might inflame and lighten the children of light where might I better place it then amongst your Lilies Lilies where the Sonne of Iustice the splendour and candour of the eternall Light did so soueraignely recreate himselfe that he theâ—e practised the delightes of the ineffable Loue of his heart towards vs O well beloued mother of the well-be loued ô well beloued spouse of the well-beloued prone layed at thy sacred feete who bore my Sauiour I vow dedicate and consecrate this little worke of Loue to the immence greatnesse of thy Loue ah I coniure thee by the heart of thy sweete IESVS king of hearts whom thyne adore animate my heart and all theirs who shall reade this writing of thy all puissant fauour with the Holy Ghost so that hence-fourth we may offer vp in holocaust all our affections to his Diuine goodnesse to liue dy and reuiue for euer in the flames of this heauenly fire which our Sauiour thy sonne hath so much laboured to kindle in our hearts that he neuer ceased to labour and trauell therin euen vnto death and death of the Crosse VIVE IESVS THE PREFACE OF THE AVTHOVR THE Holy Ghost teacheth that the lipps of the heauenly Spouse which is the CHVRCH reseÌ„bles scarlate and the honie combe whence honie distilleth to th' end that euery one may know that the doctrine which she announceth consisteth of sacred Loue of a more faire vermilioÌ„ then Scarlate by reason of the Spouse his blood wherin she is dyed more sweete then honie by reason of the Beloued his sweetenesse who crownes her with delightes So this heauenly Spouse when he thought good to giue an entrie to the publication of his Law streamed downe a number of firie tongues vpon the Assemblie of his disciples which he had deputed to this office sufficiently intimating therby that the preaching of the Ghospell was wholy designed to the inflaming of hearts Propose vnto your selues a fine done amidst the Sunne rayes you shall see her change into so many diuers colours as you behold her diuersly because her feathers are so apt to receiue the light that the sunne spreading his spleÌ„dour amongst theÌ„ there is caused a number of transparences which bring forth a great varietie of alterations and mutations of colours but colours so agreeable to the eye that they put downe all other colours yea the enamell of richest iewells colours that are glittering and so quaintly guilt that the gold giues them more life In consideration hereof the Royall Prophet saied vnto the Israelites Although affliction rudly dâ—ght your face Yet shall your hew henceforth to men appeare As pigions plumes when siluer 's trembling grace And burnisht gold doe make their shine more cleare Truly the Church is adorned with an incomparable varietie of excellent documents sermons Treatises Spirituall bookes all very comely and pleasant to the sight by reason of the admirable mixture which the sunne of Iustice makes of his Diuine wisdome with the tongues of his Pastours which are their Penns and with their Penns which sometimes they vse in lieu of their toÌ„gues and doe compose the rich plumes of this mysticall doue But amongst all the diuers colours of the doctrine which she doth publish the fine gold of holy Charitie is especially discouered who makes herselfe be gloriously enteruiewed gilding all the sciences of Saints with her incomparable luster and raysing them aboue all other Sciences All is to Loue in Loue for Loue and from Loue in the holy Church But as we are not ignorant that all the light of the day proceeds from the Sunne and yet doe ordinarily saie that the Sunne shines not saue onely when it doth openly send out its beames here or there In like manner though all Christian doctrine consist of sacred Loue yet doe we not indistinctly honour all Diuinitie with the title of DIVINE LOVE but onely those parts of it which doe contemplate the birth nature properties and operations thereof in particular Now it is certaine that diuers writers haue admirably handled this subiect Aboue all the rest those auncient Fathers who as they did louingly serue God so did they speake diuinely of his Loue. O what a pleasure it is to heare S. PAVLE speake of heauenly things who learn't them euen in Heauen it selfe And how good a thing it is to see those soules that were nurced in the bosome of Loue write of its sweetenesse I For this reason those amongst the schoole men that discoursed the most and the best of it did also most excell in pietie S. THOMAS made a Treatise of it worthy of S. THOMAS S. BONAVENTVRE and Blessed Denis the Carthusian haue made diuers most excellent ones of it vnder sundrie titles and as for Iohn Garson Chancelour of the vniuersitie of Pâ—â—lâ— Sixtus Senensis speaks of him in this sort He hath so worthily discoursed vpon fiftie properties of Diuine Loue which are drawen here and there out of the Canticles that he alone may seeme to haue hit the number of the affections of Diuine Loue. Verily he was a man exceeding learned iudicious and deuote Yet that we might know that this kind of writing is performed with more felicitie by the deuotion of Louers then by the learning of the learned it hath pleased the Holy Ghost that diuers womeÌ„ should worke wonders in this kind Who did euer better expresse the heauenly passions of heauenly Loue then S. CATHARINE of Genua S. ANGELA of Folligni S. CATHARINE of Sienna S. MATILDA In our age also diuers haue wrote vpon this subiect whose workes I haue not had leasure to read distinctly but onely here and there so farre forth as was requisite to discouer whether this might yet find place Father Lewes of Granado that great Doctour of pietie left a treatise of the Loue of God in his Memoriall which is sufficiently commended in saying it is his Stella a Franciscan made a very affectiue one and profitable for Praier Christoph Fonceca an Austine put out yet a greater wherein he hath many excellent things Father Richeome of the Societie hath also published a booke vnder the title of the Art of louing God by his Creaturs and this Authour is so amiable in his person and in his singular writings that one cannot doubt but he is yet more amiable by writing of Loue it selfe Father Iohh of IESVS MARIA a discalced Carmelite composed a little booke which is also called the Art of louing God which is much esteemed The great and famous Cardinall Bellermine did also a while agoe giue into light a little booke intituled The little Ladder to ascend vnto God by his creaturs which cannot be but admirable coÌ„ming from so deuote a soule and so learned a pen which hath wrote so much and so learnedly in the Church her behalfe I will saie nothing of Parenetique that floode of Eloquence who flotes at this houre through all France in the multitude and varietie of his sermons and noble writings the straight spirituall consanguinitie which my soule
ABRAHAMS bosome after this child 3. Commiseration is also great according to the greatnesse of their sufferances whom we loue for how little soeuer the frieÌ„dshipe be if the euells which we see endured be extreame they cause in vs great pitie This made Cesar weepe ouer Pompey and the daughters of Hierusalem could not stay themselues from weeping ouer our Sauiour though the greater part of them did not much affect him as also the friends of IACOB though wicked friends made great lamentation in beholding the dreadfull spectacle of his incomparable miserie and what a stroke of griefe was it in the heart of IACOB to thinke that his deare child was dead of a death so cruell as to be deuoured by a sauage beaste But besids all this commiseration is much strengthened by the presence of the obiect in miserie this caused the poore Agar absent her selfe from her languishing sonne to disburden her selfe in some sort of the compassionate griefe which she felt saying I will not see the child die as contrariwise our Sauiour weepes seeing the sepulchre of his well-beloued Lazarus and beholding his deare Hierusalem And the good IACOB was struck with griefe when he saw the bloodie Robe of his poore little IOSEPH 4. Now as many causes also doe augment complacence As a friend is more deare vnto vs we take more pleasure in his contentment and his good doth enter more deeply into our heart which if it be excellent our ioye is also greater but if we see our friend while he enioyes it our reioycing becomes extreame When the good IACOB knew that his sonne liued ô God what ioye his heart returned home he reuiued yea as one would saie returned to life But what is this he reuiued returned to life THEO SPIRITS die not their proper death but by sinne which seperateth them from God who is their true supernaturall life yet die they sometimes by anothers death and this happened to IAGOB of whom we speake for loue which drawes into the heart of the louer the good and euill of the thing beloued the one by complacence the other by commiseration drew the death of the louely IOSEPH into the louing IACOBS heart and by a miracle impossible to any other power but loue the minde of the good Father was full of the death of him that liued and raigned deceiued affection forerunning the effect 5. But as soone as he had knowen that his sonne was a liue Loue who had so long detained the presupposed death of the sonne in the good Fathers heart seeing that he was deceiued speedely reiected this imaginarie death and made enter in its place the true life of the saied sonne Thus then he returned to a new life because the life of his sonne entred into his heart by complacence and animated him with an incomparable contentment with which finding himselfe satisfied and not esteeming any other pleasure in comparison of this it fufficeth me saieth he if my child IOSEPH liue But when with his proper eyes he experienced his deare childs greatenesse in Gessan hanging vpon him and for a good space weeping about his necke ah now saieth he I will die ioyfull my deare SoÌ„ne sith I haue seene thy face and thou dost yet liue ô God what a ioye THEO and how excellently expressed by this old man For what would he saie by these words now I will die contented sith I haue seene thy face but that his content was so great that it was able to render death it selfe ioyfull and agreeable being the most discomfortable and horrible thing in the world Tell me I pray you THEO who hath more sense of IOSEPHES good he that enioyes it or IACOB who reenioyes it Certainly if good be not good but in respect of the content which it affordeth vs the father hath as much yea more then the Sonne for the sonne together with the dignitie of VICE-ROY whereof he is possessed hath coÌ„sequently many cares aÌ„d affaires but the Father doth enioye by Complacence and purely possesse all that good is in this his sonnes greatenesse and dignitie without charge care or trouble I will dye Ioyfull saieth he Alas who doth not see his contentment if euen death cannot trouble his ioye who can euer chang it if his content can liue amidst the distresses of death who can euer bereeue him of it Loue is strong as death and the ioyes of loue doe surmount the anoyes of death for death caÌ„not kill but doth reuiue them so that as there is a fire which miraculously is feed in a fountaine nere Greenoble as I surely know and S. AVGVSTINE doth attest so holy Charitie is so strong that she doth nourish her flames and consolations in the saddest anguishes of death and the waters of tribulations cannot extinguish her fires Of the commiseration and Complacence of loue in our Sauiours Passion CHAPTER V. 1. VVHen I see my Sauiour vpon the mouÌ„t Oliuet with his soule sad euen to death O Lord Iâ—SVS saie I who could haue borne these sorrowes of death in the soule of life if not loue who mouing commiseration drew thereby our miseries into thy soueraigne heart Now a deuote soule seeing this abisse of sorrow and distresse in this Diuine louer how can she be without a holily louing griefe But considering on the other side that none of these her well-beloued's afflictions proceede from any imperfectioÌ„ or want of force but from the greatnesse of his most deare loue she cannot but melt with a holily dolorous loue so that she cries out I am blacke with griefe by compassion but I am faire with loue by Complacence the anguishes of my well-beloued haue changed my hew for how can a faithfull louer see him so tormented whom she loues more then her life without becomming appalled withered and dried vp with griefe Nomades tents perpetually exposed to the outrage of weather and warrs are almost still beaten and couered with dust and I open to sorrows which by commiseration I receiue from the excessiue suffrances of my diuine Sauiour I am quite couered with anguishe and split with griefe but because his griefes whom I loue proceede from his loue as much as they afflict me by compassion they delight me by Complacence For how must not a faithfull louer needes haue an extreme coÌ„teÌ„t to see her selfe so much beloued of her heauenly Spouse And hence the beautie of loue appears in the foulenesse of griefe And though I weare mourning weedes for the Passion and death of my King deformed and blacked with griefe yet am I not without an incomparable delight to behold the excesse of his loue amidst the panges of his sorrowes And the tents of SALOMON brodered and wrought with an incomparable diuersitie of worke was neuer so goodlie as I am content and consequently sweete amiable and agreeable in the varietie of the essaies of loue which I feele amongst these griefes Loue doth equalize the louers ah I see this deare louer who is a burning fire in a thornie
to Egipt ād from Egipt to Iudea Ah who can then doubt but this holy Father being come to the period of his dayes was reciprocally borne by his diuine Nurse-child in his passage from this to another life into Abrahams bosome to translate him from thence to Glorie in the daie of his Ascension A Saint that had loued so much in his life could not die but of loue for his heart not being able to loue his deare IESVS so much as he desired while he continued amongst th◠distractions of this life and hauing alreadie performed the dutie which he ought to his non-age what remained but that he should saie to the Eternall Father O Father I haue accomplished my charge and then to the Sonne ◠my child as thy heauenly Father put thy tender bodie into my hands the daie of thy cōming into this world so doe I render vp my soule 〈◊〉 thyne this daie of my departure out of this world 2. Such as I conceiue was the death of this great Patriarch a man elected to performe the most deare and louing offices that euer was or shall be performed to the Sōne of God saue those that were done by the Sacred Spouse the true naturall mother of the saied sonne of whom it is not possible to make a conceit that she died of any other kind of death then of loue A death the most noble of all and consequently due to the most noble life that euer was amongst creaturs A death whereof the very Angels would desire to die if die they could If the primatiue Christians were saied to haue but one heart and one soule by reason of their perfect mutuall loue If S. Paule liued not himselfe but IESVS CHRIST liued in him by reason of the close vnion of his heart to his Maisters wherby his soule was as dead in the heart which it quickened to liue in the heart of the Sauiour which it loued O Good God how much more true it is that the Sacred Virgin and her Sonne had but one soule one heart and one life so that this heauēly mother in liuing liued not but her sonne liued in her She was a mother the most louing and the most beloued that euer could be yea louing and beloued with a loue incomparably more eminent then that of all the Orders of Angels and men like as the names of an onely Mother and an onely Sonne are names passing all other names in matter of loue and I saie of an onely mother and an onely Sonne because all the other sonne◠of men doe diuide the acknowledgment of their production betwixt their Father and mother but in this sonne as all his humane birth depēds of his mother alone who alone contributed that which was requisite to the vertue of the holy Ghost for the cōception of this heauenly child so to her alone all the loue which sprung from that production was rendred as due In such sort that this Sonne and this mother were vnited in an vnion by so much more excellent as her name in loue is different and aboue all other names for which of the Seraphins can saie to our Sauiour thou art my true Sonne and as such I loue thee And to which of his creaturs did our Sauiour euer saie Thou art my true mother and as my true mother I loue thee Thou art my true mother entirely myne and I am thy true sonne wholy thyne And if a louing seruant durst and did indeede saie that he had no other life then his Maisters Alas how confidently and feruently might this mother proclame I haue no life but the life of my Sonne my life is wholy in his and his wholy in myne for there was not a meere vnion but an vnitie of hearts betwixt this mother and this sonne 3. And if this mother liued by her Sonns life she also died of her Sonns death for such as is the life such is the death The Phenix as the report goes growen very aged gathers together in the top of a mountaine a quantitie of aromaticall woods vpon which as vpon he bed of honour she goes to end her dayes for when the Sunne being at his highest doth streame out his hotest beames this most singular bird to contribute the aduantage of action to the Sunns ardour ceaseth not to beate with her wings vpon her bed till she haue made it take fire and burning with it she consumes and dies in those odoriferous flames In like manner THEO the virgin Marie hauing assembled in her heart all the most amiable Mysteries of the life and death of her sonne by a most liuely and continuall memorie of them and withall RECTA LINEA receiuing the most ardent inspirations which her Sonne the Sonne of Iustice darted vpon mortalls euen in the heate of his charitie And further of her part making a perpetuall motion of Contemplation in the end the sacred fire of this heauenly loue did wholy consume her as an Holocaust of sweetenesse so that she died of it her soule being altogether rauished and transported into the armes of her Sonns loue O death louingly vitall ô Loue vitally mortall 4. Many sacred Louers were present at our Sauiours death amongst whom such as did most loue did also most greeue for Loue was then sleeped in griefe and griefe in Loue and all such as were feruent in loue towards their Sauiour fell in loue with his passion and paine But the sweete mother who passed all in loue receiued a deeper wound from the sword of griefe then all the rest Her Sonns paine was then a sharp sword which rāne through his mothers heart it being glewed ioyned ād vnited to her sonns in so perfect an vnion that nothing could hurt the one which did not as deeply hurt the other Now this motherly heart being in this sort wounded with loue did not onely not seeke to haue her wound cured but euen loued her wound better then all cures dearely conseruing the darts of sorrow which she had receiued in her heart because it was loue that shot them at her and continually desiring to die of thē as her sonne died thereof who as the holy Scripturs and all the Doctours doe witenesse died amidst the flames of Charitie a perfect HOLOCAVST for all the sinnes of the world That the Glorious virgin died of an extreamely sweete and calme loue CHAPTER XIV 1. OF one side it is saied that our B. Ladie reuealed to S. Mathilda that the sickenesse whereof she died was no other thing then an impetuous assault of loue Yet S. Brigit and S. Iohn Damascen doe witnesse that she died an exceeding peaceable death and both are true THEOTIME 2. The starres are wonderfull delightfull to behold and cast out pleasing shines yet if you haue noted it they bring forth their rayes by way of gatterings sparklings and dartings as though they were deliuered of their light by trauell at diuers essayes whether it be that their weake light cannot keepe a continuall equalitie of action or
happie and his life blessed ô what a blessed life saith S. AVGVSTINE which to flie we flie to death If it be blessed why doe you not remaine in it So that Captaine of the Stoicks who was so greartly extolled amongst those cruell and profane people for hauing slaine himselfe in Vtica to auoyd a calamitie which he reputed vnworthy of his life performed it with so little true vertue that as S. AVGVSTINE saieth he did not testifie that he had a courage that would eschew dishonour but a weake soule which had not the heart to expect aduersitie For if he reputed it a dishonorable thinge to liue vnder Caesars coÌ„mand why had he commanded to hope in Caesars mercy why did he not aduise his sonne to die with him if death were better aÌ„d more honorable then life He killed himselfe then because he either enuyed Caesar the glorie to haue power to pardoÌ„ him or for that he apprehended it a disgrace to liue vnder a Conquerour that he hated wherein he may be commended for a stout and bigge heart yet not for a wise vertuous and stayed Spirit The crueltie which is exercised out of choler in cold blood is the most cruell of all it is the like in despaire for the most slow deliberate and resolute is the lest excusable and the most desperate And as for LVCRECIA that we may not forget the vallour of the lesse vallourous Sexe Either she was chast when TARQVINIVS did force and violate her or she was not If LVCRECIA was not chast why is the chastitie of Lucrecia commended If Lucrecia were chast and vnspotted in that occurrence was it not an vnworthy fact in Lucrecia to murther the innocent Lucrecia If she were adulterious why so much extolled If honest why was she slaine I But she dreaded dishonour and reproch from such as might haue thought that the dishonour which she suffered by force while yet she liued had bene willingly suffered if she had after daigned to liue She was afraied the world would iudge that she complied with the sinne if that which was villanously coÌ„mitted against her had bene patiently supported by her And must we then to auoyd shame and reproch which depends vpon the opinion of men oppresse the innocent and kill the iust must we maintaine honour at vertues â—ost and reputation with hazard of iniustice Such were the vertues of the most vertuous Pagans towards God and towards themselues 3. Touching the vertues that belong to our neighbours euen by their lawes they trod them shamefully vnder foote yea the principall of them Pietie For Aristotle the greatest wit amongst them doth pronounce this most horrible and violent sentence Touching the exposing that is the abandoning of children or their education let this be the law that nothing is to be kept that is depriued of any member touching other children if they be prohibited by the lawes and customes of the Citie to forsake their children and that the numbers of any ones children doe so encrease on him that he hath more by halfe then his meanes will keepe he is to preueÌ„t and to procure an aborsement Seneca that so renowned a wise man we kill monsters saieth he and such of our children as are manke weaklings imperfect or moÌ„strous we reiect and abandone So that it is not without cause that Tertullian doth reproch the Romans with the exposing of their children to the mercy of the waters to the cold to famine to dogs and this also not by the extreamitie of want for as he saieth the Presidents and Magistrats themselues practised this vnnaturall crueltie ô good God THEO what kind of vertuous men were these And what was their wisdome who taught a wisdome so cruell and brutall Alas saied the great Apostle thinking themselues wise they became senselesse and their foolish heart hath bene darkened and deliuered vp into a reprobate sense Ah what a horrour it is that so great a Philosopher should aduise aborsement It is a forerunning of manslaughter saieth Tertullian to hinder a child conceiued to be borne and S. Ambrose reprehending the Pagans for this barbarousnesse they depriue by this meanes saieth he their children of life before they are yet possessed of it 4. And if the PagaÌ„s haue at any time practised any vertues it was most ordinarily in regard of wordly glorie and consequently they had onely vertue in action but neither the motiues nor inteÌ„tion thereof nor is vertue true vertue vnlesse it haue a right intention The Pagans force was built vpon humane auarice saieth the Councell of Aur but the strength of Christians is established by heauenly charitie The Pagans vertues saieth S. AVGVSTINE were not true but onely resembled Truth as not hauing bene practised to their true end but for pretentions that vanish away FABRITIVS shall be lesse punished then CATAZINE not that he was good but because this was worse Not that FABRITIVS had any true vertues but because he was not so farre distant from them So that the Pagans vertues at the day of Iudgment will be a kind of defence to them not that they can be saued thereby but that they may be lesse daÌ„ned one vice was blotted out by another amongst the Pagans one vice making place to another without leauing any place at all to vertue And out of vaine glorie onely they repressed auarice and many other vices yea sometimes through vanitie they despised vanitie wherevpon one of them who seemed to be least vaine trampled with his feete Plato's finely made bed what dost thou DIOGENES saied PLATO vnto him I tread vnder foote Plato's pride quoth he It is true replyed PLATO thou treadst vpon it but with another pride Whether SENECA was vaine may be gathered out of his last words for the end crownes the worke and the last houre iudgeth all ô what vanitie being at the point of death he saied vnto his friends that be could not till now sufficiently thanke them aâ—â— that therefore he would leaue them a Legacie part of that which was most gracious and excellent in him and which if they carefully kept they should receiue great honour by it adding that this magnificent Legacie was no other thinge then the picture of his life Doe not you marke THEO how his last breathing stinke of vanitie It was not the loue of honestie but the loue of honour which pricked forward those wise worldlings to the exercise of vertue and indeede their vertues were as different from true vertues as the honour of honestie and the loue of merite is different from the Loue of reward Those that serue their Prince for their owne interest doe ordinarily performe their dutie with more solicitude ardour and feeling but such as serue out of Loue doe it more nobly generously and therefore more worthily 4. Carbunckles and Rubies are called by the grecians by two contrarie names to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of fire aÌ„d without fire or else inflamed and without flame They
But because our meanes are of diuerse kindes we doe also diuersifie the name of Prouidence and saie that there is one Prouidence naturall another Supernaturall and that this againe is either Generall speciall or particular 5. And because hereafter THEOTIME I shall exhort you to ioyne your will to God's Prouidence while I am in hand with this discourse I 'le tell you a word of Naturall prouidence God then willing to prouide men of naturall meanes necessarie for them to render glorie to the diuine bountie he produced in their behalfe all the beasts and plants and to prouid for them also he produced varietie of Territories Seasōs Fountains Windes Raine and as well for man as th' other things appertaining vnto him he created the elements heauen and starres ordaining in an admirable manner that almost each Creature affords a reciprocall seruice one to another Horses carrie vs and we dresse and keepe them Sheepe doe feede and cloth vs and we graze them the Earth sends her vapours to the aire it renders thē in showres the Hand serues the Foote and the Foote the Hand O! He that should consider the commerce and generall trafficke with a great correspondance exercised amongst Creaturs how many amorous passions would moue his heart toward this soueraigne wisdome to crie out thy Prouidence ô great eternall father gouernes all things S. BASILE and S. AMBROSE in their EXAMEROVS the good LEWIS OF GRANADO in his Introduction to the Creede and LEWIS RICHEOME in diuerse of his faire workes would suggest many motiues to well borne soules to profit in this subiect 6. Thus Deare THEOTIME this Prouidence toucheth all raignes ouer all and reduceth all to his glorie There is notwithstanding Chance and Vnexpected accidents but that in regard of vs onely for doubtlesse they were most certaine to the Diuine prouidence who foreseeth and directeth them to the good of the worlds Cōmon-wealth Now these accident s doe happen by the concourse of diuerse causes which hauing no naturall alliance one with the other doe produce each of them their particular effect yet so as from their concourse there issueth another effect of a diuerse nature to which though it could not be foreseene all the different causes did contribute For example ESCHILVS his curiositie was iustly chastised who being foretolde by a Diuine that he should perish by the fall of a house kept himselfe all that daie in a plaine field to escape the destinie and staying close to it bareheadded a Faulcon who dareing in the aire held in her beeke a TORTOISE espying his bald head and gessing it had bene the point of a Rocke let the shell fall right vpon him and behould ESCHILVS dying in the brode field suppressed with the house broken with the shell This was doublesse an Vnexpected chance For he betooke not himselfe to the field to die but to eschape death nor did the Fanlcon dreame of cracking a Poets crowne but the crowne ād shell of the Tortoise to make him selfe maister of the meate within yet it chanced to the contrarie for the Tortoise remained safe and the poore ESCHILVS was slaine According to vs this chance was vnexpected but in respect of the Diuine prouidence which looked frō aboue and saw the concourse of causes it was an Act of iustice punishing the superstition of the man Old IOSEP'S aduenturs were admirable for varietie and for their passages betwixt two extreemes His Brethrē who to extinguish him had sold him were amazed to see him become Vice-Roy and were mighty apprehensiue that he remained sensible of the wrōg they had done him but no saied he it was not so much by your plot that I was sent hither as by the Diuine prouidence you had wicked designes against me but God turned all to good Doe you marke THEOTIME the world would haue termed this Fortune or Doubtfull euent which IOSEPH calleth a proiect of the Soueraigne Prouidence which turneth and reduceth all to his seruice The like it is of all things which happen in the world yea euen of Monsters the birth of which makes compleate and perfect workes more esteemed begets admiration prouokes discourse whence many wholesome thoughts proceede In fine they are to the world as shadowes to picturs which giue a grace and seeme euen to rayse the colours Of the supernaturall prouidence which God vseth towards reasonable creaturs CHAPTER IIII. 1. All God's workes are ordained to man and Angels saluation but see the order of his prouidēce in this behalfe in such wise as by the obseruation of holy Scripturs and the writings of the Auncients we are able to discouer it and as our weaknesse permits vs to speake of it 2. God knew from all Eternitie that he was able to make an innumerable number of creaturs in diuerse perfections and qualities to whom he might communicate himselfe and considering that amongst all the sorts of communicatiōs there was none so excellent as to ioyne himselfe to some created nature in such sort as the Creature might be ingraffed and implanted in the Diuinitie and become one onely person with it His infinite Bountie which of it selfe and by it selfe is carried towards a communication resolued and determined to communicate himselfe in this manner to th' end that as eternally there is an Essentiall communication in God by which the Father doth communicate all his infinite and indiuisible Diuinitie to the Sonne in producing him and the Father and the Sonne together producing the holy Ghost doe communicate to him also their owne indiuisible Deitie So in like manner this Soueraigne sweetnesse was so perfectly communicated without himselfe to a Creature that the Created and Diuine Nature retaining each of them their owne proprietie were notwithstanding so vnited together that they were but one Person 3. Now of all the Creaturs which that Soueraigne omnipotencie could produce he thought good to make choice of the same Humanitie which afterwards in effect was ioyned to the Person of God the Sonne to which he determined that incomparable honour of the Personall vnion to his diuine Maiestie to th' end that for all Eternitie it might enioy by way of Excellencie the treasurs of his infinite glorie and hauing thus selected for this happinesse the sacred Humanitie of our Sauiour the Supreame prouidence decreed not to restraine his goodnesse to the onely Person of his well beloued Sōne but fauorably to poure it out vpon diuerse other Creaturs and in grosse vpon the innumerable number of things which he could produce he made choyce to create Men and Angels to accompagnie his Sonne participate of his graces and glorie adore and prayse him for euer And for as much as he saw that he could in diuerse manners effect the Humanitie of his Sonne making him true Man as for example creating him of nothing not onely in regard of the soule but euen in regard of the bodie also either by forming the bodie of some precedent matter as he did that of ADAM and EVE or by way of
be idle he vrgeth vs by this generall commandement to imploy it and to th' end this commandement might haue effect he furniseth euery liuing creature abundantly with all meanes requisite thervnto The visible Sunne toucheth euery thing with his liuely heate and as the common louer of things belowe doth impart vnto them requisite vigour to produce And euen so the diuine goodnesse doth animate all soules and encourage all hearts to her loue none at all being shut vp from her heate The eternall wisdome sayeth Salomon preacheth in publicke she makes her voice resoūd amōgst the places she cries ād recries before the people she pronoūceth her words in the gates of the Citie saying ô children how long will it be that you will loue your infancie how long will fooles desire hurtfull things and the imprudent hate knowledge Conuert your selues returne to me vpon this aduertissement ah behould how I profer you my spirit and I will shew you my wordes And the same wisdome pursueth in EZECHIEL saying Let no man saye I am dead in sinne and how cā I recouer life againe Ah no! for harke God saieth I am liuing and as true as I liue I will not the death of a sinner but that he be conuerted and liue Now to liue according to God is to loue and he that loues not remaines in death See now THEOTIME whether God doth not desire we should loue him 2. But he is not content to denounce in this manner publickly his great desire to be loued so that euery one might receiue a part of the seedes of his loue but he goes euen from doore to doore knocking and beating protesting that if any one open he will enter and suppe with him that is he will testifie all sorts of good will towards him 3. But what would all this saie THEOTIME but that God doth not onely giue vs a meere sufficiencie of meanes to loue him and in louing him to saue our selues but euen a rich ample and magnificent sufficiencie and such as ought to be expected from so great a bountie as his The great Apostle speaking to the obstinate sinner Dost thou contemne saieth he the riches of the bountie patience and longanimitie of God art thou ignorant that the benignitie of God doth draw thee to penāce But thou according to thy hardnesse ād impenitēt heart dost heape vp against thy selfe anger in the day of Anger My deare THEO God doth not therfore exercise a meere sufficiencie of remedies to conuert the obstinate but imployes to this end the riches of his bountie The Apostle as you see doth oppose the riches of God's goodnesse against the treasurs of the impenitēt hearts malice and saieth that the malicious heart is so rich in iniquitie that he despiseth euē the riches of Gods mildnesse by which he drawes him to repentance and marke that the obstinate doth not onely contemne the riches of God's goodnesse but euē riches attractiue to repentance Riches wherof one cānot well be ignorant verily this rich heape and abundant sufficiencie of meanes which God freely bestoweth vpon sinners to loue him doth appeare almost through the whole Scripture For see this diuine Louer at the gate he doth not simply beate but stayes beating he calls the Soule goe to rise my well-beloued dispach put thy hād to the locke to try whether it will open When he preacheth amidst the places he doth not simply preach but goes crying out that is he continues his crie and when he proclaims that euery one should conuert themselues he thinkes he hath neuer repeated it sufficiently Conuert your selues conuert your selues doe penance returne to me liue why dost thou die ô house of Israel In conclusion this heauenlie Sauiour forgets nothing to shew that his mercyes are aboue all his workes that his mercy doth surpasse his Iudgment that his Redemption is copious that his loue is infinite and as the Apostle saieth that he is rich in mercy and by consequence that his will is that all men should be saued none perish How the eternall loue of God doth preuent our hearts with his inspirations to th' end we might loue him CHAPTER IX 1. I Haue loued thee with a perpetuall charitie ād therfore haue drawen thee vnto me hauing pitie and mercy vpon thee and againe I will reedifie thee and thou shalt be built againe virgin of ISRAEL These are God's wordes by which he promiseth that the Sauiour coming into the world shall establish a new raigne in his Church which shall be his Virgin-spouse and true spirituall Israëlite 2. Now as you see THEOT it was not by any merit of the workes which we had done that he saued vs but according to his mercy his auncient yea eternall charitie which moued his diuine Prouidence to draw vs vnto him For if the father had not drawne vs we had neuer come to the Sonne our Sauiour nor consequently to saluation 3. There are certaine birds THEOT which Aristotle calls Apodes for that their legges being extreamly short and their feete feable they haue no more vse of them then though they had none at all so that if at any time they light vpon the groūd they are caught neuer after being able to take flight because hauing no seruice of their legges or feete they haue no further power to rayse and regaine themselues into the ayre but remaine there peuling and dying vnlesse some winde fauorable to their impotencie sending out his blastes vpon the face of the earth sease vpon them and beare them vp as it doth many other things For then making vse of their winges they correspond to this first touch and motion which the winde gaue them it also continewing it's assistance towards them bringing them by little and little to flight 4. THEO Angels are like to the birds which for their beautie and raritie are called birds of Paradice neuer seene in earth but dead For those heauenlie spirits had no sooner forsaken Diuine loue to be fixed vpon Selfe loue till sodainely they fell as dead buried in Hell seeing that the same effect which death hath in men seperating them euerlastingly from this mortall life the same had the Angels fall in them excluding them for euer from eternall life But we mortalls doe rather resemble Apodes For if it chance that we quitting the ayre of holy and diuine loue fall vpon the earth and adheare to creaturs which we doe as often as we offend God we die indeede yet not so absolute a death that there resteth in vs no motiō together with legges and feete to wit some weake affectiōs which enableth vs to make some essaies of loue yet so weakly that in trueth we are impotēt of our selues to reclaime our hearts from sinne or restore our selues to the flight of sacred loue which catifs that we are we haue perfideously and voluntarily forsaken 5. And truely we should well deserue to remaine abandoned of God sith we haue disloyally abandoned him but his eternall charitie doth often not
marke the young man of the Ghospell whom our Sauiour loued and who coÌ„sequently was in Charitie certes he neuer dream'd of selling all he had to giue it to the poore and follow our Sauiour nay though our Sauiour had giuen him such an inspiration yet had he not the courage to put it in executioÌ„ In these great works THEO onely inspirations are not sufficient but further we must be fortified to be able to effect that which the inspiratioÌ„ inclines vs to As againe in the fierce assaultes of extraordinarie teÌ„ptations the speciall and particular presence of heauenly succours is altogether necessarie For this cause the holy Church makes vs so frequently crie out Excite our hearts ô Lord preuent our actions by breathing vpon vs and in aiding vs accompanie vs O Lord be prompt to helpe vs and the like therby to obtaine grace to be able to effect excellent and extraordinarie works and more frequently and feruently to exercise ordinarie ones as also more ardently to resist smale temptations and more valliently to encounter great ones S. ANTONIE was assailed by a hideous legion of Diuels whose rage hauing a long time sustained not without incredible paine and torment at length he espied the couer of his Cell deuided and a heauenly raie enter the breach which made the blacke and disordered Route of his enemies vanish in a moment and deliuered him of the paine of his wounds receiued in that schirmish whence he perceiued God's particular presence and casting out a grone towards the brightnesse where wast thou ô good IESVS quoth he where wast thou why wast thou not here from the beginning to haue remedied my paine It was answered him froÌ„ aboue Antonie I was here but I expected the euent of thy combat And sithens thou behaued thy selfe brauely and valiently I will be thy continuall aide But in what the valour and courage of this braue spirituall Combatant did consist he himselfe another time declars that being set vpon by a Diuell who professed to be the Spirit of fornicatioÌ„ this Glorious Sainte after many words worthy of his great courage fell a singing the 7. verse of the 115. Psalme Th' eternall God is my defence In him it is I stand I weigh no enemies pretence I dread no hostell band And our Sauiour reuealed to S. CATHERINE of Sienna that he was in the midst of her heart in a cruell temptation she had as a Captaine in the midst of a Fort to hold it and that without his succour she had lost her selfe in the battell It is the like in all the hote assaults which our enemie makes against vs and we may well saie with IACOB that it is the Angell that doth warrant vs in all and sing with the great king DAVID The Pastour who doth guid my way Is God who rules this ROVND VVhile I to his commands obey At wish all things abound VVhen he behoulds my soules destresse Her Anguish griefe or care His Goodnesse grant's a quick redresse And th ruines doth râ—paire So that we ought often to repeate this exclamaâ—ion and Praier â—o houre want I thy Bounti 's hand Each where I 'm garded by thy Grace That in thy heauenâ—y PROMISED LAND Obtaine I might a MANSION PLACE Touching holy perseuerance in sacred Loue. CHAPTER IIII. 1. EVen as a tender mother leading with her her little babe doth assist and support him according as neede requires letting him now and then aduenture a step by himselfe in plaine or lesse dangerous way now taking him by the hand to weeld him now taking him vp in her armes and bearing him so our Sauiour hath a continuall care to conduct his children that is such as are in Charitie making theÌ„ walke before him reaching them his hand in difficulties and bearing them himselfe in such paines as he sees otherwise insupportable vnto theÌ„ which he declared by ISAIE saying I am thy GOD taking thee by the hand and saying feare not I haue helped thee So that with a strong courage we must haue a firme confidence in God and his assistance for if we faile not to second his Grace he will accomplish in vs the happie worke of our Saluation which he also began working in vs both the VELLE and PERFICERE as the Holy Councell of Trent doth assure vs. 2. In this conduct which the heauenly sweetenesse daignes to our soules from their entry to Charitie vntill their finall perfection which is not finished but in the period of life doth the great gift of Perseuerance consist to which our Sauiour annecteth the greater gift of eternall glorie following that which he saieth he that shall perseuer to the end shall be saued for this gift is no other thing then a setting together and a continuing of the diuers supports solaces and succours wherby we continew in the Loue of God till death as the education breeding and feeding of a child is no other thing theÌ„ the many cares aides and succours aÌ„d other offices befitting a child exercised and continued towards him till he grow to yeares in which he shall not neede them 3. But the continuance of succours and helpes are not equall in all those that perseuer for in some it is short as in such as were coÌ„uerted a little before their death so it happened to the good Thiefe so to the Sergeant who seeing S. IAMES his constancie made forthwith profession of Faith and became a companion of the Matyrdome of this great Apostle so to the glorious Porter who kept the 40. Martyrs in SEBASTE who seeing one of them loose courage and forsake the crowne of Martyrdome did put himselfe in his place aÌ„d at oÌ„ce became Christian Martyr and Glorious so to the Notarie of whom mention is made in S. ANTONIE of Padua his life who hauing all his life bene a false villaine yet died a Martyr And so it hapned to a thousand others whom we haue seene and red that they died well after an ill life And as for these they stand not in neede of a great varietie of succours but vnlesse some great temptation crosse their way may performe this short perseuerance by the onely Charitie giuen then and by the aides by which they were conuerted For they arriue at the PORT without sailing and finish their pilgrimage in one onely iumpe which the puissant mercy of God made them take in so due time that their enemies saw them triumphe before they stroke so that their conuersion and perseuerance were scarcely distinguished and if one would be exact in the proprietie of words the grace which they receiued of God wherby they attained as soone the issue as the entry of their pretentions could not well be termed Perseuerance though otherwise holding in effect the place of perseuerance in that it giues saluation we comprehend it vnder the name of Perseuerance Now in others Perseuerance is longer as in S. ANNE the Prophetesse in S. IOHN the Euangelist S. PAVLE the first Hermite S. HILARION S. ROMWALD S FRANCIS
admirable in their Maiestie if they were set at a lesse distance with our capacitie 4. Let vs crie out then THEO in all occurrences but let it be with an affectionat heart towards the most wise most puissant and most sweete prouidence of our eternall father O the depth of the riches wisdome ād knowledge of God O Sauiour IHESVS THEOT how excessiue are the riches of of the diuine goodnesse His loue towards vs is an incomprehensible Abisse whence he hath prouided for vs a rich sufficiencie or rather a rich abundance of meanes proper for our saluation ād sweetely to applie them he makes vse of a soueraigne wisdome hauing by his infinit knowledge foreseene and knowen all that was requisite to that effect Ah what can we feare nay rather what ought not we to hope for being the children of a father so rich in goodnesse to loue and desire to saue vs so vnderstanding to prouide meanes cōueniēt so wise to applie thē so good to will so cleare sighted to ordaine and so prudent to execute 5. Let vs neuer permit our minds to flutter by curiositie about Gods iudgemēts for as little Butterflies we shall burne our wings ād perish in this sacred flame These iudgmēts are incōprehensible or as S. GREGORIE Nazianzen saieth inscrutable that is one cannot search and sound the motiues the meanes and wayes by which he doth execute and finish them cannot be discerned and knowen And though the power of smelling be neuer so perfect in vs yet shall we at euery turne be at default not finding the sent for who can penetrate the sense the vnderstanding and intention of God Who was euer his Consellour to know his purposes and their motiues or who did euer preuent him with seruice Is it not he contrariwise who doth preuent vs in the benedictions of his grace to crowne vs with the felicitie of his glorie ah THEO all things are from him as being their Creatour all things are by him as being their Gouernour all things are in him as being their Protectour To him be honour for euer and euer Let vs walke in peace THEO in the waye of holy loue for he that shall enioye diuine loue in dying after death shall enioye loue eternally Of a certaine remainder of loue which oftentimes stayes in the soule that hath lost Charitie CHAPTER IX 1. THe life of a man who languishing on his deathes bed by little and little decaies doth hardly deserue to be termed life sith that though it be life yet is it so mingled with death that it is hard to saie whether it is a death as yet liuing or a life dying Alas how pitifull a spectacle it is THE but farre more lamentable is the state of a soule which vngratfull to her Sauiour goes hourely backward withdrawing her-selfe from God's loue by certaine degrees of indeuotion and disloyaltie till at length hauing quite forsaken it she is left in the horrible obscuritie of perdition and this loue which is in it's declining and which fades and perisheth is called imperfect loue because though it be entire in the soule yet seemes it not to be entirely that is it hardly keepes in the soule any longer but is vpon the point of forsaking it Now Charitie being separated from the soule by sinne there remaines oftentimes a certaine resemblance of Charitie which doth deceiue and put vs into a vaine muse and I will tell you what it is Charitie while it is in vs produceth many actions of loue towards God by the frequent exercise whereof our soule gets a habit and custome of louing God which is not Charitie but onely an impression and inclination which the multitude of actions leaues in our hearts 2. After a long habit of preaching or saying Masse deliberatly it happens often that in dreaming we vtter and speake the same things which we would saie in preaching or celebrating so that custome and habit acquired by election and vertue is in some sort afterward practised without election or vertue sith the actions of such as sleepe generally speaking haue nothing of vertue saue onely an apparent image and are onely the similitudes or representations thereof So charitie by the multitude of actes which she produceth doth imprīt in vs a certaine facilitie to loue which she leaues in vs euē after we are depriued of her presence I remember when I was a young scholler that in a village neare Paris there was a certaine well with an ECHO which would repeate the words that we pronoūced by it diuers times And if some Idiote without experience had heard this repetition of words he would haue beleeued that there had bene some bodie in the botome of the well who had done it But we had euen then knowen by Philosophie that none was in the well to reiterate our words but that there were onely certaine concauities in some one whereof our voices were assembled ād not finding through passage least they might altogether perish and not imploy the force that was left them they produced secōd voices ād they gathering together in an other cōcauitie produced a third the third a fourth ād so consequetly to the eleauenth so that those voices heard in the well were not now our voices but resemblances and images of the same And indeede there was a great difference betwixt our voices and those For when we made a long continuance of words we had but some few of them rendred by the ECHO shortning the pronunciation of syllables which she slightly passed ouer with tones and accents quite different from ours nor did she begin to forme her words till we had quite pronounced them In fine they were not words of a liuing man but as one would saie the words of any emptie and vaine Rocke which notwithstanding did so well counterfeit man's voice whence she sprung that a simple bodie would haue bene misled and beguiled by her 3. Now this is it that I would saie when holy CHARITIE meets a pliable soule wherein she doth long reside she produceth a second loue which is not a loue of Charitie though it issue from Charitie but it is a humane loue which is yet so like to Charitie that though she leaues behind this her picture and likenesse which doth so represent her that one who were ignorant would be deceiued therein not vnlike to the birds on Zeuxis his painted raysins which they deemed to be true raysins so generally had Art imitated nature And yet there is a faire difference betwixt Charitie and humane loue which she doth beget in vs for the voice of Charitie doth pronoūce denoūce and worke in our hearts Gods Commandments humane loue which remaines after her doth indeede pronounce the commandments and denounceth sometimes all of them yet doth neuer effect them all but some few onely Charitie doth pronounce and put together all the sillables that is all the circumstances of Gods commandments humane Loue alwayes leaues out some of them especially straightnesse and puritie of
how can this be vnderstoode that the Angels who see the Redeemour and in him all the mysteries of our saluation doe yet desire to see him THEO Verily they see him continually but with a viewe so agreeable and delicious that the complacence they take in it doth satiate them without taking away their desire and makes them desire without remouing their Sacietie the fruition is not lessened by the desire but perfected therby as their desire is not cloied but sharpned by the fruition 5. The fruition of a thing which doth continually content doth neuer fade but is renewed and flourisheth incessantly it is still agreeable still amiable The continuall contentment of heauenly louers produceth a desire perseuerantly content as their continuall desire doth beget in them a contentment perseuerantly desired The good which is finite in giuing the possession doth end the desire and in giuing the desire doth dispossesse while it cannot at once be possessed and desired But the infinite Good makes desire raigne with possession and possession with desire finding a way to saciate desire by a holy presence and yet make it liue by the greatnesse of its excellencie which doth nourish in all those that possesse it a continually contented desire and a contentment continually desired 6. Consider THâ—OT such as hold in their mouth the hearbe SCITIQVE for following report they are neither hungrie nor thristie so doth it saciate and yet doe they neuer loose appetite so deliciously doth it nourish them When our will meetes God she reposeth in him taking therein a soueraigne complacence yet without staying the motions of her desire for as she desires to loue so she loues to desire she hath the desire of loue and the loue of desire The repose of the heart consisteth not in immobilitie but in hauing want of nothing Not in not mouing but in not hauing neede to moue 7. The damned are in eternall motion without all mixture of rest we mortalls who are yet in this pilgrimage haue now motion now rest in our affections The Blessed haue continuall repose in their motion and continuall motion in their repose onely God hath repose without motion because he is soueraignely on substantiall and pure act And though according to the ordinarie condition of this mortall life we rest not in motion yet notwithstanding when we make essaies of the exercises of the immortall life that is when we practise the acts of holy loue we find repose in the motion of our affections and motion in the repose of the complacence which we take in our well-beloued receiuing hereby fore-tastes of the future Felicitie to which we aspire 8. If it be true that the Cameleon liues of aire wheresoeuer he goes in the aire he finds foode aÌ„d though he stirre from one place to another it is not to find wherewithall to be satiated but to exercise himselfe in his element as fishes in the sea Who desires God in possessing him doth not desire him to search him but to exercise affection euen in the good which he enioyes for the heart doth not make this motion of desire as pretending the fruition of a thing not had sith it is already had but as dilating it selfe in the fruition which it hath not to obtaine the Good but to recreate and please it selfe therein not to enioye it but to reioyce in it No otherwise then we moue our selues and goe to some delicious garden where being arriued we cease not to walke and stire our selues yet it is not to come thither but being there to walke and passe our time we went to enioye the pleasantnesse of the garden being there we walke to please our selues in the fruition of it Let not in length of time be found a space In which we cease to search t'Almighties face We alwayes seeke whom we alwayes loue saieth the Great S. AVGVSTINE Loue seekes whom it hath found not to haue him but to haue him still 9. Finally THEO the soule who is in the exercise of the loue of complacence cries continually in her sacred silence It suffiseth me that God be God that his Goodnesse be infinite that his perfection be immence whether I liue or not it little imports me sith that my deare well-beloued liues eternally a triumphant life Death it selfe cannot attristate a heart who knowes that its soueraigne Loue liues It is sufficient for a heart that loues that he whom it loues more then it selfe is replenished with eternall happinesse seeing that it liues more in him whom it loues then him whom it doth animate yea that it liues not but its well-beloued liues in it Of a louing condoling by which the complacence of loue is better declared CHAPTER IV. 1. COmpassion condoling commiseration or mercy is no other thing then an affection which makes vs share in the sufferaÌ„ces and griefes of him whom we loue drawing the miserie which he endures into our heart whence it is called MISERICORDIA as one would saie MISERIA CORDIS as complacence doth draw into the louers heart the pleasures and contentments of the thing beloued It is Loue that workes both the effectes by the vertue it hath to vnite the louers heart to the beloued by this meanes making the good and euill which they haue coÌ„mon betwixt them And that which happens in compassion doth much illustrate that which toucheth complacence 2. Compassion takes her grouth from the loue whence she proceedes So we see mothers doe deeply condole the afflictions of their onely children as the Scripture doth often testifie How great was the sorrow of Agars heart vpon the griefe of her Ismael whom she saw well nigh perish with thirst in the Desert How much did DAVIDS soule commiserate the miserie of his Absolon Ah doe you not marke the motherly heart of the great Apostle sicke with the sicke burning with zeale for such as were scandalized with a continuall dolour for the losse of the Iewes and dayely dying for his deare spirituall children But especially coÌ„sider how loue drawes all the paines all the torments trauells sufferances griefes wounds passioÌ„ crosse and death it selfe of our Redeemour into his most sacred Mothers heart Alas the same Nailes that crucified the bodie of this diuine child did also crucifie the mothers heart the same thrones which pearced his head did strike through the heart of this entirely sweete mother she endured the same miseries with her sonne by commiseration the same dolours by condoling the same passions by compassion to be short the sworde of death which transpearced the bodie of this best beloued sonne did stricke through the heart of this most louing mother whence she might well haue saied that he was to her a POSIE OF MIRRHE amidst her breastes that is in her bosome and in the midst of her heart IACOB hearing the sad though false newes of the death of his deare IOSEPH you see how he is afflicted with it ah saied he in sorrow I will descend to hell that is to saie to Lymbo into
wōders of their differrent proprieties which manifest their makers power so that this diuine royall Psalmist hauing composed a great number of Psalmes with this inscription Praise God after he had rūne through all the creaturs holily inuiting them to blesse the diuine Maiestie and passed ouer a great varietie of meanes and instruments fit to celebrate the praises of this eternall Bountie in the end as falling downe through shortenesse of breath he closeth his sacred song with this Eiaculation Let euery spirit praise our Lord that is let all that hath life nor liue nor breath but to blesse their Creatour following the encouragement he had elsewhere giuen VVith high and animated straine Let 's striue to celebrate amaine Euen who can best th Eternall's fame Let shirlest voice awakt by Loue Beare vp the starrie vaults aboue The Peeleresse glorie of his name So the great S. FRANCIS soung the Canticle of the Sunne and a thousand other excellent benedictions to inuoke the creaturs to aide his languishing heart in that he could not according to his desire praise the deare Sauiour of his heart So the heauenly Spouse perceiuing her selfe almost to sound amidst the violent essaies she vsed in blessing and magnifying the well-beloued king of her heart ah cried she out to her companions the diuine Spouse hath led me by contemplation into his wine-celler making me taste the incomparable delightes of the perfections of his excellencie and I haue so moistened and holily inebriated my selfe by the holy complacence which I tooke in this abisse of beautie that my soule languisheth wounded with a louingly mortall desire which vrgeth me euerlastīgly to praise a goodnesse eminent Come alas I beseech you to the succour of my poore heart which is vpon the point of falling downe dead For pitie susteine it and vnderprope it with flowres solace it and enuirone it with aples or else it will fall in a trance Complacence drawes the diuine sweetes into her heart which doth so ardently fill it selfe thereof that it is ouer charged But the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE makes our heart sallie out of it selfe and spend it selfe in vapours of delicious perfumes that is in all kinds of holy praises And yet not being able to doe it with the aduantage which it desires ô saieth it let all creaturs come and contribute the flowres of their benedictions their aples of thankesgiuings honours and adorations so that on euery side we may smell odours poured out to his glorie whose infinite sweetenesse doth passe all honour and whom we can neuer worthily enough magnifie 2. It is this diuine passion that brings out so many sermons makes the Zaueriuses the Berzeses the Antonies with a number of Iesuites Capucins and Religious and other Churchmen of all sorts passe the pikes in India Iaponia Maraig to th' end the holy name of IESVS may be knowen acknowledged and adored through out that vaste nation It is this holy passion which penns so many spirituall bookes build's so many churches altars and pious houses and to conclud which makes so many of God's seruants watch labour and die in the flames of Zeale which doe consume and spend them How the desire we haue to praise God makes vs aspire to heauen CHAPTER X. 1. THe soule in Loue perceiuing that she cānot saciate the desire she hath to praise her well-beloued while she liues in the miseries of this world and knowing that the praises which are giuen in heauen to the diuine goodnesse are sunge in an aire incomparably more delightfull ô God saieth she how praiseworthie the praises are which are poured fourth by those blessed spirits before the throne of my heauenly king how blessed are their blessings ô what a happinesse is it to heare this melodie of the most holy eternitie where the delicious concurrence of vnlike and wholy different voices doth make these admirable accords wherein all the parts redoubling one vpon another by a continued succession and an incomprehensible combination and pursute perpetuall Allelui'as doe resound from euery side 2. Voices which for their sound are compared to thunder trumpets or to the noyse of a troubled seas waues yet voices which for their incomparable delight and sweetenesse are compared to the melodie of harpes delicatly and deliciously touched by a most skillfull hand And voices which doe all accord in one to sing the ioyfull Pascall Cāticle ALLELVIA praise God Amē praise God for know THEO that there is a voice heard from the diuine Throne which ceaseth not to crie to the happie inhabitants of the glorious heauenly Hierusalem Praise God ô you that are his seruants and you that feare him great and little at which all the innumerable multitude of Saints the quires of Angels and men with one consent doe answere in singing with all their force ALLELVIA praise God But what is this admirable voice which issuing out from the diuine Throne doth announce the ALLELVIAS to the Elect if not the most holy complacence which being receiued into the heart makes them feele the sweetenesse of the Diuine perfections wherevpon a louing beneuolence the source of heauenly praises is bred in thē so that complacence cōming from the Throne intimateth Gods greatnesse to the Blessed and beneuolence excites them mutually to pouer out the odours of praise before the Throne And so by way of answere they eternally sing ALLELVIA that is praise God The complacence come frō the Throne into the heart and Beneuolence goes from the Throne 3. O how amiable is this TEMPLE wholy resounding with praise ô what content haue such as liue in this sacred Residence where so many heauenly Philomels and Nightingails doe sing with strife of loue the Canticles of eternall delight 4. The heart then that in this world can neither sing nor heare the diuine praises to it's liking falls into incredible desires of being deliuered from the bands of this life to passe to the other where the heauenly well-beloued is so perfectly praised and these desires hauing taken possession of the heart doe often times become so strōg and powrefull in the heauenly Louers heart that banishīg all other desires they make all terreane thīgs disgustfull and render the soule languishing and loue-sicke yea sometimes the holy passion goes so farre as if God permitted one would die of it 5. So the glorious and Seraphicall Louer S. FRANCIS hauing bene long wrought with this strong affection of praising God in the end towards his death after he had had assurance by a speciall Reuelation of his eternall saluation he could not conteine his ioye but waisted dayly as if his life and soule had fumed out like incense vpon the flamme of ardent desires which he had to see his Maister incessantly to praise him So that these flames dayly encreasing his soule left his bodie by a force which he made towards heauen for it was thought good to the Diuine prouidence that he should die pronoūcing these sacred words O Lord drawe my soule out of this prison
affections to be aboue herselfe in Praier and belowe her selfe in life and operation To be Angelicall in Meditation and brutall in conuersation It is to hault on both sides to sweare by God and yet by Melchon In fine it is a true marke that such Raptures and Extasies are but fraudes and delusions of the diuell Happie are they who liue a supernaturall and extaticall life aduanced aboue themselues alltough in Praier they be not rauished There are many Saints in heauen who were neuer in Extasie or Rapture of contemplation for how many Martyrs holy men and women are mentioned in histories who neuer had other priuiledge in Praier then that of deuotion and feruour But there was neuer Sainte who had not the Extasie and Rapture of life and operation ouercomming themselues with their naturall inclinations 3. And who sees not I praie you THE that it is the Extasie of life ād operatiō that the great Apostle speakes off especially when he saieth I liue not I but IESVS CHRIST liueth in me for he himselfe doth expose it in other termes to the Romans saying that our old man is crucified together with IESVS CHRIST that we are dead to sinne with him and that we are also risen with him to walke in newnesse of life and not be any longer slaues to sinne Behold THEO how two men are represented in each of vs and consequently two liues the one of the old man which is the old life as we saie of an Eagle who being growen into old age is glad to drag her plumes not being after able to take flight the other is the life of the new man which also is a new life as that of the Eagle who being disburdened of her old feethers which she had shaken off into the sea recouers new ones and being growne young againe flies in the newnesse of her forces 4. In the first life we liue according to the old man that is according to the defaultes weakenesse and infirmitie contracted by our first Father Adams sinne and therefore we liue to Adams sinne and our life is a mortall life yea death it selfe In the second life we liue according to the new man that is according to the graces fauours ordinances and will of our Sauiour and consequently we liue to saluation and Redemption and this new life is a liuing vitall and quickning life but whosoeuer would attaine the new life he must make his way by the death of the old crucifying his flesh with all the vices and concupicences thereof interring it in the holy water of Baptisme or in penance as Naman did drowne and burie in the waters of Iordain his leporous and infected old life to liue a new sound and spotlesse life for one might well haue saied of him that he was not now the old leporous stinking infected Naman but a new neate sound and comely Naman because he was dead to leprosie but suruiued to health and integritie 5. Now whosoeuer is raised vp againe to this new life of our Sauiour he neither liues to himselfe in himselfe or for himselfe but to his Sauiour in his Sauiour ād for his Sauiour Thinke saieth S. Paule that you are truely dead to sinne but liue to God in our Sauiour IESVS CHRIST An admirable exhortation of S. Paule to the extaticall and supernaturall life CHAPTER VIII 1. BVt finally me thinkes S. Paule makes the most forceable pressing and admirable argument that euer was made to vrge vs all to the Extasie and Rapture of life and operation Marke THEO I beseech you be attentiue and ponder the force and efficacie of the ardent and heauenly words of this Apostle rauished and transported with the loue of his Maister Speaking then of himselfe and the like is to be saied of euery one the Charitie saieth he of IESVS CHRIT doth presse vs yes THEO nothing doth so much presse mans heart as loue if a man knowe that he is beloued be it of whom it will he is pressed to loue mutually But if an ordinarie fellow be beloued by a great Lord he is yet more pressed if of a powerfull Monarke how much more is he pressed And now I praie you knowing well that IESVS CHRIST the true Eternall God Omnipotent hath loued vs euen to suffering death for vs and the death of the crosse is not this ô my deare THEO to haue our hearts in the presse to feele them forceably pressed and perceiue loue squised out of them by violence and constraint which is so much more violent by how much it is more amiable and louelie But in what sort doth Charitie presse vs the Charitie of IESVS CHRIST doth presse vs saieth his holy Apostle waighing this matter But what doth these words waighing this matter import It imports that our Sauiours Charitie doth presse vs then especially when we doe waigh consider ponder meditate and remaine attentiue to this resolution of faith But what resolution marke my Good THEOT how he goes engrauing emplanting and forcing his conceite into our hearts Waighing this saieth he and what That if one be dead and IESVS CHRIST died for all Certes it is true if a IESVS CHRIST died for all all the are dead in the person of this onely Sauiour who died for them and his death is to be imputed vnto them since it was endured for them and in consideration of them 2. But what followes out of all this me thinkes I heare that Apostolicall mouth as a thunder making an outcrie to the eares of our hearts It followes then ô Christians what IESVS CHRIST dying for vs desired of vs. And what did he desire of vs but that we should be conformed vnto him to th' end saieth the Apostle that such as liue should henceforth no more liue to themselues but to him that died and rose for them Deare God THEO how powerfull a consequence is this in the matter of Loue IESVS CHRIST died for vs by his death he hath giuen vs life we doe not liue but in so much as he died he died for vs to vs and in vs. Our life then is no more ours but his who did purchase it vs by his death we are not therefore any more to liue to our selues but to him nor in our selues but in him nor for our selues but for him A yoūg Girle of the I le of Sestos had brought vp an Eagle with such diligēce as little childrē are wonte to bestowe vpon such emploiments the Eagle being come to her grouth began by little and little to find her winge and flie at bird's following her naturall instinct afterwards getting more strength she seased vpon wild beasts neuer failing faithfully to bring home the prey to her deare Mistresse as in acknowledgment of the breeding which she had from her Now it happened vpon a day that this young damsell died while the poore Eagle was rouing abrode and her bodie according to the coustome of those times and places was publickly placed vpon the funerall Pile to be brunt but
euen as the flame began to sease hpon her the Eagle came in with a quicke flight and beholding this vnlooked for and sad spectackle strooke through with griefe she loosed her talons let fall her prey and spred herselfe vpon her poore beloued Mistresse and couering her with her wings as it were to defend her from the fire or for pities sake to embrace her she remained there constant and immoueable couragiously dying and burning with her the ardour of her affection not giuing place to the ardour of flames and fire that by that meanes she might become the VICTIME ād HOLOCAVSTE of her braue and prodigious loue as her Mistresse was already of death and fire 3. O THEO to what a high flight this Eagle moues vs our Sauiour hath bred vs vp from our tender youth yea he formed vs and receiued vs as a louing Nource into the armes of his Diuine Prouidence euen from the time of our Conception Not beeing yet thy holy hand did make me Scarce borne into thy armes thy loue did take me He made vs his owne by Baptisme and by an incomprehensible loue doth tenderly nourish both our bodie and soule to purchace vs life he suffered death and with his owne flesh and blood hath fed vs Ah what rests then my deare THEO what Conclusion are we to draw from hence but onely that such as liue should liue no more to them selues but to him that died for them that is to saie that we should consecrate all the moments of our life to the Diuine Loue of our Sauiours death bringing home to his glorie all our preys all our conquests all our actions all our thoughts and affections Let vs behold THEO this heauenly Redeemour extended vpon the Crosse as vpon a funerall Pile of honour where he died of Loue for vs yea of loue more painefull then death it selfe or a death more pleasant then loue it selfe Ah doe we not spiritually cast our selues vpon him to die vpon the Crosse with him who for the loue of vs freely died I will hold him should we saie if we had the Eagles generositie and will neuer depart from him I will die with him and burne in the flames of his loue one and the same fire shall consume the Diuine Creatour and the miserable creature My IESVS is wholy myne and I am wholy his I will liue and die vpon his breast nor life nor death shall euer separate me from him Thus is the holy Extasie of true loue practised while we liue not according to humane reason and bent but aboue them following the inspiration and instinct of the heauenly Sauiour of our soules Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue CHAPTER IX 1. LOue is strong as death death doth seperate the soule of him that dies from the bodie and from all earthly things Sacred loue doth seperate the Louers soule from the bodie and all earthly things nor is there any other difference sauing that death doth that in effect which loue ordinarily doe onely in affection I saie ordinarily THEO because holy loue is sometimes so violent that euen in effect it causeth a separation betwixt the bodie and the soule making the Louers die a most happie death much better then a thousand liues 2. As it is proper to the Reprobate to die in sinne so is it proper to the Elect to die in the Loue and Grace of God yet in a different manner The iust man neuer dies vnprouided for to haue perseuered in Christian Iustice euen to the end was a good prouision for death He dies indeede sometimes sodainely or a sodaine death For this cause the most wise Church in her Litanies doth teach vs not onely to demand to be deliuered frō sodaine death but sodaine ād vnprouided death It is no worse for being sodaine if it be not withall vnprouided If some weake and common soules had seene fire frō Heauen fall vpon the great S. SIMEON Stilits head and kill him what would they haue thought but thoughts of scandall yet are we to make no other conceit of the matter then that this great Saint hauing perfectly sacrificed himselfe to God in his heart already wholy consumed with loue the fire came from Heauen to perfect the Holocauste and entirely burne it for the Abbot Iulian being a dayes iorney off saw his soule ascend to Heauen and thervpon caused incense to be offered in thankesgiuing to God The Blessed man Good Cremonius on a certaine day set vpon his knees most deuotly to heare Masse rose not at the Ghospell according to custome whēce those that were about him looked vpon him and perceiued he was dead There haue bene in our time most famous men for vertue and learning found dead some in the confession seat others while they heard the Sermon yea some haue bene seene falling downe dead at their going out of the Pulpet where they had preached with great feruour and all these deaths were sodaine yet not vnprouided And how many Good people doe we see die of Apoplexies Lethargies and a thousand other wayes very sodainely others of madnesse and frensie without the vse of reason and all these together with children who are baptised died in Grace and consequently in the Loue of God But how could they die in the Loue of God since they thought not of God at the time of their departure 3. Learned men THEO loose not their knowledge while they are a sleepe for so they would be vnlearned at their awaking and be forced to returne to schoole The like it is of all the habits of Prudence Temperance Faith Hope and Charitie They are continually in the iust mans heart though they be not alwayes in action While a man sleeps it seemes that all his habits sleepe with him and when he awakes awake with him So a iust man dying sodainely or oppressed by a house falling vpon him kill'd by Thunder or stifled with a catarre or else dying out of his senses by the violence of a hote Ague dies not indeede in the exercise of holy Loue yet dies he in the habit thereof wher-vpon the wise-man saieth if the iust-man be preuented by death he shall be in a place of refreshing for it sufficeth to obtaine eternall life to die in the state and habit of loue and Charitie 4. Yet many Saints haue departed this life not onely in Charitie and with the habite of heauenly loue but euen in the act and practise thereof S. AVGVSTINE deceased in the exercise of holy contrition which cannot be without Loue. S. HIEROM in exhorting his deare children to the loue of God their neighbours and vertue S. AMBROSE in a Rapture sweetely discoursing with his Sauiour immediatly after he had receiued the holy Sacrament of the Altar S. ANTONIE of Padua after he had recited a hymne of the glorious virgin-mother and while he spoke with great ioye to our Sauiour S. THOMAS of Aquine ioyning his
hands eleuating his eyes towards Heauen raising his voice very high and pronouncing by way of iaculation with great deuotion these words of the CaÌ„ticles the last which he had expounded Come vnto me my dearly beloued and let vs goe toge-into the fields All the Apostles and in a manner all the Martyrs died in Praier The Blessed and Venerable Bede hauing foreknowne by reuelation the time of his departure went to Euensong and it was vpoÌ„ the Ascension day and standing vpoÌ„ his feete leaning onely vpon the rests of his seate without any disease at all ended his life with the end of the Euensong as it were directly to follow his Maister ascending vnto Heauen there to enioye the bright morning of eternitie which knowes no euening Iohn Gerson Chancellour of the vniuersitie of Paris a man so learned and pious that as Sixtus Senâ—nsis saieth one can hardly discerne whether his learning outstripped his pietiâ— or his pietie his learning hauing explicated the fift proprietie of diuine loue recorded in the Canticle of Canticles three dayes after making shew of a very liuely countenance and courage expired pronouncing and iterating by way of iaculatorie Praier these holy words drawen out of the same Canticles ô God thy loue is strong as death S. MARTINâ— as is knowen died so attentiue to the exercise of his deuotions that he could not speake another word S. Lewis that great king amongst Saints and great Saint amongst kings being infected with the plague praied still and then hauing receiued his heauenly VIATICVM casting abrode his armes in maÌ„ner of a Crosse his eyes fixed vpon Heauen yeelded vp the ghost ardently sighing out these words with a perfect confidence of loue ah Lord I will enter into thy house I will adore thee in thy holy Temple and blesse thy â—ame S. PETER Celestine wholy possessed with afflictions which one can scarcely speake off being come to the periode of his daies began to sing as a sacred Nitingale the last Psalme making these louing words the close of his life and song LET â—VERY SPIRIT PRAISE OVR LORD The Admirable S. EVSEBIVS surnamed the stranger deceased vpon his knees in feruent Praier S. PETER Martyr writing with his owne finger and blood the Confession of Faith for which he died and vttering these words Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit And the great Iaponian Apostle S. FRANCIS Zauerius holding and kissing the image of the Crucifix and repeating at euery turne of a hand this Eiaculation of heart O IESVS the God of my heart Of some that died by and for diuine Loue. CHAPTER X. 1. All the Martyrs THEO died for the Loue of God for when we saie many died for the faith we meane not that they died for a dead faith but for a liuely faith that is quickned by Charitie And the confession of Faith is not so much an act of the vnderstanding and of Faith as of the will and of the Loue of God And thus the great S. PET R conseruing Faith in his heart the day of his Maisters did yet quit Charitie refusing in words to professe him to be his Maister whom in heart he acknowledged to be such But there were yet other Martyrs who died expressely for Charitie alone as our Sauiours great Forerunner who was martyred for brotherly correction and the glorious Princes of the Apostles S. PETER and S. PAVLE but especially S. PAVLE was put to death for hauing reclamed those women to a pious and pure life whom that infamous Nero had wrought to lewdnesse The holy Bishops Stanislaus and S. THOMAS of Canterburie were slaine for a matter that touched not Faith but Charitie In fine a great part of sacred Virgin-Martyrs were put to slaughter for the Zeale they had to conserue their Chastitie which Charitie had caused them to dedicate to their heauenly Spouse 2. But there are some of the Sacred Louers that doe so absolutly giue themselues ouer to the exercises of Diuine Loue that holy fire doth wast and consume their life Griefe doth sometimes so long hinder such as are afflicted froÌ„ eating drinking or sleeping that in the eÌ„d weakened and wasted they dye whervpon it is a common saying that such died of Griefe but it is not so indeede for they died through euacuation and defect of strength True it is sith this faintnesse tooke them by reason of griefe we must auerre that though they died not of griefe yet they died by reason of griefe and by griefe so my deare THEO when the feruour of holy loue is great it giues so many assaults to the heart so often wouÌ„ds it causeth in it so many langours so ordinarily melts it and puts it so frequently into Extasies ad Raptures that by this meanes the soule being almost entitely occupied in God not being able to affoâ—d sufficient assistance to nature coÌ„ueniently to disgâ—st and nourish the sensible and vitall spirits begâ—n by little aÌ„d little to faile liâ—e is shortned and death approcheth 3. O God THEO how happie this death is How delightfull is this loue-dart which wounding vs with the incurable wound of heauenly loue makes vs for euer pining and sicke with so strong a beating of the heart that at length we must yeeld to death How much doe you thinke did these sacred langours and labours vndergone for Charitie shorten the dayes of the Diuine Louers S. Catherin of Sienna S. Francis Little Stanislaus Bosca S. Charles and many hundreds more who died in their youth Verily as for S. FRANCIS from the time he receiued his Maisters holy Stigmats he had so violent and stinging paines gripes conuulsions and deseases that he had nothing left on him but skinne and bones and he seemed rather to be an Anatomie or a picture of death then one liuing and breathing How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. All the Elect then THEO deceased in the habit of holy loue but further some died euen in the exercise of it some againe for it others by it But that which belongs to the soueraigne degree of loue is that some die of loue aÌ„d theÌ„ it is that loue doth not onely wouÌ„d the soule aÌ„d thereby make her languish but doth euen pearce her through hitting directly on the midst of the heart and so deeply that it forceth the soules depaâ—ture out of the bodie which fals out in this manner The soule powerfully drawen by the diuine sweetenesse of her Beloued to complie of her part with his deare allurements forcibly springs out and to her power tends towards her desired attracting friend and not being able to draw her bodie after her rather then to staie with it in this miserable life she quits it and gets cleare lonely flying as a faire doue into the delicious bosome of her heaueÌ„ly Spouse She throwes her selfe vpon her Beloued and her Beloued doth draw and force her to himselfe And as the Bridgroome leaues Father and mother to adheare to his deare Bride So this chaste Bride
forsaketh flesh and blood to be vnited to her Beloued Now it is the most violent effect that a loue worketh in a soule and which requires a great precedent puritie from all such affections as may detaine the soule prisoner either to the world or to the bodie so that like as fire hauing by little and little seperated the Essenâ—e from its masse and wholy purified it at length it also driues out the QVINT-ESSENCE euen so holy Loue hauing retired mans heart from all fantasies inclinatioÌ„s and assions as farre fourth as may be doth at length vrge the soule out to the end that by that passage pretious in the sight of God she might passe to eternall glorie 2. The great S. FRANCIS who in the matter of heauenly loue comes still before myne eyes could not possibly escape dying by loue by reason of the manifould and great langours Extasies and tranâ—es which his loue to God who had exposed him to the whole worlds view as a MIRACLE OF LOVE would not onely haue him die for loue but euen of Loue. For consider I beseech you his death Perceiuing himselfe vpon the point of his departure he caused himselfe to be laied naked vpon the ground where hauing receiued a habite for God's sake which they put on him he made a speach to his bretheren encouraging them to loue and feare God and his Church made our Sauiours passioÌ„ be red and then with an extreame feruour began the 141. Psalme With my voice I haue cried to our Lord with my voice I haue Praied to our Lord and hauing pronounced these last words o Lord bring forth my soule out prison that I may praise thy holy name the iust expect me till thou reward me he died the 45. yeare of his age Who sees not I besseech you THEO that the Seraphicall man who had so instantly desired to be martyred and to die for loue died in the end of loue as in another place I haue explicated 3. S. MAGDALEN hauing for the space of 30. yeares liued in a caue which is yet to be seene in PROVINCE rauished seuen times a day and borne vp in the aire by Angels as though it had bene to sing the seuen Canonicall houres in their Quire in the end vpon a Soneday she came to Church where her deare Bishop S. Maximinus finding her in contemplation her eyes full of teares and her armes stretched out he communicated her and soone after she deliuered vp her blessed soule who once a gaine for good and all went to her Sauiours feete to enioye the BETTER â—Aâ—â— which she had already made choice off neare belowe 4. S. BASILE had contracted a strict friendshipe with a Phisition a Iewe by nation and religion with intention to bring him to the faith of IESVS CHRIST which neuerthelesse he could not effect till such time as decaied by youth old age and labours being vpon the point of dying he enquired of the Phisition what opinion he had of him coniuring him to speake freely which the Phisition refused not but feeling his pulse told him there was no remedie quoth he before the Sunne let you will depart this life But what will you saie replied the patient if to morrow I shall be aliue I will become Christian I promisse you laied the Phisition With this the Saint praied to God and obtained a prolongation of his owne temporall life for the good of his Phisitions spirituall life who hauing seene this Miracle was conuerted and S. Basile rysing couragiously out of his bed went to the Church and baptised him with all his Familie then being returned to his chamber and gotten to bed after he had passed a good space with our Sauiour in Praier he holily exhorted the assistants to serue God with their whole heart and finally seeing the Angels approch pronouncing with an extreame delight these words ô God I recommend vnto thee my soule and restore it into thy hands he died But the poore conuerted Phisition seeing him thus deceased colling him and melting into teares vpon him ô great Seruant of God Basile quoth he indeede if thou hadst list thou had'st no more died to day then yesterday Who doth not see that this death was wholy froÌ„ loue And the Blessed S. Teresa reuealed after her death that she died with an impetuous assault of loue Which had bene so violent that nature not able to support it the soule departed towards the beloued obiect of her loue A wonderfull historie of the death of a gentleman who died of loue vpon the Mount-Oliuet CHAPTER XII 1. BEsides that which hath bene saied I haue light vpoÌ„ a historie which being extreamly admirable is yet more credible to sacred Louers since as the holy Apostle saieth Charitie doth easily beleeue all things that is she doth not easily suspect one of lying and vnlesse there be signes of apparent deceite in that which is proposed she makes no difficultie to beleeue it but especially when they are things which doe exalt and magnifie God's loue towards man or man's loue towards God because Charitie being the Soueraigne Qâ—eene of vertues following the manner of a Princâ—sse who takes coÌ„teÌ„t in things that are for the renowne of her Empire and dominion And beit the relation I am to make be neither so much diuulged nor confirmed as the greatnesse of the miracle which it containes would require yet is it not therefore voyde of truth for as S. Augustine saieth excellently well scarcely can we know miracles though most famous euen in the places where they are wrought and euen though such as haue seene them relates them we haue difficultie to giuâ— credit vnto them yet are they no lesse true for all this and in matter of Religion well borne soules take more delight to beleeue those things which containe difficultie and admiration 2. A valiant illustrious and vertuous knight went vpon a time beyond â—ee into Palestin to visit the holy Land where our Sauiour performed the work of our Redemption and to begin this holy exercise worthily he first of all confessed and communicated deuotely immediatly after went straight to Nazareth where the Angell announced vnto the most Sacred virgin the Blessed Incarnation and where the most adorable conception of the Eternall word was finished and there this worthy Pilgrime set himselfe to the contemplation of the heauenly Bounâ— is depth who daigned to put on mans nature to recouer him from perdition from thence he passed to Bethleem the place of the Natiuitie where it is not to be spokeÌ„ what an abundance of teares he poured forth in contemplation of those wherewith the Sonne of God the virgins little babe had watered that holy stable kissing and rekissing a thousand times that sacred earth and licking the dust vpon which the prime infancie of the Diuine child was receiued in Bethleem He went into Berthabara and from thence to that little place in Bethania where calling to mind that our Sauiour was there vnuested to be baptised he also
vnuested himselfe and going into Iordaine washing himselfe and drinking the waters thereof he thought he saw his Sauiour receiuing Baptisme at his Precursors hand and the holy Ghost descending visibly vpon him in the forme of a doue the Heauens remaining open from whence as it appeared to him the voice of the Eternall Father issued saying This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am pleased From Bethania he takes his way towards the Desert where he beheld with the eyes of his mind the Sauiour of the world-fasting fighting and vanquishing the Enemie together with the Angels who serued him with admirable foode From thence he makes towards the Mount THABOR where he saw our Sauiour transfigured thence to the mountaine of SION where he saw our Sauiour againe as he apprehended vpon his knees in the last supper washing the Disciples feâ—â— aÌ„d then distributing vnto them his sacred bodie in the holy EVCHARISTE he passeth the Torrent of CEDRON and betakes himselfe to the Garden of GETHSEMINâ— where with a most amiable dolour his heart dissolued into teares while he proposed vnto himselfe his deare Sauiour sweating blood in the extreame Agonie which he there endured and soone after takeÌ„ corded aÌ„d led to Hierusalâ— whither also he goes throughly to follow the footesteps of his Beloued and saw him in Imagination haled hither and thither to ANNAS to CAIPHAS to PILATE to HERODE whipped buffetted spit vpon crowned with thornes presented to the people sentenced to death loden with his Crosse which he carries and in carrying it met his dolorous mother and the daughters of Hierusalem bewailing him Finally this deuote Pilgrime mounts vnto the MouÌ„t Caluarie where he sees in Spirit the Crosse laied vpon the ground and our Sauiour quite naked whom they throw downe and most cruelly naile him to it hand and foote He goes on contemplating how they reare vp the Crosse and crucifie him in the aire blood flowing out from euery part of his diuine bodie He lookes vpon the poore sacred virgin traÌ„spearced with the sword of sorrow and then againe he eyeth his crucified Sauiour whose 7. last words he marks with an incomparable loue and at the length he saw him dying soone after dead Then receiuing the wound of thâ— Lance and by that holes passage shewing his Diuine heart then taken downe from the Crosse and carried to his Sepulcher whither still he followes him sending out a Sea of teaâ—es vpon the ground which was watered with his Redeemours blood he enters into the sepulcher and buries his heart with his Maisters bodie afterwards rising with him he goes to Emaus and sees what passed betweene the Maister aÌ„d his two Disciples In fine returning by the Mount Oliuet where thâ— Mysterie of the Ascension was accomplished and there seeing the last prints and footesteps of his heauenly Sauiours feete falling groueling vpon them and kissing theÌ„ a thousand thousand times with the sighes of an infinite loue he begunne to draw towards him the force of all his affections as an Archer the string of his Bowe when he is about to shoote then raising himselfe and stretching his eyes and hands to heauenward O IESVS saied he my sweete IESVS I haue now no further to search and follow thee in Earth Ah then IESVS IESVS my LOVE grant vnto my poore heart that it may follow thee and flie after thee to Heauen and in these feruent words he presently breathed out his sole to Heauen as a blessed arrow which he as a diuine Archer shot at the white of his most happie Obiect But his fellow 's and seruants who saw this Louer so sodainly fall downe as dead amaised at the accideÌ„t raÌ„ne with speede for the Doctor who when he came he found him quite dead and to giue a certaine Iudgment of so sodaine a death he made enquirie of what complection nature and dispositâ—on the deceased partie was and he found that he was of a most sweete aÌ„d amiable nature maruellous deuote and feruent in the loue of God Wherevpon quoth the Doctor doubtlesse his heart split with excesse and feruour of loue And to confirme his iudgment the more he opened him and found this generous heart open with this sacred Motto engrauen in it IESVS MY LOVE Loue then plaied Deaths parte in this heart seperating the soule from the bodie without the concourse of any other cause S. Bernardin of Sienna a learned and pious Authour relates this Historie in the first of his Sermons of the Ascension 3. An other Authour also well neare of the same Age who out of humilitie concealed his name worthy to be named in a booke intitled A MYRROR OF THE SPIRITVALL makes mention of an historie yet more admirable for he saieth that in PROVINCE there liued a Lord much addicted to the Loue of God and exceeding deuote to the Blessed Sacrament Now vpon a time being extreamly afflicted with a disease which caused him coÌ„tinually to reÌ„der the Holy CoÌ„munioÌ„ which was brought vnto him who not daring to receiue it least he might be forced to cast it vp againe he besought the Pastour to applie it at least to his breast and with it to make the signe of the Crosse ouer him This was done and in a moment his breast inflamed with Diuine Loue opened and drew into it selfe the heauenly foode wherin his beloued was contained and at the same instant departed life I must in very deede confesse that this historie is extraordinarie and such as would require a more waightie testimonie yet after the true historie of S. CLARE DE MONTE PALCO which all the world may euen to this day see and that of S. Francis his STIGMATS which is most certaine my soule meets with nothing which is hard to be beleeued amongst she effects of Diuine Loue. That the Sacred Virgin mother of God died of the loue of her Sâ—nne CHAPTER XIII 1. ONe can hardly well doubt but that the great S. Ioseph died before the Passion and death of our Sauiour who otherwise had not commended his mother to S. Iohn And how can one imagine that the deare child of his heart his beloued Nurse-child did not assist him at the houre of his departure Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Alas how much sweetenesse Charitie and Mercy did this good Foster-father vse towards our little Sauiour at his â—ntrie into this world and who can then beleeue but at his departure out of it that diuine child rendred him the like with an hundredfold filling him with heauenly delights Storks are the true representations of the mutuall pietie of children towards their parents and of parents towards their children for being flitting birds they beare their decrepit parents with them in their iorney as their parents had borne them while they were yet young in the like occasion While our Sauiour was yet a little babe the great S. Ioheph his Foster-Father and his most glorious Virgin-mother had many a time borne him but especially in their iorney from Iudea
our fâ—â—ble â—ight cannot constantly and steaddily behold them by reason of the great distance So ordinarily Saints that die of loue experience in themselues a great varietie of accidents and symptomes thereof before they come to their eÌ„d many sobings many assaults many extasies many laÌ„guors many agonies and one would thinke that their Loue brought forth their happie death by trauell and 〈◊〉 endeuours which happens by the weaknesse of their loue which is not as yet perfectly perfect so that it cannot continew affection with an equall steadfastnesse 3. But in the B. Virgin it was a quite other thing for as we see the faire AVRORA encrease not at diuers essayes and ierts but by a coÌ„tinued dilatation and encrease which is in a sort insensibly sensible so that she is indeede seene to encrease her light yet so softly that no interruption seperation or discontinuation can be apprehended therein So God's loue did euery moment encrease in the Virginall heart of this glorious Ladie but by a gentle smooth and continued encrease without agitation tosse or violence at all Ah no THEO we must not admit any forcible agitation in this celestiall loue of the virgins motherly heart for loue of it selfe is sweete gracious peaceable and calme And if it doe sometimes assault and make force against the mind it is because it meetes with opposition But when the passages of the soule lye open to it without oppositioÌ„ or coÌ„tradiction it peaceably makes progresse with an incoÌ„parable sweetenesse Thus then holy loue exercised its force vpon the virginall heart of the Sacred mother without force or violent boisterousnesse because it found therein neither stop nor staie For as we see great riuers froth and flash back againe with a great noise in craggie corners where the points or shelues of rockes doe oppose themselues and hinder the waters course while contrariwise they dâ—ie smoothly without violence glid and steele ouer the plaines So diuine Loue meeting with many impeachments and oppositions in humane hearts as in truth all hearts haue them though differently makes force fighting against naughtie inclinations beating the heart thrusting the will forwards by diuers shuggs aÌ„d sundrie essayes to make way be made to it selfe or at least to ouerpasse the obstacles But all things in the B. Virgin did helpe and second the course of heauenly loue making in her a greater progresse and encrease then in all other creaturs yet a progresse that was infinitly sweete peaceable aÌ„d calme No she sownded not with loue or compassion at the foote of her crucified sonne though there she had the most hote aÌ„d stinging fit of loue that euer heart could thinke for though it was an extreame fit yet was it equally strong and sweete powerfull and calme actiue and peaceable composed of a sharpe yet sweete heate 4. I doe not denie THEO that there were two portions in the B. Virgins soule and consequently two appetits the one according to the Spirit and superiour reason the other according to sense and inferiour reason so that she could feele the oppositions and contrarieties of both the appetits for this trouble did euen our Sauiour her sonne endure But I affirme that all affections were so well ordered and â—anged in this heauenly mother that diuine Loue did most peaceably exercise in her its power and dominion without being troubled by the diuersitie of wills and appetits or contrarietie of the senses because the oppositioÌ„s of the naturall appetite and motion of the senses did neuer come to be so much as a veniall sinne but contrariwise all these were holily and faithfully imploied in the seruice of diuine Loue for the exercise of other vertues which for the most part cannot be practised but amongst difficulties oppositions and contradictions 5. Thorneâ— in the common opinion are not onely differeÌ„t from flowers but contrarie to them and it seemes it were better if there were none in the world which made S. Ambrose thinke that but for sinne there had bene none at all But yet â—ith there are some the carefull husbandman doth fetch profit out of theÌ„ making there hedges and inclosurs about his closes and springing trees being their defence and rampire against cattell So the Glorious virgin hauing had a part in all humane miseries sauing such as doe directly tend to sinne she imploied them most profitably to the exercise and encrease of holy vertues of Hope Temperance Iustice and Prudence Pouertie Humilitie Sufferance and Compassion So that she was so farre from hindring that she did euen assist and strengthen heauenly loue by continuall exercises and aduancements And in her Magdalen did not trouble the attention wherewith she receiued from her Sauiour the impressions of loue for all Martha's heate and sollicitude She hath made choice of her Sonn's loue and not any thing doth depriue her of it 6. The ADAMANT as euery one knowes THEO doth naturally draw Iron vnto it by a secreet and most wonderfull vertue yet 5. things there are which doe hinder this operation 1. a too great distance 2. a DiamaÌ„t interposed 3. if the IroÌ„ be greesed 4. if it be rubbed with an onyon 5. if it be too waightie Our heart is made for God who doth continually allure it neuer ceasing to throw his baits into our hearts But fiue things doe hinder the operatioÌ„ of his draughtes 1. Sinne which puts vs at a distance with God 2. affection to riches 3. sensuall pleasures 4. Pride and vanitie 5. self-loue together with the multitude of inordinate passions which it brings forth and are to vs an ouercharging load bearing vs downe But none of these hindrances had place in the Glorious virgins heart 1. she was perpetually preserued from all sinne 2. perpetually most poore of heart 3. perpetually most pure 4. perpetually most humble 5. perpetually a peaceable Mistresse of all her passions and exempt from the rebellion which self-loue raiseth against the loue of God And therefore as Iron if it were quit of all obstacle yea euen of its owne waight were powerfully yet softely aÌ„d with aÌ„ equall draught drawne by the AdamaÌ„t yet so that the draught should still be more actiue and forcible as they came nearer the one to the other and the motion nearer to its end So the most holy Mother hauing nothing in her which hindred her Sonns diuine Loue she was vnited vnto him in an incomparable vnion by gentle extasies without trouble or trauell Extasies in which the sensible powers ceased not to performe their actions without disturbing the vnion of the mind as againe the perfect application of her mind did not much diuert her senses So that this virgins decease was more sweete then could be imagined drawen delightfully by the sent of her Sonns perfums and she most amiably springing after their sacred sweetenesse euen into the bosome of her Sonns Bountie And albeit this holy soule did extreamely affect her most holy most pure and most amiable bodie yet did she forsake it without paine
the Loue that strikes straight through afflictions towards the will of God walkes in assurance For affliction being in no wise amiable in it selfe it is an easie thing to Loue it onely for his sake that send 's it The hounds in spring time are euery foote at default finding hardly any sent at all because the hearbes and flowres doe then smell so freshly that the freshnesse put downe the rowt or sent of the Hart or hare In the spring time of consolations Loue is scarcely acquainted with Gods pleasure because the sensible pleasure of the consolation doth so allure the heart that it troubles the attention which it ought to haue to the will of God S. CATHARINE hauing from our Sauiour her choice of a Crowne of gold or a crowne of thornes choosed this as better suteting with Loue. A desire of sufferance saieth the B. ANGELA FOLIGNY is an infallible marke of Loue and the great Apostle cries out that he glories onely in the Crosse in infirmitie in persecution Of the vnion of our will to the Diuine will in spirituall afflictions by resignation CHAPTER III. 1. THe Loue of the Crosse makes vs vndertake voluntarie afflictions as for example fasting watching haire-shirts and other tamings of the bodie renouÌ„ce pleasures honours aÌ„d riches aÌ„d loue in these exercises is very delightfull to the beloued yet more when we receiue with patience sweetenesse and mildnesse the paines torments and tribulations by reason of the Diuine will which sends vs them But Loue then is at its hight when we receiue afflictions not with patience and sweetnesse onely but we doe euen cheerish loue and embrace theÌ„ in regard of the Diuine will whence they proceede 2. Now of all the essayes of perfect Loue that which is practised by the repose of the mind in spirituall tribulations is doubtlesse the most pure and highest The B. ANGELA OF FOLIGNY makes an admirable description of the interiour panges which sometimes she felt saying that her soule was tortured like to one who being tyed hand and foote should be hung by the necke without being strangled but should hang in this estate betwixt death and life without hope of helpe and neither being able to keepe herselfe vpon her feete nor assist herselfe with her hands nor crie out nor yet sigh or moane So it faires THEO the soule is sometimes so ouercharged with interiour afflictions that all her faculties and powers are oppressed by priuation of all that might releiue her and by apprehension and impression of all that might attristate her So that at the imitation of her Sauiour she begins to be troubled to feare to be disamayed and at length to waxe sad with a sorrow like vnto that of one dying Whence she may rightly saie My soule is heauie euen to death and with her whole hearts consent she desirs petitions supplicats that if it be possible this Calice may passe hauing nothing left her saue the very supreame point of her Spirit which cleeuing hard to the Diuine heart and will saieth in a most sincere submission O eternall Father ah not myne but thy will be done And which is diligently to be noted the soule makes this resignation amidst such a world of troubles contradictions repugnances that she doth euen hardly perceiue that she makes it at least it seemes to her to be done so coldly that it is not done from her heart nor as it were fitting since that which passeth there in fauour of the Diuine will is not onely done without delight and contentment but euen against the pleasure and liking of all the rest of the heart whom loue permits to bemoane her selfe at least to moane that she cannot bemoane herselfe and to sigh out all the LAMENTATIONS of IOB and Hieremie yet with charge that a sacred peace be still conserued in the very bottome of the heart in the highest and most delicate point of the Spirit and this submissiue peace is not tender or sweete nor yet in a manner sensible though otherwise sincere stroÌ„g inuincible aÌ„d full of Loue aÌ„d it seemes to haue betakeÌ„ it selfe to the very eÌ„d of the Spirit as into the dungeoÌ„ of the Fort where it remaines corragious though all the rest be taken and pressed with sorrow And by how much the more Loue in this case is depriued of all helpes forsaken of all the aide of the vertues and faculties of the soule by so much it is more to be prised for conseruing constantly its fidelitie 3. This vnion or conformitie to the diuine pleasure is made either by a holy resignation or a most holy indifferencie Now Resignation is practised with a certaine force and submission one would willingly liue in lieu of dying yet since it is Gods pleasure that die we must we yeeld to it We would willingly liue if it pleased God yea further we would willingly that it were his pleasure to prolong life we die willingly yet more willingly would we liue we departe with a reasonable good will yet would we stay with a better IOB in his afflictions made an act of resignation since we haue receiued the good saied he from the hand of God why shall we not sustaine the the toyles and vexations which he doth send vs marke THEO how he speakes of sustaining supporting enduring as it hath pleased our Lord so was it done our Lords name be praised These are the words of resignation and acceptance by way of sufferance and patience Of the vnion of our will to Gods will by Indâ—fferencie CHAPTER IV. 1. REsignation preferrs Gods will before all things yet doth it Loue many other things besides the will of God but Indifferencie passeth Resignation for it Loues nothing but meerely for the Loue of Gods will in so much that nothing at all can stirre the indifferent heart in the presence of the will of God True it is the most indifferent heart in the world may be touched with some affection while yet it discouers not where the will of God is Eliezer being come to the fountaine of HaraÌ„ had a full view of the virgin Rebecca aÌ„d without doubt saw her too too faire and pleasing howbeit he staied himselfe in an indifferencie till he knew by a signe from God that the Diuine will had ordained her a wife for his Maisters sonne for then he presented her with the eare-iewels and bracelets of gold Contrariwise if IACOB had onely loued in Rachel the alliance with Laban to which his Father Isaac had obliged him Lya had bene as deare vnto him as Rachel they being doth Labans daughters and consequently his Fathers will had bene as well fulfilled in the one as in the other But because beyoÌ„d his Fathers will he coueted to satisfie his owne liking taken with the beautie and louelinesse of Rachel he was troubled to Espouse LYA yet by resignation tooke her against his owne liking 2. But the indifferent heart stands not thus affected for knowing that tribulation though she be hard-fauered as another LYA leaues
not to affect them nor reinuest our heart therewith saue onely so farre forth as we discerne it to agree with God's good pleasure And as Iudith wore still moorning weedes except onely in this occasion wherein Gods will was that she should be in pompe so are we peaceably to remaine vested in our miserie and abiection amidst our imperfections and infirmities till God shall exalt vs to the practise of excellent actions 3. One cannot long remaine in this nakednesse voide of all affection Wherefore following the aduise of the holy Apostle as soone as we haue turn'd off the garments of the old Adam we are to put on the habits of the new man that is to saie of IESVS CHRIST for hauing renounced all yea euen the affection to vertues neither desiring of these nor of other things a larger portion then may beare proportion with God's will we must put on againe diuers affections and peraduenture the very same which we haue renounced and resigned vp yet are we not therefore to resume theÌ„ for that they are agreeable profitable honorable and proper to content our selfe-love but because they are agreeable to God profitable to his honour and ordained to his glorie 4. Eliezer carried eare-jewels bracelets and new attire for the mayde whom God had prouided for his Maisters sonne and in effect he presented them to the virgine Rebecca as soone as he knew it was she New garmeÌ„ts are required to our Sauiour's Spouse If for the Loue of God she hath bereft her selfe of the auncient affections which she had to Parents Countrie Father's house and allie she must take a span new affection louing euery of these in their ranke not now accorcording to humane considerations but because the heauenly Spouse doth will command and intend it so and hath established such an order in Charitie If one haue once put off his old affectioÌ„ to spirituall consolations to exercises of deuotion to the practise of vertues yea to his owne aduancement in perfection he must put on another new affection by louing all these graces and heaueÌ„ly fauours not because they perfect and adorne our minde but for that our Sauiours name is sanctified in them his kingdome enriched his good pleasure glorified 5. So did S. PETER vest himselfe in the Prison not at his owne election but at the Angels command He puts on his girdle then his Sandales and afterwards the rest of his garments And the glorious S. PAVLâ— bereft in a moment of all affections Lord quoth he what wilt thou haue me doe that is what is thy pleasure I should affect since throwing me to the ground thou hast deaded me to myne owne will Ah Lord plant thy good pleasure in the place of it and teach me to performe thy will for thou art my God THEO he that hath forsaken all for God ought to resume nothing but according to Gods pleasure he feeds not his bodie but according to Gods ordinance that it may be seruiceable to the Spirit all his studie is to assist his neighbour and his owne soule according to the Diuine intention he practiseth not vertues as being according to his owne heart but according to God's 5. God commanded the Prophet Isaie to stripe himselfe naked which he did going and preaching in this sort for three dayes together as some hold or for three yeares together as others think and then the time prefixed him by God being expired he resumed his clothes Euen so are we to turne our selues out of affections little and great as also to make a frequent examine of our hearts to discouer whether it be willing to vnuest it selfe as Isaie did his garments as also to resume in their time the affections necessarie to the seruice of charitie to the end we might die with our Sauiour naked vpon the crosse and rise againe with him in newnesse of life Loue is as strong as death to make vs quit all it is magnificent as the Resurrection to adorne vs with honour and glorie The end of the ninth booke THE TENTH BOOKE OF THE COMMANDEMENT OF LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL things Of the sweetenesse of the Commandement which God gaue vs to loue him aboue all things CHAPTER I. 1. MAN is the perfection of the Vniuerse the Spirit the perfection of man Loue the Spirits and Charitie the perfection of Loue. WheÌ„ce the Loue of God is the end of perfection and the Excellencie of the vniuerse In this THEO doth consist the hight and primacie of the Commandement of Diuine Loue called by our Sauiour the first and greatest Commandemet This Commandement is as a Sunne giuing luster and dignitie to all the holy lawes to all the Diuine â—ordonances and to all the holy Scripturs All is made for this heauenly Loue and all tends to it Of the sacred Tree of this Commandement all consolations exhortations inspirations and euen all the other Commandements haue dependance as it's flowres and eternall life as it 's fruit and all that tends not to eternall Loue tends to eternall death O great Commandement whose perfect practise remaines euen in the euerlasting life yea it is no other thing then life euerlasting 2. But marke THEO how amiable this law of Loue is ah Lord God was it not sufficient that thou shouldst permit vs this heauenly Loue as KABAN permitted IACOB to Loue RACHEL without daigning farther to inuite vs to it by exhortations and vrge vs to it by thy Commandements Nay more ô Diuine Goodnesse to the end that neither thy Maiestie nor our miserie nor any other pretext at all might delay our loue to thee thou dost command it vs. The poore APELLES could neither abstaine from louing nor yet aduenture to loue the faire COMPASPE because she appertained to ALEXANDER the Great but wheÌ„ he had once leaue to loue her how much did he hold himselfe obliged to him that did him the grace He knew not whether he should more loue the faire COMPASPE granted him by so great an Emperour or so great an Emperour who had granted him the faire COMPASPE O sweete God THEO If we could vnderstand it what an obligation should we haue to this Soueraigne good who doth not onely permit but doth euen command vs to loue him Alas my God I know not whether I ought more to loue thyne infinite Beautie which so great a Bountie hath ordained that I should loue or thy Diuine Bountie which ordaines that I should loue so infinite a Beautie O Beautie how amiable thou art being granted vnto me by a Bountie so immense O Bountie how amiable thou art in communicating vnto me so eminent a Beautie 3. God at the day of Iudgment will imprint after an admirable maÌ„ner in the hearts of the damned the apprehension of their losse for the Diuine Maiestie will make them clearely see the Soueraigne Beautie of his face and the Treasures of his Bountie and vpon the sight of this Abisse of infinite delights the will desires with an extreame violence to cast her selfe vpon
reseruation at all and I saie with a greatest care because there are men who would couragiously forsake their goods honours yea life it selfe for our Sauiour who yet will not leaue for his sake things of farre lesse consequence 2. In the raigne of the Emperours VALERIANVS and GALLVS there liued in Antioche a Priest called SAPHRICIVS and a secular man named NICEPHORVS who by reason of their long and exceeding great familiaritie were esteemed brothers and yet it fell out in the end I know not vpon what occasion that this friendshipe failed and according to custome was followed with a deeper hatred which raigned for a time betwixt them till at length NICEPHORVS acknowledging his fault made three diuers essayes to be reconciled vnto SAPHRICIVS to whom now by one of their common friends now by another he signified in words all the satisfaction and submission that heart could haue wished But Saphricius in no wise answering to his inuitations did still repulse the reconcilement with as great inhumanitie as Nicephorus besought it with humilitie In so much that the poore Nicephorus apprehending that in case Saphricius should see hiÌ„ prostrate at his feete begging pardoÌ„ he would be more touched to the heart with it he goes and finds him out and couragiously casting himselfe groueling at his feete Reuerend Father quoth he ah pardon me I beseech thee for the bowels of our Sauiour IESVS but euen this humilitie was disdaigned and reiected together with his former endeuours 3. Meane while behold a hote persecution arose against the Christians in which Saphricius with others being apprehended did wounders in suffering a thousand thousand tormeÌ„ts for the CoÌ„fessioÌ„ of his Faith but especially wheÌ„ he was rudely turned and tossed in an instrument made of set purpose after the manner of a Presse without euer being quailed in his constancie whereat the Gouernour of Antioche being extreamely irritatated he adiudged him to death wherevpon he was publikly led out of prison towards the place where he was to receiue the glorious crowne of Martyrdome which Nicephorus had no sooner vnderstoode but sodainely he ranne and hauing met his Saphricius throwing himselfe vpon the ground Alas cried he with a lowde voice ô Martyr of IESVS-CHRIST pardon me for I haue offended thee whereof Saphricius taking no notice the poore Nicephorus getting againe before him by a shorter passage set vpon him a new with the like humilitie coniuring him to pardon him in these termes ô Martyr of IESVS CHRIST pardon the offence which I haue committed against thee being a poore man subiect to offend for loe a crowne is alreadie bestowed vpon thee by our Sauiour whom thou deneyedst not yea thou hast confessed his holy name in the face of many witnesses But Saphricius continuing in his insolencie gaue hiÌ„ not one word in answere but onely the Executioner admiring the perseuerance of Nicephorus neuer quoth he to him did we see so great an Asse this fellow is going euen at this instant to die what hast thou to doe with his pardon To whom Nicephorus answering thou knowest not quoth he what it is I demand of this Confessour of IESVS CHRIST but God kowes Now in the interim Saphricius arriued at the place of execution where yet againe Nicephorus hurling himselfe vpon the grownd before him I beseech thee quoth he ô Martyr of IESVS CHRIST that it would please thee to pardon me for it is written aske and it shall be granted you Words which could not at all bowe the flintie and rebellious heart of the accursed Saphricius who obstinatly denying mercy to his neighbour was himselfe depriued by the iust iudgment of God of the most glorious Palme of Martyrdome for the Headsman commanding him to put himselfe vpon his knees that he might behead him he begun to be daunted and to condition with him making in the end this deplorable and shamefull submission Ah for pitie doe not behead me I will submite my selfe to the Emperours ordonance and sacrifice to the Idols Which the poore good man Nicephorus hearing with teares in his eyes he begun to crie Ah my deare brother doe not doe not I beseech thee transgresse the law and denie IESVS CHRIST Forsake him not for loue loose not the crowne of glorie which with so great paines and torments thou hast atchiued But alas this miserable Priest coÌ„ming to the Altar of Martyrdome there to consacrate his life to the eternall God had not called to mind what the Prince of martyres had saied If thou carrie thy offering vnto the Altar and remember that thy brother hath somewhat against thee leaue thy offering there goe and be reconciled vnto thy brother and theÌ„ come and present thyne offering Wherefore God reiected his present and withdrawing his mercy from him permitted that he lost not onely the soueraigne felicitie of Martyrdome but euen fell headlong into the miserie of Idolatrie while the humble and meeke Nicephorus perceiuing this crowne of Martyrdome vacant by the Apostasie of the obdurate Saphricius touched with an excellent and extraordinarie inspiratioÌ„ put faire for â—â—ying to the officiers and the headsman I am a christian my friends I am in truth a ChristiaÌ„ and doe beleeue in IESVS CHRIST whoÌ„ Saphricius hath denied put me therefore I beseech you in his place smite of this head of myne At which the officers being wonderfully astonished they carried the tidings to the Emperour who gaue order for Saphricius his libertie and that Nicephorus should be put to death which happened the 9. of Feb about the yeare 260. of our Sauiour as Metaphrastes and Surivs recounteth A dreadfull historie and worthy diligently to be pondered in the behalfe we speake off for did you not note my deare THEO the Couragious Saphricius how bold and feruent he was in the defence of his faith how he suffered a thousand torments how constant and immoueable he was in the confession of our Sauiours name while he was roled and crusht in that presse like machine how readie he was to receiue death's blow to fulfill the highest point of the Diuine lawe preferring God's honour before his owne life And yet because on the other side he preferred the satisfaction which his cruell heart tooke in hating Nicephorus before the Diuine will he came short of the goale and while he was vpoÌ„ the point of attaining and gaining the prise of glorie by Martyrdome vnprofitably strumbling and falling into Idolatrie broke his necke 4. It is therefore true my THEO that it is not enough for vs to loue God more then our owne life vnlesse we also loue him generally absolutly and without reserue more then all we doe or can loue But you will saie vnto me did not our Sauiour designe the furthest point of our Loue towards him in saying that a man could not haue a greater charitie then to expose a mans life for his friends It is true indeede THEO that amongst the particular acts and testimonies of Diuine Loue there is none so great as to vndergoe
death for Gods glorie yet it is also true that it is but onely one act one onely testimonie which indeede is the Maister peece of Charitie but besids it Charitie exacts many things at our hands and so much more ardently and instantly as they are acts more easie common and ordinarie amongst all the Louers and more generally necessarie to the conseruation of Diuine Loue. O miserable Saphricius durst thou be bould to affirme that thou loued'st God as thou ought'st whil'st thou doest not preferre the will of God before the passion of hatred and ranckour entertained in thy heart against the poore Nicephorus To be willing to die for God is one and the greatest but not the onely act of Loue which we owe to God To will this act onely with excluding the others is not charitie but vanitie Charitie is not fantasticall which yet she would be in the highst degree if being resolued to please the Beloued in things of greatest difficultie she would permit one to displease hī in matters of of lesse momēt How should he die for God who will not liue accordīg to God 5. A well ordered mind that is resolued to die for a friend would also without doubt vndergoe all other things for he that hath once despised death ought not to set by other things But the mind of man is weake inconstant and humorous wherevpon he doth oft rather choose to die then to vndergoe farre slighter paines willingly changing life for a friuelous childish and extreamely vaine contentment Agripina hauing learn't that the child which she bore should indeede be Emperour but yet that he would put her to death Let him kill me quoth she prouided that he raigne marke I praie you the disorder of this foolishly louing mothers heart she preferr's her sonn 's dignitie before her owne life Cato and Cleopatra choosed death rather then to see their enemies exult and glorie in hauing them And Lucrecia found it easier to precipitate herselfe impetuously vpon death then vniustly to be branded with the shame of a fact whereof she seemed not guiltie How many are there that would willingly embrace death for their friend who yet would not liue in their seruice or yet accomplish their other desires Such there are as will lay open their life to danger who yet will not open their purse And though there be many found who engage their life for their friends defence yet scarcely is there one found in an age that will engage his libertie or loose an ounce of the most vaine and vnprofitable reputation or renowne in the world be it for neuer so deare a friend A Confirmation of that which hath bene saied by a notable comparison CHAPTER IX 1. YOu know THEO of what nature Iacobs loues towards Rachel were and what did not he doe to testifie their greatenesse force and fidelitie euen from the houre he had saluted her at the head of the fountaine For frō thenceforth neuer did he cease to die of loue for her and to game her in Marriage he serued seuē whole yeares with an incredible desire conceiuing yet in himselfe that all this was nothing so did Loue sweetē the paines which he supported for his beloued Rachel whereof being after frustrated he serued yet other seuen yeares space to obtaine her so constant loyall and couragious was he in his affection And hauing at length obtained her he neglected all other affections yea and had in a manner in no esteeme euen Lia her seruice though his first Spouse a woman of great merite worthy to be cherished and of the neglect whereof euen God himselfe tooke compassion so remarkable it was 2. But all this being done which was euen sufficient to haue brought downe the most disdainefull wench in the world to the loue of so loyall a Louer it is a shame verily to see the weaknesse which Rachel made appeare in her affectiō to Iacob The poore neglected Lia had no tye of Loue with Iacob saue her onely fertilitie whereby she had made him a father to foure Sonn's the eldest whereof named RVBEN being gone forth into the fields in the time of wheat-haruest he found Mandragores which he gathered and after his returne home presented to his mother Which Rachel espying saied giue me part of thy Sonns Mandragores she answered doest thou thinke it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband from me vnlesse thou take also my Sonn 's Mandragores Goe too saied Rachel for thy Sonn 's Mandragores let him sleepe with thee this night She accepted the condition and when Iacob returned at euen from the field Lia went out to meete him ād saied with ioyfull cheere this night thou art myne my deare Lord and friend because with wages I haue hired thee for my Sonn 's Mādragores and with this vp and told him the compact which had passed betwixt her and Rachel But from Iacob beleeue it there was no words heard being struck with a maisement and hauing his heart seased with the weakenesse and inconstancie of Rachel who for a thing of nothing had forsaken for a whole night the honour and content of his presence For speake the truth THEO was it not a strange and vaine lightnesse in Rachel to preferre a companie of little Aples before the chast loues of so louing a husband If it had yet bene done for Kingdomes for Monarkies but to doe it for a poore handfull of Mandragores THEOTIME what conceite frame you of it 3. And yet returning home to our owne bosomes ah good God how oft doe we make elections infinitly more shamefull and wretched The great S. AVGVSTINE vpon a time tooke pleasure leasurely to view and contemplate Mandragores the better to discerne the cause why Rachel had so passionatly coueted them And he found that they were indeede pleasing to the view and of a delightfull smell yet altogether insipide and without gust Now Plinie recounts that when the Surgeōs orders that such as they are to cut should drinke the iuyce of them to th' end they might not feele the smart of the lance it happens often that the very smell doth worke the operation and doth sufficiently put the patient into a sleepe wherevpon the Mandragora is held a bewitching Plant which doth inchant the eyes sorrowes and all kind of passions by sleepe For the rest he that smels the sent of them too long turnes deafe and he that drinks too much of them dies without redemption 4. THEOT could pompes riches and terreane delights be better represented they haue a gaining out-side but ah he that bites this aple that is he that sounds their natures finds neither taste nor contentment in them Neuerthelesse they doe so inchant and bewitch vs with the vanities of their smell and the renowne which the Sonn 's of the world giue them doth benumme and put those into a deepe sleepe which doe attentiuely linger in them or such as receiue them in too great aboundance And alas these are the Mandragores the Chimera's
adhered and ioyned himselfe so neerely indissolubly and infinitly to our nature that neuer was any thing so straightly ioyned and pressed to the humanitie as is now the most sacred Diuinitie in the person of the Sonno of God 4. he ranne wholy into vs and as it were dissolued his greatnesse to bring it downe to the forme and figure of our littlenesse whence he is instyled a Source of liuing water dewe and rayne of Heauen 5. He was in extasie not onely in that as S. DENIS saieth by the excesse of his louing goodnesse he became in a certaine manner out of himselfe extending his prouidence to all things and beeing in all things but also in that as S. Paule saieth he did in a sort forsake and emptie himselfe drayned his greatnesse and glorie deposed himselfe of the Throne of his incomprehensible Maiestie and if it be lawfull so to saie annihilated himselfe to stoope downe to our humanitie to fill vs with his Diuinitie to replenish vs with his goodnesse to rayse vs to his dignitie and bestow vpon vs the Diuine beeing of the children of God And he of whom it is so frequent written I LIVE SAIED OVR LORD pleased afterwards according to his Apostles language to saie I liue now not I but man liues in me man is my life and to die for man is my gaines my life is hidden with man in God He that did inhabit in himselfe lodgeth now in vs and he that was liuing froÌ„ all eternitie in the bosome of his eternall Father becomes mortall in the bosome of his temporall mother He that liued eternally by his owne Diuine life liued temporally a humane life And he that from eternitie had bene onely God shall be for all eternitie man too so did the loue of man rauish God and draw him into an Extasie 6. Sixtly how ofteÌ„ by loue did he admire as he did the Centurion and the Cananee 7. he beheld the young man who had till that houre keept the Commandements and desired to be taught perfection 8. he tooke a louing repose in vs yea euen with some suspension of his senses in his mothers wombe and in his infancie 9. he was wonderfull tender towards little children which he would take in his armes and louingly dandle a sleepe towards MARTHA and MAGDALEN towards Lazarus ouer whom he wept as also ouer the Citie of Hierusalem 10. he was animated with an incoÌ„parable Zeale which as S. DENIS saieth turned into iealousie turning away so farre as he could all euill from his beloued humane nature with hazard yea with the price of his blood driuing away the Deuil the Prince of this world who seemed to be his Corriuall and Competitor 7. He had a thousand thousand languors of Loue for from whence could those Diuine words proceede I haue to be baptised with a baptisme and how am I straitened vntill it be dispatched The houre in which he was baptised in his bloode was not yet come and he languished after it the loue which he bore vnto vs vrging him therevnto that he might by his death see vs deliuerâ—d from an eternall death He was also sad and sweate blood of distresse in the garden of Oliuet not onely by reason of the exceeding griefe which his soule felt in the inferiour part of reason but also through the singular loue which he bore vnto vs in the superiour portioÌ„ thereof sorrow begetting in him a horrour of death yet loue an extreame desire of the same so that there was a hote combat and a cruell agonie betwixt desire and horrour of death vnto the shedding of much blood which streamed downe vpon the earth as from a liuing source 8. Finally THEO this Diuine Louer died amongst the flames and ardours of Loue by reason of the infinite charitie which he had towards vs and by the force and vertue of Loue that is he died in Loue by Loue for Loue and of Loue for though his cruell torments were sufficient to haue kild any bodie yet could death neuer make a breach in his life who keepes the keyes of life and death vnlesse Diuine Loue which hath the handling of those keyes had opened the Port to death to let it sacke that Diuine bodie and dispoyle it of life Loue not being content to haue made him mortall onely vnlesse it had made him die withall It was by choice not by force of torment that he died No man doth take my life from me saieth he but I yeeld it of my selfe and I haue power to yeeld it and I haue power to take it againe He was offered saieth Isaie because he himselfe would and therefore it is not saied that his Spirit went away forsooke him or separated it selfe froÌ„ him but coÌ„trariwise that he gaue vp his Spirit expired rendred vp the Ghost yeelded his Spirit vp into the hands of the eternall Father so that S. ATHANASIVS remarketh that he stooped downe with head to die to the end he might consent and bend towards deaths approch which otherwise durst not haue come neere him and crying out with a lowde voice he gaue vp his Spirit into his Fathers hands to shew that as he had strength and breath enough not to die so had he so much Loue that he could no longer liue but would by his death reuiue those which without it could neuer eschew death nor pretend for true life Wherefore our Sauiours death was a true sacrifice and a sacrifice of Holocaust which himselfe offered to our Sauiour to be our Redemption for though the paines and dolours of his Passion were so great and violent that any but he had died of them yet had he neuer died of them vnlesse he himselfe had pleased and vnlesse the fire of his infinite Charitie had consumed his life He was then the Priest himselfe who offered vp himselfe vnto his Father and sacrificed himselfe in Loue to Loue by Loue for Loue from Loue. 9. Yet beware of saying THEOTIME that this death of Loue in our Sauiour passed by way of rauishment for the obiect which his Charitie had to moue him to die was not so amiable that it could force this heauenly soule therto which therefore departed the bodie by way of extasie driuen on and forced forwards by the abundance and force of Loue euen as the Myrrhetree is seene to send foorth her first iuyce by her onely abundance without being strayned or pressed according to that which he himselfe saied as we haue noted No man taketh my life away from me but I yeelded it of my selfe O God THEO what burning coles are cast vpon our hearts to inflame vs to the exercise of holy loue towards our best Sauiour seeing he hath so louingly practised them towards vs who are his worst seruants The Charitie then of IESVS-CHRIST doth presse vs. The end of the Tenth Booke THE ELEAVENTH BOOKE OF THE SOVERAIGNE authoritie which sacred loue holds ouer all the vertues actions and perfections of the soule How much all the vertues are aggreeable
when it dies to it selfe nor euer so much death as when it liues to it selfe 8. We haue freedome to doe good or euill yet to make choyce of euill is not to vse but to abuse our freedome Let vs renounce the accursed libertie and let vs for euer subiect our free-will to the rule of heauenly Loue let vs become slaues to Loue whose seruants are more happie then kings And if euer our soule should offer to imploye her libertie against our resolutioÌ„s of seruing God for euer and without reserue ô in that case for Gods sake let vs sacrifice our freewill and make it die to it selfe that it may liue to God He that in respect of selfe loue will keepe it in this world shall loose it in respect of eternall Loue in the other world and he that for the loue of God shall loose it in this world shall coÌ„serue it for the same loue in the next He that giues it libertie in this world shall find it a slaue in the other and he that shall make it a seruant to the Crosse in this world shall find it free in the next where being drunk vp in the fruition of the Diuine goodnesse libertie will be conuerted into loue and loue into libertie but libertie of an infinite sweetenesse without violeÌ„ce paine or repugnance at all we shall vnchangeably loue the Creatour and Sauiour of our soules Of the motiues we haue to holy Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. SAINT BONAVENTVRE Father Granado Father Lowis of Poâ—t Stella haue sufficiently discoursed vpon this subiect I will onely somme vp the points which I haue touched in this Treatise 2. The Diuine Goodnesse considered in it selfe is not onely the first motiue of all but withall the greatest the most noble and most puissant For it is that which doth rauish the Blessed and crowne their Felicitie How can one haue a heart and yet not loue so infinite a goodnesse This subiect is in some sort proposed in the 1. and 2. chap. of the 2. booke and from the 8. chap. of the 3. booke to the end and in the 9. chap. of the 10. booke 3. The 2. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence creation and conseruation towards vs according as we haue saied in the 3. cha of the 2. booke 4. The 3. motiue is that of Gods supernaturall Prouidence ouer vs and of the Redemption which he prepared for vs as it is explicated in the 4. 5. 6. and 7. chap. of the 2. booke 5. The 4. motiue is to consider how God doth practise this Prouidence and Redemption giuing euery one the grace and assistance which is requisite to their Saluation which we handle in the 2. booke from the 8. chap. and in the 3. booke from the beginning till the 6. chap. 6. The 5. motiue is the eternall glorie prouided for vs by the diuine goodnesse which is the accomplishment of Gods benefits towards vs and is in some sort touched from the 9. chap. to the end of the 3. booke A profitable methode whereby we may imploy these methods CHAPTER XII 1. NOw to receiue from these motiues a profound and powerfull heate of loue we are after we haue once considered one of them in coÌ„mon to applie it in particular to our selues For example O how amiable this great God is who out of his infinite goodnesse gaue his sonne for the whole worlds redemption alas I for all in generall but also for me who am the first of offenders Ah he hath loued me yea I saie he hath loued euen me yea euen me my selfe such as I am and deliuered himselfe to death for me 2. Secondly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their first and eternall source O God Tâ—â—O what loue can we haue sufficiently worthy of the infinit goodnesse of our Creatour who froÌ„ all eternitie determined to create conserue gouerne redeeme saue and glorifie all in generall and in particular Ah what was I then when I was not my selfe I saie who now being some thing am yet but a simple and poore worme of the earth while yet God from the Abisse of his eternitie thought thoughts of benediction in my behalfe He considered and designed yea determined the houre of my birth of my baptisme of all the inspirations that he would bestow vpon me in a word for all the benefits which he would doe and offer me alas is there a sweetenesse like to this 3. Thirdly we must consider the Diuine benefits in their second meritorious source for doe you not know THEO that the high Priest of the law wore vpon his backe and bosome the names of the children of Israel that is the precious stones vpon which the chiefe of the Israelites were engraueÌ„ Ah behold IESVS our High Priest and consider him from the very instant of his conception how he bore vs vpon his shoulders vndertaking the charge to redeeme vs by his death and death of the Crosse ô THEO THEO this soule of our Sauiour knew vs all by name and surname but especially vpon the day of his passion when he offered his teares his praiers his blood and life for all he breathed in particular for thee these thoughts of loue Ah my eternall Father I take vpon me and to my charge all poore THEO sinns to vndergoe torments and death that he may be freed from them and that he may not perish but liue Let me die so he may liue let me be crucified so that he may be glorified ô the soueraigne Loue of IESVS his heart what heart can euer blesse thee so deuotely as it ought 4. So within his fatherly breast his Diuine heart foresaw disposed merited and obtained all the benefits which we haue not onely in generall for all but also in particular for euery one and his sweete dugges prouided for vs the milke of his motions draughtes inspiratioÌ„s and sweetenesse by which he doth draw conduct and nurish our hearts to eternall life Benefits doe not in â—â—ame vs vnlesse we behold the eternall will which ordaines them for vs and the heart of our Sauiour that merited them for vs by so many paines especially in his death and passion That the Mount of Caluarie is the true Academie of Loue. CHAPTER XIII 1. NOw in finall conclusion the death and PassioÌ„ of our Sauiour is the sweetest aÌ„d yet most violent motiue that caÌ„ animate our hearts in this mortall life And it is the very truth that mysticall Bees make their most excelleÌ„t honie within this Lyon's wouÌ„d of the Tribe of Iuda but chered rent and torne vpon the Mount of Caluarie and the children of the Crosse glorie in their admirable Probleme which the word vnderstaÌ„ds not Oâ—t of all deuouring death râ—se the life of our consolation and out of death which is the strongest of all things the honie sweetenesse of our loue did issue O IESVS my Sauiour how amiable is thy death since it is the soueraigne effect of thy Loue. 2. And indeede aboue in heauenly glorie next to the motiue of the diuine goodnesse knowne aÌ„d coÌ„siâ—erâ—d in it selfe that of the death of our Sauiour shall be the most powerfull to rauish the hearts of the Blessed with the loue of God in signe whereof MOYSES and HELIE in the Transfiguration which was a scantling of glorie spoke with our Sauiour of the Excesse which he was to accomplish in Hierusalem but of what excesse if not of that excesse of Loue by which life was forced from the Louer to be bestowed vpon the beloued So that in the eternall Canticle I imagine that ioyfull acclamation will be iterated each moment Lâ—ue IESVS liue whose death doth prooue What is the force of heauenly loue 3. THEO the mount Caluarie is the mount of Louers All loue that begi s not from our Sauiours Passion is friuolous and dangerous Accursed is death without the Loue of our Sauiour Accursed is Loue without the death of our Sauiour Loue and death are so mingled in the passion of our Sauiour that one cannot haue the one in his heart without the other Vpon Caluarie one caÌ„not haue life without Loue nor loue without the death of our Redeemour But out of that all is either eternall death or eternall Loue Christian wisdome consisteth in making a good choice and to assist you in that I vndertookâ— this Treatise my THâ—O While this short day doth last Make choice ô man thou mayst To liue eternally Or else for ere to dye It is the Heauens Decree There should no middle be O eternall Loue my soule doth desire and make choice of thee eternally ah come ô holy Ghost and inflame our hearts with thy Loue Either loue or die die or loue To die to all other Loue to liue to that of IESVS that we may not eternally die but that liuing in thy eternall loue ô Sauiour of our soules we may eternally singe VIVE IESVS I loue IESVS liue IESVS whom I loue I loue IESVS who liueth and raigneth for euer and euen Amen 4. These things THEO which by the grace and helpe of Charitie haue bene written to your Charitie I beseech GOD they may take roote in your heart that this Charitie may find in you the fruits of holy workes not the leaues of prayses Amen God be blessed Thus I shut vp this whole Treatise in the words with which S. AVGVSTINE ended his admirable sermon of Charitie made before an illustrious assemblie The end of this present Treatise ERRATA Pag Lin Faults Coâ—rectâ—â— 9 28 it being desired if being desired 28 7 Hâ—rodiadas Herodias 45 16 this in this 51 22 Alliance Couenant 58 23 expired breathed out 63 33 Principale prâ—nciple 64 9 soules soule 88 33 peace peece 128 8 her herselfe 169 14 or where 188 21 begiues giues 109 4 light a True God Light true God 209 18 their his 237 28 Seeing a Seer 266 17 owes ewes 293 11 deseased deceased 332 3 for for we neuer loue that which 334 8 uen heauen 359 14 exteriour interiour 381 27 Pallas Pallace 393 32 And to it this And this is it 430 1 Maisters Maisters Passion 461 12 Epthitheme Eâ—itheme 479 19 Pipins Kernells 546 18 at and 568 30 to Gods submissioÌ„ to God submissioÌ„ 592 24 Sauâ—our out Sauiour brought him out 603 6 God good 660 13 honie oyle 694 7 Charitie Chastitie 788 17 word world
faith ch 13. 121 Of the feeling of the Diuine loue which is had by faith chap. 14. 126 Of the great feeling of loue which we receiue by holy hope chap. 15. 130 How loue is practised in hope ch 16. 133 That the Loue which is practised in hope is very good though imperfect cha 17. 137 That loue is exercised in penance and first that there are diuerse sorts of penance ch 18. 141 That Penance without loue is imperfect ch 19 146 How there is mixture of Loue and sorrow in Contrition chap. 20. pag. 148 How our Sauiour louing inspirations doe assist and accompanie vs to faith and charitie chap. 21. 154 A short description of Charitie cha 22. 159 THE TABLE OF THE Third Booke OF THE PROGRESSE AND Perfection of Loue. THat holy loue may be augmented still more and more in euery of vs. chap. 1. pag. 162 How easie our Sauiour hath made the encrease of loue ch 2. pag. 166 How a soule in Charitie makes progresse in it chap. 3. pag. 170 Touching holy perseuerance in sacred Loue. ch 4. 178 That the happinesse to die in heauenly Charitie is a speciall gift of God chap. 5. 182 That we cannot attaine to a perfect vnion with God in this mortall life ch 6. 186 That the Charitie of Saints in this mortall life doth equalise yea sometimes passe that of the Blessed chap. 7. pag. 189 Of the incomparable loue of the mother of God our B. Lady chap. 8. 191 A Preparation to the discourse of the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 9. 196 That the precedent desire shall much encrease the vnion of the Blessed with God ch 10. 200 Of the Vnion of the Blessed soules with God in seeing the Diuinitie chap. 11. 202 Of the eternall vnion of the blessed spirits with God in the vision of the eternall birth of the Sonne of God chap. 12. pag. 206 Of the vnion of the Blessed with God in the vision of the Holy Ghost's production ch 13. 209 That the Light of Glorie shall concurre to the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 14. 213 That there shall be different degrees of the vnion of the Blessed with God chap. 15. 215 THE TABLE OF THE Fourth Booke OF THE DECAY OR RVINE of Charitie THat while we are in this mortall life we may loose the loue of God chap 1. pag. 219 How the soule waxeth coole in holy Loue. chap. 2. pag. 223 Hâ—w we forsake heauenâ—y loue for that of Creaturs chap. 3. pag. 227 That heauenly loue is lost in a moment chap. 4. pag. 232 That the sole cause of the decay and slackening of Charitie is in the creaturs will chap. 5. pag. 235 That we ought to acknowledge the loue we beare to God to be from God chap. 6. pag. 239 That we must auoide all curiositie and humbly repose in Gods most wise prouidence chap 7. pag. 244. An exhortation to the affectionat submission which we are to make to the Decrees of the diuine prouidence chap. 8. pag 249 Of a certaine remainder of loue which oftentimes stayes in the soule t at hath lost Charitie chap. 9. pag 254 How dangerous this imperfect loue is chap 10. pag 258 A meanes to discerne this imperfect Loue. chap. 11. pag. 260 THE TABLE OF THE Fift Booke OF THE TWO PRINCIPAL EXERcises of holy loue performed by complacence and beneuolence OF the sacred Complacence of loue and first in what it consisteth chap. 1. pag. 264 How by holy complacence we are made as little children at our Sauiours breasts chap. 2. pag. 269 That a holy complacence giues our heart to God and makes vs feele a continuall desire in enioying him chap. 3. pag. 274 Of a louing condoling by which the complacence of loue is better declared chap. 4. 280 Of the commiseration and Complacence of loue in our Sauiours Passion chap. 5. 284 Of the Loue of Beneuolence which we exercise towards our Sauiour by way of desire chap. 6. 288 How the desire to exalte and magnifie God doth separate vs from inferiour pleasures and makes vs attentiue to the Diuine perfections chap. 7. 291 How holy Beneuolence doth produce the Diuine well-beloueds Praises chap. 8. 294 How Beneuolence makes vs inuoke all Creaturs to God's Praise chap. 9. 300 How the desire we haue to praise God makes vs aspire to heauen chap. 10. 303 How we practise the Loue of Beneuolence in the praises which our Sauiour and his mother giue to God chap. 11. 307 Of the soueraigne praise which God giues vnto himselfe and how we exercise Beneuolence in it chap. 12. pag. 312 THE TABLE OF THE Sixt Booke OF THE EXERCISES OF HOLY Loue in Praier A Description of mysticall Diuinitie which is no other thing then praier chap. 1. pag. 317 Of Meditation the first degree of Praier or mysticall Diuinitie chap. 2. 323 A description of contemplation and touching the first difference that there is betwixt it and meditation chap. 3. pag. 329 That loue in this life takes his origine but not his excellencie from the knowledge of God chap. 4. 331 The second difference betwixt meditation and contemplation chap. 5. 336 That we doe contemplate without paine which it a third difference betwixt it and meditation chap. 6. 340 Of the louing recollection of the Soule in Contemplation chap. 7. 345 Of the repose of a soule recollected in her well-beleeued chap. 8. 350 How this sacred repose is practised chap. 9. 354 Of diuers degrees of this repose and how it is to be conserued chap. 10. 357 A continuation of the discourse touching the diuers degrees of holy repose and of any excellent abnegation of a mans selfe practised therein chap. 11. 360 Of the melting and liquifaction of the soule in God cha 12. pag. 365 Of the wound of loue chap. 13. 370 Of some other meanes by which loue wounds the heart chap. 14. 375 Of the amourous languishment of the heart wounded with loue chap. 15. 380 THE TABLE OF THE Seauenth Booke OF THE VNION OF THE SOVLE with her God which is Perfected in Praier HOw loue vnits the soule to God in Praier chap. 1. pag. 388 Of the diuers degrees of the holy vnion which is made in Praier ch 2. pag. 395 Of the soueraigne degree of vnion by suspension or rauishment ch 3. 400 Of Rapture and of the first species of the same chap. 4. pag. 406. Of the second Species of Rapture ch 5. 409 Of the signes of a good Rapture and of the third species of the same ch 6. 412 How Loue is the life of the soule with a continuation of the extaticall life ch 7. 417 An admirable eâ—â—â—ertation of S. Paule to the extaticall and supernaturall life ch 8. 420 Of the supreame effect of affectiue loue which is the death of Louers and first of such as died in loue chap. 9. pag. 425 Of some that died by and for Diuine Loue. chap. 10. pag. 429. How some of the heauenly Louers died euen of Loue. ch 11 pag 431.
A wonderfull historie of the death of a gentleman who died of Loue vpon the Mount-Oliuet chap. 12. pag 435. That the Sacred Virgin mother of God died of the loue of her Sonne chap. 13. 441 That the Glorious virgin died of an extreamely sweete and calme loue chap. 14. 445 THE TABLE OF THE Eight Booke OF THE LOVE OF CONFORMITIE by which we vnite our Wills to the Will of God signified vnto vs by his Commandements Counsells and inspirations OF the loue of Conformitie proceeding from holy Complacence chap. 1. pag. 451 Of the conformitie of Submission which proceedes from the Loue of Beneuolence ch 2. 455 How we are to conforme our selues to the Diuine will which is called the signified will chap. 3. 458 Of the Conformitie of our will to the will which God hath to saue vs. ch 4. 462 Of the Conformitie of our will to Gods will signified in his Commandements chap. 5. 465 Of the Conformitie of our will to Gods signified vnto vs by his Counsells chap. 6. 469 That Gods will signified in the commandements doth moue vs forwards to the loue of Counsells chap. 7. pag. 472. That the contempt of Euangelicall Counsells is a great sinne chap. 8. 478 A continuation of the precedent discourse how euery one ought to loue though not to practise the Euangelicall Counsells and yet how euery one is to practise what he is able chap. 9. 482 How we are to conforme our selues to Gods will signified vnto vs by inspirations and first of the truth of the meanes by which God enspires vs. chap. 10. 487 Of the vnion of our will to Gods in the inspirations which are giuen for the extraordinarie practise of vertues and of perseuerance in ones vocation the first marke of the inspiration chap. 11. 491 Of the vnion of Mans will to Gods in the inspirations which are contrarie to the ordinarie Lawes and of the peace and tranquillitie of heart the second marke of Inspiration chap. 12. 497 The third Marke of the Inspiration which is holy obedience to the Church and Superiours chap. 13. 501 A short methode to know Gods will chap. 14. 505 THE TABLE OF THE Ninth Booke OF LOVE OF SVBMISSION Whereby our will is vnited to Gods OF the vnion of our will to the will of God which is the will of good pleasure chap. 1. pag. 509 That the vnion of our will to the will of God is principally caused by tribulations chap. 2. 513 Of the vnion of our will to the Diuine will in spirituall afflictions by resignation chap. 3. 518 Of the vnion of our will to Gods will by Indifferencie chap. 4. 521 That holy indifferencie is extended to all things ch 5. 525 Of the practise of the louing indifferencie in things belonging to the seruice of God chap. 6. 528 Of the indifferencie which we are to haue in our Spirituall aduancement chap. 7. 533 How we are to vnite our will with Gods in the permission of sinne chap. 8. 539 How the puritie of indifferencie is practised in the actions of holy Loue. chap. 9. 542 A meanes to discouer when we chang in the matter of this holy Loue. chap. 10. 545 Of the perplexitie of the heart in Loue which doubts whether it please the Beloued chap. 11. 549 How the soule amidst these interiour anguishes knowes not the Loue she beares to God and of the Louely death of the will chap. 12. 553. How the will being dead to it selfe liues entirely to Gods will chap. 13. 557 An explanation of that which hath bene saied touching the decease of our will chap. 14. 561 Of the most excellent exercise a man can make in the interiour and exteriour troubles of this life In sequele of the indifferencie and death of the will chap. 15. 565 Of the perfect stripping of the soule vnited to Gods will chap. 16. 570 THE TABLE OF THE Tenth Booke OF THE COMMANDEMENT OF louing God aboue all things OF the sweetenesse of the Commandement which God gaue vs to loue him aboue all things ch 1. 5â—5 That this Diuine Commandement of Loue tends to Heauen yet is giuen to the faithfull in this world chap. 2 pag. 580. How notwithstanding that the whole heart is imployed in sacred Loue yâ—t one may Loue God diuersly and also many other things together with him chap. 3. 582 Of two degrees of perfection in which this Commandement may be kept in this mortall life chap. 4. 387 Of two other degrees of greater perfection by which we may Loue God aboue all things chap. 5. 592 That the Loue of God aboue all things is common to all Louers chap. 6. 598 An illustration of the former chapter chap. 7. 601 A memorable historie wherin is more clearely seene in what the force and ExcelleÌ„cie of holy loue consisteth cha 8. pag. 605. A confirmation of that which hath bene saied by a notable comparison chap 9. 612 That we are to Loue the Diuine Goodnesse soueraignely more then our selues chap. 10. 617 How holy Charitie brings forth the loue of our neighbour chap. 11. 620 How loue produceth Zeale chap. 12. 624 That God is Iealous of vs. chap. 13. 626 Of the Zeale or Iealousie which we haue towards our Sauiour chap. 14. 632 An aduise for the direction of holy Zeale chap. 15. 637 That the exaÌ„ples of diuerse saints which seemed to exercise their Zeale with Angâ—r make nothing against the aduise of the precedent Chapter chap. 16. 643 How our Sauiour practised all the most Excellent acts of Loue. chap. 17. 650 THE TABLE OF THE Eleauenth booke OF THE SOVERAIGNE AVTHORITIE whicâ— sacred loue holds ouer all the vertues actions and perfections of the soule HOw much all the vertues are aggreeable vnto God chap. 1. pag. 656 That Diuine Loue makes the vertues more agreeable to God by excellencie then they are in their owne nature chap 2. pag. 661 That there are some vertues which Diuine Loue doth raise to a higher degree of excellencie then others chap. 3. pag. 665 That Diuine Loue doâ—h yet more excellently sanctifie the vâ—rtues whiâ—h are pracitsed by his ordinance and Commanâ—ment chap. 4. pag 668 How sacred â—â—ue doth spread it's worth through all the o her vertues which by that meanes are â—erfected chap. 5 pag 972 Of the excâ—llent worth which holy Loue bestowes vpon the actions whi h issue from it selfe and to those which proceede from other vertu s. chap 6. pag 6â—â— That perfect vertues are neuer one without tâ—e other chap. 7. pag. 682 How Charitie containes all vertues chap 8. pag. 683 That vertues haue their worth from sacred Loue. ch 9. pag. 693 A digression vpon the imperfection of the Pagans vertues c ap 10. pag. 697 How humaine actions are without worth being without Gods Loue. chap. 11. pag 7â—4 How holy Loue returning into the soule doth reuiue alâ— the works w ich sinne had sl yne chap 12. â—09 How we are to reduce all the exercise of all the vertu s and all our actions to â—oly Loue chap
call them firie of fire burning coles or Carbunkles because in light and splendour they resemble fire but they are called without flame or if we may so saie vnflamie because their light is not onely no wayes hote but they are not euen capable of heate there being â—o fire that can heate them So did our old Fâ—rthers terme the Pagan vertues VERTVES and â—OT-VERTVES both together Vertues because they carried the luster and apparence of vertues NOT-VERTVES because they wanted not onely the vitall â—eate of the Loue of God which alone could perfect them but they were not euen capable of it because they were in subiects wanting faith there being in those times saieth S. AVGVSTINE two Romans famous for their vertue CAESAR and CATO Cato's vertue came much neerer to the true vertue then Caesars did and hauing saied in some passage that the Philosophers who were destitute of true pietie had yet shined in the light of vertue he doth vnsaie it in the first booke of his Retractations esteeming that too great a praise to be giuen to imperfect vertues as those of the Pagans were which in truth are like vnto shining night wormes that shine onely by night and the day being come loose their light For euen so those Pagan vertues are onely vertues in comparison of vice but in respect of true Christian vertues doe not at all deserue the name of vertue 6. Yet whereas they containe some good they may be compared to greene Aples for both their colour and that substance which is left them is as good as that of entire vertues but the worme of of vanitie which is in the midst of them spoyles all and therefore he that would make profit of them must culle out the good from the bad I will easily grant THEO that CATO had a resolute courage and that this resolutnesse was laudable in it selfe but he that would make profit of his example it must be in a iust and laudable subiect not by slaughtering himselfe but by suffering death when true vertue shall exact it not by the vanitie of glorie but by the glorie of veritie as it happened to our Martyrs who with inuincible courages did so many miracles of constancie and resolution that those CATO'S HORACES SENECA'S and LVCRECE'S are in comparison worthy of no consideration witnesse those LAVRENCES VINCENTS VITALISES ERASMVSSES EVGENIASE'S SEBASTIANS AGATHAS AGNESES CATHARINS PERPETVAS FELICITES SYMPHOROSAS NATALESES and a thousand thousand others who make me dayly admire the Admirours of Pagan vertues not so much in that they doe inordinatly admire the imperfect vertues of the Pagans as for that they doe not admire the most perfect vertues of the Christians vertues a thousand times worthy of admiration and they alone are worthy of imitation How humaine actions are without worth being without Gods Loue. CHAPTER XI 1. THe great friend of God ABRAHAM had onely by SARA his principall wife his most onely deare Isaac who also was his onely vniuersall Heire and though he had Ismael by AGAR and diuers other children by CETVRA his seruants and lesse principall wiues yet bestowed he vpon them certaine presents onely and Legacies whereby to put them off and disinherite them because not being allowed off by his cheife wife they could not be his successours Now they were not allowed because as for the children of CETVRA they were all borne after SARA'S decease and concerning Ismael though his mother Agar conceiued him by the permission of SARA her Mistresse howbeit perceiuing her selfe with child she despised her and brought not forth this child vpon her knees as Bala brought forth hers vpon Rachel's THEO the onely children that is the onely acts of holy Charitie are God's Heires Coheires with IESVS CHRIST and the children or the acts of which the other vertues conceiue and bring forth vpon her knees by her command or at least vnder the winges and fauour of her presence But when morall vertues yea euen supernaturall vertues doe produce their actions in the absence of Charitie as they doe amongst Schismatikes according to S. AVGVSTINS relation and sometimes amongst euill Catholikes they are of no value towards the purchace of Paradice no not euen Almes deedes though we should distribute therein all out Substance to the poore Nor yet Martyrdome though we should deliuer our bodie to the fire to be burnt No THE without Charitie saith the Apostle all this were worth nothiÌ„g as we will more amply shew hereafter Now againe the will doth sometimes prooue disobedieÌ„t to her mistresse which is Charitie in the production of morall vertues to wit when as by pride vanitie temporall respects or by some other bad motiue the vertues are turn'd out of their owne nature and then those actions are reiected and banished out of ABRAHAMS house and from Sara's companie that is they are depriued of the fruit and priuiledges of Charitie and consequently are left without worth or merite For those actions strayned in that sort with bad intentions are indeede more vicious then vertuous hauing onely vertue on their outside their interiour belonging to vice which serues them for a motiue witnesse the fastings offerings and other actions of the Pharisie 2. But furthermore as the Israelits liued peaceably in Egipt during Iosephs life time and the life time of LEVI and presently after the death of LEVI were tyrannically reduced into seruitude whence the Iewes tooke their Prouerbe ONE OF THE BROTHERS BEING DECEASED THE OTHERS ARE OPPRES'T as it is registred in the Hebrewes great Chronologie which was published by the learned Archbishop of Aix Gilbert Genebrard whom to his honour I name with consolation whose scholler I was though an vnprofitable one while he was the king's reader at Paris and explicated the Canticle of Canticles so the merits and and fruits as well of morall as Christian vertues doe in a most sweete tranquillitie subsist in the soule while sacred Charitie liues aÌ„d raignes therein but as soone as heauenly loue dies all the merits and fruits of other vertues doe also die vpon it and these are they which the Diuines call DEAD WORKES for that hauing beene borne aliue vnder charities protection and as another Ismael in Abrahams house they doe afterwards loose life and the right of inheritance by the disobedience and rebellion which proceeded from their mother the will 3. O God THEO what a misfortune it is if the iust man forsake his Iustice and turne to iniquitie his workes of iustice shall be no longer held in memorie he shall die in this sinne saieth our Lord in Ezechiel so that mortall sinne doth ouerthowe all the merite of vertues for touching those which are practised while sinne raignes in the soule they are borne so dead that they are vnprofitable for euer to the pretentioÌ„ of life euerlasting and as for those that were practised before the sinne was committed that is while sacred loue liued in the soule their value and merite doth perish and die iust vpoÌ„ its arriuall not being able to
conserue life after Charities death who gaue them life The Lake which profane authours doe commonly call Asphalitus and sacred authours MARE-MORTVVM hath so heauie a curse put vpon it that nothing that is put into it can liue when the fish of Iordaine doe come neere it they die vnlesse they speedily returne backe against the streame The trees vpon the brims of it produce nothing aliue and though their fruit be in apparance and autward shew like to the fruits of other countries howbeit when on puls them they are found to be skinne and core being full of asshes which flie away in the wind These be the markes of infamous sinns for the punishment whereof this Coūtrie which was peopled with three populous Cities was of old conuerted into a pit of filth and corruption and nothing was deamed better to represent the mischeife of sinne then this abominable Lacke which had its origine from the most execrable disorder that could be cōmitted by mans bodie Sinne therefore as a dead and mortall sea kills all that comes neere it nothing is found liuing in the soule which it possesseth nor all about it O God THEO nothing for sinne is not onely a dead worke but is withall so infections and venimous that the most excellent vertues of the sinfull soule doe produce no liuing action And though the actions of sinners haue oftentimes a great resemblance with those of the iust man yet are they indeede barkes onely stuffed with wind and dust whē they are truely looked into and are rewarded of God onely by some present benefits which are bestowed vpō thē as vpon the chambermaids children yet are they such barkes as neither are nor can be so tasted and relished by the Diuine Iustice as to be rewarded with an eternall crowne they die vpon the trees and cannot be conserued in the hand of God being voyd of true worth as it is saied in the Apocalypse to the Bishop of Sardis who was reputed a liuing tree by reason of diuers vertues which he practised and yet dead he was for that being in sinne his vertues were not true liuing fruits but dead barkes glorious to the eyes but no wayes sauorie to the palate so that we may all cast out this true voice following the holy Apostle without Charitie I am nothing nothing doth profit me and with S. AVGVSTINE saie Giue Charitie to a heart and all doth profit depriue it of Charitie and nothing doth profit it I meane towards life euerlasting for as we haue saied the vertuous works of sinners are profitable to our temporall life But my deare THEO what doth it profit a man to gaine all the world temporally if he loose his soule eternally How holy Loue returning into the soule doth reuiue all the works which sinne had slayne CHAPTER XII 1. THe works then of a sinner while he is depriued of Charitie are not profitable to eternall life and therevpon they are called dead works whereas contrariwise the good works of the iust man are saied to be liuing for that the Diuine Loue doth animate and quicken them with its dignitie And if afterwards they loose their life and worth by sinne they are held to be workes that are deaded extinguished or mortified onely but not quite deade especially in the Elect for as our Sauiour speaking of the little Tabitha Iarus his daughter said she was not dead but slept onely because she continued dead so small a time till she was resuscitated that it seemed rather to be a sleepe then a true death So the works of the iust man but especially of the elect who by the commission of sinne dyeth are not called dead works but onely deaded mortified stounded or put into a trance because vpon the next returne of holy Loue they either ought or at least may reuiue and returne to life againe Sinn 's returne depriues the soule and all her workes of life the returne of Grace doth restore life to the soule and all her actions A sharpe winter doth dead all the plants of the fields so that if it continued still they would still continew in the state of death Sinne the sad and daunting winter of the soule doth quayle all the holy workes that it finds there in and if it did alwayes continew neuer would any thing recouer either life or vigour But as in the returne of the pleasant spring not onely the seedes which are sowē by the helpe of this delightfull and fruitfull season doe gratefully bud and blossome euery one in his kind but euen the old plants which the rigour of the winter past had bitten withered and deaded waxe greene and doe resume new force vertue and life So sinne being blotted out and the grace of Diuine Loue returning into the soule the new affections which this spring of grace doth bring doe blossome and bring forth ample merites and blessings but the works that are dried vp and withered by the rigour of the winter of sinns ouer passed as being deliuered from their mortall enemye resume their force waxe strong and as risen from the dead they florish a new and store vp merits for the eternall life Such is the omnipotencie of Diuine Loue or the Loue of the Diuine omnipotencie If the impious turne away himselfe from his impietie and shall doe iudgement and iustice he shall viuificate his soule conuert and doe penance for all your iniquities and iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you saieth our Lord. And what is that iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you but that the ruine which it made shall be repaired So besides a thousand courtisies that the prodigall sonne receiued at his Fathers hands he was reestablished euen with aduantage in all his ornaments graces fauours and dignities which he had lost And IOB that innocent picture of a penitent sinner did in the end receiue the double of that which he had Verily it is the Councell of Trēts desire that we should encourage the penitents that are returned into fauour with God allmightie in these words of the Apostle Abound in euery good worke knowing that your labour is not vnprofitable in our Lord for God is not vniust to forget your worke and the Loue which you haue showen in his name God then doth not forget the works of those who by sinne hauing lost loue recouers it againe by penance Now God is saied to forget our workes whē they loose their merite and sanctitie by sinne committed and he remembers them when they returne to life and vigour by the presence of holy Loue. So that amongst the faithfull it is not necessarie to the reward of their good works as well by the encrease of grace and future glorie as by the enioying of life euerlasting in effect that one fall not into sinne but it is sufficient according to the Councell of Trent that one depart this life in God's grace and charitie 2. God hath promised an eternall reward to the works of a iust man but if the