Our Father giue vs this day our dayly bread that with the strength thereof wee may walk day and night vntill wee come vnto thy holy mount Horeb And I a little one among the little ones of thy household O God the father and my strength when shall I come appear before thy face that who now acknowledgeth thee for a time I may heere after acknowledge thee for euer Blessed shal I bee if I be admitted to see thy brightnes Who may grant me this that thou licence mee to come to this I know O lord I know and confesse my selfe vnworthy to enter vnder the roofe of thy house but graunt it for thine honour and confound not thy seruant putting his trust in thee The vision of God is lost by reason of sin and miserie found O Lorde thou art my God my Lord and I haue neuer seene thee thou hast made mee and made mee new againe and hast bestowed all thy good things on mee and yet I haue not seene thee neither know thee Finally I am made to see thee and yet I haue not done that for which I am made O miserable condition of man when hee lost that for which he was made O that cursed and hard fall Alas what lost he what hath he foūd what departed and what remained He lost felicitie to which hee was made and found miserie to which he was not made That departed without which nothing is happy that remained which of it selfe is not but miserable Man did then eate the bread of Angels which now he hungreth for and now hee eateth the breade of sorrowe which then hee knew not O thou lord how long wilt thou forget for euer how long turnest thou thy face from vs when wilt thou looke backe and heare vs. When wilt thou lighten our eies and shew thy face vnto vs When wilt thou restore thyselfe vnto vs Regarde O lord heare and enlighten vs and shew thy selfe vnto vs that it may bee well with vs without whom it is so euill with vs. Recreate vs help vs I beseech thee O Lord My hart is become bitter in his desolation make it sweete with thy consolation Being hungrie I haue begun to seeke thee let me not liue vnfed of thee I come poore to the rich a wretch to the pitifull let me not go away emptie and despised O Lord I am bowed downe and crooked that I cannot see but downward reare me that I may look and indeuour my selfe vpward Mine iniquities are gone ouer my heade they haue couered mee and wrapped mee round about and lode mee like an heauy burden Vnwrap me and vnburden me least the pit shut her mouth vpon me Teach me to seeke thee and shew thy selfe to me séeking thee because I can not seeke thee except thou teach mee neither finde thee except thou shew thy selfe to me I may seeke thee in desiring after thee I may desire thee in seeking thée I may find thee in louing thee and I may loue thee in finding thee A reason intreating God to helpe HElpe mee O Lord my life least I should perish in my wickednesse If thou hadst not created mee O Lord. I had not béen but because thou hast created me now I am If thou gouernest mée not yet I am not for my merits my grace compelled thee not that thou shouldest create mee but thy most fauourable goodnesse and thy mercy That loue of thine O lord my loue of thine O Lord my God which compelled thee to creation I beseech thee now that the same may compell thee to gouerne it For what profiteth that thy loue hath compelled thée to create me if I should perish in my miserie and thy right hand should not gouerne me Let the same mercie O Lorde my God compell thee to saue that that is created which compelled thee to create what was not created Let the loue winne thee to saue which wonne thee to create because that loue is not lesse now then it was for thou thy selfe art the same loue who euer art all one Prayers and Meditations much mouing the hart to deuotion diuine loue BLessed bee the pure in heart for they shal see GOD. Blessed bee they which dwell in thy house O Lord they shal praise thee world without end I beseech thee therefore O Lord through all thy mercies by which wee are deliuered from euerlasting death make soft my hard and stonie heart my rockie and yron hart with thy pretious and rich annointing and make mee through the inward touch and griefe of heart for my sinnes to become a liuely Sacrifice before thee at all times Grant mee in thy sighte euer to haue a contrite and an humble heart with aboundance of Teares graunt mee for the loue of thée vtterly to bee dead to this world and through the greatnesse of thy feare and loue quite forgetfull of transitory things so farre forth that concerning worldly things I neither mourne nor reioyce for them neither that I may feare any thing temporall nor loue it neither that I bee corrupted with allurements nor broken with aduersities And because thy loue is as forceable as death I beseech thee that the very whote and sweet force of thy loue may draw vp my minde from all things which are vnder heauen that I may abide fast to the onely memorie of thy sweetnesse Lorde let thy most sweete sauour descend I beseech thee let it descende into my Heart that thy loue most sweete may enter in let the wonderfull and vnspeakeable fragrant sweetinesse of thy sauour come to mee which may reare vp euerlasting desires in me and may bring the veines of the springing water of my heart into eternall life and that at length I may see thee the God of Gods in Sion and that I may dwell in thy house O Lord world without end Amen Another SWeete Christ bountifull Iesu I beseech thée replenish alwaies my heart with thy vnquenchable loue with thy continuall remembrance insomuch that as a burning flame I may wholie burne in the sweetnesse of thy loue the loue the which many waters may neuer quench in me Make mee sweete Lorde to loue thee and for the desire of thée to put off the heauy burden of earthlie concupiscence which fighteth against and grieueth my miserable soule that running without let after thee in the sauour of thy sweete perfumes I may effectually bee satisfied and thou beeing my guide I may deserue to come to the sight of thy beauty Another SWeete Christ bountifull Iesu as I desire and as I humblie pray with all my mind and heart graunt me thy loue holy and chaste which may fill mee may dwell in me and altogither possesse mee And graunt to me an euident signe of thy loue a watering fountaine of teares continually flowing that also those my teares may witnes thy loue in mee that they may bewray and declare how much my soule loueth thee Whilest for the exceeding sweetenesse of thy loue it cannot reframe from teares
part of the heart that out of them wee may diligently consider our state or order of life and study and indeuor to doe their workes whose déeds and writings we couet to reade often Bubow shall wee conceiue these things in minde or how may wee take héede least in meditating on some of them falsly and vainely wee should passe the bounds set downe of the holy Fathers except first we shall be instructed by reading or by hearing for bearing after a certain manner belongeth to reading Whereupon wee were wont to say not only to haue read those books which we read to our selus and others but also those which we haue heard of our Masters Also what profiteth it a man when he may perceiu what may bee done by meditations except he getteth helpe by prayer and Gods grace to obtaine to them Euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue comming from the Father of Lights without whom we can doe nothing It required prayer of the Samaritane woman when he said if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that sayeth to thée giue me drinke thou wouldest haue asked of him and hée would haue giuen thee water of life The woman hearing this as if she had beene instructed by reading meditating in her heart to bee good and profitable for her to haue this water Therefore inflamed with desire of hauing it turned her selfe to prayer saying Sir giue me of that water that I may not thirst neither come hither to draw Note the hearing of the word of God and the meditation vpon it incited or stirred her vp to prayer For how might she bee carefull and earnest to aske except first meditatioÌ„ had moued her Or what had meditation going before profited her except prayer following did shew what she had requested to attaine to Therefore to the end that meditation bee profitable it behoueth that deuout prayer should follow the effect of which is as it were the swéetnesse of Contemplation Here are declared all these degrees so to bee conioyned that they are inseperable OVt of these we may gather the reading without meditation is barren Meditation without reading is erroneous Prayer without Meditation is nothing earnest Meditation without prayer vnprofitable Prayer with deuoutnesse and obtainer of Contemplation The obtaining of Contemplation without Prayer is very rare or miraculous For God of whose power there is no number or ende and whose mercy is aboue all his workes readeth vp Sonnes to Abraham out of fiue stones whilest or as yet hard and vnwilling hee bringeth them together to assent that they may be willing And so as prodigall as it is a coÌ„mon saying he draweth the Oxe by the horne wheÌ„ not called he putteth in himselfe Which thing and if when wee reade to happen to some men as to Paule and some others yet notwithstanding wee ought not as in a manner of tempting God to take vpon vs diuine things but to doe that which belongeth vnto vs that is to read and to meditate in the law of God To pray to him that he wold helpe our infirmities and consider our imperfections Which hee teacheth vs to doe saying aske and yee shall receiue séeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you For now the Kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent taketh it by violence Sée if the properties of the foure degrees aforesaid in their agreeable distinctions can bring to passe how they may agrée together and what euery one of them may effect or accomplish in vs. Blessed is the man whose mind is at leasure from other businesses hee alwayes desireth to be exercised in these foure degrées who althings that he hath being solde buyeth that fielde in which lyeth hid the treasure long wished for Marke yee and consider how swéete the Lord is Who that is exercised in the first degrée héedful circumspect in the 2. deuout in the 3. in the 4. lifted vp aboue himselfe he doth asceÌ„d by these which he hath disposed set in order in his heart froÌ„ vertue to vertue vntill hee may sée the Lord of Lords in Sion Blessed is he to whom it is graÌ„ted to remaine in this highest degrée euen a small time for he may truely say behold I féel the grace and fauor of God behold I contemplate with Peter and Iohn behold with Iacob I am often times delighted with the imbracings of Rachel But let this man beware least after this Contemplation in which hee was lifted vp to heauen hee fall downe by any disordinate occasion into the bottomlesse pitt nor after that visiting ended he bee turned into lasciuious déeds of the world and inticements of the flesh When in truth the weake sight of mans minde cannot long indure the brightnesse of the true light let it descend easily orderly to some one of the thrée degrées by which it had ascended and by course turne now in one now in another it may stay as in consideration of the place and time then is it by so much the nearer to God by how much it is the further from the first steppe or degrée But alas â—he fraile and miserable condition of man beholde wee apparantly sée by the leading of reason and the testimonies of scriptures the perfection of good life to bee contained in these foure degrées And in these spiritual good things mans exercise ought to bee imployed But whois he and we wil praise him To wil is present with many but with a few to performe and would to God wee were of that few Foure Causes which draw vs from these foure degrees BUT there are Foure causes which draw vs often times froÌ„ these foure degrées that is to wit vnauoidable necessity Commodity of honest businesse Humane infirmity and worldly vanity The first excusable the second tolerable the third miserable the fourth culpable For those whom such cause withdraweth from a holy purpose had béene yet better not to know the glory of God then known afterwards to goe backe What excuse shall we haue for sin for iustly can the Lord say what should I haue done for thee and haue not done it Thou wast not and I haue created thée thou hast sinned and madest thy selfe the seruant of the Diuell and I haue redéemed thée thou diddst runne a race of the world with the wicked and I haue chosen thée When I gaue thee grace in my sight would make an abiding with thée thou despisedst me and not onely hast cast behinde thée my wordes but my selfe and hast walked after thine owne concupiscenses But O good God gentle and méeke a swéete friend a wise councellor a strong hâ—lper how vain how rash is he that renounceth thée that putteth back so milde and quiet a guest from his owne heart O vnhappy and dangerous change to put away his Creator and to receiue hurtfull cogitations Yea that secret seate of the holy Ghost the secret of the heart which a litle time before bent and
I doe remember holy lorde that good woman Hanna which came to the tabernacle to pray and intreted thee to haue a sonn of whome the Scripture mentioneth that her countenance after teares and prayers was no more diuersly chaunged But I mindfull of so much vertue and so greate constancie am tormented with sorrow and confounded with shame because I beholde my selfe wretch so much abased For if a woman wept so and perseuered in weeping which desired to haue a sonne how much ought my soule to lament and continue in lamentation which seeketh and loueth GOD and loueth to come to him Howe ought such a soul to mourn and lament which seeketh God day and night which besides Christ will loue nothing Surely maruell it is if then the teares of that soule be not made bread for it day and night Looke backe therfore and haue mercy on me because the sorrowes of my heart bee multiplyed Graunt mee thy heauenly comfort and despise not my sinfull soule for which thou dyedst Grant me I beseech thée inwarde teares with al effect which may breake the bonds of my sins and for euer store my soule with heauenly reioysing Another SWeete Christ bountifull Iesu the maruellous deuotion of an other woman also commeth into my minde the which with holy loue sought the liuing in the Sepulcher the which the Disciples going away from the Sepulcher departed not the which sate downe there sad and sorrowfull and wept both long and much and rising with many teares againe and againe shee diligently searched the hollow places of the forsaken sepulchre if happily she might sée thee in any place whom with a feruent desire she looked for Then surely going into the Sepulchre shée had séene it once and againe but too much was not sufficient to her that loued For the vertue of a good worke is perseuerance or constant abyding therein And because before others she loued and in louing wept and in wéeping sought and in seeking perseuered therefore the rather shee first of all others deserued to finde thee to see thee and to speak to thée And not onely for these things but shee was the first tydings bearer to the Disciples of thy glorious resurrection thou instructing and meekely aduertising her saydest Go tel my brethren that they goe into Galilee there they shall see mee If therefore a woman so wept and perseuered in wéeping which sought the liuing amongst the dead which touched thée with the hands of faith how ought the soule to lament and abide in lamentation whâ—ch beleeueth in heart confesseth with mouth thee hiâ— redeemer now ruling in heauen and raigning euery where How therefore ought such a soule to mourne weepe which loueth thee with al heartinesse and coueteth to see thee with all desire Thou alone succour and onely hope of al that are in miserie who neuer is humblie intreated without hope of mercie Giue me this grace for thine owne sake and for thine holy name that how often I thinke of thee I speake of thee I write of thee I reade of thee I conferre of thee how often I remember thee I stand before thee I offer thanks prayers and sacrifice to thee that so often with rising teares in thy sight I may aboundantly méekely wéepe so that my teares bee instead of bread to me day night Verily thou king of glory and master of all vertues hast taught in thy word and example to mourne and wéepe saying Blessed bee they that mourne for they shall be comforted Another AH alas my Lord woe is my soule thou comforter of my soule thou departedst and saidest not so much as farewell Going thy wayes thou blessedst thine neither was I present Thy handes lifted vp thou waft receyued into heauen with a cloud neither did I see it The Angels promised thou wouldest come againe neither did I heare it What shall I say what shall I doe whether shall I goe where shall I séek him or when shal I find him Whom shal I aske who shall tell my deerly beloued that I languish in loue the delight of my heart ceaseth my laughing is turned into heauinesse my flesh and my heart fainteth O God of my heart and my portion thou God for euer My soule refuseth to bee comforted but of thée my delight for what haue I in heauen besides thée what would I vpon the earth I wish for thée I hope for thée I seeke thee my heart hath saide to thée I haue sought thy face I will seeke after thy face O lord turn not thy face away from me O most gracious louer of men the poore is left alone to thee thou art an ayder to the Orphan My onely defending aduocate haue mercie on mee desolate Orphan I am become fatherlesse my Soule is as it were a widow Regarde the teares of my lacke and widowhoode which I offer vnto thée vntill thou coÌ„mest again Ah now my Lord alas Appeare vnto me and I shall be comforted Let me beholde thy presence and I shall inioy my desire reueale thy glory and my ioy shall be full Remember this note SO often as wee doe well the Angells reioyce and the Diuells are sad So often as wee go out of the way from that which is good wee make the diuels glad and defraude the Angels of theâ—r ioy For there is ioy with them ouer one sinner which hartely repenteth Grace before Dinner ALmighty GOD whose prouidence reacheth to the vttermost ends of the world and to the depth of the Sea which nourishest all creatures with sustenance agreeable to their natures the fish the foule the foure-footed beast and the creeping worme we beseech thee that the meate drinke which is set before vs on this table at this present may be so moderately receiued that our bodies therby may be refreshed our senfes comforted through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Grace after dinner BLessed God eternal thankes and praise bee ascribed vnto thee which hast opened thine hand at this time and made vs partakers of thy benefites and hast supplyed the necessity of our nature with these nourishing elements without the which our life caÌ„not be maintained We beseech thée to kindle in vs a continuall remembrance of thy bountifull goodnes towards vs that as thou neuer withdrawest thy fatherly care from vs so wee may neuer cease to offer vnto thee the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing through Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour Amen FINIS