor dispense with the Sentence pronounced by the Angell that hee should be dumbe vntill the birth of the Childe for God is just and this was conuenient to obserue the order of his Iustice also he reserued this his mercye for another time more conuenient From whence I
measure her meruailous frame pondering the excellencye and harmonye of her workes that thou maiest be ashamed of the basenesse and discorder of thine O Temple of the Worde Incarnate Colloquie beseeche this greate God whome thou carriest in thy Wombe to adorne me with such Vertues that I may be a worthy Temple wheerein he may inhabite by his Grace O my Soule Matt. 13.21 consider that the iust ought to be like a graine of mustard seede which when it is ground discouereth the heate and force that it hath therefore if God be pleased to grinde thee with Afflictions animate thyselfe feruently to exercize these Vertues The fourth Pointe WHile S. Mat. 1.20 Ioseph was thus thinking beholde the Angell of our Lord appeared to him in sleepe saying Ioseph Sonne of Dauid feare not to take MARAE thy VVife for that which is borne in her is not by the worke of man but of the holy Ghoste And she shall bring forth a Sonne and thou shallt call his name IESVS for he shal saue his People from their sinnes Heerein is to be considered the fidellitye of the Diuine Prouidence in comming to remedye the Affliction sof those that are his when they are arriued to the last and sharpest pointe vsing diuine meanes when humane meanes doe faile For whereas our Lord sawe that S. Ioseph could not conceiue the cause of that beeing with Childe he sent an Angell after a very sweete manner to reueale it vnto him for calling him by his proper name Ioseph he addeth Sonne of Dauid to reduce to his memory that to Dauid was made the promise of the Messias that he should descende from him He saieth to him Feare not to take from him both Scruple and Anguish which is the propertye of good Angells he saieth that the VIRGIN had conceiued by the Holy Ghoste to take from him all suspicion and to cleare the Honour of our LADYE And wholely to conuerte his mourning into Ioye he addeth that she shall bring farth a Sonne of whome he must haue as tender a care as if he were his owne and that to him it should belong to giue him his name which should be IESVS which is as much to say as Sauiour for that he was to be the Sauiour of the Worlde And all this was reuealed vnto him with so greate Illumination that forthwith he gaue entire credit thereunto From hence I will ascende to ponder the alacritye of S. Ioseph at the hearing of these newes that beeing fullfilled in him that is written in Iob Iob 11.17 VVhen thou shalt think thyselfe consumed thou shalt rise like the daye starre O how full of Content was he to see himselfe freed from his suspicion How ashamed that he had admitted it though it were ignorantly and without any fault of his How warye afterward not to iudge euill of any bodye How thankefull to God for hauing giuen him a Spouse so Holy and of so greate Dignitye for committing to his charge the care of his only begotten Sonne And how joyfull to see that now was the time come of the Redemption of the Worlde I will likewise ponder the greate Ioy of the blessed VIRGIN to see her Husband so fall of quiet and content how much she was confirmed in the Hope of Gods Prouidence and how thankefull to our Lord for vndertaking her cause our Lord fullfilling in her what he spake by the Prophet Oseas I will put her in the valley of Achor that is of Affliction Oseae â— 15 to confirme her a newe in hope and she shal renewe her Songs to see herselfe free from her paines I giue thee humble thankes Colloquie o eternall God for the greate care thou hadst of these two glorious Sainctes Oseae 2.15 turning for them as thou art wont the valley of Achor into the foode and augmentation of their Spirit By their merits I beseeche thee to make me worthy to enioy the fruite of thy fatherly Prouidence relying thereupon with greate securitye in the middest of my Afflictions seeing it is most certaine that thou in thy good time wilt come to remedye them The fifth Pointe IOseph obeying the commaundement of the Angell Matt. 1.24 forthwith arose and carryed the VIRGIN to his house and liued with her most chastely vntill the birth of her Sonne and much more afterwardes Wherein I am to consider not so much the obedience of S. Ioseph for it was not much to carrye to his house so excellent a woman as the manner thereof that is with what Reuerence he carried her speaking to her some wordes like to those of S. Luc. 1.43 Elizabeth Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord entereth into my house O how greate was his Loue and Affection to our blessed LADYE how carefull was he of her what holy discourses were betweene them two what more then Angelicall Puritye of Life and what conformitye of willes how subject and obedient was the VIRGIN to S. Ioseph as to her heade how did shee reueale vnto him the particularities of what the Angell had declared vnto her in the Annunciation and what had passed in the house of Zacharias for now was the time come that shee might speake to informe him of the mysterye to the honour and glorye of him that had wrought it O happy Sainct Colloquie to whose lot it fell to haue so good companye O happy is that Soule that serueth them and learneth of them their obedience and Charitye O Seraphins of the Earthe Isa 6.2 as pure as those of Heauen who with your wings flye lightly to accomplish the will of God inflame my Hearte with the Loue of this our Lord that I also may serue him with the like Obedience that both of you had and may loue all my Bretheren with that purenesse of Charitye wherewith you loued one another The fiftenth Meditation Of the expectation of our blessed LADYES deliuerye and of the preparation for the birth of our Sauiour Christ FOr that in Spaine eight dayes before the birth of our Sauiour Christ wee celebrate the feaste of the Expectation of our B. LADYES deliuerye I insert heere this meditation for that daye and the dayes ensuing till the natiuitye in which whee are to consider the liuely desiers that three persons had of this soueraigne Deliuerye and Birth that is to say the Childe the VIRGIN S. Ioseph in whome are represented the faithfull that firmely beleeue this mysterye and in their imitation desire to prepare themselues worthily to celebrate it The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider the most feruent desier that our Lord IESVS Christ had being in the wombe of his mother to perfect and bring to ende the businesse of our Redemption and consequently to be borne in the Worlde to frame all things according to the will of his Father For euen from his mothers belly that Sentence was true that afterwardes he vttered I am to be baptized with a baptâ—me Luc.
greater wisdome nor assurednesse then to heare the voice of God and to stand for his Gouernment seeing as our Lord himselfe saide by the Prophet Isaias Isa 32.17 all is ordained for our righteousnesse and abundant peace O how full of Contentment retourned these kings on their waye and how well did they thinke their Labour and Trauell employed for the things of God although they bee painefull in the beginnings they haue alwaies good endes And therefore it is greate Wisdome to begin by that Labour whose ende shall be temporall and eternall repose rejoicing in God worlde without ende Amen The XXIIII Meditation Of the Purification of the B. VIRGIN and of the Presentation of the Childe in the Temple The first Pointe THe olde Lawe commaunded Leui. 12 2 Luc. 2.12 that a woman hauing conceiued by a man if she brought forth a male childe she should remaine forty dayes retired in her house as vncleane at the ende whereof she should goe to the Temple to be purified offering for her Sinne a Lambe The heroical vertues of the B. Virgin a Turtle if she were poore a paire of Turtles or Pigeons desiring the preiste to pray vnto God for her This Lawe the B. VIRGIN accomplished with the exercize of admirable Vertues especially she exercized sixe like the sixe leaues of the whitest Lillye for the which the speeche of the celestiall spouse is very fitting vnto her Cantic 2.2 As the Lillye among Thornes so is my beloued among the Daughters The first Vertue was greate Loue to retirednesse with such delight therein that albeit the Lawe had not commaunded it yet it would haue pleased her to continue those forty dayes in her secret Corner attending only to contemplate the greatenesses of her Sonne to nourish him wherewith she remained so full of contentment that in regarde of him shee respected not the Companye of the whole worlde The second Vertue was greate Loue to puritye and cleane-nesse of Hearte giuing good demonstrations thereof in that shee being most pure delighted to be more purified obseruing the Lawe of Purification that her beloued might say of her Thou art all faire my beloued Cantic 4.7 and there is no spot in thee The third Vertue was Heroicall Obedience for albeit she knewe that she was not obliged to keepe this lawe for that she had not conceiued by the worke of man yet notwithstanding as her Sonne fullfilled the Lawe of Circumcision so she would entirely fullfill this Lawe to conforme herselfe with other women to obserue the common Lawes of all without hauing exemption priuiledge nor dispensation and without vsing therein Ambages or Interpretations euen in that wherein she might lawfully haue vsed them And so the forty dayes being fully ended with greate puntuallitye and readinesse she set forward on her waye to Hierusalem with rare modestye and Alacritye rejoicing with her Sonne whome she bare in her armes by whose example she learned this manner of Obedience The fourth Vertue was rare Humillitye in willing to be treated as one vncleane and as one that stood in neede of being purifyed as if she had not beene a VIRGIN demonstrating heerein greate Loue to puritie Humilliation by whose example I may be ashamed to see myselfe so prowde so desirous to bee reputed as pure and holy being contrarily a sinner that so foule abhominable that my righteousnesse as saieth the Prophet Isaias is like a cloth stained with menstrueous blood Isa 64.6 The fifth Vertue was greate Loue to Pouertye the sister of Humillitye for though with the golde that these kings gaue her she was able peraduenture to buye a Lambe and to offer it as riche noble Women vsed to doe yet she would be treated like a poore woman and offer the Sacrifize that was assigned to the poore which was a paire of turtles or two young pigeons The sixth was the greate Deuotion and Reuerence wherewith she gaue this offering to the Preiste requesting him with greate Humillitye to pray vnto God for her shee herselfe being one that might haue prayed for all For as the Lilly within her sixe leaues containeth other sixe little sprigs with their buttons like golde so the blessed VIRGIN to these sixe Vertues conjoyned diuerse Affections of an intention purely and directly for the glorye of God inkindled with the fier of Charitye and resplendent with the golde of caelestiall Wisdome O most sacred VIRGIN Colloquie I reioice to beholde thee so riche in Vertues and so carefull and diligent in exercizing them Cant. 2.2 Ex D. Ber. serm in Cant. now I perceiue how exceeding true it is that thou art as a Lilly among Thornes for in comparison of thee we are blacked and besmeared with the thornes of our Sinnes and thou art a most white and pure Lilly with the sixe leaues of these soueraigne Vertues VVell may we see o soueraigne Queene that thou diddest allwayes contemplate this king layed in his manger and in thy lappe seeing thy Spirit like spikenard gaue it accustomed odour to imitate him Cant. 1.11 sending out the most sweete odour of Puritye Humillitye and Obedience inkindled with the fier of Charitye obtaine for me o blessed LADYE that I may beholde him and thee with such a spirit as may send forth the like odour Amen The second Pointe THe Lawe likewise commaunded that all the first borne of the Hebrewes should be offered to God as holy Exod. 13.2 in acknowledgement of the fauour he did them in bringing them out of Egipt killing in a night all the first borne of the Egiptians And for the accomplishment of this Lawe our blessed LADYE the VIRGIN carried her Sonne to the Temple to offer him to the eternall Father Heere I am to consider first the Spirit and Deuotion wherewith the blessed VIRGIN made this offering in her name and in the name of all mankinde saying to the eternall Father Beholde heere o eternall Father thy only begotten Sonne as he is God and my only first borne as he is man he that was represented by all the first borne that hitherto haue beene offered vnto thee and whose offering thou so much hast desired I offer him with all my Hearte in thankesgiuing for hauing giuen him mee for I haue nothing more precious to offer vnto thee thine he is take him vnto thee in whome he shall be better employed then in mee I likewise offer him vnto thee in the odour of sweetenesse for the saluation and redemption of the whole worlde Receiue o my God this offering more precious then that of Abel more sweete then that of Noe more holy then that of Abraham and more excellent then all those that Moyses ordained and by this I beseeche thee to pardon all mortall men and to admitte them into thy grace and freindship O how well pleased might the eternall Father be with this oblation aswell for the deuotion of the person that offered it as for the Sanctitye of
where he was how louingly he would reprehende my Pride and Vanitye and Curiositye in attire how he would exhorte me to make myselfe a childe and to present and offer myselfe to the seruice of his eternall Father All these wordes I am to receiue to heare beseeching him to inspire them into my spirit with a Determination to fullfill them I will likewise endeuour to heare what the blessed VIRGIN saide and what the holy Spirit saide to Simeon and what Simeon himselfe saide when he sawe his desire accomplished I learning by those wordes to speake such other wordes vnto God The third Pointe THe third pointe is to smell with the interiour smelling the most sweete odour celestiall fragrancye that issueth from this Childe IESVS and from his Vertues meditating how well they smell vnto God vnto the Angells and vnto the Iust and how much honour and glory they are vnto our Lord God and of what edification to his Church And with this odour I am to comfort and animate myselfe to imitate those Vertues To doe this the more effectually I will ponder how the most sweete odour that issued from the workes and Vertues of that Childe did exceedingly recreate the eternall Father Gen. 27.27 who might say as Isaac sayed of his Sonne Iacob The sauour of my Sonne is as the sauour of a plentifull feilde which our Lord hath blessed Then will I ponder how much this odour recreateth the just Soules that smell it Cant. 1.3 as the Spouse that saied we will runne after thee in the odour of thy ointments For the Pouerty of Christ his Humillitye and Meekenesse doe cast from them a fragrancye that vanquisheth the hearte and carrieth it after him to joine it vnto him From hence I will come to contemplate how sweete an odour both to God and vnto men is Obedience and Modestie Humillity Patience and Charitye in any person whatsoeuer that hath them in excellencye and how much it edifieth the Church and his neighbours Whereupon S. 2 Cor. 2.15 Paul saieth of the Iust that they are the good odour of Christ and contrarily what an euill odour both to God and to men is Pride and Disobedience Immodestye and euery other vice pondering how farre this euill odour was from that holy place where the Childe and his mother was and how farre it ought to be from my Soule not to giue any disguste to whome I owe so much dutye O sweete Childe whose Vestements Colloquie which are thy workes are like a feilde of odoriferous flowers clothe me with them that I may smell well to thy eternall Father that for thee hee may giue me the benediction that for them thou didst merit may my Soule resent the fragrancye of thy diuine odours that it may runne after thee imitating thy Vertues vntill it arriue to enioye the rewarde of them Amen The fourth Pointe THe fourth pointe is with the interiour Taste to taste the sweetenesse of that blessed Childe and of his Vertues and how sweete they were to God and to himselfe and are to all those that exercize them in his imitation applying myselfe to proue what the Prophet Dauid sayeth Psa 33.9 Taste ye and see that our Lord is sweete O how it pleased the eternall Father to beholde the Vertues of his Sonne and what pleasure had the Sonne to giue full content to the Father O what a sweetenesse felt this blessed Childe to see himselfe poore contemned layed in a manger among beastes how sweete vnto him were the teares that he shed and how pleasing was it to him absolutely to fullfill the will of his Father much more sauorye without comparison then the milke that he sucked from the brestes of his mother And in imitation of him I will endeuour deepely to resent this sweetenesse that God putteth in Contempts and Afflictions in Pouertye and Teares sweetened with the example of this B. Childe And with this Affection I will prouoke in my Soule a greate hunger to taste of these things and to sauour the pleasing tastes of the Spirit that the sweetenesse of the fleshe may be made vnsauorye vnto mee With this affection I will contemplate the sweetenesse that holy Simeon felt at the presence of the Childe which was so greate that it lothed him to see and taste any thing of this life and sweetened vnto him euen deathe itselfe O eternall God Colloquie Ps 30.20 how greate is the multitude of sweetenesse which thou hast hidden for those that feare thee but how much gerater shall it be to those that loue thee giue me some parte thereof o Lord to prooue that I may with a good will renounce the pleasures of the earthe and take pleasure only in those of Heauen Amen Contrarily I may ponder how much bitternesse lyeth hidden in Vice and in the Soule that followeth her owne will and yeildeth to her owne passions and making reflexion vpon what passeth with myselfe when I sinne I shall taste this bitternesse that I feele in myselfe and shall presently abhorre it and spit it vp with a desire neuer more to taste of it remembring that of the Prophet Hieremias Iere. 2.19 Thy owne malice shall reproue thee and thy owne Sinne shall reprehend thee know thou and see that it is an euill and bitter thing for thee to haue abandoned thy Lord God The fifth Pointe THe fifth pointe is with the interiour Touching spiritually to touche the Vestements of that Childe the haye of that manger the earthe of that stable kissing and embracing it with my Hearte engendring in myselfe a greate estimation price and loue of it all choosing it to myselfe as a thing of greate value and as if I were present at all I am to come to the Childe and to beg leaue of him to touche his feete to kisse and embrace them bewailing my Sinnes and like Mary Magdalen humbly begging remission of them And then with greater Confidence to beg leaue of him to touche his handes to kisse them and to play with them beseeching him to giue me his benediction or like olde holy Simeon I will take him in my armes and embrace him with greate Loue beseeching him to vnite me to himselfe not permitting me to be seperated from him And if I could attaine to the perfection of the Spouse that saied Cant. 1.1 Let him kisse me with the kisse of his mouthe I might aspire to the desier to touche that diuine face and to vnite myselfe to his Deity with the vnion of perfect Loue satiating myselfe with only seeing him and louing him O what sweetenesse is felt in this spirituall touching Cant. 5.4 with the which as the same spouse saide all her bowells were moued mollified desiring to admitte therein her beloued I am likewise to touche the hardenesse of the Childes bed the rigour of the colde that he suffered the straightnesse of those mantles wherein he was wrapped and swadled and to applye myselfe to desier that for our
Lordes sake my touching may touche alwaies rough and harde things auoyding soft and dainety things which he so much abhorred This meditation should be concluded with a Colloquye to Christ IESVS our Lord beseeching him to purifye and cleare the senses of my Soule that I may vnderstand him and loue him according to his will desiring to reforme and renewe my Senses as S. Rom. 12.2 Paul saieth to proue and approue effectually what the good acceptable and perfect will of God is to his honour and glorye worlde without ende Amen Another manner of applying in Prayer the interiour Senses with the actes of seuerall Vrrtues Among those Vertues that perfect our Vnderstanding D. Bonau in Itinerario mētis ad Deū c. 4. and Will which are the spirituall Senses of the Soule those fiue are most excellent which are correspondent to the fiue senses of the bodye with whose actes is practized a forme of Praier very profitable exercizing them in this forme about the mysteries that haue beene spoken of The Sight is the Light of Faithe with the which we see albeit thorough a mirrour and in obscuritye what God hath reuealed in euery mysterye actuating it by beleeuing it with admiration and pause as hath beene declared in the 34. Meditation of the first parte saying to the Childe IESVS Domine Luc. 17.5 adauge mihi fidem O Lord encrease faithe in mee and so quicken it that I may liue before thee as if thou were still present in my eyes The Hearing is the Vertue of Obedience with the which I am to heare all that God commaundeth or counselleth in that mysterie by worde or by example offering myselfe to accomplish it with greate readinesse and speede saying vnto him My hearte o Lord Psa 56.8 is ready to obey thee commaunde what thou wilt and giue me what thou commaundest me that I may obey thee according to thy will The Smelling which by the odour perceiueth things absent and distant is the Vertue of Hope which comforteth vs with assurance of Gods promises before they be manifested and accomplished hoping that he will heare my Praiers that he will ayde me with the succours of his grace that he will haue a care of all things belonging to me and that I may be able to followe his examples and to obtaine his rewardes and that all the rest that is represented in this mysterie may be the object of this Vertue as hath beene sayed in the place before recited saying vnto our Lord that of the Apostle Colloquie Rom. 15.13 O God of hope replenish me with all Ioy and peace in beleeuing that I may abounde in Hope and in all Vertues with the fullnesse of the holy Ghoste Amen The Taste is Deuotion with Loue to whome it pertaineth to finde sauour in the things belonging to God I rejoicing that God is whome he is and at the greatenesses and Vertues that are represented in that mysterie applying myselfe to take a pleasure in imitating him and in seruing him with all the Deuotion that I may saying with the Prophet Abac. 3.18 Ego autem in Domino gaudebo exul abo in Deo IESV meo I will rejoice in our Lord and will be glad in God my IESVS and my Sauiour The Touching is perfect Charitye which joyneth herselfe to her beloued and embraceth him with her two armes which are the Loue of God 1 Cor. 6.17 Cano. 8.6 and of her Neighbour and of all things that may please him making it my pleasure that my Spirit may be vnited with his and that his Hearte may be as a Seale imprinted in mine O beloued of my Soule Colloquie seeing thou commaundest me to put thee as a Seale vpon my Hearte and vpon my arme that my Affections and Actions may be like vnto thine conioyne thee so vnto mee that I may be vnited vnto thee worlde without ende Amen The 27. Meditation Matt. 2. Of the flying into Egipt The first Pointe FIrst I am to consider what greate persecution was raised against our Sauiour Christ being but newe borne the causes thereof and the meanes that he chose to defend himselfe Pondering first how our Lord God permitted king Herod instigated by the Deuill and by his occasion the Iewes to petsecute Christ the king newe borne with a desier to depriue him of his life albeit for different endes Herod as a Tirant fearing that he would haue taken from him his temporall kingdome The Iewes as Flatterers to please their earthely king The Diuell as Prince of this Worlde fearing leaste this miraculous Childe should doe him some greate Hurte But the eternall Father ordained this to much higher endes willing that his Sonne should from his Infancye walke in the waye of Persecutions and afflictions Psa 87.16 that beginning to be fullfilled which Simeon had prophecyed Luc. 2.34 that he should be a signe which all should contradict to giue vs to vnderstand that his comming was contrary to the Intentions of the Worlde which abhorreth not nor persecuteth those that are of it faction but those which are contrary vnto it And that wee may see imprinted in this example the State of the Primitiue Church and of the righteous Soules which conceiuing Christ within themselues and desiring to manifest him by their workes are to be persecuted by the Dragon of Hell who as S. Apoc. 12.17 Iohn saieth in his Apocalips desireth in them to kill the Spirit of Christ that it may not growe vp in their Heartes with the exercizes of notable Vertues And this may serue me for an aduise and Consolation when I shall see myselfe persecuted for Vertues sake remembring what our Sauiour Christ sayed to his Disciples Ioan. 15.20 The Seruant is not greater then his maiester if they haue persecuted me you also they will persecute Neither is it reason that I should be exempted from that vniuersall rule mentioned by the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.12 All those that will liue godly in Christ IESVS shall suffer persecution the Diuell prouoking it by himselfe and by his ministers the Worldelings Secondly I will ponder how our Sauiour Christ being able to free himselfe from this persecution by many very easy meanes as either by killing Herod or by making himselfe inuisible yet he would not but tooke this meanes of flying an argument of weakenesse and miserye and this he did principally for two causes the first because as to be borne in the Worlde he left the Commodities that he might haue had in the Citty of Nazareth so also he would leaue them thoroughout all his infancye going farre of from his kinred and parentage And for this cause now that he would flye though he might haue gonne into the Countrey of the three Sages where he should haue beene knowen and adored he would not but went into Egipt among Strangers and Enemyes to haue occasion to suffer more teaching me by this example to flye from that which is pleasing to the flesshe
and say nothing teaching vs by this example two things of very much importance First how regardlesse he was of the fleshe how regardlesse we are all to be of all that concerneth fleshe and blood and of carnall Loue to our Parents freindes and acquaintance leauing them whensoeuer it is necessarye to attende more carefully to the businesse of our heauenly Father And that carnall Parents freindes may vnderstand that we are not to remaine with them any longer time then it is the will of God Secondly that when I presume that my Parents or freindes would hinder mee from accomplishing the Will of God whither it be by ignorance or good Zeale or thorough malice or euill Zeale it is better to leaue them and say nothing although they greiue and lament and reprehend me afterwardes for it treading all this vnder foote with a manlike Courage to fullfill the Will of God according to that which is written Deut. 33.9 He that sayed to his Father and to his mother I knowe you not ank to his bretheren I knowe you not these kept thy worde and obserued thy couenant Otherwise our Sauiour Christ will say vnto me Matt. 10 37. Colloquie He that loueth Father or mother more then me is not worthy of me O most sweete Childe I am confounded to see how I am tyed to fleshe and blood omitting to doe the will of thy heauenly Father for feare of displeasing my carnall Parents or freindes Giue me o Lord Act. 5.29 Eph. 4.30 a manlike heart to leaue them all for thy loue choosing rather to obey God then men and to contristate the humane Spirit rather then the Diuine The third Pointe THirdly I am to consider how our Lord Christ with that zeale which he had of the saluation of Soules would then make some demonstration of the wisdome and grace wherewith he was replenished discouering somewhat thereof to these Doctors of the Lawe the which he did with admirable Modestye Humillitye Discretion and zeale of the Loue of God manifesting these Vertues in a manner accommodated to his age He shewed Modestye in his Countenance and in the Grauitye of his wordes and gestures the which was so greate that it moued the Doctors to admitte him to dispute with them Humillitye in that being able to be master of all he entred among them as a Disciple demaunding and hearing as one that would learne Discretion in aunswering meruailously to whatsoeuer they demaunded him in such sorte that they all admired his prudence Zeale in that he ordained all this not for vaine ostentation of his owne Wisdome but for the glory of God and good of Soules and especially to confounde the prowde Learned men that were there and to illuminate learned men that were humble and to open their eyes that they might knowe that he was alreadye about the worke of their redemption O good IESVS Colloquie a Childe in yeares but a man in VVisdome a Lambe in meekenesse but a Shepheard in Discretion I reioice to see thee play the Shepheard with this greater flocke giuing them the pasture of eternall Life fullfilling that which is written a litle Childe shall feede them Isa 11.6 O that I had beene present to heare thy Questions and to enioy thy admirable aunswers repeate them o Lord to my hearte that I may enioy the fruite thereof From this consideration I am likewise to collect a greate desire to imitate these foure vertues of our Sauiour Christ confounding myselfe in his presence for the want I haue of them especially to see my owne litle modestye and humillitye and that in Wordes and gestures I would make demonstration of more knowledge then I haue and that being ignorant I disdaine to learne what I knowe not presume to teache others what I haue not learned The fourth Pointe FOurthly is to be considered what this most blessed Childe might doe those three dayes that he was in the Temple without his Parents pondering how beside the time that he spent with the Doctors the rest he might spende in perpetuall Watching and Praier before the eternall Father for the saluation of the Worlde and of the People that entred therein It is also to be beleeued that he remained there in the night taking the grounde for his bed and some benche for his bolster and that he did eate of such almes as were giuen him or passed the time without eating for of all these temporall matters he made but small reckoning It is likewise certaine that it was a greate torment vnto him to see the vnreuerence of some that entred there and the Sinnes that they there committed for he had then so feruent a zeale as when S. Iohn testifyed of him that of the Psalme The zeale of thy house hath eaten me Ioan. 2 1â— although at that time he dissembled it Out of all this I will collect Affections and Resolutions of Imitation in that wherein I ought to imitate him and to be compassionate of his Pouertye and solitarinesse albeit he made small reckoning of his earthly Parents being in the house of his celestiall Father The XXX Meditation Of what the blessed VIRGIN did when shee sawe shee had lost her Sonne vntill shee founde him The first Pointe SAinct Ioseph Luc. 2 4â— c. and the blessed VIRGIN hauing trauelled a dayes iourney from Hierusalem on their waye to Nazareth eache thinking that the childe had beene with the other for they went in seuerall Companyes at night in their Inne they missed the Childe and seeking him among their kinssolke and acquaintance they founde him not Wherein I am to ponder the Intention of God in willing to afflict these Sainctes without any fault of theirs and vpon the occasion of a good Worke which they did to honour him and in a thing which might most of all greiue them which was the losse of such a Childe All which he plotted to exercize them in Patience Humillitye and feruorous Diligence and in other Vertues that were resplendent in the blessed VIRGIN and in S. Ioseph in this case for our example Their Patience was resplendent in that they were not troubled nor lost the peace of their Soule nor complained of our Lord but endured this losse with yeilding to Gods ordination though it was an exceeding greate losse Their Humillitye in that like good People they feared a faulte or a negligence where none was or at least they attributed this to their owne Indignitye they feared least our Lord would alreadye leaue them and followe some other course of Life or least themselues had omitted their dutie in looking after him and they confessed themselues to be vnworthye of his Companye Their Diligence in that they went forthwith to seeke him full of Carefullnesse and paine to complye with their obligation and for that Loue sollicited them and though they sought him among their kinsfolke and acquaintance yet for all this they founde him not for if Christ would haue beene with any of his
Purification of the B. VIRGIN and of the Presentation of the child in the Temple 230 The xxv Meditat. Of what happened in the Presentation with Simeon and Anna Prophetesse p. 238. The xxvi Meditat. VVherein is set downe a forme of praier applying the interiour faculties of the soule to the contemplation of the mysteries that haue beene meditated 247 Another manner of applying in Praier the interiour senses with the actes of seuerall Vertues p. 256. The xxvij Meditation Of the flying into Egipt p. 258. The xxviij Meditat. Of the murder of the holy Innocents and of the retourne from Egipt p. 271. The xxix Meditat. Of the comming of our Sauiour Christ to the Temple of Ierusalem and of his remaining there among the Doctors 276 The xxx Meditat. Of what the B. VIRGIN did when shee sawe shee had lost her Sonne vntill shee founde him 281 The xxxi Meditat. Of the life that our Sauiour Christ ledde in Nazareth vntill he was thirty yeares olde 294 A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPALL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THIS SECOND PART ABsence of God from the soule of diuers sorts and for diuers causes page 283. Aduent how we must prepare our selues vnto the same 164. Affections of deuotion wine of the vessels of Gods wine-sellars 2. Angels with what speedines they doe theire messages 66. 67. Though of small importance 143. Aue Mary is declared word for word 70. 125. 126. Benifits of God towards vs from whence they proceede 131. Charitie that God shewed men in the mysterie of the Incarnation 25. 26. ours towards God hath three estates 3. Christ see IESVS Circumcision of Christ 195. our spirituall Circumcision 199. Grace of God how great good it is to find grace with God 78. Hand-maid of God what an honour it is and what excellent spirit was included in these words of the B. VIRGIN 92. Hearing spirituall of the soule 249. Humilitie findeth grace before God 78. It is the euening of exaltation yf it be well taken 152 It is to be exercised in base offices 303. in matters of learning 304. IESVS The excellencies of this name and the offices that it signifieth 201. 202. The mysteries of his Incarnation life till thirtie yeares of age ar declared in this second part by order Of his Imitation 1. He is a king eternall most worthy and that inuiteth vs to folow him 6. Illustrations see Inspirations Incarnation The decree of it 14. The diuine excellencies that doe shine in the same 21. The infinite charitie of God therein 25. why God would be incarnate in the wombe of a woman 30. 31. 105. The time that he tooke to declare and execute it 58. How it was annunciated 66. The forming of the body and the properties thereof 100. 104. The excellencies of Christ his soule 108. The heroicall actes of vertue this soule did exercise in the first instant of the Incarnation 111. Inconstancie in goodnes how preiudiciall it is 296. Innocents martyrdome 271. Inspirations embassadours of God 68. the seede of grace 86. they moue to woork spedilie 120. Intention the puritie thereof in woorks is to be procured 302. Iohn Baptist his natiuitye and excellencies 143. S. Ioseph his great holiues and vertues 149. The vertues he discouered seeing our LADY with child 153. and when he was commaunded to fly into Egipt 263. 267. Ioy spirituall to be ioyned with modestie 288. the conditions it must haue 130. Life Actiue and Contemplatiue ioyned in our B. LADY 50. Loue of carnall parents how to be moderated 279. Magnificat declared at large 128. Mary mother of God her predestination election 30. 31. Her conception 37. Her natiuitie and name 42. Deuotion to her a signe of predestination 43. Her presentation in the Temple 46. Her vowe of Virginitie 52. Of her loue towards this vertue 82. Of her Betrothing to S. Ioseph 54. The vertues she discouered in the Annunciation 75. In visiting S. Elizabeth 121. In the Cantiele Magnificat 128. and when her spouse would haue left her 154. in her Purification 230. when she had lost her sonne 282 She was the instrument of the first iustification that our Sauiour wrought 119. Mercy of God how it shewed it self in the Incarnation 15. Mortification is a spirituall circumcision 199. Offices base and abiect to be exercised by vs. 303. Parents carnall must be left when the glorie of God so requireth 278. how regardlesse we must be of them to imitate Christ 278. Patience in reprehensions 292. Peace which the Angels did announce in the natiuitye of Christ 187. Prayer the manner thereof by applying the interiour senses 247. by pawsing a while with Reuerence to heare what God saith 250. by manner of a louing complaint to God 288. Preacher must not preache vntill he be of mature age and well grounded in humilitie 305. 306. Presence of God in diuers sortes 73. Profit spirituall how we must growe in vertues 290. it must be before God and men 298. Prouidence of God towards the iust afflicted 156. towards such as be persecuted 261. 273. Puritie of heart the end of the vocation and election of the faithfull 36. Purposes good ought to be fullfilled and the damage yf they be not 162. Senses the manner of praying by them 247 Silence how to be kept 83. Sinne the grieuousnes thereof by that which our Sauiour felt in the instant of his Incarnation 113. Sloath in seeking Christ and the punishment thereof 211. Speeche how to be vsed discreetelie 83. Spirit good taketh away disordinate feare 77. chastizeth the incredulous and fauoureth such as beliue when they ought 87. the effects of it when it inwardlie visteth vs. 125. Tongue how it must be gouerned 83. Touching spirituall what and how performed 255. Tribulations how God by them proueth his elect 151. Visitations of God interiour why they be wanting manie times 283. The properties and effects of them 125. VVill good how pretious a thing it is 188. FINIS
and what puritye of Intention I had therein with such like being very sorrowfull for any defect that I shall finde and purposing from that time forwarde to amende it 2. Secondly I am to examine whither I were attentiue or distracted whither deuoute or drye whither I contented myselfe with discoursing onely for that were no Praier but studye or whither I had good affections and purposes whither I begged of God and spake vnto him in my Colloquies with reuerence and confidence or without it And if I finde that it hath gonne well with mee in all I will giue thankes to God for it attributing this good successe not to my diligence but to his grace and mercye But if I finde that it hath gonne ill with mee I will examine the cause whither it were any fault of mine or any passion or disordered Affection or any negligence or remissenesse and being sorrie for my fault I will purpose to amende with determination to mortify my selfe and to remooue away the cause of this harme 3. Thirdly I am to examine the motions and Inspirations or Illuminations and spirituall Taste that I haue felt marking well what effectes they haue wrought in mee to knowe whither they spring from a good Spirit or not and to gaine experience that may helpe mee to knowe the Variety of Spirits To which ende it will helpe much to knowe the rules that are prescribed for this of which wee shall set downe many in the discourse of these meditations 4. Fourthly I am to examine the Resolutions that I made in Praier to see when and how I am to put them in execution and generally I am to examine what fruite I drawe from Praier and Conuersation with God for if my Praier bee a Tree without fruite Matt. 21 19. it will bee cursed like the figtree and presently wither but if it beare fruite it shall bee blessed and growe vp like a Tree planted nigh to the streames of waters Psal 1.3 The fruites of Praier are these To reforme manners to withdraw vs from Sinnes bee they neuer so light to auoyde the occasions of them and of all Imperfection to subdue Passions to curbe the Senses to mortifye sinister Inclinations to vanquish the repugnancies and difficulties that I finde in Vertues to fight valiauntly against Temptations to animate myselfe to suffer much Affliction with alacritye to incourage myselfe to fullfill readily the will of God declared in his holy Lawe in the Euangelicall Counsells and in the rules and Orders of my estate and office To procure also the augmentation or increase of Vertues imitating those of Christe IESVS our Lorde especially his Charitye and Humillitye his Obedience and Patience in Afflictions his Loue of the Crosse and of Contempt and of Chastizing the fleshe And particularly euery one is to procure to haue that Vertue that hee hath most neede of according to the quallitye of his Estate whither it bee Modestye or Chastitye or Fortitude or any other of the Theologall or Morall Vertues with a most effectual resolution and purpose as shall be set downe in the 29. meditation of the first part And when I shall make an examination of Praier I must make good Triall whither I haue drawne out any of these fruites in the manner aforesaide Of the seuerall formes of Praying in diuerse Matters accomodated to different Persons and Times §. 9. THE taste of man is so disgusted in spirituall Exercises that it easily begetteth tediousnesse and loathing if his meate bee giuen him dressed allwaies after one fashion though it bee neuer so precious Num. 21.5 as the Israelites were lothed with Manna though it were exceeding sweete because it was alwaies the same For this cause the Sainctes and Spirituall masters haue Inuented diuerse formes of Praier accomodating Praier in sundry manners with this Variety to take away the wearinesse wee might haue in the exercise thereof when the Spirit of God goeth not alwaies renewing the delight of the same making vs Psal 95.1 97.1 as Dauid saith alwaies to sing vnto our Lord a newe song Herein the Seraphicall Doctor S. Bonauenture was very excellent in his very many and large treatises that hee made of these matters and no lesse was our glorious Father Ignatius couching in his litle booke not onely variety of matter for meditation but also seuerall formes of praying for the examination of the Conscience for the application of the Interiour Senses of the Soule and for diuerse Similitudes and Parables and especially hee taught three very proffitable formes of Praier accomodated to those which walke in the three wayes aboue-saide Purgatiue Illuminatiue and Vnitiue although they are all three of greate profit for them all 1. The first forme of Praying is vpon Gods Commaundements vpon the seuen Capitall Vices commonly called the seuen deadely Sinnes vpon the three faculties of the Soule and vpon the fiue Senses taking all this for matter of Meditation and Praier This forme is proper to those that walke in the Purgatiue waye labouring to cleanse themselues of their Sinnes And so wee will declare this forme in the first parte making speciall meditations of all these things with the rest that pertaine to the manner of praying examining the Conscience and preparing a mans selfe for Confession and Communion whereby is obtained the puritye of the Soule 2. The second forme of Praying is vpon VVordes taking for matter of meditation some Psalme of Dauid or some Sermon or Sentence of our Sauiour Christe or some Praier or Hymne of the Churche ruminating euery worde by it selfe and drawing out the Spirit and Affection that is in it For as the wordes of holy Scripture were dictated by the holy Spirit they haue all some misterye worthy of Ponderation And as the Churche is gouerned by the same holy Spirit it speaketh not a worde but it containeth much Spirit The forme of meditating these is to consider who speaketh that worde to whome it is spoken or directed to what ende with what manner and Spirit it was spoken and what is the signification thereof that is to say what it is that it commaundeth or counselleth threateneth or promiseth or what it is that is required or pretended therein drawing out of all Affections agreeing with what hath beene pondered For in another sorte are those wordes to bee meditated which God speaketh to man then those which man speaketh to God The first as a man that heareth God who is his Master Law-giuer Counsellor Protector and Rewarder hearing him with Desire to learne what hee teacheth to execute what hee commaundeth to followe what hee counselleth to feare what hee threateneth to hope for what hee promiseth and to loue him for what hee sayeth The second are to bee ruminated with that Spirit with which hee that ordained them spake them according to the ende whereunto they are directed The which is manifestly seene in the Psalmes of David for some hee made with a Spirit of praising God and thanking him for
the offering that was presented him Secondly I will consider the Spirit wherewith this most blessed Childe offered himselfe in the Temple to his eternall Father Beholde heere might he say o eternall Father thy only begotten Sonne who was made man to obey thee and commeth into the Temple to honour thee heere I present myselfe before thy maiestie and I offer myselfe to thy seruice and to the accomplishment of thy Will Psalm 36.77.51 And for that neither the Deathe of so many first borne as perished in Egipt nor the offering of the first borne of Israel hath beene acceptable vnto thee for the saluation of men I offer myselfe to dye for them that my Deathe and the sacrifize of my blood may appease thy wrathe and deliuer thy people from the seruitude of sinne In this sorte was fullfilled that speeche of S. Paul Qui dilexit nos Ephes 5.2 tradidit semetipsum hostiam oblationem Deo in odorem suauitatis Who loued vs and deliuered himselfe for vs an oblation and host to God in an odour of sweetenesse And it is to bee beleeued that this offering happened in the morning at such time as in the temple was offered the sacrifize of the Lambe Exod. 29.39 Num. 28.4 called the morning Lambe that there might be a correspondence betweene the figure and the figured O how sweete was this offering to the eternall Father how content remained he therewith as one that was desirous thereof for that the offrings of all the other first-borne were of no value but as they were representations of this Thirdly I am to imagine that albeit our Sauiour Christ made this offering for all men yet he made it likewise particularly for mee holding me present in his memorye Hearte And with this consideration in the Temple of my Soule I will present myselfe in spirit before the eternall Father and in companye of the blessed VIRGIN and of the Childe himselfe I will offer him vnto him in Thankesgiuing for hauing giuen him to me for my Redeemer and master beseeching him to accept this offering and for it to reconcile mee to himselfe and to make me partaker of his giftes O soueraigne Father with all the affection of my Hearte I offer vnto thee thy only begotten Sonne Colloquie and though it being I that doe offer him I deserue to be reiected yet the offering being such as it is I hope to be admitted receiue it o Lord in an odour of sweetenesse and for it graunte mee remission of my Sinnes that with a pure Hearte I may appeare in thy presence in the Temple of thy glorye Amen The third Pointe THe same Lawe likewise commaunded that these first-borne should be redeemed for fiue sicles Exod. 13.13 Leuitic 27.6 and so the blessed VIRGIN redeemed her Sonne paying them to the Prieste who tooke them and retourned her Sonne vnto her Vpon this passage I am to consider who maketh this sale of the Childe who it is that buyeth him with what price and for whome and what benefits arize thereof First I will consider how the eternall Father to whome this Childe offered himselfe will not keepe to himselfe that which was giuen him but would a newe giue him to the Worlde and to men and sell him to them for their good demonstrating heerein his infinite Liberallitye and Bountye which is so farre from repenting to haue giuen vs what he once gaue vs that he ratifieth the Donation inuenting newe respectes to giue vs what he hath giuen vs. She that buyeth and redeemeth him is the blessed VIRGIN to bring him vp as her Sonne and yet she also will not detaine him to herselfe but will nourish him for vs and buy him that he may be employed for our good The price is no more but fiue sicles O eternall Father Colloquie how cheape doest thou sell a thing that is so precious why doest thou equall this first-borne in price with the rest if the rest were redeemed for fiue sicles this was to be redeemed for many millions for he is infinitely more worth then all the rest But I now perceiue o Lord that this is to aduise me that although the name of this ransome soundeth sale and price yet he is giuen vs freely and of meere grace that I may incessantly thanke thee for this newe grace for the which mayest thou be glorifyed and praised by all thy Creatures worlde without ende Amen I may also consider the Spirit that is included in the price of these fiue sicles by the which is signified the price wherewith is bought the most precious golde of diuine Wisdome which is Christ Apoc. 3.17 Isa 55.1 in such sorte as it may be bought This price is the mortification of the fiue senses and the actes of the fiue Vertues which dispose vs to obtaine Grace and the perfection thereof that is to say Liuely faithe Feare of God Dolour for Sinnes Confidence in Gods mercye and an effectuall Resolution to obey God and wholely to accomplish his holy will Therefore Colloquie o my Soule if thou desirest to haue Christ to be thine consider that he is not bought with golde nor siluer but with these fiue sicles of the Spirit offer them to the eternall Father and he will giue him vnto thee Fourthly I will ponder the ende wherefore he is redeemed and bought which is to be the Slaue and Seruant of men and to deliuer himselfe for them vnto Deathe O sweete IESVS Colloquie how willingly doest thou suffer thyselfe to be solde and redeemed to vndoe by thy sale that which I by sinning did with my Soule and to redeeme it with thy ransome that it might bee perpetually thine and yet thy Loue stoppeth not heere for thou art readye to be solde againe by a false Disciple and bought by thy enemies to take from thee thy life making an ende of our redemption with thy Deathe Blessed be thy immense Charitye that is neuer satisfied nor wearied in doing vs good O my Soule reioice that the blessed VIRGIN hath bought her Sonne for thee be glad that IESVS is alreadye thine seeing his Father hath giuen him thee for fiue sicles O good IESVS thou art mine by this newe buying but I yeilde myselfe to be thine Cant. 2.16 and with greate Confidence will say My beloued to me and I to him bee it so o Lord that thou leaue not me nor I neuer leaue thee Amen The XXV Meditation Of what happened in the Presentation Luc. 2.25 with Simeon and Anna the Prophetesse The first Pointe IN those dayes there was a man in Hierusalem named Simeon and this man was iust and religious expecting the consolation of Israel and the holy Ghoste was in him and he had receiued an aunswere from the holy Ghoste that he should not see deathe vnlesse he sawe first the Christ of our Lord. Vpon this pointe I will consider first how the holy Ghoste desiring to manifest IESVS Christ newly borne raised vp two