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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06360	The life of Gregorie Lopes that great servant of God, natiue of Madrid, written in Spanish by Father Losa curate of the Cathedrall of Mexico. And set out by Father Alonso Remon of the Order of our Lady de la Merced, with some additions of his owne.	Losa, Francisco de, 1536-1624.; White, Thomas, 1593-1676. aut; Remón, Alonso, 1561-1632.	1638 (1638)	STC 16828; ESTC S105406	99,533	326

out of his swadling clouts THE XIV CHAPTER Of Gregory his prayer when it began and with what exercises I haue many reasons to thinke that he began to vse prayer as soone as he had the vse of reason this I could gather by some discourses that passed betwixt vs touching this matter and by other coniectures which seeme almost certaine as was his custome of saying vnto me that God had called him very soone that he had neuer bin a child that he had neuer retired back one step wherby because of his moderation in speaking of himselfe and his nicenes in letting others know his good deedes it may easily be vnderstood as a thing out of doubt that he allwaies vsed prayer He told me that when he was a little page in the court he vsed mentall prayer and went vpon errands with as much quietnes of mind as he had six yeares before his death and that he did not loose this quietnes though there passed by Dukes and Earles and other thinges hapned that vse to be in the court and that he perseuered in his prayer amongst those noises as well as if he had bin alone in a mountaine though afterwardes he went on allwaies by exercise perfecting both his prayer and quietnes If therfore at twelue yeares of age he had attained to such peace and quietnes in prayer it is to be thought that he began to pray some yeares before he came to this degree and perfection and if thes yeares from the time that he had the vse of reason vntill he went into the wildernes were but few we may well thinke that he spent them in the exercise of prayer especially of it be true as we vnderstand it is that before he came to the court to be a page he was in Nauarre six yeares with an hermit as is said in the beginning of this booke The same might be gathered by the courage which God gaue him whilest he was in the court for allthough he was two or three yeares in that place in which are so many hindrances for those that walke in the paths of God he had strength enough to passe through them all without altering his good purpose but such valour and courage is seldome got without long exercise in conuersation with God Besides he was but twenty yeares old when he came to new spaine and yet he came so well profited in mentall prayer that he not only endeauoured to vse it much at a time but did allwaies continue in it whether he were trauailing writing or talking and he told me that for his better attaining vnto it as soone as he came to Mexico he fasted a whole lent with bread and water in the house of Luys Zapata with intention to beg of God his fauour and assistance and to employ him in some place where he might best serue him and giue himself vp wholly to his diuine Maiesty It is cleare that such progresse in vertue is not ordinarily got so sodainly but with long practise of prayer More ouer Gregory was not stirred vp to such workes by remorse of conscience or feare of hell for God allwaies guided him by way of loue and what greater signe can there be of his long and setled vertue and firme loue then to come to the Indies and goe through the places of greatest riches which were Mexico and Zacatecas the country being in the greatest prosperity for riches and ●onour that euer it was and he ●auing in him such parts as is said wherby he might haue come to ●nioy the glory of this world notwithstanding all this in the flower of his youth renouncing all these vanities to cloath himself in sackcloath and retire into a wildernes that God might there giue spirituall increases in his soule as he had done till that time as he told me the which there is no doubt but they were very great especially in prayer and since that the diuine Maiesty the very first day that he led him into the desert laid vpon his shoulders one of the heauiest burthens and hardest exercises that are in the spirituall life as shall be said in the Chapter following the weight of this witnesseth this young mans vertue since that God laieth on burthens proportionable to ones strength the which being ordinarily wont to be gotten by successe of time and holy exercises we may easily vnderstand that he had spēt those twelue yeares wherin he had enioyed the vse of reason in obtaining vertue by meanes of prayer and conuersation with God that afterwardes all might succeed well with him according to that blessing of the holy Ghost which was ofte in his mouth It will goe well with that man that shall cary the yoake of God from his youth He did not tell me in particular the exercises of prayer which he vsed in his first yeares for as we said he neuer told thinges concerning himself vnles there were probable occasion of profiting his neighbour but as for my self I haue allwaies beleeued that the ground and beginning of this his course was our Sauiour Christ for he outght to be the entrance of those that begin well and we haue heard from him such good meditations vpon our holy faith and vpon the life and death of our Redeemer especially of his infancy and childhood with such deuotion and spirit as shewed plainly his long vse and practise in that kind of meditation in his first yeare at Guasteca he shewed me admirable ones of the same matter and especially of the sacred Virgin Mary and he counsailed those that desired to profit in the spirituall way to say their beades ouer with deuotion to her honour as being the refuge and safegard of sinners and to perseuer in that holy exercise and esteeme it as their honour to be denout Disciples to that great Mistresse of sanctity THE XV. CHAPTER What were the prayers and exercises which God in spired him to vse and the profit which he reaped therby GRegory went out into the field as he was vsed to call it of the wildernes being one or two months vnder one and twenty yeares of age as far as I could gather As concerning his manner of praying I can tell some thing certainely for he could not conceale all from me for the space of eighteen yeares which I I spent in his company The first prayer which he vsed there were those famous wordes O Lord be hold I goe forth only to serue thee not for any interest of mine in the manner as is aboue said and declared for he would not spend wordes but offered himself wholly to the Eternall Father in those few makeing himself his slaue so as that all his labours and gaines should be for his Lord and this he meant by not for any interest of mine for he desired in all his workes to seeke only the glory of God The Allmighty accepted his offering made with such a willing mind and the diuine wisedome vndertooke the charge to be Gregory his Master teaching him