ardent desire of our hart ought to be placed in our Lord. BVt thou O Lord the expectation of Israell and that desire to which our harte doth euery day aspire make haste to vs and doe not stay Rise vp make hast and come and bring vs out of this prison to confesse vnto thy Name that wee may glory in thy light Open thyne eares to the cry of the teares of thy forsaken children who thus are calling out to thee Giue vs O thou Father of ours our daylie breard this day in the strength whereof wee may walke day and night till at last wee may arriue to thy Holy Mountaine Horeb. And I also poore little one that I am amongst the poore little ones of thy familly when shall I O my God my Father and my strength come and appeare before thy face that I who confesse vnto thee now for a tyme may doe it there for all eternity Happy shall I be if once I may be admitted to behould thy brightenes Who will graunt mee soe much fauour as that once I may bee admitted to that happines I knowe O Lord I knowe and confesse that I am vnworthy to enter vnder thy roofe Yet doe thou admitt mee for thyne owne honnour 's sake confound not thy slaue who hopes in thee And who shall be able to enter into thy Sanctuary to consider the wonders of thy power vnles thou open him the gate And who can open it if thou shutt it For if thou destroy there is none can build vs vp And if thou shutt a man in there is none who cā putt him out If thou contayne the waters all the world will be dryed vp but if thou let thē loose they will ouerrune the earth If thou haue a mynde to anihilate all that which thou hast created who shall presume to contradict thee Now therefore ô thou eternall goodnes of thy mercy which is that whereby thou madest whatsoeuer thou wouldest thou art the Archytect of the whole world and therefore doe thou also gouerne vs. Thou didest creat vs and therefore doe not thou despise vs for wee are the worke of thy hands And it is playne enough O Lord our God that wee who are but base wormes and durt shall neuer be able to enter into thy eternityes vnles we be introduced by thee who hast created all things of nothing CHAP. XXIV That all our saluation depends vpon God BVt I the worke of thy hands will confesse to thee in thy feare that I will not putt my confidence in my bowe or thinke that my sword can saue me but that must be donne by thy right hand and by thyne arme and by the illumination of thy countenance For otherwise I should despayre But thou who diddest create mee art my hope that thou wilt not forsake such as trust in thee For thou art our Lord God sweete and patient and disposeing of all things in mercy For it we haue sinned wee are thyne and if wee haue not sinned wee are thine because we are numbred among thy creatures Wee are but as a leafe in respect of the world and all mankinde is but vanity and our life is but as a vapour vpon the earth Be not angry if wee thy poore forsaken little children fall because thou O Lord our God knowest the matter whereof wee are made Wilt thou O God of inestimable fortitude shew forth thy power against a leafe which is whipped away by the winde And persecute a withered strawe Wilt thou O Eternell King of Israell damne a dead dogg wilt thou damne a single gnatt Wee haue heard O Lord of thy mercy and thou puttest not to death nor reioycest in the perdition of dying men Therefore doe wee beseeche thee O Lord that thou wilt not permitt that which thou hast not made to haue dominion ouer this creature of thine which thou hast made Nay thou art greiued with our perdition and what then O Lord shall be able to hinder thee who art omnipotent from eternally reioyceing in our saluation If thou wilt thou canst saue mee but I cannot doe it though I would The multitude of the miseries which I carry about mee is very greate It is at hand with mee to will a thing but I cannot finde the way to perfect it Yet I cannot euen will a good thing vnles thou also wi lt nor can I performe that which I haue a will to doe vnles thy power strengtheneth mee Yea and that which I haue power to doe falls out sometymes that I will not doe it vnles thy will may be done in Earth as it is in Heauen And what I will doe can doe I doe not knowe vnles thy wisedome illustrate mee And though also I doe knowe hauing sometymes a will to doe a thing and sometymes also a power to doe it yet my VVisdome passeth away all imperfect and empty as it is vnles thy true VVisdome helpe mee But in thy will all things are placed and there is none who can resist that will of thyne O thou the Lord of all thy Creatu-Creatures who hast supreame dominion ouer all flesh and doest worke whatsoeuer thou wilt in Heauen and in Earth in the Sea and in all the Abysses Let therefore thy will be done in vs vpon whome thy Name hath beene inuoked and let not this noble worke of thyne perish which thou diddest create for thyne owne glory And what man borne of woeman is hee who can liue not see death and deliuer his soule from the hand of hell vnles thou alone doe snatch him thence Thou who art the vitall life of all life whereby all things liue CHAP. XXV That the will of man wanteth efficacy towards good workes without the Grace of God I Haue now confessed to thee O thou prayse of my life O Lord my God and the strength of my Saluation that there was a tyme when I had confidence in myne owne strength which yet was noe strength at all And when I was so resolued to runne on where I thought my selfe to stand fastest there I fell fowlest insteede of aduanceing I retyred and I was more and more estranged from that which I thought to haue apprehended And so being come to know the little proportiō of my strēgth by the many experimēts which I made for the wāt thereof I doe now vnderstand because I haue bene illuminated by thee that whatsoeuer I haue thought my selfe most able to doe that could I euer bring least to passe For I sayd sometimes I will doe this and I will perfect that I did neither the one nor the other If I had the will I wanted the power If I had the power I had not then the will because I trusted in myne owne strength But now I confesse to thee O Lord my God the Father of Heauen and Earth that noe man shall ouercome in his owne strength to giue occasion thereby to the foolish presumption of flesh and blood to glory in thy sight For it is not in
my selfe am growen to be wholy vayne And hence also it is O Lord that I reioyce not in thee and that I adheare not to thee For I am in exteriour things thou in interiour I am in temporall things thou in spirituall my minde is scattered spilt my thought is entertayned my speach is imployed vpon transitory obiects but thou O Lord doest dwell in the eternities and art eternity it selfe Thou art in heauen I on earth thou louest high and I lowe things thou celestiall I terrestriall when shall these contrarietyes be euer able to meete CHAP. II. Of the misery and frayletie of Man WRetch that I am when shall this crookednes of mine be straightened according to that rectitude of thyne Thou O Lord louest to be alone and I to be in multituds Thou louest to be in silence and I in noyse Thou louest truth and I loue vanity Thou louest purity and I vncleanenes What should I say more O Lord thou art truely good and I naughty thou art holy and I am wicked thou art happy and I vniust thou art light it selfe and I am truely blinde thou art life it selfe and I am dead thou art Phisicke and I am sicke thou art ioy and I am sorrow thou art soueraigne Truth and I am an vniuersality of vanitie as indeede all men liueinge are Woe be therefore to me O thou Creatour of myne what shall I say Yet hearken thou O my Creatour for I am thy creature and I am euen now vpon perishing I am thy creature and am euen very now vpon dying I am the worke of thy hands and I am euen now reduced to nothing I am the thing which thou haste made Thy hands O Lord haue made me and fashioned me those hands I say which were fastened to the Crosse with nayles for me Doe not O Lord despise the worke of those hands of thine I beseech thee behold the wounds which are in thine owne hands Behold O Lord how thou haste writtē me in thyne owne hāds Reade that wrightinge of thine and saue me Behold I thy creature doe sigh towards thee thou art my Creatour and doe thou refresh me Behold I who am the worke of thy hands cry out to thee thou art life it self doe thou quicken me Behold I whom thou haste framed am lookeing towards thee thou art my maker and therefore doe thou restore me Pardon me O Lord for my dayes are nothing And yet what is any man that he should presume to speake to his Creator who is God Pardon me whilest I am speakeing to thee forgiue thy slaue who presumes to open his mouth to soe great a Lord. But necessity hath noe lawe Greife forces me to speake the calamity which I endure constraynes me to cry out I am sicke and I cry out to my Physician I am blinde and I make haste towards the light I am dead and I aspire towards life Thou O Iesus of Nazareth art the Physician thou art the Light thou art life Haue mercy on me O thou Sonne of Dauid Take pitty on me O thou fountaine of mercy Giue eare ro thy poore creature which cryes out after thee O thou light which art passing by expect this blinde man reach forth thy hand to him that he may come to thee ard may see light in thy light O thou liueing life reuiue thou this dead man But yet who am I that am speakinge to thee Woe be to me O Lord haue mercy on me O Lord on me who am a rotten carkas the food of wormes a stinkeing pott and that matter whereon fyre must feede VVoe be to me O Lord wretched man that I am Man who being borne of a woeman is to liue but a little time and is to be filled with many miseries Man I say who is growen like to vanity it selfe and being cōpared to the foolish beasts is now also become like to them But yet still what am I a darke abysse a wretched peece of earth a childe of wrath a vessell euen made fitt for reproach begotten with impurity liueing in mysery and dying in agony Alas poore wretch what am I and yet againe alas what am I to be A vessell full of dunge a hollow shell full of putrefaction full of stinkeing filth which euen breedeth horrour Blynde poore naked subiect to a world of myseries and wholly ignorant eyther how I came into the world or how I shall gett out Miserable and mortall whose dayes passe away like a shadow whose life doth vanish like awayning Moone like a flower which groweth vpon a stalke and presently decayes Now it florisheth and in the turneing of a hande it withereth This life I say this frayle life of myne this transitory life this life which how muche the more it encreaseth soe much the more it decayes how much the more it proceedes so much the nearer it drawes to death A deceiptfull life and like to a shadow and all besett with the very snares of death Now I reioyce and euen now againe I am sadd now I am strong and now againe I am weake now I liue and now I am about to dye now I laugh and now againe I weepe now I seeme happy whilest yet I am all wayes miserable And soe subiect are all things to change vpon all warninges as that there is scarce any one of them which continueth permanent for the space of an houre Here feare and apprehension and hunger and thirst and heate and cold and sickenes of body and sorrow of mynd is in all aboundance And all these are followed by vntimely death which snatcheth men out of the world by a thousand wayes It kills one man with a feauer another man is oppressed with greife of mynd hunger consumeth one thirst makes an end of another one man is drowned by water another man is strangled by a halter another is destroyed by fyre another is deuowred by wilde beasts One is killed by the sword another is corrupted by poyson and another ends his miserable life by the surprise of some strange and sodayne feare And now besides and beyond all these things a huge misery it is that as nothing is more certayn then death soe of nothing is a man more vncertayn then of the tyme when he shal dy When he thinkes he standeth fastest he is tripped vp and his hope perisheth Noe man can tel eyther when or where or how he shall dye and yet he is sure enough that dye he must Behold O Lord how great this misery of man is wherein I am placed yet I am voyd of feare How great the calamite is which I endure and yet I am farre from greife nor doe I cry out to thee But I will cry out O Lord before I passe away to the end that I may not passe away but remayne in thee I will therfore declare I will declare my misery I will not be ashamed to confesse my basenes before thee Helpe me O thou my strength whereby I am raised succour me
stone or some tree or some brute beast but because thy goodnes hath ordeyned otherwise concerning me and that thou shouldest so ordeyne was not caused by any precedent merits of myne CHAP. X Of the incomprehensible prayse of God WHence came this mercy to me O Lord and whence shall I be able to gett power wherewith I may be able to prayse thee For as thou madest me without me according to thyne owne good pleasure so art thou praysed in thy self as thou art best pleased without mee Thy prayse O Lord is thy very selfe Lett all thy workes prayse thee according to the multitude of thy greatenes Thy prayse O Lord is incomprehensible It is not comprehended by the hart nor to be measured by the mouth nor receiued by the eare For these things passe on away but thy prayse O Lord remaynes for euer The cogitation of man begins and his cogitation ends the voyce sounds and the voyce is blowen ouer the eare heares and it leaues of to heare but thy prayse endures for euer Vvho is therefore he that shall prayse thee Vvhat man shall be able to announce thy prayse Thy prayse is not transitory it is eternall He prayseth thee who beleiues thee to be thyne owne prayse He prayseth thee who knoweth that he cann neuer arriue to prayse thee enough Thy prayse is euerlasting doth neuer passe In thee is our prayse and in thee shall my soule be praysed It is not wee who prayse thee but it is thou who prayseth thy selfe and in thy selfe and by thy selfe and wee also haue our prayse in thee Then haue wee true prayse when wee haue prayse from thee when light approueth light For thou O true Prayse doest imparte true prayse but as often as we seeke prayse from any other but thee soe often doe wee loose thy prayse because that other is transitory but thyne eternall If wee seeke that prayse which is transitory wee shall loose the prayse which is eternall If wee desire that which is eternall let vs not loue that which is transitory O thou eternall Prayse O thou my Lord and my God from whome all prayse proceedeth and without whom there is no prayse I am not able to prayse thee without thee but let me possesse thee and I shall prayse thee For who O Lord am I that of my selfe I should be able to prayse thee dust and ashes I am a dead and stinkeing dog I am I am a very worme and putrefactiō it selfe Vvho am I that I should prayse thee O thou most Mighty Lord and thou God of the spirits of all flesh who inhabitest Eternity Shall darkenes be able to praise light or death life Thou art light and I am darkenes thou art life and I am death Shall vanity be able to prayse truth Thou art truth but I am a man as vane as vanity it selfe How then O Lord shall I be able to praise thee Shall my misery be able to prayse thee Shall stinkes be able to prayse pretious odours Shall the mortality of a man who is here to day and will be gone to morrowe be able to prayse thee Shall man who is rottennes it selfe be able to prayse thee and the sonne of man who is noe better then a base worme Shall he be able to prayse thee O Lord who is conceyued and borne and bredd vp in sinne verily thy prayses cannot be gratefull in the mouth of a sinner O Lord my God let thy incomprehensible power thy wisdome which cannot be circumscribed and thy goodnes which cannot be declared prayse thee Let thy supereminent clemency thy superabondant mercy thy sempiternall vertue and diuinity praise thee Let thy most Omnipotent fortitude thy supreme benignity and charity whereby thou didest create vs O Lord thou God of my soule prayse thee CHAP. IX Of the hope which is to be erected towards God BVt I who am thy creature reposing vnder the shadow of thy Vvings will hope in thy goodnes whereby thou didest create me Assiste thy creature who was created by thy benignity let not that perish through my malice which hath bene wrought by thy goodnes Let not that perish by my misery which hath bene framed by thy mercy For what doth it profit thee to haue created me if I shall descend to hell through myne owne corruption For hast thou ô Lord in vaine made all the sonnes of men Thou hast created mee O Lord and therefore gouerne that which thou hast created Doe not O Lord despise the the worke of thine owne hands Thou madest mee of nothing and if thou doe not gouerne me O Lord I shall againe retourne into my nothing For as once I was not O Lord then thou madest me of nothing soe if thou doe not gouerne me yet once againe I shall of my selfe be reduced to nothing Helpe me O Lord my life and let me not perish in my wickednes If thou haddest not created mee O Lord I had not beene and because thou didest create me Behold I am But if now thou doe not gouerne me behold I am noe more For neither my merits nor any priuiledge of myne compelled thee to create me but thyne owne most benigne bounty clemency Let that charity of thyne O Lord my God which compelled thee to create me I beseech thee oblige thee to gouerne mee For what doth it profit me that thy charity constrayned thee to create me if now I perish in my misery and if thy right hand doe not perfect me Let that mercy compell thee O Lord my God to saue that which thou hast created which compelled thee to create that which thou haddest not created Let charity ouercome thee to make thee saue which ouercame thee to make thee create because now that charity is not lesse then it was For that very charity is thy very selfe who art the same for euer Thy hand O Lord is not so abbreuiated as that it cannot saue vs nor is thine eare out of tune that it cannot heare vs but my sinnes haue made a diuision betwixt thee and me betweene light and darkenes betweene the image of death and life betweene vanity and verity betweene this lunatike inconstant life of myne thyne which is capable of noe change or end· CHAP. XII Of the snares of Concupiscence THese are those shadowes of darkenes wherewith I am couered in the Abysse of this darke prison where I lye prostrate till such tyme as the day may dawne and the black shadowes be remoued and the light may be made in the firmament of thy power Let the voyce of our Lord in power The voyce of our Lord in magnificence say thus Let light be made and let darkenes be driuen away let the earth appeare dry sprout forth fresh and greene plants which may bring forth seede and the good fruite of the Iustice of thy Kingdome O Lord our Father and our God thou light whereby all things liue and without which all things are accounted for dead doe not
strong tempest shall compasse thee inn round about when thou shalt call the heauen earth at such tyme as thou wilt iudge thy people And behold all my iniquities shal be discouered then before so many thousands of nations and all my greiuous crimes not onely deeds but euen words and very thoughts themselues shal be manifested to so many legions of Angells Before so many iudges shall I desolate creature stand as there wil be men who haue farr outstripped me in good workes By so many reprouers shall I be confounded as haue giuen me examples of good life And by so many witnesses shall I be conuinced as haue taught me by good speeches and instructed me toward an imitation of them by their good examples O my Lord I can lighte vpon nothinge which I may say nothing doth occurr which I can answere And now whilest I am subiect to this sharp triall my conscience racks me the secrets of my hart torment me couetousnesse streightens me pride accuses me enuy consumes me concupiscence inflames me lust importunes me gluttony dishoners me ebriety ouercomes me detraction tears me ambition supplants me greedinesse disquiets me discorde scatters me anger disturbes me mirth dissolues me heauinesse oppresseth me hypocrisy deceiues me flattery alters me fauour exalts me slaunder wounds me Behold ô thou who art my deliuerer from these feirce nations behold who they be whome I haue liued with all from the very day of my birth whome I haue obserued and to whome I haue dedicated my selfe Those very imployments which I loued condemn me they which I praised dishonored me These are those frends with whome I did so carefully comply those Maisters whose direction I followed those Lords whome I haue serued those Counseillers whome I haue beleeued those citzens with whome I haue dwelt those domesticks whome I haue consented too woe is me ô my King and my God that my habitation here is so much prolonged Woe is me O thou light of mine eyes that I haue dwelt amongst the inhabitants of Cedar And if holy Dauid could say that he had dwelt much with them how much more may I wretched creature say O thou my God and my strong fundation that my soule hath dwelt too much with them for in thy sight noe man liueinge can be iustifyed My hope is not reposed in the sonnes of men for if thou iudge them when thy mercy is laide a side whome wilt thou be able to finde iust And if thou preuent not the wicked man by showeing mercy thou wilt not finde any good man vpon whome to bestowe thy glory For I beleeue O thou who art my saluation that which I haue beene told that it is thy mercy which bringeth me to pennance Those lipps of thy mouth more sweete then Nectar haue sounded forth these words Noe man can come to me vnles my Father who sent me drawe him Because therfor thou haste instructed me because by that instruction thou hast mercifully framed me as now I am I doe with the most inward marrow of my soule and with all possible strife of my hart inuoke thee ô Omnipotent Father with thy most beloued Sonne and thee ô most sweete Sonne with the most excellent souueraigne Holy spirit that thou wilt draw me towards thee that so I may runn after the fragrance of thy pretious odours and that I may doe it most dearely CHAP. V. The Father is inuoked by the Sonne INuoke thee ô my God! I inuoke hee because thou art present to all such as call vpon thee in the way of truth for thou art Truth Teach me ô holy Truth by thy mercy how I may inuoke thee in thee because I know not how that must be done and therefore I doe most humbly begg of thee to be taught by thee For to be wise without thee is to play the foole but to knowe thee is perfectly to be wise Teach me ô diuine Wisdome and instruct me in thy lawe for I beleeue that he whome thou teachest and whome thou instructest in thy lawe shal be happy I desire to inuoke thee and I beseech thee that it may be in all Truth What is it to call vpon Truth in Truth but to call vpon the Father in his Sonnes Thy speach therfore ô holy Father is Truth and Truth is the beginninge of thy words For this is the beginninge of thy words that in the beginning was the word In the very beginning doe I adore thee who art the prime and supreame beginninge In that very worde of Truth doe I also inuoke thee ô perfect Truth in which word I beseech thee who art that very Truth that thou will direct and teach me that Truth For what is more delightfull then to inuoke the Father in the name of his onely begotten Sonne to induce the Father to mercy by the remembrance of his Sonne to mollify the Kings hart by the mention of his dearest Sonne For thus doe prisoners vse to be freed from their restrainte So are slaues freed from their chaines and men who are lyable to the sadd doome of death are not onely absolued but growe intitled sometymes to extraordinary fauour when they putt angry Princes in minde of the loue they beare to theyr progeny And when the intercession of the Sonne is imployed the poore slaue is wonte to auoide the punishment of his Lord. Iust so ô thou Omnipotent Father I begg of thee by thine Omnipotent Sonne that thou wilt drawe my soule out of prison that I may confesse to thy name I beseech thee by that onely begotten Sonne of thine who is coeternall with thee that thou wilt discharge me from these fetters of my sinns and that by the mediation of thy most pretious issue who is sitting at thy right hand thou wilt of thy goodnes restore me to life who for my great demerits am threatned with the sentence of death For I know not what other intercessor I should be able to vse towards thee but him who is propitiation for our sinns and who sitteth at thy right hand pleadinge for vs. Behold ô God the Father him who is my aduocate with thee Behold that supreame Bishop who hath noe need to be expiated by any others blood because he is resplendent by being all bathed in his owne Beholde here the holy Sacrifice which is holy perfect and wel pleasing which is offered in the odour of sweetnes so accepted Behold the lamb without spott who is silent before the shearrer and who being beaten vpon the face with blowes and defiled with spittle and reproached with scorne did not yet so much as open his mouth Behold he who neuer committed sinn hath borne our sinns and by his owne wounds hath cured our diseases CHAP. VI. Here man representeth the Passion of the Sonne to the Father BEholde deare Father thy most holy Sonne who hath suffered such bitter paines for me Behold ô most clement Kinge who it is that suffers and mercifully remember for whome he suffers
labour Giueinge a beginninge to all things thy selfe haueinge noe beginninge makeing all things changeable beinge yet vnchangeable in thy selfe being infinite in thy greatenesse Omnipotent in thy power souuereigne in thy goodnesse inestimable in thy wisdome terrible in thy decrees iust in thy iudgements secret in thy thoughts true in thy wordes holy in thy workes plentifull in thy mercyes Towards sinners thou art most patiēt towards penitents thou art most pittifull Thou art euer the same eternall sempiternall immortall vnchangeable God whome neither space can dilate nor littlenesse of place can streighten nor any receptacle can keepe in or constraine nor the will vary nor partiality corrupt nether doe sad things afflict thee nor ioyfull things transport thee From whome neither forgetfullnes takes any thinge neither doth memory restore any thing neither doe things past passe away nor future things succeed To whome neither the first gaue beginninge nor the continuance of tyme increase nor shall any accident giue it any end But thou liuest for all eternity both before and in and through all aages And lett immortal praise and eternall glory and souuereigne power and supreame honor and a Kingdome Empire for all eternity remaine with thee through those infinite vnwearied and immortall ages of ages Amen CHAP. XIII How God the Father vouchsafed to helpe mankinde and of the Incarnation of the worde HItherto O Omnipotent God the beholder searcher of my hart I haue confessed the Omnipotency of thy Maiesty and the maiesty of thy Omnipotency But now as I beleeue with the hart to Iustice so will I confesse before thee with the mouth to saluation in what sort thou haste beene pleased at the end of many ages to releiue the misery of mankinde Thou O God and our onely Father wert neuer to be sent any whither But of the Sonne the Apostle writeth thus When the fullnes of tyme was come God sent his Sonne When he saith sent he doth sufficiently showe that then he came sent into this world when being borne of the euer B. Virgin Mary he became and appeared true and perfect man in flesh But what is that which that cheife of all the Euangelistes saith He was in the world and the world was made by him He was sent thither in his Humanity who was euer and is there by his Diuinity Now that this Mission is the worke of the whole blessed Trinity I confesse with my whole hart and mouth But how then didst thou loue vs O thou holy and good Father how much didst thou loue vs O most deare Creator who didst not euen spare thyne owne Sonne but didst deliuer him vp for vs wretched Creatures He was subiect to thee euen vnto the death and that the death of the Crosse takeinge the hand-writinge of our sinns and nailinge it to the same Crosse He crucified also sinn it selfe and killed death He who onely is free amongst the dead haueing power both to lay downe his life for vs and afterward to take it vp againe Hence was he both the conquerer and Sacryfice And therfor the Conquerer because the sacryfice for vs To thee he was the Preist and the Sacrifice and therfore the Preist because the Sacrifice Most iustly haue I a strong hope in him that thou for his sake who sitteth at thy right hand and is continually interceedinge for vs wilt cure all our languishing diseases For my infirmityes O Lord are great and many great they are and many The Prince of this world hath much to say against me I knowe and cōfesse it yet deliuer me I beseeche thee by that Redeemer of mine who sitteth at thy right hand in whome he was able to finde none of his malice By him I beseeche thee to iustify me by him who comitted noe sinn nor was there any guile found in his mouth I beseeche thee by that head of ours in whome there is noe one little spott deliuer this member which yet is his how weake and poore soeuer it be Deliuer me I beseeche thee from my sinns my vices my faults and my negligence Fill me with thy holy vertues make me of most innocent conuersation And grant for thy holy names sake that I may continue euen to the very end in those good workes which thou commaundest according to thy holy will CHAP. XIV Of the confidence which a soule ought to haue in our Lord Iesus in his Passion I Could easily haue despaired through the excesse of my greiuous sinns and of my infinite negligences if thy word O God had not become flesh and had not dwelt amongst vs. But now I dare not despaire because when we were enemyes we were reconciled by the death of thy Sonne how much more now we beinge already reconciled shall we be saued by him For all the hope and stay of all my confidence doth consist in that pretious blood of his which was shed for vs and for our saluation In him doe I take breath and hopeing firmely in him I earnestly desire to come to thee not haueinge any iustice of mine owne but that which is in thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christe We doe therfore thank thee O most Clement and benigne louer of mankind who when we were not didst powerfully create vs by Iesus-Christe thy Sonne our Lord. And whē we were lost by our owne fault thou didst admirably deliuer and recouer vs. I giue thankes to thy mercy many thanks doe I giue thee with the whole affection of my hart who through that vnspeakable charity wherewith thou didst vouchsafe with strange goodnes to loue vs miserable and vnworthy Creatures didst send thyne onely begotten Sonne from thyne owne bosome for our common good so to saue vs sinners who were then the sonns of wrath I giue thee thanks for his holy Incarnation and Natiuity and for his glorious Mother of whom he vouchsafed to assume flesh for vs and our saluation that as he was true God of God so he might also be true man of man I thanke thee for his Crosse and Passion for his death and Resurrection for his Ascension into heauen and for his seat of Maiesty at thy right hand For vpō the fortieth day after his Resurrection ascendinge aboue all the heauens whilest his Disciples were lookeing on and being seated at thy right hand he did according to his promisse powre forth the Holy Ghoste vpon the Children of adoption I thank thee for that most sacred effusion of his most pretious Blood wherby we are redeemed and withall for that Sacred and Holy and quickninge Mistery of his Body and Blood which dayly we eate and drinke in the Church and wherby we are washed and sanctified and made partakers of that one supreame diuinity I thank thee for this admirable and vnspeakable charity of thine wherby thou hast so loued and saued vs vnworthy creatures by that onely and beloued Sonne of thine For thou didst so loue the world as to giue thy onely begotten Sonne that euery one who beleeued
minde At length vnited are And ioying in so rich a peace They can admitt no iarre But hauing quitt these fading leaues They seeke their roote againe And looke vpon the present face Of Truthe which hath no stayne Still drinking at that liuely spring Huge draughtes of ioyes in graine From thence they fetch that happy state Wherein no change they see But cleere and chearfull and content From all mishaps are free No sicknes there can threaten health Nor young men old can be There haue they their Eternity Their passage then is past They grow they flourish and they sprout Corruption off is cast Immortall strength hath swallowed vp The power of death at last Who knowe the knower of all things What can they choose but knowe They all behold their fellowes harts And all their secretts showe One simple act of will and nill From all their mindes doth flowe Though all their merits diuers be According to their paynes Yet charity makes that ones owne Which any fellow gaynes And all which doth belong to one To all of them pertaynes Vnto that body iustly goe The Eagles all for meate Where with the Angells and the Saints They may haue roome to eate One loafe can feede them all who liue In both these Countries great Hungry they are yet euer full They haue what they desire Sith no saciety offends Nor hungar burnes like fire Aspiringly they euer eate And eating they aspire There euer are your newe concerts With songs which haue no end The organs of eternall ioy Doe on their eares attend In prayse of their triumphant King They all their voyces spend O happy Soule which canst behold This King still present there And vnder thee discerne the world Runn round secure from feare With Starres and Plannettes Moone and Sunn Still moueing in their Spheare O Christ thou valiēt soldiers crowne Cast downe an eye of pittie That hauing once our armes putt downe we may inioy that Citie And with those heauenly Quires beare part In their eternall dittie Grant Iesu grant we still persiste In thy iust cause defending As longe as worldly warre may last As longe as strifs depending That we may carrie thee i th end The prize which knows noe ending CHAP. XXVII Of the continuall praise which a soule conceiueth by the contemplation of the Diuinity O My soule blesse our Lord and all the powers within me sing praise to his holy Name O my soule blesse our Lord and forgett not all his benefitts O all yea workes of our Lord blesse our Lord in all the places of his dominion Let vs praise God whome the Dominations adore whome Cherubin and Seraphin with a neuer ceasing voice proclame Holy Holy Holy Let vs ioyne our voyce to the voice of the holy Angells and lett vs praise this Lord who is common to vs both to the vttermost of our power For they praise our Lord most purely and incessantly who are alwayes plunged in that diuine contemplation not by a glasse or in a figure but face to face But who shal be able to say or so much as to thinke what kinde of innumerable multitude of blessed Spiritts and celestiall powers that is which standeth in the sight of our Omnipotent Lord God What glory what endles festiuity they enioy by the vision of God What delight without any defect what ardour of loue not tormenting but delighting who can say what desire there is of the vision of God when they haue saciety and how they can haue saciety with desire where in nether desire procures any payne nor saciety breeds any loathinge How they growe to be happy by adhearing to that supreame beatitude How they growe to be made light by their coniunction with that true light How by euer beholdinge the immutable Trinity themselues are changed into immutability But how shall we be able to comprehend that higth of Angelicall dignity when we are not able so much as to finde out the nature of our owne soule what kinde of thing is that which is able to giue life to flesh and yet is not able so much as to conteyne it selfe in good thoughts what kinge of thing is this so strong and se weake so little and so great which searcheth into the secrets of God and riseth into contemplation of celestiall things and is prooued to haue found out with such subtill power of witt the skill of so many arts for the vse of man what kind of thing is this which knoweth so many other things and yet is so wholyignorāt of how it selfe comes to be made For although many doubtfull things be said by many about the beginninge of the soule yet we finde it to be a certaine intellectual spiritt a spirit made by the power of the Creator liueinge after a sort immortaly and quickninge the body which it doth sustaine subiect to mutability and forgetfulnesse which is often depressed by feare and extolled by ioy O admirable thinge and to which all astonishment is due Of God the Creator of vs all who is vnspeakable and incomprehensible we read we speake and we write excessiuely sublimely wounderfull things without any ambiguity at all but whatsoeuer we say of Angells and soules we are not so well able to prooue But yet lett the minde passe on euen from these thinges and transcend all that which is created Lett it runn and rise and flutter and fly through and lett it fix the eyes of Faith as eagerly as it can vpon him who created all things I will therfore make certaine stepps of riseinge in my hart and by them I will assend into my soule and by the purest power of my minde I will assend to my Lord who remaines ouer my head Whatsoeuer is visibly seene whatsoeuer is imagined though in a most spirituall manner I will remoue farr of from the sight of my hart and minde with a strong hand Let the pure and simple power of my vnderstanding passing on with a speedy flighte towards him arriue to him who is that Creator himselfe both of Angells and soules and all things else Blessed is that soule which forsaketh inferior things and aspireth to them which are sublyme and placeing the seat of her habitation in those highe vnhaunted wayes doth contēplate the Sunn of Iustice frō those mighty rocks with eagles eyes For there is nothinge so beautifull and so delightfull as with the sharpe sight of the minde and the eager desire of the hart to contemplate this God himselfe alone and after a wounderfull manner inuisibly to beholde him who is inuisible so to taste not the sweetnes of this world but of another and to behold not this inferior kind of light but another For this light which is shutt vp in place is also ended in tyme its varied by the interruption of night and this light which is common to vs with wormes and other vnreasonable beasts in comparison of that other souueraigne light is rather to be called night then light CHAP. XXVIII What
is become of thyne ancient mercyes wilt thou be anggry with me for euer Be thou appeased I beseeche thee and haue mercy on me and doe not turne thy face from me thou who for the redeeminge of me didst not turne thy face from such as did reproch and spitt at thee I confesse that I haue sinned and that my conscience calls for nothing but damnation and my pennance wil not serue for satisfaction but yet it is certayne that thy mercy doth surpasse all sinn Doe not I beseeche thee most deer Lord marite vp my wickednes against me to the end that thou maist enter into exact account with thy seruant but blott out my iniquity according to the multitude of thy mercyes woe be vnto me miserable creature when the day of Iugdment shall come and the booke of consciences shall be opened and it shal be said to me Behold the man and his workes what shall I doe then O Lord my God when the heauens will reueale my iniquityes and when the earth will rise vp against me Beholde I shal be able to make noe answeare but my head hanging downe through confusion I shall stand trembling and all confounded before thee Vvoe is me wretched creature what shal I say I will cry out to thee O Lord my God! For why should I consume my selfe with holding my peace and yet if I speake my greife will not be appeased But yet howsoeuer if I hold my peace I am inwardly tormented with extrcame bitternes Lament O my soule as the Widowe vseth to doe ouer the husband of her youth Howle thou miserable creature and cry out because thy spouse who is Christ our Lord hath dismissed thee O thou wrathe of the Omnipotent doe no thou rush downe vpon me for I am notable to receaue thee It is not in all the power I haue to be able to endure thee Haue mercy on me least I despaire and grant that I may repose in hope and if I haue committed that for which thou maiste condemne me yet thou haste not lost that for which thou art wont to saue sinfull men Thou O Lord desirest not the death of a sinner nor dost thou reioyce in the perdition of dyinge soules nay thou dyedst thy selfe to the end that dead men might liue and thy death hath killed the death of sinners And if they liued by thy death I beseech thee O Lord that I by the meanes of thy life may not dy Send forth thy hand from on highe and take me out of the hand of mine enemyes that they may not reioyce ouer me and say We haue deuoured him Who can distrust of thy mercy O deer Iesus since thou didest redeeme vs and reconcile vs to God by thy Blood when we were thine enemies Behold how being protected vnder the shadowe of thy mercy I come runninge to thy Throne of glory askinge pardon of thee and crying out and knocKinge till thou take pitty of me For if thou haste called vs to take the benefit of thy pardon when we sought it not how much more shall we obteyne it when we seeke it Doe not O most swete Iesus remember thy Iustice against this sinner but be mindfull of thy benignity towards thy creature Be not mindfull of thy wrathe against him who is guilty but be mindfull of thy mercy towards him who is in misery Forget the proude wretch who prouoketh thee and take pitty of that miserable man who inuoketh thee For what is Iesus but a Sauiour and therefore O Iesus I beseeche thee by thy selfe rise vp to help me and say vnto my soule I am thy saluation I presume much O Lord vpon thy goodnes because thy selfe teacheth me to aske to seeke and to knocke and therefor being admonished by that voyce of thyne I doe aske seeke and knocke And thou O Lord who biddest me aske make me receaue thou whoe aduisest me to seeke grant that I may finde thou who teachest me to knocke open to me who am knockinge And eonfirme me who am weake reduce me who am lost raise me to life who am dead and vouchsafe in thy good pleasure so to gouerne my sences my thoughts words and deeds that from hence forth I may serue thee and liue to thee and deliuer my selfe wholy vp into thy hand I know O my Lord that for thy onely haueinge made me I owe thee all my selfe and in that thou wert made Man for me and didest redeeme me I should owe so much more to thee then my selfe if I had more as thou art greater then he for whome thou gauest thy selfe But behold I haue no more nor yet can I giue thee what I haue without thee but doe thou take me and drawe me to thy selfe to thy imitation and loue as already I am thyne by creation and condition thou who euer liuest and reignest CHAP. XL. A profitable Prayer O Lord God Omnipotent who art Trine and One who art allwayes in all things who wert before all things and who art euer to be in all things God to whome be praise for euer to thee doe I commend for this day and for all my life herafter my soule my body my sight my hearinge my taste my smell and my touch All my thoughts affections speaches and actions all my exteriors and interiors my sense my vnderstanding and my memory my faith my hope and my perseuerance into the hands of thy power by day and night and in all houers and momenta Hearken to me O Holy Trinity and conserue me from all euill from all scandall and from all mortall sinne from all ambushes and vexation of Deuills and from all our enemyes visible and inuisible by the Prayers of the Patriarches by the Meritts of the Prophets by the suffrages of the Apostles by the constancy of the Martyrs by the Chastity of the Virgins and by the intercession of all the Saints who haue been pleasing to thee since the beginning of the World Expell from me all boasting of minde increase compounction of hart diminish my pride and perfect thou true humility in me Stirr me vp to shed tears mollify my hard and stony hart deliuer my soule O Lord from all the trecheryes of myne enimyes and conserue me in thy will Teach me O Lord to doe thy will for thou art my God Giue me O Lord perfect seesing and vnderstanding that I may be able to comprehend thy profound benignity Giue me grace to aske that which it may delight thee to heare and may be expedient for me to obteyne Giue me tears which may rise from my whole hart wherby the chaynes of my sinns may be dissolued Hearken O my Lord and my God hearken to what I aske and vouchsafe to grant it If thou despise me I perish if thou reguard me I liue if thou looke for innocency at my hands I am dead already and I stinke if thou looke vpon me with mercy though I stinke yet thou raisest me out of the graue Put that farr from me which thou
hatest in me and ingrafte in me the spiritt of chastity continency that whatsoeuer I may chance to aske of thee yet in the very askeing of it I may not offend thee Take from me that which hurts and giue me that which helpes Giue me O Lord some Phisicke whereby my woundes may be cured O Lord giue me thy feare compunction of hart humility of minde and a pure conscience Grant O Lord that I may euer maintayne fraternal charity and that I may not forget mine owne sinne nor busy my selfe with those of other men Pardon my soule my sinns my crymes visite me who am weake cure me who am sicke strengthen me who am languishing and reuiue me who am dead Giue me a hart O Lord which may feare thee a will which may loue thee a minde which may vnderstand thee eares which may heare thee and eyes which may see thee Haue mercy on me O God haue mercy on me and looke downe on me from that holy seat of thy Maiesty and illuminate the darknes of my hart with the beame of thy splendor Giue me O Lord discretion that I may discerne betweene good and bade and grant that I may haue a vigilant minde O Lord I begg of thee the remission of all my sinns from whome and by whome propitiation may be granted me in the tyme of my necessity and of my greatest streights O holy and immacutate Virgin Mary the Mother of God the Mother of our Lord Iesus Chirste vouchsafe to interceede of me with him whose Temple thou deseruedst to be made Holy Michaell holy Gabriel holy Raphael O you holy Quires of Angells and Archangells of Patriarches and Prophetts of Apostles and Euangelists Martys and Confessors Preists and Leuitts Monckes and Virgins and of all the Saints I presume to begg of you hy him who chose you and by the contemplation of whome you are in such ioy that you will vouchsafe to make supplication to God himselfe for me that I may obteyne to be deliuered from the iawes of the Deuill and from eternall death Vouchsafe O Lord to grant me eternall life according to thy Clemency and most benigne mercy O Lord Iesus Christe grant concord to Preists and to Kings Bishopps and Princes who iudge iustly giue tranquillity and peace O Lord I beseech thee for the whole holy Catholike Church for men and woemen for Religious and secular people for all the gouernors of Christians and all such as beleeuing in thee doe labour for the holy loue of thee that they may obteyne perseuerance in theyr good workes Grant O Lord O Eternall Kinge chastity to Virgins continency to such as are dedicated to thee O Almighty God sanctimony to maried follâ—es pardon to sinners releife to orphans and widowes protection to the poore safe arriual to such as are in iourney comfort to such as mourne euerlasting rest to the faithfull soules departed a safe hauen to such as are at Sea to thy best seruants that they may continue in their vertue to them who are but indifferently good that they may growe better to them who are wicked and sinfull as to me poore wertch that they may quickly reforme themselues O most sweete and most mercyfull Lord Iesus Christe the Sonne of the liueinge God the Redeemer of the world I confesse my selfe to be a miserable sinner in all things and aboue all men but thou also O most mercifull and supreame Father who takest pitty vpon all doe not suffer me to become an alien from thy mercy O God thou King of Kinges who haste giuen me this truce of liueing till now grant me deuotion to reforme my selfe stirr vp in me a minde which may earnestly desire and seeke thee and loue thee aboue all things feare thee and doe thy will thou who art all euery where in Trinity and Vnity and that for euer Especially therefore I beseech thee O Lord O Holy Father who art glorious and blessed for euer that all they who remember me in their Prayers and who haue commended themselues to my vnworthy ones and who haue performed any office of charity or worke of mercy towards me and they also who are ioyned to me by kindred and by the naturall affection of flesh and blood and as well all they who are now aliue as those others who are departed may be mercifully and graciously gouerned by thee that they perish not Vouchsafe to giue succour to all the Christians who liue grant absolution with eternall rest to the faithfull who are dead And moreouer I doe in most particuler manner begg of thee O Lord thou who art Alpha and omega that when the last day and pointe of my life shall arriue thy selfe will vouchsafe to be my mercifull Iudge against that maligne accuser the Deuill and be thou my continuall defend or against the sleights of that ancient enemy of mine and make me continue in that holy heauen of thyne in the society of al the Angells and Saints thou who art blessed for euer and euer Amen CHAP. XLI A Prayer in memorie of the Passion of Christe our Lord. O Lord Iesus Christe my Redemption my mercy and my saluation I praise thee I giue thee thanks though they carry noe proportion to thy benefits Though they be very voide of deuotion though they be leane in respect of the fatnes of that most sweete loue of thee which I desire yet such as they are not such I confesse as I owe but such as I am able to conceaue my soule is now paying to thee O thou hope of my hart and thou vertue of my soule and the life and end of all my intentions lett thy most powerfull dignity supply that which my most fainte weaknes doth endeauour And if I haue not yet deserued so much of thee as to loue thee so much as I ought yet at least I haue an earnest desire to performe the same O thou my light thou seest my conscience because O Lord all my desires are before thee And if I endeauour to doe any thing which is good it is thou who bestowest it vpon me If that be good O Lord which thou inspirest or rather because the inclination which I haue to loue thee is good grant me that which it is thy will that I should desire and grant that I may obteyne to loue thee as much as thou requirest I giue thee praise and thankes for what I haue lest otherwise thy gnift might proue vnfruitfull to me which thou hast bestowed of thyne owne free will Perfect that which to hast begunn and giue me that through thy mercy which thou madest me desire without any merit of mine Conuert O most benigne Lord my dull heauinesse into a most feruent loue of thee To this O my most mercifull Lord my prayer my memory my meditation of thy benefitts doe all tend that thou maiste kindle thy loue in me Thy goodes O Lord created me thy mercy when I was created did cleanse me from original sinn thy patience after that
of thine owne blood O Lord thou diddest loue me more then thy self since thou didest resolue to dye for me By so costly a bargaine and at soe high a price thou diddest reduce me from banishement thou diddest redeeme mee from seruitude thou didest retyre mee from punishement Thou diddest call mee in thy Name thou diddest marke me out with thy blood that the memory of thee might for euer stand before mee and that my hart might neuer receede from him who did not refuse the Crosse for mee Thou didest annoynt mee with that oyle which belonged in cheyf to thy selfe that as thou art Christ soe from thee I might be called a Christian And in thy hands thou hast written mee that thou mightest haue a continuall memory of mee with thee vpon condition that the continuall memory of thee might be still with mee Thus hath thy grace and mercy euer preuented mee For thou O my deliuerer hast often freed me from many and greate daungers When I wandred thou broughtest me back to the way when I was ignorant thou diddest teach me when I sinned thou diddest reproue mee when I was in sorrow thou diddest releiue me when I was in despayre thou didest comfort me when I fell thou diddest rayse mee when I stood thou heldest mee when I walked thou diddest lead mee when I slept thou diddest guard mee and when I cryed out to thee thou diddest heare me CHAP. XIV That God doth consider the workes and purposes of mankinde with a perpetuall attention O Lord my God and the life of my soule thou hast imparted these and many other benefits to mee whereof it would be a deare thing for mee to be euer speaking euer thinkeing and euer giueing thankes That I might for euer praise and loue thee for all thy good blessings with my whole harte and my whole soule and my whole mynde and my whole strength and with all the very marrow and the most intimate parts of my affection and with all the parts and powers of my whole man O Lord my God who art the happy sweetnes of all them who are delighted in thee But thyne eyes haue seene my imperfections Those eyes I say of thyne which are farre brighter then the Sunne lookeing downe round about at ease vpon the wayes of men and vpon the profound Abysse and they doe euery where contemplate both the good and badd For as thou doest preside ouer all things thou being all for euer present euery where and takeing particular care of all these things which thou hast created because thou hatest none of them which thou hast made so also dost thou consider all my paces and steps and doest euer keepe a watchfull guard ouer mee day and night and like a perpetuall centinell dost diligently note my wayes as if thou haddest forgotten all the whole world of thy other creatures both in heauen and earth didest not care for the rest For nether would the light of thyne owne vnchangeable sight encrease in thee though thou shouldest behould but any one onely thinge nether is it diminished although thou behould diuers and innumerable things For as thou dost perfectly and at once consider any one thinge by one onely acte of seeinge soe doth thy whole sight most perfectly and that at once behould the whole of euery particular thinge how different soeuer they may be among themselues And as it considereth all soe it considereth one and as any one soe euery one and all of them at once doest thou consider without any diuision or mutation or diminution Therefore all thou in all time without time doest consider all mee at once and that cōtinually as exactly as if thou haddest nothinge else to consider And soe therefore doest thou stand in guard of mee as if thou wouldest attend to mee alone diddest forgett all the rest For thou doest euer shew thy selfe to be present and if thou finde me ready thou doest euer offer thy self also ready Whither soeuer I goe O Lord thou forsakest me not vnles I be the first to forsake thee wheresoeuer I be thou departest not away for thou art euery where and wheresoeuer I goe I shall finde thee By what meanes may I be kept from perishing without thee since without thee I cannot be at all I confesse that whatsoeuer I doe whether it be litle or much I doe it all in thy presence and whatsoeuer that be thou seest it better then my selfe For whatsoeuer I doe thou findest thy self present there as a perpetuall spectatour of all my cogitations intentions delectations operations O Lord all my desires thoughts are euer standing before thee Thou discernest O Lord whence the spirit comes where it is whither it goes For thou art the ponderer and waigher out of all spirits and whether that roote be sweete or bitter from which the faire leaues of our actions are sent out thou as an internall Iudge dost know best Yea and thou dost sifte most subtilely into the most secret parts and pith of those very rootes dost not onely obserue number contemplate and keepe accompt of the intention by the most exquisite truth of thy light but also of the most profound and hidden sapp of that roote to the end that thou mayest repay to euery one not onely according to their workes or theyr expresse intention but also according to that interiour and originall spirit of the roote of theyr actions from whence the intention of him that worketh doth proceede To whatsoeuer I tend when I worke whatsoeuer I thinke in whatsoeuer I am delighted thyne eares heare mee thyne eyes see me and consider mee Thou dost marke and iudge and note and write in thy booke whether it be good or badd to the end that afterward thou mayest render eyther rewardes for that which is good or torments for that which is euill When thy bookes shall be opened all soules shall be iudged according to those things which shall be written in those bookes And this perhaps is that which thou didest already say to vs I will consider the last thinges of those men And that also which is sayd of thee O Lord He considereth the end of all men For thou O Lord dost in all those things which we doe more attend to the end of our intention then to the act of our operation And when I consider those things diligently O Lord my God who art soe terrible and full of strength I am alike confounded betweene huge feare and shame For a mighty necessity is imposed vpō vs of liueing with rectitude and iustice who doe all the things which we doe before the eyes of a Iudge who seeth all things CHAP. XV. Tat man of himselfe can doe nothing without diuine Grace O Thou most mighty and Omnipotent God the God of the spirits of all flesh whose eyes are ouer all the wayes of the sonnes of Adam from the day of theyr natiuity to that other of theyr death to the end that thou mayest reward euery
innumerable creatures are still creeping creatures greate and small that is to say seuerall kindes of deuills who study nothing els day and night but how they may walke they re round seeking whome they may deuoure vnles thou deliuer them For this is that ancient Dragon who sprung vp first in that paradise of pleasure and who with his tayle drawes the third parte of the starrs of heauen after him and brings them downe to the earth he who is poyson corruptes the waters of the world that soe mē who drinke thereof may dye and who trāples vpon gold like so much durte and into whose mouth the riuer of Iordan flowes and he is growen to that presumption that he feares non at all And who shall be able to defend vs from the crushing of his teeth who shall be able to deliuer vs out of his iawes but thou O Lord who hast broken all the heades of that huge Dragon Helpe vs O Lord and spread thy wings ouer vs that soe wee may flye vnder them from the face of this dragon who persecureth vs. And doe thou defend vs by thy sheild from the push of his hornes For to this doth he direct his continuall study vpon this is his cheife desire imployed that he may deuoure the soules which thou hast created And therefore O my God wee cry out to thee deliuer vs from this daily aduersary of ours who whether wee sleepe or wake or eate or drinke or whatsoeuer els wee doe is pressing vpon vs by all meanes and by many fraudes and tricks he is addressing poysoned arrowes against vs both priuately and publikely that soe he may destroy our soules And yet O Lord soe strangely miserable are wee made as that although we see this Dragon continually comeing towards vs with his mouth wide open ready to deuoure vs yet neuertheles wee sleepe and wee are euē wanton againe in our slouth as if wee were secure before him who yet couets nothing but our destruction Our enemy that he may kill vs is continually awake and wants his sleepe and yet wee will not soe much as wake from sleepe that wee may defend our selues Behould he hath spred infinite snares before our feete and he hath stuffed all our wayes with seuerall kindes of gynnes whereby to catch our soules and who then shall be able to free himselfe He hath layd snares in riches and snares in pouerty snares in meate in drinke in pleasure in sleeping and wakeing he hath spred snares in words and in workes and in all our wayes But thou O Lord deliuer vs from the snares of the hunter and from that bitter word that wee may confesse to thee and say Blessed be our Lord who hath not giuen vs to a pray to their teeth Our soules is deliuered as a sparrow might be out of the hunters snare The snare is broken and wee are deliuered CHAP. XVII That God is the Light of iust Persons ANd thou O Lord who art my Light illuminate myne eyes that I may see and walke in thy light and not stumble vpon the snares of the enemy For who shall be able to auoyd such a multitude of snares vnles he see them and who shall be able to see them vnles he be illuminated by thy light For that father of darkenes hides all those snares in his owne darkenes that all they may be taken by them who are in his darkenes and who are the sonnes of darkenes not discerning thy light wherein whosoeuer walketh needes not feare For he who walkes by day stumbles not but he stumbles who walkes by night for the light is not in him Thou O Lord art Light thou art the light of the sonnes of light thou art the Sunne which knoweth not what belonges to setting that day wherein thy children walke without stumbling and without which all they who walke are in darkenes as being destitute of thee who art the light of the world Behould wee discouer daily that by how much the more any man is estranged from thee who art the true light so much the more intricately is he wrapped vp in the darkenes of sinne And how much the more he is in darkenes so much the lesse can he discerne the snares which are spred for him in his wayes And soe by not discerneing them he falleth often into them and is taken by them which deserues to strike vs full of horrour such a man doth not soe much as knowe that he is fallen Now he who knowes not that he hath taken a fall will care soe much the lesse to rise as he still conceiueth that he stands But thou O Lord my God thou true light of the mynde illuminate now myne eyes that I may see thee and knowe thee and not tumble headlong downe in the sight of myne enemyes For this mayne aduersary of ours doth labour euen to exterminate vs outright whilest wee the whyle begg of thee that thou wilt make him melt before our face as wax doth vpon the approach of fyre For hee O Lord is that cruell theefe first and last who tooke counsell how he might robb thee of thy glory but soe being puffed and swollen vp he burst and fell vpon his face and thou diddest precipitate him downe from that Holy Hill of thyne and from the middest of those bright stones in the middest whereof he had once beene walkeing And now O Lord my God and my life he neuer giueth ouer to persecute thy children euer since he fell And out of his hatred to thee O Mighty King he procureth to destroy thy creature which thy Omnipotent goodnes hath created according to thyne owne Image to the end that he may possesse thy glory which himselfe lost by pride But crush thou him to peeces O strong Champion before he deuoure thy lambes and illuminate vs that wee may discerne the snares which he hath prepared for vs and make vs able to escape and arryue to thee O thou ioy of Israell Thou best knowest all these things thou knowest his contentious spirit and his most stiffe neeke Nor doe I speake of these things as pretending to discouer them to thee who knowest all things and from whom noe little thought can lye hidd But make my iust complaint against this enemy of mine before the feete of thy Maiesty that so thou mayest both condemne him and saue vs thy Children Whose strength thou art This enemy of ours O Lord is full of craft and shifts nor can those intricate wayes of his be easily traced out no nor so much as the ayre of his countenāce be discerned by vs vnles we be illuminated by thee For sometimes he is here sometimes he is there Now he shewes himselfe like a lambe and then like a wolfe now like darkenes and then like light and according to the seuerall qualityes of persons according to the variety of tymes and places and according to the momentary chaunge of things he suggesteth seuerall temptations For to the end that he may deceiue
sad people he pretends himselfe to be sad for company To the end that he may delude such as are in ioy he faynes himselfe also to reioyce That he may beguile such as are spirituall he transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light That he may insinuate himselfe and by that meanes crush such as are strong he takes the semblance of a lambe that he may deuoure such as are meeke he borrowes the face of a Wolfe All these things he takes vpon him according to the similitude and proportion of the temptations which he meanes to vse As some he frights with a nocturnall feare others by the arrow which flyes by day others by the busines which walkes by night others by expresse assault and others by that deuill of high noone Now who is he that can thinke himselfe a match for this enemy so farr as that he may so much as know him and who did euer reach to the bottome of his craft Who shall reueale the makeing of his garment to vs and who shall make vs knowe the walke of his teeth Behould he hideth his arrowes in his quiuer and he couers his snares vnder a shew of light soe he is lesse subiect to be vnderstood vnlesse O Lord O thou hope of ours we beg light from thee whereby we may discerne all things For not onely doth he striue to deceiue vs in the sensuall workes of flesh and blood nor onely in the exercise of vice which is easily discerned but euen amongst our most spirituall actions he hideth certain subtile snares vnder the colour of vertue he puts on vice transformes himselfe into an Angell of light these and many other things O Lord our God doth this very sonne of Beliall this Satan endeauour to bring against vs. And now as a Lyon then as a Dragon both manifestly and secretly interiourly and exteriourly both by day and night he is laying traynes for vs that soe he may destroy our soules But thou O Lord deliuer vs thou who sauest such as hope in thee that our enemy may haue cause to be sorry for as much as may concerne vs but that thou O Lord our God maist be praised in vs. CHAP. XVIII Of the benefits of God BVt let mee the sonne of thy handmayd who haue commended my selfe into thy hands confesse to thee O my deliuerer with my whole harte in these little poore confessions of myne and let me call to minde all those good blessings which thou hast voutchsafed to bestow on mee from my youth and in my whole life For I well know that ingratitude doth much offend thee which is the roote of all spirituall mischeife and a kinde of dry and parching wynde which blasteth all goodnes and it shutteth vp the fountayns of diuine mercy towards man and by this meanes both our ill deedes which were dead gett life againe our good deedes which liue doe quickly growe to dy and haue noe more life afterward But as for mee O Lord I will giue thankes to thee Let not mee O thou my deliuerer be vngratefull to thee since thou hast freede mee How often had that Dragon euen swallowed mee vp and thou O Lord diddest drawe mee out of his mouth How often haue I sinned when he was ready to haue deuoured mee but thou O Lord my God diddest defend mee When I did wickedly against thee when I transgressed thy commaundements he stood ready to snatch mee away into hell but thou forbadest him I offended thee and the while thou defendedest mee I did not feare him and yet thou diddest preserue mee I departed from thee made offer of my selfe to myne enemy but thou diddest fright him so as that he should not dare to carry me away These benefits diddest thou bestowe vpon me O Lord my God and I wretched creature knew it not Full often hast thou freed mee from the uery iawes of the Deuill and snatched me out of the mouth of the Lyon and full often hast thou brought me back againe from hell though I was ignorant thereof For I descended euen towards the very gates of hell and thou heldest me back from goeing in I drewe neare the gates of death and thou wert the cause why they opened not themselues to receiue mee Thou also O my Sauiour hast often deliuered me from corporall death when I was subiect to great sickenes And when I found my self in many daungers by sea by land by fyre by sword and many other wayes thou wert euer deliuering mee euer present to mee and euer saueing mee with great mercy For thou O Lord diddest well knowe that if death had then seised vpon mee hell had possessed my soule and I had bene damned for euer But thy mercy and thy grace O Lord my God preuented mee and gaue mee deliuerance from that death of my body and consequently from the death of my soule These and many other benefits diddest thou imparte to mee but I was blinde and knew them not till I was illuminated by thee But now O thou light of my soule O Lord my God my life by which I liue and the light of mynes eyes by which I see Behould thou hast illuminated mee and now I knowe thee and cōfesse my selfe to liue by the guift of thy hand and I giue thankes to thee Which though they be meane and poore full of disproportion to thy benefits yet they are the best which my frailty can affoord For thou alone art my God my benigne Creatour who doest loue our soules and hatest none of those things which thou hast made Behold I who am the greatest of those sinners whom thou hast saued to the end that I may giue an example to others of thy most benigne piety will confesse thy great benefits to me For thou hast snatched me out of that lower hell once twice and thrice and a hundered and a thousand times And indeede I was euer tending towards Hell and thou wert euer drawing mee back And thou mightest iustly haue damned me a thousand times if thou haddest beene soe disposed But thou wouldest not because thou louest soules O Lord my God and thou dissemblest the sinnes of men that soe they may come to pennance and there is much mercy in all thy wayes Now therefore I see these things O Lord my God and I knowe them by thy light and my soule doth euen faynt and is sicke with loue vpon the consideration of thy great mercy towards mee since thou hast snatched my soule out of that lower Hell and hast brought mee back againe to life For I was all plunged in death and thou hast wholy reuiued mee Be therefore all my life and beeing thyne and I doe wholly offer my whole selfe vp to thee Let my whole spirit my whole harte my whole body and my whole life liue to thee O thou my sweete life for thou hast deliuered me wholly that thou mightest possesse me wholy thou hast intirely repaired me that so againe thou mayest haue mee intirely
blessings BEhold mee I beseeche thee let thy great mercy stand open to me Illustrate mee yet more with thy light that soe it may be discouered to me more and more For by these little workes of thyne wee growe to comprehend thy great ones and by thy visible workes we are enabled to take some ayme at thy inuisible workes O Lord our God the holy and good Creatour of vs all For if O my Lord whilest we are in this body which is soe corruptible and ignoble thou dost imparte to vs so great and euen innumerable benefits by meanes of the heauens and of the ayre of the earth and sea of light and darkenes of sunne and shade of dew and gentle rayne of wyndes and stiffe showers of birds and fishes of beasts and trees of the multiplicity of herbes and plants of the earth by meanes of the ministry of all thy creatures which doe successiuely serue vs at due and seuerall times to ease vs thereby of that trouble and fastidiousnes which otherwise wee might be subiect too what kinde of benefits I beseeche thee and how greate and euen innumerable will they be which thou hast prepared for such as loue thee in that celestiall country where we shall behould thee face to face If thou doe vs soe much honour in this prison what wilt thou doe in thy pallace Greate and innumerable are thy workes O Lord thou King of the heauens For since these of the lower rancke which thou hast deliuered ouer to be vsed promiscuously here both by good an badd be all of them very excellently good delightfull what kinde of things shall they proue to be which thou hast onely treasured vp for them alone who are good If thy guifts be soe diuers and euen innumerable which now thou bestowest both vpon thy freinds vpon thyne enemyes how greate how innumerable how dearly sweete and how delightfull are they to be which thou wilt onely bestow vpon thy freinds If the solace be so greate which thou giuest vs in this day of our tears what wilt thou giue in that day of our espousalls If this place of exile and restraint afford such pleasures what I beseeche thee will our Country doe The eye cannot see without thee what thou hast prepared for such as loue thee For according to the greate multitude of thy magnificence soe also the multitude of that sweetenes is great which thou hast hidden vp for them that feare thee For thou O Lord my God art great thou art immense there is noe end of thy greatenes there is noe number of thy Wisedome there is noe measure of thy benignity there is neither end number nor measure of the reward which thou bestowest But as thou art great so are thy rewards great for thou thy selfe art the reward and the guift which thou bestowest vpon all such as shall valiantly haue fought thy battayles CHAP. XXII That the diuine sweetenes taketh away all the present bitternes of the world THese are those great benefits wherewith thou O Lord God the sanctifyer of thy Saints wilt satisfy and remoue the want of thy hungry children For thou art the hope of the desperate the comforte of the desolate thou art that very crowne of hope which is adorned with the glory prepared for such as ouercome Thou art the eternall satiety of such as haue bene allmost starued and thou art to be bestowed vpon such as hunger after thee Thou art that euerlasting consolation who bestoweth thy selfe vpon them alone who despise the comforts of this world for that euerlasting consolation of thyne For they who looke for theyr comfort here are esteemed vnworthy of thy comforts but they who are afflicted here are comforted by thee and they who partake with thee in thy Passion shall partake with thee also in thy consolation Noe man must thinke to be comforted both in this and in the other world nor must he thinke to be in ioy both here and there but he must necessarily loose the one who will possesse the other When I consider these things O Lord my comforter my soule refuseth the comforts of this life that soe it may be held worthy of thy eternall consolations For it is high reason that any man should loose thee if he make choyse to be comforted more in any other then in thee And I beseech thee euen by thy selfe O thou supreme Truth that thou permitt me not to be comforted by any vayne consolation but that it may onely be in thee And I beg that all things may growe bitter to me that thou alone mayest appeare sweete to my soule thou who art that inestimable sweetnes whereby all bitter things are made sweete For thy sweetenes is the thing which made that torrent of stones sweete to Steuen Thy sweetenes made that burneing gridyron sweete to blessed Laurence Through thy sweetenes the Apostles went reioyceing from the Councell because they were held worthy to suffer reproach for thy Names sake Andrew went both with security and ioy to the Crosse because he hastened to taste of thy sweetenes And this sweetenes of thyne did soe fill the two Princes of the Apostles that for it the wood of the Crosse was chosen by one of them and the other was not affrayed to submitt his head to the murtheringe sword For the purchasse of this sweetenes Bartholomew sold away his very skinne And to haue a taste thereof the vndanted Iohn drunke off that poysened cupp And as soone as Peter had tasted of it he forgott all other things and cryed thus out like one who were inebriated saying O Lord it is good for vs to be here Let vs here make three Tabernacles Let vs dwell here let vs contemplate thee For we neede nothing else It is enough for vs O Lord to see thee It is enough saith he to be satiated with soe great delight And the reason was this Because he had tasted some one dropp of diuine sweetenes all other sweetenes was lothed by him What then shall wee thinke that he would haue sayd if he had once tasted of the great multitude of the sweetenes of thy diuinity which thou hast hidden vp for them that feare thee That Virgin had also tasted of this vnspeakeable sweetenes of thyne of whome wee read that she went topp full of ioy and glory to the prison as if she had bene inuited to some marriadge Feast And of this I suppose he also had tasted who sayd That the multitude of that sweetenes of thyne O Lord was great which thou haddest hidden vp for them that feare thee and who also aduised men thus Taste and see how sweete our Lord is For this is that beatitude O Lord our God which wee expect by the guift of thy hand for which wee fight as in a warfare vnder thee O Lord for which wee are mortifyed to thy honour all the day long that at last wee may liue to thee in that life of thine CHAP. XXIII That all our hope and
the power of a man to will that which he hath power to doe or to doe that which he cann will or to knowe what he cann will and doe but rather the paces of men are directed by thee the paces of them I meane who confesse themselues to be directed by thee and not by themselues Wee beseech thee therefore O Lord by the bowells of thy mercy be pleased to saue that which thou hast created For if thou wilt thou canst saue vs and the strength of our saluation consisteth in the pleasure of thy will CHAP. XXVI Of the auncient benefits of Almighty God CAll to mynde thy auncient mercy whereby thou diddest preuent vs from the beginning in those benedictions of thy sweetenes For before I was borne I who am the sonne of thy handmayde O Lord who hast bene my hope euen from the brests of my mother thou diddest preuent mee by preparing those wayes for mee wherein I might walke and whereby I was to arriue to the glory of thy house Before thou framedst mee in my mothers wombe thou knewest mee and before I parted from her wombe thou diddest praeordayne concerning mee whatsoeuer was pleasing to thy selfe What things are contayned and written in thy booke concerning mee in that secret of thy Consistory I for my parte doe not knowe and there vpon I am in extreme feare but it is well knowen to thee For that which I might expect to happen in successe of dayes and tymes betweene this and a thousand yeares hence all that is already done in the sight of thy eternity and that which is future is finished already there Now therefore whilest I liue in this darke night and whilest I am ignorant of these things feare and trembling come vpon mee since I see on all sides that many dangers doe sett vpon mee close at hand and that I am hunted by many enemyes and hemmed in by innumerable miseryes in this life And vnles I had thy helpe in the middest of so great calamityes I should despaire But still I haue a strong hope in thee O thou most meeke Prince and my God And the consideration of the multitude of those mercy which thou hast shewed to mee doth ease my minde the fore-running signes of thy mercyes which preuented mee before I was borne and doe now shine particularly towards mee doe sollicite me to haue good hope concerning those future better more perfect guifts of thy benignity which thou reseruest for thy freinds That soe I may reioyce O Lord my God with that liuely and holy ioy whereby thou dost euer recreate my youth CHAP. XXVII Of the Angels which are deputed to the custody of man FOr thou hast loued me O thou onely Loue of myne before I loued thee and thou hast created mee after thine owne Image and thou hast preferred me before all thy creatures Which dignity I keepe now also hauing knowen thee for whome thou hast made mee Thou hast also made thy Spirits Angels for my benefitt and thou hast commaunded them to keepe me in all my wayes lest els perhaps I might hurte my foote against a stone For these are the Guard which stands vpon the walls of the Citty of thy new Ierusalem and these are those Mountaynes which are sayd to stand in the circuit thereof keeping watch by night ouer thy flocke least at any time the Lyon should snatch away our soules whilest none were by to deliuer them that auncient serpent I say our aduersary the deuill who is euer walkeing the round seekeing whom he may deuowre These are those happy Citizens of Ierusalem that supernall Citty that mother of ours which is aboue and they are sent in ministery to them who are to take hold of the inheritance of saluation that they may deliuer them from theyr enemyes and guard them in all theyr wayes that they may comfort and admonish thy children and offer vp theyr prayers in the sight of the glory of thy Maiestie For they loue theyr fellow-Cittizens by whose society they expect that the ruine of the Schisme which was made by the rebellious Angells may be repayred They doe therefore assist vs with greate care and watchfull endeauour at all tymes and in all places succouring vs and making prouision against our necessityes and passeing with great sollicitude betweene vs and thee O Lord presenting our sighes and sobs to thee that they may obtayne for vs an easy pardon from thy mercy and may bring downe from thee the desired benediction of thy grace For they walke with vs in all our wayes they goe in and out with vs considering with greate attention how vertuously and piously wee conuerse in the middest of a wicked nation with great endeauour and desire we seeke the Kingdome of God and the iustice thereof with how greate feare and trembling wee serue thee and how also wee exult towards thee in the ioy of our harts They helpe such as are takeing paynes they protect such as are at rest they encourage such as fight they crowne such as conquer they reioyce with such as ioy I meane such as ioy in thee and they suffer with such as suffer I meane such as are in sufferance for thee They haue a mighty care of vs. Great is the ardour of theyr affection towards vs and all this for the honour they beare to that inestimable charity where-with thou louest vs For they loue them whom thou louest they keepe them whom thou keepest and they forsake them whom thou forsakest Nor doe they loue the workers of wickednes because thou hatest all the workers of iniquity and destroys all them who speake lyes As often as wee doe well the Angels ioy and the Deuills grieue But as often as wee swarue from vertue wee make the Deuill glad and wee depriue the Angels of theyr ioy For they haue ioy by one sinner doeing pennance but the Deuill hath ioy when pennance is giuen ouer by a good man Graunt them therefore O Father graunt that they may euer reioyce concerning vs and that thou mayest euer be praysed by them in vs and that both they and wee may be brought into one the same sheepfoulde that together wee may confesse to thy Holy Name O thou Creatour both of men and Angels Whilest I am calling these things to minde before thee I confesse to thee with prayse that these are greate benefits whereby thou hast honoured vs whilest thou giuest thy Spirits for Angels to assist vs. Thou haddest already bestowed whatsoeuer was contayned vnder the vaut of heauen yea and thou reputest that as but little which is contayned vnder heauen vnles thou mayest also add those things which are aboue the heauens Lett all thy Angels prayse thee also for this O Lord Let all thy workes also confesse to thee and let all thy Saints themselues blesse thee for it O thou our Supreame honour thou hast too highly honored vs and thou hast beautifyed and enriched vs with many guifts Thy Name O Lord is admireable ouer
thou be my God or noe And it answered also thus with a loud voyce I am not thy God but I am by him He made mee whom thou seekest in mee Seeke him aboue mee for he gouerneth mee who made thee By the question which I aske of these inanimate creatures I meane nothing but a profound consideration of them and by my sayeing that they make such or such an answere I meane but the attestation which in in they re seuerall kindes they make of God For they all cry out in this manner it is God who made vs. For as the Apostle saith The inuisible things of God are discerned and vnderstood by considering the creatures of this world Then I returned to my selfe and I entered into my selfe and sayd who art thou And I answered my selfe thus A man rational and mortall And I begun to discusse what this might be and I sayd Whence cometh such a liueing creature O Lord my God VVhence but from thee who madest me not I my selfe VVho art thou then by whome I liue thou by whome all things liue VVho art thou Thou O Lord art my true God and onely Omnipotent and eternall and incomprehensible and immense who euer liuest and nothing dyeth in thee for thou art immortall and dost inhabite eternity Thou art admirable in the eyes of Angells vnspeakable inscrutable and vnnameable thou art the true and liueing God terrible and powerfull admittinge in thy selfe nether beginning nor end but being both the beginning and end of all things who art before the first ages and before the very first beginnings of them all Thou art my God and the Lord of all those good things which thou hast created and with thee doe stand the causes of all things which are stable yea and the beginning of all things which in themselues be mutable are yet and doe remayne immutable with thee And the reasons of all things not onely which are eternall and rationall but euen of such as are temporary and irrationall doe yet liue eternally with thee tell O my God this humble seruant of thyne tell ô mercifull God this miserable creature of thine whence groweth such a creature as man but from thee O God Is man perhaps of skill enough to make himself Is his beeing and liueing deriued from any roore but thee Art not thou the supreme beeing from whome all beeing doth proceede For whatsoeuer is is of thee and nothing is without thee Art not thou that fountayne of life from which all life doth flowe for whatsoeuer liueth liues by thee and without thee nothing liues Therefore thou ô Lord diddest make all things and now do I aske who made mee Thou ô Lord diddest make mee without whome nothing was made Thou art my maker and I am thy worke I giue thee thankes ô Lord my God by whome I liue and by whome all things liue for haueing made mee I giue thee thankes ô thou my framer because thy hands haue made and faschioned mee I giue thee thankes ô thou my light because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue found both thee and my selfe where I found my selfe there I knewe my selfe where I found thee there I knewe thee where I knewe thee there thou didest illuminate mee I giue thee thankes O thou my light because thou hast illuminated mee But what is that which I sayd when I affirmed I knewe thee Art not thou God incomprehensible and immense the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely possessest immortality and dost inhabite an inaccessible light whome noe man hath euer seene or can see Art not thou that hidden God of inscrutable Maiesty the onely perfect knower and admirable contemplator of thy selfe who did euer perfectly knowe that which he neuer sawe and thou hast sayd in thy truth Noe man shall see mee and liue Thy Apostle did also say in the Truth Noe man did euer see God VVho hath therefore knowen that which he neuer sawe Thy Truth also it selfe hath sayd Noe man knoweth the Sonne but the Father and noe man knoweth the Father but the Sonne The Holy Trinity is perfectly knowen to it selfe alone and that knowledge farre passeth the vnderstanding of man VVhat is therefore that which I sayd I who am a man made all of vanity in saying I knowe thee For who knoweth thee but thou thy selfe For thou alone art God Omnipotent superlaudable and superglorious and superexalted and supreme and thou art named superessentiall in these most holy and most diuine Scriptures Because thou dost exceede all essence which is intelligibile or intellectuall and sensible And thou art knowen to be aboue all the names which can be named and that not onely in this world but in the future superessentially and superintelligibly Because by this hidden and superessentiall diuinity thou doest dwell within thy selfe inaccessibly and inscrutably beyond all created reasō vnderstanding and essence VVhere there is an inaccessible brightnes an inscrutable vnspeakable and incomprehensible light to which noe other light arryues because it it beleeued to bee incontemplable and inuisible and superrationall and superintelligible and superinaccessible superunchaungeable and superincommunicable which noe Angell euer did see or euer shall be able to see perfectly This is that heauen of thine O Lord that heauen of the heauens that supersecret superintelligibile superrationall and superessentiall light whereof it is sayd the heauen of the heauens to our Lord. The heauen of the heauens in respect whereof these other materiall heauens are but a kinde of earth because that former heauen is superadmireably exalted aboue all materiall heauene and the Empireall heauen it self is but as earth in respect of it For this is that heauen of the heauens to our Lord because it is not knowen by any but by our Lord to which noe men ascendeth but he who descended from heauen because noe man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and the Holy Spirit of them both and noe man knoweth the Sonne but the Father and the Holy Spirit of them both Thou O Trinity art entirely knowen to thy self alone Holy Trinity truly superadmireable superinessable superinscrutable superinaccessible superincomprehensible superintelligible superessentiall and superessentially surpassing all sense and reason all vnderstanding all intelligence all essence euen of the most supercelestiall mindes which it is wholy impossible euen for the Spirit of Angells to speake of or to knowe it or to vnderstand it or euen to thinke perfectly thereof How therefore haue I knowen thee O Lord my God who art most high ouer all the earth and aboue all the heauens whome nether Cherubin nor Seraphin doe exactly knowe but they re faces are vayled with the wings of theyr contemplation before him who sitteth vpon that high Imperiall Throne cryeing out and sayeing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of hoasts The Earth is full of thy glory As for thy Prophet he was all in trembling and he sayd Woe be vnto mee for I haue held my peace because I am a man of polluted
and where that fountayne of life is and that inaccessible light and that peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding There doe wee adore and belieue thee O Iesus Christ to be true God and man confessing that thou hast God for thy Father and that from heauen wee expect thee to come as Iudge in the end of the world to iudge the quicke and the dead that thou mayest render eyther reward or punishment to all men eyther good or badd according to those workes which they shall haue wrought in this life that soe they may be eyther in rest or eternall misery For all those creatures who haue receiued a humane soule into that flesh which here they haue carryed about them shall rise at that day in the voyce of thy strength to the end that the whole man may receyue eyther glory or torments according to his merits Thou art that life and resurrection it selfe whom wee expect to be our Sauiour Iesus Christ our Lord who will reforme this poore meane body of ours by conformeing it to the body of his clarity I haue knowen thee also to be true God O thou one holy Spirit of the Father and the Sonne proceding iointly from them both to be consubstantiall and eternall with the Father and the Sonne to be our Paraclete and Aduocate who diddest also descend in the shape of a doue vpon the same God Iesus Christ our Lord and diddest appeare vpon the Apostles in tongues of fyre who also from the beginning hast taught all the elect Saints of God by the gifte of thy grace and hast opened the mouth of the Prophets that they might relate wounderful things of the Kingdome of God who together with the Father the Sonne art adored and glorifyed by all the Saints of God Amongst whome I also who am the sonne of thy handmayd doe glorify thy name with my whole harte because thou hast illuminated mee For thou art that reall light that light which tells vs truth the fyre of God the Doctour of soules the very Spirit of Truth which teacheth vs all truth by thy vnction without which it is impossible for vs to please God For thou thy self art God of God and light of light proceeding from the Father of lights and from his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ after an ineffable manner with whome thou being coequall and coeternall art glorifyed and dost raigne ioyntly with them superessentially in the essence of the same Trinity I haue knowen thee my one liueing and true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost three in persons but one in essence whome I confesse adore and glorify with my whole harte as my onely true Holy immortall inuisible vnchaungeable and vnscrutable God that one Light one Sunne one bread one Life one Good one Beginning one End one Creatour of heauen and earth by whome all things liue by whome all things subsist by whome all things are gouuerned ordered and quickened which are in heauē on the earth and vnder the earth and besides whome there is noe God either in heauen or in earth I haue knowen thee by thy faith wherewith thou hast inspired mee O thou my light and the sight of myne eyes O Lord my God the hope of all the ends of the earth the Ioy which doth recreat my youth and the good which strēgtheneth my age For in thee O Lord do all my bones excessiuely reioyce and say O Lord who is like to thee Who amongst the Gods is like thee O Lord. Not they who are made by the hands of men but thou by whome the hands of men are made The Idolls of the Gentiles are gold and siluer the worke of mens hands But soe is not the maker of men All the Gods of the nations are Deuills but our Lord made the heauens and this Lord is God As for those Gods who made not heauen and earth let them perish both from heauen and earth But let heauen and earth blesse that God who made heauen and earth CHAP. XXXIII Of the Confession of our owne basenes WHo O Lord is like thee among the Gods Who is like thee O thou who art magnificent in thy sanctity who art terrible laudable and doeing wonderfull things Too late I come to knowe thee O thou true light too late am I come to knowe thee But there was a greate and darke cloude before these vayne eyes of myne soe that I could not see the sunne of Iustice and the light of truth I was wrapped vp in darkenes my selfe being the childe of darkenes and this darkenes of myne I loued because I did not knowe the light I was blinde and I loued blindenes and by darkenes I walked on to further darkenes Who brought me out from thence where I blinde creature was sitting in darkenes and in the shadow of death who tooke mee by the hand and led me out VVho was he that did illuminate mee I sought not him but he sought me I called not vpon him and he cryed out vpon mee But who is he that did all this It is thou O Lord my God the Father of mercyes and the God of all consolations it is thou O holy Lord and my God whome I confesse with my whole harte giueinge thankes to thy Name I sought not thee but I was sought by thee I inuoked not thee and thou calledest mee Thou calledst mee by thine owne Name thou diddest thunder thus downe into the inward eare of my harte with this mighty voyce Let Light be made and light was made and that greate cloud flew away that darke thicke cloud was dissolued which had closed vp myne eyes And I sawe thy light and I knew thy voyce and I sayd O Lord that thou indeed art my God Who hast drawen mee out of darkenes and out of the shadow of death and thou hast called me into thy admireable light and behold I see Thankes be giuē to thee O thou who art the Illuminator of my soule And I looked backe and sawe the darkenes wherein I had bene and that profound blacke pitt wherein I had lyen and I did all quake and shiuer and I said Woe woe be to that darkenes wherein I lay Woe woe be to that blindenes wherin I was not able to see the light of heauen VVoe woe to that former ignorance of myne when I had noe knowldege of thee O Lord. But I giue thee thanks O thou my illuminator and deliuerer because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue knowen thee Yet still I am come too late to knowe thee O thou antient Truth too late I am come to knowe thee O thou eternall Truth Thou wert in the light and I in darkenes and I knew thee not because I could not be illuminated without thee nor indeede without thee is there any light at all CHAP. XXXIV A consideration of the diuine Maiestie O Thou holy of holyes thou God of inestimable Maiestie the God of God and the Lord of Lords who art admirable inexplicable
light is glorifyed by the Saints wher the Maiesty of God is beheld present and the mind of the beholders is satiated by this food of life without all defect They euer see and yet they euer desire to see but they desire without anxiety and they are not glutted by their satiety Where the true Sonne of Iustice doth recreate them all by the admirable sight of his beauty and so doth illuminate all the inhabitants of that heauenly Countrey Where the light of them who are illuminated by that other superiour illuminating light doth shine farre beyond the splendor of our Sun and beyond the clarity of al the Startes adhering to that immortall Deity them selues being made thereby incorruptible and immortal according to this promise of our Lord and Sauiour Father they whome thou gauest me I will that where I am they may be also there that they may see my brightnes and that they all may be one as thou O Father art in me I in thee so they also may be one in vs. CHAP. VIII Of the kingdome of Heauen THE kingdome of heauen is a most happy kingdome a kingdome which hath no death nor end where there shal be no succession of tymes nor no interruption of the day by any night Where the victorious souldier is euen laden with vnspeakeable treasures an immortal crowne being placed vpon his triumphant head O that the diuine mercy hauing first discharged the weight of my sins would commaund me who am the least amongst the seruants of Christ to lay downe this burthen of flesh and bloud that so I might passe on towards my true repose in those eternall ioyes of his Citty that I might beare my part among th' inhabitants of those heauēly Quires that I might assist in glorifying our Creatour with those blessed spirits that I might behold the face of God there present that I might not be so much as touched with the least feare of death but that I might securely reioyce through the incorruptibility of immortall glory that being conioyned to him who knoweth all things I might loose all blindnes of ignorance that I might esteem meanely of all earthly thinges that I might no longer vouchsafe to behold or euen so much as to remember this valley of teares the life whereof is laborious and corruptible a life which is full of all bitternes a life which is the mistresse of sinne and the slaue of Hell The humours of our body doe puffe it vp paynes put it downe intemperate heats dry it the ill affections of the ayre indispose it meate makes it fat fasting makes it shrinke loose myrth dissolueth it afflictions consume it solicitude straitens it security makes it sottish riches make it vane pouerty makes it base youth extolleth it age makes it stoope sicknes breaks it sorrow deiects it the Diuell lyes in wayte for it the world flatters it the flesh is delighted the soule is blinded and the whole man is disioynted And to all these so many and great mischiefes death doth furioussy succeed doth so impose an end vpon these vayne ioyes that when once they leaue to be it is scarce so much as beleeued that they euer were CHAP. IX How God doth comfort an afflicted soule after too great lamentations BVT what prayse what thakes shal we be able to giue thee O our God who euen in the midst of these great miseries of our mortality dost not faile to comfort vs with the admirable visitation of thy Grace For Behold when I am full of many sorrowes whilst I am fearing the end of my life whilst I am considering my sinns whilst I am meditating vpon death whilst I am frighted with thinking on thy iudgement whilst I tremble at the torments of hell whilst I am ignorant with what scales my works are to be wayghed by thee whilst I cannot knowe by what kind of end shal be able to shut them vp whilst I am ruminating vpon these many other things in my hart thou O my Lord and my God according to thy wonted pitty art present with a resolution to comfort me wretched creature And when I am in the midst of these complaints and excessiue lamentations and in the profoundest sighings of my hart thou takest vp this afflicted and perplexed minde aboue those high topps of the mountaines euen to those odoriferous spicy beds of thine and thou dost place me in that deepe pasture neere those brookes of sweet waters where thou preparest in my sight a table full of choice curious meats which may refresh my wearied spirit and may giue ioy to my afflicted hart And so at last being all restored by those delights and forgetting mine owne many miseries and being exalted aboue the highest partes of the earth and earthly thinges I repose in thee who art true peace CHAP. X. Of the sweetnes of diuine loue O My God I loue thee I loue thee and faine would I loue thee yet more and more Grant to me O Lord my God O thou beautifull beyond the sonnes of men that I may desire thee and that I may loue thee as much as I list and as much as I ought Thou art immense and without measure thou oughtest to be beloued especially by vs whom thou so hast loued and so hast saued and for whom thou hast done so many and so mighty things O loue which euer burnest and art neuer quenched sweet Christ deere Iesus O charity my God kindle me with all that fire of thine with thy loue with thy lyking with thy sweetnes with thy desire with thy Charity with thy ioy and exultation with thy piety and suauity with thy pleasure with that ardent desire of thee which is holy and good chast cleane That so being all full with the sweetnes of thy loue and all perfumde sweetened by the flame of thy Charity I may loue thee my most sweet and most beautifull Lord with my whole hart with my whole soule with my whole strength with all the application of my mind with much contrition euen with a very fountaine of teares with much reuerence and trembling loue carrying thee in my hart and in my mouth before mine eyes at all tymes in all places that so there may neuer be found any roome in me for any disloyall and impure loue CHAP. XI Of the preparation of our Redemption O Most beautifull Christ Iesus I beseech thee by that most sacred effusion of thy most pretious bloud whereby we are redeemed graunt me contrition of hart and a very fountaine of teares especially whilest I am offering vp both my vocall and mentall prayers to thee Whilest I am singing the Office of thy prayse to thee whilest I do either declare with my mouth or consider in my mind the mystery of our redemption that expresse testimony of thy mercy Whilest I though vnworthy am assisting at thy sacred Altar intending to offer vp to thee that admirable celestiall sacrifice which is so worthy of
might be thought fit to be made pertakers of so high a good and so great a glory Let therfore the deuills lye in wayte for vs let them prepare theyr temptations let fasting breake our bodyes let garments loade our flesh let labours weigh heauy vpon vs let watching drye vs let one man cry out vpon vs and let another man disquiet vs let cold contract vs let the conscience repine let heat burne vs let the head ake the breast be inflamed let the stomacke be swolne let the face growe pale and let the whole body be distempered let my yeares be spent in groaning yea let rottennes enter into my bones and multiply therin so that yet I may rest in that day of tribulation and may ascend to our elected people For how great wil that glory of iust persons be how great will be that ioy of the saints when euery one of their faces shal be resplendent like a Sunne When our Lord shall begin to muster vp his people by different ranks in the kingdome of his father shall assigne the promised rewards according to the workes and merit of euery one Celestiall rewards for workes which were performed heere on earth Great rewards for little workes eternall for such as were but temporall That indeed will be a whole huge heape of felicity when our Lord shall bring his Saints into the vision of his Fathers glory and shall place them vpon their seats in heauen that so he may be all in all CHAP. XVI How the kingdome of God may be obteyned O HAPPY sweetnes O delicious happines which it will be for vs to behold the Saints be with Saints and to be Saints to see God and to possesse him for all eternity and euen if it might be beyond eternity Let vs be continually thinking on these things let vs aspire to them with our whole desire that so we may speedily arriue to enioy them If thou aske how this may be done by what merits or by what helpes giue eare and I will tell thee This affaire is put into thine owne power for the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence The kingdome of heauen O man doth exact no price at thy hands but onely thy selfe So much is it worth as thou thy selfe art Giue thy selfe and thou shalt haue it Why art thou troubled about the price Christ our Lord did giue himself away that he might purchase thee to be a kingdome for his father and so do thou also giue thy selfe that thou maist become a kingdome for him that sinne may not raigne in thy mortall body but the Spirit in the renouation of life CHAP. XVII What a happy place Heauen is O My soule returne toward that heauenly Citty wherin we are written and enrold as Cittizens And as Cittizens amongst the Saints the houshold seruants of God and as the heires of God and coheires of Christ our Lord. Let vs consider that excellent felicity of this citty of ours to the very vttermost of what we are able Let vs therefore say with the Prophet O how glorious thinges are sayd of thee thou Citty of God the habitation which is made in thee is of them who are all full of ioy For thou art founded in the exultation of the whole earth No old age is in thee nor any misery which is wont to wayte vpon old age In thee there is no man lame of arme or legg nor crooked nor other wise deformed when once they meet together becoming perfect man in the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ What is more happy then such a life where there is no fear of pouerty nor no incommodity of sicknes where no man is offended no man is angry no man enuious no desire doth solicite vs there is no appetite of meate no man is importuned by thirsting after honour and power there is no feare of the Diuell or the craft of those infernall spirits all terrour of hell is farre off there is no death either of body or soule but a life which is made full of ioy by the guift of immortality In fine there is no kind of ill or discord but all thinges are full of agreement proportion for as much as the concord of all the Saints is intierely one all things are full of peace and ioy all things are quiet and serene An euerlasting splendor there is not like that of this Sunne of ours but another which is so much more bright at it is more blessed For that Citty as we read shall need neither Sūne nor Moone but our Lord omnipotent will illuminate it and the Lambe is the bright lampe therof Where the Saints shall shine like starres and they who instruct many others like the splendour of the firmament No night shal be therefore there no darknes no concourse of clowds no incommodity at all of heat or cold but such a temper of things there wil be as neither the eye hath seene nor the eare hath heard nor can it enter into the hart of any other mē but such as shal be thought worthy to enioy it Whose names are written in the booke of life But it exceedeth all these thinges to be associated to the Quires of Angells and Archangells to behold the Patriarkes and the Prophets to see the Apostles and all the Saints yea to see our owne parents friends These things indeed are glorious but yet still incomparably a more glorious thing it is to behold the present face of God to looke vpon that vnlimitted light of his A superexcellent glory it will be when we shall see God in himselfe we shall see we shall possesse him in our selues and of that sight there wil be no end CHAP. XVIII We cannot make any requitall to Almighty God but only by loue THE soule which is beautifyed by the Image and dignifyed by the ressemblance of God hath groūd inough within it selfe which is also imparted by the same God wherby she may be aduised to remain perpetually within him or at least to return towardes him if she chance to haue beene separated by her affection or rather by her defectes And not only hath she ground of solace in the hope which she may conceaue of pardon and mercy but yet further she may also presume to aspire euen to the marriage of the Word and to contract a league of friendship with God and togeather with that king of the Angells to be drawing in the same sweet yoake of loue Now all this is performed by the same loue if the soule do make it selfe like to God by her will as already she is like him by nature and if she loue him as she is beloued by him For only loue amongst all the motions passions feeling senses of the soule is the thing whereby a creature may answere the benefits of a Creatour and repay after a sort what it oweth though it be not in any equall manner Where loue entreth in it draweth captiueth all other
reioyce no lesse for him then for thy selfe And if two or three or many more were possessors of it thou wouldst reioyce for euery one of them as for thy selfe supposing that thou louedst euery one of them as thy selfe What kinde of thing will therfore that perfect Charity be of innumerable Angels blessed men since no one loueth another lesse then himselfe no otherwise will euery one reioyce for any other then for himselfe If therfore the hart of man will scarce be able to containe it self for the single ioy which himselfe will takes in so great a good how will he be capable of this so great ioy of so many others Againe looke how much more a man loues another and so much more doth he reioyce at his good And now as in that supreme felicity euery one will without comparison loue God better then himselfe and all the rest so also will he without comparison reioyce more in the felicity of God then in that of himselfe of all the rest of his fellow-Saints And if they shal loue God withal their hart all their mind and al their soule in such sort as that yet all their hart all their minde all their soule cannot sufficiently comprehend the dignity of that loue without faile they will also reioyce with all their hart withal their mind withall their soule so that all their hart mind soule shall not be able to containe the fulnes of that ioy CHAP. XXXVI Of the fulnes of the ioy of Heauen O My God and my Lord my hope the ioy of my hart tell my soule if this be that ioy wherof thou hast said by thy sonne Aske you shall receiue that so your ioy may be full For I haue found a certaine ioy which is full and more then full the hart the mind the soule and the whole man being full thereof But yet in heauen there will be another ioy beyond measure greater then this is There they who are to enioy it shall not enter into all that ioy but they being all full of ioy shall enter into that ioy of their Lord. Tell me O Lord tell thy seruant tel it to my hart within if this be that ioy into which those seruants of thine shal enter who are to enter into the ioy of their Lord But euen that ioy wher with thy elect shall reioyce hath neither bene seen with the eye nor heard by the eare nor hath it entred into the hart of man So that yet I haue not bene able to say O Lord how great that ioy is which thy Elect shall enioy It is certaine that they shall ioy as much as they loue they shall loue as much as they shall knowe thee O Lord. But how great shall that loue be It is certaine that neither the eye hath seene nor the eare hath hard nor hath it entred into the hart of man in this life how much they shal knowe loue thee in that other life O my God I beseech thee that I may knowe thee that I may loue thee that I may ioy in thee And if in this life I may not do it to the full yet at least make me profit in it more more that at last I may arriue to that fullnes Let the knowledge which heere I haue of thee proceed further that so it may there be full Let my loue of thee increase heere that so it may be full there that heere my ioy may be great in hope there full in deede O Thou true God I beg that I may receiue what thou hast promised that so my ioy may be fulfilled In the meane tyme let my minde meditate vpon it let my tongue speake of it let my hart loue it let my discourse worke vpon it let my soule be hungry and euen my very flesh thirst after it and let my whole substance desire it till such tyme as I shall enter into the ioy of my Lord where I may remaine for euer Amen FINIS