blessed Kingdom No that must not be I have sufficiently suffer'd to come to the enjoyments of a crown of glory and thou shalt enjoy it upon no other terms Thou must labour for it and if thou dost but begin the work my grace shall help thee to bring it to its full accomplishment Let not the frailty of thy nature overballance thy courage Angelus Domini Exercitium est Mal. 2.7 let not the difficulty which thou art to encounter oblige thee to a shameful retreat for I shall be present with thee in all thy conflicts to cast dust in thine enemies face Constitui te Deum Pharaonis Exod. 7. Ego dixi Dij estis Psal 48. and to put them all to a shameful rout Remember that thou art not only an Angel but even a God upon Earth for thou hast heard me say by my Prophet of a Priest of the Levitical Law that he was the Angel of the Lord of Hosts and thou art satisfied that I did appoint Moises to be the God of Pharaoh Who can deny but that Holy Men are Gods upon Earth seeing that I have said it by one of my Prophets the perfections of man therefore may and ought to be proportionably suitable to so great a dignity and why shouldst thou think it strange that I should expect thee to lead an Angelical life on Earth and to raise thy self by contemplation and spiritual dilection above thy self Homo cum in honore effet non intellexit Comparatus est in mentis infipientibus similis factus est illis Ps 48. Si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus ipsi nos seducimus Isa 1.8 wouldst thou have the words of my Prophet to be verified in thee Man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish 'T is certain that thou mayst with the assistance of my grace make so great a Progress in virtue as to be equal with the very Angels even in thy Pilgrimage and to enjoy a more excellent crown of Glory then some of them in heaven In answer to thy Second objection that it is impossible for man to live in the world without sin 't is true that thou hast Scripture for what thou sayst For my beloved Disciple avers that if mortals will say that they have no sin they deceive themselves and that the truth is not in them In multis offendimus omnes Jac. 3. Quid est homo ut immaculatus fit ut justus appareat natus demuliere Job 15. Non est homo super terrum qui faciat bonum non peccat Eccl. 7. Justus septies cadit de die Prov. 24. the same James my beloved Apostle and worthy Brother confirms In many things says he we all offend and Job that perfect model of patience and worthy object of all mens imitation sets this question what is man that he should be clean and he which is born of a Woman that he should be righteous But thou must understand that Sin is properly call'd a transgression either of the divine or of the natural or of the positive law A man by Gods grace may and ought to be free from this because it is a mortal sin which he is commanded and bound to avoid for as much as it doth give a deadly wound to his Soul 'T is not like to a venial Sin for the Wise will tell thee that there is not a just man upon Earth that does good and sinneth not no for a just man falleth seven times a day and riseth up again As for the instableness of mans heart thou mayst be very well satisfied with my Apostles answer for I must allow him to be a better Judge in that case then thou art having had a far greater triall of the world and more experience in the hearts of men then thou canst pretend to For he was first a grand Persecutor of my Church and after a Vessel of Election to bring my name and preach my Doctrine over all the World If thou wilt ask him what it was that wrought that great alteration in him he will tell thee Stabiles immobiles estote abundantes in opere Domini semper 1 Cor. 15. by the grace of God I am what I am and his Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain wherefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The wise Solomon is much of the same opinion Justus ejus fundamentum aeternum Prov. 10. for he says that the Righteous is an everlasting foundation take notice how my Servants all agree in their Doctrine they all have it from the same spirit Therefore I tell thee that whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him unto a Wise man which built his house upon a Rock The rain descended the Flouds came the windes blew and beat upon that House and it fell not for it was founded upon a Rock hence thou mayst conclude that the mind of man which of her own nature or rather by her own evil custome is mighty instable and turns every way like a Wind-mill will with the help of my grace be easily made stedfast fortified by the constant practice of virtue Optimum est gratia stabilire Cor. Hebr. 13. and by frequent Acts of Charity become as unmovable as a Rock therefore my Apostle says it 's a good thing that the heart be establish'd with Grace Experience will give it further Evidence Thou knowest that the more fervent love is the more it settles the Lover in the Beloved moreover Custom being as it were a second nature there is nothing so difficult but may be overcome and made pleasant and easy by continual practice even so thy mind if it be once adorn'd with divine and spiritual exercises it will not only with ease but fervently also and with very great satisfaction adhere firmly to me with more assurance comfort then ever the rich Glutton did delight in his unlawfull pleasure and treasures Thou hast as many and as authentick Witnesses of this truth as have been Saints and perfect men in the world MAN O Most gracious Saviour Quid est homo quod memores ejus aut filius hominis quoniam visitas eum Ps 8. the Eternal wisdom of God! I return thee my hearty thanks for all thy favours and for this wholesome instruction which thou wert pleas'd to give me O Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him or what service dost thou expect from the Son of man that thou dost vouchsafe to visit him so often with the sweetness of thy frequent consolations what has he deserved that thou shouldst be so free to impart thy grace unto him Nay if thou shouldst deny him that great favour and even abandon him to his unruly passions he would have no cause to complain of thee for his Sins have
amara est memoria tua homini habenti pacem indivitijs suis Eccl. 41. that had conquer'd most part of the World in less then twelve years to see himself seiz'd on by Death and Summon'd to appear before thy most dreadful Tribunal when he desir'd most to live and tast of the joy and delight of all his victories What a heart-breaking will it be to those that employ all their time in building of houses purchasing estates increasing riches procuring dignities making up matches laying out vast sums to use when they shall see themselves even as so many Princes Mules discharg'd of their treasure and turn'd off with backs gaul'd into some nasty stable nay it will be far worse with them for after their long travelling in this World loaden with gold and Silver which had extreamly gall'd their wretched Souls they shall be disburthened at the day of death and sent away with their wounded consciences to the dark and loathsome Stable of Hell there to continue for an Eternity O my Saviour these considerations well meditated are able to mollify a heart of Steel to move any man to a true repentance of his past follys to breed in him an abhorrence of the world and of all its vanitys and make him resolve to employ the remainder of his days in thy Service that art absolutely the best of Masters and whose rewards to thy faithful Servants are far surpassing the pleasures treasures of this deluding world as thou dost exceed the creatures Eternity the Time the eternal joys of thy heavenly Court the short and transitory joys and delights of this Land SAVIOVR HE must be a most perverse and hard hearted man indeed that will not love me after all the several benefits and manifold favours which I have confer'd even in this life upon the generality of mankinde which are in a manner nothing to what I have prepar'd for my Elect in the other for these are so incomprehensibly glorious that eye has never seen nor ear has ever heard neither is man's understanding capable of conceiving their excessive greatness for I am by nature infinitely good amiable and liberal consequently what I have promis'd prepar'd and decreed from all Eternity to bestow upon my Elect must be no less then my self objective as your Divines call it and formaliter the most clear the most delicious the most pleasant the most blessed union and fruition of my divine Essence for all Eternity O the Immense the inestimable the glorious the Interminable felicity of a blessed Soul that shall live and reign with God who is infinite in beauty in glory in power in wisdom and in finite in all his Attributes that shall enjoy clearly and without any interruption his blessed Vision so unspeakably comfortable satisfactory to all her senses and this too for an Eternity A God likewise that is the abundant headspring of all delights the inexhaustible fountain of all goodness the most opulent treasury of all riches pleasures Joy Perfection and of all things desirable or necessary to compleat her everlasting happiness This is the essential and principal reward of the Blessed But besides these there are other innumerable joys which I call Secundary rewards and these are also so great and so many that they do absolutely transcend all measure and number and wilt thou not O man love a God who has lov'd thee gratis and to that excess as to give thee himself all that 's in his power A God that most mercifully lov'd thee when thou wert in actual rebellion against him wilt thou not love the Eternal Father who in the excess of his love for thee did not spare his only and dearly beloved Son but deliver'd him into the power of most cruel Enemies that crucify'd him this was for thy sins alone as well as for those of all mankinde wilt thou not love him that has by the effusion of his most precious bloud free'd thee from the power and unspeakable anguishes of Hell and it 's eternal torments to place thee in the most happy company of his beloved in glory wilt thou not love him who has chosen thee even before the worlds Creation who has call'd thee by his Grace and has predestinated thee in Christ from all Eternity wilt thou not love me who am the only Son of God in whose Faith and Grace thou liv'st who has lov'd thee who has suffer'd for thee who has call'd thee to his Service who has redeem'd thee from the intollerable burthen of the Old Law from the damnable yoke of Sin and from the everlasting thraldom of Hell O man Wilt thou not love me who am so fervent a lover as to purchase thy lost Soul not with the Worlds contemptible Coin Gold or Silver but with the most precious and Sacred bloud of my whole body Wilt thou not love me who am thy Creator thy Saviour and Judge and who was in mercy pleas'd to become thy Brother and Advocate too nay I am so much in love with thee that the day before I departed the world I bequeath'd unto thee my most precious body and bloud to seed thy Soul as a perpetual monument of my tender affection to all mankind In fine wilt thou not love me who besides the aforesaid Mercys Benefits and Blessings have given thee so compassionate and so potent a Mediatrix in Heaven as is my most dear and Superexcellent Mother Saluted before my conception in these very words by my Angel Ave gratia plena Luc. 1.28 Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among Women Blessed is the fruit of thy Womb. Since I the Essential truth do affirm this they must be impertinent and reprobately Wicked who deny her that Special Prerogative Thou shouldst love as much the Holy Ghost for by his Wisdom thou wert Created and by his Providence thou wert govern'd in so much that thou can'st not produce one meritorious act without his divine Inspiration or actual motion Therefore 't is his gracious goodness which gives thee the Will and the Power to perform any good thing 't is He that is pleas'd to inhabit illnstrate and inflame thy heart with an ardent desire of thy eternal Salvation In a word thy Obligation to love and honour the most glorious Trinity is the very same as thou hast to each Sacred Person therein contain'd It being the sole Source and cause of thy eternal Happiness For what the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost have done the very same thing has the Blessed Trinity done being but one the same God in those three distinct persons O Man shall not all these powerful motives replenish thy Soul with divine love even as the Dew of Heaven doth fill the Vegetives with vivifying juice or shall not this make my grace shine in thy Soul as Davids burning Lamps of affection Psa 63.5 which no terene waters could ever extinguish I say in thy Soul that it may disperse those filthy
justly deserved it And if thou shouldst refuse to grant him thy protection yet has he no reason to repine at it But grant me leave O Lord to make known my grievances unto thee when I tell thee of my great difficulty to attain perfection the impossibility I ly under to depress my evilinclinations Thou dost remit me to the powerfull help of thy grace as if it were even at hand and in my power to make use of upon all occasions whereas I am always imploring it nay and often with weeping eyes do I crave thy mercy yet all my prayers are ineffectual I still being what I was an empty vessel void of all grace cold in my devotion weak frail and as prone to vice as ever I was where is now thy promise O Lord where are thy manyfold often reiterated protestations to give a favourable hearing to all poor Sinners at any time when they make their Addresses to thee Ask thou sayst and it shall be given you Mat. 7. Seek and you shall find Knock and it shall be opened unto you For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened These are thy promises here are thine own invitations however in all submission I presume to say what the holy Job confess'd in the height of his afflictions and what he express'd in the bitterness of his sorrowful and troubled heart Job 30. I cry unto thee says he and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest me not Jer. Lament 3. I may lament with the Prophet Jeremy and say that thou hast builded against me and hedg'd thy self about with a thick cloud so that when I cry and shout Esai 63. thou hearest not my prayer I may likewise complain with the Prophet Isaiah that the multitude of thy mercies are restrained from me O Lord if what these great and holy men have said be true how can I poor sinfull Soul expect that my prayers will be heard or that thou wilt comply with my earnest and humble request I have more reason to apprehend the severity of thy Justice then to expect the products of thy mercy Esdr 9. for I may well say with Esdras O Lord I am confounded ashamed before thy face for my Sins are multiply'd above my head and my iniquitys have reached up to Heaven SAVIOVR I Am the searcher of all Hearts there can be nothing therein that is not visible to my eyes I have all their thoughts in my prospect and all the actions of men are register'd in my book of accounts I know that thy fears and querelous complaints do proceed from a pious and upright minde and therefore am resolved to give a favourable answer to every particular objection of thine I know thou dost not doubt of the truth of my words but thou would'st fain have the right meaning of them and conceive at full how my words and promises which seem to be contradictory may be justifyed in thee Wherefore take it for a certain truth and an infallible Rule that none who does what lies in him shall perish or ever be abandon'd by God no He is so mercifull a Creator that He will refuse no body the concurrence of his grace for he ardently desires the Salvation of all without any exception of persons as thou mayst easily conclude by that solemn invitation which he gives to all mankinde Come unto me says he all ye that are heavy and I will give you rest as also by that great care which he takes of every particular man even from his Mothers womb Mat. 11. Angelis suis mandavit de te ut custodiant te in omnibus vijs tuis Mat. 4.6 to dispatch one of his heavenly Courtiers with express orders to keep protect and defend him as well from the rage of his insulting enemies as from all other sinister accidents which poor Mortals are incident to This and many more Instances I might produce of the great tenderness that God has for man so that none who is truly a Christian has the least ground to doubt but that he and his only and dearly beloved Son also who has suffer'd so much for men and gave even his very Life to save them from Death everlasting will be ready not only to hear their prayers at all times but also most free to comply with their request But I must give thee to understand that prayer is an act of virtue and therfore it 's call'd Latria so that it is not every petition that can be rightly term'd a prayer for this is an humble demand of decent and necessary things to Salvation As thou art oblig'd to be firmly fix'd in the constant practice of other virtues thou must be the same in prayer thou must never give over but still continue upon the same subject with God And withal if thou dost expect to be heard and to obtain the effects of thy prayer from him thou must add the following councel to my former that is utterly to break off with vice and fall into a virtuous life For what a ridiculous thing it is to think that God will remit thee thy Sins whilst thou art resolv'd not to forsake them but rather to increase them dayly To hope for any mercy at his hands whom thou dost dishonour provoke and offend hourly what dost thou think of it is it not to laugh at the Almighty and to ridicule the Omnipotent If thou hadst dealt so with a terene King or with one of an inferiour degree certainly he would be highly displeas'd with thee and take it as a great affront that thou shouldst crave his pardon for the wrong thou hast done him and which thou art resolv'd not to repent how much more should the God of infinite Justice the Lord of unspeakable Majesty and the Judge of illuminate Wisdom be incens'd against a poor wretched creature that would go so bare-fac'd to affront him By what is said thou mayst understand that the duty of a well-meaning Orator is first to be inwardly griev'd to have ever offended his God secondly to make him condign satisfaction for all his past offences thirdly to purpose firmly not only to avoid Sin but also the occasion which may bring him to it After this worthy preparation he then must make a sorrowful entire and sincere confession of all his Sins to his spiritual Father fulfill exactly what satisfaction he shall enjoyn him If thou dost perform this and live ever after according to these dictates thou shalt undoubtedly obtain from God the effect of thy prayer let it be what thou wilt either the remission of thy sins or a further increase of Grace or any other rational request I must confess that he does sometimes even as a wise and provident Father delay the performance thereof but it is to try the faith and patience of his Orators and to exercise his Elect even the most holy among them that