thy glory And to know thy face is to know the power of the father the wisedome of the sonne the mercifulnes of the holy ghost the one vndeuidable being of the thrée persons in one souereine Godhead For the beholding of the face of the liuing God is the souerein good the ioy of the aūgels of all holy mē the reward of endlesse life the glory of all soules the euerlastyng gladnes the crown of honor the obteinemēt of happines the wealthfull rest the beawtiful peace the inward outward ioyfulnesse the paradise of god Here is the heauēly Ierusalē the happy life the fulnesse of blessednes the ioy of euerlastingnesse the peace of God which passeth all vnderstādyng This is the ful blessednes the whole glorification of mā namely to sée God face to face to sée him that made heauen and earth to sée him that made him that saued him that glorified him He shal sée him by knowing him be in loue with hym by liking him prayse him by possessing hym For he shal be the heritage of his people of his people the Saints of his people whō he hath raunsomed He shal be their possession of happinesse he shal be the reward recompēce of their lōgyng I wil be thine excéedyng great reward sayth he For great thinges beséeme great personages Verely my Lord God thou art excéedyng great aboue all Gods excéedyng great also is thy reward But thou thy self art ouer great thou thy selfe art an ouer great reward thou thy selfe art both he that crowneth also the crowne thou thy selfe art both the promiser and the promise thou art the recompēcer the recompēce thou art the rewarder and the reward of euerlastyng happines Thou thē art both the crowner the crowne O my God the diademe of my hope which is garnished with glorie a gladdyng light a renewyng light a glorious ornamēt my chief hope the desire of the hartes of all saintes their deare beloued The seing of thée thē is the whole hyre the whole reward and the whole ioy that we looke for For it is life euerlastyng yea I say it is thy wisedome Life euerlasting is to know thée the onely true God Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Therfore when we shall sée thée the onely God the true God the liuyng God almightie single inuisible vnboundable vncōprehēsible thine onely begottē sonne God of thine own substaūce euerlastyng as well as thou euē our Lord Iesus Christ whō for our welfare thou hast sent into the world in the power of the holy Ghost thrée in persons one in beyng the onely holy God besides whom there is no God thē shal we hold that which we now séeke namely euerlasting life endlesse glorie which thou hast prepared for them that loue thée whiche thou hast layd vp in store for thē that feare thée and which thou wilt giue to them that séeke thée euen to them that séeke thy face for euer And thou O Lord my God which diddest shape me in my mothers wōbe who hath giuen me vp into thy hād suffer me not any more to be plucked out of one into many but gather me out of these outward thinges into my selfe frō my selfe vnto thée that my hart may alwayes say vnto thée my face hath sought thée out Lord I will séeke after thy face euē after the face of the Lord of all power wherein standeth the whole glorie of the blessed sorte for euer whiche to behold is the endlesse life euerlastyng glorie of the Saintes Let my hart reioyse therfore that it may reuerēce thy name Let the harts of them that séeke God reioyse but much more the hartes of them that finde god For if there be ioy in séekyng what maner of ioy shall there be in findyng Therefore I will alwayes séeke thy face earnestly incessantly if at any tyme the doore and gate of rightuousnesse may be opened vnto me that I may enter into the ioy of my lord This is the Lordes gate the rightuous shall enter in thereat ¶ A prayer to the holie Trinitie THou thrée coequall and coeternal persons one God the very father Sonne holy ghost who dwellest alone in euerlastingnesse and in vnapproachable light which hast foūded the earth by thy mighty power rulest the whole world by thy wisedome Holie holie holie Lord God of hostes dreadfull strong rightuous mercyfull maruelous prayse worthie to be beloued One God thrée persons one being power wisedome goodnes one vnseperable Trinitie I crye vnto thée open me the gates of rightuousnes whē I am come in I will prayse thée O lord Behold I poore begger knocke at thy doore O souerein housholder Commaund the gates to be opened at my knockyng accordyng as thou hast sayd knocke ye it shal be opened For truly O most mercyfull father the desires of my groning hart and the cryes of my wéepyng eyes doe knocke at thy doore All my desire is before thée and my gronyng is not hyd frō thée Lord turne not thy face any more away frō me neither flyng thou away frō thy seruaunt in a sume O father of mercies heare the houling out of thy ward reach hym thy singular good helpyng hād that it may drawe me out of the déepe waters out of the lake of miserie and out of the myre of filthynes that I perishe not thy pitifull eyes seyng it the bowels of thy mercy beholdyng it but that I may wade out vnto thée my Lord God so as I may see the riches of thy kyngdome alwayes behold thy face sing prayse to thy holy name O Lord which workest wonders whiche chearest my hart with remembryng thée which inlightenest my youth despise not myne olde age but make my bones to reioyse my hore heares to waxe fresh againe as the Eagle ¶ FINIS SAINT AVstens Manuell or litle Booke of the Contemplation of Christe or of Gods worde whereby the remembraunce of the heauenly desires which is falne a sleepe may be quickned vp agayne AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwellyng ouer Aldersgate 1574. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis The Preface FOr asmuch as we be set in the middes of snares we easly become cold in desire of heauenly thynges And therfore we haue neede of continuall defence that when we be shronke awaye we may be wakened to runne backe agayne to our true God the souereine goodnesse In consideration wherof not through rash presumption but for the great loue that I beare to my God I haue vndertaken this worke to his glorie to the intent I might alwayes haue with me a short and handsome abridgement of the chosen sayinges of the holie fathers concernyng my God by the fire of the readyng whereof the loue of him might be kindled in me as oft as it is waxed cold in me Assiste me now I beseech thee my Lord God whom I seeke whom I
name I sought not thée and yet thou soughtest me I called not vpon thée yet thou calledst me Yea thou hast called me by thine own name with a loude voyce hast thou thundred down from aboue into the innermore eare of my hart saying Let there be light and there was light so as the great cloud went away and the darke mist that couered mine eyes melted away and I saw thy light knew thy voyce and said Truth Lord thou art my Lord God that brought me out of darknesse and out of the shadow of death called me into thy wonderful light and so now I sée I thanke thée myne inlightener Then turned I backe and looked vpō the darknesse wherin I had bene and the déepe gulfe wherin I had lyen I trembled and was afrayde and sayd wo wo worth the darknesse that I had lien in Wo wo worth the blindnesse that letted me to sée the light of heauen Wo wo worth my former ignoraunce which letted me to know thée O Lorde I thanke thée myne inlightener and deliuerer for that thou hast inlightened me and I haue knowen thée It was late ere I knew thée O aūciēt truth it was late ere I knew thée O euerlastyng truth Thou wart in light I in darknesse therfore I knew thee not For I could not be inlightened without thée neither is there any light without thée ¶ A consideryng of Gods maiestie O Holiest of all holyes O God of inestimable maiestie O God of Gods and Lord of Lordes wonderous vnspeakable vnconceiuable whō the aungels in heauen are adrad of whō all the dominations and thrones do worship at the sight of whom all powers do tremble of whose mightinesse and wisedome there is no comprehending which hast founded the world vpō nothyng and shet vp the sea in the ayre as in a bottle O most almightie most holy most strong O God of the breath of all flesh at whose presence the heauen and earth shrinke away at whose becke all the elementes submit them selues Let all creatures worshyp and glorifie thée And I the sonne of thy handmayd do bow downe the necke of my hart by faith vnder the féete of thy maiestie yeldyng thée thankes for that thou hast of thy mercy vouchsaued to inlighten me O true light O holy light O pleasaunt light O excéedyng commendable light O wonderfull light which inlightenest all men that come into this world yea and euen the eyes of the aungels Beholde I sée I thanke thée for it Behold I sée the light of heauē the lightsome beames of thy coūtenaūce shyne down vpō the eyes of my minde and cheere vp my bones O that thy light were perfected in me Augment if I beséech thée O author of light I beséech thee augment that whiche shyneth into me Let it be inlarged I beseech thee let it be inlarged by thée What is this that I féele What fire is it that warmeth my hart What light is it that spreaddeth his beames into my hart O fire which euermore burnest and neuer art quenched kindle me O light whiche euermore shynest neuer art dimmed inlighten me O would to God I were set on fire by thée O holy fire how swéetly thou burnest how secretly thou shynest how amiably thou warmest Wo be to them that burne not through thee wo be to thē that are not inlightened by thée O soothfast light which inlightenest the whole world and whose brightnes filleth the whole world Wo be to the blynd eyes that see not thee the sunne that inlighteneth heauen and earth Wo be to the dazelyng eyes that cannot away with the sight of thee Wo be to them that turne not away their eyes from looking vpon vanitie For the eyes that are accustomed to darknesse are not able to abyde the beames of the souerein truth neither can they that dwell in darknesse skill how to make account of the light They see nothyng but darknesse they loue nothyng but darknesse they like of nothyng but darknes and bycause they plod on from darknesse to darknesse they wote not where they fall Wretched are they that forgoe they wote not what more wretched certesse are they that know what they forgo so as they fall with open eyes go downe alyue into hell O most blessed light which canst not be sene but of exceeding well cleared eyes Blessed are the cleane in hart for they shall see god O clensing power clense thou me heale myne eyesight that I may beholde thee with sounde eyes whom none but sound eyes may behold O vnapprochable brightnesse take away the scales of my forgrowen dimsightednesse with the beames of thy inlightenyng that I may looke vpon thee without dazeling and see thee the better by thy brightnesse I thanke thée my light Lo I sée Lord I beseech thée let myne eyesight be inlarged by thee Shore open myne eyes that I may consider the wonderfull misteries of thy law who art wonderfull among thy saintes I thanke thee O my light For loe I sée howbeit but through a glasse as in a riddle But when shall I sée thee face to face When shall the day of ioy and mirth come that I may enter into the place of thy wonderfull Tabernacle euen the house of God there to behold hym that sees me face to face that I may haue my longing to the full ¶ Of the longyng and thirsting of the soule after God. LIke as the Hert longeth for the sprynges of waters so longeth my hart for thée O god My soule thirsteth after thée O God whiche art the liuyng welspryng when shall I come and prease into thy presence O foūtaine of life O veyne of liuely waters when shall I come out of this desert waylesse and waterlesse land vnto the waters of thy sweetnes that I may sée thy power and thy glory and staūche my thirst with the waters of thy mercy O Lord the fountaine of life I am a thirst satisfie me I thirst Lord I thirst after thée the liuyng God O whē shall I come Lorde and shew my selfe before thy face Thinke ye that I shall sée that day I say that day of mirth and gladnesse that day which the Lord hath made for vs to be merie and ioyfull therein O excellēt and faire day which knowest none euentyde nor hast any Sunne goyng downe wherin I shall heare the voyce of prayse wherin I shall heare the voyce of gladnes thankesgiuyng wherin I shall heare it sayd vnto me Enter thou into endlesse ioy in the house of the Lord thy God where be thinges great vnsearchable wōderfull that cānot be nōbered Enter thou into ioy voyde of heauines which conteineth endlesse mirth whereas shal be all goodnes no euil whereas shal be all that thou wouldest nothyng that thou wouldest not There shal be the liuely life the sweete life thee amiable life the life that would do a mā good to be alwayes thinking of it There shal be none
beawtie of thy house and to the throne of thy glory there let it be fed at the dyning table of thy heauenly Citizens in the place of fulféedyng by the plentifull runnyng streames Thou that art our hope our welfare our redemption be also our ioy Thou that shalt be our reward be also our reioycing Let my soule séeke thée alwayes graunt that in séeking thée it may neuer faint ¶ Of the wretchednesse of that soule whiche loueth not ne séeketh not our Lord Iesus Christ WO is that wretched soule whiche loueth not Christ nor séeketh him it abydeth dry miserable He loseth his life time whiche loueth not thée O god He that cares not to liue for thée Lorde is nothing and goeth for nought He that refuseth to liue vnto thée is already dead He that is not wise to thée ward is but a foole Most mercifull Lord I yeld graunt betake my selfe vnto thée by whō I haue being life and wit. In thée do I put my whole confidēce trust and hope by whō I shal rise againe liue agayne inioy rest Thée do I couet loue worship with whom I shall dwel reigne be blessed The soule that séeketh not ne loueth not thée séeketh loueth the world serueth sinne is subiect to vyce neuer at rest neuer at ease Let my mind serue thee alwayes O most mercifull Let my way faring be alwayes to trauell vnto théeward let my hart burne in loue of thée My God let my soule rest in thée let it runne out of it selfe to behold thée let it sing thy prayses with ioyfulnes and let this be the cōfort of me in my banishment Let my minde flee vnder the shadow of thy winges from the ragyng heates of the thoughtes of this world Let my hart calme it selfe in thée I say let the great sea of my hart that swelleth with waues calme it selfe in thée O God whiche art riche of all good deinties thou most bountifull bestower of heauenly repast giue meate to me that am faint gather me vp that am scattered deliuer me that am in prison make me new agayne that am heawē in péeces Behold I stand at thy doore and knocke I beséeche thée by the bowels of thy mercy where through thou hast visited vs in rising from aloft bid the doore to be opened for me wretch which do knocke that my soule may haue frée passage to come in vnto thée and to rest in thée and to be refreshed by thée with thy heauenly bread For thou art the bread and fountaine of life thou art the light of euerlasting brightnesse thou art all thinges whereby the righteous liue which loue thée ¶ Of the longing of the soule O God the light of the hartes that sée thee and the life of the soules that loue thée and the strenghthener of the thoughtes that séeke thée graūt that I may sticke to the holie loue of thee Come I pray thée into my hart and make it drunken with the aboundance of thy pleasantnesse so as I may forget these temporall thinges It shameth and irketh me to abyde such thinges as this world doth All that I sée of these transitorie thinges is but a sorrow to me all that I heare of them is but a grief to me Helpe me O Lord my God put gladnesse into my hart come vnto me that I may sée thée But to narrow is the house of my soule for thée vntill thou come vnto me make more rowme in it Repaire it for it is decayed It hath many thinges that will mislike thyne eyes I know it and confesse it but who shall clense it or to whō shall I crye elles but vnto thée Lord clense me from my priuie sinnes beare with thy seruaūt for other folkes faultes Swéete Christ make me I beséech thee good Iesu make me to laye away the burden of fleshly desires and earthly lustes for loue and liking of thée Let my soule ouerrule my flesh let reason ouerrule my soule let thy grace ouerrule my reason and subdue thou me both inwardly and outwardly to thy will. Giue me the grace that my hart my toūg and my bones may prayse thée Inlarge my minde and lift vp the eyesight of my hart that euē with the swift conceyt of my spirite I may atteine to thée the euerlasting wisedome whiche abydest vppon all thinges I beséeche thée loose me from the fetters wherwith I am shackled that I may leaue all these thinges and hye me vnto thee sticke to thee onely and attend vpon thee onely ¶ Of the happines of the soule that is let loose from the prison of the body HAppy is the soule whiche being let loose frō the earthly prisō flyeth vp fréely into heauen and there beholdeth thée her most sweete Lord face to face is no more disquieted with any feare of death but reioyseth in the euerlastingnesse of incorruptible glory For it is safe and out of perill and hence forth feareth neither enemy nor death It possesseth thée her mercifull Lorde whom she hath long sought and euer loued And accōpanying her selfe with the quyres of Psalme singers it singeth continually the sugred songes of euerlasting mirth to the glorie of thee O king Christ O gracious Iesu For she is made dronken with the boūtifulnesse of thy house thou makest her to drinke of the streame of thy pleasures Happy is the felowship of the heauēly Citizens and glorious is the solemnitie of all them that returne frō the sorowful trauell of this our pilgrimage to the pleasauntnesse of beawtie to the beawtie of all brightnes and to the floure of all excellencie where thy Citizens behold thée continually O lord Nothyng that may trouble the minde is offered there to the eare What songes what instrumēts what Carolles what melodie soundeth there without end There sounde alwayes most pleasaunt tunes of Hymnes most swéete melodie of aungels most wonderfull dities of songes whiche are song to thy glorie by the heauenly inhabitantes No harshnesse no gallye bitternesse hath any rowme with in thy realme For there is neither a naughtie persō nor naughtines There is none aduersarie nor impugner neither is there any intycement of sinne There is no nedinesse no shame no brawling no misusage no excusing no feare no vnquietnesse no penaltie no doubtfulnes no violēce no discord but there is perfect peace ful of loue continuall reioysing praysing of God carelesse rest without end and euerlasting gladnesse in the holy Ghost O how lucky should I be if I might heare the most pleasaunt Carols of thy Citizēs and their sugred songes aduauncing the prayses of the souereine Trinitie with due honor But ouer happie should I be might I once atteine to sing a song my selfe I say to sing one of the swéete songes of Sion to our Lord Iesu Christ ¶ Of the ioyes of Paradise O Liuely life O euerlasting and aye blessed life where as is ioye without sorrow rest without trauel dignitie without feare riches