though we deserve it not who hast given us a Being when we were not 12. A Prayer for the Conversion of Hereticks and Infidels ALmighty and all merciful God! who seekest and desirest the salvation of all Souls Take pity we beseech thee upon such as are seduced with pestiferous Errors and segregated from the unity of thy sacred Church Pardon them O Lord for they perceive not what they do Illuminate the Eyes of their understanding O true Light of all Spirits that they may see their own Blindness and seeing it may speedily abandon it And that so becomming sincerely reconciled to thee the Supreme Shepherd and to thy Church the only safe Sheepfold they may joyfully praise and magnify thy Mercies together with us thy faithful Children for evermore 13. A Prayer for a sick person O Soveraign Lord God the Author of our Health and our Comforter in Sickness in the Watch of whose Divine Providence run all the Moments of our lives earthly Pilgrimage Hear we beseech thee the humble Petitions which we present to thy throne of mercy for N. thy infirm but faithful Servant and mercifully restore him to his former welfare that he may henceforth walk more worthy his Calling and make greater progress in vertue and Piety But if it is thy pleasure O Supream Lord of Life and Death to call him hence to Eternity let thy most just Will O Heavenly Father be accomplished in this and in all things whatsoever only let Death find him well prepared and rightly disposed Let him humbly kiss thy Paternal Rod which chastiseth him and patiently submit to the Cross which thy loving Hand hath layd upon his Shoulders Let him behave himself during the remaining time of his Infirmity as befits a faithful and devout Christian free from Pusillanimity and Despair full of Hope and filial confidence And finally being strengthned with the Sacraments reconciled to his Enemies and setled in thy Grace and Favour let him cheerfully expect and joyfully embrace Deaths summons and quietly pass from this place of Banishment to his happy home in thy Heavenly Paradise 14. Prayers in Time of the Plague 1. The Anthem Remember thy Covenant O Merciful Creator and say to the smiting Angel Now hold thy Hand that the Earth may not become desolate and every living Soul destroyed Ver. Lord let thy Anger cease from thy People Ans And from thy City Let us Pray HEar we most humbly beseech thee O Compassionate Lord God! the Prayers of thy distressed people and as we acknowledg our selves to be justly punished for our offences so be thou pleased in mercy to free us for the glory of thy own sacred Name 2. O God! who well know'st that our human frailty cannot subsist amidst so many and so great Dangers without the support of thy Divine favour and assistance Give us we most humbly beseech thee Health of mind and body and grant that we may overcome by thy help and mercy what we deservedly suffer for our own Sins and Impieties 3. Lord lend a gracious Eare to the petitions of thy poor Servants grant us the desired effect of our faithful Supplications and avert from us the fury of the raging Pestilence that we may humbly and gratefully acknowledg these Scourges to proceed from thy just Anger and Indignation and to cease through thy boundless Mercy and Goodness 4. A Prayer to the sacred Virgin-Mother call'd the Myraculous Prayer against the Plague THe Star of Heaven whose snowy Breast Did suckle our sweet Lord supprest The Plague of Death whose Origen Was from the very first of Men May that clear Star at present daign Those Constellations to restrain Whose Wars deprive men of their Breath By the destructive wounds of Death Repeat thrice these four ensuing Verses Bright Star o' th' Sea ' gainst Plague thy help afford Nothing 's deny'd thee by thy Son our Lord Who honours thee Blest-Maid Sweet Jesu save Them by thy power for whom she daigns to crave Let us Pray O God of Mercy God of Compassion God of Pardon who in time past taking pity upon thy afflicted people commandedst the striking Angel to with-hold his Hand from further punishing them We most humbly beseech thee for the love of that glorious Star whose sacred Breasts gave thee suck to preserve us from all Plaguy Infection to deliver us from an unprovided Death and to defend us from all destructive Accidents and Incursions 15. Prayers for a happy Death 1. O Dear Lord Jesu I most humbly beseech thee by those bitter Pains and Pangs which thou suffredst for me in thy bitter Passion and particularly in the hour wherein thy Divine Soul passed forth of thy blessed Body take pity upon my poor and sinful Soul in her last Agony and in her passage to Eternity 2. T is thou O Soveraign Goodness who art the prime Source and dayly Preserver of my Life and 't is from thee alone that I can expect the Grace of a happy Death Thou O Lord didst not make this Death which separates Soul and Body 't was Sin which brought it into the World had not man strayed from thy sacred Precept he had not been subject to this severe Punishment But yet thy Divine Son by enduring the Sting of Death hath chang'd its harsh Nature and through his means and merits it may now be made a Sacrifice most pleasing to thy Majesty For precious in thy sight is the just mans Death which is only a glorious passage from Time to Eternity This is the Death I here most humbly demand of thy Divine bounty as the Crown of all thy Mercies for thou O Lord lookest not so much upon the first beginnings of thy Children as upon their final End and Consummation and the Eternity of their Glory or Misery depend's upon the last moment of their Life Then it is that the Tempter tries all wayes to prevaile over the weakness of our spirit when 't is beaten down by the Bodies sickness either to swell it up into a dangerous Presumption or deject it into a more dangerous Despair Then it is that all the sinful passages of our life come swarming into our Memories to strike us with a sad resentment of what 't is too late to remedy Then it is that the poor Soul overwhelmed with a flood of sorrow cannot without thy strengthing Grace exercise the functions of her Reason and Religion Give me therefore O my gracious Lord God! in this passage which is so full of peril and of so great importance all those Christian dispositions which thy wonted Clemency give 's to thy elected and beloved Children that I may well perform this last duty of life Let me consider Death as the just punishment of Sin and so most willingly receive it to obey the Law which comprehend's all his race by whom it was introduced into the World Let me look upon my Body as a parcel of old Adam deserving to return into dust and only fit for corruption Let me render to thy Majesty
right And I must must now either give my self to thee or thou must take me unto thy self Not that I aspire to those excellent prerogatives of thy dearest servants No my Lord it sufficeth me to be in the out-rank of thy meanest slaves to be stamp'd with thy mark and link'd fast in thy chains that I may never more have the power to fly from thee O grant me this favour most merciful Father Which thy dear Son hath purchased for me by the price of his death and Passion 3. We Sin of our selves but cannot arise from it without the Divin assistance I Am fall'n without thee by my own frailty but can never hope to rise but by thy mercy O my Lord and only support I am sick without thee but cannot be cured without thee O my heavenly Physician I am dead without thee but can never be reviv'd but by thee O Life of my Soul So true it is that to make me come to thee thou O most gracious Lord God! must first come to me O the admirable goodness of my loving Lord Even this little I am doing is rather thine own work than mine 'T is thou O my Lord who puttest Repentance into my soul Desires into my heart Sighs into my breast Confession into my mouth Prayer into my lips Remorse into my memory Resolution of amendment into my will 'T is thou O gracious God! who chiefly actest all this good in me by me and for me O my All do then all in me what thou desirest And particularly overwhelm I beseech thee my whol interiour with perfect Contrition not coming from a slavish and servil fear but from a faithful and filial love Grant me a true and intire grief for having offended thee not because of thy Promises or Threats but because thou art in thy self good amiable adorable and worthy all love and honour 4. How great an Evil it is to destroy Gods Grace in our Souls by Sin OR if mercenary interest do yet more move thee as surely it seems to bear the greatest sway with thee my sensual and sinful Soul For how hainously dost thou take a small injury how deeply dost thou resent a little disgrace the loss of a dear friend of health of honour or the like temporal and perishable commodities O whence is it then that thou so little apprehendest thy loss of Grace and thy eminent imminent danger of eternal Damnation Is it a small matter to be Gods Enemy To lose the good will of Heaven To destroy Gods Image To cut up life root branch To side with the accursed Devils thy Creators sworn Enemies To hatch Treason and enter Conspiracie with the damned Yea and to kill as much as in thee lies him who by his own death gave thee life O brutal and unnatural ingratitude Surely the annihilating of Heaven Earth Angels Men and all Nature cannot be compar'd with this malicious evil and wilfull destruction of thy grace O Lord in my Soul Since the least degree of a higher order surpasses the highest degree of the lower order O eternal God! What a Monster have I been in Grace what a prodigie in Nature who have so little car'd to commit such enormous Crimes But O my Lord I will even now change my life I here detest all Sin I make a firm purpose of amendment I have a full confidence in thee my Creator a good will to do satisfaction and a total resignation to thy Divine pleasure 5. The root and source of all our Sins is our perverted Will. I Am the woful Criminal O just Judg of my Soul and I will be also the accuser and witness the Advocate and Executioner in this Tribunal I summon you therefore O detestable Pride O abominable Envy O execrable Avarice O beastly Lubricity and all you accursed crew of Sins how long will you reign on earth how long will ye dispeople Gods inheritance who brought you in amongst Gods Children 'T is the perverted Will of man O dread Soveraign which hath don all these mischiefs Rectifie O my Lord I beseech thee this my crooked Will and murther these horrible monsters in me and grant that I may henceforth rather expose my body to a thousand Deaths than my Soul to deadly Sin Thy Saints will rejoice O God! at my amendment and thy Angels will make a Feast but thy own resentment of joy will be infinite because thy love is infinite which goes hand in hand with thy Essence and comprehends all Love in supream eminency I will therefore expect from thee O heavenly Father the exact remembrance from thee my Redeemer the perfect knowledg from thee O holy Spirit a true repentance and from thee O Sacred Trininity an intire Absolution and plenary Indulgence from all my Iniquities 6. Our greatest Sorrow is not equivalent to the greatness of our Sins THe grief I feel for my past Offences the hatred I have against each Sin at this present and the resolution I make to avoid all iniquity for the future are not equivalent in me to their enormity and hainousness I therefore humbly crave O holy Lord God! that thou wilt accept thy own hatred against Sin for that which I should and would have and instead of the Sorrow I want I offer that of thy Son my sweet Redeemer with the Sacrifice of his immaculate Life and innocent death And since I cannot be impeccable by Nature O my Lord nor dare presume to ask to be so by Grace give me leave to prostrate my self before thy infinite bounty and clemency and to beg by the merits of Jesus Christ thy dear Son and by the desires of thy essential love the blessed holy Ghost that though I may not be impeccable yet I may never sin more and if I must somtimes Sin through my frailty yet I may never Sin mortally This I desire O Lord this thou demandest this thou commandest O give me what thou commandest and command me what thou pleasest 7. An Act of perfect Contrition which is elsewhere repeated as being of great efficacy O My good Lord Jesu who art the Lord of my Life and shouldst be the love of my Soul did I not like an ungracious and ungrateful wretch give my heart sell my affection to fond frail filthy and fading Creatures and comforts which are so far from affording me either quiet of Mind peace of Conscience purity of Soul or perfection of Spirit which my obligation and vocation require of me that they leave me nothing but trouble confusion and remorse with a world of dismal and desperate thoughts violent passions and vicious inclinations Amidst all which disorders I find no other refuge nor remedy than to return to thee my true Center to convert my self to thee my Soverain Creator To cast my self at thy sacred feet my sweet Lord Jesu and there with an humble and contrite spirit to sue for Mercy Remission Reconciliation O Heavenly Father I confess and acknowledg my ingratitude treachery rebellion And I am
Enter freely possess all fully dispose universally and command absolutly Put me where thou wilt give me what thou wilt treat me as thou wilt thine I am O my Lord my Love and my All for time and Eternity The Sixth Exercise Of Mortification and perfect Abnegation 1. If we will be Christ's true Disciples we must renounce all deny our selves take up our crosses and follow him O Eternal and ever blessed Lord God! thou hast framed me of soul and body and fitted me with faculties proportionable to attain the end of my creation which is to love thee intirely and to live with thee eternally But alas how far am I from observing this thy blessed and beautiful order Thou O Lord gavest me a Soul to bear all the sway in my body Reason to have the chief regency in my Soul thy Law to be the guide of my Reason and thy self to be the sole mover and governour of my whole man But oh how have I wilfully cross'd thy sacred design contradicted thy intention and swarv'd from this perfection My body is all brutish my soul all animal and my reason all sensual I am all blindness self-love and immortification Yet I know well and thou O eternal verity hast expresly told me that unless I renounce all deny my self take up my Cross and follow thee I can never become thy true Disciple Ah harsh words to my carnal ears If thou wilt be my Disciple deny thy self If thou wilt be perfect sell all give away all reform all renounce all relinquish all If thou wilt possess life eternal contemn this life temporal If thou wilt be exalted in Heaven humble thy self in the world If thou wilt wear a Crown with me bear thy Cross with me But O my soul how wilt thou brook that more dismal sentence Depart from me thou accursed into eternal fire Wherefore O my Lord my Love and my All Since thou hast taught me these things by thy Sacred Word and shewed them by thy holy Example and thou art The Way the Truth and the life Grant O infallible Truth that I may couragiously walk in this perfect Way that so I may happily come to thee the only true and eternal life and love of my Soul 2. We must leave all things to finde one thing which is all in all WHat dreadest thou O my fearful and faithless Heart Behold Christ thy King and Captain is marched on before thee take up thy Cross and travel after him he leads thee to a Kingdem Heaven is worth thy pains O take courage to mortifie thy self deny thy self and dy to thy self that thou mayst live to Jesus and with Jesus eternally Learn O my soul this short and securing lesson Leave all things and thou shalt find one thing which is all in all Take courage and fight valiantly against thy own bad nature pray suffer stoop bear repugnances swallow down contradictions digest injuries The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence The end thou aimest at is Perfection the reward of thy Conquest is Eternal Love eternal Life eternal Happiness Behold O my Lord my strength and my Salvation I am fully resolved to lay the ax to the root of this wicked tree Help me I beseech thee with thy Grace from above that I may hew my self out of my self that I may kill crucifie and mortifie my inveigling sensuality cut off my evil inclinations rectifie my disorder'd passions and root out each thought or desire which tends not directly to thy honour will and love O my Lord and my God! 3. We can never love God unless we hate our Selves I Know Lord that it is bootless to study Perfection without the practice of Mortification I confess I can never love thee truly but in as much as I hate my self really such is the Antipathy between self-love and thy holy affection Ah! how can a spirit distracted with contrary inclinations be freely and fully vacant to thy divine contemplation Put therefore I beseech thee a sluce to my unmortified Passions put a bound to my distraught heart and powerfully keep back those innumerous concupiscences and corrupt imaginations violently succeding each other that my united affections may intend thee only the only object of all happiness Gather O my Lord the dispersed forces of my Soul from all multiplicity of worldly affections to the union of thy only love Keep I beseech thee my Understanding Will Memory Imagination and all my inward and outward Senses from roaming abroad that carefully attending and entertaining thy divine presence in my Soul I may attain true introversion simplification and union of my Spirit with thine Reform O my Lord all the natural corruptions of my outward man and redress all the spiritual infirmities of my inward man destroy and disperse all internal and external enemies and opposers of thy holy love possess me perfectly and dispose of me entirely according to thy Divin will and pleasure 4. A firm Resolution of mortifying our exteriour Sensuality TO this end O bless my weak endeavours al mighty and al-merciful Lord God! I will subtract all superfluities from my body and accustom it to all sorts of sufferings that so I may fit it up for thee O holy Spirit who dwellest not with them that are sensual and subject to Sin Alas I have not yet resisted to the effusion of my blood and should I spill each drop of blood in my body in this holy quarrel how little ought I to regard it in respect of the great good I expect I will therefore crucifie thee O my flesh with all thy concupiscences I will mortifie my outward Senses the windows by which death steals into my Soul the hinderers of my hearts tranquillity the destroyers of true devotion the dispersers of inward recollection and the utter ruiners of all the good desires which I conceive and kindle in my prayers Ah how soon is this divin fire cooled and quenched not only by Sin but also by the distracting images of outward Objects I will keep a special and strict watch over my Tongue on which depends my spiritual life or death and cherish thee O beloved Silence which art the key of piety the keeper of innocency and the preserver of purity I will trample down my inferiour Nature with all its evil affections and motions of love hatred joy sadness desire fear hope anger c. I will order dispose and direct it according to the Laws of reason and thy divine inspirations O my Lord and my God! Grant me courage I beseech thee to quell and curb this most dangerous my greatest enemy which is the source of all my miseries the Citadel from whence Sin assails me and Satan fetches his forces to fight against me Grant Good Lord that I may never yield to this wicked Eve perswading Adam my Superior Will to eat the forbidden fruit to consent to unlawful pleasures This is the chief exercise of Gods children not to be carried away with affections of flesh and blood but to conduct
most hearty thanks for vouchsafing by Death to deliver my spirit from the Law of these corporal Members which kept it so long enslaved under the Law of Sin Let me freely offer up to thee my life in Sacrifice and let thy love be the Fire not only to purifie but also to ennoble this my oblation which of it self is so mean and contemptible Finally O Soveraign Lord of life and death I resignedly leave to the conduct of thy sacred Providence all that concerns my poor Soul's departure out of this her pilgrimage as to the Time the Place the Assistants the Consolations the Derelictions and whatsoever other Circumstance I only beg that thy holy Grace may not then abandon me when all human helps must of necessity become useless unto me In the mean space let Death O my God! be my continual Looking-glass to keep me from wilfully offending thy Divine Majesty to check my immoderate Affection to this life which is so uncertain in its permanency and so certain in its misery and to mind me that each Moment of time I live may be the last wherein I must appear before thy dread tribunal to render an account of my actions and to receive accordingly a definitive sentence which must remain irrevocable for all Eternity 3. The Prayer of S. Vincent to our Lord Jesus for the same end that is to obtain the grace of Dying well O My Soveraign Lord Jesu who dyedst for the salvation of the whole World and desirest not that any one should perish to whom I never present my Prayers with out hopes of Mercy relying upon thy own gracious Promise That whatsoever shall be ask'd in thy Name shall be granted I beseech thee by that sweet and sacred Name that in the Article of my Death thou wilt be pleased to give me perfect integrity of my Senses true Contrition for my Sins a lively Faith a firm Hope and a perfect Charity that I may then say unto thee with a pure and clean Heart into thy Hands O my Saviour Jesu I commend my Spirit 16. A most Devout and Efficacious Prayer to our Blessed Redeemer in the honour of his bitter Passion Which whosoever shall humbly Recite before the Image of a Crucifix with a pure Intention and perfect Resignation several Days together may confidently Hope to obtain of the Divine Mercy a full Grant of their lawful Demands O Dear Jesu My blessed Saviour and Redeemer The sweet Comforter of all sad desolate and distressed Souls Behold thy poor Servant humbly prostrate at the foot of thy holy Cross deploring his Misery imploring thy Mercy and beseeching thee to take pity and compassion upon him in this his present and pressing Affliction Infirmity Poverty Temptation Trouble or whatsoever other Spiritual or Corporal Necessity Hear my Prayers O assured Refuge of all afflicted wretches behold my Tears consider my Sorrows and remedy my Distresses for finding my self encompassed with grievous Calamities by reason of my great Crimes I know not whether to fly for Succour or to whom I may make my Moan but to thee my meek and merciful Saviour with a full hope and confidence that thou O my loving Reedemer wilt vouchsafe to lend the Ears of thy ordinary piety and accustomed clemency to the humble Petition of thy poor Child And By that sweetness which thy blessed Soul resented at the time of thy Alliance with our Human nature when resolving with the Father and the Holy Ghost to Unite thy Divine Person to Mortal Flesh for Mans salvation thou sent'st thy Angel to the holy Virgin Mary with those happy tidings and cloathing thy self with our Humanity in her chast Entralls remainedst true God and true Man for the space of nine Months in her sacred Womb By the Anguish thou enduredst when the time of thy designed Passion drawing nigh thou prayedst to thy Eternal Father That if it might stand with his Divine Providence thou desiredst that bitter Chalice might pass away from thee yet concluding with a most perfect act of Resignation Not my Will O Heavenly Father but thine be fulfilled By the outragious Injuries scornful Disgraces cruel Blows contumelious Blasphemies forg'd Witnesses false Accusations and unjust Judgments which thou Innocent Lamb patiently enduredst By the Shackles which fettered thy Limbs the Tears which flow'd from thy Eyes the Blood which trickled from thy whole Body By the Fears Sorrows and Sadnesses of thy Heart and by the Shame thou receivedst in being stripp'd of thy Garments to hang naked on the Cross in the sight of thy sorrowful Mother and in the presence of all the People By thy Royal Head crowned with Thorns and smitten with a Reed By thy Thirst quench'd with Vineger and Gall By thy Side open'd with a Spear and issuing forth Blood and Water to refresh our Souls with that living Fountain of thy Love and Mercy By the sharp Nails wherewith thy tender Hands and Feet were cruelly pierced and fastned to the Cross By the Recommendation of thy departing Soul to thy Heavenly Father saying Into thy Hands I commend my Spirit By thy praying for thy Enemies saying O Father forgive them for they grow not what they do By thy giving up the Ghost when thou cryedst out with a lowd Voyce My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and then bowing down thy blessed Head to reach us the Kiss of Peace sayd'st All is finished By the great Mercy thou shewd'st towards the good Theif saying This day thou shalt be with me in Paridise By thy Descent into Limbus and the Joy thou communicated'st to the just Souls there detained By the Glory of thy triumphant Resurrection and the comfortable Apparitions thou frequently madst for forty days space to thy sacred Virgin Mother to thy Apostles and to thy other chosen Friends and Servants By thy admirable Ascension when in the sight of thy Mother and thy Apostles thou wert elevated into Heaven By the Myraculous comming down of the Holy Ghost in form of Fiery Tongues whereby thou replenishedst the hearts of thy Disciples with thy Love and gav'st them Strength and Courage to plant thy Faith in the whole World By the dreadful day of General Judgment in which thou art to give Sentence upon all-Mankind By all these Sorrows Joys Passions Compassions and whatsoever else is near and dear to thee in Heaven and upon Earth take pity on me O compassionat Redeemer hear my Prayer and grant me that for which I now most humbly and heartily Petition thee Mention here the thing you desire or reflect mentally upon it Give me O gracious Saviour a speedy and efficacious feeling of thy Divine Succour and Comfort who according to the accustomed Sweetness of thy tender Heart art wont to grant the Requests of them who fear and love thee even to their own Souls desire and satisfaction Bestow on me also O my Blessed Lord Jesu a constant Faith a confident Hope a perfect Charity a cordial Contrition a sincere Confession a competent Satisfaction a diligent
WE FLY TO YOVR PATRONAGE O SACRED MOTHER OF GOD etc FAITH HOPE CHARITY CONFESSION COMVNION LAST AGONY The Dayly Exercise of the deuout Christian in order To Liue holily and To Die happily By. T.V. Monk of St. BENNETS Order 1673 A DAYLY EXERCISE OF THE DEVOUT Christian CONTAINING Several most pithy Practices of Piety In order to LIVE HOLILY AND DYE HAPPILY Published by T.V. Monk of the holy Order of St. BENEDICT The third Edition digested into better Order with many material Additions and Alterations Printed Anno Dom. 1673. Superiorum permissu To the Honorable HENRY TITCHBOURN BARONET Honored Sir WHat the Macedonians said long since when after the death of King Philip they saw his Son Alexander succeeding no less to his Father's Virtue and Valour than to his Crown and Kingdom That their Nation had lost nothing but the Body not the Bravery of their Prince nor chang'd its Monarch but only the Man as Justin expresses it The antient Family of the Titchbourns which hath continued successively famous in this Country since the first coming in of the Saxons may truly say at this present by a particular providence of Heaven which depriving it of its worthy Sir Richard hath supplyed his place with a Sir Henry your no less worthy Self who succeeding as well to your parents Virtue as to his Estate and Title give us all a most just and joyful occasion to confess that we have thereby suffer'd no notable change or detriment since the same spirit of Prudence and Discretion which appear'd in the Predecessor continues in the conduct and comportment of the Successor And surely they who have at any time been present And who would not wish to be present at so signal a Ceremony Which I here mention amongst the many Examples of the Fathers and Sons paralell'd conformity to eternize the deserved memory of so heroick a Charity at the great Dole freely given to all far and near Commers and annually distributed upon the 25 of March as a Memorandum I doubt not of the eelestial bounty upon that Day in which the greatest Dole that e're was given the Bread I mean which Angels feed on was bestow'd from above on starv'd mankind cannot but admiringly behold so exact a correspondency of Order of Gravity of Government between him who formerly perform'd this pious action and your Self who now prosecutes it as that the change appears in nothing but in the Person and the difference is only distinguishable by the Countenance This little I have said and more I dare not dreading the offence of your Modesty is chiefly in relation to Gods Praise and Honor who is the bountiful Author and Bestower of all good Gifts and Blessings For I well know That your solid Humility suffers you not to Attribute to your self more of all the high Favours which Nature and Heaven have liberally heap'd upon you than the bare obligation which is thereby increased of corresponding more diligently to your Duty and should I go about to give you the least share of the Glory I should at once injure the divine Grace and your Virtue Wherefore to avoid the Censure of Indiscretion and the Suspition of Flattery and lest I should provoke you to indignation upon pretence of seeking to please you and finally fearing that instead of offering you a Present I might prepare for you a kind of Punishment I will spare the labour of running farther into the large field of your Praises which I plainly foresee would prove as irksome to your moderation and temper as it is unsutable to my custom and profession and which indeed you would more unwillingly permit than I could easily perform Contenting my self only to mention what I may not well smother up in silence as directly conducing to the design of this Dedication which is That the consideration of your singular Piety to God and sincere Devotion to the sacred Virgin Mother hath caus'd me to fix my eyes upon your worthy Person as seeming most proper to patronize this small product of my pen containing a Daily Exercise for all pious Christians in order to a holy Life and a happy Death both in regard of the sympathy between its Precepts and your Practice and also in hopes that your propos'd Example may prove to others a powerful Motive of borrowing your imitation Nor will I doubt of your favourable acceptance of these well meant endeavours since what is defective in the Manner and fashion is abundantly supplied by the price and value of the Matter by the profit and necessity of the Subject and by the hearty and unfeigned affections of the Offerer who ceases not dayly to sollicite the divine Goodness that after a long continued Holy Life you may finally arrive at a Happy Death which will be infallibly follow'd with the reward of an eternal Crown of Glory and Immortality Honored Sir Your most humble Orator T. V. An ADVERTISEMENT To the PIOUS READER THe good success of the two former Editions of this dayly Exercise hath given encouragement to this third In which by good advice there are some Additions some Defalkations some Alterations The Additions are The Calender of the Chief of our English Brittish Irish and Scottish Saints for each day in the year with the time of their Deaths The Exhortation to all pious Christians which is in the beginning of the Book and Several Prayers in the 14th Paragraf The Defalkations are The seven Penetential Psalms Paraphras'd which although they contain most pithy Acts of Devotion and especially of Contrition yet those being supplyed by many such Acts throughout the whole work it was judg'd fit to omit as also the several unnecessary Examinations of the Conscience and some other few Superfluities lest this intended Pocket-Book should have swell'd to an over-big Bulk The Alterations are chiefly of the You into Thou in our addresses to the Divine Majesty For notwithstanding that other Nations generally make use of that sweeter and smoother manner of expressing themselves in Prayer yet I durst not introduce it into our Language for fear of incurring the Censure of Novelty or Singularity What else is diversified either in the Manner or in the Matter will obviously appear to the devout Peruser to whose Prayers the Compiler humbly commends himself The Roman Calendar Containing the Festival Fasting and Saints Days according to the most authentick Practises and last Instructions With the Time in which the Saints dyed January Hath Days 31 Sun Rises 1. Day 8.2 min. Fasting Days 0 Sun Rises 15. Day 7.44 m. Festival Days 2 Sun Rises 31. at 7.18 min. Roman 1 A The Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ call'd New-Years-Day Luke 2. 2 b The Octave of S. Stephen 3 c The Octave of S. John 4 d The Octave of the Holy Innocents 5 e The Vigil of the Epiphany with a Comem of S. Telesphorus Pope and Mart. 154 6 f The Epiphany of our Lord. Or the Solemnity in memory of Christs Apparition and Manifestation to the Gentiles
Exhortatory Oration ¶ 1. The Exercise for the Morning and Evening Page 1. ¶ 2. Directions for Prayer and Meditation Page 27 ¶ 3. Practical Exercises upon the chief Christian Vertues Page 36 ¶ 4. Of Penance and Confession Page 153 ¶ 5. Particular Directions and Practical Devotions for Confession Page 175 ¶ 6. An Examination for a General Confession Page 199 ¶ 7. Eight Exercises containing the Ground-work of all Prayer and Introversion Page 232 ¶ 8. Devotions for Communion Page 320 ¶ 9. Directions for Hearing Mass Page 350 ¶ 10. Directions and Entertainments for Sick Persons Page 374 ¶ 11. Prayers for the Souls Departed Page 449 ¶ 12. Devotions applied to the Souls in Purgatory Page 447 ¶ 13. An Appendix of several Devout Prayers Page 465 AN EXHORTATION TO ALL PIOUS CHRISTIANS CONCERNING Their Dayly Exercise of Devotion Declaring the Manner the Profit and the Necessity thereof In order to Live Holily and to Die Happily My Time is not yet come but your Time is always ready says our Blessed Saviour in St. John 7.6 1. AS if he should say The day of my own Death is in my own disposition but as for you the time of your Death continually attends you Its stroak is unavoydable and its surprisal dangerous If it seises on you whilst you are in an evil estate you are utterly lost on that Moment depends your Eternity of Bliss or Bale Happy Moment if it find you well provided Vnhappy Moment if it catches you undisposed 2. From this Advertisment of our dear Redeemer we ought to draw a necessary Resolution of being evermore in a Readiness because our Time is always ready and we know not the Day the Hour the Moment of Deaths summons And this affords me a fit occasion here at the entrance into this Book which is to contain the chief pieces of Piety belonging to the practise of all Christians to direct you devout Readers how to dispose your selves dayly by your Morning and Evening Exercises that Death may not find you unprovided An affair surely of highest emportance and therefore deserving your most serious attention 3. Why stand you here loytering all the day long said the Master of the family in the Parable of the Vinedressers to such as he found at the Mid-day season standing with folded arms and following no manner of fruitful employment But how much more cause hath our Creator represented by that Father of the family to reproach the major part of Christians who seeming so full of bisiness in this world stand idling all their time and being evermore employed never act any thing to the purpose Their pains-taking proves altogether unprofitable their Works are useless says the Prophet and they weary out themselves in weaving Spiders Webbs Ambition takes up their time Avarice employs them Vanity entertains them Sensuality embusies them They run themselves out of breath after foolish Fancies and irregular Affections They tire themselves to content their Carnal Concupiscences their Irregular Passions their Imaginary Curiosities And yet they can never Ah deceiv'd Mortalls never satisfy their Desires It being impossible to settle such Appetites as have no certain Rule no solid End no fixed Aym and Pretension 4. And what I pray you is the Fruit of all their labours What are all these passing things they so passionatly pursue being compar'd to the Eternal good things they neglect to God whom they forget to Heaven which they forego What are they but meer Flies Atomes Nothings less than Nothings And yet O the vast number of such busie Idlers and idle Laborers Whatsoever men act against Gods holy Law and Precepts whatsoever they act being out of God Grace whatsoever they act not aiming at Gods honour by purity of Intention though they take never so much pains yea though the Action have in it self never so much of Moral Goodness yet 't is lost as to the Doors 't is useless to their Souls 't is bootless for Heaven 't is nothing worth as to the main aim of a Christian and the final End of Man which is Eternal Life Eternal Felicity 5. 'T is therefore a prudent Caution and worthy every Christians Consideration who ought by Reason and may by Grace provide for his own good to be evermore careful not only to Act nothing contrary to his Salvation but nothing which conduces not thereto that so he may not expend his Time his Toil his Talent foolishly idly unprofitably Now he shall happily hit this mark who so orders the whol course of his Life as 1. to endeavour to keep himself always in Gods Grace and Favour and 2 to relate all his Actions whether Commanded or Moral or Natural to the Divine Majesty either by an express and particular adress of his Intention to his honour or at least by a tacite vertual general Designation whereby he resolv's and purposes to perform all his Actions to his Creators praise and glory following the Apostles advice Do all things to Gods Honour 6. And because the whol course of our lives pilgrimage is composed of Years the years of Months the months of Weeks the weeks of Days He who shall duly settle his Course for the space of each Days duration and diligently observe a devout Rule for his Dayly conduct cannot fail in the happy steerage of his whole life wherein consists the Christians true Duty and totâ—… Occupation and which surely is the best Preparation against that surprisal wherewith our present Theam threatens us The time of our Death and of the Judgment which follows it is ever ready and at hand The Time is certain as to the Execution uncertain as to the Moment and therefore it demands of us all a Preparation dayly renew'd diligently continved devoutly preseverant 7. Now to the end I may deliver this so useful and necessary an Instruction in due Order and Method it shall be briefly dividid into three Points 1. The Exercise for the Morning 2. The Regulation of the Day 3. The Exercise for the Evening Which I propose to you all Devout Christians not to be simply read and so laid aside but to be deeply imprinted in your Memories and duly practised in your Lives and Actions according to each ones reach and capacity and as his leasure will give him leave the several Callings Conditions Affairs and Employments of the persons being considered 8. These Exercises therefore are exceeding necessary for all such Christians as seriously aspire to that End which is the object of their Hope whereto their Faith teaches them to tend which is the Eternal glory of the next Life For he who neglects to left up his Heart to God in the days beginning before he gives his affection to worldly affaires shews an ungrateful forgetfulness of the End to which each one ought to aspire and sufficiently declares that the irregular love of temporal things hath stifled in his Soul all sense of things Eternal So likewise he who is careless in scanning over his Soul and considering his condition
tyrannize over your Nature 3. To what imperfections you have been most subject 4. How you have perform'd your Morning resolutions of doing this avoiding that 5 How you have comply'd with the Obligations which concern your special calling charge and condition 3. Marking particularly upon each one of these heads your most notorious Excesses Omissions Commissions Negligences Then conceiving a general hatred horrour and detestation of all sin say briefly O my Soul How ill have we imployed our Time and Talent lent us to merit Eternity O my Lord and Maker I am most heartily sorry for all these sins defects and imperfections which by thy divine grace and light I have now discover'd and discern'd in my soul and humbly implore thy mercifull pardon both for them and all such others as have escaped my memory But if in the Examination of your conscience you there take notice of any mortal Crime Be sure to confound your self presently in your Creators presence Crying out in the bitterness of your Soul O my strange Frailty Malice Ingratitude Whence is it that thou my justly irritated Creator commandedst not the Earth instantly to swallow me or Fire from Heaven to consume me or thy exterminating Angel to cut me off Whence is it that thou withheldst thy breath from blasting me in the very height of my sinfull action with sudden death or that thou sent'st not some of thy instruments of Justice to revenge this horrid injury by razing me from off the Earth's surface and hurrying me head-long into the dismal inexplicable interminable torments of Hell being the place which is only proper and therefore prepar'd to receive such ungratefull ungracious and perverse wretches And why is this favourable delay of thy divine Justice afforded me O my patient and compassionate Lord God! but only to give me time to recall my self from my wickedness and to call upon thy Mercy and Goodness Behold O my Creator I call I cry I come to thee as a poor wretched miserable Criminal I call to thee for Pity I cry to thee for Mercy I come to thee for Pardon And I resolve purpose and promise by the assistance of thy Grace seriously to correct speedily to confess and willingly to satisfie for what is amiss in me And this not for fear of Hell-fire which I have deserved not for the loss of Heaven which I have forfeited but for the love of thee my Lord God! whom I have offended I acknowledg my self worthy of thy Punishment unworthy of thy Inheritance but that which chiefly grieves me is the having injur'd thy Goodness The consideration of having offended thee my loving Father more lively pierces my soul than the apprehension of my sufferings or the loss of my Childs portion Wherefore even for thy own sake O compassionate Father pity relieve and receive thy poor repenting and returning Prodigal who even for thy own and only sake heartily detests all his sins sincerely promises his amendment and humbly craves thy pardon They who have more time and leisure and who desire to become more truly spiritual may here before they betake themselves to their rest make these five internal and affectionate acts 1. A Spiritual uncloathing of our Souls REturn securely O my Soul into thy place of rest Repose sweetly quietly confidently in the bosom of the divine Bounty Rely entirely upon thy Lords love and mercy And cutting off all cares and curiosities all fears and desires remain here contentedly without diverting thy self with any other Objects Behold O my Lord and Lover I absolutely renounce all but thee humbly casting my self into the arms of thy most holy Disposition Providence and Protection I will henceforth aim at nothing but the advancement of thy Honor the accomplishment of thy Will the encrease of thy Love and an Union with thy self O how truly happy wouldst thou be my yet unmortifi'd Soul were thy Affections once free and not clasp'd to any Creature that thou couldst readily resolutely resignedly throw off all and take the naked Cross for thy total Inheritance Thou O my loving Lord Jesu wert born naked in a Stable diedst naked on a Cross wert put naked into thy dolefull Mothers arms to be first bath'd in her Tears and then buried naked in anothers Sepulchre and shall not my Heart and Soul burn with love of external and internal Nakedness Live my Lord Jesus depriv'd of Father and Mother on the Cross Live Mary depriv'd of thy only Son at the foot of the Cross Live naked Cross and live this holy Nakedness Live my Beloved to me and I to him Uncloath me therefore O Jesu 1. Of all sin 2. Of all affection to sin 3. Of all curiosity and vanity 4 Of all sensuality 5. Of all inordinate passion 6. Of all self-complacency self-judgment self-love self-will 7. Of my whol self and whatsoever is displeasing to the pure eyes of thy divine Majesty 2. A most profound Humiliation of our Souls O My Soveraign Creator I most heartily acknowledg my own baseness misery weakness wickedness nothing I perfectly hate dislike and loath my self and all my own proceedings Behold me O Lord lying here prostrate at thy feet as a poor Publican not worthy to lift my Eyes towards Heaven or to take thy sacred Name into my sinfull mouth But what more can I do O my Maker than offer up to thy Majesty an humble and contrite heart fully prepar'd to suffer what thou shalt please to command it And lo I present my whol self bound hand and foot before the Throne of thy Mercy to be adjudg'd according to thy Will Lord I fly not from thee I appeal not from thy Sentence I pretend no priviledge I plead no excuse Be thou the Knife and I the Flesh Hack and hew me cut me and crucifie me as thou pleasest Only pardon my sins Let me live in thy service Die in thy favour and Enjoy thy Love for all Eternity 3. A recommendation and resignation of all to the divine Majesty INto thy holy hands O heavenly Father I recommend my Spirit my Memory my Will my Understanding my Senses my Actions all that I have and am I cast all at thy sacred feet imploy them all as best liketh thee that by them all thou mayst be praised served and loved purely perfectly perpetually I entirely resign my self and all to thy most sacred Will in life and in death for time and for Eternity And will resolutely chearfully and affectionately say and sing at all times in all places upon all occasions Our Lords Name be ever praised his honour always promoted his Will eternally perform'd by me and by all his Creatures 4. A hope and confidence that God whom we Love and who Loveth us will effect what is best for us BEhold O Heavenly Father I here place my self under the wings of thy paternal protection by an immutable Act of filial Confidence and faithful Affection humbly committing all that any way concerns me to thy most holy Providence In this Center O
my Creator I will irrevocably fix my Heart and Hope making it my sole imployment during this my lives Pilgrimage to please praise and love thee and not doubting but thou wilt provide for me preserve me perfect me and at thy own appointed time bring me to thy perpetual bliss and felicity In this Act of Love Hope and Confidence I will securely sleep expire and die the death of Love living no more to my self for my self in my self but thou my loving Lord living within me leaving to thee all care of my self and not Fearing what can befall me in all future time and eternity 5. A Divine Sleep of Contemplation ANd now composing my Body to sleep my Heart shall remain awak'd to thee my Lord and Lover Though my Understanding remains vacant from all discourse and image my Will shall be still working watching and melting away in Acts of Love to thy divine Majesty O sweet and secure sleep O sincere and solid repose O pure and perfect pleasure O the difference between this spiritual and all fleshly contents How great O Lord is the multitude of thy sweetness which thou hast laid up in store for all such as truly love and faithfully serve thee O Lights O Delights O Extasies of Spirit O sweet Spouse of my soul Wound me Burn me Consume me Annihilate me in the abyssal depths of thy divine Love and Union Then put off your Garments with all modesty and civility being never without some pious thought in your heart or some Jaculatory prayer in your mouth As O Saviour how barbarously wert thou uncloath'd to be nail'd naked to the Cross Uncloath my soul sweet Jesu of all its evil habits and idle affections c. Composing your self in your Bed you may say or think thus This Bed may perhaps be my Grave this sleep my Death and my next Uprising may be my Summons to the Soveraign Judges terrible Tribunal O dear Saviour dispose of me at thy pleasure for time and eternity Endeavour to take your Sleep which is a natural action with a Spirit of Devotion so making meritorious each minute of time whereof Sleep seems to rob you by loving God with your Soul even whilst your Body hath no use of Sense either Actually by breathing forth affectionate Aspirations as oft as you awake or Vertually by the vigour of your now well made Intention And thus you may say with the Spouse in the Canticles I sâ—…p but my heart watcheth Then quietly shut your Eyes and fall asleep upon some good Cogitation or pious Affection For the last thought at Night occurs commonly first in the Morning saying with Jesus on the Cross Into thy hands O heavenly Father I commend my Spirit If sleep seizes not presently upon you say three Pater-nosters and Aves The first for the faithfull departed The second for the now sick and agonizing The third for all your enemies Which are Three Spiritual Alms-deeds ¶ II. Directions for Prayer and Meditation THey who aim at the perfection of Virtue and mean to make a solid progress in Spirituality must besides the Morning and Evening Exercises before prescribed daily duly and perseverantly apply themselves to Prayer at fit and set times and never omit it upon any pretext whatsoever as far forth as Obedience Charity and Discretion will permit There are four sorts of Prayer Vocal Mental Aspirations Transcendent 1. VOcal Prayer is the most imperfect of all as having the least share of Spiritual light Yet it is the most proper for Beginners till the Soul becomes more internal And it is to be perform'd especially when it is of obligation punctually leisurely distinctly devoutly Be sure to make a good choice of your Vocal Exercises preferring those before all others which excite you to most Devotion and which afford the sweetest relish to your Souls appetite 2. MEntal Prayer consists of three parts Preparation Meditation Conclusion Preparation hath three Acts The first is a Lively Humble and Amorous apprehension of Gods Presence who is with you within you your Life your Love your All. The second is Purity of Intention protesting you come to Prayer only to praise please and honour the divine Majesty and happen what will that you will do as far forth as his powerfull Grace shall enable your weak endeavours The third is Invocation by which you heartily beg light from the Father of lights humbly acknowledg your own Nothing and entirely abandon your self into Gods holy hands in all things whatsoever Meditation hath also three Acts. Consideration or a quiet search into the matter proposed that you may win your will to God Affections and Desires to do this leave that love God hate vice c. Resolutions firm purposes and protestations to practise as your Will is inclined as your Vnderstanding is convinced and as your Soul is now inspired Conclusion hath likewise three Acts. Thanksgiving for all Gods benefits in general and particular especially for the grace he hath now given you Petition craving that by your Creators mercy your Redeemers merits and the Saints mediation all your Defects may be pardoned your Wants supplied your Wounds cured your Wishes accomplished and imploring a special assistance for the putting in execution of your now made Resolutions Oblation of your self body soul present prayer all to the divine Majesty 3. PRayer of Aspirations or Jaculatory Prayers are short sweet frequent and fervent desires requests elevations and affections of the Soul to God These are of several sorts and may be made either in the Heart only or by the Heart and Mouth joyntly Of this sort of Prayer see more in our Spiritual Conquest 4. THe last purest perfectest and highest manner of Prayer is made only by a certain adhesion of the devout Soul to the divine Will without any Vocal expressions Mental discourses or any Images whatsoever But by a simple general obscure light of Faith and a Fervent Attentive Intensive motion and Vnion of Love Of this Prayer See also our Spiritual Conquest A way to Meditate upon any Virtue or Vice 1. AFter a lively apprehension of the divine Presence an humble acknowledgment of your own unworthiness and a rectifying of your intention as above Ponder wherein the Virtue you desire or the Vice you derest doth really consist 2. What need you have to get this and to root out that How happily you should live could you obtain it What you lose by not having it 3. What did your blessed Saviour teach and practise What our blessed Lady or such a Saint What saith your Rule or your Conscience or what is your Obligation touching this matter 4. Now what means are there to purchase it What are the occasions which nourish this Vice this Passion this Imperfection and hinder this Virtue or Perfection What Remedies What Practise 5. Then purpose and resolve upon them couragiously and confidently not doubting but that in due time you shall tast the fruits of your faithfull labours and diligence c. And to perswade
When I weigh the wonderfull greatness glory and splendor of thy dear Spouse the Catholick Church her antiquity extent succession her establishment order union her charity constancy sanctity and all other her advantages and prerogatives which would fill whol volumes to explicate am I not sufficiently convinc'd that she is not built up by human policy but is the work of thy heavenly power O City of God! what glorious things are said of thee which hast such excellent succours from above such admirable success against thy enemies such amiable sweetness to confer upon thy faithful children When I ponder the quality of the doctrine so pure so perfect so holy forbidding all Sin even in the least thought or desire teaching all Virtue tending to a supernatural end as self-hatred contempt of all temporalities c. and ayming O Lord at thy holy Love and union How clearly doth it appear to proceed from thy self the pure source of all sanctity and perfection Alas how unproportionable is mans weakness and wickedness to think of a doctrin so conformable to thy divine greatness When I also meditate on the means whereby this Faith was at first planted and soon after propagated to the utmost ends of the world I clearly behold a hand of heaven and an evident draught of thy infinite power and providence Twelve Apostles poor powerless creditless persons proposing things contrary to mens natural appetites and of most hard digestion to flesh and bloud to give Laws to the whol world To conquer and convert the Emperors and Kings of the earth rising in express opposition against them I plainly perceive thy co-operation O Father of Heaven and thy choosing of weaklings to confound the strong 'T is thou alone canst be master of this sacred science and I may with an humble confidence cry out If this be error O Lord 't is thy self hast deceived me since thou hast led me into this belief by persons of such sanctity and confirm'd it by prodigies of such efficacy 6. Resolutions concerning Faith ANd now my dear Lord and Lover I offer thee my poor heart replenished with all these Acts Affections and Resolutions O that I might dye for the defence of these infallible Verities How willingly would I lay down my life and shed every drop of bloud in my body for each part and parcel of this my Faith and profession Thou O Jesu art God-man and Man-God Thou art the Way the Truth and the life O that I might be torn in a thousand morsels for following this way believing this Truth loving this Life Thy Church is infallible and her decisions indubitable O that occasion were offer'd of a thousand deaths swords fires torments to try my fidelity in this assured particular But how resolvest thou my feeble soul upon these high and heroick exploits who art so subject to faint and to turn coward upon far less occasion Alas hast thou not often bely'd thy Faith by thy works without any constraint or contradiction Thou confessest a Saviour needy upon earth and naked on the Cross and yet thy covetousness is insatiable A Saviour humble and contemned and thou breathest nothing but ambition A Saviour meek merciful patient and thy enmities are immortal thy injuries intolerable thy hatred irreconcilable Ah weakling Thou yieldest at a pins-pricking how wilt thou stand at the swords piercing If straws make thee stumble how wilt thou subsist against darts Conquer thy self first in these lesser skirmishes that thou mayst be constant in those greater combats O my Lord I am reduced to nothing I praise the Conquerors but my self perisheth in the smallest conflicts I am too conscious of my own frailty to confide in my own forces Yet I desire to imitate the invincible courage of holy Martyrs and tender Virgins who for this Faith endured such torments Thou Lord art my only strength and confidence O let thy grace which is never wanting to them that trust in thee powerfully support and shield me thy weak yet willing Souldier with faithful courage and perseverant constancy in the day of battail and whensoever time or occasion shall exact a tryal of my true fidelity thou O Saviour Jesu the Author and finisher of my Faith who hast call'd me sought me found me carried me home to thy fold and numbred me amongst thy Sheep Grant I beseech thee that I may lead a life correspondent to my Faith and that my manners may be conformable to thy merciful illuminations That after the imperfect and obscure knowledg of this world I may finally arrive to the pure knowledg of thee in the other where with thy Saints I hope to behold thee face to face by the light of glory in thy blessed Eternity 7. A triple Practise and the Conclusion of these Acts of Faith IN the mean space I will by thy blessed assistance O divine bounty daily and diligently prepare encourage and fortifie my Soul with these three pious practises 1. Since Faith is the fountain of all Grace the life of my soul the soul of my love the ground-work of my salvation the only Eye by which I can view heaven through this veil of mortality the root of all that is truly good desirable amiable and yet this so necessary a good O eternal Goodness is thy free gift I will instantly beg it of thy bounty and never cease crying out in imitation of thy Apostles Lord encrease my Faith 2. Since the want of this lively and active Faith in such things as concern thy divine honour O dread Soveraign and my own happiness is the chief cause that I have passed and lost so many years days and hours of my short life without making any progress in thy love or profit in virtue My soul shall henceforth inhabit Heaven my spirit shall be no longer link'd to these sensible objects but shall look upon things to come as if they were present truths Ah World what art thou to me who am made for an Eternity O Earth how I loath thee when I behold Heaven 3. Since my Faith is thus setled my conscience thus quieted my mind thus resolved upon such evident grounds such infallible Principles Let Hell vomit out all its malice by hereticks mouths against these my Tenents Let all the dead arise from their graves to tell me I am deceived Let the Angels and Saints descend from heaven to Evangelize a new doctrine Let all Christians upon Earth revolt against this and receive a contrary belief I will still remain stedfast in my choice and firm in my station not for the miracles which have confirm'd me and marks of truth which have seal'd my security and thy Churches infallibility but because thou my Lord who hast thus illuminated my soul with the supernatural light of Faith which thy Church teacheth me art the Truth it self and canst not possibly deceive me Lord I believe thy self and thy sacred Church This is the sum of my belief This is my present profession and protestation before heaven and earth
Here I live here I will die Supply my defects O indeficient fountain of goodness and strengthen this my Faith by thy efficacious Grace even to the last gasp I believe in God c. The Third Exercise Of Hope 1. The Definition of Hope Hope is a Theological Virtue enabling and enclining our souls to trust in God as their proper and Soveraign good by means of his grace and good works O Most infinitely amiable Lord God! who of thy meer unmeasurable and boundless mercy hast thus fill'd my Vnderstanding with true Faith whereby I have professed to believe thee and all thy revealed Verities confessed thee to be the only object of my desires and acknowledged thee the Author of my beginning preserver of my Being and the blessed end I aim at Replenish now my Will with heavenly Hope that I may patiently and perseverantly chearfully and couragiously expect the performances of thy faithful and infallible promises Lift up my soul O powerful Lord from her natural weakness and unweildiness that soaring aloft upon Hopes sacred wings she may attentively look on thee and always aspire towards thee her only secure Center and the sweet accomplishment of her desires and pretensions Thou O Soveraign Goodness art all amiable and therefore all desirable But alas I am yet far from thee I see but a glimpse of thy glory I behold thee at a great distance through the dark prospective-glass of Faith I enjoy not thy beatifying presence thy perfect love thy heavenly happiness My soul is not yet disengaged from her clog of clay she hath not yet triumph'd over her temptations trampled upon the bellies of her enemies Satan Sin Sensuality nor crown'd her virtues with final Perseverance These heights are the objects of my Hope and I rest assured that I may by thy helping grace O bountiful bestower of all blessings arrive at all these happinesses Ah! my immortal Soul what needest thou but thy God what desirest thou but his favour and friendship Canst thou content thy covetous appetites with natures poor imperfect and perishable accommodations Alas how unnecessary are they in order to thy soveraign good how unaccomplish'd how unsatisfactory But to desire thee O only amiable object of my wishes is true felicity Be thou therefore henceforth the whol aim of my love and sole scope of my endeavours O let my soul be totally taken up with this study to turn from creatures and return to thee her only desirable Creator Yes Lord As the tired and thirsty Hart seeks after the living fountain so doth my faint soul desire thee O lovely source of all sweetness When O when shall I attain to thee possess thee enjoy thee when shall I appear in thy sweet presence and be fully inebriated with thy only satisfying pleasures By thy grace O merciful Maker I may get these Glories and by a good life I shall in some sort deserve the performance of thy Promises I will now therefore strive O my God! to correspond to thy never-wanting Grace I will presently seriously and vigorously settle my self to live virtuously And though my passions are violent my imperfections many my offences grievous yet thy grace is stronger thy goodness greater thy mercy more powerful all which give me hopes of victory over my self and from thee confidence of pardon and compassion 2. The main motive of Hope is Gods great Mercy 〈◊〉 at all times in all places to all conditions O My meek Creator how infinite is thy Mercy how can I consider it and distrust thee Thou at first broughtst forth Angels and men out of their eternal Nothing to a glorious and blessed being After sin thou providedst a present remedy and promisedst a powerful Redeemer In Heaven thou recompencest thy Saints above their hopes or deserts In Hell thou punishest with less rigour than thy enemies malice requires On Earth thy glorious beams of providence shine upon all thy creatures rich and poor great and small Saint and Sinner Jew and Gentile Christian and Pagan Am I wicked Thou sweetly wooest me to penance Am I penitent Thou willingly receivest me to pardon Am I just Thou conservest me outwardly comfortest me inwardly and encouragest me to perseverance with infallible promises of eternal pleasures in thy blessed Paradise O mercy the sweet refuge and secure harbour of my Soul Shall I not hope in thee so immense so infinite so ready at all times in all places to all conditions Yes I will rely on thee O my only comfort I will repose in thee in all the accidents of this my wearisom Pilgrimage in my languor and health in adversity and prosperity life and death for time and eternity And when further I duly dive into thy Paternal Providence O heavenly Father which furnisheth all things with all necessaries to compass the end of their creation taking care of the smallest Birds Beasts Flyes Fishes Plants Minerals all shall I doubt of thy solicitude for my soul the most excellent of them all made to be master of them all form'd and fashion'd to thy own divine resemblance O my Creator how glorious things do I expect from thy bounty which hath conferr'd such plenty upon these thy least creatures Thy Power also supports this my Hope and confidence Who can take my soul out of thy hands if thou wilt save it What are Hells powers compar'd to thy omnipotency What shackles of sin can hold me if thou wilt break them Thou Lord canst lift up my drown'd soul from the deluge of vice to the piety of Saints to the purity of Angels to the perfection of Seraphins in a moment sooner then I can speak a word think a thought or twinkle with my eye And thy fidelity in the performance of thy promises O just God! confirms and comforts me in all the premises For Heaven and Earth shall pass but not a tittle of thy words shall perish 3. Other Motives of Hope Gods great Benefits are also powerfull motives for us to place our Confidence in him Especially his Creation Redemption Vocation HOw can I weigh thy wonderful Benefits O most bountiful Lord and not esteem them as so many sacred pledges of thy eternal love to me and strong pillars to support my confidence in thee Thou created'st me freely willingly unconstrainedly of nothing and canst thou hate thine own handy work Thou gavest me a noble Being and shall I doubt but thou wilt give me a perfect and accomplisht Being Thou mad'st all for me and me for thy self and may I not hope thou wilt bring me to thy self Thou constituted'st me King of thy creatures wilt thou cast me only off and not govern me with thy creatures Thou designed'st me for thy glory and wilt thou destroy me for eternity No Lord Thou wilt in thy good time compleat thine own purposes in me and finish these blessed beginnings Thou O sweet Redemer undertookest a thirty three-years Pilgrimage upon earth to seek me a lost sheep wilt thou reject me seeking after thee Thou hast loved me and
establish'd rules serving for the secure guidance of such souls to thy self who art their final end and beatitude as will not peremptorily go astray and deprive themselves of thy blessings O let me worthily conceive of thy wisdom greatness and goodness and never abuse thy bounty and longanimity by taking from thence occasion to continue in my malice and impenitency I fear thee therfore O my dread Soveraign amidst the heights of my Hopes O let me not be dashed against the rock of Presumption having happily escaped drowning in the gulf of Despair O my Lord What skill what care what adress is necessary to stear this tottering Vessel that it may safely arrive at thee it s only secure Harbour lest thou reject it as presumptuous or detest it as desperate Be thou the guide of my week soul O sweat Saviour Let thy Spirit of discretion direct her in the middle track that she neither lanch forth into the main of Presumption nor be swallowed up in the quicksands of Despair Let me hope for such happiness in such measure by such means as are most pleasing and agreeable to thy sacred Majesty O let my Wishes be ever conform'd to thy will Let my Hopes still rely upon thy mercies Let my endeavours be alwaies to live in all purity sanctity and perfection that nothing may frustrate the happy accomplishment of my high expectation 7. Too much confidence in Creatures is also contrary to our livly Hope in our Creator And the conclusion of this Exercise THou only O my blessed Creator canst bound my desires Ah! what content can I take in the best of thy Creatures Thou hast made my heart for thy self and till it rests in thee its true Center it remains totally unsatisfied O worldly glories what are you but poor and perishing trifles compared to my Gods essential goodness Grant therefore O my God! that I may so love all thy creatures and make such use of all temporalities that my hopes may never be unfastned from thee my final and eternal happiness Let me not rest in them as soveraign nor pursue them as principal since they are too vain and uncertain too uncapable and unworthy to quiet and content my Soul which aims at a higher mark and hopes one day to behold thy aimable countenance more clearly than through Faiths glass to contemplate thy lovely perfections without lassitude to enter into thy eternal Paradise and be there sweetly ravished with the unveil'd rarities of thy Divinity Thou Lord art the only Author of all my Good and therefore the main object of all my Hope Yet since thy paternal piety and providence hath allotted second and less principal causes to be assistants to me in order to the desired possession of these prime prerogatives I will place also in the sacred Humanity of my Redeemer in the powerful intercession of the Mother-Virgin in the suffrages of the heavenly Angels and holy Saints so much Confidence as may not in the least measure hinder distract or divert my full Hope from thy self who art my supream and only soveraign object And now my God! the only desired of my Soul behold I offer up unto thee all these acts of my Hope and Confidence And here again I most humbly acknowledg that thou hast provided both for my Body and Soul in so convenient a manner as no other but thy self O increated Wisdom could have effected To thee then I commit my self and all that concerns me to be disposed of now and ever as shall be most pleasing to thy divine honour and most conform to thy eternal and equitable disposition For since thy power knowledg and goodness are infinit what hurt can befal him or what enemy harm him who lives secure in thy sacred friendship and is shadowed under the wings of thy Divine Protection For the future O my good and gracious Soveraign I will grave on the door of my mouth and heart Dominus providebit Our Lord will provide Fear not my soul Our Lord governs thee nothing can be wanting to thee God is for us who dare be against us He placeth us neer himself let who will stretch their hands against us Let Man and Devil earth and Hell fight against us Thou Lord art my Captain my comfort my company Thou O JESU art my victory my glory my crown and my contentment Thou O Christ art my hope my help my happiness I will henceforth dread nothing but to displease thee nor desire any thing but to love thee I will rest quiet and confident under thy fatherly care and powerful protection come sickness or health welcom darkness or light joy or sorrow plenty or penury friend or foe life or death Heaven or Purgatory Time or Eternity The fourth Exercise Of Charity 1. The Definition of Charity in respect of the Divine Majesty Charity in respect of God is a Theological Virtue elevating our Wills to a supernatural love and liking of God for himself and for his own sake Several Acts of Love and Charity THou O most amiable Lord God! art Charity and he that remains in Charity lives in thee and thou in him O divine Love O happy life Lord give me this love that I may thus live draw my will powerfully by thy grace to love thy goodnesses greatnesses and glories with a supernatural liking of them for thine own sake Habituate and dispose me thy poor creature O Omnipotent Creator to form sweet Acts of thy sacred love direct me to fasten all my affections to thy only interests destroy in me all selfishness cancel all divertisments to created objects and raise up my soul to a sincere desire that thou alone shouldst possess all such perfections as are to thy self most proper and convenient I am therfore most highly pleased most heartily glad and I most humbly congratulate thee O my Lord that thou art even all that which thou art and that thou enjoyest thine own eternal Prerogatives thy Unity of Essence thy Trinity of subsistences thy Infinity of attributes thy Power Wisdom Bounty Beatitude Greatness Glory and all other the unconceivable goods and perfections flowing from thy divine Nature and peculiar to thy eternal Being O the inscrutable and immense perfections of my God! how glad is my soul that thou canst not be fully comprehended nor perfectly known by any created understanding I wish and desire Dear Lord the accomplishment of thy most just Commandments the augmentation of thy honour praise service and all other appurtinances to thy glory or relatives to thy greatness with all the affections which can possibly be conceived by thy weak creatures capacity O my Lord I will and desire all this for thine own selfs sake with a love of perfect liking benevolence and congratulation for thy good without the least touch of concupiscence or proper interest O the joy and jubily of my heart to consider thee the mighty Monark of heaven and earth to be in thy self and of thy self so great so happy so rich so glorious Oh!
Lord God! who ever accompaniest thy Judgments with Equity and accomplishest all thy works with prudence and perfection grant unto me thy poor servant here prostrate before thy tribunal of infinit Majesty a competent portion of this most exquisit and necessary Virtue O let it be still present at all my proceedings assistant to all my resolutions and chief president over all my counsel that being by it powerfully sway'd instructed and directed I may know how when where to act omit consult judg order and execute wisely uprightly discreetly undauntedly all that which is conformable to thy divine will and liking O thrice happy they who have attain'd the perfection of this amiable Virtue My Soul submits to thee O sacred Prudence as to her directing Mistress and commanding Queen that by thy safe conduct she may pass onward in the holy track of true piety advance daily in the practise of all solid virtues and arrive finally at thee O my God! my eternal bliss and beatitude the only end and aim of all her hopes and endeavours 2. The Parts of Prudence Prudence must have eight parts to make it perfect Memory Vnderstanding Docility Subtility Reason Providence Circumspectioo Precaution AH my poor Soul how far art thou from solid Wisdom since thou art destitute of all the requisit qualities and conditions Thou O Divine and undrainable fountain of all knowledg who frely openest the veins of Wisdom to them who humbly confess their own indigence and heartily implore thy heavenly assistance Distill I beseech thee these several rivulets into my imprudent indiscreet and ignorant spirit that I may be more capable upon all occasions to discern between verity and vanity and distinguish good from evil that so making Virtue the sole measure of all my desires and doings my life may be here pleasing to thy Majesty and my Soul after death may enjoy thee in thy blessed Eternity 3. The chief effects of Prudence are these 1. It helps us to discover and avoid our enemies ambushes 2. It is the sustainer director moderator and conserver of all virtues 3. It is the light by which we see how to guide our steps towards our heavenly home O That my Soul could always feel the admirable fruits and effects of this amiable Virtue O that I could dispose all my thoughts desires affections words and actions according to the dictamen of Discretion O that I could still consult maturely judg discreetly and execute virtuously upon all important occasions Give me O Eternal Wisdom Circumspection to discern my enemies deceits that I may shun them Give me Prudence of Heart to remember things past dispose of things present and provide for things to come Give me Prudence of Mouth to moderate all my Speeches Give me Prudence of Action to cancel all evil choose what is laudable And since O my Lord there can be no Virtue without Prudence which gives them order form beauty and all that denominates them rather Virtues than Vices Since this is the Salt which thou commandest to be offered in all Sacrifices wherby they become favoury to thy sacred Majesty O grant that I may be henceforth truly prudent discreet and well advised in all my enterprises that so I may in all things more perfectly please thee 4. The Vices directly opposit to Prudence Though all Vices Sins are opposite to Prudence yet Temerity or Precipitation Inconsideration Inconstancy and Negligence are its greatest enemies and more directly destroy it WAtch and Pray O my weak Soul that thou fall not into these precipices Ah how often hast thou been hitherto dash'd against these dangerous Rocks and what mervail if thou still remain'st so weak wounded wicked that thou liest yet wallowing in the mire of sin and art almost drown'd in the deluge of thy sensuality without making any progress in the way of the spirit since thou runnest on hood-winck'd headlong blindly rashly without consulting or considering the end and order of thy actions How long wilt thou defer through Negligence or desist through Inconstancy to effect what Prudence perswades thee as most convenient commendable and conducing to thy desired happiness Direct me henceforth O divine and essential Wisdom and preserve me from relapses into these dismal gulfs of rashness inconsideration inconstancy and negligence Let the whol design of my pious practise by thy only honour the perfection of thy holy Love in my Soul that being here united to thee it may hereafter enjoy thee in thy Eternal Glory 5. Other Vices opposit though not so directly to Prudence are those which are contrary to its several parts Forgetfulness Ignorance Indocibility Stupidity Want of Reason Improvidence Incircumspection and Vnwariness HElp me O my Lord my only refuge and buckler of defence to conquer all these enormous monsters Draw me powerfully out of these deluges of imperfections wherein either my natural weakness or my malicious wickedness have so frequently implung'd me and do yet daily and dangerously ingage me Dissipate I beseech thee these dark clouds with the infused light of thy divine Grace Indue my forgetful ignorant stupid spirit with Docility to receive my Superiours Counsels and Commands with Solicitude for my Souls eternal safety with Providence Precaution and all other necessary Weapons against the wiles of my adversaries that leading a life free from Vice I may expect Deaths call without terrour 6. Other Vices opposit to prudence by excess as the former were by defect are The Wisdom of the flesh Craft Deceit Fraud an over-eager carefulness for temporal conveniencies and too much solicitude for the future AH sick World how sad and deplorable is thy condition All is full of fleshly Prudence Persidiousness and perpetual Perplexity Each one seeks for poor and soon passing commodities of nature but the eternal treasures laid up in Heaven for our immortal Souls are little look'd after Ay me shall the children of darkness be more Prudent in their Generation than thou my Soul who pretendest to be an infant of Light Wilt thou be less covetous of Spiritual grace than worldlings are of Temporal goods O what a shame what a confusion is it that they should more fervently affect things pernicious than thou the profitable that they should run more nimbly to their death and ruine than thou to life and beatitude Away then with these false feigned pretended and worldly Wisdoms I will henceforth follow thy sweet invitation O Saviviour of my Soul and be no more solicitous what I shall eat and drink or wherewith I shall be cloathed I will only seek thy Kingdom and for the rest rely upon thy care and remain quiet content and comforted with thy paternal Providence 7. The Conclusion of this Exercise containing an humble Petition for perfect and Evangelicall Prudence O Saviour the great Exemplar and pure Idea of all Wisdom who hast taught me by thine own sacred mouth what Prudence is most pleasing to thy Divine Majesty saying Be ye wise as Serpents and simple as Doves Enlarg I beseech thee
my heart soul and affections to receive retain and practice this heavenly Lesson Give me O my gracious Lord God! the Serpent's prudence precaution sagacity subtilty He hath a piercing and ever open Eye to prevent and avoid danger He exposes his Body to secure his Head He shuts his Ears to delude the Charmers cunning He casts his Skin to renew his decaying Age Grant me O Lord by this example a quick-sightedness to discover my enemies deceits Teach me to preserve my Head which is my Faith in thee my Creatour and undauntedly to expose my Body Goods All for the just defence thereof Let me wisely and warily stop up the windows of my Heart and Senses from admitting the slie suggestions of my enchanting Concupiscence And let me finally despoil my self of the old man and re-vest my Soul with the new garment of thy Grace Love Justice and Verity And lest Wisdom alone should degenerate into Malice give me also O meek and debonnair Jesu the Doves simplicity sweetness innocency purity she neither wrongs other Birds nor revenges her own injuries she is without Gall envy and bitterness she loves to bath and glass her self in the clearest Waters she testifies her ardent affection by her perpetual sighs and having lost her Mate she remains free from all future embraces O that I could perfectly imitate this Mildness towards all men Let me never more O my sweet Saviour strive to vindicate defend or excuse my self never more render evil for evil never more retain the least grudg against my enemies never more covet any pleasures but such as are permitted O let me still sigh after thee the only Spouse of my Soul testifying thereby how little I prize this place of banishment how much I long and languish after thy lovely presence how deeply I am disgusted with all degenerate Affections and how highly I disdain all things which aim not directly at thy Divine Love and Glory O simple Subtilty and subtle Simplicity that I could joyntly compass you how purely should I live to my God how peaceably in my Self how pleasingly to my Neighbour Lord let the happy Nuptials between the Serpent and the Dove be celebrated in my Soul never more to be divorced either by carnal cunning or brutish stupidity O let my Conversation be henceforth holy and harmless my Actions devoid of folly and vanity and my whol Life led on through the intricate mazes and by ways of this wicked world by the conducting Clew of Evangelical Prudence and Discretion to a blessed death Thus living thus dying I shall finally and infallibly be joyned to my JESU the only end of all endeavours to whom I desire to live and in whom I hope to die in thy glorious Eternity The sixth Exercise Of Justice the second Cardinal Virtue 1. The Essence of Justice Justice is a Moral Virtue inclining our Wills to give every one his due by lawful means Several sorts of Justice O Most excellent and universal Virtue Wert thou exactly observed how soon would all complaints controversies and contentions cease amongst the children of men How happy and holy an Order would be establish'd and follow'd in the world Our dread Soveraign enjoying his due Honours and his creatures the respective Rights which appertain to them Whence is it O rare Virtue which art the very tye and cement of the whol Universe that thou art not more strong and powerful in the hearts or all rational Beings Thou O prime and essential Equity who hast placed Justice amongst the first of thy Precepts saying Thou shalt justly do that which is just Grant thou commandest and let it flourish gloriously in my soul that I may exactly return thy own gifts to thy eternal glory O my Soul with how many obligations art thou charged Give me O great and glorious King of Justice a discerning Spirit to comply with them all and permit me not to invade any creatures just prerogatives Let me no longer covet to possess what appertains not to me Ah! how contemptible are all earthly Commodities farther than they either profit me in order to my Souls perfection or relate O my God! to thy eternal glory Alas they will neither accompany me in Death nor comfort me in Judgment nor assist me in Hell Ah wordlings how ill advised Bankers are you who endeavouring to gain Earthly treasures endanger the eternal loss of your own Souls 2. Of Religion the Sister of Justice Religion is a Moral Virtue inclining us to render unto God that Soveraign worship which is due to him by reason of his Excellency and Dominion over all things This Worship consists in divers Acts wherby we declare Gods supream excellency and our humble subjection and servitude The Acts are either Interiour as Devotion Prayer Vows or Exteriour as Sacrifice Adorations Genu flections Praises Protestations Oblations Tithes the use of the Sacraments and briefly the practice of all Virtues All which actions are due to Gods infinit and adorable Dignity HOw necessary is this Virtue for the advancement of thy honour O mighty Monarch of Heaven and Earth O that thou wouldst be pleas'd to implant it deeply in my Soul that I might perpetually praise thee alwaies adore thee and continually content thee with all thy just dues if nor as devoutly as thy divine Excellencies deserve yet as much as thy Precept obligeth me and my weakness and poverty permit me Confirm great God! thine own glorious Kingdom re-take thy true Dominion in my heart make use of thine own just rights and prerogatives and powerfully draw from me and all thy creatures as much Religious duty service homage and honour as our Natures assisted and elevated by thy Grace are capable to render thee Which way O my weak Soul wilt thou satisfie all these duties O that my Religion were thus active and my Will thus operative O Jesu my Saviour who gavest to God thy Father all his dues in a most divine manner and satisfiedst in rigour of Justice for all my irreligiousness look compassionatly upon thy needy and naked creature and lift up my nothing to a capacity of rendring in some measure the worship and honour appertaining to thy immense and infinit Majestie Make me O my merciful Redeemer truly Religious dispose me with courage to serve thee with constancy to confess thy greatness with humility to acknowledg my own indigency with fervour to practise all Acts of Virtue and with perseverance to perform all thy Precepts that Thou O my God my Lord my All may'st be always honored by me ever praised in me and perpetually pleased with me O let me never imagin to have satisfied the smallest parcel of that debt which is by so many titles due to thy divine excellency and dignity For what alas is the best of my service homage and gratitude in respect of thy goodness towards me and thy greatness in thy self O dread Soveraign for whose only glory I and all creatures were placed in this world when shall we unanimously conspire and
intention and confirm me in my present purpose which is to observe perfectly thy most just and and holy Ordinances and all theirs whom thou hast placed over my head in that very manner both in substance and circumstance as thou O supream Law-maker demandest and commandest The Seventh Exercise Of Fortitude the third Cardinal Virtue 1. The Essence of Fortitude Fortitude is a Moral Virtue enabling our Wills to do good and avoid evil in great and dreadful difficulties and dangers So that we either expect them or suffer them or shun them or set upon them without excessive Fear or over rash Boldness MY Life O my Lord is a perpetual warfare my Soul is beset during this her pilgrimage with innumerable enormous powerful and implacable enemies so that I am forced either to fight and conquer or to fall and be conquered O how greatly then do I stand in need of this glorious armour of Fortitude to animate my fearfulness to shelter my feebleness temper my rashness and to accompany me in all my dangerous skirmishes Give this vertuous strength to thy weak yet willing servant O my God who art incomparable in power invincible in might the great Lord of Hosts the glorious overcomer in the day of battel the shield and salvation of all them that combat under thy banner and I shall not fear thousands of foes encompassing me for I can do all things in thee my comforter 2. The chief degrees of Fortitude are three 1. Not to be affrighted at the great difficulties wherewith we must necessarily encounter in our spiritual course but to be resolute in suffering them manful in setting on them yea and confident to conquer them through Gods assisting grace 2. To rejoyce cordially in such sufferings for so good a cause 3. To expose our selves couragiously to all calamities for the promotion of Gods glory and our Neighbours spiritual good O Thrice happy those Souls which are thus valiant Ah! shall I for want of a little courage be an eternal slave to Sin Satan Sensuality Arise to my aid O invincible King of Glory under whose feet Death Devils and Hell it self do groan And thou my Soul what dreadest thou advance thy self undauntedly into the field of battel Thou fightest under thy Saviours Ensigns who hath already conquer'd thy foes for thee upon his sacred Cross Reflect upon what thou art his Soldier his Servant his Son Lose not heart nor hope in thy just quarrel since thy Lord looks upon thy just combats invites thee to courage assists thee to conquer and expects to crown thee Eternity is at stake and Heaven thy reward 3. Martyrdom the most heroick act Fortitude is a voluntary acceptation enduring of a violent Death for the testimony and defence of the true Faith or of Virtue ALL hail O ye valiant Champions of my heavenly King how highly doth my heart prize your courage how humbly doth my soul honour and emulate your constancy were not your Bodies passible as mine is and your Material parts molded out of the same mass of Clay by the same merciful and powerful Artificer Whence is it then that you appeared so faithful in your hottest trials I prove so fearful in my least temptations O I am utterly ashamed of my own former baseness and I resolutly and readily offer up my self to die here for thy sake O my sweet Saviour that I may live in thy love eternally 4. Three Virtues allied to Fortitude Magnanimity Patience Perseverance Magnanimity or greatness of courage is a Moral Virtue and inclining our Wills to heroick and honourable actions in the prosecution of Virtue in as much as such actions are hard and worthy of an high Courage THou hast made me O glorious Creator for great matters for thy Heaven for thy self and shall I rest any longer in petty trifles and aim only at inglorious objects No my worthy Soul form'd to thy Lords lovely likeness Child of the most high and Heir apparent to his kingdom It becoms not thee to content thy self with common Perfection We will henceforth have higher thoughts and aspire to more sublime generous and noble enterprizes We will couragiously climb up the several degrees of the most seraphical Virtues and set upon holy and honourable works tending to our own greater good and our Gods eternal glory Yes Lord we desire to be as truly patient as thy servant Job as zealous of thine honour as thy Apostle Paul as penitent for our sins as the pious Magdalen as pure in our life as the holy Angels and as ardent in thy love as the highest Seraphins O my Soul that we could reach these glorious Perfections 5. Patience is a Moral Virtue which moderates our Sadness proceeding from the resentment of some present evil and hinders us from acting thereupon any thing misbecoming our Reason O My Soul what joy what peace what holiness what happiness do still accompany any this divine Virtue when wilt thou truly possess thy self and perfectly please thy Saviour by the exact practise of Patience amidst all thy pressures troubles and tribulations O why shouldst thou only expect to be a delicate member under Christ thy head crowned with cruel thorns Lord Jesu I must suffer as a Christian I deserve to suffer as a Sinner I desire to suffer as thy Servant O let not my suffrances become lost to my soul by my impatience in induring them Let no torment or trouble of my life tire my setled resolution of suffering willingly for thy love O my crucified Saviour and persevering constantly in thy service Let Hell Death and Devil arm their whol fury against me Let all creatures conspire to annoy me Let all sickness seize on my body all sadness on my Soul and all sorts of damages disgraces and dismal chances be pour'd forth upon my only head I will remain quiet in thee O meek and patient Jesu and submissive to thy sweet providence disposition 6. Perseverance is a Moral Virtue whereby we go on in our well begun enterprises till they are fully accomplished THis is the Virtue O my Soul and this only which gives thee true rest from all thy sufferings This rewards all thy laborious endeavours and this puts a happy period to thy painful life Without Perseverance how vain are all thy Virtues and how useless thy past labours and diligence Ah! my Soul be no longer like a Fool changeable with the Moon like a Reed shaken with every Blast like the Sensualists who begin in the spirit but end in the flesh No my dear Lord I will never leave to love thee till I leave to live I will not cease to persecute my passions and pursue the enemies of my perfection till they be all dead and utterly destroyed I will keep the years of Eternity ever fresh in my memory that no temporary sufferings may seem long tedious or troublesome Thou O Jesu my Redeemer O most constant lover of my poor Soul for whose sake thou patiently remainedst on thy cruel Cross
imposed upon him by his Ghostly Father he is absolutely obliged to accomplish it Yet if it be a light Penance as three Paters and Aves or that he omits some small parts of it such an omission is only Venial by reason of the littleness of the matter 11. That when the Confessor limits no time for the accomplishment of the Penance imposed by him and accepted by the Penitent in Confession It is requisite it be performed at the first opportunity because it is probable he so intended it to the end the Penitent might speedily satisfy for his Offences and carefully preserve himself from future falling 12. That such an Omission of accomplishing the Penance speedily is no Mortal Sin unless it be a notable negligence and in some dangerous circumstance the judgement whereof depends upon the Conâ—essors Prudence ¶ 5. Particular Directions and Practical Devotions for Confession BEFORE CONFESSION THe Penitent who resolves by Gods Grace to make a good Confession must according as opportunity shall suffer and Devotion serve perform three things before he presents himself to his Ghostly Father to wit He must Consider He must Examine He must Pray First consider That the discussion of your Conscience and the Confession of your sins is a soveraign remedy against blindness of heart and weigh with your self how dangerous a thing it is to defer your Conversion to linger out in wickedness to make bad Confessions since you know not but that such wilful malice may cause God in Justice to leave you in final Blindness and Impenitency This needs no explication but Application If one should tell you This year you shall be drowned would you not beware of Water Do so of Sins and their occasions Why will you still heap up wrath against the day of wrath There is nothing surely that doth more harden the Hearts and blind the Understanding than the abuse of the Sacraments and the wilful resistance or neglect of Gods call and inspirations 2. Consider How easily a Blind man is deceived how dangerously he walketh what comfort he wanteth Apply the same to your soul blinded with sin and ponder well these places of Holy Writ Run whilst you have light least the darkness of death should overtake you I have sought after thee and thou wouldst not be found now thou shalt seek me and thou shalt not find me but you shall die in your sins 3. Consider how a blind man is led 1. by a Dog 2. by a Child 3. by a Staff so a blind Soul is led 1. By Custome in sin to which it returns as a dog to his vomit 2. By Affection to creatures as a doting Mother thinks her black Child beautiful 3. By Passion for then having a staff you will strike friend or foe Beware in time and permit your self to be ruled and directed 4. Consider what a madness it were for you to kill your self with that Weapon which is deliver'd into your hands for the defence of your Life And is it not a far greater phrensie to procure your spiritual death by that which is provided for your souls life and preservation Is not Confession the Sacrament of grace and reconciliation O! Let it not prove your bane and damnation 5. Blessed are the clean-hearted for they shall see God Without some degree of Purity 't is impossible to see enjoy and possess him who is Purity it self Consider then seriously what you must do and which is the readiest and surest means to get this Puritie 6. Think what will most affright your Soul and make its case desperate at the hour of death Bad Confessions And what will then most comfort it Good Confessions that is To have done your dutie and used your best endeavour in the exact and faithful performance of this most important business which is all God requires at your hands Prevent therefore and provide in time Do it even now for there is danger in delay 2 Examine INvocate the divine Light to see God and your self his goodness and your naughtiness that you may praise him for the one and obtain pardon for the other Saying briefly thus A Prayer befre the Examinatin of your Conscience O Father of light and God of love grant me true light true love and true wisdome that I may impartially discern what doth please and displease thy divine Majesty in my Soul For I most earnestly desire to detest and deface the one and to embrace and increase the other Illuminate the eyes of my Understanding that I may truly see my sins and imperfections enable my Memory that I may duly confess them strengthen my Will that I may resolutely amend them and change my Whole man that I may sleep no longer in death and deadly sin O my soul Give up an account of thy stewardship since thou hast not long to hold it Fool This very night thy soul shall be taken from thee and what then will all these impure and impertinent thoughts desires words affections and actions profit thee To what purpose gainest thou even the whole World if thou losest thy own Soul O Martha O N. Thou art troubled about many things when as there is but one only thing which is absolutely necessary Return therefore into thy self and turn to God Lament Repent Amend A form of Examination for such as Confess often AMongst the many forms of Examination of Conscience make use of some one that seems to you the clearest easiest fullest and most suitable to your gust devotion and condition as thus 1. How long is it since my last Confession 2. Where and with whom have I since that time conversed 3. What Employments have chiefly taken up my time 4. What Sins and imperfections am I most inclinable to 5. What is the charg and duty to which my Vocation obliges me 6. With what Intention have I done my actions A form of Examination for proficients and Religious persons Or thus 1. WHerein have I offended my good God in Works of disobedience propriety immodesty indevotion c. 2. In Words of murmuration detraction dishonesty untruth pride passion c. 3. In Thoughts of curiosity vanity sensuality impurity disdainfulness spitefulness c. 4. In Affections and desires and intentions against Charity Chastity Humility Or thus 1. WHat sensuality in meat drink sleep talk company 2. What curiosity of eyes ears tongue heart 3. What vanity pride complacency 4. What Tepidity distraction negligence in Office prayers recollection devotion 5. What uncharitableness in words censures judgments 6. How impatient disobedient soon disquieted for every toy 7. How partial in my own case in defending my own opinions in point of propriety Or thus 1. I Have been very irreverent indevout distracted through my own fault in performing the divine Office and other prayers of obligation especially twice or thrice 2. I have been defective in charity towards others externally or internally especially in speaking or judging ill of them or in such a manner upon such motives and so often 3. I
Wretch Art thou not ashamed to remain still in thy wonted negligences imperfections tepidities to sing still the same sinful song after so many years past over so many iterated Confessions so many received Sacraments and so many good Resolutions made to the contrary Wallowest thou still in the same Mire and lyest thou still snorting in the same Bed of Sensuality O horrid ingratitude If thou wert now summon'd to give up thy just accounts what couldest thou answer for so much time mispent so many inspirations neglected so many graces abused Thou approachest nearer death and Eternity but recoylest backward in religious Piety and Perfection Wilt thou still lie sleeping in this dangerous Lethargy Is this the grateful and dutiful service thou rendrest thy Creator for having afforded thee all convenient means to do Penance and for having so patiently expected thy conversion and amendment Alas my confounded Soul What will become of thee What course wilt thou steer When and how wilt thou begin Ah sinful Wretch Prodigal Child Disloyal friend Sue to thy Physician Return to thy Father Repent thee of thy disloyalty Request pardon grace and love Resolve to do Penance for what is past and to amend for the time to come Yes Lord even this Day this Hour this very Moment will I begin to be a new Creature I renounce all my former follies I renew all my former good Resolutions I consecrate the whole remainder of my life to thy love and service And for this end I will presently leave such Company such Curiosities such Vanities c. and abandon whatsoever holds my heart captive and my Affections enslaved to the prejudice of thy Honour and my Souls perfection I wil willingly undergo such and such difficulties endure such contradictions crosses afflictions and whatsoever thy fatherly hand shall impose upon me O all powerful Creator since thou hast given me the Grace to frame this Resolution give me also the strength and courage to put it in execution Then endeavour to make an act of perfect Contrition which contains 1. A Detestation of your sins past grounded on Gods love and goodness 2. A firm Purpose of Amendment for the future 3. A Confidence in Gods mercy 4. A will to do Satisfaction 5. A total Resignation to the Divine disposition An act of Contrition and Prayer before Confession O My good God! Father of all comfort and compassion Creator of Heaven and Earth and Redeemer of my Soul Behold here a poor Worm prostrate at the feet of thy divine Majestie humbly craving pardon for all his iniquities and impurities I am going O my sweet Lord Jesu to the Tribunal of thy Mercy to present my self before thy Minister and Vice-gerent and there to give thee an exact account of my miserable life by humbly confessing detesting and lamenting all the ingratitudes impieties and spiritual fornications which I have presumed to commit in thy presence with so little respect and for so vile and base ends that the very remembrance thereof breeds an extream Shame Fear and Sorrow in my now sensible and penitent Soul Shame for having left an infinite Good to embrace an empty fading filthy Nothing Fear for having forsaken the light of Heaven and the life of Eternity to temain in eternal death and darkness Sorrow for having offended thee my God who art to me so good so merciful so loving and so liberal Oh! that my heart could rend asunder with true Contrition and Compunction and my Eyes dissolve into a floud of tears for having been disloyal to so faithful a Friend and disobedient to so free-hearted a Father Mercy O dear Father to thy prodigal Child Mercy O good Lord to thy sinful Servant Give to my Understanding Light to see and know my faults to my heart Sorrow to hate and detest them to my eyes Tears to lament and weep bitterly for them and to my mouth so sincere and entire a Confession of them as if it were the first good Confession that I ever made or should be the last Confession that ever I should make which thou only knowest O my all-knowing Lord and Maker I therefore most humbly beseech thee Dear Jesu my Saviour and Redeemer By all thy Pains and Tears by the Prayers of thy most Blessed Mother by the past Sorrows of all Penitents who are now in Heaven secure of their own Salvation and sollicitous of mine encrease my Contrition release my Crimes Pardon O meek Lamb of God who takest away the Sins of the world my past faults pitty my present folly and protect my future frailty that with a clean quiet and contented soul I may strive to please and praise thee all my life-time hereafter and in the end die happily in thy favour and friendship O my crucified Jesu my only hope and refuge bathe me in thy Blood beautifie me with thy Merits bless me with thy Grace By the tears that issued forth of thy Eyes by the Prayers which came forth of thy Mouth by the Blood which gushed forth of thy Wounds and Heart by all the pains of thy Body and pangs of thy Soul by all the mercies of thy Divinity and merits of thy Humanity by all that is dear and near unto thee in Heaven and Earth cleanse quiet cloath comfort and content my sick sinful weak wounded and wretched soul In Confession THen full of confident Humility and humble Confidence cast your self at the feet of your Ghostly Father in whose person you are to consider two Priests the one Visible to whom you speak the other Invisible which is Christ Jesus whose place he represents wherefore honouring them both dreading them both and reverently inclining your head and body to them both begin your Confession in this manner In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Benedicite that is I beg your blessing Which blessing being received you begin your Confiteor either in English or in Latin Though having before recited it in the Examination of your Conscience it is not necessary to repeat it here or you may do well when the want of time and the multitude of other Penitents require hast to abridge your Confiteor thus I confefess unto Almighty God to all the Saints and to you my Ghostly Father that I have exceedingly sinned in Thought Word and Deed through my Fault my Fault my exceeding great Fault Then without impertinent Preambles say I Accuse my self That since my last Confession which was eight days fifteen days or a month ago I have done this omitted this c. Having declared briefly and clearly what you could remember you may thus conclude your Confession For these and all other my Sins and Imperfections I am heartily sorry purpose amendment humbly beg pardon of God and Penance and Absolution of you my Ghostly Father Then bowing down your head and body proceed with Therefore I beseech the blessed Virgin Mary all the Saints and you my Ghostly Father to pray unto our Lord God for me
Whilst your Spiritual Father pronounces your Absolution produce either with heart or mouth some of these short Acts following 1. Of Sorrow O God be merciful to me a sinner 2. Of Humility Not unto me Lord but to thy Name be given all praise and glory 3. Of Love and Confidence My God and my All My comfort and my content my secure rest and sole refuge Remain with me sweet Jesus and it is sufficient 4. Of Spiritual joy and alacrity Take courage my poor dejected desolate Soul Jesus is our guide and we are going to Heaven what matters it whether we get or lose in this World have friends or foes sink or swim live or die upon earth If Jesus loves us and we Him it is enough Live the Cross and my crucified Redeemer Adieu world Farewel Self-love Heaven is my Home Jesus is my Hope and Happiness Also At the time of Absolution Imagine you feel Christs sacred Blood distilling into your Soul and that you hear those his sweet words directed unto your ears Go in peace thy Sins are forgiven thee now sin no more lest some worse thing befal thee O words full of sweetness and comfort After Confession REtire your self a while 1. To give God thanks 2. To say your Penance 3. To renew your good purposes and resolutions 4. To offer up your self and all your actions with whatsoever you are and have to be hereafter employed for your sweet Saviours honour love and service 5. To beg of him who died on the Cross with his Eyes full of Tears Body full of Wounds and Heart full of Mercy for the salvation of your Soul to supply all defects which may have occurred in this or any other your Confessions Then ejaculate sweetly some of these Sentences CLeanse me O Lord from my secret sins from my vitious customs inclinations and affections and permit me not to participate with others in their offences nor to be involved in their crimes by my consent and connivency Return my Soul into thy rest for thy Lord hath done well for thee What have I in heaven and what would I have on earth O my God! thou art the God of my heart my part my portion and my inheritance for ever I desire to be dissolved and to be with thee my Lord and Saviour But who will free me from the body of this death I would gladly be separated not only from Sin and the occasions thereof but even from this body of Sin which I can bear about me That so being absolved and dissolved my departing soul might unspottedly ascend to her eternal rest in the very Act of this vehement and amorous Contrition Yes my good and gracious Creator I would willingly be sequestred from my self and all creatures that I might be totally united to thy self my first beginning my final end my hope my happiness my All. It is good for me to stick fast to my Lord to place my confidence in God my Saviour Let others seek other contents I and my house will serve thee our Lord and Maker A Prayer after Confession O Merciful Redeemer of my Soul what praise love and thanks shall I return to thee for having made a Bath of thy Bloud a Garment of thy Grace to cleanse and cloath my defiled and naked Soul in the Sacrament of Penance Let my Body Soul and all that is within me bless thee eternally and let Heaven Earth and all that is within them say Amen Alleluja Receive I beseech thee O my dear Lord Jesu by the bowels of thy Mercy by the breasts of thy Mother and by the merits of all thy blessed Saints this my Confession Let it be pleasing to thy sacred Majesty and profitable to my own Soul Let thy infinite sweetness of love and bitterness of sorrow supply all its defects whether it be want of Contrition or of Integrity or of Humility or of Clarity or of Simplicity or of a true sense and feeling of my Sins heynousness or of a full Resolution of amendment or any other Circumstance Negligence or Error whatsoever Forget and forgive all the crimes ingratitudes impurities of my life past and in particular whatsoever through my own carelesness may have escap'd my memory whatsoever the common Enemy may accuse me of at the hour of my death and whatsoever thou my dread Judg maist in the rigour of thy Justice lay to my charge at the day of thy dreadful Judgement I repenr me heartily for all that I have done amiss I renounce all that is opposite to thy perfect love and liking I resolve to amend all and to avoid all sinful occasions I resign body soul all to do Penance make all possible Satisfaction And lastly for thine own sake sweet Jesu I beseech thee to pardon all relying upon thy goodness confiding in thy mercy rejoicing at what thou art to wit so loving and so worthy of all love so good in thy self so good to all others so good to me the least and worst of all others Let all creatures joyn with my soul to love honour serve and praise thee her glorious Creator her gracious Redeemer her liberal Sanctifier this day and for all eternity And now my Lord Jesu I here again lay down the whole burrhen of my Sins at thy sacred Feet and take up thy Cross in exchange Resolving by thy gracious assistance to pass on my lives pilgrimage in the perpetual practise of Penance Patience and Purity abandoning Body Soul Goods Limbs Life all to thy service Accept my offer O dear Lord Jesu and admit me henceforth for one of thy meanest Bond-slaves Let me live and dy in the performance of this my promised duty obedience and submission to thy holy Will and Precepts Let me never more offend thee but loath and abhor the very name and shadow of Sin more than Death or Hell it self Teach me O Lord how to persevere in thy love and to correspond to my vocation with a zealous fervor joyned with prudence and discretion That serving thee my Soveraign Lord and Master during my abode in this prison of Mortality with fidelity simplicity sincerity I may at the end of my lives course be received into immortality with security and that as I here justly sing forth thy Mercies for having used such sweet and efficacious means to bring my sinking Bark into the safe Haven so I may there joyfully intone eternal Canticles of thy Divine praises in thy Kingdom of glory Amen ¶ 6. An easie and necessary method of Examining the Conscience for the making of a General Confession General Advertisements concerning General Confessions 1. THe motive which obliges all Christians who are desirous to perform their Duty and settle their souls in the state of Grace to make a General Confession is only this When upon just and rational Grounds and not out of an erroneous or scrupulous Understanding they doubt of the Validity of any of their former Confessions by reason-of some essential Defect which accompanied them The
Fundamental practises of sublime and solid Piety may be always ready at hand for the daily use of devout Christians both before and after Communion and in which they may also according to each ones fervor and opportunity very profitably employ themselves after their Morning Exercise as it were in the way of a Canonical Office for which reason they are distinguished like the precedent Exercises of Christian Vertues which may be practised in the same manner into Seven Points correspondent to the Seven Hours of the Church-Service The First Exercise Which is the Ground work of all Prayer and Introversion and which alone being performed with requisite diligence discretion and perseverance will speedily and infallibly afford unspeakable Comfort and spiritual Profit to the pious Practicer thereof As being indeed the end of all other external Exercises and the short sure simple and Regia via leading to a Devout and Divine life THis Exercise consists of Three parts in general and Nine points in particular 1. Preparation of three acts 1. An affective and lively apprehension of Gods presence 2. A cordial and profound act of humility 3. A pure intention to please and praise God only 2. Consideration of 1. Our Wounds both internal and external 2. Our Wants which are many in every degree 3. Our Wishes and humble desires 3. Conclusion also of three acts 1. Contrition for our Sins 2. Resignation in our wants 3. Complacence in God and Confidence in his Goodness A practical description of this Exercise The first part is Preparation of three Acts. 1. A lively apprehension of Gods presence not only in all places and in all creatures by his Power and Essence but in our Souls by his Mercy Love Care and Providence O My Soul Where are we who sees us What is he that is with us and within us By whose light we see by whose fire we burn and by whose love we live Live my most glorious and gracious Lord in whose presence I kneel in whose arms I rest and after whose love I breath O that thou wert as dear to my soul as thou art near it Alas why doth she not care as much for her God as he doth for her good Why do I not love thy presence O my amiable Lord since thou art present by love Thou art my Father my Physician and my Food hear me heal me help me I am wicked I am wounded I am wretched Out of thee there is no place of rest without thee there is no hope of happiness remain therefore with me and reign within me Let me be thine all thine ever thine 2. Profound and cordial Humility acknowledging unfainedly before God and his Angels our wickedness weakness and wretchedness what we are and what we deserve and so resting quiet in the Center of our own Nothing O My Soul What have we been What are we What have we What can we do What do we deserve What do we desire What hath our loving Father and liberal Lord that he hath not given us What have we proud and prodigal Children that we have not received from his merciful hand and heart What have we received that we have not abused by self-love or self-delight O sweet Jesu Give tears to my eyes words to my tongue sighs to my heart and love to my spirit for I need them all to deplore my misery and implore thy mercy to admire thy beauty and adore thy bounty to sigh after thee and suffer for thee What I have been it grieves me to remember What I am after so many signal benefits on thy part and serious promises on mine I am ashamed to think What I deserve I am afraid to call to mind What I desire I am ignorant how to ask Lord for thy Mercies sake for thy Mothers sake by thy Bowels of mercy and her Breasts of meekness by all that thou hast suffer'd for me and she for thee by all that is dear to thee in Heaven and Earth Forget and forgive what I have been my past folly and wickedness Pity and protect what I am my present frailty and weakness Be satisfi'd for what I deserve supply what I desire and be mindfull of me in life and death How much O my God! do I wish to leave all and lose my self to find thee to humble my self to please thee and to hate my self to love thee But these hard and high matters I dare scarcely promise how then and when shall I practise them Yet without thee O Sacred Humility there is no solid center to rest in no true sweetness to take gust in therefore O my God! I come to thy School to learn this necessary Lesson teach me touch me wound me and win me unto thy self 3. Pure intention to please and praise God only to be all his ever his in what manner and measure he best liketh both in this Prayer and all things whatsoever BEhold therefore O my Lord how out of pure Obedience to thy Will and confidence in thy Mercy I now approach to please and praise thy divine Majesty Not to receive great matters from thee for I am unworthy nor to conceive great matters of thee for I am uncapable but to leave all for thee to be humble of heart beyond all and to love thee more than all this is conform both to my Condition and Obligation I come to Prayer O my only Lord and love not to have much but to give up all to be thine all thine ever thine in life and death for time and eternity as thy self best pleaseth I come O my center and sweetness to seek thee and sigh after thee yet I am content neither to find thee nor feel thee but only to see thee by faith and to suffer for thee with fidelity I am satisfied and content that thou art so good great glorious rich and happy in thy self and I am confident that thou in thy good time wilt make me rich in thy mercy and happy in thy love for in this Pilgrimage I desire no other happiness than true humility nor greater riches than naked Charity The second part is Consideration shewing three things first to our selves and then to our Soveraign Lord and Maker 1. Our Wounds both internal and external to wit our Sins Ingratitudes Daily failings strong Passions c. AH my sick and sinful soul How weak and Wounded are we in every degree in all parts in each member of body and faculty of mind 1. All is out of order all is pride and self-love how impenitent are we in sorrowing how impatient in suffering how unconstant in persevering and yet how importunate in sinning 2. My Vnderstanding is blind to good clear-sighted to evil My Will is perverse peevish cold sensual My Memory is weak full of idle images subject to distractions 3. My Affections are vain my Passions violent my Inclinations vitious 4. My Faith is little my Hope less my Charity least of all 5. So forward to extroversion and dissolution so backward
to introversion and compunction so full of imperfections and immortifications 6. So little confidence in my Saviours mercy so little patience in my misery and almost no performance of my good purposes 7. So curious to censure others so careless to keep my self and curb my own senses Finally all is self-love self-will self-conceit self-seeking pride propriety partiality which are my daily and dangerous diseases O Father of Mercies and only Phisician of my Soul Thou art Almighty and All-bounty these are my wounds and impurities and if thou wilt thou canst both cure and cleanse me and if thou wilt not I will remain content as I am I am willing to continue weak so I be not wicked to be wearied and wounded so I be not utterly tired overturned defeated lose the victory Cut kill crucifie O Lord only spare me for eternity 2. Our Wants for we are not only needy but naked not only poor but beggers who neither know how to deserve an alms nor how to desire it O My poor Soul What do we want nay what do we not want 1. True light true liberty true love true life 2. A setled attention a simple intention a serious introversion a sincere conversion 3. Humility of heart conformity of will purity of soul indifferency of spirit 4. Wisdom to know Gods Will strength to execute it patience to persevere in it 5. Resolution to suffer for our Saviour devotion to sigh after him diligence to find him constancy to remain with him 6. Courage to endure all Faith to forgo all Hope to expect all Charity to give all and Confidence to gain all Finally we want all we should have Yet our loving Lord is ready to bestow on us all that he hath O my God and all Thou art all that I want give me thy self and all my wants and wishes will be at an end Thou art all my safety and my only security all my refuge and my only center until I can return unto thee or wholly turn into thee let thy Cross be my Purgatory and thy Will my Paradise for other heaven upon earth I can never hope to find Until then I must be content to sweat and sigh under the burden of this mortal life to sit like Job upon a dunghil forlorn and forsaken by all full of sores and sorrows to remain a perpetual and pitiful patient scarcely feeling patience in my self and finding no compassion in others 3. Our Wishes and desires What can a wounded wretch wish but to be cared for and cured What can a naked begger desire but to be cloathed and comforted with some few rags and crums What can a blind and cold person ask but light and love THis O my Soveraign and sweet Lord is the sum and substance of all my wishes and requests O that I could go out of my self and get into thee O that I were dissolv'd from my loathed body to the end I might dilate my heart in thy love contemplate thy divine face in perfect liberty and please and praise thee eternally for in this prison of flesh and vale of tears I faint under the weight of temptations I fall under the burden of my troubles and I continually fail in the prosecution of my pious purposes Oh! that thy Will did so rule me and reign over me that it were a torment to decline never so little from it O that thy Love did so freely and fully possess my heart that there were no room at all remaining for any bastard or base love of things created Good Jesu how truly happy and holy should I be if I could clearly behold my own nothing in thy All If I could embrace crosses as Crowns and swallow down all contempts and confusions as milk and hony O when shall I be so elevated in spirit above my self by extasie of love as to be able and willing to humble my self under all creatures without repugnancy Alas Shall I never be content to forsake all and be forsaken by all Yea having lost and left all for One to be left by that One who is my All and so remain quiet in my own nothing How long shall I lie wallowing in flesh and bloud how long shall I delay and dally in false loves How long shall I sigh and not enjoy Seek and not find live and not love Come my Lord and Love Lord Jesu come quickly Let the fire of thy sweet love so consume in me all dross of self-love and so transform my spirit into thee that I may take all from thee indifferently give all to thee liberally and rest and repose in thee eternally Lord Let me be thine or nothing Love or not live The third Part is the Conclusion which consists also of three Acts. 1. Contrition which is a hearty and humble Sorrow for our Sins Ingratitudes Disloyalties Tepidities c. O My God! How little did I love thee when I so carelesly offended thy divine Majesty Oh! that I had never sinned mortally though it had cost me my life immediatly O that I were sure never more to swerve from thy Sacred Will and Commandments Let me henceforth endure dear Jesu a thousand deaths of my body rather than admit one deadly sin again into my soul O pity and pardon my past follies and frailties and prevent me with thy gracious blessings against future failings How great O Lord is my obligation to serve and please thee were it but for thy favours conferred thy benefits bestowed and thy love powred out upon me and yet ungrateful wretch that I am how poorly have I corresponded Oh! that I had so deep a sense of my Sins that my Heart might break with sorrow Hide not O Lord thy face from me shut not up thy Mercy gates against me for though I have most grievously gone astray yet I am resolved upon an entire amendment correction reformation of my whole man this strong Resolution which is thy gracious gift grounds my hope in thy goodness emboldens my confidence in thy mercy and gives me courage and comfort in thy love 2. Resignation in all our Wants Wishes Desolations and Distresses to the divine Will and pleasure I Am indifferent O my dear Lord to sickness and health to light and darkness to delight and desolation I am thine sweet Jesu put me where thou wilt do with me as thou wilt send me what thou wilt I am content not only to have nothing but to be nothing so thou O my Lord be all things unto me I acknowledg my self unworthy to beg and less worthy to obtain and therefore I resign my self still to beg and yet still to want even that which I most wish which is all Light all Liberty all Love all Comfort all Content yea even all Virtue Peace Perfection so long as it shall please thee O Father I am thine ever thine all thine body and soul for time and eternity Live Jesus only 3. Complacence and Confidence the first that our God is what he is the next
of Gods high perfections O King of Glory I acknowledg thy perfections to be above all knowledg but that of thy own divine Understanding I confess that thy height is unreachable thy goodness unchangeable thy greatness incomprehensible thy light inaccessible And all other thy divine attributes and perfections are so mighty and so many so good and so glorious so excellent and so admirable so worthy and so wonderful that were all the Power and Prerogatives all the vertue wisdom and qualities of all creatures united in one individual nature it were not so much in respect of thy glory and greatness as the least drop of water is in comparison of the vast Ocean Wherefore I beg of thee O immense and inaccessible Godhead only so much to know conceive believe and understand of thy hidden Majesty as may efficaciously move my will to thee and I content my self with so much light of thy divinity as may force me to love thee ardently effectually perseverantly O my Lord and my Love Fill my heart with the sweet influence of thy heavenly grace that I may in some measure discover how good and gracious thou art to me and to all thy creatures O let me still remember thy mecry ever dread thy Justice and continually admire and adore thy Power and Providence Ah! my noble Soul stampt with thy Creators lovely image endowed with the excellencies of Understanding to know him of Will to love him of Memory to rest in him why adherest thou not fast to him only in pure and perfect delight forgetting and forgoing all sensible worldly Objects 5. Fervent wishes and desires to love and serve God O That I were so ravished with thy love and liking My only amiable Lord God! that through joy jubily and admiration I might feel no self at all no sense no change no inequality That no prosperitie might puff me up no adversitie deject me no accident separate me from thee O my God of infinite love and liberality O that I could be ever joyful in thee ever grateful to thee and ever mindful of thy inhabiting presence within me Thou art always nearer to my Soul O my good God! than my Soul is to my Body always conserving counselling disposing directing inciting and inspiring it to thy Love and wilt thou not O my senseless and sinful soul be alwaies cautious and circumspect how thou behavest thy self in thy Lords presence who is so tenderly careful of thy safetie O let his love be no longer neglected his sweet invitations no longer slighted O that thou wouldst henceforth walk before him as befits his chast and holy Spouse with all respect and reverence fear fidelity courage and constancy preparing thy self diligently for his divine embraces 6. Admirations of Gods bounty and benefits and Resolutions of corresponding thereto GRant I beseech thee O mighty and merciful Creator that my whole time and thoughts may be totally taken up in the contemplation of thy unmeasurable benefits and bounty towards me For I know Lord that I am truly nothing and yet thou carest for me O my loving Maker as if thou hadst no other creature in heaven or earth thou deliverest me from innumerable dangers thou adornest me with many gifts and graces thou givest me leave at all times to have free access to thy Throne of Mercy so that with one holy thought one humble sigh one devout desire I may draw near to thee and enjoy thee and in thee all comfort content O divine priviledg To discover to thee my Wants lay open my Wounds and boldly declare my Wishes as to my nearest dearest and trustiest friend and familiar and to be sure of supplies salves and succour in all my necessities O what Goodness what Grace what Mercy is this O my Soul How loving and liberal a Lord have we how loving in Mercy how liberal in bounty Ah! our unthankfulness to requite our unworthiness to deserve his favours Up my heart be no longer ungrateful and unfaithful to so great good and gracious a benefactor Yes O blessed and bountiful Giver I now say cordially and will ever stand to it couragiously I will henceforth love thee my Lord my love my life my strength my support my home my harbour and my happiness I will remember thy sweet words to all sinners Why will you perish O children As I live I desire not the death of a sinner but that he would turn to me and live I will behold thy sacred wounds suffered for me able to move a rock to love and compassion And though I am asham'd to think what I have been how little I have done how much thou hast endured for me how long thou hast expected me how lovingly thou hast sought me and how poorly I have corresponded to thee Yet I know O my Lord thou ceasest not to be God and good though I am weak and wicked Therefore I will yet take courage in thy service and confidently hope that thou who hast sought after me a lost sheep wilt mercifully receive me now I seek after thee my loving Shepheard with a right intention real resolution and inflamed affection 7. Acts of Confidence and purposes of Perseverance in the divine love and service YEs O my Lord and my Love heaven and earth shall sooner perish than my Confidence in thy sweet mercies and my Saviours merits If thou repellest me I will run after thee if thou shuttest the door against me I will never leave knocking and if thou killest me yet will I trust in thee I wholly cast my self upon thy holy Will Providence and Protection I protest with heart and mouth that I now am and henceforth will be entirely thine that I have nothing seek nothing fear nothing desire nothing demand nothing want nothing will nothing but thee only My Lord my Love and my All. And I firmly purpose to serve and love thee O sacred and supream Majesty simply sincerely purely and perseverantly not for any fear of pains or punishment not for any self-interest of what this world can offer or the next afford not for the least hope of Heaven or happiness but I will thee seek thee and love thee for thy self only O my All-sufficient Lord God! who art the sole object sweet compleatment and solid contentment of my soul Pardon me protect me and provide for me for thou art my only hope and happiness The Third Exercise Of the knowledg of and diffidence in our selves 1. A total Abnegation of our selves and Relation to the divine Providence WHat is man O omnipotent Creator what is this man that thou shouldst be so mindful of him He is a meer nothing Lord and I am the least and worst of those nothings because I have least corresponded to thy grace and made worst use of thy gifts O give me light reach forth thy hand to this blind creature crying after thee O true light of the world and life of my Soul that now at length I may duly diligently cordially and abyssally
free from the infectious leprosie of Sin and Sensuality All is out of order O my Lord I acknowledg it to my own shame and confusion each sense is gone astray each member of my body is corrupted and each power of my Soul is perverted My Understanding is obscured with self-love my Memory distracted with sensual objects my Will possess'd with peevish inclinations My affections are vain my passions violent my dispositions vitious My body is burdensom my imagination troublesom my life irksom These are my Wounds O my heavenly Surgeon O put to thy helping hand I beseech thee see sear and search them before the Gangrene enters and the Grief grows incurable My soul is sick even to death if thou wilt O my Lord thou canst both cleanse and cure me To this end thou descendest from Jerusalem to Jerico O pious Samaritan from heaven to earth O compassionate Saviour where thou findest me in this pitiful plight sore beaten wounded half dead and utterly despoil'd of all natural and spiritual riches by Thieves and Robbers which are the Senses of my Body and the Faculties of my Soul O pass not by me sweet Jesu but mercifully bind up my bleeding Wounds with the swathing bands of thy Death and Passion pour upon them the wine of thy precious Blood and supple them with the oyl of thy heavenly Grace 4. A firm Resolution of a total Reformation of our lives and manners I Intend O my Lord strengthen me in this hour I intend O sweet Saviour a total reformation of my life and manners an entire mortification of my corporal senses and spiritual faculties an absolute change in my whole man O grant me I beseech thee my loving Lord the powerful assistance of thy special Grace for the performance of this great and good purpose Teach me now O blessed Master to live inwardly piously spiritually as I lov'd formerly to live outwardly vainly sensually O let me henceforth yield to thy divine motion obey thy call imitate thy example and follow thy will O let me never more act or omit any thing be it never so little for my own liking but purely and perfectly for thy love 5. A desire of perfect Conformity both in all our Actions and in all our Senses to our dear Saviour GRant O Good Jesu that at each word of my mouth at each glance of my eye at each morsel I eat at each member I move at each inward and outward action I undertake I may first ask thy leave and permission so do it or leave accordingly as thy holy inspiration allows me O that I could perform each natural and necessary work with an actual reflection upon thy praise and pleasure and with a pure intention to be united to thee My Lord and my Love Thy outward Senses O my sweet Saviour were exactly subject to thy Reason and perfectly obedient to thy sacred Soul O let mine be swallowed up I beseech thee gracious Jesu and sanctifi'd by the merits of thine Let me live love move and make use of my senses purely and only in thee for thee and by thee Thy sacred Hands O holy Jesu were harshly nail'd to the tree of the Cross preserve mine I beseech thee from all sinful touch ng Thy blessed Feet were likewise pierced and fastned to the same rood O fix my steps that I run not to evil actions direct them in thy paths and make me speedy in all works concerning thy honour and the assistance of my neighbour Thy holy Mouth was free from guile full of Wisdom put thy Words sweet Jesu into mine let it always speak of thy love und only sing thy praises Thy divin Ears were fill'd with blasphemies and derisions Let not mine be open to hear vanities and detractions Thy sweet Eyes poured out floods of tears for me O give unto mine tears of compassion for thy Sufferings and of compunction for my own Sins Thy Taste was tormented with the noysome potion of Gall and Vinegar O take from me I beseech thee all desire of delicacies let me not eat or drink but for meer sustenance and necessity Thy whole Humanity O gracious Jesu was martyr'd and murther'd O grant that I may be truly and totally mortifi'd Let me not see feel hear taste smell eat drink do any thing or make use of any thing as following my own gust sensuality and self-seeking but in pure conformity to thy divin Will and Pleasure 6. Petitions for the Conformity of our whole inward man to our Lord and Saviour O Merciful Redeemer how great and grievous were the inward sufferings of thy holy Soul O for those thy sorrows and thy tender mercies sake cleanse cure inlighten inform reform and transform all my inward man O permit not my Vnderstanding where the knowledg of your greatness and goodness should be only seated to be overspread with ignorance and errour Let not my Memory which should be totally taken up with thee be stuffed with vain fancies or impertinent curiosities Let not my Will which thou gavest me to desire and love thee O my only Lord and Love above all thy creatures be inslav'd to any inferiour affection Repair O gracious Redeemer this lively image of the lovely Trinity which is almost defac'd by my brutish Sensuality Grant O dear Saviour that my Vnderstanding Will and Memory may be incessantly busied in knowing loving and remembring thee that they may forget and forgo all other Objects but only in thee and for thee 7. An absolute Disengagement of our selves from created objects and Adhesion to the Divinity O That my heart were perfectly dis-ingaged from the love of all Creatures Drain it sweet Jesu and deliver it from all forreign and domestick Affection and fill it up again with thine only that it may never love desire nor will any thing but thee alone O my Lord my Love and my All O that my Will were conformable to thine without any reservation or retraction Take it unto thee Dear Lord freely and fully for time and eternity I will have no will but thine dispose of me as thou pleasest both here and hereafter O that my Memory were disincombred from all imaginations and purg'd from all impressions but of thee only Empty it O thou only amiable object of my soul and then replenish it with such holy and heavenly notions as may best please thy divin Majesty O that my Vnderstanding were imbued with some measure of the knowledg of thy Divinity O my Lord infinit in goodness dreadful in Majesty and unspeakable in all perfection O my great gracious and glorious God quicken it sharpen it elevate it and illuminate it that knowing thee I may not choose but love thee and that knowing and loving thee I may be eternally happy Behold Lord I make an absolute divorce with all self-love sensuality and affection to creatures and give thee my self by an irrevocable donation Behold Lord the keys the lodging the treasure and the Master prostrate at thy sacred feet
if I had formerly hated thee and betrayed thee as Judas did I would now with penitent Magdalen run to thy blessed feet weep and bemoan my misery and hope to obtain thy mercy And finally O my Lord I absolutely entirely and irrevocably renounce my whole Will in all things and totally resign whatsoever any way concerns me to thy holy will and pleasure I offer up unto thee the full sacrifice both principal and accessory of all that by thy gift and grace I am have and can my self goods graces body soul senses heart will all I leave no right or title to any selfness in any thing whatsoever I am no more my self but thy slave O Lord Not my will but thine be don for time and eternity O let me will what thou wilt or not will at all Let all my desires be involuntary if they swerve never so little from thy divin pleasure Die Self-will Live Jesus my Lord my Love my All. The Seventh Exercise Of Conformity to Christ Crucified 1. Ardent Wishes and Desires of perfect Conformity to Christ our Saviour CRucified JESV Thou only Lord of my life life of my love and love of my soul O that I could reform my life deiform my love and conform my soul to thee the absolute pattern of all perfection O that I could imprint thy lively and lovely image in my Heart fasten all my affections and imperfections to thy sacred Cross drown all my desires and defects in thy dear Wounds put off my self totally and put thee on entirely O sacred humanity O my suffering Saviour O that I could perfectly imitate thee the pure exemplar of all Virtues that I could give up my whole self to thee by an Act of irrevocable donation as thou demandest and commandest But alas I am yet O my Jesu all self-love sin and sensuality I acknowledg O my Lord what I have and what I want I know what I desire and what I deserve I confess I am wounded I am wicked I am wretched and I tremblingly come to thee my heavenly Physician to be cured converted comforted O sweet Saviour for thy mercies sake and for thy passions sake Forget and forgive what I have been pitty what I am satisfie for what I deserve and supply what I desire 2. We cast our selves at our Saviours Feet where we beg Humility BEhold most merciful Jesu I first cast my self at thy sacred Feet pierced and fastned to the cruel Cross for my trangressions Pierce my flesh O my Lord with thy fear and fasten my soul to thy love O let not pride presumption nestle any longer in that Heart which thou O meek Saviour lovest so tenderly and hast redeemed at so dear a rate O my vain-glory and arrogancy what have I to do with you how much do I now detest you Wash off these stains O Jesu from my poor soul in these sweet streams flowing from thy wounded Feet O drown these my imperfections in these sacred Seas of piety Give me O gracious Lord such true humilty of Spirit that I may perfectly perceive the abyss of my own nothing and naughtiness and rightly conceive the immensity of thy greatness and goodness wherereby I may depress my self unfeignedly and exalt thee only in my soul Let me be content to be contemned by all Creatures desire to be despised be willing to be troden on as dirt and dust and the very outcast of the whole world O let me really hate all honour and humbly pronounce with mouth and mind I am nothing have nothing deserve nothing desire nothing but only to please thee perfectly my Jesu praise thee perpetually love thee purely and live with thee eternally 3. Before the same Wounds of our Saviours Feet we beg the virtues of Obedience Patience Silence GRant me also Good Jesu by the merits of these your Wounds the Virtue of perfect Obedience O let me never tire in trampling down self-will in forsaking my own sense in subduing Self-judgment in submiting my spirit inwardly to thy inspirations and outwardly not only to my Superiors injunctions but even to the commands of all thy Creatures O let me have no propriety affection or affectation in my own proceedings but wholy mind thy holy pleasure in all things Let me lay down all my desires at thy sacred Feet O my Jesu saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do so transforming my Will into thine by an absolute forsaking denying and annihilating my whol self Let me receive O my Saviour as from thy secret providence and permission not only patiently but thankfully all pain all poverty all shame all sickness and all sufferings whatsoever acknowledging that I truly deserve worse and desiring willingly to endure more that so I may have a more perfect resemblance with thee my crucified Lord Let me learn O my Lord by thy blessed example the holy lesson of discreet Silence not only from ill and idle talk but even from all needless and unprofitable discourses Let me rather edifie by the purity of my life and conversation than by multiplicity of words and conceptions O give me sweet Jesu a free and frequent access to thy sacred Feet during the whol course of my life and a sure comfort in them at the hour of my death 4. Petitions for several Virtues before the Right hand of our Crucified Redeemer FRom thy blessed Feet O my dear Lord I raise my humble devotion to thy all-holy Hands and beg leave to cast into the sweet Fountain issuing from thy powerful right Palm my manifold Sins of Malice and Injustice with all my faults of Hypocrisie and Ingratitude Falshood and Infidelity Rancor and Revenge Renew O Lord God! a right spirit within my bowels Let exact Justice be the square of all my actions Truth the touchstone of my words and Sincerity the subject of my thoughts Let me be punctual in performing my duty to thee zealous in punishing my self and charitable in compassionating my neighbour Let me ever yield first unto thy Sacred Majesty all honour and glory reverence and respect laud and love gratitude and obedience with my whol heart soul and strength next to my Superiours equals and inferiours and lastly to my own body soul and senses that which is my duty and each one of their respective dues O let me fully perform what I am bound to carefully eschew what is forbidden me and uprightly walk according to my calling O let me never presume to slight scorn suspect judg or condemn any person but sincerely serve succour and seek the temporal and spiritual good of all men whatsoever even of my profess'd and most peevish Enemies Lord Jesu give me grace to imitate thy Virtues to be grateful for thy Gifts and to make use of thy Goodness in order to my souls advancement in the way of thy dear love and desired union with thy divin Majesty 5. Other Petitions before the Left-hand ANd in the Sacred wound of thy Left-hand I humbly intomb all my offences of Negligence
Tepidity Sluggishness Cowardise and Pusillanimity all my my Covetous desires all Impurity and all Intemperance Purge me O my powerful Lord purifie me O my merciful Saviour Give strength comfort and courage to my feeble and frail nature that I may pass undauntedly through all difficulties and dangers to come to thee and to repose in thee the only center of my desires Grant me O my Lord Chastity of body and Cleanness of heart Temperance in my appetites and Sobriety in my senses Gravity in my deportment and Moderation in all my proceedings that nothing may dislike thee in my soul nor dissolve the sacred knot wherewith thou hast fastned me unto thee Give me also O Jesu my Lord perfect Poverty of spirit O permit not my soul designed to enjoy thee her only solid and satiating object to be intangled with the least affection to the poor and perishable trifles of this world Behold I cast my self uncloathed from all creatures into thy naked embraces O crucified Saviour I desire to clip nothing in my folded arms but a breast burning with desires to please thee my Redeemer and a heart melting away in thy love I make choice of thy baâ—e Cross O Christ for my best inheritance I stretch out my opened folds to meet thy holy and heavenly huggings O let me never more be unclasp'd from thy blessed bosom Be thou O my great-little naked-Jesu my rest during the short time of my life and my refuge at the dreadful hour of my death 6. More humble Petitions before the Sacred Head and Face of our Crucifi'd Saviour ANd now O merciful Saviour I humbly convert my eyes and contemplation to thy sacred Head crowned with thorns and thy divin Face all besmeared with gore and spittle for my sake Here I implore strength O Jesu for the weaknesses of my head and pardon for the wickednesses of my five Wits and Senses O my Lord I desire to bury in these thy innumerous Wounds the enormous number of my iniquities and I beseech thee for these thy sufferings sake to adorn my weak capacity with so much solid Wisdom as may fitly suit with my condition O let me never think speak or act any thing which is not season'd with the salt of Discretion Let me seriously weigh each circumstance and patiently wait thy leave and leasure before I leap into any work Enlighten me to see cleerly thy will and pleasure and impower me exactly to fulfil and follow it Open the eyes of my Understanding to behold my own baseness and wickedness and give me thy gracious assistance to reform it Help me to frame a right judgment of the real vileness and vanity of all transitory things and indue my heart with courage to contemn them Inebriate my affection O amiable Jesu with the sweetness of thy love and let all worldly solaces savour of bitterness to my soul Let me be deaf blind and dumb to all things which are not thy self O my crucified Saviour Let me prudently discern and piously perform each parcel of my duty in its due circumstance of time place order measure and manner Let that holy and innocent Simplicity which is the Virtue of thy Saints shine in all my actions Let me not be curious to know much but careful to practise much and cordial to love thee much O my only Lord and love Cleanse my Will from all self-seeking Keep my Memory from all superfluities Close up my Senses from all vanities that my happy soul seperated from all sensible images may quietly tend to thee only sweetly repose in thee and continually enjoy thy blessed presence O let thy pure and perfect love Dear Lord Jesu be the faithful Scout-watch over all my proceedings that no forreign affection no sinister intention no self liking or self seeking may steal into my heart and defraud or disturb its happy enjoyment of thee and holy unity with thy divin Spirit Grant O my Lord that I may prudently turn all good events and all bad accidents to my spiritual profit by reflecting wherefore they befall me of what they warn me and how far they concern me Let me learn thereby gratitude to thy Goodness fervour in Prayer contempt of my self humility of spirit care of my actions resignation to thy will amendment of my life or what else thy holy Spirit shall please to intimate by these fatherly visitations O sacred Head of my crucified Saviour be thou my certain succour during my lives conflict and my sure place of retreat in my last agony of Death 7. And finally Ardent Petitions before the Heart of JESVS wounded with a Launce ANd Lastly I reverently approach to thy dear Heart O amiable Lord Jesu opened with a cruel Launce in the sight of thy blessed Mother and thy beloved Disciple for the love of my Soul O my Jesu I here implore thy pardon for all my perverss affections and irregular appetites Give me thy leave O my loving Lord to creep into this sweet hole of the rock this sacred cleft of the wall this unlock'd closet of heavenly treasures this saving Ark of the New Testament and shut you O Jesu the door from without that free from the deluges of all wickedness and dangers of the World Flesh and Devil I may sit solitarily silently and sweetly hearkning to thy divin whispers in my elevated Soul Purge all my impurities O my dear Saviour in the precious Blood streaming from thy patent side and replenish my heart with thy perfect love Oh! drown me wound me burn me and consume me in thy divine flames of affection that I may love thee strongly purely perfectly perseverantly O grant that I may leave all things with alacrity for thee my beloved Jesu though never so great to loath all things joyfully for thy love though never so good to do all things contentedly for thy honour though never so hard to suffer all things patiently for thy sake though never so painful and to persever constantly in my pious practices for the sole satisfaction of thy holy Will and the accomplishment of thy blessed pleasure O let me be incessantly calling and knocking at this sacred gate of Mercy Let me be still sighing and seeking after thee my Jesus my Saviour my Lord and my Love Let me be always thinking ever talking and perpetually tending to unite my heart to thine to conform it unto thine to transform it into thine that so I may be all thine and thou all mine for time and eternity Grant also dear Jesu that I may truly love all others in thee and for thee O inflame my Charity quicken my Faith rectifie my intentions strengthen my confidence in thee destroy all complacency in my self establish me in all these my good purposes and let me be as often minded of my now-promis'd duty and encouraged to proceed forwards in the path of perfection as I shall eye the sacred image of thy crucified humanity Elevate my desirous Soul unto thy self O Jesu my Lord above all chances changes
and creatures Oh! let it be so totally attentive to thy presence so intirely taken up in thy contemplation and so wholy absorpt in thy love that no outward objects may touch or trouble it no inferiour cares or cogitations may intangle it nothing may impede the free intercourse of thy heavenly friendship nothing may stop the sweet influence of thy divin graces or any way interrupt its happy quiet and holy tranquillity O dear and open'd Heart of my dying Lord Jesus be thou my sweet comfort during this lives Pilgrimage and my sure Sanctuary in its last period Tâ—…â—…ghth Exercise Of 〈…〉 with GOD. 1. Our Soul seeks nothing but Gods lovely presence and desires nothing but the presence of his Love O Infinit immense and unmeasurable abyss of all bounty O ever-flowing Fountain of mercy O undrainable Sea of love O my Lord my Soveraign my Saviour and my Sanctifier Behold I return into thee the sweet source of my beginning I run into thee the gracious Preserver of my being and I desire to rest in thee the only hope of my Souls happiness Be thou henceforth O my Creator the sole subject of my thoughts and the only object of my love Be thou O God of my heart Heart of my life Life of my soul and Soul of my Love my part and my inheritance for ever I choose thee only I offer up my self wholly I consecrate my self heartily and dedicate my self eternally to thy love honour and service Ah good God! where dwellest thou which is the pleasant place of thy abode O King of glory and Comforter of my Soul I seek nothing but thy lovely presence I desire nothing but the presence of thy love My soul sighs to see thee my heart covets to have thee my love longs to enjoy thee and I can expect no perfect content until I am totally united unto thee If I now beg a glimps of thy divin face O my glorious Lord then a drop of thy heavenly grace and afterwards a dram of thy dear affection Yet in all this it is thy self O sweet God! which I demand thy whole self is the only satiating object of my boundless desires and unlimited affections 2. Fervent Acts of Love and Affection I Desire to love thee O only amiable Lord God! by all means and beyond all measure until I am totally transform'd into thee by love O do thou freely and fully possess my spirit guide it govern it enlighten it inflame it elevate it inform it and transport it how and when thou pleasest Oh! Let all adulterate love be quite banished all multiplicity vanish away and all impurity and self-seeking swallowed up Let thy love be my light my liberty my life Lord I desire but two things in this world To love see taste and enjoy thee My best beloved and to be humbled despised rejected and esteemed a reprobate for thy love O sweet life O loving Jesu what a heaven what a happiness is it to love thee O how lovely how loving and yet how little loved is my God O source of all goodness and center of all good souls What is the greatest love of mother friend life or any thing els Art not thou my God! all this to me and all in all Ah my Soul what didst thou ever best love And didst thou love thy Lord God as much I blush O my dear Lord I sigh and am ashamed to answer I will henceforth do any thing suffer any thing and leave all things for thy love I will not live but languish not breath but burn by an extasie and excess of love 3. Further Acts and Extasies of divin Love and Affection O Fire O flames Burn Consume Annihilate Alas Beauty of Angels how late and how little do I love thee O come into my Soul behold a poor lodging yet such as it is it is all thine I conceal nothing I reserve nothing heart soul spirit all is thine own compose all dispose all depose all unruly passions impose what Penance thou pleasest I accept it O my Lord only repose peaceably in my soul and let no foul or false affection interpose it self to disturb this blessed union O that I could please and praise thee purely perfectly perpetually Oh that I could love thee faithfully freely and fully in all above all things O my all and only love I acknowledg my self bound O Lord in thy chains of Charity I am burn'd in thy fire I am wounded and won to thy love But what shall I say What can I give All I have is not worthy of thee and yet is thine already Ask my sweet Lord and have choose and take make me such as thou desirest and then take me to thy desire Give thy self O great God! to my soul and then take my soul with thy self in it My life liberty love all is thy own My last Will is already made in which I bequeath all to thee thy own Death and Passion all thy Mercies and Merits all the praises and perfections of thy dear Mother and the blessed Saints and Angels and all the goods glories and splendors of all thy creatures All that I am have and can both spirituals and temporals kindred friends riches health honors estates offices devotion all is at thy disposal I am resolute O my Lord I am resign'd and indifferent to have them increased or diminished to use them to thy glory or to lose them altogether 4. We return back to our Creator all that we have are and can I Give thee back O merciful Maker my whole being either to be what thou wilt or to be nothing at all to love thee or not to live at all I offer to thee O pious Redeemer my sins to pardon my works to perfect my will to purifie I offer thee my wounds to cure my soul to cleanse and my spirit to comfort I offer to thee O holy Spirit my intentions to rectifie my inclinations to sanctifie my affections to deifie Finally I offer all for one I give all to one and all I desire is to be all one with thee my all and only Lord and love Thou hast given me O my bountiful Creator the whole world in freehold for one penny of Rent saying Child give me thy heart O Lord Let this penny never want the superscription of thy grace and let me never want thy grace to pay this rent O my Lord all that I have is but two small mites I cast them into thy hands and had I more I would give more Dispose of them both dear Lord of my Body and Soul as best pleaseth thee that thy will may be perfectly performed and thy name purely sanctified in both O sweet God of my heart Let me embrace thee in the two arms of profound Humility and perfect Charity O let my Heart faint and melt away in the fire of thy Divin love let me lose my self to find thee be out of my self to live in thee and be empty of my self to be full
in thy absence Who will pity my Case who will plead my Cause who will pardon my Crimes who will save my Soul Thou only art all my comfort come therefore to me or take me to thee 4. The holy Baptist esteem'd himself unworthy to loose the latchet of thy Sandals St. Peter to be in the same Bark with thee The Centurion to admit thee under his Roof And what art thou my poor Soul compar'd to these great Saints Lord I am not worthy of this honour and happiness which I much desire Depart therefore from me a sinner or rather come to me and cause that I may sin no more 5. Who is the Guest I mean to lodg One who infinitly surpasses all created perfections One whose power fram'd all whose providence governs all whose beck can in a moment bring all back to their Original Nothing And is it possible he will descend to dwell in houses of Earth If the Heavens cannot contain thee Dread Soveraign how shall my soul Whence O Lord is this thy goodness to me Who am I to deserve it No 't is thy Love that brings thee to me and 't is my Confidence that leads me to thee O that I were as clean as thy Empyreal Heaven to entertain thee as Pure as the Virgin MARY to receive thee 6. What need I other Motives of Humility than to see thee O Jesu so humble in this Sacrament Thou annihilatest thy glory to become my food who am the food of worms I am saist thou the bread of life take me eat me digest me nourish thy self with me have as much power over me as much possession of me as of a morsel of bread which thou swallowest Come then O my Lord and Lover take full and free possession of me establish thy government adorn thy lodging command control correct all be thou all in all in my Soul c. 7. With desire sayst thou my sweet Saviour I have desired to eat this Pasche with you before I suffer Why O Lord dost thou so much desire it and I so little What good will come to thee by it and what good will not come to me by it Dost thou so heartily desire my good and shall I not desire my own good and thy glory 8. At what time was this pledg of the divin love and comfort of our life instituted Just in the night of our dear Saviours Passion immediatly before he was hurried away to Death O Love without limits O mercy without measure When men seek out the means to bereave thee of life Thou inventest this Banquet to give them life How well O Loving Jesu dost thou teach me to repay good for evil and to give my life and blood for my Enemies but much more for thee who hast shew'd me such large tokens of thy tender affection 9. In what place In a Chamber on high well swept well prepar'd freely profer'd wherein our Redeemer wrought strange things both before and after his Resurrection What Lodging O Lord shall I offer thy sacred Majesty Child give me thy heart Lord take it behold I neither lend it nor sell it but I freely and fully give it unto thee for Nothing And yet I give thee nothing but thine own O Lord It is not clean purifie it with thy Blood It is not adorned Beautifie it with thy Grace Love and Favour It is not High but base mean terrene Elevate it with thy ennobling Presence touch it draw near it and draw it near thy self And then work in it thy holy will and pleasure 10. Who were the Receivers The twelve Apostles whereof one was a Traitor Is it I Lord Alas If there be any one I am most likely yet my comfort is that I come not with any such treacherous intention but to lodg and love thee to obtain pardon for my Sins and to implore thy Grace that I may sin no more 11. O my Soul how mercifully hath thy Lord and Maker provided for thee nourished thee cherished thee All living creatures stand in need of such sustenance as is conformable to their nature without which they cannot live and subsist Some of them are Corporal Others are Spiritual Man partakes of both as consisting of Body and Soul which are two different things wedded together by the divin Wisdom and in a most wondrous manner not to be understood by our weak capacity Mark now O man admire and weep in the extasie of thy joy and love how God provides meat for thy twofold Nature For thy bodies food physick and support He provides preserves and sustains all sublunary Creatures and for thy Souls food physick and support He provides the bread of Angels and himself in person the Baker being the Holy Ghost the Oven the Virgin Mary the Fire Charity the Matter Human Nature united to the Divinity O prodigies of Affection 12. Thy other Sacraments O my Lord and my God! contain and give Grace but this contains and gives the Author of Grace the Fire of Love the Sun of Justice the Fountain of Mercy This therefore surpasses them as far as the Sun doth its Beam the Fire its Flame and the Fountain its Rivulet O how excessive is thy Love Dear Lord to my poor Soul in that thou art pleas'd to visit it in thy proper person to cure cleanse comfort it with thy own divin hand and heart to nourish it with thy own blessed Body and Blood O what thanks honour love and gratitude are due to thy infinite bounty and liberality O my Soul where are thy exclamations admirations extasies of affection Remainest thou alone insensible dry and undevout amongst these miracles of Gods goodness towards thee Hast thou no heart no feeling no fervour amidst these flames of his Charity Enkindle new fires O Lord in my heart burn it consume it annihilate it in the furnace of thy Love 13. O the admirable power of my God which works so many Miracles at one Word of his servants mouth Bread becomes Flesh Wine Blood the Creature our Creator Speak also a Word sweet Jesu to my Soul say This Soul is mine Take it Lord transform it change it into thy self Let it be no longer mine but thine for all future time and eternity 14 Why was this divin Sacrament instituted under the forms of Bread and Wine 1. To shew the necessity of it Can our bodies live without bread and drink And can our Souls live without thee O loving Jesu 2. To teach us what Union our Lord desires to make with our Souls Is not meat and drink incorporated into our substance And is not this the effect of thy Sacramental presence O Saviour in humble and holy Souls O what alterations what alienations what extasies do they feel in and after Communion They do not breath but burn not live but languish their life is all Love their Spirit all Fire O Lord let fall one drop of this dew upon my dry Soul Give it good Jesu one Spark of this Fire one Beam
In hope of which happiness all Sufferings shall seem sweet to me as proceeding from your paternal hands and I here disavow all expressions of complaint which the violence of my Disease may hereafter draw from my Tongue but not from my Heart which is wholly resign'd to my dear Lord's will and pleasure Nor will I care to be informed how long I must lie languishing in this my Infirmity or whether Death shall in this battle be defeated or become victorious over my life No my Lord I absolutely leave the disposal of my Body Soul and all that concerns me to thy divin Will and Pleasure and desire nothing as to my life and death but that the short remainder of my life may be spent in loving thee serving thee and suffering for thee and that whensoever thou shalt send death to cut its thread my Soul may be found ready prepared for her happy eternitie In the mean space it matters not whether I am cherished or contristated I will endeavour to be indifferent to either since I deserve not the one and my Sins render me worthy of the other Thy innocent Son O Eternal Father who suffered not as I do for his own Sins was deserted by his Disciples and even by thy self also and shall I after this example expect from men any assistance tenderness and compassion I only beg of thee my bountiful and compassionate Creator some small communication of that Spirit wherewith thy patient Son my sweet Saviour suffered that so uniting all my pains to his Passion they may acquire the dignity which their own nature denies them to be acceptable to thy divin Majesty Whose sacred Name be praised by me and all creatures for evermore Demands to a Sick Person at the receiving of the Viaticum or Extream Vnction or at other fit times 1. DO you firmly heartily and humbly believe all the Articles of Faith and all the Holy Scripture according to the sense of Catholick Doctors and Definitions of the Church 2. Do you detest all Superstitions Schisms and Heresies condemn'd by the Church 3. Are you glad and desirous to die a Member of this true Catholick Apostolick Roman Church in the Faith taught by our Lord Jesus and participation of the holy Sacraments 4. Do you acknowledg that you have grievously offended God your Creator who hath been so bountiful unto you and are you sorry for all your sins ingratitudes negligences omissions commissions lost time and opportunities rejected Inspirations 5. Do you ask pardon of the divin Majesty and all your Neighbours whom you have any way offended disedified contristated wronged or scandalized 6. Doth your Sorrow for all these things proceed not so much for fear of death hell and punishment as for the offence displeasure and dishonour of God whom you should have loved above all things 7. Are you fully resolved by Gods grace and assistance if you out live this sickness to amend your Life and rather to leave lose and suffer any thing than to offend God And do you desire life only to this effect that you may better serve him 8. Do you wish you could love God with as great sincerity as the blessed Saints do in Heaven and as the most perfect Souls do upon Earth 9. Have you perform'd such Penance made such Restitution done such Satisfaction to God and Man as your Confessor hath enjoyned you or are you content and ready to do it 10. Do you recommend your self to the Prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary of your special Patrons and in particular of your good Angel Guardian 11. Do you distrust disavow and renounce all your own merits vertues and perfections and trust to be saved by the Mercies of God and Merits of your dear Redeemer 12. Do you render hearty thanks to the divin Majesty for all his favours blessings and especially for that of your Conversion and Vocation to his true Church and Faith And also for all the Crosses he hath permitted to befal you and even for this your present Sickness in which you now languish 13. Do you absolutely and entirely resign your self to his sacred Will and Disposition for all time and eternity and are you indifferent to Sickness or Health to Life or Death to Comforts or Crosses and to whatsoever shall be conformable to the Divin liking and pleasure 14. If the Devil tempts you in matter of Faith What will you answer him I believe in God and his Church Or In matter of Despair 'T is true I am a great Sinner and deserve Hell yet my Saviour is my hope my pledge and my surety and when God ceases to be good and Jesus to be my Saviour then will I cease to hope for Mercy and not before 15. But if your Ghostly enemy continues to afflict affright and terrifie you with the memory of your Sins Gods Judgments and Hells torments what will you do I will say Live Jesus my Lord and my Love and I will put his Death and Passion betwixt me and them all 16. If through the suggestion of Satan or any self-frailty or surprisal you should chance to fall and swerve from any of these good purposes and resolutions I now declare it to be of no force for evermore and I will by Gods grace return speedily to him again Other Questions proposed to a Penitent languishing and loving Soul by her Confessor to dispose her to a happy Death with her Answers unto the same by way of a Dialogue between God and her This is proper for more Spiritual Persons GOD. My Child the last hour of thy mortal life runs now in the Watch of my divin Providence This is the moment on which depends thy Eternity Answer me therefore heartily conscionably and confidently to these points which I shall here propose unto thee Soul O my God! be thou blessed for evermore and thy sacred Will be done in me and in all thy Creatures Speak Lord for thy servant hears attentively and will answer sincerely as in thy presence who penetratest into the secrets of my heart And I most humbly beseech thy Divin Majesty that I may supply by my inward Will and Desires what I am unable to express by my outward Words and Gestures I confess and acknowledg my imperfection ignorance and unworthiness to speak to thee My Lord and my Maker or to be by thee remembred or regarded but hoping in thy gracious assistance I will humby obey thy commands 1. Art thou willing to dy a Member of my Church at this Time in this Place and Company O my God! I desire even from my very heart to die a true Child of thy holy Church believing all that the said Church teaches and am ready rather to lose my life than leave my Faith As for all other circumstances of my death I am altogether indifferent how when and where I shall live or die so it be in thy sweet favour and friendship and according to thy sacred Will and Pleasure 2. Doth not thy Soul
covet to be in my custody and love and to return to me her Center Sanctuary and place of Rest This O my Lord is the earnest sute of thy poor servant For I well know I am safe and secure in thy powerful Custodie and if thou lovest me I am sure to enjoy thee because thou never leavest them whom thou lovest O Rest long expected much desired and frequently sighed after when shall I enjoy thee O my Creator Let my soul repose in thee her Center She was made for thee and she will never be truly quiet and content till she returns to thee and becomes united to thee her final end and only felicity 3. Dost thou not heartily detest all Sin all Error all Inordination of Will and Affection I do most gracious Lord and whatsoever is any way contrary or displeasing to thy Divin Majestie being desirous to have absolutely no Will at all but only thine 4. 1. What wilt thou have to be thy last Word 2. Thy last Wound 3. Thy last Will. 4. Thy last internal Act of Affection to me 1. Sweet Jesu receive my soul 2. Wound me with thy Love that I may be wholly thine 3. I give my self and all to thee to whom all is due 4. I choose thee for my God and will be thy Bond slave for ever I desire nothing either for time or eternitie but thy only Will Be thou what thou art to wit all goodness all glory all happiness and let me be what thou wilt and as I may be most pleasing to thee 5. What is thy Affection towards Creatures What thy Aversion from them Art thou truly content to leave all and to be left by all I cannot perceive O my God! that I am averted from any reasonable Creature though I often feel my self upon light occasions moved with displeasure against some of thy servants whose feet I am not worthy to kiss yet I now even with all my heart wish to them Happiness in this life and eternal felicity in the next Neither do I envy any ones prosperity in any thing whatsoever but humbly beseech thee my sweet Jesu if it be for thy own honour and glory to bestow more favours and greater blessings upon all thy Creatures And this I most heartily crave for those especially with whom I have had or shall hereafter have any difficultie and whom my nature is least inclined to affect Whatsoever inordinate affection I ever had or now have either to my self or any created object I do here in thy adorable presence disavow and utterly renounce converting my whole heart and love to thy Sacred Majesty and desiring to honour and affect all thy Creatures in thee and for thee only I am content O my God and All to leave all and that all should leave and abandon me only permit me to live under the shadow of thy wings and to have thee always present with me 6. Wherein dost thou most trust and confide in dying O my Creator In thy infinite Mercy and in the Merits of my sweet Redeemer Christ Jesus is all my Hope and Confidence And I humbly present this unspeakable Treasure I mean the Death and Passion of my Lord Jesus before the Throne of thy Justice O my dread Soveraign as also the Merits and Intercessions of the immaculate Virgin Mary and of all thy glorious Saints Lo my Lord this is all my Trust Comfort and Confidence here is all my Hope Riches and Treasure and in this I will rejoice for ever For of my self I am miserable wretched wicked having nothing in my Soul to adorn it or render it grateful to thy immense purity and infinit Goodness 7. 1. Hast thou not greatly offended me 2. Doth it not much grieve thee 3. If thou couldst recal it wouldst thou do it 4. Wouldst thou Confess all again and that in Publick if it were my will 5. What dost thou offer in Satisfaction 6. What Penance art thou content to undertake 7. Wilt thou ask Pardon for all thy Scandals 8. If all hearts were thine as they are mine how wouldst thou dispose of them 1. O most merciful Father I confess I have most grievously offended thy gracious goodness and that I have often deserved Hells eternal punishments but thy Mercy hath spared me till this present to the end I may become converted and live Be thou ever blessed and praised by me and all creatures for evermore 2. I am sorry and grieved to my very soul that I have offended so good a God and that there hath been so great a dissimilitude in my Soul with thee according to whose sacred image it was created 3. Pardon me O compassionate Father pardon your now repenting returning converted Child for could I recal undo and cancel all the evil I have ever thought done or said I would surely do it though the difficulty cost me my Life 4. And I would most readily re-confess all my Sins though they are very many and monstrous in the presence and hearing of the whol world if I understood by thy Deputie my Ghostly Father that it were thy will and pleasure 5. O my God! If thou demandest Satisfaction from me which way shall I turn me I will run to my sweet Jesus and present thee with the precious merits of his most holy and painful Life and of his most cruel and shameful Death in full satisfaction for all my offences 6. As for Penance Behold my weak Body and languishing Soul inflict upon them what punishment thou pleasest only spare me for Eternity 7. I beseech thee O my ever blessed Creator by the Passion of thy Son Jesus to pardon all the evil Example notorious Scandal and bad Counsel which I ever gave to any person And I heartily ask pardon of all them who have received any harm by me either in body or soul humbly begging of thee Sweet Jesu to forgive and wash away in thy precious Blood all those spots which by my fault they have incurred 8. O the only beloved of my Soul had I the disposing of all hearts I would most freely bestow them all on thee nor would I permit them to be imployed so much as one moment of time in any other exercise than in loving praising and magnifying thy sacred Majestie 8. Dost thou nor ardently desire to Love me to See me to Enjoy me and to Please and Praise me as my blessed Angels and Saints do in Heaven O my Lord I desire above all things 1. To love thee for thy own sake because thou art most worthy to be beloved 2. I long and languish to see and enjoy thy beatifying countenance but my own unworthiness tells me it is an over high Presumption therefore I humbly resign my self to thy holy Will 3. Yet O gracious Creator fain I would praise and please thee as those happy Choristers do in Heaven 9. 1. Why art thou afraid to dy 2. Did not I dy for thee 3. And wilt not thou die for me O my dear Soveraign When I
reflect upon my sinful life I tremble at deaths memory and approach But O dear Jesu when I consider thy infinit merits and mercies I am comforted I become confident and I remain content to dy whensoever it shall be thy good pleasure because thou being my God sufferedst Death to give me eternal Life 10. How long art thou content to ly languishing in Sickness and after death to remain punished in Purgatory Even as long as it shall please thee my Lord and Lover for in Sickness in Death and after death I wholly resign and abandon my self to thy sacred Will and Disposition 11. 1. Have I not been bountiful liberal and loving to thee 2. Hast thou well requited this my love and liberality 3. What thanks dost thou give me 4. At least what do I deserve from thee O my Lord Thy Liberality Mercy Goodness and Love to me thy most ungrateful Vassal hath been excessive immense unmeasurable and alas I have never requited the least of thy benefits by any faithful service fervent affection or sincere gratitude But now O my Royal Benefactor behold I here 1. render thee all the humble thanks benedictions and praises I am able 2. I heartily wish it were in my power to praise honour and love thee with that purity fervor and affection as thou deservest and I desire 3. Since I know my self to be altogether uncapable to pay what I owe thee therefore I beseech thee to pay thy self out of thy own infinit stock of mercy and thy Sons immense treasure of merits 4. Thy self O my Soverain Lord God! is thy own praises and this I offer up unto thy divin Majesty 12. How much did I suffer on the Cross 2. For whom 3. What moved me to it 4. What did I thirst after in dying and crying Sitio 5. Compare thy pains with mine is there any proportion 6. Will not all this move thee to suffer a little Sickness and Death for me O my dear Redeemer I am not able to conceive much less to express the dismal torments thou enduredst at thy Death 2. Yet I know it was all to Redeem Sinners and my self in particular 3. And the only motive was the great affection thou hadst to save my soul that I might Love Praise and Enjoy thee eternally 4. I believe thy Thirst was after my love and salvation 5. And I wish that mine may be after thy only Love and Honour 6. In thanksgiving for all which thy love favours and benefits and because thou art my God I absolutly resign my self to suffer and die when how and where it shall please thy divin Majesty 13. But what if thou art not of the number of my Elect and that out of my severe Justice I should send thee into Hell fires O my God! I remit my self wholly to thee and were I assured of that fearful Separation from thee yet I would still endeavour to love thee serve thee and adhere to thee during this my pilgrimage on earth with all possible diligence sincerity and fidelity 14. Dost thou not much desire in dying to have the fruit of the Sacraments and the presence and Prayers of thy Ghostly Father and of my holy Church This O my dear Lord is my most hearty desire but I prefer thy blessed Will before both I care not how suddenly Death may seize on me so it finds me not unprovided All this which is by me spoken and answer'd to my Lord and Savior with perfect use of Sence and Judgment I will by his divin Grace never revoke or deny where and howsoever I lead and end my life Of all which I take for witness my Lord God himself in whose presence I am and the whol Court of Heaven humbly offering up these my desires intentions and resolutions to the Throne of the divin mercy to be there ratifi'd confirm'd and perfected by the merits of my dear Redeemer Christ Jesus and by the intercessions of his and my blessed Mother Mary and heartily begging the assistance of the whol Church both Militant and Triumphant for the full and perfect performance thereof Blessed be my God for ever Amen Protestations to be made by the Sick Person either Vocally if he be able or els Mentally being distinctly read and suggested unto him ✚ In the Name of the Blessed Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost I N. wretched and miserable sinner do Protest before Almighty God who sees the secrets and sincerity of my heart before you my good Angel and all the Court of Heaven and also before you my Ghostly Father and Friends here present 1. That I have a firm constant and setled will and desire to die in the true Catholick Faith and Church wherein all the Saints are departed understanding and believing all the Articles of my Faith in that sense and meaning which my holy Mother the Catholick Church the Spouse of Christ and Pillar of truth hath and doth propose them to be understood and believed 2. Also I protest that I do with all my heart and soul detest all the sins of my life past humbly beg pardon for all my Commissions against God my Neighbour my self in Thought Word and Deed and for all my Omissions in observing the precepts of God and his Church the Rule and Constitutions of my Profession the works of mercy either spiritual or corporal as also for having abus'd the Sacraments refus'd Gods grace rejected his inspirations neglected his vocations been careless in the custody of my heart and senses scandalous in my life and manners tepid in tending to perfection and generally for all my sins scandals disedifications and for whatsoever I have any way offended my Creators divin Majesty and goodness Humbly beseeching him by his own infinit Mercy by the Merits of my dear Saviour Christ Jesus by the Intercession of the powerful Virgin Mary and by the Prayers of all the Angels and Saints that he will be pleased to supply all the defects of my Sacramental Confessions and that now at last he will furnish me with grace and strength to produce this one Act of true and sincere Contrition O my God! be merciful unto me a Sinner In the pronunciation whereof I could be content my heart would break asunder with grief and sorrow for having offended so infinitly amiable a Lord and Lover 3. Also I protest that I do heartily forgive all such as have ever any way offended hurt or injur'd me and that I most humbly crave pardon of all them whom I have any way knowingly or ignorantly offended hurt injur'd in words in deeds or by my bad example offering my self ready to make them full and ample satisfaction to the utmost of my power 4. Also I protest that I am altogether uncapable to render worthy thanks to the divin Majesty for his infinit favours blessings and benefits from time to time in general and in particular bestow'd upon me his undeserving unworthy and ungrateful Servant wherefore I do beseech the blessed Virgin my
of my Soul I most heartily confess and acknowledg that thou hast provided for me in so convenient a manner both in prosperity and adversity in health and sickness in body and soul as no other wisdom but thou only my sweet Lord and Maker the increated Goodness and wise Disposer of all things could have effected To thee therefore O my God and my All I commit my self and all to be disposed of now and ever as shall be most agreeable to thy own honour and glory and most conformable to thy eternal just and equal will and providence I hope O my Soveraign Lord God! that this moment of pains and sufferings will be soon changed into an Eternity of happiness and comfort I trust that my now languishing and dying body shall be one day raised to glory impassibility immortality I cheerfully expect to have this poor imprisoned soul of mine called up to see enjoy and contemplate thy amiable and beautifying countenance for evermore 4. Acts of Love O Eternal Father thou hast given thy Son to me and behold I give him again to thee together with my whol self and all that I have am and can my Love my Life my Liberty my Heart my Soul to please and honour thee for all future time and Eternity O my Lord I love thee heartily and during the short remainder of my life in this world I will serve thee faithfully not so much of obligation as of Election not so much for my own comfort and profit as for thy will and pleasure not for the delight I take in thy loving service but for the desire I have to please thee not as a servant bondslave or hireling but as a Freeman loves his Friend as a Child his Father as a Spouse her Bridegroom not only out of gratitude for received benefits but also and chiefly because thou art my God of infinit perfection in thy self and of infinit affection towards me O God of Love and Love of my Soul what do I desire in Heaven or expect from Heaven and what do I long for upon Earth but thee the only object of my affections the only aim of my pretensions the only desire of my heart the only delight of my spirit Come O my blessed Lord and Lover and take full possession of my Heart and Soul transform me into thy love and conform me to thy Will Let thy Will be the only desire of my heart and let thy Love be the only life of my Soul and lease of my life that when I leave to love I may cease to live c. 5. Acts of Resignation Take examples from CHRIST in his Agony O My All powerful Father If I must needs drink of this bitter chalice endure this long and tedious Sickness suffer these sharp and severe torments thy holy Will be done From Job on his Dunghil 'T Is thou O Soveraign Lord who art the bountiful bestower of all blessings and thou maist justly withdraw revoke and retake them at thy own will and pleasure be thou blessed and praised for evermore From S. Paul prostrate on the ground LOrd What wilt thou have me to do what is thy holy pleasure behold thy Servant ready to accomplish it Aspire frequently to God and Resign up all willingly to him in this or the like sort WEre I master of all Bodies and Souls I would presently give up to thee Great Lord of Heaven and Earth all my right and title and were it in my power I would make of each body an instrument to please and praise thee and of all souls as many Paradises to lodge and love thee Come what will O my Creator I will place my hopes in thy infinit mercy and in thy Sons abundant Redemption And my perpetual Song shall be O Lord be merciful to me a Sinner Blessed be my God for all and in all Live Jesus by whose death I live and for whose love I am willing to die c. O when shall I take as much pleasure in suffering as I have done in sinning O that I could entirely resign my whol self Body and Soul in Life or Death for time and eternity to be disposed of according to thy divin Will and Pleasure O that I could in every moment of time pronounce with heart and tongue Live Jesus only whose Will be accomplished whose name be sanctified whose praise be published in all by all above all c. 6. An Act of Purity of Intention O Eternal Lord God! Thou hast created me to serve thee only redeemed me to love thee only and now inspir'd me with a will and desire to please thee only during all the remaining days of my life And behold my hearty and humble desire is to serve thee love thee and please thee purely perfectly perseverantly Reform therefore I beseech thee my sinful life conform my stubborn will Deiform my sinister intention change and transform my spirit into thine that all my thoughts words actions pretensions and these my present pains sufferings and sickness may be presented to thy sacred Majesty with such purity perfection and perseverance as thy Love deserves from me and mine desires for thee 7. An Heroick Act of highest efficacy containing a Contract between the Soul and her Creator Which being made devoutly at the beginning of any dangerous Sickness and frequently iterated during the intervals therof must needs afford exceeding great comfort in Deaths last hour and Agony O My God my Lord my Creator from whom by whom and in whom I and all things live move and have a being I rejoice at what thou art as if it were all mine and I offer what I and all creatures have and are as being all thine Behold O Heavenly Father I thy poor Child and unworthy Creature do here with all possible sincerity submission and devotion make this present Contract with thy Sacred Majesty to be thy faithful servant and bondslave for evermore intending hereby that each remaining moment of my life and all that is within me without me about me may henceforth incessantly bless and praise thy holy Name and accomplish thy most just and holy Will in all things whatsoever And for this end I do now enrol this Oblation Donation and Resignation of my whol self to thy divin Majesty in the very Center of my Heart Soul with such Intention Force and Efficacy as thou O my all-knowing Lord God! canst comprehend to be the very best which I thy poor creature am capable to perform without any reservation restriction or contradiction whatsoever I desire also O my Creator to make this Contract with thy sacred Majesty in the best manner with most proper words in the fittest terms and with such significant clauses and conditions as it ought and may be performed In Confirmation whereof I produce as witnesses the sacred Virgin Queen Mary my Angel Guardian my particular Patrons and all the celestial Citizens humbly imploring the assistance of their Prayers for the performance of this my hearty
Oblation of my whol self purely and entirely to thy divin Majesty which I beseech thy infinit goodness and mercy to receive from my Hands and Heart and to seal it in Heaven that it may be there warranted and confirmed for evermore And because the necessities frailties and infirmities which accompany this my Pilgrimage and which will probably most of all overwhelm me in deaths Agony permit me not according to my desire to be always employed in thy praises therefore I now prostrating my self before thy Throne of Majesty whom I reverently Adore with the greatest Affection that thou O my Lord God! know'st may be given by any creature and to whom I Offer in supply of my own unworthiness all the ardent affections mental excesses supernatural jubilations and amorous unions of all devout Souls in Heaven and Earth as though I felt them all in my own heart humbly express this my present Covenant Contract and Agreement with thee my Soveraign Creator Father Son and Holy Ghost in this manner That as often as I shall either Interiourly or Exteriourly either in Heart silently or with my Tongue verbally think or say any of these things following I Adore I Thank I Offer I Resolve I am Sorry I Desire I Resign I Believe I Hope I Love O my Lord O my Jesu And so passing no further shall there end My intention is to make as perfect an Act of Adoration Thanksgiving Oblation Resolution Contrition Petition Resignation Faith Hope and Charity as is possible for any creature to make And I do now for then declare denounce and testifie that my will and desire is whensoever I shall think or pronounce any of the words aforesaid to make exercise and perform all the Acts contain'd in this Book in all the devout Books that ever were or shall be written and which the blessed Virgin Angels and Saints do and shall do in Heaven for all eternity Receive and ratifie most gracious Soveraign this my humble Act Contract and Covenant as to all and each one of its branches and members and whatsoever is therein explicitly and implicitly included receive it as a pledg of my hearty desire to serve praise and honour thy divin Majesty purely perfectly eternally Receive it once for all which I wish to present unto thee every moment and minute to produce as often as I breath and to iterate as frequently as any Act can possibly be repeated and multiplied And I invite and conjure all the celestial Spirits and faithful Souls to sacrifice unto thy sacred Majesty more perfect holocausts of praise and benediction for evermore In this manner a pious Soul may incessantly praise and please God and with little labour acquire much merit For having once sincerely made and daily weekly or monthly repeating this Act according as it is here largly described it may hourly be practised with great ease and comfort by the meer direction of the mind and simple reflection of the spirit towards God upon all occasions and in whatsoever company and employment OF all other Devotions the use of a Crucifix is chiefly to be recommended to a Sick Person Kissing it Embracing it speaking somtimes to the Crucifix somtimes to his own Soul Nothing is more easie nothing more pious nothing more profitable For in the contemplation of that Sacred object you may with great facility adore praise bless thank invoke the divin Majesty and admire his infinite mercy love and liberality in this or the like manner as his Holy Spirit shall suggest unto you O holy Cross O deep Wounds O sacred Blood O cruel Sorrow Dear Lord at how dear a rate hast thou bought me O sweet Jesu be unto me a Jesus Let not the Soul perish which cost thee so great a price Destroy not thy own workmanship Lose not thy own labour pains and passion O Jesu Thou art my Friend and my Physician my Lord and my Love my Portion and my Possession my Peace and my Patience my Light in Darkness my Health in Sickness my Comfort in Sadness my Plenty in Want my Life in Death my Heaven in Purgatory my God and my All for Time and Eternity A larger Exercise in Contemplation of the Crucifix Fixing your Eyes upon the Crucifix or taking it reverently into your hands and humbly embracing it with an ardent desire to honour imitate and conform your self as far forth as God shall enable you to the last thoughts words and affections of your dying Saviour Read or cause to be read this following Exercise leisurely distinctly and devoutly ruminating upon each point and relishing every aspiration and affection The first Consideration ALl Christs Actions are our Instructions and as his Life is the prime exemplar of holy living so his Death is the perfect pattern of happy dying which he exhorts all Christians to imitate saying Take up your Cross and follow me O My Soul how ill have we imitated our sweet Saviour in our life manners and conversation Let 's at least strive to imitate him in his death by taking patiently this present Cross which he layes upon our shoulders and following him cheerfully to Mount Calvary O Jesu my Redeemer and the worlds Saviour how happy are they who are enabled by thy Grace to imitate thy Virtues who desire to live only for thee and are ready to die with thee who live in thy friendship and die in thy favour O glorious Son of God! Thou wert Incarnated and Crucifi'd for my ungrateful Soul O that I might be martâ—r'd and crucifi'd for thy sake to the end I might be conform-able to thee in dying though I have been so unlike to thee in living O my dear Saviour though my Soul is not forc'd out of my body by such a violent death as thine yet imprint in it I beseech thee such sweet thoughts and affections as thou felt'st when thou diedst for my sake The Second Consideration JESUS dy'd willingly patiently resignedly O My God! Give me health or sickness give me life or death give me whatsoever thou pleasest not my will but thine be done O Jesu By vertue of thy perfect Resignation to the divin Will strengthen mine in Deaths Agony Behold I bind my self to that blessed conformity of thine to thy heavenly Father and in union thereof I most willingly embrace the design thou hast over me be it for life or for death O my Saviour Thou being Gods innocent Son diedst in the flower of thine age and shall I desire long life who am a sinner a rebel a criminal I yield Lord I yield and submit to Deaths summons Farewel Earth farewel world farewel this Vale of tears and miseries Heaven is my happier home Paradise is much more pleasant and agreeable and Death is my way to it The Third Consideration JESUS pray'd for strength succour and courage in his Deaths Agony O My Eternal Lord and Lover Behold thy poor child encompass'd with miseries and calamities on every side knowing not what to choose or desire but only
the accomplishment of thy most just Will O forget not thy creature in his greatest necessity Thou art graciously pleas'd O compassionate Creator to take pity upon the fowls of the Air and beasts of the Earth and to succour them in time of their need O refuse not thy favours to a Soul stamp'd with thy sacred image and resemblance but pity me succour me comfort me and protect me from the hands and power of my Enemies Ah! my Jesu my glass is almost run out my senses fail me my strength decays my breath is almost spent O do not thou forsake me dear Jesu when all things els shall leave and abandon me The Fourth Consideration JESUS dying wept for my Sins and pray'd to his Father for their pardon O My Soul Shall thy Saviour alone be sensible of thy sinful condition and remainest thou insensible of thine own O Jesu I will surely weep as well as thou and O that my Heart could cleave in pieces with sorrow for all my impieties O my God! It grieves me to have offended thee thee being what thou art an infinit essential immense goodness Ah! wretch that I was were I again to begin my life how differently would I lead it from what I have done I have grievously sinned against thee my good God I humbly acknowledg it heartily crave thy pardon and hopefully offer up to thy Throne of Mercy the tears prayers and sufferings of thy beloved Son my sweet Saviour Jesus for a supply of my want of Sorrow and Contrition The Fifth Consideration JESUS dying pardon'd his Enemies lov'd them pray'd for them O Jesu my Saviour In honour of this thy fervent Charity I freely forgive all them who have ever offended me in my whole life time It now heartily grieves me that I ever hated them and were they here present how humbly would I embrace them and beg their pardon Give them O my God! thy Grace in this world and thy Glory in the next The Sixth Consideration JESUS amidst his cruel sufferings and in deaths Agonie conform'd himself absolutly to his Fathers Will. O Jesu I desire not to be freed from my pains but to be furnish'd with patience to endure them as long as thy Providence shall be pleas'd to prolong them I wish neither health nor sickness neither life nor death but all I aim at in time and eternity is the full accomplishment of thy most just and holy Will choosing rather to obey thee than to be exempt from suffering Is it thy divin pleasure I shall lie thus languishing till Dooms-day O my Lord it is also my will and pleasure Wilt thou that I die presently O my God! I most willingly accept it even at this instant O eternal Father ever blessed and praised be thy sweet Name and Providence for all the sufferings sicknesses calamities I ever endured since I had a being Receive them O Lord together with these afflictions I now feel and those I shall feel at the departing of my Soul out of my body which I humbly unite to them of my dear Saviour dying on the Cross for the expiation of my crimes and in satisfaction for all my impieties The seventh Consideration JESUS dying Look'd upon and discours'd with his sacred Mother and S. John O Incomparable Powerfull and Compassionate Virgin Mother of Jesus Mother of Mercy Mother of power Mother of all mankind and my Mother by my particular choice and election I now humbly and earnestly call and cry unto thee to deliver me by thy prayers and patronage from my dreadfull enemy to obtain for me pardon and Remission of my sins and to assist me in my last passage conflict and agonie O ye heavenly Spirits and holy Saints Noble Angels Glorious Apostles Triumphant Martyrs Sacred Doctors and Confessors Pious Widows and Pure Virgins who securely possess that happiness to which my heart and soul incessantly aspire Intercede for me that I may also be with you a happy sharer and partaker O Blessed Saint N. whose name I receiv'd at my Birth and in my Baptism Let me receive thy succour at my Death and in my Agony O my good Angel Guardian my honor'd Prince and Protector Be pleased to assist now thy poor feeble and fainting Pupil Stand by me O valiant Champion fight for me and defend me from the fury of my now most busie Enemy and conduct my departing soul to its eternally prepared habitation The Eighth Consideration JESUS dying with Head humbly inclined adored the Sacred Trinity O Adorable Father Son and Holy Ghost Sacred Deity Vndivided Trinity Thou art my Creator and I am thy creature Thou art my Lord and I thy servant thou art my dread Soveraign and I thy Victim and Sacrifice consecrated to thy only Majesty Thou hast all absolute power and dominion over me and I have no power of my self I humbly Adore thy divine Greatness Power and Soveraignty and heartily Confess my own Weakness Poverty Nothing Alas How strangely have I hitherto forgotten mistaken misunderstood the world my self and all sublunary things My eyes are now open'd and I perceive my self to be a poor wretched dying Creature The Ninth Consideration JESUS died in an Extasie of divine Love AH my God! Though I have not liv'd in thy Love yet let me at least die in it O that I might breathe out my Soul in an Extasie of sacred Love and that my last sigh in this world might be an ardent Act of pure perfect and extatical affection Live my Lord Jesus Ever happie ever triumphant ever glorious in thy own divin Essence Attributes Perfections O my God and my All Nothing more but thy self Ah when shall my languishing Soul see thee embrace thee enjoy thee When shall my whol employment be to praise thee love thee be united to thee uninterruptedly incessantly eternally The Tenth Consideration JESUS dying recommends and resigns his Soul into the hands of his heavenly Father INto thy hands O my Lord I also recommend my spirit Thou O heavenly Father art its first beginning and O let it sweetly return to thee as its final end and only felicity I am all thine O my merciful Creator by all manner of titles and behold I give my self to thee in all manner of ways O do not now reject me but receive me possess me and take me totally to thy self for evermore O how it now grieves me to have given my Soul to any other than thy self O my Soveraign Lord and Lover to whom it only appertains Oh! how earnestly doth my Soul desire to be dissolved that it may come to thee my sweet Saviour Yet not my Will but thine be done in this and all things whatsoever Let it be Lord Jesus how where and when thou shall be best pleased When the sick Person feels his strength begin to decay let him commend his Soul to his Creator in these following ancient Prayers of the Churh O My Soveraign Lord God whose mercy is infinit O glorious Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost
who art Goodness it self Have mercy on me a miserable sinner O most loving father take pitie on thy poor Child and forsake me not in this my last and greatest need O sweet Saviour Jesu Son of the living God! I beseech thee by the vertue of thy most blessed and bitter Passion grant me thy Grace give me a pardon of my sins and vouchsafe me a portion of thy Glory I challenge not dear Lord a place in thy Heaven for any worthiness of my own merits for alas I am but dust and ashes but for thy Passion 's sake whereby thou wert pleased to redeem me miserable man and to purchase Heaven for me at the price of thy precious Blood I beseech thee therefore O Jesu my Saviour by thy sufferings on the Cross for me especially at that hour when thy blessed Soul left thy Bodie have mercy on my poor Soul at the time of her departure When he draws nearer his end he is chiefly to make use of short and pithy Aspirations of Love Desire c. As for Example O My Lord I love thee I love thee and I wish I could love thee more As the fainting Hart desires the refreshing Fountains so doth my Soul thirst after thee my Saviour I thirst Lord and thou only canst quench my thirst Lead my poor Soul O my all powerfull Creator out of this loathsom prison that it may love and praise thee for evermore O beautiful Jerusalem my happy home when shall I come to live and lodg in thee O ye blessed Quires of Saints and Angels who perfectly injoy God and unweariedly intone his Eternal praises when shall I come to love and land my dear Lord with you O Sacred Virgin Mary Mother of power pitie and compassion Be thou now to me a Mother and take care of thy weak child O my glorious Patrons be pleased now to remember me to assist me to pray for me O my good Angel pitie me protect me comfort me strengthen me in this hour of my Agonie Take courage my poor Soul take courage Eternity comes on our miserie and sorrow will soon have an end and our peace and plenty is beginning without end Frequent these in the time of your Health that they may occur easily to your memory in the time of your Sickness And then ruminate them sweetly quietly and discreetly according as your Soul shall relish them without violence eagerness or anxiety An Exercise of holy Dying consisting of four Acts. FOur things are requisite to dy well 1. A Spiritual Death to all creatures Strive then O my Soul to deny thy self in all things and to dy to thy self to the whole world in love affection that thou may'st live to God only who alone can comfort thee in Dying content thee after Death Thou wilt find it no trouble to leave what thou dost not inordinatly love And what is it thou so lovest find it out and forsake it leaving that and all to find one and all and aspiring often What do I hope for in Heaven and what do I look for upon Earth O my God my All be thou all mine and let me be all thine and let all other things go which way they will 2. A cordial and profound humility This gives the greatest Grace to the living and Comfort to the dying Proud spirits are always in extreams either they dy blindly presumptuous or Death opening their eyes they fall into despair at the sight of their miserable estate O my Soul humble thy self since thou hast nothing to be proud of for alas what wert thou before thy late receiving of a being What hast thou which proceeds not from thy Creators bounty Why then art thou proud of it as if it were thine own What hast thou receiv'd which thou hast not abused What sinful Soul would not have been a Saint had it receiv'd such favours as thou hast misimployed and buried How long ere this might'st thou have most justly been hurried head-long into Hell-fire for thy pride and impiety since the damned spirits who there are and shall be eternally tormented sinned once only in Pride and thou so often since they had somthing to be proud of and thou nothing since their sin was only in thought and thine also in word and work O my God! I acknowledg Hell to be my Center and the place which is proper for the entertainment of so perverse a wretch and shouldst thou send me thither thou art Just and righteous are thy Judgments 3. A firm Confidence in God Let not Humility hinder your Confidence in the divine mercy and goodness for by this token it will be easily known to be false and ill grounded Yet trust not in your own merits good works good life good will but 1. in the infinit goodness and mercy of God 2. in the abundant Merits and Redemption of Jesus 3. in his sweet promises of pardon and protection 4. in the prayers and patronage of your Mother of Power and particular Patrons 5. in the custody of your good Angel 6. in the participation and union you have with the Church Militant and Triumphant And O my soul is not this enough Lord I am thine I trust in thy mercy and if thou killest me yet I will still hope in thee 4. An entire Resignation to the divine will and disposition in all things for time and Eternity O my Soul this is the Act of acts at the dreadful hour of Death and O my Lord I offer up my self to endure all pains disgraces and desolations in this life and to suffer all punishments in Purgatory and in Hell it self if thy Justice will have it so in the next life not reflecting what shall become of me either in this my Sickness or in my Life or after my Death but leaving all to thy sacred Will and sweet Disposal When the sick person is in his last Agony The Priest or Charitable assistants should suggest unto him some of these devout words thoughts and considerations 1. TAke Courage Dear Christian Brotheo or Sister suffer patiently for a little while that you may be happy for all Eternity 2. Christ Jesus dyed for you and be you content to dye for him 3. Though your Sins are great yet greater is Gods mercy 4. Though your Tongue is put to silence yet let your Heart speak affectionatly to your sweet Saviour O Jesu thy will be done O my Lord I love thee I adore thee I thank thee c. And I beseech thee O my merciful Creator that every sigh every thought every eye cast up to heaven may be acceptable to thy sacred Majesty according to that irrevocable covenant contract and intention which I formerly made and here humbly renew in thy divine presence When the Agony is of long continuance it may be very profitable comfortable and convenient to read over the Passion of our Saviour or some passages thereof so it be done 1. Discreetly without troubling or disturbing the sick person 2.
name of the Patriarks Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors Monks Heremites Virgins Widows and all the Saints of Paradise Let thy place be this day in peace and thy habitation in the holy Sion O God of infinit Goodness Clemency and Sweetness who art graciously pleased out of the greatness of thy Mercy to pardon repentant Sinners Behold this thy poor creature with the Eyes of thy wonted pity and compassion and grant him the general pardon which he most heartily desires and we most humbly beg for him O Lord redress the losses repair the breaches remit the offences which he hath contracted through human frailty or diabolical temptation and let this Member for whom thou hast mercifully spilt thy sacred Blood be happily united to the body of thy holy Church We recommend you our dear Brother or Sister to Almighty God and remit you to his care and custody whose creature you are hoping that when you shall have paid to nature the Tribute of Death you shall return to him who is the Authour of your Life And we most humbly and heartily beseech his Divin Majesty that at the instant of your Souls departure out of its imprisoning body the heavenly Quires of Angels may receive it the holy Colledg of Apostles may meet it the triumphant Martyrs may accompany it the glorious Confessors Virgins Widows and all the celestial Citizens may joyfully conduct it to the happy vision and fruition of sweet Jesus in his eternal Kingdom O Divine Jesu The Lord of our lives and the love of our Souls We beseech thee by that ardent Charity which mov'd thee to become man for us By the price of thy Blood which thou pouredst forth for us and by the merits of thy Death and Passion which thou enduredst for us that thou wil◠be graciously pleased to let thy goodness mercy and pity appear in the person of this thy poor servant who is now summoned to leave this world and to come before thee his dread Judg and Soveraign Dispose his Soul Dear Jesu and prepare it for this great trial Suffer it not to quit its Body without a true and hearty contrition for its Sins and a faithful and filial conversion to thee its Saviour Visit him clear him and comfort him with that efficacious grace wherewith thou art wont to purifie justifie and sanctifie repentant Sinners Deal with him in mercy O sweet Redeemer as thou didst with the good Thief and encourage his languishing heart with the like cheering words This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise At the very time as near as may be guessed of the souls departure out of the body say Subvenite Sancti Dei c. As in the Roman Ritual ¶ XI Some devout Prayers for the Souls departed A Prayer to God the Father for the Soul newly departed O Eternal Father whose nature is goodness and whose work is mercy cast thy compassionate Eyes upon the poor Soul of this our departed Brother or Sister N. or upon the poor Souls suffering in Purgatory and remembring it to be thy own creature redress its miseries remit its punishments release it from its imprisonment Receive O gracious Soveraign the superabundant sufferings of thy Son Jesus for a full satisfaction of thy divine Justice and for his dear sake pardon this thy poor servants past impieties forget his frailties and cancel all his omissions commissions and ingratitudes I humbly acknowledg Great Lord of Heaven and Earth that if thou lookest only upon his deserts he must needs be a long time the object of thy severe Anger and Rigour but if in Mercy thou wilt be pleas'd to look upon Jesus his Redeemer and to apply to him the merits of his bitter Death and Passion thou wilt soon free him from all his miseries and bring him to the enjoyment of thy eternal Felicity O my God! That I were capable to satisfie thy Divine Justice in the behalf of this poor Soul for whom I now petition thy Mercy how willingly would I exact in my own person that which detains him in Purgatory And though my unworthiness may hinder this desired effect yet such is thy Goodness O my gracious Soveraign as that I may hope to have my will accepted my petition granted and this poor Soul pardoned succoured delivered and speedily admitted to praise love and honour thy sacred Majesty with the rest of thy celestial Citizens for evermore To Christ Jesus O Jesu the Saviour of our Souls whose inclination to do good to poor Mankind is so great that thou often pressest him to ask and promisest to grant his petitions Receive I beseech thee this Prayer which I most humbly present to thy Throne of Mercy in behalf of this my departed Brother or Sister the Souls suffering in Purgatory Remember O most compassionate Redeemer that it is a Thing bought with thy Blood design'd to thy Glory intended to be a Co heir with thee in thy heavenly Kingdom Look upon it sweet Jesu as the noble conquest of thy Cross and the sacred Trophee by thy powertorn out of the Devils clutches and as such a thing afford it some solace in its sufferings and free it from those flames fetters and prisons which hinder it from enjoying that Glory whereunto thy Mercy hath predestinated it which thy Passion hath purchased and which thy Goodness hath prepared for it If the tears of Mary and Martha did so pierce thy tender Heart that they obtained the raising of their dead Brother Lazarus out of his Sepulchre Be not less favourable and flexible O dear Saviour to these my sighs tears and prayers which I now pour forth before thee for the Soul of my departed Brother or Sister Speak only the word O all powerful Redeemer N. come forth of those Flames and Purgatory will render thee a most prompt Obedience and the delivered Soul will eternally magnifie thy Mercies To the glorious Virgin Mother I Most humbly salute thee Great Queen of Heaven and Earth Glorious Mother of JESVS Powerful Advocatrix of Mankind and compassionate Comfort of the afflicted These blessed Titles embolden me thy unworthy servant to beg thy prayers for the poor Soul of my departed Brother now suffering as I probably both fear and hope in the place of Purgatory and to petition thee that thou wilt be pleased to employ the Power the Priviledg and the Friendship thou hast with thy dear Son my Saviour in his behalf and for his release comfort and pardon O Great and Glorious Virgin Mother Consider this suffering Soul as by thy Son redeemed and by thy self beloved and since thou hast interest in the salvation and joy of the Souls purchased with the price of thy Sons precious Blood take pity upon this Soul longing to behold thy Son and thy self in Glory and to sing forth Divine praises with the blessed Saints for all eternity To S. Joseph O Faithful Steward of Gods sacred Family Worthy Guardian of Jesus and Mary Great and Glorious S. Joseph Permit me to make my most
the Saints and Souls in Purgatory departed At the Offertory REnew your Oblation intention petition for their succour solace deliverance At Sanctus NOt only the Angels and Saints of the Church Triumphant but also the souls of the Church suffering intone this glorious Trisagion With whom I most humbly Adore Praise and Magnifie thy sacred Name Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbaoth O increated ineffable eternal Sanctity Increase this day the number of thy heavenly Quiristers Let Heaven and Earth be full of thy Glory Heaven receiving new inhabitants Earth procuring for them this happiness Osanna O that the same Song might now Eccho forth at their entrance into Paradise as it did at my Saviours entrance into Jerusalem At the Elevation of the Sacred Host O Eternal Father Look upon thy beloved Son Jesus and for his dear sake take compassion upon the poor Souls for whom we petition thee At the Elevation of the Chalice O Merciful Creator Let fall one small drop of this precious Blood upon Purgatory to quench its ardors and comfort those distressed souls for whom it was spilt upon the Cross At the Memento for the Dead O My Lord Look in mercy on the souls 1. Of my Parents Kindred Friends Benefactors 2. Of such a particular person N. 3. Of such as have been most charitable in praying for the departed 4. Of such as are left uncomforted unremembred unpray'd for 5. Of such as suffer most or who should according to thy Justice remain longest in their torments 6. Of such as are in the first and next place to be released 7. Of such as lastly entred 8. Of such as most loved Jesus Mary and Joseph 9. Of such as suffer there upon my occasion 10. Of them to whom thou shalt be pleas'd to apply this my Communion 11. Of my own Soul as if it were already departed out of my Body humbly entreating thee dear Jesu by the Water and Bloud which gush'd forth of thy wounded side and heart in thy Passion to pity me at this present and to permit me to advance here the payment for such punishments as I should hereafter pay in Purgatory At the Pater Noster REpeat it with the Priest as a most efficacious Prayer to obtain succour for the Souls suffering in Purgatory At the Communion MAke such Acts and Affections as are most savoury to your spiritual gust and most beneficial to the Souls for whom you intend the fruit of your Communion As for example An Act of Faith I Firmly believe that I here receive my dear Saviour Chrst Jesus Who both can and will give me the effect of this sacred Communion which is eternal life and not only to my self but also to those poor suffering Souls for whom I intend it An Act of Hope O What good things do I hope to receive by this present Communion I hope for my Self I hope for these Souls and I hope for no less than God himself and his everlasting life love and glory An Act of Love I Love thee O infinitly amiable Goodness And I desire that these Souls may speedily be translated to the fruition of thy beatifying presence that they may love thee more perfectly for all Eternity An Act of good Intention I Approach now to this blessed Banquet O my God! to glorifie thy sacred Name to unite my self to thy divin Goodness to render the merits of thy Passion efficacious both for my own Soul and for theirs to whom I humbly apply the fruit thereof In Communicating SAy for your self and them Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit O how sweet will my Purgatory seem unto me being thus placed in thy sacred hands O Jesu my life and my love Let me live and dy in thee and when thou descendest into my Soul let the effects of thy goodness descend also into the prisons of thy Justice to deliver those faithful Souls who desire nothing more than to see thee love thee and praise thee with thy Saints and Angels in thy eternal Glory After Communion AMongst all the Acts of Devotion you produce and which are elsewhere prescribed be still mindful of the Souls in Purgatory as for example Adoring your Dear Saviour seated now in the midst of your Soul do it as it were in their company saying If thou lovest me sweet Jesu as I cannot doubt but thou dost love also those poor Souls and bestow upon them such good things as thy love designs for me c. Thanking him say O my dear Saviour Let these Souls also praise thee with me in their Prison and be admitted speedily to praise thee more perfectly in thy Paradise Petitioning him say O My Lord I beg for my Self a holy life and a happy death And I beg for those Souls an application of thy Merits and Passion and the effect of this Plenary Indulgence which I hope to have this day gained and which I here most humbly offer up in their behalf to thy Sacred Majesty At the end of Mass REceiving the Priests blessing pray unto the holy Trinity that he will be pleas'd to bless these suffering Souls created to his Image and design'd for his Glory and say Almighty God bless you The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Amen During the remaining time of the Day LEt all the Objects which oocur all the Actions you do and all the Employments you undertake serve you as so many Memorials to minde you of your own Death and of theirs who are gone before you As for example Entring into your Chamber Think of the dismal Dungeon wherein those poor Souls are by their Creators just Judgment detained Seeing the Fire Reflect upon their Flames Eating and Drinking Remember the bread of Tears which is their only food and nourishment Conversing with others Consider they have none but cruel Devils for their ordinary Companions Washing your Hands Think how this flesh of yours must shortly become the food of Worms and the subject of corruption Hearing the Clock strike say for them Requiescant in pace for your self Eternity is at hand Briefly let all the objects of your Senses serve you for as many Images of your Death The Sun you behold the Air you breath the Celestial Orbs you admire may fitly put you in mind of the darkness of Purgatory of the splendor of Paradise of the glory of Heaven whereof your poor suffering Friends are yet deprived Let your Jaculatory Prayers of this day be either concerning theirs or your own Purgatory O Lord give rest to the departed O Jesu the God of my heart the desired of my soul the object of my affections the end of my pretensions Grant I may live in thy Grace and dy in thy Favour If your leisure permits you may imitate this easie and efficacious devotion of some pious persons saying a pair of Bedes for your departed friends in this manner Take your Ordinary Rosary and forming your Intention Begin with a Creed Then say Our Father upon each of the great Grains and
upon each one of the lesser Grains say Pie Jesu Domine dona eis Requiem Amen that is O compassionate Lord Jesu give theâ—… rest Amen In the Evening HAving examin'd your Conscience endeavour to produce a most fervent Act of Contrition as if in that night you were to depart out of this world And go to Bed as to your Grave saying Ah! the Vanity of all worldly riches greatnesses and glories You must shortly be included in two yards of earth c. Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit c. Two excellent profits which all pious Christians may draw from this charitable practise of praying for the Souls in Purgatory The first profit is That remembring these departed Souls they can hardly forget their own approaching Death and consequently will be moved to make some timely preparation for that great action whereupon depends their whole Eternity THe practise hereof may be reduced to these two Points First Question your self in this sort Were I now presently to depart this world upon deaths Summons am I in a condition to appear before Gods Judgment Seat What dost thou answer O my soul what couldst thou wish to have done Fall forthwith to settle thy self and all that concerns thee in order to thy Death and never cease till thou canst say with S. Paul Nihil mihi conscius sum Through Gods goodness I finde no guilt in my Conscience My heart cannot upbraid me of any horrid crime which I have not endeavour'd to deface by Contrition to discover in Confession to do penance for by Satisfaction My soul detests all that is opposite to the love and will of my Lord Jesus Secondly Habituate your self in the Exercise of such Acts as you would and should practise in the article of your Death Taking therefore your Crucifix in your hand say Well! I must dye but when where how in what estate circumstance and condition All this is uncertain I accept therefore O my Creator the Decree of my death as from thy divine Justice and the Uncertaintie of its execution from thy eternal Providence Behold I am readie and willing to obey thy blessed Ordinances nor do I desire to live one moment longer than is according to thy most just will and liking I protest that I will live and dye in an absolute conformitie to the Catholike Faith because thou my Lord God who art the prime and essential Truth hast taught and revealed it I Hope in the infinitie of thy goodness in the fidelitie of thy promises in the immensity of my Saviours merits Though thou killest me O my Lord yet I will hope in thy Mercy I will dy in thy Love that I may love thee O abyssal Ocean of all Love and perfection for evermore Yes my Lord and my Love I could heartily wish that an Act of Seraphical Love might separate my Soul from my Body that so it might become happily united to thee its only beloved object for all Eternity It grieves me O my God! that I ever offended thee because thou art infinitly good and I am content to dy because I would be freed from all future occasions of offending thee Wherefore I here offer thee my life as a pledge of my Love and I accept of Death as a fit punishment of my offences O when will that desired day come in which I shall see thee my sweet Saviour face to face without any interposition love thee without any interruption praise thee without any imperfection I acknowledg that Purgatory is too pleasant a place for the chastisement of my impieties and were I adjudg'd thither till the last day of general doom I were most mercifully dealt withal yet O my Creator to the end I may make a more honourable satisfaction to thy sacred Justice by the merits of my sweet Saviour I will endeavour to gain all the Indulgences whereof any one is capable in the Article of Death and in particular that which is obtain'd by pronouncing then the holy Name of Jesus which I desire may be the last word of my Mouth the last motion of my Heart the last sigh in my Soul O Dear Jesu Let my last breath eccho forth Jesu Jesu Jesu Amen O Blessed Virgin Mary mother of Mercy mother of Power mother of Jesus Behold thy poor child and present my departing Soul to thy dear Son Jesus O glorious S. Joseph who expiredst in the sweet embraces of Jesus and Mary Obtain for me that I may dy in their favour and affection O my good Angel the faithful Guardian of my Life leave me not in the dangerous moment of my Death End this Exercise with a generous Resolution to Dy daily to your self to the world and to all things and to Live as you desire to Dy. THe Second Profit is That considering the grievous pains they suffer you will easily resolve to endure your Purgatory in this world which was the ardent desire of S. Augustin when he thus petition'd the divine Majesty Purge me O Lord in this life and put me here in such a condition as there may be no need hereafter of any Purifying Fire that so I may be the sooner united to thee my first beginning and my final end and felicity The practise hereof may be reduced to these points following 1. COnsider that all Sin renders us liable to punishment which must infallibly be paid either in this world or in the next Now our merciful Lord seems to leave the choice unto our selves and to present unto us two Purgatories That of the next world painful long fiery devoid of all comfort and merit That of this world easie short and full of comfort O my Soul which wilt thou choose 2. The Purgatory of this world consists in satisfying Gods severe Justice for our sins as far forth as we are able by our own free actions without deferring it to the end of our lives or depending upon the charity of others O my Soul wert thou presently to depart out of this world how many years of Purgatory must thou expect for the expiation of thy many and enormous offences Resolve therefore to begin even this day without any farther delay thy Purgatory in this world by endeavouring now to make satisfaction for thy sins 3. This Satisfaction consists in these Five things which may serve us for as many Purgatories to cleanse our Souls from their Sins and cancel the pains they have thereby justly incurred The first is To perform those works which are call'd Satisfactory to wit Alms-deeds Fasting and Prayer uniting them to the merits of our Redeemer Christ Jesus Alms deeds satisfy the divine Majesty by giving him our goods of Fortune Fasting by consecrating to him the goods of our Bodies Prayer by offering up to him the goods of our Hearts and Spirits Alms-deeds free us from Sin and Death and suffer not a Soul to descend into darkness They purge us and procure us mercy and eternal life Fasting which under its notion contains all sorts of
excessive Folly and wilt thou not yet perceive how thy own errour brings with it a self-punishment Alas what is it that thou lovest what is that which seems to content and comfort thee What is it that pretends to secure thy Soul in this shameful servitude On the contrary what troubles what torments what solicitudes what horrours doth not each moment of time suggest to thy trembling spirit Shake off then with a manly courage this sad and heavy yoak of Sin and Satan and submit cheerfully to that which thy Lord Jesus this day presents unto thee A yoak which is sweet and easie and which he himself will carry together with thee Yes O immortal invisible omnipotent King Jesu I change Master even at this instant and I make choice of thee to be henceforth my sole Lord and Soveraign Behold not I beseech thee how long I have staid in rebellion but look upon the Wounds thy self endured to win me to thy Obedience Reign in Heaven and earth O Adorable Monarch and rule particularly in my heart and Soul and let all rational creatures unanimously confess and acknowledg it their highest honour and happiness to be Servants to the crucified King Jesus 2. A Prayer to be said by one who is upon making choice of a condition of life begging light from above to discern Gods Will and his own Good T Is the order of thy divine Providence O dread Soveraign of Heaven and Earth that there should be in this great world several sorts of states and conditions to which thou designest men by a choice known only to thy all-knowing Wisdom Thou also assurest us by thy sacred Word that each one ought to remain in the condition to which he is called And there is no lawful calling which exclude's from thy Kingdom This moves me to prostrate my self at thy feet and pour forth my heart here in thy presence hoping to receive some glimpse of light from thee O true light which illuminatest every one coming into this World To direct me in this matter which is to me of highest importance not only as to my temporal but my eternal happiness O my Lord I humbly acknowledg my own ignorance and simplicity for alas I neither can foresee the future nor dive so far into my own dark interiour as to distinguish whether the motions I there feel are Rational or Sensual and whether my perverse Nature opposing thy Grace incline's me not to an Election which may endanger my Salvation The World and the Flesh furnish me with plenty of fair and specious Reasons but I well consider they are dangerous Counsellors and damnable are their Maxims Lord lead me out of this labyrinth of irresolutions since I resolve to leave my self absolutly to the conduct of thy holy Spirit renouncing all my own ratiocinations affections inclinations and interests and willing nothing at all but only what thou wilt for me Behold I am thy Servant and the childe of thy handmaid say only the word O my loving Master and thy holy will shall be obey'd lift me up or cast me down it shall equally please me so I may perceive 't is thy divine Conduct which disposeth thus of me thy poor Creature I beg of thou this only blessing O my compassionate Father that thou wilt please to prosper and sanctifie me in that particular State I shall settle in giving me strength and courage to wade through all the difficulties I shall there meet with and rewarding my Perseverance in thy love and service in this world with a crown of glory and with immortality in the next 3. A Prayer to be said by one who is fall'n into some great Necessity Calamity or Misery THy infallible truth assures me O Soveraign Lord God! there 's not a Hair of my Head fal's off without thy order How then can I doubt but this sad Accident befal's me by the particular permission of thy all-penetrating Providence I will not know the reason of this thy proceeding since I acknowledg thee O my Omnipotent Creator to possess an absolute Empire not only over my goods but over my life and that my person is in thy power as Clay is in the hands of the Potter to imprint upon me what form and put me to what use thy self best pleaseth Thou O my Lord gavest me health wealth peace fame friends children prosperity c. Which was a favour I humbly confess I did not deserve thou hast now depriv'd me of them which I humbly acknowledg to be an effect of thy Justice since I made not use of them as I ought to thy only glory and my own eternal good Thy blessed will be done in me and all creatures is all the Complaint I will make begging thy Grace to imprint as well in my Hear the meaning of these sacred words as I have the sound of them in my Mouth that I may joyfully resignedly and without reserve submit to thy sacred disposal all that concern's me and make use of thy Fatherly Visitations to the increase of my Filial obedience and affection Let me forget what I have been in my former Prosperity and not fear what I may be in any future Adversity cheerfully embracing my present Condition incessantly praising thy sweet Providence and peaceably expecting the eternal Recompence thou hast promised to such as suffer for thy sake 4. A Prayer humbly imploring the continuance of Health and that we may make good use of it in order to our eternal Happiness MAn born of a Woman as your sacred Word O eternal Truth teaches us live's but a short time And during this his short stay upon earth is subject unto many Miseries His life is a Flower which drie's up and dwindles away upon the same day it is displayed 't is a Blast soon past and dissipated 't is a stream of Water which nimbly slides by disappears and never more returns 't is a Shadow flying away assoon as formed 't is Smoak which as it riseth vanisheth in summe 't is a meer Vapour having no solid consistence and permanency This is the short fickle uncertain nature of man's life and I ask thee not O great Lord of life and death to change it for me I only begg that thou wilt be pleas'd in giving me Health to grant me also Grace to make the right use of it to thy glory and my own salvation for alas I shall be little able to act for the one or the other when the rigour of a sharp Disease seizes on the functions of my inward and outward faculties Grant O my God! that the curb of thy holy fear may keep my body always in good order least it being high in flesh should shake off it's subordination to the spirit that so I may employ it's strength to acquit my self of my Christian obligations and perform the several duties of my place and condition Take from me O Lord all desire of superfluities which serve only to satisfie the senses and let me rest fully contented with
Custody of my self from future fallings an heroick Contempt of the world a compleat Conquest of my passions a zealous Imitation of thy exemplary life and conversation an entire Accomplishment of my Vows an absolute Mortification of my self-will a willing Readiness to dy for thy love and honour a final Perseverance in grace and good works a happy Departure of my Soul out of this World with my perfect Senses about me the holy Sacraments to strengthen me thy self O dear Jesu to comfort me thy sacred Virgin-Mother with the Saints my particular Patrons to pray for me and my good Angel to conduct me to Eternal rest Eternal Life Eternal happiness 17. A Prayer to our Good Angel O Holy and happy Spirit who by our Merciful Creators appointment hast been my faithful Keeper my friendly Comforter and my charitable Protector since the first instant of my Birth until this present Moment I humbly beseech thee to continue thy care and custody over me in all places in all company upon all occasions Preserve me O my Good Angel Defend me and deliver me both whilst I sleep and when I am awake from all Diabolical Incursions from all evil Temptations from all Dangers of Soul and Body and from a Sudain and Unprovided Death Be thou graciously pleased to represent my Wounds my Wants and my Wishes to our common Lord and Master and obtain for me thy poor Pupil Courage to overcome my Self and strength to get a compleat Victor over Sin Satan and Sensuality Especially if there lurks any secret Crime in my Conscience obtain for me Light to discern it a Will to detest it Time to confess it and Grace to amend it Abandon not my poor soul I beseech thee O blessed Spirit for the Love of sweet Jesus who hath not spared his dearest blood and Life to save it but remain constantly faithful favourable and friendly unto me all the moments of my life and take a special and particular care and charge of me in my Deaths last gasp and Agony Defend me then in that dreadful hour O powerful Guardian from the fury of my sworn enemy and convey my departing Soul into the bosome of my dearly beloved Lord and Maker there to praise him with thy self for evermore O my Good Guide I again and again iterate this my humble and earnest suit beseeching thee neither to forsake me during this transitory Life nor to forget me when all the world will leave me that through thy safe and secure Conduct I may so pass through the wearisom troubles of this earthly Pilgrimage as that I may find Eternal rest in the heavenly Paradise Amen The Conclusion of the whole Work Being an Epithalamium or nuptial Entertainment of the amorous Soul ravish'd in comtemptation of the reciporcal Affections Mercies and Benefits of her Bridegroom upon those words of the Canticles Dilectus meus mihi ego illi My beloved to me and I to him 1. O Lord of my love love of my life and life of my Soul How amiable art thou remaining in thy self within the boundless limits of thy own essential Perfections and how admirable art thou issuing forth of thy self to diffuse abroad thy goodness and communicate it to thy Creatures Witness this large and lovely Univers fram'd of norhing by thy Omnipotent Finger whose beauty and excellency more appears in Man alone than in all the rest of its united wonders and prodigies Man that miracle of the World and Master-peece of Nature in whose Creation thy love goodness and mercy can never be suffciently admired and magnified 2. And when this prime Creature had Alas soon after its first production lost its original Perfection by violating thy precept thou wert graciously pleas'd O great and glorious Soveraign out of the tenderness of thy Compassion towards man this poor Criminal to give him as it were a new birth a new being a new creation in a manner far different in a way much more admirable with an affection infinitly exceeding the former For thy self O prodigie of goodness becam'st man for his love and enchargedst thy own shoulders with all his sins pains and miseries to set him at his ease freedom and liberty Yes O my Lord and Lover thou becam'st man even like me in all things Sin only and ignorance excepted which were incompatible with thy goodness and wisdom and which thou camst to destroy and cancel thus ennobling my Nature by uniting it to thy Divinity sanctifying it with thy Justice enriching it with thy Grace instructing it with thy Doctrine strengthning it with thy Example rescuing it from servitude restoring it to its lost title of Gods Child and rendring it capable of Eternal Glory 3. O my God! how greatly do I feel my self obliged to love thee in consequence of this large liberal and signal favour T is a chain which so strictly tyes me to a reciprocal affection that it infinitly exceeds all the expressions of my ravish'd tongue heart For what had I poor wretch alas what had I O my glorious Creator and gracious Redeemer whereby to help my self and what have I yet whereby to prevail against my potent adversaries the World the Flesh and the Devil but only thy self and what thou hast freely given me who art my only strength support and succour 4. When therefore I look into the furnace of thy love O my Lord Jesu and behold thy personal descent from the Eternal Fathers bosom to cloath thy self upon earth with a parcel of our poor Humanity for the redemption and salvation of my Soul surely this only contemplation fills my extasi'd heart with unspeakable admiration and not only excites but inforces it to love thee most ardently and were it capable even infinitly and eternally 5. But if for one only effect of your amorous bounty I feel my self thus powerfully obliged to expand my Soul before thy sacred Majesty how much more should I do it in contemplation of all thy united gifts graces and benefits abundantly contain'd in thy blessed humanity whereby thou becamst our temporal Redemption and my eternal Salvation Should I not much more ardently pour forth my self before thee in respect of so many ravishing motives and yet much more and more in respect of thy Self O my sweet Lord and Lover than of all these amorous effects of thy Mercy who art now my All art to be my All in all for all Eternity in thy accomplish'd and consummated Beatitude when after the painful assaults languors of this life I shall remain in thee by thee for thee a happy and triumphant Conqueror over my self and all my enemies 6. Whence is it then O my Love and my Life that my Soul melts not away in the fires of thy sweet Affection How comes it to pass that my whole pleasure is not in loving thee intirely ardently indeficiently Why is not my uninterrupted thought song and saying My beloved to me and I to him since thou thus forcibly constriuest as it were and enchainest