abhominable Prov. 17. 15. in his sight who said Not every one that crys Lord Lord shall enter into my Kingdome but Mat. 7. 25. he that doth my Will c. The 20. Doubt If wee find such a calm in our Passions imperfections and temptations that wee hope the worst is past LEt us never flatter our selves Read the Conflict ch 20. with such fancies or admit the least conceit that we have intirely conquered any one passion or imperfection but humbly vigorously and constantly keeping on in our track of Mortification Recollection Introversion think that these calms comforts and Time videre unde possis cadere Noli fieri perversa simplicitate securus S. August cessations are sent us as hony-sops and milk for children because we are yet weak and want courage to encounter such stronger Temptations wherewith others are tried And that our Loving Lord communicates these his favours and friendships unto us not as best meriting them but most needing them The 21. Doubt If Scrupulosity overwhelms us AS Carelesness is a dangerous impediment of Perfection when one shall say This is not Mortal this is but a Counsell not a Precept this of Perfection not of Obligation For whosoever will obtain the true Spirit of Devotion and Recollection must be far from this opinion So Scrupulosity is another extream equally hindring our spirituall progress and hurting more than sin it self For this trouble of Spirit takes The danger of scrupulosity away all internall strength comfort and courage of well-doing and makes us slide insensibly into Despair of doing better till at length we give up all and either pine away in these melancholy and desperate thoughts or else yeeld our selves to Pleasure and Sensuality and sometimes to the Devill himself to find some means of solace and satisfaction Beleeve it inordinate Fear Sadness and Scrupulosity will soon bring a soul into a laberinth of miseries and a hell of mischiefs and therefore she must speedily get Confidence in Confidence in Gods mercy is the remedy Gods mercy and raise up her self to Alacrity of mind or she will never be able to overcome her difficulties nor persever long in Spirit The way to get this Confidence and Joy is briefly this The means to get this confidence 1. To Trust and Obey her discreet guide who is to assign her a set form of Confession for once a week 2. He must be resolute and rigorous taking all upon his own conscience if she promise faithfully to obey him 3. He must assure her that she more offends in want of Confidence and Obedience than in all other sins and that if shâ—â— will not beleeve this her disease is incurable This is the short and safe cure of tbis dangerous Disease but that we may better understand the nature of our malady Let us Note Seven sorts of Consciences 1. A cauteriz'd corrupted large 7. Sorts of Consciences and libertine Conscience making scruple of nothing but swallowing down all things 2. A chiverell Conscience stretching to all and caring for nothing but to avoid great and grievous sins 3. A quiet Conscience yet not good because they take occasion to sin out of a confidence in Gods goodness and hope of his mery 4. A troubled Conscience but not good for want of confidence 5. A troubled and also a good Conscience yet weak of those who being newly converted to God lament their past life with bitter tears and yet are full of rebellious passions c. 6. A good quiet and confident Conscience of those who are carefull to please God to avoid all sin to be beneficiall to all burthensome to none making use of friends by favour foes by patience and all men by good will c. 7. An erroneous timorous and scrupulous Conscience making doubts and difficulties of all things So that there are generally speaking 2. Sorts of bad consciences two sorts of bad Consciences The one too large calling good evill and evill good The other too narrow finding sin where there is none and taking imaginations for offences and shadows for substances The first of these Consciences 1. Over large Whâ—ch must be cured by removing the causes 1 Cor. 14. 38. which is over large must be cured by removing the causes which are generally four 1. Negligence to learn what belongs to our Religion vocation profession obligation and salvation for who so knows not what he is bound to know shall not be known by God 2. Pride and shame to ask and inform our selves 3. Obstinacy and presumption when we will trust to our own judgements and abilities and not submit to our betters 4. Bad affections and perverse wils led by passion and blinded with self-love from seeing the truth These have one foot already in hell which they must pluck out by violence using the contrary remedies The Second Conscience which 2. Over-strait which must also be cured by the removall of the causes is over-strait and scrupulous may be also cured by the removall of the causes which may be reduced to these 1. A fearfull nature coming from aboundance of cold here is need of a twofold Physitian One for the Body to prescribe them good diet The other for the Soul to confirm them in Hope by the consideration of Gods mercy Christs merits Scriptures promises Superiors warrants c. 2. Some infirmity or sickness as Mania which hurts the forepart of the head and diminishes the Imagination Melancholy which infects the middle part and diminisheth Reason Phrensy which seizeth on the purses or nets of the brain which are the cells of Judgement This cause hath need of the like cure 3. The Devill by Gods permission for divers causes This is cured by not caring what humour we are in but to endeavour with courage and confidence to please God whether we are sad or merry fervent or desolate making use of Prayer and Counsell 4. An indiscreet and preposterous treating of our bodies The way to cure this is to follow the rules of Discretion and to find out their own strength and complexion yet still taking heed of the contrary extremity of flattering our sensuality under pretence of spirituality 5. The keeping company with scrupulous persons or misunderstanding some Spirituall Books Remedy this by shunning such Company laying aside such Books and obtaining from your Director a Rule to rely upon and beleeving nothing against that 6. A secret and subtill Self-love and Pride under the counterfeit mask of fear and care of our souls Against which we must submit our judgment to Obâ—dience for we are all blind in our own cause and this is not only the best but even the necessary Remedy for such as are particularly bound to Obedience 7. Ignorance of the mysteris of our faith and of Gods mercy which makes us think our obligation greater than indeed it is God more severe than he is and his yoak more heavy than it is Which to Remedy we must see and consider
learne to beare it patiently for his love and so maist draw nearer and be more perfectly united unto him 4. And after thou hast thus concluded with thy selfe that it is his divine will and pleasure thou shouldest suffer it patiently then reflect thy thoughts back upon thy selfe and begin to chide thy soule and tell it Ah why strivest thou to cast off this crosse which neither this nor Who sends it or permits it that enemy but thy most loving Lord and heavenly Father hath laid upon thy shoulders Then turne to the Crosse or calamity which presseth thee salute it praise it embrace it and receive it with all possible joy and alacrity 5. And although the rising passions And be constant though almost conquered be so unruly and violent that they suffer not thy mind to elevate it selfe to God but leave thee wounded and almost vanquished yet persevere in thy well made resolution and proceed on as if thou wert not worsted in the skirmish 6. But amongst all the remedies But the best remedy against suddaine motions is to cut off their causes against these sudden and unexpected motions this seems most effectuall To take away timely the cause from whence they proceed As If thou feelest thy mind much troubled when thou canst not obtain such a thing which thou affectest presently away with that love to it exclude that thing from thy mind But if thy trouble and vexation ariseth not from the thing but from the person who hinders helps or procures it and this party is so highly displeasing to thy humour that the least thing as comming from him is troublesome to thee then the speediest and best remedy is to conquer thine owne inclination and compell thy will to yeeld him true love and affection EXPLICATION FOr besides that he is a Creature framed as thou art by the All-powerfull hand of God and redeemed by the same precious ransome of thy dear Saviours blood he furthermore presents thee with a happy occasion if thou canst love it and lay hold thereon to make thy selfe even like God who is good and gracious to all CHAP. XI Of the fight against our flesh and fleshly concupiscence IN this warre with thy flesh ô my 1. In this war thou must change thy weapon And therefore Before the temptation assailes thee call it not But avoid all occasions of procuring it Which are five 1. Conversation dearly beloved thou must change thy weapon and fight in a new posture contrary to the former And therefore thou art to take particular notice of three times to wit the time going before the temptation accompanying it and following it 2. Before thou feelest the temptations of this kinde fight not with them but diligently fly the occasions and cut off all causes which procure them As First all conversation though never so little dangerous EXPLICATION BEcause this enemy is not to be affronted but avoided by all possible meanes and we are to dread the incounter of any person whatsoever whose presence may put us in the least danger nor are we to trust our not feeling presently the stings of the temptation for this This enemy assailes us sometimes by stealth accursed vice makes its approaches most commonly by stealth and under hand and hurts us by so much the more grievously by how much it pretends truce and amity whereby we neither distrust its treachery nor stand upon our guards to defend our selves vigorously So that there is oftentimes more cause of fear when the haunt familiarity is continued under the pretext of lawfulnesse as of And under the pretext of lawfulnesse c. kindred of obligation of complyance or even of vertue in the party beloved for then the poysonous pleasure of our sensuality intermixeth it selfe with this affection which But sensuality may mix it self with thy affection and ruine thy soule is in its owne nature good and holy and insensibly distilling into the heart and penetrating by little and little into the very marrow of the soule at last darkens and obscures the Reason till it be brought to sleight all dangers and so by degrees fall either into open ruine or at least into such troublesome temptations which are afterwards very hard to be conquered Secondly All pleasant aspects Text. 2 Aspects upon any such persons or things all shew of familiarity all loving Salutaon all pressing of their hands with thine or the like levities But if thou hast some affaire which must necessarily be transacted with such a one dispatch it with all speed and gravity Thirdly Take heed of idlenesse 3. Idlenesse and take a particular and perpetuall care never to act or think any thing unbeseeming thy state and vocation Fourthly Be punctuall in obeying 4 Disobedience thy Superiour never contradict him in any thing but be ever ready to execute his command Fifthly Judge 5. Vain-Complacency not rashly of thy neighbour concerning this vice yea though his sinne be manifest and cannot admit of any excusation doe thou condole with him but neither disdaine nor despise him And turning his imperfection to thy owne profit humble and contemne thy selfe debase thy selfe even to the dust and trembling with awfull feare beg heartily the divine assistance that thou be not likewise tempted lest thou likewise fall For if thou art ready to judge and sleight others God will punish thee to thy cost and permit thee to fall into the same vice that so thou maist learne truly to know and humble thy selfe and suppresse thy owne pride and presumption For if thou art proud and fallest not thy Salvation is much to be doubted of Lastly mark seriously and beware of vaine-complacence in thy selfe upon the feeling of any sensible grace or spirituall comfort or inward delight in devotion perswade not thy selfe that thou art therefore more perfect or that thou shalt henceforth have no enemies to fight withall but remaine still carefull and ever fearefull 3. In the time accompanying thy In the time of temptation mark the cause of it whether externall and fly from it temptations weigh whether they proceed from an externall or internall cause by externall causes are commonly understood conversation speeches reading or whatsoever may provoke to this vice against which the onely present and perfect remedy is to omit all such exercises and fly from these occasions For there is no fighting with these temptations as is aforesaid but the best security is to fly far from them lest they infect thy soule with their contagion By inward causes are meant Or internall either the body which is over full of sap and strength Or the mind which is infested with filthy thoughts comming either from our owne evill customes and neglect of our senses or else from the enemies suggestion 4. The first of these inward causes And prevent it by fit chastisements of the body which is from the body's fulnesse must be prevented with fastings hairecloths watchings and the
dearly beloved the manner of meditating and praying upon our Saviours Passion now I will instruct thee how thou mayst thereby stirre up good motions and enkindle holy affections in thy soule When therefore thou hast taken some Article of Meditation upon Christs Crosse and Passion as for example Of his How to enkindle holy affections in meditating on the Passion Crowne of Thornes thinke thus with thy selfe How thy most innocent and amiable Lord Jesus was with greatest derision and scorne cloathed in a purple coat crowned with sharp Thorns cudgelled with a hard Cane besmeared with filthy spittle How this King of eternall glory whom millions of Angels adore in Heaven was by the worst and wickedest sort of men mocked upon Earth as a counterfeit King with scoffing Adoration and Reverence 2. Now when by these and such other points of Meditation thou desirest to raise in thy soule the true feelings and affections of Love By reflection upon Christs Love and goodnesse elevate thy heart often-times whilst thou art meditating to acknowledge the boundlesse goodnesse of thy Lord God and his love towards thee which thou mayst easily gather from the multitude and the bitternesse of his sufferings for thee By this acknowledgement of his Goodnesse thy love will be more and more inflamed and a true contrition for thy sinnes will bee more easily obtained especially if thou considerest that thou hast againe and againe offended this thy most bountifull and loving Lord God who was thus cruelly slâ—ine formerly for the Ransome of thine iniquity 3. To raise also a constant hope in How to get a constant hope thy soule looke upon thy Lord Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reduced into the extremity of misery to free thee from the slavery of Sinne and snares of Satan to reconcile thee to his Heavenly Father and to give thee confidence to come to him cheerfully in all thy necessities 4. And if furthermore thou wouldst by these Meditations on thy Saviours passion move thy selfe to spirituall joy warn thy thoughts from And a spirituall joy remaining any longer upon his pains and passe to the profits fruits and effects of his sufferings There thou wilt finde thy selfe and the whole World absolved from thy sinnes by them the Divine wrath appeased the Devill defeated Death conquered the lost sheep reduced the Angels seats supplied Joyne to all this the Joy of the sacred Trinity and of the whole Church both triumphant and militant who all rejoyce in the profit issuing from Christs cruell Death and As aâ—so affections of sorrow and compassion Passion 5. But to raise affections of sorrow and compassion towards thy suffering Saviour thou maist weigh not onely the many wounds of his sacred body but the multitude of anguishes griefs sadnesses of his most holy foul For he well knowing the eminent and infinite dignity of his heavenly Father whom he so highly loved must needs be grieved above measure to see this benigne and bountiful Creatour of all things after so many and so great benefits to be so rashly so maliciously and so frequently offended and deluded by his owne creatures 6. And this sadnesse of thy Saviours soule was much augmented by the foresight he had of that vast multitude of men who by their owne sinne and sloath were to be damned eternally The same grief was further aggravated by seeing the immense dolours of his deare and worthily beloved mother and the same sword spared not his which pierced her heart with sorrow Moreover Christs sacred foule which was all-knowing by reason of the divine union suffered in all the Martyrs and tender Virgins torments sustained for his faith and affection 7. In these and the like meditations And acts of contrition for thy sinnes upon thy Lord and Saviours passion thou must often reflect that thou by thy grievous sins and defects wert the cause and occasion of these his afflictions and from hence conceive acts of true sorrow for thy shamefull ingratitude and humble thy selfe at the feet of his Majesty And know that to be the best pleasing and most acceptable compassion when thou persecutest thine owne disordered affections and strivest to ruine those enemies and root them out of thy heart which were the cause of thy Lords so cruel pains and passion 8. And to move thee to a perfect With a perfect hatred of them hatred of thy sinne think seriously in running over all these points of thy dear Saviours passion as if all these his sufferings were for no other cause than to stir thee up to detest all sinne and destroy thy unruly passions and affections them especially which most endommage defile and distract thy selfe and most displease thy Saviour 9. Lastly That by these meditations upon Christs death and passion thou maist be moved to the admiration And to admire Gods goodnesse by considering 6 circumstances 1. Who suffereth 2. For whom of his goodnesse Consider attentively First Who he is that suffereth these things Surely the onely Sonne of the Almighty God who to save thee came from heaven and became man Secondly For whom he suffered Surely for us poor worms the works of his owne hands and who always are prone to offend him Thirdly By whom he suffered Surely By the vild and 3. By whom vulgar crew and the very refuse of all nations Fourthly What he suffered 4. What Surely disgraces contumelies contempts wounds and torments more than can be named or imagiâ—ed Fifthly How he suffered all 5. How this Surely with a most patient meek and willing mind neither shewing any signe of distast nor speaking any word of reproch against his most ungratefull and malicious persecutors but like an innocent lamb led on to the slaughter he complained not of their violence and his owne sufferings but laid down his life his heart remaining full of sweetnesse Sixthly 6. When where When and where he suffered Surely at the time of their Paschall solemnity and in their prime and sacred City and in the presence of his dearest mother and finally in the view as it were of the whole world EXPLICATION A further Declaration of the profit which may be drawn from the meditation upon Christs Passion and particularly of the imitation of his vertues AMongst the infinity of profits The first profit is a confusion at the sight of our imperfections which may be drawn from this holy exercise One is that thou must needs conceive not onely a sorrow for thy sins past but feel also a shame and confusion in thy soule to see that those unruly passions which put Christ Jesus to death upon the Crosse doe yet lurk and live within thy heart The other main profit which flowes The second a desire and demand of pardon from the former is that being truly sensible of thy sinnes and ashamed of thine Ingratitude thou wilt heartily desire and humbly demand pardon for what is past and grace to amend for the
up Christ's actions for our offences selfe in this sort First cast an eye upon thy sinnes and perceiving that thou canst not hope to pacify Gods wrath nor satisfie his divine Iustice by thine owne endeavours addresse thy selfe to thy Saviours life passion and death and fix upon some one or other action or suffering of his as upon his fasting or his praying or the effusion of his precious bloud then reflect that he offered that his action or passion to his eternall Father for thy sins and to reconcile him to thee as if he said I do now O my heavenly Father fully satisfie thy divine justice for the sins of this thy servant N. Oh let it please thee to spare him and to receive him into the number of thy elect 8. Doe thou also make the same oblation of thy deare Saviour to the eternall Father and humbly beg for thy selfe and others that in vertue of this offering and for his owne glories sake he will in his mercy pardon both thine and their offences And thou maist piously and profitably make use of this manner of spirituall exercise in any action or passage of our Lord and Saviours life or passion EXPLICATION Another maner of perfect oblation TO the end thy oblation of thy Christ here on earth offered not only himself selfe may be acceptable to the divine Majesty Consider that whilst our Saviour so journed here upon earth he perpetually offered up to his eternall father not onely himself and all his merits but also all us mortalls together with himself But also al us to his Father Make therefore thy Oblation in vertue and union of his yea make the self-same oblation of Jesus Christ in which he also comprehended thee Make thou the same oblation and let this thy oblation be without the least touch of propriety or selfe-wil neither regarding earthly goods nor heavenly graces but purely and precisely looking upon the divine pleasure and providence to which thou art entirely to submit and sacrifice thy selfe as a perpetuall holocaust and forgetting all things created say unto thy Lord God Behold ô my good God ô my great Creatour a small lump of mire and earth mixed together in the hands of thy eternall providence do with me what best pleaseth thee in my life at my death and after my death in time and in eternity And thou mayst give a How to know the sincerity of thy oblation probable guesse concerning thy own oblation that it proceeds from a sincere and disinteressed heart if thou canst perfectly practise it in time of adversity bearing it with true patience and being then ready to execute Gods holy will in all thy desolations and distresses This is the right way o my dearly beloved to make a beneficiall truck and traffick of thy self for thy Saviour who will give thee himselfe in exchange if thou bequeathest and sacrificest thy selfe thus totally to his divine Majesty CHAP. XXXIV How to petition for divine grace HAving made this perfect oblation Text. First encourage thy selfe with confidence in his goodnesse of this most precious treasure which is no lesse than Christ himselfe with all his glorious merits to the Eternall Father thou mayst appeare with Confidence before the throne of his mercy to petition for the supply of thy necessities And that thou mayst doe it with the more decency First encourage thy selfe with confidence remembring his benefits bounty and liberality towards thee for nothing can more strengthen thy hope of obtaining new supplies than than the reflection upon Gods former favours in time of necessity And know that this confidence gives the whole efficacy to thy petition so that without it never expect to obtain from God any thing which thou demandest 2. Secondly Take speciall care that Secondly join humility with it this Confidence be coupled with humility distrusting totally thine owne merits and relying boldly upon Christs mercies Not that I advise thee to become fearfull and pusilanimous upon pretence of humillity so as not to beg large benefits from Gods bounty For though it behooves to know thine own basenesse and to consider how litle thou deservest yet thou must beware of distrusting the divine bounty or undervaluing his liberality No be not dejected for as thou deservest nothing so thou hast greater occasion to demand much since Gods gifts are not grounded upon thy deserts but upon Christs merits which are Thirdly presse thy petition with fervent desires of infinite worth and dignity 3. Thirdly Endeavour to presse thy petition with frequent and fervent desires that is that thou aâ—dently wish to obtain what thou askest for since thou petitionest a most pious father for a supply of thy necessities who not onely bids thee ask great things but is also angry if thou askest not and hath past his promise to perform thy petition why shouldst thou not have inflamed desires â—o obtain what thou demandest 4. And indeed we most commonly The want whereof hinders the effect of our demands faile in the effects of our demands because we want this fervour in our desires and make our petitions tepidly rather because faith and reason dictate unto us that such things are needfull for us than that we zelously covet to receive them The true cause of which tepidity is for that our affections being fastned to earthly things we prize them in our wills though we sleight them in our understandings and consequently though we know in our judgement that our minds are to be raised up to higher objects yet we doe not seriously seek to be separated from them whereas if we verily and vigorously humbly and heartily desired it our prayers would soon return us a happy effect 5. Lastly provide that thy petition Fourthly Let not thy petition want Charity want not First Affection of charity to thy neighbours for it should not suffice thee to pray fervently for thy self but to extend thy piety in petitioning the divine grace for all others Secondly Perseverance For our Perseverance loving Lord useth sometimes to prolong and to put off the fulfilling of our petition for our greater profit and the better encrease and enkindling of our holy desires as may be exemplified in the Cananean woman and Evangelicall widdow Thirdly Resignation of thy will Refignation For thou art to represent thy desires to thy deare Lord as if thou rather expectedst the fulfilling of his divine pleasure than of thy petition So Christ prayed in the garden not to have his owne will but his heavenly Fathers accomplished CHAP. XXXV Some short observations concerning meditation FIâ—st Before thou betakest thy self 1. 1. Read overnight the matter of thy meditation to thy nights rest read attentively and considerately that mystery of thy Saviours life or that argument which thou meanest to meditate upon the morning following and contracting it into two or three points or heads commit it to thy memory 2. When thou awakest from sleep 2. Reflect