THE VOYCE OF TRUTH OR THE HICH WAY LEADING TO TRUE PEACE Composed in Latine by M. G. and translated into Inglish by F. G. Discite a me quia mitis sum humilis corde invenietis Requiem animabus vestris Matth 11. 29. Learne of mee because I am meeke and humble of hart and you shall find rest to your soules Matth 11 29. AT GANT Printed by Robert VValker at the signe of the Annuntiation of our Blessed LADY 1676. To the most vertuous and Honorable lady MARY KNATCHBVLL Abbesse of the Inglish Dames of the order of S. Benedict in Gant MADAME MY wishes to your lady. and Community are of a most happy Christmasse and to the end they may not prove meere empty ones that passe with the breath that convayes them to the eare they goe accompanied with a smale treatise which may helpe to further the happinesse I wish both you and them I present you with The voice of truth the Angel of peace who giving himselfe vnto us gave the first happy Christ-masse and peace on earth to men of good will First fruites seldome have their due maturity yet their beeing first supplyes this want makes them the most acceptable I hope these being my first in this kind will if not merit a gratfull acceptance at least pleade a gratious pardon for Your ladps most humble servant F. G. THE â—IRST CHAPTER â—hat Peace the greatest good of Man Living on earth is only to bee found in God SOnne I say'd vnto my Disciples Peace I leave vnto you my peace I give vnto you nor did I give a â—…ale â—…ng when I gave peace For peace â—…d tranquillity of mind is the gâ—eatest of happinesses this would 〈◊〉 afford All labour for this aâ—…e that they may live in quiet 〈◊〉 peaceably passe their dayes â—…e who you will Riches Pleasuâ—… and Honours if hee enjoyes 〈◊〉 peace hee will still bee miserable Peace of minde is a comfort in 〈◊〉 labours a buckler against misery aâ—… antidote against feare a schoole 〈◊〉 vertues Without peace neyther Kings nor Princes can bee happy and on the other side either in sicknesse Poverty torments or death it selfe if you enjoy but peace of mind you are happy and none of earth can bee more happy then you vnlesse hee enjoy a greater peace and more tranquillity Learne therefore Sonne of mee this science of Saints heare mee and I le ' teach thee what this Peace is and where it is to bee found Peace is a tranquillity of minde by which man rests content according to true Reason with what soever happens and desires nothing but what hee has This is the complete peace and most perfect possession of the blessed who have nothing to feare or wish for because they doe securely and fully enjoy all good according to the measure God is pleased to impart You must not expect this peace on earth but shall enjoy it in heaven when death shall bee swolloed vp in victory and mv Father shall wype a way all teares from your eyes that you may contemplate the face of God Yet there is an other peace much to bee wished for where vnto by Gods grace you may attaine For though your will cannot bee fully satiated in this life nor perfectly at rest for as long as you doe not possesse the supreame good where vnto you were created the minde is still wavering among the incertaintyes of hope and feare yet you may enjoy a secondary kind of peace or lesse perfect which consist's in this that you only feare hope and seeke one thing to wit God and regard all other things with a quiet and serene minde And this is the peace of Saints living in this banishment Which as it is much surpassed by the peace of the Blessed soe does it alsoe farre surpasse the peace of Sinners Seeke therefore deare Sonne this peace which leads to heaven Then shall you bee at rest when you only rely on mee for as long as you doe not leave mee let what will befale you you shall ever enjoy the supreame good if not in a sure possession at least in tranquill hopes and sincere love which is the greatest happinesse any man can enjoy in this life nor is there any thing more pleasing then my conversation that has noe bitternesse All creatures though you enjoyed them at your will cannot quiet thee soe much as I the Creator of them all that infinitely surpasse all good imaginable Creatures may feede thy senses but because they doe not reach the soule leave it empty I interiourly replenish the soule with my selfe and shew it all good in mee Seeke therefore mee and my peace and I le ' take care of thee leave not mee and I le ' not forsake thee but comfort thee in all adversityes and not only give thee peace but make thee sitt at my table and though not for a permanency because thou must bee tryed yet passing I le ' serve thee with heavenly Comfort Remember the comfort you have receaved and you will see what I say is true Behold my Martirs and Confessors exulting in the midst of torments and you will vnderstand how much the interiour consolation which I afford does surpasse all the joyes of the world All joy of the world is overcome by any smale paine but my joy overcomes all the paines of the world When the worldlings overfloe with delights and swimme in the midst of pleasures if their head ake if a feaver distemper them all their joy is lost and they poore soules sigh and lament Soe easily is all the joy of the world overcome with the least sufferance or paine On the contrary my servants in the greatest paines and adversityes in the most grievous torments and death it selfe rejoyce and replenished with my joy despise the torments As therefore the sorrow of the world does incomparably exceed its joy soe does mv joy in an infinite manner surpasse all the sorrow and paines of the world Many heare the name of my peace and the words of Those that Evangelize peace and see the Goodly feete of the Saintes but few vnderstand what they see or heare of their internal joye And therefore conceive it not because they have not tasted of it What a difference is there betweene my joy and the joy of the world Heaven does not soe much exceed the earth as my peace doth surpasse all comfort or content that is to bee found out of mee Taste and see what the abundance of my sweetnesse is for if you taste it not neither will Your eye see nor eares heare nor shall it ascend into your hart what things God has prapared for those that love him Therefore few vnderstand because few have tasted how sweet I am They will not seeke the permanent good but follow their owne inventiones And therefore I deliver them vp to the desires of their hart and passions of ignominy that they may vanish in their cogitationes None of all these shall find peace because
peace in thee with out disturbance for though I doe seeke thee yet adversityes doe not cease to befale mee which destroy the peace of my mind Yea even when things fale out properously I am presently forgetfull of my selfe and insteede of the peace which I ought to have in thee I place it in creatures which peace is not sinsere and ends in grievous warre Sonne you would faine know how you may in all accidents proceed with such indifferency that you doe not over much rejoyce in prosperity or give way to bee vnprofitably contristated in adversity where in the summe of my peace does consist which that you may obtaine Consider thus with mee Man 's ' nature is such that what soe ever the vnderstanding represents as good the will presently embraces and what is represented vnto the vnderstanding as evil that the will presently avoyds shunnes and hates Soe that of necessity the affectiones of joy and sadnesse must vary as long as the vicissitude of good and evil last And by consequence the peace and indifferency of mind bee lost noe man can have a perfect or imperfectly happy peace but hee vnto whome always what is good happens Nor doe any sort of goods quiet and satisfy the mind but only those that are such as the will covets according to right reason How then shall you come to possesse peace of mind To the end you may always have what you wish you must have an indifferency to all things and it must bee all one what soever happens to you without your fault For seeing you cannot rule things as you will you must accomodate your will to things if you will have your will agree with them which you must obsolutly wish for to enjoy peace which consists in the wills acquiessing with content to what soe ever happens You must not therefore more covet pleasures then paine nor preferre ease to labour nor rather wish life then death but keepe your selfe in an aequal ballance of indifferency to all things Now you cannot bee indifferent to all things vnlesse they all appeare aequaly to bee desired For as long as you judge one thing more to bee desired then another soe long you shall rather incline to one thing then another and soe loose your indifferency Now to the end that all things may appeare aequaly to bee desired harken to an abbreviated word wherin the happinesse of Pilgrimmes is consummated and the content of all Saints consists and this is the word my sonne Consider all things in mee and not in themselves This is the art of arts the gate of the kingdome of heaven and the source of peace Consider all things in mee and not in themselves that thou mayst have peace in all things If you rightly Consider all things you shall see they proceed from mee and perceive that nothing happens vnto you but what the infinit goodnesle and wisdome has out of an aeternal love ordered for your greater good If you Consider all things in this love they shall all seeme good all aequaly to bee desired and soe by consequence you shall have an indifferency to all and shall wish most for what happens because you will not Consider things in themselves but in mee and judge it more fitting my will bee done then thine because it ought to bee soe and it is most expedient for thee Noe other consideration but this will afford thy soule peace For if you Consider poverty if contumely if labour if sicknesse if death or any thing that happens of adversity in it selfe you cannot beare them without great trouble and afflicion of mind because soe they are all contrary to nature If you doe consider these things as proceeding from your or their sinnes they will yet seeme more intollerable because the manner of punishment will torment the minde as much as the inflicted evil in like manner when you see the just persecuted and the wicked exalted you will bee enraged against triumphing impiety and will not bee able to containe your selfe from the desire of revenge But if you recale all these things to their first of spring you will bee able to behold them without disturbance You shall vnderstand all when you read all in the booke of devine providence where in the reasons of all things are And what weyghed in the ballance of humane reason appeares vnjust shall bee found in the scales of the devine wisdome just and most fitting All things serve for this only affaire of aeternity the salvation of the elect If the Turkes presse if Heriticks are multiplyed if the wicked domineere t is not for the Turks nor hereticks nor the wicked sake but for the elect that by patience they may enter into the Kingdome of heaven If there were any thing that did not conduce to the good of the elect God would have erred in his worke who only made or permitted all things that they should cooperate to the good of the elect This is Pauls minde All things cooperate vnto good to those that are caled according to purpose Saints What is given to one of the least of these whome God has chosen is of soe great moment that it is noe wayes to bee omitted and Kingdomes and empires are rather to perish and the whole earth and heaven it selfe rather to bee annihilated then that one of the elect should bee lost Soe great a thing it is to see the face of God Neyther will this seeme strange if thou Consider mee who when I was in the forme of God did robbe my selfe to the end that by my death I might open the way to heaven for each of these little ones Consider therefore Sonne all thingâ—… in mee and beholde mee in 〈◊〉 things working as I will to 〈◊〉 glory and thy salvation and of 〈◊〉 That will cooperate with my graâ—… and though you doe not perceiâ—… how I compasse this in all thingâ—… yet firmly beleeve I doe soe in eveâ—… thing and soe deliver your will inâ—… my hands most certainly know it that I shall wisely and forcibly peâ—fect my worke and that I le ' neithâ—… doe or permitt any thing thâ—… shall not bee for your good anâ— promote you towards the designeâ— Bravium if that you will but makâ— vse of my grace Who soever shall root this trutâ— well in his mind shall never beâ— uoyd of peace of mind and shalâ— looke adversity and prosperity vn davntedly in the face without any change of affection because the motive of his affection shall never vary Hee shall all ways rejoyce because hee shall ever finde the good which hee only seekes for and hee shall always rejoyce in the same manner because hee shall ever finde the same reason of good in all things to wit my glory joyned with his welfare Sonne I doe not say you shall ever as long as you live come not to feele the acrimony of griefe or allurement of pleasure But I say that the soule that is solidly settled in mee may soe commaund these
and when I doe soe I am much disturbed and full of Confusion where soever I turne my selfe I finde miseryes and daungers on all sides I am a Pilgrimme in my nothing and goe on for an incertaine space of time in a daungerous jorney to eternity It is common to all men to bee Pilgrimmes as well as mee yet the peril becomes not lesse by the greater multitude that runne the hasard but feare is rather encreased by the frequent examples of those that perish All men in this world are travalers walking on the slippery declivity of a most deepe precipice at the bottome where of hell is seated and heaven at the toppe but heaven lyes hid with a cloud and hell is covered with the pleasant amaenity of greene and delitious meddoes soe that allmost all not coâ—…ring heaven nor hell as they ought are easily carryed whither the alluring pleasures inuite And if any one by reason find out the deceitfullnesse of our sences and discover the ambuish what shall hee doe shall hee clime vp but his weake feet slipp away but the path is cragged and inaccessible to human sense but the darke and thick cloud threatens tempest and daunger of shipwracke Thus all things drive downe-wards the flesh the world and the devil all hinder the assent the thorny and difficult way the travalers weaknesse and the imminent tempest Yet wee must ascend wee must clyme vpwards But with what forces ô Lord not ours but thine this is the worke of thy mercy which makes that possible by grace which is impossible to nature I am not able of my selfe to worke my salvation vnlesse you that commaund give mee forces to doe what you ordaine Now if I looke into my soule alas how poore and miserable am I The vnderstanding capable of little knowes very few things If I runne over all creatures I have not knowledge of the hundered thousand part of them and if an vnprofitable knowledge is a Kind of ignorance what a deale of what I know is wholy vnprofitable Or even sometimes hurtfull A gaine a mong those few things I know if I examine each in particuler I shall clearely see I know noe one thing I say not perfectly as to the essence but even superficially in order to the vses it was given for As for heavenly things which it were only fit to know I doe almost allwayes erre by a certaine Kind of necessity for as a Mathematiciane that does vse instruments that are not exact or well proportioned cannot chuse but erre Soe for the most part my soule making vse of the sences of the body which have noe proportion with spirituall and heavenly things judges nothing rightly but generaly allwayes erres where it is not led by the conduct of devine faith I inquire after the enormity of sinne and find noe measure for it for I have offended God more then any humane thought can conceive I seeke what Eternity is and measure it by time because I have noe other measure of Eternity for though time bee not the measure of Eternity yet it is more like it then other things that have noe similitude therewith I seeke to vnderstand the happinesse of the Blessed and I define all according to a sensible love where as that happinesse surpasses all sense witnesse the Apostle who teaches that Neyther eye haâ— seene nor eare heard nor hath it â—…cended into the hart of man what things God has prepared for those that love him Thus am I ignorant of all things and what is the greatest weaknesse of my vnderstanding is that in all this palpable obscurity and darknesse I am ignorant of my owne ignorance and if I find others more absurd then my selfe I presently cloake my ignorance with the faire name of wisdome I will not compare my selfe with many that excelle mee least I should come to the knowledge of my owne weakenesse but with a few which I judge inferiour that others greater madnesse may flatter my phrensy and I seeme to know the more the lesse I doate And this is that great Idole which does soe puffe vp my poore vnderstanding that it is not capable of other things These are the distempers of the vnderstanding now how much more daungerous are the diseases of the will O what a civil warre doe I suffer with in my selfe whilst soe many several contrary affections and passions each draw their way The sea is not soe toren with contrary winds as my mind is rent and tost toe and froe with contrary desires The flesh and spirit each draw their way hope and feaâ—… anger and pusillanimity avarice and luxury and the mind is devided on the one side with the labour of acquiring glory and on the other with the shame of loosing it O raving ambition o cruell torment yet but a just punishment of thy selfe How much more happy should I bee if content with a mediocrity I did cast a way all hope or feare of humane things For now that I seeke humane prayse and feare disprayse I am ouerwhelmed with a multitude of disagreeing passions which only serve to hinder mee from obtaining the peace I soe much seeke after These o Lord are the things that passe my hart when you my peace my joy and my Crowne are absent And there is yet another great evil that praedominates which is inconstancy O how weake is my will I seldome beginne to doe well but I presently come to faile I not sooner resolve great matters and make great purposes but at the first occation of difficulty all my fervour is lost and like an infant I am puffed vp with a smale good and cast downe againe with as smale an evil and in the meane time live in noe smale daunger for though the fale bee easy the ruine is aeternal In the midst of tentations I live dayly in daunger of being overcome with Idlenesse anger pride pusilanimity or presumption of faling through the concupiscence of the flesh or eyes into sinne beeing surrounded with infinite occations And if I offend in one I am guilty of all and the fale is erreparable if death seases on mee offending If one might dye twice and live as often At least the second life might bee rightly ordered and the soule better informed of the truth of things would abhorre the daunger the seconde time but now that the blind vnderstanding leads a blind will I am forced to feare Least they both fale into the pitt If I must Iudge my selfe by the memory of my past life my feare does much increase Alas woe is mee how have I spent my time where are the dayes of my life how ill have I garded my sences How have I sinned both interiourly and exteriourly How seldome have I corresponded with devine grace of all my actions for soe many yeares among soe many helpes in the world or Religion I have hardly performed any soe but there has beene some thing to repent Some times performed with sloth and negligence some times I have
been puffed vp with good successe some times contristated at evil events and never intirely cooperated with devine grace This I have been such does my memory represent mee and this and worse shall I bee for the future if thou Lord doest not prevent mee with thy grace Banisht poore ignorant inconstant feeble sick infirme in spirit and more infirme in flesh blind in the vnderstanding blinder in the will prone to sinne by nature proner by evil custome I live a scandall to my brethren a prejudice to Religion and dangerous to my selfe There is noe creature whose injuryes I am not exposed to there is noe member of my body that is not subject to innumerable miseryes noe sense but that eternal death may enter by not a day not an hower not a moment but that I am in great daunger of loosing an aeternity Lord whilst I consider these things I cannot chuse but bee much troubled and ceased with feare and trembling How then ô Lord doe you say that the knowledge of my selfe does contribute to peace of mind Loe how even this imperfect knowledge of my selfe makes mee a weary of my Life and have noe mind to any thing but to lament and weepe If then I did fully know my selfe and clearely see my basnesse what other should I find but most bitter bitternesse and vnconsolable griefe Sonne doe not thinke you loose your peace by the knowledge of your selfe This thought is not with out paine and griefe and therefore worldings fly it as a disturber of quiet The knowledge of ones selfe takes a way sloath and pusillanimity but not peace Peace cannot consist without security nor security without a feare that proceeds from the knowledge of ones selfe The feare of God is the beginning of wisdome and the knowledge of ones selfe the beginning of the feare of God Vnlesse all things bee rightly ordred in you you can have noe peace nor can you have any thing rightly ordered in or concerning vnlesse you know your selfe There are three chiefe principles or maximes conducing to peace to bee drawen from the knowledge of your selfe The first is not to place any confidence in your selfe but cast all your hopes in Allm God who soever confides in himselfe shall bee deceived and restlesse Doe not presume of your selfe neither in great little or even the least things for of your selfe you can doe nothing If in your dayly actions you doe relye on your owne forces you will necessarily fale when assaulted with a strong tentation For on the one side your forces are not sufficient and on the other not beeing vsed to make your recourse to God you will not bee able to hope for his helpe soe that you will come to bee left voyd of all helpe The affaire of your salvation must bee perfited by God and your selfe and as God will not doe any thing with out you soe can not you doe any thing at all with out God Doe not therefore confide in thy selfe least God leave thee to thy selfe but begg of God that hee will vouchsafe powerfully to prevent thee that soe thou mayst bee able to doe all things in him that strengthens thee The best counsaile you can follow is to enter into the abysse of your owne basenesse before you beginne any affaire even the least to see vnderstand and confesse that you can doe nothing without mee and when you have rightly considered the abysse of your nothing then ascend vnto the hight of my mercy which is above all my workes and soe let one abysse invoke another abisse and I le ' open the cataracts of heaven and powerforth my grace vpon you When you have thus humbled your selfe aske what you will and it shall bee done The exinanition of ones selfe is the most efficatious prayer Lessen first your pride and then bend your knee in prayer As often as you shall humble your selfe in any of your actions soe often shall I assist you with my omminipotency that you may want nothing Loe therefore Sonne what great good there is contained in the knowledge of your selfe If you know your selfe you will humble your selfe and make your recourse to mee and if you have recourse to mee I le ' help you and labour with you and what can you feare when you have the Omnipotent to assist you who can as easily doe great matters as the smalest things You ought to feare nothing but only confiding in your selfe for as long as you place your confidence in God you shall aequaly overcome all because you relye on him who can with the same case doe all things either alone or with you God therefore left man naked needy and vnable to rayse him selfe towards his end because hee would himselfe out of his infinite love allways assist him with his wisdome rule him with his power defend him and replenish him with grace â—mediately floeing from himelfe If you doe rightly vnderstand these things you have lay'd a solide foundation of true peace And if you are come to know your â—nperfections you have made a great steppe towards perfection and this is the first fruite you must reape from the knowledge of your selfe which being well vnderstood you will easily obtaine the two following The second fruite then is that this knowledge of your selfe cutts a way all vaine hopes by the rootes Why doe you beginne with vaine hopes what of your selfe you are not able to effect for whome doe you heape vp treasures who are but a passenger that must leave them all to morrow Eternity is at the dore which will force thee to bid a long adieu to thy desires what will then become of the honour you soe dearly bought and soe carefully cherished when you shall sleepe in dust and bee noe longer thought on but graunt that all did prayse you after death what then shall not the wormes stil feede in the same manner on thy corps shall not thy soule bee tormented a like perhappes many have praysed you in your life time which you knew not of what were you the better for this vnknowen prayse Many alfoe have disprayed you which you were ignorant of and what are you the worse It will bee just soe after death when neyther prayse nor disgrace shall move you absent now and insensible If you did know your selfe you would curbe your ambition and live in a most profound peace Doe not labour and take pains that others may know you but endeavour to bee fully knowen to your selfe and God You are what you are in the sight of God and not what men Iudge you Doe not compare your selfe with others but beholde your selfe in the presence of God that you may allwayes humble your selfe If you compare your selfe with others to bee sure your perfections of body or mind will not reach to a mediocrity and labour what thou will you shall find your selfe surpassed by a great many Bee therefore content that as many surpasse you in guifts of nature as God has preferred