wert either cold or hot Apoc. 3. Pervent in Spirit Rom. 12. Remember from whence thou art fallen and do pennance and do thy first works Apoc. 2. Because thou art tepid I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth Apoc. 3. XXIV MED Of the hatred of the World THe World is a cheat It must be contemned It never performs what it promises Its goods are not true ones They are not solid not pure not lasting They cannot fill the heart nor content the mind They give many disquiets and never give any rest Have you ever had any whilst you were in its service We ought to hate the World 'T is an enemy to JESUS Christ 'T is the Devil's Confederate He that loves the World believes the Maxims of the World And not those of the Gospel He is therefore a Christian only in name But an Infidel in heart The Devils believe there is a God This belief makes them tremble But they believe not in God Because they do not do his Will The Worlding believes there is a God But he does not believe in God Satan believes and trembles The Worlding believes and mocks He is then worse than the Devil Who ever is a friend to the World Declares himself an enemy to God Is it to be loyal to your King to love his Enemies We ought to fly the World Its company is dangerous We cannot live in it with security 'T is a Sea full of shelfs The World is 1. Judg'd 2. Condemn'd 3. Accursed 4. Excommunicated And can we after all that frequent it 'T is better to be hated by the wicked Than be beloved by them If you are of the World you will die in your Sin Why will you love the World Was it the World that created you That redeemed you That will save you JESUS says That he is not of this World And you say That you are of this World You are not then a Disciple of JESUS Christ Have not you renounc'd the World When you were baptized You renounc'd it before the use of reason And you adore it having the use of reason You renounc'd it without your liberty And you love it with your liberty Doubtless had you had the use of reason You would not have been baptized O JESUS How many adorers has the World And how few servants have you The World cheats all men And yet all men serve it You cheat no body And yet no body obeys you O! I am a Christian I have learnt to contemn the World and not to adore it I had rather be little with humble JESUS Than great with the ambitious World I had rather weep with afflicted JESUS Than divert my self with the voluptuous World Want all with poor JESUS Than possess all with the vicious World VVo unto the world from scandals Matth. 18. I am not of this world John 8. Now is the judgment of this world John 12. I pray not for the world John 17. Have confidence I have conquer'd the world John 10. He that loves the world the charity of the Father is not in him 1 John 2. XXV MED Of the small number of the Saved THe Flood overflow'd the whole Earth There were but eight men saved Of six hundred thousand fighting men There were only two that past the Jordan Of a field sown with Wheat Only the fourth part is fruitful Of many that run a Race only one gets the Prize The way to Hell is broad The greatest part of men take that way The way to Heaven is narrow And few there are that find it God will have all men to be saved He never forsakes them unless he be first forsaken He refuses his grace to no body Whence comes it then that so few are saved 'T is because Nature is corrupted Because it always tends downward Because we use no violence to it Because we are tyed to the pleasure of our senses Because we follow the Maxims of the World Because we do no Pennance Because we do not what we ought Because we begin to do it too late Because we stay to the very last When we are no more able to sin God contemns them at their death Who contemn'd him during their life The Devil keeps those fast at their death Whom he possest during their life Seldom can one in his old age shake off The wicked customs of his youth Every one carries to his Grave The Vices of his first years They hide themselves in his bones And sleep under his ashes with him O my God! Shall I be saved Shall I be damned If I am saved 't will be by your grace If I am damn'd 't will be through my own fault For there is nothing wanting to me for my Salvation What would I wish to have done at my death What sorrow shall I have in Hell Is a short time too long to prepare ones self Eternity Enter in at the narrow gate Math. 7. Many are called but few chosen Thy perdition is from thy self O Israel in me alone is thy help Hosea 13. What more could I do to my Vineyard and have not don it Isa 5. His bones shall be fill'd with the sins of his youth and sleep with him in the dust Job 20. XXVI MED Of Scandal or bad Example BAd Example is a bad Master It teaches evil to those that are ignorant of it It perswades those to it that abhor it It facilitates it to those that apprehend it It commands it to those that hate it It makes it honourable to the great ones It makes it necessary to the lesser sort It makes it lawful to the good It makes it pleasing to the wicked A scandalous person does more harm Than a great Saint can do good Example damns more people Than all the Preachers have ever saved Ignorance is one part of Innocence Evil would scarce ever be don Had it not been seen don One is ashamed to be good When one is amongst the wicked Only those Beings that are perfect Can produce perfect Beings like themselves One must be compleatly wicked To make others wicked A scandalous man is an Antichrist He is a Master of Iniquity He is a corrupter of Innocency He is the Devil's Substitute He is the Minister of his will A scandalous person ruins the Empire of JESUS He extends the Empire of Lucifer He fights under his Standard He draws men to his side He Martyrizes Innocence He damns the Souls of his brothers He commits as many sins As he is the cause of being committed He shall be damn'd as many times As he hath damned people He shall have as many Hells As he hath sent Souls to Hell O Scandalous Soul What has JESUS don to thee That thou shouldst persecute him What has thy Neighbour don That thou shouldst damn him Hast thou reason to be wicked because he is good And to wish him ill because he is innocent Hast not thou committed sins enough Wthout loading thy self with the sins of others What rest wilt
dy many times That I may dy once well Remember that death doth not tarry Eecles 14. Watch because you know neither the day nor the hour Matth. 25. VVatch at all times Luk. 21. If thou do not watch I will come to thee like a Thief Apoc. 3. Therefore be ye prepared because in what hour you think not the Son of Man will come Matth. 24. L. MED How to resolve for Death WHat do you fear O Christian Soul VVhence is it that you apprehend Death Cannot you endure that which a little Infant does endure Cannot you do that which an Emmot does All Creatures know how to dy And are you ignorant of this Science VVhat will you do with life If you will never part with it VVas it not God that gave it you Has not he a right to dispose of it He has giv'n you the use of it But has reserv'd the property thereof to himself 'T is a trust that you must restore to him Sooner or later in a good condition To what purpose do you stand trifling You must pass that way 'T is a folly to apprehend too much VVhat one cannot avoid VVe fear things that are doubtful But we expect things that are certain You should not have been born If you had no mind tody Are you in a better condition than Kings Shall you be more privileg'd than JESUS Christ For my part were I immortal I would beg it as a favour To be able to die as he did Are not you a Criminal Are not you condemn'd to death The Sentence thereof was pronounced Against Adam from the time that he sinn'd O how favourable is this Sentence O how much good does it procure us Death is no more a punishment 'T is an inestimable benefit VVe should ask it as a favour If God had not condemn'd us to it The Judgments of God are terrible But his Mercies are infinit It is good to fear But it is better to hope He that hopes in God Shall not be deceived He that leaves himself to God Shall not be forsaken Will your Condition be made better By living yet longer You will increase your debts Instead of diminishing them You say that you will do Pennance And you are yet to begin 'T is a Pennance of great merit To accept of death as a punishment Man can do no action for God Comparable to the Sacrifice of his life O my God! How happy do I esteem my self That 't is in my power to die for you I cannot be a Martyr for the Faith But I will be a Martyr of Charity To dy is no great matter But to dy well is a great matter I give to you O my God out of love VVhat death will take from me by force I give to you out of charity VVhat I cannot refuse out of necessity Better is death than a bitter life and eternal rest than continual sickness Eccles 30. O Death good is thy judgment to an indigent man and whose strength decays in his old age Eccles 41. Fear not the judgment of Death remember what things were before thee and what things will come after thee this is God's judgment on all flesh Eccles 41. VVe know if this earthly house of ours of this habitation be dissolved that we have a building from God not made with hands but eternal in heaven 2 Cor. 5. Unhappy man that I am who will deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 6. LI. MED The Affections of a just Soul at the approaches of Death which we should cause to be read to us in our last sickness I Am told that I must dy O the sweet and pleasant news I am quitting Earth to go to Heaven Going out of my Prison for to re-enter into liberty Quitting a Banishment for to return to my dear Country Passing from Time to Eternity From the figure to the truth From Change to Immutability From Death to Immortality From Misery to Felicity I am going to possess God To enjoy God To be transform'd into God To fill my Understanding with a plenitude of light My VVill with a plenitude of peace My Memory with a plenitude of goods My Senses with a fulness of pleasures I shall there above find all that I desire And nothing of what I fear I shall have no more evil I shall want nothing that is good God will be to me All in all And be so for all Eternity I am told that I am dying O the sweet news I shall be no more opprest with miseries Suffer no more incommodities Be no more afflicted with sickness No more subject to commit sin Nor in danger of damning my self Nor any more have any thing to trouble me I shall see and I shall love I shall praise and I shall bless This I shall do for ever VVithout ever being weary of doing it O what a happiness I am going to dy I am going to the place of my repose To the Land of the living To the Kingdom of peace To the Palace of glory To the Nuptials of the Lamb To sit at God's Table To eat the bread of Angels To see what eye hath not seen To hear what ear hath not heard To possess what the heart of man hath never conceived O the happy News They tell me I am dying Come my Soul Let us quit this miserable life Let us go out of this wretched body What art thou afraid of Jesus is dead for thee He has satisfied for thy sins He has pay'd all thy debts He is becom thy security He has answer'd for thee He has promis'd thee his Heaven He has declar'd thee his Heir He has made thee a surrender of all his Merits He has given thee his Body as a Pledge He has bestow'd infinit benefits on thee He has preserv'd thee from infinit dangers If he would have destroy'd thee Would he have died for thee Would he have conserv'd thy life so long Have expected thee with so much patience Given thee time to do pennance Have illuminated thee with so many lights Called thee with so much love Drawn thee with so much force Favoured thee with so many graces Given thee so many good desires Visited thee in thy sickness Made thee receive his Sacraments Markt thee with the Seal of the Predestinate If thou sighest thou shalt be saved If thou art converted in thy heart Thy sins shall be forgiven thee One sigh is sufficient to gain Heaven The Pennance that is true is never don too late He is always converted time enough Who is converted from the bottom of his heart Behold JESUS calls you Behold JESUS stretches out his arms to you Hark how he prays for you on his Cross Hark how he says with a loud voice Father forgive him for he knew not what he did He bows down his head to kiss you He spreads his arms for to embrace you His heart is open for to let you into it He has given his life for to save you O happy news
Will weaker Passions more rebellious Remedies slower The Devils more powerful Their possession more powerful What ingratitude after so many benefits What contempt after so much knowledge What perfidiousness after so many promises What malice after so many promises Is it thus that we mock God That we fail in our word to him That we sport at his patience Abuse his goodness Contemn his justice Presume of his mercy Combat his gentleness VVast his graces prodigally Stifle his Spirit Drive him out of our hearts Prefer Lucifer before him After abundance comes poverty After graces com punishments After patience fury After contempt revenge O my God! I dare no more appear before you After so many Contempts and Ingratitudes After so many Treacheries and Disloyalties My sins have almost chang'd their nature They were only Frailties But now they are hardnesses of heart They were pardonable faults They are now inexcusable Crimes Their number is infinit Their load unsupportable Their malice irremissible Their cure almost desperate But if my sins are great Your mercy is yet greater My sins are finit Your mercy infinit I may go to Heaven until such time as I am in Hell I may be converted as long as I am alive O! I will save my self in good earnest I am weary of being wicked My God take my life away Unless I change my life Take me quickly out of this World Unless I do draw off from the World It is impossible for them that were once illuminated and have tasted also the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have moreover tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to com and are fallen to be renewed again to Pennance Hebr. 6. If what I have destroyed I build up again I make my self a Prevaricator Gal. 2. Behold you are now cured sin no more least something worse befal you John 5. The latter things are becom worse than the first Luk. 11. XLVIII MED Of Customary Sins 'T Is a great evil to accustom one's self to evil A habit of sin is a chain of iniquity Which captivates the Soul And inslaves her to sin It lessens our knowledge It hardens the heart It lulls the Conscience asleep It blots out shame The oftner one commits a sin The less one blushes to commit it At first one commits it with a horrour One reiterates it with fear One continues it with pleasure One persevers therein with contempt These are the gradual steps of iniquity Hither it is that a habit of sin leads us That body is very sick that feels not its sickness An inveterate sinner is almost desperate He knows not his own misery He cannot hate it He finds pleasure in it He will not get out of it His resolves are without effect His efforts without perseverance His Vices in fine pass into nature And his habit into necessity When the weight of Custom lies heavy upon the inclination When the Current of Passion finds nothing to resist it 'T is a Torrent that draws all after it A Tyrant that destroys all 'T is a Law of Iniquity that domineers over the Will 'T is a second Cuncupiscence More tyrannical than that we are born with 'T is a second nature more corrupt than the first In vain does grace attack a heart that sins by Custom It is insensible to her touches It is impenetrable to her strokes One may sooner blanch a Moor Than cure an inveterate evil One may sooner root up a Tree Than pluck up an old Sin In what state are you Do you sin through ignorance Through Passion Through Frailty Through Custom Without Remorse Without Sorrow With Pleasure With Contempt Do you blush no more at your sin Do you commit it with assurance Do you glory in committing it Are you not afraid when you have committed it O then you are a slave to vice Your sins are pass'd into your nature You are now hardned You are now grown insensible Alas if you were sensible of your evil There would be som hopes of life Beg your cure of God Do your best to break your chains asunder Resist small Temptations And you will obtain the victory over great ones Do the things that are easie And God will do those that are difficult Help your Neighbour And God will help you Shew mercy to him And God will shew it to you VVithout a miracle you will not be cured VVithout Charity you will obtain nothing Let not sin reign in your mortal body that you obey the concupiscence thereof Rom. 6. If an Ethiop can change his skin you may also do well having learnt to do ill Jer. 13. My scars are grown rotten and are corrupted Ps 37. My iniquities have over-topped my head ibid. A young man according to the way of his youth so will he be in his old age Prov. 21. XLIX MED A Preparation to Death ARe you prepar'd to die Have you given order to your affairs Have you any affair greater than that of your Salvation Do you think to escape death That which must happen one day May it not happen this day You think of nothing but of living And you ought to think of nothing but dying You labour only for the time present And you ought to labour only for Eternity Small care for small affairs Great care for great affairs 'T is too late to think of dying VVhen it is time to die A wise man never undertakes a business of importance VVithout having first thought well on it Every one learns his own Trade To be saved is all mens Trade There needs no study to learn to die There needs much to learn to die well One can never do that well VVhich one does but once To know how to die well One ought to die often Death is but one only The fault committed therein Is an irreparable fault That Actour acts his part but ill VVho never exercis'd himself A Lawyer pleads a Cause but badly VVho never prepar'd himself for it 'T is a hard matter to die well VVhen one is acquainted only with the trade of life Is our life too long to dispose our selves for death Have we too much time to prepare our selves for Eternity VVatch or you will be surpriz'd Prepare your self for Death Or else you will die unprepared He that watches not is surpriz'd He that is surpriz'd is damn'd Learn that Trade which you must of necessity make use of How important is it to do well That which you will do but once VVhere it is dangerous to fail VVhose fault is without redress And whose punishment will have no end Do not trust to time 'T is but a bad security It has cozened many a man If you trust it it will infallibly deceive you O my God! I thank you for having given me time To prepare my self for death VVhere had I been had you surpriz'd me I will henceforth stand upon my guard That I may one day dy well I will dy every day I will