contemplation the comfort of the Celestiall Kingdome forget by contempt and detestation thy People and thy Fathers house that is to say the World the Devill thy selfe and vain Ambition See therefore and devoutly consider how those divine and Heavenly Spirits which have escaped the danger of this present life and misery although they can never convert themselves from that splendour of that eternall Sonne sometimes notwithstanding they convert the light of their contemplation to things below them sometimes to things above themsometimes to things interiour somtimes to things exteriour They convert themselves I say to things below them and rejoyce for three reasons First That they have overcome by the divine power such impious horrible and cruell enemies Secondly that they have avoided all their defects and sins either by the divine wisdome or long ago have amended their faults transgressions Thirdly That they have escaped such lamentabe and eternally interminable torments by the divine mercy and clemency O my Soul With how great Joy thinkest thou do they daily rejoice when they perceiue so many to be overcome of the flesh the world and the devill so many to be defiled with such diversity of sins of which they shall never obtain pardon so many without end eternally to be damned Truly then I beleive to have passed from death to life redoubleth the joy of life O Lord God if the danger in war be now so greivous how great shall the joy be in Triumph when after the world is overcome and utterly vanquished wicked Pharoah and his Army being drowned in the Red Sea all the Elect shall hold their Timbrels playing singing praising and blessing our Lord saying with one voice Let us sing unto our Lord for glorious c. Then two Cherubims shall be framed that is to say two quiers of the elect to wit the Innocenes and Penitents the one answering the other Holy Holy Holy Lord God of the Sabboth Holy God the Father that hast powerfully delivered us from the world the flesh and the devill Holy God the Son which hast so wisely justified us both from the sinne and punishment Holy God the Holy Ghost which hast so mercifully preserved us from the Eternall Torments All the Earth is full of his Glory who hath called us from the misery of the world to the joyes of the celestiall Kingdome O my Soule what a one shall that day be unto thee when thou shalt be assumed into this quier when all thy torments if thou shalt live well if thou wilt patiently suffer shal be converted into Eternall Jubisee Then thou shalt praise with exultation the Lord thy God for all these things saying I will sing the mercies of our Lord for ever Then which Song according to Saint Aug. that is fung to the praise of the glory of Christ by whose precious blood wee are delivered nothing shall be more pleasant to that City nothing more sweet Thou therefore when thou art tryed with Temptations when thou art overcom with Persecutions and when thou art molested in this World with divers Tribulations then mentally fly into Heaven and consider that this is no other thing but the Subject of eternall joy and then the consideration of the Reward lesseneth the violence of the punishment If we would consider what and how great the Rewards are which are promised us in Heaven all things on Earth would seem vile in our mind and truly not only the goods which delightfully we possesse but also the evills which lamentably wee sustain The troubles of this world are not equivalent to the fault past which is forgiven to the present Grace which is bestowed and for the future glory which is promised which thou then O my Soul with joy shalt possess when thou perfectly understandest that thou hast lived in the world with so great danger wherewith the most are oppressed that thou hast overcome the deceitfull wiles of Satan wherewith many are deceived that thou hast escaped the eternall torments wherewith innumerable are afflicted CHAP. II. Of the ineffable Delight SOVLE O Man how sound and wholsome is thy Consolation for when I consider these things which thou hast proposed by hope I receive very much comfort But O Lord God what thinkest thou shal then that be when I shall truly possess that which now I but hope for MAN O My Soule These are but little which thou hast heard yea comparatively they are as none which thou hast mentally perceived but erect the eyes of thy understanding a little and weigh and devoutly consider how great the joyes are which thou shalt perceive by these which are nere unto thee Attend therefore and consider the beautiful place which the divine wisdome hath built for thee Consider also the delicate food the curious bravery the precious Treasure which the eternal power hath gathered for thee Consider likewise the renowned Colledge with whom thy mind shall eternall rejoice by the divine clemency O my Soul consider how glorious how renowned how gladsome that house of God is the Heavenly City the secure mansion the Countrey coutaining all that delighteth Consider how clear how light how glorious that City is which needeth neither Sun nor Moon that they may shine therein but the Lord himselfe the Sun of Justice the Candor of Eternall light is the light thereof and the Lamb is the Lamp thereof O my Soule consider how high and how spacious how fair and how beautifull how comely and how renowned that City is which the most blessed Trinity of himself adorneth O City of God how glorious are the things which are spoken of thee O Israel how magnificent is the house of God and great is the place of his possessions O my Soule contemplate there the Tabernacles of the Patriarcks and Prophets the Habitacles of the Apostles and Martyrs the stately and lofty Chambers of the Confessors and Virgins the Palaces of the most heavenly Spirits that most beautifull Throne of the most blessed Trinity O my Soul though thou art here corporally yet be there mentally O my Soul fly over all things search all things visit all things enter into all the Gates in order untill thou shalt come into the Palaces of the highest King let thy mind St. Aug. be there and here shall be thy rest O my Soule willingly endeavour to be stayed willingly to be conversant in that holy City because there is life without death youth without old age light without darknesse peace without disturbance For my People shall sit in a Tabernacle of confidence and in a rich rest saith our Lord. Secondly consider the delicate food the curious bravery and the pretious treasure And who shall there be out food but that most blessed Lamb that pure and Immaculate Jesus the Son of God the Father of whom they shall administer most excellent dainties to the holy spirits in all sufficiency very excellent truly of the most pure humanity but most of the more then most blessed Divinity For then the soule
shall enter in to tast the Divinity shall go forth to tast or assay the humanity and she shall find a Pasture full of all sufficiency and satiety O how blessed are they that shal be called to the marriage e-Supper of the Lamb. There also a blessed life is drunkin its fountaine Whereupon sometimes part thereof is sprinkled as it were on this our humane life whereby we may become in temptations stronger mere Juste temperate and wiser There alwayes thirst and satiety are joyned together but after a wonderfull manner necessity shall be far from thirst and loathing far from satiety For they shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house and thou shalt give them to drink of the Torrent of thy pleasure according to the Prophet SOVLE ANd when shall this be MAN I Beleive nor before that time Manciple untill when that sweet dispenser of the highest King the splendour of the Paternall glory the candour of the eternall light the Figure of the divine substance the mirrour without spot of the extraordinary Godlike clearnesse on whom all those celestiall spirits desire to look when such a one and so great a one shall gird himselfe and shall make them to sit down and personally passing by them shall minister unto them O my soule here devoutly consider how great joy those good spirits shall then conceive of so stupendious a dignity of him that serves them of so admirable a charity of every particular companion banqueting of the plenty of very delitious dainties of the numerous Assembly of the servitours of the sweet sounding-Eccho of the Musicall Instruments and of others playing singing and praysing the King of Glory God the Son of God In this great Celestiall and admirable banquet thou shalt hear Angels rejoycing Virgins dancing Apostles singing Martyrs sporting Confessors praysing Patriarchs and Prophets making merry all the Saints and Elect of God unanimously collauding the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost and with one voyce saying Holy Holy holy Lord God of Sabath all the Earth is full of thy Glory O how glorious is that Kingdome wherein all the Saints raigne with Christ cloathed with white stoles following the Lamb which way soever he shall go O my soule how can there be the want of any good when there is such variety of matter for the rejoycer For then shall be opened all those treasures of the Eternall God where there are all riches all delights laid up and divers and pretious gifts shall be given to every one according to their deserts But if yet these are not sufficient consider in the third place all the Colledge of Saints nere unto thee which the Divine clemency hath assembled together for an addition of thy beatitude Because the possession of any Good is not pleasant without a Companion as saith Seneca See then what tongue or what vnderstanding is able to conceive how great the joyes are of that supernall City to be present with the Quiers of Augels alwayes to assist with the most blessed Spirits the glory of our Creator and never to depare from the most blessed society of them but continually with them and of their joy to rejoyce for ever Saint Anselme For there all are known of every one there every one are known of all Nor shall it be a secret to any of them to know of what Country of what Nation of what kindred every one is borne For there shall be so blessed and perfect a charity of the Just that every one of them will love his Neighbour as much as himselfe Whereof that inestimable good shal follow that every one shall so rejoyce at the joy or good of another as though it were of his own merit Therefore when there is such an innumerable number of the Elect who thinkest thou is sufficient to declare the joy of the blessed St. Hierome describing these Joyes saith Go forth I pray hee O my soule In the end of an Epistle to Eustochius a little from the Pavilion of thy body that standing in the doore thou mayest perceive the Glory of God passing by and before thy eyes describe the reward of thy present labour What a day shall that be unto thee when out Lord shall meet thee accompanied with his Heavenly Quier when the Spouse himselfe shall meet thee with all his Saints saying Arise come make hast my beloved my deare my Dove now the Winter is over the shower is gone and past Then the Angels shall admire at thy Glory saying Who is this that ascendeth from the desert flowing with delights and leaning on her beloved The Daughters of Sion shall see thee and praise thee Then those 144 thousand in sight of the Throne and Elders shall hould their Harps and sing a new song Then thou shalt flye securely into the embraces of the Spouse saying with Jubilation I have found him whom my Soule loveth I have held him and will not let him depart Haec Hieronimus Then those seven Sonnes of that great Job who is more excellent then all that remaine in the blessed Easterne Region every one on his proper day shall make Feasts and shall invite thee their Sister thee their Companion And every one of them shall say unto thee Drink now and sit down with pleasure for thou hast found favour of the highest Prince And thou shalt answer with Joy saying I will drink and become merrier because to day my soule is magnified more then all the dayes of my life O truely unheard of magnificency O joyfull and pleasant Excellency the like whereof was never heard on Earth I beleive that all the Pompe of this World in comparison thereof would scarce be as a little drop SOVLE O Man now I have long held my peace now I haue been sufficiently silent because those things which thou hast proposed I have heard with exceeding much delight and admiration Do not prolong me I pray thee but expound to me more particularly and perfectly something of this banquet of the Heavenly spirits for that a little before thou hast touched something thereof but hast passed them over toe quickly MAN O My Soul I would rather again passe over with silence what thou requirest then with a polluted tongue utter the least thing of the Celestiall secret mystery yea or conceive in mind because I that am alas as yet too often entangled with worldly superfluous things that am alas as yet with other worldlings fed O pitty with husks of swine I very much blush and am confounded to discourse of such familiar operations of the divine Spirit Yet because I am not able to contradict thy pious desires I will speak breifly what some times the Holy Ghost instigating me though unworthy I often mentally thinke of For although in that celestiall Court where fulness of all good is perfectly in all of them although there for the difference of merits some things are bestowed in excellency yet nothing shall be possessed according to Sr. Gregory there
with feare lost with griefe But blessed is hee that loveth thee O Lord and an enemy for thee and a friend in thee for he only looseth no deare friend to whom all are deare in thee for no man looseth thee but he that forsakes thee and he that departeth from thee whither goes he but from thee being pleased to thee being angrie These Saint Aug. O Charity which alwayes burnest and are never extinguisned My God who art Charity it selfe inflame mee Thou commandest that I should love thee give me what thou commandest and command what thou pleasest Thou commandest truely that I should containe my selfe from the concupiscence of the flesh from the concupiscence of the Eyes and from the Ambition of the World He loveth thee less O Lord St. Aug. St. Hier. which loveth any thing with thee which he loveth not for thee O man let us alwayes love Christ and let us ever seek to cleave to his embraces and every difficult thing will seeme easie MAN O My soule now I perceive that thou acknowledgst how happy and how blessed he is who is wholly sixt by love in the only desire of eternity who is puffed up neither with prosperity These S. Greg. in his Moralls nor is danted with Adversity and while he hath nothing in this world that he loveth hath likewise nothing the rein that he feareth Convert therefore now O my Soule thy contemplation to those things which are without thee that is to to this sensible world that thou mayest despise both it and those things that are therein so that it being despised thou mayst be more inflamed with the love of thy Spouse For thou lovest him the lesse if thou desirest any thing with him which thou lovest nor for him and in him For by so much according to Saint Gregory every one is separated from the supernall love by how much he is delighted with any thing below him and he is sooner converted to God who hath not any thing in this World wherewith he may be delighted And every one by so much is seperated from the love of earthly things According to the Gloss on Exodus St. Aug. by how much he is elevated to the only love of the eternall Let all other creatures therefore be of small esteem unto thee that thy Creatour only may be sweet in thy heart Weigh therefore and alwayes consider not only by heare-say but by experience not only by relation but also by Action how unstable worldly wealth is how mutable worldly excellency is how false and deceitfull worldly glory is For every thing that is here eminent is more enthralled with sorrow then it can be delighted with honour Saint Bern. Behold the lovers of this World walk about the affairs thereof some seeking riches other honours others Glory But what shall I speak of Riches which are gotten with labour possessed with feare lost with griefe Or what shall I say of honour Thou art seated in a high place but whether or no shall thou not be judged of all yea tormented of all whether or no can any one be in honor without fraud in Praelacy without tribulation in height without Vanity What shall I say of Glory It is nothing else but a certaine vaine tickling of the Eares and can that be without censure Behold whom thou hast out-gone and think that thou hast given them in all things cause of Envy So often I am like the Apostate tatae Angell Saint Bern. as often as I desire to be above others For nothing is swifter then the World and the things thereof which when we desire to hold we loose Saint Hiero. Thou hast seen Emperours thou hast seen Commanders thou hast seen Armies Victories and Triumphs yesterday they were to day they are not yesterday they florished as as a flower to day they are withered as Hay nothing therefore is good but what is perpetuall SOVLE O Man if these things be so what is it that miserable men do seek whilst they desire the vanities of the World O how much they are blinded that seek the Glory thereof Some whilst they look upon the Glory of some eminent men they esteem it some great thing and wish that they may deserve the like But when they behold them in dying they confesse with lamentation how vaine their Glory was and say Behold what a nothing man is MAN O Most deare soule and what are all worldly things but certaine vaine dreams and what hath Pride or the glorying in riches profited their lovers For they have all passed away like a shaddow and like a Ship floating on the Ocean whose tract is not to be found for they are consumed in their wickednesse Alas how many have there been which have left no signe of their being Where are the Princes of the Nations and those that ruled the beasts of the Earth who treasured up Silver and heaped up Gold who built Cities and Castles who have conquered Kings and Kingdoms by Warre Where is the wise man where the Scribe where the Inquisitour of this World Where is Salomon the most wise Where is Alexander the most puissant Where Samson the most strong Where is Absalon the most beautiful Where is Assuerus the most glorious Where are the the most potent Caesars Where the Kings Where are the famous Princes What hath vaine Glory short miâ—th the power of the world a great Family the pleasure of the flesh the falsity of riches the sweetnesse of concupiscence profited them where is their laughter where their joy where their glorying where their Arrogancy Behold the noblenesse of blood the fairenesse of Body their elegant feature their youthfull comelinesse their Possessions their mighty Palaces their Furniture and add also the wisedome of the World yet all these things are but of the World and the World loveth what is his own and yet they do not long subsist therein For the World shall passe away and the Concupiscence thereof Thou therefore Saint Bern. if thou rightly understandest if thou canst rightly see leave to follow such things which it is a misery to obtaine which possessed do burden being loved do defile and being lost do torment Leave thou therefore all these things for him who is above all Fly therefore I say fly O my Soule to the City of Refuge that is to a Religious life where thou mayest do Pennance for sinnes past and obtaine grace for the present and happily obtaine the future Glory Let not the remembrance of thy sinnes hinder thee for where Iniquity hath abounded Grace also is accustomed to Superabound Let not the very austerity of penitences deter thee For the sufferings of this life are not sufficient to satisfie for the fault past which is remitted for the present Grace which is given and for the future Glory which is promised CHAP. II. How mutable worldly Wealth is SOVLE NOw I acknowledge the falsity and instability of the World but I know not how I am captivated that