And not only acknowledge thine owne basenesse but use thy selfe accordingly 7. And stick to this amidst all praise or applause of others 8. And let not the memory of thy good deeds puff thee up with vanity 9. For thou wilt find the best of them very imperfect 10. And that thou hast no colour to glory in them but to accuse thy want of duty 11. Learn therefore Humility which is the foundation of all vertues and without which thou art lesse than nothing 12. It being the onely way to find praise and please God 13. To whom thou art bound for permitting thee to be scorned as also to them that doe it 14. Be ever wary of the Devill and of thine owne inclination 15. Of Rash-Judgement which springs from Self-esteem and Pride 1. The Devill strives to keep open our senses upon our neighbours actions but we must be as diligent to shun as he is to lay his plots First by denying to give any sentence 2. Secondly by looking homewards upon our selves where we shall find some root of the same fault we blame in them 3. If the fault be manifest put a charitable construction upon it If monstrous have recourse to Gods secret judgements and tremble at the proceedings of his Providence 4. And know that all Charity proceeds from Gods good spirit and all Bitternesse from the Devill 5. Of the means to shield our selves against the attempts of our enemies at the time of Death The way to be then conquerours is to fall upon our enemies before hand 1. And to make timely preparation by studying now the answers of the foure challenges our enemies wil then sendus 2. The first is against Faith and the remedy is to retreat from thine Understanding to thy Will 4. And to give no answer to thy enemies questions 5. But to fix thy thoughts upon Christ crucified 6. The second assault is of Despaire where thou art to observe this certaine rule c. And to have a perfect hope and humble confidence in God 7. And never to distrust his mercy and the merits of his Passion 8. The Third is of Vain-glory which is conquer'd by distrust of thy selfe and trust in God 9. The Fourth is by Fâ—lâ—â— Illusions against which have recourse to the confession of thine owne nothing and admit of no apparences though they seeme to come from heaven 10. After these generall temptations follow others in particular 11. Chap. XX. That we must never flatter our selves as having subdued our enemies But ofteâ— renew our exercises for perfection is very high and hard to be obtained 1. 2. Chap. XXI Of Holy Prayer The Fourth maine Weapon in this spirituall warfare 1. Which must have these properties First a Desire to serve God Secondly Perfect Faith Thirdly Conformity to Gods will because thine own will is subject to error but the divine will is infallibly right Fourthly A connexion with practice Fifthly Thanksgiving for received favours Sixthly A reflexion upon Gods goodnesse and promise and upon Christs Passion Seventhly Perseverance Prayer must also be strengthned with hope And though God seems to reject thy prayer yet persevere knocking and alwayes gratefully thanking him as well when he deny's as grants thy request Chap. XXII What Mentall Prayer is and what Contemplation Mentall Prayer includes alwaies either a virtuall petition of something 1. 2. 3. 4. Or an actuall asking of it by words expressed in the mind 5. 6. Chap. XXIII How to joyne Contemplation to this inward Prayer By taking some points of Christs death or passion 1. And applying his actions to the vertue thou demandest As for example to Patience 2. Marking how meekly he suffered and learning thereby to suffer patiently thy smaller adversities 3. And compelling thy will to take up thy Crosse quietly 4. Chap. XXIV Of another certaine manner of Prayer by way of praying and meditating together 1. Considering Christs merits and the content his heavenly Father took in his obedience 2. And presenting them both to God 3. Chap. XXV Of a way of praying by the Intercession of the B. Virgin 1. First fix thy mind upon th' eternall Father 2. Considering the content he had in him selfe concerning her from all eternity 3. And the wonders he wrought in her when she had a being 4. Secondly upon God the Sonne 5. Lastly upon the sacred Virgin 6. Chap. XXVI How to pray and meditate by meanes of the Holy Angels and heavenly Citizens First addresse thy selfe to the eternall Father 1. Next unto the glorious Angels and Saints themselves 2. Dividing them into quires according to the dayes of the week 4. But every day praying to the Blessed Virgin to thy particular Partron and to S. Joseph Chap. XXVII How to meditate upon Christs Passion and to enkindle holy affections 1. By reflexion upon his love and goodnesse 2. How to get constant hope 3. And a spirituall joy 4. As also affections of sorrow and compassion 5. And contrition for thy Sinnes 7. With a perfect hatred of them 8. And to admire Gods bounty by considering First Who sufers Secondly For whom Thirdly By whom Fourthly What Fifthly How Sixthly When and where 9. A further Declaration of the profit which may be drawne from the Meditation upon Christ's Passion and particularly of the imitation of His Vertues The first profit is a Confusion at the sight of our imperfections The second a desire and demand of pardon with a resolution of amendment The third a persecution of our passions The fourth an imitation of Christs Vertues Another way to Meditate on the Passion By considering First how Christs Soule carries it selfe towards the Heavenly Father Secondly how the Father to-towards Christs Soule Thirdly how the Soule towards it selfe and it's sacred body Fourthly how thy Saviour carries Himselfe towards thee Fifthly how thou shouldst cary thy selfe towards thy Saviour Christ Crucified is the best Booke to reade in and wherein to learne all vertues if thou makest fit application to thy particular practice Chap. XXVIII Of sensible Devotion and Spirituall Drynesse Devotion is best knowne by the effects it produceth 1. How to make profit of all spirituall sweetnesse in Devotion 2. Three causes of Spirituall Drynesse The Devill Our selves and God 3. Search out the true cause thereof 4. And keepe on thy accustomed practices of piety without seeking outward comforts 5. Nor pray to have comfort in thy Crosse 7. Because to suffer for God is the best Prayer and makes thee truly devout 8. And not the feeling of sensible Devotion 9. Wherein many are deceived 10. What thou art to do in time of distresse and dereliction 11. Chap. XXIX That the worthy frequenting of the most Blessed Sacrament is an efficacious meanes to conquer our Passions 1. Meditate the Day before thy Communion of thy Saviours desire c. to come to thee 2. Who affirmes that his delights are to be with us 3. And moove thy Soule to a reciprocall desire and affection towards him 5. Then provoke thy passions to battail
by the means of the most glorious and ever-blessed Virgin and Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ Wâ—ich thou mayst thus easily practise First fix thy mind and meditation upon God the Eternall Father then upon Jesus Christ his deare Son and our sweet Saviour and lastly upon Mary the First fix thy minde and meditation upth ' eternall Father ever-blessed Virgin-Mother 2. In thy meditation of the Eternall Father take these two points for thy subject and offer them up to his Divine Majesty First the great liking and content hee had in himselfe from all eternity concerning this perfect creature the Virgin before she had a being Secondly the wonders hee wrought in her and the content he took in her when she was borne into the World 3. And as for the first of these considerations Soare aloft and Considering the content he had in himselfe concerning her from all eternity exalt thy thoughts beyond all time and above each thing created penetrating the very eternity of the Deity and then consider what celebrity of joy and delight the Divine Majesty had within himselfe concerning this sacred Virgin and her high perfections And there finding thy Lord amidst these joyes and delights lay hold of the opportunity and addresse thy Petition unto him with full hope and confidence that for this his great joys sake hee will impart bountifully some Grace Strength and Courage unto thee whereby thou mayst be enabled to encounter and conquer thine enemies especially this vice which now chiefly tempts and troubles thee 4. Hence proceede to the consideration of those admirable vertues great gifts and singular graces conferr'd upon this most glorious Virgin And the wonders he wrought in her when shee had a being and sometimes present the whole bulke of them to the view of the eternall Father other-times choose out some particular perfection to lay open before him imploring and intreating for his owne boundlesse goodnesse sake and in respect of these vertues and merits of this his dearly beloved Spouse that hee will graciously heare and mercifully grant what thou so greatly needest 5. Then turne thy thoughts towards the Sonne of God our Lord Secondly upon God the Son Jesus and represent before him the sacred wombe of his Virgin-Mother which enclosed and carried him for nine moneths space as also the singular reverence wherewith shee received him from her wombe into her bosome when he first appeared in the World assisting him and acknowledging him true man and adoring him as eternall God as her own poore child and as her powerfull Creatour Put him further in minde of her eyes of compassion towards his poverty of her sacred Armes which so often embraced him her Kisses wherewith shee cherish'd him her Milk wherewith shee nourish'd him her labours suffered for him all his life time and her dolours at his Death by which and the like relations from the deare Mother thou shalt use as it were a certaine violence to her beloved Son to grant thy Petition 6. Lastly come to the sacred Virgin Lastly come to the sacred Virgin her selfe lay open before her her owne privileges prerogatives and perfections how shee onely amongst all Virgins and Women was especially elected by the eternall Power Prudence and Goodnesse of God to be a Mother of Gâ—ace and of pitty to be an assistant and advocate of all mankinde and that next to her dearly beloved Sons humanity wee can apply our selves to none but her for better supplies of our necessities or truer solace in our sorrowes or greater hopes of happinesse Tell her also of that true and tryed saying that no one did ever faithfully call upon her who received not a mercifull answer and present assistance by her holy Prayer and Patronage Lastly put before her eyes all her Sons sorrowes and sufferings upon Earth and beg of her for his sweet sake for his onely honour and for his glory that thou mayst impetrate by her pious intercession the effect of this thy Petition which that thou mightst obtaine he patiently underwent his so bitter Death and Passion CHAP. XXVI How to pray and meditate by means of the holy Angels and Heavenly Citizens 1. ANother powerfull meanes to obtaine thy Petition is by the Angels and blessed Saints in Heaven which is also practised two manner of ways First apply thy thoughts First addresse thy selfe to the eternall Father to the Eternall Father and present before him the Love Honour and Praise wherewith his Heavenly Court worshâ—ps and exalts him and withall lay open all the miseries labours and molestations which his Saints suffered and by his grace surmounted here upon Earth 2. The other way is by applying thy selfe to these glorious spirits as Next unto the glorious Angels and Saints themselves to them who not onely remember us amidst their joys but earnestly desire our perfection beg therefore their faithfull assistance in thy fight against vices and sometimes implore their ayd and assistance at the houre of thy Death against thy dreadfull enemies 3. Other times reflect upon those excellent gifts and graces wherewith their Lord God indued them exciting in thy soule a lively feeling of love and joy that they possesse these high perfections as much yea more than if they were thine owne since such was the good will and pleasure of the Divine Majesty 4. And that thou mayst more Dividing them into Quires according to the days of the weeke easily and orderly performe and practise this pious exercise divide the Quires of this blessed company according to the week-days in some such manner as followeth Upon Sunday meditate upon the nine Quires of Angels Upon Monday of the holy Apostles Upon Tuesday of the glorious Martyrs Upon Wednesday of the blessed Bishops Upon Thursday of the holy Doctors Upon Friday of the holy Confessours Upon Saturday of the sacred Virgins 5. But let no day passe without But every day praying to the B. Virgin To thy particular Patron some speciall devotion to the most glorious Virgin Mary to thy Proper-Angel and to that particular Saint and Patron to whom thou owest singular duty and Veneration EXPLICATION AMongst which I perswade thee to place S. Joseph the deare Spouse of the sacred Virgin who as experience and contemplative persons testify will assist thee by And to S. Joseph his holy Prayers in all thy temporall and spirituall necessities and particularly advance and direct thy Soul in its spirituall Exercises of Prayer and Contemplation And surely if our loving Lord so highly esteemes his other Saints because they yielded him his due honour and obedience upon earth how much more doth hee value this most humble and happy Saint and how prevalent are his prayers like to be with that Divine Sonne who honoured served and obey'd him upon Earth as his Father CHAP. XXVII How to meditate upon the holy Crosse and Christ our Saviour hanging thereon to excite and move our affections 1. I Have before shewed thee O my
THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIME IN HIS Spirituall CONFLICT And CONQVEST AT PARIS M.DC.LII APPROBATIO UTI finis Praecepti it a Consilii Charitas de corde puro Conscientia bona et Fide non ficta Ad quam cum facilitate assequendam securius retinendam compendiosam Regiam viam sternunt Documenta quae in hoc libro cujus Titulus est The Christian Pilgrim in his spirituall Conflict and Conquest continentur quia in illo nil Fidei Catholicae repugnans aut bonis moribus contradicens invenitur sed Doctrina pia sana solida ad quam legendam sequendam omnes qui repleri consolatione superabundare gaudio fervere spiritu crebro suspicere in Caelum puras manus in oratione levare suas solicite observare conscientias Sanctorum sequi Vestigia cupiunt sunt invitandi Datum Duaci Januarii 17. anno 1652. Stilo Novo Fra RUDESINDUS BARLO Sacrae Theologiae Doctor Professor in Collegio Vedastino Duaceno The same Approbation Englished THE End of the Counsell as well as of the Commandement is Charitie out of a pure Heart of a good Conscience of Faith unfeigned Which to obtain with facility and retain with security the Documents contained in this book intituled The Christian Pilgrim in his Spiritual Conflict and Conquest Shew a plain and compendious way For therein nothing is found dissonant to our Catholique Faith or repugnant to Piety but a holy sound and solid Doctrine To the perusall and practise whereof all they are invited who desire to be replenished with comfort to overflow with joy to be fervent in Spirit to aspire frequently towards Heaven to lift up pure hands in prayer to preserve their Conscâ—ences unspotted and to follow the steps of the holy Saints Given at Doway January the seventeenth 1652. Stilo novo Br RUDESIND BARLO Doctor and Professor of Divinity in the Vedastin College Doway 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devill as a roaring Lion walkes about seekâ—ng whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in Faith THE SPIRITVAL CONFLICT OR The ARRAIGNMENT of the Spirit of Selfe-love and Sensuality at the Barre of Truth and Reason First published in Spanish by the Reverend Father John Castaâ—iza a Benedictin Monk of ON A Afterwards put into the Latine Italian German French and now lastly into the English Tongue according to the Originall Copy With many profitable Additions and Explications The Second Edition Job 7. 1. Mans Life is a Warfare upon Earth AT PARIS M.DC.LII Ephesians 6. 10 11. MY brethren be strong in our Lord and in the power of his might Put on the Armour of God that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devill James 4. 7. Be subject to God resist the Devill and he will flee from you Matth. 26. 41. Mark 13. 38. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation 1. Cor. 16. 13. Stand fast in Faith quit you like men be strong c. Hee shall not be crowned who fights not valiantly 2. Tim. 2. 5. A Lively pourtraict of the Spirituall Conflict To the right Reverend Fathers Religious Dames and devout Brothers and Sisters of the holy Order of Saint BENNET THIS little book is presented unto You not because the Translator follows the epidemick custome which enforceth the complement of a Dedication or expects any return of temporal profit from you or stoops you to so low a Patronage as to become Gossipps to this adopted child which are the vulgar ends of almost all presents of this nature wherby the Receivers are rather engaged than gratified But meerly as an humble oblation of Filial duty and respect For he pretends not to cast in his mite or bring a gift to your spirituall treasury but only to pay a little parcell of his larger debt and to give you an account of some houres of his time which he acknowledgeth should be all employed in your service Besides he but restores unto you what was your own before by another and a nearer title of Confraternity and only new cloath's a Spanish Monk of St. Bennet's holy Order with your English habit a thing both usuall and hitherto very succesfull unto you hoping thereby to make him the better welcome and not doubting but he will speedily easily and efficaciously insinuate himself into your affections whose dayly practices have so great sympathy with his divine doctrine For what are or surely should be the continuall endeavours of a true Benedictin Monk and indeed of all devout Christians but to quell and conquer the world the flesh and the Devill according to the Principles of Truth to subdue sense to reason to make his very passions by taming them usefull and his affections by fixing them upon the right object instrumentall to the attaining of perfection and to study self-knowledg practice self-hatred and persevere in self deniall that God may be the sole possessor of his heart the only mover of his affections and the all ruler in his whole man having now no self-will left to hinder his holy operation And this is the only drift of this devout Treatise which may therefore fully serve you and all pious Pilgrims travelling to their heavenly home for a clear glass wherein you may see your own souls without flattery discover your spirituall blemishes without partiality learn the rare secret of rooting out vices implanting vertues improving all accidents to your best profit and trimming up your interiours to your highest advantage for the sweet entertainment of your beloved Spouse without overmuch pains or prolixity You are I say to look upon this small book as upon a Compendious summary of Christian perfection or as a little store-house well fraught with the Originall seeds and simples of all spirituality from whence other devout druggists cunning in compositions have since furnish'd their larger shops and extracted many ample and indeed some excellent volumes But because Art is long Life short and this life is lent us to learn the Art of living well what pity is it that our lives should be more spent in reading than profiting that men should take more delight in writing than instructing and that we must be forc'd to seek a few precepts in many sheets which may be plainly set down in a few pages Yet such is the strange itch of writers now a days that the number of books which are extant upon all subjects seems to exceed that of the readers whose arms may be as well tired in turning over the vast multitude of volumes as their brains confounded in studying them So that it were to be heartily wished that that grave * S. Thomas of Aquin who being asked which was the speediest and best way to become learned Answered To read only one Book Doctors advice were now revived and followed by spirituall persons which is That they would only or at least chiefly betake themselves to the serious perusall of some one good Authour for their Guide Governor and
of a sincere spirit of Devotion I have also made use of their pains for your profit and transferred hither by way of Explications whatsoever in that Edition seemed pertinent and conducing to the illustration of our Authour Yet still punctually observing the Text and division of his own originall Spanish and the Latin traduction of some learned Divines in the University of Doway where it was approved and reprinted in the year 1612. If you make your best advantage of these my labours your own souls will receive the true comfort and I the full reward I look for TO THE Devout Champions fighting in this Spirituall Warfare The Translator wisheth happy Victory the reward of eternal Felicity TO you dear Souls is this little work most fitly addressed who in this deplorable age when the deluge of all vices an universall inundation of wickedness covers the face of the Earth and to which that may be applied almost as properly as in the time of the generall flood All flesh hath corrupted his way having happily left the broad and beaten path of perdition and estranged your selves from the pernicious Contagion of the times imploy all your diligence and indeavours to preserve your souls pure and clean from all worldly filth and infection and whatsoever may displease the eyes of your Heavenly Spouse and take all possible paines that Gods sacred Image stamped upon you in Baptisme but defaced or at least much darkened through human frailty and infirmity may be again restored and imbellish'd within you An enterprise so high and heroique that no tongue of man can worthily praise or express it Take courage valiant Champions of Heaven and faint not in this holy pursute having Angels and Saints for your helpers and favourers and the Almighty himself stretching out his powerfull hand to conduct you with safety and security through all the throngs of difficulties and dangers and leading you as it were over the bellies of the Amorrheans Cananeans and all other uncircumcised and profane people into the true Land of promise the happy Land of Paradice replenish'd with Milk and Hony the blessed Land of heaven full-fraught with eternall and unexplicable solaces and sweetnesses You are also suited with such excellent armour of proof both offensive and defensive taken out of the rich store-house of sacred Scripture and the wholesom doctrin of the Catholique Church as will not only render you invincible against all opposition but make you glorious conquerors and triumphers over al your hellish adversaries It only remains that you seriously apply your selves to learn the use of these weapons to get the art and dexterity of fighting to your best advantage and to study well the manner of these spirituall skirmishes that so you may give home-blows both with point and edge and handsomly ward off those which are made at you by your enemies And then you may be confident of an assured victory And though this holy Science of Fencing is largely taught and plainly set forth by many spirituall and skilfull Masters both ancient and modern yet the whole doctrin therof is so briefly and familiarly comprised in this little Book that I know not of any other instruction which can be presented you in this kind more to your purpose and profit especially if you want leasure or conveniency to turn over many or greater volumes since you may here find the collected substance and as it were the marrow and cream of all the choycest precepts concerning the aforesaid necessary trade of training up your selves in the true and practicall knowledge of your spirituall weapons This ministred me the occasion to translate it that it might be accommodated to your benefit and to this I was urged and led on by the ardent desire of advancing your good to the utmost extent of that small power which the Divine goodness hath imparted unto me Receive it therefore gratefully and imbrace it willingly O most Dear Souls as an expert Tutor of arms and excellent School-master of the Spirituall Conflict by whose directions and documents you may fight undantedly and infallibly foil not only the Flesh and the World together which wage such cruell and continuall warre with you but also all the powers of darkness and malice of the Devil from whom neither peace nor truce can ever be expected waiting with patience perseverance for that happie hour in which it will please your loving Lord to give you a full deliverance to banish all war unto the utmost bounds of the earth to bruse the Bow break the Weapons burn the Buckler and withdraw your desirous souls from this place of tumults and alarms to the quiet residence of eternall peace and felicity To which his Divine goodnesâ— grant we may all at last joyfullâ— arrive THE SUBJECT OF THE SPIRITUALL CONFLICT THis Book correspondent to it's title is of warrs fights and combats not against the lawfull powers of this world but against the Eph. 6. 12. Against the rulers of the darkness of this world c. 2 Thes 2. 4 Shewing himself as if he were God c. Psal 11. 1. Truth is diminish'd amongst the children of men 2 Tim. 2. 5. No one shal be crowned who fights not 1 Thes 3. 3 We â—re appointed hereunto c. Job 7. 1. Man's life is a warfare 2 Tim. 2. 12. If we suffer we shall also reign usurped authority of the Prince of darkness who sits inthron'd as sole Monark of this inverted Universe in opposition to God and all goodness tyrannizing and trampling down all vertu piety and religion clipping Faith's sacred wings and blinding her with sin and sensuality destroying and driving out all justice and sincerity from amongst the sons of men and endeavouring to substitute double-harted fraud with all sort of prophaness impiety and infidelity in their stead The necessity of fighting against these monsters is a sufficient commendation of this our holy enterprise For we are put here expresly for this purpose All men are included in this Spiritual Warfare nor is there any exemption from combating where there is the least expectation of conquering or hope of being crowned How highly then doth it concern each Christian to learn so to combat that he may conquer if he attends ever to be crowned The Sum of this desired Conquest Ephes 4. 25. Depose all lying c. Coloss 3. 8 Depose all these wrath malice blasphemy c 1 Pet. 2. 1. Rom. 6. 12 13 14. Let not sin reign in your mortal body c. consists in deposing the devil and setting up God in our souls in subduing Sense to Reason's empire in bringing the Animal man under the feet of the Intellectual in raising up the Intellectual man to his proper Sphaer which is his Creator and in uniting the Spirit to it 's true object and Centre which is the Divinity The way to arrive at this high and happy Union is by continual and indefatigable tendencies of the soul to God in the track of sincere
wâ— is conquered and grievously wounded â— his enemies p. 10â— Chap. XVI That wee should keep oâ— hearts ever quiet and joyfull in our Lord p. 10â— Chap. XVII That pious purposes â—â— sometimes the deceits of the Devill â— hinder our progress in vertues p. 111 Chap. XVIII How the Devill endeavouâ— to draw us from the way of vertue p. 11â— Chap. XIX How our Enemy endeavours to make our vertues instrumentall to our ruine p. 144. Chap. XX. That we must never flatter our selves as having subdued our enemies but must often return to our wonted exercises as if we were yet Novices in this Spirituall Conflict p. 199 Chap. XXI Of Holy Prayer p. 200. Chap. XXII What inward or Mentall Prayer is and what Contemplation and the use thereof p. 208. Chap. XXIII How we may joyn Contemplation to this inward Prayer p. 211. Chap. XXIV Of another manner of Prayer by way of Meditation p. 214. Chap. XXV Of a way of Praying by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin p. 215. Chap. XXVI How to pray and meâ—â—tate by meanes of the boly Angels and heavenly Citizens p. 219 Chap. XXVII How to meditate upon the holy Crosse and Christ our Saviour banging thereon to excite and move our affections p. 222 Chap. XXVIII Of sensible devotion as also of spirituall drynesse and desolation p. 236 Chap. XXIX That the worthy frequenting of the most B. Sacrament is an esficacious means to conquer our passions p. 245 Chap. XXX How to excite in us affections of love by the sacred Communion p. 249 Chap. XXXI Of spirituall Communion p. 259 Chap. XXXII Of Thanks giving p. 262 Chap. XXXIIâ— Of the perfect oblation of our selves to our Lord God p. 263 Chap. XXXIV How to petition for Divine grace p. 270 Chap. XXXV Some short Observations concerning Meditation p. 273 Chap. XXXVI An exercise before the sacred Communion p. 278 Chap. XXXVII How we may devoutly offer up the sacrifice of the Mass p. 281 Chap. XXXVIII An exercise after the holy Communion p. 286 Chap. XXXIX A daily examination p. 289 Chap. XL. Being a Conclusion of the whole work p. 294. Lord we have fix'd our hopes on thee Then let us nere confounded be I Kings 15 18. Thou shalt fight against them vntill their vtter destruction With the four weapons of the Spirituall Combatant Diffidence of thy selfe Confidence in God Continuall Exercise and Devout Prayer THE Spirituall Conflict OR Of the Perfection of a Christian life CHAP. I. Wâ—erein Christian Perfection consists And of four things necessary to obtain it IF thou heartily and seriously The importance of this knowledg desirest ô dearly beloved in Christ to reach the sublimity of Christian perfection and to be truly united to thy Lord God by becomming 〈◊〉 spirit with him which is the most profitable employment and the most excellent and divine enterprize imaginable It highly imports thee to understand in the first place wherein this perfection of spirituall life consists 2. For some there are who for Some place perfection in austerity want of this necessary consideration imagine that this high perfection is placed in leading an austere life in the maceration of the flesh in the use of hair-cloth in much fasting watching and the like rigorous exercises and bodily afflictions 3. Others especially women judg Others in reciting many prayers of their progresse in spirituality by their daily recitall of many prayers their assisting at many Masses their frequent Confessions and Communions 4. And there are very many yeâ— Others in their exact observance even some of them Religious and cloyster'd persons who perswade themselves that perfection consists in frequenting the Quire in the exact observance of silence and solitude and in well-ordered discipline 5. Thus some by these pious practices All which are good means but not directly tending to perfection some by other externall exercises tend to this desired perfection but are all wide of the direct way leading unto it For though thesâ— outward and devout employmenâ— conduce very much towards the attaining it yet in them alone and their exactest observance it consists not Ti 's true that the discreet use of them is doubtlesly a forcible means to obtain the Grace of the holy Ghost to fortify us against our fleshes frailty to shield arm us against the deceits and assaults of our common and cruell enemy and finally to perform our practices of piety especially whilst we are new-champions and Novices in this spirituall conflict with more sweetnesse and alacrity Yea they produce plenty of fruits to them also who are well-experienced and skilfull combatants in this holy warfare who therefore afflict their body because it hath been instrumentall â— the offence of their Creatour â—herefore love silence and live in soâ—tude to shun all ocasion of sinne â—nd to attend their heavenly meâ—itations with more quiet and tranâ—uillity being untangled from the â—orlds impediments they are deâ—out and diligent performers of the â—ivine office they are fervent and requent in works of charity in prayer and holy Communion and all this for no other reason than God's honour and Glory and to unite themselves to him by the sacred bonds of sincere affection 6. Yet they who rest here and And they that rest in these lower exercises are in great danger place their end in these outward exercises do oft times endanger their own Salvation and this not by reason of the exercises themselves which are truly and naturally holy and warranted by the practice and example of many great and glorious Saints but for that they are so totally attentive to these lower exercises as they leave their inward man in its naturall affections and unrescuâ—d from the snares of the devill For the deceitfull fiend finding them gone astray in following their affections to those devotions gives them not only peace but also pleasure in the pursuance of them they seeme to tast they very sweets of Paradise yea to walk and talk with God and heare his divine whispers in their Souls such is their vain perswasion And are somtimes so absorpt in their curious and deep fancies of meditation that they conceit themselves even separated from the world sever'd from all creatures and rapt into the third heaven 7. But how dangerously all such As may appeare by the rest of their actions Souls are deceived and how wide they are strayed from the right way of perfection will easily appeare by the rest of their actions For they are commonly very singular curious censurers of their neighbours lives and conversations and prone to murmur at their proceedings And when themselves are advertised of their own errours or never so litle hindred from their accustomed exercises which they frequent chiefly for fashion's sake or barr'd from the ordinary use of the Sacraments you shall presently perceive them fall into passion unquietnesse and despair 8. And if it pleaseth God to the And especcially by their want of resignation in time of
thou thinkest which God forbid thou shouldest that thou hast done sufficient penance for thy petty-offences then reflâ—ct with thy selfe that none can enter the heavenly Kingdome but they must passe through the narrow gate of selfe-deniall and of patience in tribulation for thus Gods holy Sonne himselfe and all his blessed Saints ascended to their glory 7. Fourthly Nay put case thou And if there were another way yet thy duty to God binds thee to chuse this couldst find out some other way to get to heaven yet thou art obliged by the law of love and duty not to doe nor desire it For the Sonne of God chose the way of thorns and crosses by which he would enter into his glory and this for thy love and that thou shouldst imitate him who left thee this exact pattern of perfect patience 8. Lastly know for certain that As being most gratefull and pleasing to his Majesty amongst all the pious motives and meditations which thou makest use of in these or the like events and necessities for the comfort and confirmation of thy Will this seems to be one of the most efficacious To think what a joy and content it is to thy Lord God how he likes and loves thee when he beholds thee fight so stoutly for his sake For nothing surely can be more gratefull to thy Creatour than that thou kill and cut up by the root all depraved desires and plant true vertues in their places and this meerely for that thou well knowest it to be his holy Will and pleasure CHAP. IX That we must not shun the occasions of these combats ANd now my dearly beloved 1. The way to get true vertue is not to avoid but to seek the occasions of combat I adde to all these meanes hitherto mentioned for the acquisition of vertues this as a short and certain memoriall That thou neither feare nor fly the offered occasions of fighting against thy passions For if thou art desirous to have the habit of any vertue as of Patience for example thy way is not to shut thy selfe up from conversing with men or to shun those things whether words actions or cogitations which move thee to Impatience No thou As for example to get Patience shun not the company must not shun them I say but seeke them out desire them and love their company and conversation who are the causes of this thy disquiet And as often as thou shalt have occasion of intercourse with them prepare thy selfe and make ready thy Will to receive joyfully and endure patiently all tribulations and troubles which they can any way bring upon thee And this is thy onely way to accustome thy selfe to Patience 2. In like manner If thou art Or the imployment which is tedious to thee weary of any work which growes tedious and troublesome unto thee either for that the person who commands it displeaseth thee or because it is of it selfe offensive or that thou art thereby hindred from some other employment which thou wouldst more willingly embrace yet omit it not upon any termes but rather set sooner upon that work than any other be it never so painfull or displeasing And although the leaving it undone seems to settle and quiet thy mind yet still see thou desist not from doing it For thus thou shalt become more and more instructed in the way to get perfect Patience Nor is that supposed quiet at all solid because it springs not from a heart sincerely purified from all disorderly passion 3. And I teach the same lesson And the same rule is to be applied to troublesome thoughts concerning such thoughts as sometimes trouble and contristate thy mind To wit that thy aime be not utterly to expell them but kindly to entertaine them and treat them as gratefull guests because the trouble of their company inures thee to the patient suffering of all contrarieties And whosoever shall otherwise instruct thee ô my bâ—loved commands thee to fly that very thing in affliction which thou seekest to obtaine by fighting that is the vertue which thou desirest to gaine by conquering thine enemies 4. But yet a young and unexperienced Yet a young Scholar must be wary in waging this war Soldier in this spirituall conflict must warily enter the list to wage this warre with wicked thoughts and therefore I counsell him sometimes to oppose them othertimes to exchange them for others according as he perceives this or that way best profits him in the acquisition of vertues but never so But never desert the field to fly from them and totally leave them as to seeke to be quit of all trouble and irksomenesse which thence ariseth For though by this flight he cuts off the occasion of impatience yet he gets no strength or constancy of heart against the next rising motions thereof 5. Whence it followes that if the same Sergeants of Impatience doe at â—or then he will stil be unprovided another time seize on him he is soone terrified and quickly conquered because he was unprovided of armes convenient for the combate that is he had not fortified his mind with customes counsells thoughts and resolutions to keepe perfect patience in all events of Adversity This way is usefull against all imperfections carnality onely excepted And this way of warring is very profitable not onely against Impatience but all other Imperfections the carnall still excepted whereof shall be hereafter treated CHAP. X. Of the Fight against suddaine temptations and passions HE that is not yet accustomed to receive suddaine adversities and troubles with a calme countenance and quiet mind may thus enure himselfe thereto Let him first diligently consider them with his Vnderstanding then earnestly desire them with his Will and finally always expect them with a ready resolute and prepared Minde 2. The manner to ponder such First thou art to ponder them in thy understanding And foresee what is like to befall thee adversities by the Understanding is this Mark thine owne state calling and condition as also the place and persons where and with whom thou art like daily to converse thus thou maist easily foresee what may probably befall thee and how thou must carry thy selfe and fortifie thy mind against any suddain surprisall of thy passions And if some accident not foreseen chance to happen then besides this former strength already gained by that first resolution to bear all crosse events with an evennesse of mind thou maist thus farther help thy selfe 3. When thou perceivest that thou But if some other crosse happens not foreseene fly to the thoughts of Gods love and providence art sleighted scorned or any way injured presently enforce thy mind towards thy Lord and maker and weigh his immense bounty and infinite love to thee from which thought it will forthwith occurre to thy understanding that he is the chief cause of this thy trouble and tribulation and that he expresly permits it to befall thee that thou maist
this inflamed desire consider that thy Lord God by reason of his admirable excellencies of goodnesse majesty wisedome beauty and other infinite perfections is more than worthy to be served and honoured by thee and all creatures That to serve and succour thee this greatnesse hath condescended to compassionate thy weaknesse and to suffer for thee in his sacred humanity for thirty three yeares space during which time he cur'd and salv'd thy stinking sores which were gangren'd by the soule contagion of sinne not with medicinall oyle ordinary wine and common plaisters but with the most precious balsom of his owne sacred bloud and with unguents confected of his purest flesh torn from his body by scourges thorns and nails Weigh also the importance of this his service since thou art thereby inabled to master thy selfe to conquer thine enemies and to become the child of God Secondly That thou be possest Text. Secondly perfect Faith with a true and constant Faith whereby thou beleevest that thy loving Lord will give thee all things necessary for his service and thy salvatioâ— EXPLICATION THis holy Confidence is the vessell which the divine goodnesse fills with the treasures of his graces and the greater it is the richer and more laden will thy prayer return into thine owne bosome For how can our unchangeable Lord faile to make us partakers of his good gifts and graces when as himself hath commanded us to ask them and promised his holy Spirit to them who petition him for it with Faith and perseverance Thirdly that thou hast no other Text. Thirdly Conformity to God's will end in frequenting holy prayer than the accomplishing of Gods will and not thine owne and this as well in asking as in obtaining That is Let nothing move thee to pray but only that God will have thee prâ—y neither doe thou desire to be heard for any other reason than that thou hopest it is his pleasure briefly Let thy intention and the whole purpose of thy prayer be this That thy will may be conformable to Gods will and strive not at all to bend his will or draw it unto thine EXPLICATION ANd this thou art to do so much Because thy owne will is subject to error the rather because thy will being infected with selfe-love is subject to errour and forgetfulnesse of it selfe and so knows not what it asks but the divine will is ever accompanied with unspeakable goodnesse and so can never faile but is the rule but the divine will is infallibly right and queen-regent of all other wills deserving to be followed and obey'd by them all Thou art therefore alwayes to petition for those things which are conforme to Gods hoâ—y will and when thou suspectest whether some desire of thine be truly such to make thy demand conditionall and not to wish it but onely so far forth as thy Lord God is well pleased thou shalt obtain it In things also which are known to be certainly agreeable to his divine Majesty such as are vertues and graces thou art to pray for them rather that thou maist by their meanes better please satisfy and serve him than for any other end or consideration whatsoever though never so spirituall Fourthly That thy prayer and Text. Fourthly A connexion with the former exercises the other before-described spirituall exercises be so joyned together as that thou undertake not the one without the practise of the other For pray thou never so long and never so much to obtaine any vertue unlesse thou also labour and exercise thy self in the way to get it thou onely temptest God but obtainest not thy desire EXPLICATION FIftly remember that before thou Fifthly Thanksgiving for received favours demandest new favours thou art to render humble thanks for them thou hast formerly received by these or the like expressions O my good and gracious Lord God who hast made me redeemed me and rescued me from mine enemies oftner than I my selfe know or can conceive succour me now also and deny not to grant this my present petition though I have beene hitherto rebellious to thy will and ungratefull to thy goodnesse And if thy demand be for some particular vertue whereof thou now standest in great need by reason of some temptation trouble or contradiction which urgeth thee forget not to thank him for that occasion of thy triall and exercise which through his gracious assistance may redound so much to thy spirituall good Sixthly since Prayer hath it's Sixthly a reflexion upon Gods goodnesse and promise and Christs passion whole force power and hope of obtaining from Gods goodnesse and mercy from Christs merits and passion and from the divine promise therefore thou maist fitly usher in thy demands by some of these following sayings O my God graunt unto thy servant I beseech thee this grace for thy supreme goodnesse sake that thy most dear Sonnes merits may impetrate for me the graunt of my petition Remember ô my Lord thine owne loving promise and incline thine eares to hear my prayer At other times thou maist ask by the merits of the most glorious Virgin and suffrages of the Saints which are powerfull to prevaile in thy pious demands Seventhly Thou art to pray with Seventhly Perseverance perseverance For if the continued importunity of the Evangelicall widdow inflected the hard-hearted Judge to give her what she asked how shall perseverant petitions be rejected by him who is mercy and goodnesse it selfe Therefore after thy prayer Text. Prayer must also be strengthned with Hope strengthen thy soule with a live by Hope in God that through his infinite love he will bestow on thee the now demanded grace or gift or something that is better for thee or both together And although he so long delayes his answer that thou maist doubt he denyes what thou askest yet remaine constantly in this hope and never slacken therefore either thy prayer or thy practise or thy confidence And though God seemeth to reject thy prayer yet persevere knocking 3. Yea though it may seeme to thee that God rejecteth thee and thy prayer Yet doe thou still humble thy selfe more and more before him encreasing thy Faith and comforting thy self with hope in thy Saviour For the more fervently and frequently thou interposest this constant hope in God even in such violent repulses and as it were manifest reprobations of thy prayer the more thou becommest pleasing and gratefull unto him 4. And therefore thou art alwaies And alwayes thanking him as wel when he grants as when he denies to return him gratefull thanks whom thou acknowledgest no lesse good wise and loving in thy behalfe when he seemes to cast out thy petition than when he grants it Keep then an ever-constant couragious and joyfull mind in all events whether good or bad and humbly submit thy selfe to the infallible wisdome and all-ordering providence of thy Lord God CHAP. XXII What inward or mental prayer is and what Contemplation and the use thereof
perfectly perceive the abyss of my own nothing and naughtiness and rightly conceive the immensity of thy greatness and goodness whereby I may depress my self unfeignedly and exalt thee only in my soul Let me be content to be contemned by all creatures desire to be despised be willing to be troden on as dirt and dust and the very outcast of the whole world O let me really hate all honour and humbly pronounce with mouth and mind I am nothing have nothing deserve nothing desire nothing but only to please thee perfectly my Jesu praise thee perpetually love thee purely and live with thee eternally 3. Grant me also good Iesu by the merits of these thy wounds the vertue of perfect obedience O let me never tire in trampling down self-will in forsaking my own sense in subduing self-judgement in submitting my spirit inwardly to thy inspirations and outwardly not only to my Superiours injunctions but even to the commands of all thy creatures O let me have no propriety affection or affectation in my own proceedings but wholly mind thy holy pleasure in all things Let me lay down all my desires at thy sacred Feet O my Iesu saying Lord what wilt thou have me do so transforming my will into thine by an absolute forsaking denying and annihilating my whole self Let me receive O my Saviour as from thy secret providence and permission not only patiently but thankfully all pain all poverty all shame all sickness and all sufferings whatsoever acknowledging that I truly deserve worse and desiring willingly to endure more that so I may have a more perfect resemblance of thee my crucified Lord. Let me learn O my Lord by thy blessed example the holy lesson of discreet silence not only from ill and idle talk but even from all needless and unprofitable discourses Let me rather edifie by the purity of my life and conversation than by multiplicity of words and conceptions O give me sweet Iesu a free and frequent access to thy sacred Feet during the whole course of my life and a sure comfort in them at the hour of my death 4. From thy blessed Feet O my dear Lord I raise my humble devotion to thy al-holy Hands and beg leave to cast into the sweet fountain issuing from thy powerful right Paulm my manifold sins of malice and injustice with all my faults of hypocrisie and ingratitude falshood and infidelity rancor and revenge Renew O Lord God a right spirit within my bowels Let exact justice be the square of all my actions truth the touchstone of my words and sincerity the subject of my thoughts Let me be punctual in performing my duty to thee zealous in punishing my self and charitable in compassionating my neighbour Let me ever yield first unto thy sacred Majesty all honour and glory reverence and respect laud and love gratiâ—ude and obedience with my whole heart soul and strength next to my Superiors equals and inferiours and lastly to my own body soul and senses that which is my duty and each one of their respective dues O let me fully perform what I am bound to carefully eschew what is forbidden me and uprightly walk according to my calling O let me never presume to slight scorn suspect judge or condemn any person but sincerely serve succour and seek the temporal and spiritual good of all men whatsoever even of my profess'd and most peevish enemies Lord Iesu give me grace to imitate thy vertues to be gratefull for thy gifts and to make use of thy goodness in order to my souls advancement in the way of thy dear love and desired union with thy divine Majesty 5. And in the Sacred wound of thy left-hand I humbly intomb all my offences of Neglâ—gence tepidity sluggishness cowardise and pusillanimity all my covetous desires all impurity and all intemperance Purge me O my powerfull Lord purifie me O my merciful Savior Give strength comfort and courage to my feeble and frail nature that I may pass undauntedly through all difficulties and dangers to come to thee my Iesu to lay hold on thee and to repose in thee the only Centre of my desires Grant me O my Lord chastity of body and cleaness of heart temperance in my appetites and sobriety in my senses gravity in my deportment and moderation in all my proceedings that nothing may dislike thee in my soul nor dissolve the sacred knot wherwith thou hast fasten'd me unto thee Give me also O Iesu my Lord perfect poverty of spirit O permit not my soul intended to enjoy thee the only solid and satiating riches to be intangled with the least affection to the poor and perishable trifles of this world Behold I cast my self uncloathed from all creatures into thy naked embraces O crucified Saviour I desire to clip nothing in my folded arms but a breast burning with desires to please thee my Creatour and a heart melting away in thy love I make choice of thy bare Cross O Christ for my best inheritance I stretch out my opened folds to meet thy holy and heavenly huggings O let me never more be unclasped from thy blessed bosom Be thou O my great-little-naked-Iesu my rest during the short time of my life and my refuge at the dreadful hour of my death 6. And now O mercifull Saviour I humbly convert my eyes and contemplation to thy sacred Head crowned with thorns and thy divine Face all besmeared with gore and spittle for my sake Here I implore strength O Jesu for the weaknesses of my head and pardon for the wickednesses of my five wits and senses O my Lord I desire to bury in these thy innumerous wounds the enormous number of my iniquities and I beseech thee for these thy sufferings sake to adorn my weak capacity with so much solid wisdom as may fitly suit with my condition O let me never think speak or act any thing which is not seasoned with the salt of discretion Let me seriously weigh each circumstance and patiently wait thy leave and leasure before I leap into any work Inlighten me to see clearly thy will and pleasure and impower me exactly to fulfil and follow it Open the eyes of my Understanding to behold my own baseness and wickedness and give me thy gracious assistance to reform it Help me to form a right judgement of the real vileness and vanity of all transitory things and indue my heart with courage to contemn them Inebriate my affection ô amiable Iesu with the sweetness of thy love and let all worldly solaces savour of bitterness to my soul Let me be deaf blind and dumb to all things which are not thy self ô my crucified Saviour Let me prudently discern and piously perform each parcel of my duty in it's due circumstance of time place order measure and manner Let that holy and innocent simplicity which is the vertue of thy Saints shine in all my actions Let me not be curious to know much but careful to practise much and cordial to love thee much O
our selves 18. If on the contrary Our nature is so facil and flexible that we scarcely find difficulty in any thing We wonder to hear mention of rebellions contradictions desolations c. From all which we are secure and quiet And therefore we fear our actions proceed rather from a natural promptitude than solid vertue 19. If we so addict our selves to Recollection that we look upon works of Obedience and the external practices of our duty as impediments to Perfection 20. If we find such a calm in our passions imperfections and temptations that we hope the worst is past 21. If scrupulosity overwhelms us 1. We must obey our Spiritual Directour 2. We must do our best endeavour But here arise two difficulties 1. If our Directours knowledge be small his experience less c. 2. If we cannot satisfy our selves that we have done our best c. 22. If we fear we detest not sin sufficiently because we feel not so great sorrow for the offence of God as we do somtimes for a temporall loss 23. If we cannot ground our selves in a firm hope of mercy for that we are so frail and inconstant we sin dayly and amend not our lives we repay unto God evil for good we promise fidelity and practise nothing less 24. If we go not on with alacrity because we know not that our sins are forgiven that our Confessions are good and that we are in the state of grace 25. Though we cannot in this life assure our selves infallibly to be in good state yet if we could comfort our selves with most probable tokens of grace whereby we might feel the pulses of our hearts and somwhat ease our anguish 26. If we are troubled because we know not well when we give consent to sinfull thoughts 27. If we cannot well distinguish between Venial and Mortal sin 28. If these sayings of Divines terrifie us They sin who do against their doubt And In doubtfull things the securer part is to be followed 29. If finally we are apprehensive and fearfull lest we should grow weary in the way of vertu and not persevere constantly in our Spiritual Exercises Maxims of Mystical Divinity The first Maxim That our end is perfection and Divine Vnion and That Prayer is the way to it IT is not sufficient for us who are resolv'd upon a spiritual course to lead an ordinary good life which consists in the avoiding of sin and scandal and in the punctual performance of our external duty to God and our neighbour But our end and aym must be to attain the perfection of Gods holy love and a happy Vnion of our souls with their first beginning by living in abstraction recollection and perpetuall Contemplation as far forth as Gods holy Spirit shall enable us and our frailty can correspond The chief means to attain this our end is Prayer without which all Religion is but a shadow without a body or a body without a soul and all outward observances will prove but a superficial not a real devotion For it is the constant doctrine of Divines that what God S. Augustine S. Basil S. Chrysostom S. Thomas 2 2. q. 83. a. 2. in his eternal disposition hath determined to bestow upon us he gives us in time by the intervention of Prayer tying as it were to this instrument the conversion of sinners the advancement of souls the perfection of Saints c. So that as his divine decree is that we must till the earth if we will reap the fruits thereof and provide mateâ—â—als if we will raise up buildings and the like so his absolute order is that we must pray if we will have spiritual benefits to be powred into our souls and supernatural gifts and graces to be granted unto us Let us therefore in the first place resolve to prosecute Prayer couragiously constantly and perseverantly at set times if we intend to make speedy progress in sincere vertue and lay a sure groundwork of solid spirituality and let nothing upon any pretext whatsoever hinder or divert us from it as far as obedience and discretion will give us leave Lord heal my wounds supply my wants satisfie my wishes The second Maxim That Beginuers may profitably make use of this following exercise of mental Prayer and Introversion until they obtain greater light and more experience in the way of the Spirit THis divine Exercise consists of three parts in general and Nine points in particular 1. Preparation of 3. acts 1. An affective lively apprehensioÌ„ of Gods presence 2. A cordial and profound act of humility 3. A pure intention to please and praise God only 2. Consideration of 1. My wounds both internal and external 2. My wants which are many in every degree 3. My wishes and humble desires 3. Conclusion also of 3. acts 1. Contrition for my sins 2. Resignation in my wants 3. Complacence in God and Confidence in his goodness A more ample and practical description of this Exercise The first part is Preparation of three Acts. 1. A lively apprehension of Gods Presence not only in all places and all creatures by his power and essence but in our souls by his mercy love care and providence O my Soul Where are we 1. Part. 1 Preseâ—ce of God who seeth us What is he that is with us and within us by whose light we see by whose fire we burn and by whose love we live Live my most glorious and gracious Lord in whose presence I kneel in whose arms I rest and after whose love I breathe O that thou wert as dear to my soul as thou art near it Alas why doth she not care as much for her God as he doth for her good Why do I not love thy presence ô my amiable Lord since thou art present by love Thou art my Father my Physician and my food hear me heal me help me I am wounded I am wicked I am wretched Out of thee there is no rest without thee there is no hope remain with me reign within me Let me be thine all thine ever thine 2. Profound and cordial humility acknowledging unfeignedly before God and his Angels our wickedness weakness and wretchedness what we are and what we deserve and so resting quiet in our Centre of nothing O my Soul What have we 2 Profound humility been What are we What have we what can we do What do we deserve What do we desire What hath our loving Father and liberal Lord that he hath not given us What have we proud and prodigal children that we have not received meerly from his mercifull hand and heart What have we received that we have not abused by self-love or self-delight O sweet Jesu Give tears to my eyes words to my tongue sighs to my heart and love to my spirit for I need them all to deplore my misery and implore thy mercy to admire thy beauty and adore thy bounty to sigh after thee and suffer for thee What I have been it grieves me to
17. 31 in our own forces and trust in Gods help God protects them that hope in him and the generall reason of the Scripture why God helps his servants is because thâ—y hope and trust in him so that his honour becomes interessed if we rely upon his succour whereas if we trust to our own forces we have little to do with God and challenging much to our selves quickly fall into blindness of heart unless God bring us to the acknowledgement of our own nothing by some strong affliction and make us cry out with Job There is no help for me in my self The third Remedy is Prayer The 3. Remedy Mat. 26. 41 Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation Let us turn our hearts to converse with God which is better than to reflect upon our temptations and troubles Let us be so attentive to him that we have neither leave nor leasure to give ear to devilish suggestions but transcend them by a generous resolution rather to dy than admit any thing contrary to our Lords love and pleasure The fourth Remedy is To observe The 4. the root groundwork and occasion of the temptation and to pull it up cut it off and destroy it The fifth Remedy is to cure one contrary by another If we be The 5. tempted to Pride let Humâ—lity be our aym let us never cease from speaking writing reading meditating praying and practising it till we get an habitual loathing of pride The sixth Remedy is to Resist at 6. Resist at the beginning the beginning when it is yet weak Let us kill the Cockatrice in the shell lest being hatched it poyson us let us be wise and not save a penny to pay a pound nay to lose all we are worth eternally The seventh Remedy is to reveal 7. Reveal it it to him who is incharged with our souls this diminisheth our grief lessens our trouble is an act of humility meriting grace and comfort and confounding our enemy who cannot brook to have his deceits discovered The 8. Remedy is to avoid Idleness 8. Avoid Idleness This was the rule of the Egyptian Monks Let the Devil always find us well employed and we shall easily avoid his temptations He that is idle hath ten Devils to impugn him he that is well busied hath but one Let us therefore distribute certain exercises for all times that we may be sure to avoid this mother of all sin and mischief and the greatest bane of our souls Idleness The 9. Doubt If we want Comfort in long and dangerous temptations and troubles LEt us consider what Experience and Scriptures teach us That the life of man is a continuall Job 7. warfare That wars and commotions James 4. are within us from our concupiscences and originall corruption That there is a law in our Members Rom. 7. rebelling against the law of our minds That when we are resolv'd Eccles 12 to give our selves to Gods service we must prepare our hearts for temptation The great Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 8. and vessell of election was sore tempted and shall we poor worms and sensuall creatures wonder to feel contradiction and combats in our nature Let us not deceive our selves thinking to find present quiet as soon as wee convert our selves to God by prayer for then chiefly the Devill will storm the Flesh rebell the World murmure when they most fear to lose their possession And if it were not so what need Colos 3. 5 such continuall Mortification Why did our heavenly Master Luc. 11. 4. teach us to pray that we might not be led into Temptation Christ himself was tempted and Mat. 4. 1. why should we be dismayed Are we less pleasing to God for that wee are tempted and not rather more acceptable for suffering for his sake Thou errest brother says St. St. Hierom ad Heliod Jerome if thou thinkest a Christian can be ever free from persecution thou art then most dangerously impugned when thou knowest not that thou art impugned For all 2 Tim. 3. 12. they who will live devoutly shall suffer persecution whereas others who live sensually may seem to feel no rebellion because having nothing of Gods Spirit in them their enemies find nothing to war against Let us not then be troubled that we are tryed with Temptations for it is a most assured sign that we fight not under the Devils banner but are revolted against him who persecutes not his Friends but his Enemies c. The 10. Doubt If we wonder that God will have us suffer Temptation sithence our frailty is subject to yield and so offend his divine Majesty HE hath good Reason 1. Lest we should become careless in our duties Therefore he tels us I Isay 54. have for saken thee for a moment but I will return and recall thee and be mindfull of thee in my eternall pitty What is a moment in respect of Eternity wherein hee means to overflow us with delights Ne viator tendens ad patriam amet stabulum pro domo sua S. Aug. 2. Tim. 2. 12. Pro. 17. 3. Revel 2. 17. in his own kingdom c. 2. Lest we should take this place of banishment for our Country this Pilgrimage for our Paradise c. 3. To purge us for our past follies sins and ingratitudes to satisfy for future Purgatory and to prepare and perfect us for a Crown of glory 4. To make us truly wise truly humble truly vertuous 5. To Isay 28. 19. keep us in exercise for many would otherwise neglect prayer slight obedience and shun mortification whereas now they stand carefully upon their guards 6. To teach us how to help our neighbours by our own trials whereas he that hath Ecclus 43. never been tempted what knows he either for himself or others The 11. Doubt If we are solicited by our enemy to Unchastness 1. KNow that God hath calld us Read and put in practice the 11. chap. of the Spir. Con. to serve him with purity and integrity of body and soul this is the end of our Vocation Let us look how we walk worthy of it lest that terrible sentence of the holy Ghost be pronounced against us He â—ath done wickedly in the land Isay 26. 10. of Saints he shall not see Gods glory which none can see but clean eys 2. Let us comfort our selves in Wisdom 8. 21. this That as it is not sinfull but naturall to feel rebellious motions So it is not only possible but easy Philip. 4. 6 I can doe all things in God my comforter to overcome them not in our selves but in God the gracious giver of strength and comfort 3. Let us have an ardent desire to live chast and make firm and frequent resolutions so to continue what ever it costs us How many thousand chast spouses of God made of the same mould that wee are keep perpetual integrity c. 4. Let us seek diligently and practise