prepared for his pure and naked essence for so it is necessary that the soul be naked and empty that it may be capable of his secret misteries Wherefore there is a necessity that every one endeavor to cut off all those things in which he findeth any thing of Self Of the DEATH of the MASTER and how after his Departure he appeared to his Friend the LAYICK giving him an account of his severe and horrible departure out of the body declaring that he endured that instead of his Purgatory and also assuring him of that huge Joy and everlasting Felicity which he had obtained from God by means of his wholsome Doctrine HEre we must by no means let passe how the oft before-mentioned Master did daily make proficiency in a true humble and spiritual life and encreased very much in vertue Yea verily he was made so prudent in the grace of God that whatever was to be done in that City or Country where he dwelt whether it had been Spiritual or Secular all much desired to make use of his Counsel and Wisdom because he was acceptable to them and they had confidence in him and puttrust in him and did obey his counsels He made also very many Sermons as well to Secular as Spiritual men after the form of those which we have already above recited And when he had laudably finished nine years in this so profitable and fruitful life and as it is said was acceptable and dear unto all in all that Country and Town These nine years being finished it pleased the most high God to receive unto himself this his Servant and beloved Friend and no longer to leave him in this exile And because he had decreed to translate him to the celestial Mansions without Purgatory he suffered him to fall into grievous and lasting pain and sickness of body so that he lay for twenty weeks sick of a Palsie and suffered very sharp torments When twenty weeks were now expired he by Divine Grace understood not obscurely that within a few dayes he should depart this world and that God would put an end to his torments Knowing this he desired his servants that they would take care to bring his Layick unto him and that they should acquaint him with his approach and departure and that he had no small desire to have him present with him when he died Without delay when the Layick knew hereof obeying the Master he came to him speedily and being very familiarly received he enquired how it was with him To whom the Master answered Truly I think that that day is not very far off wherein the Lord will take me out of this world Wherefore you may know that it will be very acceptable to me and no lesse comfortable if you will vouchsafe your presence with me when I die But saith he I would entreat you that you will take those Paper Books in which you shall find diligently written all whatever hath for a long time been spoken or transacted between us There is also something of my Life some things which God vouchsafed to work by me his miserable and unworthy Servant And if you shall see fit and the Lord grant leave compile them all into one little Book To these things the Layick gave this Answer Behold Sir I have by me five of your Sermons which I writ from your mouth if therefore you think fit I will put them in among your other Writings that of them all one little Volumn may be put forth under your Name To whom the Master answered I entreat and beseech you dear son with as much love as I am able That you put not out any thing for my sake nor under my name Neither indeed are they mine neither would I they should be known either in my life or after my death But they are all Gods who vouchsafed to do them by me a miserable wretch But yet if you do think that it may be profitable to my neighbours and make for their edification to publish those things I am not against it but that they may be set forth only with this caution that you mention not me or my name But you may write after this manner to wit The Master said or did this or that alwayes concealing my name But be careful of this that when you have compiled this Book you deliver it to no body in this City to read lest peradventure they should apprehend it to be mine but rather carry it away with you into your Country Finally the Master had many other good discourses with his Layick for eleven dayes together even to the hour wherein he gave up the ghost When that hour was come he said thus to he Layick I would fain dear son have on your part your consent That if it shall please God I may return unto you in spirit after my Death To whom the Layick answered If it shall said he seem good unto God I shall like it well that his will may be done in this matter Moreover when the Master was even at the point of death falling into an Agony he expressed such horrible and fearful gestures that his Brethren and as many as were present from the sight of those gestures fell into no small fear affright and sorrow And so at last he ended his last hour as much as can be gathered from external signs with great horror And when he was now dead almost all the City were moved because he was exceeding dear to them all universally Furthermore when as some of that place had taken notice how familiarly the oft-mentioned Layick stuck to him to the last they went about to honour him and invite him to their feasts But when he perceived this he presently fled from the City into his own Country Being onward upon his journey and travelling now upon the third day about Sun-set he came to a certain Village And because he could not farther travel by reason it began to be dark neither could find in that Village any publick Inn he requested a certain honest man whom by chance he met in the way to lodge him and his servant and bid him take of him what he pleased To whom the man answered that he was ready with a willing mind to do what he desired if he would accept of such entertainment as he could make him and accordingly took them in to lodge them he lodged the Layick after the best fashion he could but brought his servant into a barn upon straw After they were layen down the Layick being awake in the night heard a kind of slender voice near him yet could see nothing thereby he began to be a little affrighted Then the voice speak to him thus Fear not dear son for I am the Master When the Layick heard this he said I would very willingly know of you Sir if at least it be the will of the Lord how it is with you and what was the cause that as far as we could perceive you finished your life so horribly and fearfully Verily some of your Brethren began as it were to doubt of you and truly I fear lest your severe end hath offended some of them To which the voice of the Master answered thus I will even now open those things to you Be certain it was so decreed of God that my soul assoon as it was gone out of my body should be received by the holy Angels and by them be defended from the Devils that they should bring me no further trouble nor that I should any more see them nor have any thing more to do with them afterwards And therefore it behoved me to shut up my life with so fearful an end and to undergo it instead of Purgatory And in truth the malignant spirits did bind me fast with so great perplexities and did assault me with such subtile and crafty falacies and deceits that I thought I should have utterly despaired And if my voice had not been taken away I had sent forth such cryes that it had been wonderfull to have seen my calamity hence might my Agony which my Brethren did discern have been taken notice of But God Almighty rendered me a plentiful reward for that pain and torment for as soon as my soul was gone out of my body it was received by the holy Angels who brought it into Paradise telling me that there I must wait five dayes without fear or care neither fear that the Devil should henceforth do me any mischief and finally that I should undergo no more labour only I should want for those five dayes the glorious society of the heavenly Inhabitants which being performed I should be wholly clean and that then they would return with joy and bring me with great exaltation into inestimable never to be ended joyes More than this dear son enquire nothing of me for I have now told you what-ever I can tell you neither have I any licence to adde any thing further But I beseech my God that he would blesse you and that he would be your eternal rewarder in everlasting joyes for that faithful Instruction and wholsom Counsel you gave me Then the Layick said I beseech you my honored Master when you shall come unto God earnestly intercede with him for me After that whatever the Laick did either ask or speak it was in vain neither could he get so much as one answer more from him Which when he perceived he endeavoured as much as he could to take a little rest but in vain for he could not sleep one wink and so lay awake impatiently expecting day Day breaking he took his Pen and diligently wrote to the Prior and Brethren of the dead Master how he had appeared unto him and all his words he had spoke to him The eternal Truth our Lord JESUS CHRIST grant to us that we may conform our selves to his lovely and dilectable Image and follow it to our utmost power to his praise and glory Amen To God Almighty thanks FINIS
began to fail him ABout eight dayes after the Doctor sent a certain Messenger to the Layick to desire him to come to him And when he was come the Master said to him Ah most dear son it can hardly be uttered what fightings what grief what strife and contention I have inwardly undergone both night and day before with Gods assistance I could so far attain as that I might overcome the Devil the Flesh and my own Nature But now through the Grace of God I have obtained an undanted and ready mind and also a true and perfect will so that I will chearfully God assisting enter upon that way which you have taught me and although likely it will be very troublesome to my Nature yet that ought patiently to be endured neither shall I for that cause draw back but will through the Grace of God persevere steady and constant in this purposed course Layman Do you keep still in your memory Doctor those Words which I lately spake to you Master Immediately after you left me I carefully wrote them all down Layman I congratulate to you Sir heartily rejoyce with you that you have obtained so ready so vigorous and so undanted a mind neither do I in this less wish well to you than I do to my self Therefore now safely in the Name of God begin and behave your self manlike And so taking his leave the Layick departed Now the Doctor obeying the instructions and counsel of the Layick presently set upon the work And forthwith forbore every thing that he was required to forbear In so much that before a year was come about he was as much had in contempt by all that lived with him in the Monastery as he was before had in esteem and honour yea and his special friends and as many whether men or women as were wont to confess themselves to him finally all that knew him and respected him became so estranged from him as if they had never seen him which was not a little troublesome and contrary to his nature Moreover he began to feel much infirmity and weakness in his head which struck him with greater terrour than all the rest Wherefore by a Messenger he sent for the Layman and declared to him all that had befallen him and how that his natural strength began to fail but chiefly how he was not a little distressed by reason of the infirmity of his head The Layman made him this answer Be not terrified Sir but humbly resign your self to God and put your trust firmly in him Truely I hitherto well am pleased and like matters as they stand with you and indeed things are very well with you and will be better without doubt you well know that he that will find the right Way and walk therein must through some sufferings at least and afflictions follow the example of Truth it self namely our Saviour Christ Therefore in the least be not terrified at all but leave your self totally to God for it thus heretofore befel me likewise Notwithstanding in the mean time whilest this infirmity is upon you you may discretly succour your Nature by the use of better meat I had made for me when I were in the like infirmity a certain confection of Aromatical druggs which did comfort my head and the like I 'le get made for you But this is certain that I alwayes left my self totally to God to do with my Soul or Body what he pleased Master But now you teach me otherwayes advise me to relieve succour my self with better meat in this my infirmity Layman No man ought Sir to tempt God so long as you continue in this weakness God doth freely permit you to help and comfort your nature especially your head Go to now Sir with Divine assistance go on as you have begun joyfully resign up your self to God in all things with true deep humility Put your trust in God and wait for his grace and whatever he then requires of you whether it be sweet or whether it be bitter be sure to the utmost of your strength to yield him obedience As for my part I pray you for Gods sake take it not ill that I can no longer at this time abide with you For a weighty business compels me at this time to bid you fare-well But if you cannot spare me altogether send some body to that place and there I 'le be found But it would be far better for you if you could go on without the comfort of any mortal creature Master Do not I beseech you dear Son say so for indeed I cannot long want you And truly it afflicts me much and fills my â—…ind with vehement anguish because you now will depart from me But sith as you say so weighty a business and which concerns God compels you to be gone I will content and resign my self and bear your absence as well as I may Layman Now therefore Sir sith you are brought under the Rod and scourge of the Lord to which also you have offered your self willingly it concerns you very much to lead your life discretly Be careful therefore to give your self your just due And let it not disturb you that you are forsaken by Creatures But if you should want money pawn some of your Books and borrow upon them but take heed that you sell not one of them For if I be not mistaken the time will come when they will be all necessary to you Having thus said the Layman bidding the Doctor fare-well departed the Doctor in the mean time weeping for his departure and commending himself to God How the Doctor was wonderfully visited touched and illuminated by God and how the Layman returned to him again and meekly exerted him that he should again take upon him the care of Preaching which for some time had been omitted VVHen as now the Doctor had for 2. years together continued in most grievous temptations together with the great contempt of all his Friends and extream poverty insomuch that he was compelled to borrow money upon some of his Books which he pawned and also had undergone with much humility the grievous weakness of his whole nature It came to pass that night which immediately goes before the day celebrated for the Conversion of St. Paul that a most grievous Temptation rushed upon him such as the heart of man cannot imagine whereby he conceived such a great weakness of his whole nature that that night he was not able to go forth to Morning-Prayer but abode sitting in his Cell resigning himself from the bottom of his heart to God with huge and true humility being destitute of all help and comfort from any mortal Creature whatever And whilest he was kept in this weakness he began amongst other things to meditate on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ thinking with himself with what infinite love Jesus Christ did follow him and contrariwise he reflecting upon his own life perceiving how unconsiderable his life was
if compared with the Life of Christ and how as nothing his life was compared with the immence charity of Christ Great contrition and sorrow for all his sins and for all his ill spent and lost time ceazed upon him So that with his whole affection with heart and voice he said to the Lord Ah! merciful and compassionate Lord God have mercy have mercy upon me for the abiss of thy mercies sake because I am not worthy that the earth should bear me Whilest these words were in his heart and mouth being broad awake he heard with his bodily cars yet seeing nothing a voice saying unto him Now receive thy peace and put thy trust in God and take it for certain that when he lived upon earth that whatsoever sick person he cured in body the same he likewise healed in Soul Which words being ended instantly the Doctor fell into an extasie and was deprived of all rational understanding insomuch that he knew not what was done unto him where he was or whither he was snatch'd But after that he was restored to himself he found in himself in his whole nature a new and great power and vigour such as he confessed he had never in all his whole life time felt by experience before as also so clear and enlightned a discerning or illuminated reason as never was in the least known to him before that time But being amazed he wondred with himself from whence these things should so suddenly happen unto him and began to think thus with himself Certainly thou wilt never be able to clear up this matter of thy self send therefore for thy Friend to come unto thee and lay open the whole matter in order unto him And so he did The Layman being sent for readily obeyed the Doctor came to him forthwith the Doctor told him every thing in order as it happened unto him which when the Layman had beard he said How gladly even with my whole heart Sir do I hear this news I know that you have first now truly experienced the true grace of God and are now first touched in the superior powers of your mind Know also that as heretofore the Letter killed you so now the same will quicken you because all the holy Scripture proceeded and flowed from the holy Ghost Neither doubt Sir but the knowledge of the holy Scripture will for the future very much profit you now that you have been found worthy to be illuminated by the light of the holy Ghost For many things now will be made manifest to you by the Scriptures which were altogether unknown to you before For you know that the holy Scripture seemed to you and many other Theologists to be contrary to it self in many places But he who rightly knows how to look into it in the light of the holy Spirit as you hence-forward will be able to do such a one doth plainly know how that it agreeth with it self throughout Wherefore now you will begin wisely to understand Scripture and rightly to follow the true Pattern and Exempler of Truth our Lord Jesus Christ Now also you must again take upon you the care of Preaching which for some time hath been intermitted that by the Word you may edifie and instruct your Neighbours And now the time is come also that you must fetch home your Books again and fall to reading and perusing them And be certain that hereafter one Sermon of yours will be more profitable and fruitful than a hundred of your former for those that shall hear you hereafter will be profited and amended far more than they have been heretofore and that because the Word which you shall hereafter utter will flow from a clean vessel and therefore will be very grateful and acceptable to a clean mind and a lover of God Furthermore know this that as heretofore you have been by many accounted contemptible and appeared to them dispicable so now you will appear to them all an hundred times more amiable and be more acceptable than ever heretofore And now multitudes of people will begin to flock together to hear you so that it will for this cause be exceeding good for you to keep your self very humble and more carefully to watch over your self For as you know he that hath any great Treasure hath the more need carefully to guard them from Robbers And certainly those hellish Robbers the evil spirits are very much affrighted and always terrified as often as they perceive that God Almighty hath bestow'd upon any man so great a treasure And therefore be sure they will turn every stone and make use of all their strength and cunning to steal from you or rob you of this Treasure Therefore it exceedingly concerns you to keep it with all care and vigilancy But you will be able by no means better to preserve it then by a silent true and profound humility Finally as things are with you there is no more need that for the future I should converse with you as an instructer of you No verily I now exceedingly desire to be taught by you and intend here to remain so long till I have heard diverse of your Sermons And because as you have acknowledged you have felt and experienced a certain great power and such as is understood both in Nature and Grace I very much desire if the Lord permit that you would again Preach Master What advice therefore do you give me dearest Son for I have pawned several of my Books and have taken up upon them no less then thirty Crowns Layman Send some body for them and I on Gods behalf will redeem them and will give thee so many Crowns and if after you have redeemed your Books any thing shall remain you shall restore it to God so the Books were brought and redeemed After these things the Doctor caused it to be given out and spread abroad that upon the third day after he intended to Preach which when it was heard every body much wondered and because of the novelty of the thing a huge multitude of People came together The Doctor therefore when he was come and saw so many People come together got up into the Pulpit and covering his Eyes with his hood he thus prayed to himself O Mercyful God of it may be pleasing to thee grant I may so speak and do as that thy most acceptable will may be done in me Presently after he had spoken these Words 2 pang of weeping without any endeavour of his fell upon him he shed many most sweet Tears which continued so long that the People began to be weary of so tedious expectation So that one of the crowd said with a loud voyce How long I pray Sir do you intend to keep us Now it grows late and if you will not begin say so that we may rise and go home And when the Doctor himself did take notice that the time was nigh past he said again unto the Lord. Ah Merciful Lord my God if it be