Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	life_n	rise_v	sin_n	7,967	5	4.9525	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72089	The practise of Christian workes. Written in Spanish by the R. Father Francis Borgia, sometymes Duke of Gandia, and the third generall of the Society of Iesus. Togeather with a short rule, how to live well. Englished by a father of the same society. VVhereunto are adioyned certaine pious meditations vpon the beades: translated also out of the Spanish	Borja, Francisco de, Saint, 1510-1572.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Cresswell, Joseph, 1556-1623.	1620 (1620)	STC 11315; ESTC S124739	63,056	286

sacred body with most cruell stripes And deryde the King of glory with a Crowne of Thornes Aue Maria. 9. His vnbeleeuing and vngratefull people rebell against him demaund that he should be crucified And a malefactour set at liberty in his place Aue Ma. 10. The ambitious Iudge ouercome with feare and flattery condemneth him to be crucified though he know him to be innocent Aue Maria. A Prayer to Christ in the agony of his death 5. O Author of life syth thou wilt dy● and my synnes are cause of thy death let me dye with thee or graunt me a liuely feeling of thy torments Pater Noster 1. He imbraceth his desyred Crosse with ioy and cheerfulnes of hart and carrieth it vpon his shoulderrs to the place of execution Aue Maria. 2. His body beeing weakned with the losse of much bloud he fainteth vnder the grieuous burden And the torturers ease him least he should dye vncrucified Aue Maria. 3. He forbiddeth the deuout women to weepe for him but for their owne synnes and their childrens And foretelleth the ruyne of that miserable perfidious Citty Aue Maria. 4. Vpon the Mount Caluary they stripping him of his clothes renew his wounds And he offereth his sacred hands and feete to to be nayled to the Crosse Aue M. 5. They lift vp his virginall body naked and nayled And he suffereth this temporall paine confusion to deliuer vs from the eternall Aue Maria. 6. From the Crosse he asketh pardon of his Father for his enemyes Aue Maria. 7. He recommendeth his beloued disciple in him al vs to his mother Aue Maria. 8. He promiseth pardon and glory to the penitēt Thiefe And tasteth gall and vinagre Aue Ma. 9. The prophesies and figures of his passion being fulfilled he giueth vp his most holy pure Spirit into the hands of his Father Aue Maria. 10. Heauē earth are astonished that God immortall should dye But dying he killeth sinne and death looseth the chaines of Hel reconcileth the world to his Father and restoreth man to eternall life Aue Maria. A prayer to Christ reuiued and triumphant 6. O Glorious Conqueror who art risen from death enriched with spoyles hast al power in heauen earth Let synne dye in me without which there is no death And giue me a new life which may please thee serue thee for euer Pater Noster 1. He sheweth himselfe aliue and glorious vnto his Blessed Mother disciples And changeth their sorrow into vnspeakable ioy Aue Maria. 2. After forty dayes he ascendeth with triumph into heauen to take possession of his Kingdome placed our humane nature on the right hand of God his Father Aue Maria. 3. His disciples in company of his holy mother retyred in prayer expect from heauen the Comforter promised Aue Maria. 4. The time being fullfilled the holy Ghost descendeth visibly vpon them in forme of fiery tongues And they publish the diuyne Christian misteryes of faith in diuers languages Aue Maria. 5. The playne vnpolished words of the Apostles receauing force from this Spirit take possession in the harts of men And thousands are conuerted togeather Aue Maria. 6. By the death and prayers of of S. Stephen Paul of a persecutor becometh an Apostle The fayth increaseth with the persecution and with the same spread into other Countreys Aue Maria. 7. The Apostles meete in Councell ordeyne the gouernment of the Church and deuide among themselues the Prouinces of the whole world which is conuerted as we see to Christ by twelue Fishermen so great is the force of this holy Spirit Aue Maria. 8. S. Iohn remayneth in Hierusalem with the Mother of God for her comfort And their admirable life and example authorizeth the fayth Aue Maria. 9. The Apostles miraculously come togeather at the death of the B. Virgin Aue Maria. 10. And her Soule departeth without payne out of the prison of her body Aue Maria. A Prayer in the exequies of our B. Lady with the Apostles 7. O Lord what happines had it byn to be with thy disciples at those Funeralls to haue celebrated thy wonderfull greatnes and prayses for the benefits receyued by this holy Virgin Pater Noster 1. Her soule the third day was reunited to her glorious body And assumpted into heauen with such solemnity as no mortall man can comprehend Aue M. 2. The most humble of all creatures is exalted aboue them all And crowned Queene of heauen and earth Aue Maria. 3. Amongst other prerogatiues which the Blessed Virgin enioyeth and wherin especially she delighteth is to be the Aduocate of sinners with Christ our Sauiour Aue Maria. The Conclusion with thankesgiuing LET Heauen and earth ioyne together with ioy and the Quiers of Angells with the voices of men to singe eternall prayses vnto God in Trinity and vnity for the mercyes receaued in this admirable work of our redemptiō Amen Credo in Deum c. A Coronary or Crowne for the obtayning of Christian Perfection The Prayer O My Lord Iesu Christ splendour of the Father and Eternall wisdome graunt me true knowledge continuall memory and a cordiall desire of the most noble and most precious end wherunto thou hast created me and a right choyce of the meanes which thou gast giuen me to obtaine it Amen 1. My principall end for which I was created is to loue obay and please Almighty God And the secondary or lesse principall is to saue my soule Aue M. 2. The meanes for this end are all other creatures the knowledge good vse of them Aue M. 3. This vse consisteth in adding or diminishing taking or leauing them by waight number measure as they may serue this end The disposition necessary to vse them aright is to be indifferent to all And in the execution that we preferre allwaies the more conuenient for this end before the lesse and the better before the worse Aue Ma. 1. O my Lord Iesu Christ c. Pater Noster 1. Make me vnderstand o Lord that for thy only goodnes thou louedst me from all eternity And hauing no need of me thou hast created me to thy Image likenes in the tyme most conuenient for my good Aue Ma. 2. And how thou hast placed me as a King in his Kingdome with iustice peace and inward ioy of my soule Aue Maria. 3. That thou hast made me a companion of the Angells and capable of all thy riches and aboue all of thy grace and friendship Aue Maria. 4. That I knowing thy infinite goodnes by experience and thy selfe by familiar conuersation might delight in thee and loue thee aboue all things with pure and disinteressed loue Aue Maria. 5. That I may serue thee for thy selfe with all the powers of my body and soule bycause thou deseruest to be serued and loued aboue all Aue Maria. 6 That in all things I may procure thy greater glory and the perfect accomplishment of thy diuine will Aue Maria.

things man alone acknowledgeth me not but like a mad dog who biteth his maister riseth against me beeing worthy whome the earth should open and swallow down Be thou confounded o man for whome I became a meeke Lambe and cease thou at length to be a fierce and raging Lion I imbrace and loue thee with charity and thou whippest me with the scourge of desire and when I set thee forthwith the precious margarites of humility thou crownest my head with the pricking thorns of pride Let men at length vnderstand that they haue receyued goods not to be shut and locked vp in chests but to be giuen out to the poore Let them consider how hartily and affectuousely I loue them whome I by them being cast into prison will deliuer from out of the dungeon of hell and whome they cease not to crucify with ingratitude I by charity will bring backe againe into the way of charity Be thou confounded o man whome when the Angells behold they then contemne and the Diuells deceyue and in my sight condemne Be thou confounded I say feare my iudgments and vnles thou be heere confounded and bewaile thy syns a great and bitter confusion attendeth thee Whome would it not confound for that I God and Lord of all do like the hunter contynually seeke after and pursue men that they who cost me so dearly may not in any case perish while they stil euer fly from me as from an enuenomed serpent Why do they not feare me and my iudgments Why do they not chang and amend their liues who knowe neyther the houre nor day of their death And what answere will you make to the holy Ghost or with what face will you dare to speake vnto him who haue shut the gates of your soule often against him and haue so impudently and wickedly thrust him out that you might admit and receyu● in the Diuell Be ye confounded o wretched men whome notwithstanding God hath created to be his children who is in heauen yet you scarce euer do workes worthy your heauenly Father There is in him endles meeknes and benignity and he is euer ready to remit and pardon synnes but you full of iniquity do not only not forgiue the iniuryes done you but do further iniure those who haue neuer deserued any euill at your hands There is in him surpassing goodnes whereby he doth good euen to his enemyes while he euer conserueth them but you also do euill to your friends There is in him euerlasting wisdome and wonderfull prouidence wherewith he gouerneth all things but in you there is an extraordinary desire to ouerturne and destroy all things so you may raigne and be kings alone And therefore our Lord reprehendeth you by his Prophet in these words VVill you dwell alone vpon the earth THE CONCLVSION MATTER faileth me not but tyme and therefore this may serue the turne for the prudent Reader who of a few things may gather many more and thereof reape the fruite of Confusion and of humbling himselfe especially if he exercise himselfe in them continually and diligently which euery one ought to do with the greater care and circumspection for that therein consisteth the greatest part of spirituall profit for the knowing and acknowledging of our great infirmity and misery And they who haue attayned this and haue begon to build vpon such a foundation before laied may with safty proceede in building and go on forward in that spirituall edifice and they that build their worke in any other manner then this which we haue said when they haue once raised it high it is wont to fal to the ground againe For it hapneth that the comforts of prayer which are wont to help to the furthering and increasing of vertues vnles they be supported and conserued by Humility do degenerate into false counterfaite deceitfull consolations So the desires of good things be indeed good but if we so ascribe them vnto our selues as we acknowledge them not for Gods benefits we both greatly deceaue our selues and cannot possibly build any strong matter vpon so weake a foundation Wherefore who meaneth to haue his works perfect must both begin them with confusion and conserue them by it neyther must he be so hardy as to proceed in any thing without confusion accompayning the same And so it will follow that he who neuer forgetteth to confound and humble himselfe shal neuer be forsaken of God who neuer despiseth a contrite humbled hart but willingly conuerseth with the humble and lowly And this we may say is the wedding garment which whosoeuer shall haue vpon his backe he shall neuer be shut out from the wedding feast This is the badge and liuery of Gods children this he must haue and weare who hath a wil to follow Christ because he did weare it himselfe when he said My bashfulnes is al the day long against me and the confusion of my face hath couered me ouer ouer And if confusion did also couer Christs face ouer and ouer who was the looking glasse of the Angells and the glory of the Saints why should it not couer the face of a synner ouer ouer Or who but he that hath it on dare come into the sight of God sith it is written Let them who detracte me be clad with shame and let them be couered ouer and ouer with their confusion as with a doublet Marke further what our Lord sayth Vpon whome shall my spirit rest but vpon the humble and contrite in hart and dreading my speaches And if God confound the iust the synner must not thinke to escape especially sith not ōly the iust on earth but also the Saints in heauē are clad with this garment And no lesse maybe vnderstood by the words of the Gospell when they speake vnto Christ in the day of iudgment in these words when did we see thee an hungred and we sed thee That is they speake as men astonished and wondring that by so little works they haue merited so great rewards And the same is sufficiently insinuated by S. Augustine when he bringeth them in saying thus Lord why hast thou prepared so great and such glory for vs And if this Humility raiseth vs vp into heauen it is reason that we imbrace it here and that we commit our selues vnto it as to a sure anker in a dangerous tempest and that we doubt not but if we rely vpon it we shall get ouer the stormy and dangerous sea of this miserable life and in the end through Gods mercy ariue to the safe port of Heauen Amen A SHORT RVLE How to liue well THE VI. EXERCISE Of the things that man is to know for the sauing of his soule CHAP. I. A Christian man that wil lead a good life for the sauing of his soule must know three things 1. His end for which he was made and created 2. The meanes necessary profitable for the attayning of his end 3. The manner and way how practise the same Of the

haue gotten them without booke And whilest thou sayest the Aue Maria thou must haue reflexion to the point which thou hast read so go from one to another with leasure and attention till thou haue passed them all ouer and doubt not but with a little patience for the first few dayes thou shalt reape afterwards a great deale of comfort deuotion and benefit to thy soule These Considerations or points of Meditation were conceaued and wrytten in Spanish in the yeare 1613. for intertaynment of the way between Madrid and Barcelona and there printed from thēce sent to Don Philip Prince of Spaine and to his two brethren Charles Ferdinand for tokens in respect that the Author when be tooke his last leaue left them saying their beads al three togeather and comming after by some accident into England and there translated by a deuout person were sent to be printed in Flanders and by chance brought to be viewed before the printing by the same person that wrote them in Spanish six yeares before he little thinking then that they were to be published in any other language which he had written for priuate deuotion of those Princes But by the successe it seemeth that God of his holy prouidence would haue some thing written for the instruction of such as shal read thē where the vse of the Beades is not knowen to all And in this conformity he added these few lines with desire that deuotion be increased in the faithfull people and God Almighty glorified from whome all Grace goodnes descendeth and to whome is due all honour and glory Amen A Coronary or Crowne of 63. Aue Maries with a Prayer to the euer blessed Virgin Mary that by her Intercession we may liue dye without mortall sin Syn is an inordinate and deliberate worke word or desire against the eternall law of God S. August lib. 22. contra Faustum cap. 27. A Prayer to the B. Virgin 1. O Mary Mother of Mercy and example of inocency who didest see thy only Sonne dye most lamentably vpon the crosse to deliuer vs from the bondage of syn obtayn for me blessed Virgin light to know and hatred to abhor so great a mischiefe as thou thy self didest knowe it and abhor it Amen Pater noster 1. That I may vnderstand the blessings and gifts of God wherof it depriueth me Aue Maria. 2. To foresee the Euills into which it bringeth me Aue Maria. 3. And feare the Punishments which so great an euill deserueth Aue Maria. 1. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Yt damned the Angells and cast them downe from Heauen Aue Maria. 2. Yt caused eternall fyer for their torment Aue Maria. 3. Yt banished our first parēts out of Paradise Aue Maria. 4. Yt depriued them of innocēcy originall iustice Aue Ma. 5. Yt disordered confounded humane nature Aue Maria. 6. Yt subiected the same to errors dolours death Aue Maria. 7. Yt put the earth vnder perpetuall malediction Aue Maria. 8. Yt filled the world with all kind of miseries Aue Maria. 9. Yt drowned the same with the waters of the deluge Aue Ma. 10. And at the last shall consume it with fire from heauen Aue Maria. 2. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Yt taketh from vs the grace of Baptisme Aue Maria. 2. The Inheritance of heauen and euerlasting blisse Aue Maria. 3. The peace and comfort of a good conscience Aue Maria. 4. The priuiledges of the iust Aue Maria. 5. The spirituall Ioyes of the deuout Aue Maria. 6. The rewardes of good workes Aue Maria. 7. The harmony and concord of vertues Aue Maria. 8. The gifts of the holy Ghost Aue Maria. 9. The inward beauty dignity of the soule Aue Maria. 10. The meanes and helpes for saluation yea and God him selfe Aue Maria. 3. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Yt causeth the hatred of God Almighty Aue Maria. 2. A desire in man that he were not nor could punish him Aue Maria. 3. The neglect of his holy wil and Cōmaundments Aue Maria. 4. The abhorring of his wolsome counsailes Aue Maria. 5. Ingratitude for his mercyes and benefits Aue Maria. 6. Rebellion against his Diuine power Aue Maria. 7. Treason against his gouernment Aue Maria. 8. Contempt and Mockery of his seruice Aue Maria. 9. Infinite opposition to his infinite goodnes Aue Maria. 10. And finally blindnes of hart and bondage to Sathan hell Aue Maria. 4. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Yt bringeth sorrow and remorse of conscience Aue Maria. 2. Feare and horror of death Aue Maria. 3. Infection from bad to worse Aue Maria. 4. A sore without salue Aue Maria. 5. Misery without mercy or refuge Aue Maria. 6. Subiection to all curses and misfortunes Aue Maria. 7. Yt renounceth God by works Aue Maria. 8. Yt presumeth against reason of his mercy Aue Maria. 9. Yt aduentureth foolishly against his iustice Aue Maria. 10. Yt exchangeth the greatest good for the greatest euill Aue Maria. 5. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Yt looseth the Suffrages of holy Church Aue Maria. 2. The participation of the meryts of Christ Aue Maria. 3. Yt treadeth vnder foote his precious bloud Aue Maria. 4. Yt reneweth his sacred wounds and passion Aue Maria. 5. Yt crucifieth him againe Aue Maria. 6. Yt preferreth the sayings of the world before the Iudgments of heauen Aue Maria. 7. Yt leaueth Truth for Falshood Aue Maria. 8. Yt changeth wisdome for Folly Aue Maria. 9. It selleth the eternall for the momentary Aue Maria. 10. It looseth heauen and gayneth hell Aue Maria. 6. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. He that perseuereth in one syn deserueth that God should permit him to fall into others Aue Maria. 2. He deserueth also losse of honor and goods Aue Maria. 3. Of health life Aue Maria. 4. And of all other temporall prosperity Aue Maria. 5. To haue his memory changed into forgetfulnesse Aue Maria. 6. His desire and affections depraued peruerted Aue Maria. 7. His vnderstanding darkned not able to discerne his good nor to beware of his euill Aue Maria. 8. That counsaile and succour fayle him in his greatest necessityes Aue Maria. 9. That he be not heard neyther by himselfe nor by his Aduocates in life nor in death Aue Maria. 10. That his person and all his affayres be abhorred of God for euer Aue Maria. 7. O Mary Mother of Mercy c. Pater Noster 1. Obtaine that I may vnderstand the blessings and great gifts of God whereof it depriueth me Aue Maria. 2. And foresee the miseries without number into which it bringeth me Aue Maria. 3. And feare the dreadfull punishments which so great an euill deserueth Aue Maria. A Prayer to Christ our Sauiour O Eternall Maiesty author fountayne

of all purity which so louest it in soules made to thy in owne Image that to clense them from syn thou hast washed them with thy precious bloud neuer suffer me to loose the beauty of thy grace And graunt to all synners that haue lost the same true sorrow repentance Amen Credo in Deum A Coronary or Crowne with the principall Mysteries of the life death of Iesus Christ our Sauiour A Prayer to the B. Trinity O Diuine and indiuiduall Trinity who hast manifested thy Iustice and Mercy and withall thy infinite Power wisdome and Goodnes in the Redemption of mankynd more then in all the other works which thou hast done teach me the Soueraigne mysteryes examples of the life and Passion of my Redeemer that I may worthily reuerence them and procure to imitate them for thy loue Amen 1. To the Omnipotency of the Father Aue Maria. 2. To the infinite wisdome of the Sonne Aue Maria. 3. And to the incomprehensible goodnes of the Holy Ghost Aue Maria. A prayer in honor of the Mother of God proper to the first Decade 1. O Eternal Prouidēce who didst work this so great and incomprehensible a wonder by giuing to the Diuyne word a Mother of the Children of Adam make me worthy to serue her with all humility and purity of hart Pater Noster 1. In honor of her immaculate Conception Aue Maria. 2. To her birth so much desired of mankind Aue Maria. 3. To her Presentation in the Temple Aue Maria. 4. How she cooperating carefully with the diuyne inspirations increaseth continually in vertue and grace Aue Maria. 5. By consenting with faith humility to the embassage from heauen God is incarnate and she becommeth mother remayning a Virgin Aue Maria. 6. She goeth with diligence vp to the mountaynes to congratulate with S. Elizabeth her cosen Aue Maria. 7. And with her presence and voyce S. Iohn exulteth his mother receyueth the spirit of prophesy Aue Maria. 8. The Virgin Queene in the house of Zachary imployeth her selfe in workes of Charity and humility Aue Maria. 9. S. Ioseph wondereth at that which he seeth and remayneth perplexed vntill the Angell reuealeth to him the Mystery Aue Maria 10. Such a new and incomparable worke required approbation from heauen and an Angel for witnes although the conuenience be manifest that God becomming man should be born of a Virgin mother Aue Maria. A prayer to the infancy of Christ 2. O Prince of all Eternity thy Fathers best beloued whom Legions of Angells do serue in heauen seeing thou vouchsafest to come downe to earth reason it is that all thy Creatures should go forth to meet thee and serue thee admit me o Lord for one of the meanest seruants of thy family Pater Noster 1. He that of nothing made and vpholdeth all that is created is borne poore and naked in a stable at Bethleem Aue Maria. 2. His Angells sing to him glory and peace vpon earth to men of good conscience Aue Maria. 3. The eighth day he sheadeth his bloud and taketh the shape of a synner And his Father honoreth him with the name of Iesus which signifieth a Sauiour Aue Maria. 4. Heauen proclaymeth him King Herod is troubled And heathen Princes guided by a star come from far contries to do him homage Aue Maria. 5. His Parents offer him in the Temple And where Symeon and Anne foretel his conflicts and victoryes Aue Maria. 6. With the cruell and lamentable death of the Innocents his byrth is published to all nations Aue Maria. 7. Aegypt receaueth imbraceth the King of heauen earth whome Iury persecuteth Aue Maria. 8. The Angell signifieth the death of his Persecutors And the Child returneth to Nazareth Aue Maria. 9. He discouereth his Diuine wisdome to the Doctors in the Temple and subiecteth himselfe with al obedience to his parents Aue Maria. 10. He liueth retired eighteene yeares in Nazareth to teach vs to liue vnknown when it is conuenient to expect due season for all our workes Aue Maria. A Prayer to Christ as the Guide Example of our life 3. O Soueraigne Doctor syth the tyme is come wherin thou art pleased to discouer thy Eternall secretes vnto men Make me a worthy disciple of thy heauenly doctryne Pater Noster 1. The tyme being come for him to performe his office he leaueth the comfort of his Mother his house quietnes to serue the common good Aue M. 2. He passeth alone to the riuer Iordan where S. Iohn Baptist discouereth him And they contend in acts of humility Aue Ma. 3. The heauens open themselues and the holy Ghost descendeth vpō him in a visible forme And the Eternall Father acknoledgeth him for this Sonne And commaundeth vs to heare him Aue Maria. 4. The great Maister of pennance retyreth himselfe to the desert to teach vs the same by his example and to be beginne our works with prayer And there he ouercommeth the infernall Spirit Aue Maria. 5. After he had vanquished the infernal enemy that tempted him the Angells come to adore and serue him Aue Maria. 6. He entertayneth the disciples of Saynt Iohn And with his curtesy sweetnes obligeth them to his seruice Aue Maria. 7. He sheweth compassion vpon synners And fatherly care of his subiects Aue Maria. 8. His patience in all corporall wants and incommodities Aue Maria. 9. His meeknes in the wrongs and calumniations of his enemyes Aue Maria. 10. His miraculous works for the benefit of man returning alwaies good for euil Aue Maria. A prayer to Christ in the sorrowes of his Passion 4. O Louing Maister most faythful only friend seeing thou giuest me leaue to call thee by this Name giue me also leaue and courage to accompany thee as a friend with loyalty and loue in all the passages of thy Passion Pater Noster 1. Hauing fynished the Sacrifices and ceremonyes of the old Law with the Paschall Lambe he washeth the feete of his disciples and of Iudas the Traytor Aue Maria. 2. He leaueth vs for a memoryall and pledge of his infinite loue the new and admirable Sacrament of his pretious body bloud Aue Maria. 3. He ouercometh all humane infirmities with the force of prayer And perseuereth in the same sweating bloud Aue Maria. 4. He sheweth his omnipotency before he permitteth himselfe to be taken that his enimies might see it was his will to suffer Aue Maria. 5. That night the Iewes treated him vnworthily and cruelly in the place of Iudgment and for reason of State conspired his death as they thought to saue their Commonwealth which they came to loose for this very same syn Aue Maria. 6. In the morning they accuse him before the heathen President who admiring his magnanimity patience laboureth to set him free Aue Maria. 7. He is despised of Herod and by him attyred with contempt bycause he answereth not to his curiosityes Aue Maria. 8. They teare his

manner of prayer specified the order in the acts demands there mētioned is not alwayes to be obserued For som … 〈◊〉 giueth so great light cleernes frō the very beginning moueth the hart of him that prayeth in such manner that the prayer is begon and ended with a familiar speach with his diuine Maiesty or with some affect of admiration of thanksgiuing of loue of compassion or the like 19. But aboue all it is to be vnderstood and obserued that Prayer is a peculier gift of God as likewise are all the acts and affections of it aboue said For many do see heare and read much and yet obserue not any thing to this purpose Others do obserue superficially but do not weigh nor ponder deeply to this end that which they haue obserued Some also know to ponder yea how to moue others with their wordes and yet haue little feeling themselues of that which they say because it is a particular gift of God to haue feeling deuotion in such spirituall affayres Others haue feeling but worke not accordingly bycause they suffer themselues to be ouercome with the difficultyes which our depraued nature representeth and the Diuell suggesteth and nourisheth to the end that the good purposes made be not put in execution But to conclude who liueth wel prayeth wel And although he be briefe and barrē in words yet wil our Lord that looketh into his intention and workes heare him willingly and dispatch him with great liberality if he be found loyal and gratefull for benefits receyued And so much more abundantly by how much he is more free liberall with his diuine Maiesty 20. Prayer is the Golden Key which openeth the gates of Royall Pallaces euen to the inermost closets And at all howers giueth free entrance and accesse to the King 21. And if the naturall pleasure which men fynd in liuing neare vnto those who in soueraigne power resemble God so much the more by how much they are more like vnto him in iustice and goodnes be sufficient to ouercome all the incommodityes and labours which those that serue Kings Princes do endure continually in their seruice What pleasure is it to serue neere vnto God himselfe to be conuersant with him and to haue free entrance to his presence at all houres and in al places by meanes of Prayer 22. His conuersation is so sweet and his presence so delightfull that the blessed Spirits doe and shall entertayne themselues therewith for all eternity without wearynes or desyre to enioy any other good 23. Yea we see heere vpon earth that Saint Paul and S. Hilarion and many such others that gaue themselues wholy to prayer and contemplatiue life liued many yeares in the wildernes must solitary deserts with great ioy and contentment fynding no want of conuersation with men nor of the commodities and pleasures of Cittyes being sufficiently ētertayned with this only comunication and conuersation with God by meanes of Prayer 24. And so we read of Saint Anthony that after he had spent all the night in prayer he complayned of the Sunne which he had left behind his backe ouernight when in the morning it did arise in his face troubled his attention and the quietnes of his prayer 25. Prayer made the same S. Anthony so learned without vse of bookes that he astonished the Philosophers of Alexandria that came to see him because he had his light from heauen and the whole vniuersity of Gods creatures serued him for a library And whosoeuer studieth as he should in this library of S. Anthony cannot faile to proue both wise and learned 26. Prayer guided King Dauid in the gouernment of his subiects and is an excellent Counsellour of Kings and of all those that do manage waighty affayres not to erre in thē as Iosue erred when he was deceyued by the Gabionites bycause he did not consult his resolution with God nor aske him counsaile in prayer before he gaue them answere 27. And to conclude in one word the profit and dignity of Prayer it maketh men like vnto Angells who without losing the sight of their God worke accomplish his Cōmaundments and they alwayes worke aright and are not subiect to error bycause they worke alwayes with the knowledge which they receaue from the fountaine of light 28. It is an Angelicall life to liue and worke in the presence of God as it is of bruite beasts to spend the time in forgetfulnes of him without the vse of prayer The felicity of beasts is to seeke only delight in sensuall pleasures without thanks for benefitts receyued or memory of obligatiōs present or prouidēce of necessities to come But man by the dignity of his nature is bound to more because his soule is immortall and his body shall rise again from death and both together enioy for euer that which they haue prouided together for themselues in this life with God in eternall felicity or with the damned spirits in misery and torments that neuer shall haue end from which God deliuer vs for his mercy Amen A PRAYER to our Blessed Lady O Most pious Virgin Mary Mother of God in most humble manner I beseech thee by the great loue thou bearest to thy deare Sonne my Lord and Sauiour Iesus-Christ That thou wouldest vouchsafe to obtayne for me true sorrow for my sinnes a perfect keeping of all my Senses an humble Resignation of my selfe the exercise of those vertues wherewith thou didst so highly please thy diuine Sonne I also most humbly request thee to direct my wayes in those pathes which may be most agreable to the wil of thy Sonn● and profitable for the saluation of my Soule Amen sweet Iesus AN ACT OF CONTRITION O My Lord Iesus Christ true God and Man my Creatour and Redeemer thou being whome thou art and for that I loue thee aboue all thinges it greiueth me from the bottome of my hart that I haue offended thy diuin Maiesty Loe heere I firmely purpose neuer to sinne any more and to fly all occasions of offending thee And to confesse and fulfill the pen●ance which shal be enioyned me for the same And for loue of thee I do freely pardon all my enemies And do offer my life wordes and workes in satisfaction for my sinnes Wh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I most humbly beseech thee trusting in thy infinite goones and mercy that by the merites of thy most pretious bloud and passion thou wouldest pardon me giue me grace to amend my life and to perseuere therin vntill death Amen FINIS