me did crooken my soule made it looke dovvne to the earthlie pleasurs not vpward to thee and to the blisse of Heauen Giue me therefore ô Lord the former seuen Spirites and guiftes of the Holie Ghost vvhich are right Spirites and vvhich doe put my soule in a right posture tovvards thee Heauen and doe make my soule in all her actions to ayme principallie at thee and thy honour and doe eleuate her to Heauen by contemplation by which shee conuerseth in Heauen with thee and thy-Angelles and Saints Engraft this Spirit in me ô Lord and then as the graft of a peare tree grafted on a thorne tree beareth not thornes but peares so this spirit grafted on the thorne of my carnall and corrupte nature vvill make me henceforth to beare not the fruites of the flesh but of the spirit This is the right spirit I desire to haue for my guide and conductour and directour in all my actions In this thy spirit now is all my delight not in the spirit of the vvord or flesh and how good and sweete is this thy spirit Sap. 12. ô Lord in all 10. And I beseech thee sweet Lord to renew and innouate this spirit this right spirit in my bowels Permit not the spirit of Hypocrisie to dominere in me because that spirit doth all to the outward shewe and hath a faire outside but a fowle and filthie inside That spirit mooueth to fast to seeme holy to pray to seeme deuout to giue almes to seeme charitable but I desire a spirit which may worke inwardlie vvhat it sheweth outwardlie and therefore I desire it maybe innouated in my entralls in my heart that vvhen I pray it may not be with lippes onelie but vvith heart also vvhē I giue almes it may not be out of a desire to please men but out of charitie and compassion to please God O Lord giue me this right heart this right and invvard spirit for if the spirit of my heart be right all my actions vvill be vpright not crooked nor bēding to the world If my heart be cleane all my cogitations purposes and euen my outvvard actiōs will be cleane but if the hearte be crooked or vncleane all my actions vvill be crooked and vncleane because if the fountayne be muddie the riuer can not runne cleare if the roote be poysoned the bowes and fruites vvill be infected will infect If my heart be dead all my actions euen the best vvill be dead and not meritorious of life euerlasting but if my heart be liuing by the life of grace all my good vvorkes vvill be liuing and meritorious And seeing my former heart ô Lord was vncleane by sinne crooked by a crooked spirit tending to earthlie thinges yea vvas dead by mortall sinne which depriued it of the life of grace giue me a cleane heart fit for thee to dvvell in giue me a right heart vvhich may allvvaies ayme at thy glorie giue me a liuing heart vvhich liuing here by grace may liue in Heauen by glorie the fruite and haruest of the seed of grace Ne proijcias me à facie tua Spiritum Sanctum tuum ne auferas à me Cast me not avvay from thy face and thy holy Spirit take not from me Aug. l. 1. de libero ar cap. 16. lib. 2. c. 19. lib. contra Socundinum Manich c. 15. 1. SInne if it be mortall is an auersion of our vvill from God the Creatour and an inordnate conuersion of the same to the Creature it is a scornefull turning of the backe to God and a loving turning of the face to the creature it is a disdainfull farewell to the creatour a freindlie vvellcome to the creature And this vvere enough to cause God to turne his face from vs because vve by sinne doe turne our faces from him and our backes to him I ô Lord saith Dauid in a former verse desired thee to turne thy face from my sinnes that is so as not to be displeased with them novv I desire thee not to turne thy face from my selfe my person My sinnes are no creatures of thine but vglie monsters of my peruerse vvill and therefore thou hast cause to turne thy face from them and not to daine these viperous broods thy good looke or fauorable countenance but I my selfe though I be a sinner by myne owne malice yet I am thy creature by thy goodnes and seeing Thou louest all thinges that are Sap. 11. hatest nothing of those thinges which thou hast made yea thou sparest all because they are thine And especially thou louest soules reasonable creatures I hope thou vvilt not turne thy face from me but looke on me vvith a louinge aspect Thou hatest not the Diuell but for his sinne and vvere it not for that thou vvouldst loue him Hate then ô Lord my sinnes for I also doe hate and detest them with thee auert thy fauorable countenāce from them for I also through thy grace can not afford them a good looke But hate not me I am thy handworke and thy master-peece after the Angells hate not me I beare thy liuelie image which thou canst not hate it so liuelie representing thy selfe Hate then my creature my sinne but not thy creature auert thy face from my sinnes but cast me not from thy face conuert thy selfe to me that I may be conuerted to thee I could of my selfe auert my selfe from thee but I can not conuert my selfe to thee vnlesse thou by thy grace conuert me 2. Heretofore it vvas a pleasure to me but ô the novv displeasing pleasure to be auerted from thee and conuerted to thy creatures vvhich I loued in ordinatlie because aboue thee aboue thee because against thy commaundements but novv thy grace hath made a great mutatiō in me Psa 76 this is mutatio dexterae excelsi the change of the right hand of the Highest novv it is the greatest corrosiue to my heart to be auerted from thy face in vvhich the Angells take delight and it will be my greatest comfort if thou vouchsafe to turne thy benigne countenance to me and not to cast me away from thy face The aspect of thy countenance the verie turning and cōuersion of thy glorious face to me is a torch and light vvhich illuminateth my way and keepeth me from stumbling and falling it is the sea starre which directeth my nauigation it is the piller of fire vvhich leadeth me by night the cloud vvhich guideth me by day through the desertes of this life Gen. 13 to Heauen the land of promise 3. I heretofore vvhich now I rue tooke a fall by sinne from thee ô God from thy grace fauour frō Heauen into the depth of sinne and if thy mercifull hand had not holden me into the pit of Hell but now that by thy grace the effect of thy benigne coūtenance I am risen let me not fall againe now that by the light of thy face which is thy grace I am directed
in the right way let me not range out of it any more novv that by the same grace I am vvashed from my sinnes let me not defile my selfe againe now that I am by this grace cured of my disease of sinne let me not fall into it againe novv that my mortall wouÌ„des are healed by this grace let me not renew them For vvhat vvould it auaile to be risen vp if I fall againe the after fall vvould make my rising more difficult What to haue vvalked in the vvayes of thy commaundementes if I loose this vvay againe I shall the more hardlie finde it What to haue been vvashed cleane in the lauer of penance and by thy grace if like a swine I vvallovv my selfe againe in the puddle of sinne the stayne vvill more hardlie be gotten out better it is for me to say vvith the Spouse Cant. 5 I haue washed my feete hovv shall I defile them What vvill it auaile to haue beene cured of the ague of sinne if I admitte an other accesse of it Recidiuation is more dangerous then the former sicknes What to haue been healed of so many mortall vvoundes as mortall sinnes if I renevv them againe the renevving makes them harder to be cured then before Wherefore turne not thy face froÌ„ me by vvithdrawing thy grace for then I shall fall againe into all those miseries to haue vvell begun is a small thing how many good beginners are novv in Hell perseuerance is that vvhich maketh vs goe on to the end and the end crowneth the vvorke And therefore ô Lord take not thy holy spirit from me Take not from me the create spirit of grace by vertue of vvhich I may perseuer to the end yea ô Eternall Father ô Eternall Sonne giue me your increate spirit the holy Ghost vvho proceedeth from you both and vvho is equall coequall and consubstantiall to you both and who is your mutuall loue and eternall knotte of freindship take not froÌ„ me this your increate Spirit So long as this Spirit supporteth me I can not fall Heauen vvill sooner fall then I so supported can fall 4. And thou ô penitent Christian desire almightie God to turne his face from thy sinne but not from thee it being thy onelie comfort in this life to haue its benigne aspect and the light of grace which proceedeth from it and vvhich illuminateth thy vvay vvhich thou art to vvalke Desire him also not to take avvay his holy Spirit from thee vvithout vvhich liuing thou art dead liuing in bodie dead in soule vvhich if thou fall will raise thee if thou stand vvill so direct thy steppes as thou shalt neuer fall againe Ioan. 1. This Spirit houered ouer the waters in the first creation gaue them fecunditie to bring forth fish and fowle The same spirit houered ouer the waters of Baptisme when thou vvast regenerated of water and the holy Ghost Ioan. 3. and gaue it force to this day to bring forth Spirituall fishes to vvitt Christâ—ans who are spawnes and young fishes of the great fish CHRIST IESVS Tertul. lib. de Baptismo Aug li de Ciuit ca. 18. stiled by the Sybille in the first letters of her Greeke verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a fish because in the riuer of Iordan vvhere he was Baptized by S. Iohn Baptist he like a fish did as it vvere swimme and thereby gaue vertue to the water of baptisme to regenerat ChristiaÌ„s whereas ChristiaÌ„s haue their origin froÌ„ the water as fishes haue This Spirit againe houered ouer the vvaters of contritioÌ„ the SacrameÌ„t also of penaÌ„ce wheÌ„ it inspired into me the Spirit of coÌ„punction and contrition by which from my sinnes committed after Baptisme I vvas againe vvashed and rose againe from sinne to iustifying grace Let it giue me also ô most mercifull Lord the grace and guift of perseuerance vvhich is all in all and without vvhich all is nothing Do not take this Holie Spirit from me and I shall perseuer to the end against all tentations maugre all the Deuills in Hell 5. S. Peter before he vvas fortified by this Spirit vvas so frayle fearfull and cowardlie that he denied his Master at the voice of a Maide-seruaunt a woeman dashed him out of countenance but after he vvas armed fortified by this Holy Spirit he feared not the Tyrants of the vvorld nor all the tormentes that cruell heartes could deuise but like a rocke vvithstood the boisterous windes of their persecutions vvhich did but breake wast themselues mooued not him And he the rest of the Apostles vvho fled vvhen their Master vvas taken and vvho eueÌ„ after his death and resurrection assembled themselues together and shutte the doores Propter metum Iudaeorum for feare of the Ievves Ioan. 20. after they had receaued this Holy Spirit they feared not the Tyrants of earth nor all the Deuills in Hell Yea they but twelue set vpon all the vvorld and not iointly neither but singlie and made a conquest of a greater world then euer Alexander the Great did subdued not onelie their bodies as he did but their vvilles and vnderstanding subiected the Empire to the Churche the Scepter to the crosse made philosophie stoupe to Christes doctrine Matth. 10. and Idolatrie to Christian religion And whereas they were sent as sheepe amongest vvolues yet these sheepe strengthened by this Holy Spirit were to hard for the wolues and as fire coÌ„uerteth all into it so they inflamed vvith this HeaueÌ„lie fire consumed sinne and Idolatrie and like so many walking fiers set all the world on fire conuerted all to Christ and made all like themselues that is Christians 6. I ô Lord request at thy bountifull handes with Dauid a guift of this Holy Spirit Act. 20 and this Heauenlie fire which descended on the first Christians in the forme of fierie tongues corroborate and encourage me by this Holy Spirit inflame me with this heauenlie fire and harden me with it that no assaults of the Deuill world or flesh may be able to ouerthrowe me that for feare of persecution I may not deny thee but as now as I hope I am risen by thy Holy Spirit and grace of iustification so by thy guifte and grace of perseuerance the proper effect of it I may neuer fall againe by mortall sinne from thy grace fauour face and eternall vision the blisse of the blessed which is onelie graunted to them who perseuer to the end Redde mihi letitiam salutaris tui Et spiritu principali confirma me Render vnto me the ioy of thy Saluation and confirme me with thy principall Spirit 1. I Remember ô Lord saith Dauid say the same ô penitent soule with him what ioye peace of conscience and comfort I enioyed in thee and in thy seruice before my sinne and when I was enriched with thy grace the fountaine of true peace and ioye Then I tasted and sawe how sweet thou art then I experienced Psal 33 how great is the multitude of thy
sweetnes ô Lord which thou hast hidd for them that feare thee and hast hidden from the worldlings vvho feare thee not Sap. 12. O hovv good and sweet is thy spirit ô Lord in all Math. 11. Thy seruice is à yoke but sweet it is a burden but light And ô my infelicitie who when I sinned left thee and all this true ioye and consolation When by Iustifying grace I liued in thy house I aboūded with this bread of consolation but whē by my sinne I left the house of thee my eternall father followed the seruice of the world vvith the Prodigall sonne Luc. 15 then instead of this bread of true consolation I vvas fedd as he vvas after he left his fathers house with the huskes of worldlie consolation with carnall and brutish pleasures the hoggish fare of sinners vvhich neuer quencheth thirst neuer slaketh or assuageth hunger neuer giueth contentement 2. When I serued thee ô Lord J drank of the fountaine of liuing waters and true pleasures Ioh. 4. whilst I drank those waters I neuer thirsted after any other but vvhen I forsooke thee the Creatour and fountaine of liuing water Hierem 24. and digged to my selfe cisternes broken cisternes which are not able to hold water that is whē I thought to extinguish my thirst by my loue of creatures or create riches or pleasures I found thē to be broken cisternes which doe not containe the water of solid comfort pleasure or contētement When I serued thee I was fedd vvith Manna Num. 21. the bread of Angels which containeth in it selfe all delight but vvhen by sinne I loathed and left this foode of Angels and sought to satisfie myne appetite with worldly and carnall pleasures ô what an ill exchange I made I then sold vvith Esau my spirituall first birth-right Gen. 25 vvhich grace gaue vnto me for a messe of potage Exod. 25. I exchanged Manna for the flesh pottes yea onions and garlick of Egipt I left thee ô Lord the Creatour in whom I had true contentement for thy creatures which by reason of their insufficiencie can not content 3. Thou hast created vs ô Lord to thy selfe and for thy selfe and hast made vs capable of thy selfe by thy cleare vision and fruition and thou being rich eminēt in excellēcie aboue all beautifull most good yea a sea of goodnes hast made vs capable of all these thy Diuine attributes and perfections But because we seeke for these thinges not in thee where they are where onely they content but in thy creatures where is but a shadow of them and vvhere they doe not content we by abuse haue made this our capacitie of fruition of thee thy Diuine perfections which onely can satisfie and fill vs the cause of all our discontentement yea our vices and disorders For whereas thou hast made vs capable of thy Diuine excellencie to vvhich supreame honour is due we by abuse seeke for this excellencie and honour not in thee but in our selues desiring too much to excell others and to be esteemed aboue them this is pride ambition which is neuer satisfied Others giue this excellencie and supreame honour to creatures as to the sunne moone starres and this is Idolatrie vvhereas thou hast made vs capable of thy beautie which is the cause and fountaine of of all beautie we leauing thee doe seeke for it in thy creatures where is but a shadow of that thy beautie and this is carnall concupiscence which is neuer filled Whereas thou hast made vs capable of thy riches and aboundance vvhich comprehendeth all the riches and varieties of Sea and Land that also most eminentlie vve by abuse seeke this aboundance and varietie of all thinges in thy creatures and trouble Sea Land to procure it this is riotte and auarice vvhich is neuer contented whereas thou hast created vs capable of thy bountie liberalitie by vvhich thou shinest raynest by thy guiftes and fauours on the good and badde and castest a largesse of thy infinite guiftes and benefites on all thy creatures euē to the young rauens and crawling wormes we by abuse seeke for this bountie out of thee would be liberall not out of thy aboundance but out of our owne store and this is lauishing prodigalitie vvhich spendeth till it hath ruined the spender and his familie and aftervvard stealeth to spend more more and so findeth no end nor content in spending 4. And the reason vvhy these creatures and create perfections can not content our will or appetite is because thou ô Lord hast giuen to our vvill an infinite capacitie capable of thy selfe who art an infinite sea of all goodnes and perfection whereas thy creatures are finite and limited in perfection an so can not fill a vessell as our vvill is of infinit capacitie and thy creatures are also imperfect so doe not onelie not satisfie and fill vs but doe also by reasō of this imperfection and disproportion cause in vs a spirituall thirst and hungre vvhich vexeth and tormēteth vs. One vvorld was not great enough to content Alexander the Great nor would many worlds haue satisfied him though thy had beene as many as Democritus imagined what rich man was euer satisfied vvith riches vvhat ambitious mā vvith honours what luxurious mā vvith carnall pleasures And no maruayle no create thing is proportionat to mans infinit capacitie All create perfections are defectiue insufficient and vayne like to painted grapes and so can giue no solid satietie or consolation 5. For vvhat are the gold and syluer landes and liuinges and all the riches of the vvorld vvhich are gotten with labour kept with care and lost with sorrow but pelfe and trash and fruites of the earth and so earthlie and consequentlie improportionate to our soules appetite vvhich is spirituall what are the pleasures of the bodie but gay stinking flowers thornie roses sweet poysons delights of brute beastes in vvhich we agree vvith them vvhich so are the pleasures of the bodie that they are the greatest displeasures of the soule what are the honours and estimations of the vvorld which so daste wordlings eyes but blastes of mens mouthes or the transitory conceites of mens mindes which often are erroneous alwaies inconstant and more changable thē the vvinde passing more swiftly them the waues of the running water And as yet the man vvas neuer found which vvas satisfied vvith these painted gugawes 6. Thou onelie ô my Lord and God vvho art infinit in all perfection and goodnes canst fill the infinit capacitie of our soule Thou onelie art the center of our desires in vvhom onelie they rest The stone vvill sooner rest in the ayre before it come to the center then the soule of man in creatures before it come to thee her creatour her first efficient and last end Fecisti nos Domine ad te saith S. Austin inquietum est cor nostrum Aug. lib. 1. Confes cap. 1. donec requiescat in