obedience ought to be in the first place you if peradventure you demande in what prayers and meditations you should in private cheifly exercise your selfe if you will credit me after you have accused your selfe and craved perdon for you sinnes you shall cheifly beseech God to mortifie your evill passions and vitious affections and quite and cleane to strip you of all inordinatenesse and that he will be pleased to grant you grace joyfully and patiently to endure all tribulation and temptation Aske of him profound humility and most fervent charity Beseech him to vouchsafe alwayes to direct teach illuminate and protect you in all things These things in my judgement are most necessary for you And indeed they are great and high neither can they otherwise be obteyned then by prayer persever therefore continually knocking and without doubt our lord will at length open unto you and will give you asmuch bread as your necessity shall require But soe you neglect not willingly to give thankes for what you have receaved For nothing displeasesh God more then forgetfulnesse and ingratitude for received benefitts And that you may the more willingly and sooner incline Gods benignity unto you pray attentively for the state of the whole church commending unto God all the faithfull both alive and dead and every reasonable creature Will you further hearein what with pro fitt you may exercise your selfe I will tell you singing of psalmes is profitable the godly meditating in other parts of scripture is profitable the consideration of creatures compared to their creatour is profitable CHAPTER V. Howe powerfull and efficacious the remembrance of Christs life and passion is ALl prayers singing of hymnes thankesgiving and holy meditations are profitable But by consent of all the remembrance of christs humanity and especially of his most sacred passion is most profitable and only necessary and whorthily For it is the present extermination of passions and inordinate affections a fitt refuge in temptation and surest safegard in dangers a sweete refreshing in distresse a freindly rest from labour a gentle repressing of distractions the true dore of sanctity the only entry to contemplation the sweet consolation of the soule the indeficient flame of devine love the sawce of all adversities the fountaine of all vertues from whence they flowe to us to conclude the absolute example of all perfection the haven hope trust merit and salvation of all christians I knew a monke whose custome was to propose to himselfe every day some parte of our lords passion as for example one day he would sett before his eyes Christs being in the garden And withersoever he went that day whersoever he chanced to be if not troubled with any other serious and necessary cogitation whatsoever he did outwardly he tooke a speciall care to direct his internall eye to our lord suffering diverse distresses in the garden and thus would he talke with his soule and my soule behould thy God Behould daughter attend see and consider most deare behould thy God behould thy Creatour behould thy father behould thy redeemer and saviour behould thy refuge behould thy defender and protectour behould thy hope trust strength and health Behould thy sanctification purity and perfection behould thy helpe merit and reward behould thy tranquillity consolation and sweetnes behould thy joy thy delights and thy life behould thy light and thy crowne and thy glory behould thy love and thy desire behould thy treasure and all thy good behould thy beginning and thy end whether art thou scattered thou wandring daughter Howe long wilt thou leave the light and love darknesse Howe long wilt thou for sake peace and involue thy selfe in troubles Retourne retourne thou Sunamite retourne daugthter retourne and recollect thy selfe most deare leave many things and embrace one for one thing is necessary for thee Abide with thy lorde place thy selfe by thy God goe not from thy master sitt in his shadow whome thou lovest that his fruite may be sweet to thy throate It is good for thee to be here daughter For hither the enemy cannot make his approach heare are noe snares no dangers noe darknesse All things are heare safe all things calme Reside heere willingly most deare For heere thou shalt be safe and free thou shalt be merry and joyfull Heere are roses lillyes and violets heere flowers of all vertues doe smell most pleasantly Heere thou shalt see a brightnesse sweetly inligtning all things with his rayes Heere thou shalt finde true consolation heere thou shalt finde peace and rest to conclude heere thou shalt finde all good With such short sentences he would both sharply and sweetly spur forward his soule and call her home when shee was wandring abroad and force her to apply her selfe to the cheifest good Of these little sentences he would take sometimes more sometimes fewer sometimes only one sometimes two sometimes three according to the fervour of his devotion and the pleasure of the holy Ghost and he would often times iterate and repeat them He would also force his soule to the remembrance of those things which our saviour did and suffered for her in the garden in the meane time one while exciting her to the consideration of our saviours unsearchable humility mildnesse patience most fervent and incomprehensible charity another while to take compassion on our lord of infinite majesty soe humbled and afflicted and then againe to thanke him for soe great benefitts and piety an other while to repay love with love and anon to aske perdon for her sinnes and then to beg this or that grace he would often convert his speech to these or the like affectionate and fervent aspirations and my soule when wilt thou be ready to followe the humility of thy lord when wilt thou imitate his mildenesse when shall the example of his patience shyne in thee when wilt thou be better when wilt thou be free from passions and vitious affections when shall evill be quite distroied in thee when shall all inordinatenesse bee blotted out in thee when wilt thou peaceably and gently endure all tribulation and temptation when wilt thou perfectly love thy God when wilt thou intimately embrace him when wilt thou be wholy swalowed up in his love when wilt thou be pure simple and resiened before him howe long will it be ere thou be hindered no more from his most chast embracings and that thou wert immaculate and that thou didst fervently love thy God And that thou didst inseparably cleave unto thy chifest good And then directing the eye of his heart to heaven or to the depth of eternall light he would frame these aspirations and my soule where is thy God where is thy love where is thy treasure where is thy desire where is thy totall good when shalt thou see him when shalt thou most happily enjoy him when shalt thou freely prayse him with all the citticens of heaven these and the like aspirations would he secretly speake either mentally or with his lips taking sometimes
more sometimes fewer according to the internall motion of the holy Ghost he would also often accuse his soule that it was too slowe stuggish tepid ingratfull hard insensible unstable miserable and unhappy Againe he would comfort it being dejected with pusillanimity or feare and would encourage it with these or the like words dispaire not my soule take comfort daughter and be confident most deare If thou hast sinned and art wounded behould thy God behould thy phisitian is ready to cure thee He is most courteous and most mercyfull and therefore willing he is omnipotent and therefore can pardon thy sinnes in a moment Peradventure thou art afraid because he is thy indge but take heart for he that is thy indge is also thine advocate He is thy advocate to defend and excuse thee doing peanance he is therefore also thy indge to save not to condemne thee being humbled His mercy is infinitly greater then thy iniquity either is or can be which words I say not that persevering in evill thou should de make thy selfe unworthy of his mercy but that being averted from evill thou shouldest not dispaire of indulgence and forgivenesse thy God is most gentle most sweete he is wholy amiable wholy desireable and wonderfully loveth all things which he hath created when thou thinkest of him or conceivest him in thy memory far be all imagination of terrour austerity and bitternes from thee When we say he is terrible it is not in respect of himself but of those that abuse his patience and deferr to doe peanance Whose most bitter and poysonons sinnes as contrairy to his most sweet and pure goodnes he repelleth and punnisheth let not thime imperfections discourage thee too much for thy God doth not dispise thee because thou art imperfect and infirme but loveth thee exceedingly because you desirest and labourest to be more perfect he will also helpe thee if thou persist in thy good intention and will make thee perfecter yea peradventure which thou little hopest for wholy fayer and every way pleasing to him Thus and innumerable other wayes would he frindly talke with his soule and invite her by chast speeches to the chast love of her beloved he would also turne his speech to our lord and aspiring to him by holy love would say and good JESU pious Pastor sweet master king of eternall glory when shall I bee immaculate and truly humble before thee when shall I truly dispise all sensible things for thee and when shall I perfectly forsake my selfe when shall I bestript of all propriety For vulesse there were propriety in me there would not bee selfe-will in me passions and inordinate affections would have no place in me I should not seeke my selfe in any thing propriety only maketh thee impediment and medium betweene thee and me propriety only doth hinder thee from me when therefore shall I cast of all propriety when shall I freely resigne my selfe to thy divine pleasure when shall I serve thee with a cleane quiet simple and calme mynde when shall I perfectly love thee in the armes of my soule when shall I love thee with most fervent desire when shall all my tepidity and imperfection be swallowed up by the immensity of thy love and my desire my treasure ô my totall good ô my beginning and end O my God ô sweetnesse of my soule ô my consolation my life my love O that my soule might enjoy thy most sweet embracings O that were indisolubly bound with thy love would it were perfectly united to thee For what is to me in heaven And besids thee what would I upon earth God of my heart and God my portion for ever When shall the world be silent to me when shall the impediments troubles and vicissitudes of this life cease to me when shall my pilgrimage be ended when shall my sejourning be consummate when shall the miserable captivity of this bannishment be disolved when shall the shadowe of mortality decrease and the day of eternity draw neare when shall I lay downe the burden of this body and see thee when shall I praise thee with thy saints without impediment happily and eternally O my God my love my totall good He was often wont to use such aspirations knowing that by the exercise of them humane spirit is more effectually united to the divine spirit and that there by man attayneth the sooner to the perfect mortification of himselfe He had then ready every where But if at any time he had more sufficient leasure he would then sitting as Mary Magdalen did rejoyce to linger more freely and that more to the honour of God then to the inordinate pleasing of himselfe he would not in the meane time omitt with a certaine internall effusion of heart by a sincere and sweete affection to adore blesse give thankes and pray Moreover tourning his speech to the blessed virgin the mother of God as to a most mercifull lady and most liberall stewardesse of heavenly treasures he would ingeminat his pions complaints before her and with an holy importunity extort a benediction Another day he would sert before himself howe our saviour betrayed by Judas was taken and concerning this point he would iterate his foresaid exercises and so would goe through with the passion in order and having ended would begin agayne And about that part of the passion which did represent Christ hanging on the crosse he did not employ himselfe in order and in his proper day but every day at least breifly if so be he thought it convenient exciting his soule to the earnest contemplation of these things On every solemnity of our saviour or the blessed virgin he would if he thought it good propose to the eyes of his mynde the representation of that feast in steed of parte of our lords passion which otherwise was that day to be frequented And would performe his internall exercises or frindly discourses with his soule and about the worke cause mistery and joy of that festivity He was also much delighted with singing the psalmes And I knowe that by the continued custome of this holy exercise he reaped great consolation and singuler profitt of his labours I vvill sett downe an example imitate of it if you please For by this meanes you shall be accustomed to apprehend the presence of God by this meanes you shall begin to have your sences sober watchfull exercised and calme by this meanes you shall prepare your selfe away to the highest contemplation and perfection thus wheresoever you are you shall spend your time profitably vayne and instable cogitations being caste forth out of the corners of your heart and such as are serious being entertayned in their place you may frame your selfe meditations and aspirations in other termes then wee have if you perceave the looking in your booke to hinder your mynde where by you are the lesse able to reach to God and to be united to him lay a side your booke againe if you perceave it doth further your exercise make
affectionately say lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Or this O God be propitious to me a sinner or that have mercy on me JESUS sonne of David or that other ô lord helpe me Soe likewise lett him powre forth his heart before the Virgin Mary the mother of our lord and all the Saints of God humbly suing for their intercession CHAPTER VI. We must dayly call to munde the manifould sinnes which we have committed ANd very day or certaynly very often when occasion shall serve lett him recollect him selfe and with a profound humility firmely porposing amendment lett him call to mynde and particularly confesse before our lord the sinnes of his fore passed life but especially those by which he hath most greviously offended the divine goodnesse But it will be indiscretion to dwell long upon those that belong to the frailty of the flesh least the remembrance of them and the longer treating of the ould sin breed a newe sin by unlawfull delight In which confession contrition and sensible devotion lett him accustome to lament more that he hath behaved him selfs contumelionsly and ingratfully to words his Creator and father then that he hath brought him selfe in danger of eternall punishment In the formes of lamentation and godly complaints which we have prescribed he need not care for running over many sentences But let him take which he will and as many as he will observing no order if he make choice of only one or two or three which soever thy be he may repeate againe and againe he shall doe well We would that he should doe freely according to his devotion alwayes avoiding confusion and perplexity I knowe one that being externally busied in his conversion to our lords passion among chaste discourses tooke delight to call to mynde these few words or the like O good JESU ô pious Pastour ô sweet Master good JESU have mercy on me pious Pastour direct me sweet Master teach me my lord helpe me Another there was that did take delight torune over sometimes more sometimes fewer of the afor said lamentations and to expresse them in diversity of words recording to his affection Let our yoing beginner as I have said be free in these things and let him stirr himselfe to compunction and diligence in his spirituall purpose by meditating if he please upon death purgatory judgement hell and heaven Nowe after he hath in some measure reformed the image of God with in himselfe by healthfull bitternesse of mourning and contrition he may with greater confidence and profitt imitate the above proposed example of exercise Therefore lett him take courage and fervently prepare himselfe for a more intimate familiarity with the heavenly briedegroome But as long as he is weake or colde he shall kindle in himselfe the fire of divine love by serious meditating on the incarnation or passion of the only begotten sonne of God sweetly conferring with his soule concerning these things By which meditation being once inflamed let him compose himselfe by prayer and aspirations desiring by them to unite his spirit to the cheifest good If he often persist by this meanes to drawe his heart to the love of God he shall soone bring himselfe to that passe that presently at the first convention of his mynde or aspiration without any premeditation he may be able to separate himselfe from creatures and their imagination and plunge himselfe in the sweetnesse of divine love Then he shall not so much need to remember each particular sinne of his life past in his penance before God and with sorrowe to direct the insight of his heart unto him for soe might his freedome and affection towards good be hindred but rather let him amorously direct his heart to God himselfe detesting whatsoever may seperate or with drawe him from him neyther do we meane that he should negligently forget his sinnes but so to remember them that the remembrance hinder not a greater profitt therefore lett him confesse them dayly to God rather summarily then particulerle Truly we have a more present remedy against lesser sinnes when we turne to God by a sweete and effectuall affection of love then when we tediously bisi our selves in the consideration of them and severe punishment of them Let him therefore cast them away into the bottomlesse depth of Gods divine mercy and goodnesse that like a sparkle of fire in the midest of the sea they may there perish Let him endeavour to reject quite and cleane all inordinate pusillanimity and superfluons scruples of conscience and perplexed diffidence whensoever they arise For vnlesse they be presently lopped of they doe diverse wayes chooke up the alacrity of the mynde and very much hinder our internall going forward CHAPTER VII Every one ought to consider his owne ability and to proceede accordingly MOreover let him attempt nothing beyond his strength but be content with his lott If he cannot reach as farre as he desireth lett him reach as farre as he can And unlesse he flatter himselfe he may easily knowe what proceedings he is able to make Neverthelesse the devine bounty is liberall infusing it selfe wheresoever it findeth a mynde worthyly prepared Wherefore if our spirituall practitioner be not yet admitted to the sublimity of contemplation and perfect charity lett him thinke himselfe as yet not prepared for the receipt of soe great a good And what good would it doe him to receave that grace which he knew not howe to make good use of Lett him make haste to pull up all vice by the roote that he may be the fitter But still with this proviso that he strive not beyond his strength Lett him not impatiently try to forerun Gods grace but humbly to followe it Lett him not I say violently force his spirit thither whither he cannot reach least presuming which he ought not he tumble himselfe downe headlong by his owne violence and being crushed be punished for his rashnesse Lett him soe tend to perfection that unbrideled violence and turbulent solicitude beare no part in his indeavours Lett him attend the measure of grace given him and with all remember that he shall farre more easily safely quickly and happily attayne to the highest degree of contemplation it is to the comprehending of misticall divinity if he be touched and rapt by the meere grace of God then if he endeavour to attayne unto it by his owne labours Lett him alwayes therefore observe a meane with discretion least by excesse he rum into defects The bread of teares is good and many when they should refresh themselves surfet by it For they insist so long in teares and with so great cōfusion and agitation that both spirit and body are fayne to lye downe under the too much intent or extended exercise We confesse that many by discretion and the help of the holy Ghost can long and profitably mourne And there are many agayne that being internally inebriated with the torrent of pleasure which they take in God Do unseasonably urge and spur