fellow Disciples and all my friends farewell wife all the world so I may inioy this heauenly sight and be continually thus delighted in the Lord. Holy Ignatius going to his martyrdome was so strangely rauished with this delight that he burst out into these wordes Nay come fires come beasts come breaking of all my bones come racking of my whole bodie come all the torments of the deuill togither vpon me come what can come in the whole earth or in hell either so that I may inioy Iesus Christ and may be continually delighted in the Lord. And so must thou deare brother insult ouer all creatures and exsult only in thy creatour Thou must contemne all beautie as Armenia did yea thine owne bodie as Paul did yea all the world as Peter did yea thy very life as Ignatius did and be content to doe any thing though it were to be torne and pulled in a thousand peeces or for a time if it were possible to suffer al the paines which the fiends and furies of hell can inflict vpon thee so as in the end thou maiest delight either the Lord in thy selfe or thy selfe in the Lord. Then then He shall giue thee and not He shall giue thee onely but The desires also and not The desires onely but Of thy heart also Then he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart And againe I say He shall giue thee and againe I say The desires and againe I say Of thy heart Then he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart Then though thou haue a long time plaied the vnthrift and wasted all thy goods in the world yet if with the lost childe thou returne home againe to thy fathers house he shall graunt thee thy hearts desire and receiue thee with minstrelsie and dauncing and all manner of festiuall ioy and that plentie of bread which nourisheth euery hired seruant in his house shall much more feede thee which art his louing child vnto euerlasting life Then though all the leekes and onyons of Egypt which is the world haue failed thee yet if with Israel thou depend onely vpon God he shall distill the dewe of his grace into thy heart and lay aside a chosen raine for thee and cause thee to drinke of the sweete christall streams of his pleasure and giue thee to eate of that hidden and heauenly Manna which no man knoweth but he that receiueth it Then though all the clothes and couerings in the world cannot keepe thee warme yet if with Dauid thou be a man according to Gods owne heart he shall send thee that mysticall Abishag which shall comfort thy heart and make thee hot and feruent in spirit which shall renue thy strength and make thee yong againe and lustie as an Eagle Then though thou haue a long time lost thy labour in seruing Laban which is the world yet if with Iacob thou returne home againe to thy fathers house god shall meete thee by the way and as the Prophet Osey speaketh he shall allure thee as thy paramour and lead thee into the wildernesse and there speake according to thine own heart friendly and louingly vnto thee And euen as louers are oftentimes disposed for the nonce to take a fall of one another the stronger of the weaker so God shall wrestle a fall with thee as he did with Iacob and yeeld so much in loue to thee as that he shall suffer thee to giue him the fall and to preuaile against him Iesus what exceeding loue is this why are we not euen nowe in the name of God inflamed with the loue of God and wholly rauished with delight in the Lord At least wise I maruell what a mischeife many base minded worldlings meane that they had rather feed vpon the huskes of hogges then the bread of maÌ„ that they had rather eate the ony ons of Egipt then the manna of heauen that they had rather lie acold frozen and shiuering in sinne then be reuiued and cherished by Abishag that they had rather take vnsupportable paine to serue Laban then take vnspeakeable pleasure to serue God Fy vpon it what a vile folly is this what a starke madnes is this what is this els but to be euen bodily tormented whereas they might be most spiritually delighted what is this els but to goe out of one hell into another hell where as they might goe out of one heauen into another heauen For why do you beloued why doe you tell me so much of I know not what of a worme that neuer dieth of a fire that neuer is quenched of a lake that burneth with brimstone of weeping and gnashing of teeth Thus I tell you good christians and I tell you truly and God in heauen heares what I say though you heare me not I tell you as loud as euer I can that to serue sinne so slauishly to please the deuill so wretchedly to delight in the word so brutishly as many men doe this is worse then all wormes worse then all fires worse then all lakes worse then all weeping worse then hell it selfe Whereas on the other side to serue God to please God to delight in God to reioyce solace thy soule in the Lord which hath alwaies giuen thee and will alwaies giue thee the desires of thy heart this is better then all treasures better then all crownes better then all kingdomes better then all immortalitie better then heauen it selfe This this it is which shall bring thee out of one paradise into another paradise 1. Reg. 1. 40. TanquaÌ„ claruÌ„ ac beneficum â—ydus Sen. de Clemen l. â— c. 3. Nulli ita deo familiares sunâ— sicut boni reges Emissenus Dom. 21. post â—enâ—ecost Psal. 21. 1. a Quid ad noâ— delectatio msidi â—pist ad Toloâ— cap. 〈◊〉 b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 d Lamen 3. 15. e 〈…〉 f chap. 13. v. 22. g Si de Vlysâ—e illo refert fabula quòd 〈◊〉 arboâ—â—â—s religatio de peâ—iculâ— liberavit quaÌ„tò magis cruciâ— arbâ— c. Ambr. serm 55 h Esa. 14. 23. i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 k Psal. 118. 15. l Aelianus in varia histo l. â— cap. 14. m Ester 4. 2. n Châ—ros castrorum Can. 6. 12. o Dauid salâ—antâ—m plus stupeo quâ—m pugnantem Moral l. 27. cap. 27. p 〈◊〉 4. 6. q Ludam inquit vt illudar Bonus luduâ— quo Michol iâ—ascitur dâ—us delectâ—tur â—reg Mag. r Ioh. 11. 4. s Math. 17. 5. t Prou. 5. 19. u 〈…〉 x Proâ— 14. 13. y 2. Cor. 5. 12. z Can. 7. 12. a Can. 8. 2. Orâ—s Apollo b Nuâ— 11. 〈◊〉 c Can. 2. 3. d Non â—st strepitus oris sed â—â—bilus cordis non â—onus labiorum sâ—d motus gaudiorum concordia voluntatum non conâ—onantia vocum e Psal. 84. 3. f Psal. 103. 1. g Cum scis iubilationem Psal. 89. 15. h Greg. Moral Iob. 3. 14. i Reu. 8. 1. k Gustâ— incircumscripti luminis anima paâ—citur supra se elata ad seipsam re â—abi dedignatur k Nouerim me nouerim te l 〈…〉 m In letitia letentur psal 68. 3. n Aeterna exultatio est qnâ—â— bono 〈◊〉 â—terno o Exod. 33. 19. p Quâ—re 〈◊〉 bonum in quo sunt omniâ— bona sufficit Aug. Med. q Sapi. 16. 20. r Totum toti â— vnum vni vnicum vnico s Dilectionisâ—ulla maior expetenda est â—enumeratio 〈◊〉 ipsa diâ—ectio Ser. 7. de â—â—eiu t Iob. 35. 7. u Psal. 16. 2. x Non 〈◊〉 a more sed 〈◊〉 moâ— is â—rorâ— Deciuit 〈◊〉 liâ—◠〈◊〉 cap. 6. y It is mans propertiâ— to erre z It is Gods propertie to louâ— a Can. 2. 16. b Lilia agro rum millia angelorum c 〈…〉 uerso pascere sit ei paâ—ci Bernard Cant. seâ—m 7â— d Reu. 3. 20. e Cant. 〈◊〉 f Can. 7. 13. Omnia pomâ— vetera nova Vulgata trans g Ecclesiasticus cap. 32. vers 5. Col. â— 16. h Qui amat desiderare desideret amare De amore dei cap. 3. vid. Gregorium Moral â— 18. c. 28. i Cant. ◠〈◊〉 k Psal. 119. 20 Concupiuiâ— desiderare â—sal 119. 20 l 〈…〉 m Gâ—n 32. 31. n Tobiâ—s 13. 18. Psal. 55. 〈◊〉 o 〈…〉 p 〈◊〉 1. 24. q Domine anâ—e te omne desideâ—ium meâ—â—sal 38. 10 â—am vâ—ima perfectio ipsius animz deus est centrum locusque natuâ—alis omnium desideriotum â—ius r Viri desideriorum Dan. 9. 23 s Daniel 3. 25. t Mark 9 4. u Ioh. 14. 21. x Mendicus dei Greg. y Luk. 16. 25. z 〈…〉 a Fecisti nos domine ad te ideo inquiâ—â—um â—st cor 〈…〉 b Psal. 22. 16. c Querula pâ—nitus 〈◊〉 abunda est donec ad â—um à quo oriâ—inaliter exiit triumphali virtute reuertatur d 〈◊〉 12. 3. e Vi amoris in deum tanquam in centrum propriuÌ„ mouetur vt in ipso summé delectetur f Math. 2. 9. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ude 13. h Psal. 57. 8. i Quia dominuâ— reddidit te â—ibi Psal. 116. 7. k Concupisciâ— deficie â—sal 〈◊〉 2. l Psal. 132. 4. m Prou. 2â— 26. n Iob. 14. 8. o 2. Cor. 12. 9. p â—sal â—4 â—2 q Psal. 73. 25. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈…〉 Psal. 17. 16. s 〈◊〉 28. 1. t Esa. 40. 6. u Psal. 107. 5. x Mark 6. 39. y 〈…〉 z 〈…〉 Eccles. 1. 8. a 〈…〉 b All the whole world 〈…〉 c 〈…〉 d Behold the heauens and the heauens of heauens are not able to containe thee 1. Reg. 8. 27. e Deâ—s maior est cor de nostro 1. Ioh. 3. 20 d 〈…〉 e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
thy selfe in the Lord and he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart Delight Then Thy selfe I would hate mine owne soule saies Bernard if I found it any where else then in the Lord and in his loue So that it is not enough for thee to delight but thou must delight thy selfe that is thy soule Saying with the blessed Virgin My soule doeth magnifie the Lord and my spirit reioyceth in God my Sauiour Otherwise as Diues did see Lazarus a farre off lying in Abrahams bosome beeing himselfe all the while tormented in hell and hauing not so much as one drop of water to coole his toÌ„gue so eueâ— in laughing the soule may be sorrowfull The wretched soule of a sinner may see the face a farre off laughing and lying as I may say in Abrahams bosome beeing it selfe all the while tormented as it were in hel and hauing not so much as one drop of delight to asswage the sorrowes of it And like as Sampsons lyon had great store of honie in him but tasted no sweetnesse of it euen so if thou reioyce in the face and not in the heart thou maiest well perhaps haue great store of honie in thee to delight others but thou canst neuer taste the sweetnesse of it to delight thy selfe Therfore saies the princely prophet O taste and see how sweet the Lord is It is not enough for thee to see it a farre off not haue it as Diues did or to haue it in thee and not to tast it as the lyon did but thou must as well haue it as see it and as well tast it as haue it O taste and see saies he how sweete the Lord is For so indeede Christ giueth his Church not onely a sight but also a taste of his sweetâ—nsse A sight is where he saies thus We will rise vp earely and goe into the vineyard and see whether the vine haue budded forth the small grapes and whether the Pomegranâ—ets flourish There is a sight of the vine A taste is where he saies thus I will bring thee into the winseller cause thee to drinke spiced wine and newe wine of the Pomegranneâ—s There is a taste of the wine The Church not onely goes into the vineyard and sees the wine but also goes into the wine-seller and tastes the wine But yet thou must goe further then this before thou canst come to thy selfe For there are diuers degrees of tastes The Egyptians in their Hyroglyphickes when they would describe an vnperfect taste paint meate in the teeth when a more perfect taste the beginning of the throat Such an vnperfect taste had the Israelites of the sweetnes of God God was most sweete vnto them when he gaue them quailes to eate Yet while the meate was but in their teeth the wrath of God was kindled against them There is the meate in the teeth an vnperfect taste But the spouse of Christ hath a more perfect taste of the sweetnesse of god For likening him to an apple tree she saies I delight to sit vnder his shadow his fruit is sweet vnto my throat There is the beginning of the throat a more perfect tast But notwithstanding all this thou art not yet come to thy selfe Therefore this taste must not content thee because this tast cannot delight thee For thy delight must not sticke in thy teeth or in thy throat but as a cordiall thing it must goe downe to thy very heart That thou maiest say with the Psalmist My heart and my flesh not my flesh onely but my heart and my flesh reioyce in the liuing God And againe Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name Nowe thou art come to thy selfe For that which is within thee is thy selfe and all that is within thee is all thy selfe So that thy selfe all thy selfe is delighted in the Lord when as that which is within thee and all that is within thee praise his holy name O howe happie art thou when thou knowest this Iubile this ioyfulnesse when thou hast a secret sence an inward feeling of it when euery motion of thy minde is an influence of Gods spirit when thy wil his word play togither as Isaack and Rebecka did For then surely thou doest build to thy selfe desolate places Desolate places I say that all other things may be silent to thy soule nay that thy very soule may be silent to it selfe yea that there may be a silence in heauen answerable to the silence of thy soule when thou doest delight thy selfe in the Lord. Delight thy selfe in the Lord and he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart Thy selfe Lastly In the Lord. Gregorie saies thus The minde of man is fed with the infinit light and loue of God and so being lifted vp farre aboue it selfe doeth now disdaine to stoupe downe so lowe as â—o it selfe And therefore doeth not delight it selfe in it selfe but delights it selfe in the Lord. Hereupon a father saies O lord graunt that I may know my selfe and know thee That knowing my selfe and thee I may loath my selfe in my selfe and delight my selfe onely in thee Truth indeede O man so thou oughtst to doe saies God For if thou didst know thy selfe and me then thou wouldest displease thy selfe and please me But because thou knowst neither thy selfe nor me therefore thou dost please thy selfe and displease me But the time shall come when thou shalt neither please thy selfe nor me Not me because thou hast sinned not thy selfe because thou shalt be burned So that then thou shalt please none but the deuill both because thou hast sinned as he did in heauen and also because thou shalt be burned as he is in hell Therefore he that delights himselfe in himselfe delights not himselfe but onely the deuill in himselfe Whereas on the other side he onely delights himselfe which not onely delights himselfe but addes also In the Lord and so delights himselfe in vertue delights himselfe in godlines delights himselfe in God himselfe This Christ â—ignifieth when speaking of his spouse he saies Who is shee which câ—mmeth out of the wildernes abounding in delights leaning vpon her â—â—â—beloâ—ed He that leanes vpon himselfe can neuer abound in delights but he alone aboundeth in delights which leaneth vpon his welbeloued So did S. Paul I haâ—e laboured more then they all saies he There he aboundâ—th in delights Yet not I but the grace of God which is in me There he leaneth vpon his welbeloued And again I can doe al things saies he There he aboundeth in delights In him that strengtheneth me There he leaneth vpon his welbeloued In one word when as he saies He that would reioyce and glorie let him reioyce and glorie in the Lord it is all one as if he should haue said He that would abound in delights let him leane vpon his welbeloued Let him delight himselfe in the
heart is sufficiently refreshed and fedde But as God onely feedeth the heart so God only filleth the heart For the heart of man as for the manner of diet it is like the heart of a lyon so for the bignesse of it it is like the heart of the Ibis Orus Apollo writeth that the Egyptians when they would describe the heart paint that bird which they call the Ibis Because they thinke that no creature for proportion of the bodie hath so great a heart as the Ibis hath But me thinkes they might better paint a man Because no creature no not the Ibis it selfe hath so great a heart as a man hath For the eie is neuer filled with seeing nor the eare with hearing and much lesse the heart with desiring But euen as the Poets faine that the fiftie daughters of king Danaus killing their husbands are inioyned for their punishment in hell to fill a tunne with water that is bored full of holes which though they labour neuer so much about it yet they can neuer bring to passâ— semblably he that would goe about to fill his heart with worldly delightes were as good poure water into a fiue as we say for any pleasure he shall haue after all his labour and paines Salomon hauing had a long time tryall of all transitorie pleasures at length frankly confessed that they were so farr from being a contentation to his heart that they were a very great vexation to his spirit Nay Alexander though he had conquered the whole world yet still he said with the king of Spaine Non sufficit arbiâ— yea in the ende he grew to be very malecontent and found himselfe greatly greiued because there were not forsooth many more worldes for him to conquer By which example of Salomon and Alexander though otherwise a heathen it doth plainly appeare that if it had pleased God to haue created as many worlds as there are creatures in this one world which he might haue done with the least word of his mouth yet this infinite number of worldes which should haue beene created could not haue filled the verie least heart of any one man without the creatour himselfe This Orontius an excellent Mathematitian sheweth who describing the whole world in the forme of an heart leaueth many voide spaces in his heart which he cannot fil vp with the world For as a circle can neuer fill a triangle but alwaies there will be three empty corners in the triangle vnfilled if there be nothing els to fill it but the circle so the round world which is a circle can neuer fill the heart of man which is a triangle made according to the image of the Trinity but alwaies there will be some emptie corners in the triangle of the heart vnfilled if there be nothing els to fill it but the circle of the world Onely the glorious trinitie filleth the triangle of the heart and filleth euery corner of it and filleth euery corner of it fuller then it can possibly hold For suppose almightie God should now worke a miracle and giue some one man a heart as large and as huge not onely as all the hearts of all the men that euer were are or shall be but also as all the affections of all the angels and heauenly powers aboue yea I will say that which shall be yet much more maruelous if this one heart were so great that it could at one instant actually containe in it more corporall and spirituall things then are in all the deepes beneath in the vallies in the mountaines and in all the heauens aboue yet as true as God is in heauen this so large and so huge a heart could not be able to hold the very least part of the perfection of God but if one droppe of his deitie and glorie were powred into it by and by it would burst in a hundreth pieces and flie a sunder as an old vessel filled with new wine O what a wonderfull strange thing is this what shall we deuise to say of it Ten thousand worlds cannot fill one heart and yet ten thousand hearts cannot hold one God Therefore as much as one heart is too good and too great for ten thousand worlds so much is one God too good and too great for ten thousand hearts So fully doth the Lord nothing but the Lord feed and fill thy soule and giue thee all nay more then all thy heart can desire Wherefore Delight thy selfe in the Lord and he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart Thus much for the promise in these words And he shall giue thee the desires of thy heart Now then deare brother Delight and not delight onely but Thy selfe also and not thy selfe onely but In the Lord also Delight thy selfe in the Lord and againe I say Delight and againe I say Thy selfe and againe I say In the Lord. Delight thy selfe in the Lord. O remember for the loue of God remember this worthie sentence of an ancient father Let all creatures seems vile vnto thee saies he that onely thy creat our may seeme sweet vnto thee Armenia a noble ladie beeing bidden to king Cyrus wedding went thither with her husband At night when they were returned home her husband asked her how shee liked the bridegrooâ—e whither shee thought him to be a faire and beautiful prince or no Truth saies shee I know not For all the while I was forth I cast mine eyes vpon none other but vpon thy selfe So basely did this noble ladie esteeme of king Cyrus beautie who was the Monarch of the world in respect of that entire good will and affection shee bare to her husband which was so great that her eyes could neuer be from him And so must we set God alwaies before our eyes and not once looke aside or be enamoured with any gaud of worldly glorie but despise euery blaze of beautie whatsoeuer that may draw vs from beholding our heauenly husband and delighting onely in him which is fairer then the children of men S. Paul beeing rapt vp to the third heauen knowes not whither it were with the bodie or without the bodie And because we should marke it well once he sets it downe twise That he was rapt vp to the third heauen he is sure that he heard words which no man can vtter he is sure that he was exceedingly delighted in the Lord he is sure But whither his bodie were with him or no he knows not So much did he forget and neglect euen his owne bodie which is so neere and so deare a thing in comparison parison of that incomparable delight which then he tooke in the Lord. S. Peter seeing but a glimps of Christs glorie vpon mount Tabor stood so astonished and amazed with it that he was in a sort beside himselfe when he was at that time beside Christ. Master saies he it is good for vs to be here As if he should haue said Nowe farewell Galilie and all my goods farewell