and when I doe soe I am much disturbed and full of Confusion where soever I turne my selfe I finde miseryes and daungers on all sides I am a Pilgrimme in my nothing and goe on for an incertaine space of time in a daungerous jorney to eternity It is common to all men to bee Pilgrimmes as well as mee yet the peril becomes not lesse by the greater multitude that runne the hasard but feare is rather encreased by the frequent examples of those that perish All men in this world are travalers walking on the slippery declivity of a most deepe precipice at the bottome where of hell is seated and heaven at the toppe but heaven lyes hid with a cloud and hell is covered with the pleasant amaenity of greene and delitious meddoes soe that allmost all not coâ—…ring heaven nor hell as they ought are easily carryed whither the alluring pleasures inuite And if any one by reason find out the deceitfullnesse of our sences and discover the ambuish what shall hee doe shall hee clime vp but his weake feet slipp away but the path is cragged and inaccessible to human sense but the darke and thick cloud threatens tempest and daunger of shipwracke Thus all things drive downe-wards the flesh the world and the devil all hinder the assent the thorny and difficult way the travalers weaknesse and the imminent tempest Yet wee must ascend wee must clyme vpwards But with what forces ô Lord not ours but thine this is the worke of thy mercy which makes that possible by grace which is impossible to nature I am not able of my selfe to worke my salvation vnlesse you that commaund give mee forces to doe what you ordaine Now if I looke into my soule alas how poore and miserable am I The vnderstanding capable of little knowes very few things If I runne over all creatures I have not knowledge of the hundered thousand part of them and if an vnprofitable knowledge is a Kind of ignorance what a deale of what I know is wholy vnprofitable Or even sometimes hurtfull A gaine a mong those few things I know if I examine each in particuler I shall clearely see I know noe one thing I say not perfectly as to the essence but even superficially in order to the vses it was given for As for heavenly things which it were only fit to know I doe almost allwayes erre by a certaine Kind of necessity for as a Mathematiciane that does vse instruments that are not exact or well proportioned cannot chuse but erre Soe for the most part my soule making vse of the sences of the body which have noe proportion with spirituall and heavenly things judges nothing rightly but generaly allwayes erres where it is not led by the conduct of devine faith I inquire after the enormity of sinne and find noe measure for it for I have offended God more then any humane thought can conceive I seeke what Eternity is and measure it by time because I have noe other measure of Eternity for though time bee not the measure of Eternity yet it is more like it then other things that have noe similitude therewith I seeke to vnderstand the happinesse of the Blessed and I define all according to a sensible love where as that happinesse surpasses all sense witnesse the Apostle who teaches that Neyther eye haâ— seene nor eare heard nor hath it â—…cended into the hart of man what things God has prepared for those that love him Thus am I ignorant of all things and what is the greatest weaknesse of my vnderstanding is that in all this palpable obscurity and darknesse I am ignorant of my owne ignorance and if I find others more absurd then my selfe I presently cloake my ignorance with the faire name of wisdome I will not compare my selfe with many that excelle mee least I should come to the knowledge of my owne weakenesse but with a few which I judge inferiour that others greater madnesse may flatter my phrensy and I seeme to know the more the lesse I doate And this is that great Idole which does soe puffe vp my poore vnderstanding that it is not capable of other things These are the distempers of the vnderstanding now how much more daungerous are the diseases of the will O what a civil warre doe I suffer with in my selfe whilst soe many several contrary affections and passions each draw their way The sea is not soe toren with contrary winds as my mind is rent and tost toe and froe with contrary desires The flesh and spirit each draw their way hope and feaâ—… anger and pusillanimity avarice and luxury and the mind is devided on the one side with the labour of acquiring glory and on the other with the shame of loosing it O raving ambition o cruell torment yet but a just punishment of thy selfe How much more happy should I bee if content with a mediocrity I did cast a way all hope or feare of humane things For now that I seeke humane prayse and feare disprayse I am ouerwhelmed with a multitude of disagreeing passions which only serve to hinder mee from obtaining the peace I soe much seeke after These o Lord are the things that passe my hart when you my peace my joy and my Crowne are absent And there is yet another great evil that praedominates which is inconstancy O how weake is my will I seldome beginne to doe well but I presently come to faile I not sooner resolve great matters and make great purposes but at the first occation of difficulty all my fervour is lost and like an infant I am puffed vp with a smale good and cast downe againe with as smale an evil and in the meane time live in noe smale daunger for though the fale bee easy the ruine is aeternal In the midst of tentations I live dayly in daunger of being overcome with Idlenesse anger pride pusilanimity or presumption of faling through the concupiscence of the flesh or eyes into sinne beeing surrounded with infinite occations And if I offend in one I am guilty of all and the fale is erreparable if death seases on mee offending If one might dye twice and live as often At least the second life might bee rightly ordered and the soule better informed of the truth of things would abhorre the daunger the seconde time but now that the blind vnderstanding leads a blind will I am forced to feare Least they both fale into the pitt If I must Iudge my selfe by the memory of my past life my feare does much increase Alas woe is mee how have I spent my time where are the dayes of my life how ill have I garded my sences How have I sinned both interiourly and exteriourly How seldome have I corresponded with devine grace of all my actions for soe many yeares among soe many helpes in the world or Religion I have hardly performed any soe but there has beene some thing to repent Some times performed with sloth and negligence some times I have
all manner of evil as the rodd of Moyses devoured all the other rodds You must not therefore bee terrifyed at this evil which is but smale but encouraged and comforted with the good For if labours paines and wounds can bee joyfully borne in this life with the hopes of some reward that will ensue of a temporal good how much more reason is there that any labour or paines should bee vndergone joyfully where the good proposed for reward is infinite Truely if you had but eyes to see what an immense good it is to suffer for God there is nothing you would soe much covet as to bee dayly afflicted you would esteeme it the greatest joy to fale into tentationes you would rejoyce that you were thought worthy to suffer contumely for my name for certainely there is nothing more holy or glorious more profitable or secure then to suffer tribulationes I came into the world to suffer for thee and you came into the world to suffer for mee that soe you may bee Crowned by me This is the profession of Saints to rejoyce in tribulations this is the distinctive signe of my Church to groe in the midst of persecutions O That you did know how pleasing a patient soule exercised and tryed with various afflictions is you would then much more covet to bee contemned then honored You would repute laughter an errour and say to joy why are you deceived to noe purpose If you did well consider what daunger there is in prosperity and how scure and great gaine there is in adversity beleeve mee all that is bitter would become sweet and all that is sweet bitter You would preferre ignominy before honor and greife before joy You would feare least whilst men did applaude you should fale in soe slippery a passage and soe offend mee and when any creature did please you you would bee sorry that your affection were devided and not as yet wholy placed on mee and loved any thing besides mee though not contrary to mee You would bee glad and rejoyce when adversity did befale you to drinke of my chalice you would desire to beare my crosse and become pertaker of my goodly inheritance by the devine dignatione Then lastly shall your peace bee with out disturbance when adversity shall become more pleasing to you then prosperity when you shall rejoyce in griefe and still desire to suffer more But even this desire must not passe the bounds of indifferency but you must bee soe affected that though you bee equaly prepared to receave all things from my hands on your part you desire to suffer if it bee my holy will because it is soe pleasing before my father who wills this for his glory to the end you should imitate my passion and in your patience possesse your soule This then ô Lord is your doctrine to the end I may enjoy an vndisturbed peace that all things and especialy adversityes are to bee imbraced as meanes ordained for thy glory and my salvation I give thee a thousand thankes that thou hast vouchsafed to deale soe mercifully with mee as not to permitt any thing either in or about mee but what conduces to help mee to thee If eyther man or Angel had such care of mee as to assist mee in all my actions I ought to bee thankfull But now that you the Lord of all things and my God and Creator are pleased to ordaine all my actiones what shall I doe but wholy deliver my selfe vp to your will and willingly accept of what soever you shall ordaine I therefore ô Lord wholy deliver my selfe vnto thee and entirely resigne my selfe vnto thy will I can feare nothing vnder soe good a master But if I did the benigne Providence wherewith you have governed mee from my infancy would reproch my diffidence for you a lone ô Lord have always assisted mee by sea and Land you have preserved mee in several Provinces and countryes My father and mother have forsaken mee but you have embraced mee and I have founde none that have taken care of mee but thee ô Lord or for thee nor doe I complaine of this but rejoyce and wish with my whole hart that I may know none nor none know mee that I may love none nor none love mee but you and for you whome in all things I desire to seeke and confide in above all things CHAPTER III. That some Principles for Peace are to bee drawen from the knowledge of ones selfe SOnne you have now Learnt the first principle of peace which in all events can afford a tranquility of minde For hee that considers God in all things and all things in God findes all in peace and enjoyes perpetuall tranquillity This a lone is enough to afford peace and without this nothing will suffice You must therefore labour for this and when you arrive to the hight of charity you shall enioy the most perfect peace If you cannot on a suddaine fly high at least clyme dayly as high as you can that you may at last come to the hight of peace and perfection The more you come to consider all things in God the more peace you shall find and the more you faile of it and betake your selfe to consider creatures in themselves the more disquiet shall you experience Worldly things are like a torrent which may bee securely looked on but not trusted for if you are once engolfed there is noe retiring backe but are forced on to your ruine Consider therefore God in Creatures yet doe not trust your selfe to Creatures but beholding God in all as you see the Sunne in water take care you bee not drowned Know that the lesse you have of worldly things the more you shall enjoy heavenly Rid thy selfe therefore of the love of creatures that thou mayst beginne to love the creator vse thy selfe to have nothing that thou mayst possesse all things Thou shalt bee soe long deceived as thou doest confide in creatures thy griefe shall ever equal the joy found in Creatures and thou shall loose as much of true liberty as thou hast of tye and affection to Creatures True liberty does not only free from necessity but rids of all tyes of selfelove and leaves the will in a perfect indifferency ready to follow Gods pleasure in all things And this is the first principle of peace drawen from the contemplation of God The next must bee gathered from the knowledge of your selfe Study therefore the knowledge of your selfe if thou desire peace for next vnto God all your peace and happinesse depends chiefly of your selfe And that knowledge of your selfe shall most conduce to your peace whereby inordinate affections are cutt of that trouble and disturbe the mind This is the perfect knowledge of your owne basenesse whereby you will cast of your selfe and all selfe confidence wholy placeing your hopes on mee to the end you come not to build on sand but on a firme Rock an indeficient peace Lord you bid mee consider my selfe to find peace
forces to put in execution both illuminate both inflame both conduce to make the burden light and Putrify the yoke at the face of oile Sonne betake your selfe therefore to meditate and pray as often as your obedience will permitte and when you can write downe what I suggest vnto you that it may the longer remaine in your mind and soe your comfort bee more permanent Let it bee your exercise to gather scrappes from your Lords table wherewith to feed your hunger when afterwards you are in desolation All have some private exercise wherein they spend their time doe you chuse this which is the most excellent most profitable and secure and if you doe but vse your selfe to it it will become the most sweet and pleasing There is nothing can more conduce to peace of mind then this internal conversation which frees the soule from the dependance of all other things and persons For hee that can tell how to converse alone with God alone carryes his comforter with him and needs not begg comfort from Creatures such doe neyther regarde place nor office because they find free accesse to their God in all places and employments and deeme his conversatione the greatest good All seeke their comfort in some thing but hee is happy that makes prayer and meditatione his employment for hee shall have God for his comforter But because humane frailty is such that it cannot long continue in any exercise without wearinesse and irkesomnesse prayer ought not to bee to much continuated but the mind must bee released from to serious application Now what relaxation a religious personne is to take and when is not to bee doubted this alsoe beeing to bee ordered by the prescript of obedience as well as all other things Relaxation of mind 15 to bee takē in such sort that it bee not embraced for it selfe but to the end that you may afterwards betake your selfe more vigorously to serious matters There are some studyes which delight with their variety and conduce not only to avoyd Idlenesse but if vndertaken with a good intention alsoe helpe to serve God the better and thus much as to the things that are to bee done Now Sonne I le ' say some what of the manner of doeing them In the first place consider for whome you doe things Whether therefore you eate or drinke learne or teach or what soever else you doe doe all things in the name of the Lord. rayse your mind that your eye beeing cleare your whole body may bee light you will performe this if you ruminate well what I have say'd first that God ought to bee considered in all things that as all things floe from him soe all things should againe returne vnto him Secondly of the know ledge of your selfe to Consider who it is that does them for reflecting on the weackenesse of the agent you will easyly resigne your selfe to all events thirdly to Consider what you doe and regard things as they are fading mortal and not able to satiate Considering the nature of things thus your mind will acquiesce to all accidents as you will see descending to particulars T is a hard thing to loose a friend yet if you consider a friend to bee what hee is you will find your selfe separated from one whose company was only lent you till a future separation nor will you take it heynously that a mortal man shall dye nor that God take backe what hee had lent T is a harder thing to see familyes and Kingdomes destroyed but consider that Kingdomes are assemblyes of men who as they beganne soe must they end nothing humane can bee everlasting There is noe Kingdome that has continued from the beginning of the world nor any now in beeing that was not built on the ruines of a former nor is there any like to last till the latter day God has weighed in the Counsel of his Eternity the sinnes of all shates Kingdomes and Empires and resolved to punish them being come to such a measure If therefore the destruction of some happen in your dayes adore the Iustice of God and you will not wonder the workes of men shall perish There is nothing more grieuous then to see the Church oppressed and that fire extinguished which I kindled Yet looke on this very oppression as the safty of the elect and any persecution what soever will seeme tollerable Consider alsoe with your selfe that Gods elect dispersed in all ages and clymats doe suffer more or lesse according as God decreed before all ages as it is written When the highest devidel the nations When hee separated the sonnes of Adam hee appointed the limus of people according to the number of the children of Israel that is the number of the elect for not all that are of Israel they bee Israelits nor they that are the children of the flesh but those that walke according to faith and for these God made all things Soe that though the Church seeme to bee extinguished in this or that place yet it is not extinguished but seeing there will bee noe more elect in such or such a place the light of faith is withdrawen from the reprobate by their demerit Yett God ever affords them sufficient grace to salvation and this is not to bee wondred at Consider therefore thus each thing to bee what it is and you will not wonder at any thing that happens And allthough this consideration bee very profitable in the occations themselves yet it is much better to dispose the mind before hand for in the occations or after wards there is need of great violence to suppresse a raysed passion Hee that foresees all things will bee prepared for all events Nothing can come suddaine or vnexpected to him And who soever considers things as they are will love them as hee ought The only way to keepe a quiet and settled mind in all events prosperous or adverse is to give each a just proportion of love Things that are immutable are to bee loved with an vnalterable affection and those that are changable with a changable one The immutable goods are God and his will and then the salvation of men which is contained in the will of God Wherefore these are the only things which are to bee loved vnalterably allwayes and by all All other goods either of body or soule of parents of friends ones Country or of the whole earth are mutable goods and limited for there is none of these things that faile not none that doe not deceive their lovers Yet they are all goods in their way if you doe but know how to make vse of them You must only lend and not give them your affection you must not place your whole affection on them but afford each their proportion more or lesse according as they are better and more permanent Yet you must soe impart to each that you doe not derogate from the chiefe affection to the vnchangable good which will bee if you love all other things in order
you will take your Superiour and him that rules your conscience instead of this frind and vse your selfe soe much to their company that you bee not asshamed to discover your infirmityes vnto them and aske their counsaile in all things knowing for certaine that I will rule you by them and direct them soe that as long as you obey their voice sincerly whatsoever they advise shall cooperate to your good As to what concernes others live soe as neither to have friend nor enimy which you shall effect if you behave your selfe like a Pilgrimme and a stranger as you ought to doe if you desire to live quietly Have a care then not to bee to familiar with any but more perticularly with the imperfect and above all with women whose conversation though never soe holy is subject to danger If you will needs have a friend let him bee such an one as you could wish your selfe most perfect that soe his life may bee the model of your actions But doe not presently judge any one such till the long experience of many yeares have made his vertue knowen in several occasions If you can meete with such an one insinuate your selfe into his company if you can and deeme your selfe to have found a treasure In the meane while live content with mee alone Fly all familiarityes and you shall the more freely enjoy God and your selfe and this is the first advice that you doe not easily contract friendship with any til you meete with some body very perfect and in the meane time esteeme all others but mee and your selfe as passangers and strangers which if you performe you will avoyd the greatest part of those things which among men vse to disturbe the peace of mind and if you doe not you shall find as many disturbers of your peace as you have friends Now Sonne doe not only heare how you are to take heed of men but alsoe how you are to gaine the love of all and live quietly with them Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe There is nothing where by you shall gaine the love of all more then by loving all Love is the goulden hooke wherewith men are taken To much familiarity and private frindship besides the evils wee have already spoke of has annext vnto it that it generally displeases all where as common charity which imbraces all is gratefull to all and displeasing to none Doe therefore live soe that you love all and that all may see they are loved by you and you shall alsoe bee loved by all Now to the end this love bee solid it must bee grounded vpon vnchangable and aeternal motives Love because I love love because it is fitting for love if well placed is the most noble production of the minde Love for the interjour worth of each for man is the worke of God capable of an infinity and cannot bee to much loved if but rightly Love all for these motives as if they were thy brethren Endeavour to behave your selfe soe that all may perceive you are not lead by private obligations but that you are ready to accomodate your selfe to each in particular as farre as the aeternal motives will permitte Of all the acts which love produces the giving honour is the chiefe and most efficatious to winne peoples hartes Honour therefore if you desire to bee honoured all love honour him that honours them Yet let not your honour be servil but generous let it not flatter but respect let it not feare but love and let it bee always such that it please God whether it please man or noe and soe you shal bee sure not to loose your reward Nor indeed need it bee feared that you shall not please men as long as you honor them For there are but few that are of such abject and servil spirits that are not delighted with honour nor ought you to leave the common high way for a few Doe what you ought and if others misconster your proceedings doe not therefore desist but follow the tract true reason dictat's This honour and love which you are to afford your neighbour is perceived in two things to wit words and deeds First you must not doe any thing that is injurious to another vpon any account whatsoever Nevther ought you only doe this for even heathens and publicans doe the same But for my sake you shall endeavour to yeald of your owne right rather then to permitte that others should suffer any inconvenience that you can redresse nay you shall even seeke occations to exercise charity towards your neighbour This the Evangelical law requires of you which I was pleased to ground on fraternal Charity and this does your vocation exact which you cannot comply with but by exercising charity in all occations I have caled you to bee wholy employed in helping your neighbours and wholy bent on their good And if you are ready to vnder goe any labours for your neighbours in generall and even death it selfe what ought you to doe for your brethren with whome you live and of the same profession with you If you did know what a glorious thing it is to bee caled bee a companion of IESUS you would beare each of them great Reverence and love and study how to please and serve mee in my companion though with never soe great inconvenience for whatsoever you doe to the least of these my companions is done to mee you must therefore have great care that you doe not contristare mee in my companion by doeing any thing whereby your brother and mine may justly bee offended Neyther must you thinke it sufficient not to offend but you must endeavour to oblidge each with most singular charity If you can not expresse this charity in effects and deeds at least let it appeare in a sincere expression of words Words are the instruments where with the soules of men converse with one another and make a mutuall exchāge of their thoughts a word is soone spoken and there is nothing lighter but once vttred it is irrevocable and workes great things for whilst the voice perishes in the ayre it leaves behind an impression in the harts of the hearers which some times noe art or labour can weare away What wars has an inconsideratly vttred word beene cause of noe man can tame a toungue neyther are you or any other free from this inquiet evil yet the better you commaund your toungue the more quietly you shall live both to your selfe and others When you speake you must not bee morose or to sadde Yet you must take greater heed of faling into such an effusion of toungue that you regard not what you say soe you gaine the laughter and plause of people For it is better bee sad then ridiculous there being nothing more vnworthy and vnbeseeming then to see a Religious man like a jester doe nothing else but seeke to provoke people to laughter by the absurdity of his sayings Such persons neyther have any sence of