Peace-maker and Son of God who fully pacified Justice by suffering death for Man by which redeem'd Mercy likewise had her desire embrac'd with Justice then pacified when she beheld from Heaven our sins severely punish'd in Christ Never could Man have fully conceiv'd the wrath and hate of God against sin had he not expiated the same by the death of his onely begotten Son Nor could we have apprehended his infinite Mercy had he not given this his onely Son for our Redemption Behold his Hands nailed and thereby know how the Hand of Justice being fastned Mercy and she embrac'd and kissing were united by Christ our Wood-Bind whose design was to make our Peace saying I leave you my Peace I give you my Peace not as the world gives I give you Peace For the world charmes and enchants a Soul slumbering in the conceipt of a sweet repose even when she is amidst the harsh discords of impiety yet hears them not nor sees her present danger Which made David cry out Englighten mine Eyes O Lord that they may not at any time sleep in death CONSIDERATIONS ON THE VII BEATITUDE On Christ's Hands pierc'd with nails FRom his Heart ascend to his Hands tran fixt with Nails that he might thereby fasten and stay the Hand of Justice ready to chastise us for our sins while he himself suffered in his Body what our enormous crimes deserv'd Imagine you see a King enrag'd against his Vassal for some heinous offence with his sword brandish'd and ready to kill him Which the Prince his Son seeing notwithstanding the injury as neere concern'd himself comes in and to save the Delinquent receives the thrust in his own Body pacifies his Father begs his pardon and restores the Criminal to the King 's gracious Favour How infinitely oblig'd you will say was this Subject to the Prince Thus did God the Son incarnate interpose himself betwixt his Father and sinful Man And on the Cross wounded by the Hand of Justice for our manifold iniquities pacified his Heavenly Father and thereby was our Peace-maker Consider now if this Subject reconciled to the King should by the Princes means be made a Vice-Roy of some petty Kingdom with charge given him to govern and preserve Peace with Subordination to his Majesty Notwithstanding should this Vice-Roy forgetting all favours and former Clemency rebelliously conspire against both King and Prince What punishment would you think too great for such a Traytor Is not every Man a kind of Vice-Roy to manage a petty Kingdom which is within him What his Passions Are they not at least should be his Subjects Together with his Appetites and Concupiscences which rebell against Reason And as often as Man sins mortally is he not guilty of High Treason against the Majesty of God his Dread Sovereign Who being every way infinite it follows the punishment due is infinite Hence I will conceive a great hatred and detestation against sin and ingratitude to the great Peace-maker my King and Saviour under whom as a Vice-Roy I must govern and be a Peace-maker And that I may the better preserve Peace withâ—n me I will set a Guard over my outward Senses over mines Eyes that they may not behold vain and curious impertinencies nor curiously prie and search into other Mens Actions Over my Tongue that it may not intrench upon my Neighbours Reputation Over mine Ears shutting them against Detractors c. Thus being outwardly guarded I may the better preserve inward Peace by suppressing inordinate thoughts and desires In such sort that having within me a peaceful Kingdom subordinate to Reason God may quietly inhabit in my Soul whose place as David saith and residence is in a peaceful Heart not disturbed with worldly cares nor embroyled with the Passions of fear and wrath which ordinarily raise a tumult in our little Kingdom But to be a perfect Peace-maker indeed one should be so totally united to God in his affections as not to desire any thing with out him and onely repose in him the onely centre and support of the Soul And remember what Saint Augustine sayes That they are Peace-makers in themselves and for themselves who subject all the tumultuous motions of the Soul to Reason that is to the Mind and Spirit For by subduing and suppressing carnal Concupiscences they become the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth Where being Peace-Makers they are likewise the Children of God and resemble their Heavenly Father to whom it is proper to enjoy himself who is Peace and tranquillity it self extending from end to end strongly and disposing all things sweetly O my soul thou feest what thou shouldst be Now consider what thou art How soon is the little Kingdom within thee disturb'd How suddenly anger disquiets it What perturbations of mind are caus'd when but a lighter cross or slight affliction lights upon thee Yea even an unkind word from a friend breeds a great discontent and trouble within thee And when all succeeds not according to thy expectation thou art so far from being a peace-maker that distracted in thy thoughts thou art vex'd and perplex'd within thy self How then art thou the Child of God in whom he desires to repose Art thou not rather like a whining Babe that for every trifle is crying and thereby disquieting the whole house O blessed Saviour though I dayly say Thy Kingdom come I am yet like that Regulus that little King little in the knowledg of my self and like his Son I lye infirm and weak and subject to my disordinate passions I can do all in thee who strengthen'st me Enable me therefore I beseech thee by thy powerful grace that thy Kingdom may come that thou mayst reign in me and over me the true Solomon and peaceful King that I with all the powers of my soul may rest in peace and be wholly resign'd to thy will Therefore I daily say Thy will be done What is it then can disturb my peace of mind If affliction if sickness or whatever else hapneth be according to thy will or permission it must be done Nay I daily pray it may be done And should I otherwise desire yet if it be thy holy will and pleasure it must be so Why then should not I be a peace-maker and qualifie all passions and disordinate desires which when I have perform'd internally I may and not before make peace amongst others externally O Jesu it was the Will of thy Father which thou didst punctually observe And that which thou didst teach was humility in conversation stability in faith modesty in words justice in deeds mercy in works discipline in manners and not to do but to suffer injuries This is to be a peace-maker and the Child of God This is the peace proclaim'd by the Angels at thy birth-day This is the peace thou didst leave us and with this peace we desire to depart and rest in thee that our peace and Kingdom begun here by grace may by thee be perfected in glory Amen O what a happiness it
of her Mate so may the Soul of the just Man to be united to her beloved Spouse The Hart transfixt with an Arrow dyes weeping so may the sinner wounded by true contrition dye to himself and live to Christ A fish lives by waters and a Christian was born again by water And living in a vale of tears should be like Ros Solis a plant which even in the heat of Summer is alwayes replenished with dew like a Magdalen who obtain'd remission by tears and by tears was accompanied by our Saviour weeping And finally by tears had the prerogative to see him first risen from death The Fourth BEATITUDE Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled EMBLEME IV. The Clove-Tree Sicamor attrahat ardens 4. Be so attractive that no weed Pernicious near the Soul may breed So Thirst and Hunger not in part Virtue 's the Clove bloomes in the Heart THis Tree may in an especial manner be said to hunger and thirst as having such an attractive power that it draws to it self all the heart and moisture of the ground where it grows insomuch that for a considerable distance round about it the Earth is so far from hearing any thing of Grass or other Plants that it is absolutely smooth and bare When the fruit is come to maturity it is not gather'd but beaten down upon the said bare plot and having been left there a certain time to wither it is brought into Europe and is one of the most advantageous Commodities brought from the East-Indies In the Spanish Tongue it is called Clavos in the French Cloux that is to say Nails from its near resemblance thereto and thence in English they are called Cloves At first they are white afterwards they become green and at last they turn red Nay it hath been lately discover'd as a cheat of the Inhabitants who have the management and disposal of this pretious Spice that some time before they look for the arrival of the Ships out of Europe they carry up into the Store-houses where they keep their Cloves several great vessels full of water which in a short time is attracted by the Cloves and adds much to their weight yet so as that neither the Sight nor Feeling can make any discovery of the imposture Behold here the pertinent Emblem of a truly-Christian Soul hungring and thirsting after righteousness and so earnestly attracting the nourishing moisture of Heavenly Grace that there is no entertainment for any pernicious weed of sin so much as to take any root near her But possibly some one will say that this Tree draws all to it self 'T is true it does so but not to the advantage onely of it self For that moisture and strength which it draws from the Earth is diffus'd into the several parts of it in order to the production of blossoms and Fruit. And so it should be with the devout Christian who hungers and thirsts after righteousness what juice he extracts out of the root of spiritual Contemplations ought to spread its vigour into his Life and Actions as he stands accomptable to his Creator his Neighbour or Himself whereby the great Author of all Gifts and Graces may be glorify'd Again if it be said that the Clove-Tree is so attractive as to draw all the moisture to it self for its own benefit In like manner the hungry and thirsty Christian should make his advantages of all things in pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven and the righteousness thereof Moreover whereas it is the design of Nature that this Tree as well as all other Plants should bring forth their several fruits for the service and benefit of Man he may thence learn that he also ought to render to his Neighbour what in justice is due to him In fine Whereas the Cloves are first white next green and lastly red May they not instruct us confidering our best fruits are but Blossoms that our intentions should be candid and sincere and relate onely to Gods glory And when green may they not as aptly signifie that our better works are but green blossoms not perfect Fruits for want of maturity Lastly what are our works but red Cloves when they are dignified by Christs precious blood Cloves on the Tree must be beaten down to come to perfection and after gathered So must all our works to be humbly presented to the Eye of Mercy not of Justice In whose fight who can be justified The parched Clove is for the use of Man And the work that shrinks up with fear is grateful to God But how shall a Soul have her fill by hungring and thirsting after Justice What satiety what full content can there be in this world Certainly none till it enjoyes the sight of God Hence we may inferr with Saint Thomas that in Virtue there is onely a resemblance of future Beatitude Say our righteousness like a Clove appear white how pure so-ever 't is but a blossom which receiving a tincture of green the symbole of Hope we are thereby inabled to proceed For Hope may be term'd a Clove or Naile by which we are fixt to God in his promise and fasten in his mercy while the red Clove or deep-piercing nail of Justice penetrating the Heart produceth fear to which likewise being as firmly fix'd we freely serve God with fear and exult with trembling Mean while let us seem to hear our Saviour say I thirst whereby is exemplified the Fourth Beatitude Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled CONSIDERATIONS ON THE IV. BEATITUDE On our Blessed Saviour's sacred Mouth saying I Thirst FRom our Saviour's Eyes I descend to his Mouth and seem to hear him say I thirst whereby is expressed this fourth Beatitude For he did hunger and thirst after righteousness not for himself but for us that we might be justified by his Death and Passion And to that end would to satisfie for our sins suffer in all rigour of Justice that it might be satisfied to the full and we endowed with righteousness that we might more and more thirst after Grace never satiated till his Glory appears Consider what Saint John Chrysostome sayes That he hungers and thirsts after righteousness who desires to live according to the Justice of God and wisheth this justice and rectitude of life as well to others as to himself That Justice is call'd distributive which gives to every one his due To God I must render three things viz. Honour as to my Creator Love as to my Redeemer and Fear to him as my Judge To my Neighbour likewise I must render three things Obedience to my Superiour Charity and Love to my equal and Charitable Benevolence to my inferiour in want And three things I must procure for my self Purity of my Heart Government of my Tongue and Order and Discipline in subjecting the body to the Spirit This three-fold Justice must I hunger and thirst after and examine my self wherein I am defective Remembring
Kingdom of Heaven The First BEATITUDE Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven EMBLEME I. The Cornel-Tree Tam nudus natus homo-1 So naked Blossom-like you see A Man is born Ah! but if he In Spirit were as poor Then which ' Mongst Mortals here could I term Rich THis Cornelia or Cornel-Tree in February begins to bloom and bears blossoms long before there is any appearance of Leaves to secure and shrowd them from the injuries of Wind and Weather This is the true Embleme of Man who is born naked and springs forth like a tender Blossome As Job saith Naked came I from the womb of my Mother and naked shall I return From which we may learn this Lesson That as man is born poor and naked in Body so should he be in Spirit that is in Will and Desire seeing that as he brought nothing into this World so shall he not carry any thing out of it Now forasmuch as man is naturally too apt to be over-sollicitous for the things oâ— this World he may learn from this Cornell-Tree That if he make it his first Endeavour to bud and blossome and fructifie in Virtue a short time will furnish him with all the consequent Advantages and Conveniences of Humane Life For this Tree does afterwards plentifully bring forth Leaves to shelter and shadow its Fruit As if it should say according to our Blessed Saviour's expression First seek the Kingdom of Heaven first bloom in Virtue nourish'd by the sap of Grace spreading it self from the Root of Christian Humility into all the Boughs and Branches that is into all your Actions and all other things shall be added unto you Leaves shall not be wanting that is Cloaths to cover you besides other Necessaries which are all in fine but Leaves Nay Honours and Dignities what are they but withering Leaves What Wealth or rich Apparel but Leaves whereof Man is soon despoil'd and left poor and naked What voluptuous Pleasures but Leaves which so soon as enjoy'd shrink up and vanish Oh! what a bleak Autumn and Fall of the Leaf sudden and unexpected is that we find in this our Vale of Misery Who then would not be poor in Spirit and naked in his Affections to the leafy Creatures of this transitory Life that he may bloom to Eternity This is the poverty which lightneth the heart of Man formerly clogg'd with too much care and follicitude With this poverty of Spirit a Man runs freely towards Heaven his Country With this is accompanied Humility which lesseneth Man to himself that he may lie hidden and secure like a Blossom under the Leaves never to be blasted with Pride On this Humility Patience attends and enables a Man to suffer with Christ It is the Enemy and Self-love that surcharge Man with worldly cares riches and vices which are but Leaves without the Blossoms of Virtue These are they which puff up Man with ambitious thoughts that he high aspiring may find a precipice These incite great Spirits to toil and labour yet so as that out of breath even to the World they may happily at last reflect on Christ crucified and in his nakedness read Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Might not he be said to be poor in Spirit that lies gasping and labouring for breath while every minute he apprehends Death at his Elbow ready to stifle him To be as poor in Spirit in another sense is to conceive the like That death is neighbouring as neer unto us which when it comes dismantles the covetous Heart of Man as well as his Body Why then shall not I prevent him by being disengag'd from the extream desire of Riches and verifie what S. Jerome assures us to be true Caput jam canescit prope est aest as vitae falx acuitur instat messor terribilâ— Gr. Nazianz. That He easily contemns all things who is always thinking that he shall die That if his Body be a flourishing green Meadow Death the Mower is at hand That if it be a beauteous Flower in an instant 't is cropt And finally If his Life be but a vapour it is soon dispell'd Ah! what an earthy substance interposeth 'twixt the Heart of Man and the Sun of Justice And what a dark Eclipse is thereby caused in their Souls who are not poor in Spirit CONSIDERATIONS ON THE I. BEATITUDE Of our Blessed Saviour's Nakedness upon the Cross THe Crucifix or Representation of our Blessed Saviour crucifi'd is a Book wherein may be read the Eight Beatitudes preached by him when he was upon Earth as some conceive on Mount Thabor and afterwards exemplifi'd in him on Mount Calvary At first aspect as your eye reflects on Christ crucified you behold him naked by which you may read the first Beatitude Blessed are the poor in Spirit that is to say poor in Will and Desire of having any thing of this World and therefore he would die as naked as he came into it Teaching us hereby how naked we should be in our Affections ready to be despoil'd of worldly Riches for his sake And so poor in Spirit as to lose our last breath rather then deny our Faith or him by preferring his Creatures before him Consider how poor our Lord and Saviour was in Spirit who did annihilate and evacuate himself taking upon him the form of a Servant And how for thy Redemption he gave himself unto thee and for thee to restore thee to thy self who wert lost and utterly undone by sin Now seeing he may wholly claim thee by right of Creation whereby he gave thee to thy self what hast thou left to render unto him for thy Redemption In the Creation of the World he spake the word and it was done but to redeem Man he spake did and suffered that for which thou art infinitely indebted Say then with the Prophet David What shall I render to our Lord for all that which he hath given me He desires but my self poor in Spirit and naked in mine Affections to the transitory things of this Life which cannot be till I abandon my self whom while I cherish and pamper through disordinate love I shall still be coveting the pelf of the World pleasures dignities and self-esteem so far from being poor in Spirit Will and Desire that I am involv'd and cloath'd as it were with a burthen of earthly Cares and Concupiscences which having cast off by poverty of Spirit we walk more freely towards Heaven our Country A Begger the more naked he appears the more he moves to pity and compassion and with more confidence intrudes to receive an Alms then another in better Apparel So to beg an Alms from God from whom every good and perfect gift descends present thy self as naked and poor in Spirit as thou canst Acknowledg thy self to have been hitherto an unprofitable servant naked as to all desert poor and abject in Spirit not having serv'd him with alacrity in time of afflictions crosses or
to redeem us from the tyranny of Satan Mourning is an attendant as unseparable from man as the shadow from the body He that condoles the death of a dear friend mourns in black for a year How long then shall he mourn that lives as an exile upon earth If he call to mind his manifold sins how can he do less then mourn Or if he seriously think of the dreadful day of Judgment how can he but fearfully consider what he shall be and mourn not knowing the event Or if he fix his thoughts on the many miseries and dangers of this Life should he not mourn considering where he is Or finally elevating his eyes from the residence of mortality can he contemplate the joyes of Heaven and not aspire and sigh with David because his sojourning is prolong'd not mourn because he is not where he would be O my Soul What hast thou been Sinful Where shalt thou be As yet it is unknown Where art A Prisoner in thy Body in a vale of tears Where art thou not Not in Heaven not with God thy Centre but in the way a Pilgrim going towards him Run then that thou mayst comprehend And seeing to be dissolv'd and he with Christ is thy happiness weep with him that with him and by him thou mayst be comforted Here pause a while and then consider To contemn the world is to be poor in Spirit To have Repose of Mind is to be meek after which follows Mourning For if a Man attend to himself and others he shall find nothing but what is lamentable while he beholds his own and all the enormous crimes of the world which is altogether bent to malignities Who then can be so insensible as not to mourn so drie as not to shed one tear O my Soul Is it thou which art so barren If to suffer with Christ be to reign with him to be comforted thou must weep with him If he call thy sins his own if he mourn for thine as if they were his own if he shed tears to wash away thy sinful blotts canst thou forbear weeping Canst thou be so stony-hearted as not to be transfixt with grief seeing his tender Heart wounded and his Eyes shedding tears for thy sins Not one tear for thy self while he showers down so many to purifie and cleanse thy festering Heart soyl'd with so many Crimes O blessed Saviour Thou art the true Moses and hast a Rod to strike as well as to guide wound I beseech thee this stubborn Rock of mine this obdurate Heart that it may bleed with grief and sorrow for my sins That mine Eyes may gush forth with tears for this is the onely grief which I desire this the mourning which produceth Consolation for thou hast said it Blessed are they that mourn for they shall he comforted in this Life with spiritual solace given to true penitents and in the future with perpetual joy in perfect Beatitude Perfect Beatitude Compleat Happiness O! shall I not mourn to find comfort there Or shall I rather seek the fleeting Pleasures and transitory Consolations of worldly felicity which to enjoy is instantly to be reduc'd to mourning Shall I not then mourn and sigh after those Comforts which once obtain'd shall exempt me from all mourning Alass Whither can I cast mine Eye in this vale of tears and not behold an Object that extracts tears and invites to mourning Here I behold manifold diseases There dysastrous and untimely deaths In this place mortal Hatred accompanied by Revenge In that I hear Detractions horrible Oaths and Blasphemies with infinite miseries and calamities And if I reflect an Eye on my self what mutinies of rebellious Passions and disordinate Appetites I discover in my own bosom which made even Saint Paul himself mournfully to cry out Ay me unhappy Man Who shall deliver me from the body of this death that is from a body which causeth a spiritual death to the Soul Notwithstanding all this shall I think to transform this our vale of tears into a Paradise of delights This our gloomy shade and shadow of death into a solid substance of joy and contentation Do I not know that Enosh a Man in the Hebrew Tongue signifies one subject to diseases infirmities and miseries What then is this wretched world but an Hospital for the sick and a House of Lazars with which what suites better than mourning How can I then but reflect on my self and bewail what I am a Child of Adam born of a Woman saith Job and living but a short time subject to many miseries Amongst which shall I live in jollity with the Voluptuous sport with the Libertine gourmandize with the Epicure joy in worldly pelf with the covetous or in honors with the ambitious No I have reputed laughter an error saith the Wise-man and to joy I said Why art thou in vain deluded The end of joy is seiz'd on by sorrow and mourning And it is better to go to the house of mourning then to the house of banquetting Better is it amidst of afflictions to mourn with our Lord weeping on the Cross than amidst vain joys and transitory delights to exult with the impious Better to shed one tear with thy Redeemer drench'd in a briny flood than a thousand for temporal disasters Ah! me-thinks I see dropps of blood distilling from his Head wounded with thorns and from thence descending to his weeping Eyes to make a mixture such as was in his Heart of blood and water Tears from his Eyes trickling down his pale cheek to ascend from thence to the Throne of his Father to speak in my behalf As David said it may be in the person of Christ Hearken unto my tears And shall I joyn with him in this Petition exhibited for the washing away of my sins and yet not distill one tear Shall the Master of Requests present to his Majesty the Humble Petition of some great Delâ—nquent with tears in his Eyes and the party guilty stand by not onely tearless but also with a merry countenance Nay should he second it with laughter what were it but to make expression of the little or no resentment and feeling he had of his crime and present peril Such is the state of voluptuous sinners who are so far from mourning that they rejoyce in evil-doing spend their dayes in mirth and jollity and in an instant descend to Hell Oh! rather let us sit with the Israelites by the Rivers of Babylon fleeting delights of the world elevate our Eyes to our Heavenly Country and mourning say How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange Country the world into which we came weeping surcharg'd but with one sin and shall we not mourn here overloaden with many Not return to Earth from whence we came powring out if it were possible a flood of tears for the expiation of our manifold crimes The Myrrh-Tree wounded distills abundantly tears so may the Sinner pierc'd to the heart by compunction The Turtle mournes for the absence
I never mourn but for my sins nor grieve but for the loss of thee IV. On thy sacred Mouth crying out I thirst I read thou didst hunger and thirst after righteousness that I might be justified by thy Death and Passion Grant sweet Jesu I may ever hunger and thirst after this V. By thy wounded Side I find thou wert merciful giving all thy precious blood for my redemption May I be merciful to thee in thine that I may finally find mercy VI. Let thy pierced Heart most pure and exempt from all fin teach me to prepare a pure and clean heart for thee VII By thy sacred Hands nailed I understand thou wert the grand Peace-maker Vouchsafe to infuse into my soul true and perfect Charity that I may have peace withall for thee and during this life make my peace with thee VIII Lastly By thy Feet pierced with nails I read they are blessed that suffer persecution which thou didst even unto the death of the Cross Grant me grace to suffer for thee to bear afflictions patiently that with thee I may reign eternally Amen O good Jesu to reign with thee is to suffer with thee On the Cross thou art surrounded with the eight Beatitudes Here I must seek them exemplified in thy self on Mount Calvary to find them perfected on Mount-Sion the heavenly Jerusalem I. I behold the Cornel-tree where without leaves to shrowd it the blossom lies naked and expos'd to the blustring winds And on the Tree of the Cross as naked I behold my Saviour poor in Spirit poor in Will and Desire as naked dying as born for us Uncloath thy self then O my soul and be as naked in thine affections to the leafy vanities and riches of this life which is but a so journing for poor mortality II. I see the arch'd Indian-Fig-tree greedy to possess the Land with a thousand shoots which descend to take deep root in the earth And on the Tree of the Cross I behold our Lord meekly bowing down his Head humbled even to the death of the Cross to take possession of the Land of the Living for me an exile by as many shoots as sighs prayers tears and drops of blood as he shed for me a lost sinner O my soul where are thy humble shoots that should descend that they may ascend to the Land of promise where are thy submissive thoughts that should lowly bend to the earth by acknowledgment of thy unworthiness and ingratitude to so good and merciful a Lord Thou art now in possession of a barren Land thy body where thou canst not nor must not take deep root Heaven is thy Land this thy place of banishment Thither let thy thoughts ascend to be deeply rooted by an eternal possession III. I view the Myrrhe-tree weeping drop after drop but when prick'd and wounded it more abundantly distills Thus came I weeping and mourning into a vale of tears like a taper by the wind soon extinguish'd like a spark in the Sea as soon swallowed up like a froth suddenly vanishing and a vapour scatter'd in the air Have I not then cause to weep to prevent a future mourning and acquire a happiness and consolation which is promised to Mourners Then I cast mine eyes on Christ crucified and weeping on the Cross why for my sins Why like a Myrrhe-wee wounded over all his body distilling blood To give light to my glimmering taper fire to my spark substance to my frothy soul and purer air to my dusky vapour Thirdly I will summon my heart and expostulate with my soul why she would be usher'd by her eyes to the aspect of vainer objects yet never made use of them to bewail her sins with tears And if the Myrrhe tree stab'd or launc'd with a knife dissolves it self into tears why doth she not procure by her sighs and prayers that my heart woulded with true compunction may be liquified into tears of grief IV. I seem to behold the Clove-tree hungring as it were and thirsting after the strengthning moisture of the earth which it continually attract Then I seem to hear my Saviour cry out I thirst to express his ardent desire of our Salvation And then O my soul say I canst thou hear thy Lord crying out I thirst and yet present him with no other potion then a cup full of absinth thy sins which are more bitter to him then Vinegar and Gall of which he tasting would not drink O my soul taste and see how sweet our Lord is who to revive and refresh thee which wert like dry and barren earth showred down his precious blood from his wounded body veins and heart till it was totally exhausted O what an excessive thirst did this cause in thy Saviour what a Consummatum est was this what bounty when hereserv'd not to himself so much as one drop of blood O my soul if he gave thee all that was most precious doubt not to say with his royal Prophet What shall I give unto our Lord for all he hath given me what less then an entire heart and soul with all her powers to love honour and serve him V. Next I imagine I see the fruit of Adams Apple-tree cut in two which presents us with a cross which bare the Saviour our of the World in whom I behold as many crosses as stripes and scourges enterlac'd in his tender flesh It was the fruit of the forbidden Tree wherein being eaten were included as many crosses as miseries now incident to wretched man As hunger thirst cold heat infirmities c. which render him miserable and consequently to be pitied O my soul commiserate at least thine own self encompassed with so many frailties casualties and anxieties of mind Turn which way thou wilt thou canst not be long exempted from one calamity or other Wherefore seeing to be Misericors that is to say merciful is to have an agrieved and pitiful heart as it were always bearing a cross let thine he dolor sorrow and compunction for thy sins VI. Imagine you behold the green Fig pick'd and pierc'd by a little Gnat or Fly whence distills a drop as it were of hony And then say O my green hard and immature Heart where is that compunction that is requisite for thee O that thou wert thus pierc'd and wounded with grief for thy fins that sweet delight like a honey-drop might issue forth for while it resides within thee thou canst never come to maturity for where sin predominates Grace must needs be an Exile Then reflect your Eye on our Saviour's Heart wounded with a Spear and say Lord Were not thy larger wounds in thy Hands and Feet sufficient pledges and testimonies of thy excessive Love Why then after thy death wouldst thou receive so deep a wound in thy Heart Ah! If Death were stronger than Love in thee when by him thou wert vanquisht he seizing by Heart Love again even after Death was more powerful by opening that sacred rift whence issued the Sacraments and where the Gate of
Heaven is as it were opened to such as truly repent VII Sometimes I reflect mine Eye on the Wood-Bind which wheresoever it grows is alwayes binding and uniting branch with branch or winding round about a Tree to teach me that Peace Unity Union and Concord are the special Objects at which I must aim both in respect of God and my Neighbour Love must be like a pair of Wood-Bind shoots issuing from the same stock which lay hold of two neighbouring boughs or branches If by Love I unite my Heart and Soul to God by Love I must likewise be united with my Neighbour And in like manner if I have made my Peace with God I must do the like with my Neighbour offended For as I forgive so I desire to be forgiven And consequently as I have Peace with my Neighbour so I desire God would be pacified So shall I have inward Peace accompanied with outward Charity and Love like a Honey-Suckle odoriferous that breath snothing but sweetness Then I reflect on the Wood-Bind Christ Jesus on the Cross the grand Peace-maker stretching forth his Arms and pacifying his Father justly incens'd against Sinners O what an amorous far-spreading Wood-Bind was our Lord Stretching from end to end strongly by fastning the Hands of Justice and disposing all things sweetly like a Honey-Suckle breathing nothing but sweetness of Peace even for his greatest Enemies crying out Father forgive them for they know not what they do And to the penitent Thief This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise As if he had said I have made thy Peace and prepared for thee a place of Repose Thy remove shall be from a turbulent world and stormy Sea to a quiet and secure Haven O my Soul Canst thou yet be so unsetled in thy Resolves So wavering and inconstant in good purposes Christ is thy Wood-Bind to fasten thee and hath as many bands to tie thee as pains he endured and drops of Blood which he powred out for thy Redemption Consider seriously how infinitely thou art oblig'd How innumerable the ties of his transcendent Love like so many Tendrels or Wood-Bind wreathes circling and clasping round about thee to attract and draw thee unto Himself who exalted from the Earth promised he would draw all things But how In the bands of Adam and links of Charity VIII When I walk into the garden where every Plant invites the Eye to behold and the Heart to consider I oftner cast a glance on the Vine which when I view prun'd and despoyl'd of her branches this think I would move an ignorant Man to Compassion to see a flourishing Vine so cut and mangled and fast nayl'd to a wall that knows not that this kind of Cruelty is Courtesie and favour for thereby it becomes more fruitful The like happeneth to Christians persecuted who in the sight of the unwise seem to be wretched and dye and their departure destruction yet they a little chastised shall be greatly rewarded for God prunes and proves them and finds them worthy for himself saith the Wiseman Then let the true Vine Christ Jesus occurr prun'd and despoyl'd humbled unto death for which God gave him a Name above all names who invites us to suffer with him that we may reign with him in a Kingdom acquired by them who suffer persecution for righteousness sake In a Kingdom which is conquered as it were by force and shatch'd by violence O my Soul thou likewise art a Vine and must be prun'd Nay more if thy Hand offend thee if like a Vine-branch it spread too far by coveting earthly things it must be cut off If thine Eye offend thee by presenting thee with objects of vain delight it must be pulled out and cast from thee That is what ever Creature or whatever delight as dear unto thee as thy Hand or Eye must be deserted and cast off if they with-draw thee from the Service of God or go about to betray thee to everlasting destruction O my Soul there is but one thing necessary the grand concernment Salvation which relates to Jesus that is a Saviour O that thou couldst tru'y say Now I begin to be the Disciple of Christ desiring nothing visible to the Eye that I may find Christ Jesus Seek him then in these ensuing Ejaculatories Vpon Christ's Nakedness O Good Jesu I read in thy nakedness that thou wert poor in Spirit poor in Will and desire of having any thing in this world So poor in Spirit that as thou cam'st naked into the World so as naked thou wouldst depart hence So poor in this World that living and dying thou hadst not whereon to rest thy Head What is then in Heaven for me or what do I desire on Earth but thee O the God of my Heart my portion my God for ever On his Head inclining Against Pride and Impatience O Good Jesu I behold thy Head meekly bowing down while the ungrateful Jews blaspheme and revile thee All which thou enduredst with infinite Patience and Meekness to possess the Land for us Sinners who transported by Pride and Impatience are tost by the waves of violent perturbations Ah! who can behold thee on the Cross humbly inclining thy dying Head Who can be impatient that beholds thee so meekly suffering O my Soul that thou mayst possess thy self and the Land of the Living learn of thy Saviour to be humble meek and patient On Christ's Eyes Against Excessive Mirth O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Eyes distilling bloody tears and I hear thee say Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted If thou O Lord wert comforted by mourning because by thy tears thou wert to redeem me a Sinner Great cause have I to mourn with thee since my sins were the cause of thy weeping and sorrow Great cause have I to weep and bewail my sins that I may be comforted yea and rejoyce seeing by thy dolorous Passions I obtain a full redemption to my Soul On his Mouth Against Fear and Pusillanimity O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Mouth and hear thee say I Thirst Whereby I learn that thou didst hunger and thirst after righteousness that my poor sinful Soul might be justified What then should my hunger and thirst be but a desire to suffer with thee that I may reign with thee Why then should I fear Why should I be so much dejected Thou art my Captain I must follow thee Thou art the Way I must not leave thee Thou art Life and therefore I cannot live without thee O my God and all things As the Hart thirsteth after the fountain of waters so doth my Soul unto thee On his Side Against Unmercifulness O Good Jesu I behold Blood and Water issuing from thy wounded Side and seem to hear thee say Blessed are the merciful for they shall find mercy Thou O Lord wert so merciful so bountiful that thou gavest the last dropps of thy precious Blood which streamed from thy wounded Heart for my redemption O hard Heart of mine
Should I behold thee in the poor and not commiserate thee or behold thee in the naked and not cloth thee or in the sick and not visit thee or in the hungry and not feed thee Thou gavest all even to the last drop of Blood to redeem me a vile Sinner O that I could give and surrender all I am and have to thee my God and Saviour O that I could love thee with an entire Heart and with all the powers of my Soul On his Heart Against Impure Thoughts O Good Jesu I behold thy tender Heart pierc'd through with a cruel Spear and seem to hear thee say Blessed are the clean of Heart for they shall see God O that my sinful Heart were transfixt with sorrow for my sins by true compunction that I may have the happiness to behold my God by having a clean Heart and purified Soul by true Contrition Jesu be merciful to me a Sinner that I may have a Contrite Heart deeply wounded and transfixt with sorrow as often as I behold thy wounded Side and Heart whence flowed Blood and Water With which thou O Lord shalt sprinkle me and I shall be clean thou shalt wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow On Christ's Hands Against perturbations of Mind O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Hands pierced through with nails and seem to hear thee say Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be call'd the Children of God Thou O Lord wert the great Peace-maker who didst interpose thy self betwixt thy Heavenly Father and us Sinners Thou hast made our Peace yet still I find disquiet of Mind upon sleight occasions vain fears and worldly respects Therefore I appeal to thee the great Peace-maker and Son of God and beseech thee to assist me with thy powerful Grace that I likewise may be a Peace-maker not onely externally amongst such as are at variance but likewise inwardly that I may pacifie my own Soul and thereby become the peaceful Child of God who seeks repose in a Soul free from anxious thoughts and worldly perturbations Amen On his Feet Against Fear of Persecution O Good Jesu I behold thy sacred Feet pierced through with nails and seem to hear thee say Blessed are they that suffer Persecution for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Thou O Lord wert persecuted unto death even the death of the Cross For which God gave thee a Name above all Names O Blessed Saviour since thou hast promised a Kingdom to them that suffer with thee and for thee I must not I cannot presume to reign with thee unless I suffer for thy sake And since no Man shall be crowned but he that lawfully fights for thy Honour and suffers for thy Glory why should I be so backward so timorous so unwilling to undergo whatever Persecution it pleases thee to send or to permit which I should receive as a Favour from Heaven and certain pledge of thy Love and Favour who being a Loving Father receivest no Child whom thou dost not chastise Under whose Rod of Correction may I humbly through thy powerful Grace submit and fully resign my Will to be a chosen Member of that Kingdom which thou hast promised to them that suffer Persecution for thy Names sake Amen Amen Part of the 143. Psalm paraphras'd concerning true Beatitude O Rescue me out of the hand Of such as thy behests withstand Degenerate Children they wholly And utter naught but vanity Whose powerful Arms in my distress Were Arms stretch'd forth to wickedness Whose Youthfull Sonns like to a Spring Of vigorous shoots are flourishing Whose Daughters dress'd their Pride display Deckt Temple-like in rich array Whose store of Corn abundant lies Heapt up in their rich Granaries Whose Ewes are fruitful flocks that go Mantling the Earth like drifts of snow Whose Oxen prosper fat and fair And in whose Walls no ruins are Nor noyse of Thieves or Rogues that meet Or hideous out-cries in the Street Such some admire and Happy call Cause they have blessings temporal But I him Blest have understood Whose Lord to him is God all good FINIS