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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04377	The spiritual guide which disintangles the soul, and brings it by the inward way, to the getting of perfect contemplation, and the rich treasure of internal peace. / Written by Dr. Michael de Molinos, priest : with a short treatise concerning daily communion, by the same author. Translated from the Italian copy, printed at Venice, 1685.	Molinos, Miguel de, 1628-1696.; Molinos, Miguel de, 1628-1696. Brief treatise concerning daily communion.	1685 (1685)	Wing M2387A; ESTC R214007	123,380	287

●nder the most sublime Protection what will become of this little Book then which hath no Patronage the Subject whereof being mystical and not well-seasoned carries along with it the common censure and will seem insipid Kind Reader if you understand it not be not therefore apt to censure the same The Natural Man may hear and read these Spiritual Matters but he can never comprehend them 1 Cor. ch 2. as St. Paul saith The Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. If you condemn it you condemn your self to the number of the wise men of this World of whom St. Denis says that God imparts not this Wisdom to them as he does to the simple and humble though in the opinion of men they be ignorant Mystical knowledge proceeds not from Wit but from Experience it is not invented but proved not read but received and is therefore most secure and efficacious of great help and plentiful in fruit Matth. 11. it enters not into the Soul by the Ears nor by the continual Reading of Books but by the free Infusion of the Holy Ghost whose Grace with most delightful intimacy is communicated to the simple and lowly There are some Learned Men who have never read these Matters and some Spiritual Men that hitherto have hardly relished them and therefore both condemn them the one out of Ignorance and the other for want of Experience Besides it is certain that he who hath not the experience of this sweetness cannot pass a Judgment upon these Mysterious Secrets nay rather he 'll be scandalized as many are when he hears of the Wonders which the Divine Love is wont to work in Souls because he finds no such rarities in his own Who shall limit the goodness of God whose Arm is not shortened but that he can do now what he hath wrought at other times God calls neither the strongest nor the richest for their merit but calls rather the weakest and most wretched that his infinite mercy may shine forth the more This Science is not Theoretical but Practical wherein Experience surpasses the most refined and ingenious Speculation Hence it was that St. Teresia admonished her ghostly Father that he should not confer about Spiritual Matters but with Spiritual Men Because said she if they know but one way or if they have stopt mid-way there is no success to be expected It will soon appear that he hath no expeperience of this practical and mystical Science who shall condemn the Doctrine of this Book and who hath not read St. Dennis St. Austin St. Gregory St. Bernard St. Thomas St. Bonaventure and many other Saints and Doctors approved by the Church who like expert men approve commend and teach the Practice of this Doctrine It is to be taken notice of that the Doctrine of this Book instructs not all sorts of Persons but those only who have the Senses and Passions well mortified who have already advanced and made progress in Prayer and are called by God to the inward way who encourages and guides them freeing them from the obstacles which hinder the course to perfect Contemplation I have taken care to have the Style of this Book devote chast and useful without the ornament of polite Sentences ostentation of Eloquence or Theological niceties my only scope was to teach the Naked Truth with humility sincerity and perspicuity It is not to be wondered at that new Spiritual Books are every day published in the World because God hath always new Lights to communicate and Souls stand always in need of these Instructions All things have not been said nor every thing written hence it is that there will be Writing to the end of the World. Wonderful were the Lights that God Almighty communicated to his Church by means of the Angelical Doctor St. Thomas and at the hour of his death he himself said that the Divine Majesty had at that instant communicated to him so much light that all he had before written came short of it God has then and always will have new Lights to communicate without any diminution to his own Infinite Wisdom The many and grievous pains and difficulties of the inward way ought not to make a Soul despond because it is but reasonable that a thing of great value should cost dear Be of good comfort and believe that not only those which are here represented but many others also will be overcome with the Grace of God and Internal Fortitude It was never my design to treat of Contemplation nor in defence of it as many have done who have learnedly and speculatively published whole Books full of efficacious Reasons Doctrines and Authorities of Saints and of the Holy Scripture for confuting the Opinion of those who without any ground have condemned and do condemn it The Experience of many Years by reason of the many Souls who have trusted to my insufficiency for their conduct in the inward way to which they have been called hath convinced me of the great necessity they are in of having the obstacles taken out of their way the inclinations affections and allurements removed which wholly hinder the course and obstruct the way to perfect Contemplation This whole practical Book tends chiefly to this end because it is not enough to ascertain the inward way of Contemplation if the obstacles be not taken out of the way of those Souls that are called and assured which hinder their progress and spiritual flight For which end I have made use rather of what God out of his infinite mercy hath inspired into me and taught me than of any thing that the speculative reading of Books has suggested unto me or furnished me with Sometimes though very seldom I quote the Authority of some practical and experienc'd Author to shew that the Doctrine which is here taught is not singular and rare It hath been my first scope then not to ascertain the inward way but to disentangle and unpester it My next hath been to instruct the Spiritual Divertors that they may not stop those Souls in their course which are called by these secret Paths to internal Peace and supreme Felicity God of his infinite mercy grant that an end so much desired may be obtained I hope in God that some of those Souls whom his Divine Majesty calls to this knowledge will find profit from what I have writ for whose sake I shall reckon my pains very well employed This has been the only but of my desire and if God as certainly he will accept and approve those pure desires I shall be content and have my reward Farewel THE PREFACE First Advertisement By two ways one may go to God the first by Meditation and Discourse or Reasoning the second by pure Faith and Contemplation 1. THere are two ways of going to God the one by Consideration and Mental Discourse and the other by the Purity of Faith an indistinct general and confused knowledge The first is called Meditation the second Internal

THE Spiritual GUIDE WHICH Disintangles the Soul AND Brings it by the Inward Way TO THE Getting of Perfect Contemplation AND THE Rich Treasure of Internal Peace Written by Dr. Michael de Molinos Priest With a short Treatise Concerning Daily Communion By the same AUTHOR Translated from the ITALIAN Copy Printed at Venice 1685. The Second Edition This may be Reprinted C. N. May 2. 1688. London Printed for Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Pauls Church-yard a Corner shop next Cheapside 1688. AN ACCOUNT Of the following BOOK To all sorts of Readers THE Book that is here presented yea is a Translation from the Italian Copy Printed at Venice in 1685. The first Man that got it with difficulty out of the Authour's hands and then had it Printed at Rome in 1675 with all the solemnity of approbations was Fryer John of St. Mary who stiles himself Provincial and he speaks very fine things of it and he had so heartily read it over that the impression which it made in his Mind gave him the exact cue and knack of that sort of Language which the Authour uses when he throws himself headlong into darkness and obscurity And when this Man had recommended the Book to the sincere Reader after his way the next that appears to give a Grace to it is no less a Man than the most Illustrious and most Reverend Lord the Archbishop of Rhegium who tells us how many great Offices in the Church he had pass'd through he says in his Approbation of the Book that 't is a hard matter to make a judgement of it without some experience of the things contained in it And that how high soever the secret of it be above all humane Discourse yet they are not only not contrary to the right dictates of Reason but altogether conformable to it Which is as fitting a Preface to some things in the Book as any man in the World could have made with the Study of Seven Years First to say that these soveraign Secrets which the Book treats of are above all humane Discourse and then in the very next words to say they are conformable altogether to the dictates of Reason as if the dictates of Reason and human Discourse had entered into a Combination never to come to a right understanding of one another He that would be further satisfied of the fitness of this Archbishop's Character to the Book will be gratified by reading patiently some things of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Chapters of the Third Book But 't is enough that this great Man speaks well of his Countryman Molinos's Doctrine that 't is according to the judgment of the holy Fathers and the usual way of Mystical Divines he says again that the Authour of this Book does not speak his own Capricios but follows the footsteps of the Ancients and builds upon their Principles and spiritual Foundations that he reduces 'em to a right and clear Method bringing forth says he out of his Treasures things new and old And for the Stile of the Book he allows it to be clear easie plain and full in such crabbed hard and lofty Subject adding withal that the Man doth not decline Proofs of Scripture Doctrines of the Fathers Decrees of Councils nor the Principles of Morality and therefore he judges it to be a useful Piece and very worthy to be Printed and what can be said more to set any Book off Next to the Archbishop's Approbation in comes that of Fryer Francis Mary Minister General of the whole Franciscian Order given from his Convent of Ara Coeli who speaks mighty kindly and favourably of the Book and recommends it to the Press Then appears the Approbation of Fryer Dominic of the most holy Trinity Qualifier and Counsellour of the holy Office of Malta and of the Inquisition of Rome Rector of the Colledge of Missionaries at St. Pancrace and he blesses himself as he sits in judgment upon it and gives his sense and liking as formally as the rest After this comes a famous Jesuite another Qualifier of the Roman Inquisition and he takes it to be a Book of singular esteem and use and recommends it to others with as much cordial kindness as he fancied he had received good by it And next to him a great Capucine that could not forbear either for the credit of the Book or himself to tell the World that he had been no less than four several times Provincial of Andaluzia and was at present Definitor General of all his Order and expresses himself much taken with the Book and as a good proof of so being discourses upon it in that Mystical Way and would by no means have it kept from being Published All this is Roman Approbation which signifies but little to a Book that must be Printed in Venice and therefore the Reformers of the University of Padua who License Books receiving a Certificate from their Secretary that the Book had nothing in it against Princes or good Manners give leave to a Stationer of Venice to Print it again there in 1676 upon the Authority of which License it came out once more in 1685 which was the Copy that this Translation goes by So that this Book it seems has been sufficiently dispersed in the World by all these Impressions And who can say any thing more for it than such men as these that have Read and Censur'd it so Candidly and Kindly If what has since happened to the Authour and his Reputation do make his Vouchers wish that they had not been so free of their Courtesie let them look to that But whil'st the poor Man is so harrassed in Rome it would become the Mercy of this religious Nation to hear him speak his Mind by an Interpreter What has stung the Court of Rome may be partly guessed at by this Book Till we know further of the Authour there is no more to be said of him than that sometimes he lights upon shrew'd Truths and very excellent Thoughts as well as meer Trash and Foppery Do but pardon him his rich Vein of Enthusiasm and Gibberish and give him leave now and then to speak further than you can see or apprehend and you will find things enough to make you think and attend to what he says But withal let me tell you that 't is a Blessing to you to live in a Country where the Ministers of Religion do not use to put Tricks upon your Understanding nor lead you blindly you know not whither And so I rest In Molinos 's Style NO-BODY THE Spiritual Guide Which disentangles the Soul and by the inward way leads it to the fruition of Perfect Contemplation and of the rich treasure of Internal Peace THE AUTHOR to the READER THere is nothing more difficult than to please all People nor more easie and common than to censure Books that come abroad in the World. All Books without exception that see the light run the common risk of both these in●onveniences though they may be sheltered

Martyrdom Page 130 Chap. 6. Of Divine Love Page 135 Chap. 7. Inward Mortification and Perfect Resignation are necessary for obtaining Internal Peace Page 137 Chap. 8. Pursues the same Matter Page 142 Chap. 9. For the obtaining Internal Peace 't is necessary for the Soul to know its misery Page 147 Chap. 10. In which is shewed and discovered what is the false Humility and what is the true with the effects of 'em Page 148 Chap. 11. Maxims to know a simple humble and true heart Page 152 Chap. 12. Inward Solitude is that which chiefly brings a Man to the purchase of Internal Peace Page 155 Chap. 13. In which is shewed what Infused and Passive Contemplation is and its wonderful Effects Page 158 Chap. 14. Pursues the same Matter Page 160 Chap. 15. Of the two Means whereby the Soul ascends up to Infused Contemplation with the Explication of what and how many the steps of it are Page 163 Chap. 16. Signs to know the Inner Man and the Mind that 's purged Page 166 Chap. 17. Of Divine Wisdom Page 169 Chap. 18. Treating of the same Page 173 Chap. 19. Of True and Perfect Annihilation Page 177 Chap. 20. In which is shewed how this Nothing is the ready way to obtain purity of Soul perfect Contemplation and the rich Treasure of Peace Internal Page 181 Chap. 21. Of the high felicity of Internal Peace and the wonderful Effects of it Page 185 Chap. 22. A Mournful Exclamation and Lamentable Moan to God for the small Company of Souls that arrive at Perfection the Loving Vnion and the Divine Transformation Page 189 FINIS A BRIEF TREATISE CONCERNING Daily Communion DIVIDED Into Three Chapters Compos'd in SPANISH By Dr Michael de Molinos Priest And Translated into ITALIAN And Published by another Devout Priest ENGLISHED From the COPY Printed at Venice in 1685. Printed in the Year M DC LXXXVIII THE PREFACE THE following Treatise was approved of at Rome by Fryer Peter Damian a Discalceate Carmelite Visitor General and Reader of Theology in the Convent of S. Mary della Scala in the Year 1675 when the foregoing Book was so highly applauded and set out with so many Formallities And after him Nicholas Martinez a Jesuite Chief Reader of Theology in the Roman Colledge which is one of the eminentest Offices in one of the most eminent Houses of Education in the whole City comes to set his Approbation to it And then after these two our old Friend that we were beholden to before Fryer Dominick of the most Holy Trinity Qualifier of the Holy Office in Rome c. he tells us that forasmuch as he found nothing in it contrary to Faith or good Manners or repugnant to the Reverence due to the Sacrament c. he takes it to be worthy to be Printed for divers and sundry reasons So that though it met not with those Acclamations which the former Book did the reasons whereof you will presently smell out when you read it yet these three Testimonies besides the pains that that devout Priest as he calls himself took to get it out of Spanish into Italian were enough to give it Credit and Authority in the World And as it came tack't to t'other Book so 't was pity to make it part Company But whilst these Reverend Gentlemen have been so kind to help it into the World and speak such good things of it 't is plain that they either wink 't at or did not know one gross Contradiction that it makes to the foregoing Book and that is this That this Mich. Molinos does lay it down as a Prineiple in his Spiritual Guide That the Penitent ought to resign up his Will his Judgment his Knowledge his Choice to the determination of his Spiritual Director And produces Examples for it and tells him that he must be led blindfold by his Confessor though he should put him upon never so useless and nonsensical Penance and Mortification as planting Lettice with the Roots upwards c a specimen of which sort of asinvne and und sputing Obedience is to be seen pressed by the Founder of the Jesuitical Order in his Epistle to the Brethren of his Society Reg. Soc. Jesu Cap. 18. wherein he instances in Abbot John that watered a withered Tree for a whole Year together Which did him as much good as if he had tied a Whiting to his Girdle And at his Superiour's command tried to move a vast Stone which was beyond the strength of many men together to do which he had no more reason to do than to knock his Head against it And the reason that is given for this sort of affected and foolish Humility forsooth must be because the Father Confessor is in God's place and whatever he enjoyns his Penitent must be done by an absolute and unlimited Obedience without asking why or wherefore or entring into any thoughts of the reasonableness or unreasonableness convenience or inconvenience good or hurt of such a ranting sort of Discipline And what fine work may there be sometimes done when a silly Priest meets with a Penitent that is as wise as himself But if the business be really thus then what 's the reason that this Author doth so often in this Treatise flie in the face of the Ministers who in his sense are these Confessors and tax them with I know not what and make most lamentable out-cries against 'em for hindring their Penitents from Daily Communion This is going backward and forward saying and unsaying again For if the Confessor have a power of disposing of his Penitent's I was going to say Client's Will c. as he pleases and an unaccountable Empire and Government over him I would fain see how he can advise him amiss And why should all this noise be made against these Ministers who are made Judges of the disposition of their People whom they Shrine and therefore are presumed to do no more than what there is reason for in hindring 'em from Daily Communion If the foregoing Book were first Penn'd by the Author then he either retracted his judgment in this Treatise or else forgot himself which he presses often as a Duty of Religion If this Treatise was Penn'd first then the Author was willing to give Confessors more scope and power in his Spiritual Guide than he thought fit to allow 'em in his Daily Communion However the matter was there is a filthy Mistake some where or other to press blind Obedience to Confessors in one Book and yet bawl at 'em for requiring it in another The least that can be said of it is that 't is an argument of an inconstant or forgetful Head. And I leave it to him to make it out or to any body else that has a mind to clear the point The Treatise it self is like other Popish Treatises upon that Subject onely 't is a question whether the Author be so far Annihilated yet as his word is as to believe Transubstantiation so stoutly as others of that Communion would