necessary things and that he is firmly resolv'd to break off with Vice C. P. 52. How a Sinner by his frequent relapse into Sin may reasonably fear he never was really contrite for his Sins C. p. 56. That a Sinner must fix his hope in God of whose mercy he can't despair without a mortal offence C. p. 57. The nature and necessary conditions of a true and perfect contrition p. 60. The fatal consequences of Venial Sins and how by degrees they bring a Man to commit Mortals C p. 65. The greatness of Gods Love for Man is a most pressing motive to a sorrowful contrition M. p 67. The means which God was pleas'd to take in order to redeem Mankind is another pressing motive to a sorrowful contrition M. p. 71. What Christ has suffer'd from his Cradle to the Cross was only for the love of Man M. p. 74. His Death and Passion should breed in our hearts a mortal hatred and abhorrence of Sin M. p. 78. Several other Considerations upon the same subject able to move even a Heart of Steel to love God above all Creatures M. p. 82. The benefits of our Justification lays a weighty obligation on us to love God with all our hearts p. 88. Several other deep considerations of the same benefit Mp. 91. The manifold disasters and miseries occasion'd by Sin and how we are happily deliver'd from 'em all by the benefit of our Justification M. p. 95. The manifold and wonderful advantages of a Justifi'd Soul M. p. 99. The benefit of our Justification exceeds that of our Creation and Redemption M. p. 103. The certainty of Death and th'uncertainty of the hour of Death with the several and dreadful circumstances thereof is a most pressing motive to detest Sin M. p. 106. The particular Judgment which is given of the Soul at her departing the Body M. p. 114. How dreadful will the sight of her Judge be to her and what anguishes she shall suffer at her Trial M. p. 120. Of the most strict account which will be taken of the Soul in this particular Judgment M. p. 126. How remote is the Judgment of God from that of Man and of the severity of his Chastisements even in this Life by which we may easily conceive th'unspeakable rigour of his punishments in th' other M. p. 133. Of the Torments which the Damn'd suffer in Hell M. p. 140. Of the Glory of Heaven in what it consists of its great estimate and what we ought to suffer for the everlasting purchase thereof M. p. 148. Of th'everlasting happiness of the Saints in Heaven and of their glorious Prerogatives M. p. 162. The little value that Christians set upon Vertue and how their dissolutions surpass the debauchery even of the worst of Heathens M. p. 173. The Godly feelings and Heroick exploits of Heathen Philosophers will certainly confound the Christians in the Day of Judgment M. p. 188. Of Hell and of th'unspeakable and various Torments which the Damn'd shall suffer there for an Eternity M. p. 201 Of the severity of Gods Justice the rage and malice of the Devils and the horrid confusion of the Damn'd occasion'd by the full Knowledge of their Vanities main Folly and wilful neglect of their Salvation M. p. 217. The wonderful Austerities of Gods Servants as well in the Old as in the New Testament in order to avoid the Torments of Hell will be a main confusion to such Christians as live deliciously in this World M. p. 226. If men be so outragiously cruel one to th' other how excessive cruel must the Devil be to the Damn'd in Hell being a professed enemy to all mankind even from the Creation M. p. 234. An habitual Sinner that puts off his Conversion to the hour of Death in expectation of a good Peccavi lies under a moral impossibility to be sav'd M. p. 248. The Love of God should replenish our hearts to that degree to leave no place for any terrene or carnal affection M. p. 266. An ample description of th'ingratitude inconstancy treachery cruelty and vanity of the World with several presidents relating thereunto M. p. 278. The Lust of the Flesh with its fatal attendance and branches are most abominable in themselves most odious to God and the most destructive enemies of our Souls M. p. 293. Th' only thing that the Nobility should value themselves upon is Vertue how vain is the Wisdom of the World Of Corporal Beauty and Rich Apparel and how th' one as well as th' other has been the ruine of many Millions of Souls M. p. 310. That the State of Poverty is far more advantageous to the Soul than that of Riches though it may not be so pleasant to the mind which is never content M. p. 327. The Charming expressions of Christ and the several employments he takes upon himself in order to save our Souls are able to withdraw all our scatter'd affections from the World and settle them upon him alone M. p. 346. That the World is both a Cheat and a Lyar for his Promises ars false his Honours are vain his Pleasures are Poyson and his Treasures are Soul-Killing Thorns M. p. 368. That they who after all Gods sweet Inspirations loving Invitations and gracious Admonitions do not love him reciprocally shall be in danger of eternal Destruction M. p. 384. A Check to Man p. 391. A Check to the Christian Man p. 395. A Check to the Religious Man p. 402. A Wholesom Advice to Mankind in general p 410. Errata P. 10. L. ult R. remit P. 26. M N. R. hac P. 249. L. 4. R. double P. 254. M. N. R. transiit messis P. 255. M. N. R. quo P. 259. L. 12. R. axiom P. 265. L. 27. R. Prophet P. 271. L. 13. R. no more P. 315. M. N. R. putredini p. 329. L. 26. R. not P. 336. L. 8. R. the. P. 344. L. 27. R. be P. 352. L. 18. R. so P. 368. L. 22. R. doorkeeper P. 371. L. 6. R. martial P. 374. L. 17. R. Micheas P. 376. L. 21. R. were P. 384. L. 6. R. as A Dialogical Discourse betwixt the Saviour and Man wherein all Souls desirous of the Love of God are copiously suppli'd with means powerfull to attain it and to gain the happy accomplishment of their Salvation MAN SPeak O Lord for thy Servant hears thee 1. Reg. 3. grant me a right Understanding to know thy ways and lead my will to walk therein let the sacred Dew of thy divine Inspirations flow down from thy heavenly Throne into my obdurate Heart Psal 118. that I may more easily observe thy Commands and steer my course directly without any Remora towards the Region of everlasting Bliss Loquere tâ— nobis audiemus non loquatur nobis Dominus ne â—orte moriamur Exod. 20. for which thou didst Create my Soul Heretofore the Children of Israel would have Moises only speak to them not thou O Lord fearing thy words might strike such a terrour to their Hearts
blessed Kingdom No that must not be I have sufficiently suffer'd to come to the enjoyments of a crown of glory and thou shalt enjoy it upon no other terms Thou must labour for it and if thou dost but begin the work my grace shall help thee to bring it to its full accomplishment Let not the frailty of thy nature overballance thy courage Angelus Domini Exercitium est Mal. 2.7 let not the difficulty which thou art to encounter oblige thee to a shameful retreat for I shall be present with thee in all thy conflicts to cast dust in thine enemies face Constitui te Deum Pharaonis Exod. 7. Ego dixi Dij estis Psal 48. and to put them all to a shameful rout Remember that thou art not only an Angel but even a God upon Earth for thou hast heard me say by my Prophet of a Priest of the Levitical Law that he was the Angel of the Lord of Hosts and thou art satisfied that I did appoint Moises to be the God of Pharaoh Who can deny but that Holy Men are Gods upon Earth seeing that I have said it by one of my Prophets the perfections of man therefore may and ought to be proportionably suitable to so great a dignity and why shouldst thou think it strange that I should expect thee to lead an Angelical life on Earth and to raise thy self by contemplation and spiritual dilection above thy self Homo cum in honore effet non intellexit Comparatus est in mentis infipientibus similis factus est illis Ps 48. Si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus ipsi nos seducimus Isa 1.8 wouldst thou have the words of my Prophet to be verified in thee Man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish 'T is certain that thou mayst with the assistance of my grace make so great a Progress in virtue as to be equal with the very Angels even in thy Pilgrimage and to enjoy a more excellent crown of Glory then some of them in heaven In answer to thy Second objection that it is impossible for man to live in the world without sin 't is true that thou hast Scripture for what thou sayst For my beloved Disciple avers that if mortals will say that they have no sin they deceive themselves and that the truth is not in them In multis offendimus omnes Jac. 3. Quid est homo ut immaculatus fit ut justus appareat natus demuliere Job 15. Non est homo super terrum qui faciat bonum non peccat Eccl. 7. Justus septies cadit de die Prov. 24. the same James my beloved Apostle and worthy Brother confirms In many things says he we all offend and Job that perfect model of patience and worthy object of all mens imitation sets this question what is man that he should be clean and he which is born of a Woman that he should be righteous But thou must understand that Sin is properly call'd a transgression either of the divine or of the natural or of the positive law A man by Gods grace may and ought to be free from this because it is a mortal sin which he is commanded and bound to avoid for as much as it doth give a deadly wound to his Soul 'T is not like to a venial Sin for the Wise will tell thee that there is not a just man upon Earth that does good and sinneth not no for a just man falleth seven times a day and riseth up again As for the instableness of mans heart thou mayst be very well satisfied with my Apostles answer for I must allow him to be a better Judge in that case then thou art having had a far greater triall of the world and more experience in the hearts of men then thou canst pretend to For he was first a grand Persecutor of my Church and after a Vessel of Election to bring my name and preach my Doctrine over all the World If thou wilt ask him what it was that wrought that great alteration in him he will tell thee Stabiles immobiles estote abundantes in opere Domini semper 1 Cor. 15. by the grace of God I am what I am and his Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain wherefore my beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The wise Solomon is much of the same opinion Justus ejus fundamentum aeternum Prov. 10. for he says that the Righteous is an everlasting foundation take notice how my Servants all agree in their Doctrine they all have it from the same spirit Therefore I tell thee that whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him unto a Wise man which built his house upon a Rock The rain descended the Flouds came the windes blew and beat upon that House and it fell not for it was founded upon a Rock hence thou mayst conclude that the mind of man which of her own nature or rather by her own evil custome is mighty instable and turns every way like a Wind-mill will with the help of my grace be easily made stedfast fortified by the constant practice of virtue Optimum est gratia stabilire Cor. Hebr. 13. and by frequent Acts of Charity become as unmovable as a Rock therefore my Apostle says it 's a good thing that the heart be establish'd with Grace Experience will give it further Evidence Thou knowest that the more fervent love is the more it settles the Lover in the Beloved moreover Custom being as it were a second nature there is nothing so difficult but may be overcome and made pleasant and easy by continual practice even so thy mind if it be once adorn'd with divine and spiritual exercises it will not only with ease but fervently also and with very great satisfaction adhere firmly to me with more assurance comfort then ever the rich Glutton did delight in his unlawfull pleasure and treasures Thou hast as many and as authentick Witnesses of this truth as have been Saints and perfect men in the world MAN O Most gracious Saviour Quid est homo quod memores ejus aut filius hominis quoniam visitas eum Ps 8. the Eternal wisdom of God! I return thee my hearty thanks for all thy favours and for this wholesome instruction which thou wert pleas'd to give me O Lord what is man that thou art so mindful of him or what service dost thou expect from the Son of man that thou dost vouchsafe to visit him so often with the sweetness of thy frequent consolations what has he deserved that thou shouldst be so free to impart thy grace unto him Nay if thou shouldst deny him that great favour and even abandon him to his unruly passions he would have no cause to complain of thee for his Sins have
leads to it this is a necessary consequence of that grief hatred of sin for if thou be'st heartily sorry for the evil committed and dost truly detest it thou wilt also have a will to avoid it if not 't is most evident that thou hast neither sorrow nor aversion This contrition to be perfect and effectual must have four conditions it must be interiour Supernatural universal and Sovereign It must be interiour I mean from the heart for the outward expression of grief is at best but a complement and a meer illusion whereby many poor Souls are basely deceiv'd and utterly ruin'd Deut. 4. The heart must be sensibly touch'd with compunction it must be an act of the will thou must convert thy self to God with all thy heart and seek for him with the sorrow and tribulation of thy Soul See how I reprehended the Pennance of the Jews Scindite cordis vestra non vestimenta vestra ait Dominus Joel 2. they made great exteriour signs even to rent their cloths but they were not at all mov'd in their hearts and therefore I told them by my Prophet that they should convert themselves to me with all their hearts in tears and lamentations and that they should tear their hearts and not their garments Both Scripture and Reason does manifest this truth that this sorrow for thy Sins must be lodg'd in thy heart and as thy will was the principal cause of thy Sin so it must be the chief actor in thy sorrow Thy heart must renounce the evil which it has willfully committed and detest the sin which it had formerly affected Thy Grief must issue from a supernatural motive and the reason of it is that an action purely natural cannot be a condign satisfaction to me for thy mortal transgression of my positive commandment thou mayst see by the sorrow of Saul who did not grieve for his sin but for the loss of his Kingdom which God had resolv'd to take from him to give it to a more faithful and obedient servant Antiochus's sorrow was grounded upon the like motive for he did not weep for his sins but by reason of his great misfortunes Afflictions may indeed stir up a Sinner to return to God but they shall never be able to reclaim him from his wickedness without my Grace To obtain which he must detest his sins because they are infinitely offensive to God and a great obstacle to his own Salvation these are supernatural motives without which thy contrition will signify nothing in order to receive the grace of God Thy grief must be also sovereign that is most powerful And the reason for it is that it 's not enough to detest Sin upon a supernatural motive but that this motive must overrule all other that come into thy minde and rather detest sin by reason of the damage it brings to thy Salvation or the injury done to God thereby then for any natural evils which it may produce and be ready to suffer them all rather then commit one mortal Sin This is what Divines call detesting Sin Supra omne detestabile that is to detest it more then all which in the world is capable to stir up thy hatred and detestation In fine Ezech. 18. thy grief must be universal as to all mortal sins without excepting any 't is therefore I order'd my Prophet to tell my People that they must do Pennance for all the Sins which they had committed and if the Sinner shall do Pennance for all his Sins he shall live The reason of it is that mortal Sins cannot be remitted but totally not one without the rest for if thou shouldst reserve an affection for one mortal Sin tho' thou shouldst have an abhorrence against all the rest thou art still an enemy to God and a worthy object of his highest displeasure By this thou mayst perceive how grossly they are mistaken who pretend to be perfectly contrite and yet refuse to pardon injuries to be reconcil'd to their Enemies to restore unlawful goods to avoid the immediate occasions of Sin In a word all those that have any wilful tye to any particular sin shall have the same measure from my hands as Antiochus had for their Pennance as well as his is but imaginary MAN O My most mercifull Lord have pitty upon me and let my poor Soul partake of the wonderful effects of thy great clemency I acknowledge now the great evil which I have done now I see the grievousness of my Sins now I see how few have that true and perfect contrition which is so necessary to Salvation seeing they relapse into their habitual offences so soon and so easily for had they that great sorrow for their Sins they would be certainly more vigilant to avoid them then to prevent the greatest of all misfortunes They would be also more eager to set a stop to the dangerous currant of venial Sins since they are the preludes of a vicious habit and that by degrees they bring us to make nothing of mortals for they do notably diminish the lights of our understanding the sincerity of our minde is overclouded by them our heart over-rul'd the strength of grace and the vigour of virtue made weaker our Soul disorder'd and laid open to all evil impressions 'T is true they don't destroy sanctifying grace but they dispose us very much to lose it All together they don't make a mortal sin but they dispose the Soul to fall into it They don't directly cause death but they create those spiritual weaknesses maladies which bring death with them In a word tho' venial Sins don't break the league and unity betwixt God and the Soul which is grounded upon that happy foundation of grace yet inperceptably they diminish it and by this diminution Charity is weaken'd in us and God by degrees withdraws from us the chief favours of his assistance in all our spiritual necessities consequently having less strength we fall more easily into mortal Sin when we are assaulted by any temptation By this I may easily conclude that whoever is careless to avoid venial sins has not a sufficient abhorrence of mortals for there is nothing so venial but may be through an immoderate complacency dissolution or recreation become of the number of mortals and perhaps of the most capital Sins How then is it possible for those that continue whole hours nay from morning till night in Taverns and Tipling-houses Ranting Drinking Vae qui cogitatis inutile Mich. 2. Vae vobis qui ridetis quia flebitis Dancing and other such like dissolutions to be excus'd from mortal Sins since that God threatens with a woe even those who think of unprofitable things He does the same to those that place all their consolation and felicity in Riches As also to those that in any thing belonging to nature take pleasure to excess Ah! Vae vobis divitibus qui habetis consolationem vestram Et vae vobis qui saturati estis Luk. 6
a reasonable man should make so unreasonable and silly a choice Thy incumbent duty and indispensable obligation was to adhere unto me all thy life and to place all thy happiness in me who am and ought to be thy first and last end but thou instead thereof hast scatter'd thy affections amongst vain frail and transitory things and to compleat thy misfortune thou hast plung'd thy self into many several and most abominable Idolatries I gave thee express orders to deal with thy Neighbour as thou wouldst thy self be dealt with and to do him no more injury then to thy self yet thou hast done the contrary a thousand times and hast been refractory to that as well as to all the rest of my commands And alas 't is too common a distemper with all mortals for they deceive one another in weight measure rule signs words and tokens I have commanded thee to practise those famous precepts of the Decalogue which are binding as well by the Law of Nature as by the very dictates of natural reason and thou hast transgress'd them all without the least Scruple or remorse of conscience so that thou hast corrupted thy Soul in all thy ways and hast made thy self abominable by thy manyfold iniquitys by thy hatred by thy thieving by thy high-way robbing thy extortion and oppression of the poor thou mak'st nothing of murdering thy Neighbours depriving them as well of their worldly substance as of their reputation and good name Adultery and even Sins against nature are no more with thee then venial Sins so that being by thy Creation the best and the most noble of all animals thou hast made thy self a Beast and more vile then the worst of Brutes by submitting thy self wholly to the most unruly passions of thy Sensualitys lustful desires In fine all Creatures cry out against thee for revenge of so many and such great injuries which thou hast done to thy Creator A Check to the Christian MAN ANd thou O Christian Man hast more dishonour'd me then even the very Pagans and Infidels I told the Jews a while before my Passion that had I not come my self and spoke to them their Sins would not have been altogether so grevious How much more reason have I to say the same to thee ungrateful and disobedient Christian I have my self instructed thee or to speak more properly the Primitive Church in it's very Infancy and left my Apostles also to teach and confirm them in my Precepts and Evangelical Counsels which they firmly believ'd and faithfully observ'd for several years but especially during the time of their greatest troubles and grevious persecutions wherein Millions of thousands of 'em have suffer'd death couragiously rather then deny their Faith and have wrought so many and such stupendious Miracles that many more Souls were converted by them then had been by all the Preachings Instructions of either th'Apostles or their Disciples so that in a very short time all the Potentates Sublimitys and Dignitys of the World all the Subtilitys of Philosophers all the magick Arts and illusions of Wizards and Witches all the power of mankind and their Earthly Kingdoms were wholly subdu'd and brought under my obedience But alas soon after I had confer'd the Blessing of a profound Peace upon my Church and had utterly destroy'd all her Enemys and heap'd upon her Honours Riches Dignitys and all prosperity imaginable and that her glory shin'd through all the World her devotion began to diminish her Charity to grow cold and she made of those very Ornaments which were given her by me to set forth the lustre of her glory and the greatness of my renown the subject of her Pride and Vanity and her Clergy too have chang'd that which ought to be spiritual and only for the maintenance of the poor into their own temporal Emoluments and have spent it to entertain their carnal Friends and Relations and to increase their own Ambition and Lust so that the wonderful beauty of her grace the splendor of her exquisit virtues the glory of her heavenly wisdom the excellent gifts of the Holy Ghost the luster of the eight Beatitudes of the twelve Fruits and the rest of the manifold graces and favours which I confer'd upon her in order to make her an accomplish'd Spouse to my self is in a manner totally decay'd in her and is her self so much alter'd from what she was in her Primitive time that of a powerful Queen which had formerly the whole Universe at her command without any Adversarys to disturb her she is become a poor handmaid disrob'd by her Enemys and by them confin'd to live in one small corner of the Earth neither is she there free from persecutions and troubles but laments both day and night the sinful and ruinous state of her incorrigible and rebellious Children Quomodo obscuratum est aurum mutatus est color optimus c. Lament Jere. 4.1 Have I not great reason then to bewail her condition and say Alas how is the gold become dim How is the most fine gold chang'd the stones of the Sanctuary are cast out into the streets The precious Sons of Zion comparable to fine gold how are they esteem'd as earthen pitchers They that did feed delicately are now even hunger-starv'd and they that were brought up in Scarlet do imbrace the dunghils Her Nazarites were purer then snow they were whiter then milk and even more glorious than the most glistering Rubys for their Souls were adorn'd with grace which gave them a far greater lustre then the most polish'd Saphires But alas now their visage is blacker then a coal they are not known in the streets their skin cleaves to their bones nay 't is wither'd and become as dry and as black as a rotten stick Thou O Christian People hast with thy iniquitys brought all these distasters horrid confusions upon my Church thou art the fatal cause of all her deformity thou art the unfortunate instrument of all her dejections oppressions and slaveries thou art likewise the sole promoter and Actor of thine own temporal and eternal calamitys and therefore the punishment of thy iniquity shall be far greater then that which I have inflicted upon Sodom and Gomorrah for all their abominations and crimes tho' extraordinary great were nothing so heinous in my sight as are thy Sins neither are the unbelieving Nations so wicked and viciously given as are many thousands of Christians in this wicked Age So that the Infidels who were so much enamour'd with the Christians of the Primitive Church by reason of their unspotted life godly behaviour and pious conversation that thousands of them forsook their Idolatrys to embrace my Faith had they known and seen their sordid their wicked their Scandalous life and conversation in these latter corrupt centurys tho' they were ne're so much inclin'd to be of the same belief they would neither be of their profession nor would they so much as converse with so Scandalous a generation
provoke her to their earnest and hot pursuit yet they will never make her happy for when she thinks to possess them they fly away and leave her nothing but an everlasting displeasure to have settled her affections upon 'em she is of so unsatiable a capacity that all the munificence of the Vniverse is not able to content her none but her Heavenly Spouse can afford her true Consolation perfect Tranquillity and Joy without any medley of displeasure Whatever Species she receives within her besides that of her Creator whatever object she embraces besides her God is Seditious Killing Vain and savours more of perfect Gall than of the sweet Honey of real Comfort As for the Body who is able to express the wonderful Fabrick thereof let us consider how the wise and Heavenly Architect has united those two Natures the Body and Soul so contrary one to th' other in all respects and has link'd them together with so sure a knot of true friendship that they can't be separated without a deal of Violence and Grief Let us also consider how man as if he were naturally avers'd to the Earth looks with his face Heaven-wards whence he receiv'd his Creation and Dignity and where he does expect his final repose This favour he receiv'd from God above all other Creatures as a peculiar evidence of his good Will for him 't is also a memorial to him of his incumbent duty to God that by his upright look he might conceive the weighty Obligation he lies under to think always of heavenly things to tread under foot all earthly affairs and never to harbor any vile or sordid thoughts in his mind This was the happy State and Condition of Man before his dismal Fall for then all his Senses his Inclinations and Powers were perfectly united far from the least motion of any Rebellion and entirely submitted to th' Empire of the Will Then Reason paid her humble Submission perfect Obedience and a compleat Homage to her Creator alone and that perfect submission of Man together with his faithful concurrence to the Will of God brought upon him the great Blessings of a profound Tranquility of a grateful Accord of a firm Peace of perfect Justice of candid Innocency of unspeakable Purity of heart so that he was a plentiful Source of all good Qualities of all Vertues and of all kind of Happiness But alas no sooner did he expell from his heart the Love and Fear of God to give ear and obedience to the malicious dictates of the Infernal Serpent no sooner did he forsake his Heavenly Spouse to prostrate himself to his Rival and mortal Enemy the Devil no sooner was he so impiously bold as to cancel the Divine Precept at the fatal request of his silly Wife but he was miserably degraded of all those glorious Prerogatives and suddenly dejected from that happy State into an Abyss of such Evil and Woe that you would hardly believe him to be the same Man His little Republick which was before his Rebellion in a profound Peace fell into so great a disorder that no two were of one mind the Will was contrary to the Understanding and Reason was opposite to both the Spirit repin'd at the Flesh the Flesh rebell'd against the Spirit and gave him no Respect or Obedience because he did the same to his Creator Why should I aggravate his misfortune more than really it was I will only say what is most deplorable and likewise most true all things happen'd to poor Man after his Rebellion quite contrary to his expectation which was to be happy for ever His Memory which was whilst he remain'd in the state of Innocency and whilst he tugg'd at the Oar of Obedience replenish'd with all good and even with the Summum Bonum had taken so great a draught of Oblivion not out of the River Letheos but from the Forbidden Apple that he hardly knew or retain'd any thing but Wickedness and Vanity The Vnderstanding which was a little before wonderfully Illuminated with the Knowledge of God became so desperately involv'd in the darkness of a profound Ignorance that he knew nothing in a manner of his Creators Projects and was altogether ignorant of his ways The Will which was all in a Flame of Divine Love became so perverse that like a Blind Mole she imbrac'd Falshood for Truth Temporal for Eternal Evil for Good Carnal for Spiritual and undervaluing those things which might make her happy for ever she retain'd nothing of her Innate and Primitive Goodness nay she followed such disordinate courses as were enough to carry poor man headlong to everlasting Perdition Reason which as a Monarch should keep those petty Princes of Man's disjointed Republick in subjection having abdicated his Scepter together with all his Royalties became Tributary and paid Homage even to his Vassals nay he suffer'd himself to be rul'd and seduc'd by those who were created to pay him their constant and most humble submission and obedience O sad Misfortune What Man that noble Creature who had from God as due by his Creation an absolute Supremacy over all terene Creatures to be so deluded and worm'd out of all his Prerogatives by the Devils craft that he had not the full command of himself He was heretofore upright both of body and mind and was look'd upon as a divine Creature But alas he was soon after reduc'd to that low condition as he might be very well compar'd if not to a Brute at least to a prodigal Child who had revell'd away all his Birth-right However God of his infinite mercy was pleas'd to receive him again into favour and after he had wash'd off his sinful spots with the sacred Blood of the New Testament he Espous'd him to Christ by Faith This was an extraordinary Grace and the wonderful product of a most merciful God It was able to force Man's concurrence though he were never so ungrateful to love and serve him for ever Never-the-less this miserable Wretch has been an Enemy to God even from his blooming years and publickly forsook Jesus his gracious Redeemer nay he has impudently committed so many Adulteries with his Rival and mortal Adversary the Devil as were able to divert him from having any futher compassion of his misery What then must be done with Man must he always persevere in so foul and horrid a Relapse Nunquid qui cadit non adjiciet aliquando ut resurgat Aug. Must not he that falls strive to rise again If the Devil had the power and malice to debase him to that extream misfortune has not Jesus a far greater power to cancel his Contract with that mortal Enemy of mankind and bring him again into his Flock Rom. c. 5. v. 15 16 17 c. as a straid Sheep For St. Paul says that Sin is not so powerful to destroy as the gift of Grace is to repair If the sin of one Man has been the fatal occasion of the loss of many Souls the Grace of God
a Transformation into God Raptures Extasies Acts of heroical virtue the immoveable quietness and peace of the minde in God then by a supreme degree of the gift of Wisdom thou art made as it were one of Gods Secretarys and Cabinet-Councel so that being come to this height thou art made privy to all the hidden mysteries of his eternal Wisdom and rais'd to that pitch of honour as to lodge him sweetly within thy breast Then thou shalt sincerely and sweetly contemplate with a clear understanding what are of Faith and the reasons for believing them Thou shalt behold the glory the Emanation the inbred Communication the mutual intuition dilection fruition and eternal consistance of the ever Blessed and super-glorious Trinity Then all creatures compar'd to the infinite and incomprehensible Majesty of God will appear to thee as Pismires nay even as nothing In fine then will all thy comfort all thy pleasure all thy satisfaction and affection be lodg'd after a most solid manner in thy God alone I leave thee now to judge whether this be not a most noble life and worthy of so much pains taken to purchase it MAN THy words o' Lord are as dreadfull to me as Thunder and lightning are to the timorous and pregnant Hinde Thy Doctrine is so sublime and surpasseth so much my understanding that I cannot conceive it Dost thou think that man in his frail and mortal flesh can lead the life of an Angel that a Pilgrim can pretend to the prerogatives of the Blessed or that he can live on earth so conformable to the Rules and Rites of the Saints in Heaven What man alive can pass over his mortal days without Sin Thou know'st that there 's nothing more unsettled and more inconstant then the minde of man and wilt thou require of him as an incumbent duty to be always in contemplation of heavenly things to have his thoughts always fix'd upon thee to stand at all hours in the presence of God and never to have the least correspondence with the world or with any earthly affairs I know that with the powerful assistance of thy Grace he might easily comply with thy will in all these prescriptions and I know likewise that Nature will never bear the rigour of such weighty impositions so contrary to her inbred inclinations for the motions of Grace and Nature are directly opposit in operations both tend to good but the good that one aimes at is a great evil to the other so that many may be deceived in their election of this or that other good Grace walks on innocently and without any disguise she is ignorant of all Quibbles and fallacies she declines from all things that bear even the shaddow of evil does all her actions purely for the love of God whom she owns to be her bountiful head-spring Prototype final end this is very good in her thoughts yet Nature looks upon it to be quite contrary for she is subtil politick alluring and with her charms she draws insnares and deceives many as for her last end she will admit of none but of self-interest Grace delights to mortify and pull down the Flesh to curb and utterly suppress all the Insurrections and Rebellious motions of the old man to resist all sensuality she loves to be kept under to be Cross'd in her inclinations to be depriv'd of her proper will and bar'd of her liberty to be under correction rather then have the command of others to be always submissive to God and for his sake to become an humble Servant and even a slave to all mankind but Nature is directly contrary in her temper she is desirous of all manner of pleasure and has an abhorrence for mortification and hates to be curb'd to be oppress'd or debarr'd from her inclinations she will command rather then obey for she detests discipline and will not if she can possibly avoid it submit her self to any higher Power Grace will rather choose to do what is beneficial to others then what is profitable and convenient for her self but nature will labour for her own advantage and if she does any service to others she will expect to be accordingly rewarded Grace will return faithfully all honour and glory to God as being the Soveraign alone deserving of it but Nature will thirst after honours and reverence after Supremacy and dignitys and thinks that Cap and Knee is for her alone Grace will rejoyce to be debass'd and to suffer reproaches and injuries for the name of Jesus but Nature abhors the very thoughts of such sufferings and will use all means possible she can to avoid them Grace cannot endure to be idle but ever thirsts after action but Nature is so well pleas'd with ease and quietness that the conceit alone of toil and disturbance is to her as odious as the Plague it self Grace delights in low and sordid imployments and will not repine at a course and thredbare garment but Nature does place her comfort and whole satisfaction in curious and costly Apparel will be strangely disturb'd when humbled and brought to any mean exercise Grace is absolutely for heavenly things she passes by the temporal she values not their loss neither is she disturb'd at evil accidents because she hath placed all her treasure and pleasure in Heaven where nothing can suffer any loss or detriment but Nature has all her attention to temporal things puts all her satisfaction in Earthly wealth is sad for the loss of them and cannot bear the least affront or injury Grace is piously inclin'd and free to communicate her favours to all without any exception but Nature is greedy and covetous she is wholly for proper and private interest she cannot see the way to the poor mans house but she is all eyes to finde out the rich and liberal she is not willing to stretch her hand to the needy but she is pleasant when she is touch'd in the hand with a weighty gift Grace draws all Creatures to God not for her own Interest for she is an absolute Enemy to the World she abhors all sensual desires excursions are odious to her and blushes to appear in publick but Nature's delight greatest pleasure is to be conversant with the Creatures to pamper her own flesh to discourse of vain and idle matters and if a heavy word casually fall in by the by of a neighbour Quod ti bi non vis fieri alteri non fecris she will inlarge upon it contrary to that fundamental rule of her own proper and positive law what you would not be done to don't do it to another Grace seeks for her comfort in God alone and finds in that Summum bonum more fatisfaction and pleasure then in all visible and delightful objects of this world Grace expects no temporal reward for what favours she exhibits for God alone is her retribution and of all temporal necessaries she covets none but what may exactly help her to the acquisition of eternal Bliss
they may be worthy Presidents to others or it is to practise their virtue and perfect resignation to his holy will in order to gratifie them with a more eminent degree of glory MAN O My most gracious Lord thou hast now made a full and Satisfactory answer to all my complaints objections and Queries but notwithstanding I am still so perplex'd with anguishes and so troubled in mind that I do not know what to make of my self or where I may be eas'd of this worm that gnaws my guilty conscience and all my trouble proceeds from a well-grounded apprehension that I was never really contrite for my Sins never made a sincere sorrowful confession of them and that I never pray'd to my God as I ought or had that great care to amend my Life and to avoid the occasion of Sin SAVIOVR O Man be not at all dismay'd thou hast often heard that virtue does consist in the middle nay 't is the middle of too vitious extreams even as liberality is a medium betwixt prodigality and tenacity and therefore I would have thee to place thy self betwixt despair and presumption betwixt an impertinent Security and an immoderate fear fix a firm hope in thy God of whose mercy thou canst not despair without a mortal offence However I do not disallow thy fear when it is in a reasonable degree for the wise man will fear upon all occasions but especially where the matter is in doubt whether it will go well or ill with him as in this case thou dost not know for certain whether thou art worthy of Gods love or deserving of his hatred whether thou art in the state of Grace or in that of Sin whether predestinate or damn'd for ever MAN O My Saviour to consider seriously how strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to Salvation no rational man can choose but admire the blindness the vanity the great folly or rather madness of wicked men they know that they have a Soul which informs and gives motion to their body that this Soul is stamp'd with the likeness and Image of her Creator that she is entail'd to an eternity of glory and yet they run like so many mad wild Boars seeking where to satisfy their lustful and evil inclinations without the least thoughts of that ever-blessed Mansion Heaven of that radient day of Eternity of that day which never will admit of any darkness But let the wicked if they will be so obstinate run their course as for my self I shall never desist sighing after that Land of Promise whilst I remain in this vail of misery where poor man is inviron'd with so many afflictions and crosses tainted with so many Spots of Sin pester'd with so many brutal passions plagu'd with so many fears and cares disturb'd with so many foolish and vain curiosities subject to so many changes and errors consum'd with so many labours and toils liable to so many temptations snares sometimes sick with over-much eating and drinking sometimes also famishing with hunger and thirst O Lord when shall I see an end put to all these evils when shall I be free'd from the intollerable slavery of vice when shall I have thee for the sole object of all my thoughts when shall I throughly rejoyce in thee Quis me liberabit de corpore morcis hujus Rom. 7.24 or when wilt thou deliver me out of this mortal prison to enjoy the liberty of thy beloved in heaven when shall I be bless'd with a solid peace void of all trouble as well of mind as of body O Sweet Jesu when shall I be so happy as to see thee and to stand for ever in the deep contemplation of the glory of thy heavenly Court and Kingdom when shalt thou be to me all in all when shall I sit at that magnificent table which thou hast prepar'd from all Eternity for thy belov'd Alas here I am left a poor and banish'd creature in an enemies land where nothing is to be seen but constant mutinies dayly wars and great miscarriages O Lord be graciously pleas'd to Comfort me in my banishment and to lessen my sorrow for all the pleasures of this world seem now a burden to me and not any satisfaction it 's therefore that I long to be intimately united with thee but my weakness will not admit of that great happiness I would willingly hear and think of heavenly things but my worldly affairs will not allow it no more will my immortifi'd inclinations and brutish passions my mind would fain be above the World and look with a disdaining eye on all it's allurements but my flesh depresses my Spirit and keeps all my senses captive Hasten then O Lord and set an end to this intestine War take my Soul to thee her Creator and my Body to its primitive nothing Thus do I unfortunate man fight against my self both night and day the Spirit would fain have an absolute supremacy over the flesh but the flesh does thwart her and will dispute the matter with the dint of her furious and headstrong passions and I poor Wretch must be the fatal field where these two mortal foes do fight hand to hand but alas the flesh always remains Conqueror marches off with display'd colours There is no likelyhood of a peace without thy grace grant therefore O Lord that these two adversaries may joyn in a right understanding and come to thee with a true sense of their long and obstinate rebellion with a sorrowful and contrite heart and with a firm resolution to live submissive to thy divine laws for the remainder of their mortal life SAVIOVR O Man even as thou art oblig'd to love thy God with all thy heart and to that degree that thou wouldst sooner loose even thy life and suffer all the losses and afflictions imaginable rather then to offend him by giving consent to the least of mortal Sins so thou art bound to grieve more for the committing of one mortal Sin then for any painful evil or earthly damage tho' it were the total destruction and ruin of thy Family This is the grief which I call contrition and which may be absolutely accounted the greatest in nature Conc. Trent Sess 14. c. 4. My Council of Trent gives thee a perfect Idea of this great and sorrowful Sacrifice when it defines it to be a grief of mind and detestation of Sin with a resolution to avoid it for the future It is a grief of minde Sacrificium Deo Spiritus contribulatus Psal 50.19 that is a great regret and an inward displeasure which is conceiv'd in the heart of man for having offended his God 'T is also a detestation which is hatred and an aversion which one has to Sin when he considers it to be a most wicked thing a mortal enemy to God and destructive to his own Salvation But there must be a firm resolution made to avoid Sin for the future and likewise the occasion which
be thus wounded mangled and bruised to cure them Certainly if those Sores had not been mortal and even the fatal causes of the eternal death of thy Soul I had never suffer'd so cruel a death for her recovery Can there be a more considerable or a pressing motive to lament and abhor thy Sins then to remember that they were the only cause of all my sufferances and even of my most bitter death upon the Cross The Jews went once through Jerusalem and bewail'd the destruction of that Royall City and the loss of their King how much more reason hast thou to lament thy great misfortune to have occasion'd my death who am thy King thy Redeemer and he only that can either pardon thee thy sins or condemn thee for them to an eternity of pains O man let this consideration be the constant subject of thy serious meditations it will pierce thy heart unless it be harder and more obdurate then the very Stones This very consideration made one of my faithful servants to say that it is a shameful thing for Christians not to acknowledge the evils which sin has brought upon them when they consider what so supream a Majesty as that of the Son of God has been oblig'd to suffer for them The Son of God says he takes compassion on the miseries of man and weeps for sorrow whilst insensible man who is overwhelm'd with his own sins is not concern'd at all MAN O My dear Lord and Master thou hast said enough to conquer my heart and to bring also the whole universe to admire the greatness of thy love for man For what can be more worthy of our admiration then to behold a God of so infinite a Majesty finish his life under the notion of a notorious malefactor upon a shameful Cross and betwixt two Thieves Had I seen a man tho' he were the basest and most vile amongst the People brought to that misfortune as to be condemn'd for his crime to dy so cruel a death certainly I could not choose but compassionate his condition and condole that his misdemeanours should have brought him to so great a distress If it be then a subject worthy our compassion to see a man of that inferiour rank and condition for his own crimes in so deplorable a state what will it be I pray to see not a man but the Lord of all created things for the Sins of his servants reduc'd to that extremity Can there be any thing more wonderfull then to see even God himself plung'd into so great an abyss of anguishes and pains for the sins and wickedness of wretched Men If the calamity and misfortune suffer'd must be retaliated with a trembling and astonishment proportionable to the worth and dignity of the person that suffers O ye Angels of Heaven who have a perfect knowledge of the greatness and excellency of my benign Jesus our gracious Redeemer and your Creator tell me how great was your grief how stupendious your astonishment how excessive was your lamentation and trouble when you have seen him hang on that hard and uneasy cross The Cherubins whose figures God had order'd in the old Law to be plac'd on each side of the Arck of Alliance look'd then at each other with admiration to behold this bloudy Sacrifice of that innocent and immaculate Lamb for the redemption of mankinde Nature it self stood amaz'd and all creatures were interdicted their inbred inclinations and functions The Principalities and Powers of Heaven trembl'd at the very consideration of the unspeakable goodness of God tho' so intimately acquainted therewith What then shall become of those that do not swim in the waves of so great an ocean of admiration Dominator Domine Deus misericors clemens patiens multae miserationis Exod. 34. or what of those that are not drown'd in the Seas of so great a bounty are not they depriv'd of their senses even as Moises was on Mount Sinai where the figure of this bloudy sacrifice was so lively represented to him that he cry'd out with a loud voice the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth So much Surpriz'd was he at the view of thine excessive goodness O Lord that he could not forbear praising thy mercy in the hearing of all the multitude of Israel The Prophet Helias cover'd his face as God pass'd by him in the splendor of his glory much more then should all mortals cover theirs to behold Gods profound humility and annihilation Now not overthrowing mountains and spliting Rocks with his infinite power but expos'd to the view of a malignant and most wicked Nation and in so terrible and dismal a posture that even the Rocks and Temple were rent asunder with an excess of compassion What man of Steel what heart of brass will not relent and open his breast to lodge therein the love of so charming so gracious and so bountiful a God O height of charity O profoundness of humility never to be paralel'd O unspeakable mercy O Abiss of incomprehensible bounty O my most gracious Lord If I be so much oblig'd to thee for redeeming me how much more am I bound to thee for the means which thou hast taken to redeem me Thou hast redeemed me with pains with sorrow with scorns with reproaches with nails and thorns and hast been made the derision of men and even the most vile of the whole world However O Lord by thy contumelies thou hast honour'd me by thy false accusations thou hast defended me with thy bloud thou hast wash'd me by thy death thou hast reviv'd me and by thy tears thou hast deliver'd me from a perpetual weeping and gnashing of teeth O heavenly Father how tenderly thou lovest thy Children thou art indeed that good and faithful Pastor thou givest thy self as food to thy flock O faithful keeper who hast laid down even thy precious life for to protect and defend thy Sheep which thou hadst in thy keeping what thanks or what service can I return thee for so great a favour with what tears can I recompence thy weeping or what life shall I bestow upon thee for that pure and holy one which thou hast given for me Alas there is no proportion betwixt the life of man and that of God betwixt the tears of a silly creature and that of an omnipotent Creator 'T is true thou hast not suffer'd for me alone but for all the world shall I therefore think my obligation the less to thee no no for tho' thou sned'st thy most precious bloud for all mankinde yet it was after such a manner that every particular man receiv'd the benefit from thy sufferings In fine thou didst suffer thy bitter and bloudy passion as well for me in particular as thou hast for all in general O my God thy charity was so immense that if but one alone of all mankinde were criminal even for that one man thou wouldst have suffer'd what thou didst for all
didst send him word by thy Prophet that he should dy for it and that He and all his People should suffer the punishment which was to fall upon the Syrians and their King O my Sweet Saviour if thy judgement even in this life be so far distant from that of men what shall it be in that dreadful hour which thou hast reserv'd for the executing of thy divine Justice SAVIOVR MY Judgment is indeed far remote Vas electionis est iste mihi ut porter nomen meum coram Regibus Gentibus Act. 9.15 not only from that of the common sort of men but also from that of the holiest among them Paul was a Saint upon Earth he was a vessel of Election and made privy to the Secrets of Heaven yet he was deceiv'd in his judgment of Timothy for he thought him to be a Saint and worthy of the character and station of a Bishop yet I found him otherwise Apoc. 3. and threatn'd to deprive him of his Church of Ephesus for falling from his former zeal and would certainly take away his Chair but that he repented and did Pennance My dearly beloved Disciple had a great veneration for all the Seven Bishops of Asia the whole Country look'd upon them all as holy men and great lovers of virtue yet in my sight the Bishop of Sardis was so far from being a Saint that his Soul was tainted with mortal Sin the Bishop of Laodicia was a miser poor blinde and naked of all virtue the Bishop of Thiatira was indeed a faithful servant to me as to his own person but in performing his duty to those under his charge I found him guilty in several sins of omission The Bishop of Philadelphia was not indeed fallen from his first zeal Utinam frigidus esses aut calidus sed quia tepidus es incipiam te evomere ex ore meo Apo. 3.16 yet I found wherewith to reprehend him not for committing of evil nor for the omitting of good nor for being remiss in his former fervour but only for his little virtue and charity with another I found fault and told him I would thou wert either hot or cold but because thou art luke-warm I shall begin to vomit thee out of my mouth By this thou mayst see how far different my judgment is from that of men in this life As for the severity of my Judgement even in this life wherein for the most part I make use of my mercy t is very terrible as thou mayst well perceive by what I said to the People of Israel by the mouth of my Prophet nay 't is able to drive thee and even the most obstinate of Sinners out of the ways of iniquity into the path of mortification and Pennance which alone can lead them to Salvation Mark well my words and lodge them within the closet of thy heart as a divine treasure their efficacy is such that if often minded they will exempt thee from the following calamities I will powr out all my Rage upon thee and will accomplish my fury in thee I will Judge thee according to thy ways and will lay forth all thy wickedness against thee my eyes shall not pardon thee neither will I have mercy on thee I will charge thee with all thy misdeeds and thy abominations shall be in the midst of thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that smites Nay my wrath shall be upon all the People the Sword without and Pestilence within and Famine too they who fly to save themselves shall all remain in the mountains as the Doves of the valleys trembling in their iniquities their hands shall be disjoynted and their knees shall dissolve into water for the great fear and amazement which I shall send upon them in my wrath Consider seriously now and conclude if my Judgement be so severe and so rigorous even in this life which is the only time for mercy what will it be when mercy is clear out of date and when Justice will admit of no mixture of pitty of tenderness or of compassion when the books of all mens consciences shall be laid open to the view of the whole world when the most secret Sins of their hearts those sordid acts committed in the dark those Sins which through shame were conceal'd in confession or made less considerable with false and Sacrilegious excuses when all crooked and sinister intentions hidden and unknown Treacheries counterfiet and dissembling virtues feigned friends adulterous Wives unfaithful Husbands deceitful Servants false witnesses and all such trash shall be discover'd to their great shame and confusion when In fine Ite maledicti in ignem aeternum qui paratus est Diâ—boio Angelis ejus Mat. 25. Job 26.11.12 they shall behold me feated on a dreadful Throne with a countenance full of indignation and wrath and hear from my mouth these dreadful words depart from me ye cursed into eternal fire prepar'd for Satan and his Angels This dreadful sentence shall overthrow them for ever and cover them with eternal sorrow and confusion The Pillars of Heaven says Job do tremble and are astonish'd at his reproofs If we be not able to hear so few words from his mouth without amazement in puncto ad inferna descendent Job 21. how shall we withstand the thunder of his omnipotent power This voice shall be horrible and of so great a power that the earth in the twinkling of an eye shall open and swallow them down into the bottomless pit of Hell O Man if Ananias and Saphira were struck dead only with hearing the angry voice of my Disciple what a terror will my dreadful and angry voice strike into the hearts of the reprobate Act. 5.1.2.3.4 c. S. Catharine of Sienna was reprehended by St. Paul for not imploying her time to more advantage for her Soul this was at most but a charitable advice givenprivately too yet she said she had rather be disgraced before the whole world then once more to suffer what she did by that reprehension but what is this in reference to the horrour and confusion which my dreadful words will bring upon the wicked in the day of my vengeance If when I suffer'd my self to be taken and led to be judged with these two words I am I overthrew the astonish'd multitude of Souldiers and Rabble to the ground what will my words be when I come to Judge what a terrible fall and irrecoverable overthrow will these dreadful words give to all the wicked depart from me ye cursed into eternal fire prepared for Satan and his Angels Psal 54. for at that very instant the fire of that general burning shall invest those misorable Creatures the Earth shall open and Hell shall enlarge his throat to swallow them to all eternity Psal 139. Then they shall see the accomplishment of my malediction let death come upon them and let them sink alive into hell Coals of fire shall fall upon them
Lord are constantly fix'd upon those that fear him there 's not a step they go nor an action they do nor a word they speak but he takes an account of He is the powerful Protector of the godly the upholder of the virtuous the Defender of the zealous a comfort to the afflicted a refuge to the Just from the Scorching heat of Lust and all other vices a Preserver from all mortal offences their main help in all their adversitys exalting their Souls illuminating their eyes giving them life health and his everlasting blessings O how many kinds of employments do I take upon me for the welfare and preservation of man Apud Dominum gressus hominis dirigentur viam ejus volet cum ceciderit non collidetur quia Dominus supponit manum suam Psal 36.23 24. The Prophet Royal gives me another office which ought mightily to encourage all Christians to put themselves intirely under my protection which likewise adds very much lustre to my divine love for my faithful and loving Servants The steps of a good man says he are order'd by the Lord and he delights in his way Tho' he should fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him with his hand Consider seriously this amourous expression see what hurt can come to a man that falls upon so sweet and easy and so gracious a cushion as are my sacred hands none at all for I will preserve them so carefully that not even the least harm shall come upon 'em and if any should be so peremptory as to afflict or wrong any that is under my protection I shall take it for an injury done to my self Qui vos tangit tangit pupillam oculi mei Zacha. 2. for He that touches them touches the apple of mine eye Certainly this special care I take to protect the Righteous is a most convincing argument of my great love for them and the command I lay upon my Angels to keep and preserve them in all their ways is altogether as great a proof of my tender kindeness and especially Psal 90. the strict charge I give them to bear men up in their hands lest they should dash their feet against the Stones O Man consider how highly the Righteous are honour'd by me in that I have appointed my Angelical Spirits to bear them up in their Arms What Pope what Emperour what Monarch in the World was ever so well supported Beasts or Mens shoulders at most are enough to carry them but my Angels from Heaven are order'd to bear my Children even in their hands wherever they goe It 's usual with Elder-Brothers if they be not of a moross nature indeed to carry their younger-Brothers in their arms when they are not able to go themselves and this kindness my Angels do faithfully perform to the just as being their Elder Brothers not only in their life time but also in their death as thou mayst read in Scripture Luc. 16. Psal 33. where Lazarus after he died was carri'd by the hands of Angels into Abraham's bosom And my Prophet avers that they surround the Righteous in this life lest any hurt should befal them from any side and I keep a vigilant eye over them my self that no evil may annoy them In fine they shall tread upon the Lion Psa 91.13 14 15 16. and Adder The young Lion and the Dragon shall they trample under their feet because they have fixed their love upon me therefore will I deliver them I will set them on high because they have known my name They shall call upon me and I will answer them I will be with them in all their troubles I will also deliver them and honour them too I will bless them with a long life and shew them my Salvation at the hour of their death When the King of Syria came with a numerous Army to take my Prophet Eliseus Prisoner his Servant felt so great an Agony of trembling and was so terrify'd at the sight of so dreadful a power 4 Reg. 6.17 that my Prophet pray'd heartily I should open his eyes to let him see the far greater number of Angels which were on his side to beat down that vast multitude which came to annoy him whereupon the Servant was animated and seem'd to dare his Adversaries or at least to make slight of them had I open'd thine eyes likewise and set thee the question what dost thou see in Sunamite that is my Church or every Soul that lives in the state of Grace thou wouldst answer I see great Armies of Angels on every side of her O what a puissant Guard is this sure there 's no danger of any disaster falling upon my faithful Servants whilst they are so extraordinary well protected Quid videbis in sunamite nisi choros castrorum Cant. 7. Solomon's Couch was environed with sixty Men of the Strongest and stoutest of all Israel with their drawn Swords in their hands and were all expert in Martial discipline each one well Arm'd at all points for fear of any nocturnal incursions Cant. 3. or insurrections This is only a figure but a perfect representative of the great care which I take to preserve protect the Righteous otherwise how could they being conceiv'd in sin living in a frail corrupt flesh prone to all evil among so many snares and powerfull allurements to evil pass over as many years without the least mortal Sin this is the wonderful effect and chief benefit of my Divine Providence and Protection which is so extraordinary great that it does not only preserve them from evil but changes the very evil which they had carelesly committed into a subject of greater good Diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28 because that by this little stumble they got they become more wary more humble and more thankful to me who have withdrawn them from so great a danger and forgiven them an offence against my infinite Majesty This was an occasion of St. Pauls saying Diligentibus deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8.28 We know all things work together for good to them that love God If this great favour be worthy of all Mens admiration how much more astonishing will it be that I shew this great Mercy not only to my beloved Servants but also to their Children and to their Children's Children after them as I do solemnly declare in these words I the Lord thy God am a jealous God Exod. 20.5 visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandments David is a sufficient President hereof for I did not reject his Children for many Ages and tho' their sins have often deserv'd my abandoning them yet I had patience with them for the love and esteem I bare to David their worthy Father and my faithful Servant When
even as a mist is better seen at a distance then close by it It 's therefore that virtuous and godly men have an absolute abhorrence of it because that in their eminent Station they have a ful prospect of all its vanitys but whosoever has any commerce with it the first entertainment he is to expect is to be led blindfold with the prosperity thereof that he may not see the misery of his own condition nor the way to better himself in this case the world deals with his silly followers even as the Raven does with the poor innocent Sheep the first thing he does before he tramples on his back is to strike out his eyes that he may not see the way to escape his tyranny This is exactly the world's practise no sooner has he bereft his poor wretched Citizen of his Spiritual Sight Matth. 4. and put him in that distress'd condition that he knows not how to judge between good and evil vanity and verity true and false pleasures but he works him asleep bindes him sweetly and deceives him pleasantly torments him in great peace and rest gives him a Proud Spirit which shall place him upon the Pinacle of greedy Ambition and thence shews him all his alluring dignitys and charming Preferments The Worlds projects do not end thus He has his deceitful Merchants that when they make sale of their Cloth and other goods shew the first and last part of them but will not admit the buyer to view search and see throughly lest he should discover the cheat He has several hundreds of false Prophets at his command to flatter and divert him as they did Achab from hearing Michael's counsel 1 Reg. 22. or taking any notice of the torments of his Conscience that tells him of the dangerous state of his deluded Soul He has a thousand slie and cunning fishers that will lay pleasant baits to draw him into further mischief He has a thousand times more Strumpets of Babylon at his pleasure then Solomon had of Queens and Concubines Apoc. 17. and these he imploys to present him provoking liquours out of their golden Cups But alas 't is a draught of deadly poison to their Souls Jud. 4. He has at every door of his enchanted Pallace an alluring Jael to entice him to take off his fatal delights and pleasures each of them having their hammer nails to drive through his brains when he is in a fast sleep 2. Reg. 1. He has also a flattering Joab in every corner ready to imbrace him with one arm and murther him with the other Matth. 24. and a false Judas likewise to give him a kiss betray him at the same time to such enemies as will take delight to torment him O my Soul Jo. 21. let us fly with all speed from so perfidious so pernicious and so dangerous an Enemy for if We should love him he will hate us if we should put our confidence in him he will certainly deceive us If we should serve him he will afflict us if we should honour him he will debase us if we should be of his faction he will undoubtedly damn us In fine if We should be so enamour'd with the World as to love and adore it more then God himself should we make our selves his absolute slaves to be the more in his favour he will certainly prove another Nabal to us at the fag end of our mortal life and give us the same answer and the same entertainment as he gave to David and to his Servants that is 1 Reg. 25. to send us into the next world with a surly kick for all our pains taken in his Service and with a who is David or who is the Son of Jesse that I should know him Let us therefore my Soul take notice of Davids advice to all mortals and look upon the World hereafter not only as a lyer but a meer Impostor let us then fly from all it's pleasures and treasures and principally because thou hast O Lord Psal 4. Matth. 3. Grego hom 5 in Evang. call'd them thorns as indeed they are for even as a Man when he is cast naked among thorns can't chuse but have his body rent and torn and made bloody So any worldly mans Soul harrass'd with the manifold cares and thoughts of heaping up wealth must be strangely perplex'd with the restless pricking of the same neither can she be free from mortal wounds having so many strong temptations and pressing allurements to bring her to Sin We have a vulgar story whose moral part shews that Riches cannot be possess'd without anxiety and great care A certain man of a mecanick calling having nothing to support himself and family but what he purchas'd by his honest labour liv'd notwithstanding very merrily and urter'd dayly so many pleasant strains as evidently avere the products of a minde not only easy contented but void of all tormenting care This being observ'd by an Usurer a dayly witness of his poor but happy life that was not a little amaz'd to see him so necessitous and withal so merry he resolv'd to try whether mony would allay or increase his mirth And thereupon convey'd a hundred pound into his homely habitation really thinking that Sum would augment the poor mans mirth to excess but the conclusion was directly opposite to his expectation the man quits his business is imploy'd in counting his new-found treasure he sung no more that day nor did the night give him any rest only the opportunity to muse more deliberately how he should dispose of his Cash a thousand projects present themselves either to inlarge his shop or to take a whole house and to improve his wealth by letting of lodgings now he was for purchasing a spot of ground to build upon and immediately for putting it to interest in order to prefer his Children in the morning he returns to his usual business but 't was so heavily and with so dejected a countenance that his neighbours admir'd at the sudden change of the man and ask'd him what he ail'd and what the cause might be that interrupted them the hearing his delightful and merry voice that morning above all others among the rest the Usurer came to see him hearing what moan his neighbours made for his so sudden melancholiness he beg'd their excuse expressing himself sorry that the man had lost his mirth that was so recreative and pleasant to them demanding withal his bag of mony which he left there the day before what said the poor man does that treasure belong to you why then take it in Gods name for had it stay'd longer with me I should certainly have run mad No sooner was he quit of his Mammon but he clear'd his brows tun'd his voice and return'd to his business merry notes This is an argument that Riches bring trouble and affliction with them Eccl. 1 2 3 4. Phil. 4. and Solomon the wisest of men