lipps But my harte hath quaked and sayd Woe be vnto me who am a man of polluted lipps because I haue not held my peace but sayd that I knewe thee And yet O Lord woe be to them who are silent concerning thee For the greatest talkers may be accounted but dumbe if they doe not speake of thee And as for me O Lord my God I will not be silent concerning thee because thou hast made mee and I haue therefore knowne thee because thou hast illuminated me But yet how haue I knowen thee I haue knowen thee in thy selfe Yet I haue no knowen thee in thy selfe as thou art to thy selfe but I haue knowen thee as thou art to mee But yet howsoeuer it is not without thee but in thee because thou art the light which hast illuminated mee For as thou art to thy selfe thou art onely knowen to thy selfe but as thou art to mee by thy mercy and grace thou art knowen to mee But what art thou vnto mee Tel me O mercifull Lord who am thy miserable seruant tell me by thy mercy what thou art to mee Say to my soule I am thy saluation Doe not hide thy face from mee lest if thou doe I dye Suffer me to speake me who am dust and ashes suffer me to speake to thy mercy For thy mercy towards mee is greate and I will presume to speake to thee though I be but dust and ashes Tell mee who am thy supplyant say O mercifull Lord to thy miserable creature say by thy mercyes what thou art to mee And thou hast thundered downe with a mighty voyce vpon the inward eare of my hart and thou hast broken through my deafenes and I haue heard thy voyce And thou hast illuminated my blindenes and I haue seene thy light and haue knowen that thou art my God It is therefore that I sayd that I haue knowen thee For I haue knowen that thou art my God I haue knowen that thou art the onely true God and Iesus Christ whome thou hast sent For thrre wat a time when I knewe thee not bu woe be to that time when I knew not tgee Woe be to that blindenes when I sawe not thee Woe be to that deafnes when a heard not thee For being blinde deafe I did rush with great deformity vpon those things which yet thou had dest made fayre and thou wert still with mee but I was not with thee And those things kept mee farre from being with thee which yet if they had not bene in thee could haue had noe beeing at all Thou diddest illuminat mee O thou light of the world and I saw thee and I loued thee And indeede noe man loueth thee but he who sees thee and noe man sees thee but he who loues thee Too late am I come to loue thee O thou beauty which art so auntient and yet so new Too late am I come to loue thee and woe be to that time when I loued thee not CHAP. XXXII A Confession of true faith I Giue thankes O thou who art my light because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue knowen thee How haue I knowen thee I haue knowen thee to be the onely liueing God and my true creatour I haue knowen thee to bee the Creator of heauen earth of all things visible and inuisible to be the true Omnipotent God immortall inuisible vncircumscribed vnlimited eternall inaccessible incomprehensible inscrutable vnchangeable immense infinite the first beginning of all both visible inuisible creatures by whome all things are made and by whome all the Elements subsist Whose Maiestie as it neuer had any beginning soe neither shall it end for all eternity I haue knowen thee to be one onely true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost three Persons indeede but one essence and the same wholly simple and vndiuided nature And that the Father is of none that the Sonne is onely of the Father and that the Holy Ghost is iointly of them both euer without beginning and for euer to be without ending to be Trine and onely One and that the true Omnipotent God That thou art that one beginning of all things and the Creatour of all things both visible and inuisible spirituall and temporall who by thy Omnipotent vertue diddest in the beginning of Tyme create both the spirituall and corporall creature that is to say the Angells in heauen and the fabricke of the world and then thou madest man as being compounded both of body and soule I haue knowen thee and I doe confesse thee O God the Father to be vnbegotten and thee O God the Sonne to be begotten of the Father and thee O holy Ghost the Paraclete to be neither begotten nor vnbegotten And I beleiue with my harte to Iustice and I confesse with my mouth to saluatiō the holy and indiuiduall Trinity in three persons coequall consubstantiall and coeternall Trinity in Vnity and Vnity in Trinity I haue knowen thee the true God and our Lord Iesus Christ to be the onely begotten Sonne of God the Creatour the Sauiour and the Redeemer of mee and all mankinde whome I confesse to haue bene begotten of the Father before all ages God of God light of light true God of true God not made but begotten consubstantiall coeternall with the Father and the Holy Ghost by whome all things were made from the beginning And I beleiue firmely and confesse truely that thou O Iesus Christ the onely begotten God wert incarnate ioyntly by the holy Trinity for the saluation of man and that thou wert conceiued through the cooperation of the Holy Ghost by the perpetuall Vithin Mary and that thou wert made true man consisting of a reasonable soule and humane flesh Who being the onely begotten of God and consequently both impassible and immortall yea for the great loue wherewith thou louest vs thou being still the same sonne of God wert yet according to thy humanity made both passible mortall who being the onely sonne of God diddest voutchafe to suffer Passion and death vpon the tree of the crosse for the saluation of mankinde to the end that thou mightest deliuer vs from eternall death And being the author of light thou diddest descend to Hell where our fore-Fathers satt in darkenes And the third day being a glorious conquerer thou diddest rise vp from the dead resumeing thy sacred body which had lyen dead in the sepulchre for our sinnes and thou diddest quicken it the third day according to the scriptures that thou mightest place it at the right hand of thy Father For haueing ledd with thee out of captiuitie them whom our auntient enemy the enemy of all mankinde had captiued in Hell thou being the true Sonne of God didest ascend aboue all the heauens with the substance of our nature that is to say both with thy soule and that humaine flesh which thou haddest taken of the glorious Virgin And thou diddest surpasse all the quyers of Angels where thou sittest at the right hand of thy Father
Is not he ô my Lord that innocent person who beinge thine onely Sōne was deliuered by thee to the end that he might redeeme thy slaue Is not he the author of life who yet is carried like à sheepe to slaughter and being made obedient to thee did not feare to vndergoe a most outragious kinde of death which was most hydeously greiuous Call to minde ô thou who art the dispenser of all saluation that this is that very he whome although thou didst begett out of thyne owne substance and strength thou didest yet ordeyne to be partaker of my infirmity Yea this indeed is that Deity of thyne which apparelled it selfe with my nature that nature ascended vp to the tree of the Crosse endured bitter torment in the flesh which it assumed Send downe ô Lord my God the eyes of thy Majesty vpon this worke of thy vnspeakable piety Behold thy sweete Sonne beinge stretched out from head to foote Beholde those innocent hands all distillings with his pretious blood and thou beinge once appeased forgiue the wickednes which my hands haue wrought Consider that disarmed side of his which is pearced by the pointe of a cruell Launce and renew me in that most sacred springe which I beleeue flowed downe from thence Cast an eye towards those immaculate feete of his which neuer stood in the way of sinners but did alwayes walke in thy Lawe See how they are fastned with cruell nailes and doe thou perfect my paces in thy pathewayes and mercifully make me hate all wayes of wickednes Remoue the way of iniquity from me and of thy goodnes make me choose the way of truthe I beseech thee ô Kinge of Saynts by this Redeemer of mine that thou wilt make me runn with speed through the way of thy Commandemētes that so I may be vnited to him in spiritt who disdayned not to be vested with my flesh Dost thou not ô holy Father obserue how that most deere head of thy Sonne he being yet but in the flower of his youth is hanging downe vpon that necke which is as white as snowe and doth resolue it selfe into a most pretious death Beholde ô thou most meeke Creator the humanity of thy beloued Sonne and take pitty vpon the weakenes of our fraile nature That bare brest of his is lilly-pale that side is all read and goared with blood those bowells are withered with being stretched out those sweete bright eyes doe languish that imperiall face is all discoloured those long and gracefull armes are growen stiffe those marble thighes are hanging downe and those springs of that pretious blood doe bedew bathe his transperced feete Behold ô glorious Father the torne lymms of thy most beloued Sonne and in thy mercy remember that he carrieth my nature about him Behold the punishment of that man who is God and release the misery of that man who was created by him Behold the punishment of the Redeemer and remitt and pardon his offence who is redeemed This is he ô my Lord whome thou didst strike for the sinns of thy people though he be still that beloued in whome thou art so well pleased This is that innocent person in whome noe guile was found and yet he was esteemed to be one of the wicked CHAP. VII Here man acknowledgeh that himselfe by his sinnes is the cause of the Passion of Christ our Lord. WHAT hast thou committed ô thou most sweete childe that thou shouldest so be iudged what hast thou committed ô most amiable yonge man that thou shouldest be treated so what is thy wickednes what is thy cryme what is the cause of thy death what is the occasion of thy condemnation It is I it is I who am that wound which putts thee to payne and I am the cryme which kills thee and I am the man who deserued that death which thou endurest I am the wickednes wherof reueng is taken vpon thee I am that sornes of thy Passion I am the labour of thy torment O admirable kind of sentence O disposition of an vnspeakable mistery The wicked man sinns and the iust man is punished The guilty person offends and the innocent man bears the blowes the impious man errs and the holy man is condemned That which the wicked man deserues the holy man endures that which the slaue borrowes his Lord pays that which man committs God vndergoes How lowe ô Sonne of God how lowe did thy humility descend how high did thy charity burne vp how farr did thy piety proceed howe wide did thy benignity extend whither did thy loue aspire and where did thy compassiō arriue For it is I who haue done wickedly and thou art punished I who haue committed the cryme and thou art layd vpon the Racke I grewe proude and thou art humbled I was puffed vp and thou art extenuated I haue showed my selfe disobedient and thou being obedient dost answeare for the paine due to that disobedience I haue obeyed the temptation of gluttony and thou art halfe consumed for lacke of meate Distempered affection drewe me on apace to vnlawfull concupiscence and perfect charity was that which led thee on to the Crosse I presumed to doe that which was forbiddē thou didst vndergoe torments I am delighted with meate thou art in labour vpon the Crosse I am fed with delight thou art torne with nailes I tasted the sweetnes of the apple thou the bitternes of gall Eue laughs congratulats my sinn with me but Mary weeps and takes compassion with thee Behold O Kinge of glory behold how my impiety and thy piety are made apparent by one another Beholde how my iniustice thy Iustice are made cleerly manifest What! O my King and my God shall I render for all those things which thou hast bestowed on me For there is nothinge to be found in the hart of man which can beare any portion to thy singular benefites Can the sharpnes of mans conceite thinke of any thinge to which the mercy of God may be cōpared Noe it is not in the power of a creature to performe any seruice that can make full amends to his Creator But yet O Sonne of God there is somewhat in this admirable dispensation of thine there is some what wherein my frailty may answeare in some small proportion to what I owe if by the visitation of thy holy Spiritt my contrite hart may crucify my flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof And when this fauour is granted me by thee I doe already as it were beginn to suffer sweetly with thee because thou didest vouchsafe to dye for my sinns And thus by the victory of the inward man he is prepared through thy help toward an euident triumph so that the spirituall persecution being ouercome he fears not to submitt himselfe for the loue of thee to a materiall sword And in this manner if it be pleasinge to thy mercy the weakenes of our condition wil bee able accordinge to our litle strength to correspond with the greatenesse of our
iniustice is great I confesse it but farr greater is the Iustice of my Redeemer For as much as God is Superior to man so much is my malice inferior to his goodnes both in quantity and quality For in what hath man sinned wherin the Sonne of God being made Man hath not redeemed him What pride was able to swell so highe as that so great humility would not be able to beate it downe What dominion of death could be so absolute which the torment of the Crosse indured by the Sone of God will not destroy Infaillibly O my God if the faults of a sinfull man and the grace of him who redeemed them be putt into an equall ballance the East will not be found so farr distant from the west nay the lowest parte of hell will not be found so farr distant from the highest pich of heauen as they two will be Now therfore O thou most excellent Creator of light pardon my faults through the immense labours of thy beloued Sonne Lett now I beseech thee his piety propitiate for my impiety his modesty for my peruersity his meekenes for my rudenes his humility for my pride his patience for my impatiēce his benignity for my harshnes his obedience for my disobedience his tranquillity for my vnquietnesse his sweetenes for my bitternesse his mildnesse for my anger and let his charity ouerworke my cruelty CHAP. IX Of the inuocation of the Holy Ghost O Loue of that diuine power the Holy communication of the Omnipotent Father and of the most blessed Sonne O thou Omnipotent Holy Ghoste the most sweete comforter of the afflicted slipp thou downe euen very now by thy puissant vertue into the most secrett corners of my hart and by the splendor of thy cleere light illuminate ô thou deere dweller in our soules these darke retreyts of our neglected habitations and by thy visitation and by the abundance of thy dewe from heauen make my soule growe fruitfull which by reason of so longe a drought is all deformed and decayed Wound thou the most retyred parts of this inward man with the darts of thy loue and inflame and pearce the very marrowe of my dull hart with those healthfull fires of thine And by the flame of thy holy feruour illuminate thou and feed the very interiour both of my whole body and minde Giue me once to drink of the torrent of thy delights that now I may noe more haue a minde so much as euen to taste of the pestiferous sweetnesse of wordly things Iudge me ô Lord and discerne my cause from all wicked people and teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God I beleeue therfore that whomesoeuer thou dost inhabite thou dost build vp a dwellinge place in him both for the Father and the Sonne Blessed is he who shall arriue to intertayne thee because by thee both the Father the Sonne will remaine with him Come come euen now O thou moste benigne Comforter of all woefull soules Thou who protectest them when they haue most need and art their helper in tribulation Come ô thou clenser of sinns and curer of wounds Come ô thou strength of the weake ô thou who stayest such as are falling Come ô thou teacher of the humble and distroyer of the proude Come ô deare Father of Orphants and fauorable Iudge of widowes Come thou hope of the poore thou cherisher of such as fainte Come thou propitious starr of such as sayle thou hauen against the danger of shipwrack Come ô thou excellent ornament of such as liue the onely helpe of such as dye Come ô most holy Spiritt Come and haue mercy on me make me fitt for thy self condiscend to me with pitty that my meanenesse may growe pleasing to thy greatnesse and my weakenes to thy strength Accordinge to the multitude of thy mercyes through Iesus Christe my Sauiour who with the Father doth liue ad reigne in thy vnity for euer and euer Amen CHAP. X. The Prayer of the Seruant of God conceauing humbly of himselfe I Knowe O Lord I knowe and I confesse that I am not worthy that thou shouldest loue me but yet at least it is certaine that thou art not vnworthy to be beloued by me It is true that I am vnworthy to serue thee but it is also true that thou art not vnworthy to be serued by thy Creatures Giue me therfore somewhat O Lord of that which maketh thee so worthy and so I shall growe worthy who am vnworthy Make me cease from sinn by what meanes thou wilt to the end that I may serue thee as I ought Grant that I may so addresse and order and end my life that I may sleepe in peace and repose in thee Grant that in the end the sleepe of death may receiue me with rest rest with securiry and security with eternity Amen CHAP. XI A Prayer to the blessed Trinity WE confesse to thee with our whole hart and with our mouth we praise and blesse thee O God the Father who art vnbegotten and thee O God the Sonne who art the onely begotten and thee O God the holy Ghoste who art the Paraclete To thee O holy and indeuiduall Trinity be glory for all eternityes Amen CHAP. XII A Confession of the Omnipotency and Maiesty of God O Supreame Trinity O thou sole power vndeuided Majesty O God of ours O Omnipotent God I confesse to thee who am the vnworthyest of thy seruāts and the weakest of thy mēbers I cōfesse to thee in thy Church and I giue thee honor by offering thee a due sacrifice of praise according to that little power and skill which thou haste vouchsafed to affoord me thy miserable creature And because I haue no external presents which I can make to thee therfore these desires and vowes of seruice and praise which by the guift of thy mercy are in me behold how with an vnfained faith and with a pure conscience I offer them to thee not onely with a good will but with a hart which is full of triūph and ioy I beleeue therfore with my whole hart and I confesse with my mouth O thou Kinge of heauen ad Lord of earth that thou the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste art in Persons three and in Substance one that thou art God Omnipotent of one simple incorporeall inuisible and vncircumscribed nature That there is nothing either aboue thee or belowe thee or greater then thou but that thou art sublymely and absolutely perfect whithout the least deformity Great without quantity good without quality eternall yet wholly without Tyme That thou hast life without death that thou art strong without any weakenesse true without falshoode euery where present without being scituated any where filling all things yet without any extension occurringe euery where yet without any crossinge or contradiction Transcending all things without Motion remaneinge in all things without Station creatinge all things without looseinge or wantinge any thing and ruleinge all things without
thy onely Goodnesse we are made by thy Iustice we are punished and by thy mercy we are deliuered Nothing neither in Heauen or which is Elementary eyther of fire or earth or any other thing subiect to our sense is to be worshipped instead of thee who truely art what thou art and art not changed and to whome it doth most principally agree that thou be called that which the Grecians call On and the Latins Ens which signifieth The thing which is for thou art euer the same and thy years will neuer fayle These and many other things haue beene taught me by my holy Mother the Church wherof I am made a member by thy grace It hath taught me that thou the onely one and true God art not corporeall nor passible and that nothinge of thy substance or nature is any way violable or mutable or composed and framed and therefore it is certaine that thou canst nor be perceiued by corporeall eyes and that thou couldest neuer be seene in thy proper essence by any mortall creature Hereby it is clearely to be vndestood that as the Angells see thee now so are we to see thee after this life But yet nether are the Angells themselues able to sâ—e thee iust as thou art and in fine the Omnipotent Trinity is not wholy seene by any but by thy onely selfe CHAP. XXX Of the vnity of God and the plurality of Persons in him BVt thou art truly Vnity in thy diuinity though manifold in the plurality of thy Persons so that thou canst not be numbred by any number nor measured by any measure nor waighed by any waight For we doe not pretend to finde out any beginninge of that supreame goodnesse which thou thy selfe art from whence all things by which all things and in which all things but we say that all other things are good by the participation of that goodnes For thy diuine Essence did euer and doth still want Matter although it doe not want Forme namely that Forme which was neuer formed the Forme of all Formes that most beautifull Forme which when thou dost imprint vpon particuler things as it might be some seale thou makest them without all doubte differre from thy selfe by their owne mutabilitie without any change in thee eyther by way of augmentation or diminution Now whatsoeuer is within the coÌ„pass of created thinges that also is a creature of thyne O thou one Trinity and three in Vnity thou God whose Omnipotency possesseth and ruleth and filleth all things which thou didst create And yet we doe not therefore say that thou fillest all things as if they did conteyne thee but rather so as that they be conteyned by thee Nor yet dost thou fill them all by partes nor is it to be thought by any meanes that euery creature receiues thee after the rate of the bignesse which it selfe hath that is to say the greater the greater parte the lesse the lesse since thou thy selfe art in them all all of them in thee whose Omnipotency concludeth all things nor can any man finde a way whereby to make escape from thy power For he who hath thee not wel pleased wil be sure not to escape thee being offended as it is written neither from the East nor from the West nor from the desert mountaynes because God is the Iudge And els where it is sayd Whither shall I goe from thy spiritt and whither shall I fly from thy face The immeÌ„sity of thy diuine greatnes is such that we must knowe thee to be whithin all things and yet not included and without all thinges yet not excluded And therefore thou art interior that thou maiste conteyne all things and therefore thou art exterior that by the immensity of thy greatnes thou maiste conclude all things By this therefore that thou art interior thou art showed to be the Creator but by this that thou art exterior thou art proued to be the Gouernour of them all And least all things which are created should be without thee thou art interior but thou art exterior to the end that all things may be included in thee Not by any local magnitude of thyne but by the poteÌ„tiall presence of thee who art present euery where and all thinges to thee are present though some vnderstaÌ„d these things and others indeed vnderstand them not The inseparable vnity therfore of thy nature cannot haue the persons seperable because as thou art Trinity in Vnity and Vnity in Trinity so thou canst not haue separation of persons It is true that those persons are named seuerally but yet thou art so pleased to show thy selfe O God thou Trinity to be inseperable in thy persons as that there is noe name belonginge to thee in any one of them which may not be referred to another according to the rules of relation For as the Father to the Sonne and the Sonne to the Father so the Holy Ghoste is most truely referred both to the Father SoÌ„ne But those names which signify thy substanec or person or power or Essence or any thing which properly is called God doe equally agree to all the persons As great God Omnipotent and eternall God and all those things which naturally are saide of thee O God Therefore there is noe name which concernes the nature of God which can so agree to God the Father as that it may not also agree to God the Sonne as also to God the Holy Ghoste As for example we say the Father is naturally God but so is the Sonne naturally God and so also is the Holy Ghoste naturally God and yet not three Gods but naturally one God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste Therfore art thou ô Holy Trinity inseperable in thy persons as thou art to be vnderstoode by our mind although thou haue seperable names in worde because thou dost by no meanes indure a plurall number in the names belonging to thy nature For herby it is showed that the persons cannot be deuided in the blessed Trinity which is one true God because the name of any one of the Persons doth euer relate to an other of them For if I name the Father I shew the Sonne if I speake of the Sonne I proclame the Father if I speake of the Holy Ghoste it is necessarily to be vnderstoode that he is the Spiritt of some other namely of the Father and of the Sonne Now this it that true Faith which flowes from sound doctrine This indeed is the Catholique and Orthodoxall Faith which God hath taught me by his Grace in the bosome of his Church which is my Mother CHAP. XXXI A prayer to the blessed Trinity MY Faith doth therefore call vpon thee which thou O Lord haste giuen me through thy goodnes for my saluation Now the faithfull soule liues by Faith He now holds that in hope which hereafter he shall haue indeed I call vpon thee O my God with a pure conscience and with that sweete loue which groweth out of Faith whereby thou
THE MEDITATIONS SOLILOQVIA AND MANVALL OF THE Glorious Doctour S. Augustine translated into English THE SECONDE EDITION PRINTED AT PARIS By M rs BLAGEART M.DC.LV. THE PREFACE TO THE READER before the Meditations Soliloquia and Manuall of S. Augustine THESE three little treatises of the great S. Augustine might all well haue bene called Manualls in respect that they are of soe smalle bulke as with ease to be portable by euery hand But yet as the are are little Manualls soe with all they may be accounted great Cordialls for the relation vvhich they haue and for the place vvhich they deserue to hold in the hart of man They principally consist of most sweete affections and aspirations which the enamoured soule of our incomparable Saint was euer breathing out to Almighty God beseeching him in most tender manner to be dravving it still neerer to himselfe Wee may see hovv he aspired to perfect vnion vvith that diuine Maiestie but withall vve must knowe that first he had taken paines to purge himselfe entirely from all errour sinne and vanitie and to plant the habits of vertue in his hart by a most attentiue and faithfull imitation of the humilitie and charitie of Christ our Lord. Vade tu fac similiter For vnlesse thou trauaile in that high way thou wilt neuer arriue to that iourneys end Nor art thou to looKe for any experimentall Knowledge of Gods sweetnes till by prayer practise of solid vertue the bitter iuyce of sinne and the offensiue smoake of passion be discharged But that being done roome is made for God and he will maKe thee Knowe and feele how good he is THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS contained in the Meditations THE FIRST CHAPTER THE Inuocation of the Omnipotent God for the amendement of his life page 1 Chap. 2. The accusation of man and the commendation and praise of the diuine mercy 4 Chap. 3. The complainte of a man who is not heard by our Lord through his disobedience page 9 Chap. 4. The feare of the Iudge page 12 Chap. 5. The Father is inuoked by the Sonne 16 Chap. 6. Heer man representeth the Passion of the Sonne to the Father page 19 Chap. 7. Heer man acknowledgeth that himselfe by his sinnes is the cause of the Passion of Christ our Lord page 23 Chap. 8. Heer man exposeth the Passion of the Sonne to God the Father for the reconciliation of man page 28 Cap. 9. Of the inuocation of the holy Ghost 35 Chap. 10. The prayer of the seruant of God conccauing humbly of himselfe 37 Chap. 11. A Prayer to the blessed Trinity 38 Chapter 12. A Confession of the Omnipotency and Maiesty of God 39 Chapter 13. How God the Eather vouchsafed to helpe mankinde and of the Incarnation of the worde page 42 Chap. 14. Of the confidence which a soule ought to haue in our Lord Iesus in his Passion 45 Chap. 15. Of the immense charity of the eternall Father towards mankinde page 48 Chap. 16. Of the twofolde nature of Christe our Lord who pittyeth and prayeth for vs. 52 Chap. 17. Of the thanks which a man owes to God for the benefitt of Redemption 56 Chap. 18. A prayer to Christ our Lord page 60 Chap. 19. He distinguisheth betweene that VVisdome which is called the howse of God and that other VVisdome which is supremely diuine page 65 Chap. 20. He prayeth that the spirituall howse of God may pray for him page 70 Chap. 21. How full this life of ours is of bitternesse 73 Chap. 22. Of the felicity of that life which our Lord hath prepared for them that loue him 75 Chap. 23. Of the felicity of that soule which departeth hence 78 Chap. 24. He inuoketh the Saynts 80 Chap. 25. The desire of the soule toward the supernall Citty of Ierusalem page 87 Chap. 26. A Hymne of Paradise page 88 Chap. 27. Of the continuall praise which a soule conceiueth by the contemplation of the Diuinity 93 Chap. 28. VVhat it is to see God and to inioy him after a sort and how we are to thinke of God 98 Chap. 29. He declareth many propertyes of Almighty God 100 Chap. 30. Of the vnity of God and the plurality of Persons in him page 107 Chap. 31. A prayer to the blessed Trinity 112 Chap. 32. That God is the true and souuereigne life 114 Chap. 33. Of the praise which men and Angells giue to God 117 Chap. 34. He complayneth against himselfe for not being moued with the contemplation of God whereat the Angells tremble 124 Chap. 35. A prayer which greatly moueth the hart to Deuotion and to Diuine loue 128 Chap. 36. A most deuoute Prayer by way of thanks-giueing 138 Chap. 37. A most holy most excellent Prayer to almighty God whereby the soule is greatly moued to deuotion page 148 Chap. 38. A Prayer to be made in affliction 161 Chap. 39. Another Prayer to our Lord Iesus Christe 163 Chap. 40. Another Prayer to God 172 Chap. 41. A Prayer vpon the Passion Christe our Lord 180 THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS contained in the Soliloquia THE FIRST CHAPTER OF the vnspeakable sweetnes of God pag 192 Chap 2. Of the misery and fragility of man p. 200 Chap. 3 Of the admirable light of God 206 Chap. 4. Of the mortality of Mans nature 208 Chap. 5. VVhat it is to be made nothing 211. Chap. 6 Of the fall of a soule by sinne 215 Chap. 7. Of the manifolde benefits of Almigthy God 216 Chap. 8. Of the future Dignity of Man 221 Chap. 9. Of the Omnipotency of God 226 Chap. 10. Of the incomprehensible prayse of God 228 Chap. 11. Of the hope which is to be erected towards God 231 Chap. 12. Of the snares of concupiscence 234 Chap. 13. Of the misery of man the benefits of God 238 Chap. 14. That God doth consider the workes and purposes of mankinde with a perpetuall attention 243 Chap. 15. That Man of himselfe can doe nothing without diuine grace 248 Chap. 16. Of the temptation of the deuill 255 Chap. 17. That God is the Light of iust Persons 259 Chap. 18 Of the benefits of God 265 Chap. 19. Of the feruour of charity 271 Chap. 20. That God hath submitted all things to the seruice of man 274 Chap. 21. That the greatenes of the diuine counsell may be inferred by the consideration of temporall blessings 277 Chap. 22. That the diuine sweetnes taketh away all the present bitternes of the world 280 Chap. 23. That all our hope ought to be placed in our Lord 284 Chap. 24. That all our saluation depends vpon our God 286 Chap. 25. That the will of man wanteth efficacy towards goods workes without the grace of God 289 Chap. 26. Of the antient benefits of Almighty God 291 Chap. 27. Of the Angels which are deputed to the custody of man 293 Chap. 28. Of the profound predestination and prescience of God 298 Chap. 29. Of them who first were iust and afterwards became wiked 303 Chap. 30. That a faithfull
commerce O admirable and for euer to beloued benignity of the diuine mercy We were not worthy to be seruants and yet behold we are made the Sonnes of God Nay we are the heires of God and coheirs of Christ Whence came this to vs and who brought vs to this But I beseeche thee O thou most mercifull God the Father by this inestimable goodnes and piety and charity of thine make vs worthy of the many and great promisses of thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christe imploy thy strength and confirme that in vs which thou hast wrought Perfect that which thou haste begun that we may deserue to attayne to the fulnesse of thy mercy Inable vs by thy Holy Spiritt to vnderstand deserue and reuerence with due honor this great mystery of piety which is manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit hath appeared to Angells is preached to Gentiles is beleeued in the world and is assumed to glory CHAP. XVII Of the thanks which a man owes to God for the benefitt of Redemption O How deepely are we thy debters O Lord our God being redeemed by so high a price being saued by so rich a guift being assisted by so glorious a benefitt How much art thou to be feared loued blessed praised honored and glorified by vs miserable creatures whom thou haste so loued saued sanctifyed and exalted For to thee doe we owe all our power all our beeing and all our knowledg And who hath any thinge which is not thyne Thou art our Lord and our God from whom all things proceed For thy selfe and for thy holy Name giue vs So me part of thy heauenly riches that by meanes of those blessings and guifts of thyne we may serue please thee in truth and that by way of returne we may dayly render thee all due praise for so many benefits of thy mercy Nor can we serue thee or praise thee by any other meanes then by thy owne guift For euery good grace and euery perfect guift is from aboue descending from thee the Father of lights wiht whom there is noe change nor so much as any shadow of mutability O Lord our God! deare God good God Omnipotent God vnspeakable God whose nature cannot be circumscribed God the ordeyner of all things the Father of our Lord Iesus-Christe who diddest send the same beloued Sonne of thyne our most sweete Lord out of thy bosome for our vniuersall profitt to take our life vpon him that he might bestowe his life vpon vs and that he might be perfect God of thee the Father and perfect Man of his Mother all God and all Man and one and the same Christe eternall and temporall immortall and mortall Creator and creature stronge weake triumphant and yet ouercome the nourse and the creature which is nourished the Pastor the sheepe he that dyed for a tyme and dyed in time and yet is liueinge for all eternity He promiseinge to such as loued him that they should be prouided for said thus to his Disciples What soeuer you shall aske the Father in my name he wil giue it to you By this Supreame Sacrifice and true Preist and good Pastor who offered himselfe in Sacrifice to thee laying downe his life for his flocke by him I beseech thee who sitteth at thy right hand and interceedeth for vt being our Redeemer and Aduocate before thy pitty and goodnesse I beseech thee I say O God the most deere and benigne louer of mankinde that thou wilt giue me grace with the same Sonne of thyne and the Holy Ghoste to praise and glorify thee in all things with great contrition of hart and a fountaine of teares with much reuerence and trembling because theirs whose the substance is theirs also are all the accessaryes therof But because the body which is corrupted doth depresse the soule I beseeche thee to rowse vp my dullnes by thy vertue and make me perseuere with strength in thy Commaundements and praises day and night Grant that my hart may wax warme within me and that whilest I am in meditation the fire may burne And because thy onely Sonne himselfe did say No man cometh to me vnlesse the Father who sent me drawe him and no man cometh to the Father but by me I beseech and humbly pray thee be thou euer draweing me to him that at last he may bring me thither to thee where he is sittinge at thy right hand where there is an eternall life eternally happy where there is perfect loue and noe feare where there is an euerlastinge day and one spirit of them all where there is certaine and supreame security and secure tranquillity and serene alacrity and sweet felicity and happy eternity and eternall beatitude and a blessed praise and vision of thee which neuer ends where thou with him and he with thee and both in the communion of the same Holy Ghoste doe sempiternally liue and being God dost reigne for euer and for euer Amen CHAP. XVIII A Prayer to Christe our Lord. O Christ my God my hope Sweete louer of mankinde Light life way health And beauty most refin'd Behould those things which thou Did'st suffer vs to saue The chaynes the wounds the Crosse The bitter death the graue Riseing within three dayes From conquering death and hell By thy Disciples seene Reforminge mindes so well Vpon the fortieth day Climeing the Heauens soe high Thou liuest now and thou Shalt raigne eternally THou art my liueing and true God my holy Father my deare Lord my greate Kinge my good shepheard my onely instructor my best helper my most beautifull louer my liueinge breade my Eternall Preist my guide into my country my true light my holy sweetnes my right way my excellent wisdome my pure simplicity my peaceable concord my safe custody my good portion my euerlasting saluation my great Mercy my inuincible patience my imaculate Sacrifice my holy Redemption my firme hope my perfect charity my true Resurrection my eternall life my excessiue ioy and most blessed Vision which is for euer to remaine I pray thee I begg of thee I beseech thee that I may walke by thee passe on by thee and repose in thee who art the way the truth and the life without whome no man cometh to the Father For thou art he whome I desire O thou most sweete most beautifull Lord O thou splendor of thy Fathers Glory who sittest aboue the Cherubins and beholdest from thence the most profound Abysses which are belowe thou light which declareth truth illuminateing light light which neuer leaues to shine whome the Angells desire to behold Loe my hart is before thee disperse the darknes therof that by the clearnes of thy loue it may be yet more fully strucken and beaten through with light Giue thy selfe to me O my God restore thy selfe to me Behold I loue thee and if it be to little make me loue thee more I cannot measure out to know how much of my loue is wanting to thee of that which ought to make it
vp enough Let my life runn on towards thyne imbracements and lett it neuer looke aside till it be all hidden vp in the hidden ioy of seeing thy face In the meane tyme this I know that it goes ill with me when I want thee O Lord. And not onely is it ill with me in respect of the things which are without me but in respect of them also which are within me For whatsoeuer plenty there may be in the world which is not my God is noe better to me then meere beggery For it is thou alone who canst not be changed either into better or worse thou who indeed and simply art alone thou to whom it is not one thing to liue and an other thing to liue happily beccause thou art thyne owne Beatitude But thy creature to nhom it is one thing to liue and another thinge to liue happily must not attribute eyther happy life yea or so much as life to any other thing then thy grace Therefore is it that we stand in need of thee and not thou of vs. For although we had noe beeing at all yet there would be nothing wanting to thee of that compleat good which thou art It is necessarie therfore that we adhear still to thee O Lord that by thy continuall assistance we may be able to liue holyly and vprightly For we are drawē downe fast enough by the waight of our frailty but by thy guifte we are kindled and carried vpward and we are inflamed and we fly on whither we are goeinge which is towards the peace of Ierusalem For I haue reioyced in those things which haue beene said to me let vs goe into the howse of our Lord. There hath a rectifyed and good will placed vs and so as that we can desire noe more but that we may remaine there for euer But because whilest we are in this body we wander as pilgrims from thee therefore we haue not here any permanent Citty but we expect another which is to come for our habitation is in Heauen And therefore by the conduct of thy grace doe I goe into the most retyred corner of my hart and I sing loue songs to thee O my Kinge and my God groaninge out certaine groanes which indeed cannot be described in this place of my pilgrimage where thy lawe is the song in which I delight my selfe And calling Ierusalem to minde I extend and stretch the whole power of my hart towards it Ierusalem which is my Country Ierusalem which is my Mother And towards thee also who art the ruler the illuminator the father the tutor the defendor the pastor the chaste and strong delight therof the solide ioy all wnspekable good things yea all of them together because thou art the onely supreame and true good Nor will I be drawen aside from this exercice till thou O my God and my mercy shalt draw together all that which I am from this despersion and deformity wherein I finde my self and till thou shalt conforme me to thy selfe and confirme me therein for all eternity in the communion of that most deere Mother of mine whither the flower and first fruites of my spiritt are already gone before CHAP. XIX He distinguisheth betweene that wisdome which is called the house of God and that other wisdome which is supremely diuine THis is that howse of thine O God noe earthly howse nor yet built of any corporeal thinge in heauen but I meane that spirituall howse which is partaker of thyne eternity because it is for euer to remaine without spott For thou hast appointed that it should remaine for euer and for euer thou haste imposed a precept and it shall not passe away Yet that creature O God is not eternall as thou art eternall because it was not without beginning for it was made Of all the Creatures this Wisdome is that which was created first I meane not that Wisdome which was absolutely coeternall and coequall with God the Father wherby all things were created and in which Beginninge heauen and earth was made but I meane the Wisdome which is created namely that spirituall nature which by the contemplation of thy light is light for euen this although it be created is called Wisdome But as much difference as there is betweene the light which doth illuminate and that which groweth to be light by being illuminated so much difference also there is betweane thee who art the supreame wisdome creatinge all things and this other which is created as also there is betweene that Iustice which iustifieth which is thy selfe O our God and that Iustice which is produced in vs by our beinge iustified For we also are called the Iustice of God the Father in thee who art his Sonne our Lord by the testimony of the Apostle Though therfore the first of all the creatures was a kinde of Wisdome Which was made to be a rationall intellectuall mind inhabiting thy holy Citty our mother which is aboue and which is free and eternall in the Heauens what Heauens but those Heauens of the Heauens which praise thee because this is that wherof it is said The Heauens of the Heauens to our Lord although we finde no Tyme before that Creature because it was before the creation of Tyme as being the first of all the creatures yet neuerthelesse thou art before it O Eternall God the Creator of all things from whome as soone as it was made it tooke a beginninge though not indeed of Tyme because Tyme was not then created but yet a beginninge of that nature which it was come to haue It came therfore so from thee O Lord our God as that it is cleerly another thing then thou art For although I finde noe Tyme neither before it nor in it it is yet neuertheles fitt to behold thy face neither is it euer diuerted from thence Hence it comes that it is not subiect to any change Yet a kinde of mutabillity is still in it wherby it would growe all darke and cold vnlesse by adhearing to thee with an excessiue loue it did like a sunn which were euer bright as noone day both shine and boile vp with heat towards thee In fine that creature doth so adhear to thee our true God who art truely eternall that although it be not coeternall to thee yet neuerthelesse it is not discharged nor distracted from thee into any variety or vicissitude of tyme. But it reposeth in the most true cōtemplation of thee alone For to such an one ô Lord as loues thee as much as thou commandest thou dost cleerly discouer thy selfe and it sufficeth him And from hence it growes that the Angells doe neuer decline either from thee or from themselues but perpetually they remaine in the same state incessantly beholding thee and incessantly loueinge thee who art the true light and the chaste loue O how blessed and sublyme is this Creature of Creatures most happy in eternally adhearing to thy beatitude happy and excessiuely happy in haueinge thee