Soliloquies Meditations and Prayers of St. Bonaventure Cross fecit THE SOLILOQUIES OF St. BONAVENTVRE Containing his four MENTAL EXERCISES AND Also his Treatise called A Bundle of Myrrh Concerning THE PASSION OF OUR SAVIOUR With XIII Spirituall Exercises of the said St. Bonaventure London Printed for H. Twyford and R. Wingate 1655. The Epistle to the Reader upon the Soliloquy of S. BONAVENTURE THIs little work which is no less full of learning then devotion ministreth most copious matter to him that is willing to cherish the light of contemplation and the fire of charity For the Authour induceth the Soul and the inner Man interchangeably the one asking and the other answering and with very many sentences of holy Fathers being intermixed of which as he sayth he hath compiled this Treatise This hee saith that he may easily teach every one how by mentall Exercise converting the eye of contemplation unto those things which are within him unto those that are without him unto those that are below him and to those things that are above him the mutable good being despised he may pursue the Immutable Eternall good with all the perfection of his mind For this Soliloquy hath many things taken out of that work of Hugo de S. Victore de Arrha Animae to which it is very like The Sum of the 4. Mental Exercises of this little Work are as followeth The First Exercise HOw the Soul ought by Mentall Exercise to reflect the Beams of Contemplation to those things which are within her that she may see how she is formed by nature deformed by sinne and reformed by Grace The Second Exercise How the Soul by mentall Exercise ought to convert her Contemplation to to those things that are externall that she may know how unstable worldly wealth is how mutable worldly Excellency is and how miserable worldly magnificence is The Third Exercise How the Soul by mentall Exercise ought to convert the Rays of contemplation unto those things that are below her that she may understand the inevitable necessity of mans death the formidable austerity of finall judgement the intollerable pain of infernall punishment The Fourth Exercise How the Soul by mentall Exercise ought to convert the light of Contemplation unto those things which are above her that she may know and understand the inestimable value of celestiall joy the unspeakable delight and the interminable Eternity The Preface I Bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family of Heaven and Earth is named That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that ye be rooted and grounded love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Eph 3.14 to the 20. Paul the Apostle the Vessel of eternall Election the Treasury of divine Sanctification the Mirrour and Example of heavenly contemplation in his former words sheweth us the Beginning Object and Fruit of mentall Exercise For mentall Exercise to the end it may become pious and wholsome it is necessary that it have a power supernaturally strēgthening a wisdom regulating and a clemency comforting let therefore the devout Soul inflamed with the love of divine contemplation bow the knees of her mind before the Throne of the most blessed and Incomprehensible Trinity let her humbly knock and discreetly desire The strengthening power of God the Father lest wearied with labour she be seduced The directing Wisdome of God the Son lest seduced with error she wander from the truth The comforting Piety and Clemency of the Holy Ghost lest overcome with wearisomness she faint For every good thing that is given and every gift that is perfect is from above descending from the Father of lights and according to S. Augustine all our good is either God or from God he therefore in the beginning of every good worke is fit to be implored from whom originally every good thing proceedeth by whom every good thing exemplarly is produced and to whom every good thing finally is addressed This is that ineffable Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost which the Apostle speaks of when he saith I bow my knees c. unto that place That ye may be able Secondly he sheweth the Object of this wholsome mentall Exercise The Object truly of the Exercise of a devout mind is said to be internall and externall superior and inferior For the devout Soule ought by mentall exercise to reflect the light of contemplation first to her interior thoughts that she may know 1. How she is formed by Nature 2. Deformed by sin 3. Reformed by Grace Secondly she ought to convert the light of contemplation unto those things which are without her that shee may know 1 How unstable worldly wealth is 2 How mutable worldly Excellency is And 3 How miserable worldly Magnificence is Thirdly she ought also to convert the light of her contemplation unto those things that are below her that she may understand 1 The inevitable necessity of mans death 2 The formidable austerity of finall Judgement 3 The intollerable paine of infernall punnishment Fourthly she ought to convert the light of Contemplation unto those things that are above her that she may know and tast 1 The inestimable value of Heavenly Joy 2 The Ineffable delight And 3 The Interminable Eternity This is that blessed Cross terminated with foure ends whereon O Devout Soule thou oughtest continually by meditation to suffer with thy most sweet Bridegroom Christ Jesus This is that fiery Chariot consisting of foure wheels wherewith thou oughtest dayly in contemplation to mount up unto the Palace of Heaven to find out thy most faithfull friend This is that foure-fold Region East West North South which thou O my Soule oughtest daily by Perigrination to enter into and to seek and find out therein by speculation thy most dearest beloved that thou mayest say with the spouse In my Bed I have sought him by night whom my soule loved These foure the Apostle seemeth to insinuate when he addeth That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height The fruit of this wholesome Exercise if it be worthy and laudably put in practise is eternall felicity which is the best and fairest thing and of it selfe most sufficient wanting no other thing besides it selfe Wherein we shall see and shall love shall call upon and laud in Eternity and beyond Eternity him that is blessed for ever This fruit the Apostle promiseth when he concludeth his speech saying That ye mighe be filled with all the fulnesse of God Wee shall then find this fulnesse when God shall be to our will plenty of Peace to our reason fulnesse of light to our
to be entangled with so great greifs Saint Augustine libro Confessionum Although without the love of Charity St. Hierome every one may rightly believe yet he cannot attaine unto Beatitude because such is the force of Charity that even Prophesie and Marytrdome without it are esteemed as nothing no Vertue can Equall Charity For Charity obtaineth the Excellency of all Vertues O my God give thy selfe unto me St. Aug. Render thy self unto me I love thee and if that be too little I will love more forcibly I am not able to limit that J might know how much J want of thy love to that which is sufficient that my life might runne into thy embraces and not to divert untill it were hidden in the secrets of thy Countenance This J only know that whatsoever J have without thee and all plenty which is not my God is poverty SOVLE NOw therefore O Man seeing as thou sayest J ought to love my beloved Lover for all these things tell me J pray thee how much and in what manner J may love him to the end J may repay the multiplicity of his so great an Affection MAN O My Soule St. Bern. although according to Saint Bern. the cause of loving God be God himselfe yet the method to love him is to love him without method notwithstanding we can find by the Revelation of holy Scripture a certaine method For he that hath given thee love hath shewed thee a manner how to love saying Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and withall thy strength Love therefore O my soule with a singular love God the Father who hath so nobly created thee of nothing Love God the Sonne who so inestimably hath reformed thee in dying for thee Love God the Holy Ghost who so mercifully and so sweetly by often comforting thee hath preserved thee from sinne and hath strengthened thee in Good Love therefore God the Father valiantly that thou mayest not be dangerously overcome by any other strange love Love God the Sonne wisely that thou mayest not be craftily seduced by any other love Love God the Holy Ghost sweetly that thou mayst not be poysonously infected with any other strange love Or thus according to Saint Bern. Learn of Christ O Christian soule in what manner thou oughtest to love Christ Love sweetly wisely and valiantly Sweetly That all other love may be base to thee in respect of his love and let him only be to thee Honey in thy mouth melody in thy Eare and Jubilee in thy heart Love him wisely that thy love may continually burne in him only and in no other Love valiantly that thy frailty may joyfully undergo all sharp and bitter torments for him that thou mayest say My suffering is scarce the space of an houre or if it were more I feel it not for the love I owe him These Saint Bern. Thus let a Christian by love towards Christ continually resolve Saint Hiero. that he may willingly endure all things for him untill he shall come unto him Let us love Christ and alwayes seek to cleave fast to his embraces and every thing shall seem easie that is difficult Saint Ambrose O my soule alwayes keep in thy mind how sweetly Christ loved thee in his Incarnation how wisely in his Conversation and how valiantly in his Passion There is no love greater no Charity more sincere no Affection stronger the Innocent hath dyed for thee finding nothing in thee that he might love SOVLE TEll me I pray thee O man under favour I ask not out of curiosity but of humility not of presumption but rather of Devotion what is it that I love when I love my God Hugo de S.V. MAN O My soule if thy Question were presumptuous then it were too vitious but because it hath it originall from devotion it deserveth a devout answer Heare therefore In his Book of Confessions what that great Lover of God Saint Augustine saith When I love my God saith he I love not a form or comelinesse not time nor the Candor of that light which is lovely in sight nor â—weet Melodies nor unguents fragrantly senting nor Manna nor Honey nor bodyes acceptable to the Embraces of the flesh These things I love not when I love God But what do I love I love a certaine light a certaine voice a certaine odour a certaine food a certaine Embrasing of my inner man Where there is something shyneth to my soule which no place can comprehend where there is something soundeth which time is not capable of where there is something casteth an odour which a blast cannot disperse where there is something savours which Appetite cannot diminish where there is something cleaveth fast which saciety cannot pull away SOVLE TEll I pray thee O man yet a little of the vertue of Charity which being known the mind may more strongly be enflamed in the love of God MAN TRuely O my Soule the fruit of Charity is great but hidden For according to Saint Augustine it endureth adversity it mitigateth prosperity it is strong in hard suffering pleasant in good works most safe in temptation most liberall in Hospitality amongst true friends most mercy amongst false most patient It is secure among reproches liberall to them that hate it pleasant in time of Anger innocent among treacheries weeping at iniquity taking comfort in truth St. Aug. in praise of Charity O happy love from whence ariseth strength of Manners Saint Bern. purity of affections subtilty of understanding sanctity of desires clearnesse of works fruitfullnesse of Vertues dignity of merits sublimity and height of rewards and honours O sweetnesse of love O the happy love of sweetnesse let my heart feed on thee and let the bowells of my soule be replenished with thy Nectar O my soule how sweet is the food of Charity which refresheth the weary strengtheneth the weak and exhilerateth the sorrowfull For it maketh the yoak of truth sweet and his burden light I confesse O Lord I have not sustained the waight and heat of the day but I carry a sweet yoak and a light burden For my work is scarce the space of an houre and were it more I perceive it not in respect of thy love But what is more O my soule such is the force of love that it is necessary thou be like unto that which thou lovest and to whom thou art joyned by affection in some sort by the society of love thou shalt be transformed in to its similitude The end of the first part The Second Exercise How the Soule by mentall Exercise ought to convert her contemplation to things that are externall that she may know 1 How unstable worldly wealth is 2 How mutable worldly Excellency is c. 3 How miserable worldly Magnificence is CHAP. I. How unstable worldly wealth is SOVLE NOw I see how miserable every soule is setting her heart on worldly things which are attained with labour possessed
turne thy face from me For though I have Judged my selfe unworthy to eat of the bread of thy Children yet I have expected with earnest desire to eat at the least of the Crummes falling from their Table but alas though with with open mouth I have earnestly expected yet I have alwayes been frustrated MAN O My soule the former things which thou hast most lamentably complained of happen by a two fold reason Sometimes of the very pious and wholsome dispensation of the divine goodnesse In his Morals Whereupon Saint Gregory The just God is wont to deferre the complaints of them that Petition him for a time that their desires might encrease to that end they may rather be heard for their good by how much the sooner they are not heard at their desire Holy desires encrease by delayes Item in Homilia for if they faint at the denyall thereof they were not desires For although God of his goodnesse is most clement notwithstanding sometimes it happeneth that he protracteth that which he most willingly would give that thou mayst learne earnestly and ardently to desire great things and more carefully to preserve them obtained with thanksgiving Also sometimes he prolongs his benefits by reason of the inordinate disposition of the Asker Hee is altogether our of the way that thinketh any one can mix that Heavenly sweetnesse with this dust that divine Balsome with this poisonous joy those Graces of the Holy Ghost with the allurements of this World But now O my soule that I may not longer keep thee in dalliance nor longer afflict thee by expectation cleanse thy understanding from vaine and unprofitable Phantasies from naturall and curious reasons from extravagant and overmuch curious employments in the sciences Also cleanse thy affection from sinne from the sequell of sinne and from the occasion or cause thereof Lift up thy reason dilate and declare thy affection enter into the joy of thy Lord which neither Eye in this life hath perfectly seen nor eare hath heard nor hath it ascended into the heart of man Be vehement therefore O my soule in the love and desire of the supernall life of the Saints where there is action not laborious rest not Idle or slothfull where there is life without defection or revolt divine prayse without cessation Haec Aug. Saint Bern. Rejoyce therefore and be glad and consider the reward of thy labour which truly is so much that it cannot be numbred so great that it cannot be measured so pretious that it cannot be terminated SOVLE O Man thou hast now spoken much in generall tell me I pray thee of all in particular because wee understand those things better which are particularly distinguished then those which a generally related MAN O My Soule What can I say when I behold the future joy Now I almost faint with admiration because the joy shall be within us and without us under us and over us nigh us and round about us Thou shalt therefore rejoice in all thou shalt rejoice of all Thy joy I beleive is prefigured in the Apocalipse by that blessed woman which was clothed with the Sun and the Moon was under her feet and a Crown of twelve Stars about her head This woman as I think is a blessed Soule the Daughter Bride and Queen of the eternall King A Daughter by the Creation of Nature a Bride by the Adoption of Grace a Queen by the Collation of Glory This Soule is well sayd to be clothed with the Sun because shee is adorned with the Splendor of divine cleerness crowned with the Dignity of eternall felicity In which happiness for the speciall comliness there are 12 Joyes figured by the Stars by which the Celestiall happines is beautified and adorned These joyes O my Soule thou oughest dayly devoutly to contemplate seek no consolation of thy present misery sojourning in hope patiently and joyfully to sustain all tribulation of this present life O my Soul thou shouldst not be perplext if evil men flourish in this world and thou sufferest Beda that they shall rejoyce and that thou shalt be vexed Alas wicked men have no share in the celestiall joy neither shouldest thou care if thou shouldest have no share in this world but by the hope of that joy at which thou aimest thy Affection may joyfully and patiently endure whatsoever hapneth to thee in the way of adversity Haec Beda St. Ber. O my Soul if at any time worldly joyes the false glory the short and frail power thereof delight thee recall thy mind from them and thou wilt esteem all as dung St. Hierom. Run therefor O my Soul not with the paces of the body but with affection and desire because not only the Angells and Saints but also the Lord and Master of Angells and Saints epxects thee God the Father expects thee as his most beloved Daughter God the Son expects thee as his sweetest Bride God the Holy Ghost expects thee as one most dearly beloved unto him God the Father expects thee that he may constitute thee the Heir of all good things God the Son expects thee that hee may offer thee to God the Father as the fruit of his Nativity and the price of his most precious blood God the Holy Ghost expects thee that he may make thee partaker of his eternall Beatitude and Swetness That most blessed Family of all the Celestiall Spirits of the eternall King do expect thee that they may receive thee into their Colledg therefore desire thou their Society above all things thou shouldest come thither with great modesty if thou hadst loved it in this vale of tears As often therfore as the vain Ambition of this VVorld delighteth thee as often as thou shalt behold any glorious Creature therein presently fly up to Heaven and begin to be what thou art to be Truly I beleive O my Soule if thou wouldest continually keep these heavenly joyes in thy mind thou wouldest build a certain Suburbs of the celestiall Kingdome in his Exile wherein dayly thou mightest spiritually by Assay taste that eternal sweetness for when we settle in our thoughts any thing that is eternall even then we dwell not in this world but in Heaven So great O my Soul is the force of thy love that thou livest there more truly where thou lovest by contemplation then where thou art but by Essence This O most dear Soul is the kingdome of God which is within us which alas we miserably neglect when outwardly we are given to idle and vain things We disperse St. Grego our selves abroad in not caring for the Kingdom of God which is within us we seek abroad for Consolation frome idle things and deceitfull Fopperies so that now wee have lost the Devotion of our ancient Religion even so that we retaine not the forme thereof Thou therefore O my Soule the Daughter of the Eternall King hear with a devout mind and incline thy Eare to holy and health-bringing councells Behold by
memory a continuation of Eternity For then God shall be All in All when from reason all errour from will all griefe from Memory all feare shall depart and that shall succeed which we hoped for wonderfull serenity divine pleasure eternall security This Treatise my Conscience instigating me I have compiled for the more ignorant in plaine Phrases out of the works of holy men in forme of a certaine Dialogue wherein the Devout soule a Disciple of the Eternall truth by Meditation asketh Questions and the Inner man mentally speaking answereth But that we may the better attaine to the inestimable Contemplation of this mental exercise First let us begin and humbly by Invocation approach unto the Father of lights Let Vs devoutly bow the knees of our heart before the Throne of the Eternall Majesty and with teares and groans before the Royall seate of the Judiciall Trinity let Vs incessantly pray that God the Father by his blessed Sonne would grant us the grace of mentall Exercise in the Holy Ghost that we may know what is the breadth and length and depth and height that by this we may attaine to that which is the end and complement of of all our desires AMEN The first Exercise How the Soul by mentall Exercise ought to reflect the Beams of Contemplation to those things that are within her that she may see 1. How she is formed by Nature 2. Deformed by Sin 3. Reformed by Grace CHAP. I. How the Soul is formed by Nature TEll me I pray thee after devout invocation of the divine magnificence and after an humble imploring of the Eternall wisdome and last of all after a meek supplication of the supernal piety and clemency if I might obtain the grace of mental exercise concerning the fourfold matter to wit longitude latitude sublimity and profundity tell me I pray thee O man in what order I should begin lest I should lose the worth of this Exercise if I should ignorantly proceed with an unbefitting course for according to S. Ambr. ignorance or want of Order perturbs the form of merits nor is it accounted according to the same Author that there is in us no perfect knowledge of the thing when we know what is to be done and are ignorant in what order to proceed Man O My Soul according to S. Bernard let thy consideration begin with thy selfe lest in vaine thou search into other things thy selfe being neglected Idem Many men knew many things and know not themselves they look into others and forsake themselves seeking God by those things that are externall leaving their internall in whom God is interior Wherefore I will return from the externall to the internal and from the internall I will ascend to the supernall that I may know from whence I came or whither I go from whence I am or what I am and so by the knowledge of my selfe I may ascend to the knowledge of God In like manner S. Chrysostom upon S. Mathew saith That the knowledge of a mans self is not the least part of Philosophy * Item Ambrosius in Hexameron Know thy self O man what thou art look that thou consider what enters into thee in thy thought what passeth from thee in thy discourse Examine thy life therefore O my Soul by a daily discussion consider diligently how much thou profitest how much thou art deficient what thou art in manners what thou art in affection how like or dislike how near or far off thou art to God Ever acknowledge this that it is much more commendable and better for thee if thou knowest thy self then if thy self being neglected thou knowest the course of the Stars the vertues of Hearbs the complexions of Men the natures of living creatures hadst the knowledge of all heavenly earthly things Render therfore thy selfe to thy selfe and if not alwaies yet at least sometimes Govern thy affections direct thy actions correct thy waies Therefore O my Soul keep the Councels of holy men and first of all convert the raies of contemplation to the East region that is to say to the consideration of thy own condition Diligently therefore consider how nobly thou art made of God by nature how vitiously by thy own will thou art deformed through sin how gratiously by the divine goodness thou art often reformed by Grace First therfore consider how nobly thou art formed by nature Thy naturall nobility as I conceive consists in this because that there is imprinted in thee naturally to beautifie thee the image of the most blessed Trinity whereupon S. Anselm in his Prosologie saith I confess O Lord and give thee thanks because thou hast created me according to thy own image that I might be mindfull of thee think of thee and love thee S. Bernard According to the interior man three things I find in me by which I call to mind behold and desire God These three are Memory Understanding and Will For when I am mindfull of God in him also I am delighted for the memory of him is upon one when with my understanding I behold him how much in himselfe he is incomprehensible because he is the beginning and end of all things In Angels desirable because they desire to behold him In all his Saints delectable forasmuch as continually they being happy do rejoice in him In all his Creatures admirable because he powerfully createth wisely governeth bountifully dispenseth all things When I look into these things him also I desire When I love God by my will I transform my selfe into him For this is the power or vertue of love that it maketh thee to be like unto that which thou lovest These S. Bernard Re-acknowledge therefore O my soule how wonderfull and inestimable a dignity it is not only to be a mark of the Creator which is common to all creatures but to be the very Image of him which is only proper to a reasonable creature Praise therfore O my soule our Lord praise thy God O Sion Awake and praise rejoice and be glad because thou art adorned with the image of God made comely with his similitude partaker or reason capable of eternall happiness But because these things perhaps not unworthily may be judged meane if they should end with death exult and praise because beside the aforesaid he hath bestowed on thee an immortall nature an incorruptible substance an interminable durance a perpetual life For thou shouldst not be the Image of the eternall Trinity if thou couldst be shut up within the bounds of death S. Aug. of the city of God O my soule consider that thy Creator after this being hath geven thee a perpetuall being after this he hath given thee power to live to perceive to discern he hath adorned thee with senses he hath enlightened thee with wisdom Attend therefore thy comliness that thou maist understand what beautie thou oughtest to love in thy selfe which if thou be not sufficient to contemplate thy selfe as it befits thee why then at least dost thou not