God's sake But neither is this the duty of a true Incluse for if she would more narrowly look into it she would surely finde how that secretly it doth fight against her purpose Every true Inlcuse ought to lead so pure so absolute a life so free and so abstracted from all creatures that her merits may be able to succour and help all universally that are inrolled under the Name of Christ But yet there are others which say they are of so weak and frail a nature that it is necessary for them that they should relieve themselves by discoursing with men and by that means succour their infirmity O such miserable Incluses how wholly are they deceived by the counsel of the malignant one Take it for certain Beloved whoever seeks any thing else in an Inclusory than for Gods sake willingly to suffer such a one doth unadvisedly betake her self thereto Now some may be found who enter into an Inclusory that in it they may be fed by Alms with peace and ease which Alms notwithstanding they would but very unwillingly beg as exiles in a despicable manner openly in the streets but as many as are after this manner do rashly take to themselves the name of Incluses alias pure Nuns and it would be much better for their souls that they should lie as Exiles in the high-way in such a plight as might move the minds of all passengers to pitty But when any Incluse enters into an Inclusory she ought to offer her self purely freely nakedly and voluntarily to Christ for to undergo the Crosse for all men bearing in mind those words which Christ spake upon the Crosse Mat. 27. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That blessed and venerable Mary Magdalen was a true Incluse seeing she of her own accord renounced all the comfort of creatures Certainly God the Father Almighty sent his Son unto the Earth and would have him take upon him humane nature that in it he might suffer and yet notwithstanding we alwayes flie suffering But whatever we can do it is most certain if we will take the nearer way and sooner and more subtily penetrate all things that cannot otherwise be done than by following the most true Example of our Lord and Saviour by suffering at least in some measure And nevertheless which here I bring for our comfort Truly God the heavenly Father is not so hard and severe towards us as he hath been towards his only Son For verily if we with our whole strength offer our selves to God for to suffer so as that we become willing of our own accord and freely to undergo whatever pleaseth him we should bear neither in the time of affliction depart from him neither do fly from afflictions when they meet us When he shall take notice of this he will the more speedily when he shall see time take away from us all afflictions and will fill us with his divine and supernatural pleasant and sensible consolation which truly to whomsoever it happens namely that he experience in himself this festival and pleasant Solemnity such a one afterwards relishes no earthly festival He is not made joyful like common men at the solemnity of a Masse nor at the feast of Easter or of Penticost nor finally at any other feast This huge internal feast only namely whilst the Omnipotent God cometh unto him with his supernatural and present Grace in Jubilee and Triumph this inward feast I say doth fill him with abundant joy And that at what time of the year soever it be transacted in him at the same time all the aforesaid Solemnities and Festivals are together celebrated and fulfilled Wherefore dearly Beloved we ought willingly to bear whatever adversity shall happen unto us for whoever he be that doth by sufferings attain to this supernatural and pleasant Solemnity this man becomes thereby exceeding prudent essential and well composed and obtaineth so great a wisdom by the influence of the Holy Ghost that he doth abundantly understand what belongs to him to do and what to leave undone Then certainly all his in him are made fruitful yet he then hath nothing at all of himself but alwayes persevering in great humility supposeth himself an unprofitable servant and evermore keepeth himself in a certain filial and amorous fear neither feareth any thing else but lest he should not fully satisfie the beloved of his heart his most loving Father In this state that is when he attaineth thus far all his own private institutions and customs of his own will that is such as are taken up of himself fall off and his conversation becometh simply truly Christian and erect to heavenly things In the mean time he is nevertheless unknown to all men except one of the same life who hath experienced the same grace and solemnity God Almighty grant that we may learn by afflictions to endure and by sufferings merit to attain unto this supernatural joyful and happy solemnity the eternal Truth it self our Lord Jesus Christ bringing us to it who with the Father and Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth one God throughout all Ages of Ages Amen Three certain excellent Institutions VVHosoever thou art who at any time hast a desire to attain unto God and unto the most excellent state which in this life can be obtained it will concern thee studiously to observe these three things which I do add 1. The first is That in all things thou aim at God and the honour of God and not thy own but chiefly at his will not thy own 2 The second is That in all thy doings and turnings forth thou studiously observe thy self and take diligent notice of thy bottomless nothingness and attend with continual diligence what-ever thou be about what is doing in thee and lastly have an eye alwayes upon thy own ground 3. The third is That by no means thou intrude thy self into those things which are not committed to thee but let all things alone in their own state and order Let those things that are good be good But the evil judge thou not but rather being turned into thine ground there persevere diligently and sedulously hearkning to the voice of thy Father exhorting thee that thou abide in him constantly even to the end Whosoever shall observe these two things following shal attain to great matters 1. FIrst Let him be both inwardly and outwardly in Truth and from his very ground and bottom and not in words only little and abject Let him be I say in his whole understanding in his ground and in his own eyes without any dissimulation wholly little and nothing 2. But secondly Let him be endowed with the love of God not that sensual which we call Love but essential that is that he do inwardly in his ground purely intend God Wherefore every one ought for this cause to be naked and freed from all self animadversion understanding and sensuality because God Almighty is naked and free so thereby the Spirit may be fitted and
prepared for his pure and naked essence for so it is necessary that the soul be naked and empty that it may be capable of his secret misteries Wherefore there is a necessity that every one endeavor to cut off all those things in which he findeth any thing of Self Of the DEATH of the MASTER and how after his Departure he appeared to his Friend the LAYICK giving him an account of his severe and horrible departure out of the body declaring that he endured that instead of his Purgatory and also assuring him of that huge Joy and everlasting Felicity which he had obtained from God by means of his wholsome Doctrine HEre we must by no means let passe how the oft before-mentioned Master did daily make proficiency in a true humble and spiritual life and encreased very much in vertue Yea verily he was made so prudent in the grace of God that whatever was to be done in that City or Country where he dwelt whether it had been Spiritual or Secular all much desired to make use of his Counsel and Wisdom because he was acceptable to them and they had confidence in him and puttrust in him and did obey his counsels He made also very many Sermons as well to Secular as Spiritual men after the form of those which we have already above recited And when he had laudably finished nine years in this so profitable and fruitful life and as it is said was acceptable and dear unto all in all that Country and Town These nine years being finished it pleased the most high God to receive unto himself this his Servant and beloved Friend and no longer to leave him in this exile And because he had decreed to translate him to the celestial Mansions without Purgatory he suffered him to fall into grievous and lasting pain and sickness of body so that he lay for twenty weeks sick of a Palsie and suffered very sharp torments When twenty weeks were now expired he by Divine Grace understood not obscurely that within a few dayes he should depart this world and that God would put an end to his torments Knowing this he desired his servants that they would take care to bring his Layick unto him and that they should acquaint him with his approach and departure and that he had no small desire to have him present with him when he died Without delay when the Layick knew hereof obeying the Master he came to him speedily and being very familiarly received he enquired how it was with him To whom the Master answered Truly I think that that day is not very far off wherein the Lord will take me out of this world Wherefore you may know that it will be very acceptable to me and no lesse comfortable if you will vouchsafe your presence with me when I die But saith he I would entreat you that you will take those Paper Books in which you shall find diligently written all whatever hath for a long time been spoken or transacted between us There is also something of my Life some things which God vouchsafed to work by me his miserable and unworthy Servant And if you shall see fit and the Lord grant leave compile them all into one little Book To these things the Layick gave this Answer Behold Sir I have by me five of your Sermons which I writ from your mouth if therefore you think fit I will put them in among your other Writings that of them all one little Volumn may be put forth under your Name To whom the Master answered I entreat and beseech you dear son with as much love as I am able That you put not out any thing for my sake nor under my name Neither indeed are they mine neither would I they should be known either in my life or after my death But they are all Gods who vouchsafed to do them by me a miserable wretch But yet if you do think that it may be profitable to my neighbours and make for their edification to publish those things I am not against it but that they may be set forth only with this caution that you mention not me or my name But you may write after this manner to wit The Master said or did this or that alwayes concealing my name But be careful of this that when you have compiled this Book you deliver it to no body in this City to read lest peradventure they should apprehend it to be mine but rather carry it away with you into your Country Finally the Master had many other good discourses with his Layick for eleven dayes together even to the hour wherein he gave up the ghost When that hour was come he said thus to he Layick I would fain dear son have on your part your consent That if it shall please God I may return unto you in spirit after my Death To whom the Layick answered If it shall said he seem good unto God I shall like it well that his will may be done in this matter Moreover when the Master was even at the point of death falling into an Agony he expressed such horrible and fearful gestures that his Brethren and as many as were present from the sight of those gestures fell into no small fear affright and sorrow And so at last he ended his last hour as much as can be gathered from external signs with great horror And when he was now dead almost all the City were moved because he was exceeding dear to them all universally Furthermore when as some of that place had taken notice how familiarly the oft-mentioned Layick stuck to him to the last they went about to honour him and invite him to their feasts But when he perceived this he presently fled from the City into his own Country Being onward upon his journey and travelling now upon the third day about Sun-set he came to a certain Village And because he could not farther travel by reason it began to be dark neither could find in that Village any publick Inn he requested a certain honest man whom by chance he met in the way to lodge him and his servant and bid him take of him what he pleased To whom the man answered that he was ready with a willing mind to do what he desired if he would accept of such entertainment as he could make him and accordingly took them in to lodge them he lodged the Layick after the best fashion he could but brought his servant into a barn upon straw After they were layen down the Layick being awake in the night heard a kind of slender voice near him yet could see nothing thereby he began to be a little affrighted Then the voice speak to him thus Fear not dear son for I am the Master When the Layick heard this he said I would very willingly know of you Sir if at least it be the will of the Lord how it is with you and what was the cause that as far as we could perceive you finished your life so horribly and fearfully Verily some of your Brethren began as it were to doubt of you and truly I fear lest your severe end hath offended some of them To which the voice of the Master answered thus I will even now open those things to you Be certain it was so decreed of God that my soul assoon as it was gone out of my body should be received by the holy Angels and by them be defended from the Devils that they should bring me no further trouble nor that I should any more see them nor have any thing more to do with them afterwards And therefore it behoved me to shut up my life with so fearful an end and to undergo it instead of Purgatory And in truth the malignant spirits did bind me fast with so great perplexities and did assault me with such subtile and crafty falacies and deceits that I thought I should have utterly despaired And if my voice had not been taken away I had sent forth such cryes that it had been wonderfull to have seen my calamity hence might my Agony which my Brethren did discern have been taken notice of But God Almighty rendered me a plentiful reward for that pain and torment for as soon as my soul was gone out of my body it was received by the holy Angels who brought it into Paradise telling me that there I must wait five dayes without fear or care neither fear that the Devil should henceforth do me any mischief and finally that I should undergo no more labour only I should want for those five dayes the glorious society of the heavenly Inhabitants which being performed I should be wholly clean and that then they would return with joy and bring me with great exaltation into inestimable never to be ended joyes More than this dear son enquire nothing of me for I have now told you what-ever I can tell you neither have I any licence to adde any thing further But I beseech my God that he would blesse you and that he would be your eternal rewarder in everlasting joyes for that faithful Instruction and wholsom Counsel you gave me Then the Layick said I beseech you my honored Master when you shall come unto God earnestly intercede with him for me After that whatever the Laick did either ask or speak it was in vain neither could he get so much as one answer more from him Which when he perceived he endeavoured as much as he could to take a little rest but in vain for he could not sleep one wink and so lay awake impatiently expecting day Day breaking he took his Pen and diligently wrote to the Prior and Brethren of the dead Master how he had appeared unto him and all his words he had spoke to him The eternal Truth our Lord JESUS CHRIST grant to us that we may conform our selves to his lovely and dilectable Image and follow it to our utmost power to his praise and glory Amen To God Almighty thanks FINIS
if compared with the Life of Christ and how as nothing his life was compared with the immence charity of Christ Great contrition and sorrow for all his sins and for all his ill spent and lost time ceazed upon him So that with his whole affection with heart and voice he said to the Lord Ah! merciful and compassionate Lord God have mercy have mercy upon me for the abiss of thy mercies sake because I am not worthy that the earth should bear me Whilest these words were in his heart and mouth being broad awake he heard with his bodily cars yet seeing nothing a voice saying unto him Now receive thy peace and put thy trust in God and take it for certain that when he lived upon earth that whatsoever sick person he cured in body the same he likewise healed in Soul Which words being ended instantly the Doctor fell into an extasie and was deprived of all rational understanding insomuch that he knew not what was done unto him where he was or whither he was snatch'd But after that he was restored to himself he found in himself in his whole nature a new and great power and vigour such as he confessed he had never in all his whole life time felt by experience before as also so clear and enlightned a discerning or illuminated reason as never was in the least known to him before that time But being amazed he wondred with himself from whence these things should so suddenly happen unto him and began to think thus with himself Certainly thou wilt never be able to clear up this matter of thy self send therefore for thy Friend to come unto thee and lay open the whole matter in order unto him And so he did The Layman being sent for readily obeyed the Doctor came to him forthwith the Doctor told him every thing in order as it happened unto him which when the Layman had beard he said How gladly even with my whole heart Sir do I hear this news I know that you have first now truly experienced the true grace of God and are now first touched in the superior powers of your mind Know also that as heretofore the Letter killed you so now the same will quicken you because all the holy Scripture proceeded and flowed from the holy Ghost Neither doubt Sir but the knowledge of the holy Scripture will for the future very much profit you now that you have been found worthy to be illuminated by the light of the holy Ghost For many things now will be made manifest to you by the Scriptures which were altogether unknown to you before For you know that the holy Scripture seemed to you and many other Theologists to be contrary to it self in many places But he who rightly knows how to look into it in the light of the holy Spirit as you hence-forward will be able to do such a one doth plainly know how that it agreeth with it self throughout Wherefore now you will begin wisely to understand Scripture and rightly to follow the true Pattern and Exempler of Truth our Lord Jesus Christ Now also you must again take upon you the care of Preaching which for some time hath been intermitted that by the Word you may edifie and instruct your Neighbours And now the time is come also that you must fetch home your Books again and fall to reading and perusing them And be certain that hereafter one Sermon of yours will be more profitable and fruitful than a hundred of your former for those that shall hear you hereafter will be profited and amended far more than they have been heretofore and that because the Word which you shall hereafter utter will flow from a clean vessel and therefore will be very grateful and acceptable to a clean mind and a lover of God Furthermore know this that as heretofore you have been by many accounted contemptible and appeared to them dispicable so now you will appear to them all an hundred times more amiable and be more acceptable than ever heretofore And now multitudes of people will begin to flock together to hear you so that it will for this cause be exceeding good for you to keep your self very humble and more carefully to watch over your self For as you know he that hath any great Treasure hath the more need carefully to guard them from Robbers And certainly those hellish Robbers the evil spirits are very much affrighted and always terrified as often as they perceive that God Almighty hath bestow'd upon any man so great a treasure And therefore be sure they will turn every stone and make use of all their strength and cunning to steal from you or rob you of this Treasure Therefore it exceedingly concerns you to keep it with all care and vigilancy But you will be able by no means better to preserve it then by a silent true and profound humility Finally as things are with you there is no more need that for the future I should converse with you as an instructer of you No verily I now exceedingly desire to be taught by you and intend here to remain so long till I have heard diverse of your Sermons And because as you have acknowledged you have felt and experienced a certain great power and such as is understood both in Nature and Grace I very much desire if the Lord permit that you would again Preach Master What advice therefore do you give me dearest Son for I have pawned several of my Books and have taken up upon them no less then thirty Crowns Layman Send some body for them and I on Gods behalf will redeem them and will give thee so many Crowns and if after you have redeemed your Books any thing shall remain you shall restore it to God so the Books were brought and redeemed After these things the Doctor caused it to be given out and spread abroad that upon the third day after he intended to Preach which when it was heard every body much wondered and because of the novelty of the thing a huge multitude of People came together The Doctor therefore when he was come and saw so many People come together got up into the Pulpit and covering his Eyes with his hood he thus prayed to himself O Mercyful God of it may be pleasing to thee grant I may so speak and do as that thy most acceptable will may be done in me Presently after he had spoken these Words 2 pang of weeping without any endeavour of his fell upon him he shed many most sweet Tears which continued so long that the People began to be weary of so tedious expectation So that one of the crowd said with a loud voyce How long I pray Sir do you intend to keep us Now it grows late and if you will not begin say so that we may rise and go home And when the Doctor himself did take notice that the time was nigh past he said again unto the Lord. Ah Merciful Lord my God if it be
himself and as much as possible renounce cast away and mortifie all whatsoever shall be found in him unlike to the lovely Image of our Saviour 24 The Twenty fourth and last point That after all he now as it were first begin like a little Child as yet to make proficiency in true profound deep and perfect humility and think no other ways than that he is now to begin to implore Divine benignity that it would find him out a way and afford assistance whereby he may become a good man And if he be esteemed so by some or else for that cause he appear vile and base in the eyes of men even that will be more grateful and acceptable to him then if he should enjoy the favour and good-will of all But I fear my beloved least I have been too tedious Therefore these are the signs of a rational and purged ground which the Splendour and beautiful Image of all truth doth enlighten and teach Let every one therefore look within himself and diligently search whether he find within himself these twenty four Points which if he do let him rejoyce but if he do not let him know that his understanding though never so lofty and towering nor all his subtile and witty works of his own reason worth a rush for he that is the Fountain Pattern of all truth can perform in him no supernatural work unless he do prevent him by his singular and special grace as we read he did to St. Paul But this in my judgment happens very â—arly in these our times Finally let the Eternal Truth our Lord God grant that we may all be made by his grace true Contemplators in true and perfect humility to his Praise and Glory Amen It follows how the Layman did in secret partly discover to the Doctor his hidden Sanctity and how he convinced him that he was yet in the night of Ignorance and that his Vessel was unclean and that himself was of the number of the Pharisees THE fore-written Sermon being ended the Layman straight hastning to his Inne there Writes it out word for word as it was delivered by the Doctor comes with his Notes to the Doctor and said thus to him Reverend Sir your Sermon I have writ out fair and if it be not too troublesome I will repeat it out of my Paper Doctor Truly I 'le very willingly hear it then the Layman read the whole Sermon which being done he spake thus to the Doctor Layman I pray Sir tell me if I have omitted any of your Words that I may write them Doctor Believe it dear Son you have exactly taken my Sermon word for word as I Preach'd it and I 'le assure you might I gain never so much I could not again write it so exactly and verbatim as you have done unless I would take again the same pains which I did in the search of Scriptures and I profess I cannot now sufficiently admire your happy wit and parts and that you should so oft make your confession to me and yet I never perceive till now Then the Layman made as though he would take his leave of the Doctor and said to him Layman I entend Sir God willing to return home Doctor Away away what is it that should compel you to return home whereas you have neither Wife nor Children to take care of and what hinders but that fith you have no body at home you may as well live here as there I 'le promise you shortly God willing I will Preach another Sermon of the utmost perfection of a Spiritual Life Layman I 'le assure you Sir I came not hithet for the Sermons but that I hoped by Gods Grace assisting I should do some good Doctor What good prethee Son did you think to do here fith you are a simple Lay-man and ignorant of Scriptures neither permitted to Preach Pray stay here a while and peradventure by Gods assistance I will give you such a Sermon as you will gladly hear Layman There is something Sir that I would willingly have spoke to you but I doubt whether you can patiently bear it Doctor Prethee Son speak boldly what thou hast to say I trust in God I shall patiently bear it what ever it be Layman Behold Reverend Sir you glister in your Priestly dignity lately Preach a Sermon to us full fraught with excellent precepts but you take no care to hold them forth in your Life and Conversation and even now how childishly did you say to me stay here and I will Preach you another Sermon that shall please me But take this for certain Sir that neither your Sermons nor any Words whatever which can in this Life be outwardly spoken can be much profitable to me Nay I 'le assure you the Sermons of men do oftner do me hurt then profit me because that oftentimes various Images or Imaginations do insinuate themselves into me by reason of those Sermons which afterwards returning home I can hardly with much and long labour again rid my self of or forget and Sir if you be remembred you had among others this passage in your Sermon That he ought to be free and clear from all Images or Imaginations to whom the chief Doctor and Teacher of Souls Christ Jesus will vouchsafe to come who I will assure you as oft as he is pleased to come to me he teacheth me more in the space of an hour then either you Master Doctor or all the Doctors in the World could teach me till Dooms-day Doctor Prethee dear Son for the Lords death sake stay with me here a longer time Layman Truely Mr. Doctor you enforce me to stay by this deep adjuration and if out of obedience to God I do yield to stay here it shall be upon this condition that you promise me faithfully that whatever hath past or shall pass between us you will keep secret under the privacy of confession Doctor That I will assure you dear Son I will willingly do upon the condition that you will stay longer with me Then the Layman after this manner spake to the Doctor Layman Mr. Doctor in your late before-mentioned Sermon you delivered indeed to us many excellent good things yet whilst you were speaking such a similitude as this came into my head that me thought your good discourses did no otherwayes proceed from you then as if good and generous Wine were drawn through muddy dregs Doctor Prethee Son what meanest thou by this similitude Layman Nothing else Mr. Doctor but me thought your Vessel was not clean nor rinced from dreggs and that 's the reason that the Letter killeth you and alass you dayly suffer it yet dayly more and more to kill you for as you better know the Scripture saith the Letter killeth but the Spirit quickeneth and maketh alive Nevertheless the same Letter that now doth kill you would if you would quickly quicken you But truly at present for your condition it is this You are yet in the Dark and there is no
that I had good reason to say with St. Peter the Apostle Lord it is good for us to be here For believe it in that short hour I did receive more truth with more clear light and certain evidence more truth I say than what either you Mr. Doctor or all the Doctors in the world can teach me even till Dooms-day But Mr. Doctor I suppose I have spoken enough already as much as concerns your present state and condition This following Discourse shows how the Lord was pleased to Convert by the means of this Layman a certain Pagan that lived in a far Country It shews likewise how the Holy Ghost even at this day doth pour forth the same Virtue and Grace upon minds that he finds apt and well prepared to receive it that he did upon the Apostles at the day of Penticost As also it sheweth how this Layman did at large explain these things to the Doctor and how by plain and clear Reasons he proved the Doctor to be a Pharisee and at last brought him to this that he resolved fully with himself to take a new course and amend his life Doctor DEar Son if thou hast any thing more to say I would willingly hear it for truly I have been much taken with those things which you have hitherto discoursed of But above all I intreat you again that you will stay with me and by no means yet leave me If you want money to defray your charges I will willingly supply your want though I do pawn my Books to take up money only I desire you by all means to stay with me Layman Reverend Sir I pray God reward you for your proffer'd Courtesie toward me But I would have you know this that I stand not in need either of yours or any other mans Temporal goods for God Almighty hath made me his Steward and I have neer five thousand Crowns which are Gods and I would willingly spend them all wheresoever it shall be necessary or where ever God requireth them at my hands Doctor I perceive then if so that you are Steward of a very rich and munificent Lord But I cannot sufficiently admire at what you even now spake That neither I nor all the Doctors in the World are able to teach you so much even between this and Dooms-day as you have in one hour learned of God Let me ask you this Question Did sacred Scripture proceed and flow from the Holy Ghost Layman Yes they did without all doubt and so the Catholick Faith teacheth us to believe But Mr. Doctor it grieveth me that I have said so great things unto you and that you notwithstanding should talk so childishly But see you I will propound one Question to you and if you can by Scripture or without it resolve me I promise you I will give you on Gods behalf a thousand Crowns Doctor Prethee good Son tell me what Question is that Layman I would know of you Mr. Doctor whether you can instruct me how I may write a Letter in such a Language to a certain Pagan living in a far remote Country that he may be able both to read it and understand it and how the form and manner of the Letter may be such that the same Pagan by the reading of it may be converted to the Faith Doctor Truly Son I know not what to say to this for such kind of works as you are even the works of the Holy Ghost But I beseech you tell me whether any such thing ever happened unto you and if you did thereby understand by what means this may be done or whether you your self were not he that did it Layman No Mr. Doctor it was not I that did it but the Holy Ghost was pleased to work so by me an unworthy Instrument And truly much may be said touching this matter but it were too tedious to rehearse all for if this whole business should be written it would even fill a Volumn But I shall tell you a few passages from whence you may collect the whole matter There was a certain Pagan a true hearted honest man and in his way very just This man for a long time together did cry unto Heaven and daily did call upon him who created both him all Creatures and did daily pray after this manner O God thou Eternal Creator of all things behold I am born and bred up in this Country and in the Faith of it But I perceive the Jews have another Belief and likewise the Christians follow another Faith do thou therefore O Lord who art over all and hast made all things shew unto me I beseech thee by what ever means it pleaseth thee whether there be any other Faith better or truer than this in which I have been born and bred that I may believe it and I will willingly and readily obey thee by taking upon me that Belief But if thou shalt refuse to signifie thus much unto me and it shall happen that I die in this Faith because I know no better surely this will be hard measure After the Pagan had thus prayed it came to pass that a Letter was written unto him from me which when he had read he was converted unto the Christian Faith He likewise did write back again a Letter to me in which he fully shewed how it happened unto him which Letter I will assure you was so written in our vulgar High Dutch as I could very well read it Many things Mr. Doctor remains to be spoken concerning this matter but you have in brief the sum of it Doctor Truly God is wonderful in his gifts and I will assure you dear Son these are strange and rare matters which you have told me Layman Verily I do enough fear Mr. Doctor that I have told you more than was fit for me to tell you And to say the truth I do perceive that I have spoken somewhat that doth something trouble you and go against your stomack For whereas I am but a Layman and illiterate but you a great Dr. of sacred Divinitie nevertheless I have taken upon me by way of tutoring and teaching to tell you so many things it cannot be but this must somewhat offend you Doctor Son if you would not take it ill I would tell you what doth displease me Layman Assuredly I will not take it ill you may speak all your mind freely Doctor Dear Son I cannot away with this but do what I can it goes against my stomack that you when as you are a Lay-man should teach me a Doctor and a Divine as also that you should call me a Pharisee Layman Is there any thing more in me that doth displease you Doctor Not the least I assure you that I know of Layman Will you give me leave patiently Mr. Doctor to satisfie you in these two things Doctor Dear Son you have not only free leave but I again and again desire you to do it Layman Pray tell me Mr. Doctor how it should come to
Son that these men are dead The Layman smiling said if they be dead it is the fault of you and the Bridegroom Master If the Bridegroom have a hand with me in the business we shall easily find a Remedy for this evil Layman You need not at all doubt Sir but that all these men shall live yet in time and I could wish that you would speak to the Holy Virgins of this Monastery that they would cause them to be carryed within the first Cloisters of their Monastery to some warm place least by reason of the damp ground they should catch harm Accordingly it was done the Virgins very modestly commanding them to be carried into warm Rooms and they told the Doctor that they also had one of their Sisters rapped into an exstasie and lying upon her Bed whither they had carryed her as one dead The Master answered them I beseech you Beloved be not troubled at this thing but when any of them comes to themselves give them if they will take it some kind of warm broth The Virgins answered him That they would willingly do And so the Doctor together with the Layman departed and went together to the Doctors Cell Where the Layman said to the Doctor What think you Reverend Sir did ever the like matter befal you since you were born you see now what great things God doth work by a fit Instrument And I doubt not but very many more will be sensible of this your Sermon and what was done at it For they will tell one another Wherefore I shall like it well if you please that you would suffer these your weak Sons and Daughters to rest a while For truly this Sermon will find them work enough for a long time But I verily think many would reap much benefit if you would likewise God permitting Preach to the secular men For now during this time of Lent they will more readily run to Sermons And I believe very many will flock together the more because of this Sermon which you preached to day Master If you advice me to it dear Son I will willingly follow your counsel And as I remember this next Sabbath day is the Feast of the Virgin S. Gartrude Layman And pray what is the Gospel appointed for that day Master It is concerning the Woman taken in adultry and brought to Christ But whatever the Gospel be for that day I intend not to stick only to that But will easily take from thence some sentence or other which shall be the scope of my whole Sermon and from it I will take occasion as Divine Grace shall assist me to set before Mens Eyes their sins and Iniquities Neither do I much care what becomes of me for so doing Though I easily believe that first this will be my portion my Brethren will do what they can to expel me out of the Monastery for I am resolved neither to flatter them nor any body else but will simply speak the naked truth as the Lord shall enable me neither will I balk that though I should be therefore to suffer death Layman Truly I believe Sir for these two or three hundred years or more by past there hath not been so much need to speak the naked Truth simply and seriously as now in these our days Wherefore be not at all moved with whatever can happen For if you be not suffered to abide here you may be some where else and wheresoever you be God will in no wise forsake you The Master therefore gave order to one that at the end of his Sermon he should give notice to the People that he intended to Preach the next Sabbath day which was consecrated to St. Gartrude When that day came a very great multitude of Men of divers ranks came together to hear the Doctors Sermon Who coming at the time appointed Thus began his Discourse A Sermon of the Doctors Preached to the People in which he sharply reproves Sin VVHat shall I say or where shall I begin my Discourse Dearly Beloved seeing 't is obvious to every Eye how ill it is with us in many things and unless we amend our Lives undoubtedly things will grow worse and worse and more dangerous But before I enter upon my Discourse I earnestly beg this of you all that none of you would take that grievously which I shall say unto you For truly it is more needful at this time to speak the Truth plainly and openly then it hath been any time these two or three hundred years or upwards Whereupon I have resolved with my self to reprove the Faults of us all in general and not at all to flatter any man but without any daubing obscure glosses or comments to speak simply and nakedly whatever the Lord shall teach or suggest to me being ready for the Love of God to undergo any thing that shall be laid upon me for this cause But if I shall be hindred by the shortness of the time to finish now what I have to say I shall at another time if liberty be granted me make an end of it Truly I have purposed to handle so many things in this Sermon that I will neither meddle with the Gospel for the day nor speak any thing of blessed Gartrude to whom the day is consecrated nor mingle any Latine sentences in my Discourse that so I may have the longer time to speak what I intend I have only taken for my Text a Verse or two out of this days Gospel upon which I will only insist The Words are these The Pharisees bringing a Woman taken in Adultry to our Lord set her in the midst and accused her that she ought to be stoned The Lord said unto them He that is without Sin among you let him cast the first stone When they heard this they went one after another out of the Temple Verily Beloved if in these our days our Lord Jesus Christ should speak the same Words to us Christians I verily believe very few of us could remain behind who ought not to go forth And least whilst I am reproving others for their faults I should seem to pass by my own and the sins of our Order I will begin with my self and my Brethren the Preachers and Confessors How many think you of us would stay behind upon these Words of our Saviour who being conscious to themselves of no sin would not be compelled to go forth Truly we are called and accompted poor and live upon the Patrimony of the Crucifix that is upon the Almes of the faithful But how worthily in all things we answer this our calling the Lord knows and the Devil knows Truly I fear there are very few among us who in hearing confessions do purely love God and aim at his Glory Of which thing this is an evident Argument that for the most part we are more ready to hear the confessions of the Rich than of the Poor And that this is so is plain by this If any such of us be taking
the confession of any Poor man and word be brought us that such a Lord or such a Lady is come we presently arise in hast and dismissing the Poor man hie us away to my Lord or to my Lady And why is this but because we are covetous and love honour and are tickled if we can make our braggs that more Lords and Ladies make their confessions to us then to others in the mean time we make mention of the Poor Saints But how and in what manner we be have our selves towards those Rich ones God the righteous Judge knoweth Certainly it is our duty to teach them the way of Truth and uprightness and in what manner they ought to lead their lives and not when they desire to have their wicked and unlawful customes indulged and permitted to frame and invent many subtil Glosses and shifts and tell them their leud customs are not repugnant to the Scriptures Nevertheless we tell them that which is false For the Scripture no where saith that covetousness pride luxury or the like sins may be indulged or permitted Neither is this any other than the inventions and council of the malignant one Wherefore my Beloved those of us as are such Confessours do shew unto you not the way of truth but the way of perdition and so we first run head-long into the Pit of eternal perdition and then also lead you along with us into the same there is onely this difference that we shall be thrust lowermost and you cast upon us into those pains But though ye rich men are not so deeply plunged into those pains as we yet your condition shall not therefore be the better seeing your own Reason and Conscience often tells you that we in no wise shew unto you the right and safe way Further more we in duty ought also beloved when we are in the Pulpit to preach unto you the right way and in few words without lying and glossing to shew unto you the very truth Which if it ever were needful to do is now much more needful But alas the most of us are too too foolish and cowardly and stand more in awe of men than of God Now the reason of this is that in these our times matters are come to that pass that if any of us will speak the very truth he will hardly be tollerated almost in any Monastery nor suffered to Preach and presently another shall be put into his place who will reject and confute whatever the former hath said Truly Beloved things are not right among us therefore I will not be partial but speak the Truth Nay rather I will as the Lord shall enable me simply set before all our eyes in general of what state or condition soever we be our vices and failings let what will befal me therefore I will endure it all willingly for the love of my Lord God He of you Beloved who is without sin if there be such a one let him cast the first stone at them I have mentioned What I have hitherto spoken may at the first view seem as if I had onely aimed at my Brethren of our Order But my intention was nothing less than onely to mark out them but my reproof was directed against all those together with our selves who hear confessions and are Preachers of the Word whether they be Pastors or Priests or of some Religious Order of what rank soever they be to whom the aforesaid Authority is committed and given To all these I would have you to understand was my discourse directed Here now I should say something of the Bishops and other Prelates of great Authority and Power who hold many Churches But I suppose here is not any one present Nevertheless least any should think that if I pass over these in silence I do it for fear of them or upon some other consideration as if I would flatter and seek to curry favour I shall I say therefore say something of them and there will not be wanting some or other it may be that will go and tell them what I say which thing I shall not at all mislike nor be troubled at Certainly in what Province soever any Bishoprick is the Bishop is the Pastor of that Province how far soever the bounds of his Jurisdiction or Diocess extends He is I say the Pastor and Head of his Bishoprick and that for to feed his People and to take all vigilant care that the whole Flock committed to his charge be trained up in the due observation of Christian Religion and Christian Ordinances But alas when as now for the most part the Pastors are blind no wonder if their sheep go astray and become a prey for Wolves But what need I use many words when you easily perceive what I hint at I fear truly that many of our great Priests and potent Prelates who hold at one time many Churches are likewise held and entangled themselves in many and grievous sins and are sometimes even worse than thieves and robbers for these onely rob men of their Goods but these wicked and unworthy Priests rob and plunder even God of his Goods for all Church livings are Gods and his Almes which of right he hath given to none but to such as are careful to spend them in his service But when it comes to pass that such a Priest loden with many Churches dyes what kind of Will and Testament leaveth he to his Heirs Verily a lamentable one for the same way which he walked in himself doth he shew unto his Heirs For his Heirs greedily catch his Goods and hasten with them to the same place of Perdition whither he is gone before At least if they dye without Restitution I am not able in a short Discourse to express how dangerous their estate and condition is But let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone at them And now in the next place I must have a word to the Secular Priests of inferiour rank many of whom I fear do too too sinfully and dangerously lead their lives Plainly whatever Priest follows the course of Gamesters and Fornicators such a one is worse than Judas who betrayed our Lord and Saviour as it may easily be proved For Judas was a thief a slippery fellow a betrayer of our Lord Jesus Christ But a Priest he hath an Ecclesiastical Benefice which is Gods who therefore hath granted it to him that he should perform his Office and permits him to take of it what is necessary for life and what he cannot without inconvenience want but if any thing remain over and above seeing that is totally Gods if he restore not to God in his poor Members but spends it upon some other unlawful use such a one truly commits a worse theft than Judas did For such a Priest consumes the Goods of his God at Dice and divers other wayes doth wast the Almes given to the poor truly worse than Judas did Furthermore such a Priest with the same
beware of Adultry because it is a grievous and enormous wickedness Truly If I would go about to lay open all the dangers and evills springing out of Adultry this whole day would hardly suffice and yet I fear I have already been to tedious I should now speak of Pride of covetous men of Soldiers their Comrades and Wives of handy crafts men and their Wives but the time doth not permit Truly I have yet many things which I shall say in their due time except I be silenced from preaching But I warn you beloved let not any one hit another in the Teeth with these things which ye have heard because I have only touched the vices of some For we are all guilty and obnoxious to sin But if there be any one here without Sin let him first cast a stone at them whom I have mentioned Believe me as things are with us at present it doth exceedingly concern us that with what speed possible we should amend our lives Otherwise except we so do there are some among you who may live till that time wherein God Almighty may permit some grievous and unusual distress and pressure to happen to men But arise now and let us pray the Lords Prayer and repeat the Angels salutation How after this Sermon the Master was forbidden by his Brethren to Preach again AFter this Sermon all the People of the City did talk much and variously of the Master some praised him some dispraised him but the greater part did commend him saying He is certainly a good man and devout towards God who fears no man but speaks the very meer truth of himself and all others But his Brethren presently after this Sermon being met together in the Chapter-Room unanimously concluded that he should be wholly silenced from Preaching and they studiously enough endeavoured to bring it about that they might send him away to another Monastery of their Order Which when the Rulers and chief men of the City found out they went to those Monks and intreated them to grant License to the Master again to Preach and likewise inquired of them what fault they found in him that they should prohibit him from preaching Who answered He hath offended our best friends and turned them from us To which the Lords said we believe that ye have no better Friends certainly in this City then we who can better take care of your affairs and be more helpful to you then we Therefore we fear that ye rather take it ill that he publickly reproved you But he reproved us also and yet we take it not ill Truly ye ought rather at any price to purchase such a man as he is who dares speak the Truth to men and as it ought to be fears not the face of any man So therefore out of respect to the Lords and for their sakes It was not only permitted to the Master to remain there but also to Preach again Afterwards the Master was intreated by the secular men to Preach again another publick Sermon to them He told them he would do as they desired if the Lord gave him leave the very next Lords day after the ninth Now that Lords day was Judica or the Passion of our Lord in Lent And when the appointed day and hour was come a very great multitude of common People came together thither also came the Master and thus began his Sermon The Masters second Sermon to the vulgar People THE Gospel for this present day Beloved is that where the Lord saith to the multitudes and to the chief Priests Who among you convinceth me of Sin If I say the Truth why do ye not believe me He that is of God heareth the Words of God For this cause ye hear not because ye are not of God This Gospel is long and because I hope most of you have heard it of your Pastors to day omitting it I do make my Discourse so much the shorter But before I begin to obtain Grace let us call upon the Mother of Mercy and all Grace saying Ave Mary c. Truly Beloved of right when as to day the Lords-day after the Lords Passion is Celebrated I ought to Preach of the Passion but I have so many things to speak of that that cannot be done at this time For it is exceeding necessary that we should be spoke to of our sins and failings Nevertheless if it may be commodiously done I have purposed upon some convenient day this week to Preach a Sermon of the venerable Sacrament who namely have right to come unto it and who not and what it is hindreth them who ought not to come Afterwards also I shall make a Sermon upon the most bitter Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ And indeed at this time Beloved I can say nothing to ye unless I do speak of the Community by their several Names and Titles Wherefore also I would have you take this advice that if any be here to whom my discourse shall not belong let not them wrest it as spoken to them neither let them judge them to whom peradventure it shall belong but give God thanks that he hath preserved them from evil But they who shall understand themselves to be guilty and whom my discourse shall note let them the more speedily repent and amend their lives For this will be exceedingly necessary for them to do This common true saying is found in almost every man's mouth when we say that Adam and Eve did exceeding wickedly whilst they followed the Devil and transgressed the Commandment of the Lord their God But if any one rightly did weigh it how many do we think would he find now a dayes entangled in more grievous sins then Adam and Eve were Certainly every rash and swaggering Soldier and his proud and lascivious Wife do commit far more and greater evils then Adam and Eve did Eve indeed followed the Devil and violated the Command of God Adam also had respect to the Woman and being willing to please her he transgressed the precept of God But presently for the violation of this one command they were both driven out of Paradise and in such a manner hath the wrath of Divine vengeance raged against them and all their posterity that from that time for the space of five thousand years it suffered none to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And in the mean while Adam and Eve were compelled so long in the Limbo of Hell to wait in expectation until that fullness of time came wherein God the Father did vouchsafe to deliver them by his only begotten Son Truly Beloved I know that Adam and Eve never neglected but this one command neither have I found in Scripture that they committed any other grievous sin If therefore Almighty God hath so severely horribly revenged upon them this one sin there is no cause certainly why these proud immodest and vain Women do discommend them for many things and accuse them of many crimes For verily be certain
on me And if it would not be too tedious to you I would tell you some things which would be not a little congruous to this place and would be profitable for you to hear it Then very many of the People altogether with one voice said Speak assuredly Sir for you shall find us patient and benevolous hearers I rehearse therefore unto you Beloved a thing that befell my self Upon a certain time I sat alone in a Cell and when I had began to think of the wonderfull things of God and how strange the state of the Church was at this time how all good order was too much neglected and went to rack In the midst of these meditations I heard a certain voice with my bodily ears speaking to me although I saw no body at all But after this manner it spake Arise now you must experience some things wherby you may be enabled so much the more certainly to speak the truth openly to your neighbours And at this last word I were deprived of all my sensual discerning and being taken into an extasie I was in that very rapture permitted to see into Purgatory where I beheld the torments of multitudes of men many of which I knew so painfull and so intolerably bitter and so immense punishments and sorrows so intense and fearfull that no reason no understanding is sufficient to express them In brief take it for certain that I beheld there so many so various and divers kinds of torments in a wonderfull manner painfull that such a terrour and trembling hath seized upon me that all the natural joyes of this life can in no wise make me merry and if I should live yet an hundred years I think I should never be merry except God should make me so by some supernatural means But I beseech you Beloved let not any be offended at this that I would relate such things as these are unto you Truly I fear that some peradventure do think that in divulging these things I seek glory to my self But let me assure you I seek or wish the praise of no man nay nor the wealth of any one for this reason for I am abundantly contented with those things which in our Monastery according to the custom of the Covent are provided for me Nay I am never without fear lest peradventure I should take that which is superfluous of those things which are set before me in our Hall And certainly I believe that there is not one here present who if he had seen and experienced those things which I have seen and experienced namely such horrible and fearfull punishments but would peradventvre have been better contented with a small provision and allowance than I am Therefore let none of you be scandalized at my words fore-spoken In good earnest I find no other cause why God would have me to see such things but because of my sins and iniquities that I might both reform my self and the more boldly speak to others the truth which I have certainly known and in no wise flatter their wickednesses and sins And hence if I were sure for this cause to be put to death I should nevertheless speak the naked and simple truth Truly I saw some in those most vehement pains and was taken with extream admiration that they should desire to remain so long in so great anguish sith some of them had departed this life many years before who whilst they lived I did believe were both good and pious and yet they did undergo in those places of Purgatory so great and ineffable punishments that no man can in this life ponder or understand them as they deserve Wherefore this I from my heart do counsel all that we slight not Purgatory but be speedily converted and seriously reform our selves Certainly if you did know how above measure valuable and profitable the present time is you would not esteem it so little nor suffer it to passe away so foolishly for truly when we are brought out of this transitory time into things future and eternal there exceeding speedy simple right and rigid judgment passeth upon those who suffer this present time foolishly to pass away But what shall I say Beloved for if I attempt to speak any thing to you of divine Justice that is so immeasurable strict and rigid that I fear some of you may take occasion of despair from hence If contrariwise I would discourse of his infinit mercy how ready he is to shew it to all in this life I fear on the other hand some would presume so upon it that they would live worse and more foolishly and so may admit of some such sin as it were to be feared God would not pardon either here or hereafter I fear truly Beloved lest I have been too tedious although many things yet remain to be spoken of divers sorts of men and divers affairs because that we have gone too far astray from the right way And in truth if I did laying aside all things else attend only the duty of Preaching for this whole year I think I could in no wise sufficiently lay open all our defects and sins But when the Lord shall order it I will further speak of this matter Arise now and say the Lords Prayer with the Angels Salutation After these things it fell out on a certain time that the Master made a journey to a certain Inclusory in which there abode five Inclusis which earnestly entreated him to preach to them a Sermon of the true and perfect secluse life To whom he said that he would willingly do what they desired if the Lord so ordered it upon the Lords day next following When therefore that Lords-day was come there came together to that place a multitude of men and the Master began his Sermon thus The following Sermon was preached upon the Lords day of Sexagesima the subject of it was this namely Why St. Paul kept in silence his Rapture into the third Heaven so many years That the Gifts of God come by afflictions or at least are confirmed by afflictions Of a twofold Self-denial one of Nature the other of the Spirit Lastly What belongs to a true Incluse I knew a man in Christ above forty years ago c. 2 Cor. 12.2 SAint Paul Beloved hath delivered unto us in his Epistles to day a wholsom and necessary instruction But because the said Epissle is too long I will not rehearse to you all of it but only part of it The Apostle therefore saith speaking of himself I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years since such a one whether in the body or out of the body I know not God knoweth taken up even into the third Heaven Here my Beloved take notice I beseech you how the holy Apostle kept in silence this his Rapture for full fourteen years together neither would he bring it forth in publick until it was permitted him so to do by God Against rash bablers of their visions He did not
he can best bear for he that is inquisitive to know from divers what are their exercises is wont for the most part to be deceived and led away For each man telling his proper exercises when he would fain follow and imitate no regard being had of his own strength it 's no marvel if he be thereby deceived and lead away For it oftentimes comes to pass that those exercises which are very good for one and exceedingly helpful may to another if he persist in the using of them be pernitious and destructive And hence it is that the Devil very oft is wont with false suggestions to perswade men whom he sees to be of a weak nature and constitution to take upon them the most strict and rigid excercises To this end that either thereby they may shorten their dayes or get an infirm and crazy brain which thing that you may the better understand I will tell you briefly what happened to me at the beginning of my conversion I did peruse as it happened at that time a Book which in the German tongue treats of the Lives of the Saints and when I marked each of them their austeir and strict manner of Life I began thus to think with my self these were men in this World aswell as thou and peradventure did never so grievously offend God as thou hast done Hereupon I had a great mind to imitate each of these Saints in something or other with as severe and rigorous excercises Whereby in a little time I contracted such exceeding weakness that I were even at the point of death But one day above the rest it happened that about Sun-rising having beyond measure continued my exercise that through exceeding weakness and weariness even whilst I were at my exercise I fell fast asleep my thought in my sleep I heard a kind of voyce saying to me Go to self-will'd man if you kill your self before your time you shall certainly suffer for it most grievous punishment But if thou wilt suffer thy self to be exercised by God he will do it infinitely better then thou thy self canst do by the counsel of the Devil At these words especially at the naming of the Devil such a fear terrour seized one me that I suddenly waked out of sleep and rising began to think with my self that I had taken up the foresaid exercises rashly and without advice wherefore immediatly I hyed me to a Wood which was close by the place where I then were There I made my case known in order to a certain old Hermite and entreated him that he would give me his advice The old man having heard me out gave me this answer If thou wouldst have me give thee counsel you must first tell me what the manner of your Life hath been and what have been your exercises I told him as I were bidden all my strict exercises and how I had read over the Lives of the Saints and how I had a great mind to imitate them Then he asked me by whose advise did I do thus I confessed to him that that which I had done I had done by no mans advice but my own and out of my own will If so said he then take it for certain it was the Devils counsel and therefore you had need to take great heed that you follow him no more but resign and give up your self wholly to God and he will exercise you far better than either you or the Devil can Therefore according to this old mans advice I instantly gave over my exercises and did with all my heart give up my self wholly to God and left my self in his hands to exercise me as he thought most fit Truly Mr. Doctor I were by nature of an ingenuous temper and of an excellent complexion and of a subtil wit even as I perceive you are onely in this I was short of you that I had not studied the Scriptures nor skilled them which I perceive you do yet notwithstanding I was naturally inclined with so subtil and sublime an understanding that as oft as I thought fit to make use of it I found my self capable and apprehensive of very great and high matters Hereby once it came to pass that by reason of the subtilty of my understanding I began to think thus with my self certainly thou art naturally endued with so happy a wit towering understanding that without all doubt if thou wouldst seriously intensly make use of it thou wouldst be apprehensive of some extraordinary divine matter concerning even God himself Which thoughts immediatly after their suggestion I perceived to be the fallacious Counsel and pestilent Advice and Suggestion of the Devil Thereupon I brokeout into these words O mischievous and malignant Connsellour What Advice is this that thou hast suggested to me Verily if we had such a God as could be apprehended by reason I should not value him thus much After this one morning when I was ready to read morning Prayers I had an exceeding vehement desire insomuch that I brake forth in these words and said to the Lord O most merciful God if it be thy blessed Will make me now by experience to feel something that may transcend and pass all understanding and reason But I had no sooner ended these words but that a vehement horrour possessed me because that I should dare to desire so great a favour and therefore again said unto the Lord Ah Eternal and ever to be adored Majesty pardon I beseech thee this my rashness for it exceedingly repents me to have done this And how should it be O Lord that so miserable an Earth-worm as I am and no man should ever find such a thing to enter into his heart as to dare to desire so transcendent and excelling favour and grace when as I know sufficiently and am convinced within my self how vile I am to how many sins I am prone and how that through the whole course of my life I never as I ought loved my God or regarded him but have alwayes made my self by reason of sin so odious in the eyes of thy glory that I know very well that I am unworthy that the earth should bear me and therefore since I have presumed to suffer such a desire of so transcendent grace to arise in me it is absolutely needful that my body should undergo direful and suffer bitter things Having thus said I strip'd my self neither did I cease to strike my self with hard stripes till the blood ran about my shoulders And so it came to pass that whilest I was revolving such like thoughts in my heart and spake such like words even till Sun-rising upon a sudden an exceeding shining light filled my whole Cell and in that light I fell into an extasie so that for a time I was deprived both of my Reason and Senses But Oh! that hour seemed extreamly short unto me And after I came to my self I found so exceeding and supernatural impression pression seal of truth upon me