thou shalt take away from the midst of thee thy Sins and thy Idols and return and call upon Me thy God and Redeemer and Preserver I will enlighten thine Eyes lest at any time thou sleep the Sleep of Death I will preserve thee and my Candle shall shine upon thine Head And thou shalt rejoyce in my most pleasant and most blessed Light wherewith I will direct thy Paths in the night of the mortal Life leading thee to my bright-shining Glory in the ways that lead to eternal Life I will open thy Eyes with the Beam of my infinite Light and thou being awaked as it were out of a heavy Sleep shalt wonder how in the by-past time thou didst walk in Darkness and in the Shadow of Death And thou shalt love Me thy Deliverer with all thy Heart and shalt honour Me with the Sacrifice of perpetual Praise Arise speedily my dearly beloved Son arise from the Darkness and Horror of Hell where thou lyest and receive the Light of Heaven which will rejoyce thee before the last night come which will be the last Punishment of Sinners who despise my present Inspirations and Mercies Meditate on these things in the inner Chamber of thy Heart and cast thy Eyes upon Me the Sun of Righteousness who am desirous to enlighten thee and to fill thy dearly beloved Soul with the bright-shining Glory of the Saints of Light CHAP. XIV Concerning the unhappy Death of a Sinner THE Sinner whilst he lives runs through the Fields of the World like an Ox satted for the Slaughter The miserable Man considers not that he will be taken by Death as a Highway-Man lying in wait That being bound in the Chains of Hell he may pay unto the utmost Farthing He drinks he eats he plays he laughs he swears and blasphems and in the very time whilst he is sinning without restraint Sickness and Death comes suddenly upon him and he is called to Judgment O how bitter a Grief is it to be called to Death O how great Trembling and Horror takes hold on the Sinner when he sees that by a most grievous Death he is separated from all things which he dearly loved O how lamentably saith he in that distress the Sorrows of Death have compassed me and the Pains of Hell have taken hold upon me Wo to the wicked Man when he dies upon whom all the Billows of Sorrow and Afflictions do suddenly rush that he may have a fore-taste of the Torments of Hell who did not breath after eternal Consolations Now the riotous Banquets are passed away now the ungodly Games are gone Now Kinsmen and Friends have failed Now Riches profit not and whatsoever was delightful is turned into Matter of Desolation and Despair The unhappy Soul which despised my Inspirations is afraid to go out of the Body into everlasting Flames and flys back as far as it can if so be it may find any that can comfort it in that distress But it resists in vain because the hour of Death is at hand and the time of its giving up all its desireable things which it had in the days of old when it transgressed my most sweet Law All its Sins as a terrible Army are set before it that it may see how sad and bitter an end follows the by-past Joys The Devils like ravenous Dogs stand in expectation of their Prey which is tyed with innumerable Chains of its own Sins that it may be dragged to Punishment The foolish Man when he had time took no care to be reconciled unto Me and in the last hour he hath not any whom he may look to for help All his Persecutors over-take him between the straits and desire cruelly to suck up his Blood and then the Sentence of my Justice being pronounced the Vessel of Wrath fitted for Destruction is halled to Torments This is the Lot of an unrighteous Man whom Evils do overtake in Destruction What thinkest thou then my Son who hast sinned What dost thou expect Is not thy Mind terrified at the hearing of these things which a Sinner dying suffers against his Will Turn then to thy God who can deliver thee from the Wrath to come and comfort thee when thou art going out of this Life by his infinite Grace and his unconceiveable Mercy Be greatly afraid of my Wrath and Justice whilst thou art alive that at thy Death thou mayest find my Fatherly Compassion For they that in their life time fear me as a severe Judge in their Death they find Me as a most bountiful Father Blessed are they who observe my Ways with all their Heart being mindful of their latter end They shall not be afraid of the Terror of the Night when they shall speak with their Enemies in the Gate to wit when they shall pass out of this Life After which will follow the eternal Night of Sinners or the eternal Light of the Righteous whom I have loved Follow me my Son and let my Law cleave to thy inward Parts and the Torment of Death shall not seize upon thee but thou shalt rest in a joyful and delightful Peace FINIS
thee not for Hatred but for design of thy Salvation And I meet thee flying away as it were by lying in wait that I may embrace thee with stretched forth Arms and may overcome thy Cruelty with my Infinite Mercy For which cause the Heavens and the Earth wonder at the Clemency and Sweetness of their Creator who watcheth so carefully over a most unthankful Sinner who is not willing to take my sweet Yoke upon him How long shall thy hard Heart kick against the Prick of my most strong Love Wilt thou always resist the unconceivable Love of thy God I could have damned thee by my Justice because thou didst wickedly and brakest my Yoke and saidst I will not serve And yet I suffered thee in much Patience and desire of thy Eternal Life if perhaps thou wouldest turn unto me and be reconciled to my most merciful Father Why then dost thou tarry most beloved Son Why delayest thou from day to day to return unto my most sweet Peace and Love Suffer me my Son suffer me to dissolve thy Ice with the hot burning Fire of my Love and to renew thy Deformed Soul according to the Pattern of the only begotten Son of God O Off-spring of Adam how long shall I suffer you O wonderful thing hidden from the Wise and the Prudent of the World who have shut their Ears least they should hear my Heart-warning Speech I the Son of the most High stand at thy door and knock desiring to enter in and fill thy House with unspeakable good things and yet it seems grievous to thee to give Entertainment to God thy Redeemer and Friend Verily if thou shouldest once knock at the Gate of my House I would hasten to open to thee at the first Knock as I opened to David my Servant when he groaned at the Rebuke of Nathan my Prophet Therefore my dearly beloved Son let my Counsel please thee and with seasonable Repentance return unto me thy peaceable King and I will love thee as a most tender-hearted Mother and will embrace thee and nourish thy Infancy with my most pleasant Milk CHAP. III. Concerning the Goodness of God and his Readiness to forgive WHither flyest thou dearly beloved Son who hast grievously offended me Have I been a barren Wilderness unto thee because thou sayest in thy Heart I have departed and I will no more return unto thee Will a Virgin forget her Attire or a Bride her Nuptial Ornament Why then hath thy Soul which I have espoused unto my self with the price of my Blood forsaken me and forgotten me days without number I am Goodness it self which with its Sweetness feedeth all Creatures than which nothing more lovely can be conceived and yet through thy great Folly thou seekest Good out of me My Son consider my Goodness wherewith Rocks are softned and be thou mollified Neither believe the false Prophets who foretel false Joys besides me Verily if I am the chief Good of necessity whatsoever thou seekest out of me is not good for thee though thou alone shouldst possess all the Kingdoms of the World and all things desirable unto carnal Eyes It is commonly said Good is that which all design and yet thou being led aside by a great Error art enticed with the pleasure of things that have the false appearance of Goodness but the true eternal and unchangeable Good thou foolishly forsakest O that thou wert wise and hadst Understanding to consider thy Latter-end O Son follow not strange Gods for surely they will turn thy Heart away from true Wisdom Thou shalt look for Light and not see it neither shalt thou behold the Dawning of the Day Let my pure Law cleave unto thy inward Parts and hearken unto the whispering Voice of my Secret Teaching and the Catholick Faith with which I have inlightned thee Behold thou believest with a sincere Faith that I am Infinite Goodness Beauty and Wisdom with which only the Heart of Man can be satisfied Whither then hastnest thou whilst thou offendest me but unto Infinite Wickedness Filthiness and Folly with which thy Soul will be defiled Is it not greater Wisdom to adhere unto me and to be illuminated and satisfied with the Breasts of my Consolation than to be so Hunger-starved as not to have a full Meal of the Husks of Swine in the midst of my Vagabond and Fugitive Enemies Return O prodigal Son unto thy rest and I will embrace thee when thou returnest from a far Country and I will say unto my Servant as soon as I see thee Bring hither speedily the best Robe put a Ring upon his Hand and Shooes upon his Feet For my Bowels will yern upon my dearly beloved Son whom I have begotten and I will rejoyce at thy Conversion as he that findeth much Spoil For I delight in shewing Mercy and by reason of the Greatness of my Goodness my Soul melteth at the Groans of Repenting Sinners and at the Misery and Sighing of the Poor Son remember how tender-hearted I am whereby thou mayest learn how great is the Multitude of my Goodness and Sweetness Read my holy Scriptures and thou wilt wonder at my Readiness to show Mercy and to forgive Sinners and to comfort the Afflicted Whereby thou wilt understand that I am a good Lord and wilt fear to depart from me as Death useth to be feared I never lifted up my Spear against the Man that was willing to serve my most gracious Father though he had sinned most grievously Once David groaned saying I have sinned and immediately I put away his Sin The Publican who had greatly offended me accused himself with a few Sighs and presently he went down to his House justified and joyful in Heart The wicked Servant owed me Ten thousand Talents who falling down craved Mercy of me and I sent him away free and forgave him all the debt The Woman that was taken in Adultery stood in fear and was instantly accused in my sight And I answering her very sweetly delivered her from Condemnation I shewed a loving Countenance to Magdalen the Sinner and presently forgave her so that the Pharisee who had invited me wondred The Thief that was crucified with me melted my Heart with one word and immediately was made Partaker of my Kingdom Wherefore then is not my Goodness which is evidenced by so many Proofs acceptable to the Sons of Adam but they seek strange Consolations Shun O my Son the Societies of Sinners and by True Repentance seek my Face CHAP. IV. Concerning the Wisdom of God from which a Man by Sinning departs O How foolishly hast thou departed from me my Son with Adam thy Father who endeavoured by the forbidden Tree to become like God knowing Good and Evil This is not the way of my Wisdom which savours very sweetly to the Palate of the Heart I Wisdom who have proceeded from the Mouth of the most High am a most beautiful Light who do illuminate with everlasting Brightness the Minds of little ones who willingly commit themselves to
thy self to Dangers and Robbers who lie in wait for thee saying God hath forsaken him for his Sins persecute and take him because there is none to deliver him Who shall defend thee from the many Calves and the sat Bulls that have beset thee round if thou art not in my keeping All the Beasts of the Wood will hasten to thy Destruction unless they perceive that I am thy Keeper Without the Sword shall bereave thee and Terror within thou shall be a Vagabond and a Fugitive upon the Earth Hast thou not considered how Malefactors are afraid who have offended Earthly Kings Verily they rest no where but are afrighted at every noise as at the Shadow of Death considering lest the Officers of the King being offended should suddenly fall upon them Therefore how much more will the fear of Death terrifie thee if thou be without my Protection and be delivered as the Servant of Sin unto thy Persecutors It is a wonder how mad Sinners are who have delivered their Souls into the hands of their Enemies not considering that they want my Strength Return therefore dearly beloved Son unto me thy Keeper and I who have broken the Heads of the Dragons will defend thee I will lead thee through a Desert Land through the waste-houling Wilderness if thou continuest in my fear I will trouble the Princes of Edom and Trembling shall take hold on the mighty Men of Moab whilst thou passest through the way of Life under my Protection Return with all thy Heart unto me thy Keeper and Guide not seeking the weak Helps of the World and its Followers And I only will be thy Guide and I will be unto thee as the Eagle teaching her young ones to fly and fluttering over them and thou shalt know by experience that one day in my Courts and Protection is better than a thousand elsewhere And in the time of distress I will deliver thee because thou hast set thy Heart on me guarding it with a most firm Perswasion of my Goodness and Mercy CHAP. VII Concerning the Loss of Divine Grace which the Sinner falls into ALL the Treasures of the World compared with my Divine Grace are Dust and Ashes and are accounted as things of no value For so great is the Height the Dignity and the Beauty of my Grace that it stirs up great Admiration in the Minds of them that rightly conceive thereof Whereby it comes to pass that my Servants having their Eyes enlightned are moved with inward Grief and Compassion for their Neighbours when they fall into any dangerous Sin Which if thou my Son shouldest well consider of thou woulded suddenly return unto me being moved with the Greatness of the Calamity which thou hast faln into by Sinning Thy Soul was my most pleasant Bride in Cloathing of Gold and in Raiment of divers Colours whose Beauty the Sun and Moon did admire So great was its Grace whilst it remained faithful to the Covenant of its Espousals that it wonderfully delighted my Eyes The Daughter of Jerusalem was adorned with Jewels beautiful as a Dove shining very brightly and endued with a very lovely Comeliness She was conform to her Pattern in comparison of whom the Morning Stars do not shine She was greatly enriched with the true Riches of my Vertues which neither Rust nor Moth can corrupt But from the Daughter of Sion all her Beauty was departed when she had sinned and she fell from so great Felicity into so extream Calamity that the Heavens were astonished at this Change For my Son so great is the Filthiness and Shamesulness of Sin which thou hast committed that thou art become a Leper searful to look upon because of thy intolerable Rottenness and Meat for Worms that are crawling out upon thee What is this How is the Pleasantness of my Paradice vanished and the fruitful Land turned into Barrenness for the Wickedness of them that dwell therein How hath thy Soul departed from me contrary to the Covenant of thine Espousals and hath been defiled with many Lovers who have corrupted her Return therefore my Son unto my Grace and Friendship and unto the Light of my Countenance neither be so foolish as to desire to live any longer in so great Misery and Want Put on the precious and white Wedding-Garment that thou mayest be acceptable to me and sit down at the Great Supper with my dearly beloved Elect. I counsel thee to buy of me without Silver the Royal Apparel that thou mayest walk through the Street of the Holy City cloathed in Purple amongst the famous Sons of Sion who are cloathed with the fine Gold of my Love CHAP. VIII Concerning the Communion of Saints which a Man loseth by Sinning WO to him that is alone for if he fall he hath none to help him up But blessed is the Man who enjoys the Communion of all that fear and love Me and keep my most pleasant Commandments Verily he that is united unto me by Grace continues also united unto all my Members who live the Heavenly Life of my Grace than which nothing more lovely is found in the Land of the Living My Angels and Holy Men joyned to me by Grace are most faithful Friends of all Men that love me And then my Son when thou didst the things that please me thou hadst these Consolations and Priviledges of the Righteous which are more precious than all Gold Thou wast joyned to my Saints whose Names are written in the Book of Life and all their Goods belonged unto thee being my living Member And I the Head of the Church my Spouse did influence thee with lively Motions of my Love wherewith I move the Hearts of them that love me and seek my Face For my Spirit pressed thee forward and stirred thee up and inslamed thee with ardent Desire of the eternal Enjoyments wherewith my wearied Souldiers coming from the Earth are satisfied But now thy Visage through Sin is become black as a Coal and thou lyest down in Destruction which thou hast procured to thy self being deprived of the Society of the Saints which is the utmost Calamity What friends wilt thou find my Son if my Friends favour thee not What Society will profit thee whilst thou wantest the Society of Angels and Saints Who will comfort thee in Distress if thou dwellest with Scorpions and art not at Agreement with Heaven Return my Son return unto the Fellowship of the Citizens of Jerusalem my City and to the Feasts that are celebrated with the Communion of most pleasant Love that thou mayest live happily the remainder of thy mortal Life and afterwards mayest pass unto the Communion of the Church triumphant where there will be most sweet Peace and a full and perfect Union Depart from the Tabernacles of the Wicked who love not thee nor themselves for he that loves Iniquity hates his own Soul It will be much more profitable and delightful to thee my Son to associate thy self with my living Members and chosen Vessels that thou mayest
learn Wisdom in the School of my Meekness and mayest grow up with the Nourishment of Men come to years that grow up to the measure of Love which is higher than Heaven The World passeth away and the Lust thereof but the Union of my Love will never pass away but will joyn with Me my most beloved Servants for whom I have appointed a Kingdom that they may eat and drink at my Table in the Banquet of the Dainties of my Paradice CHAP. IX Concerning Inconstancy which a Sinner falls into JErusalem hath sinned a great Sin therefore she became unstable and could find no Rest A Fool changes as the Moon Wherefore seeing every Sinner is a Fool he suffers the Punishment of his own Transgression never continuing in the same state but changing his Purpose every hour He hath departed from his Firmness and Constancy which he had in Me his God and Keeper who change not And therefore he wanders in Uncertainty not knowing whither to go and finding no Rest for the sole of his Foot All his Persecutors over-take him between the straits and he desiring to escape free changes places perpetually until his own Evils take him in Destruction while he is flying away Wo to the Soul that hath departed from Me He will sind Torments every where and day and night Sleep will depart from his Eyes To day the Sinner seeks Friends to morrow he shuns them because they are unfaithful To day he is bent upon Games to morrow he laments because by living riotously he hath consumed his Substance To day he seeks the Honours of the World to morrow he shuns them being marked with Infamy for his Sins What then art thou minding my Son who sittest upon the Wheel of the World which is always turning How is it that thou dost not return unto Me who am thy Safety Vertue and Constancy Hast thou not learned by daily Experience that the Thoughts of Mortal Men are fearful and their Fore-casts uncertain which proceed without Order unto the end Know assuredly my Son that without my Mercy thou art the dry Stuble and a Leaf driven with the East-wind which can no where find Rest Sometimes thou wilt be joyful and anon sorrowful to morrow thou wilt lament for thy Infirmity and the next day thou wilt be terrified with the fear of Death Sometimes the care of Temporal things sometimes Ambition sometimes Thirst sometimes Hunger will torment thee unless thou repent and cast thy care on Me and offer thy self wholly unto Me on the Altar of thy Heart If thou shalt seek Me with all thy Heart nothing shall trouble thee neither Death nor Life nor the World nor Hell nor any other Creature visible or invisible For by the Testimony of thy Conscience thou shalt be as the Lyon that is strongest among Beasts and turneth not away for any I will confirm thee who wast subject to the Inconstancy of Adam thy Father and I will strengthen thee with my most mighty Hand I will make thee a Pillar of Iron and a Wall of Brass against all the Enemies of thy Soul They shall fight against thee but they shall not prevail against thee because I will change thee being a Penitent into another Man and make thee Partaker of my Grace and Valour CHAP. X. Concerning the Remorse of Conscience wherewith a Sinner is tormented MY Son unless thou return to Me with all thy Heart thy Wickedness will correct thee and thy Backsliding will reprove thee for by what things any Man sins by the same he shall be punished It is a just Judgment that the Sinner who hath forsaken Me his God should feel within himself Remorse of Conscience and Anguish arising from the fear of Death and Hell It is a just Judgment that amongst the forbidden Joys of the World wherewith he seeks to be delighted contrary to my Law he should be pierced with the sting of a Heart groaning and foreseeing its own Damnation The Terrors of Death fight against a Sinner though he seeks for Joys neither can a wicked Man have Peace who is reproved by his own Conscience from which he cannot fly This Remorse riseth out of Sin as a Worm out of Timber and shews that I am a just Judge and that the Sinner is a Betrayer who sold me for a small price Meditate on these things my Son and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast forsaken Me thy Lord and Benesactor and that my Fear was not before thee Dost thou not see that all things fall out unhappily to thee whilst thou flyest from me and that with Anxiety of Mind thou drinkest the troubled Waters of the Egyptians whereas by my Grace thou mayest return into the dearly beloved City of Jerusalem and drink of the pure Water of Jordan where thou mayest wash and be made whiter than Snow Wherefore then resistest thou the Impulses of my Love calling and inviting thee to my Friendship Cast away from thee my Son the five Yokes of Oxen which thou hast foolishly bought and take willingly upon thee my one and most sweet Yoke where thou shalt not be wearied with the Prickings of Conscience but shalt find rest to thy wearied Soul Seek the Heavenly Tranquillity and the Peace which passeth all Understanding and rest from that Anxiety wherewith thou art vexed Call unto me and I will answer thee with my Divine Inspirations which will beget true Joys and compose thy troubled Spirit I will comfort thee and speak inwardly to thy Heart if thou return unto me and praise me with Uprightness of Heart when thou hast obtained Liberty and Rest and other most precious Priviledges of the Children of God Despise now the Counsels of the Men of the World who torment thy Heart and follow my one and most healthful Counsel and thou shalt see how I scatter all the Plots of thy Enemies and create in thee a new Spirit whereby thy Age may be renewed as the Eagles that thou mayest enjoy my most lovely Peace and Security CHAP. XI Concerning the Hardness of Heart which a Sinner falls into I Am righteous and I love Righteousness and my Countenance beholds the Upright The Sinner hath rejected me and resisted my innumerable Inspirations whereby I endeavoured to mollifie his Heart And therefore I reject him and withhold my Rain that it drops not upon him I invited Pharaoh by outward Signs which I wrought by the hand of Moses my Servant and by inward Inspirations which he unhappy Sinner felt But when he resisted my great Mercy I suffered his Heart to be hardened more than the Flintstone and the hardest Rocks until he persecuted Israel my People and was drowned as Lead in the mighty Waters I anointed Saul King of Israel when he was little in his own Eyes and followed me like a Boy of one Year old But after he began and continued to resist my many Motions and Inspirations I threw him away so that he fell upon his own Sword and died fearfully