to be entangled with so great greifs Saint Augustine libro Confessionum Although without the love of Charity St. Hierome every one may rightly believe yet he cannot attaine unto Beatitude because such is the force of Charity that even Prophesie and Marytrdome without it are esteemed as nothing no Vertue can Equall Charity For Charity obtaineth the Excellency of all Vertues O my God give thy selfe unto me St. Aug. Render thy self unto me I love thee and if that be too little I will love more forcibly I am not able to limit that J might know how much J want of thy love to that which is sufficient that my life might runne into thy embraces and not to divert untill it were hidden in the secrets of thy Countenance This J only know that whatsoever J have without thee and all plenty which is not my God is poverty SOVLE NOw therefore O Man seeing as thou sayest J ought to love my beloved Lover for all these things tell me J pray thee how much and in what manner J may love him to the end J may repay the multiplicity of his so great an Affection MAN O My Soule St. Bern. although according to Saint Bern. the cause of loving God be God himselfe yet the method to love him is to love him without method notwithstanding we can find by the Revelation of holy Scripture a certaine method For he that hath given thee love hath shewed thee a manner how to love saying Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and withall thy strength Love therefore O my soule with a singular love God the Father who hath so nobly created thee of nothing Love God the Sonne who so inestimably hath reformed thee in dying for thee Love God the Holy Ghost who so mercifully and so sweetly by often comforting thee hath preserved thee from sinne and hath strengthened thee in Good Love therefore God the Father valiantly that thou mayest not be dangerously overcome by any other strange love Love God the Sonne wisely that thou mayest not be craftily seduced by any other love Love God the Holy Ghost sweetly that thou mayst not be poysonously infected with any other strange love Or thus according to Saint Bern. Learn of Christ O Christian soule in what manner thou oughtest to love Christ Love sweetly wisely and valiantly Sweetly That all other love may be base to thee in respect of his love and let him only be to thee Honey in thy mouth melody in thy Eare and Jubilee in thy heart Love him wisely that thy love may continually burne in him only and in no other Love valiantly that thy frailty may joyfully undergo all sharp and bitter torments for him that thou mayest say My suffering is scarce the space of an houre or if it were more I feel it not for the love I owe him These Saint Bern. Thus let a Christian by love towards Christ continually resolve Saint Hiero. that he may willingly endure all things for him untill he shall come unto him Let us love Christ and alwayes seek to cleave fast to his embraces and every thing shall seem easie that is difficult Saint Ambrose O my soule alwayes keep in thy mind how sweetly Christ loved thee in his Incarnation how wisely in his Conversation and how valiantly in his Passion There is no love greater no Charity more sincere no Affection stronger the Innocent hath dyed for thee finding nothing in thee that he might love SOVLE TEll me I pray thee O man under favour I ask not out of curiosity but of humility not of presumption but rather of Devotion what is it that I love when I love my God Hugo de S.V. MAN O My soule if thy Question were presumptuous then it were too vitious but because it hath it originall from devotion it deserveth a devout answer Heare therefore In his Book of Confessions what that great Lover of God Saint Augustine saith When I love my God saith he I love not a form or comelinesse not time nor the Candor of that light which is lovely in sight nor â—weet Melodies nor unguents fragrantly senting nor Manna nor Honey nor bodyes acceptable to the Embraces of the flesh These things I love not when I love God But what do I love I love a certaine light a certaine voice a certaine odour a certaine food a certaine Embrasing of my inner man Where there is something shyneth to my soule which no place can comprehend where there is something soundeth which time is not capable of where there is something casteth an odour which a blast cannot disperse where there is something savours which Appetite cannot diminish where there is something cleaveth fast which saciety cannot pull away SOVLE TEll I pray thee O man yet a little of the vertue of Charity which being known the mind may more strongly be enflamed in the love of God MAN TRuely O my Soule the fruit of Charity is great but hidden For according to Saint Augustine it endureth adversity it mitigateth prosperity it is strong in hard suffering pleasant in good works most safe in temptation most liberall in Hospitality amongst true friends most mercy amongst false most patient It is secure among reproches liberall to them that hate it pleasant in time of Anger innocent among treacheries weeping at iniquity taking comfort in truth St. Aug. in praise of Charity O happy love from whence ariseth strength of Manners Saint Bern. purity of affections subtilty of understanding sanctity of desires clearnesse of works fruitfullnesse of Vertues dignity of merits sublimity and height of rewards and honours O sweetnesse of love O the happy love of sweetnesse let my heart feed on thee and let the bowells of my soule be replenished with thy Nectar O my soule how sweet is the food of Charity which refresheth the weary strengtheneth the weak and exhilerateth the sorrowfull For it maketh the yoak of truth sweet and his burden light I confesse O Lord I have not sustained the waight and heat of the day but I carry a sweet yoak and a light burden For my work is scarce the space of an houre and were it more I perceive it not in respect of thy love But what is more O my soule such is the force of love that it is necessary thou be like unto that which thou lovest and to whom thou art joyned by affection in some sort by the society of love thou shalt be transformed in to its similitude The end of the first part The Second Exercise How the Soule by mentall Exercise ought to convert her contemplation to things that are externall that she may know 1 How unstable worldly wealth is 2 How mutable worldly Excellency is c. 3 How miserable worldly Magnificence is CHAP. I. How unstable worldly wealth is SOVLE NOw I see how miserable every soule is setting her heart on worldly things which are attained with labour possessed
that thou mayest begin to cry out with St. Peter in great Jubilation of heart O Lord it is good that we remaine here here is our Father here our Sister here our Brother here our Country O Lord permit us to be here and never to depart from hence St. Amb. Let us fly O my soule into our most true Country because there is our Countrey for that which we were created there our Father by whom we were created there is that Hierusalem that Heavenly City which is our Mother O my soule thy love here in this mortall life ought to be so great Saint Ansel and desire to come to that for which we were created and so great thy griefe because as yet thou art not there and so great thy feare least perchance thou never comest there that thou oughtst to feel no Joy but from these things which do either bring thee aid or hope to come thither CHAP. III. Of the Interminable Eternity SOVLE O Man whilst that sometimes I think of these things whilst that silently I consider with my selfe what is that which then shineth in me and woundeth my heart without hurting me and I am afraid yet am inflam'd I admit sometimes mentally into my affection something which is unusuall St. Aug. but I know not what sweetness it is which if it were perfected in me I know not what it shall be that this life shall not be But I fall into a relapse with ponderous burthens and am swallowed up with my wonted cares Here I am able to be but not willing there I am willing to be but am not able miserable in both Haec August MAN O My Soul consider that these celestiall things can not so much as be thought upon of those that are worthily disposed without foretasting of the sweetnesse But I am ignorant what that shall then be when they can be perfectly without intricacy tasted or perceived in thee wherfore it is not to be marvled at if the foretasting of such things cause in thee a wearinesse of this Exile because nothing is more bitter then after that the Soul hath been accustomed to be comforted with the joy of such delights if again it shall begin to be intangled with worldly and transitory things From hence it is that the Soul laboureth struggles and is vexed there she alwaies desires to be and yet it sufficeth not here she is compelled to be yet after this she endeavoureth to ascend to that which she hath already tasted for now having tasted of the Spirit all flesh is distastfull Thou hast seen the joy of the blessed from these that are below thee and from these which are neer thee now behold if thou canst what joy is to come from these which are within thee For man shal be rewarded in body and in mind and with the eternall and inseperable union of these two for our body is composed of four Elements wherfore it shall be remunerated with four gifts of Nature the Earth then shall have eternall immortality the water all manner of impassibility the Air exceeding great agility and the fire most transparent and bright shining clearness then shall the Just shine like the Sun and shall run like sparkles among the reeds for God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of his Saints and then there shall not be any more either lamentation or roaring or greif but everlasting peace and gladness In this sempiternall Kingdome the hearts of the blessed shall shine in clearnes one against another and shalâ— in purity be transparent there every ones Countenance is beheld and conscience penetrated there the bodily substance of any one hideth not his intent from the eyes of another Also at an instant wheresoever the mind would be there the body shal be also presently St. Aug. For as then the mind most perfectly obeyeth its Creator so also the body shal most readily obey its Moover God will make the Soule then so powerfull that from the most full beatitude thereof it shall returne into the body from the superabundance whereof it shall receive the vigor of impassability the splendor of clearness the aptitude of subtilty the promptitude of agility there all the senses shall be imployed in their proper actions for there the eye shall see a most beautifull comliness the tast shall feele a most most sweet Savour the sence of smelling shall be perfumed with a most pleasant odour the touch shall imbrace a most delicious object the Hearing shall be changed by a most delicate Sound for there when the mind is ravished by exultation the Tongue is elevated into a Song of praise SOVLE O Man I have heard these wonderfull things long ago and seeing that these are all true what other thing is this present life but a certain shadow of death MAN O My Soul thou hast sayd well because temporall life compared to the eternall is rather be called death then life for what other thing is this defect of our daily corruption then a certain prolongation of death therfore holy men because they incessantly look into the shortness of this life live as though they were dayly dying and therefore more carefully prepare themselves not minding an abode be cause they alway consider that all these things are nothing in the end But men carnally minded therefore love things present frr that they never weigh how fleeting mans life is for if they should looke into the swiftnes of their passege yea they would in no wise love this prosperity Haec Gregorius Let therefore O my Soule the love of this present life passe from thee and let the fervency of the life to come take place where no adversity disturbeth noe necessity distresseth no trouble disquieteth but ever lasting gladness raigneth and consider how great the future felicity is to be where there shal be no evill thing nor good thing shall be hidden all being imploeyd to the praises of God who shall be All in All for there shall be no end of rest nor shall any want pinch there our being shall have no Death our knowledge shall have no Errour our Love shall have no offence There all slowness all corruption all deformity all infirmity shall be absent There is a new Heaven and a new Earth there we shall be like unto the Angells of God and although not in age yet truly in happines St. Aug. O my Soul Thou shouldest imbrace that Life where there is Life wthout Death Youth without old Age Joy without Sadnesse Peace without Discord Will without Injury Light without Darknesse a Kingdom without Change Consider how much the spirit may rejoyce when it shall resume such a body as now thou hast heard not such a one as thou hast sustained with great griefe and hast overcome with great strife of whom oftentimes thou patiently impatient and meekly angry hast said to thy self Who will free from the body of this death Not surely such a one but now perfectly obeying and spirituall such a
that hope in him for no deceit no snare or allurement shall be able to deject the mind relying on God through hope or overcome him persevering Now let humane despaire be ashamed and cursed be the feare of cowardlinesse which beleiveth that he can deny or withhold his benefits from them being rich and very liberall to all those that call upon him and put their perfect hope in him For hath not the eternall Father in whom there is no change of his sole exceeding great bounty sent his only begotten Son in whom he hath given all that he had all that he wold all that he was So that if his liberality should now diminish his infinite goodness perhaps our infirmity and weaknesse not unworthily would stagger But because he is good of himselfe and not by any accidentall good he is not by the communication of his goodnesse diminished nor by Addition of any others goodness augmented MAN O my soule Great is thy faith thou art very strong in hope and confidence And although the hope which proceeds from the promise of God and a holy life and conversation be worthy of praise and ought to be eternised yet truely I councell thee before thou scendest to get Inebriation into thee that thou first wholesomely descend below thy selfe by the consideration of thy selfe that thou mayest learne reverently to feare thy Spouse before that thou beginnest to enter into his secret Bed-chamber whom thou oughtest not only to feare when he is angry but also when he doth most sweetly and delicately cherish thee The end of the second part The third Exercise How the Soule by mentall Exercise ought to convert the beames of Contemplation to things below her that shee may understand 1 The Inevitable necessity of mans death 2 The Formidable austerity of finall Judgment 3 The Intollerable paine of Infernall punishment CHAP. I. Of the Inevitable necessity of Mans death SOVLE TEll me I pray thee O man what are those Inferiour things to which my consideration is to be converted I hasten to ascend I seek Inebriation of the divine comfort I am not able long to rest on those things which are below me Even now I desire O Lord my helper thy beloved Tabernacles I covet with all my strength to dwell in the Courts of our Lord. MAN THese are the Inferiour things O my Soul that thou mayst convert thy selfe unto and may see the inevitable necessity of Death and mayst lament all the infallible equity and truth of the Divine Judge and mayst tremble and be afraid of the intollerable austerity of infernall punishment Consider therefore often weigh and revolve diligently that death cannot be avoided that the hour of death cannot be discovered that the time pre-ordained of God cannot be altered Isidorus In humane things nothing is more certain then death nothing more uncertain then the hour of death it hath not any pity on Poverty it is not afraid of power it respecteth not the excellency of manners or kindred it spareth not youth or age it is at the old mans gate and at the young mans heels SOVLE I Understand that our life is nothing else but a passage to death Why then are temporall things loved which for such an uncertain time are possessed Why desire we this life to continue so long wherin by how much the longer we live by so much the more we sin by how much our life is prolonged by so much the more numerous is our transgression for daily evills encrease and good things are diminished For who is able to consider how many evills wee commit in a moment of time or how many good things we neglect For truely it is a great sinne when wee neither do good nor think of good but suffer our mind to wander after vain and unprofitable things MAN AS St. Gregory saith Carnall minds O my Soul for that cause love temporall pleasures because they consider not how fleeting this life is For if they should but look into the swiftness of the passage thereof truely they would not affect this so little enduring a prosperity My life is like to one sailing for whether I sleep or watch I am still hastning to my end O present life how many dost thou deceive which whilest thou flyest art nothing when thou art seen but a shadow when exalted but a fume to fools pleasant to wise men bitter they that love thee know thee not they that fly thee onely understand thee To some thou promisest thy selfe for a long season that thou mayst deceive them to others for a short time that thou mayst bring them into despair With continuall meditation let us exercise our understanding Author de spiritu Anima and let us consider our miseries With sorrow we entred this life with labour we live therin with fear go out therof St. Bern. How many of us have lived in this Region of the shadow of death in sickness of body in conflict and in the place of tentation if wee diligently take notice therof wee miserably labour with a threefold discommodity For we are easie to be seduced weak to resist and frail to operate SOVLE NOw I see that he lives unprofitably in this world that hastens not to gain that wherby he may live for ever Therfore it should not be any ones care to live long but rather that he may live well Because although it may be granted to any one that he live well yet it is certain that it is not granted to any that he may live long St. Bern. Therefore that is a secure life where the conscience is pure where death is expected without feare or trembling is wished to be at hand with delight and received with devotion MAN O My Soul if thou understandest these things to be so hear my councel and in this life so long as it lasteth prepare for thy self that life which lasteth eternally Whilst thou art in the flesh dy to the World that afterwards thou mayst begin to live in God Understand that there is no one that admitteth death approaching merrily and jocundly but he that hath prepared himself therto by good works whilst he lived give attention to that of Seneca The indiscreet man that is the sinner and the guilty man beginneth his death in dying but the wise man and virtuous overcometh death by death SOVLE O Man J perceive that the death of good men is blessed and the death of Sinners unhappy and miserable MAN O My Soul according to St. Bern. the death of the just man is good in respect of rest better in respect of change the best in respect of security Contrarywise the death of Sinners is most miserable and well may it be termed the worst evil in the loss of the world worse in the separation of the flesh but the worst in the double sorrow and suffering of the Worme and fire and that which is worst of all is in the privation of divine Contemplation CHAP. II. Of the Formidable austerity