to repent and to go on in their sins with confidence of impunity tho' hereby they make God unjust and rather the refuge and confident of their Crimes than the true Protector of Innocence and Vertue Now whilst thy Thunder has awakned me and thy Rod corrected me Now whilst I am sensible of the wickedness of my Life the dangerous condition of my Soul and am convinc'd that there is a Heaven a Hell and an Eternity Now whilst I am sensible that those things which hitherto inchanted me were but lying Vanities whilst I am inflamed more than ever with an ardent desire of being sincerely converted unto thee Teach me O Lord that as thou art a God full of Mercy and Compassion to those sinners who hope in thy Mercy and return unto thee with all their heart so thou art a terrible God to those who presume on it only that they may multiply their offences and after having tasted the sweet comforts of the Holy Spirit scorn and neglect it For it is not Lord of those miserable wretches that thou sayest to those that knock it shall be opened Is it not of these Miscreants of whom thou hast pronounc'd that thou wilt withdraw the Bowels of thy Mercy Is it not against these impious persons thou hast threatned that thou wilt mock at their Calamity and that instead of finding at their last hour the compassion of a tender Father they shall experience the Justice and Vengeance of an angry God REFLECT VIII What Eeffect a true Repentance ought to have upon our Conversations and what kind of Guide she ought to enquire after for the conduct of her Soul THat I may avoid all the flatteries of Self-love by which the Devil takes occasion to rob me of thy grace Grant O my God that instead of searching into my corruption for palliating Remedies to skin over my Sores I may place my felf at the Tribunal of thy Justice and there apply those Causticks which are necessary to consume Gangrene and Rottenness of my Soul That is to say Lord permit me not to be deceived or rather let me not take pleasure in deceiving my self in fancying that I shall make amends for such a Heathenish life as mine has been such criminal and scandalous passions whilst I continue in the same sinful Habits the same Opportunities the same Pleasures and perhaps the same Crimes too Let me not add this to the heap of my sins to wit the disbelief of thy Gospel the interpreting it according to my fancy or adapting it to countenance my Enormities Ah Lord how do I dishonour thee by my works whilst I praise thee with my mouth whilst I boast that I am a Christian I act contrary to thy holy Law and every day renounce those Vows I made unto thee in my Baptism Ah Lord who punishest my ingratitude by suffering me to fall from one Precipice to another from a neglect of thy Grace to errour and hardness of heart Permit me not to pitch upon a Mountebank instead of an able Physician who can apply proper Remedies to the inveterate Maladies of my Soul I would say Lord let me find a learned prudent and pious Guide who can inform my Judgment and understands when to Absolve me and not a blind or a deceitful Guide who corrupts thy Holy Word bends the Rule to my lusts rather than conforms me to it and endeavours more to please than save me who by a too speedy administration of absolution lulls me into a false peace becomes the partner of my sin the cause of my Damnation and an instrument of the Devil rather than the servant of Jesus Christ For O Lord in that day when all the secrets of our hearts and all the evasions of self-love shall be laid open thou wilt not then judge me by the Maxims of my ghostly Guide but by thy holy Gospel and that light which thou hast given me which I have so often rejected not willing to have the darkness of my mind dispell'd by it Thou wilt judge me by those truths which notwithstanding my corruptions have pierced to the bottom of my Soul by that remorse which thou didst mingle with my most criminal pleasures thereby to recall my heart but alas I always stifled them that I might the more freely abandon my self to my passions those lying Vanities And lastly O my God 't is by the Book of my own Conscience and not that of my ghostly Guide by which thou my Sovereign Judge wilt pronounce my Sentence at that terrible day when thou wilt declare my â—ternal Doom REFLECT IX â—he prays that out of his Mercy he would be pleas'd to direct her continually in the straight Way which leads unto him and not permit her ro flatter her self that she has repented when she is running on still in the broad way AH Lord since I have no way left to appease my Judge and to avoid the Sentence of Death but to juge my self Grant that I may examin my self before the Tribunal of thy Justice Grant that by a sincere repentance and a hearty sorrow for my sins I may appease thy Vengeance and suffer me not so to deceive my self in my repentance and thereby oblige thee to judge me a second time punish me in the day of thy fiery indignation O Lord inflame my heart with that spark of thy grace which remains in my soul and which sometimes makes it sigh within it self change my pleasures into bitterness my prosperity into affliction that I may thereby be assur'd thou hast chang'd thy hatred into love and that I may not find in my sinful estate a more deadly tranquillity than in misery it self What can be more fatal to us than to be deceiv'd in our Conversion and in those Maxims of corrupted Morality which ruin more than Debauchery it self For what more dangerous sickness can there be than that which makes us refuse all Remedies In fine what more destructive than a Reformation in appearance only which entices us out of the straight Way of Eternal Life into the broad Rode of Sin Lord once again I beseech thee chasten me not in thy displeasure as thou dost those Reprobates whom thou punishest with prosperity because they would not partake of thy holy sufferings Remember O my God that I am but dust and ashes a fitter object of thy compassion than thy fury Have mercy upon me O Lord have mercy upon me let thy mercy be proportionate to the hainousness of my offences and thy infinite Loving-kindness which has no other object no other bounds but thy mercy alone In fine give me a Pardon which may blot out all my offences render me worthy of the mercy of God REFLECT X. Motives of Trust in God and Distrust of our selves Jesus Christ alone can confirm our Faith and strengthen our Hope COrrect me O Lord but in mercy considering my frailty and the byas of my corrupt nature which inclines me unto sin and rivets my affections to the things of
mindful of these Obligations she has laid upon her self and by which she must be Judg'd at the Last Day AH Lord who in working thy Miracles dost always regard some great end Hast thou not restored my Health that thou may'st accomplish the blessed purposes of thy Grace upon my Soul that by a thorough conversion of my Heart unto thee I might pass from this state of death or as the Royal Prophet speaks from the Terrors of Hell to such a Religious course of Life as those Devout Souls led who now sleep in the Lord who did not presume on thy Mercy and from thence defer their Repentance to the last Moment Yes Lord I acknowledge thy Mercy in the midst of thy Judgements and the constant protection of thy Providence in all the Accidents of my life For this is the Reason why thou hast so much Afflicted me so much distressed me so often changed my Desires and my Resolutions that hereby thou may'st wean me from my self And therefore that I may maintain an inviolable Fidelity ty towards thee for the future that I may serve thee that I may love thee and rather die a thousand times than return again to my former Vain Conversation I have Writ this Paper with my own hand as a Register of thy Mercies my most Intimate Resolutions and all thy Adorable Truths That if at any time I should forget my self I might hereby be put in mind of my Duty and that Model of Holy Living I have resolved on if my Faith should falter my Hope should languish or my Charity grow cold and my Corruptions begin to struggle in my Soul the reading of these Prayers and the contemplation of thy Bounty and thy Grace might reduce them to their former temper That if at any time I should forget that Agony which the consideration of thy Justice produc'd in my Mind when like a condemned Malefactor on the Scaffold I was impatient to be freed from the Terrors of Death I might recollect my self by reading of these Reflections which I writ upon this self-same Bed where the Ministers on one side and the Physicians on the other gave me little Hope of my Life or my Salvation where I lay helpless like a poor Beast and could do nothing in this Great Work O thou God of my Salvation in whose hands are my Soul and my Eternal Happiness who didst reprieve me from the Grave and didst crown me with thy Mercies and fill my Soul with Holy Desires who hast renow'd my Age as that of an Eagle who hast promised that thy Anger shall not endure for ever against those who fear thee that thou wilt not punish them according to their deserts but wilt put away their Offences as far as the East is from the West who assurest us that like as a Father pittieth his Children so thou wilt have compassion on us because thou knowest our weakness and that we are but dust that our most steady Resolutions are but as a Traveller who tarrieth but for a night and as the morning dew which soon passeth away Lastly Who workest good out of the evil of our sins and who alone canst convert me I beseech thee therefore to turn my Heart Because my Soul is humbled and overwhelmed with shame and grief for displeasing thee Because my Soul puts its trust in thee and languishes after the enjoyment of thy presence But above all O my God hear my humble Supplication because I have made thee the only Object of my Love and because thy Mercy rejoyces over all thy Works Finally Lord have pity on me because I am poor and miserable and thou art Infinitely Rich and Merciful THE END Advertisemenas A Week of Soliloquies and Prayers with a Preparation to the Holy Communion And other Devotions added to this Edition In two parts By Peter Du-Moulin D. D. A Golden Chain to link the Penitent Sinner unto GOD. Whereunto is added A Treatise of the Immortality of the Soul The History of the Amours of the French Gourt viz. Of Madam de La Valleire Madam de Olonne Madam de Chastillion Madam de Sevigney with several other Persons of great Quality in the Palace-Royal In four Parts Translated from the French Sold by Dorman Newman at the Kings-Arms in the Poultry
vicissitudes of these sublunary things cannot deprive me of I mean the Joy to see my self redeem'd from the slavery of sin in a state of salvation and led by the hand of thy Divine Providence to my Heavenly Canaan Season also my Heart with thy Grace that Spirit and Principle of Action which having-wash'd us clean in the Blood of our Saviour furnishes us with strength to persevere to the end in the way of his Commandments For alas what will become of those Vows which I made unto thee when I was surrounded with Fear and in danger of losing my Soul I say what will become of them unless thou O Lord out of the abundance of thy Mercy art-pleas'd to imprint them on my mind fix them in my thoughts and enable mâ— to conquer the Temptations of my visible and invisible Enemies who use all means possible either to terrifie or to decoy me into sin O Lord who succourest the poor and takest pleasure in those that come unto thee with Faith and with an humble and contrite Heart We acknowledge our selves to be weak and miserable Creatures and relie wholly upon thy Grace the proper Medicine to heal and comfort us Search my Heart and try my Reins and grant me that infallible Medicine which dispels the most contagious fumes of sin which will sanctifie my Soul and preserve it safe unto Everlasting Life But grant me also O my God that whilst I beg these Blessings of thee I may be endow'd with such a frame of mind and such other qualifications as encline thee to say Amen to my petitions Prepare your selves O my Body my Spirit and my Soul by the assistance of God's grace to appear before your Master and your God to the end that he may apply that Divine Medicine which will make you whole For how dare I approach the Holy of Holies without preparation and intrude my self a most miserable sinner into the presence of my God Therefore O Lord make me sensible of my want and misery and of thy Majesty and Love before I come to this Heavenly Banquet where I shall eat and drink either my Eternal Health or Damnation REFLECT III. Vpon those Vertues which are necessary for our approaching unto Christ from the Example of the Canaanite the Samaratan and Mary Magdalen TEach me in the trouble of my Spirit and anguish of my Heart with what degree of grief my Soul ought to be affected for its Offences against so great so good a God and what Purity of Body and Soul is required that it may be filled with Divine shame How I may offer up a pure and agreeable Sacrifice too thee having now a mind too much delighted in the vanities of the world and a heart too much led away by them How I may lodge thee in the Temple of my Breast from whence with difficulty I have just now chas'd thy most inveterate Enemies In short the Way for a Notorious Sinner who is without Repentance and without Love to be made Partaker of that Christ who was crucified for him is to defer coming to the Table of the Lord until he is duly prepared lest he commit the most hainous Sacriledge Inspire me then with such a hatred of sin as may confirm my resolutions to abstain from every thing that displeaseth thee and with Passionate desires to love thee alone Give me that humble and contrite spirit whose groans thou dost never refuse I would say Inspire me by thy Grace with the self-same dispositions with which the poor Canaanite prostrated her self at thy feet Look upon me O Lord whilst I approach unto thee as thou didst that humble stranger I would say as a poor Dog who is sufficiently happy when permitted to pick up the Crumbs which fall from the Table where thou feastest thine Elect. Look with compassion upon this poor sinner who like the Samaritan woman being inflamed with a sense of her sins beseeches one drop of Living Water to quench the fervor of her soul and thirst of sin But above all incline me to Imitate Mary Magdalen with that holy penitent let me wash thy Feet with my Tears and by indeavouring to love thee much in some measure answer thy love in forgiving me much Deal with me as with these three Holy Women whom thou hast made the living Witnesses of thy Mercy that by these Examples I may be taught what trust ought to be put in thy Goodness Fit me O Lord for the approaching thy Table and participating of thy Divine Mysteries Give me a lively humble and constant Faith which may produce an Universal Obedience to thy Law the solid foundation of my Eternal Welfare REFLECT IV. Concerning the Constancy and Stâ—â—bility of the Faith necessaâ—â— to a Penitent Soul GIVe me therefore O Lord a lively Faith which maâ— animate all my Actions and notwithstanding my weakness noâ—rish thy Love and thy Grace iâ— my Soul A stedfast Faith whereby I may sincerely believe thâ— Holy Word and when thâ— World allures me with its temptations put me in mind that nâ— man can serve two Masters A humble Faith whereby I may discern that conformity to this World is the greatest impediment of my conformity unto Jesus Christ In fine an enlightned Faith which may render the Grandeur of this World contemptible to me and demonstrate that the fashion of this World passes away and that there is nothing solid and lasting but God alone For alas my best desires are fleeting and unconstant like the flowers of the field which to day are and to morrow are cut down and wither O Lord who art delighted in acts of Mercy and who alone canst change the heart turn my inconstancy into a steady resolution of serving thee and my irregular passions into an earnest persuit of thy love Let it not suffice me that I am disgusted with worldly things or perhaps estranged from them this may proceed from a spirit of pride or be the effort of my reason But direct my ways and purifie my thoughts that at the same time I am convinc'd of the vanity and emptiness of earthly things I may be also assisted with thy grace to teturn unto thee that my Heart being cleans'd instead of those Legions of Vanities which have formerly possess'd it it may be consecrated a Holy Temple and dedicated to the Service of my God Preserve me from the sweet poyson of the pleasures of this World that sun-shine of Fortune which sooner disrobes us of our Innocence than the most severe blasts of Adversity Let me look up unto no other God or Providence than thine alone Correct me O Lord but with the chastisement of a Son which in the midst of the most glittering prosperity afflicts and humbles us brings our hearts home unto thee and convinces us that we are but Men that is to say weak feeble creatures blinded by our passions and subject to all sorts of misery Take away from me that inordinate love of my self and that original corruption from