thy onely Goodnesse we are made by thy Iustice we are punished and by thy mercy we are deliuered Nothing neither in Heauen or which is Elementary eyther of fire or earth or any other thing subiect to our sense is to be worshipped instead of thee who truely art what thou art and art not changed and to whome it doth most principally agree that thou be called that which the Grecians call On and the Latins Ens which signifieth The thing which is for thou art euer the same and thy years will neuer fayle These and many other things haue beene taught me by my holy Mother the Church wherof I am made a member by thy grace It hath taught me that thou the onely one and true God art not corporeall nor passible and that nothinge of thy substance or nature is any way violable or mutable or composed and framed and therefore it is certaine that thou canst nor be perceiued by corporeall eyes and that thou couldest neuer be seene in thy proper essence by any mortall creature Hereby it is clearely to be vndestood that as the Angells see thee now so are we to see thee after this life But yet nether are the Angells themselues able to sâ—e thee iust as thou art and in fine the Omnipotent Trinity is not wholy seene by any but by thy onely selfe CHAP. XXX Of the vnity of God and the plurality of Persons in him BVt thou art truly Vnity in thy diuinity though manifold in the plurality of thy Persons so that thou canst not be numbred by any number nor measured by any measure nor waighed by any waight For we doe not pretend to finde out any beginninge of that supreame goodnesse which thou thy selfe art from whence all things by which all things and in which all things but we say that all other things are good by the participation of that goodnes For thy diuine Essence did euer and doth still want Matter although it doe not want Forme namely that Forme which was neuer formed the Forme of all Formes that most beautifull Forme which when thou dost imprint vpon particuler things as it might be some seale thou makest them without all doubte differre from thy selfe by their owne mutabilitie without any change in thee eyther by way of augmentation or diminution Now whatsoeuer is within the coÌ„pass of created thinges that also is a creature of thyne O thou one Trinity and three in Vnity thou God whose Omnipotency possesseth and ruleth and filleth all things which thou didst create And yet we doe not therefore say that thou fillest all things as if they did conteyne thee but rather so as that they be conteyned by thee Nor yet dost thou fill them all by partes nor is it to be thought by any meanes that euery creature receiues thee after the rate of the bignesse which it selfe hath that is to say the greater the greater parte the lesse the lesse since thou thy selfe art in them all all of them in thee whose Omnipotency concludeth all things nor can any man finde a way whereby to make escape from thy power For he who hath thee not wel pleased wil be sure not to escape thee being offended as it is written neither from the East nor from the West nor from the desert mountaynes because God is the Iudge And els where it is sayd Whither shall I goe from thy spiritt and whither shall I fly from thy face The immeÌ„sity of thy diuine greatnes is such that we must knowe thee to be whithin all things and yet not included and without all thinges yet not excluded And therefore thou art interior that thou maiste conteyne all things and therefore thou art exterior that by the immensity of thy greatnes thou maiste conclude all things By this therefore that thou art interior thou art showed to be the Creator but by this that thou art exterior thou art proued to be the Gouernour of them all And least all things which are created should be without thee thou art interior but thou art exterior to the end that all things may be included in thee Not by any local magnitude of thyne but by the poteÌ„tiall presence of thee who art present euery where and all thinges to thee are present though some vnderstaÌ„d these things and others indeed vnderstand them not The inseparable vnity therfore of thy nature cannot haue the persons seperable because as thou art Trinity in Vnity and Vnity in Trinity so thou canst not haue separation of persons It is true that those persons are named seuerally but yet thou art so pleased to show thy selfe O God thou Trinity to be inseperable in thy persons as that there is noe name belonginge to thee in any one of them which may not be referred to another according to the rules of relation For as the Father to the Sonne and the Sonne to the Father so the Holy Ghoste is most truely referred both to the Father SoÌ„ne But those names which signify thy substanec or person or power or Essence or any thing which properly is called God doe equally agree to all the persons As great God Omnipotent and eternall God and all those things which naturally are saide of thee O God Therefore there is noe name which concernes the nature of God which can so agree to God the Father as that it may not also agree to God the Sonne as also to God the Holy Ghoste As for example we say the Father is naturally God but so is the Sonne naturally God and so also is the Holy Ghoste naturally God and yet not three Gods but naturally one God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste Therfore art thou ô Holy Trinity inseperable in thy persons as thou art to be vnderstoode by our mind although thou haue seperable names in worde because thou dost by no meanes indure a plurall number in the names belonging to thy nature For herby it is showed that the persons cannot be deuided in the blessed Trinity which is one true God because the name of any one of the Persons doth euer relate to an other of them For if I name the Father I shew the Sonne if I speake of the Sonne I proclame the Father if I speake of the Holy Ghoste it is necessarily to be vnderstoode that he is the Spiritt of some other namely of the Father and of the Sonne Now this it that true Faith which flowes from sound doctrine This indeed is the Catholique and Orthodoxall Faith which God hath taught me by his Grace in the bosome of his Church which is my Mother CHAP. XXXI A prayer to the blessed Trinity MY Faith doth therefore call vpon thee which thou O Lord haste giuen me through thy goodnes for my saluation Now the faithfull soule liues by Faith He now holds that in hope which hereafter he shall haue indeed I call vpon thee O my God with a pure conscience and with that sweete loue which groweth out of Faith whereby thou
strong tempest shall compasse thee inn round about when thou shalt call the heauen earth at such tyme as thou wilt iudge thy people And behold all my iniquities shal be discouered then before so many thousands of nations and all my greiuous crimes not onely deeds but euen words and very thoughts themselues shal be manifested to so many legions of Angells Before so many iudges shall I desolate creature stand as there wil be men who haue farr outstripped me in good workes By so many reprouers shall I be confounded as haue giuen me examples of good life And by so many witnesses shall I be conuinced as haue taught me by good speeches and instructed me toward an imitation of them by their good examples O my Lord I can lighte vpon nothinge which I may say nothing doth occurr which I can answere And now whilest I am subiect to this sharp triall my conscience racks me the secrets of my hart torment me couetousnesse streightens me pride accuses me enuy consumes me concupiscence inflames me lust importunes me gluttony dishoners me ebriety ouercomes me detraction tears me ambition supplants me greedinesse disquiets me discorde scatters me anger disturbes me mirth dissolues me heauinesse oppresseth me hypocrisy deceiues me flattery alters me fauour exalts me slaunder wounds me Behold ô thou who art my deliuerer from these feirce nations behold who they be whome I haue liued with all from the very day of my birth whome I haue obserued and to whome I haue dedicated my selfe Those very imployments which I loued condemn me they which I praised dishonored me These are those frends with whome I did so carefully comply those Maisters whose direction I followed those Lords whome I haue serued those Counseillers whome I haue beleeued those citzens with whome I haue dwelt those domesticks whome I haue consented too woe is me ô my King and my God that my habitation here is so much prolonged Woe is me O thou light of mine eyes that I haue dwelt amongst the inhabitants of Cedar And if holy Dauid could say that he had dwelt much with them how much more may I wretched creature say O thou my God and my strong fundation that my soule hath dwelt too much with them for in thy sight noe man liueinge can be iustifyed My hope is not reposed in the sonnes of men for if thou iudge them when thy mercy is laide a side whome wilt thou be able to finde iust And if thou preuent not the wicked man by showeing mercy thou wilt not finde any good man vpon whome to bestowe thy glory For I beleeue O thou who art my saluation that which I haue beene told that it is thy mercy which bringeth me to pennance Those lipps of thy mouth more sweete then Nectar haue sounded forth these words Noe man can come to me vnles my Father who sent me drawe him Because therfor thou haste instructed me because by that instruction thou hast mercifully framed me as now I am I doe with the most inward marrow of my soule and with all possible strife of my hart inuoke thee ô Omnipotent Father with thy most beloued Sonne and thee ô most sweete Sonne with the most excellent souueraigne Holy spirit that thou wilt draw me towards thee that so I may runn after the fragrance of thy pretious odours and that I may doe it most dearely CHAP. V. The Father is inuoked by the Sonne INuoke thee ô my God! I inuoke hee because thou art present to all such as call vpon thee in the way of truth for thou art Truth Teach me ô holy Truth by thy mercy how I may inuoke thee in thee because I know not how that must be done and therefore I doe most humbly begg of thee to be taught by thee For to be wise without thee is to play the foole but to knowe thee is perfectly to be wise Teach me ô diuine Wisdome and instruct me in thy lawe for I beleeue that he whome thou teachest and whome thou instructest in thy lawe shal be happy I desire to inuoke thee and I beseech thee that it may be in all Truth What is it to call vpon Truth in Truth but to call vpon the Father in his Sonnes Thy speach therfore ô holy Father is Truth and Truth is the beginninge of thy words For this is the beginninge of thy words that in the beginning was the word In the very beginning doe I adore thee who art the prime and supreame beginninge In that very worde of Truth doe I also inuoke thee ô perfect Truth in which word I beseech thee who art that very Truth that thou will direct and teach me that Truth For what is more delightfull then to inuoke the Father in the name of his onely begotten Sonne to induce the Father to mercy by the remembrance of his Sonne to mollify the Kings hart by the mention of his dearest Sonne For thus doe prisoners vse to be freed from their restrainte So are slaues freed from their chaines and men who are lyable to the sadd doome of death are not onely absolued but growe intitled sometymes to extraordinary fauour when they putt angry Princes in minde of the loue they beare to theyr progeny And when the intercession of the Sonne is imployed the poore slaue is wonte to auoide the punishment of his Lord. Iust so ô thou Omnipotent Father I begg of thee by thine Omnipotent Sonne that thou wilt drawe my soule out of prison that I may confesse to thy name I beseech thee by that onely begotten Sonne of thine who is coeternall with thee that thou wilt discharge me from these fetters of my sinns and that by the mediation of thy most pretious issue who is sitting at thy right hand thou wilt of thy goodnes restore me to life who for my great demerits am threatned with the sentence of death For I know not what other intercessor I should be able to vse towards thee but him who is propitiation for our sinns and who sitteth at thy right hand pleadinge for vs. Behold ô God the Father him who is my aduocate with thee Behold that supreame Bishop who hath noe need to be expiated by any others blood because he is resplendent by being all bathed in his owne Beholde here the holy Sacrifice which is holy perfect and wel pleasing which is offered in the odour of sweetnes so accepted Behold the lamb without spott who is silent before the shearrer and who being beaten vpon the face with blowes and defiled with spittle and reproached with scorne did not yet so much as open his mouth Behold he who neuer committed sinn hath borne our sinns and by his owne wounds hath cured our diseases CHAP. VI. Here man representeth the Passion of the Sonne to the Father BEholde deare Father thy most holy Sonne who hath suffered such bitter paines for me Behold ô most clement Kinge who it is that suffers and mercifully remember for whome he suffers
Is not he ô my Lord that innocent person who beinge thine onely Sōne was deliuered by thee to the end that he might redeeme thy slaue Is not he the author of life who yet is carried like à sheepe to slaughter and being made obedient to thee did not feare to vndergoe a most outragious kinde of death which was most hydeously greiuous Call to minde ô thou who art the dispenser of all saluation that this is that very he whome although thou didst begett out of thyne owne substance and strength thou didest yet ordeyne to be partaker of my infirmity Yea this indeed is that Deity of thyne which apparelled it selfe with my nature that nature ascended vp to the tree of the Crosse endured bitter torment in the flesh which it assumed Send downe ô Lord my God the eyes of thy Majesty vpon this worke of thy vnspeakable piety Behold thy sweete Sonne beinge stretched out from head to foote Beholde those innocent hands all distillings with his pretious blood and thou beinge once appeased forgiue the wickednes which my hands haue wrought Consider that disarmed side of his which is pearced by the pointe of a cruell Launce and renew me in that most sacred springe which I beleeue flowed downe from thence Cast an eye towards those immaculate feete of his which neuer stood in the way of sinners but did alwayes walke in thy Lawe See how they are fastned with cruell nailes and doe thou perfect my paces in thy pathewayes and mercifully make me hate all wayes of wickednes Remoue the way of iniquity from me and of thy goodnes make me choose the way of truthe I beseech thee ô Kinge of Saynts by this Redeemer of mine that thou wilt make me runn with speed through the way of thy Commandemētes that so I may be vnited to him in spiritt who disdayned not to be vested with my flesh Dost thou not ô holy Father obserue how that most deere head of thy Sonne he being yet but in the flower of his youth is hanging downe vpon that necke which is as white as snowe and doth resolue it selfe into a most pretious death Beholde ô thou most meeke Creator the humanity of thy beloued Sonne and take pitty vpon the weakenes of our fraile nature That bare brest of his is lilly-pale that side is all read and goared with blood those bowells are withered with being stretched out those sweete bright eyes doe languish that imperiall face is all discoloured those long and gracefull armes are growen stiffe those marble thighes are hanging downe and those springs of that pretious blood doe bedew bathe his transperced feete Behold ô glorious Father the torne lymms of thy most beloued Sonne and in thy mercy remember that he carrieth my nature about him Behold the punishment of that man who is God and release the misery of that man who was created by him Behold the punishment of the Redeemer and remitt and pardon his offence who is redeemed This is he ô my Lord whome thou didst strike for the sinns of thy people though he be still that beloued in whome thou art so well pleased This is that innocent person in whome noe guile was found and yet he was esteemed to be one of the wicked CHAP. VII Here man acknowledgeh that himselfe by his sinnes is the cause of the Passion of Christ our Lord. WHAT hast thou committed ô thou most sweete childe that thou shouldest so be iudged what hast thou committed ô most amiable yonge man that thou shouldest be treated so what is thy wickednes what is thy cryme what is the cause of thy death what is the occasion of thy condemnation It is I it is I who am that wound which putts thee to payne and I am the cryme which kills thee and I am the man who deserued that death which thou endurest I am the wickednes wherof reueng is taken vpon thee I am that sornes of thy Passion I am the labour of thy torment O admirable kind of sentence O disposition of an vnspeakable mistery The wicked man sinns and the iust man is punished The guilty person offends and the innocent man bears the blowes the impious man errs and the holy man is condemned That which the wicked man deserues the holy man endures that which the slaue borrowes his Lord pays that which man committs God vndergoes How lowe ô Sonne of God how lowe did thy humility descend how high did thy charity burne vp how farr did thy piety proceed howe wide did thy benignity extend whither did thy loue aspire and where did thy compassiō arriue For it is I who haue done wickedly and thou art punished I who haue committed the cryme and thou art layd vpon the Racke I grewe proude and thou art humbled I was puffed vp and thou art extenuated I haue showed my selfe disobedient and thou being obedient dost answeare for the paine due to that disobedience I haue obeyed the temptation of gluttony and thou art halfe consumed for lacke of meate Distempered affection drewe me on apace to vnlawfull concupiscence and perfect charity was that which led thee on to the Crosse I presumed to doe that which was forbiddē thou didst vndergoe torments I am delighted with meate thou art in labour vpon the Crosse I am fed with delight thou art torne with nailes I tasted the sweetnes of the apple thou the bitternes of gall Eue laughs congratulats my sinn with me but Mary weeps and takes compassion with thee Behold O Kinge of glory behold how my impiety and thy piety are made apparent by one another Beholde how my iniustice thy Iustice are made cleerly manifest What! O my King and my God shall I render for all those things which thou hast bestowed on me For there is nothinge to be found in the hart of man which can beare any portion to thy singular benefites Can the sharpnes of mans conceite thinke of any thinge to which the mercy of God may be cōpared Noe it is not in the power of a creature to performe any seruice that can make full amends to his Creator But yet O Sonne of God there is somewhat in this admirable dispensation of thine there is some what wherein my frailty may answeare in some small proportion to what I owe if by the visitation of thy holy Spiritt my contrite hart may crucify my flesh with the vices and concupiscences therof And when this fauour is granted me by thee I doe already as it were beginn to suffer sweetly with thee because thou didest vouchsafe to dye for my sinns And thus by the victory of the inward man he is prepared through thy help toward an euident triumph so that the spirituall persecution being ouercome he fears not to submitt himselfe for the loue of thee to a materiall sword And in this manner if it be pleasinge to thy mercy the weakenes of our condition wil bee able accordinge to our litle strength to correspond with the greatenesse of our
thou be my God or noe And it answered also thus with a loud voyce I am not thy God but I am by him He made mee whom thou seekest in mee Seeke him aboue mee for he gouerneth mee who made thee By the question which I aske of these inanimate creatures I meane nothing but a profound consideration of them and by my sayeing that they make such or such an answere I meane but the attestation which in in they re seuerall kindes they make of God For they all cry out in this manner it is God who made vs. For as the Apostle saith The inuisible things of God are discerned and vnderstood by considering the creatures of this world Then I returned to my selfe and I entered into my selfe and sayd who art thou And I answered my selfe thus A man rational and mortall And I begun to discusse what this might be and I sayd Whence cometh such a liueing creature O Lord my God VVhence but from thee who madest me not I my selfe VVho art thou then by whome I liue thou by whome all things liue VVho art thou Thou O Lord art my true God and onely Omnipotent and eternall and incomprehensible and immense who euer liuest and nothing dyeth in thee for thou art immortall and dost inhabite eternity Thou art admirable in the eyes of Angells vnspeakable inscrutable and vnnameable thou art the true and liueing God terrible and powerfull admittinge in thy selfe nether beginning nor end but being both the beginning and end of all things who art before the first ages and before the very first beginnings of them all Thou art my God and the Lord of all those good things which thou hast created and with thee doe stand the causes of all things which are stable yea and the beginning of all things which in themselues be mutable are yet and doe remayne immutable with thee And the reasons of all things not onely which are eternall and rationall but euen of such as are temporary and irrationall doe yet liue eternally with thee tell O my God this humble seruant of thyne tell ô mercifull God this miserable creature of thine whence groweth such a creature as man but from thee O God Is man perhaps of skill enough to make himself Is his beeing and liueing deriued from any roore but thee Art not thou the supreme beeing from whome all beeing doth proceede For whatsoeuer is is of thee and nothing is without thee Art not thou that fountayne of life from which all life doth flowe for whatsoeuer liueth liues by thee and without thee nothing liues Therefore thou ô Lord diddest make all things and now do I aske who made mee Thou ô Lord diddest make mee without whome nothing was made Thou art my maker and I am thy worke I giue thee thankes ô Lord my God by whome I liue and by whome all things liue for haueing made mee I giue thee thankes ô thou my framer because thy hands haue made and faschioned mee I giue thee thankes ô thou my light because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue found both thee and my selfe where I found my selfe there I knewe my selfe where I found thee there I knewe thee where I knewe thee there thou didest illuminate mee I giue thee thankes O thou my light because thou hast illuminated mee But what is that which I sayd when I affirmed I knewe thee Art not thou God incomprehensible and immense the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely possessest immortality and dost inhabite an inaccessible light whome noe man hath euer seene or can see Art not thou that hidden God of inscrutable Maiesty the onely perfect knower and admirable contemplator of thy selfe who did euer perfectly knowe that which he neuer sawe and thou hast sayd in thy truth Noe man shall see mee and liue Thy Apostle did also say in the Truth Noe man did euer see God VVho hath therefore knowen that which he neuer sawe Thy Truth also it selfe hath sayd Noe man knoweth the Sonne but the Father and noe man knoweth the Father but the Sonne The Holy Trinity is perfectly knowen to it selfe alone and that knowledge farre passeth the vnderstanding of man VVhat is therefore that which I sayd I who am a man made all of vanity in saying I knowe thee For who knoweth thee but thou thy selfe For thou alone art God Omnipotent superlaudable and superglorious and superexalted and supreme and thou art named superessentiall in these most holy and most diuine Scriptures Because thou dost exceede all essence which is intelligibile or intellectuall and sensible And thou art knowen to be aboue all the names which can be named and that not onely in this world but in the future superessentially and superintelligibly Because by this hidden and superessentiall diuinity thou doest dwell within thy selfe inaccessibly and inscrutably beyond all created reasō vnderstanding and essence VVhere there is an inaccessible brightnes an inscrutable vnspeakable and incomprehensible light to which noe other light arryues because it it beleeued to bee incontemplable and inuisible and superrationall and superintelligible and superinaccessible superunchaungeable and superincommunicable which noe Angell euer did see or euer shall be able to see perfectly This is that heauen of thine O Lord that heauen of the heauens that supersecret superintelligibile superrationall and superessentiall light whereof it is sayd the heauen of the heauens to our Lord. The heauen of the heauens in respect whereof these other materiall heauens are but a kinde of earth because that former heauen is superadmireably exalted aboue all materiall heauene and the Empireall heauen it self is but as earth in respect of it For this is that heauen of the heauens to our Lord because it is not knowen by any but by our Lord to which noe men ascendeth but he who descended from heauen because noe man knoweth the Father but the Sonne and the Holy Spirit of them both and noe man knoweth the Sonne but the Father and the Holy Spirit of them both Thou O Trinity art entirely knowen to thy self alone Holy Trinity truly superadmireable superinessable superinscrutable superinaccessible superincomprehensible superintelligible superessentiall and superessentially surpassing all sense and reason all vnderstanding all intelligence all essence euen of the most supercelestiall mindes which it is wholy impossible euen for the Spirit of Angells to speake of or to knowe it or to vnderstand it or euen to thinke perfectly thereof How therefore haue I knowen thee O Lord my God who art most high ouer all the earth and aboue all the heauens whome nether Cherubin nor Seraphin doe exactly knowe but they re faces are vayled with the wings of theyr contemplation before him who sitteth vpon that high Imperiall Throne cryeing out and sayeing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of hoasts The Earth is full of thy glory As for thy Prophet he was all in trembling and he sayd Woe be vnto mee for I haue held my peace because I am a man of polluted
and where that fountayne of life is and that inaccessible light and that peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding There doe wee adore and belieue thee O Iesus Christ to be true God and man confessing that thou hast God for thy Father and that from heauen wee expect thee to come as Iudge in the end of the world to iudge the quicke and the dead that thou mayest render eyther reward or punishment to all men eyther good or badd according to those workes which they shall haue wrought in this life that soe they may be eyther in rest or eternall misery For all those creatures who haue receiued a humane soule into that flesh which here they haue carryed about them shall rise at that day in the voyce of thy strength to the end that the whole man may receyue eyther glory or torments according to his merits Thou art that life and resurrection it selfe whom wee expect to be our Sauiour Iesus Christ our Lord who will reforme this poore meane body of ours by conformeing it to the body of his clarity I haue knowen thee also to be true God O thou one holy Spirit of the Father and the Sonne proceding iointly from them both to be consubstantiall and eternall with the Father and the Sonne to be our Paraclete and Aduocate who diddest also descend in the shape of a doue vpon the same God Iesus Christ our Lord and diddest appeare vpon the Apostles in tongues of fyre who also from the beginning hast taught all the elect Saints of God by the gifte of thy grace and hast opened the mouth of the Prophets that they might relate wounderful things of the Kingdome of God who together with the Father the Sonne art adored and glorifyed by all the Saints of God Amongst whome I also who am the sonne of thy handmayd doe glorify thy name with my whole harte because thou hast illuminated mee For thou art that reall light that light which tells vs truth the fyre of God the Doctour of soules the very Spirit of Truth which teacheth vs all truth by thy vnction without which it is impossible for vs to please God For thou thy self art God of God and light of light proceeding from the Father of lights and from his Sonne our Lord Iesus Christ after an ineffable manner with whome thou being coequall and coeternall art glorifyed and dost raigne ioyntly with them superessentially in the essence of the same Trinity I haue knowen thee my one liueing and true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost three in persons but one in essence whome I confesse adore and glorify with my whole harte as my onely true Holy immortall inuisible vnchaungeable and vnscrutable God that one Light one Sunne one bread one Life one Good one Beginning one End one Creatour of heauen and earth by whome all things liue by whome all things subsist by whome all things are gouuerned ordered and quickened which are in heauē on the earth and vnder the earth and besides whome there is noe God either in heauen or in earth I haue knowen thee by thy faith wherewith thou hast inspired mee O thou my light and the sight of myne eyes O Lord my God the hope of all the ends of the earth the Ioy which doth recreat my youth and the good which strēgtheneth my age For in thee O Lord do all my bones excessiuely reioyce and say O Lord who is like to thee Who amongst the Gods is like thee O Lord. Not they who are made by the hands of men but thou by whome the hands of men are made The Idolls of the Gentiles are gold and siluer the worke of mens hands But soe is not the maker of men All the Gods of the nations are Deuills but our Lord made the heauens and this Lord is God As for those Gods who made not heauen and earth let them perish both from heauen and earth But let heauen and earth blesse that God who made heauen and earth CHAP. XXXIII Of the Confession of our owne basenes WHo O Lord is like thee among the Gods Who is like thee O thou who art magnificent in thy sanctity who art terrible laudable and doeing wonderfull things Too late I come to knowe thee O thou true light too late am I come to knowe thee But there was a greate and darke cloude before these vayne eyes of myne soe that I could not see the sunne of Iustice and the light of truth I was wrapped vp in darkenes my selfe being the childe of darkenes and this darkenes of myne I loued because I did not knowe the light I was blinde and I loued blindenes and by darkenes I walked on to further darkenes Who brought me out from thence where I blinde creature was sitting in darkenes and in the shadow of death who tooke mee by the hand and led me out VVho was he that did illuminate mee I sought not him but he sought me I called not vpon him and he cryed out vpon mee But who is he that did all this It is thou O Lord my God the Father of mercyes and the God of all consolations it is thou O holy Lord and my God whome I confesse with my whole harte giueinge thankes to thy Name I sought not thee but I was sought by thee I inuoked not thee and thou calledest mee Thou calledst mee by thine owne Name thou diddest thunder thus downe into the inward eare of my harte with this mighty voyce Let Light be made and light was made and that greate cloud flew away that darke thicke cloud was dissolued which had closed vp myne eyes And I sawe thy light and I knew thy voyce and I sayd O Lord that thou indeed art my God Who hast drawen mee out of darkenes and out of the shadow of death and thou hast called me into thy admireable light and behold I see Thankes be giuē to thee O thou who art the Illuminator of my soule And I looked backe and sawe the darkenes wherein I had bene and that profound blacke pitt wherein I had lyen and I did all quake and shiuer and I said Woe woe be to that darkenes wherein I lay Woe woe be to that blindenes wherin I was not able to see the light of heauen VVoe woe to that former ignorance of myne when I had noe knowldege of thee O Lord. But I giue thee thanks O thou my illuminator and deliuerer because thou hast illuminated mee and I haue knowen thee Yet still I am come too late to knowe thee O thou antient Truth too late I am come to knowe thee O thou eternall Truth Thou wert in the light and I in darkenes and I knew thee not because I could not be illuminated without thee nor indeede without thee is there any light at all CHAP. XXXIV A consideration of the diuine Maiestie O Thou holy of holyes thou God of inestimable Maiestie the God of God and the Lord of Lords who art admirable inexplicable
and vnconceiuable before whome the Angelicall power of heauen doe euen shiuer whome the Thrones and Dominations doe adore and in whose presence all the Vertues of Heauen doe euen quake of whose power and Wisedome there is noe number who hast layd the foundations of the whole world vpon nothing who hast tyed vp the Sea as if it were in some skinne who art most Omnipotent most Holy and the most powerfull God ouer all the spirits of all mankinde From whose sight the heauen and earth doe fly away to whose becke all the elements are subiect let all thy creatures adore and glorify thy Name And I the Sonne of thy handmayd doe by faith bowe downe the necke of my harte vnder the feete of thy Maiestie presenting thee with thankes for that thou hast voutchsafed to illuminate mee by thy mercy True Light holy Light delightfull Light admirable Light superlaudable Light which illuminateth euery man comeing into this world and the eyes also of the Angels Behold now I see and I thanke thee for it Behold I see the light of heauen there is a beame which striketh brightly downe from the face of thy light vpon the eyes of my mynde and it filleth all the powers of my soule with ioy But O that once it might be perfected in mee Encrease I beseech thee O thou author of light encrease I beseech thee that which soe brightly striketh through vpon mee Let this light be dilated I beseech thee let it be dilated by thee What is this which I feele what fyre is this which heates any harte what fyre is this whereby my harte is stroken through with beames O fyre which euer burnest and art neuer quenched doe thou kindle mee O light which doest euer shine and art neuer darkened doe thou enlighten mee O how very fayne would I been flamed by thee O Holy fyre how sweetely doest thou heate how secretly doest thou shine and how delightfully dost thou burne Woe be to them who doe not burne by thee VVoe be to them which are not illuminated by thee O thou light which teachest truth to men illuminating all the world which is filled by the beames thereof VVoe be to those blinde eyes which see not thee thou being the sunne illuminating both heauen and earth VVoe be to those weake and daseling eyes which cannot looke on thee VVoe be to those eyes which turne themselues away from seeing truth and woe be to those eyes which doe not turne them selues away for feare least they behold vanity For eyes which are acustomed to darkenes haue not strength wherewith to behold the beames of soueraigne truth nor can they make any true iudgment of light whose habitation is wont to be in darkenes They see darkenes they allow of darkenes they loue darkenes and soe goeing from darkenes to darkenes they fall headlong and they knowe not where Miserable creatures they are who knowe not what they loose though yet more miserable are they who knowe what they loose and who yet fall with open eyes and dropp downe quicke into Hell O most blessed light which canst not be beheld but by eyes which are pure and wholly purged Blessed are the pure of harte for they shall see God Doe thou clense mee O thou clensing power cure my sight that I may contemplate thee with strong eyes For they are none but strong eyes which can looke on thee Putt away I beseech thee O thou inaccessible splendour the skales of that auntient mistynes by the beame of thy illumination that soe I may be able to looke on thee with certayne casts of my eye which may not be checked and beaten back and that I may see light in thy light I giue thee thankes O my light for behold now I see I beseech thee O Lord that it may be spred abroade by thee Vnuayle myne eyes that I may consider the wonderfull things of thy lawe thou who art wonderfull in thy Saints I giue thee thankes O my light for behold I see though as yet it be but by a representation as in a glasse But when will it be face to face when will that day of ioy and exultation arryue when I may enter into the place of that admireable Tabernacle the very house of God that so face to face I may see him who seeth mee and so my desire may be fullfilled CHAP. XXXV Of the desire and thirst of a soule towards God AS the harte desireth the fountaynes of water soe doth my soule thirst after thee O God My soule hath thirsted after thee O God who art the liueing fountayne when shall I come and appeare before thy face O thou fountayne of life thou vayne of liueing waters when shall I arriue to those waters of thy sweetnes from this barren vnhaunted and dry earth that I may see thy power and thy glory and that I may appease my thirst by the waters of thy mercy I thirst O Lord O thou fountayne of life satisfy mee for I thirst O Lord I thirst towards thee who art the liueing God When O Lord shall I approache and appeare before that face of thyne doest thou thinke that at length I shall see that day that day I say of delight and ioy that day which our Lord hath made to the end that wee may reioyce and exult therein O sweete and beautifull day which hath noe euening and whose Sunne hath nothing to doe with setting wherein I shall heare the voyce of prayse the voyce of exultation and confession wherein I shall heare this word Enter into the ioy of thy Lord enter into eternall ioy into the house of thy Lord and thy God where there are greate and vnsearcheable and wounderfull things whereof there is noe number Enter into ioy without sorrow which containeth eternall ioy where all good shall be without any kind of euill Where whatsoeuer thou wilt haue shall be and where nothing shall be which thou wilt not haue Where there will be a life which is vitall sweete amiable and eternall Where there will be noe enemy assaulting nor noe false delight allureing but a supreame and certayn security secure tranquillity a quiet ioy a ioyfull felicity a happy eternity and eternall beatitude a blessed Trinity a Trine Vnity a sole Deity a happy vision of that Deity which is the ioy of thy Lord and thy God O ioy vpon ioy ioy which excelleth all ioy without which there is noe ioy when shall I enter into thee that I may see my God who dwelleth in thee that soe I may there partake of this greate vision What is it which deteyneth mee VVoe be vnto mee because my habitation here is perlonged VVoe be vnto mee and how long shall it be sayd to mee where is thy God How long shall it be sayd to me Expect and reexpect But now what shall I expect Is it not thee O Lord my God VVee expect a Sauiour our Lord Iesus Christ who will reforme this poore meane body of ours and conforme it to
iniustice is great I confesse it but farr greater is the Iustice of my Redeemer For as much as God is Superior to man so much is my malice inferior to his goodnes both in quantity and quality For in what hath man sinned wherin the Sonne of God being made Man hath not redeemed him What pride was able to swell so highe as that so great humility would not be able to beate it downe What dominion of death could be so absolute which the torment of the Crosse indured by the Sone of God will not destroy Infaillibly O my God if the faults of a sinfull man and the grace of him who redeemed them be putt into an equall ballance the East will not be found so farr distant from the west nay the lowest parte of hell will not be found so farr distant from the highest pich of heauen as they two will be Now therfore O thou most excellent Creator of light pardon my faults through the immense labours of thy beloued Sonne Lett now I beseech thee his piety propitiate for my impiety his modesty for my peruersity his meekenes for my rudenes his humility for my pride his patience for my impatiēce his benignity for my harshnes his obedience for my disobedience his tranquillity for my vnquietnesse his sweetenes for my bitternesse his mildnesse for my anger and let his charity ouerworke my cruelty CHAP. IX Of the inuocation of the Holy Ghost O Loue of that diuine power the Holy communication of the Omnipotent Father and of the most blessed Sonne O thou Omnipotent Holy Ghoste the most sweete comforter of the afflicted slipp thou downe euen very now by thy puissant vertue into the most secrett corners of my hart and by the splendor of thy cleere light illuminate ô thou deere dweller in our soules these darke retreyts of our neglected habitations and by thy visitation and by the abundance of thy dewe from heauen make my soule growe fruitfull which by reason of so longe a drought is all deformed and decayed Wound thou the most retyred parts of this inward man with the darts of thy loue and inflame and pearce the very marrowe of my dull hart with those healthfull fires of thine And by the flame of thy holy feruour illuminate thou and feed the very interiour both of my whole body and minde Giue me once to drink of the torrent of thy delights that now I may noe more haue a minde so much as euen to taste of the pestiferous sweetnesse of wordly things Iudge me ô Lord and discerne my cause from all wicked people and teach me to doe thy will for thou art my God I beleeue therfore that whomesoeuer thou dost inhabite thou dost build vp a dwellinge place in him both for the Father and the Sonne Blessed is he who shall arriue to intertayne thee because by thee both the Father the Sonne will remaine with him Come come euen now O thou moste benigne Comforter of all woefull soules Thou who protectest them when they haue most need and art their helper in tribulation Come ô thou clenser of sinns and curer of wounds Come ô thou strength of the weake ô thou who stayest such as are falling Come ô thou teacher of the humble and distroyer of the proude Come ô deare Father of Orphants and fauorable Iudge of widowes Come thou hope of the poore thou cherisher of such as fainte Come thou propitious starr of such as sayle thou hauen against the danger of shipwrack Come ô thou excellent ornament of such as liue the onely helpe of such as dye Come ô most holy Spiritt Come and haue mercy on me make me fitt for thy self condiscend to me with pitty that my meanenesse may growe pleasing to thy greatnesse and my weakenes to thy strength Accordinge to the multitude of thy mercyes through Iesus Christe my Sauiour who with the Father doth liue ad reigne in thy vnity for euer and euer Amen CHAP. X. The Prayer of the Seruant of God conceauing humbly of himselfe I Knowe O Lord I knowe and I confesse that I am not worthy that thou shouldest loue me but yet at least it is certaine that thou art not vnworthy to be beloued by me It is true that I am vnworthy to serue thee but it is also true that thou art not vnworthy to be serued by thy Creatures Giue me therfore somewhat O Lord of that which maketh thee so worthy and so I shall growe worthy who am vnworthy Make me cease from sinn by what meanes thou wilt to the end that I may serue thee as I ought Grant that I may so addresse and order and end my life that I may sleepe in peace and repose in thee Grant that in the end the sleepe of death may receiue me with rest rest with securiry and security with eternity Amen CHAP. XI A Prayer to the blessed Trinity WE confesse to thee with our whole hart and with our mouth we praise and blesse thee O God the Father who art vnbegotten and thee O God the Sonne who art the onely begotten and thee O God the holy Ghoste who art the Paraclete To thee O holy and indeuiduall Trinity be glory for all eternityes Amen CHAP. XII A Confession of the Omnipotency and Maiesty of God O Supreame Trinity O thou sole power vndeuided Majesty O God of ours O Omnipotent God I confesse to thee who am the vnworthyest of thy seruāts and the weakest of thy mēbers I cōfesse to thee in thy Church and I giue thee honor by offering thee a due sacrifice of praise according to that little power and skill which thou haste vouchsafed to affoord me thy miserable creature And because I haue no external presents which I can make to thee therfore these desires and vowes of seruice and praise which by the guift of thy mercy are in me behold how with an vnfained faith and with a pure conscience I offer them to thee not onely with a good will but with a hart which is full of triūph and ioy I beleeue therfore with my whole hart and I confesse with my mouth O thou Kinge of heauen ad Lord of earth that thou the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste art in Persons three and in Substance one that thou art God Omnipotent of one simple incorporeall inuisible and vncircumscribed nature That there is nothing either aboue thee or belowe thee or greater then thou but that thou art sublymely and absolutely perfect whithout the least deformity Great without quantity good without quality eternall yet wholly without Tyme That thou hast life without death that thou art strong without any weakenesse true without falshoode euery where present without being scituated any where filling all things yet without any extension occurringe euery where yet without any crossinge or contradiction Transcending all things without Motion remaneinge in all things without Station creatinge all things without looseinge or wantinge any thing and ruleinge all things without
commerce O admirable and for euer to beloued benignity of the diuine mercy We were not worthy to be seruants and yet behold we are made the Sonnes of God Nay we are the heires of God and coheirs of Christ Whence came this to vs and who brought vs to this But I beseeche thee O thou most mercifull God the Father by this inestimable goodnes and piety and charity of thine make vs worthy of the many and great promisses of thy Sonne our Lord Iesus-Christe imploy thy strength and confirme that in vs which thou hast wrought Perfect that which thou haste begun that we may deserue to attayne to the fulnesse of thy mercy Inable vs by thy Holy Spiritt to vnderstand deserue and reuerence with due honor this great mystery of piety which is manifested in the flesh iustified in the spirit hath appeared to Angells is preached to Gentiles is beleeued in the world and is assumed to glory CHAP. XVII Of the thanks which a man owes to God for the benefitt of Redemption O How deepely are we thy debters O Lord our God being redeemed by so high a price being saued by so rich a guift being assisted by so glorious a benefitt How much art thou to be feared loued blessed praised honored and glorified by vs miserable creatures whom thou haste so loued saued sanctifyed and exalted For to thee doe we owe all our power all our beeing and all our knowledg And who hath any thinge which is not thyne Thou art our Lord and our God from whom all things proceed For thy selfe and for thy holy Name giue vs So me part of thy heauenly riches that by meanes of those blessings and guifts of thyne we may serue please thee in truth and that by way of returne we may dayly render thee all due praise for so many benefits of thy mercy Nor can we serue thee or praise thee by any other meanes then by thy owne guift For euery good grace and euery perfect guift is from aboue descending from thee the Father of lights wiht whom there is noe change nor so much as any shadow of mutability O Lord our God! deare God good God Omnipotent God vnspeakable God whose nature cannot be circumscribed God the ordeyner of all things the Father of our Lord Iesus-Christe who diddest send the same beloued Sonne of thyne our most sweete Lord out of thy bosome for our vniuersall profitt to take our life vpon him that he might bestowe his life vpon vs and that he might be perfect God of thee the Father and perfect Man of his Mother all God and all Man and one and the same Christe eternall and temporall immortall and mortall Creator and creature stronge weake triumphant and yet ouercome the nourse and the creature which is nourished the Pastor the sheepe he that dyed for a tyme and dyed in time and yet is liueinge for all eternity He promiseinge to such as loued him that they should be prouided for said thus to his Disciples What soeuer you shall aske the Father in my name he wil giue it to you By this Supreame Sacrifice and true Preist and good Pastor who offered himselfe in Sacrifice to thee laying downe his life for his flocke by him I beseech thee who sitteth at thy right hand and interceedeth for vt being our Redeemer and Aduocate before thy pitty and goodnesse I beseech thee I say O God the most deere and benigne louer of mankinde that thou wilt giue me grace with the same Sonne of thyne and the Holy Ghoste to praise and glorify thee in all things with great contrition of hart and a fountaine of teares with much reuerence and trembling because theirs whose the substance is theirs also are all the accessaryes therof But because the body which is corrupted doth depresse the soule I beseeche thee to rowse vp my dullnes by thy vertue and make me perseuere with strength in thy Commaundements and praises day and night Grant that my hart may wax warme within me and that whilest I am in meditation the fire may burne And because thy onely Sonne himselfe did say No man cometh to me vnlesse the Father who sent me drawe him and no man cometh to the Father but by me I beseech and humbly pray thee be thou euer draweing me to him that at last he may bring me thither to thee where he is sittinge at thy right hand where there is an eternall life eternally happy where there is perfect loue and noe feare where there is an euerlastinge day and one spirit of them all where there is certaine and supreame security and secure tranquillity and serene alacrity and sweet felicity and happy eternity and eternall beatitude and a blessed praise and vision of thee which neuer ends where thou with him and he with thee and both in the communion of the same Holy Ghoste doe sempiternally liue and being God dost reigne for euer and for euer Amen CHAP. XVIII A Prayer to Christe our Lord. O Christ my God my hope Sweete louer of mankinde Light life way health And beauty most refin'd Behould those things which thou Did'st suffer vs to saue The chaynes the wounds the Crosse The bitter death the graue Riseing within three dayes From conquering death and hell By thy Disciples seene Reforminge mindes so well Vpon the fortieth day Climeing the Heauens soe high Thou liuest now and thou Shalt raigne eternally THou art my liueing and true God my holy Father my deare Lord my greate Kinge my good shepheard my onely instructor my best helper my most beautifull louer my liueinge breade my Eternall Preist my guide into my country my true light my holy sweetnes my right way my excellent wisdome my pure simplicity my peaceable concord my safe custody my good portion my euerlasting saluation my great Mercy my inuincible patience my imaculate Sacrifice my holy Redemption my firme hope my perfect charity my true Resurrection my eternall life my excessiue ioy and most blessed Vision which is for euer to remaine I pray thee I begg of thee I beseech thee that I may walke by thee passe on by thee and repose in thee who art the way the truth and the life without whome no man cometh to the Father For thou art he whome I desire O thou most sweete most beautifull Lord O thou splendor of thy Fathers Glory who sittest aboue the Cherubins and beholdest from thence the most profound Abysses which are belowe thou light which declareth truth illuminateing light light which neuer leaues to shine whome the Angells desire to behold Loe my hart is before thee disperse the darknes therof that by the clearnes of thy loue it may be yet more fully strucken and beaten through with light Giue thy selfe to me O my God restore thy selfe to me Behold I loue thee and if it be to little make me loue thee more I cannot measure out to know how much of my loue is wanting to thee of that which ought to make it
and delightes drawe me to thee with a greedy hart The more I consider thee the more doe I languish with thy loue and with a vehement desire of thee and I am extreamely delighted with the sweete remembrance of thee I am therfore resolued I am resolued to cast vp myne eyes to thee to erect the state of my minde and to conforme the affections of my will to thee I am resolued to talke of thee to heare speake of thee to write of thee to conferr with others of thee daily to read somewhat of thy felicity glory when I shall haue redd it to reuolue it very often in my hart that at least by this meanes I may passe on from the burninge heats and dangers toyling labours of this mortall dying life to the sweete refreshing of that vitall aire of thyne and that I may proceede at last when I shall lay my selfe downe to sleepe to repose my head a little in that bosome of thyne To this end I enter now and then into those sweete feilds of thy holy Scriptures and whilest I am turninge ouer those leaues I gather the fresh flowers of sentences from thence By reading them I eate by frequenting them I ruminate and by gathering them vp at last I lodge them in the deepe receptacle of my memory that by this meanes haueing taken a taste of thy sweetnes I may feele the biteernes of this most miserable life so much the lesse O thou most happy life O Kingdome which art truely blessed free from death and farr from haueing an end to which noe tymes shall euer succeede where that day which is still continued without night admitts of noe Tyme where the conquering souldiers being associated to those chantinge quires of Angells sing that Canticle of the Canticles of Syon to Almighty God without ceasinge the garland of triumph imbraceinge their glorious heads that for euer I would to Christe that my sinns beinge once forgiuen me and then this burden beinge layd downe I might be assigned to eternall rest might enter into thy ioyes within those excellent and beautifull walls of thy Citty receiuinge the crowne of glory from the hand of my Lord. That I might be present with those most holy Quires of Angells That together with those blessed Spiritts I might concurre to glorify our Creator that I might veiwe the present face of Christe our Lord that I might for euer behold that supreame vnspeakable vncircumscribed light and that so not being subiect to any feare of death I might for euer reioyce in the euerlastinge endowment of incorruption CHAP. XXIII Of the felicity of that holy soule which departeth hence HAppy is that soule which beinge discharged from this body of earth goes freely vp to heauen and is in peace safetie not fearing either any enemy or death it selfe For it will then haue present and shall for euer behold that most beautifull Lord whom it hath serued and whom it hath loued and to whom at length it arriueth all full of glory and ioy This glory of so great beatitude noe tyme shall diminish nor wicked enemy be able to bereeue vs of The Daughter of Syon saw this soule and did publish it to be most happy The queenes and the concubines sawe it sayinge Who is this which goeth forward like a riseinge morninge faire like the Moone bright like the Sunn and terrible like a pitched feild of armed men How ioyfully doth she goe forth make haste and runn when with astonished eares she hears her spouse say thus Rise vp and make haste O thou my freind and my beautifull creature and come with me for now the Winter is ouer-past the Storme is gone and hath hidd it selfe the flowers haue appeared in our Land the tyme of pruninge is now come the voice of the turtle hath beene heard in our land The figg tree hath brought forth her younge fruite the vines are in flower and send forth theire odour Rise vp maKe haste O thou my freind my faire Creature my doue in the holes of the RocKe in the lowes places of the wall Shew me that face of thyne let thy voice sound forth in my ears for thy uoice is sweete and thy face is full of comlinesse and grace Come my elected and my beautifull Creature my doue my immaculate my Spouse Come and I will place my throne in thee because I haue had a greedy desire of thy beauty Come that thou maist reioyce in my presence with my Angells whose society I haue promissed thee Come after many dangers and labours and enter into the ioy of thy Lord which none shal be able to take from thee CHAP. XXIV A prayer to the sanites to secure vs in our dangers HAppy are all you O Saynts of God who now haue passed through the sea of this mortality and haue obteyned to arriue at the gate of eternall quietnesse security peace your selues beinge peacefull and secure and perpetually full of triumph and ioy I beseeche you by your owne Charity you who are secure concerninge your selues be yet solicitous concerning vs. You are secure concerninge your owne incorruptible glory be you solicitous of our manifold misery By him I beseech you who chused you who made you what you are in the fruition of whose beauty you are satiated by whose immortality you are now immortalized by whose most blessed vision yow are continually in ioy be you also continually mindfull of vs. Helpe vs miserable creatures who in the salt waters of this life are tossed with stormes rounde about vs. You are those most beautifull gates who haue beene erected to a huge altitude O giue some helpe to vs who are noe better then a base pauement lying so farr vnderneath you Stretch forth your hand raise vs vp vpon our feete that we recouering out of our infirmity may become strong and fitt for warr Interceede pray with constancy and perseuerance for vs miserable and most negligent sinners that by your Prayers we maybe ioyned to your holy society for otherwise we shall not be saued For we are extreamely frayle and of no strength or vertue miserable base wretches beasts who care but for the belly the slaues of flesh blood in whome the very shadow of goodnes doth scarce appeare And yet not withstandinge beinge placed vnder the confession of Christe our Lord we are borne vp by the wood of his Crosse whilest we saile through this great and spatious sea where there are creepinge creatures without number where there are wilde beasts great and small where there is á most cruell dragon euer ready to deuour vs where there are places full of dangers as Scylla and Charybdis and innumerable others where carelesse persons and they who are of a waueringe faith suffer shipwracke Pray you to our Lord pray O you who are full of pitty pray all you troopes of Saintes and all you compagnies of blessed Spiritts that beinge assisted by your Prayers and meritts we may with our shipp
haste brought me to the vnderstanding of truthe casting away the darknes of ignorance and whereby thou haste drawen me out of the foolish bitternes of this world and so accompanyinge it with the sweetnes of thy charity thou haste made it delightfull and deer to me I doe with a lowde voice inuoke thee O blessed Trinity with that sincere loue which groweth out of Faith which Faith thou haueing nourished euen from my cradle did'dst inspire by the illustration of thy grace and which thou hast encreased and confirmed in me by the documents of my Mother the Church I inuoke thee O holy and blessed and glorious Trinity in Vnity the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste our God our Lord and our Paraclete Charity Grace and Communication the Father the Sonne and the Illuminator the Fountayne the Riuer and the Irrigation or wateringe All things by one and all things in one from whome by whome in whome all things The liuing life the life proceeding from the liuing life the life liuing One from himselfe One from one and One from two One being from himselfe One being from another and One being from two other The Father is true the Sonne is Truth and the Holy Ghoste is Truth Therfore the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste are one essence one power one goodnes one beatitude from whome by whome and in whome all things are happie what things soeuer are happie CHAP. XXXII That God is the true and souuereigne life O God the true and Souuereigne life from whome by whome and in whome all things doe liue which haue any true and happy life O God who art that goodnesse and that beauty from whome by whome and in whome all things are faire and good which haue any beauty or goodnesse in them O God whose faith doth excite vs whose hope doth erect vs and whose charity doth vnite vs O God who requirest that we seeke thee and who makest vs finde thee and who openest to vs when we knocke O God from whome to be auerted is to faâ—l and to whom to be conuerted is to rise and in whom to remayne is to be immoueable O God whome noe man looseth but he who is deceaued no man seeketh but he who is admonished and noe man findeth but he who is purged O God whome to know is to liue whome to serue is to reigne whome to praise is the ioy and saluation of the soule I praise thee I blesse thee and I adore thee with my lipps with my hart and with all the whole power I haue And I present my humblest thanks to thy mercy and goodnes for all thy benefitts and I sing this Hymn of glory to thee Holy Holy Holy I inuoke thee O blessed Trinity beseechinge that thou wilt come into me and make me worthy to be the Temple of thy glory I begge of the Father by the Sonne I begge of the Sonne by the Father I begge of the Holy Ghoste by the Father and the Sonne that all vice may be farr remoued from me and that all holy vertue may be planted in me O Immense God from whome all things by whome all things in whome all things both visible and inuisible are made Thou who doste inuiron thy workes without and fillest them within who dost couer them from aboue and dost susteyne them from belowe keepe me who am the worke of thy hands and who hope in thee and who onely confide in thy mercy Keepe me I beseech thee here and euery where now and euer within and without before me behinde me aboue and belowe and round about that no place at all may be left for the treacherous attempts of my enemies against me Thou art the Omnipotent God the keeper and the Protector of all such as hope in thee without whome noe man is safe none freed from danger Thou art God and there is noe other God but thou neyther in heauen aboue nor on earth belowe Thou whoe performest workes of prowess and so many wonderfull and vnscrutable things which exceed all number Praise is due to thee honor is due to thee and to thee Hymns of glory are due To thee doe all the Angells the heaueÌ„s all the power therof sing Hymns and praises without ceaseing and all creatures and euery spiritt doth praise thee the holy and indiuiduall Trinity as it becomes the creatures there Creator the slaues their Lord and the souldiers their King CHAP. XXXIII The praises of men and Angells TO thee doe all the Saintes and they who are humble of hart to thee doe the spiritts and soules of iust persons to thee doe all the Cittizens of heauen and all those orders of blessed spiritts sing the hymn of honor and glory adoreinge thee humbly without end All the Cittizens of heauen doe praise thee O Lord after a most honorable and magnificent manner and man who is an eminent parte of thy Creatures doth also praise thee Yea and I wretched sinner and miserable Creature that I am doe yet labour with an extreame desire to praise thee and wish that I could loue thee with excessiue loue O my God my life my strength and my praise vouchsafe to lett me praise thee Grant me light in my hart putt thou the word into my mouth that my hart may thinke vpon thy glory and my toÌ„gue may singe thy praises all the day longe But because it is noe hansome praise which proceeds out of the mouth of a sinner And because I am a man of polluted lipps Clense thou my hart I beseeche thee from all spotts sanctify me O thou Omnipotent sanctifier both within and without and make me worthy to sett forth thy praise Receaue with benignity and acceptation from the hand of my hart which is the affection of my soule receiue I say the sacrifice of my lipps and make it acceptable in thy sight and make it ascend vp to thee in the odour of sweetnes Let thy holy memory and thy most diuine sweetnes possesse my whole soule and draw it vp at full speed to the loue of inuisible things Let it passe from the visible to the inuisible from the earthly to the heauenly from the temporall to the eternall and lett it passe on so farr as to see that admirable vision O eternall Verity O true Charity O deer Eternity thou art my God to thee doe I sigh day and night to thee doe I pant at thee doe I ayme to thee doe I desire to arriue He who knowes thee knowes Truth and he knowes Eternity Thou O Truth dost preside ouer all things We shall see thee as thou art when this blind and mortall life is spent wherein it is said to vs where is now thy God And I also said to thee Where art thou O my God In thee am I refreshed a little when I power out my soule towards thee by the voice of my exultation and confessioÌ„ which is as the sounde of a man who is bankquetting end celebratinge some great festiuity And
yet agayne it is afflicted because it falls back and returnes to be an Abysse or rather it findes that still it is so My faith which thou hast kindled in this night of myne before my feete doth say Why art thou sad O my soule and why doste thou afflict me Hope thou in God his word is a lanterne to my feete Hope and continue to doe so till the night which is the mother of the wicked doe passe a way till the wrath of our Lord passe away wherof sometymes we were the Children For sometymes we were darknes Till this fury of water pass cleane a way we still dragg on in our body which is dead through sinn the reliques of that darknes Till such tyme as the day shall approach all shadowes may be remoued I will hope in our Lord. In the morrow of the next life I shall assist and contemplate and I will euer confesse to him In that morrow I shall assist and behold the health of my countenance which is my God who will reuiue euen our mortall bodyes for that spiritts sakes which dwelleth in vs that now we may be light euen whilest we are saued here by hope That we may be the Sonns of light and the Sonns of God and not of night and darknes For sometymes we were darknes but now we are light in thee O our God and yet we are so here but by Faith and not face to face Because that hope which is seene is not hope All that immortall people of thy Angells praiseth thee O Lord and those celestiall Powers glorify thy Name They haue no need to read any such writing as this towards the makeinge them knowe the holy indiuiduall Trinity For they see thy Face for euer and there they read without any syllabes of tyme what that eternall will requires They read they choose and they loue They euer read and that neuer passeth which they are readinge By choosing and by loueinge they read the very immutability of thy counsell and their booke is neuer shutt and their scrowle neuer folded vp for thy self is all that to them and so thou art to be for euer O how excessiuely happy are those powers of heauen which are able to praise thee most purely and holyly with excessiue sweetnes and vnspeakable exultation They praise thee for that in which thâ—â— ioy because they euer see reason 〈◊〉 they should reioice and praise them But we being oppressed by this burthen of our flesh and being cast farr of from thy face in this pilgrimage of ours and being so racked by the variety of worldly things are not able worthily to praise thee Yet we praise thee as we can by Faith though not face to face but those Angelicall spiritts praise thee face to face not by Faith For our flesh putteth this vpoÌ„ vs obligeth vs to praise thee farr otherwise then they doe But how soeuer euen we sing praise to thee in a different manner and yet thou art but one O God thou Creator of all things to whome the sacrifice of praise is offered both in heauen and earth And by thy mercy we shall one day arriue to their society with whome we shall for euer see and praise thee Grant O Lord that whilest I am placed in this fraile body of mine my hart may praise thee my tongue may praise thee and all the powers of my soule may say O Lord who is like to thee Thou art that Omnipotent God whome we worshiâ— as Trine in Persons and Onâ—â— the Substance of thy Diety We adore the Father vnbegotten the Sonne the onely begotten of his Father and the Holy Ghoste proceedinge from them both and remaininge in them both We adore thee O Holy and indiuiduall Trinity one Omnipotent God who when we were not did'st most puissantly make vs and when by our owne fault we weare lost by thy pitty and goodnes thou did'st recouer vs after an admirable manner Doe not I beseech thee permitt that we should be vngratefull for so great benefitts and vnworthy of so many mercyes I pray thee I beseech thee I begg of thee that thou wilt increase my faith hope and charity I beseech thee make vs by that grace of thyne to be euer firme in beleiueinge and full of efficacy in working that so by meanes of incorrupted Faith and workes worthy therof we may through thy mercy arriue to euerlastinge life And there beholding thy glory as indeed it is we whome thou haste made worthy to see that glory of thyne may adore thy Maiesty and may say together Glory be to the Father who created vs Glory be to the Sonne who redeemed vs Glory be to the Holy Ghoste who sanctifyed vs Glory be to the supreame indiuiduall Trinity whose workes are inseparable and whose empire is eternall To thee our God praise is due to thee a Hymne of glory to thee all honor benediction clarity thanksgiueing vertue and fortitude for euer and for euer Amen CHAP. XXXIV He complayneth against himselfe for not being moued with the contemplation of God whereat the Angells tremble PArdon me O Lord pardon me through thy mercy pardon and pitty me pardon my great ignorance and imperfections Doe not reiect me as a presumptuous creature in that I aduenture being thy slaue I would I could say a good one and not rather that I am vnprofitable and wicked and therfore very wicked because I take this boldnes to praise and blesse and adore thee who art our Omnipotent God and who art terrible and excessiuely to be feared without contrition of hart without a fountaine of tears and without due reuerence and trembling For if the Angells who adore and praise thee doe tremble whilest they are filled with that admirable exultation how comes it to passe that I a sinfull creature whilest I am present with thee and sing prayses and offer sacrifices to thee am not frighted at the hart that I am not pale in my face that my lipps tremble not and my whole body is not in a shiueringe and that so with a flood of tears I doe not incessantly mourne before thee I would fayne doe it but I am not able because I cannot doe what I desire Herupon I am vehemently wondringe at my selfe when by the eyes of Faith I see how terrible thou art but yet who can doe euen this without thy grace For all our saluation is nothing but thy great mercy Woe be to me how comes my soule to be made so senseles as that it is not frighted with excessiue terrour whilest I am standing before God and singinge forth his praise Woe be to me how comes my hart to be so hardned that myne eyes cannot incessantly bring forth whole floods of tears whilest the slaue is speaking before his Lord Man with God the. Creature with the Creator he who is made of durte with him who made all things of nothing Beholde O Lord how I place my selfe before thee that which I conceiue of
with thy finger in my hart the sweete memory of thy mellifluous Name which may neuer be blotted out againe Write thy will and thy lawe in the tables of my hart that I may haue both thy lawe and thy selfe O Lord of immense sweetnes at all tymes and places before myne eyes Burne vp my mynde with that fire of thyne which thou did'st send into the world and did'st desire that it might be much kindled that I may daily offer to thee abundance of tears the sacrifice of a troubled spirit and contrite hart O sweete Christe O deer Iesus as I desire and as with my whole hart I craue so giue me thy holy and chaste loue which may replenish and take and possesse me wholy And giue me that euident signe of thy loue a springing fountayne of tears which continually may flowe that my tears themselues may witnes thy loue to me and they may discouer and declare how deerly my soule loueth thee whilest through the excessiue sweetnes of that loue it cannot conteyne it selfe from tears I remember deare Lord that good woeman Anna who came to the Tabernacle to begg a sonne of thee of whome the Scripture saith that after her tears and prayers her countenance was cast no longer towardes seuerall things But whilest I call to mind her so great vertue and constancy I am racked with greife and confounded with shame because I finde my selfe too miserablie cast downe towards vanity But if she wept so bitterly and did so perseuer in weepinge who onely desired to haue a sonne how ought my soule to lament and continue in lamentation which seekes and loues God and earnesty desires to get home to him How ought such a soule lament and weepe who seeketh God day and night and is resolued to loue nothinge but Christ our Lord It is no lesse then a wōder if such a persons teares become not his bread day and night Looke back therefore and take pitty on me for the sorrowes of my hart are multiplyed Giue me of thy celestiall contemplation and despise not this sinfull soule for which thou dyedst Giue me I beseeche thee internall teares which may springe from the most secret corner of my hart whereby the chaines of my sinns may be broken and lett them euer fill my soule with celestiall ioy that I may obteyne some little portion in thy Kingdome if not in the Society of those true and perfect Moncks whose stepps I am not able to followe yet at least with deuout woeman I doe also call to minde the admirable deuotion of another woemā who sought thee with tender loue whē thou wert layd in the Sepulcher Who retired not from the sepulcher when the Disciples retired who satt downe there all afflicted and wounded she wept there long and much and riseing vp with many tears she did agayne and agayne play as it were the spy with her watchfull eyes vpon that solitary place to see if perhapps she might be able to finde thee any where whom she sought with such ardour of desire She had already entered into the sepulcher once and agayne but that which in it selfe seemes too much seemes not enough to one that loues The vertue of a good worke is perseuerance and because she loued thee beyond the rest and loueing wept and weeping sought and seeking perseuered therefore did she deserue to be the first of all others to finde the out and to speake with thee And not onely that but she was the first proclamer of thy glorious Resurrection to thy Disciples thy selfe thus directing and sweetly commaunding that it should be so Goe and will my brethren that they pass on into Gallile they shall see me there But now if that woeman wept and continued in weepinge who sought the liueing amongst the dead and who touched thee but with the hand of Faith how ought my soule to lamente and persiste in lamentation which beleeueth with the hart and confesseth with the mouth that thou art her redeemer praesiding now in heauen and regninge euery where How ought such a soule to lament and weepe which loues thee with her whole hart and couetts to see thee with her whole desire Thee who art the sole refuge and the onely hope of miserable creatures to whome one can neuer pray without hope of mercy Afford me this fauour I beseech thee for thyne owne sake for thy holy Name that as often as I thinke of thee speake of thee write of thee read of thee conferr of thee as often as I remember thee and am present with thee and offer praise and prayers and sacrifice to thee so often may I weepe abundantly and sweetely in thy presence that so my tears may be made my bread day and night Thou O King of glory and thou instructer of soules in all vertue haste taught vs both by doctrine and example that we are to lament and weepe sayinge Blessed are they who mourne for they shal be comforted Thou didest weepe ouer thy deceased freind and thou didest shedd abundant tears ouer that miserable Citty which was to perish And now O deare Iesus I beseech thee by those most pretious tears of thyne and by all those mercyes whereby thou didest vouchsafe so admirably to releyue vs wretched Creatures giue me the grace of tears which my soule doth greatly affect and couet For without thy guift I cannot haue it but be thou pleased to impart it to me by that holy Spirit of thyne which mollifyes the hard harts of sinners and giues them compunction to weepe as thou didest giue it to our Fathers whose footesteps I am to imitate that so I may lament my selfe duringe my whole life as they lamented themselues day and night And by theyr merits and prayers who pleased theo and did most deuoutly serue thee I beseeche thee take pitty vpon me thy most miserable and vnworthy seruant and grant me the grace of tears Grant me that superior kinde of irrigation or watering and that inferior also that my tears may be my bread day and night and that by the fire of sorrowe I may be made a fatt and marrowy Holocauste in thy sight O my God let me be all offerred vp vpon the altar of my hart and let me be receyued by thee as a most acceptable sacrifice to thee in the odour of sweetnes Grant me O most sweete Lord both a continuall and a cleere founteyne wherein this vncleane Holocauste may be cleansed For although I haue already offered my selfe to thee by thy fauour and grace yet in many things doe I offend dayly through my excessiue frailty Giue me therefore the grace of tears O blessed and amiable God through the greate sweetnes of thy loue and by the commemoration of thyne owne mercyes Prepare this table for thy seruant in thy sight putt it into my power that as often as I list I may be filled therewith Grant through thy pitty goodnes that this excellent and inebriating chalice may quench my thirste
lett my spiritt pante towards thee my hart burne bright in thy loue forgetting all vanity and misery Hearken to me ô God hearken ô thou light of myne eyes hearken to that which I desire and make me desire such things as thou wilt grant O Lord thou who art holy exorable in thy selfe doe not become inexorable to me for my sinns but for thyne owne goodnes sake receaue the Prayers of thy seruant grant me the effect of my desire and sute by the prayers and merits of my Lady the glorious Virgin Mary and of all thy Saintes Amen CHAP. XXXVII A most holy and most excellent Prayer to Almighty God whereby the soule is greatly mooued to deuotion O Lord Iesus O Holy Iesus O good Iesus who didest vouchsafe to dy for our sinns and to rise agayne for our Iustification I beseech thee by that glorious Resurrection of thyne raise me vp from the sepulchre of all my vices and sinns dayly giue me a part in thy Resurrection by grace that I may obteyne to be made a true pertaker of thy Resurrection to glory O thou most sweete most benigne most loueinge most pretious most amiable and most beautifull Lord who didest ascend vp to heauen in a triumph of glory and beinge a most puissant Kinge dost sitt at the right hand of thy Father Drawe me vpward that I may runn after thee in the pursute and sent of thy odoriferous oyntments I will runn and not faynt Whilest thou art leading and draweinge me I will be runninge Drawe vp this mouth of my thirsty soule into those celestiall spirings of eternall satiety Nay rather drawe me to thy very selfe who art the true liueinge fountayne that so accordinge to the vttermoste of my capacity I may drinke that where-vpon I may for euer liue O thou my God and my life For thou haste said with thy holy and blessed mouth If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke O thou fountayne of life grant to my thirsty soule that it may alwayes drinke of thee that accordinge to thy holy and faithfull promisse the liueing waters may flowe from me O thou fountayne of life fill my minde with the torrent of thy delight and inebriate my hart with the sober ebriety of thy loue that I may forget all vaine ād earthly things and may perpetually haue thee and thee alone in my memory as it is written I haue beene mindfull of God and I was delighted Imparte to me the holy Spiritt which was signifyed by those watters which thou didest promisse that thou wouldest giue to such as thirsted after them Grant I beseeche thee that with my whole desire and endeauour I may tend thyther whither I beleeue thee to haue ascended vpon the fortieth day after thy Resurrection That so my body onely be held in this present misery and that I may euer be with thee in desire and thought That my hart may be there where thou art who art my incomparable disireable and extreamely amiable treasure For in the great deluge of this life wherein we are tossed with stormes to and fro surrounding vs and where there is noe secure castinge of anchor nor place more eminent wher-vpon the Doue may place her foote repose her selfe in some smale measure there is noe where any safe peace noe where any secure quietnes but euery where warrs and strife all places full of enemyes fighting without and fears within And because one parte of vs is celestiall and the other terrestriall the body which is subiect to coruption doth dull and stupify the soule Therefore doth this soule of myne which is my companion and my freind and which colmes all weary from trauellinge vpon a long and laborious way lye languishinge and torne in sunder by those vanityes which it passed by and it doth hunger and thirst extreamely and I haue nothinge to sett before it because I am a poore creature and a meere begger Thou ô Lord my God who art rich in all things and art a most plentifull imparter of celestiall satiety giue foode to it being weary recolect it being scattered and repair it being torne in peeces Behold it is at the doore and knockes It beseeches thee by those bowells of thy mercy whereby thou didest visite vs riseinge from aboue to open thy hand of pitty to this miserable soule which knockes and commaund out of thy benignity grace that it may enter in to thee that it may repose in thee and that it may be recreated and fedd with thee who art that true celestiall bread and wine That when it is satisfyed therewith it may recouer strength and so ascēd vp to the things aboue it being snatched vp out of this valley of misery by the wing of holy desires it may fly into those celestiall Kingdomes Let my spiritt ô Lord let my spiritt I beseech thee take the wings of an Eagle let it spring vp and neuer fainte let it fly till it arriue euen as farr as the beauty of thy house that place of the habitation of thy glory that it may there be full fedd vpon that table where thy celestiall Cittizens are refreshed with those secret delights of thyne in that place of rich feedinge close by those full fountaynes and there ô my Lord let my hart repose and rest in thee My hart is a high sea swelling vp with waues Thou who didest commaund both windes and seas where vpon great tranquillity did followe come downe and walke vpon these Waues of my hart that all my thoughts may become serene and quiet to the end that I may embrace thee my deare and onely Lord and that I may contemplate thee who art the sweete light of myne eyes being freed from the blinde mistes or foggs of all vnquiet cogitations Let my hart fly vnder the shadowe of thy wings from the scorching heate of the cares and cogitations of this world that so being hidden vp in that sweete refreschinge of thine it may exult singe In thy peace in thy very selfe will I sleepe and rest Let my memory sleepe let it sleepe I beseeche thee O my Lord God from all sinn and vice Let it hate iniquity and loue sanctity For what is more beautifull what is more delightfull then in the middest of the deepe darkenes and the many bitter sorrowes of this life to pante towards that diuine sweetnes of thine and to aspire to that eternall beatitude and there to haue our harts fixed where it is most certaine that true ioy is to be found O thou most sweete most loueinge most benigne most deare most precious most desirable most amiable and most beautifull Lord When shall I be able to see thee When shall I apppeare before thy face Whē shall I be satisfyed with that beauty of thine Vvhen wilt thou lead me out of this darke prison that I may confesse to thy Name that so from thence forth I may haue noe more cause of greife Vvhen shall I passe on into
of thine owne blood O Lord thou diddest loue me more then thy self since thou didest resolue to dye for me By so costly a bargaine and at soe high a price thou diddest reduce me from banishement thou diddest redeeme mee from seruitude thou didest retyre mee from punishement Thou diddest call mee in thy Name thou diddest marke me out with thy blood that the memory of thee might for euer stand before mee and that my hart might neuer receede from him who did not refuse the Crosse for mee Thou didest annoynt mee with that oyle which belonged in cheyf to thy selfe that as thou art Christ soe from thee I might be called a Christian And in thy hands thou hast written mee that thou mightest haue a continuall memory of mee with thee vpon condition that the continuall memory of thee might be still with mee Thus hath thy grace and mercy euer preuented mee For thou O my deliuerer hast often freed me from many and greate daungers When I wandred thou broughtest me back to the way when I was ignorant thou diddest teach me when I sinned thou diddest reproue mee when I was in sorrow thou diddest releiue me when I was in despayre thou didest comfort me when I fell thou diddest rayse mee when I stood thou heldest mee when I walked thou diddest lead mee when I slept thou diddest guard mee and when I cryed out to thee thou diddest heare me CHAP. XIV That God doth consider the workes and purposes of mankinde with a perpetuall attention O Lord my God and the life of my soule thou hast imparted these and many other benefits to mee whereof it would be a deare thing for mee to be euer speaking euer thinkeing and euer giueing thankes That I might for euer praise and loue thee for all thy good blessings with my whole harte and my whole soule and my whole mynde and my whole strength and with all the very marrow and the most intimate parts of my affection and with all the parts and powers of my whole man O Lord my God who art the happy sweetnes of all them who are delighted in thee But thyne eyes haue seene my imperfections Those eyes I say of thyne which are farre brighter then the Sunne lookeing downe round about at ease vpon the wayes of men and vpon the profound Abysse and they doe euery where contemplate both the good and badd For as thou doest preside ouer all things thou being all for euer present euery where and takeing particular care of all these things which thou hast created because thou hatest none of them which thou hast made so also dost thou consider all my paces and steps and doest euer keepe a watchfull guard ouer mee day and night and like a perpetuall centinell dost diligently note my wayes as if thou haddest forgotten all the whole world of thy other creatures both in heauen and earth didest not care for the rest For nether would the light of thyne owne vnchangeable sight encrease in thee though thou shouldest behould but any one onely thinge nether is it diminished although thou behould diuers and innumerable things For as thou dost perfectly and at once consider any one thinge by one onely acte of seeinge soe doth thy whole sight most perfectly and that at once behould the whole of euery particular thinge how different soeuer they may be among themselues And as it considereth all soe it considereth one and as any one soe euery one and all of them at once doest thou consider without any diuision or mutation or diminution Therefore all thou in all time without time doest consider all mee at once and that cōtinually as exactly as if thou haddest nothinge else to consider And soe therefore doest thou stand in guard of mee as if thou wouldest attend to mee alone diddest forgett all the rest For thou doest euer shew thy selfe to be present and if thou finde me ready thou doest euer offer thy self also ready Whither soeuer I goe O Lord thou forsakest me not vnles I be the first to forsake thee wheresoeuer I be thou departest not away for thou art euery where and wheresoeuer I goe I shall finde thee By what meanes may I be kept from perishing without thee since without thee I cannot be at all I confesse that whatsoeuer I doe whether it be litle or much I doe it all in thy presence and whatsoeuer that be thou seest it better then my selfe For whatsoeuer I doe thou findest thy self present there as a perpetuall spectatour of all my cogitations intentions delectations operations O Lord all my desires thoughts are euer standing before thee Thou discernest O Lord whence the spirit comes where it is whither it goes For thou art the ponderer and waigher out of all spirits and whether that roote be sweete or bitter from which the faire leaues of our actions are sent out thou as an internall Iudge dost know best Yea and thou dost sifte most subtilely into the most secret parts and pith of those very rootes dost not onely obserue number contemplate and keepe accompt of the intention by the most exquisite truth of thy light but also of the most profound and hidden sapp of that roote to the end that thou mayest repay to euery one not onely according to their workes or theyr expresse intention but also according to that interiour and originall spirit of the roote of theyr actions from whence the intention of him that worketh doth proceede To whatsoeuer I tend when I worke whatsoeuer I thinke in whatsoeuer I am delighted thyne eares heare mee thyne eyes see me and consider mee Thou dost marke and iudge and note and write in thy booke whether it be good or badd to the end that afterward thou mayest render eyther rewardes for that which is good or torments for that which is euill When thy bookes shall be opened all soules shall be iudged according to those things which shall be written in those bookes And this perhaps is that which thou didest already say to vs I will consider the last thinges of those men And that also which is sayd of thee O Lord He considereth the end of all men For thou O Lord dost in all those things which we doe more attend to the end of our intention then to the act of our operation And when I consider those things diligently O Lord my God who art soe terrible and full of strength I am alike confounded betweene huge feare and shame For a mighty necessity is imposed vpō vs of liueing with rectitude and iustice who doe all the things which we doe before the eyes of a Iudge who seeth all things CHAP. XV. Tat man of himselfe can doe nothing without diuine Grace O Thou most mighty and Omnipotent God the God of the spirits of all flesh whose eyes are ouer all the wayes of the sonnes of Adam from the day of theyr natiuity to that other of theyr death to the end that thou mayest reward euery
the power of a man to will that which he hath power to doe or to doe that which he cann will or to knowe what he cann will and doe but rather the paces of men are directed by thee the paces of them I meane who confesse themselues to be directed by thee and not by themselues Wee beseech thee therefore O Lord by the bowells of thy mercy be pleased to saue that which thou hast created For if thou wilt thou canst saue vs and the strength of our saluation consisteth in the pleasure of thy will CHAP. XXVI Of the auncient benefits of Almighty God CAll to mynde thy auncient mercy whereby thou diddest preuent vs from the beginning in those benedictions of thy sweetenes For before I was borne I who am the sonne of thy handmayde O Lord who hast bene my hope euen from the brests of my mother thou diddest preuent mee by preparing those wayes for mee wherein I might walke and whereby I was to arriue to the glory of thy house Before thou framedst mee in my mothers wombe thou knewest mee and before I parted from her wombe thou diddest praeordayne concerning mee whatsoeuer was pleasing to thy selfe What things are contayned and written in thy booke concerning mee in that secret of thy Consistory I for my parte doe not knowe and there vpon I am in extreme feare but it is well knowen to thee For that which I might expect to happen in successe of dayes and tymes betweene this and a thousand yeares hence all that is already done in the sight of thy eternity and that which is future is finished already there Now therefore whilest I liue in this darke night and whilest I am ignorant of these things feare and trembling come vpon mee since I see on all sides that many dangers doe sett vpon mee close at hand and that I am hunted by many enemyes and hemmed in by innumerable miseryes in this life And vnles I had thy helpe in the middest of so great calamityes I should despaire But still I haue a strong hope in thee O thou most meeke Prince and my God And the consideration of the multitude of those mercy which thou hast shewed to mee doth ease my minde the fore-running signes of thy mercyes which preuented mee before I was borne and doe now shine particularly towards mee doe sollicite me to haue good hope concerning those future better more perfect guifts of thy benignity which thou reseruest for thy freinds That soe I may reioyce O Lord my God with that liuely and holy ioy whereby thou dost euer recreate my youth CHAP. XXVII Of the Angels which are deputed to the custody of man FOr thou hast loued me O thou onely Loue of myne before I loued thee and thou hast created mee after thine owne Image and thou hast preferred me before all thy creatures Which dignity I keepe now also hauing knowen thee for whome thou hast made mee Thou hast also made thy Spirits Angels for my benefitt and thou hast commaunded them to keepe me in all my wayes lest els perhaps I might hurte my foote against a stone For these are the Guard which stands vpon the walls of the Citty of thy new Ierusalem and these are those Mountaynes which are sayd to stand in the circuit thereof keeping watch by night ouer thy flocke least at any time the Lyon should snatch away our soules whilest none were by to deliuer them that auncient serpent I say our aduersary the deuill who is euer walkeing the round seekeing whom he may deuowre These are those happy Citizens of Ierusalem that supernall Citty that mother of ours which is aboue and they are sent in ministery to them who are to take hold of the inheritance of saluation that they may deliuer them from theyr enemyes and guard them in all theyr wayes that they may comfort and admonish thy children and offer vp theyr prayers in the sight of the glory of thy Maiestie For they loue theyr fellow-Cittizens by whose society they expect that the ruine of the Schisme which was made by the rebellious Angells may be repayred They doe therefore assist vs with greate care and watchfull endeauour at all tymes and in all places succouring vs and making prouision against our necessityes and passeing with great sollicitude betweene vs and thee O Lord presenting our sighes and sobs to thee that they may obtayne for vs an easy pardon from thy mercy and may bring downe from thee the desired benediction of thy grace For they walke with vs in all our wayes they goe in and out with vs considering with greate attention how vertuously and piously wee conuerse in the middest of a wicked nation with great endeauour and desire we seeke the Kingdome of God and the iustice thereof with how greate feare and trembling wee serue thee and how also wee exult towards thee in the ioy of our harts They helpe such as are takeing paynes they protect such as are at rest they encourage such as fight they crowne such as conquer they reioyce with such as ioy I meane such as ioy in thee and they suffer with such as suffer I meane such as are in sufferance for thee They haue a mighty care of vs. Great is the ardour of theyr affection towards vs and all this for the honour they beare to that inestimable charity where-with thou louest vs For they loue them whom thou louest they keepe them whom thou keepest and they forsake them whom thou forsakest Nor doe they loue the workers of wickednes because thou hatest all the workers of iniquity and destroys all them who speake lyes As often as wee doe well the Angels ioy and the Deuills grieue But as often as wee swarue from vertue wee make the Deuill glad and wee depriue the Angels of theyr ioy For they haue ioy by one sinner doeing pennance but the Deuill hath ioy when pennance is giuen ouer by a good man Graunt them therefore O Father graunt that they may euer reioyce concerning vs and that thou mayest euer be praysed by them in vs and that both they and wee may be brought into one the same sheepfoulde that together wee may confesse to thy Holy Name O thou Creatour both of men and Angels Whilest I am calling these things to minde before thee I confesse to thee with prayse that these are greate benefits whereby thou hast honoured vs whilest thou giuest thy Spirits for Angels to assist vs. Thou haddest already bestowed whatsoeuer was contayned vnder the vaut of heauen yea and thou reputest that as but little which is contayned vnder heauen vnles thou mayest also add those things which are aboue the heauens Lett all thy Angels prayse thee also for this O Lord Let all thy workes also confesse to thee and let all thy Saints themselues blesse thee for it O thou our Supreame honour thou hast too highly honored vs and thou hast beautifyed and enriched vs with many guifts Thy Name O Lord is admireable ouer
Good but only the supreme Good can satisfy it and withall it is of so great liberty that it cannot be constrained to commit any sinne It is therefore the proper will of euery one which is the cause of his saluation or damnation so that nothing more rich can be giuen to God then a good will A good will draweth God downe to vs it addresseth vs vp to him By a good will we loue God we chuse him we runne to him we arriue to him and we possesse him O how excellent a thing is this good will wherby we are reformed according to the resemblance of God and are made like to him So amiable to God is this good will as that it refuseth to inhabit that hart wherin a good will is not to be found A good will doth make that supreme Maiesty of the Trinity stoop downe to it For wisedome doth illuminate it towards the knowledge of truth Charity doth inflame it towards the loue of goodnes and the Paternity doth preserue that which it did create that it may not perish CHAP. XXVI VVhat the knowledge of truth is WHat is that knowledg of truth It consisteth first in a mans knowing himselfe in being that which a man ought to be and in reforming that which should be amended It doth therefore consist in knowing and louing the Creatour for this is the whole good of man See then how vnspeakable the loue of this diuine loue is It made vs of nothing and it gaue vs whatsoeuer we haue But because we loued the guift more then the giuer we fell into the snare of the diuell and became his slaues Then did God being moued to mercy send his Sonne to redeeme those slaues and he also sent the holy Ghost to the end that he might make those slaues his sonnes He gaue the Sonne as a price of our redemption and the holy Ghost for the priuiledge of his loue and so he imparteth his whole selfe as the inheritance of our adoption So doth God as being most pittifull most mercifull through the desire which he hath of the loue of man not only impart his mercyes but his very selfe that so he might recouer men not so much to him who is God as to themselues That men might be borne of God God was first born of man Who then is he that hath a hart so hard as that it cannot be softned by this loue of God this loue I say of his so preuenting so vehement which made him be content to become man for the loue of man Who now wil be able to hate a man whose nature and resemblance he seeth in the humanity of God Infaillibly whosoeuer hateth him hateth God and so he destroyeth whatsoeuer he doth For God was made man for man that as already he was mans Creatour so also he might be his redeemer and that he might purchase him out of his owne stocke And to the end that God might be beloued by man in a more familiar manner he appeared in the similitude of man that so both his externall and internall senses might be made happy in God the eye of his soule being intertained fed by his diuinity the eye of his body by Gods humanity to the end that whether he should worke inwardly or outwardly this human nature which he created might be able to feed deeply sweetly vpon him CHAP. XXVII VVhat the mission of the holy Ghost doth worke in vs. THis Sauiour of ours was borne for vs he was crucified and he died for vs that so by his death he might destroy ours And because that bunch of grapes of his flesh and bloud was carried to this wine-presse of the Crosse because the expression thereof being made the new winer of his Diuinity began to flow from thence the holy Ghost was sent downe wherby the vessels of our harts were to be prepared and new wine to be put into new skins that first our harts might be cleansed least els the wine powred in should be polluted and that afterward they should be tyed vp least otherwise when it were infused it might be spilt That they might I say be cleansed from all ioy which could be taken in sinne and that they might be fastened against all ioy which could be taken in vanity For that which is good can neuer come vnles first that be sent away which is euill The ioy which is taken in sinne polluteth and the ioy which is taken in vanity scattereth vs. The ioy which is taken in sinne maketh the vessell fowle and the ioy which is taken in vanity maketh it to be full of holes Ioy is taken in sinne when sinne is loued and ioy is taken in vanity when transitorie things are beloued Cast the refore away that which is euill that thou mayst receaue that which is good Powre out all bitternes that thou mayst be filled with sweetnes The holy Ghost is ioy loue Cast out the spirit of the diuell the spirit of the world that thou maist receaue he spirit of God The spirit of the Diuell breedeth a ioy in sinne and the spirit of the world breedeth a ioy in vanity Now both these ioyes are naught for the one of them hath vice in it the other giueth occasion to vice The spirit of God will come when these wicked spirits are cast out and it will enter into the tabernacle of thy hart and will produce a good ioy and a good loue whereby the loue of the world the loue of sinne shall be put to flight The loue of the world doth intice and deceaue the loue of sinne doth pollute and carry on to death But the loue of God doth illuminate the mind it doth purify the conscience it makes the soule reioyce it demonstrates God CHAP. XXVIII Of the working of that soule which loueth God HE in whome the loue of God remaines is euer thinking how he may arriue to God how he may leaue the world how he may decline the corruption of flesh and bloud and to the end that he may find true peace he euer hath his desire his hart erected towards heauenly things When he is sitting when he is walking when he is resting in fine whatsoeuer he be doing his hart departeth not from God He exhorteth all men to the loue of God he recommendeth it to all men he proueth to all the world both by his hart and by his tongue and by his workes how sweet the loue of God is and how bitter that is of the world He despiseth the glory of the world he discouereth it to be full of affliction and he declareth how fond they are who place their confidence therin He wondreth at the blindnes of men for louing such thinges as those he wondreth how it is possible for all men not to forsake these transitory and fraile things of the world He conceaueth that euery one should find tast in that which is so sauoury to himselfe that
the body of his glory wee expect when our Lord returneth from the marriage that he may carry vs in with him Come Lord and doe not stay Come O Lord Iesus Christ come visit vs in peace come and carry vs out who are bound in prison that wee may reioyce before thee with a perfect harte Come O thou Sauiour come thou who art the desired of all nations doe but let vs see thy face and wee are safe Come my Light and my Redeemer lead my soule out of this prison that I may confesse to thy holy Name How long shall I wretched creature be tossed vp and downe in these waues of my mortality cryeing out vpon thee O Lord whilest thou hearest mee not Harken to mee O Lord who am cryeing to thee out of this deepe Sea and waft mee into the Hauen of eternall blisse to theyr society who being conducted out of this dangerous Sea haue obtayned to repose in that most safe harbour which is thy selfe O God O how truely happy are they who be deliuered from that Sea to the shore from banishment to their country and from the prison to the Pallace Happy are they who in theyr desired place of rest are eternally to reioyce for haueing soe with such prosperous ioy obtayned that prize of eternall glory towards which they here made they re course through such a multitude of tribulations O how truely happy are they O thrice and three thousand tymes happy who being freed from all misery and being secure in the possession of that inuiolable glory haue deserued to arryue to that Kingdome of order and delight O Eternall Kingdome Kingdome which out liueth all ages where there is a light which neuer fayleth and a peace which passeth all vnderstanding where the soules of the Saincts repose and eternall ioy hāgeth ouer theyr heads For they shall obtaine delight and exultation and greif and sorrow shall fly away How glorious O Lord is that kingdome wherein all thy Saints shall for euer reigne with thee being cladd with light as with a garment and heauing a crowne of pretious stone vpon theyr heads O kingdome of eternall beatitude where thou O Lord who art the hope of the Saints and the diademe of theyr glory art beheld by them face to face delighting them on all sides with thy peace which passeth all vnderstanding VVhere there is infinite ioy without greif health without payne workeing without labour light without darkenes life without death all good without any ill VVhere youth neuer waxeth old where life neuer cometh to an end where beauty is neuer diminished where loue is neuer weakened where health is neuer blasted where Ioy is neuer impayred where payne is neuer felt where groane is neuer heard where sadnes is neuer seene where ioy is euer had where noe euill is feared because the souueraigne good is possessed there which consists in euer seeing the face of our Lord the God of all strength Happy therefore are they who haue obtayned to come to soe greate ioye out of this life where so many shipwrakes are suffered And O vnhappy and wretched creatures wee who are steereing our ships through the floods of this great sea through these stormy whirlepooles not knoweing whether or no wee shall be able to arryue to the porte of saluation Miserable I say wee are whose life is spent in banishement and whose way in daunger and whose end in doubt for wee knowe not our end because all things are reserued in suspense for the future VVee are still tossed in these sea-waues aspireing to thee who art the hauen O thou country of ours wee see thee though it be from farre of VVee salute thee from this sea wee sigh to thee from this valley and wee striue with teares if perhaps wee may be able to get thither O Christ thou God of Gods thou hope of mankinde thou refuge and strength of ours whose light like some beame of the sea starre doth strike our eyes from farre of amongst the foggy mists and tempests of this sea wherein wee liue that soe our course may be directed to thee who art our hauen gouerne I beseech thee our ship with thy right hand by the instrument of thy Crosse that wee may not perish in these floods that the stormes of water may not drowne vs that the profound pitt may not swallow vs vp but drawe vs out of this sea to thee who art our onely solace whome wee see with our lamenting eyes to be expecting vs though from farre of vpon the shore of that celestiall country as it might be some Sunne of Iustice or morneing starre Behould wee cry out to thee who are redeemed by thee and who are now those exiles of thine whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood Harken to vs O our Sauiour the hope of all the sands of the sea how farre soeuer it be of Wee are tossed in this turbulent sea and thou standing vpon the shore doest see our dangers and saue vs for thy names sake Graunt to vs O Lord that wee may hold soe euen away betweene Sylla and Caribdis that haueing escaped the danger of them both wee may securely arriue in the port with our ship and our aduenture safe CHAP. XXXVI Of the glory of our celestiall country WHen therefore we shall be come to thee O thou foūtaine of wisedome to thee O indeficient light to thee O thou who art the splendour which cannot be defaced that we may then behould thee not by representation as in a glasse but face to face then shall our desire be fully satisfyed with good things because no other thing will remayne to be desired by vs when we shall possesse thee O Lord our soueraigne good who art to be the reward of the blessed and the diademe of they re glorye and the sempiternall Ioy which hangeth ouer theyr heads possessing them both inwardly outwardly in that peace of thyne which passeth all vndestanding There shall wee see and loue and praise Wee shall see light in thy light because with thee is the fountaine of life and in thy light wee shall see light But what kinde of light an immense light an incorporeall incorruptible and incomprehensible light a light indefcient a light which cannot bee put out an inaccessible light an vncreated light a light which sheweth truth a diuine light which illuminateth the eyes of Angells which reioyceth the youth of saints which is a light of lights and the fountaine of life which is thy selfe O Lord my God For thou art that light in whose light wee shall see thy self who art that light hat is to say thee in thee in the splendour of thy countenance when wee shall see thee face to face What is it to see face to face but as the Apostle sayth to knowe thee as I am knowen To knowe thy truth thy glory is to knowe thee face to face To knowe the power of the Father the wisedome of the Sonne the meekenes of the Holy Ghost
the one and indiuiduall essence of the supreme Trinity For to see the face of the liueing God is to possesse the soueraigne good It is the ioy of the Angells and of all the Saints the reward of eternall life the glory of spirites the eternall Ioy the crowne of beauty the prize of felicity the rich repose the beauty of peace the internall and externall Ioy the celestiall Ierusalem the Paradise of God the happy life the fullnes of felicity the delight of eternity the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding This is that full beatitude and that totall glorification of man to see the face of his God to see him who made heauen and earth to see God who made him who saued him and who glorifyed him He shall see him by knoweing him he shall apply himselfe to him by loueing hym and he shall praise him by possessing him For he is the inheritance of his people of the people of Saints of the people which he redeemed He is the possession of they re felicity he is the reward recompence of they re expectation I will sayth he be a great and excessiue reward to thee For great things become great persons Indeed O Lord my God thou art excessiuely great beyond all Gods and thy reward is excessiuely greate For it cannot be true that thy self should be great and thy reward litle but as thou art great so thy reward is great for thy reward and thy self are not two seuerall things But thou thy self artexcessiuely great and thou thy self art that reward which is soe excessiuely great Thou thy self art he who crowneth vs who art the crowne thou thy self art he who maketh the promise and who art that very promise it selfe Thou art he who bestowest the guift and who art the guift it self Thou thy self art the rewarder and thou art the reward of eternall felicity Thou art therefore he who crowneth and thou O my God art the crowne and diademe of my hope which is ad orned with glory Thou art that recreatiue brightnes that reuiuing light that gracefull beauty thou art my great hope the desire of the harte of thy Saints and desired by them Thy vision therefore is the totall pay the totall reward the totall Ioy which wee expect For this is eternall life this I say is thy wisedome This is eternall life that wee may knowe thee onely true God and Iesus Christ whome thou hast sent VVhen therefore wee shall see thee the only God the true God the God liuing Omnipotent simple inuisible incomprehensible not to be circumcribed and thy onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord who is consubstantiall and coeternall with thee whome thou hast sent into the world for our saluation in the vertue and power of the Holy Ghost they being Trine in persons and one in essence one onely Holy God besides whome there is noe God Then wee shall enioy what now wee seeke which is eternall life and euerlasting glory which thou preparest for them who loue thee and hidest vp for them who feare thee and wilt impart to them who seeke thee them who seeke thy face for euer And thou O Lord my God who framedst mee in the wombe of my mother who recommended mee ouer to thy hand do not permit mee any longer to be distracted into many thinges from thee who art one But gather mee vp from exteriour obiects into my self and then take mee from my self into thee that my hart may be euer saying to thee my face hath sougt thee O Lord I will seeke thy face The face of our Lord power wherein alone of the totall eternall glory of blessed soules doth consist the vision whereof is the eternall life euerlasting glory of the SS t s Let therefore my hart reioyce that it may feare thy name let the hart of such as doe but euen seeke our Lord reioyce but much more let them reioyce who finde him For if Ioy be taken in the search of him what ioy will that be which is felt in findeing him Therfore I will be euer seeking thy face ardently and without giueing ouer to see if once at length that doore and gate of Iustice may perhaps bee opened vnto mee that I may enter into the Ioy of my Lord. This is the gate of our Lord and the Iust shall enter into it CHAP. XXXVII A prayer to the blessed Trinity O You three coequall and coeternall persons who are one true God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost thou who alone dwellest in eternity and inaccessible light Who hast layd the foundations of the earth with thy power and who gouernest the world with thy wisedome Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth terrible and powerfull Iust and mercifull admireable laudable and amiable One God three persons one essence power wisedome one onely vndeuided Trinity Open thou the gates of Iustice to mee who am crying out after them and being once entered by them I will confesse to thee O Lord. Behold I who am a poore begger doe knocke at thy doore O thou who art the soueraigne Master of the house command that it may be opened to me thou who say dest knocke and it shall be opened to you For the desires of my bowells which do euen roare againe and the cryes of the teares of myne eyes are they who knocke at thy gate O most mercifull Father Before thee is my whole desire and my groanes are not hidden from thee And thou O Lord turne thy face noe longer away from mee and decline not in thy wrath from thy seruaunt O thou Father of mercyes hearken to the loud crye of thy poore childe and reach forth thy best helping hand that it may drawe me out of the profound pitts of water and out of the lake of misery and out of the durt and dregs that I may not perish whilest the mercy of thyne eyes is beholding mee and the charity of thy bowells is lookeing on But enable mee to escape to thee who art my Lord and my God that I may see the riches of thy kingdome and may behold thy face for euer and may sing prayse to thy holy name O Lord thou who workest wonderfull things thou who makest my hart ioyfull by the memory of thee and who illuminatest my youth doe not despise my old age but fill my bones full of ioy and renew my grey heires as that of an eagle is renued All glory all prayse all strength all power all magnificence all beatitude all mercy be ascribed to God the Father and the Sonne and the Holy Ghost Amen The end of the Soliloquia Deo gratias THE MANVALL OF S. AVGVSTINE THE FIRST CHAPTER Of the wonderfull essence of God THov O Lord dost fill heauen earth carrying all things and yet they are no burthen to thee Thou fillest all thinges without being shut vp by them Thou art euer working yet euer quiet gathering togeather yet thou needest nothing seeking yet wanting nothing louing yet