which are which growe and which feele because I am I growe and I feele And thou hast created me little inferiour to the Angells because I haue receiued a power of knoweinge thee which is common betweene them ād me But yet I sayd well in saying that it was a little inferiour For they haue that happy knowledg of thee by expresse vision whereas I haue it but by hope they haue it face to face and I but by a glasse as in a cloud they haue it perfectly and I but partly CHAP. VIII Of the future Dignity of Man BVt when that shall come which is perfect that will be euacuated which is imperfect when also we shall see thee clearely face to face what shall now hinder vs to be but little inferiour to the Angells Whom thou O Lord doest vouchsafe to crowne with the crowne of hope which is adorned with honour and glory whome thou doest excessiuely honour as thy friends and as persons who are euery way equalls and Peeres of the Angell Yea and thy truth saith this For they are equall to the Angells and they are the sonnes of God And what are they but sonnes of God if they be equall to Angells They shall indeede be sonnes of God because the sonne of man is made the sonne of God When therefore I consider this I am bould to say that man is not somewhat lesse then the Angells nay he is not onely equall to the Angells but superiour to them because man is God and God is a man not an Angell And therefore I will say that man is the most worthy crsature because the Word which was in the beginning God with God the Word whereby God sayd let light be made and light was made that is the Angelicall nature the Word Whereby God created all things in the beginning the same Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst vs and we haue seene his glory Behoulde the glory wherein I glory when I glory as I ought Behoulde the ioy wherewith I ioy when I ioy as I ought O Lord my God my life and the entire glory of my soule I confesse to thee O Lord my God that when thou didest create me capable of reason thou didest in some respect make me equall to the Angells because I may be perfected by thy word soe farre as that I may arriue to an equality with the Angells and that I may haue the adoption of thy sonnes by thy onely begotten Word O Lord by that beloued Sonne of thyne in whom thou art well pleased by that onely heyre who is coeternall and consubstantiall with thee which is Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Redeemer our Illuminator Comforter our Aduocat with thee and the light of our eyes who is our life our Sauiour our onely hope who loued vs more then himselfe by whome we haue confidence layd vp for vs with thee a firme hope and accesse in comeing to thee because he gaue power to such as would beleiue in his Name that they might become the sonnes of God Let me giue praise to thy Name O Lord who by creating me according to thine image and likenes haste ordayned me to be capable of soe great glory as that I may be made thy sonne Trees are not capable of this stones are not capable nor in fine any of those things which are moued or growe in the ayre or in the Sea or on the earth because he did not giue them power by the Word to become his sonnes because they are not capable of reason For this power doth consist in reason whereby we knowe God But he gaue this power to men whome he created capable of reason according to his owne image and likenes And I also O Lord am by thy grace a man and by grace I may become thy Sonne which they cannot be From whence came this fauour to me O Lord thou soueraigne truth and thou true souueraignity thou who art the beginning of all thy creatures whence came this blessing to me that I had a capacitie to become the sonne of God which they had not Thou art he who remainest for euer who didest create all things at once At once thou didest create men and beasts and stones and the plants of the earth Noe merits of any of them did preceede noe former priuiledge was due to them For thou didst create them all out of thine owne meere goodnes and all the creatures were equall in merits because none of them had any merits at all And how then grew thy goodnes to bee greater towards this thy creature whome thou haste made rationall then towards all the rest which are not endewed with reason Why am not I as all they are and why are not all they as I am or why at least am not I alone like them What merits were there of myne What fauour was dew to me that thou shouldest create me capable of being thy sonne which yet thou wouldst deny to all them Farr be it from me O Lord to thinke that this proceeded from any merits of mine It was thy onely grace thy onely goodnes which made me partaker of the sweetnes therof Now graunt me therefore O Lord of that grace whereby thou didest create me of nothing grant me I beseeh thee of that grace to the end that I may be gratefull to thee for the same CHAP. IX Of the Omnipotency of God THy Omnipotent hand which is euer one and the same did create the Angells in Heauen and the base wormes on Earth and yet thou wert not greater in the creation of the former and lesse in the creation of the later For as noe other hand but thine was able to create an Angell soe nether could any hand but thyne create the poorest worme As noe hand but thyne had bene able to create the Heauens soe could none els create the lightest leafe of any tree As noe hand but thyne could create any body of ours soe none but thyne could make any one haire of our heads ether black or white Thy onely Omnipotent hand doth all these things to which all things are possible a like For it is not more possible for it to create a miserable worme then an Angell nor more impossible to extend spread abroad the whole heauen then one single leafe nor is it easier to frame one haire of our heads then to make our whole body nor is it harder for it to plant and build the earth vpon the waters then the waters vpon the earth But whatsoeuer he had a mynde to doe he hath done as he was pleased to doe both in heauen and on earth and in all the deepe Abysses so hath he framed things me among them all as he would could and knew them Thy hand O Lord could haue made me a stone a bird or a serpent or any other brute creature and thou knowest how to doe it but thou wouldest not through thy great goodnes to mee Vvhy therefore am I not some
and delightes drawe me to thee with a greedy hart The more I consider thee the more doe I languish with thy loue and with a vehement desire of thee and I am extreamely delighted with the sweete remembrance of thee I am therfore resolued I am resolued to cast vp myne eyes to thee to erect the state of my minde and to conforme the affections of my will to thee I am resolued to talke of thee to heare speake of thee to write of thee to conferr with others of thee daily to read somewhat of thy felicity glory when I shall haue redd it to reuolue it very often in my hart that at least by this meanes I may passe on from the burninge heats and dangers toyling labours of this mortall dying life to the sweete refreshing of that vitall aire of thyne and that I may proceede at last when I shall lay my selfe downe to sleepe to repose my head a little in that bosome of thyne To this end I enter now and then into those sweete feilds of thy holy Scriptures and whilest I am turninge ouer those leaues I gather the fresh flowers of sentences from thence By reading them I eate by frequenting them I ruminate and by gathering them vp at last I lodge them in the deepe receptacle of my memory that by this meanes haueing taken a taste of thy sweetnes I may feele the biteernes of this most miserable life so much the lesse O thou most happy life O Kingdome which art truely blessed free from death and farr from haueing an end to which noe tymes shall euer succeede where that day which is still continued without night admitts of noe Tyme where the conquering souldiers being associated to those chantinge quires of Angells sing that Canticle of the Canticles of Syon to Almighty God without ceasinge the garland of triumph imbraceinge their glorious heads that for euer I would to Christe that my sinns beinge once forgiuen me and then this burden beinge layd downe I might be assigned to eternall rest might enter into thy ioyes within those excellent and beautifull walls of thy Citty receiuinge the crowne of glory from the hand of my Lord. That I might be present with those most holy Quires of Angells That together with those blessed Spiritts I might concurre to glorify our Creator that I might veiwe the present face of Christe our Lord that I might for euer behold that supreame vnspeakable vncircumscribed light and that so not being subiect to any feare of death I might for euer reioyce in the euerlastinge endowment of incorruption CHAP. XXIII Of the felicity of that holy soule which departeth hence HAppy is that soule which beinge discharged from this body of earth goes freely vp to heauen and is in peace safetie not fearing either any enemy or death it selfe For it will then haue present and shall for euer behold that most beautifull Lord whom it hath serued and whom it hath loued and to whom at length it arriueth all full of glory and ioy This glory of so great beatitude noe tyme shall diminish nor wicked enemy be able to bereeue vs of The Daughter of Syon saw this soule and did publish it to be most happy The queenes and the concubines sawe it sayinge Who is this which goeth forward like a riseinge morninge faire like the Moone bright like the Sunn and terrible like a pitched feild of armed men How ioyfully doth she goe forth make haste and runn when with astonished eares she hears her spouse say thus Rise vp and make haste O thou my freind and my beautifull creature and come with me for now the Winter is ouer-past the Storme is gone and hath hidd it selfe the flowers haue appeared in our Land the tyme of pruninge is now come the voice of the turtle hath beene heard in our land The figg tree hath brought forth her younge fruite the vines are in flower and send forth theire odour Rise vp maKe haste O thou my freind my faire Creature my doue in the holes of the RocKe in the lowes places of the wall Shew me that face of thyne let thy voice sound forth in my ears for thy uoice is sweete and thy face is full of comlinesse and grace Come my elected and my beautifull Creature my doue my immaculate my Spouse Come and I will place my throne in thee because I haue had a greedy desire of thy beauty Come that thou maist reioyce in my presence with my Angells whose society I haue promissed thee Come after many dangers and labours and enter into the ioy of thy Lord which none shal be able to take from thee CHAP. XXIV A prayer to the sanites to secure vs in our dangers HAppy are all you O Saynts of God who now haue passed through the sea of this mortality and haue obteyned to arriue at the gate of eternall quietnesse security peace your selues beinge peacefull and secure and perpetually full of triumph and ioy I beseeche you by your owne Charity you who are secure concerninge your selues be yet solicitous concerning vs. You are secure concerninge your owne incorruptible glory be you solicitous of our manifold misery By him I beseech you who chused you who made you what you are in the fruition of whose beauty you are satiated by whose immortality you are now immortalized by whose most blessed vision yow are continually in ioy be you also continually mindfull of vs. Helpe vs miserable creatures who in the salt waters of this life are tossed with stormes rounde about vs. You are those most beautifull gates who haue beene erected to a huge altitude O giue some helpe to vs who are noe better then a base pauement lying so farr vnderneath you Stretch forth your hand raise vs vp vpon our feete that we recouering out of our infirmity may become strong and fitt for warr Interceede pray with constancy and perseuerance for vs miserable and most negligent sinners that by your Prayers we maybe ioyned to your holy society for otherwise we shall not be saued For we are extreamely frayle and of no strength or vertue miserable base wretches beasts who care but for the belly the slaues of flesh blood in whome the very shadow of goodnes doth scarce appeare And yet not withstandinge beinge placed vnder the confession of Christe our Lord we are borne vp by the wood of his Crosse whilest we saile through this great and spatious sea where there are creepinge creatures without number where there are wilde beasts great and small where there is á most cruell dragon euer ready to deuour vs where there are places full of dangers as Scylla and Charybdis and innumerable others where carelesse persons and they who are of a waueringe faith suffer shipwracke Pray you to our Lord pray O you who are full of pitty pray all you troopes of Saintes and all you compagnies of blessed Spiritts that beinge assisted by your Prayers and meritts we may with our shipp
I was washed in Baptisme hath tolerated nourished and expected me when I was all wrapped vp in the filth of other sinns Thou O my good Lord didst expect my amendement and my soule expecteth the inspiration of thy holy grace that I may come to pennance and goode life O my God my Creator my expecter and my feeder I thirst after thee I sigh towards thee and vehemently desir to attaine to thee And as the poore childe beinge depriued of the presence of his most benigne father doth incessantly weepe and cry out and imbrace by his memory that fathers face with his whole hart so I not so mueh as I should but so much as I can am mindefull of thy Passion mindfull of thy stroakes mindfull of thy stirpes mindfull of thy wounds mindfull how thou wert murthred for me how thou wert embalmed how thou wert buried and mindfull also of thy glorious Resurrection and admirable Ascension These things doe I hold fast with vndoubted faith I lament the miseries of my banishment I hope for the onely consolation of thy coming and I desire the glorious contemplation of thy face Woe be vnto me in that I was not able to behold that Lord of Angells being humbled to the conuersation of men to the end that he might exalt men to the conuersation of Angells when God being offended dyed that man who offended him might liue Vvoe be vnto me that I obteyned not to be amazed in being present at that spectacle of admirable and inestimable piety Vvhy why at least O my soule doth not the sword of most sharp sorrow pearce thy hart since thou wert not able to haue endured that launce which wounded the side of thy Sauiour since thou couldest not behold those hands and feete of thy Creator to be so violated with nayles and the bloode of thy Reddeemer so hydeously to be shedd Vvhy at least art not thou inebriated with the bitternes of tears since he drunck the bitternes of gall Why art thou not in compassion of that most holy Virgin his most worthy Mother my most worthy Lady O my most mercifull Lady what fountaynes shall I say they were which brake out of thy most chaste eyes when thou didest obserue how thy onely innocent Sonne was bound and scourged and slaine in thy presence Vvhat tears shall I beleeue did bedewe and bathe thy most sweet holy Face when thou didest behold that Sonne of thyne who was also thy God thy Lord extended vpon the Crosse without any falt of his and that flesh which was of thyne owne flesh to be so wickedly torne by wretched people wiih what kinde of sobbing sighes shall I conceaue thy most pure hart to haue beene torne when thou heardest those words Woeman beholde thy Sonne and the Disciple Vvoeman beholde thy Mother when thou tookest the Disciple for the Master and the seruant for the Lord. O that I had beene the man who tooke downe my Lord from the Crosse with that happy Ioseph That I had embalmed him with odours That I had Lodged him in the sepulchre or at least that I had followed him and had obteyned so much that to so great a funerall as that some little parte of my obsequiousnesse had not beene wantinge O that with those happy woeman I had beene frighted by that bright vision of those Angells and had heard that message of the Resurrection of our Lord That message of my comfort That message so much expected and desired O that I had heard these words from the mouth of the Angell Doe not feare you seeke Iesus crucifyed but he is risen he is not here O thou most meeke most benigne most sweete and most excellent Lord when wilt thou giue me a sight of thee for yet I neuer sawe thât incorruption of thy blessed body I neuer kissed those places of thy wounds that pearcinge of the nayles I neuer bathed those ouuertures of thy true thy admirable thy inestimable and incomparable Flesh and Blood with the tears of ioy When wilt thou comfort me and when wilt thou giue me cause to conteyne this sorrow of mine For indeed this sorrow will not end in me as long as I shall be in pilgrimage frō my Lord. Vvoe be to me O Lord woe be to my soule for thou who art the comforter therof didest goe thy wayes out of this world without so much as biddeing me farewell When thou didest putt thy selfe vpon those new wayes of thyne thou gauest thy blessing to thy seruants but I was not there Thou wert carried vp to heauen in a cloude but I saw it not The Angells promised that thou wouldest returne but I heard them not Vvhat shall I say what shall I doe whither shall I goe where shall I seeke him when shall I finde him Vvhome shall I aske Vvho will declare to my beloued that I languish for loue The ioy of my hart is gone My mirth is changed into sorrow My very flesh and my hart haue fainted O thou God of my hart and my part God who art my portion for euer My soule hath refused to be comforted vnlesse it be by thee my true sweetenes For what haue I to care for in heauen but thee and what haue I desired on earth but thee It is thou whō I desire for whom I hope and whom I seeke To thee my hart doth say I will seeke thy countenance and I will seeke it yet agayne O turne thou not thy face from me O thou most benigne louer of mankinde to thee the poore creature is lefte thou art the helper of the Orphan O thou my safe Aduocate haue mercy on me who am a forsaken Orphan I am left as a pupill wihout a father my soule is as solitary as a Vvidowe Behold the tears of my desolation and widowehoode which I offer thee till such tyme as thou shalt returne Come therefore Lord come now appeare to me and I shal be comforted Afford me thy presence and I shall haue obteyned my desire Reueale thy glory and I shall be in perfect ioy My soule hath thirsted towards thee O how abundantly doth my very flesh thirst after thee My soule hath thirsted towards God who is the liueinge fountayne When shall I come and appeare before the Face of our Lord When wilt thou come O my comforter whome I will expect O that I might be sure to see that ioy which I desire O that I might be satiated when thy glory shall appeare of which I haue so great hunger O that I might be inebriated by that springinge plenty of thy house towards which I sighe O that thou wouldest giue me to drinke deepely of the torrent of thy pleasure which I thirst after O Lord let my tears in the meane whyle be my bread day and night till such tyme as it may be said to me Behold thy God till my soule may hear this word Beholde thy Spouse Feed me in the meane tyme with my sighes refresh me with my sorrowes Perhapps my Redeemer
one of them according to theyr workes whether they be good or bad Teach me how I may confesse my pouerty to thee For once I said that I was rich and that I wanted nothing I did not know the while that indeede I was poore and naked and a miserable wretch I beleiued that I was some-what when yet indeede I was nothing I told my selfe that I would become wise and I turned a starke foole I thought my self to be prudent but I was deceiued And now I see that all is thy guift without whom wee can doe nothing For vnles thou O Lord keepe the Citty he watcheth but in vaine who pretends to keepe it Thou hast taught me thus to knowe thee whilest thou diddest leaue mee for a while and proue mee not that thou mightest knowe mee thereby but for my sake that so I might come to knowe my selfe For as I was saying ô Lord I thought once that I was some-what of my self I conceiued that I was sufficient by my self nor did I discerne that thou wert he that gouerned mee till thou diddest a little withdrawe thy selfe from me And then presently I fell and soe I sawe and knew that thou didest gouerne mee and that it was of my self that I fell and that it was of thee that I rose againe Thou O Light diddest open myne eyes and diddest rowse mee vp and illuminate mee and I sawe that the life of man vpon earth is all temptation and that noe flesh must presume to glory before thee for soe noe man liueing can be iustifyed For if there be any good in him whether it be great or little thy guift it is and nothing is ours but that which is naught Of what therfore shall any flesh be able to vant Shall he glory in sinne This is not glory but misery May he glory in that which is good Noe For he may not glory in that which belongeth to another Thine O Lord is the Good annd thyne must be the Glory For hee who seeketh glory to himselfe and not to thee out of the good he doth that man is noe better then a theefe and robber who had a minde to bereaue thee of thy glory For he who will be praysed for any guift of thyne and seeketh not thy glory but his owne therein although he be praysed by men for that guift of thyne yet he is dispraysed by thee in regard that he sought not soe much thy glory by it as his owne And now he who is praysed by men whilest thou dispraysest him shall not be defended by men when thou iudgest him nor deliuered by them when thou condemnest him But thou O Lord who diddest frame me in my mothers wombe do not suffer me to fall vnder so greate a reproofe as that I should be charged with procureing to robb thee of thy glory To thee be glory of whome all good things are and to vs confusion of face and misery vnles thou vouchsafe to haue mercy on vs. But thou hast mercy O Lord thou hast mercy vpon vs all who hatest none of those things which thou hast made and who bestowest of thy good guifts vpon vs dost enrich vs O Lord our God with thy most excellent graces For thou louest poore creatures and thou enrichest them with thy aboundance And now behould O Lord we are thy poore children and thy little little flocke open thy gates to vs and thy poore shall eate and be satisfyed they who seeke thee and prayse thee I doe also knowe O Lord and I confesse for I am taught to doe it by thee that they onely who knowe they are poore and confesse theyr pouertie to thee shall be enriched by thee and they who conceiue themselues to be rich whereas indeede they are poore will be found excluded from thy riches For my parte therefore I confess my pouerty to thee O Lord my God and let all glory remayne to thee For all that which hath bene well done by mee is thyne O Lord I confesse to thee as thou hast taught me that I am nothing but an vniuersality of vanity a shadow of death and a blacke kinde of Abysse and a plott of earth which is all empty and vnfruitefull and which shootes not vp one leafe without thy blessing and of it selfe it yeilds no other fruite then confusion sinne and death If euer I had any good thinge I receiued it of thee Whatsoeuer good I haue now is thine and of thee I haue it If euer I stood fast I stood by thee but whensoeuer I fell of my selfe I fell and for euer had I weltered in that myre if thou haddest not raised mee And for euer had I continued blinde vnles thou haddest illuminated mee When I fell I had neuer risen vnles thou haddest reached forth thine hand And when afterward thou diddest raise mee I had instantly retournend to fall vnles thou haddest susteyned mee and I had perished very often vnles thou haddest gouerned mee So perpetually O Lord soe perpetually was I preuented by thy mercy and grace deliuering me from all my sinnes saueing me from all such as are past solliciteing me against such as were present and fortifying me against such as might be future Cutting of before my face those snares of sinnes by preuenting the occasions and causes thereof For vnles thou haddest also done this fauour to me I might haue committed any sinne in the whole world And I know O Lord that there is noe kinde of sinne which any one man did euer committ which another man may not also committ if the helpe of the Creatour whereby man is made be wanting But thou art the cause why I committed them not Thou diddest commaund that I should abstayne from them thou didest infuse thy grace that I might beleiue in thee For thou O Lord diddest gouerne mee for thy selfe and thou diddest keepe me both for thy selfe and for my selfe and thou diddest giue me light grace to the end that I might not commit adultery and euery other sinne CHAP. XVI Of the manifold temptations of the deuill THe Tempter was absent and thou wert the cause that he was absēt Fitt time and place for sinne were wanting and thou wert the cause that they were wanting The Tempter was present and nether time nor place were wanting but thou diddest keepe me from consenting The Tempter came to mee all vgly and frightfull as he is and thou diddest comfort mee soe farre as to make me despise him The Tempter came to mee all strong and armed and to the end that he might not conquer mee thou restraynedst him didest strengthen me The Tempter came transfigured into an Angell of light and to the end that he might not deceiue mee thou rebukedest him and thou diddest illuminate mee that I might knowe him For he is that great and redd dragon that ancient serpent and he is called the Deuill and Satā haueing seauen heads and tenn hornes Whose imployment is to inueigle this greate huge Sea wherein
iniustice is great I confesse it but farr greater is the Iustice of my Redeemer For as much as God is Superior to man so much is my malice inferior to his goodnes both in quantity and quality For in what hath man sinned wherin the Sonne of God being made Man hath not redeemed him What pride was able to swell so highe as that so great humility would not be able to beate it downe What dominion of death could be so absolute which the torment of the Crosse indured by the Sone of God will not destroy Infaillibly O my God if the faults of a sinfull man and the grace of him who redeemed them be putt into an equall ballance the East will not be found so farr distant from the west nay the lowest parte of hell will not be found so farr distant from the highest pich of heauen as they two will be Now therfore O thou most excellent Creator of light pardon my faults through the immense labours of thy beloued Sonne Lett now I beseech thee his piety propitiate for my impiety his modesty for my peruersity his meekenes for my rudenes his humility for my pride his patience for my impatiēce his benignity for my harshnes his obedience for my disobedience his tranquillity for my vnquietnesse his sweetenes for my bitternesse his mildnesse for my anger and let his charity ouerworke my cruelty CHAP. IX Of the inuocation of the Holy Ghost O Loue of that diuine power the Holy communication of the Omnipotent Father and of the most blessed Sonne O thou Omnipotent Holy Ghoste the most sweete comforter of the afflicted slipp thou downe euen very now by thy puissant vertue into the most secrett corners of my hart and by the splendor of thy cleere light illuminate ô thou deere dweller in our soules these darke retreyts of our neglected habitations and by thy visitation and by the abundance of thy dewe from heauen make my soule growe fruitfull which by reason of so longe a drought is all deformed and decayed Wound thou the most retyred parts of this inward man with the darts of thy loue and inflame and pearce the very marrowe of my dull hart with those healthfull fires of thine And by the flame of thy holy feruour illuminate thou and feed the very interiour both of my whole body and minde Giue me once to drink of the torrent of thy delights that now I may noe more haue a minde so much as euen to taste of the pestiferous sweetnesse of wordly things Iudge me ô Lord and discerne my cause from all wicked people and teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God I beleeue therfore that whomesoeuer thou dost inhabite thou dost build vp a dwellinge place in him both for the Father and the Sonne Blessed is he who shall arriue to intertayne thee because by thee both the Father the Sonne will remaine with him Come come euen now O thou moste benigne Comforter of all woefull soules Thou who protectest them when they haue most need and art their helper in tribulation Come ô thou clenser of sinns and curer of wounds Come ô thou strength of the weake ô thou who stayest such as are falling Come ô thou teacher of the humble and distroyer of the proude Come ô deare Father of Orphants and fauorable Iudge of widowes Come thou hope of the poore thou cherisher of such as fainte Come thou propitious starr of such as sayle thou hauen against the danger of shipwrack Come ô thou excellent ornament of such as liue the onely helpe of such as dye Come ô most holy Spiritt Come and haue mercy on me make me fitt for thy self condiscend to me with pitty that my meanenesse may growe pleasing to thy greatnesse and my weakenes to thy strength Accordinge to the multitude of thy mercyes through Iesus Christe my Sauiour who with the Father doth liue ad reigne in thy vnity for euer and euer Amen CHAP. X. The Prayer of the Seruant of God conceauing humbly of himselfe I Knowe O Lord I knowe and I confesse that I am not worthy that thou shouldest loue me but yet at least it is certaine that thou art not vnworthy to be beloued by me It is true that I am vnworthy to serue thee but it is also true that thou art not vnworthy to be serued by thy Creatures Giue me therfore somewhat O Lord of that which maketh thee so worthy and so I shall growe worthy who am vnworthy Make me cease from sinn by what meanes thou wilt to the end that I may serue thee as I ought Grant that I may so addresse and order and end my life that I may sleepe in peace and repose in thee Grant that in the end the sleepe of death may receiue me with rest rest with securiry and security with eternity Amen CHAP. XI A Prayer to the blessed Trinity WE confesse to thee with our whole hart and with our mouth we praise and blesse thee O God the Father who art vnbegotten and thee O God the Sonne who art the onely begotten and thee O God the holy Ghoste who art the Paraclete To thee O holy and indeuiduall Trinity be glory for all eternityes Amen CHAP. XII A Confession of the Omnipotency and Maiesty of God O Supreame Trinity O thou sole power vndeuided Majesty O God of ours O Omnipotent God I confesse to thee who am the vnworthyest of thy seruāts and the weakest of thy mēbers I cōfesse to thee in thy Church and I giue thee honor by offering thee a due sacrifice of praise according to that little power and skill which thou haste vouchsafed to affoord me thy miserable creature And because I haue no external presents which I can make to thee therfore these desires and vowes of seruice and praise which by the guift of thy mercy are in me behold how with an vnfained faith and with a pure conscience I offer them to thee not onely with a good will but with a hart which is full of triūph and ioy I beleeue therfore with my whole hart and I confesse with my mouth O thou Kinge of heauen ad Lord of earth that thou the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste art in Persons three and in Substance one that thou art God Omnipotent of one simple incorporeall inuisible and vncircumscribed nature That there is nothing either aboue thee or belowe thee or greater then thou but that thou art sublymely and absolutely perfect whithout the least deformity Great without quantity good without quality eternall yet wholly without Tyme That thou hast life without death that thou art strong without any weakenesse true without falshoode euery where present without being scituated any where filling all things yet without any extension occurringe euery where yet without any crossinge or contradiction Transcending all things without Motion remaneinge in all things without Station creatinge all things without looseinge or wantinge any thing and ruleinge all things without
labour Giueinge a beginninge to all things thy selfe haueinge noe beginninge makeing all things changeable beinge yet vnchangeable in thy selfe being infinite in thy greatenesse Omnipotent in thy power souuereigne in thy goodnesse inestimable in thy wisdome terrible in thy decrees iust in thy iudgements secret in thy thoughts true in thy wordes holy in thy workes plentifull in thy mercyes Towards sinners thou art most patiēt towards penitents thou art most pittifull Thou art euer the same eternall sempiternall immortall vnchangeable God whome neither space can dilate nor littlenesse of place can streighten nor any receptacle can keepe in or constraine nor the will vary nor partiality corrupt nether doe sad things afflict thee nor ioyfull things transport thee From whome neither forgetfullnes takes any thinge neither doth memory restore any thing neither doe things past passe away nor future things succeed To whome neither the first gaue beginninge nor the continuance of tyme increase nor shall any accident giue it any end But thou liuest for all eternity both before and in and through all aages And lett immortal praise and eternall glory and souuereigne power and supreame honor and a Kingdome Empire for all eternity remaine with thee through those infinite vnwearied and immortall ages of ages Amen CHAP. XIII How God the Father vouchsafed to helpe mankinde and of the Incarnation of the worde HItherto O Omnipotent God the beholder searcher of my hart I haue confessed the Omnipotency of thy Maiesty and the maiesty of thy Omnipotency But now as I beleeue with the hart to Iustice so will I confesse before thee with the mouth to saluation in what sort thou haste beene pleased at the end of many ages to releiue the misery of mankinde Thou O God and our onely Father wert neuer to be sent any whither But of the Sonne the Apostle writeth thus When the fullnes of tyme was come God sent his Sonne When he saith sent he doth sufficiently showe that then he came sent into this world when being borne of the euer B. Virgin Mary he became and appeared true and perfect man in flesh But what is that which that cheife of all the Euangelistes saith He was in the world and the world was made by him He was sent thither in his Humanity who was euer and is there by his Diuinity Now that this Mission is the worke of the whole blessed Trinity I confesse with my whole hart and mouth But how then didst thou loue vs O thou holy and good Father how much didst thou loue vs O most deare Creator who didst not euen spare thyne owne Sonne but didst deliuer him vp for vs wretched Creatures He was subiect to thee euen vnto the death and that the death of the Crosse takeinge the hand-writinge of our sinns and nailinge it to the same Crosse He crucified also sinn it selfe and killed death He who onely is free amongst the dead haueing power both to lay downe his life for vs and afterward to take it vp againe Hence was he both the conquerer and Sacryfice And therfor the Conquerer because the sacryfice for vs To thee he was the Preist and the Sacrifice and therfore the Preist because the Sacrifice Most iustly haue I a strong hope in him that thou for his sake who sitteth at thy right hand and is continually interceedinge for vs wilt cure all our languishing diseases For my infirmityes O Lord are great and many great they are and many The Prince of this world hath much to say against me I knowe and cōfesse it yet deliuer me I beseeche thee by that Redeemer of mine who sitteth at thy right hand in whome he was able to finde none of his malice By him I beseeche thee to iustify me by him who comitted noe sinn nor was there any guile found in his mouth I beseeche thee by that head of ours in whome there is noe one little spott deliuer this member which yet is his how weake and poore soeuer it be Deliuer me I beseeche thee from my sinns my vices my faults and my negligence Fill me with thy holy vertues make me of most innocent conuersation And grant for thy holy names sake that I may continue euen to the very end in those good workes which thou commaundest according to thy holy will CHAP. XIV Of the confidence which a soule ought to haue in our Lord Iesus in his Passion I Could easily haue despaired through the excesse of my greiuous sinns and of my infinite negligences if thy word O God had not become flesh and had not dwelt amongst vs. But now I dare not despaire because when we were enemyes we were reconciled by the death of thy Sonne how much more now we beinge already reconciled shall we be saued by him For all the hope and stay of all my confidence doth consist in that pretious blood of his which was shed for vs and for our saluation In him doe I take breath and hopeing firmely in him I earnestly desire to come to thee not haueinge any iustice of mine owne but that which is in thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christe We doe therfore thank thee O most Clement and benigne louer of mankind who when we were not didst powerfully create vs by Iesus-Christe thy Sonne our Lord. And whē we were lost by our owne fault thou didst admirably deliuer and recouer vs. I giue thankes to thy mercy many thanks doe I giue thee with the whole affection of my hart who through that vnspeakable charity wherewith thou didst vouchsafe with strange goodnes to loue vs miserable and vnworthy Creatures didst send thyne onely begotten Sonne from thyne owne bosome for our common good so to saue vs sinners who were then the sonns of wrath I giue thee thanks for his holy Incarnation and Natiuity and for his glorious Mother of whom he vouchsafed to assume flesh for vs and our saluation that as he was true God of God so he might also be true man of man I thanke thee for his Crosse and Passion for his death and Resurrection for his Ascension into heauen and for his seat of Maiesty at thy right hand For vpō the fortieth day after his Resurrection ascendinge aboue all the heauens whilest his Disciples were lookeing on and being seated at thy right hand he did according to his promisse powre forth the Holy Ghoste vpon the Children of adoption I thank thee for that most sacred effusion of his most pretious Blood wherby we are redeemed and withall for that Sacred and Holy and quickninge Mistery of his Body and Blood which dayly we eate and drinke in the Church and wherby we are washed and sanctified and made partakers of that one supreame diuinity I thank thee for this admirable and vnspeakable charity of thine wherby thou hast so loued and saued vs vnworthy creatures by that onely and beloued Sonne of thine For thou didst so loue the world as to giue thy onely begotten Sonne that euery one who beleeued
commerce O admirable and for euer to beloued benignity of the diuine mercy We were not worthy to be seruants and yet behold we are made the Sonnes of God Nay we are the heires of God and coheirs of Christ Whence came this to vs and who brought vs to this But I beseeche thee O thou most mercifull God the Father by this inestimable goodnes and piety and charity of thine make vs worthy of the many and great promisses of thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christe imploy thy strength and confirme that in vs which thou hast wrought Perfect that which thou haste begun that we may deserue to attayne to the fulnesse of thy mercy Inable vs by thy Holy Spiritt to vnderstand deserue and reuerence with due honor this great mystery of piety which is manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit hath appeared to Angells is preached to Gentiles is beleeued in the world and is assumed to glory CHAP. XVII Of the thanks which a man owes to God for the benefitt of Redemption O How deepely are we thy debters O Lord our God being redeemed by so high a price being saued by so rich a guift being assisted by so glorious a benefitt How much art thou to be feared loued blessed praised honored and glorified by vs miserable creatures whom thou haste so loued saued sanctifyed and exalted For to thee doe we owe all our power all our beeing and all our knowledg And who hath any thinge which is not thyne Thou art our Lord and our God from whom all things proceed For thy selfe and for thy holy Name giue vs So me part of thy heauenly riches that by meanes of those blessings and guifts of thyne we may serue please thee in truth and that by way of returne we may dayly render thee all due praise for so many benefits of thy mercy Nor can we serue thee or praise thee by any other meanes then by thy owne guift For euery good grace and euery perfect guift is from aboue descending from thee the Father of lights wiht whom there is noe change nor so much as any shadow of mutability O Lord our God! deare God good God Omnipotent God vnspeakable God whose nature cannot be circumscribed God the ordeyner of all things the Father of our Lord Iesus-Christe who diddest send the same beloued Sonne of thyne our most sweete Lord out of thy bosome for our vniuersall profitt to take our life vpon him that he might bestowe his life vpon vs and that he might be perfect God of thee the Father and perfect Man of his Mother all God and all Man and one and the same Christe eternall and temporall immortall and mortall Creator and creature stronge weake triumphant and yet ouercome the nourse and the creature which is nourished the Pastor the sheepe he that dyed for a tyme and dyed in time and yet is liueinge for all eternity He promiseinge to such as loued him that they should be prouided for said thus to his Disciples What soeuer you shall aske the Father in my name he wil giue it to you By this Supreame Sacrifice and true Preist and good Pastor who offered himselfe in Sacrifice to thee laying downe his life for his flocke by him I beseech thee who sitteth at thy right hand and interceedeth for vt being our Redeemer and Aduocate before thy pitty and goodnesse I beseech thee I say O God the most deere and benigne louer of mankinde that thou wilt giue me grace with the same Sonne of thyne and the Holy Ghoste to praise and glorify thee in all things with great contrition of hart and a fountaine of teares with much reuerence and trembling because theirs whose the substance is theirs also are all the accessaryes therof But because the body which is corrupted doth depresse the soule I beseeche thee to rowse vp my dullnes by thy vertue and make me perseuere with strength in thy Commaundements and praises day and night Grant that my hart may wax warme within me and that whilest I am in meditation the fire may burne And because thy onely Sonne himselfe did say No man cometh to me vnlesse the Father who sent me drawe him and no man cometh to the Father but by me I beseech and humbly pray thee be thou euer draweing me to him that at last he may bring me thither to thee where he is sittinge at thy right hand where there is an eternall life eternally happy where there is perfect loue and noe feare where there is an euerlastinge day and one spirit of them all where there is certaine and supreame security and secure tranquillity and serene alacrity and sweet felicity and happy eternity and eternall beatitude and a blessed praise and vision of thee which neuer ends where thou with him and he with thee and both in the communion of the same Holy Ghoste doe sempiternally liue and being God dost reigne for euer and for euer Amen CHAP. XVIII A Prayer to Christe our Lord. O Christ my God my hope Sweete louer of mankinde Light life way health And beauty most refin'd Behould those things which thou Did'st suffer vs to saue The chaynes the wounds the Crosse The bitter death the graue Riseing within three dayes From conquering death and hell By thy Disciples seene Reforminge mindes so well Vpon the fortieth day Climeing the Heauens soe high Thou liuest now and thou Shalt raigne eternally THou art my liueing and true God my holy Father my deare Lord my greate Kinge my good shepheard my onely instructor my best helper my most beautifull louer my liueinge breade my Eternall Preist my guide into my country my true light my holy sweetnes my right way my excellent wisdome my pure simplicity my peaceable concord my safe custody my good portion my euerlasting saluation my great Mercy my inuincible patience my imaculate Sacrifice my holy Redemption my firme hope my perfect charity my true Resurrection my eternall life my excessiue ioy and most blessed Vision which is for euer to remaine I pray thee I begg of thee I beseech thee that I may walke by thee passe on by thee and repose in thee who art the way the truth and the life without whome no man cometh to the Father For thou art he whome I desire O thou most sweete most beautifull Lord O thou splendor of thy Fathers Glory who sittest aboue the Cherubins and beholdest from thence the most profound Abysses which are belowe thou light which declareth truth illuminateing light light which neuer leaues to shine whome the Angells desire to behold Loe my hart is before thee disperse the darknes therof that by the clearnes of thy loue it may be yet more fully strucken and beaten through with light Giue thy selfe to me O my God restore thy selfe to me Behold I loue thee and if it be to little make me loue thee more I cannot measure out to know how much of my loue is wanting to thee of that which ought to make it
it is to see God and to inioy him after a sort and how we are to thinke of God BVt although that supreame and vnchangeable essence that indeficient light that light which is enioyed by the Angells can be seene by noe creature in this life this being the reward which is reserued onely for the Saints who enioy celestiall glory yet to beleeue to conceaue to haue a feelinge and ardently to aspire towards this Glory is to see it after a sort and to possesse it Let our voice therfore extend it selfe beyond the Angells and lett man contemplate God with an carnest minde and lett him with what words he can expresse Gods praises to God himselfe For it is all reason that the Creature should praise his Creator since he vouchsafed to create vs that we might praise him when yet he had noe need of our praises For his vertue is incomprehensible he needeth none but is all sufficient for himselfe Our Lord is great and his vertue is great and of his wisdome there is noe end Our Lord God is great and highly worthy to be praysed Let our soule therfore loue him let our tongues sing of him and our hand write of him and let the faithfull hart imploy it selfe onely in these holy thoughts Let the man of spirituall desires and a contemplator of celestial mysteries be dayly recreated with the most delicious food of this heauenly contemplation that so being fully fed with this heauenly repaste he may cry out with great exclamation he may cry out with the very bowells of his hart cry out with excesse of ioy say as followeth with a most ardent affection of his minde CHAP. XXIX He declareth many propertyes of Almighty God O Thou Supreame most excellent Omnipotent most mercifull most iust most secret most present and most strong most stable and incomprehensible inuisible yet seeinge all things Vnchangeable yet changeing all things Immortall without place without tearme or circumscription Vnlymited inestimable ineffable inscrutable Immoueable yet moueinge all things Vnsearchable vnexpressable terrible to be greatly feared to be honored and trembled at to be worshipped and reuerenced Neuer new and neuer old and yet innouating all things and draweing prowde people into decay though they marke it not Euer in action yet euer quiet gathering together and yet needinge nothinge carryinge all things without feeling any waight fillinge all things without beinge includede creatinge protectinge nourishinge and perfectinge all things Thou seekest and yet thou wantest nothinge Thou art in loue yet without passiō Thou art iealous yet thou art secure Thou repentest yet thou art not sorry Thou art angry yet thou are not moued Thou changest thy workes but thou neuer changest thy decrees Thou takest that which thou findest yet didest thou loose nothing Thou art neuer poore and yet thou art glade of gayne Thou art neuer couetous yet thou exactest vsury at our hands by our saperrogatiō thou becomest our debter and yet who hath any thinge which is not thyne Thou payest debts yet thou owest nothinge Thou forgiuest debts yet thou loosest nothinge Thou alone doste quicken all things thou haste created all things thou art euery where and thou art euery where altogether Thou canst be felt yet thou canst not be seene Thou art not wanting any where yet art thou farre from the thoughtes of wicked men But thou art not wanting euen there although thou be farr of from them because where thou art not presēt by Grace there thou art present by reuenge Thou touchest all things yet thou touchest them not all alike For some thou touchest onely that they may be but not that they may liue and feele and discourse But some thou touchest that they may be and liue but yet not so as that withall they may feele and discourse And some agayne thou dost so touch as that they may be and liue and feele and discourse also And although thou be neuer vnlike thy selfe yet dost thou touch vnlike things after an vnlike manner Thou art euer present yet sometymes thou art hard to be found We follow thee when thou standest still and yet we are not able to lay hold on thee whilest yet thou holdest all things fillest all things comprehendest all things exceedest all things vpholdest all things Neyther dost thou on the one side vndergoe them and art ouercome by them on the other Neyther dost thou fill things on the one side and yet art comprehended by them on the other but by comprehending them thou fillest them and by filling them thou comprehendest them as by sustayning them thou exceedest them and by exceeding them thou sustaynest them Thou teachest the harts of the faithfull yet without the noise of words Thou reachest from one end to the other strongly and thou disposed of all things sweetely Thou art not extended according to the proportion of places nor art thou varied by the vicissitude of tymes Thou haste neyther accesse nor recesse but thou inhabitest that inaccessibile light which no man euer sawe or can see Remaineinge quiet in thy selfe thou doste make thy circuite about all things and thou art euery where expressely and intirely all For thou canst not be deuided or cutt who art truely all nor canst thou be made into partes because thou wholy holdest all fillest all and dost possesse and illustrate all The minde of man cannot conceaue the immense profundity of this mistery nor the tongue of eloquence declare it nor can learned speach nor all the volumes of all Libraryes vnfolde it If there were bookes to fill the whole world yet they could not vnfolde thy admirable knowledge because thou art truely vnspeakable and canst not by any meanes be concluded nor expressed as thou art who art the fountayne of diuine light and the Sonne of euerlastinge charity Thou art great without quantity therfore thou art immense thou art good without quality and therfore thou art truely and supreamely good and there is none good but thou alone whose will is thy worke and whose inclination is thy power who didst create all things of nothinge and thou didst it by the onely act of thy will Thou doste possesse all thy creatures without needing any of them Thou gouuernest them without labour and thou rulest them without trouble and there is nothinge at all either in the highest or lower thinges which can disturbe the order of thy dominion Thou art in all places without being cōteyned in any place Thou conteynest all things without circuite and thou art present euery where without eyther scituation or motion Thou art not the Author of ill nor canst thou doe it yet is there nothing which thou canst not doe nor didst thou euer repent thy self of any thinge which thou hadest done nor art thou troubled with any commotion or tempest of thy minde nor doe the dangers of the whole world drawe any danger vpon thee Thou commandest not nor yet allowest of any wickednes or sinn Thou neuer lyest for thou art eternall Truth By
yet agayne it is afflicted because it falls back and returnes to be an Abysse or rather it findes that still it is so My faith which thou hast kindled in this night of myne before my feete doth say Why art thou sad O my soule and why doste thou afflict me Hope thou in God his word is a lanterne to my feete Hope and continue to doe so till the night which is the mother of the wicked doe passe a way till the wrath of our Lord passe away wherof sometymes we were the Children For sometymes we were darknes Till this fury of water pass cleane a way we still dragg on in our body which is dead through sinn the reliques of that darknes Till such tyme as the day shall approach all shadowes may be remoued I will hope in our Lord. In the morrow of the next life I shall assist and contemplate and I will euer confesse to him In that morrow I shall assist and behold the health of my countenance which is my God who will reuiue euen our mortall bodyes for that spiritts sakes which dwelleth in vs that now we may be light euen whilest we are saued here by hope That we may be the Sonns of light and the Sonns of God and not of night and darknes For sometymes we were darknes but now we are light in thee O our God and yet we are so here but by Faith and not face to face Because that hope which is seene is not hope All that immortall people of thy Angells praiseth thee O Lord and those celestiall Powers glorify thy Name They haue no need to read any such writing as this towards the makeinge them knowe the holy indiuiduall Trinity For they see thy Face for euer and there they read without any syllabes of tyme what that eternall will requires They read they choose and they loue They euer read and that neuer passeth which they are readinge By choosing and by loueinge they read the very immutability of thy counsell and their booke is neuer shutt and their scrowle neuer folded vp for thy self is all that to them and so thou art to be for euer O how excessiuely happy are those powers of heauen which are able to praise thee most purely and holyly with excessiue sweetnes and vnspeakable exultation They praise thee for that in which thâ—â— ioy because they euer see reason 〈◊〉 they should reioice and praise them But we being oppressed by this burthen of our flesh and being cast farr of from thy face in this pilgrimage of ours and being so racked by the variety of worldly things are not able worthily to praise thee Yet we praise thee as we can by Faith though not face to face but those Angelicall spiritts praise thee face to face not by Faith For our flesh putteth this vpoÌ„ vs obligeth vs to praise thee farr otherwise then they doe But how soeuer euen we sing praise to thee in a different manner and yet thou art but one O God thou Creator of all things to whome the sacrifice of praise is offered both in heauen and earth And by thy mercy we shall one day arriue to their society with whome we shall for euer see and praise thee Grant O Lord that whilest I am placed in this fraile body of mine my hart may praise thee my tongue may praise thee and all the powers of my soule may say O Lord who is like to thee Thou art that Omnipotent God whome we worshiâ— as Trine in Persons and Onâ—â— the Substance of thy Diety We adore the Father vnbegotten the Sonne the onely begotten of his Father and the Holy Ghoste proceedinge from them both and remaininge in them both We adore thee O Holy and indiuiduall Trinity one Omnipotent God who when we were not did'st most puissantly make vs and when by our owne fault we weare lost by thy pitty and goodnes thou did'st recouer vs after an admirable manner Doe not I beseech thee permitt that we should be vngratefull for so great benefitts and vnworthy of so many mercyes I pray thee I beseech thee I begg of thee that thou wilt increase my faith hope and charity I beseech thee make vs by that grace of thyne to be euer firme in beleiueinge and full of efficacy in working that so by meanes of incorrupted Faith and workes worthy therof we may through thy mercy arriue to euerlastinge life And there beholding thy glory as indeed it is we whome thou haste made worthy to see that glory of thyne may adore thy Maiesty and may say together Glory be to the Father who created vs Glory be to the Sonne who redeemed vs Glory be to the Holy Ghoste who sanctifyed vs Glory be to the supreame indiuiduall Trinity whose workes are inseparable and whose empire is eternall To thee our God praise is due to thee a Hymne of glory to thee all honor benediction clarity thanksgiueing vertue and fortitude for euer and for euer Amen CHAP. XXXIV He complayneth against himselfe for not being moued with the contemplation of God whereat the Angells tremble PArdon me O Lord pardon me through thy mercy pardon and pitty me pardon my great ignorance and imperfections Doe not reiect me as a presumptuous creature in that I aduenture being thy slaue I would I could say a good one and not rather that I am vnprofitable and wicked and therfore very wicked because I take this boldnes to praise and blesse and adore thee who art our Omnipotent God and who art terrible and excessiuely to be feared without contrition of hart without a fountaine of tears and without due reuerence and trembling For if the Angells who adore and praise thee doe tremble whilest they are filled with that admirable exultation how comes it to passe that I a sinfull creature whilest I am present with thee and sing prayses and offer sacrifices to thee am not frighted at the hart that I am not pale in my face that my lipps tremble not and my whole body is not in a shiueringe and that so with a flood of tears I doe not incessantly mourne before thee I would fayne doe it but I am not able because I cannot doe what I desire Herupon I am vehemently wondringe at my selfe when by the eyes of Faith I see how terrible thou art but yet who can doe euen this without thy grace For all our saluation is nothing but thy great mercy Woe be to me how comes my soule to be made so senseles as that it is not frighted with excessiue terrour whilest I am standing before God and singinge forth his praise Woe be to me how comes my hart to be so hardned that myne eyes cannot incessantly bring forth whole floods of tears whilest the slaue is speaking before his Lord Man with God the. Creature with the Creator he who is made of durte with him who made all things of nothing Beholde O Lord how I place my selfe before thee that which I conceiue of
with thy finger in my hart the sweete memory of thy mellifluous Name which may neuer be blotted out againe Write thy will and thy lawe in the tables of my hart that I may haue both thy lawe and thy selfe O Lord of immense sweetnes at all tymes and places before myne eyes Burne vp my mynde with that fire of thyne which thou did'st send into the world and did'st desire that it might be much kindled that I may daily offer to thee abundance of tears the sacrifice of a troubled spirit and contrite hart O sweete Christe O deer Iesus as I desire and as with my whole hart I craue so giue me thy holy and chaste loue which may replenish and take and possesse me wholy And giue me that euident signe of thy loue a springing fountayne of tears which continually may flowe that my tears themselues may witnes thy loue to me and they may discouer and declare how deerly my soule loueth thee whilest through the excessiue sweetnes of that loue it cannot conteyne it selfe from tears I remember deare Lord that good woeman Anna who came to the Tabernacle to begg a sonne of thee of whome the Scripture saith that after her tears and prayers her countenance was cast no longer towardes seuerall things But whilest I call to mind her so great vertue and constancy I am racked with greife and confounded with shame because I finde my selfe too miserablie cast downe towards vanity But if she wept so bitterly and did so perseuer in weepinge who onely desired to haue a sonne how ought my soule to lament and continue in lamentation which seekes and loues God and earnesty desires to get home to him How ought such a soule lament and weepe who seeketh God day and night and is resolued to loue nothinge but Christ our Lord It is no lesse then a wōder if such a persons teares become not his bread day and night Looke back therefore and take pitty on me for the sorrowes of my hart are multiplyed Giue me of thy celestiall contemplation and despise not this sinfull soule for which thou dyedst Giue me I beseeche thee internall teares which may springe from the most secret corner of my hart whereby the chaines of my sinns may be broken and lett them euer fill my soule with celestiall ioy that I may obteyne some little portion in thy Kingdome if not in the Society of those true and perfect Moncks whose stepps I am not able to followe yet at least with deuout woeman I doe also call to minde the admirable deuotion of another woemā who sought thee with tender loue whē thou wert layd in the Sepulcher Who retired not from the sepulcher when the Disciples retired who satt downe there all afflicted and wounded she wept there long and much and riseing vp with many tears she did agayne and agayne play as it were the spy with her watchfull eyes vpon that solitary place to see if perhapps she might be able to finde thee any where whom she sought with such ardour of desire She had already entered into the sepulcher once and agayne but that which in it selfe seemes too much seemes not enough to one that loues The vertue of a good worke is perseuerance and because she loued thee beyond the rest and loueing wept and weeping sought and seeking perseuered therefore did she deserue to be the first of all others to finde the out and to speake with thee And not onely that but she was the first proclamer of thy glorious Resurrection to thy Disciples thy selfe thus directing and sweetly commaunding that it should be so Goe and will my brethren that they pass on into Gallile they shall see me there But now if that woeman wept and continued in weepinge who sought the liueing amongst the dead and who touched thee but with the hand of Faith how ought my soule to lamente and persiste in lamentation which beleeueth with the hart and confesseth with the mouth that thou art her redeemer praesiding now in heauen and regninge euery where How ought such a soule to lament and weepe which loues thee with her whole hart and couetts to see thee with her whole desire Thee who art the sole refuge and the onely hope of miserable creatures to whome one can neuer pray without hope of mercy Afford me this fauour I beseech thee for thyne owne sake for thy holy Name that as often as I thinke of thee speake of thee write of thee read of thee conferr of thee as often as I remember thee and am present with thee and offer praise and prayers and sacrifice to thee so often may I weepe abundantly and sweetely in thy presence that so my tears may be made my bread day and night Thou O King of glory and thou instructer of soules in all vertue haste taught vs both by doctrine and example that we are to lament and weepe sayinge Blessed are they who mourne for they shal be comforted Thou didest weepe ouer thy deceased freind and thou didest shedd abundant tears ouer that miserable Citty which was to perish And now O deare Iesus I beseech thee by those most pretious tears of thyne and by all those mercyes whereby thou didest vouchsafe so admirably to releyue vs wretched Creatures giue me the grace of tears which my soule doth greatly affect and couet For without thy guift I cannot haue it but be thou pleased to impart it to me by that holy Spirit of thyne which mollifyes the hard harts of sinners and giues them compunction to weepe as thou didest giue it to our Fathers whose footesteps I am to imitate that so I may lament my selfe duringe my whole life as they lamented themselues day and night And by theyr merits and prayers who pleased theo and did most deuoutly serue thee I beseeche thee take pitty vpon me thy most miserable and vnworthy seruant and grant me the grace of tears Grant me that superior kinde of irrigation or watering and that inferior also that my tears may be my bread day and night and that by the fire of sorrowe I may be made a fatt and marrowy Holocauste in thy sight O my God let me be all offerred vp vpon the altar of my hart and let me be receyued by thee as a most acceptable sacrifice to thee in the odour of sweetnes Grant me O most sweete Lord both a continuall and a cleere founteyne wherein this vncleane Holocauste may be cleansed For although I haue already offered my selfe to thee by thy fauour and grace yet in many things doe I offend dayly through my excessiue frailty Giue me therefore the grace of tears O blessed and amiable God through the greate sweetnes of thy loue and by the commemoration of thyne owne mercyes Prepare this table for thy seruant in thy sight putt it into my power that as often as I list I may be filled therewith Grant through thy pitty goodnes that this excellent and inebriating chalice may quench my thirste
lett my spiritt pante towards thee my hart burne bright in thy loue forgetting all vanity and misery Hearken to me ô God hearken ô thou light of myne eyes hearken to that which I desire and make me desire such things as thou wilt grant O Lord thou who art holy exorable in thy selfe doe not become inexorable to me for my sinns but for thyne owne goodnes sake receaue the Prayers of thy seruant grant me the effect of my desire and sute by the prayers and merits of my Lady the glorious Virgin Mary and of all thy Saintes Amen CHAP. XXXVII A most holy and most excellent Prayer to Almighty God whereby the soule is greatly mooued to deuotion O Lord Iesus O Holy Iesus O good Iesus who didest vouchsafe to dy for our sinns and to rise agayne for our Iustification I beseech thee by that glorious Resurrection of thyne raise me vp from the sepulchre of all my vices and sinns dayly giue me a part in thy Resurrection by grace that I may obteyne to be made a true pertaker of thy Resurrection to glory O thou most sweete most benigne most loueinge most pretious most amiable and most beautifull Lord who didest ascend vp to heauen in a triumph of glory and beinge a most puissant Kinge dost sitt at the right hand of thy Father Drawe me vpward that I may runn after thee in the pursute and sent of thy odoriferous oyntments I will runn and not faynt Whilest thou art leading and draweinge me I will be runninge Drawe vp this mouth of my thirsty soule into those celestiall spirings of eternall satiety Nay rather drawe me to thy very selfe who art the true liueinge fountayne that so accordinge to the vttermoste of my capacity I may drinke that where-vpon I may for euer liue O thou my God and my life For thou haste said with thy holy and blessed mouth If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke O thou fountayne of life grant to my thirsty soule that it may alwayes drinke of thee that accordinge to thy holy and faithfull promisse the liueing waters may flowe from me O thou fountayne of life fill my minde with the torrent of thy delight and inebriate my hart with the sober ebriety of thy loue that I may forget all vaine ād earthly things and may perpetually haue thee and thee alone in my memory as it is written I haue beene mindfull of God and I was delighted Imparte to me the holy Spiritt which was signifyed by those watters which thou didest promisse that thou wouldest giue to such as thirsted after them Grant I beseeche thee that with my whole desire and endeauour I may tend thyther whither I beleeue thee to haue ascended vpon the fortieth day after thy Resurrection That so my body onely be held in this present misery and that I may euer be with thee in desire and thought That my hart may be there where thou art who art my incomparable disireable and extreamely amiable treasure For in the great deluge of this life wherein we are tossed with stormes to and fro surrounding vs and where there is noe secure castinge of anchor nor place more eminent wher-vpon the Doue may place her foote repose her selfe in some smale measure there is noe where any safe peace noe where any secure quietnes but euery where warrs and strife all places full of enemyes fighting without and fears within And because one parte of vs is celestiall and the other terrestriall the body which is subiect to coruption doth dull and stupify the soule Therefore doth this soule of myne which is my companion and my freind and which colmes all weary from trauellinge vpon a long and laborious way lye languishinge and torne in sunder by those vanityes which it passed by and it doth hunger and thirst extreamely and I haue nothinge to sett before it because I am a poore creature and a meere begger Thou ô Lord my God who art rich in all things and art a most plentifull imparter of celestiall satiety giue foode to it being weary recolect it being scattered and repair it being torne in peeces Behold it is at the doore and knockes It beseeches thee by those bowells of thy mercy whereby thou didest visite vs riseinge from aboue to open thy hand of pitty to this miserable soule which knockes and commaund out of thy benignity grace that it may enter in to thee that it may repose in thee and that it may be recreated and fedd with thee who art that true celestiall bread and wine That when it is satisfyed therewith it may recouer strength and so ascēd vp to the things aboue it being snatched vp out of this valley of misery by the wing of holy desires it may fly into those celestiall Kingdomes Let my spiritt ô Lord let my spiritt I beseech thee take the wings of an Eagle let it spring vp and neuer fainte let it fly till it arriue euen as farr as the beauty of thy house that place of the habitation of thy glory that it may there be full fedd vpon that table where thy celestiall Cittizens are refreshed with those secret delights of thyne in that place of rich feedinge close by those full fountaynes and there ô my Lord let my hart repose and rest in thee My hart is a high sea swelling vp with waues Thou who didest commaund both windes and seas where vpon great tranquillity did followe come downe and walke vpon these Waues of my hart that all my thoughts may become serene and quiet to the end that I may embrace thee my deare and onely Lord and that I may contemplate thee who art the sweete light of myne eyes being freed from the blinde mistes or foggs of all vnquiet cogitations Let my hart fly vnder the shadowe of thy wings from the scorching heate of the cares and cogitations of this world that so being hidden vp in that sweete refreschinge of thine it may exult singe In thy peace in thy very selfe will I sleepe and rest Let my memory sleepe let it sleepe I beseeche thee O my Lord God from all sinn and vice Let it hate iniquity and loue sanctity For what is more beautifull what is more delightfull then in the middest of the deepe darkenes and the many bitter sorrowes of this life to pante towards that diuine sweetnes of thine and to aspire to that eternall beatitude and there to haue our harts fixed where it is most certaine that true ioy is to be found O thou most sweete most loueinge most benigne most deare most precious most desirable most amiable and most beautifull Lord When shall I be able to see thee When shall I apppeare before thy face Whē shall I be satisfyed with that beauty of thine Vvhen wilt thou lead me out of this darke prison that I may confesse to thy Name that so from thence forth I may haue noe more cause of greife Vvhen shall I passe on into
no comfort till I shall obteyne to see thee in thy celestiall bedd of state Thee who art my beloued and most beautifull Spouse my Lord and my God That beholding there in the society of such as thou hast chosen that glorious and admirable most beautifull countenance of thine which is topp full of all true sweetenes I may with profound humility adore thy Maiesty And then at last being replenished with the celestiall and vnspeakable iubilation of eternall ioy I may cry out with such as loue thee and say Beholde that which I aspired too I see That which I hoped for I haue That which I desired I inioy For to him am I conioyned in heauen whome being yet on earthe I loued witth my whole power I imbraced with entire affection and I inheared to with inuincible loue Him doe I praise adore and blesse who liueth raigneth God for euer and euer Amen CHAP. XXXVIII A Prayer to be made in affliction HAue mercy on me O Lord haue mercy on me deer Lord haue mercy on me most miserable sinner who cōmitt vnworthy things and doe endure such as I am worthy of for I am daily sinninge and daily feeling the scourge of sinn If I consider the euill which I cōmitt daily it is noe great matter which I suffer It is much wherein I offend and it is little which I endure Thou art lust O Lord and thy iudgment is right yea all thy iudgments are iust and true Thou art iust and true O Lord our God and there is noe iniquity in thee Thou O mercifull and Omnipotent Lord dost not afflict vs sinners cruelly and vniustly But when we were not thou didst make vs with thy hand of power and when we were lost through our owne fault thou didist admirablie restore vs by thy pitty and goodnes I know and am well assured that our life is not driuen on by rash and irregular motions but it is disposed and gouerned by thee O Lord our God So that thou hast a care of all butt especially of thy seruants who haue placed their whole hope in thy mercy I doe therefore beseeche and humbly pray thee that thou wilt not proceed with me according to my sinns whereby I haue deserued thy wrathe but accordinge to thyne owne great mercy which surpasseth the sinns of the whole world Thou O Lord who doest inflict exterior punishments vpon vs giue vs interior patience which may neuer faile that so thy praise may not departe from my mouth Haue mercy on me O Lord haue mercy on me and helpe me accordinge to what thou knowest to be necessary for me both in body and soule For thou knowest all things thou canst doe all things thou who liuest for euer CHAP. XXXIX A verie deuoute Prayer to God the Sonne O Lord Iesus Christe the Sonne of the liueing God who didest drinke vp that Calice of thy Passion thou being extēded vpon thy Crosse for the Redemption of all mortall men vouchsafe this day to giue me helpe Beholde I come poore to thee who art riche miserable to thee who art mercifull Let me not goe empty or despised from thee I am hungry now when I beginn let me not giue ouer empty of thee I come to thee almost starued let me not departe from thee vnfed And if now before I eat I sighe grant at least after I haue sighed that I may eate First of all O most sweete Iesus I confesse myne owne iniustice against my selfe before the magnificence of thy mercy Behold O Lord how I was conceaued and borne in sinne and thou didst wash me and sanctify me and after that I did yet pollute my selfe with greater sinnes For I was borne in Original sinn which was necessary to me but afterwards I weltred in actuall sinn which was voluntary Yet thou O Lord beinge not vnmindfull of thy mercy didst take me from the house of my father of flesh and blood and out of the Tabernacles of sinners and didst inspire me to follow thee with the generation of them who seeke thy face and who walke in the right way and who dwell amongst the Lillyes of chastity and who feed with thee at the table of profound pouerty And I vngratefull for so many benefits did after I had receaued Baptisme worke many wicked deeds and committed many execrable crymes And whereas I ought to haue remoued those former sinns I did after add new sinns to those These are my wickednesses O Lord whereby I haue deshonored thee defiled my selfe whome thou haste created after thyne owne Image and likenesse by pride vaine glorye and a number of other sinnes whereby my vnhappy soule is afflicted torne and destroyed Behold O Lord how my iniquityes haue ouergrowne my head and how they oppresse me as any heauy burden might doe And vnlesse thou whose property it is to haue mercy and to forgiue be pleased to put the hand of thy Maiesty vnder me I shall not faile to be miserably drowned in that bottomlesse pitt Consider O Lord God and see because thou art holy and behold how my enemy insulteth ouer me saying God hath forsaken him I will persecute him and take him for there is none to deliuer him But thou O Lord how long Conuert thy selfe to me and deliuer my soule and saue me for thy mercyes sake Haue mercy vpon thy Sonn whome thou didst begett weth noe small sorrow of thine and doe not so consider my wickednes as thereby to forgett thyne owne goodnes Who is that Father which will not deliuer his Sonne Or who is that Sonne whome the Father will not correct with the staffe of pitty Therefore O my Father and my Lord though it be true that I am a sinner yet I leaue not for all that to be thy Sonne because thou haste both made me and made me agayne As I haue sinned so doe thou reforme me and when thou shalt haue mended me by thy correction deliuer me then to thy Sonne Can the Mother forgett the Childe of her wombe Yet supposeing she could thou hast promised O Father that thou wilt not forgett him Behold I cry out and thou hearest me not I am tormented with sorrowe and thou comfortest me not What can I say or what shall I doe most wretched creature that I am I am vtterly without all comfort and I am cast of from the sight of thyne eyes Woe is me from how great happinesse into how great misery am I fallen Whither was I goeinge and yet where am I arriued where am I or rather where am I not To whome did I aspire and yet now what kinde of things be they for which I pant and sighe I haue sought for happinesse and behold I hawe mett wish infelicity Bebold I am euen dyinge and Iesus is not with me without fayle it is better for me not to be at all then not to be with Iesus it is better for me not to liue at all then to liue without life But thou O Lord Iesus and what
is become of thyne ancient mercyes wilt thou be anggry with me for euer Be thou appeased I beseeche thee and haue mercy on me and doe not turne thy face from me thou who for the redeeminge of me didst not turne thy face from such as did reproch and spitt at thee I confesse that I haue sinned and that my conscience calls for nothing but damnation and my pennance wil not serue for satisfaction but yet it is certayne that thy mercy doth surpasse all sinn Doe not I beseeche thee most deer Lord marite vp my wickednes against me to the end that thou maist enter into exact account with thy seruant but blott out my iniquity according to the multitude of thy mercyes woe be vnto me miserable creature when the day of Iugdment shall come and the booke of consciences shall be opened and it shal be said to me Behold the man and his workes what shall I doe then O Lord my God when the heauens will reueale my iniquityes and when the earth will rise vp against me Beholde I shal be able to make noe answeare but my head hanging downe through confusion I shall stand trembling and all confounded before thee Vvoe is me wretched creature what shal I say I will cry out to thee O Lord my God! For why should I consume my selfe with holding my peace and yet if I speake my greife will not be appeased But yet howsoeuer if I hold my peace I am inwardly tormented with extrcame bitternes Lament O my soule as the Widowe vseth to doe ouer the husband of her youth Howle thou miserable creature and cry out because thy spouse who is Christ our Lord hath dismissed thee O thou wrathe of the Omnipotent doe no thou rush downe vpon me for I am notable to receaue thee It is not in all the power I haue to be able to endure thee Haue mercy on me least I despaire and grant that I may repose in hope and if I haue committed that for which thou maiste condemne me yet thou haste not lost that for which thou art wont to saue sinfull men Thou O Lord desirest not the death of a sinner nor dost thou reioyce in the perdition of dyinge soules nay thou dyedst thy selfe to the end that dead men might liue and thy death hath killed the death of sinners And if they liued by thy death I beseech thee O Lord that I by the meanes of thy life may not dy Send forth thy hand from on highe and take me out of the hand of mine enemyes that they may not reioyce ouer me and say We haue deuoured him Who can distrust of thy mercy O deer Iesus since thou didest redeeme vs and reconcile vs to God by thy Blood when we were thine enemies Behold how being protected vnder the shadowe of thy mercy I come runninge to thy Throne of glory askinge pardon of thee and crying out and knocKinge till thou take pitty of me For if thou haste called vs to take the benefit of thy pardon when we sought it not how much more shall we obteyne it when we seeke it Doe not O most swete Iesus remember thy Iustice against this sinner but be mindfull of thy benignity towards thy creature Be not mindfull of thy wrathe against him who is guilty but be mindfull of thy mercy towards him who is in misery Forget the proude wretch who prouoketh thee and take pitty of that miserable man who inuoketh thee For what is Iesus but a Sauiour and therefore O Iesus I beseeche thee by thy selfe rise vp to help me and say vnto my soule I am thy saluation I presume much O Lord vpon thy goodnes because thy selfe teacheth me to aske to seeke and to knocke and therefor being admonished by that voyce of thyne I doe aske seeke and knocke And thou O Lord who biddest me aske make me receaue thou whoe aduisest me to seeke grant that I may finde thou who teachest me to knocke open to me who am knockinge And eonfirme me who am weake reduce me who am lost raise me to life who am dead and vouchsafe in thy good pleasure so to gouerne my sences my thoughts words and deeds that from hence forth I may serue thee and liue to thee and deliuer my selfe wholy vp into thy hand I know O my Lord that for thy onely haueinge made me I owe thee all my selfe and in that thou wert made Man for me and didest redeeme me I should owe so much more to thee then my selfe if I had more as thou art greater then he for whome thou gauest thy selfe But behold I haue no more nor yet can I giue thee what I haue without thee but doe thou take me and drawe me to thy selfe to thy imitation and loue as already I am thyne by creation and condition thou who euer liuest and reignest CHAP. XL. A profitable Prayer O Lord God Omnipotent who art Trine and One who art allwayes in all things who wert before all things and who art euer to be in all things God to whome be praise for euer to thee doe I commend for this day and for all my life herafter my soule my body my sight my hearinge my taste my smell and my touch All my thoughts affections speaches and actions all my exteriors and interiors my sense my vnderstanding and my memory my faith my hope and my perseuerance into the hands of thy power by day and night and in all houers and momenta Hearken to me O Holy Trinity and conserue me from all euill from all scandall and from all mortall sinne from all ambushes and vexation of Deuills and from all our enemyes visible and inuisible by the Prayers of the Patriarches by the Meritts of the Prophets by the suffrages of the Apostles by the constancy of the Martyrs by the Chastity of the Virgins and by the intercession of all the Saints who haue been pleasing to thee since the beginning of the World Expell from me all boasting of minde increase compounction of hart diminish my pride and perfect thou true humility in me Stirr me vp to shed tears mollify my hard and stony hart deliuer my soule O Lord from all the trecheryes of myne enimyes and conserue me in thy will Teach me O Lord to doe thy will for thou art my God Giue me O Lord perfect seesing and vnderstanding that I may be able to comprehend thy profound benignity Giue me grace to aske that which it may delight thee to heare and may be expedient for me to obteyne Giue me tears which may rise from my whole hart wherby the chaynes of my sinns may be dissolued Hearken O my Lord and my God hearken to what I aske and vouchsafe to grant it If thou despise me I perish if thou reguard me I liue if thou looke for innocency at my hands I am dead already and I stinke if thou looke vpon me with mercy though I stinke yet thou raisest me out of the graue Put that farr from me which thou
hatest in me and ingrafte in me the spiritt of chastity continency that whatsoeuer I may chance to aske of thee yet in the very askeing of it I may not offend thee Take from me that which hurts and giue me that which helpes Giue me O Lord some Phisicke whereby my woundes may be cured O Lord giue me thy feare compunction of hart humility of minde and a pure conscience Grant O Lord that I may euer maintayne fraternal charity and that I may not forget mine owne sinne nor busy my selfe with those of other men Pardon my soule my sinns my crymes visite me who am weake cure me who am sicke strengthen me who am languishing and reuiue me who am dead Giue me a hart O Lord which may feare thee a will which may loue thee a minde which may vnderstand thee eares which may heare thee and eyes which may see thee Haue mercy on me O God haue mercy on me and looke downe on me from that holy seat of thy Maiesty and illuminate the darknes of my hart with the beame of thy splendor Giue me O Lord discretion that I may discerne betweene good and bade and grant that I may haue a vigilant minde O Lord I begg of thee the remission of all my sinns from whome and by whome propitiation may be granted me in the tyme of my necessity and of my greatest streights O holy and immacutate Virgin Mary the Mother of God the Mother of our Lord Iesus Chirste vouchsafe to interceede of me with him whose Temple thou deseruedst to be made Holy Michaell holy Gabriel holy Raphael O you holy Quires of Angells and Archangells of Patriarches and Prophetts of Apostles and Euangelists Martys and Confessors Preists and Leuitts Monckes and Virgins and of all the Saints I presume to begg of you hy him who chose you and by the contemplation of whome you are in such ioy that you will vouchsafe to make supplication to God himselfe for me that I may obteyne to be deliuered from the iawes of the Deuill and from eternall death Vouchsafe O Lord to grant me eternall life according to thy Clemency and most benigne mercy O Lord Iesus Christe grant concord to Preists and to Kings Bishopps and Princes who iudge iustly giue tranquillity and peace O Lord I beseech thee for the whole holy Catholike Church for men and woemen for Religious and secular people for all the gouernors of Christians and all such as beleeuing in thee doe labour for the holy loue of thee that they may obteyne perseuerance in theyr good workes Grant O Lord O Eternall Kinge chastity to Virgins continency to such as are dedicated to thee O Almighty God sanctimony to maried follâ—es pardon to sinners releife to orphans and widowes protection to the poore safe arriual to such as are in iourney comfort to such as mourne euerlasting rest to the faithfull soules departed a safe hauen to such as are at Sea to thy best seruants that they may continue in their vertue to them who are but indifferently good that they may growe better to them who are wicked and sinfull as to me poore wertch that they may quickly reforme themselues O most sweete and most mercyfull Lord Iesus Christe the Sonne of the liueinge God the Redeemer of the world I confesse my selfe to be a miserable sinner in all things and aboue all men but thou also O most mercifull and supreame Father who takest pitty vpon all doe not suffer me to become an alien from thy mercy O God thou King of Kinges who haste giuen me this truce of liueing till now grant me deuotion to reforme my selfe stirr vp in me a minde which may earnestly desire and seeke thee and loue thee aboue all things feare thee and doe thy will thou who art all euery where in Trinity and Vnity and that for euer Especially therefore I beseech thee O Lord O Holy Father who art glorious and blessed for euer that all they who remember me in their Prayers and who haue commended themselues to my vnworthy ones and who haue performed any office of charity or worke of mercy towards me and they also who are ioyned to me by kindred and by the naturall affection of flesh and blood and as well all they who are now aliue as those others who are departed may be mercifully and graciously gouerned by thee that they perish not Vouchsafe to giue succour to all the Christians who liue grant absolution with eternall rest to the faithfull who are dead And moreouer I doe in most particuler manner begg of thee O Lord thou who art Alpha and omega that when the last day and pointe of my life shall arriue thy selfe will vouchsafe to be my mercifull Iudge against that maligne accuser the Deuill and be thou my continuall defend or against the sleights of that ancient enemy of mine and make me continue in that holy heauen of thyne in the society of al the Angells and Saints thou who art blessed for euer and euer Amen CHAP. XLI A Prayer in memorie of the Passion of Christe our Lord. O Lord Iesus Christe my Redemption my mercy and my saluation I praise thee I giue thee thanks though they carry noe proportion to thy benefits Though they be very voide of deuotion though they be leane in respect of the fatnes of that most sweete loue of thee which I desire yet such as they are not such I confesse as I owe but such as I am able to conceaue my soule is now paying to thee O thou hope of my hart and thou vertue of my soule and the life and end of all my intentions lett thy most powerfull dignity supply that which my most fainte weaknes doth endeauour And if I haue not yet deserued so much of thee as to loue thee so much as I ought yet at least I haue an earnest desire to performe the same O thou my light thou seest my conscience because O Lord all my desires are before thee And if I endeauour to doe any thing which is good it is thou who bestowest it vpon me If that be good O Lord which thou inspirest or rather because the inclination which I haue to loue thee is good grant me that which it is thy will that I should desire and grant that I may obteyne to loue thee as much as thou requirest I giue thee praise and thankes for what I haue lest otherwise thy gnift might proue vnfruitfull to me which thou hast bestowed of thyne owne free will Perfect that which to hast begunn and giue me that through thy mercy which thou madest me desire without any merit of mine Conuert O most benigne Lord my dull heauinesse into a most feruent loue of thee To this O my most mercifull Lord my prayer my memory my meditation of thy benefitts doe all tend that thou maiste kindle thy loue in me Thy goodes O Lord created me thy mercy when I was created did cleanse me from original sinn thy patience after that
my selfe am growen to be wholy vayne And hence also it is O Lord that I reioyce not in thee and that I adheare not to thee For I am in exteriour things thou in interiour I am in temporall things thou in spirituall my minde is scattered spilt my thought is entertayned my speach is imployed vpon transitory obiects but thou O Lord doest dwell in the eternities and art eternity it selfe Thou art in heauen I on earth thou louest high and I lowe things thou celestiall I terrestriall when shall these contrarietyes be euer able to meete CHAP. II. Of the misery and frayletie of Man WRetch that I am when shall this crookednes of mine be straightened according to that rectitude of thyne Thou O Lord louest to be alone and I to be in multituds Thou louest to be in silence and I in noyse Thou louest truth and I loue vanity Thou louest purity and I vncleanenes What should I say more O Lord thou art truely good and I naughty thou art holy and I am wicked thou art happy and I vniust thou art light it selfe and I am truely blinde thou art life it selfe and I am dead thou art Phisicke and I am sicke thou art ioy and I am sorrow thou art soueraigne Truth and I am an vniuersality of vanitie as indeede all men liueinge are Woe be therefore to me O thou Creatour of myne what shall I say Yet hearken thou O my Creatour for I am thy creature and I am euen now vpon perishing I am thy creature and am euen very now vpon dying I am the worke of thy hands and I am euen now reduced to nothing I am the thing which thou haste made Thy hands O Lord haue made me and fashioned me those hands I say which were fastened to the Crosse with nayles for me Doe not O Lord despise the worke of those hands of thine I beseech thee behold the wounds which are in thine owne hands Behold O Lord how thou haste writtē me in thyne owne hāds Reade that wrightinge of thine and saue me Behold I thy creature doe sigh towards thee thou art my Creatour and doe thou refresh me Behold I who am the worke of thy hands cry out to thee thou art life it self doe thou quicken me Behold I whom thou haste framed am lookeing towards thee thou art my maker and therefore doe thou restore me Pardon me O Lord for my dayes are nothing And yet what is any man that he should presume to speake to his Creator who is God Pardon me whilest I am speakeing to thee forgiue thy slaue who presumes to open his mouth to soe great a Lord. But necessity hath noe lawe Greife forces me to speake the calamity which I endure constraynes me to cry out I am sicke and I cry out to my Physician I am blinde and I make haste towards the light I am dead and I aspire towards life Thou O Iesus of Nazareth art the Physician thou art the Light thou art life Haue mercy on me O thou Sonne of Dauid Take pitty on me O thou fountaine of mercy Giue eare ro thy poore creature which cryes out after thee O thou light which art passing by expect this blinde man reach forth thy hand to him that he may come to thee ard may see light in thy light O thou liueing life reuiue thou this dead man But yet who am I that am speakinge to thee Woe be to me O Lord haue mercy on me O Lord on me who am a rotten carkas the food of wormes a stinkeing pott and that matter whereon fyre must feede VVoe be to me O Lord wretched man that I am Man who being borne of a woeman is to liue but a little time and is to be filled with many miseries Man I say who is growen like to vanity it selfe and being cōpared to the foolish beasts is now also become like to them But yet still what am I a darke abysse a wretched peece of earth a childe of wrath a vessell euen made fitt for reproach begotten with impurity liueing in mysery and dying in agony Alas poore wretch what am I and yet againe alas what am I to be A vessell full of dunge a hollow shell full of putrefaction full of stinkeing filth which euen breedeth horrour Blynde poore naked subiect to a world of myseries and wholly ignorant eyther how I came into the world or how I shall gett out Miserable and mortall whose dayes passe away like a shadow whose life doth vanish like awayning Moone like a flower which groweth vpon a stalke and presently decayes Now it florisheth and in the turneing of a hande it withereth This life I say this frayle life of myne this transitory life this life which how muche the more it encreaseth soe much the more it decayes how much the more it proceedes so much the nearer it drawes to death A deceiptfull life and like to a shadow and all besett with the very snares of death Now I reioyce and euen now againe I am sadd now I am strong and now againe I am weake now I liue and now I am about to dye now I laugh and now againe I weepe now I seeme happy whilest yet I am all wayes miserable And soe subiect are all things to change vpon all warninges as that there is scarce any one of them which continueth permanent for the space of an houre Here feare and apprehension and hunger and thirst and heate and cold and sickenes of body and sorrow of mynd is in all aboundance And all these are followed by vntimely death which snatcheth men out of the world by a thousand wayes It kills one man with a feauer another man is oppressed with greife of mynd hunger consumeth one thirst makes an end of another one man is drowned by water another man is strangled by a halter another is destroyed by fyre another is deuowred by wilde beasts One is killed by the sword another is corrupted by poyson and another ends his miserable life by the surprise of some strange and sodayne feare And now besides and beyond all these things a huge misery it is that as nothing is more certayn then death soe of nothing is a man more vncertayn then of the tyme when he shal dy When he thinkes he standeth fastest he is tripped vp and his hope perisheth Noe man can tel eyther when or where or how he shall dye and yet he is sure enough that dye he must Behold O Lord how great this misery of man is wherein I am placed yet I am voyd of feare How great the calamite is which I endure and yet I am farre from greife nor doe I cry out to thee But I will cry out O Lord before I passe away to the end that I may not passe away but remayne in thee I will therfore declare I will declare my misery I will not be ashamed to confesse my basenes before thee Helpe me O thou my strength whereby I am raised succour me
sad people he pretends himselfe to be sad for company To the end that he may delude such as are in ioy he faynes himselfe also to reioyce That he may beguile such as are spirituall he transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light That he may insinuate himselfe and by that meanes crush such as are strong he takes the semblance of a lambe that he may deuoure such as are meeke he borrowes the face of a Wolfe All these things he takes vpon him according to the similitude and proportion of the temptations which he meanes to vse As some he frights with a nocturnall feare others by the arrow which flyes by day others by the busines which walkes by night others by expresse assault and others by that deuill of high noone Now who is he that can thinke himselfe a match for this enemy so farr as that he may so much as know him and who did euer reach to the bottome of his craft Who shall reueale the makeing of his garment to vs and who shall make vs knowe the walke of his teeth Behould he hideth his arrowes in his quiuer and he couers his snares vnder a shew of light soe he is lesse subiect to be vnderstood vnlesse O Lord O thou hope of ours we beg light from thee whereby we may discerne all things For not onely doth he striue to deceiue vs in the sensuall workes of flesh and blood nor onely in the exercise of vice which is easily discerned but euen amongst our most spirituall actions he hideth certain subtile snares vnder the colour of vertue he puts on vice transformes himselfe into an Angell of light these and many other things O Lord our God doth this very sonne of Beliall this Satan endeauour to bring against vs. And now as a Lyon then as a Dragon both manifestly and secretly interiourly and exteriourly both by day and night he is laying traynes for vs that soe he may destroy our soules But thou O Lord deliuer vs thou who sauest such as hope in thee that our enemy may haue cause to be sorry for as much as may concerne vs but that thou O Lord our God maist be praised in vs. CHAP. XVIII Of the benefits of God BVt let mee the sonne of thy handmayd who haue commended my selfe into thy hands confesse to thee O my deliuerer with my whole harte in these little poore confessions of myne and let me call to minde all those good blessings which thou hast voutchsafed to bestow on mee from my youth and in my whole life For I well know that ingratitude doth much offend thee which is the roote of all spirituall mischeife and a kinde of dry and parching wynde which blasteth all goodnes and it shutteth vp the fountayns of diuine mercy towards man and by this meanes both our ill deedes which were dead gett life againe our good deedes which liue doe quickly growe to dy and haue noe more life afterward But as for mee O Lord I will giue thankes to thee Let not mee O thou my deliuerer be vngratefull to thee since thou hast freede mee How often had that Dragon euen swallowed mee vp and thou O Lord diddest drawe mee out of his mouth How often haue I sinned when he was ready to haue deuoured mee but thou O Lord my God diddest defend mee When I did wickedly against thee when I transgressed thy commaundements he stood ready to snatch mee away into hell but thou forbadest him I offended thee and the while thou defendedest mee I did not feare him and yet thou diddest preserue mee I departed from thee made offer of my selfe to myne enemy but thou diddest fright him so as that he should not dare to carry me away These benefits diddest thou bestowe vpon me O Lord my God and I wretched creature knew it not Full often hast thou freed mee from the uery iawes of the Deuill and snatched me out of the mouth of the Lyon and full often hast thou brought me back againe from hell though I was ignorant thereof For I descended euen towards the very gates of hell and thou heldest me back from goeing in I drewe neare the gates of death and thou wert the cause why they opened not themselues to receiue mee Thou also O my Sauiour hast often deliuered me from corporall death when I was subiect to great sickenes And when I found my self in many daungers by sea by land by fyre by sword and many other wayes thou wert euer deliuering mee euer present to mee and euer saueing mee with great mercy For thou O Lord diddest well knowe that if death had then seised vpon mee hell had possessed my soule and I had bene damned for euer But thy mercy and thy grace O Lord my God preuented mee and gaue mee deliuerance from that death of my body and consequently from the death of my soule These and many other benefits diddest thou imparte to mee but I was blinde and knew them not till I was illuminated by thee But now O thou light of my soule O Lord my God my life by which I liue and the light of mynes eyes by which I see Behould thou hast illuminated mee and now I knowe thee and cōfesse my selfe to liue by the guift of thy hand and I giue thankes to thee Which though they be meane and poore full of disproportion to thy benefits yet they are the best which my frailty can affoord For thou alone art my God my benigne Creatour who doest loue our soules and hatest none of those things which thou hast made Behold I who am the greatest of those sinners whom thou hast saued to the end that I may giue an example to others of thy most benigne piety will confesse thy great benefits to me For thou hast snatched me out of that lower hell once twice and thrice and a hundered and a thousand times And indeede I was euer tending towards Hell and thou wert euer drawing mee back And thou mightest iustly haue damned me a thousand times if thou haddest beene soe disposed But thou wouldest not because thou louest soules O Lord my God and thou dissemblest the sinnes of men that soe they may come to pennance and there is much mercy in all thy wayes Now therefore I see these things O Lord my God and I knowe them by thy light and my soule doth euen faynt and is sicke with loue vpon the consideration of thy great mercy towards mee since thou hast snatched my soule out of that lower Hell and hast brought mee back againe to life For I was all plunged in death and thou hast wholy reuiued mee Be therefore all my life and beeing thyne and I doe wholly offer my whole selfe vp to thee Let my whole spirit my whole harte my whole body and my whole life liue to thee O thou my sweete life for thou hast deliuered me wholly that thou mightest possesse me wholy thou hast intirely repaired me that so againe thou mayest haue mee intirely
blessings BEhold mee I beseeche thee let thy great mercy stand open to me Illustrate mee yet more with thy light that soe it may be discouered to me more and more For by these little workes of thyne wee growe to comprehend thy great ones and by thy visible workes we are enabled to take some ayme at thy inuisible workes O Lord our God the holy and good Creatour of vs all For if O my Lord whilest we are in this body which is soe corruptible and ignoble thou dost imparte to vs so great and euen innumerable benefits by meanes of the heauens and of the ayre of the earth and sea of light and darkenes of sunne and shade of dew and gentle rayne of wyndes and stiffe showers of birds and fishes of beasts and trees of the multiplicity of herbes and plants of the earth by meanes of the ministry of all thy creatures which doe successiuely serue vs at due and seuerall times to ease vs thereby of that trouble and fastidiousnes which otherwise wee might be subiect too what kinde of benefits I beseeche thee and how greate and euen innumerable will they be which thou hast prepared for such as loue thee in that celestiall country where we shall behould thee face to face If thou doe vs soe much honour in this prison what wilt thou doe in thy pallace Greate and innumerable are thy workes O Lord thou King of the heauens For since these of the lower rancke which thou hast deliuered ouer to be vsed promiscuously here both by good an badd be all of them very excellently good delightfull what kinde of things shall they proue to be which thou hast onely treasured vp for them alone who are good If thy guifts be soe diuers and euen innumerable which now thou bestowest both vpon thy freinds vpon thyne enemyes how greate how innumerable how dearly sweete and how delightfull are they to be which thou wilt onely bestow vpon thy freinds If the solace be so greate which thou giuest vs in this day of our tears what wilt thou giue in that day of our espousalls If this place of exile and restraint afford such pleasures what I beseeche thee will our Country doe The eye cannot see without thee what thou hast prepared for such as loue thee For according to the greate multitude of thy magnificence soe also the multitude of that sweetenes is great which thou hast hidden vp for them that feare thee For thou O Lord my God art great thou art immense there is noe end of thy greatenes there is noe number of thy Wisedome there is noe measure of thy benignity there is neither end number nor measure of the reward which thou bestowest But as thou art great so are thy rewards great for thou thy selfe art the reward and the guift which thou bestowest vpon all such as shall valiantly haue fought thy battayles CHAP. XXII That the diuine sweetenes taketh away all the present bitternes of the world THese are those great benefits wherewith thou O Lord God the sanctifyer of thy Saints wilt satisfy and remoue the want of thy hungry children For thou art the hope of the desperate the comforte of the desolate thou art that very crowne of hope which is adorned with the glory prepared for such as ouercome Thou art the eternall satiety of such as haue bene allmost starued and thou art to be bestowed vpon such as hunger after thee Thou art that euerlasting consolation who bestoweth thy selfe vpon them alone who despise the comforts of this world for that euerlasting consolation of thyne For they who looke for theyr comfort here are esteemed vnworthy of thy comforts but they who are afflicted here are comforted by thee and they who partake with thee in thy Passion shall partake with thee also in thy consolation Noe man must thinke to be comforted both in this and in the other world nor must he thinke to be in ioy both here and there but he must necessarily loose the one who will possesse the other When I consider these things O Lord my comforter my soule refuseth the comforts of this life that soe it may be held worthy of thy eternall consolations For it is high reason that any man should loose thee if he make choyse to be comforted more in any other then in thee And I beseech thee euen by thy selfe O thou supreme Truth that thou permitt me not to be comforted by any vayne consolation but that it may onely be in thee And I beg that all things may growe bitter to me that thou alone mayest appeare sweete to my soule thou who art that inestimable sweetnes whereby all bitter things are made sweete For thy sweetenes is the thing which made that torrent of stones sweete to Steuen Thy sweetenes made that burneing gridyron sweete to blessed Laurence Through thy sweetenes the Apostles went reioyceing from the Councell because they were held worthy to suffer reproach for thy Names sake Andrew went both with security and ioy to the Crosse because he hastened to taste of thy sweetenes And this sweetenes of thyne did soe fill the two Princes of the Apostles that for it the wood of the Crosse was chosen by one of them and the other was not affrayed to submitt his head to the murtheringe sword For the purchasse of this sweetenes Bartholomew sold away his very skinne And to haue a taste thereof the vndanted Iohn drunke off that poysened cupp And as soone as Peter had tasted of it he forgott all other things and cryed thus out like one who were inebriated saying O Lord it is good for vs to be here Let vs here make three Tabernacles Let vs dwell here let vs contemplate thee For we neede nothing else It is enough for vs O Lord to see thee It is enough saith he to be satiated with soe great delight And the reason was this Because he had tasted some one dropp of diuine sweetenes all other sweetenes was lothed by him What then shall wee thinke that he would haue sayd if he had once tasted of the great multitude of the sweetenes of thy diuinity which thou hast hidden vp for them that feare thee That Virgin had also tasted of this vnspeakeable sweetenes of thyne of whome wee read that she went topp full of ioy and glory to the prison as if she had bene inuited to some marriadge Feast And of this I suppose he also had tasted who sayd That the multitude of that sweetenes of thyne O Lord was great which thou haddest hidden vp for them that feare thee and who also aduised men thus Taste and see how sweete our Lord is For this is that beatitude O Lord our God which wee expect by the guift of thy hand for which wee fight as in a warfare vnder thee O Lord for which wee are mortifyed to thy honour all the day long that at last wee may liue to thee in that life of thine CHAP. XXIII That all our hope and
ardent desire of our hart ought to be placed in our Lord. BVt thou O Lord the expectation of Israell and that desire to which our harte doth euery day aspire make haste to vs and doe not stay Rise vp make hast and come and bring vs out of this prison to confesse vnto thy Name that wee may glory in thy light Open thyne eares to the cry of the teares of thy forsaken children who thus are calling out to thee Giue vs O thou Father of ours our daylie breard this day in the strength whereof wee may walke day and night till at last wee may arriue to thy Holy Mountaine Horeb. And I also poore little one that I am amongst the poore little ones of thy familly when shall I O my God my Father and my strength come and appeare before thy face that I who confesse vnto thee now for a tyme may doe it there for all eternity Happy shall I be if once I may be admitted to behould thy brightenes Who will graunt mee soe much fauour as that once I may bee admitted to that happines I knowe O Lord I knowe and confesse that I am vnworthy to enter vnder thy roofe Yet doe thou admitt mee for thyne owne honnour 's sake confound not thy slaue who hopes in thee And who shall be able to enter into thy Sanctuary to consider the wonders of thy power vnles thou open him the gate And who can open it if thou shutt it For if thou destroy there is none can build vs vp And if thou shutt a man in there is none who cā putt him out If thou contayne the waters all the world will be dryed vp but if thou let thē loose they will ouerrune the earth If thou haue a mynde to anihilate all that which thou hast created who shall presume to contradict thee Now therefore ô thou eternall goodnes of thy mercy which is that whereby thou madest whatsoeuer thou wouldest thou art the Archytect of the whole world and therefore doe thou also gouerne vs. Thou didest creat vs and therefore doe not thou despise vs for wee are the worke of thy hands And it is playne enough O Lord our God that wee who are but base wormes and durt shall neuer be able to enter into thy eternityes vnles we be introduced by thee who hast created all things of nothing CHAP. XXIV That all our saluation depends vpon God BVt I the worke of thy hands will confesse to thee in thy feare that I will not putt my confidence in my bowe or thinke that my sword can saue me but that must be donne by thy right hand and by thyne arme and by the illumination of thy countenance For otherwise I should despayre But thou who diddest create mee art my hope that thou wilt not forsake such as trust in thee For thou art our Lord God sweete and patient and disposeing of all things in mercy For it we haue sinned wee are thyne and if wee haue not sinned wee are thine because we are numbred among thy creatures Wee are but as a leafe in respect of the world and all mankinde is but vanity and our life is but as a vapour vpon the earth Be not angry if wee thy poore forsaken little children fall because thou O Lord our God knowest the matter whereof wee are made Wilt thou O God of inestimable fortitude shew forth thy power against a leafe which is whipped away by the winde And persecute a withered strawe Wilt thou O Eternell King of Israell damne a dead dogg wilt thou damne a single gnatt Wee haue heard O Lord of thy mercy and thou puttest not to death nor reioycest in the perdition of dying men Therefore doe wee beseeche thee O Lord that thou wilt not permitt that which thou hast not made to haue dominion ouer this creature of thine which thou hast made Nay thou art greiued with our perdition and what then O Lord shall be able to hinder thee who art omnipotent from eternally reioyceing in our saluation If thou wilt thou canst saue mee but I cannot doe it though I would The multitude of the miseries which I carry about mee is very greate It is at hand with mee to will a thing but I cannot finde the way to perfect it Yet I cannot euen will a good thing vnles thou also wi lt nor can I performe that which I haue a will to doe vnles thy power strengtheneth mee Yea and that which I haue power to doe falls out sometymes that I will not doe it vnles thy will may be done in Earth as it is in Heauen And what I will doe can doe I doe not knowe vnles thy wisedome illustrate mee And though also I doe knowe hauing sometymes a will to doe a thing and sometymes also a power to doe it yet my VVisdome passeth away all imperfect and empty as it is vnles thy true VVisdome helpe mee But in thy will all things are placed and there is none who can resist that will of thyne O thou the Lord of all thy Creatu-Creatures who hast supreame dominion ouer all flesh and doest worke whatsoeuer thou wilt in Heauen and in Earth in the Sea and in all the Abysses Let therefore thy will be done in vs vpon whome thy Name hath beene inuoked and let not this noble worke of thyne perish which thou diddest create for thyne owne glory And what man borne of woeman is hee who can liue not see death and deliuer his soule from the hand of hell vnles thou alone doe snatch him thence Thou who art the vitall life of all life whereby all things liue CHAP. XXV That the will of man wanteth efficacy towards good workes without the Grace of God I Haue now confessed to thee O thou prayse of my life O Lord my God and the strength of my Saluation that there was a tyme when I had confidence in myne owne strength which yet was noe strength at all And when I was so resolued to runne on where I thought my selfe to stand fastest there I fell fowlest insteede of aduanceing I retyred and I was more and more estranged from that which I thought to haue apprehended And so being come to know the little proportiō of my strēgth by the many experimēts which I made for the wāt thereof I doe now vnderstand because I haue bene illuminated by thee that whatsoeuer I haue thought my selfe most able to doe that could I euer bring least to passe For I sayd sometimes I will doe this and I will perfect that I did neither the one nor the other If I had the will I wanted the power If I had the power I had not then the will because I trusted in myne owne strength But now I confesse to thee O Lord my God the Father of Heauen and Earth that noe man shall ouercome in his owne strength to giue occasion thereby to the foolish presumption of flesh and blood to glory in thy sight For it is not in
the power of a man to will that which he hath power to doe or to doe that which he cann will or to knowe what he cann will and doe but rather the paces of men are directed by thee the paces of them I meane who confesse themselues to be directed by thee and not by themselues Wee beseech thee therefore O Lord by the bowells of thy mercy be pleased to saue that which thou hast created For if thou wilt thou canst saue vs and the strength of our saluation consisteth in the pleasure of thy will CHAP. XXVI Of the auncient benefits of Almighty God CAll to mynde thy auncient mercy whereby thou diddest preuent vs from the beginning in those benedictions of thy sweetenes For before I was borne I who am the sonne of thy handmayde O Lord who hast bene my hope euen from the brests of my mother thou diddest preuent mee by preparing those wayes for mee wherein I might walke and whereby I was to arriue to the glory of thy house Before thou framedst mee in my mothers wombe thou knewest mee and before I parted from her wombe thou diddest praeordayne concerning mee whatsoeuer was pleasing to thy selfe What things are contayned and written in thy booke concerning mee in that secret of thy Consistory I for my parte doe not knowe and there vpon I am in extreme feare but it is well knowen to thee For that which I might expect to happen in successe of dayes and tymes betweene this and a thousand yeares hence all that is already done in the sight of thy eternity and that which is future is finished already there Now therefore whilest I liue in this darke night and whilest I am ignorant of these things feare and trembling come vpon mee since I see on all sides that many dangers doe sett vpon mee close at hand and that I am hunted by many enemyes and hemmed in by innumerable miseryes in this life And vnles I had thy helpe in the middest of so great calamityes I should despaire But still I haue a strong hope in thee O thou most meeke Prince and my God And the consideration of the multitude of those mercy which thou hast shewed to mee doth ease my minde the fore-running signes of thy mercyes which preuented mee before I was borne and doe now shine particularly towards mee doe sollicite me to haue good hope concerning those future better more perfect guifts of thy benignity which thou reseruest for thy freinds That soe I may reioyce O Lord my God with that liuely and holy ioy whereby thou dost euer recreate my youth CHAP. XXVII Of the Angels which are deputed to the custody of man FOr thou hast loued me O thou onely Loue of myne before I loued thee and thou hast created mee after thine owne Image and thou hast preferred me before all thy creatures Which dignity I keepe now also hauing knowen thee for whome thou hast made mee Thou hast also made thy Spirits Angels for my benefitt and thou hast commaunded them to keepe me in all my wayes lest els perhaps I might hurte my foote against a stone For these are the Guard which stands vpon the walls of the Citty of thy new Ierusalem and these are those Mountaynes which are sayd to stand in the circuit thereof keeping watch by night ouer thy flocke least at any time the Lyon should snatch away our soules whilest none were by to deliuer them that auncient serpent I say our aduersary the deuill who is euer walkeing the round seekeing whom he may deuowre These are those happy Citizens of Ierusalem that supernall Citty that mother of ours which is aboue and they are sent in ministery to them who are to take hold of the inheritance of saluation that they may deliuer them from theyr enemyes and guard them in all theyr wayes that they may comfort and admonish thy children and offer vp theyr prayers in the sight of the glory of thy Maiestie For they loue theyr fellow-Cittizens by whose society they expect that the ruine of the Schisme which was made by the rebellious Angells may be repayred They doe therefore assist vs with greate care and watchfull endeauour at all tymes and in all places succouring vs and making prouision against our necessityes and passeing with great sollicitude betweene vs and thee O Lord presenting our sighes and sobs to thee that they may obtayne for vs an easy pardon from thy mercy and may bring downe from thee the desired benediction of thy grace For they walke with vs in all our wayes they goe in and out with vs considering with greate attention how vertuously and piously wee conuerse in the middest of a wicked nation with great endeauour and desire we seeke the Kingdome of God and the iustice thereof with how greate feare and trembling wee serue thee and how also wee exult towards thee in the ioy of our harts They helpe such as are takeing paynes they protect such as are at rest they encourage such as fight they crowne such as conquer they reioyce with such as ioy I meane such as ioy in thee and they suffer with such as suffer I meane such as are in sufferance for thee They haue a mighty care of vs. Great is the ardour of theyr affection towards vs and all this for the honour they beare to that inestimable charity where-with thou louest vs For they loue them whom thou louest they keepe them whom thou keepest and they forsake them whom thou forsakest Nor doe they loue the workers of wickednes because thou hatest all the workers of iniquity and destroys all them who speake lyes As often as wee doe well the Angels ioy and the Deuills grieue But as often as wee swarue from vertue wee make the Deuill glad and wee depriue the Angels of theyr ioy For they haue ioy by one sinner doeing pennance but the Deuill hath ioy when pennance is giuen ouer by a good man Graunt them therefore O Father graunt that they may euer reioyce concerning vs and that thou mayest euer be praysed by them in vs and that both they and wee may be brought into one the same sheepfoulde that together wee may confesse to thy Holy Name O thou Creatour both of men and Angels Whilest I am calling these things to minde before thee I confesse to thee with prayse that these are greate benefits whereby thou hast honoured vs whilest thou giuest thy Spirits for Angels to assist vs. Thou haddest already bestowed whatsoeuer was contayned vnder the vaut of heauen yea and thou reputest that as but little which is contayned vnder heauen vnles thou mayest also add those things which are aboue the heauens Lett all thy Angels prayse thee also for this O Lord Let all thy workes also confesse to thee and let all thy Saints themselues blesse thee for it O thou our Supreame honour thou hast too highly honored vs and thou hast beautifyed and enriched vs with many guifts Thy Name O Lord is admireable ouer
lipps But my harte hath quaked and sayd Woe be vnto me who am a man of polluted lipps because I haue not held my peace but sayd that I knewe thee And yet O Lord woe be to them who are silent concerning thee For the greatest talkers may be accounted but dumbe if they doe not speake of thee And as for me O Lord my God I will not be silent concerning thee because thou hast made mee and I haue therefore knowne thee because thou hast illuminated me But yet how haue I knowen thee I haue knowen thee in thy selfe Yet I haue no knowen thee in thy selfe as thou art to thy selfe but I haue knowen thee as thou art to mee But yet howsoeuer it is not without thee but in thee because thou art the light which hast illuminated mee For as thou art to thy selfe thou art onely knowen to thy selfe but as thou art to mee by thy mercy and grace thou art knowen to mee But what art thou vnto mee Tel me O mercifull Lord who am thy miserable seruant tell me by thy mercy what thou art to mee Say to my soule I am thy saluation Doe not hide thy face from mee lest if thou doe I dye Suffer me to speake me who am dust and ashes suffer me to speake to thy mercy For thy mercy towards mee is greate and I will presume to speake to thee though I be but dust and ashes Tell mee who am thy supplyant say O mercifull Lord to thy miserable creature say by thy mercyes what thou art to mee And thou hast thundered downe with a mighty voyce vpon the inward eare of my hart and thou hast broken through my deafenes and I haue heard thy voyce And thou hast illuminated my blindenes and I haue seene thy light and haue knowen that thou art my God It is therefore that I sayd that I haue knowen thee For I haue knowen that thou art my God I haue knowen that thou art the onely true God and Iesus Christ whome thou hast sent For thrre wat a time when I knewe thee not bu woe be to that time when I knew not tgee Woe be to that blindenes when I sawe not thee Woe be to that deafnes when a heard not thee For being blinde deafe I did rush with great deformity vpon those things which yet thou had dest made fayre and thou wert still with mee but I was not with thee And those things kept mee farre from being with thee which yet if they had not bene in thee could haue had noe beeing at all Thou diddest illuminat mee O thou light of the world and I saw thee and I loued thee And indeede noe man loueth thee but he who sees thee and noe man sees thee but he who loues thee Too late am I come to loue thee O thou beauty which art so auntient and yet so new Too late am I come to loue thee and woe be to that time when I loued thee not CHAP. XXXII A Confession of true faith I Giue thankes O thou who art my light because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue knowen thee How haue I knowen thee I haue knowen thee to be the onely liueing God and my true creatour I haue knowen thee to bee the Creator of heauen earth of all things visible and inuisible to be the true Omnipotent God immortall inuisible vncircumscribed vnlimited eternall inaccessible incomprehensible inscrutable vnchangeable immense infinite the first beginning of all both visible inuisible creatures by whome all things are made and by whome all the Elements subsist Whose Maiestie as it neuer had any beginning soe neither shall it end for all eternity I haue knowen thee to be one onely true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost three Persons indeede but one essence and the same wholly simple and vndiuided nature And that the Father is of none that the Sonne is onely of the Father and that the Holy Ghost is iointly of them both euer without beginning and for euer to be without ending to be Trine and onely One and that the true Omnipotent God That thou art that one beginning of all things and the Creatour of all things both visible and inuisible spirituall and temporall who by thy Omnipotent vertue diddest in the beginning of Tyme create both the spirituall and corporall creature that is to say the Angells in heauen and the fabricke of the world and then thou madest man as being compounded both of body and soule I haue knowen thee and I doe confesse thee O God the Father to be vnbegotten and thee O God the Sonne to be begotten of the Father and thee O holy Ghost the Paraclete to be neither begotten nor vnbegotten And I beleiue with my harte to Iustice and I confesse with my mouth to saluatiō the holy and indiuiduall Trinity in three persons coequall consubstantiall and coeternall Trinity in Vnity and Vnity in Trinity I haue knowen thee the true God and our Lord Iesus Christ to be the onely begotten Sonne of God the Creatour the Sauiour and the Redeemer of mee and all mankinde whome I confesse to haue bene begotten of the Father before all ages God of God light of light true God of true God not made but begotten consubstantiall coeternall with the Father and the Holy Ghost by whome all things were made from the beginning And I beleiue firmely and confesse truely that thou O Iesus Christ the onely begotten God wert incarnate ioyntly by the holy Trinity for the saluation of man and that thou wert conceiued through the cooperation of the Holy Ghost by the perpetuall Vithin Mary and that thou wert made true man consisting of a reasonable soule and humane flesh Who being the onely begotten of God and consequently both impassible and immortall yea for the great loue wherewith thou louest vs thou being still the same sonne of God wert yet according to thy humanity made both passible mortall who being the onely sonne of God diddest voutchafe to suffer Passion and death vpon the tree of the crosse for the saluation of mankinde to the end that thou mightest deliuer vs from eternall death And being the author of light thou diddest descend to Hell where our fore-Fathers satt in darkenes And the third day being a glorious conquerer thou diddest rise vp from the dead resumeing thy sacred body which had lyen dead in the sepulchre for our sinnes and thou diddest quicken it the third day according to the scriptures that thou mightest place it at the right hand of thy Father For haueing ledd with thee out of captiuitie them whom our auntient enemy the enemy of all mankinde had captiued in Hell thou being the true Sonne of God didest ascend aboue all the heauens with the substance of our nature that is to say both with thy soule and that humaine flesh which thou haddest taken of the glorious Virgin And thou diddest surpasse all the quyers of Angels where thou sittest at the right hand of thy Father
and where that fountayne of life is and that inaccessible light and that peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding There doe wee adore and belieue thee O Iesus Christ to be true God and man confessing that thou hast God for thy Father and that from heauen wee expect thee to come as Iudge in the end of the world to iudge the quicke and the dead that thou mayest render eyther reward or punishment to all men eyther good or badd according to those workes which they shall haue wrought in this life that soe they may be eyther in rest or eternall misery For all those creatures who haue receiued a humane soule into that flesh which here they haue carryed about them shall rise at that day in the voyce of thy strength to the end that the whole man may receyue eyther glory or torments according to his merits Thou art that life and resurrection it selfe whom wee expect to be our Sauiour Iesus Christ our Lord who will reforme this poore meane body of ours by conformeing it to the body of his clarity I haue knowen thee also to be true God O thou one holy Spirit of the Father and the Sonne proceding iointly from them both to be consubstantiall and eternall with the Father and the Sonne to be our Paraclete and Aduocate who diddest also descend in the shape of a doue vpon the same God Iesus Christ our Lord and diddest appeare vpon the Apostles in tongues of fyre who also from the beginning hast taught all the elect Saints of God by the gifte of thy grace and hast opened the mouth of the Prophets that they might relate wounderful things of the Kingdome of God who together with the Father the Sonne art adored and glorifyed by all the Saints of God Amongst whome I also who am the sonne of thy handmayd doe glorify thy name with my whole harte because thou hast illuminated mee For thou art that reall light that light which tells vs truth the fyre of God the Doctour of soules the very Spirit of Truth which teacheth vs all truth by thy vnction without which it is impossible for vs to please God For thou thy self art God of God and light of light proceeding from the Father of lights and from his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ after an ineffable manner with whome thou being coequall and coeternall art glorifyed and dost raigne ioyntly with them superessentially in the essence of the same Trinity I haue knowen thee my one liueing and true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost three in persons but one in essence whome I confesse adore and glorify with my whole harte as my onely true Holy immortall inuisible vnchaungeable and vnscrutable God that one Light one Sunne one bread one Life one Good one Beginning one End one Creatour of heauen and earth by whome all things liue by whome all things subsist by whome all things are gouuerned ordered and quickened which are in heauē on the earth and vnder the earth and besides whome there is noe God either in heauen or in earth I haue knowen thee by thy faith wherewith thou hast inspired mee O thou my light and the sight of myne eyes O Lord my God the hope of all the ends of the earth the Ioy which doth recreat my youth and the good which strēgtheneth my age For in thee O Lord do all my bones excessiuely reioyce and say O Lord who is like to thee Who amongst the Gods is like thee O Lord. Not they who are made by the hands of men but thou by whome the hands of men are made The Idolls of the Gentiles are gold and siluer the worke of mens hands But soe is not the maker of men All the Gods of the nations are Deuills but our Lord made the heauens and this Lord is God As for those Gods who made not heauen and earth let them perish both from heauen and earth But let heauen and earth blesse that God who made heauen and earth CHAP. XXXIII Of the Confession of our owne basenes WHo O Lord is like thee among the Gods Who is like thee O thou who art magnificent in thy sanctity who art terrible laudable and doeing wonderfull things Too late I come to knowe thee O thou true light too late am I come to knowe thee But there was a greate and darke cloude before these vayne eyes of myne soe that I could not see the sunne of Iustice and the light of truth I was wrapped vp in darkenes my selfe being the childe of darkenes and this darkenes of myne I loued because I did not knowe the light I was blinde and I loued blindenes and by darkenes I walked on to further darkenes Who brought me out from thence where I blinde creature was sitting in darkenes and in the shadow of death who tooke mee by the hand and led me out VVho was he that did illuminate mee I sought not him but he sought me I called not vpon him and he cryed out vpon mee But who is he that did all this It is thou O Lord my God the Father of mercyes and the God of all consolations it is thou O holy Lord and my God whome I confesse with my whole harte giueinge thankes to thy Name I sought not thee but I was sought by thee I inuoked not thee and thou calledest mee Thou calledst mee by thine owne Name thou diddest thunder thus downe into the inward eare of my harte with this mighty voyce Let Light be made and light was made and that greate cloud flew away that darke thicke cloud was dissolued which had closed vp myne eyes And I sawe thy light and I knew thy voyce and I sayd O Lord that thou indeed art my God Who hast drawen mee out of darkenes and out of the shadow of death and thou hast called me into thy admireable light and behold I see Thankes be giuē to thee O thou who art the Illuminator of my soule And I looked backe and sawe the darkenes wherein I had bene and that profound blacke pitt wherein I had lyen and I did all quake and shiuer and I said Woe woe be to that darkenes wherein I lay Woe woe be to that blindenes wherin I was not able to see the light of heauen VVoe woe to that former ignorance of myne when I had noe knowldege of thee O Lord. But I giue thee thanks O thou my illuminator and deliuerer because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue knowen thee Yet still I am come too late to knowe thee O thou antient Truth too late I am come to knowe thee O thou eternall Truth Thou wert in the light and I in darkenes and I knew thee not because I could not be illuminated without thee nor indeede without thee is there any light at all CHAP. XXXIV A consideration of the diuine Maiestie O Thou holy of holyes thou God of inestimable Maiestie the God of God and the Lord of Lords who art admirable inexplicable
and vnconceiuable before whome the Angelicall power of heauen doe euen shiuer whome the Thrones and Dominations doe adore and in whose presence all the Vertues of Heauen doe euen quake of whose power and Wisedome there is noe number who hast layd the foundations of the whole world vpon nothing who hast tyed vp the Sea as if it were in some skinne who art most Omnipotent most Holy and the most powerfull God ouer all the spirits of all mankinde From whose sight the heauen and earth doe fly away to whose becke all the elements are subiect let all thy creatures adore and glorify thy Name And I the Sonne of thy handmayd doe by faith bowe downe the necke of my harte vnder the feete of thy Maiestie presenting thee with thankes for that thou hast voutchsafed to illuminate mee by thy mercy True Light holy Light delightfull Light admirable Light superlaudable Light which illuminateth euery man comeing into this world and the eyes also of the Angels Behold now I see and I thanke thee for it Behold I see the light of heauen there is a beame which striketh brightly downe from the face of thy light vpon the eyes of my mynde and it filleth all the powers of my soule with ioy But O that once it might be perfected in mee Encrease I beseech thee O thou author of light encrease I beseech thee that which soe brightly striketh through vpon mee Let this light be dilated I beseech thee let it be dilated by thee What is this which I feele what fyre is this which heates any harte what fyre is this whereby my harte is stroken through with beames O fyre which euer burnest and art neuer quenched doe thou kindle mee O light which doest euer shine and art neuer darkened doe thou enlighten mee O how very fayne would I been flamed by thee O Holy fyre how sweetely doest thou heate how secretly doest thou shine and how delightfully dost thou burne Woe be to them who doe not burne by thee VVoe be to them which are not illuminated by thee O thou light which teachest truth to men illuminating all the world which is filled by the beames thereof VVoe be to those blinde eyes which see not thee thou being the sunne illuminating both heauen and earth VVoe be to those weake and daseling eyes which cannot looke on thee VVoe be to those eyes which turne themselues away from seeing truth and woe be to those eyes which doe not turne them selues away for feare least they behold vanity For eyes which are acustomed to darkenes haue not strength wherewith to behold the beames of soueraigne truth nor can they make any true iudgment of light whose habitation is wont to be in darkenes They see darkenes they allow of darkenes they loue darkenes and soe goeing from darkenes to darkenes they fall headlong and they knowe not where Miserable creatures they are who knowe not what they loose though yet more miserable are they who knowe what they loose and who yet fall with open eyes and dropp downe quicke into Hell O most blessed light which canst not be beheld but by eyes which are pure and wholly purged Blessed are the pure of harte for they shall see God Doe thou clense mee O thou clensing power cure my sight that I may contemplate thee with strong eyes For they are none but strong eyes which can looke on thee Putt away I beseech thee O thou inaccessible splendour the skales of that auntient mistynes by the beame of thy illumination that soe I may be able to looke on thee with certayne casts of my eye which may not be checked and beaten back and that I may see light in thy light I giue thee thankes O my light for behold now I see I beseech thee O Lord that it may be spred abroade by thee Vnuayle myne eyes that I may consider the wonderfull things of thy lawe thou who art wonderfull in thy Saints I giue thee thankes O my light for behold I see though as yet it be but by a representation as in a glasse But when will it be face to face when will that day of ioy and exultation arryue when I may enter into the place of that admireable Tabernacle the very house of God that so face to face I may see him who seeth mee and so my desire may be fullfilled CHAP. XXXV Of the desire and thirst of a soule towards God AS the harte desireth the fountaynes of water soe doth my soule thirst after thee O God My soule hath thirsted after thee O God who art the liueing fountayne when shall I come and appeare before thy face O thou fountayne of life thou vayne of liueing waters when shall I arriue to those waters of thy sweetnes from this barren vnhaunted and dry earth that I may see thy power and thy glory and that I may appease my thirst by the waters of thy mercy I thirst O Lord O thou fountayne of life satisfy mee for I thirst O Lord I thirst towards thee who art the liueing God When O Lord shall I approache and appeare before that face of thyne doest thou thinke that at length I shall see that day that day I say of delight and ioy that day which our Lord hath made to the end that wee may reioyce and exult therein O sweete and beautifull day which hath noe euening and whose Sunne hath nothing to doe with setting wherein I shall heare the voyce of prayse the voyce of exultation and confession wherein I shall heare this word Enter into the ioy of thy Lord enter into eternall ioy into the house of thy Lord and thy God where there are greate and vnsearcheable and wounderfull things whereof there is noe number Enter into ioy without sorrow which containeth eternall ioy where all good shall be without any kind of euill Where whatsoeuer thou wilt haue shall be and where nothing shall be which thou wilt not haue Where there will be a life which is vitall sweete amiable and eternall Where there will be noe enemy assaulting nor noe false delight allureing but a supreame and certayn security secure tranquillity a quiet ioy a ioyfull felicity a happy eternity and eternall beatitude a blessed Trinity a Trine Vnity a sole Deity a happy vision of that Deity which is the ioy of thy Lord and thy God O ioy vpon ioy ioy which excelleth all ioy without which there is noe ioy when shall I enter into thee that I may see my God who dwelleth in thee that soe I may there partake of this greate vision What is it which deteyneth mee VVoe be vnto mee because my habitation here is perlonged VVoe be vnto mee and how long shall it be sayd to mee where is thy God How long shall it be sayd to me Expect and reexpect But now what shall I expect Is it not thee O Lord my God VVee expect a Sauiour our Lord Iesus Christ who will reforme this poore meane body of ours and conforme it to
the body of his glory wee expect when our Lord returneth from the marriage that he may carry vs in with him Come Lord and doe not stay Come O Lord Iesus Christ come visit vs in peace come and carry vs out who are bound in prison that wee may reioyce before thee with a perfect harte Come O thou Sauiour come thou who art the desired of all nations doe but let vs see thy face and wee are safe Come my Light and my Redeemer lead my soule out of this prison that I may confesse to thy holy Name How long shall I wretched creature be tossed vp and downe in these waues of my mortality cryeing out vpon thee O Lord whilest thou hearest mee not Harken to mee O Lord who am cryeing to thee out of this deepe Sea and waft mee into the Hauen of eternall blisse to theyr society who being conducted out of this dangerous Sea haue obtayned to repose in that most safe harbour which is thy selfe O God O how truely happy are they who be deliuered from that Sea to the shore from banishment to their country and from the prison to the Pallace Happy are they who in theyr desired place of rest are eternally to reioyce for haueing soe with such prosperous ioy obtayned that prize of eternall glory towards which they here made they re course through such a multitude of tribulations O how truely happy are they O thrice and three thousand tymes happy who being freed from all misery and being secure in the possession of that inuiolable glory haue deserued to arryue to that Kingdome of order and delight O Eternall Kingdome Kingdome which out liueth all ages where there is a light which neuer fayleth and a peace which passeth all vnderstanding where the soules of the Saincts repose and eternall ioy hāgeth ouer theyr heads For they shall obtaine delight and exultation and greif and sorrow shall fly away How glorious O Lord is that kingdome wherein all thy Saints shall for euer reigne with thee being cladd with light as with a garment and heauing a crowne of pretious stone vpon theyr heads O kingdome of eternall beatitude where thou O Lord who art the hope of the Saints and the diademe of theyr glory art beheld by them face to face delighting them on all sides with thy peace which passeth all vnderstanding VVhere there is infinite ioy without greif health without payne workeing without labour light without darkenes life without death all good without any ill VVhere youth neuer waxeth old where life neuer cometh to an end where beauty is neuer diminished where loue is neuer weakened where health is neuer blasted where Ioy is neuer impayred where payne is neuer felt where groane is neuer heard where sadnes is neuer seene where ioy is euer had where noe euill is feared because the souueraigne good is possessed there which consists in euer seeing the face of our Lord the God of all strength Happy therefore are they who haue obtayned to come to soe greate ioye out of this life where so many shipwrakes are suffered And O vnhappy and wretched creatures wee who are steereing our ships through the floods of this great sea through these stormy whirlepooles not knoweing whether or no wee shall be able to arryue to the porte of saluation Miserable I say wee are whose life is spent in banishement and whose way in daunger and whose end in doubt for wee knowe not our end because all things are reserued in suspense for the future VVee are still tossed in these sea-waues aspireing to thee who art the hauen O thou country of ours wee see thee though it be from farre of VVee salute thee from this sea wee sigh to thee from this valley and wee striue with teares if perhaps wee may be able to get thither O Christ thou God of Gods thou hope of mankinde thou refuge and strength of ours whose light like some beame of the sea starre doth strike our eyes from farre of amongst the foggy mists and tempests of this sea wherein wee liue that soe our course may be directed to thee who art our hauen gouerne I beseech thee our ship with thy right hand by the instrument of thy Crosse that wee may not perish in these floods that the stormes of water may not drowne vs that the profound pitt may not swallow vs vp but drawe vs out of this sea to thee who art our onely solace whome wee see with our lamenting eyes to be expecting vs though from farre of vpon the shore of that celestiall country as it might be some Sunne of Iustice or morneing starre Behould wee cry out to thee who are redeemed by thee and who are now those exiles of thine whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood Harken to vs O our Sauiour the hope of all the sands of the sea how farre soeuer it be of Wee are tossed in this turbulent sea and thou standing vpon the shore doest see our dangers and saue vs for thy names sake Graunt to vs O Lord that wee may hold soe euen away betweene Sylla and Caribdis that haueing escaped the danger of them both wee may securely arriue in the port with our ship and our aduenture safe CHAP. XXXVI Of the glory of our celestiall country WHen therefore we shall be come to thee O thou foūtaine of wisedome to thee O indeficient light to thee O thou who art the splendour which cannot be defaced that we may then behould thee not by representation as in a glasse but face to face then shall our desire be fully satisfyed with good things because no other thing will remayne to be desired by vs when we shall possesse thee O Lord our soueraigne good who art to be the reward of the blessed and the diademe of they re glorye and the sempiternall Ioy which hangeth ouer theyr heads possessing them both inwardly outwardly in that peace of thyne which passeth all vndestanding There shall wee see and loue and praise Wee shall see light in thy light because with thee is the fountaine of life and in thy light wee shall see light But what kinde of light an immense light an incorporeall incorruptible and incomprehensible light a light indefcient a light which cannot bee put out an inaccessible light an vncreated light a light which sheweth truth a diuine light which illuminateth the eyes of Angells which reioyceth the youth of saints which is a light of lights and the fountaine of life which is thy selfe O Lord my God For thou art that light in whose light wee shall see thy self who art that light hat is to say thee in thee in the splendour of thy countenance when wee shall see thee face to face What is it to see face to face but as the Apostle sayth to knowe thee as I am knowen To knowe thy truth thy glory is to knowe thee face to face To knowe the power of the Father the wisedome of the Sonne the meekenes of the Holy Ghost
the one and indiuiduall essence of the supreme Trinity For to see the face of the liueing God is to possesse the soueraigne good It is the ioy of the Angells and of all the Saints the reward of eternall life the glory of spirites the eternall Ioy the crowne of beauty the prize of felicity the rich repose the beauty of peace the internall and externall Ioy the celestiall Ierusalem the Paradise of God the happy life the fullnes of felicity the delight of eternity the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding This is that full beatitude and that totall glorification of man to see the face of his God to see him who made heauen and earth to see God who made him who saued him and who glorifyed him He shall see him by knoweing him he shall apply himselfe to him by loueing hym and he shall praise him by possessing him For he is the inheritance of his people of the people of Saints of the people which he redeemed He is the possession of they re felicity he is the reward recompence of they re expectation I will sayth he be a great and excessiue reward to thee For great things become great persons Indeed O Lord my God thou art excessiuely great beyond all Gods and thy reward is excessiuely greate For it cannot be true that thy self should be great and thy reward litle but as thou art great so thy reward is great for thy reward and thy self are not two seuerall things But thou thy self artexcessiuely great and thou thy self art that reward which is soe excessiuely great Thou thy self art he who crowneth vs who art the crowne thou thy self art he who maketh the promise and who art that very promise it selfe Thou art he who bestowest the guift and who art the guift it self Thou thy self art the rewarder and thou art the reward of eternall felicity Thou art therefore he who crowneth and thou O my God art the crowne and diademe of my hope which is ad orned with glory Thou art that recreatiue brightnes that reuiuing light that gracefull beauty thou art my great hope the desire of the harte of thy Saints and desired by them Thy vision therefore is the totall pay the totall reward the totall Ioy which wee expect For this is eternall life this I say is thy wisedome This is eternall life that wee may knowe thee onely true God and Iesus Christ whome thou hast sent VVhen therefore wee shall see thee the only God the true God the God liuing Omnipotent simple inuisible incomprehensible not to be circumcribed and thy onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord who is consubstantiall and coeternall with thee whome thou hast sent into the world for our saluation in the vertue and power of the Holy Ghost they being Trine in persons and one in essence one onely Holy God besides whome there is noe God Then wee shall enioy what now wee seeke which is eternall life and euerlasting glory which thou preparest for them who loue thee and hidest vp for them who feare thee and wilt impart to them who seeke thee them who seeke thy face for euer And thou O Lord my God who framedst mee in the wombe of my mother who recommended mee ouer to thy hand do not permit mee any longer to be distracted into many thinges from thee who art one But gather mee vp from exteriour obiects into my self and then take mee from my self into thee that my hart may be euer saying to thee my face hath sougt thee O Lord I will seeke thy face The face of our Lord power wherein alone of the totall eternall glory of blessed soules doth consist the vision whereof is the eternall life euerlasting glory of the SS t s Let therefore my hart reioyce that it may feare thy name let the hart of such as doe but euen seeke our Lord reioyce but much more let them reioyce who finde him For if Ioy be taken in the search of him what ioy will that be which is felt in findeing him Therfore I will be euer seeking thy face ardently and without giueing ouer to see if once at length that doore and gate of Iustice may perhaps bee opened vnto mee that I may enter into the Ioy of my Lord. This is the gate of our Lord and the Iust shall enter into it CHAP. XXXVII A prayer to the blessed Trinity O You three coequall and coeternall persons who are one true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost thou who alone dwellest in eternity and inaccessible light Who hast layd the foundations of the earth with thy power and who gouernest the world with thy wisedome Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth terrible and powerfull Iust and mercifull admireable laudable and amiable One God three persons one essence power wisedome one onely vndeuided Trinity Open thou the gates of Iustice to mee who am crying out after them and being once entered by them I will confesse to thee O Lord. Behold I who am a poore begger doe knocke at thy doore O thou who art the soueraigne Master of the house command that it may be opened to me thou who say dest knocke and it shall be opened to you For the desires of my bowells which do euen roare againe and the cryes of the teares of myne eyes are they who knocke at thy gate O most mercifull Father Before thee is my whole desire and my groanes are not hidden from thee And thou O Lord turne thy face noe longer away from mee and decline not in thy wrath from thy seruaunt O thou Father of mercyes hearken to the loud crye of thy poore childe and reach forth thy best helping hand that it may drawe me out of the profound pitts of water and out of the lake of misery and out of the durt and dregs that I may not perish whilest the mercy of thyne eyes is beholding mee and the charity of thy bowells is lookeing on But enable mee to escape to thee who art my Lord and my God that I may see the riches of thy kingdome and may behold thy face for euer and may sing prayse to thy holy name O Lord thou who workest wonderfull things thou who makest my hart ioyfull by the memory of thee and who illuminatest my youth doe not despise my old age but fill my bones full of ioy and renew my grey heires as that of an eagle is renued All glory all prayse all strength all power all magnificence all beatitude all mercy be ascribed to God the Father and the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Amen The end of the Soliloquia Deo gratias THE MANVALL OF S. AVGVSTINE THE FIRST CHAPTER Of the wonderfull essence of God THov O Lord dost fill heauen earth carrying all things and yet they are no burthen to thee Thou fillest all thinges without being shut vp by them Thou art euer working yet euer quiet gathering togeather yet thou needest nothing seeking yet wanting nothing louing yet
might be thought fit to be made pertakers of so high a good and so great a glory Let therfore the deuills lye in wayte for vs let them prepare theyr temptations let fasting breake our bodyes let garments loade our flesh let labours weigh heauy vpon vs let watching drye vs let one man cry out vpon vs and let another man disquiet vs let cold contract vs let the conscience repine let heat burne vs let the head ake the breast be inflamed let the stomacke be swolne let the face growe pale and let the whole body be distempered let my yeares be spent in groaning yea let rottennes enter into my bones and multiply therin so that yet I may rest in that day of tribulation and may ascend to our elected people For how great wil that glory of iust persons be how great will be that ioy of the saints when euery one of their faces shal be resplendent like a Sunne When our Lord shall begin to muster vp his people by different ranks in the kingdome of his father shall assigne the promised rewards according to the workes and merit of euery one Celestiall rewards for workes which were performed heere on earth Great rewards for little workes eternall for such as were but temporall That indeed will be a whole huge heape of felicity when our Lord shall bring his Saints into the vision of his Fathers glory and shall place them vpon their seats in heauen that so he may be all in all CHAP. XVI How the kingdome of God may be obteyned O HAPPY sweetnes O delicious happines which it will be for vs to behold the Saints be with Saints and to be Saints to see God and to possesse him for all eternity and euen if it might be beyond eternity Let vs be continually thinking on these things let vs aspire to them with our whole desire that so we may speedily arriue to enioy them If thou aske how this may be done by what merits or by what helpes giue eare and I will tell thee This affaire is put into thine owne power for the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence The kingdome of heauen O man doth exact no price at thy hands but onely thy selfe So much is it worth as thou thy selfe art Giue thy selfe and thou shalt haue it Why art thou troubled about the price Christ our Lord did giue himself away that he might purchase thee to be a kingdome for his father and so do thou also giue thy selfe that thou maist become a kingdome for him that sinne may not raigne in thy mortall body but the Spirit in the renouation of life CHAP. XVII What a happy place Heauen is O My soule returne toward that heauenly Citty wherin we are written and enrold as Cittizens And as Cittizens amongst the Saints the houshold seruants of God and as the heires of God and coheires of Christ our Lord. Let vs consider that excellent felicity of this citty of ours to the very vttermost of what we are able Let vs therefore say with the Prophet O how glorious thinges are sayd of thee thou Citty of God the habitation which is made in thee is of them who are all full of ioy For thou art founded in the exultation of the whole earth No old age is in thee nor any misery which is wont to wayte vpon old age In thee there is no man lame of arme or legg nor crooked nor other wise deformed when once they meet together becoming perfect man in the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ What is more happy then such a life where there is no fear of pouerty nor no incommodity of sicknes where no man is offended no man is angry no man enuious no desire doth solicite vs there is no appetite of meate no man is importuned by thirsting after honour and power there is no feare of the Diuell or the craft of those infernall spirits all terrour of hell is farre off there is no death either of body or soule but a life which is made full of ioy by the guift of immortality In fine there is no kind of ill or discord but all thinges are full of agreement proportion for as much as the concord of all the Saints is intierely one all things are full of peace and ioy all things are quiet and serene An euerlasting splendor there is not like that of this Sunne of ours but another which is so much more bright at it is more blessed For that Citty as we read shall need neither Sūne nor Moone but our Lord omnipotent will illuminate it and the Lambe is the bright lampe therof Where the Saints shall shine like starres and they who instruct many others like the splendour of the firmament No night shal be therefore there no darknes no concourse of clowds no incommodity at all of heat or cold but such a temper of things there wil be as neither the eye hath seene nor the eare hath heard nor can it enter into the hart of any other mē but such as shal be thought worthy to enioy it Whose names are written in the booke of life But it exceedeth all these thinges to be associated to the Quires of Angells and Archangells to behold the Patriarkes and the Prophets to see the Apostles and all the Saints yea to see our owne parents friends These things indeed are glorious but yet still incomparably a more glorious thing it is to behold the present face of God to looke vpon that vnlimitted light of his A superexcellent glory it will be when we shall see God in himselfe we shall see we shall possesse him in our selues and of that sight there wil be no end CHAP. XVIII We cannot make any requitall to Almighty God but only by loue THE soule which is beautifyed by the Image and dignifyed by the ressemblance of God hath groūd inough within it selfe which is also imparted by the same God wherby she may be aduised to remain perpetually within him or at least to return towardes him if she chance to haue beene separated by her affection or rather by her defectes And not only hath she ground of solace in the hope which she may conceaue of pardon and mercy but yet further she may also presume to aspire euen to the marriage of the Word and to contract a league of friendship with God and togeather with that king of the Angells to be drawing in the same sweet yoake of loue Now all this is performed by the same loue if the soule do make it selfe like to God by her will as already she is like him by nature and if she loue him as she is beloued by him For only loue amongst all the motions passions feeling senses of the soule is the thing whereby a creature may answere the benefits of a Creatour and repay after a sort what it oweth though it be not in any equall manner Where loue entreth in it draweth captiueth all other
affections of the mind to the dominion therof Loue alone is sufficient is pleasing of it selfe and for it selfe Loue is the merit it is the reward it is the cause it is the fruit it is also the vse of the fruit for by loue we are conioyned to God Loue maketh that two spirits grow to be one Loue maketh that the same thinges be willed and not willed by them Loue maketh vs first to order and compose our liues afterward it enableth vs to consider of all thinges which are present as if they where absent and in the third place it enableth vs to behold internall and supernall thinges with a cleane and pure eye of the hart By loue we are first taught how to vse those contentements well which may be taken in the world afterward those worldly contentements grow to be despised and at the last euen the secretes of God come to be disclosed CHAP. XIX What it is which God requireth of vs that so we may be like him selfe GOD the Father is loue God the Sonne is loue God the holy Ghost is the loue of the Father and the Sonne This charity this loue doth require somewhat of vs which is like that that is to say it requireth charity whereby as by a kind of coniunctiō in bloud we may be associated and ioyned to him Loue forgets that supreme dignity it considers not the reuerence which it is bound to beare He that loues doth of himselfe draw confidently neere to God and expresseth himselfe in a familiar manner without perturbation or feare He looseth his labour and liues in vane who loues not But he that loueth doth still carry his eyes erected towardes God whome he loueth whom he desireth vpon whom he meditateth in whome he delighteth by whome he is fedd and euen made fat Such a louing and deuout person doth so sing and so he reades and in all his actions he is so ful of circumspection and care as if God were euer present before his eyes and so indeed he is He doth so pray as if he were taken and presented before the face of that Maiesty in his soueraigne Thron Where thousands of thousands are seruing him and a million of thousands are present with him When loue visiteth a soule it awaketh her if she be asleep it counselleth softneth and doth wound the hart It illuminateth those thinges which are darke it vnlocketh those thinges which are shut vp it inflameth those things which are cold it mitigateth a harsh vntoward impatient minde it puts sinne to flight it represseth all carnall affection it amendeth manners it reformeth and reneweth the spirit and it bridleth the light acts and euill motions of slippery youth All these thinges are done by loue when it is present but vpon the departure thereof the soule begins already to be faint weake as if the fire were withdrawne from vnderneath a pot which had beene seething CHAP. XX. Of the confidence of a soule which loueth God A Great thing is loue wherby the soule of her selfe doth confidently approach to God doth constantly inheare to God doth familiarly aske questions of God and consulteth with him vpon all occasions The soule which loueth God can neither thinke or speake any other thing she contemneth all thinges else she loatheth all Whatsoeuer she considereth whatsoeuer she saith it smells of loue it sauours of loue so truly doth the loue of God make her all his owne Whoso euer desires to haue the knowledge of God let him loue In vaine doth any man giue himselfe to reading to meditating to preaching to praying if he do not loue The loue of God begetteth loue in a soule makes her bend her selfe towards him God loueth to the end that he may be loued againe When he loueth he desireth no other thing but to be beloued as knowing that they who loue him are to be made happy by that loue The soule which loues doth renounce al her owne particular affections and doth wholy apply her self to loue that so she may be able to pay loue with loue And yet when she shall haue spent whatsoeuer she either hath or is vpon the loue of that torrent which flowes out from that ouer tunning fontaine of loue we must take heed of thinking that there is any equality of springing plenty afforded betweene that loue and this loue betweene God and the soule betweene the creatour and the creature And yet on the other side if the soule do loue as much as it can there can be nothing said to be wanting where al is giuen Let not that soule feare which loues but let that other tremble which loueth not The soule which loues is caried on by praiers she is drawn by her desirs she dissembleth her merits she shuts her eyes against his Maiesty she opens them to delight in his beauty she lodgeth her self in him who is her sauing health and she treateth with him after a confident manner By loue the soule doth step aside and doth grow into excesse beyond the senses of the body so that she which feeleth God doth no longer feele her selfe This is done when the soule being allured by the vnspeakeable sweetnes of God doth steale her selfe as it were from her selfe or rather when she is forcibly carried and so doth slip from her selfe that she may inioy God with supreme delight Nothing were so highly sweet if withal it were not extremely shorte Loue giueth familiarity with God familiarity giues a daring to aoproach that daring giueth gust that gust giueth hunger The soule which is touched with the loue of God can think of nothing els can desire nothing els but doth often sigh and say As the Hart desireth the fountains of water so doth my soule desire thee O my God CHAP. XXI What God did for man GOD for the loue of men came downe to men he came into men and he was made man The inuisible God was drawne by loue to become like his slaues Through loue he was wounded for our sinnes Weake and wicked men may finde a safe strong retreate in the woūds of our Sauiour There do I securely dwelle for I see his very bowells through his wounds VVhatsoeuer is wanting to me I fetch from those wounds of my Lord which flow with mercy nor want they holes through which it may be able to flow By those holes which were made in his body we may discerne the very secrets of his hart we may discerne a great mystery of goodnes we may discerne the bowells of the mercy of our God where with that Orient from on high hath visited us The wounds of Iesus Christ are full of mercy full of pitty full of suauity and full of charity Men digged through his handes and feet they transpierced his side with a launce By these ouertures I haue meanes to tast how sweet my Lord God is for indeed he is meeke and sweet of aboundant mercy to all such as call vpon him in
truth to all such as seeke him but especially to them that loue him A copious redēption is giuen to vs in the wounds of Iesus Christ our Sauiour A great multitude of sweetnes a fullnes of grace the perfection of vertues CHAP. XXII Of the remembrance of the woundes of Iesus Christ our Lord. WHEN I am sollicited by any impure thought I make my recourse vnto the woundes of Christ when my body oppresseth me I recouer strength by calling the wounds of my Lord to mind whē the Diuell is laying some ambush whereby to take me I flye vnto the boweles of my Lords mercy and so the Diuell departeth from me If the ardour of lust make any alteration in my body it is quenched by the memory of the wounds of our Lord the Sonne of God In all the aduersityes which I haue beene subiect to I neuer found so effectuall à remedy as in the wounds of Christ In them do I sleep secure in them do I repose voyd of feare Christ dyed for vs there is nothing so deadly bitter which may not be cured by the death of Christ All the hope I haue is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit my refuge my sauing health my life and my resurrection My merit is his great mercy I shal neuer be voyd of merit as long as he who is the Lord of mercy shall not be wanting to me And since my merits goe after the rates of his mercyes looke how much more mighty he is towardes the sauing of me so much the more may I be secure CHAP. XXIII The remembrance of the woundes of Christ our Lord is our remedy in all aduersity I Haue committed a grieuous sinne nay I am guilty of many sinnes neither yet wil I despaire because where sinnes haue abounded there hath beene superaboundance of grace He who despaireth of the pardon of his sinnes denieth God to be mercifull He much wrongs God who distrustes in his mercy Such a one doth his best to deny that God hath Charity Verity and Piety wherin all my hope consisteth Namely in the Charity of his adoption in the Verity of his promise in the Piety of his redemption Let therfore my foolish thought be murmuring as much as it will whilest it is saying What a poore thing art thou and what a great glory is that and by what merits dost thou hope to obtaine it For I will confidently answere I know well who it is whome I haue trusted And because he hath adopted me for his sonne with excesse of Charity because he is true in his promises and powerfull in his performances because he may doe what he will I cannot be frighted by the multitude of my sinnes if withall I be able to call the death of my Lord to mind for those sinnes of mine cannot conquerre him Those nayles that launce doe cry out to tell me that in deed I am reconcyled to Christ if I resolue to loue him Longinus opened the side of Christ with his launce there doe I enter in and there I do safely rest He that feares let him loue for charity will put feare away There is not so potent and effectuall a remedy against the ardour of lust as the death of my redeemer He stretcheth forth his armes abroad vpon the Crosse he spreads his handes which are ready to imbrace vs sinners Between those armes of my Sauiour I resolue to liue I desire to dye There will I securely sing I will exalt thee O Lord because thou hast taken me vp hast not giuen myne enemyes their pleasure ouer me Our Sauiour bowed downe his head at his death that he might kisse his beloued so often do we giue à kisse to God as we haue compunction of our sinnes for the loue of him CHAP. XXIIII An exhortation of the soule to the loue of Christ our Lord. O Thou my soule which art dignified with the image of God redeemed by the bloud of Christ espowsed by faith endoweth with a spirit adorned with vertues rancked with Angells be sure thou loue him by whome thou art so much beloued Make him thy busines who hath made thee his Seeke him who seeketh thee loue thy louer by whome thou art beloued by whose loue thou art preuented and who is the cause of thyne He is thy merit thy reward thy fruit thy vse thy end Be thou carefull together with him who is so carefull of thee be attentiue to him who is attentiue to thee be pure with him who is pure be holy with him who is holy Such as thou dost appeare in the sight of God such art thou to expect that he will appeare to thee God who is so sweete so meeke and so full of mercy doth require that thou shouldst be sweet and meeke and gentle humble and full of mercy Loue him who hath drawne thee out of the lake of misery and the filth of durt Choose him for thy friend aboue all thy friends who when all they shall fayle thee will be euer sure to make good thy trust at the day of thy death When all thy friends are departing from thee he will not leaue thee but he will defend thee against those roaring lyons who are sharpe set vpon theyr prey And he will leade thee by a Country wherewith thou art not yet acquainted and he will bring thee to those streets of the celestiall Sion there he will place thee together with his Angels before the face of his owne Maiesty where thou shalt heere that Angellicall Musicke of Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth There is the Canticle of ioy the voyce of exultation and saluatiō and thanksgiuing the voyce of prayse and that euerlasting Alleluya There is that high heape of happynes that supereminēt glory that superaboundant gladnes all good thinges put togeather O sigh thou ardently O my soule desire vehemently that thou mayst arriue at that heauenly citty whereof so glorious thinges are sayd where of all the inhabitants are so full of ioy By loue thou mayst ascend Nothing is impossible nothing is hard to one who loues The soule which loues ascendeth often and doth familiarity runne too fro through those streets of the Celestiall Hierusalem Sometimes visiting the Patriarkes the Prophets sometymes admiring those armyes of Martyrs and Confessors contemplating somtymes the Quires of Virgins The heauen and the earth withall which is therein doe neuer cease to let me know that I ought to loue my Lord my God CHAP. XXV That nothing can suffice the soule but the supreme Good THe hart of man which is not fixed in the desire of eternity can neuer be stable and firme but is more wauering then the wind and it passeth from one thing to another seeking reste where it cannot be foūd For in these fraile transitory thinges where the affection thereof is imprisoned it can neuer finde true repose Because our soule is of so great dignity that no
euery one should loue that which he likes so well that euery one should desire that which is so plainely discerned by him He doth frequently contemplate his God and by that contemplation he is sweetly fed so much more happily as more frequently For that is most delightfully considered the louing and praysing wherof is so full of delight CHAP. XXIX Of the Harts true Repose THen indeed is the hart in true repose when it is all fixed by desire in the loue of God when it couets nothing els but in him in whom it delighteth with sweetnes and whom it enioyeth with delight And if perhaps it be a little diuerted from him eyther by any vaine thought or els by busines it returneth instantly againe at full speede esteeming it for no better them banishement during the tyme that it remaineth any where but in him For as there is no moment of tyme wherin a man hath not experience of the diuine goodnes so ought there not to be any moment wherin it should not be present to our memory He is not lyable to a little fault who in prayer whilst he is conuersing with God doth easely wander out of his sight as if God did nether heare nor see him Yet this is done when he followeth his owne importunate and euill thoughts and when he preferreth any poore and base creature towards whome the sight of minde is easely withdrawne before God Reflecting rowling as it were that creature vp and downe in his minde by oftner thinking on it then vpon God whome continually he ought to remember as his redeemer to expect as his Sauiour to feare as his iudge CHAP. XXX VVhatsoeuer doth withdrav the sight of the mind from God is wholly to be auoyded WHosoeuer thou be that louest the world consider well whither it hath a meaninge to carry thee That way whereby thou goest is a most wicked way and full of misery Fly therfore for a while O man from all worldly busines and hide thy selfe from those tumultuous thoughts of thine Now cast away thy weighty cares dismisse those laborious imployments be a little at leasure for God and repose with him a little in the closet of thy hart Exclude all but God and those things which may helpe towards the finding of him Let all thy hart now say to God I seeke thy countenance and yet agayne I seeke it O my God Come therfore O Lord my God teach my hart both where and how it may seeke thee and where and how it may finde thee O Lord if thou be not heere where shall I finde thee being absent and if thou be heere why do I not see thee being present But thou indeed dost inhabite inaccessible light yet how shall I then approach to that light if it be inaccessible or who shall lead me admit me to it that I may see thee in it And againe by what signes or by what addresse shal I seeke thee I neuer saw thee O Lord my God nor was I euer acquainted with thy countenāce What thou most high God shal this creature who hath bee exiled so farr off from thee what I say shall he be able to do VVhat shall thy slaue be able to do who on the one side is so deadly taken with the loue of thee and yet on the other doth find himselfe to be cast so farre off from thy face Behold how he doth euen pant to see thee whilest yet thy face is so farr remote It desireth to draw neere to thee but thy habitation cannot be approached vnto It desires to find thee but it knows not where it striues to seeke thee but it is a stranger to thy presence CHAP. XXXI How the vision of God was lost by sinne and that misery came so to be found out O Lord thou art my God and my Lord. I neuer saw thee yet thou didst create me redeeme me and thou hast giuen me all good things but yet still I neuer saw thee nor doe I know thee And though it be true that I was made of purpose for the seeing of thee yet hitherto I neuer did that for which I was made O miserable condition of man who lost the thing to which he was ordained O woefull heauy chance Alas what is it that he lost what is it that he found What departed what remayned He lost felicity to which he was ordayned and he met with misery to which he was not ordayned That departed without which nothing can be happy and that remayned which of it selfe is nothing but pure misery Then did man feed vpon the bread of Angells after which now he hath such hunger and now he feeds vpon the bread of sorrow to which then he was a stranger O thou my Lord how long wilt thou forget vs How long wilt thou turne thy face from vs When wilt thou regard and heare vs VVhen wilt thou illuminate these eyes of ours and shew vs that face of thyne When wilt thou restore thy selfe to vs and heare vs Behold vs O Lord and hearken to vs and enlighten vs and shew thy selfe to vs and restore thy selfe to vs that once we may be happy in thee without whome we are so truly vnhappy O Lord I beseech thee inuite and help vs. My soule is all made bitter by her desolation sweeten it by thy consolation I beseech thee O Lord since I haue been hungry in search of thee let me not be forsaken in being vnfed by thee I come faynt with hungar towardes thee let me not depart empty from thee I come poore to thee who art rich miserable to thee who art mercifull Do not send me away needy and disgraced O my Lord I am all bent downeward nor can I looke but downeward doe thou erect me that I may looke vpward and that with great attention My iniquityes haue ouergrowne my head they haue ouerwhelmed me and they hang vpon me like a huge weight Vnfold me empty me and let not that VVell stretch out his mouth to swallow me Teach me to seeke thee and when I seeke thee let me see thee for neither can I seeke thee if thou dost not teach me nor can I find thee if thou dost not manifest thy selfe to me Let me seeke thee by desiring thee let me desire thee by seeking thee Let me find thee by louing thee let me loue thee by finding thee CHAP. XXXII Of the Goodnes of God I Confesse to thee O Lord and I giue thee thankes in that thou hast created me after this thyne Image that so being mindfull of thee I may consider and loue thee But so is my soule defaced with the corruption of vice and it is so obscured with the smoke of sinne that it cannot performe that for which it was made vnlesse it be renewed reformed by thee O Lord thou who impartest the guift of spiritual vnderstanding I beseech thee grant that I may vnderstand as much as thou knowest to be expedient for
reioyce no lesse for him then for thy selfe And if two or three or many more were possessors of it thou wouldst reioyce for euery one of them as for thy selfe supposing that thou louedst euery one of them as thy selfe What kinde of thing will therfore that perfect Charity be of innumerable Angels blessed men since no one loueth another lesse then himselfe no otherwise will euery one reioyce for any other then for himselfe If therfore the hart of man will scarce be able to containe it self for the single ioy which himselfe will takes in so great a good how will he be capable of this so great ioy of so many others Againe looke how much more a man loues another and so much more doth he reioyce at his good And now as in that supreme felicity euery one will without comparison loue God better then himselfe and all the rest so also will he without comparison reioyce more in the felicity of God then in that of himselfe of all the rest of his fellow-Saints And if they shal loue God withal their hart all their mind and al their soule in such sort as that yet all their hart all their minde all their soule cannot sufficiently comprehend the dignity of that loue without faile they will also reioyce with all their hart withal their mind withall their soule so that all their hart mind soule shall not be able to containe the fulnes of that ioy CHAP. XXXVI Of the fulnes of the ioy of Heauen O My God and my Lord my hope the ioy of my hart tell my soule if this be that ioy wherof thou hast said by thy sonne Aske you shall receiue that so your ioy may be full For I haue found a certaine ioy which is full and more then full the hart the mind the soule and the whole man being full thereof But yet in heauen there will be another ioy beyond measure greater then this is There they who are to enioy it shall not enter into all that ioy but they being all full of ioy shall enter into that ioy of their Lord. Tell me O Lord tell thy seruant tel it to my hart within if this be that ioy into which those seruants of thine shal enter who are to enter into the ioy of their Lord But euen that ioy wher with thy elect shall reioyce hath neither bene seen with the eye nor heard by the eare nor hath it entred into the hart of man So that yet I haue not bene able to say O Lord how great that ioy is which thy Elect shall enioy It is certaine that they shall ioy as much as they loue they shall loue as much as they shall knowe thee O Lord. But how great shall that loue be It is certaine that neither the eye hath seene nor the eare hath hard nor hath it entred into the hart of man in this life how much they shal knowe loue thee in that other life O my God I beseech thee that I may knowe thee that I may loue thee that I may ioy in thee And if in this life I may not do it to the full yet at least make me profit in it more more that at last I may arriue to that fullnes Let the knowledge which heere I haue of thee proceed further that so it may there be full Let my loue of thee increase heere that so it may be full there that heere my ioy may be great in hope there full in deede O Thou true God I beg that I may receiue what thou hast promised that so my ioy may be fulfilled In the meane tyme let my minde meditate vpon it let my tongue speake of it let my hart loue it let my discourse worke vpon it let my soule be hungry and euen my very flesh thirst after it and let my whole substance desire it till such tyme as I shall enter into the ioy of my Lord where I may remaine for euer Amen FINIS