preserving of which against them we must practise Mortification by this means to subdue and regulate them that we be not carried headlong by their violence to our utter ruine In the first place it is necessary to reform the three Spiritual Powers of the Soul which are the Intellect Will and Memory which are the principles and origine of humane Acts from which they proceed and depend if they be done knowingly and voluntarily if these be infected and corrupted as ordinarily they are no good can be expected to proceed from them Concerning the Intellect we ought to esteem the purgation of it as St. Augustine informs us St. Aug. lib. 1. de doctrin Christ Quasi ambulationem navigationem As a walking and navigation to our Heavenly Country For it is the guide of the will which in it self is a blind power and being troubled and disordered causeth an irregularity in all the other faculties In the Intellect one may discover many faults to be reformed as ignorance of things one is obliged to know Inconsideration and imprudence in executing Errour by which one apprehends what 's false for a truth obstinacy to defend and persevere in a mistake after good information and instruction to which one ought to Acquiess Temerity to judg of the intentions actions and designs of another Carnal and sensual Prudence and Craft to circumvent others and contrive by ill expedients worldly affaires Curiosity to know things which it were more profitable to us to be ignorant of The Intellect vitiated by these and the like faults ought diligently to be mortified and reformed or els it will be the cause of many deformed humane Acts This reformation may be made by divers means the chief is a diligent practise of Vertue which produceth true intelligence as the Prophet David affirms Psal 128. Mandatis tuis intellexi I got understanding by observing thy Commands The custome of doing well and experience in Devotion is the best Mistress by which one apprehends and profits most Another means is reading Spiritual Books with an intention to obtain Purity of Mind interposing Affective Prayers A third means may be conferrence with Illuminated Persons from whom they may receave good instructions of Salvation and directions for their conduct in all Doubts Temptations ocurring Difficulties As for the Memory it ought to be reformed about the variety of Images and Representations of terrene and vain objects by which it is often soiled and in pusuit of which it importunes the Will to evil desires and actions one must labour in this Reformation by exercising himself in the frequent meditation of Divine things which if a man exercise constantly he will in time deface and race out the Phantasies and imaginations of vain Objects so that after a faithful labour in this the Soul will find it self as it were absorpt in God and will entertain and delight it self in nothing so much and so often as in God The Will purchaseth it self proper satisfactions and interests by the motive of self-Love with which it is dangerously impoysoned and which is the Mother and Nurse of all Sin and Vices it perverts the rectitude of intentions Rebells against the commands of God and Superiours it is the Enemy of perfection the Murderer of an interiour and Spiritual Life This Mortification and Reformation must be affected by a Dolorous Contrition for Sin by Acts of Abnegation by a total Submission and Conformity to the divine Will In fine the practise of all moral Vertues with purity of intention embellisheth it as Stars do the Firmament Next the sensual Appetite which is the inferiour portion of the Soul inclin'd to the commodities of the body is to be mortified with its Passions which in the estate of corrupt Nature ordinarily are culpable they are not to be condemned in Beasts because they are not governed by Reason but it is far otherwise in Man endued with a rational Spirit able to discern between good and evill and to unite himself to God his Soveraign good whom he ought to prefer above all Created things and by his superiour Reason imploy and order all the powers and faculties of his Body to attain this Good But we see the contrary arrive to man by means of his passions which turn him from the true love of God replenish him with impetuous Solitudes for the purchasing of terrene things and with fears and anxieties for the loss of them They fill him with impure phantasies Imaginations and Delights precipitate him into many Errours and Irregularities employ him more for the corruptible Body which is meat for Worms then for his immortal Soul the Divine Particle in him causeing continually Rebellions in the interiour Appetite against the Superiour preventing Reason and Judgment and tyrannizing over the Spirit so that they are the source and origine of Sins which ruine our Salvation and further a Soul towards her Damnation and as Lactantius speaks Lactan. lib. 6. Institut c. 5. Omnia fere quae improbe fiunt ab his affectibus oriuntur Almost all evils committed proceed from these passions and affections If one would repress the impetuosity of choller all clamours and contentions would be appeased not any one would endamage an other if one would moderate the desire of having there would be no Theeves by land no Pyrates on Sea no Arms taken up to invade others Dominions if one would mortify the concupiscence of the flesh every Age and Sex would be Holy no person would do or suffer what is infamous in this kind all these and the like discords come from the passions not mortified and regulated according to reason Passions thus ordered are good and about lawful Objects Thus they are Souldiers which Second the endeavours of their cheif the Spirit they are Ornaments of vertuous actions Ardours of the heart without which it would languish But the most part of men by the corruption from original sin follow their naturall inclinations and passions by which they are hurryed into many disorders and damages irreparably therefore a strict mortification of these is necessary to a good and well ordered life and to conserve the interiour state of the soul entire without the regulating of these a man is so far from tending to perfection that at last he will find himself to become uncivil barbarous brutish wholly governed by humours and phantasies without repose in his Soul continually agitated by disquiets caused by his sensual affections to which he hath resigned the dominion and empire of his affairs not capable to govern them with any order For which the Antients compared such a man unto an uncultivated field over-run with weeds thorns bryars as such a one ordinarily is with sins and vices These passions and affections may often be hindred from riseing and breaking forth by a prudent foresight and prevention of the occasions of them for oftentimes when they seem to be mortified in us they lurk Secretly in the heart as fire under ashes which will break forth with
considering all things in this world said Horum bonorum unus est titulus salus hominis they all carry this Title upon them The Salvation of man When God had Created this sensible world with the Heavens Elements and all Creatures in it he put this Title upon them Salus hominis this was the end of their being to which they were ordered when he Created the Angels he placed this as a Frontisepiece upon them Salus hominis The Salvation of man this is the affair in which they are imployed as the Apostle Heb. 1. informes us Omnes administratores Spiritus All of them are administrating Spirits sent for those who are to receive the inheritance of Salvation They labour incessantly in this affair knowing it is the greatest work of God in which they can be imployed If God became Man if he Preached gave us examples of all Vertues instituted the Sacraments these and the like Marvels have this Inscription upon them Salus hominis having no other end but this If he dyed on the Cross it was for this design he suffered Death to give us Life It was from this consideration that Tertullian said Nihil tam dignum Deo quam salus hominis nothing so worthy or beseeming God as the Salvation of man and St. Thomas gives this Reason of it because the whole Universe with all the Orders Dispositions and Marvels in it do not so clearly and fully manifest his grandeurs as the Salvation of man for here he makes appear his Attributes and Perfections which are his Power Wisdome Love in a most eminent manner which caused the holy Doctor to affirm In rebus creatis nihil potest esse majus quam salus rationalis creaturae In all Created things there is not any greater than mans Salvation God could have Created Heavens more extended and more richly adorned than those which now rowl over our heads an Earth more fruitful than that which now supports us Angels more intelligent than those which now sing his Praises in Heaven but he could not do any thing more Great Noble and Divine than the Salvation of man this is it which after a soveraign manner manifests his Attributes and Perfections This consideration should cause us highly to esteem incessantly to endeavour our Salvation which concerns so much the glory of God which we are obliged to advance to our power And seeing that God on his part so really and seriously desires our Salvation and so highly esteems it that he Created and Ordered all things in this universe for it surely by our neglecting it we frustrate as much as in us lyes all his designes and dissolve and reduce to nothing the Creation of the world with all things in it for all things have their being and conservation for no other end but this what a stupendious ingratitude and contempt of God and his benefits are involved in this neglect who is so blind as not to discern it and therefore most inconsiderate and insensible to be guilty of such a crime The second Consideration and Motive The second is taken from our own proper Interests which is no less than our Salvation the loss of which renders us miserable for all Eternity We will begin this consideration with those remarkable words with which the Wise man concluded his Ecclesiastes Deum time fear God and observe his Commandements hoc est omnis homo for this is every man or as St. Jerome translates it This is the end of every mans Birth and Being from which St. Bernard draws this Consequence Ergo absque hoc nihil est homo then without this man is nothing Popes are not in the world to be Popes nor Kings to be Kings nor Wise men to be Learned and the like but all universally to be saved All the conditions and employments which possess the Spirits of men ought to give place to this and aime at it as their proper object and end without which they are in vain This our Blessed Saviour affirms in those words of St. Matthew cap. 16. quid prodest homini what will it advantage a man to gain the whole world and to suffer detriment in his Soul what will it profit a man to have all the pleasures of the voluptuous all the riches the world can afford him all the honours that men can confer upon him if he were absolute Monarck of the whole world if at last he loseth his Soul If he had all the knowledg of things natural and Divine all the beauty that the body is capable of such health for so long a time as he could desire all the advantages of the world which men so ardently thirst after all these in the judgment of Christ the Divine Wisdome of his Father will be unprofitable if he comes not only to lose but to suffer detriment in his Soul For this reason the Royal Prophet stiles his Soul his Darling or his One Erue a framea Deus animam meam de manu canis unicam meam Deliver my Soul from the power of the Sword and my One from the hand of the Dog He calls his Soul his One not only because as other men he had but one Soul but because it was most dear unto him he loved it and procured the conservation of it with all the care and diligence which one imploys to preserve things the rarity and worth of which renders them pretious and amiable This caused St. Chrysostome Hom. 12. de po to say God hath given us two Eyes two Ears two Hands two Feet that if any Misfortune deprive us of the use of one we may help our selves by the use of the other Animam vero unam dedit nobis but he hath given us but one Soul if we lose this we lose all irrevocably The Prophet David Psal 116. well considered this when he said Anima mea in manibus meis semper my Soul is always in my hands to hold it fast that I might not lose it but exercise it in good works defend it from all Enemies who would ruine it and always consider the condition of it according to that of St. Bernard Non facile obliviscimur We do not easily forget those things which we hold in our hands the care of our Souls should always thus be present to us That Holy Father thus continues his discourse about this subject If thou art so sollicitous as not to neglect small things so vigilant to preserve thy Corn thy Cattel thy Money thy Earthly possessions such inferiour and transitory things art thou not then foolish and unreasonable to neglect the Salvation of thy Soul which is thy true treasure This as St. Gregory speaks is to pervert Reason into extream Folly The excellence of true reason and judgment consists in discerning the price of things and esteeming them according to their worth and consequently to make more acccount incomparably of the Soul than of the Body of things Eternal than Temporal of the affair of his Salvation than
had been a Servant to a Tyrant and that not once but often is his life and in that manner that the Athenians sacrificed to Ceres which was with the most Religious Ceremonies which were used in the superstions of the Gentiles And therefore he said truly that natural reason is as weak and blind towards divine things as the eyes of a Batt or Owl are to behold the brightness of the clear Sun And do we not manifestly see the truth of this now amongst us by the diversity of Sects and Opinions in Religion every one following the dictamen of their natural reason and so run into many absurdities in this kind and are continually changeing their judgments without certainty in any thing And we see that natural reason is weak and defective even in things within its own Sphear as appears in the divers and contrary Opinions among Philosophers and Scholastick Divines and in the differences in the judgments of men in ordinary occurrences what a blind Guide then must this needs be in divine and sublimer things From this then we must necessarily conclude that the light of Faith is required to direct us without errour in these Affaires The Apostle affirms that Fedes est substantia rerum sperandarum That Faith is the ground of things we hope for in the next Life and the foundation of our Spiritual Edifice if that be wanting there can be no building if that be not sound all must fall to the ground And the Apostle further declares the necessity of this Accedentem ad deum oportet credere he that will come to God he must believe aright And captivate his understanding and reason to the obedience of Faith to which Reason must be a Handmaid not a Mistris And our Blessed Saviour tels us that he who doth not beleeve is condemned And this Faith can be but one so the Apostle affirms Una fides One Faith one Baptism one Lord of all Hence is that of St. Fulgentius lib. de fide c 38. omni enim homini c. to a man that holds not firmly the faith and unity of the Catholick Church neither his Baptism nor Alms nor Death for the name of Christ will profit him to Salvation And St. Athanatius informs us in his Creed that he who will be Saved above all things must hold the Catholick Faith entirely and inviolably From hence it necessarily follows that a man though our Politicians imagine the contrary cannot be Saved in any sort of Religion for all these cannot be the only true one necessarily required to Salvation I will conclude this discourse concerning a meer honest Life with the judgment of St. Augustine Serm. 13. de verb. Apost The Epicurian Philosophers saith he practised vertue for the conveniency of the Body useing moderation in their eating and drinking in their prosperities and adversities and in their whole conduct for the welfare of their body that it may in no manner suffer dammage The Stoick Philosophers being more Spiritual practised Vertue for the natural good of the Soul and Reason to which Vertue is conformable and agreeable in fine he blameth them both that their vertues were defective and as the first were Sensual in their moderation and temperance so the second were proud in their Vertue which they practised for it self and the good of reason to which they ordred it The first saith he lived according to the flesh the second according to the reason of the Soul but neither according to God So according to St. Augustine one is not to rest in the utility and honesty of vertue but he will that a Christian Soul should raise it self higher to practise Vertue for God to glorify him by it So that the body should not be the end nor also the rational Soul but only God to whom it must be ordered and referred He only being our soveraign good and so alone deserves to be desired and searched for himself and in that manner as he hath prescribed without which there can be no true Vertue acceptable to him and the light of Faith is necessary to direct us in this seeing humane reason cannot do it Therefore Christ sends us to his Church to receave from her his Doctrine and Instructions and commands us to obey her under the penalty of being rejected as Heathens and Publicans which he Incurs who makes his imagination his Oracle his proper sence his Doctor and himself the Church he followes CHAP. II. The true Life of a Christian which is that of Faith JUstus autem meus ex fide vivit my just one saith God by the Prophet shall live by faith There are too Sorts of just men one according to the world the other according to God the just according to the world are those who are so by Humane reason maxims of Estate or temporal Interest The just according to God are those who have Faith for the Principle of their actions and rule of their lives A just man according to the world doth not injury to any because the light of reason dictates to him what he would not have done to himself that he should not do to another one just according to God doth no injury to any out of a further motive which is because Jesus Christ commanded and practised it for our example A just man according to the world gives alms to an indigent person out of a natural compassion and tenderness of heart A just man according to God doth it because Jesus Christ saith What you shall do to one of these little ones you shall do to me because they are members of Christ Whosoever gives a cup of could water shall not lose his reward it is the promise of Christ but he doth not promise this reward if you give an alms to one because he is one of the same country condition or nature you are of but if you give it to him because he is a Christian a disciple of Christ because he required it of you you gave it in the name of Christ or because he is ordain'd as a companion to glorify God with you in heaven A good Servant according to the world serves his master faithfully because he expects a reward from him for it a good servant according to God doth it because St. Paul exhorts servants to obey theirs Masters as Jesus Christ and for conscience sake One just according to the world nourisheth and brings up his children because they are his A just parent according to God doth it because they are members of Christ creatures ordained for his glory The reason of this truth is evident The life of a true Christian is a Supernaturall life faith is more above reason then reason above sence and as one who lives as a man is not governed by his sence as beasts but by reason so he who will live as a true Christian must not follow the conduct of naturall reason only as men do but he must be directed in his life by faith and Evangelicall maxims
a violence upon occasions presented if there be not a strong and vigilant guard set over them for which reason St. Gregory Nazianzen ascribes the destruction of Saul to one spark of his former passions stirred and blowed up by occasions In this we should imitate a cunning Pylot who shuns a tempest when he sees he cannot easily resist it Again one may Suppress these passions by combating generously against them not once or twice but as often as these assault us for this reiteration of resistance will moderate and debilitate their violence and forces according to that advice of St Augustine that we must frustrate by this means their attempts that they may not presume any more to rise having so often assaulted us in vain One may mortify and moderate passions and affections by yeilding something to them and by making use of them against themselves which is done by giving them supernaturall and right objects This course our Blessed Saviour took St. Paul was of a cholerrick-hot humour but our Saviour Jesus converted it he turned this fire into a flame of Apostolical Zeal he did not Suppress this passion but changed its object so that by the same arms with which he persecuted his Name he preached his Gospel St. Mary Magdalen's passion was Love he did not destroy it but converted it presenting himself to be the object of it this is an easy cure an admirable triumph to use passions themselves for an instrument whereby to gain a conquest over them St. Augustine teacheth us this Art councelling us to overcome fear by fear the fear of the evills of the world by fear of offending God of incurring hell and losing Heaven St. Isidore affirms the same explicating those words of the Psalmist Irascimini et nolite peccare be angry but Sin not overcome saith he choller by choller it self give somthing to this passion but to the end to delude it turn thy choller against thy brother to a hatred against your self and your passion this was the advice of St. Basil saying Turn thy anger against the devil the destroyer of Souls but have mercy upon thy Brother offending thee Some hold that the greatest expedient to mortify these passions is to Chastice the body by fasting and rigorous austerities for which reason many of the Saints treated their bodies very rudely that by this means they being debilitated their Souls might be more vigorous in their functions and the flesh less rebellious refractory to the decrees of reason From hence proceed the austere Vows of religious crucifying our carnal affections thereby to chastise the insolencies of the sensuall appetite and to render the body a slave to the spirit However not to condemn corporall mortifications if used with discretion according to the Custom of all antiquity and not takeing Christ down from the Cross In my judgment the best and most efficatious means is not to tame the spirit by the body but to subject the body by the spirit for the flesh is not the only and principal criminal to be thus handled wherefore it is more expedient to mortify these passions by the Superiour part of reason and the spirit which considering what is profitable and what hurtful to its salvation from generous resolutions of pursuing the former and declining the latter and so sweetly draws the sensitive appetite after it and forceth it to desist from following its vitious inclinations For example a man reflecting upon the motions of the sensitive appetite and perceiving it engaged in the desire of things superfluous and troubled about them disapprooving such a conduct flyes to interiour repressions considering that we were created for paradice not inordinatly to desire and pursue temporalls but covet and seek eternalls and that it is to little purpose to disquiet ones self for the transitory affairs of this world but that rather we ought to possess our souls in peace and patience After such considerations and interiour repressions the soul with a great resolution frames desires of spiritualls and forceth it self to remain in peace and silence by which it attracts after it the sensitive appetite and rationally orders the passions of it at least as long as it remains in that condition O my Soul thou hast a difficulty to Suffer a disgrace thy passions spur thee forward to reveng consider with thy self that it is far more reasonable for a Christian to imitate the clemency of his Saviour and benignity of the same God By the like considerations according to the diversity of passions a man will become more vigilant over them and more powerfull to suppress and mortify them This methode is more sweet and humane more generall and easie for a good regimen of life and is also a moderate chastisement for the body I will conclude this first means with that of the Apostle Rom ch 8. If you live according to the flesh you shall dye but if by Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh you shall live CHAP. II. Of Interiour and Affective Prayer BY speaking here of Interiour and Mental Prayer I intend not to exclude Vocal if it be performed with the attention of the mind and the affection of the heart for if these be wanting to it I esteem it not worthy the name of Prayer The necessity of Prayer to sustain this spiritual life of ours appears by this That in Sacred Writ there is not any precept so often repeated nor so seriously recommended to us as this Non impediaris orare semper Eccles 18. 22. Be not hindred from Praying alwayes It is the Councel of the Wise Man no business howsoever profitable or necessary should hinder thee from the assiduity in this exercise The Prophet David in many places of his Psalms commends to us not any thing more than the study of Prayer and praising God our B. Saviour often and carefully puts us in mind of this Oporter semper orare Luc. 18. Ye ought alwayes to Pray there is a necessity of it not some time not often but you must alwayes Pray And again Vigilate semper orantes Luc. 21. Watch alwayes Praying He did not only teach us the necessity of Prayer by words but also by his own example he often ascended Mountains and retyred into desert places to be more vacant to Prayer and as St. Luke testifies he often spent whole nights in Prayer not for his own necessities but for our instruction St. Paul seriously commends and commands this 1 Thes 1. Be instant in Prayer pray without intermission And again 1 Tim. 2. Volo vos orare c. I will that you pray in every place But some may scruple here how this precept of alwayes praying can be observed and practised some expound it that we ought to be always employed in some good to the honour of God every good work as they say being a kind of Prayer But this cannot be the true sence of it because Christ maketh a difference between prayer and good works and maketh Alms Prayer