comes up from the desert leaning upon her beloved Cant. 8. Those who hope in our Lord shall change their strength they shall take wings like Eagles they shall walk and not faint Isa 40. Many are the scourges of a sinner but him that hopes in our Lord mercy shall encompass Psal 31. Our Lord said to Gideon you have much people with you nor shall Madian be delivered up into his hands least Israel glory against me and say I was delivered by my own strength Judg. 8. Command the rich men of this world not to be high-minded nor to trust in the uncertainty of their riches but in the living God who does bestow abundantly on us all things for us to enjoy 1 Tim. 6. LVIII MED Of Charity CHarity is a treasure of Merit that enriches us A treasure of Grace that sanctifies us A treasure of Sanctity which makes us perfect A treasure of Peace which makes us happy Charity blots out all sins Calms all Passions Produces all Virtues Sweetens all Pains Makes us like unto God Unites us intimately to God Transforms us in som kind into God It makes God to be all ours And us all his Charity seeks not her self She loves for loves sake Her love is her pleasure Her love is her reward She is Humble Patient Mild Doing good Is not bitter Is not puffed up Not disdainful Not envious Believes all Hopes all Suffers all Pardon 's all O Charity my God! Why do you command me to love you Should not you rather have forbidden me Can there be a greater good than to love you Can there be a greater ill than not to love you Can you threaten me with a greater misery Than to forbid me to love you How is it possible not to love a God that is so infinitly good A God who love us infinitely A God who does us infinit Benefits A God who is united to us by infinit Alliances And yet I love you not O God of goodness I have in my heart only a Phantom of Charity I am Proud Impatient Troublesom Cholerick Doing ill Envious I will suffer nothing Pardon nothing Alas how shall I be saved Since I have no Charity O I have lov'd you too late Beauty always ancient and always new O I will never cease from blessing you From praising you from loving you Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Matth. 22. The end of the precept is Charity out of a pure heart a good conscience and an unfeigned faith 2 Tim. 1. Charity covers a multitude of sins 1 Pet. 4. Many sins are forgiven her because she loved much Luk. 7. God is Charity and he that remains in Charity remains in God and God in him 1 John 4. This is the charity of God that we keep his Commandments 1 John 5. He that has my Commandments and keeps them 't is he that loves me John 14. LIX MED Of Purity of Intention YOu belong wholly to God You are totally for God You have all from God You ought therefore to do nothing but for God Such is your Action as is your End If your End be good your action is good If your End be ill your Action is ill If you have the same End with God Your Action will be holy as God's is God works only for himself And you work only for your self God seeks only his own glory And you seek only yours God would have you saved And you will damn your self If you will do nothing for him What must you expect from him If you be naught to your self Who will you be good to God looks not on the hand but the heart He considers not the gift but the giver So much you do as you intend to do So much you give as you intend to give So much you gain as you intend to gain The Intention alone sometimes is profitable without the action But never the action without the intention You please God if you intend to please him You love God if you intend to love him Is not that a great comfort to you O I will never henceforth labour for the World O I will henceforth serve God! Since you are pleas'd O my God when we intend to please you Since we love in intending to love you You are the best of all Masters I will never more think on any thing But how to please and love you All men seek their own interefts Phil. 2. Do I seek to please men Gal. 1. If I should yet please men I should not be Christ's servant ibid. VVhether yeeat or whether ye drink or whatsoever else you do do all things to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. LX. MED Which is the noblest Intention WE never lose any thing by serving God The less we intend to get The more we get We may serve him for profit sake But this service is not so profitable True Love is contented with its self The thing it loves is its reward That Love is suspected Which seeks any thing else with God That Love is mercenary Which expects any other good but God That Love is weak Which relishes any thing else but God That Love is perfect Which contents it self with God To labour for gain Is an interested service To labour for to perfect Is a Love that is not quite purified To labour for to please God Is a Love in its Infancy To labour because it pleases God Is Love in perfection My God! I have not strength enough to fly so high My heart clings too much to the Earth To raise it self even above Heaven I will serve before I love I will kiss your hand Before I kiss your mouth I will love your reward That I may have no other but your love O how rich shall I be When I labour for you only O how perfect shall I be When I desire to please none but you O how happy shall I be When I love nothing but you I have inclin'd my heart to do your justifications for retribution Ps 118. VVhat is there to me in Heaven and what would I besides thee on Earth Ps 72. Let no man seek his own interest 1 Cor. 20. To thee alone Ps 50. Not as pleasing men but God who trys our hearts 2 Thess 7. LXI MED Of the Marks of a pure Intention IF I labour without disturbance Without eagerness without a Witness As if there only God and I I am glad that others should labour as well as I. If I rejoyce when they labour more than I If I am not angry when my labour is interrupted If I am contented when my labour succeeds not If I love the bad as well as the good success If I love rest as well as business If I am pleased to do nothing When God will have it so As well as to do much If I love contempt as well as glory If I make no vain reflexion After I have don a good action 'T is a mark that I had a good Intention O my
You have grace enough not to go thither You have enough to retire from thence But shall you have grace enough if you stay there Is it not a sin of Presumption To promise it your self in the occasion At least it will be very weak And your enemy will be very strong He is a Dog in a chain When we come near him he bites us He expects us in the occasion If you go thither O rash Soul You will yield to that temptation He that loves danger will not escape danger Be not familiar with a cholerick man neither do thou walk with a furious man least thou learn his foot stept Prov. 22. He that touches pitch shall be defiled with it and he that keeps company with a proud man will put on pride Eccles 14. He that joyns himself to Fornicators will be naught Eccles 14. If any one be a Fornicator amongst you do not so much as eat with such an one 1 Cor. 5. He that loves danger shall perish therein Eccles 3. Go off from the Tabernacles of the wicked men and do not touch any thing that belongs to them that ye be not involv'd in their ruin Numb 16. If thy right eye scandalize thee pluck it out and cast it from thee Matth. 5. We denounce unto you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ That you withdraw your selves from every brother that walks disorderly 2 Thess 3. XX. MED Of a good and a bad Conscience O How good it is to serve God What a pleasure is there in loving him How good is he to those that love him How terrible to those that offend him How happy is a good conscience How unhappy is a bad Conscience How joyful is a sound heart How sad is a sick heart O what quiet is there in a good Soul O what disturbance in a wicked Soul The Conscience of a just man is a Heaven The Conscience of a Sinner is a Hell God is in the Soul of a just man The Devil is in the Soul of a Sinner A virtuous man fears nothing A wicked man apprehends all things A just man is well with himself A wicked man is ill with himself A virtuous man willingly stays at home Because all is in peace there A wicked man dares not enter into himself Because all things are there in disorder O how sweet is Virtue O how bitter is Vice O how precious is the death of the Just O how horrible is the death of Sinners Ah! I will love God now That I may love him in Eternity I will lead a good life that I may have a good death My sin is always before me Psal 50. There is no peace to the wicked saith our Lord. Isa 48. A good conscience is as it were a perpetual feast Prov. 15. Tribulation and anguish upon every Soul that works evil Rom. 2. Hell is my house Job 17. This is our glory the testimony of our conscience 2 Cor. 1. XXI MED Of the peace of the Soul I Would fain be in peace Whence comes it that I am not Is it not because I defer too much to my own sence Because I am too much wedded to my own will Because I rebel against my Superiors Because I will suffer nothing Because I desire something with eagerness Because I am ambitious Because I am envious Is it not because I wage war against God Because I resist his Will Because I oppose my self to his Providence Because I would have what he will not Because I will not what he wills Who can live in peace that fights against God Who can be contented that is at odds with God O my Soul If thou art against God God will be against thee If thou disturbest his peace he will disturb thy quiet If thou keep his orders his orders will keep thee If thou disturb his order His order will disturb thee Desire nothing and thou shalt have all Do the Will of God and God will do thine He will do the Will of those that fear him Ps 144. VVhence come the wars and brangles amongst you is it not from your concupiscences James 4. Glory be to God on high and on Earth peace to men of good will Luk. 2. My peace I give you let not your heart be troubled John 14. Much peace there is to those that love thy law Ps 118. XXII MED Of vain Desires ARt thou contented O my Soul What dost thou desire upon earth Is not God sufficient for thee Is not he thy happiness When wert thou well without him Or when ill with him What dost thou seek besides God Who can content thee but God Thy desires are thy Tyrants 'T is they make thee miserable 'T is they that rent thy heart How happy would'st thou be if thou desiredst nothing What dost thou get by desiring These sort of desires enter not into Heaven They are the Devils in Hell 'T is they that torment the damned Leave off desiring and thou wilt get out of Hell O my God! Out of you all abundance is to me indigence All sweetness is bitterness to me That Heart is very covetous To which God is not sufficient Covetousness is the root of all evils 1 Tim. 6. The desires of sinners shall perish Ps 122. Desires kill the slothful man Prov. 21. Turn away from me all desires Eccles 23. Yield me not O Lord from my desire to the Sinner Psal 139. Martha Martha thou art Sollicitous and troubled about many things Luk. 10. XXIII MED Of Tepidity How miserable is a Tepid Soul She has lost all relish of God She is depriv'd of all comforts She wanders out of the ways of his Providence She sins without fear She does ill without remorse She dares not enter into her self She is Sick and is not sensible of her Sickness She is wicked and thinks her self good She is a slave and thinks her self free She abuses all remedies She rejects all Inspirations She is insensible to all Grace She discredits Devotion She scandalizes her Neighbour She is a burden to Communities She lies heavy upon God's heart She is just upon the point of being cast out She is in danger of never re-entring more Am not I in that state Am I hot or am I cold Am I all God's Or am I his only by halfs If so I have a tepid Soul O divine Saviour How long have I afflicted you How long have I clogg'd your heart Ah! Vomit me not up yet Deprive me not of your love Drive me if you will out of your Heaven But drive me not out of your Heart Draw in your goods from my soul But draw not back your love from thence Alas I more dread your hatred Than I do the pains of Hell My Soul Remember the state thou art fallen from Resume thy first fervour 〈◊〉 tho I dost it quickly Thy Candlestick will be removed And another put in its place JESUS will drive thee out of his heart And thou shalt never more re-enter therein If thou
admits of no division Inclination has its bounds Charity has none To love all things except sin Is to love out of Charity 'T is to be like God 'T is to have a heart as great as God's O how happy should I be Had I an assurance that I lov'd God truly I can have no greater assurance thereof Than to love my enemies for God If I am pleas'd with those that displease me If I oblige those who disoblige me If I love those that hate me If I testifie an affection to those For whom I feel an Aversion I have all the assurance that one can have That I love God sincerely That all my sins are forgiven me Because I love my enemies for his sake O God my Lord I will testifie my love towards you By loving for your sake those who are not love-worthy By doing good to those who do ill to me By conversing with those that displease me By seeking after those that I cannot look upon without pain By that it is that you will know That I am your Child That I am your Disciple That I live not by humour And that I love you with all my heart If you love those that love you what reward will you have do not the Publicans do the fame Matth. 5. If you salute your Brethren only what do you do more do not the Heathens do the fame ibid. Amen I say to you as long as you have not don to one of these little ones neither have you don to me Matth. 25. Their heart is divided now they will perish Os 10. XXXIV MED Of Presumption WHat art thou that thou presumest of thy self What wert thou heretofore What art thou at present What wilt thou be one day Thou know'st that thou hast sinned But thou know'st not whether thy sin be forgiven Thou know'st that thou hast offended God But thou know'st not whether thou hast appeas'd him Thou know'st that thou hast lost grace But thou know'st not whether thou hast recovered it again Thou saist Thou hast been at Confession But was thy Confession good Was it entire Was it accompanied with sorrow Was this sorrow supernatural Was it sincere Was it of all thy sins Was it with all thy heart Was it of all thy life Hast thou been seen to change thy manners Is that sorrow true and real Which dies as soon as it is conceiv'd Thou feelest not thy self guilty of any sin But that does not justifie thee One ought not to be disquieted for what is past Neither ought one to presume of what is to come What art thou at present Art thou in the grace of God Hast thou nothing upon thy Conscience The Heart of man is very hidden The Devil's wit is very crafty Vices imitate Virtues Passions disturb our knowledge One is easily perswaded that what one loves is innocent No man is an enemy to himself We defend all that we love Many times we make a Mortal sin pass for a Venial one We reckon but as a slight Detraction Calumnies of the highest importance Whatsoever good thou do'st secures thee not that thou art good In whatsoever state thou art Thou know'st not whether thou art in a good one For to do a good action thou must have a good intention Who knows when it is good Many go down into Egypt That think they go up to Jerusalem Many are in Illusion who believe they are in Contemplation How deceitful is the heart of man Onely God alone can understand it Thou must not therefore flatter thy self Thou must not over-perswade thy self What wilt thou be for the time to come Art thou sure that thou shalt persever Wilt thou answer for thy own Will How often has she deceiv'd thee Wilt thou answer for God's Will He efficaciously would have thee be saved But thou must cooperate thereunto Does he owe thee all sorts of graces Is he bound to priviledge a presumptuous man Little sins lead us unto great ones Our Salvation often depends upon a small matter Whilst we are here on Earth we may ascend to Heaven Till we are in Heaven we may fall down into Hell I find no assurance but in Humility and in Obedience The fall of great ones shall make me little The ruin of the Proud shall make me humble O my God my hope Give me not over to the Spirit of Pride Take all things from me I care not Provided you leave me humility Draw back your Talents I ask them not Provided that I have Charity If I look on my self I find all things to be feared If I consider you I find all things to be hoped Alas I deceive my self but you cannot deceive me I oftentimes wish harm to my self But you always wish me well My Salvation is more in assurance In your hands than in my own I will always diffide in my self But will always conside in you He that lives without diffidence Deceives himself if he be in assurance Man knows not whether he be worthy of love or hatred Eccles 4. The heart of man is wicked and unsearchable who shall know it Jer. 17. I am not conscious to my self of any thing but I am not thereby justified 1 Cor. 14. Thou standest by faith be not high-minded but fear Rom. 4. Be ye therefore humble under the mighty hand of God 1 Pet. 5. XXXV MED Of the good use of Time TIme is precious short irreparable Precious because each moment of it is worth an Eternity Short because it lasts only our life Irreparable because it never returns What will it avail you to have liv'd in pleasures If you die in sin What will it avail you to have past your time well If it go ill with you for all Eternity Time is given you to think on your Salvation You have but little of it remaining Death draws on Eternity advances Your life slips away Your health impairs Your Judgment is preparing Poor fool this very night thy soul shall be fetch'd away And to whom wilt thou leave all that thou hast hoarded up To whom will he be good who is naught to himself After your death you will wish for one moment Of that time which you squander away in Pastimes After death you will repine at the loss of that time Which you spend unprofitably Make therefore good use of your time Manage those precious moments Redeem that which you have lost Employ the present well Regulate well that which remains Think on your Salvation Save your Soul An Angel hath sworn by him that lives in all Ages That soon there will be no more time O my God! Give me yet a little more time And I will give you all satisfaction Alas I deserve indeed to be deprived of it Because I have so long abused it But I will henceforth make better use of it I will think on nothing but my Salvation I will repair the time I have lost And employ well the time remaining They were taken away before their time Job 22. Do