12.50 o how am â— straitened vntill it be dispatched For howsoeuer his bodye was pressed and straitened in that straite Wombe of his mother his hearte was much more pressed and straitened with the force of this vehement desier for the which I ought to giue him infinite thankes and to be correspondent vnto him with such another hearty desier truely to serue him But notwithstanding this desier he would not be borne before the nine moneths which is the time wherein commonly all other Children are borne First to conforme himselfe vnto all and to suffer that prison entirely without omitting as much as a daye for in that which concerned suffering he would vse with himselfe no dispensation exception nor priuiledge and therefore he would not be borne at the euen moneths nor at the eight but at the wine moneths compleate Secondly for that he tooke all this time as a time of retirednesse for his entrance into the Worlde spending it in perpetuall Praier and Contemplation As he was râ—â—ired fortye dayes in the Desert before he maniâ—â—â—ed himselfe to the Worlde by his Preaching â—â—â—uising vs heerein how we ought to recollect â—ur-selues dedicating some time to retired praier and to be vacant to God only before we issue out in publike and begin any greate enterprize as likewise how we should recollect ourselues to celebrate with Deuotion his holy natiuitye The Second Pointe SEcondly I will consider the feruent desiers of the most sacred VIRGIN to see her Sonne borne and that now was arriued the happy hower of his natiuitye First that she might knowe face to face him that was not only her Sonne but the Sonne also of the euerliuing God to behold that sacred Humanitye that he had taken from her flesh and to enioy his excellent Beautye Secondly to adore him to serue and nourish him and to doe towardes him the office of a mother in thankefullnesse for that greate fauour that he had donne her in electing her to that ende And therefore with greate tendernesse of Hearte she might applye to him that of the Canticles Who shall giue thee me o my Sonne Cant. 8.1 Vt inueniam te foris deosculer te that I may see thee out of this thy inclosure to kisse thee to cherish and to serue thee as thou doest merit Thirdly that the Worlde might enioy that good that was inclosed in her for allbeit she exceedingly loued him yet she would not haue him for herselfe alone but for all because he was Incarnate for all vniuersally Prou. 13.12 And as Hope that is delayed afflicteth the hearte euery day seemed to her a whole yeare though on the other side she was most contented to containe him within her vnderstanding that such was his pleasure With these Considerations I am to moue my hearte and to awake therein feruent desiers that this Sonne of God might be borne spiritually within my Soule and within the Soule of all men that by all he might be adored serued and loued repeating to this ende certaine verses of the Psalmes and of the Prophets which holy Church vseth in the time of Aduent which are to say Colloquie Psal 79.3 Isai 64.1 Isa 45.8 Awake o Lord thy power and make haste to saue vs. Would thou wouldest breake these Heauens and descende that in thy presence all my Vices might be dissolued O Heauens distill from on high this diuine dewe O clowdes raine for me this Iust one and open o thou Earthe and bud out to me this Sauiour shewe thy-mercye o Lord and graciously giue me thy Saluation To this purpose I may frame certaine Iaculatorye Praiers like to those which in these dayes the holy Church vseth in those seuen Antiphone which are sung at Euensong calling our Sauiour Christ by those names which hee holdeth as he is God or as he is man by reason of the offices he doth in those Soules whome he visiteth Colloquie And therefore I may say vnto him O infinite Wisdome come to gouerne me in the way of Heauen O Splendour of the glorye of the Father come to illuminate me with the splendour of thy vertues O Sun of Iustice come to giue light heate of Life to him that is seated in the Shadowe of Deathe O King of kings descende to gouerne me O master of nations come to instruct me O Sauiour of the VVorlde make hast to saue me And in this forme may be framed other such like petitions conforming myselfe to the Spirit of the Church at this time Finally I may spiritualize the desiers of the blessed VIRGIN and of her Sonne whome she bare in her Wombe quickening my desier that those good purposes which by the Inspiration of the holy Ghost I haue conceiued may come to light and be effected in such time place and season as God shall require absolutely conforming myselfe to his most holy will For as the infant conceiued naturally desireth to come into the light of this Worlde at his due time and if he commeth not he tormenteth his mother and dieth indaungering likewise her life So the good purpose which the holy Ghost inspireth me with of altering or bettering my life is as it were crying and desiring to come to light in his due time And if by negligence or Contempt it be not effected it tormenteth the Conscience with remorses and vseth to be an occasion of greate falles 1 Thess 5.19 God permitting them as a chastizement for hauing extinguished the Spirit and the good purposes that proceeded from his Inspiration Pro. 21.25 And heereupon the holy Spirit saieth that Desiers kill the slouthfull that is Desiers conceiued by the Vertue of God and not accomplished thorough our owne Slothe The third Pointe THirdly I am to consider the assured hope that our blessed LADYE had that her Virginity should suffer no losse by this birth firmely beleeuing that as she was a Virgin in conceiuing the Sonne of God without the worke of man so likewise should she be in bringing him forth without any prejudice of her Virginities Integritye for the experience of what was passed assured her of what was to come remembring that both these things were jointely prophecyed by the Prophet Isaias saying Beholde a VIRGIN shall conceiue Isa 7.14 Mat. 1.23 and bring forth a Sonne whose name shall bee Emanuel which is to say being interpreted God with vs. These wordes shee might reuolue within herselfe and with greate admiration might say VVhence to me so greate good that I should be this miraculous VIRGIN what is it possible that I haue conceiued within me that very Sonne whome the eternall Father containeth within himselfe And that this Emanuel is with me whome so many haue desired to be with them and that without losse of my Virginitye he should issue out of me to bee remaine with all vniuersally I giue thee thankes Colloquie o most blessed Emanuel for hauing chosen this humble VIRGIN for thy mother O that the hower of thy birth were now
this connexion and vveeding out from mee this disordinate Loue that I may loue thee and serue thee vvith all my Hearte and vvith all my Povvers For thou art my Loue and my repose to vvhome bee Honour and Glorye vvorlde vvithout ende Amen The matter of these three pointes shall bee handlest more at large in the sixth parte The fourthe Pointe FRom these same Principles I am to drawe another practike Conclusion as the foundation of the Purgatiue VVaye that is to saye that I am to detest Sinne aboue all the most detestable things of the VVorlde for that mortall Sinne onely is contrarye to my finall ende and by it onely is it lost So that neither Pouertye nor Infamie nor Dishonour nor Dolour nor Infirmitye nor Basenesse of Parentage nor Rudenesse of VVitte nor VVant of naturall Sciences nor all the other miseries of the VVorlde are directly contrary to my finall ende nor shall I loose it for them but onely for mortall Sinne by the which as much as lyeth in mee I destroye the true finall ende which is God denying him Ad Titū 1.16 Ad Phili. 3.19 Ad Ephe. 5.5 as S. Paul sayeth by any workes I faine another finall ende to myselfe which is the Creature which I take for God And hereupon saithe the same Apostle That Gloutons holde their Belly for their God Prowde men their Glorye and Couetous men make an Idoll of their money This Veritye shal bee considered in the Meditations ensuing to moue vs to the abhorring of so greate an euill as Sinne is and to purifye ourselues thereof with greate care The second Meditation of the greiuousnesse of Sinne by the Examples of the Sinne of the Angells of Adam and other Particulars THE ende of this meditation is to knowe by Examples the greiuousnesse of Sinne to abhorre it and the terriblenesse of Gods Iustice in chastizing it to feare him and to appease him with Penance and the Instabillity of man in good to knowe his weakenesse and not to trust to himselfe but to humble himselfe before God And all this I am to begge of our Lord at my entrance to meditation beseeching him to Illustrate with his diuine Light my Vnderstanding to knowe it to mooue my VVill to haue a feeling of it with greate Affections of Contrition and to ayde mee that I may bee warned by others harmes before the Chastizement light vpon myne owne Heade And that this meditation those which followe may make the deeper Impression in the Soule I am to forme first in my Imagination Daniel 7 9. a figure of Christe IESVS our Lord as of a Iudge seated vpon his Tribunall to Iudgement with a seuere Countenance from whose Throne issueth out a riuer of fier to burne Sinners and I will imagine myselfe before him like a deepe heynous Offender bounde with the Fetters and Chaines of innumerable Sinnes fearing and trembling like one that deserueth to bee condemned and burnt with that terrible fier The first Pointe D. Tho. 1 p. q. 63. Isaia 14 12. Luc. 10.13 2. Petr. 2 4. Apocal. 12.9 THe first Pointe is to call to minde the Sinne of the Angells who were created by God in the Empyreal Heauen replenished with VVisdome Grace but abusing their Frewill they grewe prowd against their Creator for the which they were throwne out of Heauen cast into Hell loosing for euer the ende blessednesse for the which they were created 1. Vpon this Veritie taught vs by the Catholike Faithe I may discourse pondering three things First how Liberal God was to the Angells creating them according to his owne Image Likenesse communicating vnto them without any merit of theirs most excellent giftes of Nature Grace By reason whereof wee may say of all as was sayed of one That they were adorned with nine Stones very precious that is with nine Excellencies which Lucifer Ezech. 28.13 the rest receiued in their Creation For God made them Pure Spirits without mixture of Bodye Immortall without feare of Corruption Intellectual with greate Delicacye of VVitte Free that nothing could force their VVill VVise with fulnesse of all naturall Sciences Powerfull aboue all Inferiour Creatures Holy with the giftes of Grace Charitye the rest of the Vertues Inhabitants of the Paradise of Delightes which is the Empyreal Heauen And finally Capable of seeing God clearely with promise of this Glorye if they perseuered in his Seruice which they might easily doe were obliged thereunto by the Lawe of Gratitude for these 9. Titles 2. Secondly I will consider how Ingratefull some of them were against God growing arrogant with these giftes arming themselues with them against him of whome they had receaued them not giuing him that Reuerence and Obedience which they ought to haue giuen him with Humilitie but employing their Libertie Forces to offend him whome for so many Titles they ought to haue serued 3. Thirdly I will ponder how terrible God shewed himselfe to chastize them presently without giuing them time of Repentance depriuing them for that onely Sinne of those giftes of Grace which hee had giuen them Luc. 10.18 throwing them like Lightening from Heauen to the euerlasting fiers of Hell without respect either to the beautie of their nature or to the greatenesse of their Estate or that they were his Creatures made according to his Image and Likenesse or that they were exceeding wise or that they had beene his freindes for one mortall Sinne onely is sufficient to obscure all this and is worthy of so terrible punishement 2. Petr. 2 4. which S. Peter saithe Gods Iustice permitted and ordained for our Example For if hee spared not the Angells sinning but tyed with rhe ropes of their Sinne threwe them vnto Hell to bee there tormented although they were so noble how much lesse will hee omitte to punishe men obstinate in their Transgressions being so base 2. Petr. 2 11. And if the Angells Fortitudine Virtuce maiores non portant aduersum se execrabile iudicium vvho are greater then men in strength and povver beare not the execrable Iudgement against them but with greate raging and Impatiencie how much lesse shall feeble Ad Hebr. 10.31 and wretched men bee able to endure it O how horrible a thing it is to fall into the handes of the liuing God handes so heauye that the Angells themselues cannot suffer them These three things I am to applye to myselfe pondering how liberall God hath beene towardes mee doing mee innumerable Benefits and how Ingratefull I haue beene to him committing innumerable Sinnes and how I haue deserued that God should punishe mee as hee did the Angells yea and much more for their Sinne was but one mine many theirs was but a Sinne of Thought onely in matter of Pride mine both of Thought VVorde and Deede in matter of Pride of Luxury of VVrathe and of other Vices theirs was not Injurious to the bloud of IESVS Christe for it was not
gratefull vnto him for it with the greatest gratitude that possibly wee may applying herein the counsell of the wiseman Suffer not the good daye to passe Et particula boni doni non te praetereat Eccles 14.14 And let not so much as the least parcell of the good guift escape thee but make vse of the good lot that hath befallen thee For as wee much esteeme the leaste parte whatsoeuer of this sacrament for that whole Christe is therein so wee are to esteeme euery litle parte of the day and tyme that wee haue him with in vs seeing in eache parte therof hee his able to doe vs greate fauours if with a deuout and thankefull minde wee dispose ourselues to receiue them especially for that this sacrament as S. Dionisius saieth is the coÌ„summation De Eccles hiâ—rar cap. 3. D. Tho. 4. q. 65. art 3. fullfilling and perperfection of all the other and the most effectuall meanes that God hath giuen vs for our perfection And seeing wee haue him present to communicate it vnto vs it is reason to inlarge the vessell of our harte to receiue it To this ende wee are here to exercize with greatest feruour the three actes of thankes giuing that were set downe in the 34. meditation spending the tyme not so much in newe considerations seeing those that are set downe are sufficient as in newe affections and canticles of praise and thankes giuing in this forme ensuing The first Pointe 1. FIrst I am greately to quicken my faithe of the presence of this our lord that is with in me beholding the inuisible as if I did visibly beholde him and breifely pondering that hee is the same Lord of whome I conceiued so greate excellencies when I prepared myselfe to communicate And seeing where the king is there is the court I may imagine as S. Gregorie saieth that hee is Inuironned with thousandes of the courtiers of heauen Lib. 4. Dialogo cap. 58. in whose companie prostrate in spirtte before his feete and admiring that so greate a God is harboured in so humble a place I will breake out first into affections of humilitie of reuerence and of mine owne confusion sometymes saying with S. Peeter Departe from mee o Lord and goe forth from this wretched litle ship for I am a great sinner And sometymes with S. Luc. 5.8 Luc. 1.43 Psalm 8.2 Colloquie Elizabeth I will say vnto him whence is it to mee that my God and my Lord commeth to visite mee O eternall God vvhat is man that the â—art mindefull of him Or the sonne of man that thou visitest him Thou madest him lesse then the angells by beeing clothed vvith vile fleshe and commest thou from heauen accompanied vvith angells to harbour thyselfe vvithin him O our Lord and God hovv admirable is thy name thoroughout all the earthe seeing thou hast made it thy Habitation as vvell as heauen 2. In the Preface Isai 6.3 Then will I breake out into affections of praise and thankes-giuing vsing some canticles of the churche Sometyme I will say as the Seraphins Holy holy holy is the Lord God of hostes that hath humbled himselfe to dwell in this smoky cloudie temple of my soule Sometymes I will crie out with the Hebrewe children that accompanied Christe on Palme-sunday saying Math. 21.15 O king of Israel and Sauiour of the worlde blessed bee hee that that hath come from on high to visit mee I not knowing how to deserue it Daniel 3.52 Other sometymes with the three youthes that were in the furnace in Babilon I will inuite all creatures to praise our Lord for this fauour that hee hath donne mee 3. Or in imitation of this canticle I will make another inuiting to the same ende the nine quires of angells and the quires of the patriarkes and prophets of the apostles and euangelistes of the martirs and doctors bishops and confessours preistes and leuites virgins and widowes Colloquie and all the Sainctes in heauen in this forme May thy Angells Archangells and Principallities blesse thee o Lord may they praise and glorifie thee for euer May thy povvers Vertues and Dominations blesse praise and glorifie thee vvorlde vvithout ende May the Thrones Cherubins and Seraphins blesse thee praise thee c. Blesse our Lord o yee Patriarkes and Prophetes praise him and glorifie him for euer Blesse our Lord o yee Apostles and Euangelistes praise him c. And in this manner I may goe through all the sainctes Psalm 102.1 4. I may likewise with Dauid inuite all faculties and sences and all the cogitations and affections of my harte that all togither may assemble to adore and glorifie this our Lord for the parte that they all haue in this soueraigne benefit May my eies blesse thee o Lorde for they haue seene thee in this sacrament and my lippes for they haue touched thee Colloquis and my tongue and pallate for they haue tasted thee and my brest for hat it is thy habitation Psalm 34.10 and let all my bones say O Lord vvho is like vnto thee Let my memory budde forth thy praises my vnderstanding magnifie thee my vvill loue thee my appetites desire thee and let them all bee dissoued in thy presence singing the glorie of thy Comming The Second Pointe 1 Then am I to recall to my memory the Offices of Christ our lord and the endes that hee had in comming to visite mee beeing glad and iojfull to haue within mee my Redeemer my phisition my maister and all my good and with a greate affection I will spiritually embrace him with the armes of humilitie and charitie speaking that of the Canticles CaÌ„t. 3.4 I haue founde him vvhome my soule loueth I vvill keepe him and not let him goe I will for no cause parte from his sweete Companie and for no labour Ad Gal. 4.26 nor tribulation will I leaue his amitie I will allwaies haue him with mee till hee cary mee to the house of my mother which is the caelestiall Hierusalem where I may enioye him with perfect security 2. Then like Dauid in the presence of this our lord I will powre forth my praier and set before him all my necessities and miseries recounting them as if hee knewe them not because hee delighteth to heare them beseeching him to doe his offices in remedying them seeing this was the ende of his comming and the comming of so greate a prince should not bee in vaine And therefore I may say vnto him I Colloquie o Lord am sicke of grieuous Infirmities and passions pride vvrathe sensuallitie and couetousnesse haue prostrated mee Thou art the Omnipotent phisition and hast come to my soule to cure mee cure mee according to thy povver and leaue mee vvhole say in this entrauÌ„ce as thou saidest entring into the house of Zacheus Luc. 19.9 Hodie salus huic domui facta est this day saluation is made to this house And because thy saying is doing it shall bee as thou saiest I