sentence the Sonne for the servant was injuriously cast out of his inheritance by the husbandmen of the Vineyard the Law of Moses Therefore thy Apostle saith That Jesus might sanctifie us hee suffered without the gate And well it was that he suffered without that he might bring us back againe to within for we have entrance by his bloud But I beseech thee most loving Jesu from the very inward affection of mine heart by those paines with which as with most sharp arrowes thy most sweet heart was pierced and those of the Virgin thy blessed Mother at the hearing of that sentence of thycondemnation that I may deserve through thy merits to be delivered in the houre of my death and the last day of judgement from thatsharp and terrible word of the sentence of eternall damnation which thou wilt thunder out against the reprobates Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his angels Christ. Happy is he from whose memory the last judgement never departeth that by the feare thereof hee may preserve his life from naughtinesse and pleasure of the flesh For surely that judgement is highly to be feared wherin all things are made manifest without witnesses where the Hoast of all the Angels and Saints shall stand round about and every creature shall tremble with exceeding feare before my Tribunall seat What will they say then who in this short time have lived negligently and carelesly Meane time I expect you patiently and invite you all to my kingdome lovingly Time will come when I shall require an account of you for this your negligence and shall say unto you For you am I made crooked for you I say am I made crooked upon the earth for you am I scourged for you with spittings defiled for you is my face buffeted for you am I unjustly condemned for you am I crucified for you upon wood am I hanged with gall am I fed and with vinegar quenched that I might make you all Saints eternally crowned I have called you all my Brethren I have offered you to my Father I have sent you my holy Spirit I have promised sed to you Paradise What should I have done more and I have not done it that ye might be saved Tell me ye Sinners What have yee suffered for me your governour who when I was just suffered so great things for your sakes These truly shall bee demands proper for that day of judgement Sinner Alas miserable wretch that I am what shall I say or what shall I doe when I shall not bee able to shew ought that is good before so great a Judge Christ. Amend thy life while time is change thy manners overcome evill temptations by resisting punish sinnes committed by lamenting Let thy sinne find thee here a punisher that thou maist find me there no Judge but a Saviour If thou doest these things faithfully and with constant affiance thou shalt bee secure in the terrible day of vengeance Neither let the greatnesse of thy sinnes terrifie thee for I am much more mercifull than thou art finfull Surely great is thy misery but infinite is my mercy If thou bee asinfull man I am the Lamb of GOD that taketh away the sins of the world who came not to call the just but sinners In a word more mercy and love shalt thou finde in mee than thou darest either hope for or wish for A FAMILIAR Expostulation of the Flesh to GOD the Father â—ouching CHRIST By 〈…〉 Booke enâ—â—â—led Stimulus Amoris Cap. XIV GIve eare how the Flesh lifteth up the Soule against the Spirit contemplatively raised yea even against Christ. For saith the Flesh I preferre my complaint to thee God the Father just and of infinite mercy touching thy Sonne beseeching thee that thy justice would consider the injury done mee and that thy mercy would condescend to my misery This thy Sonne full of knowledge and power hath circumvented me by his wisdome and 〈…〉 violence by his power This thy Sonne by his wisdome cloathing himselfe with flesh became like unto mee and by his too much humilitie and ineffable benignitie craftily entred in upon me He became more humble than all hee became despicable to all hee tooke upon him the necessities of all he bore the infirmities of all he vouchsafed to be most cruelly crucified for all to be afflicted as well with compassion as in his most grievous passion through meere affection to all to expresse the love of his heart by the opening of his side and from thence to derive those Sacraments which gave remedy to all mankinde What should I say more Hee hath ordained his flesh for meat his bloud for drink and promised himselfe for a reward inasmuch as he girded himselfe and being to depart thence ministred to such as eat at thy table By all these meanes and many others which I neither know nor am able to declare hath hee not onely wondrously allured my Soule deputed to the support and comfort of mee but by entring in unto her hath so highly drawne her by his power and so joynd her unto him by his delights as now shee cares not at all for mee but rather afflicts dejects treads downe and vilifies mee and that which seemes grievouser than all things else she loves those that lay this disgrace on me remembring him or them more especially in her prayer who inferre these injuries on me and if none as yet be done mee shee desires that hereafter they may bee done me Thus am I mortified and she cares not Thus lye I grovelling in mud and shee rejoyceth Yea it is the very highest pitch of her desire to see my sorrow with new sorrow multiplied that my sorrow might bee more sensibly conceived This seemes to bee her glorie to bring injuries contumelies and whatsoever is worst upon me Thus leaves shee mee desolate and afflicted meane time it is her desire to remaine still with thy Sonne still to bee fed with his flesh made drunk with his bloud and wheresoever he is to be ever with him Now she appeareth like a small tender infant with him in the manger now she embraceth him in the armes of the blessed Virgin now is she nourished with him with the milke of the Virgin Now she hungers with him now shee thirsts with him now is shee spit upon with him now is shee wounded with him now is shee sorrowfull upon the Crosse with him now with thee in heaven rejoyceth she with him shee is comforted with him wheresoever hee goe shee goes with him shee cannot endure to bee from him shee can intend herselfe to nought without him What shall I say to thee O Father touching thy Sonne who hath made my soule given unto me so drunke with his love and thus estrang'd her from mee If hee hath robb'd mee thou maist command restitution to be made me Neither seemes it to me a small injury thus to deprive me of this precious and inestimable jewell
motions as well carnall as spirituall a constant cleaving in thee the one and true God and a happy consummation of mine end And I beseech thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring mee thy most unworthy â—inner to thatineffable Banquet where thou with thy Sonne and holy Spirit art true light full satiety sempiternall joy consummate gladnesse and perfect felicity to thy Saints Through the same Christ our Lord Amen Another Praier of S. Bonaventure O Most sweet Lord JESU transpierce the marrow and bowels of my soule with the most sweet and wholesome wound of thy love with cleare sincere and most holy Apostolicall Charity that my soule may languish and melt alwayes with the onely love and desire of thee Let her long and faint afâ—er thy Courts Let her desire to be dissolved and to be with thee Grant that my soule may hunger after thee the bread of Angels the repast of holy soules our dayly bread super-substantiall having all pleasantnesse of taste and all delight of sweetnesse May mine heart alwayes hunger and feed on thee on whom the Angels desire to looke and with the sweetnesse of thy taste let the bowels of my soule be filled May shee alwayes thirst after thee the fountaine of life the fountaine of Wisdome and Knowledge the fountaine of eternall Light the streame of pleasure the fulnesse of the house of God May shee alwayes looke about for thee seeke thee finde thee draw towards thee come to thee meditate of thee converse with thee doe all things to the praise and glory of thy name with humility and discretion with love and delectation with facility and affection with perseverance to my dissolution And bee thou alwayes my onely hope my whole trust my riches my delight my joy my gladnesse my quiet and tranquillity my peace my sweetnesse my perfume my solace my meat my repast my refuge my succour my wisdom my portion my possession my treasure wherin my mind and mine heart may be alwayes fixed grounded and unmoveably rooted Amen A PRAYER for all Judges and Justiciaries O Almighty God who judgest iniquity in equity and doest inscrutable things Thou who weighest the mountaines in a balance and wilt bring the Iudges of the Earth to judgement Direct their understandings to discerne what is right give them courage and resolution to doe what is right Give them wisdome in their waies faithfulnesse in their works uprightnesse in their walkes Remove from them covetousnesse and let it bee their ambition to advance thy glory Let neither rewards bee in their hands nor revenge in their hearts Take from them all drousinesse and dulnesse all security and remisnesse Imprint in their hearts a feare of thy name a reverence to thy throne and in all their judgements a sweet attemprature of meâ—cy and judgement Make them tremble when they call to mind whom they personate and imitate thee in being compassionate Let not the Orphans prayers nor the Widowes teares be unremembred seeing these are bottled up by thee let them not bee despised by them that represent thee O let righteousnesse drop upon the Earth that as dew falleth upon the grasse so every flowry border of this thine inclosed garden may bee watred by the dew of thy grace Suffer not this Iland to mourne nor her People to grone because of injustice oppression and wrong Put an hooke in the nostrils of all such imperious Iudges who take thy Law into their mouth and hate to be reformed As for those who turne Iudgement to wormewood and leave of righteousnes in the Earth These who buy the poore for silver and the needy for shoes These that put farre away the evill day and approch to the seâ—te of iniquity The Lord will be avenged of them Hee will mite the great house with breaches and the little house with clefts But remove these judgements from thine Israel O God May no corruption raigne in her Palaces nor iniquity in her pathes May a Zeale of thine house a feare of thy name a love of piety an hate to partiality seize upon the hearts of all Iudges and Iusticiaries in this Kingdome that they may execute their places without respect of persons and afterwards raigne with those three individuate Persons GOD the Father GOD the Sonne and GOD the holy Ghost Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity to whom bee all Glorie Amen A Prayer for Peace or tranquillity of Mind GRacious God who art a God of peace and hast pronounced a blessing upon those who make peace give mee that which thou blessest that I may enjoy what thou lovest embrace that which thou approvest affect that which thou commendest possesse that wherin thou delightest Thou knowest that debates variance and contention doe distract our devotion distemper the affection disquiet every good motion disturbe every pious intention Grant therfore I beseech thee that these differences to which I am ingaged or may hereafter bee intangled or inthralled be to the glory of thy great name the preservation of mine honest repute and fame and quiet of my affaires peaceably composed Cut out of mee towards my family all severity towards my familiars all disloyalty towards my Neighbours all extremity Grant mee peace of mind in my living peace of conscience at my dying and after death that peace which passeth all understanding Cause all tumults of the flesh to cease in mee all immoderate affections to decrease in mee all inordinate motions to dye in mee Sanctifie my heart purifie my mind direct my spirit erect my faith correct my life Remove from mee all occasions of difference that I may find quietnesse of conscience Grant that I may sow the seed of righteousnesse walke in the wayes of holynesse make profession of my faith with all singlenesse that I may come to the possession of happinesse Let mee seeks peace and ensue it Love thy Law and pursue it reforme thine Image and renue it Suffer not the tempests of this world to dismay mee the errors of this life to perplex mee or the terrors of death to appall mee I know O Lord affliction to bee bitter to him that suffers it impatiently but sweet to him that suffers it constantly Thou provest those thou lovest and afflictest those thou affectest Affliction then cannot be bitter when it maketh us better What though disgrace obscure mee wrongs inure mee reproach impeach mee injuries presse thicke upon mee I am made strong through him to beare them who bore the Crosse for me suffered all dishonour for mee shed his bloud for mee lost himselfe to finde mee became sold to redeeme mee racked upon the Crosse to reach mee a Crowne climing Mount Calvarie to mount mee to glory O make mee then ready in my suffering to imitate thee my Saviour Though warre assaile mee without give mee peace within Humble my Spirit that I may bee of that temper as I may still reflect upon the Image of my Saviour that living in his feare I may dye in his favour
as they do other most holy things if thou canst have them cause them to be applyed unto thee For even this verie holy persons of both sexes and famous for their miracles have formerly done An Exercise wherein the sick person with sighs and groanes because otherwise it can scarcely be done may resigne himselfe unto God and fervently desire that he may deserve to be joyned unto him O Most faithfull Lover most mercifull Lord Jesu Christ grant unto mee that with heart and mind I may feele what I say As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of water so panteth my Soule after thee ô my God I have chosen to be an Abject in the house of the Lord rather than to dwell in the Tabernacle of sinners Blessed are they that dwell in thy house ô Lord for ever and ever shall they praise thee My Soule hath thirsted after thee ô God when shall I come and appeare before thy face Why art thou sorrowfull ô my Soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee Trust in the Lord therefore will I now confesse my selfe unto him the Salvation of my countenance and my God Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant ô Lord save me for thy mercies sake Let me not be confounded for ever for I have called upon thee Be not far from mee ô my God Looke downe upon mee and help mee ô my God The poore is left unto thee Thou wilt be the Orphans helper Thou art my refuge in my tribulation which hath compassed mee O my joy deliver me from these that encompasse mee Make hast to helpe mee ô Lord God of my Salvation For thou art my strength and my refuge my helper and my protector Doe not then leave me nor despise me ô God of my salvation Behold I come unto thee ô my God whom I have despised and offended for the whole earth is full of thy mercie Therefore doe I flie unto thee my most mercifull Father Receive mee according to thy word when thou sayest I WILL NOT THE DEATH OF A SINNER and let mee live and confound mee not in my hope O my God I doe not pray unto thee for a life temporall but I call upon thee for the Salvation of my Soule who art life eternall O my sweet Lover O my Lord God for as much as I have offended thee for that I have neglected thine inspirations and admonitions for that I have at any time loved ought beâ—ide thee or without thee for this O my Lord God for this doe I grieve And I beseech thee that thou wouldest give unto mee so much grace as I may with all mine heart grieve aâ—d lament during everie moment of my life Would to God that I might poure out and offer unto thee everie drop of my bloud with teares for griefe and love into thy most sweet heart O sweet Jesu I neither desire nor expect of thee life nor death but thy good will and pleasure may it be done unto mee according to thy will If it be thy will O my sweet Jesu that I shall dye receive my spirit And although I come in the Evening as the verie last of all grant unto mee that I may receive eternall rest with thee and in thee But if it be thy will that I shall live longer O sweet Jesu I purpose this and I crave the assistance of thy grace for this to amend the rest of my life and to offer my selfe wholly as a burnt Sacrifice unto thee to thy glorie and according to thy good will and pleasure O most desired Jesu for as much as I have consumed my life in sin to the reproch of thy glorious name nor to this day have begun to serve thee grant unto mee that I may now at last perfectly begin and employ all the powers of my Soule anâ— Body and all the remainder of my time given mee by thee to thy glorie and according to thy best and most perfect will O most mercifull Jesu be thou neare mee in these my paines and miseries with which I am straitened and iâ— any more grievous than these shall come upon mee for that I have deserved not onely more grievous but most grievous by reason of my sins grant that I may patiently beare them O sweet Jesu if I had never at any time sinned nor at thine hand evilly deserved notwithstanding to thy glorie and for thy love good will and pleasure I offer and resigne my selfe unto thee either in these or any other punishments to deale with mee according to thy will not my worth but in the multitude of thy mercies on which I relye and on which I call that by thy power thou wouldest raise and rouze up the frailtie of my flesh and strengthen with longanimitie and confirme with patience the pusillanimitie and instabilitie of my Spirit that I may not â—all downe as one either vanquished with tentation or faint through pusillanimitie but swallowed up with the most burning heat of thy love I may onely sigh after thee onely desire thee and leave loath and contemne the world with all that is in it giving thee thanks with all mine heart for all things whether ministring unto me occasion of joy or sorrow O most loving Jesu I chuse thee I wish thee I desire thee I meet thee and I renounce whatsoever thou art not in mee what thou willest I will what thou nillest I nill whatsoever thou abhorrest I abjure And though sometimes that 〈◊〉 is contrarie to this will in mee may be incident unto mee I beseech thee O my God that thou wouldst not impute it unto mee nor judge mee according to that depravednesse of Will in mee but according to this Election of my mind by thy grace wrought in mee Because I contradict all those things which I ought not to will yea though which for thy mercie sake avert I hereafter vanquished should consent unto yet now doe I accurse and abjure them O most loving Jesu if it please thee and redound to thy glorie grant unto mee that I may be preâ—erved in this life from all sins and punishments into which after death I ought otherwiâ—â— to come to which I am subject or may possibly come and that thou wouldst receive my Soule by the hand of thy mercie immediately from this life to eternall joyes O Lord Iesu Christ receive my Spirit c. A CHRISTIANS LAST-WILL OR TESTAMENT Containing A PROTESTATION or Testament not unprofitable to be repeated or meditated of everie Christian at the point of death Composed as may be probably gathered by JOANNES LANSPER GENSIS and faithfully rendred according to the Originall A CHRISTIANS LAST-WILL OR TESTAMENT Containing A Protestation or Testament not unprofitable to be repeated or meditated of everie Christian at the point of death Composed as may be probably gathered by JOANNES LANSPER GENSIS and faithfully rendred according to the Originall IN the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Ghost I. M. an unhappie Sinner redeemed with
Tinder-box and these gave light to my lighter discourses I held my pockets sufficiently stored if they could but bring mee off for mine Ordinarie and after dinner purchase mee a stoole on the stage I had cares enough besides hoording so as I held it fit to disburden my selfe of that and resigne it over to the worldling A long winter night seemed but a Midsummer nights dreame being merrily past in a Catch of foure parts a deep health to a light Mistresse and a knot of brave blades to make up the Consort I could jeere Him to his face whoâ— I needed most Ten at hundred I meane and he would not stick to pay mee in mine owne coyne I might beg a courtesie at his hands but to starve for 't never prevaile for herein I found this instrument of usâ—rie and the Devill to be of one Societie and that they craved nothing of any one save onely Sâ—ouritie A weake blast of light fame was a great part of that portion I aimed at And herein was my madnesse I held nothing so likely to make mee knowne to the world or admired in it as to be debauch't and to purchase a Parasites praise by my riot It is not in mee no it is far from mee and my memorie to recall to mind what miriads of houres that time mis-spended Scarcely one poore minute can I bethinke mee on wherein I did ought or exprest my selfe in ought that might redound to his honour whom now in mine age I have only sought How truly might I say in those daies in those many evill dayes I had beene secure if Society had not made me impure And yet must I be enforced to retract this too if I desire freely to lye open my selfe and speake what is true For of all those Consorts whose company I used I found no Consort worse than my selfe Yea I confesse and may this my confession be never without heartie contrition that it is impossible for mee to remember how many poore simple soules who when they scarce knew how to sin I taught them when they were willing to sin I perswaded them when they withstood sin I constrained them when they enclined to sin I consented to them Yea to how many I lay snares in the way where they walked for how many I made pit-fals in the way when they sought it And to the end I might not be afraid to commit I feared nothing at all to forget Aug. Med. c. 3. O how often have I returned after such time as I had mourned to that vâ—mit which I seemingly loathed and to that clay wherein I formerly wallowed How strong were my promises how weak my performance What lesse then can I doe than resolve my selfe into teares that my bespotted soule may be rinsed my many innumerably many sins may be rinsed my too secure soule from the grave of sin raised With anguish of heart and bitternesse of spirit will I therefore conclude calling on him who is my trust Lord forgive me the sins of my youth Of his Manhood MEMORIALL V. WHen I was a Childe I loved childishnesse when a Youth delicacie and wantonnesse But being now come to Man what can bee lesse expected than fruits of obedience Fruits Few God knowes and those bitter fruits Never did man reade man more and expresse man lesse A long time had I been a stranger to my fathers house Many yeares had I sojourned with the unwary Prodigall in a strange countrey I had spent my portion that faire portion of many rich graces which my heavenly Father had bestowed on me I was driven to such want as I was like to starve yet would I not acknowledge my poore estate Returne I would not to my father nor crave any succour though I was become a most miserable creature a foule uncleane Leper one utterly lost for ever had not some kind-hearted Samaritan relieved mee in such time of danger But Necessitie brings ever along with her some remedie I suffered my sore to be opened that it might bee cured I found my selfe sick I besought my Physician my heavenly Physician that hee would looke upon mee with the eyes of his compassion And he came unto me and healed mee yet with this condition that I should sin no more But I found the custome of sin too hard and the continuance thereof too sweet to bee left so soone No sooner had I recovered strength than I returned to my former state I found the abilities of nature too strong in me to leave sin so speedily No sentence in all the Scripture was so fresh nor frequent in my memory as At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sin c. Ezek. c. 18. but I abused the Text and by it promised to my selfe more libertie I held it Security enough to sinne secretly As one retired from the sight both of God and man to promise more impunitie to sinne I stickt not to say Who seeth mee But woe is mee what was worst of all and what without griefe of heart I shall never remember Though I saw many eyes upon mee and that my example might have done good to many for that in the opinion of others I was ranked both for knowledge and condition before many others those whom I might by my uprightnesse have improved by my loosenesse of life I depraved Which made me call to minde with much heavinesse of heart what I had sometimes read Of so many deaths is every one worthy as he hath given evill examples to those that live with him or left evill examples to those that shall succeed him O my God thus would I many times commune with mine owne heart how many deaths have I deserved who held it not enough to undoe my selfe by taking upon me a liberty of sinning but to undoe others too by chalking them out a way by my unhappie example for the like freedom of traÌ„sgressing This I confesse could not chuse but make me to oâ—hers most hatefull my selfe to my selfe most distasteful And yet for all this swum I still in the same streame Truth it is that froÌ„ my youth up wheÌ„ as yet no early soft downe had cloathed my chin I had takeÌ„ a full perusall of my owne estate I found in me what of necessity might bee either corrected by me or nought could I looke for lesse than misery Some bosome sins likewise I fouÌ„d in me after I came to mans estate which ill became the condition of man and I sought for cure of them Amongst these one I culled forth more deare to me than the rest and which neither day nor night would afford mee any rest And I found meanes to remove it or to weane mee from it and I applyed them but got no helpe by them because I mis-applyed them for I well remember after such time as I had beene advised what directions to use to allay if not take away the poyson of that darling sin wherewith I was infected I tooke great care for a while