he reveal his secret to his Servants But he revealed all his Will and all Perfection to his Apostles by his only begotten Son as he says Jo. 15. All things whatsoever which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you To the end that they might reveal the same to Posterity which also they have faithfully done For their sound went out into all the Earth and their Words unto the ends of the World Psal 18. But amongst the Apostles he revealed and declared his greatest Secrets to S. John the Evangelist and to S. Paul Amongst other things he revealed to them the eight Beatitudes saying Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in Spirit c. Blessed are the Meek c. which Beatitudes contain in them great Perfection and declare the perfect Will of God There is a difference betwixt Contemplation Meditation and Cogitation for in Cogitation the Mind wanders in Meditation it finds out something in Contemplation it admires Cogitation is without Labour and without Fruit Meditation is with Labour and with Fruit Contemplation is without Labour and with Fruit. We are brought to the Contemplation of God by three Degrees concerning which St. Gregory The first is That the Soul recollect it self to it self The Second is that it see it self what it is thus recollected The Third is That it arise above it self and submit it self attending to the Contemplation of it's invisible Maker But it can by no means recollect it self to it self unless it have first learnt to restrain the Phantasms of terrestrial and celestial Images from the Eye of the Mind unless it have learnt to reject and trample upon whatsoever shall occur to it's Thought from the corporeal Sight Hearing Smelling Tasting or Touching that it may seek it self such within as it is without those for whilst it thinks upon those things it turns over within it self as it were certain shadows of Bodies Therefore all those things are to be driven away from the Eyes of the Mind by the hand of Discretion that the Soul may consider it self such as it is created under God above the Body that being vivificated by the Superior it may vivificated the Inferior which it administers We often will consider the invisible nature of Almighty God but we are not able and the Soul wearied with those difficulties returns to it self and makes to it self of it self degrees of Ascensions that first of all if it be able it may consider it self and then find out that Nature which is above it as far as it is able But if our Mind shall be dispersed in carnal Images it is by no means sufficient to consider it self or the Nature of the Soul because by as many Thoughts as it is lead it is as it were blinded by so many Obstacles The first Degree therefore is that the Soul c. The Motives to Contemplation are the ineffable Sweetness which is there perceived the admirable Perfection which is there learn'd the principal of all Beatitude which is there found for the Fountain of all Beatitude the most High God is there known and what is known that is loved and what is truly loved is desired and laboured for that it may be obtained and what is industriously laboured for that is at length acquired and when at length it shall be acquired it is possessed with endless Delight Of this St. Bernard A Soul which has once learnt of our Lord and has received of him to enter into her self and in her most inward recesses to pant after the presence of God and to seek his Face alwayes for God is a Spirit and they who seek him must walk in the Spirit and not in the Flesh that they may live according to the Flesh Such a Soul I say I know not whether she would count it more horrible and painful to experiment Hell it self for a time than after having tasted the Sweetness of this spiritual Study to go out again to the Allurements or rather to the Troubles of the Flesh and to return to the insatiable Curiosity of the Senses Ecclesiastes saying chap. 2. The Eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the Ear with hearing For hear an experienced man what he says Thou art good says he O Lord to those who hope in thee to the Soul which seeks thee From this Good if any one should have endeavoured to have averted that holy Soul I believe he would hardly have taken it otherwise than if he should have seen himself to have been cast out of Paradise and from the very Entrance of Glory Hear yet another like unto this My Heart says he has said to thee my Face has sought thee thy Face O Lord will I seek Whence he said But it is good for me to adhere to God And also speaking to his Soul he says Be converted O my Soul into thy Rest because the Lord has done well unto thee I say therefore unto you that there is nothing which one who has received this Favour does so much fear as lest being left by the Divine Grace it should be necessary for him to go out again to the Consolations yea the Desolations of the Flesh and again to suffer the Tumults of his carnal Senses In this Contemplation was St. Augustin when he said But it displeased me that I lived in the World and it was a great burden to me my sensual Desires not now inflaming me as they were wont with the hope of Honour and Money to endure that so grievous Servitude For now those things did not delight me by reason of thy sweetness and of the beauty of thy House which I loved He has an Argument of true Contemplation who is weary of living in this miserable World saying with B. Tobias chap. 3. It is better for me to dye than to live And with H. Job chap. 10. My Soul is weary of my Life And with St. Paul Rom. 7. Vnhappy Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death And he who thirsts after the Fountain of Life saying with the Psalmist As the Hart thirsts after Fountains of Water so thirsts my Soul after thee O God Psal 41. Whence St. Gregory A contemplative Life is to retain indeed in the heart the Love of God and our Neighbour but to rest from exterior Action and to inhere only in the desire of the Creator so that nothing is now to be done but all Cares being trampled under Foot the Soul burns with desire to see the Face of it's Creator so that now it knows how to bear with Grief the weight of the corruptible Flesh and with all it's Forces to desire to be present amidst the sweet-singing Quires of Angels and to be mixed with the caelestial Citizens to rejoyce before God for eternal Incorruption He has an Argument of false Contemplation who holds something concerning God or some Perfection of God contrary to the Holy Scriptures which notwithstanding he temerariously defends by Reasons And hence came Heresies of
annihilation of ones self and a due reverence of Heart So David magnified the Gifts of the Commandments of God saying Psal 118. I have loved thy commandements above Gold and Topaz Stones And Solomon extolled the gift of Wisdom saying Pro. 8. Wisdom is better than all the most pretious Riches and every thing that is desirable cannot be compared unto it He has true Gratitude who thinks himself unworthy of all the Gifts of God And by how much he reputes and judges himself more unworthy of the Favors of God by so much the more does the Gratitude of his mind increase For all those things which thou hast given us O Christ thou requirest nothing of us but that we would be saved and thou also giving this very thing as it were thankest the Receivers S. Chrysostom The consideration of the Giver ought to move us to Gratitude who is Omnipotent the most Noble the most Loving the most Faithfull the Best the most Happy and the most Perfect Also the greatness of the Gifts For there is no gift so small eirher corporal or spiritual which comes from God in which the immense God is not included with all his Divine Virtue the affection also of the giver is to be pondered For he does not give himself by halves or with Indignation that he may be freed of us but out of all his Divine Desire out of all his Love and Goodness the profit also of the Gifts is to be considered For he gives every one of them that we may know love and enjoy him and to make us happy We ought to weigh also what it is that compels him to give not the fear of any Evil or hope of any Good nor any Vertue of ours but his own immense and eternal Goodness Our Unworthiness also ought to be reflected on who are not worthy even of our very Life nor have we deserved to be even Worms amongst his other Creatures The profit also of Gratitude ought to move us hereunto for it opens the Fountain of Deity and moves God to pour out himself upon us as Ingratitude dryes up the Founof the Divine Deity the dew of Mercy the streams of Grace The greater Gratitude there is in the Soul the more apt it is to receive Grace and the more the All-bountiful God is compell'd to give it He has an Argument of true Gratitude who having maturely pondered all the above mentioned motives to Gratitude reverently receives the Divine Graces and with all his Heart gives thanks for them all litle and great and having received them from his most Loving Lord with his utmost endeavour strives to keep them undefiled For how was the gift of the Friend gratefull which was not gratefully received and which was so soon Voluntarily defiled and lost Nor do we need Gratitude only for those things which are to our Comfort but also for those which are to our Affliction for God gives both out of the same Goodness and Charity Hence Tobias sayes Ch. 11. I bless thee O Lord God of Israel because thou hast chastized me and thou hast saved me For in order to equal Grace in this Life and Glory in the other God gives Devotion to men and permits Tribulation to happen to them or for their gteater Profit as he permitted to Job who said Chap. 2. If we have received good things from the hand of God why should we not receive Evil As if he should say we ought gratefully to receive both CHAP. XXVI Of Zeal of Souls TRUE and perfect Zeal of Souls is when one by holy Meditations by fervent Desires by Tears Prayers Watchings Fastings by Preachings by Confessions by Counsel by Instruction and by other good Works labours for the Salvation of Souls Now how great this Grace is Venerable Bede thus describes What Grace is more sublime and what Conversation more grateful to God than theirs whose daily Business it is to convert Souls to the favour of their Maker and always to be encreasing the Joy of the celestial Country by their frequent Acquisition of faithful Souls Also St. Gregory says There is no such Sacrifice to the omnipotent God as is the Zeal of Souls And this in regard of the Image of the B. Trinity imprinted upon Souls The Example of Jesus Christ ought to move us to the Zeal of Souls who all his Life long with so great Fervor thirsted after the Conversion of Sinners and the Perfection of those that were good that for the Recovery of lost Souls he offered his particular Members to particular Torments and at last his very Life to a most shameful Death as St. Bernard testifies So great was his Zeal for the Reconciliation of Man that he did not attend his own Stipend so he might gain the lost Sheep O! How great is the Dignity of Souls and how great is the Zeal of God for Souls for whose Redemption the Son of God offered all his precious blood to God his Father when notwithstanding one drop of such precious blood would have sufficed for the Redemption of all mankind as saies S. Ambrose and especially when hereby no happiness could accrew to him nor decrease from him This nobiliy of Souls the Wisdom of God knew which is unknown to us which S. Bernard laments saying Alas how title do we remark the Nobleness of the Soul which being present the Body lives whose absence proves what its presence gave Which God so much esteemed that he gave his only begotten Son for it which the Devil so much prized that he offered the whole world for it He has an Argument of true Fervor who neither regards his own Life nor Body so he may gain Souls to Christ This Zeal David had when he said Who may give me that I may dy for thee O Absalon my Son my Son Absalon 2 Sam. 18. And the Apostle when he saies 2 Cor 12. I most willingly will spend my self and be spent for your Souls 1 Cor. 15. Brethren I dy dayly for your Glory that is I suffer the dangers of Death And S. Dominick when he would have sold himself for a certain Captive detained by the Saracens And again for another who remained amongst Hereticks for want of necessary sustenance Whom notwithstanding the wise God hindred from being sold for the Salvation of many Souls He has an Argument of false Fervor who in his Spiritual Works is more solicitous for gifts than for Souls Such is not the Devil who was figured in the King of the Sodomites who said to Abraham Gen. 14. Give me the Souls take the rest to thy self And he who labours more for the Friendship or Favor of Men than for their Sanctity and Perfection such an one cannot say with the Apostle 2 Cor. 12. I seek not yours but you But it is to be noted that whensoever two things move to any Work to wit God and somewhat else it is hard to discern which moves most For example the Salvation of the Soul and the hope of Gain or Favor
good of himself as says the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of our selves as of our selves but our Sufficiency is of God This takes away Presumption and that he can do all things through Christ more fully and perfectly than by himself the Apostle being witness I can do all things in him who strengthens me This takes away Despair which two things to wit Presumption and Despair are very noxious to spiritual Persons and often impugne them also ever before God to acknowledge not only how vile he is but also how vile he may be and might have been if God had not prevented and this takes away all swelling Pride And that God will exact an Acconut of all Evil committed and all Good omitted and all Graces neglected both for himself and for the Community this gives just Fear Also to receive all Good as from God giving it and this excludes false Love and infers Gratitude And to receive all Evil as from God graciously permitting it for our Profit and this infers Patience The more any one profits in these the more he tends to a spiritual Life and grows and is confirmed in it He has an Argument of true Spiritual Life whose Spirit absolutely over-rules the Flesh who is as sensible of any spiritual Damage as corporal and as much shuns the Place Time and Persons where and by whom he may be hurt in Spirit as where he may be hurt and incommodated in Body and as speedily takes care to cure his Spirit as his Flesh yea has so much more care of his Spirit as his Spirit is more worthy than his Body He also has an Argument of true spiritual Life who is as much delighted in spiritual Food as in corporal and does as unwillingly neglect at any time his spiritual Food as his corporal and does as orderly take it as his corporal and does as much compel himself to it when he has no Appetite as sick Persons are compelled to corporal Food when they loath it Another Argument of spiritual Life is if a man be as diligent about his Spirit as about his Flesh if he be as ready to obey in all things his spiritual Physician for the health of his Spirit and Soul as the corporal Physician for the Health of his Body if he be as solicitous to get the Grace which he wants in Prosperity and Adversity which he wants towards Friends and towards Enemies which he wants when he is praised and when he is dispraised which he wants alone before God and which he wants amongst Men as he is sollicitous about Flesh and Fish or about Summer and Winter Garments if he labour as much to get multiply conserve and profitably to expend spiritual gifts as a secular Person does concerning temporal goods and is so much more diligent about his Spirit than his Body by how much his Spirit is more worthy than his Body Concerning all these things the Apostle says Rom. 8. They who walk according to the Flesh savour the things of the Flesh But they who walk according to the Spirit savour the things of the Spirit An Argument of a carnal Life is to live according to the Rule of the Flesh St. Augustin He lives according to the Flesh who lives according to himself that is goes whither he will sleeps when he will and as long as he will speaks what he will and to whom he will and when he will eats and drinks when he will and as much as he will laughs and takes filthy Pleasure amongst whom he will and when he will In fine whatsoever is sweet to his Smell he seeks it whatsoever is soft to his sense of touching whatsoever is delightful to his Eyes whatsoever is pleasing to his Body he exercises and follows it as he will and when he will because he carnally wills all things lawful and unlawful He is delighted in fine Cloaths Horses and Arms as he will and when he will And so he lives and is delighted not according to God but carnally and fulfills all the desires of the Flesh as he will and when he will Another Argument of a carnal Life is Liberty of Tongue whence follows a Distraction of Heart according to that James 1. If any man think himself to be religious not bridling his Tongue but seducing his own Heart this mans Religion is vain Therefore it is written Prov 21. He who keeps his Mouth and his Tongue keeps his Soul from Straits chap. 18. Death and Life are in the Power of the Tongue CHAP. XXIX Of Maturity TRUE Maturity is when all the Affections and Forces of the Soul are unanimously gathered up into God Hereby the Mind is restrained from Vanity and the five Senses from their Allurements but when the Soul recedes from that blessed Union forthwith it is entangled with diverse Vanities for all things under Heaven are Vanity as says Ecclesiastes ch 1. The most holy Example of our Lord Jesus ought to induce us to true Maturity concerning whose Seriousness St. Augustin writes thus We read that our Lord Jesus was sad wept was weary from travelling suffered Reproaches and Injuries Spittle Whips the Cross but we never read that he laughed or enjoyed the Prosperity of this Life Hence all the Elect rejoyce in themselves when they begin to be wearied with the Adversities of the World and not to be vainly deceived with any of it's Prosperities knowing that there is another Life to follow Also because the Holy Scripture much dispraises Dissolution and Laughter according to that Eccles 2. I looked upon Laughter as an Error and to Joy I said why art thou in vain deceived And Prov. 14. Laughter shall be mingled with Grief and Joy ends in mourning And the Psalmist speaks thus to the Lord Psal 30. Thou hast hated those who occupy themselves in deceitful Vanities without Profit And especially the Commination of our Lord Jesus Luke 6. Woe unto you who now laugh because ye shall lament and weep Also because it much withdraws any one from the Familiarity of God and obstructs the Perception of Divine Graces He has an Argument of true Maturity who neither by idle Words nor by Deeds nor Signs nor dissolute Gate nor by any other Behaviour provokes others to Levity but always in himself and others from his Heart detests Dissoluteness He avoids all places where are occasions of Levity and all dissolute Company that he may conserve Maturity knowing That he who will touch Pitch shall be defiled thereby Eccles 13. And he who converses with dissolute Persons will not avoid Dissoluteness Such an one was B. Job who was so mature and sober that dissolute Persons avoided his Presence as he himself says chap. 29. The Young men saw me and hid themselves And he had such a custom of Maturity that if the contrary were seen in him no body would believe it whence he says in the same Chapter If at any time I laughed at them they did not believe me and
in the Church and upon Earth for all the gifts they have received and shall receive from God Also to rejoyce with Sinners for their Conversion with the Just for their Confortation and Conservation in Grace and with the Church for the Sacraments and Gifts of the Holy Ghost The exceeding great profit of true Congratulation ought to induce us thereunto for whatsoever Perfection Goodness and Beatitude the omnipotent God has naturally in himself whatsoever Glory the Angels and Saints have in Heaven and whatsoever Grace and Virtue there is in the Church and the faithful have in it all this by Congratulation is made proper to every one It ought to induce us to the same also that the Congratulation of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is the Origine of all Creatures and always was and now is the Principle of all the Divine Works He has an Argument of true Congratulation who is delighted in all things which are in God whom the Order of the Church and all die Works and Judgments of God and the Divine Manners and most holy Examples of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all his Friends do heartily please and he commends them all with his Words and manifests them to others Also who has spiritual Joy in all the natural spiritual and gratuit Gifts of the Angels and Saints in Heaven and of all men on Earth and always and every where according to his Power cooperates with them all He has an Argument of false Congratulation who with his Mouth commends all the Divine Ordination in Heaven and in Earth and the Works of the Just and their Virtues and their holy Life but dispraises them all in his Heart such our Lord upbraids in Esaias chap. 29. This People draws near to me with their Mouth and honours me with their Lips but their Heart is far from me Such are cut off from the Body of the Church who do not by Congratulation participate the Goods of the Body CHAP. XXXVI Of Confidence TRUE and perfect Confidence is a Security of Mind that the omnipotent and faithful God never leaves his Friends according to that Eccles 2. No body has hoped in God and was confounded for who has remained in his Commandments and was forsaken He has true Confidence who is assured that the good God is always present with his Servants in their Afflictions and is always ready to deliver them out of Temptations and to glorifie whom he has delivered according to that Psal 90. I am with him in Tribulation I will deliver him and will glorifie him As he was with Daniel in the Lyons Den Dan. 14. With Noah in the Ark Gen. 7. With Joseph in the Cistern Gen. 37. With the three Children in the fiery Furnace Dan. 3. And all these he most graciously delivered Whence S. Peter 2 Epist 2. The Lord knows how to deliver the Godly out of Temptation And Sarah says in Tobias ch 3. This every one who worships thee holds for certain that his Life if it shall have been proved it shall be crowned but and if he shall have been in Tribulation he shall be delivered and if he shall have been in Correction he may come to thy Mercy For thou art not delighted in our Destruction because after a Tempest thou makest a Calm and after Tears and Weeping thou infusest Joy He has true Confidence who does not doubt but that all his Prayers and all his just Desires are heard For St. Chrysostom says If thou shalt approach to God with this Zeal of Mind and shalt say I will not depart to wit unless I receive thou shalt certainly receive if thou ask such things as it behoves him to give who is asked and as are expedient for thee to receive who askest them This Vertue is very laudable and of great merit before God to which the Apostle exhorts us saying Heb. 10. Do not lose your Confidence which has a great Reward It ought to induce us to true Confidence that the most liberal God without our asking oftentimes gives us greater things of his mere incomprehensible Bounty than we should dare to ask for the Father has created us to the Image of the Trinity and his most holy Son has given us his Flesh for Food and his Blood for Drink and his Soul to be the price of our Redemption And who could ever once have dared to think of such gifts as these The Posture of our Lord Jesus on his Cross ought to induce us to the same for of this St. Bernard says Who would not be raised up to Hope and to a Confidence of obtaining if he would consider the posture of the Body of Christ on the Cross Behold his Head bowed down to kiss thee his Arms stretched out to embrace thee his Hands bored through to give thee Gifts his Side opened to love thee his whole Body stretched forth to bestow his whole self upon thee He has an Argument of true Confidence whose Conscience does not reprehend him of mortal Sins witness St. John 1Epist 3. If our Heart reprehend us not we have Confidence in God and whatsoever we ask we shall receive from him Whence we read of Susanna Dan. 13. Her Heart had confidence in God because she knew her self innocent of the crime objected against her Another Argument of true Confidence he has who continually exercises himself in good Works especially in spiritual Alms which is to remit Injuries and moreover to pray for those who injure us concerning which it is said in Tobias chap. 4. Almsgivings delivers from all Sin and from Death and will not suffer the Soul to go into Darkness Alms-deeds are great Confidence before the most high God to all that do them Another Argument of true Confidence of the pardon of his Sins he has who does true Penance for them in his Youth and Health witness St. Augustin If any man in his last Sickness desire to receive Penance and does receive it and is reconciled at the same time and dies immediately I confess unto you that we do not indeed refuse him what he demands but also we do not presume that he dies well I do not presume that I will not deceive you I do not presume it He who lives well after his Baptism he who is baptized in the Article of Death he who during his Health does Penance is reconciled and lives well afterwards all these dye with Assurance of their Salvation But as for him who does not Penance and who is not reconciled but upon his Death-bed if you ask me if he dye with Assurance of Salvation I will answer you that I am not assured of it And a little after Do I say then he shall be damned I do not say so But do I say then he shall be saved No. What do I say then I know not I do not presume I do not promise I know not Would'st thou fee thy self of this Doubt Would'st thou avoid this Vncertainty Do Penance whilst thou art in Health for