he says Neither Eye hath seen nor Ear hath heard nor has it enter'd into the Heart of Man to conceive what God has prepar'd for those that Love him The End of the Second Book THE LIFE OF THE LADY WARNER In RELIGION Sister CLARE of IESVS THE THIRD BOOK CHAP. I. The Ceremony of their Profession at Graveling HAving dispos'd and prepar'd themselves by Eight Days Retirement for this last and solemn act of their Profession they proceeded to the Ceremony Which being out of Practice in England since it 's unhappy fall from the Roman Catholic Faith I thought it would not prove tedious or ungrateful to the curious and Devout Reader to peruse that at least in English he cannot see in England That such as have heard of a Religious Profession and scarce know what it means may hereby be inform'd what it is Father Thomas VVorsley being impower'd by Reverend Father Iohn Clarke Provincial of the Society of Iesus in England to receive Brother Clare's Profession and having also receiv'd Command from the Bishop of St. Omers to assist in his place whilst Sister Clare of Iesus made her Vows He upon the First Day of November on which the Holy Catholic Church Celebrates the Feast of All-Saints in the Year of Our Lord 1667 about Nine of the Clock in the Morning said Mass in the Church of the English Monastry of the Poor Clares of Graveling which was throng'd with all sorts of Persons The Grate of the Quire was left open where Sister Clare kneel'd in her Ranck amongst the rest of the Nuns And a Praying place was set within the Communion Rails on the Gospel side of the Altar for Brother Clare to kneel upon during the time of Mass When Father VVorsley had taken the Communion himself he turn'd about holding in his hand the Sacred Body of our Savior at which time Brother Clare ris ' from the Praying place and kneeling down before the Father in the middle of the lowest Altar-step with a loud and distinct Voice he recited his Vows in Latin English'd as follows I Iohn Clare make Profession and promise to Almighty God in Presence of his Virgin Mother the whole Celestial Court all here present and to you Reverend Father Thomas VVorsley in lieu of Reverend Father General of the Society of Iesus and his Successors holding the place of Christ perpetual POVERTY CHASTITY and OBEDIENCE and according to it a particular care of Teaching Children answerable to the form of living contain'd in the Apostolical Letters and Constitutions of the Society of Iesus At Graveling in the Church of the English Poor Clares the First Day of November 1667. Which having ended he Communicated from Father VVorsleys hands and then return'd to the Praying place finding an unspeakable comfort in his Soul Sister Clare who kneel'd in her usual place in the Quire being observ'd by Reverend Mother Abbess not so much as to move an Eye towards the Grate When Brother Clare ris ' to recite his Vows was order'd by her to go close to the Grate that she might the better see and hear him perform that Ceremony she went immediately to the Grate as Mother Abbess had order'd her but kept the same custody of Eyes as the Religious observ'd which she had done before not casting the least glance towards the Altar Mass being ended Father VVorsley went from the Altar up to the Doxal which is a large open Gallery before the Quire Grate made like a Balcony with Rails and Ballisters towards the Altar whether as many of the Company as it could contain follow'd him to see and hear Sister Clare of Iesus also make her Vows As soon as Father Worsley was come to the Quire on the right side of which Reverend Mother Abbess sat in an Arm'd Chair Sister Clare with a smiling and compos'd Countenance kneel'd down before the Grate having a Crucifix in her right hand and a lighted Wax Candle in her left The Father asked her VVhat she demanded She Answer'd Grace and Mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ and of you Reverend Father of you Reverend Mother Abbess and of you my dearly beloved Sisters I humbly beg out of my own free and deliberate VVill in Honor of and by the bitter Death and Passion of our Lord Iesus Christ by the Merits of the most Glorious Virgin Mary of our Holy Father St. Francis our Holy Mother St. Clare and of all the Holy Saints that you will vouchsafe to receive me to Holy Profession For if the whole VVorld were mine I have chosen and am ready to abandon it all to be here one of your Poor Children thô most unworthy Then Father VVorsley desir'd her to consider well the Obligation she was about to take upon her of perpetual Poverty Chastity Obedience and Inclosure to the observance of which having once tyde her self by Vow she was oblig'd during her whole Life and could never be freed from this obligation and therefore askt her VVhether she still persever'd in asking what she before demanded To which she Answer'd That she still demanded the same Then he asked her VVhether she thought her self to have sufficient strength of Body to undertake that State And whether she knew of any impediment that might hinder her from undergoing so rigorous a course of Life as she was about to undertake She Answer'd him That she knew of none and did not doubt but that God who had call'd her to this State would give her his Grace and Strength to go through the rigors of it Lastly he askt her How Old she was She told him She was One and Thirty Years of Age. Then the Father began the Veni Creator or Hymn of the Holy Ghost which the Quire went on withal to the Versicle which the Father Read aloud Send forth thy Spirit and they shall be Created the Quire Answering And thou shalt renew the face of the Earth Then the Father recited the following Prayer of the Holy Ghost O God who didst instruct the Hearts of the Faithful by the Illumination of the Holy Ghost Grant that by the same Spirit we may have a right understanding in all things and evermore rejoyce in his Holy consolation Through our Lord Iesus Christ c. Then the Father said Pray for us O Mother of God The Quire Answer'd That we may be made partakers of the Promises of Christ O Lord God we beseech thee grant us thy Servants to enjoy perpetual health of mind and body And by the glorious Intercession of the ever Blessed Virgin Mary to be delivered from this present sorrow and to enjoy gladness everlasting Through our Lord c. Amen Then the Father said Pray for us Holy Father St. Francis the Quire Answer'd That we may be made worthy of the pomises of Christ O God who dost increase thy Church by the birth of the new Progeny of St. Francis grant us by his imitation to despise all Earthly things and to rejoyce in the participation of thy Celestial gifts through Christ our
might take effect if she would not stay where she was He being desirous that she should rather be amongst those of her own Nation than Strangers since frequent examples have shew'd how easily the Enemy raises jealousies and disgusts in those that enter among Externs For this reason he procur'd a Book of the Rules of St. Clare which he gave her to Read and desir'd her for his comfort and satisfaction if she lik'd the Rules which she would find rigorous enough rather to make choise of that place to go to than any other She promis'd to Read them and was so taken with them that she resolv'd if her Ghostly Father approv'd of it immediatly to betake her self to that course of Life Which was a great subject of joy to Brother Clare thô on the other side it was a great trouble to him to find that his Sister and Kinswoman who had enter'd with her resolv'd to take the same course For he fear'd that it might be a prejudice to the Monastry they left which had been extraordinary kind to them Since the World which is too apt to censure might think that three Religious going away together could not but have some Motive of disgust or dislike to the place and did not purely leave it out of a desire to serve God in a stricter and more austere Order He therefore oppos'd his Sisters and Kinswomans going and had just reason to disswade his Sister because her Constitution was so weak and her health so impair'd that the Doctors would not permit her even to comply with the Church-precept in keeping her fast in Lent Whereas in the place she design'd to go to she must keep the Lenten Fast as long as she liv'd He told her therefore That this desire of hers could not be good it being too presumptuous and inconsiderate to expect that God should work a Miracle for the satisfying of her own humor Especially when in doing so she went against the Advice of those whom he had substituted in his place to direct her That it was an ordinary Artifice of the Malignant Spirit under pretence of a specious and plausible good to draw several out of the way God had plac'd them in This Discourse so sensibly afflicted her that she fell a weeping saying That she was sure that God had call'd her to a stricter Order and that his Power and Grace was always proportionable to his Call The Reverend Mother and the Religious finding them so earnest to go upon so good and solid Motives were so kind as to second their Requests and prevail'd with Brother Clare for their removal This then being the good effect of Brother Clare's Journy to Liege he resolv'd to hasten back to VVatten to dispatch all things necessary for their Admittance at Graveling that they might the sooner be able to follow him Amongst other Discourses which Brother Clare had with Sister Teresa Clare she thanked him extreamly for the favor of a Letter which he had procur'd her from Father Philip Marini a Missioner that came from China to England and other parts of Europe to gain Companions to Labor with him in that large Vinyard With whom Brother Clare coming acquainted whilst after her departure he stay'd at London obtain'd from him a Letter of encouragment to her which being from so Apostolical a Man who had spent many Years in the hard and dangerous Mission of China not only exposing his Life during those great Persecutions that happen'd whilst he was there but also in taking so long and dangerous a Journy for the procuring help for those many Souls that he had hopes to reduce by their assistance to the true Faith and as she also profest having given her so inexplicable a comfort in her undertaking I thought worth your purusal as it is Translated out of Italian in which Language it was Writ MAy the Grace and Love of Iesus Christ increase in our Souls to Gods greater Glory Writing to a person of your Merit I ought to do it in such a manner as may give you an assurance of the reward of that Eternal happiness which you will certainly gain not by running but flying from the Liberty of the World to the narrow confinement of a Cloyster Thrice happy are you that have so great an assurance of Heaven by so Noble and Generous a forsaking of all pleasures upon Earth the better to embrace what the World flies from the Cross of Christ Following hereby St. Teresa's admirable Lesson Either to suffer or die for Iesus This is that Jewel which the wise Marchant gave all he had to purchase and did not repent his bargain And thó he became Poor in the Eyes of the World yet he recover'd his loss by purchasing a Good which was of greater value than all other Goods How happy then is the Renunciation of that Blessed Soul which leaving all looseth nothing still finding all in the Poverty of Iesus The Apostles Patrimony after they had forsaken their Parents Friends and all they had was a pure nothing which put into the Hands of Iesus as St. Gregory saith excellently well so multiply'd as to become all things Totum reliquit qui sibi nil retinuit He left all who retain'd nothing to himself Behold therefore the nothing which the Apostles reserv'd but this nothing put into the Hands of Iesus grew to the hight of that Glory to which they were call'd At this Day so many Ages after their departure out of the World we proclaim their Dignity and give them greater Titles than ever the Ambition of Monarch could Usurpe I would say more of this subject but time will not give me leave therefore to send you my Opinion about leaving the World my sentiment is that it is not sufficient to go out of it to live in Religion unless we bid adieu to and renounce all things that are united to it The difference between those who leave and renounce is this He that leaves can return to the thing he left but he that renounceth looseth the Dominion over what he renounces in the same manner as a Man does his Right to what he has Sold. This was that which our Saviour said to the Young Man Vade vende omnia quae habes veni sequere me go Sell all you have come and follow me which words agree with those others Nisi quis renunciaverit omnibus quae possidet non potest mâ—us esse Discipulus Vnless one renounce all things he Possesseth he cannot be my Disciple What therefore is it to be a Disciple of Christ 'T is to have Christ for our Master Father Spouse Lord God and All. But what need I Write after this manner to you Who I know practice better things than I can suggest Wherefore I Write not to give you instruction but to praise your Generosity by which you have not only left the World with your Body but with your Soul also have renounc'd all it's Vanities and every thing that relates to it Heaven
Lord Amen Father Pray for us O Blessed Mother St. Clare Quire That we may be made worthy of the pomises of Christ O Lord we beseech thee to make us who Honor the Memory of the Holy Virgin St. Clare by her Intercession partakers of Celestial joys and Co-heirs of thy only begotten Son who lives and Reigns with thee World without end Amen Then the Father Blessed the Veil as follows Father May our help be in the Name of our Lord. Quire VVho made Heaven and Earth Father O Lord hear my Prayer Quire And let my cry come unto thee Father The Lord be with you Quire And with your Spirit Let us Pray O Lord we humbly beseech thee that thy powerful blessing may descend upon this Veil wherewith the head of thy Handmaid is to be cover'd that it may become blessed and holy to her through Christ our Lord. Amen O Mnipotent and Everlasting God we humbly beseech thy Sacred Majesty to Sanctifie with thy right hand this Veil which thy Servant is about to put on her head that thy Mercy assisting her she may keep with an undefiled Body and Mind that Vow of Chastity Mistically represented by this Veil by which out of Love to thee and thy Sacred Virgin Mother she dedicates her self to thy Holy Service that prepar'd hereby she may joyn her self to thy Train of Virgins and deserve to be led by thee to the Everlasting Nuptials of the Lamb who livest and Reignest World without end Amen Then he blessed the Ring as follows LOrd Iesus Christ the lover of true Chastity and perpetual Fidelity we humbly beseech thy Immense Clemency that thou wouldst bless this Ring thy Servant is about to put on and grant that she being Espous'd by this pledge may persever thy Loyal Spouse by so unspotted a Chastity that she may deserve to be adorn'd with the gift of this Vertue and enrich'd with it's Hundred-fold fruit who livest and reignest c. These Prayers being ended the Quire recited the Litanies of the Saints Petitioning each of them to Pray for the Bride and having ended the last Kirie Eleison or Lord have Mercy upon us The Father began the two first words of the Pater Noster saying the rest to himself till he came to the following words And lead us not into Temptation which he said aloud and the Quire Answer'd but deliver us from Evil Amen Then the Father said Lord save thy Servant Quire VVho my God places her trust in thee Father Send her help from thy Sanctuary Quire And from Sion defend her Father Be to her a Tower of strength Quire To defend her from the face of her Enemies Father Let not the Enemy prevail against her Quire Nor the Son of Iniquity be able to hurt her Father Lord hear my Prayer Quire And let my cry come unto thee Father The Lord be with you Quire And with your Spirit Then the Father said the following Prayers LEt our humble Petitions O Lord appear in thy presence and vouchsafe to bless thy Servant to whom in thy Holy Name we give the Veil of Religion and by the Intercession of the most blessed and most glorious Virgin Mary of the Blessed Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul St. Francis St. Clare and all the other Saints grant her a perfect Conversion from the World and so ferverous an observance of what she has undertaken that in all her Tribulations Streights and Temptations being encourag'd by thy Divine Consolation and by true Humility and Obedience being founded in fraternal Charity she may justly piously and Chastly perform what by thy assistance she does this Day promise and thereby deserve to enjoy with thee Everlasting Life Who with the Father and Holy Ghost livest and reignest God World without end Amen O Lord Iesus Christ who art the way out of which none can come to the Father we beseech thy most benign Clemency that thou wouldst lead this thy Servant whom thou hast drawn from Terrene and carnal desires into the secure way of regular Discipline and since thou vouchsafest to call Sinners to thee saying Come unto me all ye that labor and I will refresh you grant that the Voice of this your Invitation may have so much Power over her as that laying down the burden of her Sins she may deserve to taste how great and good you are and by this your Divine refection be inabl'd to sustain your Chastisements for them And as thou hast vouchsaft to attest saying I know my Sheep and my Sheep know me acknowledge her for thine and grant that she may so know thee and follow thee and only thee that she may never give Ear to or obey anothers Voice who hast promis'd that whosoever obeys and serves thee here shall follow thee hereafter who livest and reignest c. Then the Father bid the Bride repeate thrice the following words out of the 118 Psalm Receive me according to thy promises and I shall live and do not disappoint me of my expectation which she having done with a loud and distinct Voice and the Abbess having as often Answer'd My dearest Daughter let it be done unto you according to your words the Quire Answer'd Amen Then the Bride kneel'd down before the Abbess and joyning her hands together plac't them betwixt the Abbesses and both their hands thus joyn'd were tyed together with such a Stole as the Priest wears about his Neck at Mass and is a Representation of those Cords wherewith our Savior out of Love to us permitted himself to be bound in his Passion and therefore the Bride mov'd with a Memory of this his Love permits her hands to be thus bound to represent those Interior bands by which she ties her self whilst she makes her Sacred Vows and her hands are also bound to Mother Abbesses as a mark of that tye of Obedience to her Will which she undertook and then with a loud and distinct Voice she made her Profession as follows In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen I Sister Clare of Iesus do Vow unto Almighty God the most Glorious Virgin Mary Our Holy Father St. Francis Our Holy Mother St. Clare unto all the Holy Saints and to you Reverend Mother Abbess and all your Successors that shall hold your Place to observe all the Day 's of my Life the Rule and Form of living of the Poor Sisters of St. Clare giv'n her by St. Francis and Confirm'd by Our Holy Father Pope Innocent the IV. I Vow to live in OBEDIENCE without PROPRIETY in any thing in CHASTITY also and not to go out of INCLOSURE during my whole Life according to the Constitutions of the same Rule Then the Abbess said And I on the part of God according to his Inviolable Decree do promise you Eternal Life if you observe what you have Vow'd To which the Quire Answer'd Amen Then the Abbess saluted the Bride and taking off her White Veil put on a Black one saying Take Daughter
Fathers sake The Solemnity being over one askt her how it was possible that beholding the great Commotion and Tears of so many about her she could remain so chearful and unconcern'd as she seem'd to be during the whole Ceremony She Answer'd with a Spirit as full of Ingenuity as Humility That this constancy and chearfulness took their rise from no other source than the Divine Goodness which during the whole Ceremony had fil'd her heart with so great an Interior peace and comfort as she had never felt before in all her Life Which was a due reward for that generous oblation she had that Day made of her self to Almighty God Had the Person who askt her this Question propos'd the same to any one of the Religious they would have given an Answer quite different from hers which her Humility would not permit her to give The Religious had seen with how much Industry even from her first entrance into Religion she had made it her chief endeavour to suppress and overcome the Sallies and Efforts of Nature and had beheld her comportment in several other occasions and seen with how great a Courage she had behav'd he self in other tryals which God thought fit to send her during her Noviship to dispose her to a due performance of this great act of Love and therefore they were not so surpriz'd as those were who had only seen that one action of hers they having been Eye Witnesses of divers evidences she had given of her perfect and intire resignation to Gods Holy Will even in the greatest afflictions and most sensible tryals that could have happen'd to her Now the Reader that may the better perceive how she carry'd her self in them I will here set down a Relation of her behaviour and perfect Conformity to Gods Will at the Death of two of her dearest friends The first tryal of her Conformity was given her by the Death of Reverend Mother Luisa Taylor Abbess of the Monastry The History of whose Life deserves a Volum being a person of an absolute and consummated Vertue This Holy Abbess being suddenly seiz'd with violent symtoms of Death was piously expecting her last happy moment and all the Religious were sent for and came without the least delay except Sister Clare who being advertis'd by one of the Religious that came in great hast to her Cell that Reverend Mother Abbess was a dying and that if she did not come quickly she would never see her alive Sister Clare joyning her hands without the least surprize made a bow to her expressing thereby her gratitude for the Message she brought her it being their Custom never to speak in their Cells and without making any such hast as might occasion the omission even of the least or most inconsiderable Ceremony of Religion she first put on her great Veil then kist the ground and afterwards with a modest and graceful gate follow'd the Religious to the Infirmary where Mother Abbess lay a dying as if this sad News had not at all come unexpected or given her the least affliction She came into the Chamber where her dear Friend and tender Mother lay ready to expire and where she found all the Religious bath'd in Tears like so many tender hearted Children bemoaning the loss of their dying Mother yet she who was like to sustain as great a loss as any having had a great dependance upon her and receiv'd great comfort from her Counsels beheld her ready to leave her without shedding a Tear whilst all the rest seem'd to be in a very great affliction and general consternation and so concern'd as if all their happiness had depended on this Abbesses Life Sister Clare knew her great Vertues and worth and had no less respect and affection for her than they which the many Obligations she had receiv'd from her justly deserv'd yet for all this she shewed not the least outward sign of grief And when one of the Religious exprest hers by her many Tears for Reverend Mother Abbesses Death she efficaciously stopt them by the following words VVeep not so much Dear Sister 't is the VVill of God you love so well Her bearing this cross with so admirable a Conformity mov'd Almighty God to reward her by sending another equally sensible and at the same time to give her his Divine Grace to bear it with no less constancy It was the Death of her Mistress of Novices Sister Mary Bonaventure Carleton who thô she had had a long experience in training up the Novices in perfection yet us'd to say She learnt more from this than ever she had taught the rest finding her perfect even before she enter'd into the way of perfection which made her have a very great esteem of her confidence in her and affection for her looking upon her as sent from Heaven rather to perfect her than be perfected by her Sister Clare being of a grateful nature was no ways backward in her returns and looking upon her as the best of friends and plac'd her confidence in her as in a Mother But God by her surprizing Death almost as soon snatcht away this comfort as he had given it which cross Sister Clare supported with the like courage as she did the former even without the loss of a Tear Insomuch that being ask'd by a Person of Quality Madam Flavecoeur the Governors Lady of Graveling If she were not very much concern'd for the Death of her Mistress She Answer'd Yes Madam I have a great feeling of it and indeed more than I can well express These words and the manner of delivering them struck the Lady with admiration to see such a temper as did not shed a Tear when she had thus renewed the sorrowful thoughts of the loss of her Mistress and mov'd her to urge the matter a little farther and ask her How it was possible she could forbear weeping at the Remembrance of the loss of such a friend The good Novice for then she was not Profest told her after her sweet and affable way Madam nothing but God deserves our Tears who is so good as to hinder me from paying them where they are not due Such as knew not of how excellent and sweet a disposition Sister Clare was might perhaps think so great an insensibility as appear'd in such moving circumstances as I have related effects of an ill hard and ungrateful nature which was insensible of kindness and knew not either what friendship was how to value it what gratitude it requires or how much a Spiritual friendship exceeds that of Nature ordinarily grounded upon Sympathy Natural inclination or Interest and therefore perhaps might not much wonder at her comportment in the occasions I have related But those who by Reading her Life are made better acquainted with her humor and have seen how solidly she grounded her friendship how warily she engag'd her affection and with what constancy and tenderness upon all occasions she exprest it to those she had made choice of for