ABRAHAMS bosome after this child 3. Commiseration is also great according to the greatnesse of their sufferances whom we loue for how little soeuer the frieÌ„dshipe be if the euells which we see endured be extreame they cause in vs great pitie This made Cesar weepe ouer Pompey and the daughters of Hierusalem could not stay themselues from weeping ouer our Sauiour though the greater part of them did not much affect him as also the friends of IACOB though wicked friends made great lamentation in beholding the dreadfull spectacle of his incomparable miserie and what a stroke of griefe was it in the heart of IACOB to thinke that his deare child was dead of a death so cruell as to be deuoured by a sauage beaste But besids all this commiseration is much strengthened by the presence of the obiect in miserie this caused the poore Agar absent her selfe from her languishing sonne to disburden her selfe in some sort of the compassionate griefe which she felt saying I will not see the child die as contrariwise our Sauiour weepes seeing the sepulchre of his well-beloued Lazarus and beholding his deare Hierusalem And the good IACOB was struck with griefe when he saw the bloodie Robe of his poore little IOSEPH 4. Now as many causes also doe augment complacence As a friend is more deare vnto vs we take more pleasure in his contentment and his good doth enter more deeply into our heart which if it be excellent our ioye is also greater but if we see our friend while he enioyes it our reioycing becomes extreame When the good IACOB knew that his sonne liued ô God what ioye his heart returned home he reuiued yea as one would saie returned to life But what is this he reuiued returned to life THEO SPIRITS die not their proper death but by sinne which seperateth them from God who is their true supernaturall life yet die they sometimes by anothers death and this happened to IAGOB of whom we speake for loue which drawes into the heart of the louer the good and euill of the thing beloued the one by complacence the other by commiseration drew the death of the louely IOSEPH into the louing IACOBS heart and by a miracle impossible to any other power but loue the minde of the good Father was full of the death of him that liued and raigned deceiued affection forerunning the effect 5. But as soone as he had knowen that his sonne was a liue Loue who had so long detained the presupposed death of the sonne in the good Fathers heart seeing that he was deceiued speedely reiected this imaginarie death and made enter in its place the true life of the saied sonne Thus then he returned to a new life because the life of his sonne entred into his heart by complacence and animated him with an incomparable contentment with which finding himselfe satisfied and not esteeming any other pleasure in comparison of this it fufficeth me saieth he if my child IOSEPH liue But when with his proper eyes he experienced his deare childs greatenesse in Gessan hanging vpon him and for a good space weeping about his necke ah now saieth he I will die ioyfull my deare SoÌ„ne sith I haue seene thy face and thou dost yet liue ô God what a ioye THEO and how excellently expressed by this old man For what would he saie by these words now I will die contented sith I haue seene thy face but that his content was so great that it was able to render death it selfe ioyfull and agreeable being the most discomfortable and horrible thing in the world Tell me I pray you THEO who hath more sense of IOSEPHES good he that enioyes it or IACOB who reenioyes it Certainly if good be not good but in respect of the content which it affordeth vs the father hath as much yea more then the Sonne for the sonne together with the dignitie of VICE-ROY whereof he is possessed hath coÌ„sequently many cares aÌ„d affaires but the Father doth enioye by Complacence and purely possesse all that good is in this his sonnes greatenesse and dignitie without charge care or trouble I will dye Ioyfull saieth he Alas who doth not see his contentment if euen death cannot trouble his ioye who can euer chang it if his content can liue amidst the distresses of death who can euer bereeue him of it Loue is strong as death and the ioyes of loue doe surmount the anoyes of death for death caÌ„not kill but doth reuiue them so that as there is a fire which miraculously is feed in a fountaine nere Greenoble as I surely know and S. AVGVSTINE doth attest so holy Charitie is so strong that she doth nourish her flames and consolations in the saddest anguishes of death and the waters of tribulations cannot extinguish her fires Of the commiseration and Complacence of loue in our Sauiours Passion CHAPTER V. 1. VVHen I see my Sauiour vpon the mouÌ„t Oliuet with his soule sad euen to death O Lord Iâ—SVS saie I who could haue borne these sorrowes of death in the soule of life if not loue who mouing commiseration drew thereby our miseries into thy soueraigne heart Now a deuote soule seeing this abisse of sorrow and distresse in this Diuine louer how can she be without a holily louing griefe But considering on the other side that none of these her well-beloued's afflictions proceede from any imperfectioÌ„ or want of force but from the greatnesse of his most deare loue she cannot but melt with a holily dolorous loue so that she cries out I am blacke with griefe by compassion but I am faire with loue by Complacence the anguishes of my well-beloued haue changed my hew for how can a faithfull louer see him so tormented whom she loues more then her life without becomming appalled withered and dried vp with griefe Nomades tents perpetually exposed to the outrage of weather and warrs are almost still beaten and couered with dust and I open to sorrows which by commiseration I receiue from the excessiue suffrances of my diuine Sauiour I am quite couered with anguishe and split with griefe but because his griefes whom I loue proceede from his loue as much as they afflict me by compassion they delight me by Complacence For how must not a faithfull louer needes haue an extreme coÌ„teÌ„t to see her selfe so much beloued of her heauenly Spouse And hence the beautie of loue appears in the foulenesse of griefe And though I weare mourning weedes for the Passion and death of my King deformed and blacked with griefe yet am I not without an incomparable delight to behold the excesse of his loue amidst the panges of his sorrowes And the tents of SALOMON brodered and wrought with an incomparable diuersitie of worke was neuer so goodlie as I am content and consequently sweete amiable and agreeable in the varietie of the essaies of loue which I feele amongst these griefes Loue doth equalize the louers ah I see this deare louer who is a burning fire in a thornie
had not the heart to stay by him but would haue left him saying ah I am not able to see this child dye is it strang then that Charitie the daughter of sweetenesse and heauenly delight cannot see her child dye which is a Resolution neuer to offend God so that still as free-will resolues to consent to sinne and therein killeth this holy resolution Charitie dyes with it fighing out these last words alas no neuer will I see this child dye In fine THE as the precious stone called PRASSIVS looseth its luster in the presence of any poison so in an instant the soule looseth her splendour grace and beautie which consisteth of holy loue vpon the entrie and presence of any mortall sinne whence it is written that the soule who sinneth shall dye That the sole cause of the decay and slackening of Charitie is in the creaturs will CHAPTER V. 1. AS it were a most wicked impudencie to attribute the works of holy loue done by the holy ghost in and with vs to the strength of our will so were it a shamelesse impietie to lay the defect of loue in vngratfull men on the want of heauenly assistance and grace For the holy Ghost cries in euery place to the contrarie that our ruine is from our selues that our Sauiour brought the fire of loue and desires nothing but that it should burne our hearts That saluation is prepared before the face of all nations light to lighten the gentiles and for the glorie of Israel That the diuine goodnesse would haue none to perish but that all come to the knowledge of truth that all be saued their Sauiour being come into the world that euery one might receiue the adoption of children And the wiseman doth clearely aduertise vs. Saie not it stikes of God And the sacred Concell of TreÌ„t doth inculcate diuinely to all the children of the holy Church that the Grace of God is neuer awaÌ„ting to such as doe what they can inuoking the diuine assistance That God doth neuer abandon such as he hath once iustified vnlesse they abandon him first So that if they be not a wanting to grace they shall obtaine glorie 2. In fine THEO our Sauiour is a light which doth illuminate euery one that comes into the world Diuers trauellers in a summers day about noone-tyde lay downe to repose in the shade of a tree but while their wearinesse aÌ„d the coolenesse of the shadowe keepes them a sleepe the Sunne aduancing himselfe towards them gaue iust vpon their eies his strongest light which by the glitter of his brightnesse made transparences as with smale raies about the Aple of those sleepers eyes and by the heate which pearced their eyelids forced them by a gentle violence to awake but some of them being awaked got vp and aduancing came happily to their lodging the rest did not onely not rise but turning their backes to the sunne and pulling their hats ouer their eyes there spent the day in sleeping till surprised by night being yet willing to make towards their lodging they straied hither and thither in the Forest at the mercy of mercilesse wolues and other sauage beastes Now tell me I praie THEO those that arriued ought they not to asscribe all their contentment to the sunne or to speak like a Christian to the sunns Creatour yes surely for it was high time and yet they dream't not of rising the sunne did them this good office and by a gentle warning of his light and heate came louingly to call them vp T' is true they resisted not his call but he also helped them much euen in that for he spred his light fairely vpon them giuing them a glimps of himselfe through their eyelids and by his heate as by his loue opened their eyes and vrged them to see his day 3. Contrariwise these poore strayers were they not to blame to crie in the woode Alas what haue we done to the sunne that he made vs not see his light as he did our Companions that we might haue arriued at our lodgings and not haue wandred in these hideous obscurities for who would not vndertake the sunns or rather Gods cause my deare THEO to answere these vnfortunate wretches What is it ô you wretches in a manner that the sunne could doe for you and did not his fauours were equall to all yee that slept He essaied you all with the same light touched you with the same raie scattered vpon you a like heate and accursed that you are though you saw your companions rise take their pilgrims stafe to gaine way you turned your backes to the sunne and would not make vse of his light nor be ouercome by his heate 4. See see now THEO what I would saie we are all pilgrims in this mortall life almost all of vs haue willingly slept in sinne God the sunne of Iustice darts vpon vs most sufficiently yea abundantly the beames of his inspirations warmes our hearts with his benedictions touching euery one with the allurements of his loue ah how chance it then that these allurements allure so few and yet draw fewer ah certainly such as first allured afterwards drawen doe follow the inspiration haue great occasion to ioye but not to glorie in it Let them ioye because they enioy a great good yet let them not glorie in it because it is by Gods pure goodnesse who leauing them the profit of their good worke reserues to himselfe the glorie thereof 5. But touching them that remaine in the sleepe of sinne ô what good reason they haue to lament sorrow weepe repent for they are in a most lamentable case yet haue they no reason to sorrow or complaine saue of themselues who despised yea rebelled against light were vntractable by inuitations and obstinate against inspirations so that malediction and confusion ought to follow their malice for euer they onely being authours of their ruine onely workers of their damnation So the Iaponians complaining to S. ZAVâ—RIVS their Apostle that God who had had so much care of other nations seemed to haue forgotten their predecessours not hauing giuen them the knowledge of himselfe by the want whereof they were lost The good man answered them that the diuine naturall law was engrauen in the hearts of all mortalls which if their forerunners had obserued the light of heauen had without doubt illuminated them as contrariwise hauing violated it they merited damnation An apostolicall answere of an Apostolicall man and resembling the reason giuen by the great Apostle of the losse of the auncient gentils whom he calles inexcusable for that hauing knowen good they followed euill for it is in a worde that which he doth inculcate in the first of his Epistles to the Romans miserie vpon miserie be vnto such as doe not acknowledge that their owne miserie proceeds from their malice That we ought to ackowledge the loue we beare to God to be from God CHAPTER VI. 1. THe loue of men towards God takes his beeing progresse and perfection from
how can this be vnderstoode that the Angels who see the Redeemour and in him all the mysteries of our saluation doe yet desire to see him THEO Verily they see him continually but with a viewe so agreeable and delicious that the complacence they take in it doth satiate them without taking away their desire and makes them desire without remouing their Sacietie the fruition is not lessened by the desire but perfected therby as their desire is not cloied but sharpned by the fruition 5. The fruition of a thing which doth continually content doth neuer fade but is renewed and flourisheth incessantly it is still agreeable still amiable The continuall contentment of heauenly louers produceth a desire perseuerantly content as their continuall desire doth beget in them a contentment perseuerantly desired The good which is finite in giuing the possession doth end the desire and in giuing the desire doth dispossesse while it cannot at once be possessed and desired But the infinite Good makes desire raigne with possession and possession with desire finding a way to saciate desire by a holy presence and yet make it liue by the greatnesse of its excellencie which doth nourish in all those that possesse it a continually contented desire and a contentment continually desired 6. Consider THâ—OT such as hold in their mouth the hearbe SCITIQVE for following report they are neither hungrie nor thristie so doth it saciate and yet doe they neuer loose appetite so deliciously doth it nourish them When our will meetes God she reposeth in him taking therein a soueraigne complacence yet without staying the motions of her desire for as she desires to loue so she loues to desire she hath the desire of loue and the loue of desire The repose of the heart consisteth not in immobilitie but in hauing want of nothing Not in not mouing but in not hauing neede to moue 7. The damned are in eternall motion without all mixture of rest we mortalls who are yet in this pilgrimage haue now motion now rest in our affections The Blessed haue continuall repose in their motion and continuall motion in their repose onely God hath repose without motion because he is soueraignely on substantiall and pure act And though according to the ordinarie condition of this mortall life we rest not in motion yet notwithstanding when we make essaies of the exercises of the immortall life that is when we practise the acts of holy loue we find repose in the motion of our affections and motion in the repose of the complacence which we take in our well-beloued receiuing hereby fore-tastes of the future Felicitie to which we aspire 8. If it be true that the Cameleon liues of aire wheresoeuer he goes in the aire he finds foode aÌ„d though he stirre from one place to another it is not to find wherewithall to be satiated but to exercise himselfe in his element as fishes in the sea Who desires God in possessing him doth not desire him to search him but to exercise affection euen in the good which he enioyes for the heart doth not make this motion of desire as pretending the fruition of a thing not had sith it is already had but as dilating it selfe in the fruition which it hath not to obtaine the Good but to recreate and please it selfe therein not to enioye it but to reioyce in it No otherwise then we moue our selues and goe to some delicious garden where being arriued we cease not to walke and stire our selues yet it is not to come thither but being there to walke and passe our time we went to enioye the pleasantnesse of the garden being there we walke to please our selues in the fruition of it Let not in length of time be found a space In which we cease to search t'Almighties face We alwayes seeke whom we alwayes loue saieth the Great S. AVGVSTINE Loue seekes whom it hath found not to haue him but to haue him still 9. Finally THEO the soule who is in the exercise of the loue of complacence cries continually in her sacred silence It suffiseth me that God be God that his Goodnesse be infinite that his perfection be immence whether I liue or not it little imports me sith that my deare well-beloued liues eternally a triumphant life Death it selfe cannot attristate a heart who knowes that its soueraigne Loue liues It is sufficient for a heart that loues that he whom it loues more then it selfe is replenished with eternall happinesse seeing that it liues more in him whom it loues then him whom it doth animate yea that it liues not but its well-beloued liues in it Of a louing condoling by which the complacence of loue is better declared CHAPTER IV. 1. COmpassion condoling commiseration or mercy is no other thing then an affection which makes vs share in the sufferaÌ„ces and griefes of him whom we loue drawing the miserie which he endures into our heart whence it is called MISERICORDIA as one would saie MISERIA CORDIS as complacence doth draw into the louers heart the pleasures and contentments of the thing beloued It is Loue that workes both the effectes by the vertue it hath to vnite the louers heart to the beloued by this meanes making the good and euill which they haue coÌ„mon betwixt them And that which happens in compassion doth much illustrate that which toucheth complacence 2. Compassion takes her grouth from the loue whence she proceedes So we see mothers doe deeply condole the afflictions of their onely children as the Scripture doth often testifie How great was the sorrow of Agars heart vpon the griefe of her Ismael whom she saw well nigh perish with thirst in the Desert How much did DAVIDS soule commiserate the miserie of his Absolon Ah doe you not marke the motherly heart of the great Apostle sicke with the sicke burning with zeale for such as were scandalized with a continuall dolour for the losse of the Iewes and dayely dying for his deare spirituall children But especially coÌ„sider how loue drawes all the paines all the torments trauells sufferances griefes wounds passioÌ„ crosse and death it selfe of our Redeemour into his most sacred Mothers heart Alas the same Nailes that crucified the bodie of this diuine child did also crucifie the mothers heart the same thrones which pearced his head did strike through the heart of this entirely sweete mother she endured the same miseries with her sonne by commiseration the same dolours by condoling the same passions by compassion to be short the sworde of death which transpearced the bodie of this best beloued sonne did stricke through the heart of this most louing mother whence she might well haue saied that he was to her a POSIE OF MIRRHE amidst her breastes that is in her bosome and in the midst of her heart IACOB hearing the sad though false newes of the death of his deare IOSEPH you see how he is afflicted with it ah saied he in sorrow I will descend to hell that is to saie to Lymbo into
euen as the flame began to sease hpon her the Eagle came in with a quicke flight and beholding this vnlooked for and sad spectackle strooke through with griefe she loosed her talons let fall her prey and spred herselfe vpon her poore beloued Mistresse and couering her with her wings as it were to defend her from the fire or for pities sake to embrace her she remained there constant and immoueable couragiously dying and burning with her the ardour of her affection not giuing place to the ardour of flames and fire that by that meanes she might become the VICTIME ād HOLOCAVSTE of her braue and prodigious loue as her Mistresse was already of death and fire 3. O THEO to what a high flight this Eagle moues vs our Sauiour hath bred vs vp from our tender youth yea he formed vs and receiued vs as a louing Nource into the armes of his Diuine Prouidence euen from the time of our Conception Not beeing yet thy holy hand did make me Scarce borne into thy armes thy loue did take me He made vs his owne by Baptisme and by an incomprehensible loue doth tenderly nourish both our bodie and soule to purchace vs life he suffered death and with his owne flesh and blood hath fed vs Ah what rests then my deare THEO what Conclusion are we to draw from hence but onely that such as liue should liue no more to them selues but to him that died for them that is to saie that we should consecrate all the moments of our life to the Diuine Loue of our Sauiours death bringing home to his glorie all our preys all our conquests all our actions all our thoughts and affections Let vs behold THEO this heauenly Redeemour extended vpon the Crosse as vpon a funerall Pile of honour where he died of Loue for vs yea of loue more painefull then death it selfe or a death more pleasant then loue it selfe Ah doe we not spiritually cast our selues vpon him to die vpon the Crosse with him who for the loue of vs freely died I will hold him should we saie if we had the Eagles generositie and will neuer depart from him I will die with him and burne in the flames of his loue one and the same fire shall consume the Diuine Creatour and the miserable creature My IESVS is wholy myne and I am wholy his I will liue and die vpon his breast nor life nor death shall euer separate me from him Thus is the holy Extasie of true loue practised while we liue not according to humane reason and bent but aboue them following the inspiration and instinct of the heauenly Sauiour of our soules Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue CHAPTER IX 1. LOue is strong as death death doth seperate the soule of him that dies from the bodie and from all earthly things Sacred loue doth seperate the Louers soule from the bodie and all earthly things nor is there any other difference sauing that death doth that in effect which loue ordinarily doe onely in affection I saie ordinarily THEO because holy loue is sometimes so violent that euen in effect it causeth a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule making the Louers die a most happie death much better then a thousand liues 2. As it is proper to the Reprobate to die in sinne so is it proper to the Elect to die in the Loue and Grace of God yet in a different manner The iust man neuer dies vnprouided for to haue perseuered in Christian Iustice euen to the end was a good prouision for death He dies indeede sometimes sodainely or a sodaine death For this cause the most wise Church in her Litanies doth teach vs not onely to demand to be deliuered frō sodaine death but sodaine ād vnprouided death It is no worse for being sodaine if it be not withall vnprouided If some weake and common soules had seene fire frō Heauen fall vpon the great S. SIMEON Stilits head and kill him what would they haue thought but thoughts of scandall yet are we to make no other conceit of the matter then that this great Saint hauing perfectly sacrificed himselfe to God in his heart already wholy consumed with loue the fire came from Heauen to perfect the Holocauste and entirely burne it for the Abbot Iulian being a dayes iorney off saw his soule ascend to Heauen and thervpon caused incense to be offered in thankesgiuing to God The Blessed man Good Cremonius on a certaine day set vpon his knees most deuotly to heare Masse rose not at the Ghospell according to custome whēce those that were about him looked vpon him and perceiued he was dead There haue bene in our time most famous men for vertue and learning found dead some in the confession seat others while they heard the Sermon yea some haue bene seene falling downe dead at their going out of the Pulpet where they had preached with great feruour and all these deaths were sodaine yet not vnprouided And how many Good people doe we see die of Apoplexies Lethargies and a thousand other wayes very sodainely others of madnesse and frensie without the vse of reason and all these together with children who are baptised died in Grace and consequently in the Loue of God But how could they die in the Loue of God since they thought not of God at the time of their departure 3. Learned men THEO loose not their knowledge while they are a sleepe for so they would be vnlearned at their awaking and be forced to returne to schoole The like it is of all the habits of Prudence Temperance Faith Hope and Charitie They are continually in the iust mans heart though they be not alwayes in action While a man sleeps it seemes that all his habits sleepe with him and when he awakes awake with him So a iust man dying sodainely or oppressed by a house falling vpon him kill'd by Thunder or stifled with a catarre or else dying out of his senses by the violence of a hote Ague dies not indeede in the exercise of holy Loue yet dies he in the habit thereof wher-vpon the wise-man saieth if the iust-man be preuented by death he shall be in a place of refreshing for it sufficeth to obtaine eternall life to die in the state and habit of loue and Charitie 4. Yet many Saints haue departed this life not onely in Charitie and with the habite of heauenly loue but euen in the act and practise thereof S. AVGVSTINE deceased in the exercise of holy contrition which cannot be without Loue. S. HIEROM in exhorting his deare children to the loue of God their neighbours and vertue S. AMBROSE in a Rapture sweetely discoursing with his Sauiour immediatly after he had receiued the holy Sacrament of the Altar S. ANTONIE of Padua after he had recited a hymne of the glorious virgin-mother and while he spoke with great ioye to our Sauiour S. THOMAS of Aquine ioyning his
this good soule she hath much desired and endeauored to infranchish her selfe of choler wherein God hath assisted her for he hath quite deliuered her from all the sinns which proceede froÌ„ choler she would die rather then vtter one onely iniurious word or to let slipe any showe of hatred And yet she is subiect to the assaults and first motions of this passion which are certaine iertings stirrings and sallies of an angrie mind termed in the Caldaicall Paraphrase SHRVGGINGS saying shrugge but sinne not whereas our sacred version saieth Be angrie but sinne not which in effect is the same thing for the Prophet would onely saie that if anger surprise vs stirring vp in our hearts the first shruggings of sinne we should be carefull not to let our selues be carried further into the passion for so we should offend and though these first stirrings and shruggings be no sinne yet the poore soule that is oft set hard at by them doth trouble afflict aÌ„d disquisquiet herselfe reputing her sorrow a sacrifice to God as though it were the Loue of God that prouoked her to this sorrow And yet THEO it is not heauenly Loue that causeth this trouble it neuer being offended but at sinne it is selfe-Loue that desires to be freed from the paines and toyles which the assaults of anger drawes vpoÌ„ vs. Nor is it the offence that offends vs in these stirrings of anger there being none at all committed it is the paine we are put to in resisting that disquiets vs. 4. These rebellions of the sensuall appetite as well irascible as concupiscible are left in vs for our exercise to th' end we might practise spirituall valour in resisting them They are they Philistians against whom the true Israelits are still to fight but shall neuer put them to flight they may weaken them but neuer quite ouerthrow them They liue with vs and neuer die but with vs. They are truly execrable and detestable as being bred by sinne and fed of sinne whence as we are termed earth because we take our descent from earth and to earth runne back againe so this rebellion is named sinne by the great Apostle as being issue of sinne and drawing still that wayward though it neuer makes vs guiltie vnlesse we second and obey it wherevpon the same Apostle doth exhort vs that we permit it not to raigne in our mortall bodie to be subiect vnto it He prohibits vs not to feele but onely not to consent to it He doth not ordaine that we should hinder sinne to enter into vs but he commands that it should not raigne in vs It is in vs when we feele the rebellion of the sensuall appetite but it doth not raigne in vs vnlesse we giue consent vnto it The Phisitian will neuer giue order that the sicke of an ague should not be drie for that were too great a follie marrie he will tell him that though he be drie he must abstaine from drinking No man will be so mad as to bid a woman with child longe for no extrauagant things for it is not in her power well may one desire her to discouer her longings to th' end that if she longes for hurtfull things one might diuert her imagination least the phantasie might get dominion ouer her heart 5. The sting of the flesh forerunner of Satan did rudely treate the good S. PAVLE to haue inâ—â—ted him into the precipice of sinne The poore Apostle endured this as a shamefull and infamous wrong and therevpon termed it a boxing or buffetting and petitioned to God to be deliuered of it but he heard from God Paule my grace is sufficient for thee for vertue is perfected in infirmitie whereat this holy man submitting himselfe willingly then quoth he will I glorie in myne infirmities that the vertue of Christ may dwell in me But take notice I beseech you that there is sensuall rebellion euen in this admirable vessell of Election who in ruÌ„ning to the remedie of Praier doth teach vs that we are to vse the same armes against the temptatioÌ„s we feele Note further that God doth not alwayes permit those cruell reuoults in man for the punishment of sinne but to manifest the force and vertue of the Diuine assistance and grace Finally marke how we are not onely not to be disquieted in our temptations and infirmities but are euen to glorie to be infirme that therby Gods vertue may appeare in vs sustaining our weeknesse against the force of the suggestion and temptation for the glorious Apostle cals the stingings and shooting of the impurities which he endured his infirmities and yet he saieth he glories in them for be 't that he felt them by his miserie yet through Gods mercy he consented not to them 6. Certes as I haue alreadie saied the church condemned the errour of certaine Solitarists who held that we might be perfectly deliuered euen in this world of the passion of Anger Concupiscence Feare and the like It is Gods will we should haue enemies and it is also his will that we â—hould repulse them Let vs theÌ„ behaue our selues couragiously betwixt the one and th' other will of God enduring with patience to be assaulted and endeauoring with courage by resistance to make head against the assaults How we are to vnite our will with Gods in the permission of sinne CHAPTER VIII 1. GOd doth soueraignely hate sinne and yet he doth most wisely permit it to leaue reasonable creaturs free in their actions according to the condition of their nature and to make the good more commendable while hauing power to transgresse the law they doe not for all that transgresse it Let vs therefore adore and blesse this holy permission But since the Prouidence which doth permit the sinne doth infinitly hate it let vs also detest and hate it desiring with all our heart that sinne permitted may not be committed And in sequele of this desire let vs make vse of all the meanes possible to hinder the birth groth and raigne of sinne imitating our Sauiour therein who neuer ceaseath to exhort to promise to menace to prohibite to command and inspire vs to turne our will from sinne so farreforth as is possible without depriuing vs of libertie But when the sinne is once committed let vs endeauore what we are able to haue it blotted out as our Sauiour who assured Carpus aboue mentioned that if it were requisit he was readie to suffer death againe to deliuer one onely soule from sinne But if the Sinner waxe obstinate let vs weepe THEO moane praie for him together with our Sauiour who hauing all his life time shed an aboundance of teares vpon sinners and such as did represent theÌ„ died in the end his eyes full of teares his bodie goarie with blood lamenting the losse of sinners This affection touched Dauid so to the quicke that he fell into a traunce vpon it I haue sownded saieth he for sinners abandoning thy law And the great Apostle protest's that a continuall sorrow possesseth his
death for Gods glorie yet it is also true that it is but onely one act one onely testimonie which indeede is the Maister peece of Charitie but besids it Charitie exacts many things at our hands and so much more ardently and instantly as they are acts more easie common and ordinarie amongst all the Louers and more generally necessarie to the conseruation of Diuine Loue. O miserable Saphricius durst thou be bould to affirme that thou loued'st God as thou ought'st whil'st thou doest not preferre the will of God before the passion of hatred and ranckour entertained in thy heart against the poore Nicephorus To be willing to die for God is one and the greatest but not the onely act of Loue which we owe to God To will this act onely with excluding the others is not charitie but vanitie Charitie is not fantasticall which yet she would be in the highst degree if being resolued to please the Beloued in things of greatest difficultie she would permit one to displease hī in matters of of lesse momēt How should he die for God who will not liue accordīg to God 5. A well ordered mind that is resolued to die for a friend would also without doubt vndergoe all other things for he that hath once despised death ought not to set by other things But the mind of man is weake inconstant and humorous wherevpon he doth oft rather choose to die then to vndergoe farre slighter paines willingly changing life for a friuelous childish and extreamely vaine contentment Agripina hauing learn't that the child which she bore should indeede be Emperour but yet that he would put her to death Let him kill me quoth she prouided that he raigne marke I praie you the disorder of this foolishly louing mothers heart she preferr's her sonn 's dignitie before her owne life Cato and Cleopatra choosed death rather then to see their enemies exult and glorie in hauing them And Lucrecia found it easier to precipitate herselfe impetuously vpon death then vniustly to be branded with the shame of a fact whereof she seemed not guiltie How many are there that would willingly embrace death for their friend who yet would not liue in their seruice or yet accomplish their other desires Such there are as will lay open their life to danger who yet will not open their purse And though there be many found who engage their life for their friends defence yet scarcely is there one found in an age that will engage his libertie or loose an ounce of the most vaine and vnprofitable reputation or renowne in the world be it for neuer so deare a friend A Confirmation of that which hath bene saied by a notable comparison CHAPTER IX 1. YOu know THEO of what nature Iacobs loues towards Rachel were and what did not he doe to testifie their greatenesse force and fidelitie euen from the houre he had saluted her at the head of the fountaine For frō thenceforth neuer did he cease to die of loue for her and to game her in Marriage he serued seuē whole yeares with an incredible desire conceiuing yet in himselfe that all this was nothing so did Loue sweetē the paines which he supported for his beloued Rachel whereof being after frustrated he serued yet other seuen yeares space to obtaine her so constant loyall and couragious was he in his affection And hauing at length obtained her he neglected all other affections yea and had in a manner in no esteeme euen Lia her seruice though his first Spouse a woman of great merite worthy to be cherished and of the neglect whereof euen God himselfe tooke compassion so remarkable it was 2. But all this being done which was euen sufficient to haue brought downe the most disdainefull wench in the world to the loue of so loyall a Louer it is a shame verily to see the weaknesse which Rachel made appeare in her affectiō to Iacob The poore neglected Lia had no tye of Loue with Iacob saue her onely fertilitie whereby she had made him a father to foure Sonn's the eldest whereof named RVBEN being gone forth into the fields in the time of wheat-haruest he found Mandragores which he gathered and after his returne home presented to his mother Which Rachel espying saied giue me part of thy Sonns Mandragores she answered doest thou thinke it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband from me vnlesse thou take also my Sonn 's Mandragores Goe too saied Rachel for thy Sonn 's Mandragores let him sleepe with thee this night She accepted the condition and when Iacob returned at euen from the field Lia went out to meete him ād saied with ioyfull cheere this night thou art myne my deare Lord and friend because with wages I haue hired thee for my Sonn 's Mādragores and with this vp and told him the compact which had passed betwixt her and Rachel But from Iacob beleeue it there was no words heard being struck with a maisement and hauing his heart seased with the weakenesse and inconstancie of Rachel who for a thing of nothing had forsaken for a whole night the honour and content of his presence For speake the truth THEO was it not a strange and vaine lightnesse in Rachel to preferre a companie of little Aples before the chast loues of so louing a husband If it had yet bene done for Kingdomes for Monarkies but to doe it for a poore handfull of Mandragores THEOTIME what conceite frame you of it 3. And yet returning home to our owne bosomes ah good God how oft doe we make elections infinitly more shamefull and wretched The great S. AVGVSTINE vpon a time tooke pleasure leasurely to view and contemplate Mandragores the better to discerne the cause why Rachel had so passionatly coueted them And he found that they were indeede pleasing to the view and of a delightfull smell yet altogether insipide and without gust Now Plinie recounts that when the Surgeōs orders that such as they are to cut should drinke the iuyce of them to th' end they might not feele the smart of the lance it happens often that the very smell doth worke the operation and doth sufficiently put the patient into a sleepe wherevpon the Mandragora is held a bewitching Plant which doth inchant the eyes sorrowes and all kind of passions by sleepe For the rest he that smels the sent of them too long turnes deafe and he that drinks too much of them dies without redemption 4. THEOT could pompes riches and terreane delights be better represented they haue a gaining out-side but ah he that bites this aple that is he that sounds their natures finds neither taste nor contentment in them Neuerthelesse they doe so inchant and bewitch vs with the vanities of their smell and the renowne which the Sonn 's of the world giue them doth benumme and put those into a deepe sleepe which doe attentiuely linger in them or such as receiue them in too great aboundance And alas these are the Mandragores the Chimera's
conserue life after Charities death who gaue them life The Lake which profane authours doe commonly call Asphalitus and sacred authours MARE-MORTVVM hath so heauie a curse put vpon it that nothing that is put into it can liue when the fish of Iordaine doe come neere it they die vnlesse they speedily returne backe against the streame The trees vpon the brims of it produce nothing aliue and though their fruit be in apparance and autward shew like to the fruits of other countries howbeit when on puls them they are found to be skinne and core being full of asshes which flie away in the wind These be the markes of infamous sinns for the punishment whereof this Coūtrie which was peopled with three populous Cities was of old conuerted into a pit of filth and corruption and nothing was deamed better to represent the mischeife of sinne then this abominable Lacke which had its origine from the most execrable disorder that could be cōmitted by mans bodie Sinne therefore as a dead and mortall sea kills all that comes neere it nothing is found liuing in the soule which it possesseth nor all about it O God THEO nothing for sinne is not onely a dead worke but is withall so infections and venimous that the most excellent vertues of the sinfull soule doe produce no liuing action And though the actions of sinners haue oftentimes a great resemblance with those of the iust man yet are they indeede barkes onely stuffed with wind and dust whē they are truely looked into and are rewarded of God onely by some present benefits which are bestowed vpō thē as vpon the chambermaids children yet are they such barkes as neither are nor can be so tasted and relished by the Diuine Iustice as to be rewarded with an eternall crowne they die vpon the trees and cannot be conserued in the hand of God being voyd of true worth as it is saied in the Apocalypse to the Bishop of Sardis who was reputed a liuing tree by reason of diuers vertues which he practised and yet dead he was for that being in sinne his vertues were not true liuing fruits but dead barkes glorious to the eyes but no wayes sauorie to the palate so that we may all cast out this true voice following the holy Apostle without Charitie I am nothing nothing doth profit me and with S. AVGVSTINE saie Giue Charitie to a heart and all doth profit depriue it of Charitie and nothing doth profit it I meane towards life euerlasting for as we haue saied the vertuous works of sinners are profitable to our temporall life But my deare THEO what doth it profit a man to gaine all the world temporally if he loose his soule eternally How holy Loue returning into the soule doth reuiue all the works which sinne had slayne CHAPTER XII 1. THe works then of a sinner while he is depriued of Charitie are not profitable to eternall life and therevpon they are called dead works whereas contrariwise the good works of the iust man are saied to be liuing for that the Diuine Loue doth animate and quicken them with its dignitie And if afterwards they loose their life and worth by sinne they are held to be workes that are deaded extinguished or mortified onely but not quite deade especially in the Elect for as our Sauiour speaking of the little Tabitha Iarus his daughter said she was not dead but slept onely because she continued dead so small a time till she was resuscitated that it seemed rather to be a sleepe then a true death So the works of the iust man but especially of the elect who by the commission of sinne dyeth are not called dead works but onely deaded mortified stounded or put into a trance because vpon the next returne of holy Loue they either ought or at least may reuiue and returne to life againe Sinn 's returne depriues the soule and all her workes of life the returne of Grace doth restore life to the soule and all her actions A sharpe winter doth dead all the plants of the fields so that if it continued still they would still continew in the state of death Sinne the sad and daunting winter of the soule doth quayle all the holy workes that it finds there in and if it did alwayes continew neuer would any thing recouer either life or vigour But as in the returne of the pleasant spring not onely the seedes which are sowē by the helpe of this delightfull and fruitfull season doe gratefully bud and blossome euery one in his kind but euen the old plants which the rigour of the winter past had bitten withered and deaded waxe greene and doe resume new force vertue and life So sinne being blotted out and the grace of Diuine Loue returning into the soule the new affections which this spring of grace doth bring doe blossome and bring forth ample merites and blessings but the works that are dried vp and withered by the rigour of the winter of sinns ouer passed as being deliuered from their mortall enemye resume their force waxe strong and as risen from the dead they florish a new and store vp merits for the eternall life Such is the omnipotencie of Diuine Loue or the Loue of the Diuine omnipotencie If the impious turne away himselfe from his impietie and shall doe iudgement and iustice he shall viuificate his soule conuert and doe penance for all your iniquities and iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you saieth our Lord. And what is that iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you but that the ruine which it made shall be repaired So besides a thousand courtisies that the prodigall sonne receiued at his Fathers hands he was reestablished euen with aduantage in all his ornaments graces fauours and dignities which he had lost And IOB that innocent picture of a penitent sinner did in the end receiue the double of that which he had Verily it is the Councell of Trēts desire that we should encourage the penitents that are returned into fauour with God allmightie in these words of the Apostle Abound in euery good worke knowing that your labour is not vnprofitable in our Lord for God is not vniust to forget your worke and the Loue which you haue showen in his name God then doth not forget the works of those who by sinne hauing lost loue recouers it againe by penance Now God is saied to forget our workes whē they loose their merite and sanctitie by sinne committed and he remembers them when they returne to life and vigour by the presence of holy Loue. So that amongst the faithfull it is not necessarie to the reward of their good works as well by the encrease of grace and future glorie as by the enioying of life euerlasting in effect that one fall not into sinne but it is sufficient according to the Councell of Trent that one depart this life in God's grace and charitie 2. God hath promised an eternall reward to the works of a iust man but if the
hath left in man deepe markes of his anger yea euen a middest the graces of his Mercy as for example the necessitie of death sicknesse labours the rebellion of the sensualitie yet the Diuine Assistance hauing the vpper hand of all these takes pleasure to conuert these miseries to the greatest aduantage of such as loue him making Patience rise out of their trauailes the Contempt of the world out of the necessitie of death a thousand victories ouer Concupiscence and as the Rainebowe touching the Thorne ASPALATHVS makes it more odoriferous then the Lillie so our Sauiours Redemption touching our miseries makes them more profitable and amiable then Originall Iustice could euer haue bene The Angels in heauen saieth our Sauiour doe more ioy in one penitent sinner them in nintie nine iust and so the State of Redemption is an hundred times better then that of Innocencie Verily by being watered with our Sauiours Blood caused by the Isoppe of the Crosse we are reduced to a whitnesse incomparably more excellent then the snow of innocencie returning out of the Flood of health with NAMAN more pure and vnspotted as though we had neuer bene Leprous to th' end that the diuine Maiestie as he hath also ordained we should doe might not be ouercome by euill but ouercome euill by good that his Mercy as a sacred oyle might keepe aboue Iudgment and his commiseration surpasse all his workes Of certaine speciall fauours exercised by the diuine prouidence in the Redemption of man CHAPTER VI. 1. CErtainly God doth admirably show the riches of his incomprehensible power in this great varietie of things which we see in Nature Yet doth he make the Treasurs of his infinite Bountie more magnificently appeare in the incomparable varietie of benefits which we acknowledge in Grace For THEOTIME he was not content with the holy excesse of his Mercy in sending to his people that is to Mankind a generall and vniuersall Redemption by meanes wherof euery one might be saued but moreouer he diuersified it in so many sorts that his Liberalitie did shine amiddest that varietie and that varietie againe did mutually imbellish his Lliberalitie 2. And following this he first of all prepared for his most holy Mother a fauour worthy the loue of a Sonne who being most wise omnipotent and good was to prouide himselfe of a Mother to his liking and thefore he ordained that his Redemption should be applied to her by way of a preseruatiue to th' end that sinne which ranne from generation to generation might stop before it came at her so that she was ransomed in so excellent a manner that although the Torrent of originall iniquitie came rolling her vnfortunate waters vpon the Conception of this sacred Lady euen with as great impetuositie as against the daughters of ADAM yet being arriued there it did not dare a further passage but made a sodaine staie as did of old the waters of Iordaine in the daies of IOSVE and for the same respect for the flood stopt his course in reuerence of the Ark of Alliance which passed and originall sinne made his waters retire adoring and dreading the presence of the true Tabernacle of Eternall Alliance 3. In this sort then God deturned all bondage from his glorious Mother giuing her the good of both the states of humane nature retaining the Innocencie which the first ADAM had lost and enioying in an excellent sort the Redemption which the second did acquire Whence as a garden of election which was to bring fourth the fruite of life she was made florishing in all sorts of perfections This sonne of eternall loue hauing thus decked his Mother with a Robe of gold wrought in faire varietie that she might be the Queene of his right hand that is to saie the first of the elect which should enioy the delightes of God's right hand so that this sacred Mother as being altogether reserued for her Sonne was by him infranchised not onely from damnation but euen from all danger of damnation giuing her Assurance of grace and the Perfection of grace not vnlike an Aurora who beginning to appeare encreaseth continually in brightnesse till perfect day light Admirable redemption Master-pece of the Redemour and Prime of all Redemptions by which the sonne with a truly filiall heart preuented his Mother in the benedictions of sweetnesse he preserued her not onely from sinne as he did the Angels but euen from all danger of sinne and euery thing that might diuert of hinder her in the exercise of holy Loue. Protesting that amongst all the reasonable Creaturs he had chosen this Mother was his onely Doue his entirely perfect his wholie deare well beloued without all paragon and comparison 4. God also appointed other sauours for a small number of rare Creaturs whom he would assure from the perill of damnation as certainly he did S. IOHN BAPTIST and probably IEREMIE with certaine others which the Diuine Prouiuidence seased vpon in their mothers wombe and stated vpon them a Perpetuitie of Grace by which they might remaine firme in his Loue though subiect to delaies and veniall sinnes which are contrarie to the perfection of Loue not to Loue it selfe and these soules in regard of others are as Queenes continually crowned with Charitie holding the principall place in the loue of their Sauiour next to his Mother who is Queene of Queenes A Queene not onely crowned with Loue but with the Perfectiō of loue yea which is yet more crowned with her owne Sonne the soueraigne obiect of Loue being that childrē are theire Fathers and Mothers crownes 5. There are yet other soules which God determined for a time to leaue exposed to the danger not of loosing their saluation but yet in perill to loose his Loue yea he permitted them to loose it in effect not assuring them Loue for the whole time of their life but onely for the periode therof and for certaine precedent times Such were the APOSTLES DAVID MADELAINE and diuerse others who for a time remained out of God's grace but in the end being throughly conuerted they were confirmed in grace vntill death so that though from thence they continued subiect to imperfections yet were they exempt from all mortall sinne and consequently from danger of loosing the Diuine loue and were as the heauenly spouse his sacred soules adorned indeede with a wedding garment of this holy loue yet for all that not crowned a crowne being an ornament of the head that is of the prime part of a man now the first yeares of the Soules of this ranck hauing bene subiect to terreane loue they were not to be adorned with the crowne of heauenly loue but it is sufficient for them to weare the Robe which renders them capable of the marriage-bede with the heauenly Spouse and to be eternally happie with him How admirable the diuine prouidence is in the diuersitie of graces giuen to men CHAPTER VII 1. THere was then in the eternall Prouidence an incomparable fauour for the Queene of Queenes
be idle he vrgeth vs by this generall commandement to imploy it and to th' end this commandement might haue effect he furniseth euery liuing creature abundantly with all meanes requisite thervnto The visible Sunne toucheth euery thing with his liuely heate and as the common louer of things belowe doth impart vnto them requisite vigour to produce And euen so the diuine goodnesse doth animate all soules and encourage all hearts to her loue none at all being shut vp from her heate The eternall wisdome sayeth Salomon preacheth in publicke she makes her voice resoūd amōgst the places she cries ād recries before the people she pronoūceth her words in the gates of the Citie saying ô children how long will it be that you will loue your infancie how long will fooles desire hurtfull things and the imprudent hate knowledge Conuert your selues returne to me vpon this aduertissement ah behould how I profer you my spirit and I will shew you my wordes And the same wisdome pursueth in EZECHIEL saying Let no man saye I am dead in sinne and how cā I recouer life againe Ah no! for harke God saieth I am liuing and as true as I liue I will not the death of a sinner but that he be conuerted and liue Now to liue according to God is to loue and he that loues not remaines in death See now THEOTIME whether God doth not desire we should loue him 2. But he is not content to denounce in this manner publickly his great desire to be loued so that euery one might receiue a part of the seedes of his loue but he goes euen from doore to doore knocking and beating protesting that if any one open he will enter and suppe with him that is he will testifie all sorts of good will towards him 3. But what would all this saie THEOTIME but that God doth not onely giue vs a meere sufficiencie of meanes to loue him and in louing him to saue our selues but euen a rich ample and magnificent sufficiencie and such as ought to be expected from so great a bountie as his The great Apostle speaking to the obstinate sinner Dost thou contemne saieth he the riches of the bountie patience and longanimitie of God art thou ignorant that the benignitie of God doth draw thee to penāce But thou according to thy hardnesse ād impenitēt heart dost heape vp against thy selfe anger in the day of Anger My deare THEO God doth not therfore exercise a meere sufficiencie of remedies to conuert the obstinate but imployes to this end the riches of his bountie The Apostle as you see doth oppose the riches of God's goodnesse against the treasurs of the impenitēt hearts malice and saieth that the malicious heart is so rich in iniquitie that he despiseth euē the riches of Gods mildnesse by which he drawes him to repentance and marke that the obstinate doth not onely contemne the riches of God's goodnesse but euē riches attractiue to repentance Riches wherof one cānot well be ignorant verily this rich heape and abundant sufficiencie of meanes which God freely bestoweth vpon sinners to loue him doth appeare almost through the whole Scripture For see this diuine Louer at the gate he doth not simply beate but stayes beating he calls the Soule goe to rise my well-beloued dispach put thy hād to the locke to try whether it will open When he preacheth amidst the places he doth not simply preach but goes crying out that is he continues his crie and when he proclaims that euery one should conuert themselues he thinkes he hath neuer repeated it sufficiently Conuert your selues conuert your selues doe penance returne to me liue why dost thou die ô house of Israel In conclusion this heauenlie Sauiour forgets nothing to shew that his mercyes are aboue all his workes that his mercy doth surpasse his Iudgment that his Redemption is copious that his loue is infinite and as the Apostle saieth that he is rich in mercy and by consequence that his will is that all men should be saued none perish How the eternall loue of God doth preuent our hearts with his inspirations to th' end we might loue him CHAPTER IX 1. I Haue loued thee with a perpetuall charitie ād therfore haue drawen thee vnto me hauing pitie and mercy vpon thee and againe I will reedifie thee and thou shalt be built againe virgin of ISRAEL These are God's wordes by which he promiseth that the Sauiour coming into the world shall establish a new raigne in his Church which shall be his Virgin-spouse and true spirituall Israëlite 2. Now as you see THEOT it was not by any merit of the workes which we had done that he saued vs but according to his mercy his auncient yea eternall charitie which moued his diuine Prouidence to draw vs vnto him For if the father had not drawne vs we had neuer come to the Sonne our Sauiour nor consequently to saluation 3. There are certaine birds THEOT which Aristotle calls Apodes for that their legges being extreamly short and their feete feable they haue no more vse of them then though they had none at all so that if at any time they light vpon the groūd they are caught neuer after being able to take flight because hauing no seruice of their legges or feete they haue no further power to rayse and regaine themselues into the ayre but remaine there peuling and dying vnlesse some winde fauorable to their impotencie sending out his blastes vpon the face of the earth sease vpon them and beare them vp as it doth many other things For then making vse of their winges they correspond to this first touch and motion which the winde gaue them it also continewing it's assistance towards them bringing them by little and little to flight 4. THEO Angels are like to the birds which for their beautie and raritie are called birds of Paradice neuer seene in earth but dead For those heauenlie spirits had no sooner forsaken Diuine loue to be fixed vpon Selfe loue till sodainely they fell as dead buried in Hell seeing that the same effect which death hath in men seperating them euerlastingly from this mortall life the same had the Angels fall in them excluding them for euer from eternall life But we mortalls doe rather resemble Apodes For if it chance that we quitting the ayre of holy and diuine loue fall vpon the earth and adheare to creaturs which we doe as often as we offend God we die indeede yet not so absolute a death that there resteth in vs no motiō together with legges and feete to wit some weake affectiōs which enableth vs to make some essaies of loue yet so weakly that in trueth we are impotēt of our selues to reclaime our hearts from sinne or restore our selues to the flight of sacred loue which catifs that we are we haue perfideously and voluntarily forsaken 5. And truely we should well deserue to remaine abandoned of God sith we haue disloyally abandoned him but his eternall charitie doth often not
marke the young man of the Ghospell whom our Sauiour loued and who coÌ„sequently was in Charitie certes he neuer dream'd of selling all he had to giue it to the poore and follow our Sauiour nay though our Sauiour had giuen him such an inspiration yet had he not the courage to put it in executioÌ„ In these great works THEO onely inspirations are not sufficient but further we must be fortified to be able to effect that which the inspiratioÌ„ inclines vs to As againe in the fierce assaultes of extraordinarie teÌ„ptations the speciall and particular presence of heauenly succours is altogether necessarie For this cause the holy Church makes vs so frequently crie out Excite our hearts ô Lord preuent our actions by breathing vpon vs and in aiding vs accompanie vs O Lord be prompt to helpe vs and the like therby to obtaine grace to be able to effect excellent and extraordinarie works and more frequently and feruently to exercise ordinarie ones as also more ardently to resist smale temptations and more valliently to encounter great ones S. ANTONIE was assailed by a hideous legion of Diuels whose rage hauing a long time sustained not without incredible paine and torment at length he espied the couer of his Cell deuided and a heauenly raie enter the breach which made the blacke and disordered Route of his enemies vanish in a moment and deliuered him of the paine of his wounds receiued in that schirmish whence he perceiued God's particular presence and casting out a grone towards the brightnesse where wast thou ô good IESVS quoth he where wast thou why wast thou not here from the beginning to haue remedied my paine It was answered him froÌ„ aboue Antonie I was here but I expected the euent of thy combat And sithens thou behaued thy selfe brauely and valiently I will be thy continuall aide But in what the valour and courage of this braue spirituall Combatant did consist he himselfe another time declars that being set vpon by a Diuell who professed to be the Spirit of fornicatioÌ„ this Glorious Sainte after many words worthy of his great courage fell a singing the 7. verse of the 115. Psalme Th' eternall God is my defence In him it is I stand I weigh no enemies pretence I dread no hostell band And our Sauiour reuealed to S. CATHERINE of Sienna that he was in the midst of her heart in a cruell temptation she had as a Captaine in the midst of a Fort to hold it and that without his succour she had lost her selfe in the battell It is the like in all the hote assaults which our enemie makes against vs and we may well saie with IACOB that it is the Angell that doth warrant vs in all and sing with the great king DAVID The Pastour who doth guid my way Is God who rules this ROVND VVhile I to his commands obey At wish all things abound VVhen he behoulds my soules destresse Her Anguish griefe or care His Goodnesse grant's a quick redresse And th ruines doth râ—paire So that we ought often to repeate this exclamaâ—ion and Praier â—o houre want I thy Bounti 's hand Each where I 'm garded by thy Grace That in thy heauenâ—y PROMISED LAND Obtaine I might a MANSION PLACE Touching holy perseuerance in sacred Loue. CHAPTER IIII. 1. EVen as a tender mother leading with her her little babe doth assist and support him according as neede requires letting him now and then aduenture a step by himselfe in plaine or lesse dangerous way now taking him by the hand to weeld him now taking him vp in her armes and bearing him so our Sauiour hath a continuall care to conduct his children that is such as are in Charitie making theÌ„ walke before him reaching them his hand in difficulties and bearing them himselfe in such paines as he sees otherwise insupportable vnto theÌ„ which he declared by ISAIE saying I am thy GOD taking thee by the hand and saying feare not I haue helped thee So that with a strong courage we must haue a firme confidence in God and his assistance for if we faile not to second his Grace he will accomplish in vs the happie worke of our Saluation which he also began working in vs both the VELLE and PERFICERE as the Holy Councell of Trent doth assure vs. 2. In this conduct which the heauenly sweetenesse daignes to our soules from their entry to Charitie vntill their finall perfection which is not finished but in the period of life doth the great gift of Perseuerance consist to which our Sauiour annecteth the greater gift of eternall glorie following that which he saieth he that shall perseuer to the end shall be saued for this gift is no other thing then a setting together and a continuing of the diuers supports solaces and succours wherby we continew in the Loue of God till death as the education breeding and feeding of a child is no other thing theÌ„ the many cares aides and succours aÌ„d other offices befitting a child exercised and continued towards him till he grow to yeares in which he shall not neede them 3. But the continuance of succours and helpes are not equall in all those that perseuer for in some it is short as in such as were coÌ„uerted a little before their death so it happened to the good Thiefe so to the Sergeant who seeing S. IAMES his constancie made forthwith profession of Faith and became a companion of the Matyrdome of this great Apostle so to the glorious Porter who kept the 40. Martyrs in SEBASTE who seeing one of them loose courage and forsake the crowne of Martyrdome did put himselfe in his place aÌ„d at oÌ„ce became Christian Martyr and Glorious so to the Notarie of whom mention is made in S. ANTONIE of Padua his life who hauing all his life bene a false villaine yet died a Martyr And so it hapned to a thousand others whom we haue seene and red that they died well after an ill life And as for these they stand not in neede of a great varietie of succours but vnlesse some great temptation crosse their way may performe this short perseuerance by the onely Charitie giuen then and by the aides by which they were conuerted For they arriue at the PORT without sailing and finish their pilgrimage in one onely iumpe which the puissant mercy of God made them take in so due time that their enemies saw them triumphe before they stroke so that their conuersion and perseuerance were scarcely distinguished and if one would be exact in the proprietie of words the grace which they receiued of God wherby they attained as soone the issue as the entry of their pretentions could not well be termed Perseuerance though otherwise holding in effect the place of perseuerance in that it giues saluation we comprehend it vnder the name of Perseuerance Now in others Perseuerance is longer as in S. ANNE the Prophetesse in S. IOHN the Euangelist S. PAVLE the first Hermite S. HILARION S. ROMWALD S FRANCIS
that loue is strong as death sharpe in battaile as hell how can the forces of deth or hell that is sinne vanquish loue which at least doth equalize them in strength and doth passe them in friends and right Yea how can it be that a reasonable soule that hath once relished so great a sweetenesse as is that of heauenly loue can euer willingly swallow the bitter waters of sinne children though children being fed with milke with butter ād honie abhorre the bitternesse of wormewoode and Orpin being readie to fall downe with weeping when they are constrained to take them All then o true God the soule once ioyned to the goodnesse of the Creator how can she forsake him to follow the vanitie of the creature 3. My deare THEO the heauens them selues stand amazed their ports doe burst with feare and the Angels of peace are lost in astonishment at this prodigious miserie of mans heart abandoning so amiable a good to ioyne it selfe to things so deplorable But haue you neuer seene the little marueill which euery one knowes and yet few knows the reason of it when a full barrill is broched the wine will not runne vnlesse it haue aire giuen from aboue which yet happens not to barrels already drawen on for they are no sooner open but the wine runnes Certes in this mortall life though our soules abound with heauenly loue yet are they neuer so full therwith that by temptation this loue may not depart but in heauē when the sweetenesse of Gods beautie shall occupie all our vnderstanding and the delightes of his Goodnesse shall wholy satiate our wills so that there shall be nothing which the fullnesse of his loue shall not replenish no obiect though it penetrate euen to our hearts can euer draw or make rūne one sole drope of the precious liquour of our heauenly loue And to think to giue aire aboue that is to deceiue or surprise the vnderstanding it shall no more be possible for it shall be immouable in the apprehension of the soueraigne TRVTH 4. So wine well purified and separated from the lees is easily keept harmelesse when it is tossed and troubled but that which is vpon the lees is in continuall danger and as for vs so long as we are in this world our soules are vpon the lees or tartar of a thousand humours and miseries and consequently easie to be changed and turned into their loue But being in heauen where as in the great feast described by Isaie there shall be wine purified from the dregges we shall be no longer subiect to change but shall be inseparably vnited by loue to our soueraigne good Here in the twie-light of day breake we are affraide that in lieu of the Spouse we fall vpon some other obiect which may delay and deceiue vs but when we shall find him aboue where he takes his repast and repose in the cleare day of glorie there will be no occasion to be deceiued for his light will be too cleare ād his sweetenesse will tye vs so closely to his goodnesse that we shall not haue the power to will to vntye our selues 5. We are like to Corall which in the sea the place of it's origine is pale-greene weake bowing and a pliable shrub but being pulled out of the sea as from it's mothers wombe it becomes almost a stone firme and impliable changing it's pale-greene into a liuely vermillion for so we being as yet amidst the sea of this world the place of our birth are obnoxius to strang changes pliable vpon euery occasion by inspiration to the right hand of heauenly loue by temptation to the left of terrene loue But if being once drawen out of this mortalitie we shall haue changed the pale-greene of our doubtfull hopes into the liuely red of assured fruition we shall neuer more be moueable but make a setled demoure for euer in eternall loue 6. It is impossible to see the Diuinitie and not loue it but here below where we doe not see it but onely haue a glimps of it through the cloudes of faith as in a myrror our knowledge is not yet so perfect as not to leaue entrie to the surprises of other obiects and apparant good which through the obscuritie mixed with the certaintie and veritie of faith doe insensibly steale in as little fox cubs and demolishe our florishing vine To conclude THEO when we haue charitie our free-will is deck't with her wedding garment which as she can still keepe on if she please in well doing so she can put it of if she please in offending How the soule waxeth coole in holy Loue. CHAPTER II. 1. THe soule is often contristated and afflicted in the bodie yea euen to the forgoing of many of the members thereof which remaine depriued of motion and sense though she neuer forsake the heart where she is still entirely till the periode of life So charitie is sometimes so quelled and made to languish in the heart that it doth scarcely appeare in any action though yet the remaine entire in the supreame region of the soule And then it is that vnder the multitude of veniall sinns as vnder finders the fire of holy Loue remaines couert its light being smothered though not deaded or extinguished for as the presence of the Diamant doth hinder the exercise and action of the Adamants propertie in drawing iron ād yet doth not depriue her of it hauing her operatiō as soone as the obstackle is remoued so the presence of veniall sinns doth in no sort depriue charitie of her force and power to worke yet doth it as it were benume and depriue her of the vse of her actiuitie So that she remaines sterill and barren without action Certes nor veniall nor yet the affection to veniall sinne is contrarie to the essentiall resolution of charitie which is to preferre God before all things because by this sinne we loue things besides reason not against reason we deferre a little too much and more thē is conuenient to creatures yet doe not we preferre them before the Creator we make more delay then is fitting in terrene things yet doe we not for all that forsake heauenly things In fine this kind of sinne doth impeach vs in the way of charitie but doth not put vs out of it and therefore veniall sinne not being contrarie to Charitie it neuer destroies her either wholy or partially 2. God signified to the Bishope of Ephesus that he had forsaken his prime charitie when he saieth not that he was without charitie but onely that he was not such as in the beginning that is that he was not now prompt feruent flourishing and frutefull as we are wount to saie of him who was braue cheerefull and frolicke and afterwards becomes harsh dull and lowtish that he is now the same man he was for our meaning is not that he is not the same in substance but onely in his actions and exercises And euen our Sauiour saieth that in the later daies the
charitie of many shall waxe cold that is she shall not be so actiue and couragious by reason of feare and griefe which shall oppresse mens hearts Sure it is that coÌ„cupiscence hauing coÌ„ceiued doth engeÌ„der sinne but this sinne though sinne indeede doth not still beget the death of the soule but theÌ„ onely when it is compleate in malice and when it is consummate and accomplished as S. IAMES saieth who in this doth establish so cleare a difference betwixt mortall and veniall sinne that it is strang that some in our age haue had the impudence to deney it 3. Howbeit veniall sinne is sinne and consequently displeasant to Charitie not as a thing that is contrarie to her but contrarie to her operations and progresse yea her intention which in so much as we are to direct all our actions to God is violated by veniall sinne which carrying the actions by which they are committed not indeede against God yet besides God and his will and as we saie of a tree rudely dight and shaker by a tempest that nothing is left because though the tree be entire yet is it left without fruite so when our charitie is shaken by the affections we haue to veniall sinne we saie she is diminished and weakned not for that the habits of loue are not entire in our hearts but because she is without the workes which are the fruites 4. The affection to great sinnes did in such â—ort make Vâ—RITIE prisoner to Iniustice amongst the Pagan Philosophers that as the great Apostle saieth knowing God they honored him not according to that knowledge so that though this affection did not banish naturall light yet it made it fruitlesse so the affection to veniall sinne doth not abolish Charitie but it holds her as a slaue tyed hand and foote hindring her freedome and action This affection glewing vs too hard to the enioying of creaturs depriues vs of the spirituall priuicie betwixt God and vs to which charitie as true friendshipe doth incite vs and by consequence this affection doth make vs loose the interiour helpes and assistances which are as the vitall SPIRITS of the soule in default whereof there followeth a certaine spirituall Palsie which in the end if it be not remedied leedes vs to death for to conclude charitie being an actiue qualitie cannot be long without either acting or dying She is saie our Auncients of the nature of Rachael who also did represent her giue me said she to her husband children or else I dye And charitie vrgeth the heart which she hath espoused to make her fertile of good workes otherwise she will perish 5. We are rarely in this mortall life without many temptations now vile and slouthfull hearts and such as are giuen to exteriour pleasures not being accustomed to fight nor traiened vp in spirituall warfare neuer conserue Charitie long but let themselues ordinarily be surprised by mortall sinne which happens so much more easily by how much the soule is more disposed by veniall sinne to mortall for as that Auncient by a daily continuance of carrying the same Calfe bore him also when he was growen to be an Oxe custome hauing by little and little made the encrease of so vntoward a burden insensible so he that doth accustome himselfe to plaie for pence will in the end plaie for crownes pistols and horses and after them for all his substance he that giues bridle to a smale coller will find himself in the end furious and insupportable he that giues himselfe to lye in ieast is in great perill to lye calumniously 6 In fine THEO we are wount to saie that such as haue a weaklie complection haue no life that they haue not an ovnce or not a handfull because that which must quickly haue end seemes indeede already not to be And those drowsie soules which are led with pleasurs aâ—d set vpon transitorie things may well saie that they haue lost Charitie for though as yet they haue her they are euen vpon the point of loosing her How we forsake heauenly loue for that of Creaturs CHAPTER III. 1. THe misfortune to leaue God for the creature happens thus We loue not God without intermission because in this mortall life Charitie is in vs as a simple habite which as the Philosophers noted we vse when we list and neuer against our likeing When we doe not then make vse of the Charitie which is in vs that is wheÌ„ we doe not applie our minds to the exercises of holy loue but keepe them busied in some other affaire or else being slothfull they remaine vnprofitable and idle then THEO they may be assaulted by some bad obiect and surprised by temptation And though the habite of charitie be at that instant in the bottome of our hearts and performe its office inclining vs to reiect the bad suggestion yet doth it not vrge or carrie vs to the action of resistance but according as we second it as the manner of habits is and therefore leauing vs in our freedome it happens often that the bad obiects hauing throwen their allurements deeply into our hearts we ioyne our selues vnto them by an excessiue complacence which after encreasing we can hardly be quit of it and as thornes according to the saying of our Sauiour doe in the end stilfe the seede of grace and heaueÌ„ly loue So it fell-out with our first Mother Eue whose ouerthrow began by a certaine amusement which she made in discoursing with the Serpent taking complacence to heare of her aduancement in knowledge and to see the beautie of the forbidden fruite so that the complacence waxing bigge with the amusement and the amusement feeding it selfe in the complacence she found her selfe at length so entangled that giuing way to consent she did commit the accursed sinne to which afterwards she drew her husband 2. We see doues sometimes touched with vanitie swimme hither and thither obseruing the varietie of their owne plumes and then the Tercelets and Falcons that espie them fall vpon and sease them which they could neuer be able to doe if the doue had flowen out right hauing a stronger winge then the Haulke Alas THEO if we did not stand musing at the vanitie of fraile pleasurs especially in the complacence of selfe-loue but hauing once got charitie would be carefull to flie straight whither she would carrie vs suggestion and temptation should neuer catch vs but because as doues seduced and beguiled by selfe-esteeme we looke backe vpon our selues and keepe our minds too much conuersant amongst creaturs we often find our selues in our enemies clawes who beare away and deuoure vs. 3. God will not hinder that temptation assault vs to th' end that by resistance our charitie may be more exercised that by fight we may beare away the victorie aÌ„d by victorie obtaine the triumphe But that we haue any kind of inclination to delight our selues in the temptation this riseth from the condition of our nature which doth so earnestly loue Good that therby she is subiect to
be enticed by any thing that hath a shew of good and temptations hooke is still baited with this kind of baite for as holy writ doth teach there is either some honorable good in the worlds sight to moue vs to the pride of a wordly life or a good delightfull to sense to carrie vs to carnall concupiscence or a good able to enrich vs to incite vs to auarice and couetousnesse of the eyes But if we keepe faith which can discerne betwixt the true Good we are to pursue and the false which we are to reiect liuelily attetiue to its office without doubt it will be a faithfull Sentinell to Charitie and will giue her intelligence of the euill that might approch the heart vnder colour of Good and Charitie would sodenly repulse it But because ordinarily we keepe our faith either a sleepe or lesse attentiue theÌ„ were requisite for the conseruation of Charitie we are often surprised by temptation which seducing our senses and they inciting the inferiour part of our soule to rebellioÌ„ it comes to passe eftsones that the superiour part of reason yeeldes to the violence of this reuoult and by committing the sinne looseth Charitie 4. Such was the progresse of the sedition which the disloiall Absolon stirred vp against his good Father DAVID for he laied before the people faire propositions in apparence which being receiued by the poore Israelites whose prudence was put a sleepe and smothered he did sollicite them in such sort that he wrought them to an entire rebellion so that the monefull Dauid was coÌ„strained to depart from Hierusalem with all his faithfull friends leauing there none of qualitie saue Sadoc and Abiathar Priests of the Almightie with their children now Sadoc was SEEING that is to saie a Prophet 5. For so most deare THEO selfe-loue finding our faith without attention and drowsie it presents vnto it vaine yet apparent goods seduceth our sense our imagination and the faculties of our soules and laies so hard at our free-wills that it brings them to an entire reuoult against the holy loue of God which then as a DAVID departs from our heart with all his traine that is with the gifts of the holy Ghost and the other heauenly vertues which are the inseparable companions of Charitie if not her proprieties and abilities nor doth there remaine in the HERVSALEM of our soule any vertue of importance sauing Sadoc the SEEING that is the gift of faith which by her exercise can make vs see eternall things and with him Abiathar that is the gift of hope with her action both which remaine much afflicted and sorrowfull yet maintaining in vs the Arch of Alliance that is the qualitie and tile of a Câ—RISTIAN purchased by Baptisme 6. Alas THEO what a pitifull spectacle is it to the Angels of peace to see the holy Ghost and his loue depart in this maÌ„ner out of our sinfull soules verily I think if they could weepe they would poure out infinite teares and with a mornefull voice lamenting our mishape would sing the Threnes which Ieremie throbed out when set vpon the threshold of the desolate Temple he contemplated the ruine of Hierusalem in the time of SEDECIAS Ah! with what griefe doe I behold HIERVSALEM famous of old For good and honorable men Of horror now become a den That heauenly loue is lost in a moment CHAPTER IV. 1. THe loue of God which brings vs to a neglect of our selues makes vs Citizens of the heauenly HierusaleÌ„ selfe-loue which pusheth vs forwards to the contempt of God makes vs slaues of the infernall Babilon True it is we come by little aÌ„d little to despise God but we haue no sooner done it but presently in a moment holy charitie doth forsake vs or rather she doth wholy perish I THEO for in the contempt of God doth mortall sinne consist and one onely mortall sinne doth banish Charitie from the soule for so much as it doth violate her tye and vnion with God which is obedience and submission to his will and as mans heart cannot liue diuided so Charitie which is the heart of the soule and the soule of the heart caÌ„ neuer be wounded but she is slaine as they saie of pearles which being conceiued of heauenly dâ—we doe perish if any drope of salte water get into their shell Indeede our soule doth not goe out of our bodie by little aÌ„d little but in a moment when the bodies indispositions are so great that she can no longer exercise the actions of life therein euen so at the very instant in which the heart is so disordered by passions that Charitie there can no longer raigne she quits and abandons it for she is so generous that she cannot leaue to raigne without leauing to liue 2. Habits gotten by human actions alone doe not perish by one onely contrarie act for a man is not saied to be intemperate for one onely act of intemperance nor is a painter held an vnskilfull maister for hauing once failed in his arte but as all such habits are gotten by the impression and in sequele of diuers acts so we loose them by a long cessation from their acts or by many contrarie acts But Charitie THEO which in a moment the holy Ghost poures into our hearts as soone as the conditions requisit to this infusion meete in vs is also in an instant expelled thence as soone as diuerting our will from the obedience due vnto God we haue accomplished consent to the rebellion and disloialtie to which temptation incites vs. 3. True it is Charitie encreaseth by degrees and goeth from perfection to perfection according as by our works or by the frequenting of Sacraments we make it place yet doth it not decrease by a lessening of perfection thereof for we neuer loose any bit of it but we loose it all In which it resembles PHIDIAS his Maister-peece so famous amongst the Auncients for they saie this great Grauer made in AtheÌ„s a picture of Minerua of Iuorie twentie seauen cubits high and in her Buckler wherein he expressed the battails of the Amasons and Giants he graued his owne picture with so great Arte that one could not take away one iot of it saieth Aristotle without defacing the whole statue so that this worke though it was perfected by adding peice to peice yet in a moment might be destroied by remouing any little parcell of the workmans feature In like maner THE though the Holy Ghost hauing infused Charitie into a soule doth eÌ„crease it by adding one degree to another and one perfection of loue to another yet so as that the resolution to preferre God's will before all things being the essentiall point of holy loue and that wherein the image of eternall loue that is of the Holy Ghost is represented one cannot withdraw one onely peece of it but presently Charitie doth wholy perish 4. This preference of God before all things is the deare child of Charitie And if AGAR being an Egiptian seeing her sonne in danger of death
vnion doth vrge and aide vs towards the spirituall vnion of which we speake Of the soueraigne degree of vnion by suspension or rauishment CHAPTER III. 1. VVHether therefore the vnion of our soule with God be made perceptibly or imperceptibly God is alwaies the Authour thereof for none can be vnited to him but by going vnto him nor can any goe vnto him vnlesse he be drawen by him as the Heauenly Spouse doth testifie saying none can come vnto me vnlesse my Father drawes him which his holy Spouse doth also protest saying Drawe me and we will runne in the odour of thy perfumes 2. Now the perfection of this vnion consisteth of two points that it be pure ād that it be strong May not I goe towards a man with intention to behold him better to speake to hī to obtaine some thīg of him to smell the perfumes which are about him to be supported by him and in that case certainly I goe towards him and ioyne my selfe vnto him yet my approch and vnion is not my principall pretention but I onely make that a meanes and way to the obtaining of another thing But if I approch and ioyne my selfe vnto him for no other end then to be neere vnto him and to enioye this neighbourhood and vniō it is then an approch of pure and simple vnion 3. So many doe approch vnto our Sauiour some to heare him as Magdalen some to be cured by him as the sicke of the fluxe others to adore him as the three kinges others to serue him as Martha others to vanquish their incredulitie as S. THOMAS others to anointe him as MAGDALEN IOSEPH NICODEMVS but his diuine Sunamite seekes to find him and hauing found him desires no other thing then to hold him fast and holding him neuer to quit him I hold him saieth she and I will neuer let him goe IACOB saieth S. B RNARD hauing fast hold of God will let him goe so he may receiue his benediction but the Sunamite will not let hī depart for all the benedictiōs he can giue her for her aime is not the benedictions of God but the God of benedictiōs saying with Dauid what is there for me in heauen or in earth what can I pretend but thy selfe thou art the God of my heart and my part for euer 4. Thus was the glorious Mother at the foote of her sonnes Crosse Ah! what dost thou search ô mother of life in this Mount of Caluarie in this place of death I am looking would she haue saied my child who is the life of my life And why dost thou looke him to be close by him But now he is amidst the dolours of death Ah! it is not mirth I seeke it is himselfe and my heart in loue makes me looke all about to be vnited vnto that amiable child my tenderly beloued In fine the pretention of the soule in this vnion is onely to be with her Louer 5. But when the vnion of the soule with God is most strict and most close it is called by Diuines an INHESION or ADHESION for that the soule thereby is taken fastened glued and nayled to the Diuine Maiestie so that she cannot easily loose or drawe her selfe backe againe Looke I praie you vpon a man taken and locked by attention to the delight of a harmonious musike or else which is idle to the fopperie of a game at cardes you would drawe him from it but cānot what businesse soeuer attend him at home there is no forcing him thence in it euen meate and drinke is forgotten O God THEOT how much more ought the soule that is in loue with God to be fastened and locked being vnited to the Diuinitie of the infinite Sweetenesse and who is taken and wholy possessed by this obiect of incomparable perfection Such was the soule of that great vessell of Election who cried-out To th' end I might liue with God I am nayld to the Crosse with IESVS-CHRIST and with all he protests that nothing no not death it selfe can separate him from his Maister This effect of loue was also practised betweene Dauid and Ionathas for it is saied that the soule of Ionathas was glued to Dauids to conclud it is a famous AXIOME amongst the Aunciant Fathers that Friendshipe that can know end was neuer true Friendshipe as elswhere I haue saied 5. See I beseech you THEO the little childe cleeuing to and colling his mother if one offer to take him thence to laie him in his cradle it being high time he delaies and essaies by all the meanes he is able not to forsake that amiable bosome and if one make him loose one hand he claspes hold with the other but if one carrie him quite away he fals a crying and keeping his heart and his eyes where he cannot keepe his bodie with shrikes he pursues his deare mother till by rocking he is brought a sleepe So the soule who by the exercise of vnion is come to be taken and fastened to the Diuine Goodnesse can hardly be pulled from it by force ād a great deale of paine It is not possible to make her loose hold if one diuert her Imagination she ceaseth not to apprehend her selfe taken by the vnderstanding and if one loose her vnderstanding she cleeues by the will or if yet by some violent distraction they vrge her will to quit her hold from moment to moment she returns towards her deare obiect from which she cannot be entirely vntyed but she striues all she can to linke together againe the sweete bands of her vnion with him by the frequent returns which she makes by stelth experiencing in it S. PAVLES paine for she is pressed with two desires to be freede of all exteriour imploiment to remaine with IESVS-CHRIST in her interiour and yet to put hand to the worke of Obedience which the very vnion with IESVS CHRIST doth teach her to be requisite 6. And the B. S. TERESA saieth excellently that the vnion being arriued at this perfection as to hold vs taken and tyed to our Sauiour is not distinguished from a rauishment suspension or hanging of the Spirit But that it is called onely vnion suspension or hanging when it is short and when it is long Extasie or rauishment because indeede the soule which is so firmely and closely vnited to her God that she cannot easily be drawen thence is not in her selfe but in God as a crucified bodie is not in it selfe but vpon the crosse or as Iuie grasping the wall is not in it's selfe but vpon the wall 7. But to auoyde all equiuocation know THEO that Charitie is a place and a place of perfection and he that is endued with more Charitie is more straitly vnited and fastened vnto God And we speake not of that vnion which is permanent in vs by manner of habite be we sleeping or waking we speake of the vniō made by action which is one of the Exercises of loue and Charitie Imagine then that S. PAVLE S. DENIS S. AVGVSTINE
to Egipt ād from Egipt to Iudea Ah who can then doubt but this holy Father being come to the period of his dayes was reciprocally borne by his diuine Nurse-child in his passage from this to another life into Abrahams bosome to translate him from thence to Glorie in the daie of his Ascension A Saint that had loued so much in his life could not die but of loue for his heart not being able to loue his deare IESVS so much as he desired while he continued amongst th◠distractions of this life and hauing alreadie performed the dutie which he ought to his non-age what remained but that he should saie to the Eternall Father O Father I haue accomplished my charge and then to the Sonne ◠my child as thy heauenly Father put thy tender bodie into my hands the daie of thy cōming into this world so doe I render vp my soule 〈◊〉 thyne this daie of my departure out of this world 2. Such as I conceiue was the death of this great Patriarch a man elected to performe the most deare and louing offices that euer was or shall be performed to the Sōne of God saue those that were done by the Sacred Spouse the true naturall mother of the saied sonne of whom it is not possible to make a conceit that she died of any other kind of death then of loue A death the most noble of all and consequently due to the most noble life that euer was amongst creaturs A death whereof the very Angels would desire to die if die they could If the primatiue Christians were saied to haue but one heart and one soule by reason of their perfect mutuall loue If S. Paule liued not himselfe but IESVS CHRIST liued in him by reason of the close vnion of his heart to his Maisters wherby his soule was as dead in the heart which it quickened to liue in the heart of the Sauiour which it loued O Good God how much more true it is that the Sacred Virgin and her Sonne had but one soule one heart and one life so that this heauēly mother in liuing liued not but her sonne liued in her She was a mother the most louing and the most beloued that euer could be yea louing and beloued with a loue incomparably more eminent then that of all the Orders of Angels and men like as the names of an onely Mother and an onely Sonne are names passing all other names in matter of loue and I saie of an onely mother and an onely Sonne because all the other sonne◠of men doe diuide the acknowledgment of their production betwixt their Father and mother but in this sonne as all his humane birth depēds of his mother alone who alone contributed that which was requisite to the vertue of the holy Ghost for the cōception of this heauenly child so to her alone all the loue which sprung from that production was rendred as due In such sort that this Sonne and this mother were vnited in an vnion by so much more excellent as her name in loue is different and aboue all other names for which of the Seraphins can saie to our Sauiour thou art my true Sonne and as such I loue thee And to which of his creaturs did our Sauiour euer saie Thou art my true mother and as my true mother I loue thee Thou art my true mother entirely myne and I am thy true sonne wholy thyne And if a louing seruant durst and did indeede saie that he had no other life then his Maisters Alas how confidently and feruently might this mother proclame I haue no life but the life of my Sonne my life is wholy in his and his wholy in myne for there was not a meere vnion but an vnitie of hearts betwixt this mother and this sonne 3. And if this mother liued by her Sonns life she also died of her Sonns death for such as is the life such is the death The Phenix as the report goes growen very aged gathers together in the top of a mountaine a quantitie of aromaticall woods vpon which as vpon he bed of honour she goes to end her dayes for when the Sunne being at his highest doth streame out his hotest beames this most singular bird to contribute the aduantage of action to the Sunns ardour ceaseth not to beate with her wings vpon her bed till she haue made it take fire and burning with it she consumes and dies in those odoriferous flames In like manner THEO the virgin Marie hauing assembled in her heart all the most amiable Mysteries of the life and death of her sonne by a most liuely and continuall memorie of them and withall RECTA LINEA receiuing the most ardent inspirations which her Sonne the Sonne of Iustice darted vpon mortalls euen in the heate of his charitie And further of her part making a perpetuall motion of Contemplation in the end the sacred fire of this heauenly loue did wholy consume her as an Holocaust of sweetenesse so that she died of it her soule being altogether rauished and transported into the armes of her Sonns loue O death louingly vitall ô Loue vitally mortall 4. Many sacred Louers were present at our Sauiours death amongst whom such as did most loue did also most greeue for Loue was then sleeped in griefe and griefe in Loue and all such as were feruent in loue towards their Sauiour fell in loue with his passion and paine But the sweete mother who passed all in loue receiued a deeper wound from the sword of griefe then all the rest Her Sonns paine was then a sharp sword which rāne through his mothers heart it being glewed ioyned ād vnited to her sonns in so perfect an vnion that nothing could hurt the one which did not as deeply hurt the other Now this motherly heart being in this sort wounded with loue did not onely not seeke to haue her wound cured but euen loued her wound better then all cures dearely conseruing the darts of sorrow which she had receiued in her heart because it was loue that shot them at her and continually desiring to die of thē as her sonne died thereof who as the holy Scripturs and all the Doctours doe witenesse died amidst the flames of Charitie a perfect HOLOCAVST for all the sinnes of the world That the Glorious virgin died of an extreamely sweete and calme loue CHAPTER XIV 1. OF one side it is saied that our B. Ladie reuealed to S. Mathilda that the sickenesse whereof she died was no other thing then an impetuous assault of loue Yet S. Brigit and S. Iohn Damascen doe witnesse that she died an exceeding peaceable death and both are true THEOTIME 2. The starres are wonderfull delightfull to behold and cast out pleasing shines yet if you haue noted it they bring forth their rayes by way of gatterings sparklings and dartings as though they were deliuered of their light by trauell at diuers essayes whether it be that their weake light cannot keepe a continuall equalitie of action or
accords best with the will of God But in little and dayly exercises wherein the fault is nether of moment or irreparable what neede is there to chant a QVANTA PATIMVR by engaging ones attention in importune consultations To what end should I put my selfe vpon the racke to learne whether God would rather that I should saie the Rosarie or our Ladies Office since there can be no such difference betwixt them that a GRAND-IVRIE should be impannelled vpon it That I should rather goe to visite the sicke in the hospitall then to VESPERAS That I should rather goe to a Sermon then to a Church where there are Indulgences commonly there is no such remarkable thing in the one more then the other that the matter requires any great deliberation we must walke simply not subtily in those occurrēces and as S. BASILE freely doe that which licks vs best without wearying out our wits loosing our time and running hazard of disquiet scruples and superstitiō Now my meaning is alwayes where there is no great disproportion betwixt the two workes and where there occurrs no circumstance more considerable in the one then th' other 5. And euen in matters of moment we are to vse a great humilitie and not to thinke we can fish out Gods will by force of examination and subtilitie of discourse But hauing implored the light of the holy-Ghost applied our cōsideration to the search of his good pleasure taken our Directours counsell and of two or three spirituall persōs more if they chāced to be there we must absolutly resolue and determine in the name of God neuer after to call our choice in question but deuotely peaceably and constantly to vndergoe and improue it And albeit that the difficulties temptations and the diuersitie of euents which crosse the execution of our designe might make vs doubt whether we had made a good choice yet must we remaine constant not waighing all this Yea we are to consider that if we had made an other choice we had peraduenture bene an hundred times worse besides that we wot not whether it be God's will that we should be exercised in consolation or desolation in peace or in warre The resolution being once holily vndertaken we are neuer to doubt of the holinesse of the execution for vnlesse it be our fault there can be none to doe otherwise is a notable marke of selfe-Loue of childishnesse or bransicknesse The end of the eight booke THE NINGTH BOOKE OF LOVE OF SVBMISSION WHEREBY OVR WILL IS VNITED to Gods Of the vnion of our will to the will of God which is the WILL OF GOOD PLEASVRE CHAPTER I. I. NOthing excepting sinne is done but by the will of God called an absolute will and of GOOD PLEASVRE which cannot be hindred by man and which is not knowen vnto vs but by the effects yet being arriued they make manifest that God willed and determined them 2. Let vs conside◠in grosse THEO all that hath bene is and shall be and rauished with amazement we shall be forced to crie out with the Psalmist O Lord I will praise thee because thou are abundantly magnified thy works are wonderfull and my soule doth acknowledge thē very much thy knowledge is become admirable of me it is made great nor can I reach to it And from thence we passe on to a most holy Complacence reioycing that God is so infinit in WISDOME POWER and GOODNESSE which are the three Diuine Proprieties whereof the world is but a small taste or scantling 3. Let vs behold men and Angels and all the varietie of nature qualities conditions faculties affections passions graces and priuiledges which the diuine Prouidence hath established in the innumerable number of those heauenly INTELLIGENCES and humane creaturs vpon which Gods IVSTICE and MERCY is so admirably practised and we cannot containe our selues from singing with ioye full of respect and louing dread True Iustice and true Iudgment are The obiect of my dittie VVhich vnto thee I offer dare Most iust and full of pitie THEO we are to take an exceeding complacence to see how God exerciseth his MERCY by the sundrie benefits which he doth distribute amongst men and Angels in heauen and earth And how he practiseth his IVSTICE by an infinit varietie of paines and chastisements for his IVSTICE and MERCY are equally amiable and admirable in them selues since both of them are no other thing then the same most singular Goodnesse and Deitie But the effects of his Iustice being alwayes sharpe and and full of bitternesse to vs he sweetens them with the mixture of the effects of his MERCY conseruing the greene Oliue amidst the waters of the Deluge of his iust indignation and giuing power to the deuote soule as to a chast doue to find it in the end prouided alwayes that like to the doue she doth louingly meditate So death afflictions anguishes labours whereof our life is full which by Gods iust ordinances are the punishments of sinne are also by his milde MERCY made ladders to ascend to Heauen meanes to encrease grace and merits to obtaine Glorie Blessed is pouertie hunger thirst sorrow sicknesse persecution death for in truth they are the iust punishments of our faults yet punishments so seasoned or to vse the Phisitions terme so aromatized with Diuine sweetenesse benignitie and clemencie that their bitternesse is best beloued A strang yet a true thing THEO if the damned were not blinded with the obstinacie and hatred which they conceiue against God they would find consolation in their torments and see the Diuine MERCY admirably dispersed amongst their eternally-tormenting flames So that the Saints considering on the one side the torments of the damned so horrible and dreadfull they praise Gods IVSTICE in it and crie out thou art iust ô Lord thou art iust and iustice for euer raignes in thy iudgments But seeing on the other side that these paines though eternall and incomprehensible come yet farre short of the crime and trespasse for which they were inflicted rauished with Gods infinite MERCY ó Lord will they saie how good thou art since in the very heate of thy wroth thou canst not keepe in the torrent of thy MERCYES that it streame not its waters into the deuouring flames of Hell Goodnesse o Lord hath not thy soule forsooke Euen while thy iustest iustice vengeance tooke Midst hellish flames nor could sterne ire represse The torrent of thy wounted graciousnesse Thou still pour'st out and still dost enterlace Thy wrothfull strokes with strikes of grace And then turning our eyes vpon our selues in parcular and finding in vs diuers interiour and exteriour goods as also a greatest number of interiour and exteriour paines which the Diuine Prouidēce hath prepared for vs according to his most holy IVSTICE and MERCY and as opening the armes of our consent we doe most louingly embrace all resting in Gods most holy will and singing vnto him by way of a Hymne of an eternall repose Thy will be done in earth as it is in
resisted the glorious S. PETER his Superiour in his face Certes euery one is not a S. PAVLE to know how to doe those things in the nicke But hot harsh presumptuous and reprochfull spirits following their owne inclinations humours auersions and the high conceits they haue of their owne sufficiencie draw the vaile of Zeale ouer their iniquitie and vnder the name of this sacred fire permit themselues to be burnt vp with their proper passions It is the Zeale of the health of soules that makes the Prelatshipe be sought after if you will beleeue the ambitious man that makes the Monke ordained for the Quire course about if you will giue credit to his disquieted spirit that causeth all those censures and murmuratiōs against the Prelates of the Church and tēporall Princes if you will giue eare to the arrogant You shall heare nothing frō him but Zeale nor yet see any Zeale in hī but onely opprobrious and rayling speaches hatred ād rācore disquiete of the heart and tōgue 5. Zeale may be practised three wayes first in exercising high actions of Iustice to repell euill and this belongs onely to publike officers to correct censure and reprehend in the nature of a Superiour as Princes Prelates Magistrats Preachers but whereas this office is worshipfull euery one will vndertake it euery one will haue a fingar in it Secondly one may vse Zeale in actions of great vertue for the good example of others by suggesting the remedies of euill and exhorting men to applie them by working the good that is opposite to the euill which we desire to banish which is a thing that belongs to euery one and yet it hath but few vndertakers Finally the most excellent vse of Zeale is placed in suffering and enduring much to hinder or diuert euill and scarce will any admit this Zeale A specious Zeale is all our ambition vpon that each one willingly spends his talant neuer taking notice that it is not Zeale indeede which is there sought for but glorie ambition's satisfaction choler churlishnesse and other passions 6. Certainly our Sauiours Zeale did principally appeare in his death vpon the Crosse to distroy death and sinne in men wherein he was soueraignly imitated by that admirable vessell of election and dilection as the great S. GREGORIE Nazianzen in golden words represents him for speaking of this holy Apostle he fights for all saieth he he poures out praiers for all he is Zealously passionat towards all he is inflamed for all yea he dared yet more for his brethren according to flesh so that if I may dare also to saie it he desires through charitie that they might haue euen his owne place nere our Sauiour O excellencie of an incredible courage and feruour of Spirit He imitats IESVS CHRIST who became a curse for our Loue who put on our infirmities and bore our deseases Or that I may speake a little more soberly he was the first after our Sauiour that refused not to suffer and to be reputed wicked in their behalfe Euē so then THEO as our Sauiour was whip't condemned crucified as man deuoted bequeathed and dedicated to beare and support all the reproches ignominies and punishments due to all the offenders in the world and to be a generall sacrifice for sinne being made as an ANATHEMA forsaken and left of his eternall Father so according to the true doctrine of this great Nazianzen the glorious Apostle S. PAVLE desired to be loden with ignominie to be crucified left abandoned and sacrificed for the sinnes of the Iewes that the curse and paine which they merited might fall vpon him And as our Sauiour did so take vpon him the sinnes of the world and became a curse was sacrificed for sinne and forsaken of his Father that he ceased not continually to be the well-beloued Sonne in which his Father pleased himselfe So the holy Apostle desired indeede to be a curse and to be separated from his Maister to be left alone to the mercy of the reproches and punishments due vnto the Iewes yet did he neuer desire to be depriued of Charitie and the grace of God from which nothing could separate him that is he desired to be vsed as one separated from God but he desired not in effect to be separated or depriued of his Grace for this cannot be piously desired So the heauenly Spouse confesseth that though loue be strong as death which makes a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule Yet Zeale which is an ardent loue is yet stronger for it resembles Hell which separats the soule from our Sauiours sight but it was neuer saied nor can euer be saied that Loue or Zeale was Like to sinne which alone separats from the grace of God And indeede how could the ardour of Loue possibly make one desire to be separated from grace since Loue is grace it selfe or at least cannot consist without grace Now the Zeale of the great S. PAVLE was in some sort practised by the little S. PAVLE I meane S. PAVLINE who to deliuer a slaue out of bondage became himselfe a slaue sacrificing his owne libertie to bestow it vpon his neighbour 6. Happie is he saieth S. AMBROSE who knowes the gouernment of Zeale The Deuil will easily scofe at thy Zeale if it be not according to science let therefore thy Zeale be inflamed with Charitie adorned with science established in cōstancie True Zeale is the child of Charitie as being the ardour of it Wherefore like to Charitie it is patient benigne not troublesome nor contentious not enuious or spightfull but reioycing in Truth The ardour of true Zeale resembles that of the huntsman being diligēt carefull actiue industrious and eager in the pursuit but without choler anger or trouble for if the huntsman's labour were cholerike harsh and wayward it would not be so earnestly loued and affected Zeale in like manner hath extreame feruours but such as are constant solide sweete laborious equally amiable and infatigable whereas contrariwise false Zeale is turbulent confused insolent arrogant cholericke wauering no lesse impetuous then inconstant How our Sauiour practised all the most Excellent acts of Loue. CHAPTER XVII 1. HAuing spoken at large of the acts of Diuine Loue that you may more easily and holily conserue the memorie thereof I present you with a collection or abridgement of it The Charitie of IESVS CHRIST doth presse vs saieth the great Apostle Yea truly THEO it doth force or vse a violence against vs by its infinite sweetenesse which shines in the whole worke of our Redemption wherein appeared the benignitie and loue of our Sauiour towards men For what did not this Diuine Louer doe in matter of Loue 1. he loued vs with a LOVE OF COMPLACENCE for his delightes were to be with the children of men and to draw man to himselfe becōming man 2. he loued vs with a LOVE of BENEVOLENCE enriching man with his diuinitie so that man was God 3. he vnited himselfe vnto vs in an incōprehensible coniunctiō whereby he
to vndergoe in that behalfe he sacrificed himselfe in spirit to Gods good pleasure and dearely kissing this his Crosse he cryed from the botome of his heart to the imitation of SAINT ANDREW I salute thee ô precious Crosse I salute thee ô blessed tribulation ô holy affliction how delightfull thou art since thou didst issue from the louing breast of the eternall Father of mercy who willed thee from all eternitie and did ordaine thee for my deare people and me O Crosse my heart willeth thee sith the heart of my God hath willed thee ô Crosse my soule doth cherish and embrace thee with her whole affection 8. In this sort are we to vndertake affaires of greatest consequence and the sharpest tribulations which can befall vs. But if they prooue to be of long continuance we must from time to time and very frequently iterate this exercise that we may more profitably continew our vnion to Gods good will and pleasure pronouning this short yet wholy Diuine Protestation of his Sonne yes ô eternall Father I will it with all my heart because so it was pleasing in thy sight ô God Tâ—EOTIME how rich this practise is An exhortation to the sacrifice which we are to make to God of our free-will CHAPTER X. 1. I adde to the sacrifice of S. CHARLES that of the great Patriarke Abraham as a liuely image of the most strong and loyall loue that could be imagined in any creature 2. Certainly he sacrificed the strongest naturall affections that possibly he could haue wheÌ„ hearing the voice of God which said vnto him Leaue thy couÌ„trie and thy friends and thy Fathers house and goe into the land which I will shew vnto thee he presently departed and with speede put himselfe vpoÌ„ the way without knowing whither he was to goe the loue of his deare countrie the delightfull conuersation of his neere allie the pleasures of his Fathers house did not stagger him he departs with an ardent boldnesse and goes whither it shall please God to codduct him What an abnegation THEO what renunciation was this one cannot perfectly Loue God vnlesse he forsake the affection to momentarie things 3. But this was nothing in respect of that which he did afterwards when being twice called by God who seeing his promptitude in answearing saied vnto him Take ISAAC thyne onely sonne whom thou louest and goe into the Land of vision where thou shalt offer him in Holocaust vpoÌ„ one of the mountaines which I will shew vnto thee for behold this great man how he sodainely departs with his so much beloued and so worthy to be beloued Sonne goes three dayes iorney comes to the foote of the mountaine leaues there his seruant and asse lodes his sonne Isaac with woode necessarie to the holocaust reseruing himselfe to carrie the sword and fire and as he ascends the mountaine his tender child saied vnto him Father and he answered him what wouldst thou child Looke saied the child behold the woode and fire but where is the victime of the holocaust To which his Father replied God will prouide the victime of the Holocaust my child and in the meane while they arriued at the top of the designed mountaine where Abraham presently erected an Altar lays the woode in order vpon it binds his Isaac and puts him vpon the funerall Pile extends his right hand layes hold of and drawes out his sword lifts vp his arme and as he was readie to dispatch the blow to sacrifice the child the Angell cried from aboue Abraham Abraham who answeres I am here Lord and the Angell saied vnto him doe not kill thy sonne it is sufficient now I know thou fearest God and hast not spared thy sonne for my sake Vpon this Isaac is vntyed Abraham takes a Rame which he sound hanging by the hornes in the brambles and sacrificed him 4. THEO he that sees his neighbours wife to couet her hath alreadie coÌ„mitted adultâ—rie in his heart and he that binds his sonne to sacrifice him hath alreadie sacrificed him in his heart Behold then for Gods loue what a Holocaust this holy man offered in his heart an incomparable sacrifice a sacrifice that one cannot fully estimate nor yet praise to the full O God who is able to discerne which of the two loues was greater Abrahams who to please God sacrificed his sonne so amiable or the childs who to please God is willing to be sacrificed and to that end permits himselfe to be bound and extended vpon the woode and as a tender lambe peaceably attends deathes blow from the deare hand of his good Father 5. For my part I preferre the Father for his longanimitie yet dare I with all boldly giue the prize of magnaminitie to the sonne For on the one side it is indeede a miracle yet not so great a one that Abraham alreadie old and accomplished in the science of louing God and frotified by the late vision and word of God should giue this last essay of loyaltie and loue towards a Maister whose sweetenesse and prouidence he had so ofteÌ„ perceiued and tasted But to see Isaac in the Spring of his age as yet a meere Nouice and AppreÌ„tise in the art of louing God offer himselfe vpon the onely word of his father to the sword and the flame to become a Holocaust of obedience to the Diuine will is a thing that passeth all admiration 6. Yet of the other side doe you not see THEOT that for the space of three dayes Abraham doth tosse and turne in his soule the bitter thought and resolutioÌ„ of this sharp sacrifice Doe you not take compassion of his Fatherlie heart when ascending alone with his sonne the child more simple then a Doue saied vnto him Father where is the victime and he answered him God will prouide for that my soÌ„ne Doe you not thinke that the sweetenesse of the child carrying the woode vpon his shoulders and piling it afterwards vpon the Altar made his fathers bowels melt away with tendernesse ô heart which the Angells admire and God magnifieth O Sauiour Iâ—SVS when shall it then be that hauing sacrificed vnto thee all that we haue we shall also offer vp vnto thee all that we are When shall we offer vnto thee our freewill the onely child of our soule when will it be that we shall extend and tye it vpon the Altar of thy Crosse of thy thornes of thy lance that as a little Ewe it may be a gratefull victime to thy good pleasure to burne and die in the flame and with the sword of thy Diuine Loue. 7. O Freewill of my heart how good a thing were it for thee to be bound and extended vpon the Crosse of thy Heauenly Sauiour How desirable a thing it is to die to thy selfe to burne for euer a Holocaust to the Almightie THEOT our Freewill is neuer so free as when it is slaue subiect to the will of God nor euer so a slaue as when it serues our owne will It neuer hath so much life as
when it dies to it selfe nor euer so much death as when it liues to it selfe 8. We haue freedome to doe good or euill yet to make choyce of euill is not to vse but to abuse our freedome Let vs renounce the accursed libertie and let vs for euer subiect our free-will to the rule of heauenly Loue let vs become slaues to Loue whose seruants are more happie then kings And if euer our soule should offer to imploye her libertie against our resolutioÌ„s of seruing God for euer and without reserue ô in that case for Gods sake let vs sacrifice our freewill and make it die to it selfe that it may liue to God He that in respect of selfe loue will keepe it in this world shall loose it in respect of eternall Loue in the other world and he that for the loue of God shall loose it in this world shall coÌ„serue it for the same loue in the next He that giues it libertie in this world shall find it a slaue in the other and he that shall make it a seruant to the Crosse in this world shall find it free in the next where being drunk vp in the fruition of the Diuine goodnesse libertie will be conuerted into loue and loue into libertie but libertie of an infinite sweetenesse without violeÌ„ce paine or repugnance at all we shall vnchangeably loue the Creatour and Sauiour of our soules Of the motiues we haue to holy Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. SAINT BONAVENTVRE Father Granado Father Lowis of Poâ—t Stella haue sufficiently discoursed vpon this subiect I will onely somme vp the points which I haue touched in this Treatise 2. The Diuine Goodnesse considered in it selfe is not onely the first motiue of all but withall the greatest the most noble and most puissant For it is that which doth rauish the Blessed and crowne their Felicitie How can one haue a heart and yet not loue so infinite a goodnesse This subiect is in some sort proposed in the 1. and 2. chap. of the 2. booke and from the 8. chap. of the 3. booke to the end and in the 9. chap. of the 10. booke 3. The 2. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence creation and conseruation towards vs according as we haue saied in the 3. cha of the 2. booke 4. The 3. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence ouer vs and of the Redemption which he prepared for vs as it is explicated in the 4. 5. 6. and 7. chap. of the 2. booke 5. The 4. motiue is to consider how God doth practise this Prouidence and Redemption giuing euery one the grace and assistance which is requisite to their Saluation which we handle in the 2. booke from the 8. chap. and in the 3. booke from the beginning till the 6. chap. 6. The 5. motiue is the eternall glorie prouided for vs by the diuine goodnesse which is the accomplishment of Gods benefits towards vs and is in some sort touched from the 9. chap. to the end of the 3. booke A profitable methode whereby we may imploy these methods CHAPTER XII 1. NOw to receiue from these motiues a profound and powerfull heate of loue we are after we haue once considered one of them in coÌ„mon to applie it in particular to our selues For example O how amiable this great God is who out of his infinite goodnesse gaue his sonne for the whole worlds redemption alas I for all in generall but also for me who am the first of offenders Ah he hath loued me yea I saie he hath loued euen me yea euen me my selfe such as I am and deliuered himselfe to death for me 2. Secondly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their first and eternall source O God Tâ—â—O what loue can we haue sufficiently worthy of the infinit goodnesse of our Creatour who froÌ„ all eternitie determined to create conserue gouerne redeeme saue and glorifie all in generall and in particular Ah what was I then when I was not my selfe I saie who now being some thing am yet but a simple and poore worme of the earth while yet God from the Abisse of his eternitie thought thoughts of benediction in my behalfe He considered and designed yea determined the houre of my birth of my baptisme of all the inspirations that he would bestow vpon me in a word for all the benefits which he would doe and offer me alas is there a sweetenesse like to this 3. Thirdly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their second meritorious source for doe you not know THEO that the high Priest of the law wore vpon his backe and bosome the names of the children of Israel that is the precious stones vpon which the chiefe of the Israelites were engraueÌ„ Ah behold IESVS our High Priest and consider him from the very instant of his conception how he bore vs vpon his shoulders vndertaking the charge to redeeme vs by his death and death of the Crosse ô THEO THEO this soule of our Sauiour knew vs all by name and surname but especially vpon the day of his passion when he offered his teares his praiers his blood and life for all he breathed in particular for thee these thoughts of loue Ah my eternall Father I take vpon me and to my charge all poore THEO sinns to vndergoe torments and death that he may be freed from them and that he may not perish but liue Let me die so he may liue let me be crucified so that he may be glorified ô the soueraigne Loue of IESVS his heart what heart can euer blesse thee so deuotely as it ought 4. So within his fatherly breast his Diuine heart foresaw disposed merited and obtained all the benefits which we haue not onely in generall for all but also in particular for euery one and his sweete dugges prouided for vs the milke of his motions draughtes inspiratioÌ„s and sweetenesse by which he doth draw conduct and nurish our hearts to eternall life Benefits doe not in â—â—ame vs vnlesse we behold the eternall will which ordaines them for vs and the heart of our Sauiour that merited them for vs by so many paines especially in his death and passion That the Mount of Caluarie is the true Academie of Loue. CHAPTER XIII 1. NOw in finall conclusion the death and PassioÌ„ of our Sauiour is the sweetest aÌ„d yet most violent motiue that caÌ„ animate our hearts in this mortall life And it is the very truth that mysticall Bees make their most excelleÌ„t honie within this Lyon's wouÌ„d of the Tribe of Iuda but chered rent and torne vpon the Mount of Caluarie and the children of the Crosse glorie in their admirable Probleme which the word vnderstaÌ„ds not Oâ—t of all deuouring death râ—se the life of our consolation and out of death which is the strongest of all things the honie sweetenesse of our loue did issue O IESVS my Sauiour how amiable is thy death since it is the soueraigne effect of thy Loue. 2. And indeede aboue in heauenly glorie next to the motiue of the diuine goodnesse knowne aÌ„d coÌ„siâ—erâ—d in it selfe that of the death of our Sauiour shall be the most powerfull to rauish the hearts of the Blessed with the loue of God in signe whereof MOYSES and HELIE in the Transfiguration which was a scantling of glorie spoke with our Sauiour of the Excesse which he was to accomplish in Hierusalem but of what excesse if not of that excesse of Loue by which life was forced from the Louer to be bestowed vpon the beloued So that in the eternall Canticle I imagine that ioyfull acclamation will be iterated each moment Lâ—ue IESVS liue whose death doth prooue What is the force of heauenly loue 3. THEO the mount Caluarie is the mount of Louers All loue that begi s not from our Sauiours Passion is friuolous and dangerous Accursed is death without the Loue of our Sauiour Accursed is Loue without the death of our Sauiour Loue and death are so mingled in the passion of our Sauiour that one cannot haue the one in his heart without the other Vpon Caluarie one caÌ„not haue life without Loue nor loue without the death of our Redeemour But out of that all is either eternall death or eternall Loue Christian wisdome consisteth in making a good choice and to assist you in that I vndertookâ— this Treatise my THâ—O While this short day doth last Make choice ô man thou mayst To liue eternally Or else for ere to dye It is the Heauens Decree There should no middle be O eternall Loue my soule doth desire and make choice of thee eternally ah come ô holy Ghost and inflame our hearts with thy Loue Either loue or die die or loue To die to all other Loue to liue to that of IESVS that we may not eternally die but that liuing in thy eternall loue ô Sauiour of our soules we may eternally singe VIVE IESVS I loue IESVS liue IESVS whom I loue I loue IESVS who liueth and raigneth for euer and euen Amen 4. These things THEO which by the grace and helpe of Charitie haue bene written to your Charitie I beseech GOD they may take roote in your heart that this Charitie may find in you the fruits of holy workes not the leaues of prayses Amen God be blessed Thus I shut vp this whole Treatise in the words with which S. AVGVSTINE ended his admirable sermon of Charitie made before an illustrious assemblie The end of this present Treatise ERRATA Pag Lin Faults Coâ—rectâ—â— 9 28 it being desired if being desired 28 7 Hâ—rodiadas Herodias 45 16 this in this 51 22 Alliance Couenant 58 23 expired breathed out 63 33 Principale prâ—nciple 64 9 soules soule 88 33 peace peece 128 8 her herselfe 169 14 or where 188 21 begiues giues 109 4 light a True God Light true God 209 18 their his 237 28 Seeing a Seer 266 17 owes ewes 293 11 deseased deceased 332 3 for for we neuer loue that which 334 8 uen heauen 359 14 exteriour interiour 381 27 Pallas Pallace 393 32 And to it this And this is it 430 1 Maisters Maisters Passion 461 12 Epthitheme Eâ—itheme 479 19 Pipins Kernells 546 18 at and 568 30 to Gods submissioÌ„ to God submissioÌ„ 592 24 Sauâ—our out Sauiour brought him out 603 6 God good 660 13 honie oyle 694 7 Charitie Chastitie 788 17 word world
not onely in regard of the chastiments which the soueraigne Iustice of God doth practise in this world but also in respect of the punishments which he exerciseth in the other life vpon their soules that haue incurable sinnes so deeply is the instinct of fearing a Deitie engrauen in mans nature 2. But this feare being practised by way of a sodaine motion or naturall feeling is neither to be commended nor condemned in vs since it proceedes not from our election yet is it an effect of a best cause and cause of a best effect for it comes from the naturall knowledge which God hath giuen vs of his Prouidence and giues vs to vnderstand what dependance we haue of the soueraigne omnipotencie mouing vs to implore his aide and being in a faithfull soule it doth much aduance her in goodnesse Christians amidst the astonishments which Thunder Tempests and other naturall dangers cause in vs inuoke the sacred name of IESVS and MARIE make the signe of the Crosse prostrate themselues before God and exercise many good acts of Faith Hope and Religion The Glorious SAINT THOMAS of Aquine being naturally subiect to start when it thundered was accustomed to saie by way of Iaculatorie Praier the Diuine words which the Church hath in such esteeme THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH Vpon this feare then Diuine Loue doth make diuers acts of Complacence and Beneuolence I will blesse thee ô Lord for thou art wōderfully magnified Let euery one feare thee ô Lord ô you great ones of the earth vnderstand serue our Lord in feare and reioyce in him with trembling 3. But there is another feare that takes it's beginning from Faith which teacheth vs that after this mortall life there are punishments dreadfully eternall or eternally dreadfull prepared for such as in this world haue offended the Diuine Maiestie without a perfect reconciliation before their decease That at the house of death the soule shall be iudged by a particular Iudgment and that at the end of the world all shall rise and appeare together to be iudged againe in the Vniuersall Iudgment For these Christian truthes THEOT doe strike the hearts of those that doe deeply ponder them with an extreeme horrour and indeede how could one represent vnto himselfe those eternall honours without foming and quaking with apprehension Now when these feelings doe take such roote in our soule that they driue and banish thence the affection and will to sinne according as the holy Councell of Trent speaketh they are very wholsome We haue conceiued thy feare ô Lord and haue brought forth the Spirit of Saluation I saie hath it That is thy wrothfull face tertified vs and made vs conceiue and bring forth the Spirit of Penance which is the Spirit of Saluation so did the Psalmist saie my bones enioyed no peace but trembled before the face of thy anger 4. Our Sauiour who euen came to establish the law of Loue amongst vs ceaseth not to inculcate vnto vs this feare feare him saieth he who hath power to throw the bodie and soule into hell fire The NINIVITS did penance vpon the threat of their owne subuersion and damnation and their penance was agreeable to God to be short this feare is comprised amongst the gifts of the holy Ghost as many aunciant Fathers haue noted 5. But if Feare doe not deterre our will and affection from Sinne truely it is bad and like to that of the diuells who cease to doe mischiefe onely through a feare they haue to be tormented by the Exorcisme without ceasing to desire and will mischeife which is their meditation for euer Like to that of the miserable gallie-slaue who would euen eate the Captaines heart though he dares not stirre from the Oare least he might be beaten Like to the Feare of that great old Maister-heretike who confessed that he hated God because he did punish the wicked Certes he that loues sinne and would willingly commit it maugre Gods will though in effect he will not commit it onely least he might be damned hath a horrible and detestable feare for though he haue not the will to come to the execution of sinne yet doth he entertaine the execution of it in his will since he would doe it if feare withheld him not and it is as it were by force that he effectes it not 6. To this Feare one may adde another lesse malicious indeede yet no lesse vnprofitable as was that of the Iudge FELIX who hearing Gods iudgmēts spoken off was stroken into amazemēt yet did he not for all that giue ouer his auarice and that of BALTASAR who in seeing the prodigious hand that wrote his condemnation vpon the wall was so astonished that he looked agaste the ioyntes of his backe bone were disioynted his knees with shaking dashed one against another nor would he yet doe penance and to what purpose is it to feare euill vnlesse by feare we resolue to eschew it 7. Their Feare then that doe as slaues obserue the Law of God to auoyd Hell is good indeede but much more noble and desirable is the mercinarie feare of Christians who as hirelings doe faithfully labour yet not principally for any loue they beare their Maister but to be rewarded with the reward promised O that the eye could see that the eare could heare or that it could enter into the heart of man what God hath prepared for those that serue him Ah what an apprehension would one haue to violate Gods commandements least he might loose those immortall rewards What teares what sobbs would one cast out when by sinne one had lost it Yet should this Feare be blame worthy if it contained in it the exclusion of holy Loue for he that should saie I will not serue God for any loue I will haue towards him but onely to attaine the reward he promiseth should commit blasphemie in preferring the reward before his Maister the benefit before the Benefactour the inheritance before the Father and his owne profit before God almightie as we haue more amply showen in the second booke 8. But finally when we feare to offend God not to auoyd the paines of Hell or the lose of Heauen but onely for that God being our good Father we owe him honour respect obedience thē our Feare is filiall because a well borne child doth not obeye his Father in respect of the power he hath to punish his disobedience or because he might disinherite him but purely because he is his Father In such sort that though his Father were old impotent and poore he would not serue him with lesse diligence but rather as a pious Storke would assist him with more care and affection Euen as IOSEPH seeing the good man IACO◠his Father old in want and brought vnder his scepter ceased not to honour serue and reuerēce him with a more thē filiall tēdernesse and such as his brothers hauing takē notice apprehended that it would euen worke after his death and therevpon they made vse of it to obtaine
pardon at his hands saying your Father commanded vs that we should tell you thus from him I beseech thee to forget thy brothers crime and the sinne and malice which they practised against thee which hauing heard he began to weepe so did his filiall heart melt at the representation of his deceased Fathers wish and will Such then doe feare God with a filiall affection as doe feare to displease him purely and simply because he is their most sweete most benigne and most louing Father 9. Howbeit though this filiall feare be ioyned mixed and tempered with the seruile feare of eternall damnation or with the mercinarie Feare of loosing Heauen it is yet gratefull to God and is called a BEGINNING FEARE that is a feare of such as are beginners and Apprentises in the exercise of diuine Loue. For as young youthes at their first beginning to ride a horse when they perceiue him rise a little high before doe not onely cleeue close to hī with their knees but doe also catch hard hold of the saddle bole with their hands yet after they haue bene a while trayned vp with it doe onely keepe thēselues close together euen so Nouices ād Prentises in Gods seruice finding thēselues lost amidst the assaults which the enemie makes against them in their beginnings doe not onely make vse of filiall but also of mercinarie and seruile Feare and hold themselues as well as they cā that they might not fall from their pretentions How sacred Loue containes the 12. fruits of the holy Ghost together with the 8. beatitudes of the Ghospell CHAPTER XIX 1. THe glorious S. PAVLE saieth thus Now the Fruit of the holy Ghost is Charitie Ioye Peace Patience Benignitie Goodnesse Longanimitie Mildnesse Modestie Faith Continencie Chastitie But marke THEO how this holy Apostle showing these 12. fruits of the holy Ghost puts them for one onely fruit for he saieth not the fruits of the holy Ghost are Charitie Ioye c. but onely the fruit of the Holy Ghost is Charitie Ioye And behold the secrete of this manner of speach The Charitie of God is poured forth into our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vs. Certes Charitie is the onely fruit of the holy Ghost but because this one fruit hath an infinitie of excellent proprieties the Apostle about to represent some of them by way of a scantling he speakes of this onely fruit as of many by reason of the multitude of proprieties which it containes in its vnitie and speakes againe of all these fruits as of one onely by reason of the vnitie in which it is comprised in this varietie So he that should saie that the fruit of the vine is ripe grapes greene grapes wine aqua vitae the liquour that doth reioyce the heart of man the drinke that doth comfort the stomake would not saie that they were fruits of diuers SPECIES but onely that though they be but one onely fruit yet hath it many different proprieties according as it is diuersly vsed 2. The Apostle therefore would saie no other thing but onely that Charitie is the fruit of the holy Ghost which is ioyfull peaceable patient benigne good longanimous sweete faithfull modest continent chast that is to saie that the Diuine Loue doth giue vs an inward ioye and cōsolation together with a great peace of mind which in aduersitie is conserued by Patience and which makes vs benigne and gracious in succouring our neighbour by a cordiall goodnesse towards him a goodnesse which is not variable but Constant and perseuerant giuing vs a courage of great extent by meanes whereof we become mild affable and condescendant to all supporting their humours and imperfections and standing perfectly loyall vnto them testifying a simplicitie accompanied with confidence as well in our words as actions liuing modestly and humbly cutting off all superfluities and disorders in meate drinke apparell bed plaie pastimes and such other voluptuous desires by a holy continencie repressing especially the inclinations and seditions of the flesh by a diligēt chastitie so that our whole man may be occupied in holy Loue as well interiourly by Ioye Peace Patience Longanimitie Goodnesse and Fidelitie as also exteriously by benignitie mildnesse modestie continencie and Chastitie 3. Now Charitie is called a fruit in so much as it doth delight vs ād in so much as we doe enioye its delicious sweetenesse as being a true aple of Paradice gathered from the tree of life which is the holy Ghost graffed in our humane hearts and dwelling in vs by his infinite mercy But when we doe not onely reioyce in this heauenly Loue and enioye its delicious sweetenesse but euen place all our glorie therein as in the crowne of our honour then it is not a fruit onely delightfull to our palate but it is a beatitude and a most wishfull felicitie not onely because it assures vs the felicitie of the next life but euen in that it doth enrich vs in this life with a contentment of an inestimable price a contentement which is so strong that all the waters of tribulation and the floodes of persequution cannot extinguish it yea it is not onely not extinguished but it waxeth rich amidst pouertie is aduanced by abiections and humiliations reioyceth in teares gaines strength by being forsaken by Iustice and by being depriued of the helpe thereof while begging for it it is deneyed of all compassion and commiseration doe recreate it while it is enuironed with the iniurious and neede It is delighted in the renunciation of all sorts of sensuall and earthly delightes to obtaine the puritie and cleanenesse of heart the vse of its valour is to lay a sleepe warrs iarrs and dissentions and to spurne temporall aduancements and reputation by all kinds of sufferance it waxeth strong and holds that its true life consisteth in dying for the well-beloued So that in a word THEO holy Charitie is a vertue a Gift a Fruit and a Beatitude as it is a vertue it makes vs obedient to exteriour inspiratiōs which God hath giuē vs by his Cōmādemēts ād Coūsells in the execution whereof all vertues are practised whence Charitie is the VERTVE OF VERTVES 4. In qualitie of a gift Charitie makes vs manigable and tractable by interiour inspirations which are as Gods secreete Commandements and Counsells in the execution whereof the 7. giftes of the holy Ghost are imployed so that Charitie is the GIFT OF GIFTS As it is a Fruit it giues vs an extreame gust and pleasure in the practise of a deuote life which is felt in the 12. fruits of the holy Ghost and thence it is the FRVIT OF FRVITS In qualitie of Beatitude it makes vs repute the affronts calumnies rebukes reuilings which the world heapes vpon vs for greatest fauours and singular honours and withall makes vs forsake renounce and reiect all other kinds of glorie saue that which comes from the beloued Crucifix for which we glorie in the abiection abnegation and annihilation of our selues admitting of no other marke of