the most precious bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ and that for his great love towards mee no merit of mine doe confesse and acknowledge publikely or by this hand-writing or in these words before the Omnipotent God and before the whole hoast of Heaven and before you so many as stand here as witnesses about me if necessitie shall so require that I am and desire so to dye a son truly obedient to the holy Catholique Church with that â—inceritie as becommeth a Christian. And I beleeve and confesse generally all and everie part particle portion or article of the Christian faith to the beleefe whereof everie Christian stands bound especially all those particular points whether plainly expressed or necessarily implyed in the twelve articles of Christian faith for as much as they were delivered unto us from the holy Spirit by the twelve Apostles and recommended to us for Evangelicall truth And I farther beleeve and adhere to their inter pretations or expositions yet not to all or everie one but to those onely which were published by the holy Fathers received admitted â—pproved and confirmed by the most sacred Councells and tried by the truest touch-stone of infallible Scripture And to be briefe I beleeve whatsoever a Christian ought truly to beleeve In which faith so immoveable and firme I rejoyce with all mine heart to dye holding and offering this writing in mine hand as a most impregnable and invincible shield against all the insults assaults deceits and subtilties of the Devill And if it so come to passe which God forbid that by instigation of the Devill or violence of sicknesse I should thinke speake or doe any thing contrarie to mine Attestation aforesaid or should fall into any apostacie diffidence or desperation I wholly revoke and reverse that whatsoever or howsoever it shall be here in the presence of you all and make it as voyd and of no effect as if I were distraught of my wits when I did it Wherefore I appeale unto you all that are here present and to thee O holy Angell to whose guard I am committed that yee beare witnesse of this my Protestation before the Omnipotent Judge Now for as much as concerneth my selfe I doe pardon and forgive all injuries of what nature qualitie or condition soever as have beene done mee desiring heartily that the like may bee done to mee by those whom I have at any time offended either in word or deed I doe likewise crave and desire with all mine heart that I may bee made partaker of all good works which either are already done or shall be hereafter done by holy men through the whole Church whensoever or whereinsoever their office or ministerie may be usefull to mee but principally of the most bitter Passion and most innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And may this my naturall voluntarie and desired approch of death stand through his merits and mercies for all my sinnes And I wish to God that I had never at any time sinned either against God or his Lawes or my Superiours or my Neighbours or my selfe Lastly I give thanks to mine Omnipotent God for all his benefits bestowed upon me and I commend my body and soule into his hands and to the bitternesse of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be praise and honour and dignitie for evermore Amen AN ELEGIE OF St. Dionysius a Carthusian of the judgement of death and the sundrie casualties thereof TO Earth returnes whats'ere from Earth had birth Flower fades shade vades what 's bred is brought to Earth Nought judge I long that doubtfull bound can stay To morrow day may be my onely day Short is that day to day which well may be My day my doome a fearefull day to me A fearefull horrid day when all my store Is clos'd in clay and I can earne no more Who thinks his dayes long 'las he thinks amisse Nor long nor safe is one whole day of his In vaine speake I of dayes dayes not exprest When not one day nor houre can promise rest Thy long liv ' d hopes if so thou like extend Yet nought of nought shall come to nought i'th'end Thouâ—ands ten thousands thousand thousands were On Earth now Earth whose names lye buried here This onely rests that each receive his hire Good works deserve good gifts ungodly fire Behold the fearefull judge thy finall doome Prepare thy selfe this dreadfull day will come Feare then and quake compose direct thy mind Live to dye now and suffer what 's assign'd An Epistle of Ludovicus Blosius written to an especiall friend upon the perfecting and publishing of his worke entituled The Parlour of the Soule BEhold thou hast my dearely beloved in Christ The Parlour of the Soule which thou hast so long time desired Having now lately written The spirituall Glasse both for thy selfe and mee I had purposed to have added nothing thereto howbeit afterwards I could by no meanes satisfie thy desire unlesse I annexed unto it The spirituall Iewell Crowne and Casket all which this our Parlour containeth Which truly came later to the Presse than thou wished but take it in good part being done by the pâ—rpose and ordinance of God Now if thou setting aside sometimes thy more weightie cares and employments become delighted with the reading of such simple bookes as are published by mee as thou seemest to be delighted I doe advise thee that first thou enter into this Parlour and diligently consider and discusse those things which are therein And afterwards that thou take into thy hand that Psychagogia which I have collected some yeares agoe out of Augustine and Gregorie For the doctrine of the Fathers set downe in these two Books shall mightily comfort and confirme thee being of so good disposition and inflame thee to the love of God thy heavenly Countrey Let it not be tedious to thee ofttimes to read over these and such like devout works yea though thy reading afford small or no sweet relish to the palate of thine heart For too delicate is he who casteth aside all such holy and wholesome directions as he had once read or heard and will not read nor heare them any more I give thanks unto my Lord Jesus for that thy Brother after such time as he had read over that Tract of mine entitled Comfort for the weak hearted and now by mee published hee becomes now lesse afflicted with inordinate feare than before Let him ascribe that reliefe as received solely from God and his holy Doctors who speake unto him in that Tract of comfort He does well surely to grieve and sorrow for that hee hath offended God without measure or number all the by-past time of his life neverthelesse hee is to have his affiance and confidence in the boundlesse sweetnesse of Gods mercie Let him thinke how most of those who had slaine Christ afterwards received pardon by beleeving in Christ to the end truly that all men should learne that no crimes or offences are so
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
I can by no meanes nor measure compare mine understanding to it yet I desire in some sort to understand thy truth which mine heart beleeveth and loveth Neither doe I beleeve to understand that I may beleeve but I beleeve that I may understand For this likewise I beleeve that unlesse I beleeve I shall not understand Therefore O Lord thou who givest understanding to faith give unto mee that I may understand so much as thou knowest to be expedient for mee for thou art as wee beleeve and this thou art which wee beleeve true God who livest and reignest world without end DEAHTS Memoriall The Child of God thinkes willingly of death To rest with Him who after death gives breath NOw to shut up all with that which closeth all by imposing a Period upon all We are to consider now when the sinfull soule beginneth to be loosened from these bonds of flesh with what bitter terror shee is afflicted with what stings of a biting conscience shee is distracted Shee remembers the things forbidden her which shee hath committed Shee considers the things commanded her which shee hath negligently contemned she bemoanes those opportunate times of repentance offer'd her and which shee so fruitlesly apprehended shee bewailes that immoveable article of strict revenge inevitably approching her She h 'as had sufficient time of sojourning here shee is now compelled to goe hence Shee would regaine that which shee h'as lost but she is not heard Behind her shee beholds the whole course of her forepast life all which shee accounts as one short pace She casts her eyes upon her selfe and collects the space of an infinite perpetuity She laments therefore in that she h'as lost what in so short a space she might have got the joy of all ages She bemoanes her selfe in that for so short a pleasure of fleshly delight she h'as lost the unspeakable sweetnesse of perpetuall solace Shee blusheth in that for this substance which is subject to wormes shee h'as neglected that which was to have beene ranked amongst Quires of Angels Now she lifteth up the beames of her minde and no sooner beholdeth the glory of immortall riches than shee becomes confounded for that she h'as lost them for the poverty of this life Againe when shee casteth her eyes under her in a despicable reflex upon the valley of this world and eying it to be nothing but darknesse but above her wonders at the beautie of that eternall light she clearly sees that it was night and darknesse which shee loved O that shee might but purchase some small remainder of time for repentance what a sharp course of conversation would she take upon her what and how great things would shee promise with what vows of devotioÌ„ would shee enwreath her In the meane time while her divine eyes grow darke while her heart beats while her hoarse throat gaspes her teeth grow by little and little black and draw as it were unto them a certaine rust her countenance becomes pale and all her members stiffe While these then and such like as forerunning offices of approching death attend her all her works and words present themselves before her nay not her very thoughts are absent and all these bring in bitter testimony against their author All these are heaped together before the eyes of her viewing them so as even those things which she shunneth to behold she is inforced though against her will to take notice of Besides all this there is here an horrid troupe of Devils and there a glorious traine of Angels By that which appears betwixt them may be clearly perceived which of them h'as most property in her For if tokens of piety bee discovered in her shee is cheared with the delights of an angelick invitation and allured with the sweetnesse of an harmonious melodie to go forth But if the blacknesse of her merits and the impurity of her foule and filthy life adjudge her to the left hand presently with an intolerable terrour shee becomes surprized with the violence of a sudden force she is disturbed dejected invaded and from the prison of miserable flesh violently haled that to eternall torments with bitternesse shee may be tugged Now after her departure from the body who can utter what armed troopes or Squadrons of wicked Spirits lye in ambush for her what treacherous traines furnished with cruell tortures besiege the way that receives her And lest the soule should escape theÌ„ legions of furies as it were in military rankes or battalions inclose her This and â—uâ—h like frequently to meditate of in thine heart what else is it than to shunne delightfull blandishments to be divorc'd from the world and to shake off unlawfull motions of the flesh and constantly to retaine the sole purpose of attaining perfection Which that wee may doe God for his mercy grant us Amen Sedeo Sileo Signo Deaths distinction O My soule good is the death of the just in respect of tranquillity better in respect of novelty best in respect of security Contrariwise the death of sinners is the worst and rightly the worst evill in losing the world worse in parting from the flesh but worst in that twofold anâ— guish of a worme never dying and a fire ever burning and which is worst of all in being deprived of divine contemplation HOLY MEMORIALS Or Heavenly Memento's Memor fui Domini Delectatus sum A bono die bonum opus suscipiamus ab illo die in quo veluti Christus ascenderit piis desideriis ascendamus Of his Conception MEMORIALL I. I Was not and thou didst make mee I had no being and thou gave it mee I was conceived in sinne before I conceived what was Sin Nature laid on mee a staine before she brought mee to a visible state My bloud was corrupted before ever I entred Tainted it was when Eve was tempted and weakely consented Thus did my parents make mee forlorne before ever I was borne Even then wheÌ„ the second skin was my coat was Sin my Cognizance Seeds of sin sprung in mee before the Light tooke notice of mee And these had their rooting from those that bred mee Long before I had abilitie to sin were all my members made instruments of sinne Before I had the use of any sense sin had made a slave of every sense For mine eyes while they were as yet sealed sights of sin had enter'd theÌ„ For mine eares though they were as then closed ayres of sin had pierced them For my taste before I enjoy'd it an Apple had poyson'd it For my Touch before I employ'd it had Eves pulse soiled it For my Smell before I knew how to use it had the steames of earth choaked it I was shut up as one in darknesse and darke I was within as well as without by means of mine originall uncleanenesse I conversed with none none with mee my mothers wombe was that living tombe which inclosed mee Thus before ever I saw the Sun became I a growing lump of sin