admits of no division Inclination has its bounds Charity has none To love all things except sin Is to love out of Charity 'T is to be like God 'T is to have a heart as great as God's O how happy should I be Had I an assurance that I lov'd God truly I can have no greater assurance thereof Than to love my enemies for God If I am pleas'd with those that displease me If I oblige those who disoblige me If I love those that hate me If I testifie an affection to those For whom I feel an Aversion I have all the assurance that one can have That I love God sincerely That all my sins are forgiven me Because I love my enemies for his sake O God my Lord I will testifie my love towards you By loving for your sake those who are not love-worthy By doing good to those who do ill to me By conversing with those that displease me By seeking after those that I cannot look upon without pain By that it is that you will know That I am your Child That I am your Disciple That I live not by humour And that I love you with all my heart If you love those that love you what reward will you have do not the Publicans do the fame Matth. 5. If you salute your Brethren only what do you do more do not the Heathens do the fame ibid. Amen I say to you as long as you have not don to one of these little ones neither have you don to me Matth. 25. Their heart is divided now they will perish Os 10. XXXIV MED Of Presumption WHat art thou that thou presumest of thy self What wert thou heretofore What art thou at present What wilt thou be one day Thou know'st that thou hast sinned But thou know'st not whether thy sin be forgiven Thou know'st that thou hast offended God But thou know'st not whether thou hast appeas'd him Thou know'st that thou hast lost grace But thou know'st not whether thou hast recovered it again Thou saist Thou hast been at Confession But was thy Confession good Was it entire Was it accompanied with sorrow Was this sorrow supernatural Was it sincere Was it of all thy sins Was it with all thy heart Was it of all thy life Hast thou been seen to change thy manners Is that sorrow true and real Which dies as soon as it is conceiv'd Thou feelest not thy self guilty of any sin But that does not justifie thee One ought not to be disquieted for what is past Neither ought one to presume of what is to come What art thou at present Art thou in the grace of God Hast thou nothing upon thy Conscience The Heart of man is very hidden The Devil's wit is very crafty Vices imitate Virtues Passions disturb our knowledge One is easily perswaded that what one loves is innocent No man is an enemy to himself We defend all that we love Many times we make a Mortal sin pass for a Venial one We reckon but as a slight Detraction Calumnies of the highest importance Whatsoever good thou do'st secures thee not that thou art good In whatsoever state thou art Thou know'st not whether thou art in a good one For to do a good action thou must have a good intention Who knows when it is good Many go down into Egypt That think they go up to Jerusalem Many are in Illusion who believe they are in Contemplation How deceitful is the heart of man Onely God alone can understand it Thou must not therefore flatter thy self Thou must not over-perswade thy self What wilt thou be for the time to come Art thou sure that thou shalt persever Wilt thou answer for thy own Will How often has she deceiv'd thee Wilt thou answer for God's Will He efficaciously would have thee be saved But thou must cooperate thereunto Does he owe thee all sorts of graces Is he bound to priviledge a presumptuous man Little sins lead us unto great ones Our Salvation often depends upon a small matter Whilst we are here on Earth we may ascend to Heaven Till we are in Heaven we may fall down into Hell I find no assurance but in Humility and in Obedience The fall of great ones shall make me little The ruin of the Proud shall make me humble O my God my hope Give me not over to the Spirit of Pride Take all things from me I care not Provided you leave me humility Draw back your Talents I ask them not Provided that I have Charity If I look on my self I find all things to be feared If I consider you I find all things to be hoped Alas I deceive my self but you cannot deceive me I oftentimes wish harm to my self But you always wish me well My Salvation is more in assurance In your hands than in my own I will always diffide in my self But will always conside in you He that lives without diffidence Deceives himself if he be in assurance Man knows not whether he be worthy of love or hatred Eccles 4. The heart of man is wicked and unsearchable who shall know it Jer. 17. I am not conscious to my self of any thing but I am not thereby justified 1 Cor. 14. Thou standest by faith be not high-minded but fear Rom. 4. Be ye therefore humble under the mighty hand of God 1 Pet. 5. XXXV MED Of the good use of Time TIme is precious short irreparable Precious because each moment of it is worth an Eternity Short because it lasts only our life Irreparable because it never returns What will it avail you to have liv'd in pleasures If you die in sin What will it avail you to have past your time well If it go ill with you for all Eternity Time is given you to think on your Salvation You have but little of it remaining Death draws on Eternity advances Your life slips away Your health impairs Your Judgment is preparing Poor fool this very night thy soul shall be fetch'd away And to whom wilt thou leave all that thou hast hoarded up To whom will he be good who is naught to himself After your death you will wish for one moment Of that time which you squander away in Pastimes After death you will repine at the loss of that time Which you spend unprofitably Make therefore good use of your time Manage those precious moments Redeem that which you have lost Employ the present well Regulate well that which remains Think on your Salvation Save your Soul An Angel hath sworn by him that lives in all Ages That soon there will be no more time O my God! Give me yet a little more time And I will give you all satisfaction Alas I deserve indeed to be deprived of it Because I have so long abused it But I will henceforth make better use of it I will think on nothing but my Salvation I will repair the time I have lost And employ well the time remaining They were taken away before their time Job 22. Do
dy many times That I may dy once well Remember that death doth not tarry Eecles 14. Watch because you know neither the day nor the hour Matth. 25. VVatch at all times Luk. 21. If thou do not watch I will come to thee like a Thief Apoc. 3. Therefore be ye prepared because in what hour you think not the Son of Man will come Matth. 24. L. MED How to resolve for Death WHat do you fear O Christian Soul VVhence is it that you apprehend Death Cannot you endure that which a little Infant does endure Cannot you do that which an Emmot does All Creatures know how to dy And are you ignorant of this Science VVhat will you do with life If you will never part with it VVas it not God that gave it you Has not he a right to dispose of it He has giv'n you the use of it But has reserv'd the property thereof to himself 'T is a trust that you must restore to him Sooner or later in a good condition To what purpose do you stand trifling You must pass that way 'T is a folly to apprehend too much VVhat one cannot avoid VVe fear things that are doubtful But we expect things that are certain You should not have been born If you had no mind tody Are you in a better condition than Kings Shall you be more privileg'd than JESUS Christ For my part were I immortal I would beg it as a favour To be able to die as he did Are not you a Criminal Are not you condemn'd to death The Sentence thereof was pronounced Against Adam from the time that he sinn'd O how favourable is this Sentence O how much good does it procure us Death is no more a punishment 'T is an inestimable benefit VVe should ask it as a favour If God had not condemn'd us to it The Judgments of God are terrible But his Mercies are infinit It is good to fear But it is better to hope He that hopes in God Shall not be deceived He that leaves himself to God Shall not be forsaken Will your Condition be made better By living yet longer You will increase your debts Instead of diminishing them You say that you will do Pennance And you are yet to begin 'T is a Pennance of great merit To accept of death as a punishment Man can do no action for God Comparable to the Sacrifice of his life O my God! How happy do I esteem my self That 't is in my power to die for you I cannot be a Martyr for the Faith But I will be a Martyr of Charity To dy is no great matter But to dy well is a great matter I give to you O my God out of love VVhat death will take from me by force I give to you out of charity VVhat I cannot refuse out of necessity Better is death than a bitter life and eternal rest than continual sickness Eccles 30. O Death good is thy judgment to an indigent man and whose strength decays in his old age Eccles 41. Fear not the judgment of Death remember what things were before thee and what things will come after thee this is God's judgment on all flesh Eccles 41. VVe know if this earthly house of ours of this habitation be dissolved that we have a building from God not made with hands but eternal in heaven 2 Cor. 5. Unhappy man that I am who will deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 6. LI. MED The Affections of a just Soul at the approaches of Death which we should cause to be read to us in our last sickness I Am told that I must dy O the sweet and pleasant news I am quitting Earth to go to Heaven Going out of my Prison for to re-enter into liberty Quitting a Banishment for to return to my dear Country Passing from Time to Eternity From the figure to the truth From Change to Immutability From Death to Immortality From Misery to Felicity I am going to possess God To enjoy God To be transform'd into God To fill my Understanding with a plenitude of light My VVill with a plenitude of peace My Memory with a plenitude of goods My Senses with a fulness of pleasures I shall there above find all that I desire And nothing of what I fear I shall have no more evil I shall want nothing that is good God will be to me All in all And be so for all Eternity I am told that I am dying O the sweet news I shall be no more opprest with miseries Suffer no more incommodities Be no more afflicted with sickness No more subject to commit sin Nor in danger of damning my self Nor any more have any thing to trouble me I shall see and I shall love I shall praise and I shall bless This I shall do for ever VVithout ever being weary of doing it O what a happiness I am going to dy I am going to the place of my repose To the Land of the living To the Kingdom of peace To the Palace of glory To the Nuptials of the Lamb To sit at God's Table To eat the bread of Angels To see what eye hath not seen To hear what ear hath not heard To possess what the heart of man hath never conceived O the happy News They tell me I am dying Come my Soul Let us quit this miserable life Let us go out of this wretched body What art thou afraid of Jesus is dead for thee He has satisfied for thy sins He has pay'd all thy debts He is becom thy security He has answer'd for thee He has promis'd thee his Heaven He has declar'd thee his Heir He has made thee a surrender of all his Merits He has given thee his Body as a Pledge He has bestow'd infinit benefits on thee He has preserv'd thee from infinit dangers If he would have destroy'd thee Would he have died for thee Would he have conserv'd thy life so long Have expected thee with so much patience Given thee time to do pennance Have illuminated thee with so many lights Called thee with so much love Drawn thee with so much force Favoured thee with so many graces Given thee so many good desires Visited thee in thy sickness Made thee receive his Sacraments Markt thee with the Seal of the Predestinate If thou sighest thou shalt be saved If thou art converted in thy heart Thy sins shall be forgiven thee One sigh is sufficient to gain Heaven The Pennance that is true is never don too late He is always converted time enough Who is converted from the bottom of his heart Behold JESUS calls you Behold JESUS stretches out his arms to you Hark how he prays for you on his Cross Hark how he says with a loud voice Father forgive him for he knew not what he did He bows down his head to kiss you He spreads his arms for to embrace you His heart is open for to let you into it He has given his life for to save you O happy news
I commend my spirit And saying this he gave up the Ghost Luk. 23. And bowing down the head he gave up the Ghost John 19. Our King before ages wrought Salvation in the midst of the Earth Psal 73. He that adheres to our Lord is one spirit 1 Cor. 6. If God be for us who is against us Rom. 8. Therefore let those who suffer according to the Will of God recommend their Souls to their faithful Creator in good deeds 1 Pet. 4. CXVI MED Of the Death of the Son of God JESUS is dead Who will fear death He died for us Who will refuse to dy for him He died wasted with pains Who will refuse to suffer He died for his Servants Who will serve any other Master but him He died for our sins Who will dare to put him to death again O the good Shepherd Who died for his Sheep O the High Priest Who immolated himself for men O the faithful Friend Who lov'd us until death O the Divine Master Who placed his Chair on Mount Calvary O JESVS Since thou didst dy for me It is just that I should dy for thee Since thou hast given me the example I must dy as thou didst Wherefore I pardon all my enemies I hope thou wilt give me thy Heaven Recommend me I pray to thy good Mother Bid her take care of me O forsake me not O my God When all the World forsakes me Sustain me by thy grace When I have lost the strength of my body I thirst I desire to see thee I desire to dy When will my end com When shall I consummate my Sacrifice O my Father I recommend my spirit into thy hands I unite my death with thy Son 's Remember that he redeem'd me with his blood Lose not my soul which is of so great value Bowing down his head he gave up the Ghost John 19. The just man perisheth and no body thinks of it in his heart Isai 57. Think upon him who endured such contradiction against himself from sinners that you may not be wearied in your minds fainting Heb. 12. He died for the wicked Rom. 5. Christ died for us ibid. For this end did Christ dy and rose again that he might be Lord of the quick and the dead Rom. 14. Your are dead and your life is hid with Christ c. Col. 3. CXVII MED In form of Prayer on the seven Stations of the Sufferings of the Son of God 1. STATION O Jesus my Saviour who didst sweat blood and water in the Garden of Olives at the sight of thy torments and of my sins And who didst strip thy self of thy farce for to cloath thy self with my Infirmities I aadore thee all bathed in thy blood I give thanks to thy sacred heart for having afflicted it self for my sake I detest all the sins which did cause so great a sadness I resolve to dy rather than ever more to afflict thee Give me grace that I may as thou didst conceive a great sorrow for my iniquities that I may resist even unto blood the Temptations of the Devil and of the Flesh and that I may conform my self in all things to thy example and to the will of thy Father 2. STAT O Jesus my Lord who wert buffeted and ill treated in the houses of Annas and Caiphas I give thee thanks for having suffered these injuries and these confusions for the love of me Alas how often have I buffeted and injured thee in the person of my neighbour since thou reckonest as don to thy self all the ill that is don to him I beg most humble pardon of thee for it And I resolve henceforth for thy sake to suffer all the injuries that shall be don to me and never more to offend thee in the person of my Brothers either by action words judgment or will 3. STAT O Jesus my King who wert scorned by Herod and by the Jews when they preferred a Robber a Seditious felow and a Man-killer before thee I beg pardon of you for having so often preferr'd the Devil and wretched Creatures before you I promise never more to dishonour you You shall always be the King of my heart and I will rather dy than lay you as I have don under the feet of Lucifer that Robber that Seditious wretch and Murderer of all men 4. STAT O Jesus the purest and chastest of all men whose innocent flesh was torn with the blows of the Whips in Pilate's house for to expiate the Criminal Pleasures that we take in our flesh I acknowledge that it was for my sake that you suffered such cruel torments I am sorry for having given you so many wounds and that I have so often renewed them by the satisfaction which I have given to my Senses I conjure you by your Dolours to sanctifie my Body and Soul and to wash them with your pretious blood from all their Impurities and never to suffer that that flesh which has been washed in your blood be ever stain'd with any sin 5. STAT O Jesus the greatest of all Kings who wert crowned with Thorns and didst wear on thy Shoulders the Royal Marks of thy Principality I acknowledge thee for my King as despised and disfigured as thou art And since thou hast no part of thy body which was not wounded I will take no more pleasure in my body but will live in grief and pain that I may be one of thy Subjects and one of thy Members 6. STAT O Jesus my Redeemer who for my sake wert fastened to a Cross and who didst shed all thy blood for to rescue me from the power of the Devil whose Slave I was I give the thanks for this incomparable love that thou didst bear to me for so many torments which thou didst suffer for my sake I kiss with respect thy sacred feet and thy sacred hands which were pierced for my sake I adore that sacred heart which was opened for my love and I promise rather to dy than ever more to crucify thee in mine 7. STAT O Jesus my life who didst dy for me and who wert forsaken by thy Father that I might not be forsaken at my death O most meek Lamb immolated for the Salvation of men Victim of Love and Patience who wert consummated on a pile of sorrows O the Saint of Saints O the King of Kings What can I do for to acknowledge so great a goodness Why may not I dy for you as you died for me I believe that thou art my Saviour and I should despair did I not believe it I hope that thou wilt pardon me my sins and that thou wilt bestow on me thy Heaven since thou gavest me thy life I detest my Crimes which are the cause of thy death and I will rather lose my life than ever make thee dy in my heart since this death is infinitly more sensible and more ignominious to thee than that of the Cross I beg your pardon for all those who have offended me I give my self
obeyed Serve her whom God hath served Love her whom God hath loved Salute her whom the Angel did salute Say to her often with heart and mouth Hail full of Grace Give us a part of your fulness Our Lord is with thee As Father as Son as Spouse Blessed art thou among Women With infinit blessings Thou alone art a Virgin and a Mother Thou alone wert conceiv'd without Crime Thou alone didst live without Sin Thou alone didst dy without Pain Thou alone hadst God for thy Son and Subject Thou alone art his Daughter his Mother his Spouse Thou art the repairer of the World The Queen of the Universe The Gate of Paradise The Dispenser of Graces O Blessed Virgin give me thy blessing And blessed be the Fruit which thou gavest to the World Most holy Mary and most worthy Mother of God Pray for the Just and for Sinners Now that thou seest them Beaten by so many Temptations Slaves to so many vices Overwhelm'd with so many miseries But especially at their Death When their Salvation is in greatest danger And thy succour will be most necessary for them The Word was made flesh John 1. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that for you he was made poor whereas he was rich that by his poverty you might be rich 2 Cor. 3. He exinanited himself Phil. 1. He was subject to them Luk. 2. All generations shall call me blessed Luk. 2. CXXXV MED Of the Visitation of the B. Virgin JESVS visits S. John Mary visits S. Elizabeth Jesus sanctifies both the Mother and the Son By the mouth of Mary As soon as ever she had spoken John Baptist was sanctified Her speech was a Conduit-pipe of grace which gave sight to a blind man Which delivered a captive Which raised up one that was dead Which justified a sinner Mary applies to the first amongst men The first fruit of our Redemption She conceives man spiritually After having conceiv'd God corporally She becoms the Mother of men After having becom the Mother of God She is the Mother of grace She is the Mother of mercy Of grace for the just Of mercy for sinners O Mother of grace Mother of mercy Visit us frequently together with thy Son You want not grace Since you have the fulness thereof You want not mercy Since it dwelt nine months in your bowels Exercise it on a poor blind man And on a poor captive On a sinner a slave to his Passions On one dead to the life of grace Com and enlighten and enlarge him Com and raise him and sanctify him Make thy voice to be heard to the ear of my heart For thy voice is sweet And thy beauty incomparable Speak and my heart will leap with joy Say the word and my soul will be healed For you have in you the Word of God Which gives life to the World Mary Mother of grace Mother of mercy Defend us from our Enemies And receive our Souls at the hour of our Death For to honour the Virgin You must imitate her Virtues Love Solitude as she did Go not out of it but for to do good Visit the Prisoners Help the Miserable Deliver Captives Sanctify Sinners Be a Mother of grace to their Souls A Mother of mercy to their Bodies Blessed is the Lord God of Israel because he hath visited c. Luk. 1. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God in which he visited us ibid. Visit us in thy salvation Ps 205. Thy visitation hath preserved my Spirit Job 10. As soon as she heard the salutation of Mary Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost Luk. 1. Arise make hast my friend my sister let thy voice sound in my ears for thy voice is sweet and thy face comely Cant. 2. CXXXVI MED Of the Death of the B. Virgin WHat is it that makes the Chalice of Death bitter It is the loss of the World 'T is the separation from the Body 'T is the account that is to be given We feel sadness in quitting the World We feel pain in quitting our Body We dread being to appear before God Mary died without Fear Sadness Pain Because she liv'd without Sin ty Pleasure O let my soul dy with the death of the Saints O let my death be like the death of Mary Live the life of Saints And thou wilt dy the death of Saints Live like Mary and thou wilt dy like Mary Live without sin and thou wilt dy without fear Live without ty and thou wilt dy without sadness Live without pleasure And thou wilt dy without pain If you lead the life of sinners You will dy the death of sinners If you live in disorder You will dy in confusion If you live in sin you will dy in fear If you live in pleasure You will dy in pain That which makes your delight during your life Will make your torment at your death That which is your pain during your life Will be your pleasure at your death O Holy Virgin I care not by what death I dy Provided that I dy in a good state I shall dy without fear if I dy in your arms I shall dy in grace if I dy in your service For you save those that belong to you You never suffer your Children to perish O fail not to be present at your Son's death All the Predestinate must dy in your arms Since you saw the first Predestinate dy I will disengage my self from the World That I may dy without sadness I will afflict my Body That I may dy without pain I will abstain from sin That I may dy without fear I will live in pain that I may dy in pleasure I will live in Pennance That I may dy with assurance I will live in Charity That I may dy in Sanctity I will live a Child of the Virgins That I may dy like a Predestinate I will live in grace that I may dy in grace I will live in love that I may dy in love I adjure you O ye daughters of Jerusalem that if you find my beloved you will tell him that I languish with love Cant. 5. Love is as strong as death Cant. 8. Let my soul dy the death of the just Numb 23. The Death of sinners is very bad Ps 33. He shall laugh at the latter day Prov. 31. Into thy hands O Lord I recommend my spirit Luk. 23. CXXXVII MED Of the Resurrection of the B. Virgin MAry is risen again Her body is no longer in the grave So pure a flesh as hers Ought to be exempt from corruption So holy a Temple ought not to be profaned Mary is the chastest of Virgins She ought therefore to be incorruptible Mary is the best of Mothers She ought therefore to be with her Son If the body of Jesus by its Communion Gives a right to a Resurrection Who ought to rise again If not she who gave him flesh If the Servants are with their Masters Where ought his Mother to be If this favour
Canticle Page 381 Med. 8. Canticle ibid. Med. 9. Canticle Page 382 Med. 10. Canticle Page 383 Words of the Holy Scripture for the chast Spouses of the Son of God Page 385 Words of Love taken out of the Book of the Following of Christ for Souls which aspire to Vnion Page 387 The End of the Table of the Second Tome A TABLE OF THE Meditations For the whole Year 1. Sunday of Advent Gospel Luk. c. 21. v. 25. unto v. 34. Med. 1. OF the last Judgment Page 20 Med. 2. Of Death Page 13 Med. 3. Of the End for which Man was made Page 1 Med. 4. Of the same Subject ibid. Med. 5. Of good Works Page 178 Med. 6. Of Pennauce Page 28 Med. 7. Of the same Subject ibid. 2. Sund. of Adv. G. Matth. 21. v. 2. to 11. Med. 1. Of human Respect Page 77 Med. 2. Of Persecutions Page 73 Med. 3. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Of Poverty Page 204 Med. 5. Of Scandal Page 50 Med. 6. Of Conscience Page 39. Med. 7. The same again ibid. 3. Sund. of Adv. G. John 1. v. 19.29 Med. 1. Of Humility Page 149 Med. 2. The same again ibid. Med. 3. Of the judgment of Men. Page 94 Med. 4. Of vain Desires Page 42 Med. 5. The same again ibid. Med. 6. Of Disengagement Page 71 Med. 7. The same again ibid. 4. Sund. of Adv. G. Luk. 3. v. 1.7 Med. 1. That we ought not to deferr our Conversion Page 29 Med. 2. Of the Conditions of true Pennance Page 32 Med. 3. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Of Mortal Sin Page 25 Med. 5. Of the Peace of the Soul Page 41 Med. 6. The same again ibid. Med. 7. Of Tepidity Page 43 25. Dec. On Christmas-Day Med. 1. Gospel Luk. 2. v. 1.25 Med. 2. Gosp Luk. 2. v. 15.21 Med. 3. Gosp John 1. v. 1.15 26. S. Steven G. Matth. 23. v. 34.40 Of the Pardoning of Injuries Page 91 27. S. John G. John 21. v. 19.28 Of the love of our Neighbour Page 164 28. Holy Innocents G. Matth. 2. v. 13.19 That we must be Persecuted Page 75 29. Affections of Tenderness towards the Infant JESUS Page 221 30. Of the Poverty of the Infant Jesus Page 224 31. Of the Humility of the Infant Jesus Page 226 A Preparation for Death Page 105 The four following Meditations may be made on the four last days of every Month for to learn how to Dy well Med. 1. Of the Preparation to Death Page 105 Med. 2. Motives to resolve for Death Page 108 Med. 3. The Affections of a just Soul c. Page 111 Med. 4. A Paraphrase on our Lord's Prayer Page 118 1. January G. Luk. 2. v. 21.22 Of the Holy Name of JESUS Page 229 Med. 2. Jan. Of the good use of time Page 71 Med. 3. Jan. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Jan. Of the divine Humiliations c. Page 227 Med. 5. Jan. Of the Virtues of JESUS c. Page 219 Med. 6. Jan. Epiphany G. Mat. 2. v. 1.13 Of the Kingdom of JESUS Christ Page 232 Med. 7. Jan. The same again ibid. Med. 8. Jan. Of the Kingdom of God Page 231 1. Sund. after the Epiph. G. Luk. 2. v. 42.53 Med. 1. Of the Duty of Fathers c. Page 166 Med. 2. Of the Care of our Salvation Page 6 Med. 3. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Of the leaving of our selves Page 343 Med. 5. The same again ibid. Med. 6. How we ought to leave our selves Page 345 Med. 7. The same again ibid. 2. Sund. after the Epiph. G. John 2. v. 3.12 Med. 1. Of the happiness of a Religious State Page 203 Or Of divine Vnion Page 370 Med. 2. The same again ibid. Med. 3. Of Chastity Page 206 Med. 4. Of the Contempt of the World Page 45 Med. 5. The same again ibid. Med. 6. Of Patience Page 152 Med. 7. The same again ibid. 3. Sund. after the Epiph. G. Matth. 8. v. 1.14 Med. 1. Of Sickness Page 194 Or Of Communion Page 304 Med. 2. Of Faith Page 134 Med. 3. Of venial Sin Page 26 Med. 4. Of Preparation for Death Page 105 Med. 5. Motives to resolve for Death Page 108 Med. 6. The Affections of a just Soul c. Page 111 Med. 7. A Paraphrase on our Lord's Prayer Page 118 4. Sund. after Epiph. G. Matth. 18. v. 23.28 Med. 1. Of the Profit of Temptations Page 56 Med. 2. The same again ibid. Med. 3. Of God's dominion over his Creatures Page 3 Med. 4. The same again ibid. Med. 5. Of Hope Page 139 Med. 6. Motives to Patience Page 152 Med. 7. The same again ibid. 5. Sund. after the Epiph. G. Matth. 13. v. 31.36 Med. 1. Of the flight from occasions c. Page 35 Med. 2. The same again ibid. Med. 3. Of the Purity of Intention Page 144 Med. 4. Of Hell Page 22 Med. 5. Of the hatred of the World Page 45 Med. 6. The same again ibid. Med. 7. Of the two Eternities Page 24 6. Sund. after the Epiph. G. Matth. 13. v. 31.36 Med. 1. Of fidelity in small things Page 176 Med. 2. Of Presumption Page 67 Med. 3. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Of the Conducts of Faith Page 136 Med. 5. Of the troubles and pains of mind Page 61 Med. 6. Of natural Inclinations Page 62 Med. 7. The same again ibid. Septuagesima Sunday G. Matth. 20. v. 1.17 Med. 1. Of the small number of the saved Page 48 Med. 2. Of Slander Page 79 Med. 3. That we ought to do our actions well Page 175 Med. 4. A Preparation for Death Page 105 Med. 5. Motives to resolve for Death Page 108 Med. 6. The affections of a just Soul c. Page 111 Med. 7. A Paraphrase on our Lord's Prayer Page 118 Sexagesima Sund. G. Luk. 8. v. 1.16 Med. 1. Of the Word of God Page 201 Med. 2. Of driness Page 190 Med. 3. Of Alms. Page 180 Med. 4. The same again ibid. Med. 5. Of Inspirations Page 199 Med. 6. The same again ibid. Med. 7. Of Avarice Page 97 Or Of Devotion to the B. Virgin Page 310 Quinquagesima S. G. Luk. 18. v. 31.44 Med. 1. Of the obligation we have to love God Page 10 Med. 2. The same again ibid. Med. 3. Of Modesty Page 196 Med. 4. Ash-Wednesday Of outward Pennance Page 53 Med. 5. The same again ibid. Med. 6. Of the excellence of Mortification Page 55 Med. 7. Of customary Sins Page 102 1. Sunday in Lent G. Matth. 4. v. 1.12 Med. 1. Of the Causes of Temptations Page 58 Med. 2. Of our Lord's Passion in general Page 235 Med. 3. The same again ibid. Med. 4. Of our Lord's Sadness Page 237 Med. 5. The same again ibid. Med. 6. Of his Prayer in the Garden Page 239 Med. 7. The same again ibid. Or The seven Stations Page 274 2. Sund. in Lent G. Matth. 17. v. 1.10 Med. 1. Of Heaven Page 368 Or Of Solitude Page 342 Med. 2. Of the outrages that our Lord suffered c. Page 241 Med. 3. The
God and my End Thou art the beginning of my life Thou art the center of my peace Thy hands it were that framed me 'T is thy hands that conserve me 'T is thy hands that sustain me 'T is thy hands that defend me I am always in thy arms And yet I never think on thee I am always in thy heart And yet I have no love for thee Thy Creatures serve me And yet I will not serve thee Was it I that made them Did I give my life for them O my God! Thou didst make me for thy self And didst more-over die for me Thou promisest me eternal goods Thou threatenest me with eternal miseries And yet all this does not work on me And yet after all this I love thee not O God my Lord Burn thy Heaven Extinguish thy Hell I will have no other reward For the services that I render thee Than the honour of having serv'd thee Heaven is too much for him that loves thee Hell is too little for him that loves thee not O how these thoughts do please me I am from God I am God's I am in God I am for God From God as from my beginning God's as my Soveraign's In God as in my Center For God as for my final End Alas I have lived hitherto As though I had been from my self As though I were my own As though I were for my self As though I were sufficient to my self O! I will henceforth be all yours I will seek no rest but in thee I will labour no more but for thee The Lord your God is the God of Gods and the Lord of Lords great and powerful and terrible Deut. 20. v. 17. If I am the Father where is my honour and if I be the Lord where is my fear Mal. 1.6 Thy hands have made me and framed me Ps 128. Who is it that plants a Vineyard and does not eat of the fruit thereof 1 Cor. 9. Who art thou to answer God Rom. 4. Wilt not thou O my Soul be subject to God Ps 61. III. MED Of the care of our Salvation MY Salvation is my business My Salvation is my only business My Salvation is a very great business God from all eternity thinks of this business His Son died on the Cross for this business Our good Angels labour for this business The whole World was created only for this business All my happiness depends on this business My Eternity roles upon this business All the Devils do traverse this business I cannot without care speed in this business Death will soon put an end to this business I am then a Fool if I do not mind this business And yet I neglect this business I mind every thing else but this business I am restless about all things but this business O I will mind nothing else but this business I will labour no more but for this business One thing is necessary Luk. 10. What will it avail a man to gain the whole VVorld if he lose his own Soul Matth. 26. VVhat exchange shall man give for his Soul ibid. Attend to thy self 1 Tim. 6. Have pity on thy soul and please God Eccles 3. IV. MED Of disengagement from Creatures I Never found any true pleasure in Creatures I never found in them any rest any assurance any trust any fidelity They are vain and unconstant They are impure and indigent They are made for me Not I made for them They are more vile than I. I am more noble than they They may indeed amuse me But they cannot satiate me They may disturb my heart But they cannot calm it My God! My heart is small in substance But it is infinit in its desires Though your happiness be never so great It is capable of containing it Thou hast made it for to love thee Thou hast framed me to thy Image 'T is a River that seeks out the Sea 'T is a fire which mounts up to its Sphere 'T is a ray that would return back again To the Principle from whence it took its birth 'T is a piece of Iron which without knowing it Would fain unite its self to its Load-stone O how unhappy have I been When I loved Creatures O my God! Since I am made for thee I perceive very well that I never shall Have any peace or rest but in thee Vanity of Vanities and all is Vanity Eccles 1. In all things I perceived there was Vanity and affliction of Spirit Eccles 2. Turn O my Soul into thy rest because our Lord hath done well to thee Ps 114 VVhy do ye love Vanity and seek after lying Ps 4. V. MED Of the Will of God I Am in this World only for to do What God would have me do I deserve death if I do not do What God would have me do I shall never be perfect unless I do What God would have me do I shall never be at rest unless c. I must whether I will or nill do What God would have me do I shall be wise as God is If I have the same judgment with him I shall be just as God is If I have the same Rule with him I shall be holy as God is If I have the same love as he has I shall be powerful as God is If I will the same things with him I shall be happy as God is If I have the same pleasure as he has All things will obey me as they do God If I have the same will with him Alas how miserable was I Whilst I waged war against God All things thwarted my will Whilst I thwarted the Will of God O my God! Give me not over to my Passions Suffer me not to offend you any more Destroy my will lest it destroy yours Force me if I will not obey you Do your will with me if I will not do your Will Life is in his will Ps 26. As it is his will in Heaven so be it don 1 Mach. 13. Not as I but as thou wilt Mark 14. Let our Lord's will bedon Act. 2. Lord what wilt thou have me to do Act. 9. VI. MED Of the Obligations we have to love and serve God SInce God is the first of all Beings Since he hath fram'd me with his hands Since he hath made me for to love him Since he hath drawn me out of Hell Since he hath given his life for me Since he hath redeem'd me with his blood Since he feeds me with his own flesh Since he quickens me with his Spirit Since he promises me his Heaven Since he hath lov'd me from all Eternity Since he hath bestow'd infinit benefit upon me Since he hath pardon'd me an infinity of sins Since he gives himself wholly to me Since I belong wholly to him Since I subsist only by his favour Since he burns with the love of me Since all his desire is To make me happy as he is himself O I will love him with all my heart O I will never serve any other Master O I will
do his will And sacrifice my self to his glory My God! Let me cease to live unless I will live for thee Destroy my being unless I will be thine Oppose my desires if I desire ought else but thee Thou art my Servant Isa 41. I am thine Ps 118. VVhether we live or whether we die we are the Lords Rom. 14. You are not your own for you have been bought with a great price 2 Cor. 6. O Lord I am thy servant I am thy servant and the Son of thy Handmaid Ps 115. VII MED Profitable thoughts fit for to draw us off from the World WHo was it that put me into this World To what end am I in this World What do I do in this World What rest have I in this World When shall I go out of this World Whether shall I go at my departure out of this World What would I wish to have don At my going out of this World Shall I damn my self for the goods of this World If I lose my Soul what will it avail me To have gained the whole World And yet for all that I labour only for the World O my God! Either draw me out of this World Or draw me off from this World Either make the World die in me Or make me die to the World Either separate my Soul from her Body Or take her off from the affection of the World VVhat will it avail a man should he gain the whole VVorld Luk. 19. Ye are of this VVorld I am not of this VVorld John 8. O just Father the VVorld hath not known thee John 4. Ye are not of this VVorld John 15. VIII MED Of Death YOu must die once And you will die but once You know not when you shall die How you shall die In what place you shall die In what state you shall die You will die sooner than you imagin And unless you take heed you will die Before you think of it Such is the Death as is the Life One cannot learn in a moment A Trade which one never practised Nor can one unlearn in a moment A Trade one has still been at After Death you will be judged After Judgment you will be in Eternity What would you then wish to have don What good will these goods do you Which you have scraped up together O Death O Judgment O Salvation O Damnation I am a dead man unless I think of Death I am a Mad man unless I think on Eternity I deserve not to be saved Unless I fear being damned Behold the day of thy Death is at hand Deut. 31. O death how bitter is thy remembrance to a man who has peace in his Riches Eccles 41. Man knows not his end Eccles 9. It is decreed that all men must die once Heb. 9. Be ye therefore prepar'd because in the hour that you think not of the Son of Man will come Luk. 12. Dispose of thy house for thou wilt die Isa 38. IX MED Of the Death of the Just WHat a pleasure is it to die When we have no pleasure to live One quits that without pain Which one possesses without affection Death is sweet to him Who has no comfort at all here The Soul leaves without repining A House that doth not please her A divorce is pleasing to those That do not love each other That which you love during your life Will be your torment at your death That which afflicts you in this life Will be your comfort at your Death What can cause any grief To a spirit disengag'd from all things Love is as strong as Death It prevents what that is to do It separates the soul from the body And leaves Death nothing to do What need is there to pluck up by force A Heart that cleaves close to nothing The Treasure of his merits Is a possession that cannot be taken from him 'T is a precious inheritance That death cannot rob him of O what comfort does the sight Of a good action then afford There is nothing in our life that is goodly But a fair Gate to get out of it Of all the goods that man can desire The greatest is to die well Death is not dreadful To him that has liv'd well It is the end of his combats And the Crown of his merits God preserves in that evil day The Soul which has been faithful to him He makes her sleep in his bosom He strengthens her with his grace He allayes her pains He dissipates her frights He gives order to his blessed Spirits To comfort and defend her To maintain her in peace And to conduct her to Heaven O how precious in the sight of God Is the death of the Just O how honourable is this Sacrifice to him O how pleasing to him is this Victim My God! May I hope for a good death Having led so wicked a life 'T is true I have lost my Innocence But I may repair it by Pennance O I will live like the Vertuous That I may die like the Vertuous O I will lead the life of the Just That I may obtain the Death of the Just Blessed are the dead that die in our Lord. Apoc. 14. To him that fears our Lord it shall be well in his extremity and he shall be blessed in the day of his departure Eccles 2. Precious in the sight of our Lord is the death of his Saints Psal 115. VVhen these things being to be don look up and lift up your heads for then your Redemption is at hand Luk. 21. Ye shall go forth in gladness and be conducted in peace the mountains and hills shall sing praises before you Isa 5. X. MED Of the Death of Sinners DEath is a great evil But Sin is a much greater But Death joyned with Sin Is the most frightful of all evils 'T is an universal evil 'T is an eternal evil 'T is an evil without remedy 'T is the most dreadful threat That a provoked God can make O how evil is the death of sinners How are they seized with horrour Seeing themselves e're they are aware At the last line of time Which they have spent so ill Seeing themselves just ready to go Into the Prisons of Eternity From whence they cannot save themselves To begin to see what they never saw To begin to conceive what they never before conceived To begin to measure What they never before considered To begin to feel what they had never experienced To begin to suffer an Evil as long as Eternity To quit a place of Pleasures For to enter into a place of Torments To descend from a Paradise Into a bottomless Hell To pass from plenty into extream want To fall from a throne of glory Into an Abyss of Confusion O what a dreadful change is this O what a sensible misfortune O how surprizing a novelty O what an amazing downfal That which causes a desire in the good Will cause a fear in the wicked A virtuous man desires nothing more Than to present
himself before God What an amazement will it be To see himself before an angry God Before a Father whom he has outraged Before a King whom he has slighted Before a Friend whom he has betrayed Before a Captain whom he has deserted Before a Judge whom he has offended Before a Saviour whom he has crucified There is no sight in the World That a wicked man would more avoid And from which he can less hide himself Then shall he see all his Sins That will present themselves to accuse him He shall see the Devils ready to devour him Over his head a Judge ready to condemn him Vnder his Feet a Precipice whereinto he is falling Before him his goods that are carrying away from him By his side the Objects which made him sin Within him his Body which is about to leave him O Jesus on the Cross How then will the sight of thee Comfort the good Frighten the bad How will they dare to look upon him Whom they have crucified All your wounds will fall a bleeding At the sight of these murderers What kind of death will mine be Such as has been your life Shall I die like the Virtuous Yes if you live like the virtuous O I will live in grace That I may die in peace I will live holily That I may die in tranquillity I will live in Pennance That I may die in Assurance The death of sinners is very ill Psal 33. Evils will surprize the unjust man at his death Psal 139. VVhy should I fear in the evil day the iniquity of my heel will encompass me Psal 48. They shall leave their riches to strangers their graves shall be their houses for ever Psal 48. The rich man died and was buried in Hell Luk. 16. Unless you do pennance ye will all perish in like manner Luk. 13. XI MED Of the last Judgment THere is an eye that sees all An ear that hears all A hand that writes all I do not see and yet am seen I hear not and yet am heard I know not and yet am known The eye which discovers all is covered The ear which hears all is hid The hand that writes all is invisible Nothing is lost nothing flies out All things pass from Time to Eternity That which is past will return again What you thought was lost will be retrieved A crime that is buried will rise up again That which passes the time away Will not pass away with time All shall be examin'd without exception Judged without acception Condemn'd without remission Punish't without conpassion Alas my God! Where shall I hide my self when I am cited What shall I answer when you question me What will become of me when I am judged What would I have don when I am condemned Come unto me O ye blessed of my Father O amiable words Begon from me O ye accursed O terrible words We write in this life the Sentence Which will be then pronounced Wo unto me when my crimes shall be discovered Wo unto me when my heart shall be opened Wo unto me when it shall be said Here is the man and the good that I have don him Here is the man and the ill that he has don me VVe shall all stand before the Tribunal of Christ Rom. 14. VVe must all be manifested before the Tribunal of Christ that every one may receive what belongs to his body as he has behaved himself be it good or bad 1 Cor. 15. Our Lord will bring into Judgment all that is don Eccles 11. In the end of man is the disclosing of his works Eccles 11. If the just man will scarce be saved where will the wicked man and the sinner appear 1 Pet. 4. XII MED Of Hell HEll is the Prison of God's Justice 'T is the Magazin of his Vengeance The term of his Wrath. The center of all Evils The deep Well of Death The Devil's Kingdom The Country of the Desperate A Region of Tears A place of Torments A Land of Malediction A Banishment without comfort A loss without redress A labour without rest A pain without end An evil without remedy There man shall be separated from God Cursed by God Hated of God God will hate him Without any possibility of loving him His hatred will be 1. Infinit 2. Irreconcilable 3. Universal 4. Eternal In Heaven there will be all that you love In Hell all that you hate Pleasure will be pure in Heaven And Pains pure in Hell Nothing will be wanting in Heaven All things will be wanting in Hell O strange revolution The wicked man flies away from God here upon Earth And yet he finds him every where He seeks after God in Hell And shall never find him What do I say that he will flie from God Alas he will find him every where And yet he will never love him His presence makes Heaven His presence makes Hell The greatest pain of a Reprobate Is in all places to find an angry God O Eternity how long art thou O Eternity how dreadful art thou O Never that never ends O Ever which lasteth ever O Present which stickest close to what is past O Past which stickest to what is to come O Eternity Shall we never apprehend thee O Eternity Shall we never conceive thee If we had thee always in our mind We should never sin A Land of misery and darkness where the shadow of death and no order but an everlasting horrour does dwell Job 5. Cast out the unprofitable Servant into outward darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matth. 25. VVho shall be punisht eternally from the face of our Lord and from the glory of his virtue 1 Thess 1. Thou wilt put them like an Oven of fire in the time of thy countenance our Lord in his wrath will cast them down and fire shall devour them Psal 20. The sinner shall see and be angry he shall gnash with his teeth the desire of Sinners shall come to nothing Psal 111. XIII MED Of the two Eternities TO live Ever and Never to die To die Ever and Never to live To possess all things and desire nothing To desire all things and possess nothing To rest always without ever working To work always without ever resting To rejoyce always without ever being sad To be always sad without ever rejoycing To love God always Without being in a possibility of hating him To hate God always Without a possibility of loving him The one is the portion of the good The other the pain of the bad O how amiable is Heaven O how horrible is Hell O what a cheat is the World O how blind is man O how short is Time O how long is Eternity Nothing is long of which we see an end Nothing is short of which we see no end These shall go into everlasting torments and the just into life everlasting Matth. 25. I would they were wise and did understand and provide for the last things Deut. 32. Their worm does not
die and their fire shall not be quenched Isa 66. Be gon from me ye accursed into fire everlasting Matth. 25. Come ye blessed of my Father Matth. 25. XIV MED Of Mortal sin WHat have I don I have offended an infinit Majesty I have injur'd infinit perfections I would have destroy'd an infinit goodness I have violated an infinit obligation I have then committed an infinit injustice I therefore deserve an infinit punishment God hates Sin with an infinit hatred He hates it as much as he loves his Son As much as he loves himself He hates it entirely infinitly Necessarily Essentially Eternally And I love what God hates I love it in proportion as much as he hates it I love entirely what he hates entirely I love excessively what he hates infinitly I love voluntarily what he hates necessarily I love constantly what he hates eternally O I will henceforth hate Sin As highly as I am bound to hate it I will hate it as much as I am bound to love God I will hate it entirely Infinitly Necessarily constantly eternally The Highest hateth sinners and will render revenge to the wicked Eccles 12. What hast thou don The voice of thy Brother's blood cries unto me from the Earth Gen. 4. The Soul which through pride shall have committed any thing whether he be a Citizen or a Stranger shall perish from amongst his people Numb 15. The impious man and his iniquity are hateful Wisd 14. What profit had you in those things in which you now blush for indeed their end is death Rom. 6. XV. MED Of Venial Sin THat is a great ill that does ill to God An injury don to God is a great injury Every Venial Sin dishonours God It offends the Sanctity of God It saddens the Spirit of God It cools the love of God It diminishes the graces of God It makes us stray from the conduct of God I dishonour God more by one Venial Sin Than I can honour him by my good works 'T is better to abstain from one Venial Sin Than to do all sorts of good works Venial Sin wounds and disfigures my Soul It darkens my Understanding Weakens my Will Raises my Passions By committing of small sins I familiarize my self with great ones A Habit of Venial Sin Leads insensibly unto Mortal O God of Majesty How have I slighted thee O God of goodness How have I afflicted thee O God of Sanctity How ill have I treated thee My Soul fear that evil that leads to death Apprehend the committing of small sins If thou wilt avoid great ones A small matter gains Heaven And a small matter loses it One Venial sin cannot damn thee And yet thy Damnation Begins many times by a slight sin He who is unjust in a small matter will be unjust in a greater Luk. 16. See how small a fire burns a great wood Jam. 3. He that slights small things will fall by degrees Eccl. 19. Of every idle word that men shall have spoken they shall give an account in the day of Judgment Matth. 16. XVI MED Of Pennance EIther Hell or Pennance There are but two ways to Eternity The broad one and the narrow one The broad one leads to Hell The narrow one to Heaven The broad one is the easier The narrow one the harder The broad one is the more beaten The narrow one the less frequented In which of the two are you You walk in the broad ways You live according to custom You imitate only the Vices of others You imitate not their Virtues You hearken to nothing but your own inclinations You follow nothing but your passions You will not be confin'd You seek nothing but to be at large You are resolv'd to sin And you are not resolv'd to do Pennance Unless you do it quickly You will die suddenly Unless you do it now You will do it in Eternity O my God! Spare me not now Provided that you spare me in Eternity Do fruits worthy of Pennance Luk. 3. Unless you do pennance you will all perish together Luk. 13. Enter in at the narrow gate Matth. 7. Do ye pennance for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Matth. 2. XVII MED That we ought not to differ our Conversion UNless you do Pennance you will not be saved Unless you do it quickly possibly you may never do it You will not always have this time This grace this will He that abuses his time is deprived of time He that abuses grace is deprived of grace He that abuses his liberty is deprived of liberty Why do you differ your Conversion Must you be wicked because God is good Must you abuse his patience to your insolence Must you make his justice a slave to your malice To sin in hopes of a pardon Is to sin by presumption It is to preserve vice By the very grace that ought to destroy it 'T is to nourish sin by the very remedy Which ought to be the death of it 'T is to make of Pennance A fund of Impenitence Why will you delay what must be don one day That which will be good to morrow Is it not good to day Shall you be alive to morrow Shall you have this grace to morrow Will you ground upon a May-be The business of an Eternity What may be will be infallibly Unless God hinders it from being The Devil will strike his stroke Unless God hinder him from acting One dies as he has lived Death is the Echo of life How shall we hate at our death What we have loved all our life long A Thief was saved Despair not There was but one Presume not You say nothing presses you And I say all things press you presses you The time that slips away presses you The grace that touches you presses you Heaven that stands open presses you Hell wherein you are like to fall presses you Death that threatens you presses you Judgment that draws near presses you O my God! I put off too long That which cannot be don too soon I continue too long That which never ought to be don I will no longer expect till to morrow Since I am not sure to live to morrow My life is all yours Why have you but a part thereof You give me time for to love you Is it just that I should use it to offend you If I offer up the Sacrifice of Cain I shall be reprobated as he was One can never take security sufficient When Eternity lies at Stake Turn to our Lord and leave thy sins Eccl. 5. Do you contemn the riches of God's goodness and patience c. Rom. 2. Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Act. 3. Do not delay turning to our Lord nor differ it from day to day for his wrath will come on a sudden Eccles 5. Ruin will fall upon that man who with a stiff-neck contemns him that rebukes him Prov. 29. XVIII MED Of the Conditions of a true Pennance A True Repentance ought to proceed from the
thou have in Hell Where thou wilt have for tormentors All those that thou hast damned O my God! Forgive me my own proper sins And impute not to me the sins of others I have hitherto been a Tyrant I will henceforth be a Martyr I have lived like a Devil I will now live like an Angel I have labour'd only to destroy Souls I will now labour to save them I shall not be in security Unless I save as many as I have damn'd I am not born for my self alone I must likewise answer for my Neighbour My life is only necessary for my self But my reputation is necessary for others I ow Chastity to my self But I ow Modesty to the whole World Wo unto the world from scandals Matth. 17. He that scandalizes one of these little ones it were better for him to have a Milstone hung about his neck and to be flung into the Sea Matth. 17. If thy hand scandalize thee cut it off Mark 4. VVo unto him by whom scandal cometh Luk. 7. XXVII MED Of outward Pennance and Mortification THere is nothing more united than Soul and Body Nothing less united than Soul and Body When the one goes forward the other goes backward When one goes up the other goes down When the one is well the other is sick When the one is strong the other is weak I am not a man if I obey my Passions I am no Christian unless I fight against my Passions I am no Penitent unless I mortifie my Passions How do I know whether my sins be forgiven me Whether the punishment be remitted me Whether God will chastise me spiritually Or punish me corporally If I spare my self God will not spare me If I punish my self God will not punish me If I hate my self God will love me If I love my self God will hate me O! I will chastise my Body That I may be predestinated I will fight against this enemy of God That I may be crowned I will mortifie my senses That I may live a life of the spirit I will be crucified with JESUS That I may rise again with JESUS I abhor my body unless it have wounds as his had Since I have not the heart to make my self any I will suffer those that God shall make me O Christian Soul Make of thy body a living and dying victim Mortifie thy Passions thy Senses and thy Desires Mortifie thy self at all times In all places In all things Mortifie thy self discreetly and prudently Give thy flesh unto God and he will give thee his spirit Do thou take care of the exteriour And he will take care of the interiour Do thou do what is easie and he will do that which is hard Walk as long as thou art able And he will carry thee when thou canst go no longer The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8. Those that belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and lusts Gal. 5. If you live according to the flesh you shall die Rom. 8. XXVIII MED Of the excellency of Mortification WHat is Mortification 'T is a death of love which kills the criminal life Which takes the Soul off from the senses Which severs her from the body Which makes her live in spirit What is Mortification 'T is a Martyrdom of love without Crime or Tyrant Less bloody than that of faith but longer and more tedious More free and more voluntary More honourable and more innocent More troublesom and more constant What is Mortification 'T is a continuation of the Sacrifice of JESUS Which fills up what is wanting to his Passion Which makes our Bodies Members of his Which enlivens us with his Spirit Gives us a share of his Sorrows Which merits for us a treasure of his Grace Which disposes us to the throne of his Glory O let me die the death of the Just That I may live the life of the Just O let me be a victim to love That I may die a death of love I beseech you brethren through the mercy of God that you yield your bodies a living and holy Host and pleasing to God Rom. 12. I die every day 1 Cor. 15. I am fastned to the Cross Gal. 2. I fulfil the things that are wanting to the Sufferances of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Col. 1. If by the spirit you mortifie the works of the flesh you shall live Rom. 8. XXIX MED Of the Profit and necessity of Temptations THe evil purifies the good A Storm makes Trees take deeper Roots Wind blows away the Chaff Fire refines Gold Snow warms the Ground A Combat tries ones strength Infirmity conserves Humility Temptation increases Charity Every thing hath its contrary War produces Peace Every thing subsists by opposition You will be saved but by Temptation Unless you be tempted you will not be predestinated Unless you fight you will not be crowned Unless you be assaulted you are already overcome This Combat is troublesom but it is necessary It gives an exercise to your virtue But it gets you a Crown That which encourages you to resist Will crown your patience The feeling of Temptation hurts not Provided the heart consent not God is with you what do you fear You are stronger than your enemy He cannot overcome you unless you will He cannot bite you unless you go near him Be vigilant in the first beginnings Pray to God at all times Fly occasions Be firm in your resolutions Take counsel in your Doubts Seek for succour in your Combats Go up to Heaven there to see your Throne Go down into Hell there to see your place 'T is on this Combat peradventure That your Salvation depends 'T is on this Moment that your Eternity depends 'T is on this Crisis that your life depends 'T is on this Temptation that depends your Predestination O JESUS my King I fight for you and before you You are the Spectator of my labours You are the Witness of my feebleness Suffer me not to betray you Permit me not to ruin my self Arise O God of Hosts make hast unto my succour Defend me against my foes Scatter away those that hate me He that is not tempted what does he know Eccles 34. Gold and Silver is tried in the fire and men that are acceptable in the furnace of humiliation Eccles 12. Esteem it all joy brethren when you fall into several temptations Jac. 1. Vexed in few things in many things they shall be well disposed Wisd 3. XXX MED Of the causes of our Temptations WHy am I tempted 'T is because you are proud Or because you watch not over your Senses Or because you avoid not Occasions Or because you have ill Habits Or because you are not in order Or for that you have quitted your Vocation Or because you are not sufficiently employed 'T is because you are a man Because you are a Sinner And
Will weaker Passions more rebellious Remedies slower The Devils more powerful Their possession more powerful What ingratitude after so many benefits What contempt after so much knowledge What perfidiousness after so many promises What malice after so many promises Is it thus that we mock God That we fail in our word to him That we sport at his patience Abuse his goodness Contemn his justice Presume of his mercy Combat his gentleness VVast his graces prodigally Stifle his Spirit Drive him out of our hearts Prefer Lucifer before him After abundance comes poverty After graces com punishments After patience fury After contempt revenge O my God! I dare no more appear before you After so many Contempts and Ingratitudes After so many Treacheries and Disloyalties My sins have almost chang'd their nature They were only Frailties But now they are hardnesses of heart They were pardonable faults They are now inexcusable Crimes Their number is infinit Their load unsupportable Their malice irremissible Their cure almost desperate But if my sins are great Your mercy is yet greater My sins are finit Your mercy infinit I may go to Heaven until such time as I am in Hell I may be converted as long as I am alive O! I will save my self in good earnest I am weary of being wicked My God take my life away Unless I change my life Take me quickly out of this World Unless I do draw off from the World It is impossible for them that were once illuminated and have tasted also the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have moreover tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to com and are fallen to be renewed again to Pennance Hebr. 6. If what I have destroyed I build up again I make my self a Prevaricator Gal. 2. Behold you are now cured sin no more least something worse befal you John 5. The latter things are becom worse than the first Luk. 11. XLVIII MED Of Customary Sins 'T Is a great evil to accustom one's self to evil A habit of sin is a chain of iniquity Which captivates the Soul And inslaves her to sin It lessens our knowledge It hardens the heart It lulls the Conscience asleep It blots out shame The oftner one commits a sin The less one blushes to commit it At first one commits it with a horrour One reiterates it with fear One continues it with pleasure One persevers therein with contempt These are the gradual steps of iniquity Hither it is that a habit of sin leads us That body is very sick that feels not its sickness An inveterate sinner is almost desperate He knows not his own misery He cannot hate it He finds pleasure in it He will not get out of it His resolves are without effect His efforts without perseverance His Vices in fine pass into nature And his habit into necessity When the weight of Custom lies heavy upon the inclination When the Current of Passion finds nothing to resist it 'T is a Torrent that draws all after it A Tyrant that destroys all 'T is a Law of Iniquity that domineers over the Will 'T is a second Cuncupiscence More tyrannical than that we are born with 'T is a second nature more corrupt than the first In vain does grace attack a heart that sins by Custom It is insensible to her touches It is impenetrable to her strokes One may sooner blanch a Moor Than cure an inveterate evil One may sooner root up a Tree Than pluck up an old Sin In what state are you Do you sin through ignorance Through Passion Through Frailty Through Custom Without Remorse Without Sorrow With Pleasure With Contempt Do you blush no more at your sin Do you commit it with assurance Do you glory in committing it Are you not afraid when you have committed it O then you are a slave to vice Your sins are pass'd into your nature You are now hardned You are now grown insensible Alas if you were sensible of your evil There would be som hopes of life Beg your cure of God Do your best to break your chains asunder Resist small Temptations And you will obtain the victory over great ones Do the things that are easie And God will do those that are difficult Help your Neighbour And God will help you Shew mercy to him And God will shew it to you VVithout a miracle you will not be cured VVithout Charity you will obtain nothing Let not sin reign in your mortal body that you obey the concupiscence thereof Rom. 6. If an Ethiop can change his skin you may also do well having learnt to do ill Jer. 13. My scars are grown rotten and are corrupted Ps 37. My iniquities have over-topped my head ibid. A young man according to the way of his youth so will he be in his old age Prov. 21. XLIX MED A Preparation to Death ARe you prepar'd to die Have you given order to your affairs Have you any affair greater than that of your Salvation Do you think to escape death That which must happen one day May it not happen this day You think of nothing but of living And you ought to think of nothing but dying You labour only for the time present And you ought to labour only for Eternity Small care for small affairs Great care for great affairs 'T is too late to think of dying VVhen it is time to die A wise man never undertakes a business of importance VVithout having first thought well on it Every one learns his own Trade To be saved is all mens Trade There needs no study to learn to die There needs much to learn to die well One can never do that well VVhich one does but once To know how to die well One ought to die often Death is but one only The fault committed therein Is an irreparable fault That Actour acts his part but ill VVho never exercis'd himself A Lawyer pleads a Cause but badly VVho never prepar'd himself for it 'T is a hard matter to die well VVhen one is acquainted only with the trade of life Is our life too long to dispose our selves for death Have we too much time to prepare our selves for Eternity VVatch or you will be surpriz'd Prepare your self for Death Or else you will die unprepared He that watches not is surpriz'd He that is surpriz'd is damn'd Learn that Trade which you must of necessity make use of How important is it to do well That which you will do but once VVhere it is dangerous to fail VVhose fault is without redress And whose punishment will have no end Do not trust to time 'T is but a bad security It has cozened many a man If you trust it it will infallibly deceive you O my God! I thank you for having given me time To prepare my self for death VVhere had I been had you surpriz'd me I will henceforth stand upon my guard That I may one day dy well I will dy every day I will
They say I am to dy Come I am content I willingly resign up my life I render it to him that gave it me I remit my spirit into his hands I recommend unto him my body and my soul I am sorry that I have offended him I accept of death for to satisfie him I believe all that he has reveal'd I hope for all that he has promis'd I give him all that I possess I will dy for his glory I will dy for his sake I will dy in gratitude I will dy for justice sake I will dy because he died I will dy for him as he died for me I will dy that I may see him I will dy that I may love him I will dy that I may bless him And for to sing his Praises for all Eternity O Father of mercy Behold a Prodigal Child Who has wasted all your goods Who has spent his life in Debaucheries That returns now to your house And who most humbly begs your pardon Alas I have liv'd without reason Since I have had the use of reason I have don nothing but evil Since I knew what was good My Father I have sinn'd against Heaven and against thee I deserve not to bear the name of thy Child I am not worthy to enter into thy house But have you ceased to be a Father Because I have ceased to be your Child Have you lost your goodness Because I have lost my innocence Are you no more a Father of mercy Because I am becom a Child of misery O my Father O the best of all Fathers Have pity on the miserablest of all thy Children I was lost and I am now retrieved I was dead and I am risen again I was gon far from you and now I am here ready to appear before you O my Father Come and meet your Child Give him a kiss of peace Forgive him his offences Revest him with a Nuptial Robe Receive him into your house Give him a place at your Feast O JESUS The Physician of the poor sick The Comforter of the poor afflicted The hope of poor Sinners Here am I before you without strength Without motion without speech But my heart says inwardly Come O my JESVS come quickly Draw my Soul out of this Prison Recal me out of this exile Conduct me to my dear Country Behold the Just do there expect me My friends hold forth their arms to me O how beautiful are thy Tabernacles O how admirable is thy Palace O how contented shall I be in Heaven O how happy shall I be in your Company I dy with a desire of dying Com divine Saviour and make me languish no more O holy Mother of God! Who didst see thy Son dying Lo here thy Child is sick Forsake him not in this extremity Com and receive his Spirit And defend him from his enemies O ye Angels of Heaven Com down upon Earth to help me Make a guard round about me Drive away from me the Infernal Lyon Preserve me even unto my Death After having sav'd me from so many Shipwracks Suffer me not to perish in the Haven Come let us go to Heaven Let us go to Paradise My heart is ready O my God my heart is ready It is ready to stay here on earth It is ready to go hence It is ready to live It is ready to dy Thy will be don I recommend my body and soul to you I rejoyced in the things that were said to me we will go into our Lord's house Psal 121. Blessed are those that dy in our Lord. Apoc. 14. Blessed are those that are call'd to the Nuptials of the Lamb. Apoc. 19. In thee O Lord have I hoped I shall not be confounded for ever Ps 30. VVhat is there to me in Heaven and what besides thee would I have on Earth my flesh and my heart have fainted O the God of my heart and my portion God for ever Ps 72. I am straitned on both sides having a desire to be dissolved and be with Christ much more better Phil. 1. One thing have I asked that will I require that I may dwell in the house of our Lord all the days of my life Ps 26. How beloved are thy Tabernacles O God of Hosts my soul doth long and faint after the Courts of our Lord. Ps 83. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house O Lord they shall praise thee for ever and ever Ps 83. All this Psalm is full of sweet thoughts to raise in a sick person a desire of Heaven If thou dost observe iniquities O Lord who can sustain Ps 126. VVith our Lord there is mercy and with him a copious redemption ibid. LII MED A Paraphrase on our Lord's Prayer for the comfort of the sick Our Father I Believe O my God that you are my Father who have given me the life of my soul and body for to serve and love you and which you have repaired by the Death of your Son after I had miserably lost it through my sin You are the Father of all men and of the most miserable of all men whom you see here extended on this Bed O how glad am I that I have such a Father So good so wise so holy so powerful I hope that since you have given â—ne a temporal life you will do me the favour â—lso to give me an eternal one O my Father 〈◊〉 render back unto you the life which you have given me I am sorry that I have employed it so ill and that I have used it to offend you therewith My Father I have sinn'd against Heaven and against you I am not worthy to bear the quality of your Child but receive me I beseech you into the number of your Servants My Father if it be possible let this Chalice of Death and Sufferance pass from my mouth and let me not drink it as yet Yet let your Will be don and not mine My Father glorifie your Son that your Son may glorifie you and since I have not honored you upon Earth make me praise you Eternally in Heaven Which art in Heaven Alas you are in Heaven and I am yet here upon Earth You are in a place of peace and I am in a place of warfare You are in Heaven for to reward me and I am on Earth for to honour you I hope O my God that I shall soon be with you in Heaven I hope so on the merits of the precious blood which your Son hath shed for me O when will that day com How tedious is it to live banished from your presence How the Earth displeases me when I lift up my eyes to Heaven O Heaven O Heaven What ought not we to do to gain thee What ought not we to suffer for to obtain thee All that I endure is nothing in comparison of what I hope for Hallowed be thy Name O admirable name of God! I came into this World for to sanctifie thee and I have don nothing but profane thee I came upon Earth
for to give glory to thee and I have don nothing but dishonoured thee I have glorified my own name instead of glorifying of thine I have made known my own name instead of making known thine I beg thy pardon for it O God of Glory and Majesty and since I have not honored thee during my life I will honour thee in my Death I dy for thy glory and for to acknowledge the Immortality of thy Being by the destruction of mine I wish I were able to render you as much glory by my death as your beloved Son rendred you by his O why can I not make you to be beloved by all hearts make you be praised by all mouths O holy name of JESUS Thou art all my hopes Whosoever shall call upon thee shall be saved I invocate thee with love and with respect suffer me not then to be damned Thy Kingdom com My God! When will that time come When will you reign absolutely in my heart When shall I reign peaceably in yours Alas I have not made you reign upon Earth I have all my life long protested That I had no other King but Caesar I have given up my heart which is your Kingdom to the power of the Devil I have made all your enemies to reign therein But my God! Through your grace I acknowledge my fault and my perfidiousness I confess that I deserve death I accept of it with all my heart in satisfaction for my sins I hope that you will admit me into your Kingdom although I have driven you out of mine O my God! How happy are those who dwell in your house for they shall praise you for ever and ever Happy are those that serve you here on Earth for they shall reign with you in Heaven Comfort thy self O my Soul Behold the Kingdom of God is at hand Thou hast but one moment to suffer in and thou shalt have an Eternity to rejoyce in What ought not one to do for to gain a Crown What ought not one to suffer for to get Heaven Thy Will be don on Earth as it is in Heaven My God! I feel great pains My Body is overwhelm'd with Sufferings Death assaults me on all sides I cannot resist its Batteries It presents me my Chalice to drink which is very bitter Is there no means to remove it from my mouth Yet let thy Will be don and not mine My God! My Soul is in her Agony My Spirit is disturb'd at the approaches of Death She apprehends this passage and has difficulty to quit her Body She would fain stay a little longer here upon Earth for to redeem the time past and repair the losses she has been the cause of Must she drink this Chalice Can not she be dispens'd from it My God let your will be don and not mine Let me do it at my death since I have not don it in my life O my God! If it were in my power not to dy I would beg Death of you as a favour that I might sacrifice to you what I have dearest in this World thereby to imitate your Son thereby to acknowledge his love and for to drink in his Chalice O I will be consummated upon this bed of sorrow and upon the Altar of my Cross as a a Victim of your greatness as a Victim of your Justice as a Victim of your Love as a Victim of your Grace as a Victim of your Glory Give us this day our daily bread Happy is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God I thank you O charitable Father for all the corporal and spiritual goods that you have bestowed on me during this life and above all for the bread of Angels which I have so often eaten and with so little fruit O bread of life I am no more afraid of death since I have eaten thee in this my last sickness I will march on being fortified with this bread till I com to the Mount Oreb which is the clear sight of God O Eternal Truth You have promised and sworn That he who shall eat your Body and drink your Blood shall live eternally This is that which grounds my hopes This is that which disperses my fears Since we have been united together in this life I hope we shall not be divided asunder in the next O JESUS Give me my bread this day Strengthen me with your graces that I may compass the great journy of Eternity and that I may persever to the end Without this bread I shall faint and shall never be able to get to Heaven Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us Lord the number of my sins is infinit If you keep an account of our iniquities alas who will be able to subsist I expect my Salvation from your mere grace and not from your justice I can no more do pennance I am no longer in a condition to pray or to fast What shall I then do to appease your justice and to secure my Salvation You have promised to forgive him that forgives to shew mercy to him that shows it I do with all my heart forgive those who have offended me and I pray you to forgive them and not to lay to their charge the ill they have don me Alas they knew not what they did Forgive me my God as I forgive them Forget the evil that I have don to you as I forget that which they have don to me And lead us not into Temptation Now it is O my God that I stand in need of your protection and your assistance See how all my enemies surround me on all sides The roaring Lyon is com out of Hell for to devour me But if you are with me what need I fear Although I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death I shall apprehend nothing being in your company Although I were besieged by an Army encamped round about me my heart would not be astonished Although all the Devils of Hell were ready to enter into combat against me I would not tremble since you are with me and that you make me hope that I shall have your assistance Arise then O God of Hosts com quickly to my succour Send St. Michael with his Troops to relieve me You know my weakness there is none greater in the World Preserve me therefore O my God from Temptation at least suffer me not to yield unto Temptation But deliver us from evil From evil of body which I have very well deserved from the evil of the Soul which I am threatned with Deliver me from the greatest of all evils which is that of Eternity This is the only sole evil that I apprehend I accept of all the rest that you shall think fit to send me I am ready to go to Purgatory for to satisfie your Justice But O God of mercy I conjure you by the pretious blood of your Son and for the love that his holy Mother bore him send me not into Hell where
Seal of my Predestination I will not therefore forsake it I will not drag it after me But I will carry it and keep you Company O Holy Cross Who wert consecrated with the blood of a God Receive me into thy Arms. Let me repose on thy Bosom Give thy self wholly to me As I give my self wholly to thee Carry me that I may carry thee Clasp me so strongly betwixt thy arms That nothing may separate me from thee Carrying his own Cross he went forth into that which is called the place of Calvary John 19. Com and follow me Mark 10. Then Jesus said to his Disciples if any one will com after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me Matth. 16. I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest Luk. 9. We have all strayed like Sheep and God laid on him the iniquites of us all Isai 53. CVIII MED Of Jesus Crucified JEsus was extended on the Cross He was nail'd to it by his Hands and Feet He is fastned to it with violence He is elevated with pain He rests only on his Wounds There issue out of them four Rivers of Blood Which water the Field of the Church And which blot out the sins of the World He is presented with bitter Wine to drink Which would have asswaged his sorrow He takes som of it into his mouth That he may feel the bitterness of it But he does not swallow it down That it may not allay his torments He is blasphem'd he is cursed He is invited to com down from the Cross But he remains on it even to the end O Jesus I adore thee On this Throne of Sorrows and Ignominies O Divine Saviour I cast my self into thy arms Since thou dost extend them for to embrace me O Sacred Victim of love All burnt and consum'd with Sufferings O High Priest of the new Law What dost thou do upon this Cross Com down and all the World will believe in thee O com not down If thou art the Son of God thou must dy on it If thou com'st down they will not believe in thee They will not follow thee Every one will fly from his Cross No body will dy upon it O my dear Cross I kiss thee and imbrace thee I will dy betwixt thy arms I have espoused thee in my Baptism This Marriage is indissoluble There is nothing but death That can separate us Let the World be no more trouble som to me I bear the marks of our Lord Jesus in my Body I am Crucified with him I will dy with him My Soul Look on thy Saviour on the Cross It is thy sins which have Crucified him He was once Crucified on Calvary But how often hast thou crucified him in thy heart As often as thou dost offend him So often dost thou Crucify him Thou must either Crucifie Jesus Or thy own Passions O Jesus make me dy For fear I should put thee to death Crucify my Body For fear I Crucify thy Spirit They crucified him and with him two others on this side and that side and Jesus in the middle John 19. They gave him wine mingled with gall to drink and when he had tasted it he would not drink Matth. 2. All the day long I spread forth my arms to an unbelieving and contradicting people Rom. 10. With Christ I am fastned to the Cross Gal. 2. They that be Christ's have crucified their flesh with the vices and Concupiscences Gal. 5. God forbid that I should glory saving in the Cross of our Lord Jesus-Christ by whom c. Gal. 5. Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God and making him a mockery Heb. 6. CIX MED On the first Word of Jesus Christ on the Cross JEsus was a long time on the Cross Without uttering so much as a word He keeps a profound silence And does not complain of his Sorrows His Blood does not call for Vengeance But for Grace for those that shed it He prays for them in the height of his Pains And whilst they insult over his misery He excuses their Sin and diminishes the malice of it He does the office of an Advocate For those whose Judge he is He forgets his own evils To think on his enemies evils Their loss is more sensible to him Than the Death which they make him suffer Keep silence O Christian Soul When thou art on the Cross Do not complain of thy Evils Do not lose the fruit of thy Sufferings Hide thy self in the bosom of Humility And repose thy self upon thy Patience Pray for thy Enemies Forget their Injuries Excuse their Intention If thou canst not excuse their action Thou art unworthy of favour If thou refuse to pardon them O Jesus I Pardon my Enemies I Pardon all those that crucify me Alas they know not what they do They think they do me hurt And they procure me much good They think they do themselves good And they procure much hurt to themselves They do themselves more hurt Than I could wish to them Lord Pardon them they know not what they do I sin out of malice and they sin out of ignorance If they had as much grace as I have They would not be so wicked as I am If I were tempted as they are I should possibly be wickeder than they Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23. Forgive thy neighbour hurting thee and then shall thy sins be loosed to thee when thou prayest Eccl. 28. Love your enemies pray for those that persecute and calumniate you Matth. 5. To me revenge and I will render it saith our Lord. Rom. 12. CX MED On the Repentance of the good Thief and the Impenitence of the bad one ONe of the Thieves confesses Jesus Christ And the other renounces him The one adores the other blasphemes him The one ascends up to Heaven by his Cross The other falls down into Hell by his Cross The one is saved by the side of Jesus The other is damned by the side of Jesus He is the Redeemer of them both And only one makes profit of the Redemption He gives his life for them both And one of them dies in his obstinacy O Judgments of God! how profound are you O Goodness of God! how amiable are you O Justice of God! how dreadful are you O Conducts of God how admirable are you Who will not fear to be damned Who will not hope to be saved One may be damn'd in all places Since one may be damn'd by God's side One may be sav'd at all times Since one may be sav'd at the end of his life O sweet words to one that is sick This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise Lord forget me not now thou art in thy Kingdom I do indeed desery the evil which I suffer But for you what Crime have you committed O Lord let me hear you say This day thou shalt be with me in Heaven One of the two thieves did blaspheme saying save thy self and us Luk. 23.
deserves He was forsaken in his Soul And consumed with sorrows in his Body All his Senses were crucified His Eyes by the sight of his Enemies His Ears by their Blasphemies His Smell by the infection of the place His Touch by his wounds His Tast by the bitterness of the gall His Memory by the sight of our crimes His Understanding by the darkness His Will by the terrours His Appetite by infirmity By disgust and by sadness He had no Part in his Body Which was not loaden with wounds He suffered like a mere man Who neither had been God nor happy The Victim was indeed flayed But it was still sound within The whips had taken off the skin But they had not touch'd the entrails That he might afflict all the organs Of our Excesses and Gluttonies He suffered a cruel Thirst He makes the bitterness of his Chalice Descend down into his Body Then was the Book of this divine Lamb Written both within and without Jesus complains that he is athirst Knowing that they would give him gall to drink He discovers to us his sorrow And the love that consumed him He thirsts after our Salvation and Perfection He desires to suffer more 'T is Love that makes him dy O Jesus my Saviour What can I do for your relief Cannot I quench your thirst Doubtless you desire something of me What is that thirst that burns you O I know what it is that you require You would have me quit this Sin Renounce that company Draw near unto your Cross Entertain my self with your Sufferings Apply my self a little to Prayer Give my self to Devotion Keep silence when I am provoked and offended This is what you desire of me This is what will quench your thirst Shall I dare to refuse This relief to your Pains O that I did burn with your love As you burnt with mine O that I could suffer for you As much as you suffered for me O how love makes me languish O I have long desired to dy That the Scripture might be fulfill'd he said I thirst John 19. O that som one would give me water of the cistern of Bethlehem which is in the gate 1 Par. 11. Woman give me to drink John 4. They gave for my food gall and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink Ps 98. As the heart desires the fountains of waters so doth my soul thirst after the living God Ps 41. CXIV MED On the sixth Word of our Lord on the Cross ALL is Consummate Jesus having taken the Vinegar said All is accomplished The Holocaust is consummated The Commands of my Father are executed The Gospel is announced The Prophecies are verified The ransom of mankind is paid Their sins are pardoned The Captives are delivered Heaven is opened The Sacraments are instituted The Devils are overcom The World is repaired I have nothing more to say do or suffer I have nothing now to do But to give up my soul 'T is now in the power of men To live well and save themselves O the happy Consummation of the just O the unhappy Consummation of the wicked All is Consummate the sinners will say Our pleasures are past Our pastimes are at an end Our fair days are eclipsed Our hopes are vanish'd away Our time is slid away Our life is ended Our malice is Consummated We must now begin to suffer An evil which can never end We must begin a misery Which will never be Consummated All is Consummate the Just will say Our evil days are past away Our sufferings are terminated Our combats are ended Our troubles are calmed Our sorrows are allayed Our infirmities are cured Our tears are wiped away Our Miseries are Consummated There is no more Cross for us to bear No more evil to suffer No more Pennance to do We are going into a Country of Peace Where our joy shall never have an end Choose O Christian Soul One of these two Consummations You must of necessity one day say All is Consummate Will you say it as Lazarus did Or will you say it as Dives did Will you say it as JESVS did Or as Pilate did When your time is Consummated You will find that all is but vanity O Jesus the Author of our Faith And the Consummator of our Salvation Let me consume my life for you As you consumed yours for me Let me accomplish all your commands Let me spend my self for your glory Let me burn with your love Let me make a victim of my body Let me annihilate my self continually Let me fulfil all your designs Let me acquit me of all my duties Let me say with truth when I dy All is ended All is consummate It is consummate John 19. By this one oblation he consummated for ever the sanctified Heb. 10. Looking upon the Author of faith and the Consummator Jesus Heb. 12. He learnt by those things which he suffered obedience and he was made consummate Heb. 5. If a man lives many years and do rejoyce in all these things he must remember the darksom time and the evil days which when they com the things that are past will be argued of vanity Eccles 11. CXV MED On the last Word of JESVS Christ on the Cross FAther into thy hands I commend my soul Jesus leaves himself to his Father When he is forsaken by him He teaches us how to dy As he taught us how to live He teaches us confidence After he had taught us patience Let us imitate Jesus living Let us imitate Jesus dying Let us rest betwixt his arms Let us recommend our souls into his hands He is our Father Can he forsake us He is our Saviour Will he damn us Let us at our death say to Jesus Christ Father into thy hands I recommend my Spirit It came from thee as from its beginning It returns to thee as to its end It is a blast of thy mouth 'T is an emanation of thy spirit 'T is the price of thy blood 'T is the Sanctuary of thy Grace I recommend it into thy hands Which were pierced for its sake I recommend it to thy heart Which burnt with love for it O Lord take it into thy care And when it hath left its body I beseech thee not to forsake it Unless it fall into thy hands Alas its Salvation is desperate O Lord permit not that Soul to be lost Which has cost thee so dear Go forth O my Soul quit thy Body How coms it that thou apprehendest death JESUS has answered for thee He has recommended thee to his Father When he recommended to him his own Spirit Go forth of thy Body O Christian Soul In the name of the Father who created thee In the name of the Son who redeemed thee In the name of the Holy Ghost who sanctified thee Jesus calls thee to his Heaven Bow down thy head through obedience Fear nothing thou art in security In the hands of JESUS Christ Jesus crying with a loud voice said Father into thy hands
to your holy Mother I choose her for mine and I desire to dy betwixt her arms I recommend my spirit into thy hands and I conjure thee by thy dereliction not to forsake me at the hour of my death but to receive me into thy Heaven there to see thee there to love thee there to praise and bless thee for all Eternity Amen This Prayer may be recited in the time of Mass before Confession and Communion especially when one is sick and on all Fridays in the year at the foot of the Cross You must make a little Pause at each Station and produce in heart the acts that you pronounce with your mouth CXVIII MED On the Burial of Jesus Christ JEsus from the Cross is laid in the Tomb. Here is an end of his labours This is the place of his rest This is the term of his journeys His Disciples do almost lose their Faith By having lost his Presence They are fearful and dejected Because they see and hear him no longer Happy is he who receives into his heart Jesus descending from the Cross The grain of wheat that it may fructify Must dye and be hidden The arms of the Priest at the Altar Are the arms of the Cross Your heart is the grave wherein he would rejoyce Happy is he who is crucified Who is dead and buried Who is hid in the ground Who is trod under foot Who is unknown to men Who reposes in God He will soon rise again with Jesus Immortal and impassible like him Happy is he who conceives his Faith In the death and obscurity of his Senses Who loses not his hope having lost his support Who ceases not to love Having nothing that can comfort him O Jesus Hide me in thy grave Bury me in thy shrowd That I may be no more known by men Let me dy to all my senses I am ready to go along with you Even into the Prisons of Hell Provided that I be in your company I shall have nothing to apprehend Hell with you would be a Heaven to me Heaven without you would be a Hell to me Joseph taking the body wrapt it in a clean Sindon and laid it in his own new monument which he had hewed out of a rock Matth. 27. Woman why weepest thou They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have put him John 20. My Soul was filled with evils and my life drew near unto Hell Ps 87. I was reputed with those that descend into the lake I became like a man without help free amongst the dead ibid. They laid me in the lower lake in dark places and in the shadow of death ibid. Like the vvounded that sleep in their graves ibid. CXIX MED Of the Resurrection of our Lord. JEsus is risen again He enjoys a glorious life He is com out of his grave He has conquered death He has triumphed over Satan He has broken to pieces the gates of Hell He has carried away the spoils He has frightned his guards He has confounded the Jews He is victorious over all his Enemies My Soul weep no more Jesus has resumed a new life He will dy no more in thy heart Unless thy Sin do crucify him there Jesus is risen again in our Souls He is re-entred into his Kingdom He has droven the Devils thence He has triumphed over Sin He keeps our Passions Captives He dwells therein by his Grace He lives there by his Spirit He reigns there by his Love He reposes there by his Peace All the whole Church is risen again His whole Body is out of the grave All his Members are re-animated They are no more dead nor sick My Soul weep no more Jesus has c. Jesu tarry with us for night draws on The day is going down The Devils gather together The Lions roar Our Passions revolt Ill habits awaken The World takes arms Our flesh takes strength again Your life is not in assurance Hell has conspired against you The wicked have sworn your death They will renew your sufferings My Soul c. O ye senceless Galathians What do you intend to do Do not you know Jesus any more But two days ago you lamented his death And now you are contriving To take away his life You are preparing Scourges for to tear him Thorns to crown him with Crosses to nail him to What has he don for to be crucified Is he criminal for having loved you Does he deserve death for having saved you My Soul c. Our Lord is truly risen and hath appeared to Simon Luk. 24. Christ rising from the dead dies no more death shall domineer no more over him Rom. 6. If ye are risen with Christ seek the things that are above not that are on earth Col. 3. Crucifying to themselves again the Son of God and setting him at nought Heb. 6. CXX MED Of our Lord's Wounds JEsus hath Wounds altho he be risen Do not wonder at the Wounds That remain after your Resurrection There is no hurt in feeling them There is merit in enduring them Be impassible to your passions Be immovable in your temptations The Wounds of Jesus enlighten our Faith They support our Hope They inflame our Love We cannot doubt of his affection We see his heart through his Wounds We ought no longer to be diffident Jesus is our Advocate in Heaven He prays for us by as many mouths As he has Wounds in his Body The Nails are the Keys that have opened This Ark of our Redemption All the Treasures which it includes Are now at our disposal O Jesus my Saviour How do your Wounds comfort me Secure me encourage me There issues from thence a Balsam Which cures all my sorrows Who will dare to accuse me Knowing that you are my Advocate Who will dare to condemn me Knowing that you are my Judge Who will dare to declare against me Knowing that you are my Saviour O divine Saviour Imprint on me your sacred Stigmats Imprint them in my Soul and in my Body Who can live without Wounds Seeing you covered with Wounds I cannot love my heart Unless it be wounded like yours Alas that which shall be the joy of the Predestinate Will be the torment of the damned He shewed them his hands and feet Luk. 24. He shewed them his hands and side John 20. What are those wounds in the midst of thy hands With these was I wounded in the house of those that loved me Zech. 13. Behold I have written thee in my hands Isai 49. Whom thou hast stricken they have persecuted and they have added to the pain of my wounds Ps 68. CXXI MED Of the good Shepherd JEsus is a good Shepherd He knows all his sheep He knows them as he is known by his Father He gives them life as he receives it from him He calls them all by their name He conducts them in streight ways He has a particular Providence for them He always walks before them With the Crook of the Cross in his