his life shall be saued Wâ—erfore the same cause that mooued me to beginne ought also to mooue me to continue that the merit and crowne of my good resolution be not cut off by any want of perseuerance Let not the cries of mine enemies moue me let me with S. Paul say the world is crucified to me and I to the world and with Dauid it is good for me to cleaue vnto God Finally let me imitat the exaÌ„ple of Christ that perseuered oÌ„ the cross vnto death for my sake though ofteÌ„ called vpon to come downe Fiftly I must consider that in what state soeuer of grace or merit of damnation I begin the next life I must shall vndoubtedly perseuere in it according to the word of Salomon whersoeuer the tree faleth there shall it be towards south or north that is towards heauen or hell for both the paine of this continueth for euer and the ioy of the other after it is once begunne for it may bee deferred for a time by the paines of purgatory is also euerlasting If therefore I will perseuer in heauen let me perseuer in the way that leadeth vnto it and neuer forsake the painefulnes of it till the iourneis end The passions of this life are not condigne or compatable to the fuâ—uâ—e glory and it is extreame folly for auoiding a short and transitory paine to hazard the losse of euerlasting ioy and put my selfe in perill of peâ—petuall bondage in farre more extreame and endlâ—s torment The sinners perseuer still in wickednes and seruice of the Diuâ—ll The wordlinges perseuer in pursuing vanities following the world yea and that with most seruile toile and base drudgery and not without many bodily and ghostly harmes how much more ought a true seruant of God perseuer in his seruice and not seeme by forsaking him in the way to condemne him for a worse master then the world or the Diuel whom many thousandes serue to the end to their owne damnation Let me remember that the first Angell for want of perseuerance became a Diuell Adam for want of the same was thrust out of paradise and Iudas of an Apostle became a prey of hell Finally there be many thousands in hell fire burning that began very good courses and for a time went forward in the same and yet in the end for want of perseuerance were damned for euer What good a soule looseth by mortall sinne 1. The grace of the holy Ghost 2. The friendship and familiaritie with God 3. Al moral vertues infused and of Gods spirit 4. The inheritance of the kingdome of heauen 5. The portion of Gods children and patronage of his fatherly prouideÌ„ce which he hath ouer the iust 6. The peace quietnes of a good and cleare conscience 7. Many comfortes and visitations of the holy Ghost 8. The fruite and merit of our former life during the state of sinne 9. The merit and satisfaction of our present actions albeit in the mean time they dispose to Gods grace and satisfie the precepts of God and the Church 10. A great portion of the communion of Saintes and of the participation of the good workes and praiers of the whole Church And finally of the fruit and part of the merite of Christs passion What misery the soul gaineth by mortall sinne 1. Condemnation to eternall paine 2. To be quite cancelled out of the booke of life 3. To become of the child of God the thrall of the Diuell 4. To be chaunged from the Temple of the holie ghost into a denne of theeueâ—â— a nest of vipers a sincke of corruption How a soule is prepared to iustification by degrees Faith setteth before our eyes God as a iuste Iudge Angry with the bad Mercâ—full to the repeÌ„taÌ„t Of this faith by the gift of Gods spirit aâ—iseth a feare by coÌ„sideration of Gods iustice of our owne sinnes This feare is comforted by hope grounded in Gods mercy and the merites of Christ. Of this hope aâ—iseth loue and charitie vnto Christ. For louing vs without desert Redâ—ming vs with so many torments Of this loue followes sorrowe for offending Christ of whom we haue bin so mercifully Created Redeemed Sanctified Called to his faith Of this sorrow ariseth a firme purpose to auoyde all sin which God aboue all thinges detesteth The diuil aboue al thinges desireth Aboue all thinges hurteth the soule Of deuotion to Saints and how our conuersation may be in heauen as Saint Paul saith it should FIrst after a special deuotion towardes our B. Lady whom aboue all pure creatures we ought continually to affect and reuerence we must procure to haue a kind of reuerent familiarity with our good Angel whoÌ„ we ought to make reckning of as a most vndiuided and peculiar friend who is vnto vs as a nurse vnto a childe a shepheard vnto a wandering lambe a guide of our waieâ— a gardian of our persons a counsellor in doubts a comforter in troubles a patron in our needes and an assured friend in all our afflictions We must therefore loue him as our friend honour him as our superiour thanke him for his censureâ— finally vse him as one to whom we may boldly both impart our comfortes and vtter our desolations When wee sleepe he waâ— cheâ—h ouer vs when we wake he attendâ—th on vs wheresoeuer we be he gardeth vs whithersoeuer we goe he assâ—â—teth vs and whatsoeuer we doe he hath still an eye to succour vs. We must therfore often coÌ„mend our selues and our busines vnto him often aske his aduise with our inward eare often harken what he saieth within vs. We must account him as an ordinary and assured friend euâ—rmore readie at our call to affoord his present helpe and to beare vs company in all necessities Because our nature is delighted and holpe with varity we may euery day in the weeke vse the patronage of diuers Saints according to the order of our Letanies On Sunday the blessed Trinitie our Lady and the nine quires of Angells especially the three Archangells there named Michael Gabriel and Raphael On monday S. Iohn Baptist with all the Patriarches and Prophets On Tuesday S. Peter with the rest of the Apostles Euangelistes and Disciples of Christ and all the holy Innocents On Wednesday S. Steuen with all the holy Martirs On Thursday S. Siluester with aâ—l the holy Bishops Confessors and Doctors On Friday S. Benedict with all the holie Priestes Leuites Monks Eremites Religious men On Saturday S. Mary Magdalen with all the holy Virgins and Widowes Wee must euery day in the morning so soone as we awake commend our body soule affaires to God and our patrâ—nes of that day In euery principal action wee must commend our selues to some one of them desiring their helpes and asistaÌ„ce Wee must ofâ—en in the day thinke what guestes wee haue bidden that day into our soule and seeke to make it a sitte receipt for so honorable a company We must seeke to imitate that vertue which in these Saints
must bestowe those daies in reading good bookes hearing sermons and such like godly exercises not lightly running ouer theÌ„ thinking it enough to haue read or heard good things but pawsing vpoÌ„ such thinges as moue my affectioÌ„ and pâ—inting them wel in my mind and memory Because I am like to be troubled with coÌ„pany more those daies theÌ„ others I must endeuour to recompence in this sort First by often lifting vp my hart to God in talke Secondly by striuing against occasions of euill speech and by not yeldinge to speake of other folkes faultes Thirdly in seekinge when occasioÌ„ serueth to helpe those I talke with by mine example or wordes And finally to make my talke agreeable to the rules of conuersation On principall Feastes it is conuenient to prepare my selfe before hand for them to liue a day or two before as it were in expectation of them desiring the presence and solemnity of that day wherein God doth most aboundantly bestowe his graces that hauing heretofore bene slacke in his seruice I may that day beginne of newe to take hart and courage to amend my life by the helpe and prayers of that Saint or by the meritte and benefitte of that action of Christ the holy day shall be For Confession and Receiuinge EVery sonday and high feast and all the festiual daies of Christ our Lady the Apostles and such other principall holy daies I must prepare my selfe the day before to receiue On Saterdaie at night or on the eue if occasion serue I must go to confession and withall diligence the neerer the time commeth of receauing the more wary must I be of my behauiour I must go to confession twice in a weeke Wednesday and Saterday at night when there commeth not a great holy day or some other day When I want meanes to goe to confession I must notwithstanding at my vsuall times prepare my selfe and to almighty God make euen in wordes the same confession that I would to my ghostly father for though it bee not a Sactament without absolution of a true Preâ—st yet is it a godly thing good to keep me in vre and my conscience in awe Euery yeare twice once about Christmas if I may vpon Newyeers day or Epiphany and another time about S. Mary Magdalens day I must make a generall confession of the halfe yeare last past so from time to time taking those two times especiallie to renewe my selfe to remember Gods goodnesse towardes me and to beginne with newe feruor more earnestly to serue him as my duety and his benefits require I must also compare one time with an other and see whether I goe forward or backwards in Gods seruice and endeuour euery halfe yeare to gaine some ground of my selfe and to amend some one imperfection When I make my generall confession if I haue one certaine ghostly father I must yeild vp an account of my conscience concerning thâ—se points following First how I find my selfe affected in Gods serâ—â—ce and whether I finde a conâ—entment and delight therein or rather a tediousnes and dulnes Secondlie what praiers I vse to saie and howe much time I spende therein and what taste or trouble I feele in the same Thirdly what temptations and passions I am most troubled withal what meanes I doe vse to resist them Fourthlie what imperfections I am most prone vnto what vertu I cheifly labour to attaine and which I haue most facility to practise Fiftly what mortification I doe vse to break mine own will and what other chaâ—â—isement to mortify my body Sixtly what desire I finde in my self to amend my former faultes and to begin a better course Seauenthly how I find my selfe for my resignation of mind to Gods will and for suffering and losse punishment sicknes or disgrace that he should lay vpon me Lastly how my health is aggreable to my exercises and whether I find not my body or mind ouercharged with too much praier penance or such other actions of deuotion These thinges are conuenient to be vttered that the pastour knowing the estate disease force or weakenes of his sheepe may be the abler discreetly to direct it Euery weeeke IN the beginning of the weeke I must foreâ—see what holy daies there are in the same that I may the better prepare my selfe for theÌ„ Also in the beginning of the weeke I must thinke whether I haue any extraordinary business temporall or spirituall to doe that hauing a foresight of it I may remember it and prouide the better for it When I reade my rules I may omitte the reading of other bookes vnlesse leisure serue me to doe both I must twice a weeke at the least go see into the offices of the house and suruey the houshold booke but if I haue the gouernemeÌ„t of it wholy in mine owne handes I must doe it oftener hauinge regarde that wasâ—e lauishing be auoided frugality vsed and behauing my selfe in the demeaning of temporal thinges rather as a stewarde or bailife of an others goods then an owner of mine own seing that in truth I must at my dyâ—â—g day be liable to God how I haue spent euery farthing I must â—uery weeke read some part of this rule of good life so deuiding it that at the moneths ende I may haue read alâ— seeking to print these spirituall directions in my mind and endeuouring to put them in daily practise Of Rules in sickenesse THE SEAVENTH Chapter IF my sicknesse be great I neede not vse any vocall praiers at all more then in the morning to commend my selfe to God with a 〈◊〉 and Aue and Creede or if I cannot well say so much now and then I must call vpon God with short praiers as Lord Iesus saue me Lorde strengthen me Lord grant me patience and such like In sicknesse when I can beare it it will be good sometimes to haue a part of some good booke read vnto me but yet not much for feare of hurting my health As in health I ought to be obedient to my superiours by diligent obseruation of my rules to shew my duety towardes God so in my sickenes I must be contented to be ruled by the phisitions and such as haue caâ—e of me in thinges belonging to my bodily health must perswade my selfe that in that time one chiefe rule I haue to obserue is to be patient and tractable which in such case counteruaileth the merite of all my vsuall exercises I must also assure my selfe that I doe God good seruice when I doe any necessarie thing and take any conuenient recreation that may further my health I must take heede of being testy or froward which sicknes for the most part doth cause thinking that how much paine soeuer I suffer Christ suffered far more for my sake and farre more had I suffered long since in Hell if God had dealte with me as I diserued So soone as I fall sicke I must procure that I be confessed and if my sicknes continue long I
most shined who are patâ—ones of that day As in our blessed Lady the Angels obedience and chaâ—itie In the Paâ—riarchs and Prophets tempeâ—ance hope and holinesse In the Apostles Euangelists zeale of soules and of the honour of God In the Martyres patience and constancie In the Bishops Doctours watchfulnesse ouer our charge and zeale of Gods truth and sobrietie In the religious Fathers penance contempt of the world discretion and austeritie In the Virgâ—ns and widowes the subduing of our appetites purity of heart and chastitie An other exercise of deuotion to Saints IF I will keepe my minde continually attentiue in goodnes and goe in continual awe of offending I may take this course I must in euery roome of the house where I dwell imagin in some decent place therof a throne or chaire of estate dedâ—cate the same and the whole â—oome to some Saint that whensoeuer I enter into it I enter as it were into a chappell or church that is deuoted â—o such a Saint and thereâ—oâ—e in minde doe that reuereÌ„ce that is due to them And thus hauing in euery roome setled seuerall Sainâ—es and in minde consecraâ—ed the same vnto them and decked it with such furniture as is fitte for such an inhabitant the same house will bee to me in a maner a Paradise and the consideration of the Saincts presence will be a continuall bridle to restraine me from â—rreueâ—ent demeanor vnfitte for such a behoulder as there I â—aue placed to be a witnessâ— and aider of mine actions But to helpe my memory and to auâ—id confusion First it is good to appoint in euery roome some certaine and deâ—erminac place where I meane to conceyue the Saintes presence Secondly to choose some ceâ—taine determinat â—aint and when I haue once deâ—oted the place to one Saint not to chaunge but still to keepe the same for easier habituating my memorie Thirdly in those roomes wherein I am most conuersant I may place two three or moâ—e as the roome will minister coÌ„nueniency to frame their places for the better conceiuing and remembring of them Fourthly I must place such Saints in the roome as are fittest to be patterns exaÌ„ples vnto me in that action for which that roome principally seâ—ueth As in the dining chaÌ„ber or paâ—lour saints of spare and regular diet of sober and vertuous conuersaâ—ion In the bâ—d chamber Saints giuen to short sleepe and watchfulnesse In the Chappell Sainteâ— giuen to much prayer and deuotion and so in other roomes Fiftly I may in steede of Saintes place some misterie of Christs life or passion as the last supper in the dining chamber and such like Sixtly not only in the house but also in the wallkes gardens and orchards about the house may I doe the same and so make my walkes as it were short pilgrimages to visit such Saints as are patrones of the place I goe vnto SeueÌ„thly it is not good to place Saints in al the roomes in one day but first to consider well in euery roome the fittest place for that purpose and then to begin one day with one or two the the next day with two more that they may bee the easher imâ—rinted in my memory Eightly it is good in some roomes to place austere mournefull and rigorous Saints conceiuing them in attire sutable to their austeâ—itie and dolefull profession while they were aliue that when I find my selfe too lauish in mirth or too much inclined to pleasure the coÌ„pany presence of that austere example may temper my disposition And likewise in steede of these Saintes I may place some lamentable history of the olde or new Testament or some representatioÌ„ of death hell or iudgement Likewise in other roomes to place some glorious faire comfortable Saintes histories or figures with all sutable to ioy that may serue me in time of my heauines to alay my sorrowes and the like in feare hope presumption despaire and such other passions but especially in those which I finde my selfe most inclined vnto Ninthly I must take heede that I make not this exercise a toile but rather a spirituall recreation and therfore I must not be too eager to doe all things on a suddaine but get the habit and custome of it by litle litle for so wil it proue an exercise of wonderful profit easines and contentment An other exercise to take occasion of Gods creatures to serue and remember God and to attaine vertue FIrst concerning persons I may allote to euery man woman of the house where I liue a Saint so that euery one of the company shall with his presence bring me in memory of his Saint and whatsoeuer I doe with any of them I shall alwaies carry a respect to his Saint and be affraid to offend Secondly euery one shall represent vnto me some vertue or some vice so that wheÌ„ I see them I may in one remember and practise humility in an other patience modesty obedience and such like or on the other side remember and take heed of swearing anger and such like faultes and be sory that euer I offended in them Thirdly I may take occasion of other creatures to remember Gods mercies as by monâ— the selling of Christ by meate his last supper by waâ—er the water of his eies and side and washing of his Disciples feete by drinking his eâ—sell and gall by wood his Crosse and thornes by stone his graue and so in all other pointes of Christs life and passion and in all other thinges the consideration wherof may mooue me to goodnesse as by fire to remeÌ„ber hel by ashes death by light that discouereth things that darcknes did hide the finall iudgement and day of generall descouery and by the beauty of the elements by the pleasure comfort of other creature heauen This exercise must not be ordinary vnles it be the first point but now then vsed to recollect the mind after long distraction Certaine Iaculatory praiers GRatious Lord sweet Sauiour giue me a pure inteÌ„â—ion a cleane hart and a regard to thy glory in all mine actions Iesu possesse my mind with thy presence and rauish it with thy loue that my delight may be to be imbraced in the armes of thy protectioÌ„ Iesu be thou â—igâ—t vnto mine eies musicke to mine eares sweetnesse to my tast contentment to my heart Iesu I giue thee my bodie my soule my substance my same my friends my liberty and life dispose of me and all that is mine as shal be most to thy glory Iesu I am not mine but thine claime me as thy right keepe me as thy charge loue me as thy childe Iesu fight for me when I am assaulted heale me when I am wounded reuiue me when I am spiritually killed receiue me when I fly let me neuer be quite coÌ„fouÌ„ded Iesu giue me patience in trouble humility in comfort constancy in temptations victory against my ghostliâ— enemies Iesu giue me modesty in countenance grauity in my