Sacrament that thou dost not mortifie thy self as thou promisest to God daily that Prayer and Communion without Mortification is meer vanity herewith would he make thee distrust of the Divine Grace telling thee of thy misery and making a gyant of it and putting into thy head that every day thy Soul grows worse instead of better whilest it so often repeats those failings 128. O blessed Soul open thine Eyes suffer not thy self to be carried away by the deceitful and gilded tricks of Satan who seeks thy ruine and cowardise with these lying and seeming reasons Cut off these discourses and considerations and shut the gate against these vain Thoughts and diabolical Suggestions lay aside these vain fears and remove this faint-heartedness knowing thy misery and trusting in the Mercy Divine and if to morrow thou dost fall again as thou did'st to day trust again the more in that supream and more than infinite Goodness so ready to forget our faults and receive us into his Arms as dear Children CHAP. XVIII Treateth of the same Point 129. AT all times therefore thou oughtest when thou seest thy self in fault without loosing time or making Discourses upon the failing to drive away vain Fear and Cowardise without disturbing or chiding thy self but knowing thy fault with Humility looking on thy misery rowling thy self with a loving Confidence on the Lord going into his Presence asking him Pardon heartily and without noise of words keep thy self reposed in doing this without discoursing whether he hath or hath not forgiven thee returning to thy Exercises and Retirements as if thou had'st not Sinned 130. Would not he be a meer Fool which running at Turneament with others and falling in the best of the Carrier should lie weeping on the Ground and afflicting himself with discourses upon his Fall Man they would tell him loose no time get up and take the Course again for he that rises again quickly and continues his Race is as if he had never fallen 131. If thou hast a desire to get to a high degree of Perfection and inward Peace thou must use the Weapon of Confidence in the Divine Goodness night and day and always when thou fallest This humble and loving Conversation and total Confidence in the Mercy Divine thou must exercise in all faults imperfections and failings that thou shalt commit either by advertence or inadvertency 132. And although thou often fallest and seest thy Pusillanimity and endeavour to get courage and afflict not thy self because what God doth not do in forty Years he sometimes doth in an instant with a particular Mystery that we may live low and humble and know that 't is the Work of His powerful Hand to free us from Sins 133. God also is willing of ineffable Wisdom that not onely by Vertues but also by Vices and the Passions wherewith the Devil seeks and pretends to strike us down to the bottomless Pit we make a Ladder to scale Heaven with Ascendamus etiam per vitia passiones nostras says St. Austine Serm. 3. de Ascens That we may not make Poison of Physick and Vices of Vertues by becoming vain by 'em God would have us make Vertues of Vices healing us by that very thing which would hurt us So says S. Gregory Quia ergo nos de medicamento vulnus facimus facit ille de vulnere medicamentum ut qui virtue percutimur vitio curemur Lib. 37. c. 9. 134. By means of small failings the Lord makes us know that his Majesty is that which frees us from great ones and herewith he keeps us humbled and vigilant of which our proud Nature hath most need And therefore though thou oughtest to walk with great care not to fall into any fault or imperfection if thou seest thy self fallen once and a thousand times thou oughtest to make use of the Remedy which I have given thee that is a loving Confidence in the Divine Mercy These are the Weapons with which thou must fight and conquer Cowardise and vain Thoughts this is the means thou oughtest to use not to lose time not to disturb thy self and reap good this is the Treasure wherewith thou must enrich thy Soul and lastly hereby must thou get up the high Mountain of Perfection Tranquility and internal Peace THE Spiritual Guide Which brings the Soul to the getting of Inward Peace The Third Book Of Spiritual Martyrdoms whereby God Purges Souls of Contemplation infused and passive of Perfect Resignation Inward Humility Divine Wisdom True Annihilation and Internal Peace CHAP. I. The Difference between the Outward and Inward Man. 1. THERE are two sorts of Spiritual Persons Internal and External these seek God by without by Discourse by Imagination and Consideration they endeavour mainly to get Vertues many Abstinences Maceration of Body and Mortification of the Senses they give themselves to rigorous Penance they put on Sack-cloth chastise the Flesh by Discipline endeavour Silence bear the Presence of God forming him present to themselves in their Idea of him or their Imagination sometimes as a Pastour sometimes as a Physitian and sometimes as a Father and Lord they delight to be continually speaking of God very often making fervent Acts of Love and all this is Art and Meditation by this way they desire to be great and by the power of voluntary and exteriour Mortifications they go in quest of sensible Affections and warm Sentiments thinking that God resides onely in them when they have ' em This is the External Way and the Way of Beginners and though it be good yet there is no arriving at Perfection by it nay there is not so much as one step towards it as Experience shews in many that after fifty Years of this external Exercise are void of God and full of themselves having nothing of Spiritual Men but just the name of such 2. There are others truely Spiritual which have passed by the beginnings of the Interiour Way which leads to Perfection and Union with God and to which the Lord called 'em by his infinite Mercy from that outward Way in which before they Exercised themselves These men retired in the inward part of their Souls with true Resignation into the Hands of God with a total putting off and forgetting even of themselves do always go with a rais'd Spirit to the Presence of the Lord by the means of pure Faith without Image Form or Figure but with great Assurance founded in tranquility and rest Internal in whose infused meeting and entertainment the Spirit draws with so much force that it makes the Soul contract Inwardly the Heart the Body and all the Powers of it 3. These Souls as they are already passed by the interiour Mortification and have been cleansed by God with the Fire of Tribulation with infinite and horrible Torments all of 'em ordained by his hand and after his way are Masters of themselves because they are intirely subdued and denied which makes 'em live with great Repose and internal Peace and although in
THE Spiritual GUIDE WHICH Disintangles the Soul AND Brings it by the Inward Way TO THE Getting of Perfect Contemplation AND THE Rich Treasure of Internal Peace Written by Dr. Michael de Molinos Priest With a short Treatise Concerning Daily Communion By the same AUTHOR Translated from the ITALIAN Copy Printed at Venice 1685. The Second Edition This may be Reprinted C. N. May 2. 1688. London Printed for Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Pauls Church-yard a Corner shop next Cheapside 1688. AN ACCOUNT Of the following BOOK To all sorts of Readers THE Book that is here presented yea is a Translation from the Italian Copy Printed at Venice in 1685. The first Man that got it with difficulty out of the Authour's hands and then had it Printed at Rome in 1675 with all the solemnity of approbations was Fryer John of St. Mary who stiles himself Provincial and he speaks very fine things of it and he had so heartily read it over that the impression which it made in his Mind gave him the exact cue and knack of that sort of Language which the Authour uses when he throws himself headlong into darkness and obscurity And when this Man had recommended the Book to the sincere Reader after his way the next that appears to give a Grace to it is no less a Man than the most Illustrious and most Reverend Lord the Archbishop of Rhegium who tells us how many great Offices in the Church he had pass'd through he says in his Approbation of the Book that 't is a hard matter to make a judgement of it without some experience of the things contained in it And that how high soever the secret of it be above all humane Discourse yet they are not only not contrary to the right dictates of Reason but altogether conformable to it Which is as fitting a Preface to some things in the Book as any man in the World could have made with the Study of Seven Years First to say that these soveraign Secrets which the Book treats of are above all humane Discourse and then in the very next words to say they are conformable altogether to the dictates of Reason as if the dictates of Reason and human Discourse had entered into a Combination never to come to a right understanding of one another He that would be further satisfied of the fitness of this Archbishop's Character to the Book will be gratified by reading patiently some things of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Chapters of the Third Book But 't is enough that this great Man speaks well of his Countryman Molinos's Doctrine that 't is according to the judgment of the holy Fathers and the usual way of Mystical Divines he says again that the Authour of this Book does not speak his own Capricios but follows the footsteps of the Ancients and builds upon their Principles and spiritual Foundations that he reduces 'em to a right and clear Method bringing forth says he out of his Treasures things new and old And for the Stile of the Book he allows it to be clear easie plain and full in such crabbed hard and lofty Subject adding withal that the Man doth not decline Proofs of Scripture Doctrines of the Fathers Decrees of Councils nor the Principles of Morality and therefore he judges it to be a useful Piece and very worthy to be Printed and what can be said more to set any Book off Next to the Archbishop's Approbation in comes that of Fryer Francis Mary Minister General of the whole Franciscian Order given from his Convent of Ara Coeli who speaks mighty kindly and favourably of the Book and recommends it to the Press Then appears the Approbation of Fryer Dominic of the most holy Trinity Qualifier and Counsellour of the holy Office of Malta and of the Inquisition of Rome Rector of the Colledge of Missionaries at St. Pancrace and he blesses himself as he sits in judgment upon it and gives his sense and liking as formally as the rest After this comes a famous Jesuite another Qualifier of the Roman Inquisition and he takes it to be a Book of singular esteem and use and recommends it to others with as much cordial kindness as he fancied he had received good by it And next to him a great Capucine that could not forbear either for the credit of the Book or himself to tell the World that he had been no less than four several times Provincial of Andaluzia and was at present Definitor General of all his Order and expresses himself much taken with the Book and as a good proof of so being discourses upon it in that Mystical Way and would by no means have it kept from being Published All this is Roman Approbation which signifies but little to a Book that must be Printed in Venice and therefore the Reformers of the University of Padua who License Books receiving a Certificate from their Secretary that the Book had nothing in it against Princes or good Manners give leave to a Stationer of Venice to Print it again there in 1676 upon the Authority of which License it came out once more in 1685 which was the Copy that this Translation goes by So that this Book it seems has been sufficiently dispersed in the World by all these Impressions And who can say any thing more for it than such men as these that have Read and Censur'd it so Candidly and Kindly If what has since happened to the Authour and his Reputation do make his Vouchers wish that they had not been so free of their Courtesie let them look to that But whil'st the poor Man is so harrassed in Rome it would become the Mercy of this religious Nation to hear him speak his Mind by an Interpreter What has stung the Court of Rome may be partly guessed at by this Book Till we know further of the Authour there is no more to be said of him than that sometimes he lights upon shrew'd Truths and very excellent Thoughts as well as meer Trash and Foppery Do but pardon him his rich Vein of Enthusiasm and Gibberish and give him leave now and then to speak further than you can see or apprehend and you will find things enough to make you think and attend to what he says But withal let me tell you that 't is a Blessing to you to live in a Country where the Ministers of Religion do not use to put Tricks upon your Understanding nor lead you blindly you know not whither And so I rest In Molinos 's Style NO-BODY THE Spiritual Guide Which disentangles the Soul and by the inward way leads it to the fruition of Perfect Contemplation and of the rich treasure of Internal Peace THE AUTHOR to the READER THere is nothing more difficult than to please all People nor more easie and common than to censure Books that come abroad in the World. All Books without exception that see the light run the common risk of both these inâ—onveniences though they may be sheltered
will enviously perswade thee that thou do'st nothing and that thou losest time that so thou mayest neglect Prayer I 'll declare to thee some of the infinite fruits that thy Soul reaps from that great dryness 31. The first is to persevere in Prayer from which fruit spring many other advantages II. Thou 'lt find a loathing of the things of the World which by little and little tends to the stifling of the bad desires of thy past Life and the producing of other new ones of serving God. III. Thou 'lt reflect upon many failings on which formerly thou didst not reflect IV. Thou 'lt find when thou art about to commit any evil an advertency in thy Heart which restrains thee from the execution of it and at other times from Speaking Lamenting or Revenging thy self that 'll take thee off from some little earthly Pleasure or from this or t'other Occasion or Conversation into which formerly thou was running in great Peace and Security without the least Check or Remorse of Conscience V. After that through frailty thou hast fallen in to some light fault thou 'lt feel a Reproof for it in thy Soul which will exceedingly afflict thee VI. Thou l't feel within thy self desires of suffering and of doing the will of God. VII An inclination to Virtue and greater ease in overcoming thy self and conquering the difficulties of the Passions and Enemies that hinder thee in the way VIII Thou l't know thy self better and be confounded also in thy self feel in thee a high esteem of God above all created Beings a contempt of Creatures and a firm Resolution not to abandon Prayer though thou knowest that it will prove to thee a most cruel Martyrdom IX Thou 'lt be sensible of greater Peace in thy Soul love to Humility confidence in God submission and abstraction from all Creatures and finally the Sins thou hast omitted since the time that thou exercised thy self in Prayer are so many signs that the Lord is working in thy Soul though thou knowest it not by means of dry Prayer and although thou feelest it not whilst thou art in Prayer thou 'lt feel it in his due time when he shall think it fit 32. All these and many other fruits are like new Buds that spring from the Prayer which thou would'st give over because it seems to thee to be dry that thou seest no Fruit of it nor reapest no advantage therefrom Be constant and persevere with Patience for though thou knowest it not thy Soul is profited thereby CHAP. V. Treating of the same thing declaring how many ways of Devotion there are and how the sensible Devotion is to be disposed and that the Soul is not idle though it reason not 33. THere are to be found two sorts of Devotion the one essential and true the other accidental and sensible The essential is a promptitude of mind to do well (1) S. Thom. 2. 2. q 82. art 1. fulfil the commands of God and to perform all things belonging to his service though through humane frailty all be not actually done as is desired (2) Suar. t. 2. de Pel. l. 2. c. 6. n. 16. 18. This is true Devotion though it be not accompanied with pleasure sweetness delight nor tears but rather it is usually attended with temptation dryness and darkness 34. Accidental and sensible Devotion is (3) St. Bern. Ser. I. de Nat. Dom. Suarez ib. Molin de Oration c. 6. when good desires are attended with a pleasant softness of heart tenderness of tears or other sensible affections This is not to be sought after nay it is rather more secure to wean the will from it and to set light by it because besides that it is usually dangerous it is a great obstacle to progress and the advancement in the internal way And therefore we ought only to embrace the true and essential Devotion which is always in our power to come by seeing every one doing his duty may with the assistance of the Divine Grace acquire it And this may be had with God with Christ with the Mysteries with the Virgin and with the Saints 35. Some think that when Devotion and sensible Pleasure are given them they are Favours of God that thence forward they have him and that the whole life is to be spent in breathing after that delight but it is a cheat because it is no more but a consolation of nature and a pure reflexion wherewith the Soul beholds what it does and hinders the doing or possibility of doing any thing the acquisition of the true light and the making of one step in the way of perfection The Soul is a pure Spirit and is not felt and so the internal acts and of the will as being the acts of the Soul and spiritual are not sensible Hence the Soul knows not if it liveth nor for most part is sensible if it acteth 36. From this thou mayest infer that that Devotion and sensible Pleasure is not God nor Spirit but the product of Nature that therefore thou oughtest to set light by and despise it but firmly to persevere in Prayer leaving thy self to the conduct of God who will be to thee light in aridity and darkness 37. Think not that when thou art dry and darksom in the presence of God with faith and silence that thou do'st nothing that thou losest time and that thou art idle because not to wait on God according to the saying of St. Barnard Tom. 5. in Tract de vit solit c. 8. p. 90. is the greatest idleness Otiosum non est vacare Deo inimo negotiorum omnium hoc est And elsewhere he sayeth that that idleness of the Soul is the business of the businesses of God. Hoc negotium magnum est negotium 38. It is not to be said that the Soul is idle because though it operate not Actively yet the Holy Ghost operates in it Besides that it is not without all activity because it operates though spiritually simply and intimately For to be attentive to God draw near to him to follow his internal inspirations receive his divine influences adore him in his own intimate center reverence him with the pious affections of the will to cast away so many and so fantastical imaginations and with softness and contempt to overcome so many temptations all these I say are true acts though simple wholly spiritual and in a manner imperceptible through the great tranquillity wherewith the Soul exerts them CHAP. VI. The Soul is not to be disquieted that it sees it self encompassed with darkness because that is an instrument of its greater felicity 39. THere are two sorts of darkness some unhappy and others happy the first are such as arise from sin and are unhappy because they lead the Christian to an eternal precipice The second are those which the Lord suffers to be in the Soul to ground and settle it in vertue and these are happy because they enlighten it fortifie it and cause greater light
not attain to the amiable rest and supreme internal peace CHAP. IX The Soul ought not to be disquieted nor draw back in the spiritual way because it finds it self assaulted by temptations 51. OUr own nature is so base proud and ambitious and so full of its own appetites it s own judgment and opinions that if temptations restrained it not it would be undone without remedy The Lord then seeing our misery and perverse inclination and thereby moved to compassion suffers us to be assaulted by divers thoughts against the faith horrible temptations and by violent and painful suggestions of impatience pride gluttony luxury rage blasphemy cursing despair and an infinite number of others to the end we may know our selves and be humble With these horrible temptations that infinite goodness humbles our pride giving us in them the most wholesom medicine 52. All our righteousness as Isaiah saith are as filthy rags Chap. 64.6 through the stains of vanity conceitedness and self-love It is necessary they be purified with the fire of tribulation and temptation that so they may be clean pure perfect and agreeable to the eyes of God. 53. Therefore the Lord purifies the Soul which he calls and will have for himself with the rough file of temptation with which he polishes it from the rust of pride avarice vanity ambition presumption and self-conceitedness With the same he humbles pacifies and exercises it making it to know its own misery By means thereof he purifies and strips the heart to the end all its operations may be pure and of inestimable value 54. Many Souls when they suffer these painful torments are troubled afflicted and disquieted it seeming to them that they begin already in this life to suffer eternal punishments and if by misfortune they go to an unexperienced Confessor instead of comforting them he leaves them in greater confusion and perplexities 55. That thou mayest not lose internal peace it is necessary thou believe that it is the goodness of divine mercy when thus it humbles afflicts and trys thee since by that means thy Soul comes to have a deep knowledge of it self reckoning it self the worst most impious and abominable of all Souls living and hence with humility and lowliness it abhors it self O how happy would Souls be if they would be quiet and believe that all these temptations are caused by the Devil and received from the hand of God for their gain and spiritual profit 56. But thou'll say that it is not the work of the Devil when he molests thee by means of creatures but the effect of thy neighbours fault and malice in having wronged and injured thee Know that that is another cunning and hidden temptation because though God wills not the sin of another yet he wills his own effect in thee and the trouble which accrues to thee from another's fault that he may see thee emproved by the benefit of patience 57. Doest thou receive an injury from any man there are two things in it the sin of him that does it and the punishment that thou sufferest the sin is against the will of God and displeases him though he permit it the punishment is conform to his will and he wills it for thy good wherefore thou oughtest to receive it as from his hand The Passion and Death of our Lord Christ were the effects of the wickedness and sins of Pilate and yet it is certain that God willed the death of his own Son for our redemption 58. Consider how the Lord makes use of another's fault for the good of thy Soul. O the greatness of the Divine Wisdom who can pry into the depth of the secret and extraordinary means and the hidden paths whereby he guides the Soul which he would have purged transformed and deified CHAP. X. Wherein the same Point is handled 59. THat the Soul may be the habitation of the celestial King it is necessary that it should be pure and without any blemish wherefore the Lord purifies it as gold in the furnace of terrible and grievous temptations Certain it is that the Soul never loves nor believes more than when it is afflicted and baited with such temptations because those doubtings and fears that beset it whether it believe or not whether it consent or not are nothing else but the quaintnesses of love 60. The effects that remain in the Soul make this very clear and commonly these are a loathing of it self with a most profound acknowledgment of the greatness and omnipotence of God a great confidence in the Lord that he will deliver it from all risk and danger believing and confessing with far greater vigour of faith that it is God who gives it strength to bear the torments of these temptations because it would naturally be impossible considering the force and violence wherewith sometimes they attack to resist one quarter of an hour 61. Thou art to know then that temptation is thy great happiness so that the more it besets thee the more thou oughtest to rejoyce in Peace instead of being sad and thank God for the favour he does thee In all these temptations and odious thoughts the remedy that is to work is to despise them with a stayed neglect because nothing more afflicts the proud devil than to see that he is slighted and despised as are all things else that he suggests to us And therefore thou art to tarry with him as one that perceives him not and to possess thy self in thy peace without repining and without multiplying Reasons and Answers seeing nothing is more dangerous than to vie in reasons with him who is ready to deceive thee 62. The Saints in arriving at holiness passed through this doleful valley of temptations and the greater Saints they were the greater temptations they grapled with Nay after the Saints have attained to holiness and perfection the Lord suffers them to be tempted with brisk temptations that their Crown may be the greater and that the spirit of vain-glory may be checked or else hindred from entring in them keeping them in that manner secure humble and sollicitous of their condition 63. Finally thou art to know that the greatest Temptation is to be without Temptation wherefore thou oughtest to be glad when it assaults thee and with Resignation Peace and Constancy resist it Because if thou wilt serve God and arrive at the sublime Region of Internal Peace thou must pass through that rugged Path of Temptation put on that heavy Armor fight in that fierce and cruel War and in that burning Furnace polish purge renew and purifie thy self CHAP. XI Declaring the Nature of internal Recollection and instructing the Soul how it ought to behave it self therein and in the Spiritual Warfare whereby the Devil endeavours to disturb it at that time 64. INternal Recollection is Faith and Silence in the Presence of God. Hence thou oughtest to be accustomed to recollect thy self in his Presence with an affectionate attention as one that is given up to God
and united unto him with Reverence Humility and Submission beholding him in the most inward recess of thine own Soul without Form Likeness Manner or Figure in the view and general nature of a loving and obscure Faith without any distinction of Perfection or Attribute 65. There thou art to be with attention and a sincere regard with a sedate heedfulness and full of Love towards the same Lord resigning and delivering thy self up into his hands to the end he may dispose of thee according to his good Will and Pleasure without reflecting on thy self nay nor on Perfection it self Here thou art to shut up the Senses trusting God with all the care of thy Welfare and minding nothing of the affairs of this Life Finally thy Faith ought to be pure without Representations or Likeness Simple without Reasonings and Universal without Distinctions 66. The Prayer of Internal Recollection may be well typified by that Wrestling which the holy Scripture says the Patriarch Jacob had all Night with God until Day broke and he Blessed him Wherefore the Soul is to persevere and wrestle with the difficulties that it will find in internal Recollection without desisting until the Son of internal Light begin to appear and the Lord give it his Blessing 67. No sooner wilt thou have given thy self up to thy Lord in this inward Way but all Hell will conspire against thee seeing one single Soul inwardly retired to its own Presence makes greater War against the Enemy than a thousand others that walk externally because the Devil makes an infinite advantage of an internal Soul. 68. In the time of the recollection Peace and Resignation of thy Soul God will more esteem the various impertinent troublesome and ugly thoughts that thou hast than the good purposes and high sentiments Know that the effort which thou thy self mayest make to resist Thoughts is an impediment and will leave thy Soul in greater anxitie The best thing that is to be done is sweetly to despise them to know thine own wretchedness and peacefully make an Offering to God of the Trouble 69. Though thou canst not get rid off the anguish of Thoughts hast no Light Comfort nor spiritual Sentiment Yet be not afflicted neither leave off recollection because they are the Snares of the Enemy Resign thy self at that time with Vigour endure with Patience and persevere in his Presence for whil'st thou perseverest after that manner thy Soul will be internally emproved 70. Doest thou believe that when thou comest away from Prayer dry in the same manner as thou began it that that was because of want of Preparation and that hath done thee no good That is a Fallacy Because the fruit of true Prayer consists not in enjoying the Light nor in having Knowledge of spiritual things since these may be found in a speculative Intellect without true Virtue and Perfection it only consists in enduring with Patience and persevering in Faith and Silence believing that thou art in the Lord's Presence turning to him thy Heart with tranquillity and purity of Mind So whil'st thou perseverest in this manner thou 'lt have the only Preparation and Disposition which at that time is necessary and shalt reap infinite fruit 71. War is very usual in this internal Recollection which on the one hand will deprive thee of sensibility to try humble and purge thee On the other invisible Enemies will assault thee with continual Suggestions to trouble and disquiet thee Nature her self apparently will torment thee she being always an Enemy to the Spirit which in depriving her of sensible Pleasures remains Weak Melancholy and full of Irksomness so that it feels a Hell in all Spiritual Exercises particularly in that of Prayer hence it grows extreamly impatient to be at an end of it through the uneasiness of Thoughts the lassitude of Body importunate Sleep and the not being able to curb the Senses every one of which would for its own share follow its own Pleasure Happy art thou if thou canst persevere amidst this Martyrdom 74. That great Doctoress and Mystical Mistriss Santa Teresa confirms all this by her heavenly Doctrine in the Letter she wrote to the Bishop of Osmia to instruct him how he was to behave himself in Prayer and in the variety of troublesome Thoughts which attack us at that time where she says 8. of her Epistolary There is a necessity of suffering the trouble of a Troop of Thoughts importune Imaginations and the impetuosities of natural Notions not only of the Soul through the dryness and disunion it hath but of the Body also occasioned by the want of submission to the Spirit which it ought to have 73. These are called drynesses in Spirituals but are very profitable if they be embraced and suffered with Patience Who so shall accustom himself to suffer them without repining will from that Labour draw vast advantage It is certain that in recollection the Devil frequently charges the Soul more fiercely with a Battalion of Thoughts to discomfit the quiet of the Soul and alienate it from that most sweet and secure internal Conversation raising horrours to the end it may leave it off reducing it most commonly to such a state as if it were led forth to a most rigorous Torment 74. The Birds which are the Devils knowing this said the Saint in the above-cited Letter pricks and molest the Soul with Imaginations troublesome Thoughts and the Interruptions which the Devil at that time brings in transporting the Thought distracting it from one thing to another and after he hath done with them attacking the Heart and it is no small fruit of Prayer patiently to suffer these Troubles and Importunities That is an offering up of ones self in a whole burnt Sacrifice that 's to say to be wholly consumed in the Fire of Temptation and no part spared See how this heavenly Mistress encourages to suffer and endure Thoughts and Temptations because provided they be not consented to they double the profit 75. As many times as thou exercisest thy self calmly to reject these vain Thoughts so many Crowns will the Lord set upon thy Head and and though it may seem to thee that thou do'st nothing be undeceiv'd for a good desire with firmness and stedfastness in Prayer is very pleasing to the Lord. 76. Wherefore to be there concludes the Saint without sensible profit is not lost time but of great gain whil'st one toyls without Interest and meerly for the Glory of God and though it may seem to be toyling in vain yet it is not so but it is as with Children who toyl and labour under the power of their Father though in the evening they receive not the wages for their day's work yet at the year's end they enjoy all In fine you see how the Saint confirms our document with her precious Doctrine CHAP. XII A Sequel of the same Matter 77. GOD loves not him who does most who hears most nor who shows greatest affection but who suffers most if he
pray with faith and reverence believing that he is in the divine presence The truth is to take from the Soul the prayer of the senses and of nature is a rigorous martyrdom to it but the Lord rejoyces and is glad in its peace if it be thus quiet and resigned Use not at that time vocal prayer because however it be good and holy in it self yet to use it then is a manifest temptation whereby the enemy pretends that God speaks not to thy heart under pretext that thou hast not sentiments and that thou losest time 78. God hath no regard to the multitude of words but to the purity of the intent His greatest content and glory at that time is to see the Soul in silence desirous humble quiet and resigned Proceed persevere pray and hold thy peace for where thou findest not a sentiment thou 'lt find a door whereby thou mayest enâ—eâ— into thine own nothingness knowing thy seâ—â— to be nothing that thou can'st do nothing nayâ— and that thou hast not so much as a good thought 79. How many have begun this happy practice of Prayer and Internal Recollection and have left it off pretending that they feel noâ— pleasure that they lose time that their thought trouble them and that that Prayer is not for them whil'st they find not any sentiment of God nor any ability to reason or discourse whereas they might have believed been silent and had patience All this is no more but with ingratitude to hunt after sensible pleasures suffering themselves to be transported with self-love seeking themselves and not God because they cannot suffer a little pain and dryness without reflecting on the infinite loss they sustain whereas by the least act of reverence towards God amidst dryness and sterility they receive an eternal reward 80. The Lord told the venerable Mother Francesca Lopez of Valenza and a religious of the third Order of St. Francis three things of great light and consequence in order to internal recollection In the first place that a quarter of an hour of Prayer with recollection of the senses and faculties and with resignation and humility does more good to the Soul than five days of penitential exercises hair cloaths disciplines fastings and sleeping on bare boards because these are only mortifications of the body and with recollection the Soul is purified 81. Secondly that it is more pleasing to the Divine Majesty to have the Soul in quiet and devote Prayer for the space of an hour than to go in great Pilgrimages because that in Prayer it does good to it self and to those for whom it prays gives delight to God and merits a high degree of glory but in pilgrimage commonly the Soul is distracted and the Senses diverted with a debilitation of vertue besides many other dangers 82. Thirdly that constant Prayer was to keep the heart always right towards God and that a Soul to be internal ought rather to act with the affection of the will than the toyl of the intellect All this is to be read in her Life 83. The more the Soul rejoyces in sensible love the less delight God has in it on the contrary the less the Soul rejoyces in this sensible love the more God delights in it And know that to fix the will on God restraining thoughts and temptations with the greatest tranquillity possible is the highest pitch of praying 84. I 'll conclude this Chapter by undeceiving thee of the vulgar errour of those who say that in this internal recollection or prayer of rest the faculties operate not and that the Soul is idle and wholly unactive This is a manifest fallaey of those who have little experience because although it operate not by means of the memory nor by the second operation of the intellect which is the judgment nor by the third which is discourse or ratiocination yet it operates bâ— the first and chief operation of the intellect which is simple apprehension enlightened bâ— holy faith and aided by the divine gifts of thâ— holy spirit And the will is more apt to continue one act than to multiply many so that aâ— well the act of the intellect as that of the wiâ—â— are so simple imperceptible and spiritual thaâ— hardly the Soul knows them and far less reflect upon them CHAP. XIII What the Soul ought to do in Internal Recollection 85. THou oughtest to go to Prayer that thâ—â— mayest deliver thy self wholly up intâ— the hands of God with perfect resignation exerting an act of faith believing that thou aâ— in the divine presence afterwards setling iâ— that holy repose with quietness silence and tranquility and endeavouring for a whole dayâ— a whole year and thy whole life to continue that first act of contemplation by faith and love 86. It is not your businesses to multiply theâ—â— acts nor to repeat sensible affections because they hinder the purity of the spiritual and perfect act of the will whil'st besides that these sweet sentiments are imperfect considering the reflection wherewith they are made the self-content and external consolation wherewith they are sought after the Soul being drawn outwards to the external faculties there is no necessity of renewing them as the mystical Falcon hath excellently expressed it by the following similitude 87. If a Jewel given to a friend were once put into his hands it is not necessary to repeat such a donation already made by daily telling him Sir I give you that Jewel Sir I give you that Jewel but to let him keep it and not take it from him because provided he take it not or design not to take it from him he hath surely given it him 88. In the same manner having once dedicated and lovingly resigned thy self to the will of God there is nothing else for thee to do but to continue the same without repeating new and sensible acts provided thou takest not back the Jewel thou hast once given by committing some notable fault aganist his divine will though thou oughtest still to exercise thy self outwardly in the external works of thy calling and state for in so doing thou do'st the will of God and walkest in continual and virtual oration He always prays said Theophylact who does good works nor does he neglect Prayer but when he leaves off to be just 89. Thou oughtest then to slight all those sensibilities to the end thy Soul may be established and acquire a habit of internal recollection which is so effectual that the resolution only of going to Prayer awakens a lively presence of God which is the preparation to the Prayer that is about to be made or to say better is no other than a more efficacious continuation of continual Prayer wherein the contemplative person ought to be settled 90. O how well did the venerable Mother of Cantal the spiritual daughter of St. Francis of Sales practise this Lesson in whose Life are the following words written to her Master Most dear Father I cannot do any act it seems to
not to be done without great fatigue to the Intellect nor does it stand in need of such ratiocinations since these serve only as a means to attain to believing that which it hath already got the possession of 123. The most noble spiritual and proper way for Souls that are Proficients in internal recollection to enter by the Humanity of Christ our Lord and entertain a remembrance of him is the second way eying that Humanity and the Passion thereof by a simple Act of Faith loving and reflecting on the same as the Tabernacle of the Divinity the beginning and end of our Salvation Jesus Christ having been Born Suffered and Died a shameful Death for our sakes 124. This is the way that makes internal Souls profit and this holy pious swift and instantaneous remembrance of the Humanity can be no obstacle to them in the course of internal recollection unless if when the Soul enters into Prayer it finds it self drawn back for then it will be better to continue recollection and mental excess But not finding it self drawn back the simple and swift remembrance of the Humanity of the Divine Word gives no impediment to the highest and most elevated the most abstracted and transformed Soul. 125. This is the way that Santa Teresa recommends to the contemplative rejecting the tumultuary opinions of some School-men This is the streight and safe way free from Dangers which the Lord hath taught to many Souls for attaining to repose and the holy tranquility of Contemplation 126. Let the Soul then when it enters into recollection place it self at the Gate of Divine Mercy which is the amiable and sweet remembrance of the Cross and Passion of the Word that was made Man and Died for Love let it stand there with Humilitie resigned to the Will of God in whatsoever it pleases the Divine Majesty to do with it and if from that holy and sweet remembrance it soon fall into forgetfulness there is no necessity of making a new repetition but to continue silent and quiet in the presence of the Lord. 127. Wonderfully does St. Paul favour this our Doctrine in the Epistle which he wrote to the Colossians wherein he exhorts them and us that whether we Eat Drink or do any thing else we should do it in the Name and for the Sake of Jesus Christ Omne quod cumque farit is in verbo aut in opere omnia in nomine Jesu Christi facite gratias agentes Deo Patri per ipsum God grant that we may all begin by Jesus Christ and that in him and by him alone we may arrive at perfection CHAP. XVII Of Internal and Mystical Silence 128. THere are three kinds of Silence the first is of Words the second of Desires and the third of Thoughts The first is perfect the second more perfect and the third most perfect In the first that is oâ— Words Virtue is acquired in the second to wit of Desires quietness is attained to in the third of Thoughts Internal Recollection is gained By not speaking not desiring and not thinking one arrives at the true and perfect Mystical Silence wherein God speaks with the Soul communicates himself to it and in the Abyss of it's own Depth teaches it the most perfect and exalted Wisdom 129. He calls and guides it to this inward Solitude and mystical Silence when he says That he will speak to it alone in the most secret and hidden part of the Heart Thou art to keep thy self in this mystical Silence if thou wouldest hear the sweet and divine Voice It is not enough for gaining this Treasure to forsake the World nor to renounce thine own Desires and all things created if thou wean not thy self from all Desires and Thoughts Rest in this mystical Silence and open the Door that so God may communicate himself unto thee unite with thee and transform thee into himself 130. The perfection of the Soul consists not in speaking nor in thinking much on God but in loving him sufficiently This Love is attained to by means of perfect Resignation and internal Silence all consists in Works The Love of God has but few Words Thus St. John the Evangelist confirms and inculcates it My little Children Epist 1. Chap. 3. v. 18. let us not Love in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth 131. Thou art clearly convinced now that perfect Love consists not in amorous Acts nor tender Ejaculations nor yet in the internal Acts wherein thou tellest God that thou hast an infinite love for him and thou lovest him more than thy self It may be that at that time thou seekest more thy self and the love of thy self than the true Love of God Because Love consists in Works and not in fair Discourses 132. That a rational Creature may understand the secret desire and intention of thy Heart there is a necessity that thou shouldest express it to him in Words But God who searches the Hearts standeth not in need that thou shouldest make profession and assure him of it nor does he rest satisfied as the Evangelist says with Love in Word nor in Tongue but with that which is true and indeed What avails it to tell him with great zeal and fervour that thou tenderly and perfectly lovest him above all things if at one bitter word or slight injury thou doest not resign thy self nor art mortified for the love of him A manifest proof that thy love was a love in Tongue and not in Deed. 133. Strive to be resigned in all things with Silence and in so doing without saying that thou lovest him thou wilt attain to the most perfect quiet effectual and true love St. Peter most affectionately told the Lord that for his sake he was ready willingly to lay down his Life but at the word of a young Damsel he denied him and there was an end of his Zeal Mary Magdalen said not a word and yet the Lord himself taken with her perfect Love became her Panagyrist saying that she had loved much It is internally then that with dumb Silence the most perfect Virtues of Faith Hope and Charity are practised without any necessity of telling God that thou lovest him hopest and believest in him because the Lord knows better than thou do'st what the internal Motions of thy Heart are 134. How well was that pure act of Love understood and practised by that profound and great Mistick the Venerable Gregory Lopez whose whole Life was a continual Prayer and a continued Act of Contemplation and of so pure and spiritual Love of God that it never gave way to Affections and sensible Sentiments 135. Having for the space of three Years continued that Ejaculation Thy Will be done in Time and in Eternity repeating it as often as he breathed God Almighty discovered to him that infinite Treasure of the pure and continued Act of Faith and Love with Silence and Resignation so that he came to say That during the thirty six Years he lived after
that he may Guide it it concerns them to come of themselves and all are not to be admitted especially if they be Women because they are not wont to come with sufficient disposition Not to make ones self a Master nor be willing to appear so is an excellent means of doing good 34. The Confessor is to make use of the name of Daughter as little as he can because it is most dangerous God being so Jealous and the Epithet so Amorous 35. The Employments which a Confessor accepts of out of his Confession-seat ought to be but few because God will not have him to be an Agent in Business and if it were possible he should not be seen but in his Confessionchair 36. A Godfather or Executor to a Man's last Will and Testament he ought not so much as once to be all his life long because it brings many disturbances to the Soul all of 'um contrary to the Perfection of so high a Ministry 37. The Confessor or spiritual Director never ought to Visit his spiritual Daughters not so much as in case of Sickness unless he should indeed be then sent for on the part of her that is ill 38. If the Confessor procures an inward and outward Recollection his words will be though he knows it not like Coals kindled setting their Souls afire 39. In the Confessionary his Reproofs must be ordinarily gentle and sweet although in the Pulpit they are severe and rigorous because in this he ought to be raging as a Lyon and in that he ought to put on the meekness of a Lamb O how powerful is sweet Reproof for Penitents In the Confessionary they are already moved but in the Pulpit their blindness and hardness makes it necessary to frighten 'um yet these ought to be perswaded and reproved rigorously who come indisposed and would have Absolution by force 40. When all that is possible is done for the benefit of Souls the Fruit of it is not to be lookt after because the Devil doth subtilly make that seem his own which is God's and assaults with self-Conceit and vain Complacency the capital Enemies of Annihilation which the Confessor always ought to bring about for such a spiritual Dying 41. Although he often see that Souls are not advantaged and that those which are edified loose the Spirit let him not be disquieted at this but possess himself in peace like the Guardian Angels then let him take courage inwardly with the sence of his own Sincerity because sometimes God suffers such a thing among other ends to humble him 42. The Confessor ought to avoid himself and perswade the Souls under his Conduct also to avoid all sort of outwardness because it is much abhorred by the Lord. 43. Although he ought not to order Souls to be Communicated nor take any Communion from 'em whether for Tryal or Mortification since there are infinite ways of Trying 'em and Mortifying 'em without so great a prejudice yet he ought not to be niggardly with those Souls which are moved by a true Desire because Jesus Christ indured not to be shut up 44. Experience shews us that 't is a difficult thing to fulfil a Penance when it is great and immoderate 't is always best to have it of some profitable and moderate matter 45. If the spiritual Father shews with any singularity a greater Affection to a Daughter and such as gives very great disturbance to others of her Sex here he must use privacy and prudence and must not speak to any with particularity because the Devil loves to make strife with the Guide of Souls and makes use of those very words to disturb others 46. The continual and principal Exercise of Souls purely Mistical must be in the interior Man producing with privacy the destruction of Self-love and the incouraging of 'em to the induring of inward Mortifications by which the Lord Cleanses Annihilates and Perfects them 47. The Desire of Revelations uses to be a great hindrance to the interiour Soul especially 10 Women and there is not an ordinary Dream but they will Christen it with the name of a Vision 'T is necessary to shew abhorrence to all these hindrances 48. Although Silence be a difficult thing to Women in the things which the Director orders 'em yet must he procure it since it is not good that the things inspired into him from the Lord should become the Mark for Censures to shoot at CHAP. VII Wherein the same thing is Treated of Discoursing the Interests which some Confessors and Spiritual Directors use to have in which are declared the Qualities which they ought to have for the Exercise of Confession and also for the Guiding of Souls through the Mystical Way 49. THe Confessor ought to get Penitents incouraged to Prayer especially when they often present themselves at his Feet and make known to him their Desire that they have of their spiritual Good. 50. The Maxim which the Confessor ought mostly to observe that he may never come into Perdition is Not to accept any Present though the whole World were offered him 51. Though there are abundance of Confessors yet they are not all good ones because some of 'em know but little others are very Ignorant others betake themselves to the Applauses of the Gentry some seek the Favours of their Penitents some their Presents some are full of spiritual Ambition and seek Credit and Fame getting a multitude of spiritual Children to themselves others affect their Mastership and Command others affect the Visions and Revelations of their spiritual Children and instead of despising 'em the onely way of securing 'em to Humility they commend 'em that they may not leave 'em off and make them write 'em that they may shew 'em abroad for Ostentation All this is Self-love and Vanity in these Guides and great prejudice to the spiritual Profit of Souls since it is certain that all these respects and interests serve onely to hinder the use and exercise of their Office with advantage and profit which requires an universal freedom from such things and whose end and aim ought only to be the glory of God. 52. Other Confessors there are which with ease and lightness of Heart do believe and approve and commend all Spirits Others falling into the vicious extream do condemn without any reserve all Visions and Revelations such things are neither to be believed all nor condemned all Others also there are who are so inamoured of the Spirit of their spiritual Daughters that whatever they Dream let 'em be never so much Deceits they reverence 'em as sacred Mysteries O what a world of Miseries are known in the Church by these means Other Confessors there are also having on the Garb of wordly Courtesie and Civility having little regard to the holy Place of the Confessionary discoursing with their Penitents concerning things vain superfluous distractive and far from that decency which the Sacrament requires and from that disposition which should be fit to receive divine Grace
affection is not perfect and ordinarily it is given to weak and nice Souls 103. Thou wilt say that thou feelest thy self indisposed without devotion without fervour without the desire of this Divine Food so as to ask how thou must frequent it believe for certain that none of these things doth hinder or hurt thee whilst you preserve this purpose firm not to sin and your Will determined to avoid every offence and if thou hast confessed all those that thou couldst remember doubt not but that thou art well prepared to come to this Heavenly and Divine Table CHAP. XIV Pursues the same Matter 104. THou must know that in this unspeakaable Sacrament Christ is united with the Soul is made one thing with it whose fineness and purity is the most profound and admirable and the most worthy of consideration and thanks Great was the pureness of him in being made Man greater that of dying ignominiously on the Cross for our sake but the giving of himself whole and entire to man in this admirable Sacrament admits no comparison This is singular favour and infinite pureness because there is no more to give no more to receive O that we could but comprehend him O that we could but know him 105. That God being what he is should be Communicated to my Soul that God should be willing to make a reciprocal ty of union with it which of it self is meer misery O Souls if we could but feed ourselves at this Heavenly Table O that we could scorch ourselves at this burning fire O that we could become one and the same spirit with this Soveraign Lord who withholds us who deceives us who takes us off from burning like Salamanders in the Divine fire of this holy Table 106. 'T is true O Lord that thou entrest into me a miserable creature but true also it is that thou at the same time remainest in thy glory and brightness and in thy self Receive me therefore O my Jesus in thy self in thy beauty and Majesty I am infinitely glad that the vileness of my Soul cannot prejudice thy beautyâ— thou enterest therefore into me without going out of thy self thou livest in the midst of thy brightness and magnificence though thou art in my darkness and misery 107. O my Soul how great is thy vileness Job 7 Chap. how great thy poverty What is man Lord that thou art so mindful of him that thou visitest him and makest him great What is man that thou puttest such an esteem upon him being willing to have thy delights with him and dwell personally with thy greatnesses in him how O Lord can a miserable creature receive an infinite Majesty humble thy self O my soul to the very depth of nothing confess thy unworthyness look upon thy misery and acknowledge the wonders of the Divine Love which suffers it self to be mean in this incomprehensible Mystery that it may be communicated and united with thee 108. O the greatness of love which the amiable Jesus is in a small host who is there subject in some manner to man giving himself whole and sacrificing himself for him to the Eternal Father O Sovereign Lord keep back my heart strongly that it may never more return to its imperfect liberty but all annihilated may die to the world and remain united with thee 109. If thou would'st get all Vertues in the highest degree come blessed Soul come with frequency to this most holy Table for there they do all dwell Eat O my Soul of this Heavenly Food eat and continue come with humility come with Faith to feed of this White and Divine Bread for this is the Mark of Souls and from hence Love draws its Arrows saying Come O Soul and eat this savoury Food if thou would'st get Purity Charity Chastity Light Strength Perfection and Peace CHAP. XV. Declaring when Spiritual and Corporal Penances ought to be used and how hurtful they are when they are done indiscreetly according to ones own judgment and opinion 110. IT is to be known that there are some Souls who to make too great advances in Holiness become much behind-hand in it by doing indiscreet Penances like those who would sing more than their strength allows 'em who strain themselves till they are tired and instead of doing better do worse 111. Many have fallen into this Precipice for want of subjecting their judgment to their spiritual Fathers whil'st they have imagined that unless they give themselves up to rigid Penances they never can be Saints as if sanctity did only consist in them They say that he that sows little reaps little but they sow no other seed with their indiscreet Penances than Self-love instead of rooting of it up 112. But the worst of these indiscreet Penances is that by the use of these dry and barren Severities is begotten and naturalized a certain bitterness of heart towards themselves and their neighbours which is a great stranger to the true Spirit towards themselves because they do not feel the sweetness of Christ's Yoke the sweetness of Charity but only the asperity of Penances whereby their nature becomes imbitter'd and hence it follows that such men become exasperated with their neighbours to the marking and reproving much their faults and holding of 'em for very defective for the same reason that they see 'em go a less rigorous way than themselves hence they grow proud with their exercises of Penance seeing few that do after 'em and thinking themselves better than other folks whereupon they much fall in the account of their Vertues Hence comes the envy of others to see them less penitent and greater favourites of God a clear proof that they fixed their confidence in their own proper diligences 113. Prayer is the nourishment of the Soul and the Soul of Prayer is internal mortification for however bodily Penance and all other exercises chastening the flesh be good and holy and praiseworthy so as they be moderated by discretion according to the state and quality of every one and by the help of the spiritual Director's judgment yet thou wilt never gain any vertue by these means but only vanity and the wind of vain-glory if they do not grow from within Wherefore now thou shalt know when thou art to use most chiefly External Penances 114. When the Soul begins to retire from the World and Vice it ought to tame the Body with rigour that it may be subject to the Spirit and follow the Law of God with ease then it concerns you to manage the Weapons of Hair-cloth Fasting and Discipline to take from the flesh the roots of sin but when the Soul enters into the way of the Spirit imbracing internal mortification corporal chastisements ought to be relaxed because there is trouble enough in the Spirit the heart is weakned the breast suffers the brain is weary the whole Body grieved and disabled for the functions of the Soul. 115. The wise and skilful Director therefore must consider not to give way to these Souls to
perform such excesses of Corporal and External Penance to whom he moves the great love of God which they do conceive in the internal darksom and cleansing retirement of 'em because 't is not good to spend the Body and the Spirit all at once nor break their strength by rigorous and excessive Penances seeing they are weakned by internal mortification For which reason St. Ignatius Loyola said very well in his Exercises That in the cleansing way Corporal Penances were necessary which in the illuminating way ought to be moderated and much more in the unitive 116. But thou wilt say That the Saints always used grievous Penances I answer that they did 'em not with indiscretion nor after their own proper judgment but with the opinion of their Superiours and Spiritual Directors which permitted 'em to use them because they knew 'em to be moved inwardly by the Lord to those rigours to confound the misery of sinners by their examples or for many other reasons Other times they gave 'em leave to use them to humble the fervour of their Spirit and counterpoise their Raptures which are all particular Motives and make not any general Rule for all CHAP. XVI The great difference between External and Internal Penances 117. KNow that the Mortifications and Penances which some one undertakes of himself are light although they may be the most rigorous which hitherto have been done in comparison of those he takes from another's hands because in the first he himself enters and his own will which abate the grief the more voluntary it is whilst at last he doth but that which he is willing but in the second all that is indured is painful and the way also painful in which it is indured that is to say by the will of another 118. This is that which Christ our Lord told St. Peter St. John 21.18 When thou wast young and a beginner in vertue thou girdedst and mortifiedst thy self but when thou goest to greater Schools and shall be a proficient in vertue another shall gird and mortifie theeâ— and then if thou wilt follow me perfectly altogether denying thy self thou must leave that cross of thine and take up mine that is be contented that another crucifie thee 119. There must be no difference made between these and those between thy Father and thy Son thy Friend and thy Brother these must be the first to mortifie thee or to rise up against thee whether with reason or without reason thinking the vertue of thy Soul cheat hypocrisie or imprudence and putting stumbling-blocks in the way of thy holy Exercises This and much more will befall thee if thou wilt heartily serve the Lord and make thy self pure from his hand 120. Hold it for certain that however good those Mortifications and External Penances be which thou shalt undertake of thine own self thou wilt never by those only purchase perfection for although they tame the Body yet they purifie not the Soul nor purge the internal Passions which do really hinder perfect Contemplation and the Divine Union 121. 'T is very easie to mortifie the Body by means of the Spirit but not the Spirit by means of the Body True it is that in Internal Mortification and that of the Spirit it much concerns you for conquering your Passions and rooting up your own Judgment and Self-love to labour even to death without any manner of sparing your self although the Soul be in the highest state and therefore the principal diligence ought to be in Internal Mortification because Corporal and External Mortification is not enough though it be good and holy 122. Though a man should receive the punishments of all men together and do the roughest Penances that ever have been done in God's Church yet if he do not deny himself and mortifie himself with interior mortification he will be far from arriving at perfection 123. A good proof of this truth is that which befel Saint Henry Suson to whom after 20 years of rigorous Hair-cloth Discipline and Abstinence fo great that even to read 'em is enough to make ones hair stand on end God communicated light by means of an Extasie by which he arrived at the knowledge that he had not yet begun and it was in such a manner as that till the Lord mortified him with temptations and great persecutions he never could arrive at perfection his Life chap. 23. Hence thou wilt clearly know the great difference that there is between External and Internal Penances and Internal and External Mortification CHAP. XVII How the Soul is to carry it self in the Faults it doth commit that it may not be disquieted thereby but reap good out of it 124. WHen thou fallest into a fault in what matter soever it be do not trouble nor afflict thy self for it for they are effects of our frail nature stained by Original Sin so prone to Evil that it hath a necessity of a most special Grace and Priviledge as the most holy Virgin had to be free and exempt from Venial Sins Council of Trent Sess 6. Can. 23. 125. If when thou fallest into a fault or a piece of neglect thou dost disturb and chide thy self 't is a manifest sign that secret pride doth still reign in thy Soul didst thou believe that thou could'st not more fall into faults and frailties if God permits some failings even in the most holy and perfect men it is to leave 'em some remnant of themselves of the time that they were beginners to keep 'em more secure and humble it is that they may think always that they are never departed from that state whilst they still keep upon the faults of their beginnings 126. What dost thou marvel at if thou falâ—est into some light fault or frailty humble thy self know thy misery and thank God that he has preserved thee from infinite sins into which thou must have infallibly fallen and wouldst have fallen according to thy inclination and appetite What can be expected from the slippery ground of our nature but stumps bryers and thorns 't is a miracle of Divine Grace not to fall every moment into faults innumerable We should offend all the World if God should not hold his hand continually over us 127. The common enemy will make thee believe that as soon as thou fallest into any fault thou dost not go well grounded in the way of the Spirit that thou walkest in Error that thou hast not in earnest reformed thy self that thou didst not make well the general confession that thou hast not true grief and therefore art out of God and of his favour and if thou shalt sometimes commit again by misfortune a venial fault how many fears frights confusions discouragements and various discourses will the Devil put into thy heart he will represent to thee that thou employest thy time in vain that thou dost just as much as comes to nothing that thy Prayer doth thee no good that thou disposest not thy self as thou oughtest to receive the holy
Contingencies as he communicates these things to other Souls which have constantly gone through Tribulations Temptations and the true Cross in the state of perfect Humility Obedience and Subjection 15. O what a great Happiness it is for a Soul to be subdued and subject what great Riches is it to be Poor what a mighty Honour to be despised what a height is it to be beaten down what a Comfort is it to be Afflicted what a credit of knowledge is it to be reputed Ignorant and finally what a Happiness of Happinesses is it to be Crucified with Christ This is that lot which the Apostle gloried in Nos autem gloriari oportet in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi Gal. 6.14 Let others boast in their Riches Dignities Delights and Honours but to us there is no higher honour than to be denied despised and crucified with Christ 16. But what a grief is this that scarce is there one Soul which despises Spiritual Pleasures and is willing to be denied for Christ imbracing his Cross with love Multi sunt vocati pauci vero electi Matt. 22. says the Holy Ghost many are they who are call'd to perfection but few are they that arrive at it because they are few who imbrace the Cross with patience constancy peace and resignation 17. To deny ones self in all things to be subject to another's judgment to mortifie continually all inward passions to annihilate ones self in all respects to follow always that which is contrary to ones own will appetite and judgment are things that few can do many are those that teach 'em but few are they that practise ' em 18. Many Souls have undertaken and daily do undertake this Way and they persevere all the while they keep the sweet relish of their primitive Fervour but this sweetness and sensible delight is scarce done but presently upon the overtaking of a Storm of Trouble Temptation and Dryness which are necessary things to help a man up the high Mountain of Perfection they falter and turn back a clear sign that they sought themselves and not God or Perfection 19. May it please God that the Souls which have had light and been called to an inward peace and by not being constant in dryness and tribulation and temptation have started back may not be cast into outer darkness with him that had not on him a wedding garment although he was a servant for not being disposed giving himself up to self-love 20. This Monster must be vanquished this seven-headed beast of self-love must be beheaded in order to get up to the top of the high mountain of peace This Monster put his head every where sometimes it gets amongst Relations which strangely hinder with their conversation to which nature easily let 's it self be lead sometimes it gets with a good look of gratitude into passionate affection and without restraint towards the Confessor sometimes into affection to most subtle Spiritual vain-glories and temporal ones and niceties of honour which things stick very close sometimes it cleaves to spiritual pleasures staying even in the gifts of God and in his graces freely bestowed sometimes it desires exceedingly the preservation of health and with disguise to be used well and its own proper profit and conveniences sometimes it would seem well with very curious subtilties and lastly it cleaves with a notable propensity to its own proper judgment and opinion in all things the roots of which are closely fixed in its own will All these are effects of Self-love and if they be not denied impossible it is that a man should ever get up to the height of perfect Contemplation to the highest happiest of the loving Union and the lofty Throne of Peace Internal CHAP. IV. Of two Spiritual Martyrdoms wherewith God cleanseth the Soul that he Unites with Himself 21. NOw you shall know that God uses two ways for the Cleansing the Souls which he would perfect and enlighten to unite 'em closely to himself The first of which we will treat in this and the following Chapter is with the bitter Waters of Afflictions Anguish Distress and inward Torments The second is with the burning Fire of an inflamed Love a Love impatient and hungry Sometimes he makes use of both in those Souls which he would fill with Perfection sometimes he puts 'em into the strong steeping of Tribulations and inward and outward Bitterness scorching 'em with the Fire of rigorous Temptation sometimes he puts 'em into the Crucible of anxious and distrustful Love making 'em fast there with a mighty force because so much the greater as the Lord would have the Illumination and Union of a Soul to be so much the more strong is the Torment and the Purgation because all the Knowledge and Union with God arises from suffering which is the truest proof of Love. 22. O that thou would'st understand the great Good of Tribulation This is that which blots out Sins cleanses the Soul and produces Patience this in Prayer inflames it inlarges it and puts it upon the exercise of the most sublime act of Charity this rejoyces the Soul brings it near to God calls it to and gives is entrance into Heaven The same is that which tries the true Servants of God and renders 'em sweet valiant and constant that is it which makes God hear 'em with speed Ad dominum cum tribularer clamavi exaudivit me Psâ— 119. 'T is that which Annihilates Refines and Perfects 'em and finally this is that which of Earthly makes Souls Heavenly of Humane Divine transforming 'em and uniting 'em in an admirable manner with the Lord's Humanity and Divinity It was well said by St Augustine That the Life of the Soul upon Earth is Temptation Blessed is the Soul which is always opposed if it doth constantly resist Temptation This is the means which the Lord makes use of to Humble it to Annihilate it to Spend it to Mortifie it to Deny it to Perfect it and fill it with his Divine Gifts By this means of Tribulation and Temptation he comes to Crown and Transform it Perswade thy self that Temptations and Fightings are necessary for the Soul to make it Perfect 23. O blessed Soul if thou knowest how to be constant and quiet in the Fire of Tribulation and would'st but let thy self be washed with the bitter Waters of Affliction how quickly would'st thou find thy self rich in heavenly Gifts how soon would the Divine Bounty make a rich Throne in thy Soul and a goodly Habitation for thee to refresh and solace thy self in it 24. Know that this Lord hath his repose no where but in quiet Souls and in those in which the Fire of Tribulation and Temptation hath burnt up the dregs of Passions and the bitter Water of Afflictions hath washed off the filthy spots of inordinate Appetites in a word this Lord reposes not himself any where but where Quietness reigns and Self-love is banished 25. But thou wilt never arrive at this happy State nor
find in thy Soul the precious Pledge of Peace Internal although thou hast gotten the better of the External Senses by the Grace of God till it become purified from the disordered Passions of Concupiscence Self-esteem Desire and Thoughts how spiritual soever and many other Interests and secret Vices which lye within the very Soul of thee miserably hindring the peaceable entrance of that great Lord into it who would be united and transformed with thee 26. The very Vertues acquired and not purified are a hindrance to this great Gift of the Peace of the Soul and more the Soul is clogged by an inordinate desire of sublime Gifts by the Appetite of feeling spiritual Consolation by sticking to Infused and Divine Graces intertaining it self in 'em and desiring more of 'em to enjoy 'em and finally by a desire of being great 27. O how much is there to be purified in a Soul that must arrive at the holy Mountain of Perfection and of Transformation with God! O how disposed naked denied annihilated ought the Soul to be which would not hinder the entrance of this Divine Lord into it nor his continual Communication 28. This disposition of preparing the Soul in its bottom for Divine Entrance must of necessity be made by the Divine Wisdom If a Seraphim is not sufficient to purifie the Soul how shall a Soul that is frail miserable and without experience ever be able to purifie itself 29. Therefore the Lord himself will dispose thee and prepare thee passively by a way thou understandest not with the Fire of Tribulation and inward Torment without any other disposition on thy side than a consent to the internal and external Cross 30. Thou wilt find within thy self a passive dryness darkness anguish contradictions continual resistance inward desertions horrible desolations continual and strong suggestions and vehement temptations of the Enemy finally thou wilt see thy self so afflicted that thou wilt not be able to lift up thy Heart being full of sorrow and heaviness nor do the least act of Faith Hope or Charity 31. Here thou wilt see thy self forlorn and subject to Passions of impatience anger rage swearing and disordered appetites seeming to thy self the most miserable Creature the greatest Sinner in the World the most abhorred of God deprived and stript of all Vertue with a pain like that of Hell seeing thy self afflicted and desolate to think that thou hast altogether lost God this will be thy cruel cutting and most bitter torment 32. But though thou shalt see thy self so oppressed seeming to thy self to be proud impatient and wrothful yet these temptations shall lose their force and power upon thee they shall have no place in thy Soul by a secret Vertue the soveragin Gift of inward Strength which rules in the in-most part of it conquering the most affrightening punishment and pain and the strongest temptation 33. Keep constant O blessed Soul keep constant for it will not be as thou imaginest nor art thou at any time nearer to God than in such cases of desertion for although the Sun is hid in the Clouds yet it changes not its place nor a jot the more loses its brightness The Lord permits this painful desertion in thy Soul to purge and polish thee to cleanse thee and dis-robe thee of thy self and that thou mayest in this manner be all his and give thy self wholly up to him as his infinite Bounty is intirely given to thee that thou mayest be his delight for although thou dost groan and lament and weep yet he is joyful and glad in the most secret and hidden place of thy Soul. CHAP. V. How important and necessary it is to the interiour Soul to suffer blindfold this first and spiritual Martyrdom 34. TO the end that the Soul of Earthly may become Heavenly and may come to that greatest good of Union with God it is necessary for it to be purified in the Fire of Tribulation and Temptation And although it be true and a known and approved Maxim That all those that Serve the Lord must suffer troubles persecutions and tribulations yet the happy Souls which are Guided by God by the secret way of the interiour Walk and of purgative Contemplation must suffer above all strong and horrible Temptations and Torments more bitter than those wherewith the Martyrs were crowned in the Primitive Church 35. The Martyrs besides the shortness of their Torment which hardly endured days were comforted with a clear light and special help in hope of the near and sure Rewards But the desolate Soul that must dye in it self and put off and make clean its Heart seeing it self abandoned by God surrounded by temptations darkness anguish affliction sorrows and rigid drowths doth taste of Death every moment in its painful Torment and tremendous Desolation without feeling the least comfort with an affliction so great that the pain of it seems nothing else but a Death prolonged and a continual Martyrdom whereupon with great reason it may be said that although there be many Martyrs yet there are few Souls which follow Christ our Lord with Peace and Resignation in such Torments 36. Then it was men that Martyr'd 'em and God comforted their Souls but now it is God that afflicts and hides himself and the Devils like cruel Executioners have a thousand ways to torment the Soul and Body the whole Man being Crucified within and without 37. Thy sorrows will seem to thee insuperable and thy afflictions past the power of comfort and that Heaven rains no more upon thee thou wilt see thy self begin with griefs and besieged with sorrows Internal from the darkness of thy powers from the weakness of discourses strong Temptations will afflict thee painful distrusts and troublesome scruples nay Light and Judgment will forsake thee 38. All the Creatures will give thee trouble spiritual Counsels will bring thee pain the reading of Books how holy soever will not comfort thee as it used to do If they speak to thee of Patience they will exceedingly trouble thee the fear of losing God through thy unthankfulness and want of returns will torment thee to the Soul if thou groanest and beggest help of God thou wilt find instead of comfort inward reproof and dis-favour like another Canaanitish Woman to whom he made no answer at first and then treated her as the Creature he was speaking of * here Molines is beside his Text 39. And although at this time the Lord will not abandon thee because it would be impossible to live one moment without his help yet the succour will be so secret that thy Soul will not know it nor be capable of hope and consolation nay it will seem to be without remedy suffering like condemned persons the pains of Hell Circumdederunt me dolores mortis pericula inferni invenerunt me Ps 114. and it would change 'em as such with a violent Death which would be a great comfort but like those the end of those afflictions and bitternesses will seem impossible 40.
But if thou O blessed Soul should'st know how much thou art beloved and defended by that Divine Lord in the midst of thy loving torments thou wouldst find 'em so sweet that it would be necessary that God should work a Miracle to let thee live Be constant O happy Soul be constant and of good courage for however intolerable thou art to thy self yet thou wilt be protected inriched and beloved by that greatest Good as if he had nothing else to do than to lead thee to Perfection by the the highest steps of love and if thou do'st not turn away but perseverest constantly without leaving off thy undertaking know that thou offerest to God the most accepted Sacrifice so that if this Lord were capable of pain he would find no ease till he has compleated this loving Union with thy Soul. 41. If from the Chaos of Nothing his Omnipotence has produced so many Wonders what will he do in thy Soul created after his own Image and Likeness if thou keepest constant quiet and resigned with a true knowledge of thy Nothing Happy Soul which even when 't is disturbed afflicted and disconsolate keeps steady there within without going forth to declare exteriour Comfort 42. Afflict not thy self too much and with inquietude because these sharp Martyrdoms may continue persevere in Humility and go not out of thy self to seek aid for all the good consists in being silent suffering and holding patience with rest and resignation there wilt thou find the Divine Strength to overcome so hard a warsare he is within thee that fighteth for thee and he is strength it self 43. When thou shalt come to this painful state of fearful desolation weeping and lamentation are not forbidden thy Soul whilest in the upper part of it it keeps resigned Who can bear the Lord's heavy hand without tears and lamentation That great Champion Job even he lamented so did Christ our Lord in his forsakings but their weepings were accompanied with resignation 44. Afflict not thy self though God do crucifie thee and make tryal of thy fidelity imitate the Woman of Canaan who being rejected and injured did importune and persevere humbling her self and following him though she were treated as she was It is necessary to drink the cup and not go back if the scales were taken from thine eyes as they were from St. Paul's thou would'st see the necessity of suffering and glory as he did esteeming more the being Crucified than being an Apostle 45. Thy good luck consists not in injoying but in suffering with quiet and resignation St. Teresa appeared after her death to a certain Soul and told it that she had only been rewarded for her pain but had not received one dram of reward for so many Extasies and Revelations and Comforts that she had here enjoyed in this World. 46. Although this painful martyrdom of horrible desolation and passive purgation be so tremendous that with reason it hath gotten the name of Hell amongst mystick Divines because it seems impossible to be able to live a moment with so grievous a torment so that with great reason it may be said that he that suffers it lives dying and dying lives a lingring death yet know that it is necessary to endure it to arrive at the sweet joyous and abundant riches of high contemplation and loving union and there has been no holy Soul which has not passed through this spiritual martyrdom and painful torment St. Gregory the Pope in the two last Months of his Life St. Francis of Assize two years and a half St. Mary Maudlin of Pazzi five years St. Rose of Peru fifteen years and after such miracles as made the world amazed St. Dominick suffer'd it even till half an hour of his happy exit CHAP. VI. 47. THE other more profitable and meritorious martyrdom in Souls already advanced in perfection and deep contemplation is a fire of divine love which burns the soul and makes it painful with the same love sometimes the absence of its beloved afflicts it sometimes the sweet ardent and welcome weight of the loving and divine Presence torments it This sweet martyrdom always makes it sigh sometimes if it enjoys and has its beloved for the pleasure of having him so that it cannot contain it self other times if he does not manifest himself through the ardent anxiety of seeking finding and enjoying him all this is panting suffering and dying for love 48. O that thou could'st but come to conceive the contrariety of accidents that an inamour'd Soul suffers the combate so terrible and strong on one side so sweet and melting and amiable on the other the martyrdom so piercing and sharp with which love torments it and the cross so painful and sweet withal without ever being in the mind of getting free from it whil'st thou liv'st 49. Just so much as light and love increases just so much increases the grief in seeing that good absent which it loves so well To feel it near it self is enjoyment and never to have done knowing and possessing it consumes its life it has food and drink near its mouth whil'st it wants either and cannot be satisfied it sees it self swallowed up and drown'd in a sea of love whil'st the powerful hand that is able to save it is near it and yet doth not do it nor doth it know when he will come whom it so much does desire 50. Sometimes it hears the inward voice of its beloved which courts and calls it and a soft and delicate whisper which goes forth from the secret of the Soul where it abides which pierces it strongly even like to melt and dissolve it in seeing how near it hath him within it self and yet how far off from it whil'st it cannot come to possess him This intoxicates it imbases it scares it and fills it with unsatisfiableness and therefore love is said to be as strong as death whil'st it kills just as that doth CHAP. VII Inward Mortification and Perfect Resignation are necessary for obtaining Internal Peace 60. THE most subtle Arrow that is shot at us from Nature is to induce us to that which is unlawful with a pretence that it may be necessary and useful O how many Souls have suffer'd themselves to be lead away and have lost the Spirit by this guilded Cheat Thou wilt never last the delicious Manna Quod nemo novit nisi qui accipit Apoc. ch 2. unless thou dost perfectly overcome thy self even to die in thy self because he who endeavours not to die to his Passions is not well disposed to receive the Gift of Understanding without the infusion whereof it is impossible for him to go in into himself and be changed in his Spirit and therefore those that keep without have nothing of it 52. Never disquiet thy self for any accident for inquietude is the door by which the Enemy gets into the Soul to rob it of its peace 53. Resign and deny thy self wholly for though true self-denial is harsh at the beginning 't
and though they know their own misery yet they are loth that other folks should know it This is dissembled humility and feigned and nothing but secret pride 95. Theirs is the true humility which have gotten a perfect habit of it these never think of it but judge humbly of themselves they do things with courage and patience they live and dye in God they mind not themselves nor the Creatures they are constant and quiet in all things they suffer molestation with joy desiring more of it that they may imitate their dear and despised Jesus they covet to be reputed trifles and sport by the World they are contented with what God alots 'em and are convinced of their faults with a pleasing shame they are not humbled by the counsel of Reason but by the affection of the Will there is no honour that they look after nor injury to disturb 'em no trouble to vex 'em no prosperity to make 'em proud because they are always immovable in their Nothing and in themselves with absolute peace 96. And that thou mayest be acquainted with interiour and true Humility know that it doth not consist in external Acts in taking the lowest place in going poor in cloaths in speaking submissively in shutting the eyes in affectionate sighing nor in condemning thy ways calling thy self miserable to give others to understand that thou art humble It consists onely in the contempt of thy self and the desire to be despised with a low and profound knowledge without concerning thy self whether thou art esteemed humble or no though an Angel should reveal such a thing to thee 97. The torrent of Light wherewith the Lord with his Graces inlightens the Soul doth two things It discovers the Greatness of God and at the same time the Soul knows its own stench and misery insomuch that no Tongue is able to express the depth in which it is overwhelmed being desirous that every one should know its Humility and 't is so far from vain-Glory and Complacency as it sees that Grace of God to be the meer Goodness of him and nothing but his Mercy which is pleased to take pity on it 98. Thou shalt never be hurt by Men or Devils but by thy self thy own proper Pride and the violence of thy Passions take heed of thy self for thou of thy self art the greatest Devil of all to thy self 99. Have no mind to be esteemed when God incarnate was called Fool Drunkard and said to have a Devil O the Folly of Christians that we should be willing to enjoy Happiness without being willing to imitate him on the Cross in Reproaches Humility Poverty and in other Vertues 100. The truly humble man is at rest and ease in his Heart there he stands the tryal of God and Men and the Devil himself above all reason and discretion possessing himself in peace and quietness looking for with all Humility the pure pleasure of God as well in Life as Death Things without do no more disquiet him than if they never were The Cross to him and even Death it self are Delights though he make no such shew outwardly But oh who do we speak of for few there are of these sort of humble Men in the whole World 101. Hope thou and desire and suffer and dye without any bodies knowing it for herein consists the humble and perfect Love. O how much Peace wilt thou find in thy Soul if thou do'st profoundly humble thy self and even hug Contempt 102. Thou wilt never be perfectly humble though thou knowest thy own Misery unless thou desirest that all men should know it then thou wilt avoid Praises embrace Injuries despise every thing that makes a fair shew even to thine own self and if any Tribulation come upon thee blame none for it but judge that it comes from God's Hand as the Giver of every good 103. If thou would'st bear thy Neighbours faults cast thine Eyes upon thine own and if thou thinkest to thy self that thou hast made any progress in Perfection by thy self know that thou art not humble at all nor hast yet made one step in the Way of the Spirit 104. The degrees of Humility are the qualites of a Body in the Grave that is to be in the lowest place buried like one that 's dead to stink and be corrupted to it self to be dust and nothing in ones own account finally if thou would'st be Blessed learn to despise thy self and to be despised by others CHAP. XI Maxims to know a simple humble and true Heart 105. ENcourage thy self to be Humble embracing Tribulations as Instruments of thy Good rejoyce in Contempt and desire that God may be thy onely Refuge Comfort and Protector 106. None let him be never so great in this World can be greater than he that is in the eye and favour of God and therefore the truly humble Man despises whatever there is in the World even to himself and puts his onely trust and repose in God. 107. The truly humble Man suffers quietly and patiently internal Troubles and he is the Man that makes great way in a little time like one that sails before the Wind. 108. The truly humble Man finds God in all things so that whatever contempt injury or affront comes to him by means of the Creatures he receives it with great peace and quiet Internal as sent from the Divine Hand and loves greatly the instrument with which the Lord tryes him 109. He is not yet arrived at profound Humility that is taken with Praise though he does not desire it nor seek it but rather avoids it because to an humble Heart praises are bitter crosses although it be wholly quiet and immovable 110. He has no internal Humility who doth not abhor himself with a mortal but withal a peaceable and quiet hatred But he will never come to possess this treasure that has not a low and profound knowledge of his own vileness rottenness and misery 111. He that is upon excuses and replies has not a simple and humble heart especially if he does this with his Superiours because replies grow from a secret pride that reigns in the Soul and from thence the total ruine of it 112. Perfidiousness supposes little submission and this less humility and both together they are the fewel of inquietude discord and disturbance 113. The humble heart is not disquieted by imperfections though these do grieve it to the Soul because they are against its loving Lord nor is he concerned that he cannot do great things for he always stands in his own Nothing and Misery nay he wonders at himself that he can do any thing of Vertue and presently thanks the Lord for it with a true knowledge that it is God that doth all and remains dissatisfied with what he does himself 114. The truely humble man though he see all yet he looks upon nothing to judge it because he judges ill onely of himself 115. The truely humble man doth always find an excuse to defend him that mortifies
him at least in a found intention Who therefore would be angry with a man of good intention 116. So much nay more doth false humility displease God as true pride does because that is hypocrisy besides 117. The truely humble man though every thing falls out contrary to him is neither disquieted nor afflicted at it because he is prepared and thinks he deserves no less he is not disquieted under troublesome thoughts wherewith the Devil seeks to torment him nor under temptations tribulations and desertions but rather acknowledges his unworthiness and is affected that the Lord chastises him by the Devil's means though he be a vile instrument all he suffers seems nothing to him and he never doth a thing that he thinks worth any great matter 118. He that is arrived at perfect and inward Humility although he be disturbed at nothing as one that abhors himself because he knows his imperfection in every thing his ingratitude and his misery yet he suffers a great cross in induring himself This is the sign to know true Humility of heart by But the happy Soul which is gotten to this holy hatred of it self lives overwhelmed drowned and swallowed up in the depth of its own Nothing out of which the Lord raises him by communicating Divine Wisdom to him and filling him with Light Peace Tranquility and Love. CHAP. XII Inward Solitude is that which chiefly brings a Man to the purchase of Internal Peace 119. KNow that although exteriour Solitude doth much assist for the obtaining internal Peace yet the Lord did not mean this when he spake by his Prophet Hos 2.14 I will bring her into solitude and speak privately to her But he meant the interiour Solitude which joyntly conduces to the obtaining the precious jewel of Peace Internal Internal Solitude consists in the forgeting all the Creatures in disengaging ones self from 'em in a perfect nakedness of all the affections desires thoughts and ones own will. This is the true Solitude where the Soul reposes with a sweet and inward serenity in the arms of its chiefest good 120. O what infinite room is there in a Soul that is arrived at this Divine Solitude O what inward what retired what secret what spacious what vast distances are there within a happy Soul that is once come to be truly solitary There the Lord converses and communicates himself inwardly with the Soul there he fills it with himself because it is empty cloaths it with light and with his love because it is naked lifts it up because 't is low and unites it with himself and transforms it because it is alone 121. O delightful Solitude and Cifer of eternal Blessings O Mirrour in which the eternal Father is always beheld There is great reason to call thee Solitude for thou art so much alone that there is scarce a Soul that looks after thee that loves and knows thee O Divine Lord how is it that Souls do not go from Earth to this Glory How come they to lose so great a good through the onely love and desire of created things Blessed Soul how happy wilt thou be if thou do'st but leave all for God! seek him onely breathe after none but him let him onely have thy sighs Desire nothing and then nothing can trouble thee and if thou do'st desire any good how spiritual soever it be let it be in such a manner that thou mayest not be disquieted if thou missest it 122. If with this liberty thou wilt give thy Soul to God taken off from the World free and alone thou wilt be the happiest creature upon Earth because the most High has his secret habitation in this holy Solitude in this Desart and Paradise is injoyed the conversation of God and it is onely in this internal Retirement that that marvellous powerful and divine Voice is heard 123. If thou would'st enter into this Heaven of Earth forget every care and every thought get out of thy self that the love of God may live in thy Soul. 124. Live as much as ever thou canst abstracted from the Creatures dedicate thy self wholly to thy Creatour and offer thy self in Sacrifice with peace and quietness of Spirit Know that the more the Soul disrobes it self the more way it makes into this interiour Solitude and becomes cloathed with God and the more lonesome and empty of it self the Soul gets to be the more the Divine Spirit fills it 125. There is not a more bessed life than a solitary one because in this happy life God gives himself all to the creature and the creature all to God by an intimate and sweet union of love O how few are there that come to relish this true Solitude 126. To make the Soul truely solitary it ought to forget all the creatures and even it self otherwise it will never be able to make any near approach to God. Many men leave and forsake all things but they do not leave their own liking their own will and themselves and therefore these truly solitary ones are so few wherefore if the Soul does not get off from its own appetite and desire from its own will from spiritual gifts and from repose even in the Spirit it self it never can arrive at this high felicity of internal Solitude 127. Go on blessed Soul go on without stop towards this blessedness of internal Solitude See how God calls thee to enter into thy inward center where he will renew thee change thee fill thee cloath thee and shew thee a new and heavenly Kingdom full of joy peace content and serenity CHAP. XIII In which is shewed what infused and passive Contemplation is and its wonderful Effects 128. YOu must know that when once the Soul is habituated to internal Recollection and acquired Contemplation that we have spoken of when once 't is mortified and desires wholly to be denied its appetites when once it efficaciously embraces internal and external Mortification and is willing to dye heartily to its passions and its own ways then God uses to take it alone by it self and raise it more than it knows to a compleate repose where he sweetly and inwardly infuses in it his light his love and his strength inkindling and inflaming it with a true disposition to all manner of Vertue 129. There the Divine Spouse suspending its powers puts it to sleep in a most sweet and pleasant rest There it sleeps and quietly receives and enjoys without knowing it what it injoys with a most lovely and charming calm There the Soul raised and lifted up to this passive State becomes united to its greatest Good without costing it any trouble or pains for this union There in that supream Region and sacred Temple of the Soul that greatest Good takes its complacency manifests it self and creates a relish from the creature in a way above sense and all humane understanding There also onely the pure Spirit who is God the purity of the Soul being uncapable of sensible things rules it and gets the mastership
of it communicating to it its illustrations and those sentiments which are necessary for the most pure and perfect Union 130. The Soul coming to it self again from these sweet and divine Embracings becomes rich in light and love and a mighty esteem of the divine Greatness and the knowledge of its own misery finding it self all changed divinely and disposed to embrace to suffer and to practice perfect Vertue 131. A simple pure infused and perfect Contemplation therefore is a known and inward manifestation which God gives of himself of his goodness of his peace of his sweetness whose object is God pure unspeakable abstracted from all particular thoughts within an inward silence but it is God delightful God that draws us God that sweetly raises us in a spiritual and most pure manner an admirable gift which the Divine Majesty bestows to whom he will as he will and when he will and for what time he will though the state of this life be rather a state of the cross of patience of humility and of suffering than of enjoying 132. Never wilt thou enjoy this Divine Nectar till thou art advanced in Vertue and inward Mortification till thou do'st heartily endeavour to fix in thy Soul a great peace silence forgetfulness and internal solitude How is it possible to hear the sweet inward and powerful Voice of God in the midst of the noise and tumults of the Creatures And how can the pure Spirit be heard in the midst of considerations and discourses of Artifice If the Soul will not continually dye in it self denying it self to all these materiallites and satisfactions the contemplation can be no more but a meer vanity a vain complacency and presumption CHAP. XIV Pursues the same Matter 133. GOD doth not always communicate himself with equal abundance in this sweetest and infused contemplation Sometimes he grants this Grace more than he doth at other times and sometimes he expects not that the Soul should be so dead and denied because this gift being his meer Grace he gives it when he pleases and as he pleases so that no general rule can be made of it nor any rate set to his Divine Greatness nay by means of this very contemplation he comes to deny it to annihilate and dye 134. Sometimes the Lord gives greater light to the understanding sometimes greater love to the will. There is no need here for the Soul to take any pains or trouble it must receive what God gives it and rest united as he will have it because His Majesty is Lord and in the very time that he lays it asleep he possesses and fills it and works in it powerfully and sweetly without any industry or knowledge of its own insomuch that before ever it is aware of this so great mercy it is gained convinced and changed already 135. The Soul which is in this happy state hath two things to avoid the activity of human spirit and interestedness Our humane spirit is unwilling to dye in it self but loveth to be doing and discoursing after its way being in love with its own actions A man had need to have a great fidelity and devesting himself of selfishness to get a perfect and passive capacity of the Divine Influences the continual habits of operating freely which it has are a hindrance to its annihilation 136. The second is interestedness in contemplation it self Thou must therefore procure in thy Soul a perfect devesting of all which is not God without seeking any other end or interest within or without but the Divine Will. 137. In a word the manner that thou must use on thy part to fit thy self for this pure passive and perfect Prayer is a total and absolute consignment of thy self into the hands of God with a perfect submission to his most holy will to be busied according to his pleasure and disposition receiving what he ordains thee with an even and perfect resignation 138. Thou must know that few be the Souls which arrive at this infused and passive Prayer because few of 'em are capable of these divine influences with a total nakedness and death of their own activity and powers those onely which feel it know it so that this perfect nakedness is acquired by the help of God's grace by a continual and inward mortification dying to it all its own inclinations and desires 139. At no time must thou look at the effects which are wrought in thy Soul but especially herein because it would be a hindrance to the divine operations which inrich it so to do all that thou hast to do is to pant after indifference resignation forgetfulness and without thy being sensible of it the greatest good will leave in thy Soul a fit disposition for the practice of vertue a true love of the cross of thy own contempt of thy annihilation and greater and stronger desires still of thy greater perfection and the most pure and affective union CHAP. XV. Of the two Means whereby the Soul ascends up to Infused Contemplation with the Explication of what and how many the steps of it are 140. THE means whereby the Soul ascends to the felicity of Contemplation and Affective Love are two the Pleasure and the Desires of it God uses at first to fill the Soul with sensible pleasures because 't is so frail and miserable that without this preventive Consolation it cannot take wing towards the fruition of heavenly things In this first step it is disposed by Contrition and is exercised in Repentance meditating upon the Redeemer's Passion rooting out diligently all worldly desires and vicious courses of life because the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the faint-heard the delicate never conquer it but those that use violence and force with themselves 141. The second is the Desires The more the things of Heaven are delighted in the more they are desired and from thence there do ensue upon spiritual pleasures desires of enjoying heavenly and divine blessings and contempt of worldly ones From these desires arises the inclination of following Christ our Lord who said I am the way St. John 14.6 the steps of his imitation by which a man must go up are Charity Humility Meekness Patience Poverty Self-Contempt the Cross Prayer and Mortification 142. The steps of Infused Contemplation are three The first is Satiety When the Soul is fill'd with God it conceives a hatred to all worldly things then 't is quiet and satisfied only with Divine Love. 143. The second is Intoxication And this step is an excess of Mind and an elevation of Soul arising from Divine Love and satiety of it 144. The third is Security This step turns out all fear the Soul is so drencht with love divine and resigned up in such a manner to the divine good pleasure that it would go willingly to Hell if it did but know it so to be the will of the Most High. In this step it feels such a certain Bond of the Divine Union that it seems to it an
do not seek themselves nor set any great value upon their own artificial knowledge but more if they can forget it as if they never had it and onely make use of it â—n its own proper place and time for preaching and dispucing when their turn comes and afterwards give their minds to the simple and naked Contemplation of God without form figure or consideration 181. The Study which is not ordered for God's glory onely is but a short way to Hell â—ot through the Study but the wind of Pride which begets it Miserable is the greatest part of Men at this time whose onely Study is to satisfy the unsatisfiable curiosity of Nature 182. Many seek God and find him not because they are more moved by curiosity than sinâ—ere pure and upright intention they rather desire Spiritual Comforts than God himself and â—s they seek him not with truth they neither find God nor Spiritual Pleasures 183. He that does not endeavour the total deâ—ying of himself will not be truly abstracted â—nd so can never be capable of the truth and the â—â—ght of the Spirit To go towards the mistical Science a man must never meddle with â—hings which are without but with prudence and in that which his Office calls him to Rare are the men who set a higher price upon hearing than speaking But the wise and purely mystical Man never speaks but when he can't help â—t nor doth he concern himself in any thing but what belongs to his Office and then he carries himself with great prudence 184. The Spirit of Divine Wisdom fills men with sweetness governs 'em with courage and inlightens those with excellence who are subject to its direction Where the Divine Spirit dwells there is always simplicity and a holy liberty But craft and double-mindedness fiction artifices policy and wordly respects are Hell it self to wise and sincere men 185. Know that he who would attain to the mystical Sceince must be denied and taken off from Five things First From the Creatures 2dly From Temporal things 3dly From the very Gifts of the Holy Ghost 4ly From himself 5ly He must be lost in God. This last is the compleatest of all because that Soul onely that knows how to be so taken off is that which attains to being lost in God and onely knows where to be in safety 186. God is more satisfied with the affection of the Heart than that of worldly Science 'T is one thing to cleanse the Heart of all that which captivates and pollutes it and another thing to do a thousand things though good and holy without minding that purity of Heart which is the main of all for attaining of Divine Wisdom 187. Never wilt thou get to this Soveraign and Divine Wisdom if thou hast not strength when God cleanseth thee in his own time not onely of thy adherencies to temporal and natural Blessings but further to supernatural and sublime ones such as internal Communications Extasies Raptures and other gratuitous Graces whereon the Soul rests and entertains it self 188. Many Souls come short of arriving to quiet Contemplation to Divine Wisdom and true Knowledge notwithstanding that they spend many hours in Prayer and receive the Sacrament every day because they do not subject and submit themselves wholly and intirely to Him that hath Light nor deny and conquer themselves nor give up themselves totally to God with a perfect devesting and disinteresting of themselves In a word till the Soul be purified in the Fire of inward Pain it will never get to a State of Renovation of Transformation of perfect Contemplation of Divine Wisdom and affective Union CHAP. XIX Of true and perfect Annihilation 189. THou must know that all this fabrick of Annihilation hath its foundation but in two Principles The first is To keep ones self and all wordly things in a low esteem and value from whence the putting in practice of this Self-devesting and of Self-renunciation and forsaking all created things must have its rise and that with the affection and in deed 190. The second Principle must be a great esteem of God to love adore and follow him without the least interest of ones own let it be never so holy From these two Principles will arise a full conformity to the Divine Will. This powerful and practical conformity to the Divine Will in all things leads the Soul to Annihilation and Transformation with God without the mixture of Raptures or external Extasies or vehement Affections This way being liable to many illusions with the danger of weakness and anguish of the understanding by which path there is seldom any that gets up to the top of Perfection which is acquired by t'other safe firm and real way though not without a weighty Cross because therein the High-way of Annihilation and Perfection is founded which is seconded by many gifts of Light and Divine effects and infinite other Graces Gratis datae yet the Soul that is Annihilated must be uncloathed of it all if it would not have 'em be a hindrance to it in its way to Deification 191. As the Soul makes continual progress from its own meanness it ought to walk on to the practice of Annihilation which consists in the abhorring of Honour Dignity and Praise there being no reason that Dignity and Honour should be given to Vileness and a meer Nothing 192. To the Soul that is sensible of its own Vileness it appears an impossible thing to deserve any thing 't is rather confounded and knows it self unworthy of Vertue and Praise it embraces with equal courage all occasions of Contempt Persecution Infamy Shame and Affront and as truly deserving of such reproaches it renders the Lord thanks when it lights upon such occasions to be treated as it deserves and knows it self also unworthy that he should use his justice upon it but above all 't is glad of contempt and affront because its God gets great glory by it 193. Such a Soul as this always chooses the lowest the vilest and the most despised degree as well of place as of cloathing and of all other things without the least affectation of singularity being of the opinion that the greatest Vileness is beyond its deserts and acknowledging it self also unworthy even of this This is the practice that brings the Soul to a true Annihilation of it self 194. The Soul that would be perfect begins to Mortifie its Passions and when 't is advanced in that Exercise it denys it self then with the Divine Aid it passes to the state of Nothing where it despises abhors and plunges it self upon the knowledge that it is Nothing that it can do nothing and that it is worth nothing From hence springs the dying in it self and in its senses in many ways and at all hours and finally from this spiritual Death the true and perfect Annihilation derives its original insomuch that when the Soul is once dead to its will and understanding 't is properly said to be arrived at the perfect and
happy state of Annihilation which is the last disposition for Transformation and Union which the Soul it self doth not understand because 't would not be Annihilated if it should come to know it And although it de get to this happy state of Annihilation yet it must know that it must walk still on and must be further and further Purified and Annihilated Here is most delicious Nonsence and a very curious Bull. 195. You must know that this annihilation to make it perfect in the Soul must be in a man 's own judgment in his will in his works inclinations desires thoughts and in it self so that the Soul must find it self dead to its will desire endeavour understanding and thought willing as if it did not will desiring as if it did not desire understanding as if it did not understand thinking as if it did not think without inclining to any thing embracing equally contempts and honours benefits and corrections O what a happy Soul is that which is thus dead and Annihilated It lives no longer in it self because God lives in it And now it may most truly be said of it that it is a renewed Phaenix because 't is Changed Spiritualized Transformed and Deified CHAP. XX. In which is shewed how this Nothing is the ready way to obtain purity of Soul perfect Contemplation and the rich Treasure of Peace Internal 196. THe way to attain that high state of a Mind reformed whereby a man immediately gets to the greatest good to our first original and to the highest peace is his Nothingness Endeavour O Soul to be always buried in that misery This nothing and this acknowledged misery is the means by which the Lord works wonders in thy Soul. Cloath thy self with this nothing and with this misery and see that this misery and this nothing be thy continual food and habitation even to the casting down thy self low therein and then I assure thee that thou being in that manner the Nothing the Lord will be the Whole in thy Soul. 197. Why thinkest thou do infinite Souls hinder the abundant current of the Divine gifts 'T is onely because they would be doing something and have a desire to be great all this is to come away from Internal Humility and from their own Nothing and therefore they prevent those wonders which that infinite goodness would work in 'em They betake themselves to the very gifts of the Spirit and there they stick that they may come out from the Center of Nothing and so the whole Work is spoil'd They seek not God with truth and therefore they find him not For know thou must that there is no finding of Him but in the undervaluing of our own selves and in nothing 198. We seek our selves every time we get out of our Nothing and therefore we never get to quiet and perfect Contemplation Creep in as far as ever thou canst into the truth of thy Nothing and then nothing will disquiet thee Nay thou wilt be humble and ashamed losing openly thy own reputation and esteem 199. O what a strong Bulwark wilt thou find of that Nothing who can ever afflict thee if once thou dost retire into that Fortress Because the Soul which is despised by it self and in its own knowledge is Nothing is not capable of receiving Grievance or Injury from any Body The Soul which keeps within its Nothing is internally Silent lives resign'd in any torment whatsoever by thinking it less than what it doth deserve It shuns the suspition of a Neighbour never looks at other folks faults but it s own is free from abundance of Imperfections and becomes Commander of great Virtue Whilst the Soul keeps still and quiet in its nothing it perfects it it enriches it the Lord draws his own Image and likeness in it without any thing to hinder it 200. By the way of Nothing thou must come to lose thy self in God which is the last degree of perfection and happy wilt thou be if thou canst so lose thy self then thou wilt get thy self again and find thy self most certainly In this same shop of Nothing Simplicity is made interior and infused recollection is possessed quiet is obtained and the heart is cleansed from all manner of imperfection O what a Treasure wilt thou find if thou shalt once fix thy habitation in Nothing and if thou once gettest but snugg into the center of Nothing thou wilt never concern thy self with any thing that is without the great ugly large step that so many thousand Souls do stumble at unless it be as thy office may call thee to it 201. If thou dost but get shut up in Nothing where the blows of adversity can never come nothing will vex thee or break thy peace This is the way of getting to the command of thy self because perfect and true dominion doth only govern in Nothing with the Helmet of Nothing thou wilt be too hard for strong temptations and the terrible suggestions of the envious Enemy I defie all the Quakers in England to match this incomparable piece of Nonsence and Enthusiastick Cant. 202. Knowing that thou art nothing that thou canst do nothing and art worth just nothing thou wilt quietly embrace passive drynesses thou wilt endure horrible desolations thou wilt undergo spiritual martyrdoms and inward torments By means of this Nothing thou must die in thy self many ways at all times and all hours 203. Who must awaken the Soul out of that sweet and pleasant sleep if once it comes to take a nap in Nothing This is the way that David got to perfect annihilation without so much as knowing it Ad nihilum redactus sum nescivi Psal 17. Keeping thy self in nothing thou wilt bar the door against every thing that is not God thou wilt retire also from thine own self and walk towards that internal solitude where the divine Spouse speaks in the heart of his Bride teaching her high and divine wisdom Drown thy self in this Nothing and there shalt thou find a holy Sanctuary against any Tempest whatsoever 204. By this way must thou return to the happy state of Innocence forfeited by our first parents By this gate thou must enter into the happy land of the living where thou wilt find the greatest good the breadth of charity the beauty of righteousness the streight line of Equity and Justice and in sum every jot and tittle of Perfection Lastly do not look at nothing desire nothing will nothing nor endeavour nothing and then in every thing thy Soul will live repos'd with quiet and enjoyment 205. This is the way to get purity of Soul perfect contemplation and peace internal walk therefore in this safe path and endeavour to overwhelm thy self in this Nothing endeavour to lose thy self to sink deep into it if thou hast a mind to be annihilated united and transformed CHAP. XXI Of the high Felicity of internal Peace and the wonderful Effects of it 206. THe Soul being once annihilated and renewed with perfect
nakedness finds in its superiour part a profound peace and a sweet rest which brings it to such a perfect union of love that 't is joyful all over And such a Soul as this is already arrived to such a happiness that it neither wills nor desires any thing but what its Beloved wills it conforms it self to this Will in all emergencies as well of comfort as anguish and rejoyces also in every thing to do the Divine Good pleasure 207. There is nothing but what comforts it nor doth it want any thing but what it can well want To dye is enjoyment to it and to live is its joy It is as contented here upon Earth as it can be in Paradise it is as glad under privation as it can be in possession in sickness as it can be in health because it knows that this is the will of its Lord. This is its life this its glory its paradise its peace its repose its rest its consolation and highest happiness 208. If it were necessary to such a Soul as this which is gotten up by the steps of annihilation to the region of peace to make its choice it would chuse desolation before comfort contempt before honour because the loving Jesus made great esteem of reproach and pain if it first endured the hunger of the blessings of Heaven if it thirsted for God if it had the fear of losing him the lamentation of heart and the fighting of the devil now things are altered and hunger is turned into satisfying the thirst into satiety the fear into assurance the sadness into joy the weeping into merriment and the fierce fighting into the greatest peace O happy Soul that enjoys here on earth so great a felicity Thou must know that these kind of Souls though few they are be the strong Pillars which support the Church and such as abate the divine indignation 209. And now this Soul that is entered into the heaven of peace acknowledges it self full of God and his supernatural gifts because it lives grounded in a pure love receiving equal pleasure in light and darkness in night and day in affliction and consolation Through this holy and heavenly indifference it never loses its peace in adversity nor its tranquility in tribulations but sees it self full of unspeakable enjoyments 210. And although the Prince of Darkness makes all the assaults of Hell against it with horrible temptations yet it makes head against 'em and stands like a strong Pillar no more happening to it by 'em than happens to a high mountain and a deep valley in the time of storm and tempest 211. The valley is darkned with thick clouds fierce tempests of hail thunder lightning and hail-stones which looks like the picture of Hell at the same time the lofty mountain glitters by the bright beams of the sun in quietness and serenity continuing clear like heaven immovable and full of light 212. The same happens to this blessed soul the valley of the part below is suffering tribulations combats darkness desolations torments martyrdoms and suggestions and at the same time on the lofty mountain of the higher part of the soul the true sun casts its beams it enflames and enlightens it and so it becomes clear peaceable resplendent quiet serene being a meer ocean of joy 213. So great therefore is the quiet of this pure foul which is gotten up the mountain of tranquility so great is the peace of its spirit so great the serenity and chearfulness that is within that a remnant and glimmering of God do redound even to the outside of it 214. Because in the throne of quiet are manifest the perfections of spiritual beauty here the true light of the secret and divine mysteries of our holy faith here perfect humility even to the annihilation of it self the amplest resignation chastity poverty of spirit the sincerity and innocence of the Dove external modesty silence and internal solitude liberty and purity of heart here the forgetfulness of every created thing even of it self joyful simplicity heavenly indifference continual Prayer a total nakedness perfect disinterestedness a most wise contemplation a conversation of heaven and lastly the most perfect and serene peace within of which this happy soul may say what the wise man said of wisdom that all other graces came along in company with her Venerunt mihi omnia bona paritur cum illa Wisd 7.11 215. This is the rich and hidden treasure this the lost groat of the Gospel this is the blessed life the happy life the true life and the blessedness here below O thou lovely greatness that passest the knowledge of the sons of men O excellent supernatural life how admirable and unspeakable art thou for thou art the very draught of blessedness O how much dost thou raise a soul from earth which loses in its view all things of the vileness of earth thou art poor to look upon but inwardly thou art full of wealth thou seemest low but art exceeding high in a word thou art that which makest men live a life divine here below Give me O Lord thou greatest goodness give me a good portion of this heavenly happiness and true peace that the World sensual as it is is neither capable of understanding nor receiving Quem mundus non potest accipere CHAP. XXII A mournful Exclamation and lamentable Moan to God for the small Company of Souls that arrive at Perfection the Loving Union and the Divine Transformation 216. O Divine Majesty in whose presence the Pillars of Heaven do quake and tremble O thou Goodness more than infinite in whose love the Seraphins burn give me leave O Lord to lament our blindness and ingratitude We all live in mistakes seeking the foolish world and forsaking thee who art our God. We all forsake thee the Fountain of Living Waters for the stinking dirt of the world 217. O we children of men how long shall we follow after lying and vanity Who is it that hath thus deceived us that we should forsake God our greatest good Who is it that speaks the most truth to us Who is it that loves us most Who defends us most Who is it that doth more to shew himself a Friend who more tender to shew himself a Spouse and more good to be a Father that our blindness should be so great that we should all forsake this greatest and infinite goodness 218. O Divine Lord what a few Souls are there in the world which do serve thee with perfection how small is the number of those who are willing to suffer that they may follow Christ crucified that they may embrace the Cross that they may deny and contemn themselves O what a scarcity of Souls is there which are disinterested and totally naked how few are those Souls which are dead to themselves and alive to God which are totally resigned to his divine good pleasure how few those who are adorn'd with simple obedience profound knowledge of themselves and true humility How few those
which with an intire indifference give up themselves into the hands of God to do what he pleases with ' em how few are there of those pure Souls which be of a simple and disinterested heart and which putting off their own understanding knowledge desire and will do long for self-denial and spiritual death O what a scarcity of Souls is there which are willing to let the Divine Creator work in 'em a mind to suffer that they may not suffer and to die that they may not die How few are the Souls which are willing to forget themselves to free their hearts from their own affections their own desires their own satisfactions their own love and judgments that are willing to be lead by the high-way of self-denial and the internal way that are willing to be annihilated dying to themselves and their senses that are willing to let themselves be emptied purified and uncloathed that God may fill and cloath and perfect ' em In a word how small O Lord is the number of those Souls which are blind deaf and dumb and perfectly contemplative 219. O the shame of us the Children of Adam who for a thing of meer vileness do despise true felicity and hinder our greatest good the rich treasure and infinite goodness Great reason has Heaven to lament that there are so few Souls to follow its precious path-way Viae Sion lugent eo quod non sint qui veniant ad solemnitatem Lam. 1.4 I submit every thing with humble Prostration to the Correction of the Holy Roman Catholick Church THE CONTENTS First Advertisement BY two Ways one may go to God the first by Meditation and Discourse or Reasoning the second by pure Faith and Contemplation Second Advertisement Declaring what Meditation and Contemplation are and the difference that is betwixt them Third Advertisement What is the difference betwixt the Acquired and Active Contemplation and the Infused and Passive with the Signs whereby it is known when God will have the Soul to pass from Meditation to Contemplation Fourth Advertisement The Burden of this Book consisting in Rooting out the Rebellion of our Own Will that we may attain to Internal Peace FIRST BOOK Of the Darkness Dryness and Temptations wherewith God purges Souls and of Internal Recollection CHap. 1. To the end God may rest in the Soul the Heart is always to be kept peaceable in whatsoever Disquiet Temptation and Tribulation Page 1. Chap. 2. Though the Soul perceive it self deprived of Discourse or Ratiocination yet it ought to persevere in Prayer and not to be afflicted because that is its greater felicity Page 4 Chap. 3. A Sequel of the same Matter Page 8 Chap. 4. The Soul is not to afflict it self nor intermit Prayer because it sees it self encompassed with dryness Page 12 Chap. 5. Treating of the same thing declaring how many ways of Devotion there are and how the sensible Devotion is to be disposed and that the Soul is not idle though it reason not Page 16 Chap. 6. The Soul is not to be disquieted that it sees it self encompassed with darkness because that is an instrument of its greater felicity Page 19 Chap. 7. To the end the Soul may attain to the supreme internal Peace it is necessary that God purge it after his way because the Exercises and Mortifications that of it self it sets about are not sufficient Page 21 Chap. 8. A Sequel of the same Page 23 Chap. 9. The Soul ought not to be disquieted nor draw back in the Spiritual Way because it finds it self assaulted by Temptations Page 25 Chap. 10. Wherein the same Point is handled Page 28 Chap. 11. Declaring the Nature of Internal Recollection and instructing the Soul how it ought to behave it self therein and in the Spiritual Warfare whereby the Devil endeavours to disturb it at that time Page 30 Chap. 12. A Sequel of the same Matter Page 35 Chap. 13. What that the Soul ought to do in Internal Recollection Page 38 Chap. 14. Declaring how the Soul putting it self in the presence of God with perfect Resignation by the pure act of Faith walks always in virtual and acquired Contemplation Page 44 Chap. 15. A Sequel of the same Matter Page 47 Chap. 16. A Way by which one may enter into Internal Recollection through the most holy Humanity of our Lord Christ Page 52 Chap. 17. Of Internal and Mystical Silence Page 56 THE SECOND BOOK Of the Ghostly Father the Obedience that 's due to him of Indiscreet Zeal and of Internal and External Penance CHap. 1. The best Way to baffle the Craft of the Enemy is to be subject to a ghostly Father Page 60 Chap. 2. A Sequel of the same Matter Page 64 Chap. 3. The indiscreet Zeal of Souls and the disordinate Love of our Neighbours disturb Internal Peace Page 67 Chap. 4. A Sequel of the same Page 70 Chap. 5. Light Experience and a Divine Call are necessary for guiding Souls in the Inward Way Page 72 Chap. 6. Instructions and Counsels to Confessors and Spiritual Directors Page 74 Chap. 7. Wherein the same thing is treated of discoursing the Interest which some Confessors and Spiritual Directors use to have in which are declared the Qualities which they ought to have for the Exercise of Confession and also for the guiding of Souls through the Mystical Way Page 79 Chap. 8. Pursues the same Matter Page 83 Chap. 9. Shewing how a simple and ready Obedience is the only means for walking safely in this Inward Way and of procuring Internal Peace Page 86 Chap. 10. Pursues the same Page 89 Chap. 11. When and in what things this Obedience doth most concern the Interior Soul Page 92 Chap. 12. Treats of the same Page 95 Chap. 13. Frequent Communion is an effectual Means of getting all Vertues and in particular Internal Peace Page 99 Chap. 14. Pursues the same Matter Page 101 Chap. 15. Declaring when Spiritual and Corporal Penances ought to be used and how hurtful they are when they are done indiscreetly according to ones own judgment and opinion Page 104 Chap. 16. The great difference between External and Internal Penances Page 107 Chap. 17. How the Soul is to carry it self in the faults it doth commit that it may not be disquieted thereby but reap good out of it Page 110 Chap. 18. Treateth of the same Matter Page 112 THE THIRD BOOK Of Spiritual Martyrdoms whereby God purges Souls of Contemplation Infused and Passive of Perfect Resignation Inward Humility Divine Wisdom True Annihilation and Internal Peace CHap. 1. The difference between the Outward and Inward Man Page 115 Chap. 2. Pursues the same Page 119 Chap. 3. The Means of obtaining Peace Internal is not the delight of Sence nor Spiritual Consolation but the denying of Self-love Page 121 Chap. 4. Of two Spiritual Martyrdoms wherewith God cleanseth the Soul that he unites with himself Page 125 Chap. 5. How important and necessary it is to the Interiour Soul to suffer blindfold this first and Spiritual
she did in depriving her of the Communion The Saint obeyed and in recompence of her obedience it seems the Lord making good the Voice of her Prophecy sent the Abbess a great fit of sickness which afflicted her much with continual and sharp pains till acknowledging her fault and that this chastisement befel her for her indiscreet zeal used to the Saint she sent for her and gave her leave to follow her holy custom and so the fault ending the punishment ended also and the disease which had brought her to a very sad condition Other persons also who in like manner used to keep a pother with the Saint about her often Communions repenting of what they had done askt her pardon And other of their complices in their prate and gossippings because they never laid to heart what they had said of her were punished of God with a sudden death In the third Book of St. Gertrudes Life chap. 23. 't is told that a certain Preacher or Confessor being a little warm'd with the zeal of God's Honour took a pet at some religious Women thinking that they were often communicated At this the Saint made a Prayer and askt the Lord Whether this were acceptable to him or no The Lord made her this answer It being my delight to be with the children of men and I having of infinite love left this Sacrament to be often received in remembrance of me and being in it to the faithful to the World's end whosoever shall with words or other ways of perswasion to go about to hinder any from taking it who are free from mortal sin doth in a certain manner hinder me and rob me of my pleasure and delight which I might have with ' em Some Ministers there are who have had a mind to restrain this matter too much as if the Sacrament were not instituted for Laymen or as if they had no right to ask it as often as they are disposed to receive it O as if Christ our Lord had instituted it with a limitation or precept that it should not be taken but by such and such men and on such and such days Expert Teachers do strangely wonder to see the scruple and cautiousness with which some Confessors speak about this matter as if the Communion were a very dangerous thing for Souls or through the too much frequenting of it the Honour of God or the Vertue of the Sacraments must needs be lost or lessened whereas the frequency of it is the very remedy and health of Souls and the work in which there is the greatest honour done to God and which they ought most to endeavour who desire his glory And if the Minister should at any time find himself dissatisfied at this let him peruse that holy Appointment of the Church De Consecr dist 2. Aug. in Ps 48. Non prohibeat dispensator manducare pingues terrae in mensa Domini And if the dispenser himself cannot hinder this much less can they hinder it who have nothing to do to dispense it and if this which has been said is notenough let him be afraid of those infinite Punishments which God has used upon those Ministers which have forbid it But for all this the Communion should always be used at the spiritual Father's order who neither ought to hinder nor delay it when he knows the Soul that desires it and reaps good of it to be so disposed as the Council requires And if another Confessor should order him the quite contrary let him follow the judgment of that ghostly Father who knows better than any other how his Conscience is and by whose Counsel he goes and acts safely CHAP. II. Answering the Reasons which those Ministers give which hinder the Faithful from Communicating and the Priest from Celebrating having their Consciences free from Mortal Sin. EIther the Communion must be forbidden to those that ask it and desire it without the guilt of Mortal Sin because they are not worthy of it or for the greater reverence of it or because much Familiarity breeds Contempt or else for Mortification and Penance The first reason of not being worthy is not sufficient because if they make a Christian forbear till he be worthy of the Communion then he must never receive it because no man is worthy to receive Christ no not Heaven it self Whereupon many holy men say that the Communion taken to day is a disposition for that to morrow Besides that Councils the Saints and Doctors do assure us that not being in Mortal Sin is that necessary worthiness and disposition which is required for the Communion we are not to go to it as worthy but as having need of it we do not go to sanctifie Jesus Christ but to be sanctified and healed by him by the means of the Sacrament as St. Ambrose tells us I who do continually sin ought continually to receive the Medicine of this Sacrament against the pestilent Disease of Sin. Ep. 208. Nor may a Christian be debarr'd the Communion for the second reason of greater reverence because 't is contrary to St. Austin's Doctrine who says Ep. 26. de verb. Dom. Serm. 28. that 't is better to communicate through Devotion than let it alone through Reverence Dionysius Carthusianus says the same thing 'T is better to communicate through Love than abstain from it through Humility and Fear De Euch. cap. 5. sect 6. There is not more devotion love and respect shewed to God by less frequent coming to the Sacrament but rather he loves and fears God most who without mortal sin and with a desire of his own spiritual advantage comes every day to it and the delaying of it is not a greater disposedness nor veneration but a manifest temptation By keeping away they think to find better devotion and fervour and in the mean time they are dry luke-warm and cold as we see by experience These people that will not communicate unless they be sensibly and actually devout are like those who are cold who will not come near the fire till they are warm or like those sick men that will not ask the Physicians counsel till they are grown well Christ's Body is like a spiritual fire let us approach towards it and it will warm us The flesh of Christ says Damascene is a live coal which heats and burns The third reason which some give for the hindring Christians the Communion that desire and ask it is a certain whimsey or capriccio which they imprint in their minds telling 'em that to go frequently to the Sacrament is too much familiarity and that this breeds contempt Nimia familiaritas parit contemptum O hurtful Deceit O pernicious Doctrine though taught by the Ministers with no bad zeal Is it possible that among so many Saints and Doctors of the Church which have written professedly upon this Point as is manifest by the former Chapter none of 'em should light upon the reason that these Ministers talk of 'T is well inferred therefore that 't
is of small consideration and account True it is that too much familiarity is sometimes the occasion of contempt but of what and to whom The too much familiarity with a vile thing occasions contempt but how can familiar conversation with a thing that is grave good and amiable how can this cause contempt In earthly things familiarity begets contempt because the more one man gets acquainted and intimate with another he discovers his defects by degrees and so values him less than he did at first But with God the thing is quite otherwise because as the creature proceeds in the knowledge of that fountain of true perfection by the same measure the love and esteem of that great Lord grows more If by communicating daily there could be any defect discovered in Jesus Christ certain it is that this frequency and familiarity would breed contempt of him but the more that boundless ocean of perfection is received the more is his goodness known and the greater doth the love the respect and the reverence to him grow And if it were true that too much frequency occasioned contempt it would be necessary to give laws to God himself and take care not to render himself so easie and familiar to the Saints and Angels of Heaven with whom he hath so great and continual an intimacy Who is more familiar with God than the Angels who continually behold his divine countenance and what doth this make 'em leave off honouring reverencing and loving him But they will say it is not good to abuse this familiarity and intimacy with God. What a blindness is this what should the meaning of this be unless they would not have us so united with God and have a mind that we should serve him at a distance and not near and more by name than affection These words arise rather from the little will they have that we should receive this divine Lord than from the respect of not displeasing him if they had true charity and did but heartily love Jesus Christ they would despise all fear and not remove us from the frequency of this divine Sacrament nay they would desire and prompt us on to receive him daily that we might be united unto God. If they know that Christ desires to be united with us why should they be unwilling that we should be united with him our great Lord fearing where no fear is if they see that an infinite God desires our familiarity and friendship what is it that they build upon to hinder us from being his friends do they think that by this continual frequency that will be tedious to us without which every thing else is tedious do they believe that that will make our life uneasie which gives us life that that good will be a trouble to us from which all goodness proceeds and in a word that he who is the pleasure and delight of all Creatures of all the Seraphims of all the Saints and of the whole Court of Heaven will be a tediousness to us true it is that he satiates but never becomes tedious Nor any less ought a Christian to be denied the Communion to mortifie him which is the fourth reason because in Mortification to be without the Communion he only exercises one Vertue and in the Communion he exercises 'em all Would it therefore be well that a Christian for obtaining one Vertue should be deprived of all the rest 'T is great pity to deprive him of the great good he receives in the Communion only for mortification-sake which being well thought of will prove rather a privation of good than the vertue of mortification Besides to be able to say Mass and communicate perfectly it is not the best way to leave off communicating and celebrating but rather 't is the best that can be to say Mass and communicate every day though it be with some imperfections To inable a man to pray perfectly or to obtain some vertue in perfection 't is not a good way to leave off doing acts of that vertue Who will say that to make a perfect Prayer 't is a good way to let it alone some days and that to have patience 't is a good way not do any acts of it rather the best means to obtain patience and to make a perfect Prayer is to exercise those things day by day though there should be some imperfection in ' em If the divine Majesty vouchsafes to be with sinners to lodge in their houses to eat with 'em at the same table for which he bears for his arms and commands to be fixed on the doors of his house an Inscription that says This Lord receives sinners and eats at one table with 'em why is the Minister and Servant of this same Lord so loath to receive a Christian if he be changed and mended by repentance is it therefore reason that the Ministers of this Lord should limit a thing not limited by their Master The Lord invites us and calls us to his banquet and will the servant pretend to give leave to those who are invited when they are introduced to God in his own house Let 'em come in if they have no mortal sin about 'em and if they have 't is washed away in the fountain of repentance Put this on the account of their Lord that will have it so and commands it though it seem inconvenient to the Minister wherefore the Lord may answer him with great reason 'T is well known that the sinner costs thee nothing and that having so narrow a breast as thou hast thou admittest him not to the Communion though he desires it and I invite him to it but I came down from Heaven for him and was made man suffering 33 years incredible torments even to death it self I will have him thus penitent as he is and because I am God I have a heart of infinite extent where all how wicked soever they may have been do come if they turn to me and become reform'd by means of repentance Christ our Lord moves the tongue of Angels to exhort men to frequent Communion and the Prince of darkness moves the tongues of men to perswade 'em the contrary The Angel said to Elijah 1 Kings 19.7 Arise and eat for thou hast a long journey to go So the Angel perswades him to the Communion and not only once but twice he waked the Prophet that was asleep to eat Bread the figure of the Eucharist 'T is the property of Angels to invite to frequent Communion Well did St. Jerom say He is an Angel to thee who puts thee upon the Communion and a Devil that hinders thee from it 'T is plain that the Devil shews himself against this Sacrament more than any other in that he seeks by so many disturbances and ways to hinder it amongst which 't is not the least powerful and effectual which he makes use of by Preachers and Confessors and Ministers themselves because many of 'em with a cloak of zeal disturb it Those
precept of the Church always looks at the benefit of the faithful and so great is our luke-warmness and the frailty of our times that a precept of Daily Communion would be an occasion of sin and ruine and therefore the Church does not injoyn Christians by precept any more than one Communion in a year though the desires that through devotion men would Communicate every day Many men shift off their coming daily to this Divine Banquet that they may not be taken notice of for it and that they may give no occasion to others to grumble and the Ministers hearing this reason hold their tongues and rest satisfied O hurtful silence must they permit for worldly respects that the faithful should lose so great a benefit Is it possible that they should let 'em live at a distance and separate from God and his sweet and loving friendship because the world should not censure ' em if there should be any great account made of what the world says not only the Soul would be lost but also the judgment Is it not known that the world makes it its business to speak ill of what good is and to persecute those that do not take part with it All those that serve great men do make open shew of the degree of their office greatness and dignity and shall a Christian think it a shame to himself to Communicate and be seen in the service of Jesus Christ If it were an evil work to Communicate every day it might breed scandal but if it be the best work that a Christian can do why should he keep from it through an idle fear of offending his neighbour The Jews were offended at the good works of Jesus Christ but for all that his Majesty never left off doing ' em He that doth ill and interprets the good that others do in an evil sense 't is he that gives cause for the scandal but to do well was never a scandal much less can so great a good as Communicating be one If a man should take offence by seeing us eat surely we would not for all that be such fools as to starve our selves We ought to take great heed of following vanities and worldly pleasures that we may not by them offend or scandalize our Neighbour from these vices we ought to keep our selves not from Daily Communion because this cannot cause scandal but will rather edifie our Neighbour and by our good example it may be he may come to change his life and resolve himself to frequent the Sacraments O how many people are there that are cheated by these worldly respects O unhappy men they are not ashamed to be base in their lives and yet they are ashamed to be Christians and to be known for such CHAP. III. Wherein are shewn some of the great benefits of which a faithful man is deprieved by being prohibited the Communion when he is sufflciently disposed for it THat the Minister may see and take good notice of the hurt which he does by deprieving the faithful of the Communion that desire and ask it without the guilt of Mortal Sin it will be necessary to lye before him some of those infinite benefits of which he defrauds 'em onely in one Communion that he may undeceive himself that deprieves 'em of infinite good for mortification sake First he deprieves such a one of the increase of grace and glory which he receives in the Communion whose effect is infallible ex opere operato though he should have venial sins about him He also deprieves him of the mortification of all his five senses and powers which he therein performs whilst his Eyes his Smelling his Tast his Touch his Imagination his Understanding and all his knowledge and capacity do tell him that that Host is Bread by all this he is humbled mortified and subdued whilst he believes that it is not that which he feels and tasts but that his God and Lord is in it He deprieves him also by taking the Communion from him of the cleansing of his sins and evil habits and being preserved from 'em for the time to come of many helps which are therein administred to him for the performance of every good thing and avoiding every evil one and it may happen that the Eternal Salvation or Damnation of a Soul may depend upon one of these helps He deprieves him of the lessening the pains of Purgatory which is participated in every Communion He deprieves him of the high acts of faith hope and charity which he exercises by believing that he receives that God whom he sees not nor feels and hoping in him whom he has not seen and being united with him by love God is goodness it self and he is willing to be communicated through love to Souls by means of the Divine and Sacramental Bread Is there a greater happiness in the world can there be a greater felicity and shall there be any Minister to deprieve the Soul of this benefit In this wonderful Sacrament Christ is united to the Soul and becomes one and the same thing with it In me manet ego in illo St. John 5. which fineness of love is the most profound admirable and worthy of consideration and gratitude because there is no more to give nor to receive and what Minister shall deprieve the Soul of this boundless grace All Blessings do here meet together in this precious Food here all desires of God are fulfilled here is the loving and sacramental Union here 's the Peace the Conformity the Transformation of God with the Soul and the Soul with God. By receiving Jesus in this Sacrament the Eternal Father and the Divine Spirit is also received here are all the Vertues Charity Hope Purity Patience and Humility because Christ our Lord begets all Vertue in the Soul by means of this heavenly Food and what a Heart must the Ministers have to forbid the Soul so great a Happiness If one onely degree of Grace is a gift of inestimable Value and so precious that 't is not to be bought for a thousand Worlds being a particle of God himself and a formal participation of the Divine Nature which makes us his Children and Friends Heirs of Heaven and the Habitation of the most Holy Trinity and if never so little Grace be worth more than all the Vertues Alms and Penances and the removing Mountains as St. Paul says and giving all away to the Poor is a meer Nothing without Grace How then can it be well to deprive the Faithful of the increase of Grace which he might find onely in one Communion How can the Minister deprive him of that and of many others that follow it without giving 'em other things equivalent to those they lose What can be of equal value with habitual Grace which a faithful Man might receive neither can the Humility which he may exercise nor the Reverence nor the Mortification upon the account of which he leaves off the Communion be worth so much
tedious to it because they speak not of the Internal Sweetness that is in its Heart though it know it not The fourth that though it find it self destitute of ratiocination yet it hath a firm purpose of persevering in Prayer The fifth is that it will experience a sense with great confusion of it self abhorring guilt and entertaining a higher esteem of God. 28. The other Contemplation is perfect and infused Wherein as St. Teresa says God speaks to a man sequestrating his intellect questioning his thought and seizing as they say the word in his mouth so that if he would he cannot speak but with great pain He understands that without the noise of words the Divine Master is instructing him suspending all his powers and facultâ—eâ— because if at that time they should operate they would do more hurt than good These rejoyce but know not how they rejoyce the Soul is inflamed 〈◊〉 love and conceives not how it loves it knows that it enjoys what it loves and knows not the manner of that enjoyment well it knows that that is not enjoyment which the intellect longs for The Will embraces it without understanding how but being unable to understand any thing perceives it is not that good which can be merited by all the labours put together which are suffered upon earth for gaining of it It is a gift of the Lord of the Soul and of Heaven who in the end gives as he is and to whom he pleases as he pleases such is his Majesty in this that it does every thing and his operation is above our nature All this we have from the Holy Mother in her Way to Perfection chap. 25. From whence it follows that this Contemplation is infused and freely given by the Lord to whom he pleases Fourth Advertisement The Burden of this Book consisting in rooting out the Rebellion of our own Will that we may attain to Internal Peace 29. THe way of Inward Peace is in all things to be conform to the pleasure and disposition of the Divine Will. Hugo Cardinalis in Psal 13. In omnibus debemus subjicere voluntatem nostram voluntati divinae haec est enim pax voluntatis nostrae ut sit per omnia conformis voluntati divinae Such as would have all things succeed and come to pass according to their own fancy are not come to know this way Psalm 13. Viam pacis non cognoverunt and therefore lead a harsh and bitter life always restless and out of humour without treading in the way of Peace which consists in a total conformity to the will of God. 30. This conformity is the sweet yoak that introduces us into the regions of internal peace and serenity Hence we may know that the rebellion of our Will is the chief occasion of our disquiet and that because we will not submit to the sweet yoak of the Divine Will we suffer so many streights and perturbations O Soul if we submitted our own to the Divine Will and to all his Disposition what tranquillity should we feel what sweet peace what inward serenity what supreme felicity and earnest of bliss This then is to be the burden of this Book May it please God to give me his Divine Light for discovering the Secret Paths of this Inward Way and Chief Felicity of Perfect Peace THE Spiritual Guide Which leads the Soul to the fruition of Inward Peace The First Book Of the Darkness Dryness and Temptations wherewith God purges Souls and of Internal Recollection CHAP. I. To the end God may rest in the Soul the Heart is always to be kept peaceable in whatsoever Disquiet Temptation and Tribulation 1. THou art to know that thy Soul is the Center Habitation and Kingdom of God. That therefore to the end the Sovereign King may rest on that Throne of thy Soul thou oughtest to take pains to keep it clean quiet void and peaceable clean from guilt and defects quiet from fears void of affections desires and thoughts and peaceable in temptations and tribulations 2. Thou oughtest always then to keep thine Heart in peace that thou mayest keep pure that Temple of God and with a right and pure intention thou art to work pray obey and suffer without being in the least moved whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee Because it is certain that for the good of thy Soul and for thy spiritual profit he will suffer the envious enemy to trouble that City of Rest and Throne of Peace with temptations suggestions and tribulations and by the means of creatures with painful troubles and grievous persecutions 3. Be constant and chear up thine heart in whatsoever disquiet these tribulations may cause to thee Enter within it that thou may'st overcome it for therein is the Divine Fortress which defends protects and fights for thee If a man hath a safe Fortress he is not disquieted though his enemies pursue him because by retreating within it these are disappointed and overcome The strong Castle that will make thee triumph over all thine enemies visible and invisible and over all their snares and tribulations is within thine own Soul because in it resides the Divine Aid and Sovereign Succour Retreat within it and all will be quiet secure peaceable and calm 4. It ought to be thy chief and continual exercise to pacifie that Throne of thy Heart that the Supreme King may rest therein The way to pacifie it will be to enter into thy self by means of internal recollection all thy protection is to be Prayer and a loving recollection in the Divine Presence When thou seest thy self more sharply assaulted retreat into that region of Peace where thou 'lt find the Fortress When thou art more faint-hearted betake thy self to this refuge of Prayer the only Armour for overcoming the enemy and mitigating tribulation thou oughtest not to be at a distance from it in a storm to the end thou mayest as another Noah experience tranquillity security and serenity and to the end thy will may be resigned devote peaceful and courageous 5. Finally be not afflicted nor discouraged to see thy self faint-hearted he returns to quiet thee that still he may stir thee because this Divine Lord will be alone with thee to rest in thy Soul and form therein a rich Throne of Peace that within thine own heart by means of internal recollection and with his heavenly grace thou may'st look for silence in tumult solitude in company light in darkness forgetfulness in pressures vigour in despondency courage in fear resistance in temptation peace in war and quiet in tribulation CHAP. II. Though the Soul perceive it self deprived of Discourse or Ratiocination yet it ought to persevere in Prayer and not be afflicted because that is its greater Felicity 6. THoul't find thy self as all other Souls that are called by the Lord to the inward way full of Confusion and Doubts because in Prayer thou hast failed in Discourse It will seem to thee that God does no more assist thee
as formerly that the exercise of Prayer is not in thy power that thou losest time whilst hardly and with great trouble thou can'st make one single Ejaculation as thou was wont to do 7. How much confusion and what perplexities will that want of enlarging thy self in mental Discourse raise in thee And if in such a juncture thou hast not a ghostly Father expert in the Mystical Way thou l't certainly conclude that thy Soul is out of order and that for the security of thy Conscience thou standest in need of a general Confession and all that will be got by that care will be the shame and confusion of both O how many Souls are called to the inward way and the Spiritual Fathers for want of Understanding their case instead of guiding and helping them forwards stop them in their Course and ruin them 8. Thou oughtest then to be perswaded that thou mayest not draw back when thou wantest expansion and discourse in Prayer that it is thy greatest happiness because it is a clear sign that the Lord will have thee to walk by Faith and Silence in his Divine Presence which is the most profitable and easiest Path in respect that with a simple view or amorous attention to God the Soul appears like a humble Supplicant before its Lord or as an innocent Child that casts it self into the sweet and safe Bosom of its dear Mother Thus did Gerson express it Though I have spent Fourty Years in Reading and Prayer yet I could never find any thing more efficacious nor compendious for attaining to Mystical Theology than that our Spirit should become like a young Child and Beggar in the presence of God. 9. That kind of Prayer is not only the easiest but the most secure because it is abstracted from the operations of the Imagination that is always exposed to the Tricks of the Devil and the extravagancies of Melancholy and Ratiocination wherein the Soul is easily Distracted and being wrapt up in Speculation reflects on it self 10. When God had a mind to instruct his own Captain Moses Exod. 24. and give him the two Tables of the Law written in Stone he called him up to the Mountain at what time God being there with him the Mount was Darkened and environed with thick Clouds Moses standing idle not knowing what to think or say Seven days after God commanded Moses to come up to the Top of the Mountain where he show'd him his Glory and filled him with great Consolation 11. So in the Beginning when God intends after an extraordinary manner to guide the Soul inter the School of the divine and loving Notices of the internal Law he makes it go with Darkness and Dryness that he may bring it near to himself because the Divine Majestie knows very well that it is not by the means of ones one Ratiocination or Industry that a Soul draws near to him and understands the Divine Documents but rather by silent and humble Resignation 12. The Patriarch Noah gave a great instance of this who after he had been by all men reckoned a Fool floating in the middle of a rageing Sea wherewith the whole World was overflowed without Sails and Oars and environed with wild Beasts that were shut up in the Ark walked by Faith alone not knowing nor understanding what God had a mind to do with him 13. What most concerns thee O redeemed Soul is Patience not to desist from the Prayer thou art about though thou can'st not enlarge is Discourse Walk with firm Faith and a holy Silence dying in thy self with all thy naturaâ— Industry trusting that God who is he who is and changes not neither can err intends nothing but thy good It is clear that he who is a dying must needs feel it but how well is time employed when the Soul is dead dumb and resigned in the presence of God there without any clutter or distraction to receive the Divine Influences 14. The Senses are not capable of divine Blessings hence if thou wouldst be Happy and Wise be Silent and Believe Suffer and have Patience be Confident and Walk on it concerns thee far more to hold thy Peace and to let thy self be guided by the hand of God than to enjoy all the Goods of this World. And though it seem to thee that thou dost nothing at all and art idle being so Dumb and Resigned yet it is of infinite fruit 15. Consider the blinded Beast that turns the Wheel of the Mill which though it see not neither know what it does yet does a great Work in grinding the Corn and although it taste not of it yet its Master receives the fruit and tastes of the same Who would not think during so long a time that the Seed lies in the Earth but that it were lost Yet afterwards it is seen to spring up grow and multiply God does the same with the Soul when he deprives it of Consideration and Ratiocination Whil'st it thinks it does nothing and is in a manner undone in time it comes to it self again improved disengaged and perfect having never hoped for so much favour 16. Take care then that thou afflict not thy self nor draw back though thou can'st not enlarge thy self and discourse in Prayer suffer hold thy peace and appear in the presence of God persevere constantly and trust to his infinite Bounty who can give unto thee constant Faith true light and divine Grace Walk as if thou wert blindfolded without thinking or reasoning put thy self into his kind and paternal hands resolving to do nothing but what his divine Will and Pleasure is CHAP. III. A Sequel of the same Matter 17. IT is the common opinion of all the holy Men who have treated of the Spirit and of all the Mistical Matters That the Soul cannot attain to perfection and an union with God by means of Meditation and Ratiocination Because that is only good for beginning the spiritual Way to the end one may acquire a habit of Knowledge of the beauty of Virtue and ugliness of Vice Which habit in the opinion of Saint Teresa may be attained to in six Months time and according to S. Bonaventure in two 18. In prolog de Mist Theol. page 655. O how are in a manner infinite numbers of Souls to be pitied who from the beginning of their Life to the end employ themselves in meer Meditation constraining themselves to Reason although God Almighty deprive them of Ratiocination that he may promote them to another State and carry them on to a more perfect kind of Prayer and so form any years they continue imperfect and in the beginning without any progress or having as yet made one step in the way of the Spirit beating their Brains about the frame of the Place the choice of the Minutes Imaginations and strained Reasonings seeking God without when in the mean time they have him within themselves 19. St. Austin complained of that in the time when God led him to the Mystical Way
many occasions they feel Resistance and Temptations yet they become presently Victorious because being already Souls of Proof and indued with Divine Strength the motions of Passions cannot last long upon 'em and although vehement Temptations and troublesome Suggestions of the Enemy may persevere a long time about 'em yet they are all conquer'd with infinite gain God being he that Fights within ' em 4. These Souls have already procured themselves a great Light and a true Knowledge of Christ our Lord both of his Divinity and his Humanity They exercise this infused Knowledge with a quiet Silence in the inward entertainment and the superiour part of their Souls with a Spirit free from Images and external Representations with a Love that is pure and stripped of all Creatures they are raised also from outward Actions to the love of Humanity and Divinity so much as they enjoy they forget and in all of it they find that they love their God with all their Heart and Spirit 5. These blessed and sublimated Souls take no pleasure in any thing of the World but contempt and in being alone and in being forsaken and forgotten by every body They live so disinterested and taken off that though they continually receive many supernatural Graces yet they are not changed no not at those inclinations being just as if they had not received 'em keeping always in the in-most of their Hearts a great lowliness and contempt of themselves always humbled in the depth of their own unworthiness and vileness In the same manner they are always quiet serene and possessed with evenness of mind in Graces and Favours extraordinary as also in the most rigorous and bitter Torments There is no News that chears 'em no Success that makes 'em sad Tribulations never disturb 'em nor the interiour continual and divine Communication make 'em vain and conceited they remain always full of holy and filial Fear in a wonderful Peace Constancy and Serenity CHAP. II. Pursues the same 6. IN the external Way they take care to do continual Acts of all the Vertues one after another to get to the attainment of 'em They pretend to purge Imperfections with Industries proportionable to Destruction they take care to root up Interests one after another with a different and contrary Exercise But though they endeavour never so much they arrive at nothing because we cannot do any thing which is not Imperfection and Misery 7. But in the inward Way and loving Entertainment in the Presence Divine as the Lord is he that Works Vertue is established Interests are rooted up Imperfections are destroyed and Passions removed which makes the Soul free unexpectedly and taken off when occasions are represented without so much as thinking of the good which God of his infinite Mercy prepared for ' em 8. It must be known that these Souls though thus Perfect as they have the true Light of God yet by it they know profoundly their own miseries weaknesses and imperfections and what they yet want to arrive at Perfection towards which they are walking they are afflicted and abhor themselves they exercise themselves in a loving Fear of God and contempt of themselves but with a true Hope in God and Disconfidence in themselves The more they are humbled with true contempt and knowledge of themselves the more they please God and arrive at a singular respect and veneration in his Presence Of all the good Works that they do and of all that they continually suffer as well within as without they make no manner of account before that Divine Presence 9. Their continual Exercise is to enter into themselves in God with quiet and silence because there is his Center Habitation and Delight They make a greater account of this interiour Retirement than of speaking of God they retire into that interiour and secret Center of the Soul to know God and receive his Divine Influence with fear and loving reverence if they go out they go out onely to know and despise themselves 10. But know that few are the Souls which arrive at this happy State because few there are that are willing to embrace Contempt and suffer themselves to be Refined and Purified upon which account although there are many that enter into this interiour Way yet 't is a rare thing for a Soul to go on and not stick upon the entrance The Lord said to a Soul This inward Way is tread by few 't is so high a Grace that none deserves it few walk in it because it is no other than a Death of the Senses and few there be that are willing so to Die and be Annihilated in which disposition this so soveraign a Gift is founded 11. Herewith thou wilt undeceive thy self and perfectly know the great difference which there is between the external and internal Way and how different that Presence of God is which arises from Meditation from that which is Infused and Supernatural arising from the interior and infused Intertainment and from passive Contemplation and lastly you will know the great difference which is between the outward and inward Man. CHAP. III. The means of obtaining Peace Internal is not the Delight of Sense nor Spiritual Consolation but the denying of Self-love 12. IT is the saying of S. Bernard That to serve God is nothing else but to do Good and suffer Evil. He that would go to Perfection by the means of Sweetness and Consolation is mistaken You must desire no other Consolation from God than to end your Life for his sake in the state of true Obedience and Subjection Christ our Lord's way was not that of Sweetness and Softness nor did he invite us to any such either by his Words or Example when he said He that will come after me let him deny himself and let him take up his cross and follow me St Matth. 24.26 The Soul that would be United to Christ must be conformable to him following him in the way of suffering 13. Thou wilt scarce begin to relish the sweetness of Divine Love in Prayer but the Enemy with his deceitful Craftiness will be kindling in thy Heart defires of the Desert and Solitude that thou mayest without any bodies hindrance spread the sails to continual delightful Prayer Open thine eyes and consider that this Counsel and Desire is not conformable to the true Counsel of Christ our Lord who has not invited us to follow the sweetness and comfort of our own Will but the denying of our selves saying Abneget semetipsum As if he should say He that will follow me and come unto Perfection let him part with his own Will wholly and leaving all things let him intirely submit to the Yoke of Obedience and Subjection by means of Self-denyal which is the truest Cross 14. There are many Souls dedicated to God which receive from his Hand great Thoughts Visions and mental Elevations and yet for all that the Lord keeps from 'em the Grace of working Miracles understanding hidden Secrets foretelling future