knowest my thoughts afar off God is a searcher of the heart and trier of the reins the desires of the soul thoughts of the heart are not hid from him he long before knows all the free and voluntary acts of men and certainly can foretell the Event of every Future Contingent this is by Vertue of that Infinite Knowledge which is proper to God alone Prevision and Prediction of Contingent Effects none is capabel of but God alone and those to whom God is pleased to reveal it and therefore though the Prophets of old have foretold as we may read in holy Writ of many effects of this Nature which most truly and certainly came to pass yet it was not they but God in them foretold them Luk. 1.70 so saith Zacharie in his Benedictus As he spake by the mouth of his Prophets since the World began and St. Peter in his 2. Epist 1.21 Prophesie in old time came not by the Will of men but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost The Devils have formerly spoken in Oracles and taken upon them to foretel such Future Events but this is above the Nature of any Angel a Conjectural Knowledge they may have at the best such as a Mariner by his long Experience may foretel of the Wind the Husbandman of rain the Physician of diseases and the like by which the Devils have presumed to foretel such things to come in which also often they have both deceived themselves and others And where this Knowledge could not be attained wherein they could have no probable conjecture of Future Events they have in Oracles uttered Amphibologiously and in a double meaning that so if the Event proved otherwaies the fault might be imputed to the Misinterpretation and not to the Prediction But a certain Knowledge of a Future Contingent that they have not it is onely proper to God Your Astrologers Genethlialogists Vide Sennertum lib. 2. cap. 2. fol. 34. a b. and other such Diviners who like Gods Apes take upon them to imitate him in such Predictions are here to be derided and rejected as Impostors and deluders of mankind since they pretend not to Divine Revelation and Inspiration of God from whom alone such Effects do come to be certainly known The consideration hereof may make us with the Appostle cry out and say O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God Great is the Lord and great is his Power yea and his Wisdom infinite sapientiae ejus non est numerus Stand thou in Admiration and Adoration of this Knowledge of God O my Soul say with the Prophet David such Knowledge is too wonderful forme O God I cannot attain unto it for of such Knowledge doth the Prophet David there speak viz. of the Knowledge of Future Cogitations saying thou knowest my thoughts afar of not such as there already are but such as shall be hereafter nor such as shall be but such as may not be hereafter also Now the heart of Man is deep and unsearchable profundum inscrutabile saith the Steptuagint and who can know it It is answered I the Lord which search the heart and trie the Reins this makes the Psalmist crie out such knowledge is too wonderfull for me If we but cast in our mind the number of all mankind that have been since the Creation of the World living upon the face of the Earth and add thereto the number of those that are with those that shall be conversant upon the Earth before the Consummation of this Universe and we shall find they will not fall within the number of Arithmetick Millions of Millions and ten thousand times ten thousand are not the one half of them Let us withall cast in our mind the several various thoughts and desires of the heart which this day and night hath passed us thee and me much less the thoughts of every mans particular heart since the beginning of the World throughout the whole course of his life we are not able to recount them yet such is the infiniteness of his Wisdom and Knowledge that God in the Book of his Remembrance hath the number of all with the names of every one that hath been or now are from the beginning of the World to this very instant with a Register of all and every one of their Thoughts Words and Actions of what Nature soever or how secretly soever committed nor onely so but every mans thoughts and imaginations of heart that shall be nay more every thought that may be though it never be fall within the compass and comprehension of this infinit knowledge of God the thoughts which are not in thy heart O my Soul but furthest from thee nay and against thy mind as loathsom to retain are known to God It was not in Hasaels heart to kill his Master to take the strong holds of the Children of Israel and set them on fire to slay the young men with the sword to dash their Children rip up their women with child when he answered the Prophet What is thy Servant a dog that he should do these great things nor was it in Peters heart he was not guilty of such dissimulation to deny his Master when he answered our Saviour though all should forsake thee yet would not I and again though I should die with thee yet will not I deny thee yet these were foretold and so came to pass as they were foretold by that admirable Knowledge of him who searching the hearts and trying the reines seeth not as Man seeth but knoweth the thoughts afar off even such as are not yea and depend upon the Will of Man whether ever they spall be or not Such Knowledge is too wonderful for thee O my Soul thou canst not attain unto it Naural and Divine CONTEMPLATIONS Of the Passions and Faculties Of the Soul of Man In Three Bookes THE THIRD BOOK The Theological part CHAP. I. BUT oh the Trump hath sounded the Earth hath opened her Womb those that slept are awaked the bodies of the dead are raised to life and blessed are they that have died in the Lord. No longer now shall we view the Souls of those departed in their Metaphysical shapes and abstracted Forms every form to its Individual determinate matter and every Soul to its Numerical body the Soul hath quickned and revived the Body the Body is again reunited to the Soul in an Indissoluble Conjugal knot in an everlasting wedlock But since Corruption cannot Inherit Incorruption or Souls Immortal ever dwell in trunks of clay and dust therefore hath the Body cast off her old Garments and changed her attire she was sown a Natural body she is raised a Spiritual body sown in weakness but raised in Power in dishonor but raised in Glory sowen in Corruption but raised in Incorruption that she may for ever dwell with the Incorruptible Soul in Unity There are no jarrings twixt Soul and Body here as in
thoughts or envious malitious thoughts or they be thoughts of gluttony and excess or thoughts of lust and carnal concupiscence or the like Let the mind and Memory be replenished with such pious Meditations and holy Contemplations the thoughts of the World will find no admittance Intus existens prohibet alienum where the strong man armed keeps the house the enemy dares not enter and whilst the soul is armed with the commemoration of Gods blessing it will not open the door to the temptations of Satan or lust of the Flesh but say with Joseph Behold my Master hath committed all into my hands and there is none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept any thing from me but thee Gen. 39.8 9. how then shall I doe this great wickedness and sin against God Praise then the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits which forgiveth all thy sin and healeth all thine infirmities call to mind the loving kindness of the Lord and have them in everlasting remembrance exercise thy Memory with such heavenly meditations as may build thee up unto eternal life for this will be thy companion for ever whether in weal or in wo it dieth not with the body but is immortal as thou thy self the rest of the faculties may sleep for a while with the body but this survives to perpetuity This is that Intellectual Memory or Recordation which none but reasonable creatures enjoy which is not diminished by the bodies death but infinitely inlarged when all the thoughts words and deeds done in the flesh shall immediately in a wonderfull manner come into remembrance the secrets of all hearts shall then be disclosed and all such thoughts words and actions which in life time were slipt out of mind shall come again into fresh remembrance with a Conscience Chap. 8. Book 1. a Book which that day shall be opened a Book of Mans life upon Earth an account of Mans workes where they that have done well shall go into life everlasting but they that have done evill into everlasting fire Which Recordation or Intellectual memory if the Saints in Heaven whose bodies yet sleep in the grave had not how should they sing misericordias domini in aeternum the loving kindness of the Lord for ever as the Prophet David hath it which Psalm and Song saith St. Augustine made for the glory of the mercies of Christ by whose blood wee are redeemed the Saints do joyfully sing in Heaven Of which Memorative facul y more shall be said hereafter CHAP. VIII Of the Appetitive faculty and the Motive to a place WEE have done with those Sensitive faculties External and Internal which have power of Judgement Knowledge and Discerning we come now to those which have not this power in themselves but are guided by the Counsell and advice of others being moved by the Object good or evill according as Phantasie or Reason presents it the Phantasie imagineth it good the Appetite is streight moved to desire it This faculty is twofold viz. Appetitive and Motive to a place The Locall Motive Faculty is a power of the Soul moving the living creature from place to place to follow that which the Appetite coveteth as good or to shunne what it lottheth as hurtful so that this Motive faculty is but an effect of the Appetitive and necessarily follows it as the Effect doth the Cause for where the Appetitive facultie is to desire good or shun evill there must needs be this Motive also from place to place otherwise the Appetitive should be given us in vain had we not this Motive faculty to seek after that wee desire as good and pleasant and to avoid what wee conceive to be hurtful unto us Aristotle I grant adds another cause of this Motion besides Appetite to wit Intellect and under Intellect he comprehends Sense to wit Phantasie for what ever is desired or shunned is under the notion of good or evill so desired or lothed now this knowledge must either be from Reason or Phantasie for there is no knowledge but is either Sensitive or Intellectual therefore must Intellect which includes Phantasie be another cause of Motion Vide Suarez de metaphys disp 35. Sect. 5. part 15. fol. 172. neither do I intend to exclude Phantasie and Reason from being a cause for when I mention Appetite onely as the cause I do it partly because Appetite is the chief Phantasie and Intellect are but subordinate causes and partly because I take Appetite here in the largest sense as comprehending Phantasie and Reason for Appetite in general is both Sensitive and Intellectual as shall be said hereafter so this Motive faculty being but an effect of Appetite we shall be the briefer in it and insist more largely upon the cause the knowledge wherof will necessarily conduce to the knowledge of the effect Appetite is a natural desire of the Soule by which the living creature for the cause of preservation is moved either to desire that which Sense judgeth as good or to loth that which it apprehendeth evill and hurtfull so that Appetite is a necessary concomitant of Sense and follows her close for where there is Sense there is sorrow and pleasure and where these are there must be Appetite There is a twofold Operation of Sense one whereby it perceives its Object as the eye beholds colour which is the first and simple Operation of Sense the other whereby upon the preception and apprehension of the Object the Sense is affected with sorrow or pleasure this is the second and in a sort a mixt Operation in as much as with the Object is joyned sorrow or pleasure and to these are joyned Appetite and flight for things pleasant we desire after and things grievous we flie from but this last Operation belongs to Common Sense not to any of the External to perceive good under the notion of good or evill under the notion of evill and accordingly to be affected therewith is the Operation of the Internal not External Senses therefore it is this Common Sense to which the Appetite is so nearly related that Aristotle saith they differ not re nor yet in subjecto but onely ratione not re for they have no distinct being but one and the same essence nor yet subjecto they have one and the same subject for the seat of Appetite is where the Internal Sense is seated to wit in the brain this is to be understood of that Appetite which is called Sensitive and is common to man and brutes But there are three kinds of Appetite according to Arist Appetite is divided into Lust Anger and Will Lust is in that faculty which is called Concupiscible Anger in that which is called Irascible and Will in that is called Intellectual Lust and Anger follow the judgement of Sense for what Sense judgeth pleasant and good Lust desireth and what Sense judgeth grievous the Irascible faculty rejecteth and these are in brutes as well as in man but Will followeth
from the mouths of others straight the Devil shoots his arrows of Anger Malice Strife Envy Murther and the like I would please my palate and behold I am presented with all the delicates the World affordeth the Devil shoots his darts of excess of Gluttony Drunkenness and the like to my feeling is presented the Worlds various Objects of Warm and Moist and soft and Smooth the Devills darts are Adultery Fornication c. Thus whether I See Hear or Speak Tast or Touch I am assaulted on every hand by these my Enemies who bear a Tyrannous hate against me and which way soever I turn me I find no safety Perills and Dangers Temptations and Trialls Snares and Ginnes Bonds and Imprisonment whither soever I goe do attend me darts are continually cast close Siege is laid to my Soul sometimes they assault me vi armis in open field sometimes by underminings sleights and Stratagems somtimes overtly sometimes covertly alwaies maliciously To thee do I fly for help against these evills O my God for vain is the help of Man unto thy Word have I recourse where I find present cures and remedies for all such as will faithfully apply them and first of the remedie against the evils of the eye this I find set down by holy Job and practised by himself I have made saith he a Covenant with my eyes that I will not think upon a maid The words are not I will not lock but I will not think for look I may but not so long look till that aspect doth pierce to my heart and I begin to think of her beauty and to lust after her imbraces St. Augustines rule for chastity accordingly is occuli vestri si jaciantur in aliquem sigantur in neminem we may cast our eyes on some but fasten on none for simple aspect cannot be avoyded nor can that hardly hurt the Soul unless it be continued therefore saith Augustine not the beholding but the continuance in beholding is perilous The remedy against the evill of hearing the Prophet David laies down Psalm the 39. I said I will take heed unto my waies that I offend not in my tongue I will keep my mouth as it were with a bridle whilst the ungodly is in my sight Speak I may that 's not prohibited but a caution given to take heed what I speak I may speak with discretion if I speak with deliberation warily and wisely rashly and foolishly therefore saith David I will take heed to my waye that I offend not in my tongue that is I will ponder and consider beforehand what to say my words shall not be many and ex tempore but few and with premeditation I will keep silâ—nce awhile and muse though it be pain and grief to me and whilst I am musing the fire kindle and at last I speak with my tongue And this rule Saint James prescribes Jam. 1.19 that every man be slow to speak so Saint Bernard Verba antequam proferantur pensanda we must stay to weigh our words before we utter them and b cause we many times receive hurt from others tongues as well as our own Saint Bernard 's rule is for slow hearing as well as slow speaking for the prophane and scandalous speeches of others doe suddenly infect our souls if we lend a willing ear thereto for words saith Democritus are the shadow of deeds for what we doe hear with delight we will as readily act and therefore saith he many lose the benefit that comes by refraining their tongue because they refrain not their ears from others tongues Now against Gluttony and Drunkenness the sins of the Palate and against Adulteand Fornication which come by the Sense of Feeling the Remedies are such as Physicians use to prescribe their Patients in their sick and weak condition viz abstinency from much meat and drink a spare and moderate diet 1 Tim. 5.2 such as Paul prescribes Timothy a little wine for his stomacks sake and his often infirmity a little wine to strengthen him against his often infirmities and but a little wine to avoyd Luxury In lib. de arte bene moriend for in wine is Luxury saith Bellarmine Again Physicians use Phlebotomie lanching and cutting of Veins and prescribe bitter Pils and Potions all which are enemies to Nature and the body of man such are all fastings and watchings and humbling of the body which though they turn to the Mortification of the Flesh yet tend to the Vivification of the Soul and this is the chastising of the body which St. Paul speaks of Cor. 1.9 saying Castigo corpus I chastise I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away But for further remedy against such evils as come to the Soul by these Senses I will shew how the Soul hath five Senses by which it is cured as the Body hath five by which it is wounded As the Body hath five Senses so hath the Soul there are five Organical Corporeal Senses there are also five Inorganical and Spiritual Senses the Body hath five by which it is joyned to the Soul in life the Soul hath five by which it is united to God in love De natura dignitate amoris divini cap. 6. f. 1155. serm 16. parvis sol 481. c. Et de vita quinque sensibus animae fol. 374 a. Et in caena domini serm 5. fol. 1360. 'T is Saint Bernard 's observation his words are these There are five Corporeal Senses by which the Soul gives sense to the body which are beginning with the lowermost and so upwards to the noblest of them Feeling Tasting Smelling Hearing Seeing There are also five Spiritual Senses by which Charity quickens and enlivens the Soul viz. Paternal Love Social or Conjugal Love Natural Love Spiritual Love and Divine Love or the Love of God and as the body by the means of life is joyned to the soul by five Organical Senses so is the soul by the means of Charity joyned to God by these five Spiritual Senses the Love of Parents is the meanest Spiritual Sense and answereth the bodily sense of Feeling the Love of God the highest and noblest Sense and answereth the bodily sense of Seeing So Love runs through the whole Soul and without this Love the Soul is dead to God Love I say not Lust the Soul's Love Chap. 7. Book 1. not the Senses Lust Love the action of Virtue not the passion of Vice Love the fruit of the Spirit not Lust the weed of the Flesh Of which Love we shall speak more in the Chapter of the Affection of the Soul CHAP. VII Of the three Internal Senses viz. Common Sense Phantasie Memory THus much of the External Senses which are seated in the body whose Organs are extra to judg of things out of themselves Now come we to the Internal which are intra cranium seated in the Brain not outward