in thee Amen Jesus hanging on the Cross Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst hang thy Hands and Feet being Pierced three Hours upon an ignominious Cross and shedding in great abundance thy precious Blood didst of thine own accord endure unspeakable Torments throughout thy whole Body Lift up I pray thee my miserable Soul groveling on the Ground O healthful Blood O reviving Blood O that thou wouldst Purge and thoroughly Heal me being washed with this thy precious Blood O that thou wouldst offer this thy Blood to thy Father for a perfect Satisfaction of all mine Iniquities Grant I beseech thee that mine inward Man may with ardent Affection mentally receive the lively Drops of thy precious Blood and may truly taste how sweet thy Spirit is Jesus praying for his Enemies All Love to thee O Blessed Jesus who wast so good even to those that were so wicked that for the very same Persons who did Crucifie thee thou didst pray unto thy Father saying Father forgive them for they know not what they do Give me I beseech thee the Grace of true Meekness and Patience by which I may according to thy Commandment and Example love mine Enemies And do good to those that hate me And pray heartily unto thee for those that hate and persecute me The Title fastned to the Cross of Jesus All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who wouldst that the Title written in Hebrew Greek and Latin as it were the Trophy of thy Victory should be fastned to the Cross that we beholding it might couragiously Fight against our invisible Enemies Protect me Blessed Jesus under this Title against the Wiles and Deceits of the Devil Teach me under this Title to overcome all Temptations and to subdue all Vices That having by Grace conquer'd them I may freely praise and glorifie thy holy Name Amen The Garments of Jesus divided by the Souldiers Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus whose Garments the Souldiers having divided amongst themselves did leave thy Coat which was without Seam and signifieth the Unity of the Church undivided Pour down into my Heart I beeseech thee the Spirit of Peace and Union That I may never through my Fault divide or trouble the Concord and Union of my Brethren But that I may always endeavour to repair Divisions and pacify Troubles Jesus on the Cross tormented and blasphemed O Blessed Jesus who suffering upon the Cross incomprehensible Torments and ineffable Anguishes wert shamefully reproached and scorned by the Jews who vomited out of their wicked Mouths sundry Blasphemies against thee Grant O Lord that being mindful of thy Humility Patience and Mildness I may quietly and chearfully suffer Pains Disgraces Persecutions Infamy c. And may remain with thee nailed to the Cross even to the end Let no violence of Temptation no storms of Adversities no tempest of Reproaches hinder me from effecting my good purposes Let neither Death nor Life nor things present nor things to come nor any Creature separate me from thy Love Jesus merciful to the penitent Thief Glory be to thee O Blssed Jesus who didst tolerate one of the Thieves to upbraid thee and didst most mercifully and bountifully promise the Glory of Paradice to the other who did humbly acknowledg his own Injustice and with a devout Faith confest thee to be his King and his Lord. Behold me I beseech thee with the Eyes of Mercy which thou didst cast upon the Thief repentant for his Sins O that by thy holy Help and Grace I may lead a Life so Innocent that I may faithfully serve and purely love thee That at the end of my Life I may hera from thee most merciful Redeemer that most desired Voice This Day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Jesus destitute of all Comfort Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who in a most pitiful manner hanging upon the Cross with wide gaping Wounds didst profess thy self to be destitute of all Comfort Grant that with a firm Confidence I may always have recourse to thee my most merciful Saviour in all Adversities Temptations and Distresses And wholly distrusting my self I may trust in thee alone And commit and resign my self entirely to thee Wound the inmost part of my Soul with the remembrance of thy Wounds Imprint them in my Heart and make my Spirit even melt with thy Sacred Blood That I may rejoyce in thee attend to thee and thee only seek find hold fast and possess Jesus Athirst O Blessed Jesus who panting upon the Cross thy Body being drawn dry for want of Blood becamest very thirsty and didst Burn with an unspeakable desire of our Salvation Grant that I may most ardently thirst after thine Honour and the Salvation of Souls And may with Courage employ my self in this Affair Grant that I may not be hindred or entangled by any transitory thing Jesus tasting Gall and Vinegar All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who from a Spunge dipt in Vinegar and Gall which was offered thee to Drink being then thirsty even to Death by tasting thereof didst leave us an Example of perfect Poverty and Patience in the want of all Comforts Give me Grace to despise unlawful Pleasures and to avoid all excess in Meat and Drink Also to use those things moderately which thou givest for the support of the Body Pacify the inordinateness of my desires that whatsoever doth please thee may please me and whatsoever displeaseth thee may be displeasing also to me Jesus Crucified All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus most enamoured of Mankind who duly performing the Work of our Redemption didst offer up thy self upon the Cross an Holy Sacrifice for the expiation of the Sins of all Men. Be thou I beseech thee the scope and end of all my Thoughts Words and Actions That in all things I may with a right and simple Intention seek thy Honour Grant I may never grow cold or faint in thy Service But that the fervour of Spirit may be daily renewed in me and that I may more and more be enflamed to Love thee Amen Jesus yielding up the Ghost Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who of thine own accord didst embrace Death and recommending thy self to thy heavenly Father bowing down thy venerable Head yeildedst up thy Spirit Truly thus giving thy Life up for thy Sheep thou hast shewed thy self to be the good Shepherd Thou didst dye O the only begotten Son of God! Thou diedst O my beloved Saviour that I might live forever O how great Hope how great Confidence have I reposed in thy Death and thy Blood I Glorify and Praise thy Holy Name acknowledging my infinite obligations to thee O Blessed Jesus for thy bitter Death and Passion sake give me Grace and Pardon Grant that I may every Day more and more bear about in my Body the dying of my Lord Jesus Miracles at Jesu's Death O Blessed Jesus at
Honour of the World Grant that knowing throughly mine own Unworthiness I may grow base in mine own Conceit and despise reprehend and bewail my self Barabbas presented before Jesus All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who being compared with the notorious Thief Barrbbas wast judged more wicked and more worthy of Death than he The Murtherer is set at Liberty and the envious Jews demand thy Death who art the Author of Life Thou art indeed that living Stone rejected by Man but chosen by God O that I may prefer nothing before thee nor change thee for any thing O that I could esteem all things as Dung and Filth to the end I may gain thee Grant O Lord that the Blot of Envy may never stain my Soul Jesus stripped naked and scourged All Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who being stripped naked in the Palace and bound to a Pillar didst suffer thy naked and most immaculate Flesh to be rent with most cruel Scourges that with thy Sores thou mightest heal our Wounds O amiable Jesus I make choice of thee covered with Stripes for the Spouse of my Soul Desiring to be enflamed and burned with the Fire of thy most Sweet Love Strip my Heart naked I beseech thee from all indecent filthy and impure Thoughts Grant that I may at all times patiently suffer the Scourges of thy fatherly Correction Amen Jesus cloathed with a Purple Garment Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus upon whom all discharged unspeakable Injuries and Contumelies For they clothed thee the King of Glory with a Purple Garment for thy greater Affront They fastned upon thy Divine Head a Crown of Thornes They put into thy Hands a Scepter of a Reed and kneeling down in a scornful manner saluted thee saying Hall King of the Jews Plant I beseech thee in my Heart the Memory of thy Passion Let Scorns for thy sake be my Glory and Injuries and Affronts my Crown Jesus beaten and buffeted All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst not refuse for my sake to be beaten with a Reed to be buffeted to be spit upon and to be the object of all kind of Derisions I beseech thee by thy Wounds by thy Blood by thy Disgraces and by all the Grief and Sorrow which thou sufferedst to endue my Soul with thy Patience and those Graces I so much stand in need of That thou wouldst Convert me and all I have to thine everlasting Praise and Glory Jesus made a Spectacls to the People O Blessed Jesus who being defiled with Spittle rent and disfigured with Stripes bound and wholly miserable wast brought forth as a Spectacle to the enraged People wearing a Crown of Thorns and a Robe of Purple Grant that with my Heart I may utterly tread under Foot and have in Detestation all Ambition Ostentation worldly Pomp and Vanity and all earthly Dignities That by profound Humility and true Contempt of my self I may incessantly run towards the Glory of thy heavenly Felicity Jesus declared Innocent yet delivered to be Crucified All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who being declared Innocent by Pilate the Judge didst not refuse to bear the furious Out-crys of the Jews by which they demanded that thou would'st be Crucified Grant that I may live Innocently and not be troubled by reason of other Mens evil Will towards me Give me this Grace that I may neither Back-bite other Men nor willingly give Ear to those that do it But that still I may have a good Opinion of others and bear other Mens Imperfections with a true Compassion And love all Men for God and in God with a pure sincere and cordial Affection Amen Jesus unjustly condemned Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst permit thy self in the Presence of thy People to be condemn'd to the most ignominious Death of the Cross That thou mightest free us from the Sentence of eternal Death Grant that I may seek thy Honour and rather chuse to be exercised with thee in Adversity than by forsaking thee to enjoy the Conveniences of this Life Jesus bearing his Cross and fainting under it All Love be unto the O Blessed Jesus who with many Disgraces and Injuries offered thee didst carry thy Cross with great Pain upon thy sacred and torn Shoulders And being weary and breathless didst Languish under the Burden Grant that with fervent Devotion I may imbrace the Cross of Self-denyal and Mortification And with an ardent Charity imitate the Examples of thy Vertues And may humbly follow thee even unto Death Jesus admonishing the Women that followed him O Blessed Jesus who in that lamentable Journey in which thou wentst to thy Death didst meekly admonish the Women that they should bewail themselves and their Children Give me acceptable Tears of Compunction with which I may truly bewail my Sins and my own Ingratitude Give me Tears of true Contrition and of holy Love which may melt my hard Heart and make it grateful unto thee That I may love thee alone and rest in thee only Jesus at the Place of Execution Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who having thy Shoulders bruised with the weight of the Cross didst at length arrive weary to the Place of Execution Where Wine mingled with Gall was offered thee to refresh thy languishing Forces O that thou wouldst extinguish in me the Allurements of Gluttony and the Concupiscences of the Flesh And cause in me an Aversion and Horrour from all impure and unlawful Delights And that I may Eat and Drink soberly to the Glory of thy Name That I may Hunger and Thirst after thee alone And in thee place my Delight and Joy Jesus stripped naked O Blessed Jesus who didst not disdain to be stripped naked upon Mount Calvary in the sight of the People And to suffer a most bitter pain by thy Sores renewed with the pulling off thy Cloaths Grant that I may love poverty of Spirit and not be troubled for any worldly Want or Inconvenience Grant that by thy Example I may endure and suffer any corporal Pains Necessities or Calamities whatsoever Jesus stretched upon the Cross All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who being naked didst not refuse to be rudely stretched out upon the wood of the Cross and cruelly fastned with Nails unto the same In this manner didst thou suffer thine innocent Hands and tender Feet to be most grievously wounded and all thy sacred Joynts to crack and be put out of Joynt Grant me O Lord that with a faithful and grateful Mind I may consider this thy unspeakable Charity with which of thine own accord thou didst stretch forth thine Arms and willingly offeredst thy Hands and Feet to be Pierced Vouchsafe O Lord to enlarge and extend my Heart with the perfect Love of thee Pierce and fasten it unto thy self with the most sweet Nail of Charity And all my Senses Thoughts and Affections inclose only
Desires after Jesus OR MEDITATIONS UPON THE Life and Passion Of our Blessed Saviour JESUS CHRIST WITH Short Ejaculations and Prayers drawn from each Passage thereof Very proper to excite our Love and Affections towards him and to help us in the Expression of our Desires for the Imitation of his Vertues and to preserve a due and thankful Remembrance of what he has done and suffered for us LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Sam. Keeble at the Turks Head in Fleet-street and Rich. Cumberland at the Angel in St. Paul's Church-yard 1698. TO THE READER THE approaching Season appointed by our Church for the Commemoration of the principal Sufferings of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the most remarkable Instances of his Love to Mankind by which he also purchas'd for them inestimable Benefits is therefore very deservedly to be observed in the most Religious and Solemn manner by all that pretend and desire to have a share in that common Redemption But because the Ingratitude of Christians in this respect is grown so common and tho' all hope to be partakers of the Benefit of his Death yet few will bestow any Pains in the Consideration of it or at least to very little purpose It is time for those who are any way sensible of their Obligations to manifest their zeal for their crucified Saviour by appearing publickly on this Occasion to testifie their Love that others by their Examples may be put in mind stirred up and encouraged to shew him also every one of them some Signs of their Gratitude some Tears of Love Sorrow or Contrition tho' never so few This moved me to Print the following Pages and to lay before you therein a true description of the several Points and Passages of our Saviour's Life and Passion in as little compass as I could in a Method the best I could think of to move your Affections to the Love of his Goodness and to provoke your Courage and Resolutions to the Practice of his Vertues I have divided the whole into several little parts and distinguished each Passage in this manner that it may be the more useful and serviceable to ordinary Capacities who may now easily pitch upon that part of the Life of Jesus which is most suitable to their present purpose and more deliberately pause and meditate upon it to make the deeper Impression on their Minds and the better to influence their Lives and Conversations You will find herein Prayers on all the remarkable Actions and Sufferings of our Saviour's Life as well as of those near and at his Death I thought it therefore convenient to put a Title to each of them that any one may find out and pass without trouble to that which will answer his present Occasion or the reason that is ordained for the remembrance of any particular Passages of his Life or Death But since so excellent a Pattern should be the continual Meditation of every sincere Christian we should not content our selves with only such a Portion of Time for our serious Thoughts upon it but resolve and endeavour to set it always before us for our Imitation and Practice in the whole course of our Lives And indeed who can read at any time those glorious Instances of our Saviour's Love in what he did and suffer'd for us and not melt into Tears of Love Joy or Admiration Who can view the noble Examples of his admirable Vertues his profound Humility inviucible Patience and Meekness and not be moved to the Imitation of them Who can look upon the Captain of their Salvation wading through a See of Blood and bearing the weight of a heavy Cross all his Life a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief and not resolve with himself if he have any Courage to take up his Cross too and follow him Did he that was the dearly beloved Son of God condescend to live a Life of Labours and Difficulties a Life of Tryals and Afflictions and at last suffer all the Torments Disgraces and Ignominies that the worst of Villains could invent And shall we that pretend to be his Disciples and Followers think of living in Ease and Pleasures in the Opinion and Favour of the World by our Treachery to him and false Complyances with its Allurements and Friendships 'T is sure the want of considering the Testament he has left us wherein all these things are so lively described that so many faint and grow Cowards and Negligent in their Spiritual Warfare and can do and suffer so little for him who has done and suffered so much for their Sakes 'T is either great Ignorance or Infidelity of these great Truths of our Religion or the greatest Disingenuity if we know believe and love them and do not set about the Practice of them Let us therefore no longer delay but begin now to shew our selves Men true Disciples of Christ such as love their Master and prove it by their Obedience to his Commands by despising and falling out with the World that hated him and all its Deceits and Vanities with a real intention to conform our selves to his humble suffering and self-denying Life and let us every day press forward to a greater measure of Love and Perfection of Obedience that finding his Yoke easie and his Burthen light by accustoming our selves to bear it we may experience more and more the fulness of our Happiness and of our Joy to be in the love and imitation of Jesus and then we shall count indeed all things in the World but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord Phil. 3.8 Let us often be trying our selves by his example especially of that of Lowness and Meekness Mat. 11.29 and be always in the Exercise of that which was in a peculiar manner his Command that which he who was all love so often pressed and inculcated that amiable precept of loving one another John 15.12 17. and thereby we shall not only know our selves but all Men will know us to be his Disciples John 13.35 Let these three things Humility Meekness and Love the peculiar Characters of Jesus be constantly in our view let us often and diligently compare our Thoughts Words and Actions by this Rule as If we find our selves ready to think better of our selves than our fellow Christians and therefore despise those that are weak and imperfect if we slight those that are Poor and avoid going near them or conversing with them if we are full of our own Judgments and bitter censurers of others Actions we plainly shew that we are not yet humble like Jesus If we are froward and peevish and impatient of Contradiction or Reproof and justify our selves upon every little occasion if upon receiving a slight Injury we complain and are grieved at it or shew any signs or desire of Revenge If for every little Trifle we are inwardly and outwardly discomposed we may easily perceive upon an impartial view of our selves how unlike we
chearful Love and Charity May readily Forgive those that Offend me May perfectly Love-those that Hate me The Patience of Jesus in bearing Injuries Blasphemies and Reproaches O Blessed Jesus who for my sake hast suffered many Injuries many Blasphemies many Reproaches and infinite Abuses of those on whom thou hast bestowed many Benefits Give me a Heart truly Innocent and Simple that I may sincerely love my Enemies and unfainedly pity them And rendring Good for Evil according to thy Command and Example may through Charity Meekness and Patience perfectly please thee Jesus on an Ass and Weeping over Jerusalem O Sweet Jesus all Love all Glory be to thee who coming to Jerusalem in a Meek and Gentle manner didst ride upon an Ass and amidst the Praises that were Sung by the People that came to meet thee didst pour forth Tears bewailing the ruin of the City and destruction of the ungrateful Inhabitants O that I might never be delighted with the Praises and Favours of Men But always be profitably employed in internal Tears of Compunction and Devotion The Treachery of Judas to Jesus O Blessed Jesus whom Judas the treacherous Disciple Sold for a little Mony to the Jews who Persecuted thee and conspired thy Death Root out of my Heart all Affections to transitory Things Grant that I may never prefer any thing before thee Jesus Washing his Disciples Feet All Love Honour and Praise be unto thee O Blessed Jesus who in Jerusalem didst eat the Paschal Lamb with thy Disciples and to give them an Example of Humility and Holy Charity kneeling upon the Ground didst wash their Feet and having washed them didst wipe them with a Towel O that this thy most admirable Example might pierce my Heart and utterly throw down in me all Pride and Loftiness Give me O Lord a most profound Humility by which I may without difficulty cast my self at all Mens Feet Jesus instituting the Eucharist O Dear Jesus who with an unspeakable Charity hast instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist and with wonderful Bounty hast therein provided for the benefits of our Souls Stir up in me a desire and enkindle in the very bottom of my Soul a most vehement Hunger of this most Venerable Sacrament Grant that when I come to that Table of Life I may with a Chast Affection profound Humility and perfect Purity of Heart receive Thee Jesus taking upon him the Infirmities of our Nature O Blessed Jesus who immediately before thy Passion didst begin to Fear to Grieve and be Sad taking upon thy self our weakness That by this thy Infirmity thou mightst comfort and strengthen those that Tremble at the expectation of Death Preserve me I beseech thee as well from vicious Sadness as foolish Joy Lord prepare me against the last passage of my Life and cover me then under the Wings of thy Divine Protection Grant that I may often reflect upon my Ingratitudes to thee to move me to Tears of true Contrition The Prayer of Jesus in the Garden O Blessed Josus who falling upon the Ground didst Pray unto thy Father and humbly offredst up thy self wholly unto him saying Father thy Will be done Grant that in all Necessities and Tribulations I may have recourse unto thee in Prayer And that I may yeild and resign my self wholly to thy will That I may with a quiet Mind receive all things as from thy Hand The Agony of Jesus Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who being in an Agony didst Pray very long And being Creator of Heaven and Earth the King of Kings and Lord of Angels didst not disdain to be comforted by an Angel Grant in all Adversities and Distresses in all Tribulation and Afflictions that I may seek Comfort from thee only And that I may find help and assistance at thy Hands O that I could in all Events wholly rely on thee And leave my self wholly to thy Fatherly Care The bloody Sweat of Jesus All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who by reason of the greatness and vehemency of thy Greif hadst thy Body moistned all over with a bloody Sweat O that all the parts of my interiour Man would Sweat out Holy Tears of Contrition Jesus taken by Judas All Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who of thy own accord offerdest thy self to be taken by Judas the Traitor and other thine Enemies thirsting after thy Blood and desiring thy Death Grant that for the Honour of thy Name I may not fly Adversities But may chearfully go to meet them And joyfully receive them as pretious Tokens sent from thee And humbly and constantly endure them as long as it shall please thee Jesus kissing Judas All Love all Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst lovingly kiss the Traitor Judas coming deceitfully to thee Shewing by the calmness of thy Countenance and sweetness of thy Words that thou didst Love him Grant I may shew my self loving and mild to all my Enemies That I may Pardon them from my Heart howsoever they shall offend me And tolerate and love them as the Ministers of thy Will and promoters of my Salvation Jesus laid hold on and bound Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst permit thine Enemies most suriously to lay their Sacrilegious Hands upon thee And being Cruelly bound by them didst not revenge but mildly endure the Reproaches Blasphemies and Injuries wherewith they did most wickedly Affront thee O that being freed from the Bonds of Vices I may be fast tied to thee with the sweet Chains of Love O that thou woulst bestow upon me the Grace of true Patience Amen Jesus healing Malchus's Ear. Praise Honour and Glory be to thee O Blessed Jesus who didst restore and heal the Ear of Malchus one of thy furious Persecutors cut off by Peter thy chief Disciple That so rendring Good for Evil the riches of thy Mercy and Mildness might shine forth to us Grant I beseech thee that the desire of Revenge may never have place in my Heart Grant that I may bear intimate Compassion and Affection towards all such as offend me Strengthen my too great weakness and make stedfast my too too great Inconstancy with the most strong support of thy Grace Jesus led bound to Annas All Love all Glory to thee O Blessed Jesus who sufferedst thy self to be led bound as a Malefactor and a Thief by a Troop of Soldiers unto Annas and to be Persecuted before him O unspeakable Mildness of my Redeemer Behold whilst thou art taken whilst thou art drawn whilst thou art hated thou dost not complain thou dost not murmur thou madest no resistance Grant O Lord that these Examples of thy Vertues may shine in me to my Good and Everlasting Glory Jesus receiving a blow on the Face O Blessed Jesus King of Heaven and Earth who standing humble like a base and abject Person before the proud High Priest didst with great Modesty receive a cruel Blow given thee upon the Face by one of his Servants Suppress