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A34223
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The life of the Lady VVarner of Parham in Suffolk, in religion call'd Sister Clare of Jesus written by a Catholic gentleman.
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Scarisbrike, Edward, 1639-1709.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing C574; ESTC R22893
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139,162
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320
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Approbation I do moreover declare that by the Title of Saint which upon occasion I have given her or any other Person whose Vertues I have related I intended only to signifie thereby that they were endow'd with a more than ordinary Vertue and design'd the word should be taken in no other sense than what St. Paul meant it when he apply'd it to the more Vertuous amongst the Primitive Christians and had no intention to ranck them amongst Beatified or Canoniz'd Saints which power only appertains to the Holy See Apostolick Having nothing more to add to the foregoing Memoires I heartily wish the Reader may find as much comfort in their perusal as I did in Reading and putting them together and that whatever I have here Writ may redound to Gods greater Honor and Glory Amen The End of the Life THE CONTENTS OF EACH BOOK OF THE Life of the Lady WARNER The First BOOK Contains her Life to her Entrance into Religion CHAP. I. HER Birth and Family her inclination even from her tender Years to a Religious Life both in France and England Pag. 1. CHAP. II. Her Pious designs are crossed by her Mother-in-law and what happen'd to her till the time of her Marriage Pag. 9. CHAP. III. The first interview between her and Sir John Warner her Marriage and behaviour in the World Pag. 15. CHAP. IV. The first beginning and occasion of her Conversion Pag. 30. CHAP. V. A Relation of Sir John Warners Conversion and how both he and his Lady resolve to enter upon a Religious course of Life Pag. 49. The Second BOOK Contains her Life from her Entrance into Religion till her Profession CHAP. I. She takes the Habit at Liege amongst the English Nuns's call'd Sepulchrines of the Order of St. Austin Pag. 71. CHAP. II. How she came to be call'd to a more rigorous State of Life or to a stricter Order Pag. 78. CHAP. III. How she resolves to enter amongst the Poor Clares her departure and journy from Liege and her arrival at Graveling Pag. 87. CHAP. IV. Sister Clare of Jesus begins her Noviship amongst the English Poor Clares at Graveling her Humility Zeal Courage Chearfulness and Blind-obedience in this her new Enterprize Pag 101. CHAP. V. Her Interior and Exterior Mortification her singular Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament her modesty and recollection Pag. 109. CHAP. VI. The happy thô untimely Death of Mr. Francis Warner and how this and several other cross and unexpected accidents which happen'd to Sir John retarded her Profession to which the Enemy endeavour'd to make even hâ—r self instrumental and how she discover'd and generously overcame his crafty Temptations Pag. 120. CHAP. VII Her Letter in Answer to one Sir John Writ upon the news of her desires to leave Graveling new hindrances of her Profession by the delay of the execution of a Commission out of Chancery and Death of Mother Taylor Abbess of the Poor Clares Pag. 136. CHAP. VIII Her concern about her Children's Education her Letters to Sir John and the Abbess of Gant about their removal to Graveling Sir John's return from England their preparation for their Profession her Oblation of her self during the Exercise and their taking their last leave of each other the Night before they made their Vows Pag. 143. The Third BOOK Contains her Life from her Profession or the making her Vows to her Death CHAP. I. The Ceremony of their Profession at Graveling Pag. 161. CHAP. II. What effects this Ceremony wrought upon her self and those that were present at it the great Victory she obtain'd over her Passions manifested by her unconcernedness in this and on some other very moving occasions Pag. 177. CHAP. III. Her exact compliance with Mother Abbesses Orders in taking care of her Children in which she exprest more of a careful Mistress than a tender Mother and hereby manifested that pure Obedience the inclination of Grace and not affection to her Children the inclination of Nature mov'd her to accept this employment Pag. 185. CHAP. IV. Her Zeal for the Conversion of her Relations to the Catholic Faith her Prayer for them and ferverous Letters to the Father expressing her passionate love towards him by her fervent Zeal for his Conversion notwithstanding his great severity and unkindnesses towards her Pag. 190. CHAP. V. Her generous resolution of tending to perfection the Testimony of her Ghostly Father and others how diligently she puts these her resolutions in practice Pag. 199. CHAP. VI. The Excellency of her Prayer gather'd from it's fruits Pag. 204. CHAP. VII Mr. Ruisson's Letter to Sistâ—r Clare containing admirable directions for Prayâ—r and Vnion with God in which perfection chiâ—fly consists Together with her humble Answer Pag. 210. CHAP. VIII A short account of some remarkable passages in the Life and Death of Mr. Ruisson Pag. 222. CHAP. IX A Remarkable passage of her burning her Picture a little before her Death Pag. 230. CHAP. X. The foresiight God gave her of her Death her concern for her Fathers Conversion and her Letters to him about it Pag. 234. CHAP. XI Her Interior sufferings in time of her Sickness and the effects of her Childrens Visit Pag. 241. CHAP. XII Another tryal God gave her to compleat her Crown Pag. 245. CHAP. XII Her concern for her Father and Children she seeks her greater Mortification even to the last the declaration of her satisfaction in her State of Life a little before her Death Pag. 252. The Fourth BOOK Contains some passages that happen'd after her Death CHAP. I. Marks whereby God gave evidence of her Vertuous Life after her Death Pag. 257 CHAP. II. The Points of her Funeral Sermon in short together with her Burial and Epitaph Pag. 261. CHAP. III. The Letter of Reverend Mother Abbess of Graveling to Brother Clare concerning Sister Clares happy Death with an abrigment of her Vertuous Life Pag. 208. CHAP. IV. A Letter to Brother Clare from Reverend Father Warren Confessour to the Poor Clares of Graveling concerning the Death of Sister Clare in which he also takes notice of some particular Vertues she excell'd in Pag. 273. CHAP. V. A Description in General of the Sanctity of her Life Pag. 280. CHAP. VI. A more exact Relation of her Vertues in particular Pag. 284. FINIS
manner of any other Imperfections or Temptations that come into my mind thô I know not whether I have consented to them or not So much for her Vertues in General CHAP. VI. A more exact Relation of her Vertues in particular THO' in the former Chapter the Religious whom she convers'd with have given as you have Read an ample Testimony of her Sanctity yet they seem rather to reduce what they affirm to General heads than descend to particulars upon a stricter scrutiny I find her Vertues more distinctly set down by several informations I receiv'd from Graveling They begin first with that of her Prayer in which she was so recollected as if God had been visibly present before her or she had spoken to his Divine Majesty This Holy Spirit of Prayer and Recollection whereby she exprest her Love towards God was strangely animated and increas'd by her Charity towards her Neighbor which God gives for a Mark of our Love towards himself All her Actions and designs were nothing else but so many Acts of Charity and her chief employment when she did not entertain her self with God was to assist the necessities of her Neighbor and comfort the Afflicted A whole Cloud of Witnesses and indeed as many as there were persons in that Holy Community in which she liv'd unanimously Testifie that Sister Clare of Iesus did so much excel in Charity towards her Neighbor that she scarce enjoy'd her self whilst she perceiv'd another to be in any trouble or affliction so that their sorrow prov'd hers and made her even ready to part with her own content and happiness to make them chearful There are a Hundred instances in this kind of her extraordinary Charity in which she so abounded that she made it properly her business to do good to all and like St. Paul become all to all behold an act of Charity one of the Religious recounts There were several of the Community who did not understand French wherefore Sister Clare who had several excellent French Books lent her for her own use was not content to enjoy that benefit alone but most willingly imparted the advantage she receiv'd by them to those who knew not how to make use of them For this end she obtain'd leave of the Superior to Read an hour in the Work-house every Sunday and Holy-day to those who had a mind to hear her They who attended to her Reading affirm that the bare explicating to them the sense of the Book was more moving than any Sermon and that they found themselves transported to see the Devotion with which she relish'd every word which she exprest with such a Grace and Emphasis as made a deep Impression in their Souls Nor was she contented with the Practice of this act of Charity whilst she was well but even when she was Sick of a Quartaine Ague which had reduced her to so very low and weak a condition as forc't her to keep the Infirmary understanding that one of the Lay-Sisters was troubled that she lost the hearing of what was Read at Table out of a French Book which was much commended by the Religious that heard it she being employ'd at that time Sister Clare earnestly desir'd leave of Reverend Mother Abbess as weak as she was that the Sister might come to the Infirmary when her employments would permit her and that she might dayly Read to her there what had been Read at Table The Touch-Stone of true Love and Charity to our Neighbor is said to be the Guard of the Tongue how free she was from a censorious Spirit the unhappy Temper of too many of this Age may be observ'd from hence that she was never heard to utter the least word or to offer the least insinuation in dispraise or dislike of another a Habit she had got from a Child and practis'd not only before her Conversion as hath been said but ever after in such perfection that the good Name of every one seem'd as tender to her as the Aple of her Eye and more esteem'd by her than herown wherefore she set a strict guard not only upon her Lips but even upon her very thoughts knowing how the one does influence the other because according to the abundance of the Heart the Mouth speaks wherefore it made her endeavour not only to banish from her own mind all rash surmises or censures but to hinder as much as she was able that the like should not either enter into or make any abode in the thoughts of others wherefore if she heard any thing said less to anothers advantage if she could not excuse the fact that was recounted of them which she endeavour'd to do in the first place she always excus'd their intention and by these her Charitable endeavours either chang'd the Discourse or turn'd it to the advantage of the persons that were spoken of by taking occasion of praising them for some extraordinary Vertue she had taken notice of in them To this degree of Charity she arriv'd by a certain agreeable sweetness in her Nature for 't was observ'd that her word were always season'd with terms of compassion and love so operative that they heal'd the most secret infirmities of the mind Being at work with a Sister whom she understood to be not only sick in Body but also in some Interior trouble of mind which proceeded from a tedious indisposition she kindly embrac'd her and said Dear Sister calling her by her Name take Courage God sees and will reward your sufferings This Charitable expression out of the time alotted for Recreation utter'd with so much affection and by her who was so exact an observer and lover of silence gave the Sister no less cause of wonder than of joy and comfort The love of God mov'd her to the love of silence the better to attend to his Divine inspirations which nothing could make her break but the love of her Neighbor with which he inspir'd her and which she knew was no less pleasing to him when exercis'd for his sake towards his Image than when perform'd towards himself All bounds were too narrow for that overflowing goodness and zeal she had for the Conversion of Souls her Tears were in a continual manner spent upon this account she never made an end of urging her Children to offer up their Innocent Devotions for this end nor was the unkind return of an angry Father able to diminish the Zeal she had for his Conversion and concern for his Eternal Happiness The End of the Fourth Book The Authors Protestation IN Obedience to the Decâ—ee of Our Holy Father Pope Vrban the VIII of happy Memory Dated the 13th of March in the Year 1625. in which he Ordains that whosoever Composes the Life of any Person of eminent Vertue should make the following Protestation I Protest that I understand all that I have Writ in the foregoing Life of the Lady VVarner to have no other force and credit than what is grounded upon human Authority without the Churches