Writ that the first Christians were so perfectly linked together in holy love and affection as their whol multitude seemed to have but one Heart and one Soul They liv'd under the same Laws aym'd at the same End conspir'd in the same Wills their Manners their Devotions their Designs their Rules their way of Living was all one and the same all Love all Peace all Vnion all tending to Gods honour and service all ayming at their Souls perfection and Salvation Briefly they entred into a Community Association of all things and seem to have been reduc'd into a most perfect manner of Sodality Congregation or Confraternity In imitation of Christ and these primitive Christians St. Mark the Evangelist presently after instituted sacred Sodalities and Confraternities in Egypt And from these blessed fountains have since flowed so many holy Families of Religious so many Confraternities of Seculars which have flourished in all succeeding Ages in all places amongst all Christians descending from these pious Parents to their Children from these holy Predecessors into the hearts of their Posterity These worthy Examples I say have since moved many generous Captains Fervent in Gods love Disgusted with worldly vanities Ardent in devotion Ambitious of Vertue Piety and Perfection to take up the like Commissions sent them from Heaven and warranted by the effectuall inspiration of the divin Spirit And with the sound of the Drumms and Trumpets of their Doctrin to summon valiant Soldiers together To draw Companies of zealous Christians from out of Cities into Solitudes where free'd from worldly cares affairs and affections they might with hearts unanimously joyned serve their Creator and day and night sing forth his prayses Such were those great Generalls of Religious orders those Glorious Patriarks of Monasticall Congregations those Heroique Champions of the holy Church St. Basil in Greece St. Augustin in Africk St. Bennet in Europe Such after them were those multitudes of like Religious and resolute Spirits St. Bruno in France St. Francis in Italy St. Dominick in Spain and many more in the same and other Countryes Who forsaking the World following the divine Call flying into the Desarts laid the foundations of so many blessed Societies Sodalities Confraternities Others breathing the like Zeal and Pietie but not able by reason of their worldly calling and condition to embrace the like purity and perfection yet willing to secure themselves from dangers zealous to get at least some degree of Sanctity and desirous of the Salvation of their Souls have also united themselves together entred into a holy combination and Society resolved to wear the same livery to pursue the same designs to live under the same Common Laws and Constitutions Such are the brave Knights of Malta in Italie of the Holy Ghost in France of St. James in Spain and such were and should be the Knights of St. George in our England All which having Kings for their Colonels may be fitly called Royall Congregations Noble Societies and yet are still Christian Confraternities This pious practice descends from Princes to the People and branches it self into almost as many Societies as there are severall Estates Callings and Conditions in a Commonwealth The Lawyers taking Saint Yve for their Patron the Doctors St. Thomas the Students St. Nicholas the Gold-smiths S. Eligius the Carpenters St. Joseph the Stationers or Booksellers St. John the Evangelist and others other Saints Some march under the Standard of the Passion others of the Blessed Sacrament others of the Crosse many of the Glorious Virgin all of the Catholique Church which is Colonell-Generall of all these particular Companies and which sits as Mistriss of the full Musick which these severall faithfull Societies make up by striking the severall strings of their various rules divers statutes and different institutions one singing the Superius of contemptation another the Bassus of the active life A Third the Mean Marrying action with contemplation yet all agreeing in the same harmonie of Faith all ayming at the same common end which is Gods glory their Neighbours good their own Souls Perfection and Eternall Salvation And all these faithfull Societies Companies Confraternities of devout Christians founded upon Charity Concord and Vnion Govern'd with prudence and discretion cannot but subsist with Honour flourish with Admiration and adorn the whol body of Christianity These are the Buttresses of Religion the Academies of Vertue the Schools of Sanctity the Magazins of Merits the Rendevous of Heroique Spirits the lists wherein all sorts of devotion and piety are perfectly exercised and practised Here is taught simplicity of Conversation Humility of life Charity Mercy Compassion Brotherly affection towards our necessitous Neighbours Forgetfulness of injuries Patience in tribulation Zeal for Gods honour and glory O how good and pleasant a thing it is sings holy David to behold Brethren living together and loving one another O the Spirituall pleasure Profit and Comfort of well ordered Confraternities How full of honour and happiness How gratefull to men and Angels to heaven and earth and how terrible to our ghostly enemies Where holy souls heat each other in the divin love help each other in bearing the burthen of their crosses and calamities awake each others negligence and tepidity excite their fervour increase their piety zeal and devotion Where if one member be tempted troubled afflicted the whol body concurrs by joyn'd prayers and petitions to cure him comfort him encourage him in his combat and assist him to conquer his enemies and overcome his infirmities If a brother aided by a brother as the wiseman averrs is a strong City How strong a body will so many assisting brothers make Whose forces are all united to further and facilitate each others victory whose counsells are so charitable whose combined courages are so invincible whose designs are so warrantable whose exercises tend only to advance Gods honour to tread down sin and sensuality to attain perfection to obtain their own and their Neighbours Salvation These are the practises the profits the pleasures of pious Confraternities where Love is in its perfection Concord in her throne Friendship in its purity Sanctity in its excellency and therefore safety and security in their truest height and greatness These are the rich harvests reaped in Religious Societies where many being united in the same affections participating the same Sacraments passing their lives under the same laws and statutes render themselves victorious against all the violent assaults and enterprises of their adversaries These are the honourable interests returned to such prudent usurers as place their stocks of piety in these Spirituall banks where Charity makes all flourish Peace produces plenty Concord gets the conquests and perseverance a Crown of Glory These finally are the holy places and professions in which men live more purely fall more rarely rise more speedily walk more warily rest more securely dye more confidently are rewarded more bountifully And all these profits pleasures and prerogatives belong as properly to your happy state and
tribulation and temptation with due humility fervour and perseverance You O meek Jesu receiv'd the malicious Judas with the sweetness of a Saviour you permitted him to kiss you with the calmness of a friend you suffered the souldiers to bind you buffet yo u abuse you with a patience exemplary to all ages and you cured the wound of him that came to kill you with the affection of a Parent Embrace me also O blessed Jesu with the entertainments of a Saviour kiss me with the countenance of a friend cure me with the compassion of a Father and bâ—ud me fast unto your self with all the chains of perfect charity that I may henceforth truly serve you please you and live with you for evermore O my Soul what are thy thoughts at the sight of thy sweet Saviour thus suffering for thy sake Behold He is fad for thee even unto death and dost thou rejoyce in sinfull delights He lies with his body prostrate on the ground and snortest thou on thy downy bed wallowing in thy sensuality He is bath'd in tears of blood sighing sweating lamenting for thy wickedness and wilt not thou shed one tear send forth one sigh nor give one groan in token of thy true sorrow for thy own grievous offences O his love and O thy insensibility thou shalt one day sadly sigh sweat weep lament O thou obdurate Core of mine when alas it will prove too late if thou now presumptuously delay'st it Wherefore O my God! look upon me even now at this very instant returning repenting lamenting all my former ingratitude disloyaltie impietie and whil'st you behold my misery cast also an eye upon your dear Son Jesus to move you to mercy Look O compassionate Father upon the face of your Christ not now out-vying the Suns Splendor upon Mount Thabor yet still the self-same object of your eternall Complacency See his Garments not now white as Snow yet still representing the Robe of your beloved Joseph There he appear'd in Glory Here sadly prostrate on the ground There he was elevated with honour Here he lyes bleeding sweating languishing with sorrow yet both here and there He is your Son and my Saviour and every where the powerfull motive of your mercy towards poor Mankind And you O sacred Virgin the most accomplish'd of all women and the most compassionate of all Mothers look also upon your beloved Son not now white and ruddy the chosen of thousands and the most beautifull amongst the Sons of men but all pale and wan with weeping all discoloured with blood and sweat and every way the most afflicted of all creatures O what thought can comprehend the resentment of your tender heart condoling with your so dearly beloved and so deeply distressed Son Jesus And thou O my soul what dost thou what say'st thou what resolv'st thou contemplating these sad objects of the here lamenting Mother and the there languishing Son Thou who art the cause of her anguish and of his Agony wilt thou still by thy sinfull obstinacy sleight the Sons blood and the Mothers tears No my dear Mother no my sweet Saviour I here in your presence protest the contrary and for the love respect and honour I ow unto you both I absolutely renounce all sin and impiety and whatsoever is displeasing to your holy wills and likings The Second Dolorous Mystery Is Whipp'd THe most cruell Flagellation or whipping of Christ our Saviour John 19. While to a Pillar Christs dear hands are bound His body is Scourg'd till all become one wound Our Father c. OUr Blessed Saviour was exceedingly afflicted 1. At his Presentation to Pilate FOr after the spitefull Jews had spent the night in punishing him and the morning in plotting his death They led him bound from the house of Caiaphas the Priest to Pontius Pilat the President there anticipating the sentence of his condemnation by their prejudicating clamors to the end that Pilat should not dare to absolve whom they all desired should perish Hail Mary 2. At his standing before a Pagan Iudg in quality of a notorious Criminall O The stupendious Humility of Innocent JESUS He is ordain'd by his Eternall Father the Supreme Judg of all creatures and here he stands as a guilty Malefactor before a Petty-President of Judea Hail Mary 3. At the Iews false Accusation AS if he were a Subverter of the people an Abettor of rebellion against Cesar a Broacher of Blasphemy against God Hail Mary 4. At his being sent to Herod WHereby he was not only forc'd to undergo another tiresom troublesom and afflictive journey But also to hear and endure new false and malicious accusations before this perverse Prince of Galilee who was a wicked incestuous sensuall wretch and the murtherer of the holy Baptist Hail Mary 5. At Herods scorn and contempt WHo sent him back to Pilat as an Idiot in a white garment Hail Mary 6. At the Peoples clamour to have Barrabas pardon'd and Christ put to death O the hard-heartedness of this Inhuman Nation To prefer a Thief before Jesus a Man-slayer before Mans Saviour A Murtherer before the Life giver O the Jews blindness and brutishness Set Barrabas free and Crucifie Christ What means this but let him dy who rayses the dead and let him be dismis'd to destroy yet more of the living Hail Mary 7. At his most cruell and contumelious whipping By the Ministers of Pilat who by their Masters command fall like ravenous Wolves upon this meek Lamb tear off his garments tye him to a pillar and try their strength in tormenting him Hail Mary 8. At his being stripp'd naked before the whol multitude O How did this afflict the virginall heart of Jesus the Lord of purity and lover of Chastity Hail Mary 9. At the stretching and distorting of his tender Body WIth coards and ropes to force and fasten it to the whipping stock Hail Mary 10. At the tearing and wounding of his flesh with the whips WHich was done with such severity that from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no part of it left unmangled Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions O Innocent and Immaculat Lamb of God! who wert mercifully pleas'd to suffer these multitudes of shames and sorrows to be thus hurried from Tribunall to Tribunall thus treacherously betrayd maliciously accus'd unjustly condemn'd and rudely scourg'd even for my sake I most humbly beseech you by all the fountains of blood issuing from your sacred Body to give me a lively apprehension of sins heynousness that so I may perfectly hate the cause of your sufferings and perfectly love you for your sufferings What am I Dear Redeemer that you the Eternall Son of God should endure one stripe for me But O the excess of your affection And shall I by new crimes abuse so signall a favour despise so miraculous a mercy provoke so
Instructer of the Apostles and therefore is described by S. John in his Revelations with a Crown of twelve Starrs upon her head Hail Mary 10. At her being crown'd with the verdant and perpetually florishing Aureola of Innocency Purity FOr as she was of such extraordinary Purity that under God-man a greater cannot be conceiv'd says Saint Anselm And of such unimitable Innocency that from the first instant of her Conception to the last moment of her life She preserv'd it absolutely entire without the least spot or blemish so She enjoyes a Crown of extraordinary Clarity far above all others the same God-man only excepted Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. Affections Elevations Petitions O King of Glory How great is your bounty and how excessive is your liberality You confer upon men whol Torrents of pleasurs and full Oceans of delights for their Cups of cold water given for your sake You bestow on thē magnificent Crowns and blessed Kingdoms for their morsells of bread bestow'd upon their necessitous brethren And shall we question whether your own dear Mother whose pure Blood gave your Body its Being in whose chast entralls you so long lodged upon whose Breast-milk you so sweetly fed is now highly rewarded by you in heaven She cloath'd you O word Eternall and Incarnate with the robes of her Humanity and can we doubt but that you have vested her with the light of your Heavenly glory and crown'd her with the glittering Jewells of Wisdom Power Dominion and whatsoever may beseem the Soveraign Empress of Men and Angells O Virgin O Mother How great is your Glory How singular your Honor How Eminent your Dignity Since you are the Mother of Grace which is God himself you are seated on the right hand of God himself in his Glory Since you have the advantagious quality above all creatures of being Gods Mother you surely have an advantagious Crown above all Creatures which constitutes you Queen of Heaven For to what Woman besides your happyest self Or to which of the Angells howsoever high holy and perfect did euer God say you are my Mother you begot me bore me brought me forth O Mother of God! O Title of Titles O words few in number but full of numberless Mysteries and miracles O Quality containing all the Abyssall perfections which can possibly fall within the compass of Mens and Angells Imagination thinking upon a pure creature Mother of God! Be you praysed honoured and admired next to your Son Jesus by all Creatures in Heaven and Earth for evermore You have sufficiently shew'd me O sacred Mother by your divin example the ready way to reall glory and happiness Which is To prefer Gods honour love and service before all things els whatsoever But alas How Poorly have I hitherto practis'd your instructions and how ill have I imitated your examples Your continuall Exercise was to magnifie the Divin Majesty with heart and mouth and therefore you have deserv'd to be blessed prays'd and proclaim'd happie by all succeeding generations because the Almighty wrought great things in you placing you upon the worlds Theater as the Prime work of his hands and the most accomplish'd pattern of all created perfections But I on the contrary have made small account of God and his service and how then can I expect to obtain the blessing of him others or hope he should effect great things in me by me for me Yet if he and all others call me not blessed in the last great Judgment day I must remain accursed for all Eternity And if he work not great things in me what can all other things avail me in order to my happiness Ha! How long then shall my affection be fastned to falshoods follies vanities How long shall my soul be enslav'd to these sordid passions and to the base customs of my corrupted nature which are repugnant to Reason contrary to my Creators Law opposite to his profer'd grace destructive of my expected glory O my Lord and my God! I will no longer forget you I will even now begin to praise you with heart and mouth in all before all above all your only love honour and service shall be the first in my esteem the first in my affections the first in my actions For alas what els have I to esteem desire love in Heaven and Earth but you the God of my heart my soveraign good my All for time and Eternity And thou my poor Soul Take courage Eternity draws on Thy glorious Mother with millions of blessed Saints and Angells more beautifull than so many Suns in the mid-day of their brightness invites thee to be with her satiated with her Sons amiable countenance and absorp'd in the boundless Sea of his beatifying delights Thy beloved Lord himself expects thee with a Crown of evelasting rewards in his right hand and with these sweetly alluring words in his sacred mouth Come my Love my Dove my Fair one come thou shalt be crown'd for having serv'd me faithfully lov'd me fervently suffer'd for me freely and accomplish'd my will fully Live henceforth with me eternally in Satiety and security THE FIRST APPENDIX JESVS Or the Confraternity of the most sacred Name of JESUS With Elevations sutable thereunto IN so much as there is a certain pious Fraternity of the most holy Name of Jesus which had its first rise and origin from that of the sacred Rosary Et ex illa tanquam ex Matre filia prognata sit being as it were the Daughter of that Mother and to which it is so firmly fastned and so neerly allied as that generally in Catholique Countreys all they who are children of the Blessed Mothers Rosary are also thus Members of the Son's Society It will not be amiss after this large Declaration of the Rosary to annect a brief description of this Confraternity that so nothing may be wanting which may conduce to the devotion of faithfull Christians and enrich them with spirituall Benefits This pious Confraternity of the sacred Name of Jesus was begun in Italy by Didacus a Victoria a Doctor of Divinity and devout Preacher of S. Dominicks order in the year 1564. and soon after promulgated throughout Spain by Joannes Micon who was another learned Doctor and zealous Preacher of the same Order the Disciple of that Blessed and famous man Ludovicus Bertrandus The Reason and End of the Institution thereof was to extirpate that execrable and then Customary vice of Swearing by Gods holy Name and blaspheming the divin Majesty The Rules of this Confraternity are these 1. They who desire to be of it are either to have their Names enrolled into a Book provided for that purpose as it is said of the Rosary or to be admitted into this Confraternity by such as have power from the Superiors of Saint Dominick's Order by some other legall lawfull and formall way 2. Upon the day of our Redeemers Circumcision which
down his holy Spirit upon his Apostles and the rest of his chosen children to instruct them in his will to encourage them in their duties to confirm them in their Faith to assist them in their preaching to strengthen them in their persecutions O Iesu send also your holy Spirit to cure cleanse and comfort my sick sinfull and sad soul adorn each corner of my interiour with your divin love and grace that you sacred Spirit may find there a sweet and gratefull habitation rule reign and remain in my heart O Iesu King of Glory for evermore Our Father O Sacred Virgin-Mother whose soul was dilated with such unspeakable joy and sweetness in the glorious Resurrection and admirable Ascention of your divin Son JESUS appease him I beseech you in my behalf by your powerfull Prayers and Intercession Hail Mary Conclude this holy Crown with that Apostles Creed saying I believe in God c. Thirty-three Elevations and Petitions to Jesus our blessed Redeemer in honour of the Thirty-three year 's of his holy Life 1. O Good Jesu the word of the Father convert me 2. O Good Jesu the lamb of God! puryfie me 3. O Good Jesu my Master teach me 4. O Good Jesu the Prince of Peace govern me 5. O Good Jesu the sure hope of penitent Sinners behold me 6. O Good Jesu my Refuge defend me 7. O Good Jesu my Instructor direct me 8. O Good Jesu my Patience comfort me 9. O good Jesu the chief Comforter of sad Souls refresh me 10. O good Jesu my Redeemer save me 11. O good Jesu my Lord and my God! possess me 12. O good Jesu the life the way and the truth enliven me 13. O good Jesu my firm Foundation strengthen me 14. O good Jesu the light of the world illuminate me 15. O good Jesu my Justice justifie me 16. O good Jesu my Mediator sanctifie me 17. O good Jesu the Physitian of my soul heal me 18. O good Jesu my Judg absolve me 19. O good Jesu the Son of Justice shine upon me 20. O good Jesu my King deliver me 21. O good Jesu Son of David pitty me 22. O good Jesu my sanctification cleanse me 23. O good Jesu the living bread descending from Heaven satiate me 24. O good Jesu the wine bringing forth Virgins inebriate me 25. O good Jesu my Father bless me 26. O good Iesu the only joy of my heart visit me 27. O good Iesu my Helper assist me 28. O good Iesu my Protector protect me 29. O good Iesu my Love transform me 30. O good Iesu my Propitiation hide me in your wounds 31. O good Iesu the faithfull Shepheard feed me 32. O good Iesu the eternal Life receive me into the number of your Elect. 33. O good Iesu my Glory gloryfie me An Advertisement to them of the sacred Confraternity of the holy name of IESUS AFter the recitall of the Rosary of Jesus or Crown of our Lord and these Thirty-three Petitions in honour of the Thirty-three years of his holy life you may make use of some of the following Elevations to Jesus Christ our Lord and to the holy Trinity according as your opportunity and devotion shall dictate unto you and not as any part belonging to the said Rosary of Iesus which contains nothing more than what is before prescribed and expressed for though they may be practis'd with very great spiritual profit by all faithful Christians as containing a most eminent sublime and heroick manner of offring up our selv's to the divin Majesty yet the frequent use thereof is especially proper to the members of this sacred Confraternity who above all others ought to adore Gods greatness admire his goodness extoll his mercies and dedicate themselv's to his perpetuall service by the continuall remembrance of the mysteries of his Life and Incarnation which is the end of their devout Confraternity and the drift of these divin Elevations ELEVATIONS TO JESVS CHRIST our Lord In honour of his severall Estates and of the singular Mysterries of his Life TO ADORE The supream greatness of JESUS And to offer our selv's to him in way of humble servitude and absolute dependency which is due to him in consequence of the ineffable Union of the Divinitie with our Humanity 1. The Eternall Greatness of the word Incarnate O IESU my Lord King of Angels Redeemer of Men Soveraign of the Universe only Son of God only Son of the Virgin Born from all Eternity in the Eternall Fathers bosom and in times fullness born of the Virgin Mary true God true Man I adore you in your eternall and your temporall Greatness in your divin and human Fullness in your created and uncreated Highness You are the second Person of the sacred Trinity but equall to the First and origin of the Third you are the Splendor and Glory of the eternall Father you are his power and his wisdom you are his lively Image and perfect resemblance you are his only Son and his eternall word you are God of God Light of Light 2. The Equality and Consubstantiality of the Divin Persons in a perfect distinction is a wonder in God himself YOU are in these Greatnesses by Birth Such a Birth which Equalls the Power and Paternity of him who is your Father and which is one and the same thing with the Divinity A wonder not in the world but in Eternity not in the created but uncreated Being and the Prime wonder of Eternity For you are the first Production of the Eternall Father and source of the last And by this wonderfull Birth you are Infinit as he is All-powerfull is he is God as he is Beginning and Originall of a Divin Person as he is Nor is there any other difference but that in one self-same Divinity in one equall Eternity in one semblable Majesty He is Father and you are Son you are Son but without inequality without posteriority you are Son yet of even antiquity of equall authority with him and Eternall God as he is You are Son but without diversity of Essence or of Power or of Wisdom having the unity of Essence with the diversity of Subsistency in which you are one only God with him you are adored as he is and you are the Creator Conserver and Commander of the whol world as he is 3. God low's himself to us and makes himself one of us THese Greatnesses dazle our souls we cannot look upon them from out our Earths obscurity They are to be adored not beheld and we must vail our faces in the presence of this divin object as did the Angells by Isay's relation in the sight of your Throne But you are willing to exercise you mercy's upon us you will cast a cover upon your self and render your self visible to our weak spirits and to our mortall aspects you will stoop down to us and become accessible and by a Councill which even ravishes us with wonder you will come neer us and make your self as one of us For O
sublime height of his own most holy handy work And now O worthy Mother of God! since we have hitherto presented you with the fervent Affections which your faithfull servants have put into our hearts and mouths as well knowing that our own faint inventions could furnish us with none more pithy or to more pleasing permit us also to presume upon your pious Doctor S. Ildefonse de Virginitate Mariae cap. 1. for this our concluding Protestation That the height of all our ambitious desires is To prayse you as much as you deserve to be praysed To love you as much as 't is possible to love you and to render you as much service as your self can desire from such caitif creatures as we are Yes O Sacred Queen Mother had we hearts larger than the Empyreall heaven we would most willingly employ their whol extent in loving you Had we the Crowns Kingdoms Riches of all earthly Monarchs and Princes and as many lives as the Seas have sands we would most cheerfully leave all lose all forfeit all for the defence of your honour for the procuring of your affection for the promoting of your service Finally had either of us as much collected Capacity as all creatures have dispersedly it would come far short of our unlimited desires and affections which are to Love Honour and Serve you perfectly entirely eternally Receive our Hearts O Soveraign Queen of all Hearts replenish'd with these our pious intentions and protestations together with this small Mite which we here again most humbly offer up to your sacred Majesty as a votive Table of the now promised Homage we will ever hereafter be performing to the end that all such as shall make use of these ensuing Devotions may assuredly know that in the solemn tender of this small pledge we jointly intend to include an absolute Dedication of the whol remainder of our lives and labours to your Love and service and that we are content every Line Syllable Letter and Title of this Treatise shall rise as so many accusing witnesses to call for just revenge upon us and remain as so many marks to brand us with eternall infamy if we at any time hereafter maliciously ungratefully disloyally forfeit these our maturely made Resolutions of being your faithfull servants And finally that we hereby avouch in the face of Heaven and Earth to esteem nothing in this world after the inestimable benefits reap'd by the precious Death of your divin Son our dear Redeemer CHRIST JESVS comparable to the honour we have in being Most worthy Mother of GOD The meanest of your Chaplains at the Head-Altar of your Holy Rosary A. C. and T. V. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE OUR Noble Patron and most worthy Prefect of this Sacred Confraternity of the ROSARY RIght Honorable Though this little Book which carries in its Front the lovely Names of JESUS MARIA JOSEPH can want no forreign recommendation whereby to invite all faithfull Christians and especially the devout Rosarists to receive and embrace it and that the excellencie sublimitie and utilitie of the subject is to it self a sufficient safeguard and protection Yet surely could this Book have been conveniently dedicated to any other than the Queen of Heaven whose honour is its chief aym and intention it must necessarily have had recourse unto your self under whose wings it received its birth growth and accomplishment In acknowledgment whereof and the many signall favours you have charitably conferr'd upon us and upon this holy Confraternity of the sacred Rosary we conceiv'd our selv's bound to give this publick testimony of our sincere gratitude and withall to declare our earnest desire of contributing something towards your own spirituall advancement and perfection For notwithstanding that your Piety to God and devotion to the sacred Virgin-Mother and her glorious Bridegroom Saint Joseph are so deeply setled in your heart as it may seem superfluous to lend you any assistance in order to their further encrease or confirmation yet the perusall of this present Treatise which so far excells all others of this nature in the solidity of the deliver'd doctrin in the explication of the most important points and in the clear facil and familiar insinuation of this sort of Piety that we need not blush to yeild to their Judgment who esteem it the chief of them which have yet seen light in our mother language must needs prove both pleasing and profitable unto you as being a perfect Mirrour of what you either are already or zealously wish to be where you will find both Fewell to foment your fervour and Fire to add to it where you will read the Precepts of Perfection reduc'd into Practises and the Doctrin of Devotion drawn into forms of Duty Briefly where you may learn a compendious way to extract the fruits of your Predestination to glory to tast the sweetness of heavenly affections during this your earthly Pilgrimage and to procure your Souls repose here and its salvation hereafter which is the desired end and Crown of yours and all pious Christians endeavours And all these happinesses with more if more can be imagined are obtain'd by means of the sacred Rosary whereby these influences of celestiall blessings slide efficaciously into faithfull hearts from her holy hands who is appointed by her all-powerfull Son to be the charitable Dispensatrix of his divin treasures and the Common Mother of all the pious Christians which are regenerated in Baptism by his most pretious Blood and Passion For as all they who are predestinated to glory are properly Gods Children since they have the self same heavenly Father by Grace Adoption which the Son of God hath by Birth and Nature according to that expression of S. John Behold how great the Fathers goodnes is towards us for that we are call'd are the Sons of God And as the Eternall Father in begetting his Co-eternall Son gives part of the honour of this Divin Filiation to such as he foresees conformable to his Sons Image so that they may truly call him their Father who is the Father of Gods Son as himsef expresly declares by teaching us to say Our Father which art in heaven So the Son in his human generation given him by a Mother upon earth is pleas'd to make his friends partakers with himself in the title of his Temporall Filiation by giving them the same Mother whom he chose for himself whereby they become Brethren to Gods Son both on the Fathers side who adopts them and on the Mothers side who by her own Sons will and command acknowledges them for her Children Behold your Mother said our Saviour to all his friends and Brethren represented in Saint Johns person Behold your Children said he to the sacred Virgin shewing her Saint John who represented all the faithfull Words appointing her our Mother and adopting us her Sons Words recommending to Her a Maternall care and affection towards us and to us a filiall duty and reverence towards Her Nor are we only
Children of this blessed Mother as being the adopted Brethren of her divin Son but moreover as being the Children of her Child by whom we are regenerated to a spirituall life Thus thus She is also our Mother since she is Mother to him by whose death we are all re-born to the Life of Grace Thus we are truly holy Mary's Children since we are the fruits of the Blessed fruit of her womb JESUS She indeed brought forth but One only Son but by that One She begot All them who are by him regenerated and whosoever derive from Jesus their spirituall life are surely debtors to Mary who gave Him his Nativity Finally if the dear Blood of CHRIST JESUS is the divin seed of our Baptismall regeneration which pretious Blood issued first out of this Mothers veins who sees not that our best birth and being is in some manner borrowed from Blessed Mary and hath from her Blood its beginning and Origin Where by the way this is a circumstance well worth all pious Christians consideration That our Redeemer then gave us Mary for our Mother in Saint Johns person when he powred forth his Blood the blessed seed of our regeneration on the Cross for us To the end that at the same time in which he gave us this seed of our new life we should acknowledg Her for our Mother from whom this life-giving seed was derived unto us and that the name and title of Mary's being our Mother was impos'd upon Her at the very instant when the Blood from Her deriv'd constituted us her Children Now if the sacred Virgin as hath been plainly deduced and proved is the common Parent of all Christians both in quality of their being her Sons Brethren adopted and chosen by his Father and also in quality of their being her Sons children regenerated and resuscitated by his Death How much more singularly is she their Mother who make it their profession to render unto her a particular honour and homage and to receive her for their speciall Protectrice and Patroness If she is in the Churches Dialect the Mother of love and Charity and consequently cannot but bear a generall affection towards all mankind How much more tenderly doth she affect such faithfull and dutifull children as totally addict and dedicate themselves to her love and service Amongst which the pious Rosarists whereof your self Honorable Patron and most worthy Prefect is a prime Scion may without presumption arrogate to themselves this glorious prerogative of being the Josephs and Benjamins of her maternall affections not in quality of yongest Children since their origin is very ancient as will be hereafter declared But as most particularly cherished by this compassionate mother or at least most highly enriched with her Royall favours and benefitts as will also hereafter be exemplifi'd All Flowers Spring and flourish by the Suns influence yet the Sun is singularly styled the Parent of the Heliotrope as borrowing from his glorious beams the gold-lustre of its leaves from his course the motion of its body and from his name its denomination of Sun-flower So the Sacred Virgin hath undoubtedly by the influence of her blessings and prayers given birth to all Religious orders Societies and Confraternities which Saint Hierom calls the Church-flowers but surely amongst all these fair Flowers which with their variety beautify and enrich her garden the Confraternity of the sacred Rosary may fitly be said to be the Heliotrope of this Sun the Paragon of this Garden the Darling and Minion of this Mother since from Her it derives its Denomination draws its vertu receives its Beauty and ornament Happy Rosarists who by the speciall grace and favour of Christ Jesus your Saviour can say to God you are my Father and to the Son of God you are my Brother and to the Daughter of the Eternall Father to the Mother of the Son of God to the Spouse of the Holy Ghost to the Queen of Men and Angells to the Empress of Heaven and Earth you are my Mother by my own peculiar choyce and election Happy you if acknowledging the honours and advantages which accrue to you from such a Filiation you correspond to the height of so divin an alliance by your holy life and conversation Happy you if seriously considering of what a worthy Mother you are Children you effectually endeavour to be such as she deserves such as she demands such as she desires Which that you all and your Noble self in particular may truly be shall be the daily prayer at the head-Altar of your holy Mother of power of RIGHT HONORABLE Your most affectionate Bedes-men and servants A. C. and T. V. A MARIAN KALENDAR OR A Catalogue of some few amongst the multitude of glorious Saints of S. Bennets Order who have been singularly devoted to the sacred Virgin Mary Together with the severall Festivities of our Blessed Lady according to the monthly days upon which they are celebrated S. Augustin lib. 10. de Civitate Dei c. 4. We dedicate and consecrate the memory of Gods benefits to certain days feasts and solemnities least by length of time ungratefull forgetfulnes should creep in S. John Chrysostom Tom. 5. Serm. 1o. de Martyr No Christian is so ignorant as not to know that the glories of the Saints are celebrated by Gods people both to the end they may be duly honoured and we instructed by the examples of their vertues JANUARY 1. St. ODILO Abbot of Cluny a most faithfull servant of the sacred Virgin-Mother even from his tender years till his last gasp In his youth he was seized on by a languishing disease which depriv'd him of the use of his limbs yet making a hard shift to creep along into the holy Church dedicated to the sacred Virgins honour he was there presently and prodigiously cured in the sight of many admiring spectators Whereupon he made an Oblation of himself unto her in these tearmes O most sacred Virgin and Mother of the worlds Saviour from this day forward I resolve to serve you hoping to have you for my compassionate Mediatrix upon all occasions for after God I prefer nothing before you and therefore I freely deliver up myself unto you as your peculiar servant and Bondslave He dyed in the 87th year of his age and of Christ 1048. 11. S. Egwinus Bishop of Worcester in England who being of the Royall blood chang'd his purple for a poor Cowle in Worcester Cloyster which he never left off in his Episcopall dignity to which he was forcedly call'd for his excellent learning and Sanctity He was evermore most zealous in the sacred Virgins service by whose express command he built and founded that famous Abbey of Evesham and dedicated it to her honour which service of his she frequently acknowledged to be to her most gratefull and acceptable He dyed in the year of our Redeemer 712. 15. S. Maurus Abbot of S. Maur's in France the Disciple of our Glorious Patriark S. Bennet the most diligent Promotor of the sacred
Virgin Mothers honour and the devout Propagator of her Psalter according to the institute and practise of his pious Father He dyed in the year 583. Item S. Bonitus Bishop of Auvergne in France commonly called the sacred Virgins Chaplain for that he was seen to celebrate the holy Mass by her command and in her presence in the Church of S. Michael where there remains even till this day an evident mark of this miraculous apparition imprinted upon the main Pillar of the said Temple against which the Saint leaned where also is reserved the admirable vestment of a colour Matter Contexture Softness and Lightness altogether celestiall and prodigious wherewith the Queen of Heaven adorned her holy Chaplain In the year 704. 22. The Feast of the Espousalls of the sacred Virgin Mary to S. Joseph instituted in France by Petrus Auratus a Dominican who compos'd the Office of this solemnity in the year 1546. 23. S. Ildefonse Archbishop of Toledo in Spain who for his singular integrity of life and for having happily undertaken the defense of the sacred Virgins Virginity against the Helvidian heresie which oppos'd it deserv'd to be styl'd one of her Doctors and Chaplains and to receive a most admirable white vestment from her own holy hands upon the Festivall day of her Expectation which he instituted in her honour in the year 660. 24. Upon this day is celebrated a Commemoration of the Patronage and Affection of the Sacred Virgin MARY towards the whol Order of Saint BENNET Which she hath been graciously pleas'd to testify from time to time by most rare and signall examples and which they gratefully acknowledging renew the Oblation Dedication and Recommendation of themselv's and their Order to her pious and powerfull protection FEBRUARY 2. THe Purification of the sacred Virgin MARY call'd by the Greek Church Hipapante Domini or the meeting of our Lord and his holy Mother with the Prophet Simeon Anna and others in the Temple of Jerusalem upon the fortieth day after his happy birth into the World where HE was presented to his Eternall Father and SHE was purified according to the Law of Moyses Levit. 12.6 22. S. Peter Damian a noble man of Ravenna afterwards Monk Abbot and Cardinall Bishop of Ostia was a most zealous Promotor of the sacred Virgins honour the Authour of the Primer commonly call'd Our Ladyes Office the Beginner of that pious custom of allotting Monday to pray for the souls departed Friday to commemorate our Redeemers Passion Saturday to the sacred Virgins prayse which custome the universall Church soon after approved received and continues to this day He dyed in the year 1072. MARCH 9. St. Francisca a Noble Roma◠widow was frequently and familiarly visited by the sacred Virgin and amongst many other signall favours was by her cover'd with a golden veile in recompence of her fervent devotion She dyed full of Sanctity and miracles in the year 1440. 12. S. Gregory the Great Pope Doctor of the Church Apostle of England c. His fervent devotion towards the Queen of Heaven appears by that famous Procession wherein he carrying her sacred Image obtain'd a cessation of the raging pestilence c. vide infra page 144. No one says he can behold the greatness of Gods Mother but by beholding her Sons excellency 21. S. Bennet the great Abbot and glorious Patriarch of Monks in the Western Church was from his tender years a most faithfull honorer of the sacred Virgin-Mother by whose speciall assistance says blessed Alanus de Rupe he became the Author and founder of so divin a Monasticall institution Nor is the propagation of the Marian Psalter proceeds the same Author the least of S. Bennets prayses which sort of piety She was graciously pleas'd to approve by heaping many signall favours not only upon her Bennet as she was heard to name him but upon his whol Order in which she seems as it were to have fix'd her seat shewing herself upon all occasions to be its true Mother and Protectrice He dyed in the year 542. 22. Blessed Pope Gregory the ninth the sacred Virgin-Mothers most faithfull and affectionate servant order'd and commanded That the solemn Anthem Salve Regina should be publickly sung in the Church after the Canonicall hours As also That the Bells toling at certain set houres of the day should admonish all Christians wheresoever and howsoever employed of their duty and devotion towards the Queen of heaven by saluting her with the Ave Maria. He dyed in the year 1241. 25. The Annunciation of the most Blessed Virgin Mother of God A Feast of great Solemnity and antiquity in the Church as appears by the Orations and Homilies of the Primitive Fathers had upon this day in memory of that happy Embassy brought down from heaven to holy MARY by the Archangell Gabriel in which she was denounced and declared Mother of the Word Eternall and Incarnate Luk. 1.31 27. S. Rupert Bishop of Salisburg a glorious Doctor Champion and Chaplain of the sacred Virgin-Mother from whom he received the intelligence of holy Scriptures to whose honour he built and founded severall famous Churches to whose Name he dedicated the yet flourishing Imperiall Abbey and whose prayses he propagated throughout Germany and the adjoyning Kingdoms He dyed in the year 623. APRIL 20. St. Fulbert Bishop of Charters a speciall devote of the sacred Virgin To whose honour he erected the famous Cathedrall of Charters In whose praise he composed many pious Hymnes and Prose and who first ordained that Commemoration Sancta Maria succurre miseris juva pusillanimes c. to be dayly used in the Laudes and Even song He also first introduced the celebration of the Blessed Virgins Nativity into France And when in his las◠Agony he lay gasping for breath and parch'd up with thirst the blessed Virgin-Mother was pleas'd O her wondrous Compassion towards her faithfull servants to appear to him to refresh him and to suckle him with her sacred Breast-milk whereof a drop falling upon his garment is reverently kept amongst the sacred Treasures of the Church of Charters even till this day as a perpetuall monument of this her signal favour and affection He dyed in the year 1028. 21. S. Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury another holy Doctor and Chaplain of the sacred Virgin-Mother a most zealous defender of her Immaculate Conception and the first Introducer of that annuall Feast of the Conception of our Lady into the Church He dyed in the year 1106. 29. S. Robert the first Abbot of Cistertium whom the Queen of Heaven espoused to herself whil'st he yet remained shut up in his Mothers womb in these words My will is that the child which thou O Erengardes bearest in thy entralls be betroathed unto me by this golden Ring Which she afterwards confirm'd 〈◊〉 the born Infant who after a long led holy life was translated to a happy immortality in the year 1098. MAY. 13. AT Rome The Dedication of the Church of Sancta Maria ad Martyres
which Pope Boniface the fourth cleansing the ancient Temple Pantheon consecrated to all the Gods dedicated to the honour of the ever blessed Virgin-Mother and all the holy Martyrs in the year 609. 16. S. Brandanus an Abbot in Scotland a most zealous servant of the sacred Virgin to whom he consecrating the labours sustain'd in his seven years navigation and laying upon the Altar dedicated to her honour a book containing the whol course of his journey was summon'd by a voyce from Heaven to exchange this life for immortality and having finish'd the celebration of a solemn Mass upon the same Altar he most happily expired after the year 570. 19. S. Dunstanus Archbishop of Canterbury a great Favourite of the sacred virgin whom she piously cherish'd even in his Mothers womb prodigiously cured in his tender age and frequently visited during the time of his Pontificall dignity He dyed in the year 988. 27. S. Bede a venerable Priest and most affectionate servant of the sacred Virgin-Mother whose Psalter according to the Institution of his glorious Father S. Bennet he most zealously preached promulgated and planted not only in his own native Countrey England where in the publick places of Prayer he caus'd the materiall Psalters to be hung up to invite all Passengers and Pilgrims to this sort of devotion and which in Veneration of his name are there ever since call'd Bedes even to this day but also says Alanus in France and the neighbouring Kingdoms He dyed full of years sanctity and learning after the 731. year of Christ 29. The Feast of the Miracles wrought by the Mother of Power Celebrated in memory of the many signall and prodigious wonders she hath been graciously pleas'd to work in severall Monasteries of S. Bennets order JUNE 18. THE Feast or Commemoration of the Psalter of the sacred Virgin Mary instituted by the admirable Father and Patriarch of Monks S. Bennet to be observ'd in his holy Order and afterwards propagated by his Disciples throughout the whol world whereof Blessed Alanus de Rupe the great Secretary of the glorious Virgin-Mother and another Restorer after S. Dominick of this Marian Psalter hath these words Apolog. part 1. cap. 8. and part 2. cap. 2. 4. S. Bennet the famous Patriarch of Monasticall Institution introduced the use of the Marian Psalter which he himself had long before practised amongst his Religious Children and this not so much by any precept as by the very use thereof pass'd to posterity as a most pious and religious custome JULY 2. THE Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in memory of her visiting S. Elizabeth after she had conceiv'd the Son of God at whose presence S. John the Baptist leap'd in the womb of his Mother Elizabeth Luk. 1.41 which Feast was instituted by Pope Urban the sixth in the year 1385. and promulgated by his successor Boniface the ninth in the year 1389. to implore the Blessed Virgins assistance against the Schisme which then miserably divided the Church S. Otho Bishop of Bamberg and Apostle of Pomerania a most affectionate servant of the sacred Virgin-Mother whose speciall assistance he always implor'd and obtain'd especially in the Conversion of Nations and to whose honour he erected that famous Cathedrall of Weier He left this life in the year 1139. 14. S. Henry the first Emperour surnamed the Lame otherwise called the second for that he had a predecessor of the same name who out of modestie and humility refused the denomination of Emperour a most devout Client of the sacred Virgin Mother to whose honour he founded that fair Cathedrall of Spire as also that of Basil and severall others and in whose imitation he kept perpetuall virginity together with his wife S. Cunegundis whereby he became so highly pleasing to the Virgin Queen of Heaven that he was frequently admitted to her familiarity He was instrumentall to the Conversion of S. Stephen King of Hungary and the whol Hungarian nation and full of sanctity and all sorts of vertues he yeilded his Soul into the hands of his heavenly Bridegroom in the year 1024. 17. S. Leo the fourth Pope a singular honorer of the sacred Virgin-Mother and promotour of her prayses throughout the whol world He instituted the Octaves of her Assumption and departed this life in the year 855. 19. Blessed Hermannus Contractus so named from the Contraction and weakness of almost all his members a most devâ—ut Monk of Augia which is an Iland in Germany not far distant from Constantia and a most zealous servant of the sacred Virgin-Mother by whose powerfull prayers he obtained such inward gifts of learning and wisdom as abundantly recompenc'd the outward defects of nature He wrote much in her prayses and amongst the rest those most famous Anthems Salve Reginae and Alma Redemptoris Mater He dyed about the year 1052. till which time he produced his Chronicle of the worlds six Ages 29. Blessed Vrbanus the second Pope a most holy and learned Man and a most zealous promoter of the sacred Virgins honour whose office composed by S. Peter Damian he confirm'd and commended to the world in the Councill of Clermont in the year 1096. AUGUST 5. THE Dedication of the Church of our Blessed Lady ad Nives or at the Snow which miraculously covering a part of the Exquilin mountain neer Rome at this time when the greatest heats use to parch the City gave occasion to the building of a famous Church to the sacred Virgin-Mothers honour thereby to perpetuate the memory of so signall a miracle in this same place thus by her self designed in the year 367. 15. The Assumption of the most sacred Mother of God celebrated time out of mind with greatest solemnity both by the Greek and Latin Church in memory of her being assumpted or taken up into heaven both body and soul after her dissolution S. Arnulphus Bishop of Soissons in France whose soul amidst the festivall joys of his dear Mothers Assumption was by her visited and call'd out of his body to a blessed eternity in the year 1087. 20. S. Bernard first Abbot of Claravall the singularly beloved Minion Favourite Child and Chaplain of Gods holy Mother whom she as a stupendious argument of her delicate affection frequently fed with her virginall breast-milk familiarly resaluted with Salve Bernarde and lovingly visited cured and comforted in the time of his sickness infirmity He amongst all the Fathers is most profuse in the sacred Virgins prayses in whose honour he composed many most pious and pithy Treatises amongst which is the Ave Maris Stella us'd in the vespers of all the Blessed Virgins Festivities He dyed full of admirable sanctity and learning in the year 1153. 22. S. Bernardus Tolomaeus Founder of the Order of S. Mary of Mount Olivet who being prodigiously cured of a grievous sickness and blindness by the Blessed Virgins intercession vow'd himself to her perpetuall service and forthwith ascending into the Pulpit he divulg'd this divin miracle and decipher'd the
worlds vanity and contempt with such eloquence and efficacy that he presently obtains many followers and disciples In the year 1370. under Pope Vrban the Fifth SEPTEMBER 5. S. BERTIN Abbot of the Monastery call'd Sithin and Founder of the famous Abbey now known by the name of S. Bertins at S. Omers in Artesia a most zealous Promotor of the sacred Virgins honour both by himself and his succeeding disciples especially by S. Joscio surnam'd the Rosie He was translated to immortality in the year 698. 8 The Nativity of the most Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God celebrated both by the Greek and Latin Church in memory of her happy birth by whom the holy author of all life was born into the world ever since the Councill of Ephesus which was held in the year 436. against the Nestorians denying her title of Deipara or Gods Mother 22. S. Salaberga Abbesse of Laudune whom the Blessed Virgin took into her speciall care and protection and frequently comforted with her presence and visitation She dyed about the year 614. 24. S. Gerardus Bishop and Martyr the Apostle of Hungary and Protomartyr of Venice a most fervent and faithfull Honourer of the Virgin-Mother whose sacred Name he never pronounced without a most affectionate shew of reverence and devotion and who counsell'd King Stephen to make his whol Kingdom tributary to the Queen of Heaven styling her always and saluting her under the title of Queen of Hungary He was crown'd with Martyrdom in the year 1047. OCTOBER 7. THE Commemoration of Holy Mary of Victory instituted by Pope Pius the fifth in memory of the signall Naval Victory gain'd by the sacred Virgins assistance this day over the Turks in the year 1571. Which solemnity was afterwards decreed by Pope Gregory the thirteenth to be yearly celebrated upon the first Sunday of this Month under the name and title of the Feast of the Rosary in the year 1573. 8. Blessed Beatrix sister to the blessed Amadeus a most chast Spouse of Christ to whom she consecrated her virginity under his holy Mothers Ensignes instituted at Toledo an order entitled of the sacred Virgins Conception which was confirmed by Pope Innocent the eight in the year 1485. and having most zealously propagated the holy Virgin-Mothers honour throughout all Spain she dyed full of merits and sanctity NOVEMBER 16. S. Edmund Archbishop of Canterbury dedicated himself to the sacred Virgins service from his tender age before whose Statua he maturely and deliberately making a vow of perpetuall Chastity placed a Ring upon the finger of the Image as a pledg of this his bethroathing and as a perpetuall argument of his most chast affection He departed this life in the year 1246. 17. S. Gertrude surnamed the Great a noble Virgin of Germany despising all worldly pompe and vanity vow'd her self to the service of Christ her Spouse and of his sacred Mother who both of them most frequently and familiarly conversed with her and instructed her in the mysteries of Faith in the manner of prayer and in the way of perfection which she communicated for the inestimable benefit and comfort of all devout souls in her divin Books of Insinuations She dyed Abbess of Elpidia in the year 1311. 18. S. Odo the first Abbot of Cluny who was dedicated to Christ and his sacred Mother by his Parents before his birth which was in the night of our Saviours Nativity ordained that the Reformation of his Order should be celebrated by his successors under the Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary He chang'd this life for a better in the year 942. 19. S. Mechtild the naturall sister of the Great and Admirable S. Gertrude and Chantress of the famous Monastery of Elpidia vulgarly named Helfte whereof her sister S. Gertrude was Abbess a most dear darling of the Virgin-Mother who was pleas'd to reveal many secret Mysteries unto her See page 221. of the second Book following which she charitably left to Posterity in her Treatise of spirituall Grace and Revelation She departed this life full of Mâ—racles sanctity and the Spirit of Prophecy after the year 1300. 21. The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple of Jerusalem where in her tender age she vow'd herself to God both body and Soul Which Feast was anciently celebrated in the Greek Church as appears by the Orations and Homilies of the Grecian Fathers related by Surius in his sixth Tome and introdâ—ced into the Latin Church by Nicholas the French Abbot in the year 1373. and afterwards approved and generally received 27 A Commemoration of such Saints as have been singularly devoted and addicted to promote the sacred Virgins honour and service the great number whereof appears by their monuments of piety left to posterity 28. S. Gregory the third Pope a most meek wise and learned Prelate and a most zealous defender of the sacred Virgins honour and Images against the then raging heresie of the Iconoclasts He was translated to a happyer life in the year 741. 29. Saint Joscio surnamed the Rosie famous for his sincere devotion towards Gods sacred Mother and for her singular benevolence towards him departed this life at Saint Omers in the Monastery of Saint Bertin in the year 1163. upon the Vigill of S. Andrew At whose sacred departure happened this signall Miracle He us'd daily to recite Five Psalms whereof the first letters in Latin express the Name MARIA which devotion so highly pleas'd the sacred Virgin that she vouchsaf'd to cause Five fresh and fragrant Roses to spring out of the dead face of her servant Joscio One out of his Mouth Two out of his Ears and the other Two out of his Eyes all stamp'd with five Golden Letters MARIA Which Miracle was manifested to all the multitude of Spectators who flock'd thither for seven days space from the parts far and near to behold it The Five Psalmes are these Magnificat Luk. 1. Ad Dominum Psal 119. Retribue Psal 118. In convertendo Psal 125. Ad te Levavi Psal 122. DECEMBER 8. THE Conception of the glorious Virgin MARY Mother of GOD. A Feast anciently and solemnly celebrated in the Greek Church and introduc'd into the Latin Church by S. Anselme Arch-bishop of Canterbury in the year 1106. and commanded to be generally celebrated by Sixtus the Fourth in the year 1466. In memory of her miraculous and immaculate Conception of her old and barren Parents S. Joachim and S. Anne and of her being sanctifi'd in the womb from the first instant of her Conception 18. The Feast of the Expectation of our Blessed Lady or the O Instituted by S. Ildephonse out of his extraordinary affection and devotion to the Virgin-Mother and lately approv'd and confirm'd by Pope Gregory 13. 24. The Feast of the Descent of the sacred Virgin into the Church of Toledo instituted in Spain by S. Ildephonse in memory of her miraculous apparition unto him and cloathing him with a celestiall garment 29. S. Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr a most devout
when sunk down to the bottom so it is with sin the cure is desperate when the disease is deeply rooted 3. The frequent use of the Holy EVCHARIST is no less necessary to all faithfull and devout Christians where they are visited by God himself honoured with his Reall Presence fed with his sacred flesh made the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Cabinet of the Word Incarnat the Tabernacle of the Immense Trinity the Throne the Heaven the Palace the Paradise of the whol divinity O what priviledges what profits what prerogatives to have their sins pardoned temptations quelled passions conquered enemies repulsed new strength granted all sorts of graces communicated To have the spirit cleared the memory awaked the will inflamed the understanding illuminated the heart confirmed the appetite regulated the reason instructed the sensuality repressed the whol man divinized To receive the antipasts of Paradise the pledges of eternall bliss and beatitude who would not endeavour to be frequently partaker of such heights such honours such happinesses 4. Another important practice of devout Christians is to hear Mass as often as they may for it is a Sacrifice whereby the merits of our Redeemers Passion are applyed to us A Sacrifice in which and by which thanks are rendred to the Divin Majesty for all the benefits received from his bounty A Sacrifice of infinit worth and efficacie inflowing multitudes of graces favours and blessings upon the devout assistants which this time and place permit me not to particularize 5. Furthermore to hear Gods Word preached and announced if that happiness may be obtained is also a point of great piety profit and merit nor is there indeed any more express sign of a Christians belonging to Christs flock and fold than the frequent and affectionate hearing of his divin Word according to his own saying He that is of God hears his Word and my sheep hear my voyce Surely they who lend a willing ear to their prime Pastours voyce preached to them by his Missioners and Officers testifie thereby that they are his loving and obedient Sheep the imitators of his Blessed Mother who kept all his words carefully in her heart and children designed for his heavenly inheritance 6. The last piece of devotion which I shall now mention belonging to pious Christians and especially to the religious children of Jesus and Mary is to addict themselves to the reading of the spirituall Conflict and Conquest and other good holy and spirituall books for these are the dumb masters which teach us the lessons of true wisdom and heavenly Philosophy These are the fire-steels of Gods love and fear the matches of devotion the interpreters of sacred mysteries the pilots of our pilgrimage the Registers of Gods wondrous works the Court-Rolls where we may turn to the authentique effects of his severe justice and of his sweet mercy Behold these are the true badges of perfect brethren sisters these are the undeniable seals of devout Confraternities these are the essentiall properties of our Queen-Mothers children and servants Study them seriously O devout Rosarists and endeavour punctually to observe and keep them First admiring praysing thanking the divin Majesty for providing you so powerfull so worthy so perfect a Mother Patroness and Advocate Secondly striving to make your selves worthy children of so great and glorious a Mother worthy members of so pious and profitable a Confraternity Thirdly Remember the promises made at your first admission and honour her accordingly love her admire her and propagate her prayses to the whol World Fourthly above all aym at the imitation of her Life and Vertues which is the most perfect and to her most pleasing way of homage and service Fifthly frequent the Sacraments of Confession and Communion hear Mass dayly and devoutly be present at holy exhortations and give your self to spirituall lecture Sixtly let no day pass without a speciall recommendation of your self your fellow-brethren and sisters of the ROSARY and the Vniversall Church not forgetting our distressed Nation her ancient Dowry to your Mother of Powers care and protection Finally make your most humble and hearty addresses unto your Mother of Power in all your pressing necessities and doubt not but you shall receive singular benefits and blessings by your being of this sacred Confraternity during the course of your life and singular comfort and confidence at the hour of your death that is you shall live well and dye well which is the happiness we all aim at and which is my hearty and daily prayer for my self and for you all my devout brethren and sisters of this most sacred and most renowned Arch-Confraternity of the ROSARY THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SACRED ROSARY Which is the Doctrinall part thereof Containing briefly these Particulars 1. THat every faithfull Christian ought to have a particular devotion towards Gods holy Mother the sacred Virgin Mary 2. That the Practice of the sacred Rosary is a devotion very pleasing to the Divin Majesty profitable to our selves and gratefull to the blessed Virgin 3. That this sort of devotion is proper for such Catholiques as live in hereticall Countries 4. What the Rosary is 5. The Rosary is twofold the great and little Rosary 6. Why this manner of prayer is call'd the Rosary 7. That the Rosary comprehends the two sorts of prayer vocall and mentall 8. Three advices concerning this manner of praying and meditating 9. A difficultie concerning this conjunction of vocall and mentall prayer proposed and cleared 10. Of the advantage which this Confraternity of the Rosary hath above all others in point of Communication of merits 11. Of Indulgences in generall 12. Three necessary advertisements for the gaining of Indulgences 13. Of the Indulgences conferr'd upon the Confraterâ—ity of the Rosary 14. The generall rules and Statutes of the Confraternity of the Rosary 15. The form of receiving brothers and sisters into this sâ—ered Confraternity with the blessing of their Bedes Roses and Candles And a form of the generall absolution to be imparted to them at the hour of death 16. Of the pious use of Processions 17. An Elevation for the Procession of the Rosary with the Litanies of our Blessed Lady of the Rosary and the Litanies of our Blessed Lady of Loretto for a happy death 18. Severall other prayers to be recited after the Litanies as occasion shall require §. 1. That every faithfull Christian ought to have a particular devotion towards Gods holy Mother the sacred Virgin Mary THIS is a Subject so generally handled a Doctrin so universally received a verity so largely proved by all the learned holy and pious Writers of the Catholique Church that the onely reading of the Title seem a sufficient motive to mind all faithfull Christians of this duty and devotion without seeking for further Arguments to convince an undeniable Tenet which is supported by such almost infinit multitudes of solid arguments that the bare recitall thereof would swell this discourse which aimes at a compendious brevity into many
the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Affections Elevations Petitions WHy weep you O sacred Virgin Why do you grieve and mourn O glorious Mother of Jesus your Son lives triumphs reigns He that was lately accounted the out-cast of the people is now the most happy of all mankind He that was crucifi'd dead and buried appears now cloathed with Clarity Agilitie Subtility Impassibilitie Behold the Man look up O Blessed Mary upon your beloved Jesus the lively Image of the Eternall Father the beauty and brightness of Heaven and Earth the Crown and ornament of Men and Angells Lo He here presents himself unto you to wipe all tears from your eyes and disperse all sorrows from your heart Hear him speaking unto you in his wonted tone and tearms of respect All Hail my most honoured Mother Peace and joy be with you 'T is I my self who am the comfortable Messenger of this happy exchange of yours and my sorrows into gladness and Jubilation both that you may with me incessantly prayse and bless my Eternall Father and also that you may take the first and best share of joy who have the greatest interest in me and had the greatest part with me in my passion of any mortall creature See and admire the power of the Almightyes right hand in the person of your Son The disgrac'd is glorifi'd the defam'd is justifi'd the condemn'd is absolv'd the crucifi'd is resuscitated Rejoyce then dear Mother together with you joyfull Son for whom you need not now fear any further miseries persecutions Crosses since he is above the reach of mans malice and the Devils power having put on the robes of glory impassibility immortality The short Winter of suffering is turn'd into a perpetuall Summer of consolation The stormy showers of blood into a sweet dew of blessings All my wounds are perfectly cur'd and the scarrs only remain as Rubies of my honour and badges of my victory O the excesses of Joy which transported your extasi'd heart and soul O sacred Virgin-Mother at the sight of your now again living and gloriously triumphing Son Jesus And O my soul If thou desirest a share in these Joys and gloryes of Jesus and Mary thou must also resolve to bear a part in their sorrows and sufferings Thou art much mistaken in thinking to triumph without trying for the Victory or to be crown'd without conquering No my delicate Soldier Christ thy King and Captain suffer'd before he entred into his glory Queen Maries heart was pierced with sorrow before it was replenish'd with comforts All the Saints combated before they were crown'd And refusest thou all sufferings all sorrows all combates all that thy flesh and blood cannot relish O dear Jesu What will you do with me who dare not encounter with the least difficulties How will you deal with me who bear the name of a Christian soldier and am indeed no better than a base and cowardly sensualist If I love the glory of your Crown why dislike I the ignominie of your Cross If I desire the reward of a Conqueror why do I not adventure into the field of the combat O why should your painfull death and passion so much affright me since your glorious Resurrection confirms me in the Hope and Faith of a future felicity why should I more dread in reflecting upon the difficulties occurring in my Pilgrimage than rejoyce in fixing my thoughts upon the pleasures of Paradise which is the end of my Pilgrimage O why am I not content to suffer with Jesus and for Jesus were there no reward to be expected for all my sufferings It being a sufficient glory to a faithfull Christian to be conformable to Christ his Captain Behold therefore I humbly prostrate my self here at your sacred feet O my victorious Redeemer imploring your pardon for my past pusillanimity and purposing to behave my self hereafter more manfully Come all sorts of crosses and losses all sorrows and sicknesses all punishments and persecutions all derelictions and desclations I will no more be daunted or dismay'd but animated by your example and assisted by your grace O Christ my King my Captain my glorious Conqueror I will either pass through them couragiously or pass by them patiently or pass over them victoriously Yes my Lord Jesu I will receive henceforth all afflictions from the hands of your divin providence as pledges of your paternall affection and most willingly joyfully resignedly embrace them as the happily offered occasions for the encrease of my merit the exercise of my vertu the perfection of my soul the expiation of my sins the crowning me with glory The second Glorious Mystery Ascends THE Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven Mark 16. His great work don and his Commisons given In Glorious triumph he ascends to Heaven Our Father c. THE Glorious Virgin-Mother exceedingly rejoyced 1. At the Ascension of her Son Iesus in hers and his Disciples presence FOr upon the fortieth day after our Redeemers Resurrection his sacred Mother with the Apostles the seventy two Disciples and many more of his faithfull friends and followers met together by the divin instinct upon Mount Sion and march'd from thence proâ—essionally to the Mount Olivet distant a mile from Jerusalem to be spectators of this admirable catastrophe of their dear Saviour Christs humanity and to receive his last blessing before he left the Earth to ascend into Heaven Hail Mary 2. At his great Power shew'd in his Ascension FOr he elevated himself by his own strength and vertu nor could he need any forreign help or assistance whose inhabiting Divinity and glorifi'd soul could move his impassible and agile body as himself pleased Hail Mary 3. At the joyfull meeting and acclamation of the Angelicall spirits WHich undoubtedly descended all to accompany his humanity to congratulate his victory to echo forth the triumphs of his prayses Hail Mary 4. At his soaring above all the Heavens TO wit above the spheres of the seven Planets above the Christallin orbe above the starrie Firmament even to the Empyreall seat of the Divinity according to that sentence of the Apostle He ascended up far above all the Heavens that he might fulfill all things Hail Mary 5. At his ascending above the Angelicall quires and all creatures whatsoever ACcording to that expression of the same Apostle God the Father placed him his son Jesus far above all principalities and Powers and Dominations and every thing that is nam'd not only in this world but in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet Hail Mary 6. At his being seated on the right hand of his Eternall Father ACcording to that of S. Mark He was assumpted into Heaven and sits on his Fathers right hand And of S. Paul His Father set him on his own right hand in the heavenly places Which is a Metaphoricall expression signifying equality and society of Majesty honour power felicity c. Hail Mary 7.
LOVE O MERCY O MERVAIL You will unite your Greatness to our Baseness your Eternity to our Mortality your Divinity to our humanity becoming Son of Man Son of Mary for an Eternity as from all Eternity you are the Son of GOD the only Son of the Eternall Father 4. Gods Son gives his Eternall Essence and Subsistence to our nature I Adore you in this highest Councill and divin Will I Adore you in this new estate and deep Mystery I Adore you in the unity of your divin Person and in the diversity of your natures the one Divin and Eternall the other human and temporall I Adore you as receiving your Eternall Essence from the Eternall Father and as giving your Essence you subsistency to human nature united to your self for an Evermore Vnited I say to your self so intimatly and so powerfully so gloriously and so divinely O Adorable Estate O Unspeakable Mystery O happy Moment of the Incarnation which makes man God and God man Which gives to Heaven a King of Glory and to the Earth a Soveraign To Angells a Repayrer and to Men a Saviour 5. Jesus is born lives suffers dyes for us O JESU my Lord and my Saviour I Adore you as Gods Son I Adore you as Mans Son and Man God I Adore you in these two different Estates The one Eternall the other Temporall the one uncreated the other created the one divin the other human joyned together and joyned inseparably But I must yet Adore you as Man-God for man For 't is for us that you would be made Man 't is for us that you live and dy 't is for us that you do suffer 't is for us that you are born in a Stable and bedded on straw 't is for us that you lead an abject laborious suffering life 't is for us that you dy upon Mount Calvary and hang on the Cross 't is for us that you arise and ascend into Glory O Birth O Life O Death O Divin glorious heavenly Life O blessed hour of the Incarnation of the Expiration of the glorification of Gods Son O Estates of Jesus in his Fathers bosom and at his Mothers breasts hanging on the Cross and sitting on the right hand of God! O Abodes O Estates O Mysteries of Jesus in Judea in Egypt in Galilee in Bethleem in Nazareth in Jerusalem in the Crib on the Cross in the Grave on Earth in Hell in Heaven Who can recount your thoughts your griefs your delights in these places But Heaven will one day reveal them unto us and the Contemplation hereof shall be one of the employments of our Eternity till when the Earth must remain ignorant hereof must Reverence them and must be content with the Crums falling from your Saints Tables whom you plentifully nourish with this living and life-giving bread on Earth and in Heaven 6. Jesus Adores his Heights by his Lownesses and rayseth up his Lownesses by his Greatnesses 1. BY their Example and Imitation I Contemplate and Adore you O Jesu my Lord I Adore you in your Greatness and in your Abjectness in your Cross and in your Glory in your life and in your death 2. I Adore you as raysing up your Lowness by your Greatness your human life by your divin Life your disgraces by your glory and your suffring estate by your impassible immutable and eternall condition 3. I Adore you as Adoring your self your Greatness by your Littleness your Divinity by your Humanity your Birth in your Fathers bosom by your Birth of your Mother-Virgin in the Ox-stall your supreme Authority by your humility and your uncreated Essence by your Created Being 4. And after this Contemplation of you in your self I contemplate and Adore you as going forth of your self as extending and spreading your self and as filling Heaven and Earth with your Grace and your Glory with your gifts and your Mysteries and finally with your self O God! O Man O Man-God O Infinitly prodigall of your self 7. Jesus's excessive love in the effusion of his last drop of Blood for us thereby testifying the effusion of his Greatness and Goodness also upon us I Inlarge my self in the variety of these thoughts I am ravisht in these different Exercises which my Soul makes of your self and I lose my self in the Contemplation of these so high and great verities For in honour of that supream Communication which you receive from your Father in the Eternall generation and in honour of that Ineffable Communication of your Divinity with our Humanity in the Incarnation I look upon you I admire you I Adore you O my Lord as annihilating your self and as exhausting your self that you may bestow your self on men You as it were drayn your Divinity powring it out upon your humanity consuming it incessantly in the furnace of your love and at last sacrificing it in the Holocaust of your Cross you shed your Blood in suffering and you dy by the effusion thereof chosing that kind of death to demonstrate the effusion of your self And the Nayls and Executioners being unable to empty it all the ardour of your love which cannot be extinguish'd in death it self preserv's liquid in death's coldness that residue left in your heart and body to be drain'd out even to the last drop Such was your good pleasure to make an aboundant and super-aboundant Effusion both of your blood and also of your self together 8. Jesus is all ours and we are all his yea we are in him we live in him we are parts of him WHat shall I say what shall I do in the Contemplation of these things Let me forget my self for you forget Your self for me Let me leave and loose my self for you annihilate Your self for me Let me be yours for You are mine let me be all yours for you are all mine Let me be all yours for ever for you are all mine for ever Your Divinity as it were Incarnated is my substance and my subsistence your humanity as it were divinized is my health my life your Body is my diet and your Blood is my Bath your Death is my life your weakness is my strength your Cross is my quiet your suffering is my rejoycing Thus I am yours and you are mine And I am yours O my loving Saviour by your self and by a means so noble and so divin so dear and near unto you and by so many sorts of ways which give you unto me which consecrate me to you and which even draw and drain you all out for me But I discover yet a greater secret in your love and in your Mysteries and a greater favour in your way of dealing with me For you are not only mine and I yours but I am in you I perceive that whilst I Contemplate your self and your Father and see that you are in him that you live in him you frame within me a lively Image of your self and of your divin Emanation and by your Incarnation you establish a new manner of gracious
Oblation Donation and consecration of my self unto your Majesty desiring intending and resolving to be hereafter not only your loyall subject and servant but even your reall vassal and Bondslave In confirmation whereof I will continually wear this materiall Chain about my Body both as a Badge of my now professed Bondage and also as a token of my perpetuall affection towards you Vouchsafe therfore O Soveraign Queen to Receive Admit and own me henceforth as a thing peculiarly yours and as such a one to defend and protect me during this life from the snares of sin to dissipate and break asunder at the hour of my death the shackles of Satan and to draw my departing soul by this happy Chain to your Sons heavenly Kingdom there to prayse admire and enjoy both him and you for all Eternity Amen 6. After the recitall of this oblation of your self in Bondage to the Blessed Virgin put the chain about some part of your Body and endeavour thenceforward to walk worthy so noble a Profession 5. The Practises and Exercises of this Devotion of the Bondage 1. The first Exercise may consist of jaculatory Prayers frequently darting out these or the like affections O my blessed Lady I am your Servant and the Bond-slave of your greatness Or O my Lord Jesu I am yours and your Mothers Servant and Bond-slave Or Holy Mary Mother of God! pray for us sinners and your bond-slaves now and in the hour of our Death Or when you hear the clock strike salute the blessed Virgin with an Ave Marie to which all Christians are invited by Pope Leo the tenth and Paul the fifth who gave large Indulgences thereunto Or say then blessed be the hour and day in which our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary Or Eternity is at hand Or Jesus Maria Joseph Or let the Souls of the faithfull departed rest in Peace 2 The second Exercise may be a short pair of Bedes consisting of three Paters in honour of the holy Trinity and twelve Ave's in honour of the twelve Priviledges of the sacred Virgin to be said in this manner 1. Pater Noster c. Thanking the eternall Father for having made choyce of so worthy a daughter 1. Ave Marie c. considering her eternal Predestination 2. Ave her immaculate Conception 3. Ave her most pure Virginity 4. Ave her most admirable Maternity 2. Pater Noster c. Thanking the eternal Son for having made choyce of so worthy a Mother 1. Ave considering her most happy Child-birth 2. Ave her soveraign Dominion not only over the World but over the Creator of the World He was subject to them Luke 2. 3. Ave her excellent Purity of Soul and Body 4. Ave her continuall and sublim Contemplation 3. Pater Noster c. Thanking the Holy Ghost for having made choyce of so worthy a Spouse 1. Ave considering her sweet departure out of this life 2. Ave her miraculous Resurrection 3. Ave her glorious Assumption 4. Ave her eternall Glorification and Coronation 3. The third Exercise may be a Crown consisting of five pretious Pearls in honour of the blessed Virgins five principall Vertues to be offer'd up to her in the manner following 1. The Jasper of Faith Produce Acts of Faith with most ardent affection saying O Soveraign Queen I firmly believe that you were an entire Virgin both before and after your happy Child-birth That you are the true Mother of Gods Son That your life was without the least Sin That you were a Martyr at the foot of the Cross That you are exalted above all pure Creatures in the Celestial glory That you are our Advocate interceding for us wretched sinners c. Add such other points of Faith as your devotion shall suggest and then conclude thus Receive most sacred Lady this Protestation of my Faith as a Jasper-stone belonging to your Crown and obtain for me a lively perfect and perseverant Faith unto the end Amen And recite one Ave Mary to this intention 2. The Emerald of Hope Produce Acts of this Vertu in honour of the blessed Virgin saying O Soveraign Queen I contemplate you as the hope of the World long expected by the Fathers in Limbo earnestly look'd upon by the Souls suffering in Purgatory humbly besought by the Children of the Church Militant who cry out incessantly Hail to Queen that reigns above the Sky Hail to the Mother of true Clemency Hail Life hail Sweetness and our Hope to you We that are Eves exiled Children sue In cry's and groans which from this vale of tears Are fann'd with sighs up to your sacred Eares O then Chast Advocate on us reflect From Heavens bright Mansion your benigne aspect And make us after this our Exile come To JESUS the blest Off-spring of your Womb Sweet Virgin and Gods Mother pray that we Of Christs rich promises may worthy be In this number I rank my self and place in you O holy Virgin next after God my hope and confidence trusting that you will be to me a Fountain of Grace a Towre of Defence a City of Refuge and a Gate of Heaven to give me entrance into Paradise Receive most sacred Lady this Emerald which I present unto you for your Crown and strengthen my hope unto the end Ave Maria Gratia Plena c. 3. The Rubie of Charitie Produce Acts proper to this Vertu saying O Soveraign Queen I consider you as brimfull of perfect Love and Charity and inviting the whol World to participate with you of its sweet fruits and effects saying come to me all you who desire me and be replenish'd with my generations Eccles 24. Behold I come to you with an ardent and enflam'd affection beseeching you to enrich me with the treasure of true Charity towards God and my Neighbour Receive most sacred Lady this Rubie which I offer unto you for your Crown and confirm my love and charity to the end Amen Ave Maria c. 4. The Diamond of Fortitude Produce the Acts belonging to this vertu saying O Soveraign Queen I behold you as a valiant Champion terrible to the Troops of Satan like a well order'd Army Encourage me I beseech you to fight under your banner support my weakness with your strong hand and help me to overcome all worldly fleshly and diabolical temptations c. Receive most sacred Lady this Diamond which I present unto you for your Crown and obtain for me an invincible Fortitude to the end Amen Ave Maria. c. 5. The Pearl of Chastity Produce Acts appertaining to this vertu saying O Soveraign Queen I admire you as the Mother of Purity the Mirror of Chastity the First who vow'd Virginity obtain for me I beseech you that all my thoughts words and actions may savour of Purity be seasoned with modestie and be accompany'd with Chastity c. Receive most sacred Lady this Pearl which I present unto you to illustrate your Crown and powerfully protect me against all carnalitie and impurity to
proper vertu and Power O Father O Son O Mother How great and glorious things ought to be spoken and thought of you The two Divin and Eternall Persons the Father and Son are divinly link'd together and for their link in their Eternity they have a divin Person to wit the Holy Ghost equally proceeding from them both in whose unity they are both Eternally joyn'd together And these two sacred Persons the Father who is in Heaven and the Mother who is upon Earth are also holily link'd together and have in like sort for the Tye of their sacred union a divin Person to wit One self-same only Son who proceeds from them both and who between them both is this indissoluble band whereby they are for an Eternity conjoyn'd together O union which hath Jesus for its Tye Jesus I say who is the Center if the Created and Increated Being Jesus in whom is holily and happily terminated the union of two natures the one human the other divin which establisheth the mystery of the Incarnation and the uniting of two Persons the one likewise divin the other human which also establisheth the Divin Maternity wherein the sacred Virgin is united to the Father by the production of Jesus wherein she is link'd to him with so neer a union so powerfull a union and so fertill a union that it hath not its like in the large extent of all created things O let 's be the Fathers let 's be the Sons let 's be the Mothers And let 's honour the Father and the Son in this Mother who is so nearly joyn'd unto them both and who in her Estate hath so close an alliance with the Father that she conceives his Son and brings forth so worthy a fruit so powerfull an effect so lively an Image of the Divine Paternity 9. The Eternall Word who is in Society with the Father and Holy Ghost before all time doth in time enter League and Society with the Virgin AND you O Eternall Word who being her God will also become her Son What shall I say what shall I do in honour of the Son and of the Mother You are in unity and in Society with the Father who produceth you and with the Holy Ghost whom you produce and yet you will besides these two divin and co-eternall Persons enter into so inward and honorable a band union and Society with a third Person with a human Person with a temporall Person you will be the Virgins Son as you are the Son of God and you will have her for Mother as you have God for Father And by your Power and Goodness you make her the worthy Mother of God by your humility you render Obedience to her and become subject to her during your life upon Earth and trowning your own handy-works by your love and wisdom you in Heaven confer upon her such glory as corresponds to this her sacred dignity and authority Be you eternally bless'd and prays'd O great God I will for ever Reverence both the Son and the Mother I will Reverence the Mother by reason of the Son and the Son in the Mother I will Reverence all that which the Virgin is to her Son and to her God and all that which her Son God is to her And I will honour all the mutual connexions which are unknown and ineffable between the Son of God and the sacred Virgin as secrets of which the Earth must remain ignorant and which are reserv'd to the glory to the love and to the light of Heaven 10. Oblation and Donation to the Son and to the Mother in quality of Bond-slave IN the sight and at the thought of these so great so high so holy things I offer up and submit my self I vow and dedicate my self to Christ Jesus my Lord and my Saviour in the state of perpetuall Servitude and also to his holy Mother the sacred Virgin Mary To the Eternall honour both of Mother and of Son I will be henceforth in the quality and condition of slavery in regard of her who is in the state and quality of the Mother of my God therby to honour more humbly and more holily this her so high and so divin qualâ—ty and condition And I bequeath my self to her as a perpetuall Bond-slave in the honour of that Donation which the â—…ernall word made to her of himself in quality of a Son by the mysterie of the Incarnation which he accomplish'd in her and by her 11. Enlargment and Explication of this Donation with the particulars thereof Renounce all my own power and liberty of disposing of my self and my actions yeilding up this power to the sacred Virgin and dismissing my self entirely into her hands in homage to her greatness in honour of that perfect demission which she made of her self to her Son Jesus I give to her that power which God gives me over my self to be hers and no longer my own to be in her power and tuition and no more in my own In honour of the power which Gods Son gave her over himself and of the humble dependency and subjection he was pleas'd to yeild unto her delivering up himself to her custody direction and tutelage during the whol time of this Infancy and child-hood I bequeath to her my Being and my Living during the whol remainder of my Pilgrimage upon Earth with all the conditions circumstances and appurtenances which accompany the same I yeild up all to her greatness as much as I can and dedicate all to her honour and glory for the fulfilling of all her wills and powers over me In this ardour of spirit and to this intention I humbly address my self to you O sacred Virgin and I make here unto you an entire absolute and irrevocable Oblation of all that I am by Gods mercy in the Being and in the order of Nature and Grace of all that thereon depends and of all the actions I shall ever perform For my will is that whatsoever is mine be absolutely yours and that the power and the grace which is bestow'd on me be employ'd in referring my self wholy with all that is in me to your honour And I here make choyce of you O holy Virgin and I will henceforth look upon you as the only object whereunto next after your Son and under your Son I shall make the reference of my soul and of my life both interiour and exteriour and generally of all that any way belongs unto me 12. This Oblation tends to the honour of the Virgins Elevation and Depression in the Mysterie of the Incarnation WHilst I am in these contemplations of you O holy Virgin I find that even in the day of your Greatness you humble your self even to the very center of nothing rendring your self then our lords servant when you are declared his Mother Wherfore I honour in you these two motions and these two different qualities I honour this Humiliation and this Exaltation both together I honour both your Servitude and also
dignity Hail Mary 8. He was an Instrumentall Cooperator with God in his great design of mans Redemption Hail Mary 9. He was in some sort the Saver of his Saviour by sheltring him from his enemy's Tyranny Hail Mary 10. His life was a continued Contemplation Recollection and Extasy in the perpetuall presence of Gods Son and Gods Mother Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall c. The fourth Decade Of his return from Egypt and of his Death SAint JOSEPH inform'd by Angelicall Revelation of Herods death returns home with Jesus and Mary Our Father c. 1. He Jesus and Mary after their banishment dwell together in Nazareth Hail Mary 2. He conducted Jesus when he was twelve years old to the Temple in Jerusalem Hail Mary 3. He there lost Jesus to his unspeakable grief and sorrow Hail Mary 4. He retriv'd him after three days enquiry sitting amongst the Doctors Hail Mary 5. He reconducts him home to Nazareth where Jesus the great Monarch of both worlds was subject and obedient to Joseph's command Hail Mary 6. And as he had the Priviledg to enjoy the Innocent embraces of Jesus in his childhood so he had the honour to enjoy his holy entertainments in his riper years and his divin actions examples and instructions in his perfect age Hail Mary 7. He also had the honour to govern the sacred family of Jesus and Mary for thirty years space Hail Mary 8. He had the happiness to be assisted by Jesus and Mary in his last Agony Hail Mary 9. Having compleated the course of his Earthly Pilgrimage he chang'd this life for Eternity Hail Mary 10. He sweetly breath'd forth his soul in a high act of sigh and love in the sacred embraces of Jesus and Mary Hail Mary Glory be to the Father c. These Prayers Angelicall c. The fifth Decade Of his Glory SAint JOSEPH was elevated to Heaven upon the day of his Son 's triumphant Resurrection Our Father c. 1. He is inthron'd there above next to Jesus and Mary as he was here below neerest and dearest unto them Hail Mary 2. He is adorn'd with a Garland of virginity for having preserv'd it unblemisht to his last breath Hail Mary 3. He is enobled with the Aureola of Doctorship for having instructed the ignorant and particularly the Egyptians in the time of his so journing amongst them Hail Mary 4. He is rewarded with a Crown of Martyrdom for having hazarded his life for his Sons preservation Hail Mary 5. He is a Powerfull Protector of all them who are particularly devoted unto him as having great credit with the All powerfull Jesus Hail Mary 6. He is the generall Patron of the Church Militant as being the speciall Favourite of its head Christ Jesus Hail Mary 7. He bears a singular affection to all that sincerely love Jesus and Mary as being so neerly allyed unto them Hail Mary 8. His Petitions are presented to the Throne of Mercy with a Fathers confidence and his Requests will not easily be rejected by Jesus in heaven who was so obedient to Joseph upon earth Hail Mary 9. He is the chief Patron of all Contemplatives Hail Mary 10. He is the great Master Guide and Directors of the Interiour hidden and spirituall life Hail Mary Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to Holy Ghost c. These Prayers Angelicall with bended knee c. Credo c. as in the great Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conclude this Rosary with these ensuing Elevations ELEVATIONS TO S. JOSEPH TO Honour God in him and him in God in his Dignity of being the reputed FATHER of the Word Incarnate and the BRIDEGROOM of the Blessed Virgin MARIE And to offer up our selv's to him in the state of dependencie which is due to him upon these titles and to correspond by our inward devotion to that power which he hath over us by consequence of the power he had over the Son and Mother of GOD. GReat and glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph The worthy Bridegroom of Mary and esteemed Father of Jesus In the honour of Gods beholding and electing you in the Councill of his Eternall Wisdom and of his placing you at the time appointed by his divin Providence in these two high and sublime estates In honour and union of all the singular graces prerogatives priviledges and perfections which he plentifully heap'd upon you in order to render you capable of these eminent offices and undertakings In honour and union of your souls extraordinary sanctity of your Bodies virginall Purity of your profound humilitie of your perfect Obedience of your voluntary Povertie and of all the rest of your consummated vertues In honour and union of your dear affection to Jesus and Mary of the continuall application of your spirit towards these two divin objects of the tenderness of your devotion unto them and of your silent solitarie retired recollected and contemplative life with them In honour and union of all the services you rendred to the Word Incarnate in the state and order of his hypostaticall postaticall union with our nature In honour and union of that last Act and sigh of love wherein you sweetly breath'd forth your faithfull soul in the embraces of Jesus and Mary your divin Son and dear Spouse In honour homage and union of all your other Greatnesses and especially of the right power and jurisdiction you had over Jesus and Mary in quality of Father and husband and of the subjection obedience and duty they rendred you Finally in acknowledgment of your having been establish'd the Head the Steward and the Director of Gods Family upon Earth The Father the Tutor and the Trainer up of Jesus the Bridegroom the Guardian and the Helper of the holy Virgin Mary I do now choose you O great and glorious Patriarch for my particular Patron for my powerfull Protector for my pious Father and for my chief Soveraign next after Jesus and Mary And upon this score I do here yeild and resign unto you all the power I have over my self desiring to become your servant and Bondslave willing to submit my self to you as my Saviour Jesus was subject unto you and begging your leave to place all the future transactions motions and passages of my life during this my earthly Pilgrimage under your sacred conduct government and protection Make me worthy O glorious Father by your merits to become with you a faithfull Member of Jesus and Maries Family and to be thereunto firmely and intimately united associated and incorporated by Grace and Sanctity And obtain for me by your powerfull intercession that I may never be separated from sweet Jesus and Mary in my life in my death in my Eternity Take also O powerfull Protector the last moment of my life that Moment which must decide my Eternity into your pious care and Custody Assist me then I beseech you in that harsh Passage
and obtain for me a happy death and departure out of this World in the Faith Favour and Affection of Jesus To whom be all honour prayse and glory for Evermore Amen ELEVATIONS TO THE SACRED TRINITY UPON EARTH Iesus Maria Ioseph In honour and homage to the Glorious Trinity in Heaven the Father Son and Holy Ghost O JESU Son of the living God and Saviour of the World O Mary Mother of Jesus and Mediatrix of Mankind O Joseph Bridegroom of Mary and esteemed Father of Jesus O sacred Trinity Jesus Maria Joseph I honour you reverence you admire you in your excellent eminent sublime Greatnesses in which you seem to be an express Image of the Incomprehensible Trinity and I adhere to you in union of the perfect homages which you rendred to the Father Son and holy Ghost by your high Estate and holy operations The deep Mystery of the divin Trinity is Invisible to our eyes Ineffable to our Tongues Incomprehensible to our Spirits And behold the poor Bethleem stable affoards us a human Trinity Jesus Maria Joseph uppon Earth which views adores and Imitates the Trinity of the Empireall Heaven the Father Son and Holy Ghost This is Increated that is both created and Increated in the Person of the God-Man Jesus This is divin and Eternall That is Deifi'd and temporall The one is Adorable the other honorable The one is admirable in its greatness The other amiable in its sweetness In the one is a unity of Essence in a Trinity of Persons In the other is a union of Love of Grace and of Spirit in a Trinity of Essence and of Persons In the Divin Trinity the Father begets his Son in Eternity In the other by a reverted order the Son gives Being in Time both to the Father and to the Mother In the first the Father and the Son and the Father by the Son produces the holy Ghost in unity of origin In the second Jesus and Mary and Jesus by Mary gives the Life and Being of Grace to Joseph in the unitie of spirit So that Mary hath an admirable resemblance to the Eternall Father the Son of Mary hath an express unity with himself and S. Joseph represents the Holy Ghost For the Father in Heaven is the only Parent without a Mother and Mary upon Earth is the only Parent without a Father And as nothing greater can be attributed to God than his being the Father of a God so nothing more sublime can befall a pure creature than to be the Mother of the same God whereof God is Father The Holy Ghost is the sacred knot and Tye of the divin Persons And Joseph hath a union with Mary as his Spouse and with Jesus as his Father The Holy Ghost form'd Jesus in the Virginall Cloyster of Maryes Womb And Joseph fed him educated him and preserv'd for us far more fortunately than the ancient Joseph of Egypt â— this Bread of the Elect this blessed pledg of our future happiness this Eternall Bliss of Men and Angells Wherfore O Jesu We acknowledg honour and adore you in your Eternall heights and greatnesses we prayse bless and love you in your temporall humiliations sweetnesses we contemplate you in Heaven with the Eye of Faith betwen the Father and the holy Ghost We admire you upon Earth between Mary and Joseph And I invite and conjure all Creatures to prayse bless and adore your divin Majesty in both these estates O Mary We also look upon you as upon Gods sacred Mother and in this supream dignity I salute reverence and honour you with the singular homage of Hyperdulia which is due to your Excellencies and Greatnesses O Joseph I likewise honour you as the reputed Father of Jesus and Bridegroom of Mary and in regard of these two Eminent qualities I subject my self to the power which is given you over my soul by consequence of the Jurisdiction you had over Jesus my Saviour I offer my self to you O Great Saint Joseph Father and Husband without Paragon to be by you presented to Mary I give my self to you O glorious Mary Virgin and Mother without Paralell to be by you addressed to Jesus I consecrat my self to you O Great-little-God-man Jesus as your servant and bondslave to become associated in this qualitie with the domestiques of your sacred Family O Jesu my King reign in my Soul and exercise the absolute power you have over my spirit O Mary my Soveraign Queen after my King Jesus possess my heart and my will to consign them over to your Son O Joseph My chief Prorector after Jesus and Mary take my Body and senses into your safe custody to be consecrated to Jesus O Jesu annihilate and absorp my soul in your affection O Mary Inflame my heart with the love of Jesus O Joseph Bless all my labours and endeavours and present them to Jesus and Mary Let the whol world be replenish'd O Jesu with your mercies be assisted O Mary with your favours be secured O Joseph under the shadow of your Protection For You O JESU are the Fountain issuing forth of the Terrestriall Paradise Mary's Virginall Womb is the Origin of all our happiness you O Mary are the Prime Bason of this Fountain and the pure Glebe from whence it proceeded And you O Joseph are the River who disperse abroad these waters of Life by your efficacious intercessions O Jesu you are the fruit of life O Mary you are the Paradise that bore it and the Tree that brought it forth And you O Joseph are the Cherubin appointed by God to guard it O Jesu You are the sacred Propitiatory of the world O Mary You are the Mysticall Ark of our Reconciliation And you O Joseph are the High Priest who alone are permitted to enter into this Holy of Holies to be the faithfull Coadjutor of Gods great Counsell in the world and the Feoffee in trust of his treasures and secrets In honour therefore of these three ineffable Tâ—es and unions between these admirable subjects which are the greatest under Gods command and Jurisdiction I most humbly beg of you O Jesu Mary and Joseph 1. A chast and filiall Fear of God that nothing either in life or death may separate me from his grace and friendship 2. A faithfull fervent and perseverant Love of God and my neighbour with a generous zeal of the divin honour and my own salvation 3. A good and happy end of my life consummated in the act and exercise of these sacred affections O JESU Be an Advocate for me your Bondslave to your Eternall Father O Mary intercede for me your servant to your Son O Joseph pray for me your child to Jesus and Mary O Jesu shew your wounds suffer'd for my sake O Mary discover your Breasts which suckled Gods Son O Joseph represent your hands which nourish'd the Word Incarnate O Jesu replenish my Soul with the abundance of your celestiall blessings by the effusion of efficacious grace upon it which may intimately
S. Mary Magdalens 25. S. James the Apostle 26. At S. Anne 30. At S. Mark AUGUST 1. AT S. Peters Chains 3. S. Stephen at S. Laurence without the walls 4. S. Dominick at the Minerva and at S. Maria Major 5. Our Blessed Lady of Snow at S. Maria Major 6. At S. John Lateran 10. At S. Laurence and all the days within the Octave 12. S. Clare Virgin 15. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and all the days within the Octave at S. Maria Major at S. Maria de Populo at Aracoeli at Rotunda and S. Maria de Angelis 24. At S. Bartholomew 28. At S. Augustins 29. Decollation of S. John at S. John Lateran SEPTEMBER 3. THE Nativity of the Blessed Virgin at S. Maria Major at the Rotunda at Aracoeli at the Inviolata at S. Maria de Pace de Populo and de Angelis 14. At the holy Cross in Jerusalem 21. At S. Matthew 29. At S. Michael 30. S. Hierom at S. Maria Major OCTOBER 4. AT S. Francis trans Tyberim 18. At S. Lukes 28. SS Simon and Jude at S. Peters NOVEMBER 1. ALL Saints day and all the days within the Octave at S. Maria Rotunda 2. All Souls day and upon all the days within the Octave at S. Gregory 9. Dedication of our Saviours Church at S. John Lateran 11. S. Martin at S. Peters and at S. Martins 18. Dedication of the Church of SS Peter and Paul 21. Presentation of our Blessed Lady in the Temple at S. Maria Major 22. At S. Cecilia 23. At S. Clement 30. S. Andrew at S. Peters DECEMBER 6. SAint Nicholas 7. S. Ambrose 8. The Conception of the Blessed Virgin at S. Maria Major 21. S. Thomas Apostle at S. Peters 24. Christmas Eve at S. Maria Major 25. Christmas night at the first Mass at the Chappell of the Crib At the second Mass at S. Anastasia At the third Mass at S. Maria Major 26. At S. Stephens in coelio Monte. 27 S. John the Evangelist at S. Maria Major 28. Innocents day at S. Pauls Finally at the Church of S. John Lateran which is the first of the seven Churches of Rome in the Chappell of S. Laurence and in the Chapell of S. John Baptist there may be gain'd every day a Plenary Indulgence Also in S. Laurence Church vvithout the walls every Wensday a Soul out of Purgatory And in the Church of S. Paul every Sunday throughout the year a Soul out of Purgatory In this Church also may be gain'd all those Indulgences which are granted to them who visite the holy Sepulcher where there is every day a Plenary and a Soul out of Purgatory Note also that upon all the Feasts of the twelve Apostles there is a Plenary at S. Philip and James likewise at S. Peters The Practicall manner of performing the aforesaid Roman Stations and gaining these Indulgences with ease and efficacy may be briefly thus 1. Begin with the sign of the Cross as formerly in all your other devotions and Spirituall exercises 2. Then with an humble and penitent heart make this following Act of Contrition Thereby to settle your Soul in the state of Grace which is a necessary condition for the gaining of all Indulgences O my good Lord Jesu who art the Lord of my life and shouldst be the love of my Soul did I not like an ungracious and ungratefull wretch give my heart and sell my affection to fond frail filthy and fading Creatures and comforts which are so far from affording me either quiet of mind peace of Conscience purity of Soul or perfection of spirit which my obligation and vocation require of me that they leave me nothing but trouble confusion and remorse with a world of dismall and desperate thoughts violent passions and vicious inclinations Amidst all which disorders I find no other Refuge nor Remedy than to return to you my true Center to convert my self to you my Soveraign Creator To cast my self at your sacred feet my sweet Lord Jesu And there with an humble and contrite Spirit to sue for Mercy Remission Reconciliation O Heavenly Father I confess and acknowledge my ingratitude treachery rebellion and I am sorry from the bottom of my heart and soul that ever I offended you who deserve from me all possible love honour and obedience beseeching you as a guilty Criminall to take compassion upon your poor and penitent creature and to forgive me the great and grievous transgressions and offences which I have committed against your divin bounty as I do for the love of you my Lord and Maker most freely forgive all those that have any way offended distasted contristated or scandaliz'd me sincerely knowing that I deserve no comfort from any creature but all contempt and confusion and not only to be troubled and trampled on by all on earth temporally but even to be tormented by the Devills in Hell eternally Ha Crucifi'd Jesu take pity on my soul for which you powred forth your sacred blood and gave up your dearest life on the Cross Alas How ungratefull a child have I been to offend so frequently so heynously so disloyally so loving and liberall a Father so meek and mercifull a Redeemer and so sweet and soveraign a Majesty who hath always shew'd himself to me so benign and bountifull sparing me in my sins and expecting me to Repentance wooing me to his love and calling me to his service by a thousand means all which I have either rejected or neglected and still nevertheless continuing unto me my life time and means to do penance Oh my poor soul How hast thou been blinded and bewitched to leave the Bread of Angells and to feed on the husks of Swin to abandon God and all solid goodness upon whom depends all thy hope and happiness all thy quiet content and comfort in time and eternity for trifling vanities empty shadows meer nothings O strange folly and sâ—ensy would I had never sinned and oh that I might never sin more O my God! what have I done and not don would I had suffered on the Cross with you my sweet Saviour and for your love pains of body pangs of Soul and even death it self when I thus grievously sinned And what can I say or do more I abhor and detest whatsoever I have don said thought or desired contrary to your divin will and liking I rencunce all company and occasions which may induce me to offend you I cast my self at your sacred feet to be your faithfull Bondslave for ever I firmly resolve to take up my Cross and carry it after you dear Jesu till death and to do penance and satisfaction for my past pride pleasure and impiety desiring no more in this world but to linger out my pilgrimage at the foot of the Cross like the Penitent Magdalen in perpetuall solitude silence and submission Good Jesu for your infinit Mercy 's and Merits sake suffer not your poor creature to be separated from you eternally O amiable Eternity O Eternall amity of God! Shall
I leave and loose thee for filthy pleasures frail creatures fond friendships fading honors No my dear Lord Be pleased rather to take my Soul out of my body than your love out of my Soul Let me rather dy miserably than sin mortally Let me pass on the rest of my pilgrimage in your grace and fear that I may fiâ—ish it in your friendship and favour Grant me this I beseech you O meek and mercifull Saviour by the merits of your bitter Death and Passion by the intercession of your most blessed Mother by the suffrages of all your holy Saints in Heaven and happy Souls upon Earth Upon all which relying as upon the Anchors of my Hope I absolutely commit and resign my self to your sacred disposition and providence for time and eternity fully trusting that you will marcifully pardon all my sins carefully assist me in all my wants and weaknesses and in the end happily bring me to your Eternall bliss and beatitude by such means as your divin Wisdom knows most expedient for me 3. Then offer up your devotions for the generally recommended ends and intentions in all the Concessions of Indulgences which are specified page 94. of the first Book 4. And whilst you Vocally recite the twenty five Paters and Aves you may mentally reflect upon some one of the Fifteen Mysteries as they are set down in the Rosary of the sacred Name of Jesus dividing the same into three days Stations after this manner Upon the First day meditate upon the Five Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemers Life and Incarnation which are briefly and pithily comprehended in these verses 1. Christ's Incarnation THe Throne and Foot-stool meet Heav'n Cling's to Earth The All conspires to this All-saving Birth Dear Partner of our weakness since we see Thy self made us Oh! change us into thee Five Paters and five Aves 2. His Nativity SEE the fair Sun of Glory doth arise In the dark Midnight of our miseries Sad Clouds of Tears Woes â—'advance our Good Dim his bright Birth but ah hee 'll set in Blood Five Paters and five Aves 3. His Circumcision HEre Innocence whose unstain'd Purity White Robes best sute wears Crimson's guilty Dy. Enough dear Lord Mankind is richly won Oh no these drops a deluge but fore-run Five Paters and five Aves 4. His Finding in the Temple RVn joyfull Mother to embraces run Doctors have found their Master Thou thy Son Lord Consecrate my Heart thy House Of Prayer And I shall find thee wisely teaching there Five Paters and five Aves 5. His Baptism DO Baptist with thy puddled Jordan try To Wash this Spring of spotles Purity Command doth with Presumption dispence Pride is not Pride vouch't by Obedience Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto c. O Jesu Christ the Son of David have mercy upon us Upon the second day take for your Meditation the five Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemers Death and Passion 1. The washing of his Disciples feet THeir God on knee such sordid work in 's hand Heav'n and th'Apostles both amazed stand Ah! my Affections Feet unto my Soul Thus wash't thus wip't how can you still be soul Five Paters and five Aves 2. The Prayer in the Garden HEav'ns Floud-gates are all ope each widen'd pore Is made a purple sluce Griefs painfull dore Sin drown'd the Earth once in a watry Flood And now drowns Heav'n but ah in Gods own Blood Five Paters and five Aves 3. Christs Apprehension in the Garden SMall cords rude hands on all sides bind th'Immense Twin'd flax doth pinion weak Omnipotence Philistins now seccure Samson invade His greatest strength by 's greater love 's betrayd Five Paters and five Aves 4. His carrying of the Cross THus burthen'd and thus faint See how he droops Under our load of sin Heav'ns Bearer stoops Riddle of Grief which pain afflicted more When th'Cross bore thee or thou bor'st it before Five Pater and five Aves 5. His Descent into Hell REstore thy Prey proud Hell Thy Conquerors sight Breaks sins stiff chains puts thy dark shades to flight Gives the joy-ravisht soul new wings of Love With their triumphant Lord to mount above Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto c. O JESU of Nazareth King of the Jews have mercy upon us Upon the third day take for your Meditation the five Glorious Mysteries of our Blessed Redeemer 1. His Resurrection FAir earnest of our second life this day Glory reviv'd with a new-burnisht ray Cheer up my drooping Soul thou shalt not dy Thy Lord hath earn'd thee Immortality Five Pater and five Aves 2. His Ascension TAke wing my earth-clogg'd-mind and fly along With thy great king ' mongst this heaven'n-soaring-throng And ere thy self return'st to sojourn here Leave with thy Lord thy best affections there Five Paters and five Aves 3. His sending of the Holy Ghost BLest Fire Fount Breath enkindle wash inspire Our Wills Hearts Thoughts with Love Grace pure desire Souls Life Gods Finger Gift revive work win Our flesh sense love to Spirit to Grace from sin Five Paters and five Aves 4. The Crowning of the Virgin Mary and the Saints WInter's ore-blown calm Blisse's endless Spring Charms the glad Birds of Paradise to sing Your Eyes shall know no tears your Face no frown Partakers of my Cross partake my Crown Five Paters and five Aves 5. The Coming to the last Iudgment GReat Day th' Accomplisher of Bliss of Woe Exprest by a joyfull COME and dreadfull GOE Rise guilty Dust and hear though thou bee'st loath At once thy Summons and thy Sentence both Five Paters and five Aves and one Creed Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto Sicut erat in principio c. O Jesu Christ the Son of the liuing God Have mercy upon us FINIS The generall Table briefly containing the substance of the whol work THE Epistle Dedicatory to the sacred Virgin Mary A Marian Kalender or Catalogue of Saints of the holy Order of S. Bennet devoted to the Blessed Virgin together with her severall Festivities usually celebrated by her faithfull Rosarists The Prefects Oration which shews 1o. Mans naturall inclination to Society Page 3 Christ our Saviour establish'd and commanded it 4 The Primitive Church practised it 5 All succeeding Ages imitated it 6 The Prayses of pious Societies and Confraternities 7 And particularly of this of the sacred Rosary 10 A Digression of our B. Lady's Title of Power 17 S Dominick the beginner of the Rosary 21 Blessed Alanus the Restorer of its decayd use The Greatness of our glorious Mother Mary 22 The dignity to be of her family 24 The profits thereof express'd in five Particulars 26 The duty of the Rosarists in six particulars 35 The first Book of the Rosary which is the Doctrinall part thereof page 44 § 1. That every faithfull Christian ought to have a particular devotion towards Gods holy Mother 47 1. Because she