them all as a sink of sin and filthiness I will be desirous to be esteemed and used as dross among metalls chaff among grain a Wolf among Sheep and as Satan amongst the children of God I acknowledge my self unworthy of all grace and comfort from God or man and worthy of all pain punishment crosses contradiction confusion desolation death damnation I will be henceforth ashamed to complain of any aggrievances and be content to suffer whatsoever the world the devil and hell it self can inflict upon me 2. And to strengthen this my resolution I will rationally consider before thee ô my Lord what I really am what I was and what will become of me both touching my body my soul and my whole being Ay me I have a body all clay a soul all sin a life all frailty and a substance all nothing And this is all I have to vaunt of in thy presence ô my Lord and my maker My material part is but slime of the earth the very worst part of the unworthyest element Ah poor man and canst thou look so big who cam'st from so base an extraction be ashamed to lift up thy head vile mud and dirt since thy pedigree is so well known and the ingredients of thy being are so mean and contemptible And when I consider what this my body was in the womb how it was conceived in concupiscence nourished with filthiness and brought up in darkness I am ashamed to own my own beginning which is so horrid and lothesome and who then can justly boast of state strength beauty or nobility since the ground-work of all is but a little dung and corruption Ah poor worm what a dismal prison wert thou detained in for nine months space of thy time what nasty and poysonous food was thy diet how wretched was thy birth how weak and wofull thy infancy and what art thou in thy best and most flourishing condition in the world but a clog and cage to thy inthrall'd soul a painted sack or pargetted sepulcher full of filth froth and ordure O my Lord give me grace to frame an impartial judgement of what I am and then how soon shall I check all risings of pride and presumption 3. I came into this world ô my Lord with groanes and tears I live in it with griefs and cares I shall go out of it with pangs and fears and lastly I must become a horror to the eyes of my dearest friends a prey of veâ—min and a companion of rottenness Ah! how canst thou be proud of thy perfections poor clay and ashâ—s why shouldest thou look to be so highly priz'd so daintily pampered thou stinking puddle Dust thou art to dust thou must return Hast thou not alwayes before thy eyes these ashes for thy glass and death for thy mistress why then dost thou suffer so many sparkles of vanity to arise from this thy caitiff condition And thou my poor soul the spiritual part of my composition O what shall I say of thee to thy great Lord and maker What thou â—â—st hitherto been I wel know wretched wicked sinful What thou now art I know not being uncertain of Gods grace and love What thou shalt be hereafter I am altogether ignorant because doubtfull of thy correspondency with grace and fearful of thy perseverance in goodness Ah sad condition I came ô my Lord into this world in originall sin I am bred up in actual sin and if death and deadly sin meet together I shall feel the smart of them both eternally O how much need have I then of thy grace ô merciful Lord God to avoid sin since I cannot eschew death O let me rather admit a deadly wound than commit a deadly sin 4. What art thou then ô my whole man consisting of body and soul What wert thou ô N. from all eternity before thy conception in the womb and birth into the world Nothing Ah poor nothing what is less than nothing where dwels this nothing who can describe a nothing which more differs from the least atome in the Sun than Gods infinit greatness from the least of his creatures O proud nothing What hast thou that thou hast not received Nothing Why then art thou puffed up with it as if thou hadst not received it I acknowledge my whole being to be from thy only bounty O my great good and glorious maker and since I possess nothing but what I have from thee since I shall also necessarily fade away into my first nothing if thou withdraw from me thy conserving hand but a moment I will no longer glory in that which is none of mine but I will here lay the foundation of my spiritual edifice upon this sure and solid ground of thy All and my own Nothing I will endeavour to frame a true conceit of my own misery frailty insufficiency and nothing that so I may fully speedily and solidly come to this desired self-knowledge and humility I will run over my lesson repeat my questions learn my answers and strive to grow skilful in this necessary and sacred science What have I received that I have not abused Nothing Body soul will judgement memory understanding affection senses meat drink company habit books prayer Sacraments all creatures Can I then be proud of Sin Filthiness rottenness labour grief infirmity blindness obstinacy corruption death and damnation which are worse than nothing Shall I boast of thy gifts O my God which are not mine or of my own abuses and ingratitudes The one is to rob thee of thy honor the other is to be honoured for thy dishonour 5. What creature ever sinned so grievously as I have done and yet sorrowed so little and suffered less Who ever forsook so great and good a God for so little and vain a toy as I have done What sinful soul is there now in hell that would not have been a glorious Saint in heaven if it had the helps favours feelings and visits which I have both had and abused Who ever received so many mercies so sweet comforts and so great graces from thee O bountifull Lord God and made so little and bad use of them as I have done If I deny all this my conscience witnesseth against me If I confess it oh why am I not more humble Finally If such great troubles temptations and tribulations had hapened to me as have done to others I should by consenting have ere now burned in hell fire but thou O meek and merciful Creator hast spared me because thou knowest my weakness and sent me small crosses because I cannot bear greater c. Wherefore Not unto me O Lord but to thee be all honour for time and eternity O that I could know thee and know my self O that I could truly see my own nothing and totall dependancy on thee my misery and malice and thy perfection and total goodness Ay me weak and wretched N What are my forces that I should rely on them I have nothing O my Lord but what is
I abhor and detest whatsoever I have done said thought or desired contrary to thy holy will O my Lord and my love I renounce all company and occasions which may induce me to offend thee 7. I cast my self at thy sacred feet to be thy slave for ever with a firm resolution to bear thy Cross till death and to do penance and satisfaction for my past pride and pleasure desiring nothing but to live at thy feet like the penitent Magdalen in solitude silence submission O good Jesu Out of thy infinit mercy merits and meekness suffer not me thy poor creature to be damned and separated from thee eternally O amiable eternity O eternall amitie of God! Shall I leave and lose thee for filthy pleasures frail creatures fond friendships fading honours No dear Lord No Lâ—â— it please thee rather to take my soul out of my body than thy love out of my soul let me rather dy miserably then sin mortally Let me pass on the rest of my pilgrimage in thy grace and fear that I may end my dayes in thy friendship and favour which I beseech thee to grant me O most powerfull and mercifull Savior by the love of thy sweet heart by the merits of thy bitter death and passion by the intercession of thy Blessed Mother and by the suffrages of all holy happy and devout souls Upon all which relying as upon so many sure anchors of my hope I commit and resigne my self to thy disposition and providence for time and eternity O my Lord my love and my All fully trusting that thou wilt mercifully pardon my sins carefully assist me in my wants and weaknesses and in the end happily bring me to eternall bliss by such means as thy divine wisdom knows most convenient for me FOR THVRSDAY Of Subduing Sensuality to Reason The Fourth Exercise 1. MY Spirit is willing O most glorious and gracious Lord God to serve thee love thee honour thee and follow thee but my flesh is weak frail and refractory I do not what I desire O my God and what thou demandest but I act that which I hate and what thou forbiddest I feel O my Lord a law of sensuality contradicting the law of my mind captivating my reason clouding my judgement and continually striving to cast me down headlong into sin and perdition Unhappy man that I am Who will free me from this body of death Ah my brutish body ah my burdensom flesh Thou art my dangerous and deadly enemy 'T is thy weight that depresseth my soul thy earth that clogâ— and corrupts my ayr thy contagion and perversity which infects and debaseth my better part and heavenly portion thy sensuality which draws on endangers and almost destroys my reason 2. Ah Sensuality the source of all my misery how justly do I now hate thee and how willingly would I leave thee At my first acquaintance with thee thou defiledst me with original sin In my infancy thou mad'st a beast of me And now in my riper years thou still pursuest me proclaimest open war with me blindest my Understanding with darknes ignorance and errours mak'st my Will refractory to good and ready to all evil distractest my Memory with vain and vile fancies and perpetually tossest me to and fro between love and hatred joy and grief hope and fear and the rest of thy numerous and enormous irascible and concupiscible powers and passions Ay me how sad is my state how deplorable my condition Oh! how long Lord must I dwel with these devils how long must I endure the violence of these passions O my Lord my strength and my salvation break these fetters for me Command a calm O thou only Ruler of Sea and winds and appease the surges of these my unmortified appetites Oh! restore me to my self again reduce reason to her lost dominion in my soul and bring back me thy poor creature to thee my powerfull Creator O let not this passenger perish amidst these boysterous billows nor suffer utter shipwarck in these fearfull tempests I suffer violence O my Lord answer for me the companion which thou hast given me hath deceived me Sense hath corrupted and conquered my Judgment Oh! how I am dragg'd up and down by my al-mastering appetites commanded by my servants and fettered by my slaves O tyranny O indignity Ah my soul O noble spirit fair as the angels formed to thy Creators lovely resemblance stampt with his divine character and heir apparent to his glorious kingdom To be thus subject to the base and brutall desires of flesh and blood O intollerable bondage O unworthy servitude 3. O Father of mercies and only Physician of my soul Thou art almighty and al-mercy and I am all weakness and all misery There is no part left sincere in my whole body and soul from the contagious poyson of passion from the infectious leprosy of sin and sensuality All is out of order O my Lord I acknowledge it to my own shame and confusion each sense is gone astray each member of my body is corrupted each power of my soul is perverted My Understanding is obscured with self-love my Memory distâ—acted with sensual â—bâ—ects my Will posses'd with peevish inclinâ—tions My affections are vain my passions violent my dispositions vitious My body is burdensome my imagination troublesome my life irksome These are my wounds O my heavenly Surgeon O put to thy helping hand I beseech thee see fear and search them before the gangren enter and the grief grow incurable My soul is sick even to death if thou wilt O my Lord thou canst both cleanse and cure me To this end thou descendedst from Jerusalem to Jerico O pious Samaritan from heaven to earth O compassionate Saviour where thou findest me in this pitifull plight sore beaten wounded half dead and utterly despoiled of all natural and spiritual riches by theeves and robbers which are the senses of my body and the faculties of my soul O pass not by me sweet Jesu but mercifully bind up my bleeding wounds with the swathing bands of thy death and passion powre upon them the wine of thy pretious blood and supple them with the oyl of thy heavenly grace 4. I intend ô my Lord strengthen me in this hour I intend O sweet Saviour a total reformation of life and manners an intire mortification of my corporeal senses and spiritual faculties an absolute change in my whole man O grant me I beseech thee my loving Lord the powerful assistance of thy special grace for the performance of this great and good purpose Teach me now ô my blessed Master to live inwardly piously spiritually as I lov'd formerly to live outwardly vainly sensually O let me henceforth yield to thy divine motion obey thy call imitate thy example and follow thy will O let me never more act or omit any thing be it never so little for my own liking but purely and perfectly for thy love 5. Grant ô good Jesu that at each word of my mouth at each glance
the aforesaid separation then break forth into these-like expressions O rich treasury of all vertues What contentment doe I feele that all good is derived from thee and by thee onely and that all goodnesse compared to thy Divine perfection is a meer nothing 8. Stretching forth thy hand to Also when thou undertakest any action any action imagine thy Lord God to be the first cause thereof and thou onely the living instrument of his Divine Majesty to whom thy Soule may thus powre forth it selfe O Soveraigne Lord of this Vniverse how truly doe I rejoyce that I can doe no one thing without thee and that thou art the prime and principall agent in all good actions 9. Taking any refection of Meat Or refreshest thy body with meat and drink or Drinke reflect who gives that gust and savour to that Creature and taking no other content than in him onely say Be joyfull O my Soule that there is no true satisfaction out of thy God and that in him onely thou hast a full abundance of all pleasure 10. If some delicious smell be Or smellest delicious odours welcome to thy sense stay not there but ascend to him who is the source of all sweetnesse and with a heart softned with comfort say Alas O my Lord as I am truly glad that all sweetnesse proceeds from thee so grant I beseech thee that my Soule being truly despoiled and uncloathed of all earthly pleasure may purely soare up to thy delicious Paradise and render a perpetually pleasing odour to thy Divine Nostrils 11. When thou art taken with the Or art delighted with musicall harmony Musicall harmony of some excellent voyce or instrument turne thy soule to thy Saviour and speake to him O my Lord and my God how doe I joy in thy infinite perfections O what an admirable harmony doe they make not onely in thy self but also in the heavenly Citizens and in all other thy Creatures 12. Thus mayst thou my dearly Or any other sensible object Beloved raise up thy spirit from all sensible objects to the contemplation of the divinity as hath beene hitherto declared It remains that thou be now in like manner instructed how to passe from the same sensible objects to the meditation of the Word incarnate by frequeâ—t reflexions upon thy Saviouâ—s Life How to raise thy Soule by the same objects to contemplate the Word Incarnate and Passion And to this effect all things of the whole Universe will conduce by considering in them as before that Soveraigne and Supreme good which is the efficient cause of their whole being and beauty and thence passing on to the admiration of his immense goodnesse and greatnesse who being the absolute Lord of all these things would vouchsafe to descend so low as to become man and to dy for man permitting his owne Creatures to arme themselves against him their Creator Many things will also particularly represent to the eyes of thy Soule these sacred mysteries and put thee in mind of the severall instruments of his severe sufferings As for example by the sight of poore cottages Of Raine Poore cottages will remember thee of thy Saviours stable and cribb If it raineth thou wilt reflect upon that Divine moysture distilling from his Body in his bloody agony The â—tones which thou beholdest will Of Stones put thee in minde of the Rocks rending in sunder at his Death the Earth Of the Earth will seeme to tell thee how it then trembled and the bright-shining Sun how it's light was then obscured Of the Sun Of the Water c. If thou considerest the water thou wilt fall into contemplation of that which issued out of his opened Side and the like of all other objects So when thou tastest Wine thou mayst thinke of Christ's In tasting Wine Vinegar and Gall when sweete odours delight thee how ill savour'd In sweete Smells were the carkasses upon Mount Calvary where thy Saviour suffered Cloathing thy selfe reflect how the In cloathing thy self eternall Word put on our humanity to adorne thee with his Divinity In uncloathing thy self In hearing Noyses Uncloathing thy selfe how he naked was naild to the Crosse Hearing a noyse or acclamations of People remember those abominable outcries Away with him Crucifie him When the Clock strikes the houre In hearing the Clock thinke how thy Saviour's Heart panted in the Garden at the apprehension of his approaching passion or seeme to heare and count the cruell stroakes of the scourges or blowes of the Hammer fastning the Nailes through his Body to the Crosse If In time of Sadnesse sadnesse and sorrow seize thee whether by reason of thine own sufferings and sicknesse or out of compassion to others conceive alas how litle is all this compared to the incomprehensible Anguishes Distresses and Dolours which pierced the Body and Soule of thy deare Saviour 13. Having thus shewed thee the Other wayes to meditate upon sensible Objects way how to elevate thy understanding by meanes of all sensible things to the Divinity and to the mysteries of the Word incarnate I will now adde other means and methodâ— of meditation drawn from the same sensible objects that as the Soul's gusts are various so the spirituall diet may bee diversly dress'd and serv'd up for their sustenance though this variety may be also very usefull not onely to the simple but even to elevated Soules well advanced in the way of the Spirit which are not alwayes equally disposed to sublime contemplations Neither need'st thou feare that this variety will any way confound thee if thou art â—overned by the rule of discretion â—nd the direction of thy ghostly Father which thou art carefully and â—umbly to follow not onely in â—his but in all other thy underâ—akings 14. When therefore objects most By considering how mean the best of them are in themselves pleasing to the eye delicious to â—he sense and desirable to flesh and blood shall be represented unto thee mark well how meane these things are in themselves though never so highly courted and cherished extolled and esteemed by worldlings how the best of them is no better than dirt and dung in respect of Heavenly happinesse for which thou art designed which thou desirest and to which thou aspirest 15. When thou gazest on the As the Suns brightness Suns glorious splendour know for certaine that thine owne Soule is far more bright and beautifull than it if shee be in her Creatours grace and favour otherwise that shee is more obscure and abhominable than darkesome and dismall Hell it selfe 16. When thou castest up thy corporall eyes to the Heavens elevaâ—â— The Heavens greatnesse those of thy Soule to those higher holyer mansions of the blessed Sainâ—â— and Angelicall spirits and there fix and feast thy thoughts as in the happy mansion prepared for thy eternall abode 17. When thou hearken'st to the The Birds melody Birds warbling notes or other
therefore thy humble 6. Make thy petition supplication to thy sweet Saviour that since he vouchsafeth freely to come unto thee for his owne mercies sake and for no merits of thine he will also be pleased to prevent thee with his grace and adorne thee with the gifts of his holy Spirit that thou maist become a worthy receptacle for his sacred body as he formerly by the like prevention prepared for himselfe a happy and holy habitation in the virginall entralls of his most blessed Mother CHAP. XXXVII How we may devoutly offer up the sacrifice of the Masse WHen thou feelest thy heart 1. 1. Free thy fancy from all outward objects inflamed by this foregoing or the like exercise free thy fancy of all sensible objects and shutting the windows of thy senses so are up to thy Lord God and fix there the eye of thy soule upon him onely purely freely and quietly excluding all tumults of outward thoughts and implore the assistance of the holy Ghost by reciting the hymn of the holy Church Veni creator spiritus c. 2. Then comming to put on the 2. In vesting thy selfe mark the mysteries sacred vestments mark with attention those mysteries which they mean and signify and from that very instant of time take upon thee Christs person whom thou representest in this holy action that so thou maist be moved to conforme each outward and inward deed to him whom thou now personatest 3. Let thy outward depoâ—tmenâ— be decent 3. And as for the outward composure of the body see that thy going forth of the vestry be with all decency and gravity let thy countenance be cherfull thine eyes humbly cast downe and not curious to prie after any passages done in the Church Let thy voice be low and sober reading those sacred words neither precipitantly nor over-pausingly but beseemingly between both those extremes Let the holy ceremonies be piously and punctually observed and let all be attentively performed taking more care in the Canon and most of all when thou commest to the words of consecration 4. Let thy inward composition also correspond with thy outward carriage 4. And thy inward composition correspondent and therefore comming to the foot of the Atar looke upon Christ thy Lord and thy love sitting in his throne of glorious majesty attended by his Angels and blessed Saints and think he is presently comming down from his throne to the altar to enrich thy poore soule with the treasures of his divinity And considering so high a Majesty confesse thine own misery meannesse and nothing and so truly humbling thy selfe both inwardly and outwardly begin the action of the sacrifice And keep this presence of thy Saviour sitting in his throne and beholding thy devotion untill thou commest to the consecration which done thou hast him then before thee upon the altar thou touchest him with thy hands and embracest him in thy heart there present in the Sacrament 5. In thy first memento Contemplate 5. In thy first memento thy Lord Jesus crucified reposing in thy heart and depose all thy necessities and wants in his sacred and sugred wounds And first offer up thy whole Masse to his holy head To Christs holy head intending it to the eternall honour of the most blessed Trinity and for the increase of the accidentall glory of his deare Mother thy Angel guardian and thy particular protectours and patrons in heaven all which thou shalt joyne together in the wounds of thy Lords venerable head and beseech them that as thou in this vale of misery strivest to augment their glory so they in their happy and heavenly mansions will be pleased to remember thee and joyne with thee in the oblation of this divine sacrifice to thine and their Creatour 6. Comming then to the wound To his right hand of his right hand pray for the state ecclesiasticall that is for the Pope Cardinalls Bishops and pastours of the Church for all Religious persons and their Prelats and for them all offer up this present sacrifice 7. At the wound of his left hand To his left hand pray for the Laity for Kings Princes Magistrates and the rest of their people and in particular for thy parents friends familiars and all who desired to be made partakers in thy devotions 8. At his most sweet heart offer To his sacred heart up thy whole selfe onely humbly representing unto him thy life past and begging his pardon thy present being and desiring his direction thy spirituall necessities and corporall needs thy health thy temptations thy desires thy designes Consecrate all the future thoughts words and works of thy whole life to his eternall honour Finally resigne thy whole selfe reverently and confidently to his divine providence and so rest secure in his care since thou hast delivered all thy affaires into his custody who will better improve all things for thy profit than thou canst either ask or expect 9. At the wound of his right foot To his right foot offer up the sacrifice for all them who are in Gods grace and continue in his charity that he will be pleased to preserve them still in his favour and friendship 10. At the wound of his left foot To his left foot offer it up for all sinners that God will vouchsafe to convert and enlighten them for all poore weak and any-way afflicted wights that he will please to comfort and deliver them and lastly for all thou either oughtest or art bound to pray And so conclude thy whole oblation with Saint Augustines words I recommend Commendo eos quos tu vis scis velle me nosti unto thy Majesty whomsoever thou ô my Lord wilt and knowest and wouldest have me remember And finally offer up thy Saviour Jesus thus loaded as I may say with all thy petitions and necessities to his eternall Father in this present sacrifice saving those words of the Psalmist Behold ô God our protectour Ps 83. 10. and look upon the face of thy Christ And so proceed on in the sacred Action 11. In thy second memento Thou 6. In thy second memento hast Christ present in the holy Sacrament now glorious and risen from death unite therefore thy affection unto him and strive to creep into his open side and there hide thy self safely and securely from all assaults of thine enemies There also determine resolutely to doe his holy will for the future in all occurrences whatsoever and put on that pious affection of the Royall Prophet What is to me in heaven and besides Psal 72. 25. thee ô my Lord and love what would I upon the earth Lastly offer up the Sacrifice for the soules of the faithfull departed and compleat what remains of the sacred Masse CHAP. XXXVIII An Exercise aefter the holy Communion REpresent to thy selfe as formerly 1. Representation of the place thy Blessed Saviour encompassed with the glorious troops of Angels and heavenly spirits
subject to seek her selfe 4. This intention of doing all for God is to be always made in the entrance upon any work And to be renewed in the prosecution of it 6. Lest self love creep in and so change and corrupt it 7. He that doth all things to please God remains in perfect indifferency and hath alwaies what he desires whâ—ch shews the high importance of this pure intention 8. And it may be kept even in things ayming at our owne good Finally it puts such a worth upon our actions that the best of them without it is lost and may be sinfull and the smallest with it is most acceptable to God 9. If this exercise seem hard at first yet use will render it easie and soone beget a habit in our soules 10. Especially if we consider how dearly our Lord hath loved us as appears in our Creation Redemption Preservation and his other benefits which are so great that none but God himselfe can comprehend them 11. Chap. VI. There are in man two wills The Rationall seated between Gods grace our sense 1. And the sensuall 2. The truly vertuous persons yield promptly to Gods will vitious to their sensuality But they who of sinners are become converts have the greatest conflict 3. Who must therefore resolve to bear patiently the losse of their pleasures There are divers sorts of unmortifi'd souls seeming good but full of imperfection ignorance and blindnesse 4. A danger in the choyce of spirituall Exercises discovered 5. Chap. VII Of the fight against Sensuality and of the inward way of the Will to acquire Vertues When sensuality rebels 1. Look strictly to thy reason that it consent not and recall that motion againe and againe and as often conquer it 2. Also produce acts of those vertues which are contrary to these vices 3. But beware of thy cunning enemy who sometimes suppresseth these motions 4. For then it is thy part to excite them and fight afresh with them 5. Till thou hast gotten a perfect hatred of them 6. And the way to plant vertues is to practice acts contrary to those defects The reason whereof is because as long as the root of vice remains alive in us it will still bud forth and choak up our plants of vertue And therefore we must make many Acts contrary to the vicious habit to implant the habit of vertue 7. And though this be full of paine yet it is also full of profit 8. The like diligence must be also used against the least evill motion 9. Yea and against lawfull affections when they are not absolutely necessary 10. And this is the way to become truly spirituall 11. Because all vice springs from the yielding to sense and all vertue by subduing and submitting our will to Gods 12. Chap. VIII What he must doe who feels his Reason conquered by Sense So long as thou consentest not to Sensuality fear not 1. For victory consists not in feeling no motions but in not yielding 2. But if thy enemy surpriseth thy Reason then give back to gaine time and strength 3. And if thou hast time help thy selfe with consideration 4. Whether thou hast deserved this affliction If so rest contented If not think upon thy former sinnes not yet fully punished 5. Yea though they were yet self-deniall and sufferance is the way to heaven 6. And if there were another way yet thy duty to God binds thee to cbuse this 7. As being most gratefull and pleasing to his Majesty 8. Chap. IX That we must not shun the occasions of these Combats The way to get true vertue is not to avoid but to seek the occasions of combat As for example To get Patience shun not the company 1. Or the imployment which is tedious to thee 2. And the same rule is to be applied to troublesome thoughts 3. Yet a yong Scholler must be wary in waging this war but never desert the Field for then he will still be unprovided This is good in all cases except that of carnality 4. Chap. X. Of the fight against sudden Temptations and Passions First ponder them in thy understanding 1. And forsee what is like to befall thee 2. But if some other crosse happens not foreseen fly to the thoughts of Gods Love and Providence 3. Who sends or permits it 4. and be constant though almost conquered 5. But the best remedy against sudden motions is to cut off their causes 6. XI Of the fight against fleshly Concupiscence In this warr thou art to change thy weapons 1. And therefore before the temptation assails thee call it not but avoid all occasions procuring it This enemy assails us sometimes by stealth and upon pretext of lawfulnesse c. but Sensuality may mix it selfe with thy affection and ruine thy Soule 2. The occasions are commonly five Conversation Aspects Idlenesse Disobedience Vain complacency 2. In the time of the temptation marke the cause of it whether externall and fly from it 3. Or internall and prevent it by fit chastisements of the body and by hearty Prayer 4. Yet not as some Bookes prescribe for feare of giving new occasions to impurity 4. But by meditating on Christs Death and Passion 5. Dispute not with carnall temptations but discover them to thy Ghostly Father 6. And make no actuall and particular reflexions upon these temptations 7. After the temptation is past stand still upon thy guard 8. Chap. XII How to fight against slacknesse and Negligence Follow holy inspirations speedily For this is of great consequence to conquer Sloath and having couragiously set upon thy worke carefully prosecute the same 1. The fruit whereof must be discovered 2. And the pains disguised 3. Unlesse there be a reall disability 4. But the best way to get a custome of induring is to expect Crosses continually and not to seeke how to avoid them 5. How prejudiciall Negligence is to perfection and the most alluring hait of our enemy therefore take timely care to prevent it and account that day lost in which thou hast done no good action 6. Chap. XIII How to govern our Sensuality Keep thy heart disingaged from earthly creatures 1. And contemplate thy Creators greatnesse reducing all created perfection to him the fountaine 3. And all worldly beauty to heavenly glory 4. Marking wel the craft of the Devill 5. But in things displeasing to sense think upon Gods eternall decree 6. So likewise in any sudden or dismall chance and in all self complacency 7. A larger Declaration of this Doctrine The appetite is violently bent to seeke its pleasure and makes use of the Senses to obtain it 1. The antidot against this poyson and how to curb the senses roaming abroad by separating the spirit of each object from the materiall thing it selfe 2. Whether it be a creature which hath only a being 3. Or hath a vegetation and increase 4. Or hath sense and feeling 5. Or is indued with rare beauty 6. Or excellent perfection 7. Also when thou undertakest any action 8.
confession into my mouth prayers into my lips remorse into my memory resolutions of amendment into my will T is Thou O gracious God who chiefly actest all this good in me by me and for me O my All do then all in me that thou desirest And particularly overwhelm I beseech thee my whole interiour with perfect contrition not coming from a slavish and servile fear but from a faithful and filial love Grant me a true and intire grief for having offended thee not because of thy promises or threats but because thou art in thy self good amiable adorable 3. Or if mercenary interest do yet more move thee O my sensual and sinful soul For how hainously dost thou take a small injury how deeply dost thou resent a little disgrace the loss of a dear friend of health of honour or the like temporall and perishable commodities O whence is it then that thou so little apprehendest thy loss of grace and thy eminent and imminent danger of eternall damnation Is it a small matter to be Gods enemy To lose the good will of all heaven To destroy Gods image To cut up life root and branch To side with the accursed devils thy Creators sworn enemies to hatch Treason enter Conspiracie with the damned Yea and to kill as much as in thee lyes him who by his own death gave thee life O brutall and unnatural ingratitude Surely the annihilating of heaven The reason is Because the least degree of a higher order surpasses the highest degree of the lower order earth Angels men and all Nature cannot be compar'd with this malicious evil and willfull destruction of thy grace O Lord in my soul O eternal God! what a monster have I then been in grace what a prodigie in nature who have so little car'd to commit such enormous sins But O my Lord I will even now change my life I here detest all sin I make firm purpose of amendment I have a ful confidence in thee my Creator a good wil to do satisfaction and a totall resignation to thy divine pleasure 4. I am the woful criminal O just judge of my soul and I will be also the accuser and witnes the advocate and executioner in this tribunal I summon you therefore O detestable pride O abominable envy O execrable avarice O beastly lubricity and all you accursed crew of sins how long will you reign on earth how long will you dispeople Gods inheritance who brought you in amongst Gods children T is the perverted Will of man O dread Soveraign which hath done all these mischiefs Rectify ô my Lord I beseech thee this my crooked Will and murder these horrible monsters in me and grant that I may henceforth rather expose my body to a thousand deaths than my soul to one deadly sin Thy Saints will rejoyce ô God at my amendment and thy Angels will make a Feast but thy own resentment of joy will be infinite because thy love is infinite which goes hand in hand with thy essence and comprehends all love in supream eminency I will therefore expect from thee O heavenly Father the exact remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect knowledge from thee ô holy Spirit a true repentance and from thee ô Sacred Trinity an intire absolution and plenary indulgence from all my iniquities The grief I feel for my past offences the hatred I have against each sin at this present and the resolution I make to avoid all iniquity for the future are not equivalent in me to their enormity and hainousness I therefore humbly crave ô holy Lord God! that thou wilt accept thine own hatred against sin for that which I should and would have and in stead of the sorrow I want I offer that of thy Son my sweet Redeemer with the Sacrifice of his immaculate life and innocent death And since I cannot be impeccable by nature O my Lord nor dare presume to ask to be so by grace give me leave to prostrate my self before thy infinite bounty and clemency and beg by the merits of Jesus Christ thy dear Son and by the desires of thy essential love the blessed holy Ghost that though I may not be impeccable yet I may never sin more and if I must somtimes sin through my frailty yet that I may never sin mortally This thou desirest O Lord this thou demandest this thou commandest O give me what thou commandest and command me what thou pleasest 5. O my good Lord Jesu who art Lord of my life and shouldst be the love of my soul had I not like an ungracious and ungratefull wretch given my heart and sold my affection to fond frail filthy and fading creatures and comforts which are so far from bringing me eyther quiet of mind peace of conscience purity of soul or perfection of spirit that they leave me nothing but trouble confusion and remorse with a world of disquiet and desperate thoughts violent passions and vitious inclinations I find no other refuge or remedy but to return to thee my Centre to convert my self to thee O my good Lord and Master to cast my self in all humility at thy sacred feet and heartily to beg thy mercy pardon and reconciliation O mercifull Father I truly acknowledge my prodigality and humbly confess my treachery and am sorry from my heart that ever I offended thee who deservest so much love and service from me Beseeching thee as a guilty prisoner to be pitifull to thy poor creature and mercifully to forgive me the manifold rebellions and grievous iniquities that I have committed against thy Divine Majesty and goodness and for the love of thee I freely forgive all them who have any way offended or contristated me sincerely acknowledging that I deserve no comfort from any creature but all contempt and confusion and not only to be troubled by all on earth temporally but even to be tormented by the Devils in hell eternally 6. O how ungratefull a child have I been to offend so often and so grievously so loving and liberal a Father so meek and mercifull a Redeemer and so â—weet and soveraign a Majesty who hath always shew'd himself so benigne and bountifull to me tolerating me in my sins and expecting me to his mercy wooing me to his love and calling me to his service by a thousand means all which I have either rejected or neglected and still nevertheless given me time and opportunity to do penance O my poor soul how blind and bewitched hast thou been to leave the bread of Angels and to feed on the husks of swine for vanities villanies shadows and nothings to abandon God and all goodness on whom depends all thy hope and happiness quiet and comfort for time and eternity O blindness O folly O frenzie Would God I had never sinned Oh that I might never sin more O my God what have I done Would I had suffered on the Cross pains of body and pangs of soul when I thus N. sinned Oh what can I say or do more
and securing lesson Leave all things and thou shalt find one thing which is all in all Take courage and fight valiantly against thy own bad nature pray suffer stoop bear repugnances swallow down contradictions disgest injuries the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence The end thou aymest at is perfection the reward of thy conqucst is eternall love eternal life eternall happiness Behold ô my Lord my strength and my salvation I am fully resolv'd to lay the ax to the root of this wicked tree Help me I beseech thee with thy grace from above that I may hew my self out of my self that I may kill crucifie and mortifie my inveagling sensuality cut off my evil inclinations rectifie my disordered passions and root out each thought or desire which tends not directly to thy honour will and love O my Lord and my God! 3. I know Lord that it is bootless to study perfection without the practice of mortification I confess I can never love thee truly but in as much as I hate my self really such is the antipathy between self-love and thy holy affection Ah! how can a spirit distracted with contrary inclinations be freely and fully vacant to thy divine contemplation Put therefore I beseech thee a sluce to my unmortified passions put a bound to my distraught heart and powerfully keep back those innumerous concupiscences and corrupt imaginations violently succeeding each other that my united affections may intend thee only the only object of all happiness Gather ô my Lord the dispersed forces of my soul from all multiplicity of worldly affections to the union of thy only love Keep I beseech thee my understanding will memory imagination and all my inward and outward sences from roaming abroad that carefully attending and entertaining thy divine presence in my soul I may attain true introversion simplification and union of my Spirit with thine Reform ô my Lord all the naturall corruptions of my outward man and redress all the spirituall infirmities of my inward man destroy and disperse all internal and external enemies and opposers of thy holy love possess me perfectly and dispose of me entirely according to thy divine will and pleasure 4. To this end O bless my weak endeavours al-mighty and al-merciful Lord God I will subtract all superfluities from my body and accustom it to all sorts of sufferings that so I may fit it up for thee O holy Spirit who dwellest not with them that are sensuall and subject to sin Alas I have not yet resisted to the effusion of my blood and should I spill each drop of blood in my body in this holy quarrel how little ought I to regard it in respect of the great good I expect I will therefore crucifie thee O my flesh with all thy concupiscences I will mortifie my outward senses the windows by which death steals into my soul the hinderers of my hearts tranquillity the destroyers of true devotion the dispersers of inward recollection and the utter ruiners of all the good desires which I conceive and kindle in my prayers Ah how soon is this divine fire cooled and quenched not only by sin but also by the distracting images of outward objects I will keep a speciall and strict watch over my tongue on which depends my spirituall life or death and cheerish thee ô beloved silence which art the key of piety the keeper of innocency and the preserver of purity I will trample down my inferior This is the chief exercise of Gods children not to be carried away with affections of flesh and blood but to conduct themselves according to Gods Spirit nature with all it 's evil affections and motions of love hatred joy sadness desire fear hope Anger c. I will order dispose and direct it according to the laws of reason and thy divine inspirations ô my Lord and my God Grant me courage I beseech thee to quell and curb this most dangerous and my greatest enemy which is the source of all my miseries the citadell from whence sin assails me and Satan fetcheth his forces to fight against me Grant good Lord that I may Therefore every one must strive to know his own natural inclinations and then imploy all his forces and apply all his prayers and spiritual exercises to quel them never yeild to this wicked Eve persuading Adam my Superior will to eat the forbidden fruit to consent to unlawfull pleasures O that I could tame these cruel beasts my naturall passions how soon should I be master of all morall vertues O that I could so till this vineyard so delve this garden so purge it from all ill weeds of affections and prune all superfluous surgeons and shoots of passions that the seed of thy grace ô heavenly husbandman might only there take root increase and fructifie 5. I will also mortifie my Superiour and rationall part with all the curious and fruitless speculations of my Understanding all conceits of self-wisdom naturall prudence proper judgement and good liking of my own proceedings All vain and foolish reflexions of my Memory And all petty desires and affections of my Will which relate not to thee the only object and Lord of my love I am resolved ô my Lord to nip off each budding passion as soon as it peeps up in my soul to trouble it in its true repose and to hinder its liberty and tendance to thy love I will by thy gracious assistance proceed faithfully and sincerely in the hatred denial and mortification of my self and in the prosecution of thy divine love And in order to this only end and aym I make in thy presence and from the very bottom of my heart and soul these particular acts following I renounce ô my Lord for the pure love of thee all affection to worldly things Give them unto me ô gracious God or take them from me as best liketh thy divine Majesty I resign up all my interest in any thing though never so near and dear unto me Behold ô my Lord and lover I uncloath my soul from all affections whatsoever to creatures and desire nothing but thy self-alone O happy nakedness O rich poverty of Spirit O pure obedience to the divine will in all things Be you my hearts delight my whole pleasure and patrinony 6. I renounce all self-seeking Ah! my corrupt nature I abhor thee Adieu all private-interest profit praise and preferment I will henceforth performe all my actions and exercises O my Lord God for thy only pure perfect love I will seek to please and praise thee with an inward ardent and amorous affection for thy self only and not for thy gifts or graces I renounce all sensuality whether it be in meat drink sleep apparel curiosity of my five senses or any thing else whatsoever O my Lord I will make no other use of any thy creatures than I am absolutly compell'd to by necessity of nature I look for no solace but from thee alone My only comfort and content I renounce all