Come the excellent glorie of all the liuing the onely health of the dying Come most holy spirite come and haue mercy on mée prepare mée for thée and discend louingly to me that my vnability and weakenesse may please thy greatnesse and strength according to the multitude of thy compassions through Iesus Christ my sauiour who with the father in vnitie of thée liueth and raigneth world without end Amen A Prayer to the holy Trinity O Thrée coequal and coeternall persons one god and true the Father the Sonne and the holy ghost who onely possesseth eternity and light that no man can come to who hast made the whole worlde with thy power and rulest the round compasse of the earth with thy wisdome Holy-holy holy Lorde God of Sabaoth terrible and strong iust and mercifull to be wondred at to bee praised and to be beloued one god three persons one power wisdome and goodnesse one and vnseparable Trinitie Open to mee calling on thee the gates of righteousnesse and then entring into them I wil confesse to thee O Lord. Beholde the earnest desire of the inward affections of my heart crying out and the complaint of the teares of mine eyes at thy gate O most gracious father before thee is all my desire and my mourning is not hidde from thee and thou O Lord turne not thy face any more from me neyther passe by in thy wrath from thy seruant Father of mercie heare the wailing of thine Orphan and reach out thy right hande an helper that it draw mee backe from the depth of waters and lake of miseries and the puddle of dregs least I should perish the mercy of thine eyes looking on the clemency of thy heart beholding but that I may passe without danger to thée my Lord God that I may sée the riches of thy Kingdome and beholde thy face for euer and sing prayses to thy holy name O Lord which doest maruailous thinges which makest my heart glad with the remembrance of thee which lightenest my youth Despise not mine olde age but make my bones to reioyâ—e and my gray haires to renue as an Eagle Amen Another of the same O God the true and very excellent life from whome by whome and in whome all things whatsoeuer doe liue are good and glorious to see to God whose faith doth erect vs whose hope doth comforte vs whose loue doth linke vs together God which commandest thy selfe to bee sought and makest thy selfe to bee found and openest to him that knocketh God from whome to bee turned it is to fall to whome to bee turned it is to rise in whome to remaine it is most auaileable God whome no man loseth but is deceyued whome no man seeketh but is warned whome no man findeth but is clensed and healed God whom to knowe it is to liue whome to serue it is to raigne whome to praise â—t is health and ioy to the soule Thee I praise blesse and honour with my lippes and heart and with all the strength and power I am able and I thanke thy mercy and goodnesse for all thy benefites and I sing an Hymne to thy glorie Holy holie holy I call on thee O blessed Trinity that thou wouldest come into mee and make mee a worthie temple of thy glorie I beseech the Father by the Sonne I beséech the sonne by the Father I beseech the holy Ghost by the Father and the sonne that all my sines and weckednesse bee remooued farre from mee Most mightie God from whome all things by whom all things and in whome all thinges are made visible and inuisible which compassest thy workes round aboute which replenishest them within couerest them aboue and sustainest them vnderneath keepe mee the worke of thy handes hoping in thee and trusting in thine onely mercy keep mee I beseech thee heere and euery where now and euer within and without before and behind aboue beneath and round about so that no place lie open in me to the deceits of mine enemies Thou art God omnipotent the keeper and protector of all them that put their trust in thee without whome no man is safe no man is deliuered from daungers thou art God and there is no other God besides thee neither in heauen aboue nor in earth below which doest great things to be wondred at of which there is no number Praise honour and songs to thy laud belongeth To thee al the Angels to thee the heuens and all the powers make Hymnes and sing prayses incessantly as it behooueth the creatures to their Creator the seruants to their Maister the Souldiours to their King Euery creature magnifyeth thee euery soule prayseth thee most holie and vnseperable Trinity through Isus Christ our Lord Amen A Prayer how the word becomming flesh is cause of our hope GOD is not so much an enemy that hee may not loue his owne flesh his owne members ' and bowels verily I might despaire by reason of my too many sins and vices faults and infinite negligences which I haue committed and dayly and continually do in Hearte and Worde and deede and by all the meanes by which humaine frailety may sinne but that thy worde my GOD was become flesh and dwelled in vs. But now I dare not despaire because hee beeing obedient to thee euen to the Death yea the death of the Crosse tooke vp the hand writing of our sinnes and nailed it to the Crosse Crucified sinne and Death Therefore in him safely I rest which sitteth at thy righte hand and maketh intercession for vs. Hauing a sure confidence in him I look for to come to thee in whom we are risen againe now we are ascended into heauen and set together in the celestiall places to thee be praise to thee hee glorie to thee be honour to thee be praise and thansgiuing Amen A Praier that the kingdome of Heauen may be obtained O Happie reioysing and reioysing happinesse to see the holie ones to bee with them and to bee to see the holy God to possesse God for euer and infinitly these things wee should consider of with an earnest minde these thinges wee shoulde desire with all longing that wee might bee able quickly to come to them If thou wouldest consider and inquire how this may bee brought to passe either by what meanes heare mee this matter is put in the power of him that can doe it because the kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence the Kingdome of Heauen O man seeseeketh no other price then thy selfe it is worth so much as thou art giue thy selfe and thou shalt possesse it Why art thou troubled touching the price Christ hath yeelded and deliuered vp himselfe to God his father that thou shouldest purchase thee a Kingdom thou so giue thy selfe that thou be his Kingdom and that sinne may not raigne in thy mortall bodie but the spirit in obtaining of eternall life A Praier for the sweetnes of heauenly loue I Loue thee my God I loue thée and more and more will loue thee O my Lorde my God
the breast of his comfort These be the cleane giftes and comforts which thy Bridegroome hath giuen thee which are sobs and teares He bringeth to thee drinke with teares in measure these teares are bread to thee day night bread truely strengthning mans heart swéeter then honny and the honnies Combe O Lord if these teares bee so sweete which are stirred vp through the remeÌ„brance desire of thee how sweet shall the ioy bee conceiued by the open and mâ—nifest sight of thée If it bee so sweete to weepe for thee how sweet will it be to bee glad and reioyce with thée But why doe we set forth in common these secret conferences of that Why doe we endeuor to expresse eternal affections in common words The vnexpert vnderstand not such things in the booke of experience whom the same annoynting teacheth And other wayes the outward leter profiteth not the reader any whit Litle sauory is the reading of the outward letter except it can take the exposition and inward sence from the heart How the Soule remaineth the feruency of the holy Ghost ceasing for a time O My soule wee haue a great while prolonged speech It were good for vs to be here with Peter and Iohn to beholde the glory of the Bridegroome and to tarry long with him But I would to bee made here not two or thrée tabernacles but one in which wee might bee together and take delectation together But as the Bridegroome saith let me depart for now riseth the morning thou hast receiued the light of grace and the visiting which thou didst desire Therefore the blessing being giuen the sinnow of the thigh mortified and the name changed from Iacob to Israel the bridegroome long wished for withdraweth himselfe for a little time He withdraweth himselfe aswell from the foresaid vision as from the swéetnesse of the Contemplation notwithstanding hee remaineth as much as to gouernment as much as to glory and asmuch as to peace and vnity Here is rendred a cause why the feruency of the holy Ghost leaueth the Soule a little time BVt thou maiest not be afraide Spouse nor dispaire neither thinke thy selfe dispised although the Bridegroome withdraw his face from thee a little while All is wrought for thy good and of his comming and going away thou gettest profite Hée commeth to thy comfert he goeth away as a warning to take héed least the greatnesse of consolation should heaue and puffe thée vp least if alwayes the Bridegroome should be with thée thou shouldest begin to contemne thy fellowes and attribute such continual visiting not to grace but to nature But the Bridegroome giueth this grace to whom hee will and when hee will it may not bee possessed by right of Inheritance It is a common prouerbe that too much familiarity breedeth contempt Therefore he goeth away least by too much continuance he should be contemned and being absent hee might be the more wished for and the more wished and desired he might the more ardently bee sought for Moreouer what is present life which in respect of future glory that shal be reueled to vs is like a riddle by which now wee know in part For wee haue not here an abiding Citie but we séeke one to come Therefore wee should not esteeme banishment for a country a token for a great sum of money The bridegroome commeth likewise he goeth away now bringing comfort then changing our generall state with infirmity a little while hee suffereth vs to tast how swéete he is and before we can fully féele it hee withdraweth himselfe and so as it were with spread wings houering ouer vs prouoketh vs to flie as though he would say Behold you tast a little I am swéet if you will fully bee satisfied with this swéetnes run yee after me in to the swéete sauour of my oyntments hauing your harts lifted vp where I am on the right hand of God the Father where you shall see me not by a glasse or in a ridle but face to face and where your hearts shall reioyce fully and your ioy no man can take from you A care and diligence of the Soule that it be not altogether forsaken of God BVt take héede thou Spouse how the bridegroome may turne away himselfe from thee Hee goeth not far and though thou séest not him yet he full of eies séeth thee before behind thou canst neuer hide thy selfe froÌ„ him He hath also about thee spirits his messengers most witty and prudent spies that they should marke how the Bridegroome absent thou behauest thy selfe and might accuse thée before him If they perceiue and finde in thée any signes of wantonnesse or scurrility this Bridegroome is ielous iâ— thou entertaine an other louer if thou fancy to please others he will presently seperate himselfe from thee and cleaue to other yong ones This bridegroome is delicate noble and rich goodly to beholde in beauty aboue the Sons of men And therefore hée doth not vouchsafe or thinke worthy to haue any other then a beautifull Spouse If he see in thee a spot or a wrinkle presently hee turneth away his face He cannot indure any vncleannesse Therfore be thou chast be thou modest and humble that so of thy Bridegroome thou maist desire often to be visited The office and effects of euery one of the degrees by repetition THerefore that those things that are difficultly spoken ioyned and vnited together may séeme the better let vs gather by repetition the summâ— of such thinges spoken of before like as that before noted may be séene in the foresaide examples how those steppes and degrées may agrée together and as ioyntly and seuerally they may surpasse or excell eyther other For reading as it were a ground worke and chiefe meane first offereth it selfe and in matter being ministred sendeth vs to meditation And then Meditation diligently inquireth what is worthy to bee sought for and as it were digging findeth treasure and sheweth it But when it cannot obtaine of it selfe it sendeth vs to Prayer Prayer lifteth vp it selfe with all vehemency when it findeth by the sweetnes of conteÌ„plation the treasure worthy to bee desired Comming to this when it moistneth the thirstie soule with the dew of heauenly swéetnes it rewardeth the labour of these thrée before So then reading is an outward exercise Meditation an inward perceiuing Prayer a desire and Meditation aboue al sense The first degrée is of beginning the second of profiting the third of deuoutnes the fourth of blessednesse But these degrées are so linked together and are so seruiceable in supplying helpe one to another that those going before without those that follow profite little or nothing and those that follow without those that goe before seldome or neuer profite For what profiteth it to vse the time with continuall reading to run ouer the great acts writings of holy men except in breaking and chewing on them wee may sucke the iuyce and passe it through in swallowing it euen to the most inward
according to the Image likenes of God that it may know the creator by his Image loue him because of his likenes for according to the image of God it hath reason and according to his likenes it hath loue or charity for as the creator which created mā according to his own Image is charity good and iust pacient méek pure and pitiful with other notable and holy vertues read of him So a man is created that hée should haue charity that hée should bee good and iust patient and méeke pure and pitifull Which vertues any man by how much the more hee hath them in himselfe by so much the nearer he is to God and beareth the greater likenes of him his Creator But if any man by the wrong wayes of vices and the crooked turnings of euils doth out of kinde wander from this most noble likenes of his creator then it shall become of him as it is written A man when hee was in honor did not vnderstand c. for what greater honour may there bee to a man then to bee made according to the likenesse of his creator and to bee adorned with the same robes of vertues that he is of whom it is reade The Lord is King and hath put on glerious apparell c. Which is that he is glorified with al the shining of vertues and garnished with the honour of all goodnesse What greater disgrace may there be to man or vnhappier misery that this glory of his Creator being lost hee should slide and fall into the deformity and vnreasonable similitude of a bruite Beast Wherefore let euery man more diligently haue his minde fixed into the excellencie of his first state and condition and acknowledge in himselfe the most worshippfull Image of the holy Trinity and striue with himselfe to obtaine the true honour of the diuine likenesse by the noblenesse of good conditions and maners and the exercise of vertues that when hee shall appeare what he is then hee may shew himselfe like vnto him that maruailously made him to his likenesse in the first man and more marueilously renued him in the second CHAP. IIII. That the soule is no part of God THe soule is no part of God the mutability into which it runneth proueth that for God is immutable or vnchangeable The soule is often changed by reason of sinne and sometime changed by reason of paine and being damned becomes most miserable Yet nothing may hurt it but when it departeth from God It departeth when it sinneth wherupon the miserable runnagate frō God is tormented Seuered from one it is scattered into many things and by reason of the intemperance of it is made as it were sicke and corrupt and is become discomfited and grieued Therefore the bodily senses the memory béeing distempered or disturbed are disquiet and heauy they are made féeble and dismaide Then the flesh doth suffer then faintings begin and violent death houereth about Surely a man turned from God by sinning is froward and vnfortunate because he disagréeing with God is also at discord and discontent with himselfe and bringeth paine of himselfe into himselfe CHAP. V. That the soule is immortall A Man consisteth of body and soule and whatsoeuer is séene with these bodily eyes is made for the body the body for the soule but the soule for God that when the body returneth to the earth out of which it is taken the spirit may returne to God who gaue it The soule giueth life to the flesh when it commeth no other wayes then the Sunne giueth light to the day and it causeth death when it departeth yet death dooth not consume the body and soule once ioyned togither but parteth them vntill both of them come againe to their first originall or beginning And least any man should thinke the soule to be consumed by the death of the body let him heare what the Lord saith in the Gospell Feare ye not them sayth he which kill the body but the soule they cannot kill CHAP. VI. Of the loue and friendship betweene the body and the soule WOnderfull is the fellowship of the flesh and the soule the breath of life and the clay of the earth for thus it is written God made man of the clay of the earth and breathed into his nostrels the breath of life giuing to him sense and vnderstanding that by sense hée should quicken the clay assotiated to him and by vnderstanding he should rule and gouerne it and by that vnderstanding hée should enter inwardly into himselfe and behold the wisdome of God and that by sense hée should goe forth and behold the workes of his wisedome By vnderstanding hée hath enlightened man inwardly and to sense he hath abroad beautified and made things so faire that man might find delight and recreation in both of them felicity inwardly and outwardly and abroad pleasure and gladnesse But because the outward good things canot indure long man is commanded to returne from them to things inward and from those inward things to ascend to higher matters For of so great a dignity is the state and condition of man that no good thing besides the chiefe good may suffice him It is very miraculous that such diuerse contrary things one frō the other might conioine together in one Neyther lesse maruaylous is it that the euerlasting and liuing God hath ioyned himselfe to our molde and clay that God and clay should bee vnited together so great a highnesse and so much basenesse for nothing is higher then God and nothing more base then slime and clay Maruaylous was the first coniunction and maruailous the second nor lesse maruailous shall the third bée when men Angells and God shall bee one spirit For with the same goodnesse is man good with the which the Angels are good and with that selfe goodnesse both and either of them are blessed If so it bee that both doe desire the same thing with the same will and the same spirite For if God could ioyne such a differing and vnlike in nature as is of the flesh and soule to bée of one league confederacy and friendshippe no doubt it is as possible for him to exalt and extoll a reasonable spirite to the partaking of his glory which is brought lowe euen to the company of an earthly body that the same body being gloryfied it may bee to it a glory which was a burthen yea euen to the fellowship of those blessed spirits which haue continued still in their brightnesse and purity Very certainely the most highest hath created man to that purpose of his onely and méere loue without any necessity that hee might become partner of his happinesse If therfore so much ioy and so great gladnesse is in this temporall life which consisteth by the presence and company of the spirit in a corruptible body then how much more gladnesse and ioy shall there be in the eternall and euerlasting life which consisteth by the presence of the Godhead in a reasonable spirite