THE SPIRITVAL YEAR or Devout Contem­plations for every week &c
Blest Souls! that wing'd by sweet devotion love
To converse oft with the great God above
Our time so spent is well imploy'd, and wee
By such Weeks, Months, & Years secure Eternity.

Printed for S Smith at ye Prince's Armes in St Pauls Church yard

THE Spiritual YEAR: OR, Devout Contemplations, Digested into Distinct ARGUMENTS FOR Every Month in the Year, AND FOR Every Week in that Month.

IMPRIMATUR.

August 4. 1692.
Guil. Lancaster, R. P. D. Henrico Episc. Lond. à Sacris Domesticis.

LONDON: Printed for Samuel Smith, at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1693.

THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.

THE Daughters of the Latine Tongue are not ill distinguished in their Proprie­ties by an Ingenious Fiction, of their having been all three spoken in Paradise: That, first, when the eating of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was forbidden, God himself delivered that Command in Spanish, as the most Majestick Language, which seems to carry Authority in the very sound: That next, when the Serpent enticed Eve to tast it, he made use of the Italian, as most Perswasive, charming the Ear with the Musical sweetness of its Accents. And that lastly, when Adam was called to Account for his Disobedience, he confidently excused himself in French, as ha­ving the smoothest Phrases, and fittest to disguise Criminal Actions with fair Pretences.

[Page]Nor does this only express the Nature of those Languages, but also of those several Nations, and of the Subjects, wherein their Writings do more par­ticularly excel all others. Thus the Amorous French, brisk and adventurous in Enterprizes, quick in variety of Invention to frame surprizing Projects, and of a Ple [...]sant Courtly Conversation, have sur­pass'd all others in well-contrived and pleasantly-diverting Romances. The Politick Italians, of a subtil penetrating Wit, to discern and observe the Intrigues of State; Jealous, and thereby In­quisitive to search into the grounds upon which they move, and Judicious in giving the Reasons of them, have been remarakably Excellent in Wri­ting History. And the Grave Spaniards, who are of a serious thoughtful Temper, fit for Con­templation, Zealous in Religion, and extreamly Devout, are preferred before the others, for Books of Piety. Not that any of the three want Emi­nent Authors in all sorts of Learning; but that the Genius of each being different, does help to the attaining of greater Perfection in those particular Subjects.

Our Youth, Manhood, and Old Age suit with the several Humours of those three Nations; Men commonly in those Seasons of their Life being in­clined to read Pieces of such kinds, as are most agreeable to each. Now one of the first sort ha­ving been translated out of French, and one of the second out of Italian, by the same Person; the former (at the desire of a great Lord) in his younger days; the other (at the Command of a[Page]great King) in his riper Years; He was after­wards moved by a far greater Soveraign, to em­ploy some of his declining time in Translating one of the third and best sort out of Spanish, that he might not give a worse Account of the re­remainder of that Precious Talent, but endeavour to make it some way useful to himself and o­thers.

When he first had that Design, this Book was given him by the Conde de Molina (then Spa­nish Embassador here) with great Commenda­tion, as a late Piece highly esteemed amongst them, and he had the more hope it might prove worthy of his Pains, because he had seen some other things of the same Author, (viz. John de Palafox & Mendoza, Bishop of Osma) and particularly a Letter, wherein he relates the hard Persecution he had suffered by the Jesuites, while he was Bishop of Angelopolis in the Indies.

By having read several of their Works, he found that the best of them are not free from ma­ny Monkish Stories, and Legendary Miracles, and could not but wonder at such a mixture of Truths and Forgeries from the same Pens, comparing them to the Prophet Jeremiah's Figgs, whereof the good were very good, but the bad so bad, as not fit to be eaten; at least not by us in this Nor­thern Climate, whither, it is hoped, such unwhol­some Fruits shall never be transplanted any more. Yet having seen several of those Books so well purged, as to be safely read by the strictest Pro­testant; He thought it would be no hard matter [Page]to do the like with this. And being pleased with the Subject, as agreeing with his Intentions; and the three parts of this Spiritual Year suiting also with the different Ages of our Life, he resolved to follow the Apostle's Advice, To try all things, and to hold fast only that which is good.

In the First Part he met with little but what might well enough be made fit for one of our Re­ligion to read; but in the second Part he found it necessary to make such wide Gaps in several of the Discourses, that he feared it would pass his Skill to make them up so, as to keep the Author's Order in his several Months and Weeks; yet he attempted by borrowing from other Authors of that Nation, and from some of our own, to fill up those Breaches, and to keep to the Author's Me­thod, with the same good intention and desire to bring sinners to Repentance, and to save their Souls. And yet after he had done all, he had not so good an Opinion of his own performance, (being but a Lay-man) as to think he had made the Work Correct enough to be published with hope of effe­cting amongst us the same Pious Design, which the Original aimed at.

However, having reap'd much benefit himself by spending so many Hours in such a serious mat­ter, (which had the greater Power upon him by forcing him to a very attentive Consideration of the business he was about, to the end he might rightly understand, and render it into English) he pursued the Work till he had quite gone through it, which he did some Years ago, but has kept it pri­vately[Page]by him ever since for his own Use; till by chance a Pious Divine of our Church found him looking over some pieces of it, which, when he had been allowed the liberty to peruse, he judged it might be made capable of doing good in the World, and thereupon it was freely given up into his hands to be altered, as he should think most expedient to that end, and to be supplied in what­soever part he should still find it defective.

By his Care and labour it comes forth at length, in such a manner, he hopes, as may be available to promote the Spiritual good of Men, to perswade them to the serious Practice of Religion and Piety, and to get them possess'd with a Spirit of true De­votion; which is the sole end of his endeavours, and indeed is a thing which cannot be prosecuted with too much earnestness in this luke-warm Age, when there appears almost in every place a most dismal face of Indevotion, and a general decay of Christian Piety, universally extending it self through all places and orders of Men; which sad and lamentable Evil, as it is the desire of all good Men, as far as in them lies, to remedy; so he be­lieves an impartial and diligent perusal of this and such-like Spiritual Treatises, will, by the assistance of God's Grace, be Instrumental to the producing of that blessed effect. He found by reading this Book, that in it were laid down the most profitable and useful Instructions, the most affecting and for­cible Arguments to allure to the Service of God, and the most solid and substantial Nourishment, that can be administred to Souls: And this gave him[Page]Encouragment to undergo the pleasing Trouble of preparing it for a Publick Reading. Which being effected, his hearty Prayers to Almighty God are, that his Endeavours may have their desired influ­ence upon the Hearts and Minds of all that shall vouchsafe to peruse them; and that that Devout and Heavenly Spirit may in some measure be com­municated to them, whereby the Spiritual Author of this Spiritual Year was acted, in Designing and Perfecting so Divine and Profitable a Work.

THE Author's PREFACE.

THE Design of this Piece is to draw Souls to the serious Consideration of Eternity, to move their Affe­ctions to the Love of Heavenly things, and to bring them to a Contempt of those that are Temporal and transitory. In it they will see much of what is treated at large in divers Spiritual Books, and the sub­stance of what lies dispersed in them, summed up in this one; not with that Spirit and Learn­ing, wherewith those Authors wrote, but with equal desire for the good of Souls.

Indeed that, which we are able to do, is nothing, in respect of what God does by that Grace, which he hath tyed to the Ministry; for without all doubt, 'tis He that does all; He that moves all, He that directs all, He that amends all, and brings all to Perfection. Though St. Paul was a Vessel of Election, full of the Spirit, and might have had as great confidence in himself, as any other Apostle, yet this made him say, That his Planting was nothing, and his Watering nothing, but that it was God that gave the Increase.

[Page]However, it much animates the Labourers of the Gospel in the Spiritual Work, to find that it often happens to them, as it does to Husband-men, who scatter their Seed on their Land with perfect heedlesness, part of it fal­ling beside, and part being thrown from them with an uncertain direction, only with a pur­pose to fill the Field with Seed; and yet re­turning home afterwards to take their rest, God while they are asleep sends Rain upon the Inheritance, moistens the Earth, disposes the Seed, tempers the Heat, seasons the Ele­ments, makes it rot, revive, and rise again, so that even in Corruption it takes Root, grows up, and brings forth the full Ear. What did the Sower more, than cast away the Seed from him, as if he regarded it not? And yet it springs up, and gives an abundant increase. All that he did was to prepare the Matter, that God might work the Miracle, which (as St. Austin says) is only little in Man's Consi­deration, because he sees God work it so often.

This hope encourages me to scatter the Seeds of the Divine Word into the Hearts of the Faithful; trusting that God (who is the Worker of all that we do) will give his Bles­sing, his Grace, and Power, to the end that the Fruit may be multiplied; which Effect in the Parable of the Sower his Divine Majesty intimates, he useth to produce in those Souls, who receive it with Attention, and with a pious holy Affection; it taking Root in them, as in a fertile Soil.

[Page]But it may be some will say, there be al­ready so many Books of Devout Meditations, that this might well have been spared; they being so Holy and Spiritual, and this not so, being written by so wretched a sinner as I am. To this I answer, that though all other Per­sons might be questioned, why they make Spiritual Treatises, since there are so many; yet that account ought not to be demanded from Bishops, since it is a thing as proper to their Ministry, to Write, to Teach, and In­struct, as the very Name of a Pastor. And in that Work, 'tis lawful for a Prelate to Teach not only Opportunely, but in a manner Im­portunely; as St. Paul teaches his Disciple Ti­mothy, who was Bishop of Ephesus. Preach the Word, be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and Doctrine; that is, by Sermons, by Writing, by Conversing, and by Example.

And therefore We Bishops ought ever to fear the contrary Censure and Question; Why do ye not write Spiritual Books? And this being the more dreadful Censure, we ought to em­brace that which we have least need to fear, and to avoid that, which can most condemn us. Moreover 'tis a very affected and unrea­sonable Complaint of the Politick Censurer, who is troubled, that so many Spiritual Trea­tises come forth into the World; for God can never be too much praised thereby, nor can Evangelical Counsels be too often repeated, nor Discourses that aim at the Salvation of[Page]Souls be too frequent, though consisting of one same Matter. To say the truth, we have seen nothing else in the Church of God, from the time that His Divine Majesty settled it with his Blood, but this Succession of Doctrine, which has accompanied that of those same Ministers, whom by their Vocation, and ex­cellent Abilities, he called and appointed for Masters of Christian Instruction.

The Four Evangelists wrote those four Books, which contain all the Treasures of Grace, in the Life and Death of our Saviour; yet St. John did not forbear to write his three Epistles, and the Revelation; St. Luke the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter two Epistles, and St. Paul fourteen; St. James one, St. Jude another; and their Disciples, Ignatius, Polycarp, and o­thers, did also write, though they might have contented themselves with what the Apostles had done, who were the General Ministers and Teachers of the Faith.

After these succeed the Doctors of the Greek and Latine Churches, who filled the World with Writings, without any prejudice to those; or rather proceeding upon the same Doctrine, and using it according to their purpose, have enlightened and enriched the Church, to the great profit and comfort of Souls. That Book of the Imitation of Christ, made by Thomas a Kempis, which some call the Contempt of the World, and others, The Christian Pat­tern; though it be a very little one, is yet so full of weight, that those other Spiritual Trea­tises, [Page]which have been written since, might seem superfluous; yet for all that the Vene­rable Lewis de Granada having translated and incorporated it into his Meditations, with those of another excellent Author, which are very Heavenly both in their Spirit, Style, and Matter; did not only make others after them, but wrote also the Guide of Sinners, which has reduced, converted, and guided so many; as likewise the Symbol of the Faith, and several other most Profitable Treatises; besides num­berless other Spiritual Men, who have writ­ten since, and are still Writing without any harm to the World, by the repetition of the Churches Doctrine in so many several man­ners. For the Pens of Writers accommodate themselves to our Humane condition, which in length of Time and variety of Ages seems to alter its tast; and even that, which is good, had need to be seasoned after such a manner, that Men may be spoken to in their own Lan­guage. Thus there is no fault to be found, that there are so many Spiritual Books in the World; the pity would be, if they should be wanting: As no body complains of the Go­vernment, if there be much pure Silver Coin current in a Kingdom; that, which might be censured, is, if there were great scarcity of that, and great abundance of Copper Money. If it should be said, Why are there so many smutty Plays, loose Romances, prophane Poesies, abusive Satyrs, and Atheistical Pamphlets, with others of that kind, which do unspeakable[Page]Mischief, and at the best serve only for a vain and unnecessary Divertisement? This indeed were too just a Complaint, too reasonable an occasion of Censure, and it is much to be wished, that effectual care were taken to pre­vent the Publishing of such, and to suppress many of those that are already abroad.

It is probable many will dislike the shortness of my Style, and say, that it had been better, if I had dilated my Discourse into larger Ar­guments, as many very Learned and Spiritual Men have done in other Treatises. To this I Answer, that though I be short and concise, I have endeavoured to make it clear, substan­tial, and comprehensive, and not to let the Brevity of it take away the force of Perswa­sion. The Endeavour of this hath been mine, but the attaining and effecting it must be from God.

For this reason, I have also divided it by Months, Weeks, and other shorter Paragraphs, to the end that those, that read it, may re­ceive their Nourishment cut into smaller Mor­sels; especially in the beginning, where I have been briefer, because the Points there treated of are harsh and unpleasing, like a Purgative Medicine, which being very bitter, is hard to be gotten down in a great Potion; but is more easily swallowed, when it is made up into lit­tle Pills. My Prayer is they may work to the driving out of sin, and to the preparing of their hearts for those comfortable Cordials, that are administred more seasonably after­wards.

[Page]I Advise therefore all those, that shall vouch­safe to read this Book, that they would do it with great leisure and consideration, that there­by they may obtain that Spiritual Profit I wish them; and that they would by little and little drink the Spiritual Water of this Doctrine, Meditating and Contemplating upon it, and often making pauses, after the manner of Birds, who lift up their head at every drop they drink, as if it were to give thanks for that Be­nefit; and lastly, that they would lift up their Hearts and Thoughts to God in an attentive Consideration of every one of those Senten­ces I propose unto them.

For this reason, I have sometimes permit­ted my Style to have a certain Chyme or Ca­dence, to imprint them the deeper in their Memory, that from thence they may sink in­to their hearts; to the end, that enlightening and warming them in the love of Heavenly things, they may remain fixed in them for ever. For as our Common Proverbs stick more easily in the Imagination, when Custom has brought them into it; so those short Ma­xims, and inward Instructions of Souls do by that means produce more benefit: And I have chosen rather to suffer that Imperfection in my Style, than to venture losing the fruit of my desire.

The Fathers, especially those of the African Church, were much accustomed to this way of Writing; as St. Austin, Fulgentius, Valerius Maximus, and others; nay, even Leo the Great, [Page]and Petrus Chrysologus, though Latines by Na­tion, have something of it. For as all of them busied themselves to perswade Souls to Good­ness, so, it being needful for that end to leave that imprinted in the outward, which they would have to be fixed in the inward Powers and Faculties, they sought the most Effectual means, though it was not the most Elegant and perfect way of speaking.

St. Austin (whom he that follows in the Church of God, and imitates both in his mat­ter and manner of expressing it, may be sure not to do amiss) uses this very frequently, as may be seen in his fourteenth Sermon de San­ctis, where speaking of St. Paul and his Con­version, he says, Portabat Christus Persecutorem, ut faceret Ecclesiae Doctorem; occisus agnus à lu­pis, & faciens agnos de lupis; mane rapientem, & ad vesperam praedam dividentem. And in his thirteenth Sermon, de Tempore, speaking of our Saviour, he has these words. O omnipotentia nascentis! O magnificentia de Coelo descendentis! adhuc in utero portabatur, & ex utero Matris à Joanne Baptista salutabatur, & à Simeone sene famoso, annoso, probato, coronato, agnoscebatur; differebatur exire de seculo, ut videret natum, per quem conditum est seculum; Innovatus in aetate, qui plenus erat pietate. And the like in many other places.

Possibly this Book may also be disliked by some, for not having any of those points in it, that relate to Visions and Revelations; which are Favours God's Divine Majesty doth some­times [Page]communicate to Devout Souls: But my Intention is to give Men a clear, plain, and substantial Nourishment, which may be cer­tain, constant, and secure; to put them upon the Exercise of Vertues, and to give them an Aversion to the Vices that are contrary unto them; and at the same time both to perswade and enlighten them in the Principal Mysteries of Faith, and not to enter into more abstruse and extatick Discourses; for since things are chiefly governed by Rules, and the Infallible Rules are, to flie from evil, and to do good, to seek Peace, and ensue it, (as the Kingly Pro­phet saith) and since this depends wholly upon the Exercise of a Christian Life, in believing and doing according to God's Will revealed in his Word; my desire has been to feed Men on­ly with common Food, and to give them the plain Rules and Foundation of the inward Life▪ leaving those particular and extraordinary things, which may sometimes be felt by De­vout Souls, to other Treatises and Spiritual Ma­sters, who Discourse upon those Subjects with great light and exactness. I content my self, that they should stir up themselves by the Reading of this Book, to endeavour to serve, to love, and to please God in the Exercise of Christian Vertues, by frequent and Devout Prayer; that they should often consider these Instructions, and frame their Lives and Man­ners according to them, making that their whole Employment: And though they obtain no higher favour of God, than to keep his[Page]Commandments, and to follow his sweet and delightful Counsels, as far as their Frailty can permit; they need neither desire, nor trouble themselves for more; and if God shall please to give them any thing beyond that, let them decline it with Humility, or receive it with Reverence, and preserve it with Fear, work­ing in all things with resignation, and the Counsel of their Spiritual Guide; for the Re­velations whereby we are to be saved, are al­ready revealed to the Church, and for the rest, though they may be profitable, yet they are not necessary to my Design.

To conclude, I offer this Work, such as it is, (full, I confess, of Imperfections) to all that are desirous to improve, and go forward in the Spiritual Life, with a most affectionate desire of their good; earnestly exhorting them to the principal end, which the whole aims at; namely, to know, how much earthly transitory things ought to be despised, and therefore to flie from Vices, to avoid Worldly Delights, and to embrace those which are Heavenly and Eternal; to practise the Vertues, to frequent the Sacrament, to Pray earnestly, and often; and finally, to labour, and take pains in the Kingdom of Grace, that they may come to en­joy God eternally in the Kingdom of Glory.

AN INDEX OF THE Several Subjects treated of in each Month and Week of this Spiritual Year.

JANUARY.
  • Week I. OF the Frailty of Humane Na­ture.
  • Week II. Of the Weakness of Man, and the Mi­series of his Body.
  • Week III. Of the Miseries of the Soul, and its Passions.
  • Week IV. Of the Miseries and Sins of each Man in particular.
FEBRUARY.
  • [Page]Week I. Of the Remembrance of Death.
  • Week II. How much it concerns the Soul to re­member Death in the time of Life.
  • Week III. The dreadful Call of God to the sin­ner, that defers Repentance till his Death.
  • Week IV. The Answer of a Repenting sinner, and that we ought to prepare our selves for Death.
MARCH.
  • Week I. Of the particular Account that each man is to give immediately after his Death.
  • Week II. Of the Rectitude and Severity of the Judgment.
  • Week III. Of the means there are in this Life to prevent the Account and Judgment of the other.
  • Week IV. Of the Universal Judgment at the end of the World.
APRIL.
  • Week I. Of the Torments of Hell.
  • Week II. Of the Place of Hell.
  • Week III. Of the Company of the Damned, and of their pain of Sense.
  • [Page]Week IV. Of the duration of the pain above­mentioned; of the pain of Loss, and of the Worm of Conscience.
MAY.
  • Week I. Of the Divine Benefits. Of the Bene­fit of Creation.
  • Week II. Of the Institution of Matrimony. Of Civil Society and Government.
  • Week III. Of the Benefit of Preservation; first; of our Bodies. Of Preservation from particu­cular dangers. Of the Preservation of our Souls. Of the Guard of Angels.
  • Week IV. Of the Benefit of Redemption.
JUNE.
  • Week I. Of Baptism and Confirmation.
  • Week II. Of Repentance and Absolution. Of the Holy Eucharist. A Prayer.
  • Week III. Of Frequenting the Sacrament.
  • Week IV. Of the Kingdom of Grace. Of the Purity of Intentions. Of Purity of Consci­ence.
JULY.
  • [Page]Week I. Of Temptations, and the Grace of God in them. That it is no easie matter to be sav'd, but that it is necessary to fight. Of the Grace of God.
  • Week II. Of the Glory of the Blessed.
  • Week III. Of the Imitation of the Life of our Blessed Saviour, and of his Mysteries. Of the Mystery of the Incarnation. Of the Birth of our Lord.
  • Week IV. Of the other Mysteries of our Lord till his Preaching; and first, of his Circumcision. The Adoration of the Kings. Of his Presentation in the Temple. Of his Flight into Egypt. Of the other Mysteries.
AUGUST.
  • Week I. Of the Baptism and Preaching of our Lord, with his Doctrine, Miracles, and Parables.
  • Week II. The Eve of the Passion. Of the last Sup­per, and of the washing of his Disciples Feet. Of the Institution of the Holy Sacrament. Of the Consecration of the Apostles.
  • Week III. Of his Agony in the Garden, his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
  • Week IV. Of the Exercise of the three Theologi­cal Vertues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, upon Contemplation of the Life and Death of our Sa­viour.
SEPTEMBER.
  • [Page]Week I. Of the Vertue of Religion, and of the manner of governing the Cardinal and Moral Vertues by that of Religion. Of the Applica­tion of Christian Works.
  • Week II. Of the three first of the Cardinal Ver­tues, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude; and first, of Prudence. Of Justice, and of good and evil Judges. Of Fortitude.
  • Week III. Of Temperance, the Fourth of the Car­dinal Vertues. Of the manner of governing the Moral Vertues by the Cardinal. Of Judging falsly.
  • Week IV. Of Humility, and its contrary, Pride.
OCTOBER.
  • Week I. Of Liberality, and its contrary, Cove­tousness. Of Chastity and Abstinence. The Mis­chiefs of Sensuality. Of Remedies against Sen­suality. Of Gluttony.
  • Week II. Of Patience. Of Anger. Of Mode­ration in speaking, and the mischiefs of the Tongue. Of Silence.
  • Week III. Of Envy. Remedies against Envy Of Charity to our Neighbours. Of Courtesie.
  • Week IV. Of Diligence and Fervency, and of the mischiefs of Omission and Sloth.
NOVEMBER.
  • [Page]Week I. Of the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit in general. Of Charity, the First Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
  • Week II. Of Peace, the Second Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
  • Week III. Of Longanimity and Benignity, the Third and Fourth Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
  • Week IV. Of Faith, the Fifth Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Of Continence, the Sixth Fruit.
DECEMBER.
  • Week I. Of Joy, the Seventh Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Of Patience, the Eighth Fruit.
  • Week II. Of Goodness, the Ninth Fruit of the Ho­ly Spirit. Of Meekness, the Tenth Fruit.
  • Week III. Of Modesty, the Eleventh Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Of Chastity, the Twelfth and last Fruit.
  • Week IV. Of Perseverance, and Prayer to God.

THE Spiritual Year.

JANƲARY.

The First WEEK.
Of the Weakness of Humane Nature.

HEAR, Son, the Instruction of thy Father, and learn to fear God, who is thy true Father. Consider thy beginning, if thou desirest to have a good ending. Look what thou art, and thou wilt see what thou shalt be. Know thy self, and thou shalt know God. Behold thy self, that thou mayest behold him; thou art blind from thy birth like the man in the Gospel, and mayest recover thy sight as he did by putting Clay upon thine eyes. That is the matter thou art made of, and it had remain'd Clay for ever, if the Spirit of God had not breathed[Page 2]life into it. Thus thou seest what Humane Nature is, and that it speaks nothing but weakness and frailty.

2. Would'st thou see how strong it is? Look how long it stood. Man being created in Innocence, scarce continu'd so for a few days; some say, hardly a few hours. His Nature was so perfect, and so strong that it was able to destroy it self, and without any inward weakness, it yielded (in Adam and Eve) to an outward Enemy. What is it like to be, now that it is sick and mortally wounded, since it ruined it self, when it was sound and healthful? Man fell in Paradise in the midst of Light; and now, unless he get assistance of the light of Grace by Prayer, what will become of him? And how shall he keep him­self standing in the midst of so much dark­ness, and so many confusions, as he has been subject to ever since he was banished thence?

3. What is our Nature, but a Vessel of Passions and Miseries; a seed-plot of Sins, and of Misfortunes? Consider Man in his Ge­neration, and thou shalt find him to be no­thing but Corruption. Behold him in the darkness of his Mother's womb, and thou shalt find him a little lump of living filth. Behold him taken Captive before ever he was at liberty; and a Prisoner before he hath com­mitted any Crime. His Body scarcely formed, and yet already shut up in a most obscure Dungeon. Thus was he acquainted with darkness, before he saw any light; and came [Page 3]headlong crying into the World, as an Omen of his precipitate Passions and future Miseries. Yet alas, that Captivity which his Body suf­fers in his Mother's Womb, is less to be la­mented, than the other which his Soul suffers in his Body.

4. Behold, that is a Captive, not only to corruption and filth, as the Body, for that were tolerable; but also to the loathsomness of sin; created to an Original Servitude, and condemned to Troubles without number or measure. To begin to be, and to begin to be in Servitude, is in Man one and the same thing. We are all born Slaves of the com­mon Enemy, what have we then to be proud of? Only one Man exempted himself from this hard Servitude, for he was God: All the rest fell; all the rest are Tributaries without remedy.

5. Man is born to suffer and to weep; he forces out his way by the strait passages of Afflictions, Pangs, and Throws; causing them to his Mother, and sometimes even her very Death. What kind of Creature is this, that cannot come to life, without hazarding to give, or to receive death? And who at the same time begins to live and to lament; being accustom'd to Tears, before he comes acquain­ted with Laughter. But it is no wonder he should weep at his Mother's feet for being born, seeing the miseries that expect him in the World. The Body hath cause enough to bewail its innumerable pains, and the Soul its[Page 4]innumerable sins. Finally, Man is born the most feeble and helpless of all Creatures; be­ing destitute of every thing, and needing the succour of every body. He is kept alive by the Alms, Care, and Compassion of his Pa­rents; being utterly unable to help himself, and utterly useless to all others.

6. In this sad condition, God's mercy steps in, and makes him His, by the Water of Bap­tism. He takes from him the [...]gs of the Old Adam, and cloaths him with the Robe of Grace, making him the Adopted Son of God, by the blood of the Eternal Son of God. O! happy he, if his Fortune ended here; and if in this Holiness and Innocency of Childhood, he might pass from Grace to Glory! But no; alas, he is not so happy; for he grows up, either to a greater Reward, or to harder Suf­ferings. The light of Reason no sooner be­gins to glimmer in him, but presently his Ap­petite rushes forth to oppose it; and that being commonly strong and powerful, drags the other after it, (because it is weaken'd by the first fall) unless it be assisted by God's Grace. His Affections take birth with his Understand­ing, and with them his Passions gather strength; these grow, and daily darken his Reason; he lives a painful and vexatious life, in a continu­al conflict, sometimes falling, sometimes get­ting up again, and very often totally over­come, and willingly yielding up the Victory. His Life, whilst an Infant, is meer impotence; whilst a Child, ignorance; whilst a Youth, [Page 5]danger; whilst a Man, care; when Old, weakness, pain, and sorrow; and his passage through all these Ages, is frailty, sin, and folly. In short, he lives such a life, that Death uses sometimes to be his Wish, often his Refuge, and always the great Remedy of his Miseries. This is the external Man, therefore do thou use thy endeavours to become an internal Man. Conquer Nature, by the help of Grace; thy Appetite, by that of Reason; the Delights of the Flesh, by Mortification; the Deceits of the World, by Prayer; and even Death it self, by a Religious Life.

The Second WEEK.
Of the Frailty of Man, and of the Miseries of his Body.

THis is the Nature of Man in general; Look now in particular upon the Body, that gross and visible part of our frailty. Job saith not, that man's Body hath some miseries and troubles, but that he is of few days, and full of troubles. Would'st thou see it? They are so many, that they commonly break forth, because they cannot be contained within him; and ever and anon that which afflicts him in­wardly, discovers it self outwardly in boyls[Page 6]and blisters, in swellings and discolourings of the skin. The Year hath fewer days, than there be ways of dying suddenly; and can any body live in so stupid a Lethargy, as not so much as to dream of an Eternal Life? The Year, and even our Life, hath fewer hours than there be Mortal Diseases in the Body, (as Naturalists affirm) and can any one live forgetful of his Soul? We may wonder how life can continue in the Body, having so ma­ny Gates and Windows to get out at? How is it possible that the four Humours, which are Enemies to one another, should agree and last together in so strait, so narrow, and so obscure a place as is man's Body? Yet they do not agree, but with a most obstinate strife and contest, they do disorder and discompose our life. What is the Body, but a false and seeming Friend to the Soul, yet in truth, its certain and deadly Enemy? What is the Bo­dy, but a Vessel of Poyson, which to day is not perceived, yet kills to morrow? What is the Body, but a heap of loathsomness and cor­ruption? What is it but a living deceit, which yet continually undeceives us, if we would be undeceived; and a security in appearance, but a constant infelicity? Whilst it is in Health, it cheats us, and never speaks truth but in Sick­ness; so long as it lives, it is a lye; and never tells truth, till it be dead.

2. Our life is nothing but death in a dis­guise, and when it has made an end of acting its part, the Mask is pull'd off. The most [Page 7]beautiful Body carries that within it, which were sufficient to make it eternally fly from it self, if it were possible so to do. It is full of filth and corruption, so loathsome, and so nauseous, that it is a scandal but to name them. It is a source of Uncleanness, and the wretched dwelling of Impurities, which are so numerous, that it was necessary to make many Common Sewers for them to run out at, because there was not room enough for them within. The Body is so frail, that every thing hath a powerful Jurisdiction over it; a little dust choaks it, a little fire consumes it, a little water drowns it, and even a blast of air destroys it. Some have been seen to dye with Laughter, others have been killed with Joy; one is drown'd with a draught of Milk, and another choaked with a Hair; nay, even a man's own breath, meeting with his own breath, hath made an end of him with a Heicough. In conclusion, man's Body is the death of his very life; can any thing be more frail and weak? Can any thing be more death? Or can any thing less deserve the name of life?

3. O the deceit of Mortals, that can be cheated with this Dunghill! This gross, cor­ruptible, and miserable part of us, drags all the World Captive after it. Shall we serve and pamper so vile, and so base an Enemy? Shall we sweat and take such pains for its De­lights and Pleasures?

[Page 8]4. No, let us not do so. Use thy Body as a Subject, and let the Soul live as the Prince Ruling in it. Let the better part of thee Command, and the meaner Obey: Let Rea­son take the Empire, and let thy Appetite serve as a subdued Vassal. Let Grace rule thy Reason, and then let Reason be the Counsel­lor of thy Soul, that it may Govern thy in­ternal Monarchy; in Holiness towards God, and in Righteousness toward Man.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Miseries and Passions of the Soul.

1. BUT take heed how thou sufferest thy Soul to Command, unless it be obe­dient to the Command of God; for alas, nei­ther is the Soul without its hazards. The mi­series thereof are not less, but greater, except it be govern'd by the Creator of both Body and Soul. The Rational Soul was in its first beginnings sound and strong; it became wounded by Adam's sin, and though cur'd by Grace in Baptism, yet the seed and inciter of sin still remains. The Scar of that Wound is not yet worn out; and there still remains a hard Exercise and Conflict of our Nature, which is always rebellious till Grace bring it[Page 9]to subjection. Our fleshly Appetite common­ly governs and draws our Reason after it; the Passions live triumphing in our Souls, and keep the Vertues in Captivity.

2. What mischiefs have been acted by Man­kind, that owe not their Original to the Pas­sions of the Soul? What does not the Devil owe to those fomenters of Crimes, and to those Parents of so many miseries? What Va­nity, or what Folly is there in the World, that is not derived from the same source? Behold the Cities and Kingdoms which man's Passions have set on fire, and destroy'd: Behold the Cruelties, Murders, Adulteries, Robberies, and other Abominations. Behold Mortals concurring to hasten their mortality, and thinking themselves ruined, if they cannot ruine one another. All these, and innumera­ble other mischiefs, are due to the Passions of the Soul.

3. The Wars, the Sieges, the Battails, and the Victories, by which men so carefully seek the ways to destroy one another, proceed from them. Man's Nature being so blind, as to call that Victory, Happiness, and Triumph, which is the undoing, the consuming, and the extirpation of it self. Consider those necessary Harms, those unavoidable Misfortunes, those bloody Cruelties, the Killings, Robbings, Burn­ings, and all those things which so many can­not live without; and by this thou seest what Humane Nature is.

[Page 10]4. He that poyson'd the Waters on purpose that whole Nations and Kingdoms might pe­rish by them; He that envenomed the Dust, whereby numberless Persons died infected; He that fed his Horses with the flesh of his Guests; He that wished the whole Empire had but one Neck, that he might cut it off at one stroke; He that in a rage cut the Throats of thousands of his Neighbours; The Ene­mies of the Faith, that by wild Beasts, and by their own Cruelty, fiercer than that of wild Beasts, tore in pieces and destroyed so many just and holy men; so many innocent Martyrs and Confessors: All these were hur­ryed to those Villanies by their Passions. In conclusion, whatever horrid Wickedness, what­ever hainous Crime man hath or shall commit, proceed all from the Passions of the Soul.

5. O how much greater are the ruines of Souls than those of Bodies! The Body is brutish, it obeys and does not discourse; but the Soul hath the light of Understanding, which should direct, govern, and preserve the Body; and yet it kindles, enflames, and destroys the Body, dragging it along with it self to utter Perdition.

6. What do we see in this World, but enor­mities of the Soul, which the Body often pays for upon the Gibbet or the Scaffold? The Whip, the Rope, the Hatcher, the Galleys, Banishment, Imprisonment, and many more Penalties of the Body are not sufficient for that multitude of wickednesses which are com­mitted[Page 11]by the Soul. It is for the Soul's Of­fences such multitude of Bodies are punished; and yet the number of those Persons whose Crimes are pardon'd, or not known, doth far exceed that of those that suffer.

7. Would'st thou know how great the mi­series of the Soul and of its Passions are? Mea­sure it by the effects. They extinguish the Light of Natural Reason in it, and make it to become brutish and unnatural; nay, bruit Beasts have the advantage in very many things over passionate Men. See how temperate they are in comparison of Men; When did the sincerity of Men equal that of the Dove? When their Prudence reach that of the Ser­pent? It is manifest, never; since the Eter­nal Son of God bids us to be wise as Serpents, and harmless as Doves. When did the Provi­dence of Man equal that of the Ant? It is manifest, never; since the Holy Spirit sends the improvident Person to learn of the Ant. When did his Meekness equal that of the Lamb? It is manifest, never; since the Baptist gives that sweet Title of the Lamb, to the Redeemer of the World.

8. When was there ever seen so many Bat­tels and Slaughters amongst Beasts, as we see daily amongst Men? Who ever saw Troops of Lions making War against other Lions? Of Wolves against other Wolves? Or of any o­ther wild Beasts against those of their own kind? Have our Fields ever had Armies for­med of irrational Creatures? Only Man is a [Page 12]Beast to his own kind; Man is a Wolf to Man; nay, which is worse, Man is a Man to Man; for by what more reproachful name can he be called? since men make such Wars as the fiercest of Beasts never do.

9. When do Beasts practice that Sensuality and Uncleanness which Men are guilty of? They content themselves at certain times to pay that debt to Nature, which conserves their Kind. When did irrational Nature seek to satisfie the Appetites of Gluttony? How simple is their Diet! how frugal! how healthful, and how natural! This is the life of Beasts, while we set our wits on work to procure our de­struction by our Food; and our death by vi­cious excesses in the nourishment of our life.

10. Free our Souls, O Lord, from Passions, which make them veryer Beasts than the Beasts themselves. And what are we, Lord, if thou leavest us without the support of thy power­ful hand! O how we abuse those admirable Gifts which thou so graciously bestowest upon us! We extinguish the light of Reason with­in us, we banish truth and goodness from us, and transform our selves into wild Beasts, or worse, if we forsake thy Law, and give our selves up to the obedience of our own Ap­petite.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Miseries and Sins of each Man in particular.

1. THese are, the Miseries of our Nature lightly and briefly expressed; but what kind of ones, and how many are they in each one of us individuals, seeing they are so great, and so considerable in their Root? If the Tree be so bitter, what bitterness must be in the Fruit? How blind are we, O God, if we do not see that which is so near us! How blind are we, if we do not see what we are our selves! How wretched, if such innumerable Miseries do not enlighten us to seek for Mercy! How unworthy, if we do not bewail the Sins we daily commit.

2. Let every one well consider himself, and he shall see what is in himself. Let each of us turn the Eye of his Mind to behold himself within; Let each of us put our hand in our bosom; and he will draw it out full of Leprosie. If the just Man falls seven times a day (or rather seventy times seven) what shall I do that am unjust and wicked? Do not judge of this, or measure it by others, but judge of it and measure it by thy self and me.

[Page 14]3. Scarce did the Light of natural Dis­course begin to shine in my Child-hood, when I embraced Evil, it being my Duty to have embraced Good. My Reason increas'd with my Age, but my Passion increased much fast­er than it. What a grief, what a pity, to see Reason banished from a Man's Soul by Pas­sion! That being set between Evil and Good, my Soul should fly from Good to Evil! Woe is me, how soon I lost the Robe of Grace! How soon I made my self an infamous Slave of Sin! How soon its snares and nets intangled me! How soon its darkness obscur'd all my light! How early I began to grow worse, and to hasten that approaching Night! How early I forsook the Banner of the Redeemer of Souls, and flying from the City of God to that of my beastly Appetite, I quitted the Holy Jerusalem, to take up my dwelling in Babylon! How late I recover'd thee, O sweet Jesus of my Life! How late I know the way to serve thee, having so early known the way to offend thee! Slow have I been to follow thee, O my Jesus; but very hasty to persecute thee. Who can suffer this? This slowness, and that haste. Crucifie my Soul, O Lord, and I will bewail them both eternally in my Life, till I see thee in the Life eternal by my death.

4. How long did I go as a lost and prodi­gal Son, flying from my heavenly Father that sought me! How long like a wandring Sheep, flying from my Shepherd that ran after me![Page 15]How long did I go astray in the venemous Pasture of worldly Vices, taking Poyson and Death to be my nourishment! I embraced my Deceits and my Undoings, being fond of that which killed me, Blindly stumbling, I followed after Vanity, and in a bold folly, I hunted after my own destruction. Who cal­led me and brought me back when I was lost, laying me gently upon his Shoulders? Who was that divine Samaritan, that took care of me, the Man full of Wounds, and that lay half dead as I was going from Jerusa­lem? Who but thou, O my Jesus, who wert more wounded by thy Love for Man, then I by the Love of my Sins? Who but thou sweet Jesus that wert more ready to lay down thy Life for me, then I was to have my Life saved by thee?

5. For me to be lost and wicked and wretched, (O eternal Glory) is natural to me and to my Vices; that being properly of my own Stock: but for thee, who art infinitely good, to seek after him that was lost, and wicked, and wretched (thy infinite Justice re­quiring rather that thou should'st destroy then save such a Person) is a Work that belongs only to thy unspeakable Mercy, and to the Bowels of thy Compassion. Thine infinite Goodness, O my Jesus, doth still exceed my horrible wickedness; and look how vast the distance is between thee and me, between finite, and infinite: So vast is that between my ruine, and my remedy. Blessed be thou[Page 16]my God, for though the one be great, the o­ther is unmeasurable in greatness.

6. But, Oh, that being once found and cured by thy hand, I had never lost and for­saken thee again! Oh, that I had but once cost thee the Pains, the Sweat, the Blood, the Tor­ments and the Death which thou paid'st for me! But Lord, I have often, nay numberless times crucified thee again.

7. Look not Lord upon my wickedness, but upon thine own goodness. To offend thee, though but once was a great Evil; but to do it so many thousand times, is an Evil of the highest Magnitude. To offend by forgetful­ness of thee, before I was pardon'd, was very ill; since to forget thee is a very great Evil; but to offend thee after being pardon'd, is an ill beyond all ills, because it is to be ingrate­ful, and an Enemy to my greatest Benefactor. To offend thee before I knew thee, was very ill; but to offend thee knowing thee, and ac­knowledging thee still to offend thee, is a much greater aggravation. To offend thee as an open Enemy is a great Crime; but to offend thee as a false Friend, and a treache­rous Disciple, is the highest of Treasons. To contrive and commit Sins in thine absence without remembring that thou standest look­ing on, is very bad, since there is no absence from thee who art in all places; but to offend thee in sight of thy Divine Countenance, and even while born upon thy Shoulders, to be­tray thee in thy very House and at thy very[Page 17]Table, is a degree of Wickedness above all comparison. I am utterly lost, O Lord, un­less thy kindness pardon and direct me; My Sins deserve a thousand Hells, unless thy di­vine Goodness and Mercy free and defend me.

8. How often good God after having been cleansed have I return'd to wallow in the Mire! How often after having been cur'd, have I renew'd my wounds; and like a per­jur'd Soldier, forsaken the Banners of thy Grace and enter'd my self in pay under thine Enemies Colours! How often like thy trea­cherous Disciple, have I sold thee for the vile price of some beastly Pleasure! Many a time to satisfie my anger or revenge, have I of­fended thy Meekness; Many a time have I by despising and trampling upon others, of­fended thy great Humility; Many a time have I by known and wilful Sins, fearlesly ventur'd to provoke thy Justice. O dear Je­sus, tye me now fast to thy Cross, let not my Lips, nor my Soul be parted from thy divine Feet; fasten me with thy Nails; pierce me with the Launce that wounded thee; and by that wound receive me into, and hide me in thy Heart; free me from my self; free me from all my Vices, by thy holy Vertues; and by thy sacred Wounds, O heavenly Physici­an, heal those many, whereby, though I have made my self the most unworthy, and the most wretched of thy Creatures, yet am I thereby the fitter Object of thy Mercies.

FEBRƲARY.

The First WEEK.
Of the Remembrance of Death.

1. WOuld'st thou amend thy loose, irre­gular Life? Remember Death; and do while thou livest, as thou would'st wish to have done, when thou shalt come to die. This Life which thou thinkest so lasting, is but va­nity. This Life which thou livest as if thou thought'st it would never have an end, is end­ing every moment, and is making an end of thee. Death comes flying speedily to us, and we are running as fast to it; they quickly meet that seek one another with so much haste. Would'st thou take off thy value and esteem from that which is corruptible? Look upon all things as subject to Death, and full of Corruption.

2. All that is in this World breaths Death in the midst of Life; and all that seems Life, is a secret Death. Kingdoms and Empires die; some destroy'd by the Hands of others; some even by their own. The Assyrian Monar­chy was slain by the Medes; that of the Medes [Page 19]by the Persians; that of the Persians by the Graecians; that of the Graecians by the Romans; and that of the Romans by many several Na­tions; and then they all made an end of one another. If the whole, which is strong and potent, die; can any part live, which is weak and divided within it self? The stateliest and strongest Buildings die. Look, and thou shalt no where find the Colosse's, the Mausoleum's, the Palaces, and highest Edifices of the An­cients. Those Towers, which seem'd to touch the Stars, ruined themselves by their own weight, and greatness. If Houses of the most lasting Marble die; shall this petty Inhabi­tant of them live, whose Body is but a little dust, that vanisheth at a blast of wind?

3. Might, and Power also dies conquer'd sometimes by it self; sometimes by a greater Power. What is become of those Gyants of Vanity, who with so much Pride did trample upon all the World? What is become of those, who made whole Monarchies to tremble at their lightest Motions or Disgusts? They are now a heap of Bones, lying upon the Earth; and they who struck so great a Terror through all the Earth, are themselves reduc'd to Earth already. Yesterday they trampled all under their feet; to day they are trampled under feet by all, and thrown out to be the Food of Worms. There is no need of Thunder-boks from Heaven, to strike down this Power so full of weakness; Earthquakes are superflu­ous on this occasion. There needs neither[Page 20]Conflagration, nor Deluge; nor all, no not so much as one of the Elements; it is e­nough if there be but one Humour distem­per'd within a Man's own Body; a malignant Feaver will serve the turn; nay, a fatal Sneeze, upon a violent occasion is sufficient. This is the hard necessity, to which all hu­mane Power is tied and subject; and to which it must be forc't to yield. Who then would fear any other Power, but that of God, which is the true Power indeed?

4. What is become of the Honour, the Riches, and the Authority of those Gran­dees, whom once the World adored? It end­ed with their Power, Imperial and Royal Crowns and Scepters, Pontifical Miters, Palls and Crosiers, with all such Ensigns of Digni­ty roul up and down on the Wheel of Un­certainty, following the course of Days, Hours and Moments. Scarce do they ap­pear, when they are already vanished; scarce have they begirt the Brows of one, when they instantly forsake him, to seek the Brows of another; Yesterday a Throne, to day a Cof­fin; Yesterday Rich, and cloathed with state­ly Robes; to day reduc'd to Rags, and Beg­gary. And are Wealth and Honours subject to these sudden Changes? Who then would seek any other Honour, but that of God, and of an humble vertuous Life? Who would seek other Riches, than those of his Gifts and Graces?

[Page 21]5. What, and doth Beauty, Gallantry, Sprightliness and good Humour die too? One may rather doubt whether they live at all: So great is the Vanity, and Shortness of them. Where are now those Narcissus's, and Adonis's, those Venus's, and Cleopatras's; those Livias's, and other Flowers of Beauty which in each Age shew themselves, and vanish almost at the same hour? Death cuts them all down, and that which is less, even Life it self de­stroys them. Riches, Power, and Temporal Greatness, do sometimes last as long as Life; and nothing but Death alone does conquer them; but Beauty is so frail a thing, that 'tis subject to be cut off, not only by Death, but even by Life also; That which was yesterday, the Envy and Admiration of the World, to day is Ugliness and Deformity. A slight ac­cidental swelling of a Cheek, or a discolour­ing of the Complexion, a small Addition or Abatement in the Plumpness of the Face; an outward Alteration, or Change of the Countenance, whether natural or violent, takes away the former Air, and presently farewel handsomness. Let but a little Rheum fall into the Eyes, a few Wrinkles shrivel the Skin; a small Convulsion pull the Mouth a­wry, a few Pimples break out in the Nose; or any internal Humour discompose that out­ward Symmetry; and instantly there is an end of Beauty. There is no need of Death, nor Small-pox, Wounds, nor Burnings: A little Wind, a little Nothing will serve to wi­ther [Page 22]that delicate Flower. Did I say nothing? That was too much, for it decayeth and wi­thereth of it self, and is it self its own de­stroyer.

6. Beauty ('tis strange) dies with living, ends with lasting, and is ruin'd by its Conservation. Is it not a wonderful thing, that living, and continuing, should make it become horrible and loathsome? That the handsomest Person should only by living, become abominable and deformed? And that meerly the Dura­tion of Life, should make the most beautiful Lady to be abhorred? According to this, it plainly appears, that that which we have thought to be Life, is Death; that which we have thought a Being, is not a Being, but a ceasing to be; that which we take to be Truth, is Falshood; that which seems to be Riches, and Authority, is Impotence and Vanity; and that which looks like Life, is Death, or at least a Shadow of Death.

7. Let us therefore lift up our Eyes, and Hearts to that Life which is Eternal, and knows no Death. Of what Importance, of what value can that be, which either leaves me while I live, or must be left by me when I die? Nothing is lasting, or of any worth, but Vertue, Truth and Piety. To serve God, and to please him, is the only Riches and Pow­er; and that the only Beauty which lasteth to Eternity.

The Second WEEK.
How much it concerns the Soul, to remem­ber Death in the Time of Life.

1. COnsider, that Life passeth away, that Death hastens; and that thou thy self art the Theatre of thine own Tragedy. I will not tell thee that Death is coming, 'tis al­ready come; with it thou livest, with it thou eatest, with it thou walkest, and labourest; and with it thou sleepest; Now since thou sleepest with it; Why doest not thou awake with it also? An indisposition of thy Sto­mach; the aking of thy Head; a pain in any part of thy Body; briefly, all such like acci­dents, are so many knocks that Death gives at thy Door, to rouze thee to the Remem­brance of it: Lend but thine Ear to hearken, and thou shalt hear it call upon thee; in the beginning of thy sickness, it begins to finish what it has been about ever since thou were born; and Death makes an end of thee, even in the time of thy very Life. It is a power­ful Enemy, that allows no means to fly, to make resistance, or to capitulate! A terri­ble Enemy, that will neither pardon, nor be perswaded, nor suffer it self to be en­treated,[Page 24]nor conquered, nor convin­ced.

2. Ah, yield thy self to Death, before it force thee to yield, and to wait upon its tri­umph. Receive it by Meditation, before it come to execution; accustom thy self to the Thought of Death, and that will take away the Fear of Death. It is a great Morsel, and will not be got down the Throat at once; thou had'st need to divide it into parts, by frequent consideration, that thou mayest be able to swallow it the more easily. The Saints by often thinking of it, made their Death more tolerable, and their Life more religious. Their end was always present to them, and by that means they made both the beginning, and the middle of all their Actions holy. To forget Death is a great Mischief, and an evident Destruction. The unwary and un­provided Soldier, is already foil'd and con­quer'd.

3. Why are so many ruined in their Life? Because they bear not in mind the Remem­brance of Death? Why are so many con­demned after Death? Because it was never present to their thoughts, in the time of their Life. They live, as if they never were to die; they die, as if they were never to be judged; and yet in one instant, they are dead, judged, and condemn'd.

4. Do all the Actions of thy Life, as ha­ving still an eye to thy Death; this will lessen the Fear of thy Account, and of the Sen­tence[Page 25]which condemns to eternal death. Woe be to thee, if thou stayest till death, to begin to live! Woe be to thee, if thou stayest till thy end, to begin to work! Woe be to thee, if thou deceivest thy self with to Morrow, to Morrow, to Morrow; and art so foolish, as to think thy self sure of to Morrow. No, let thy delays be applied to sin; and the pre­sent time to repentance; to day, to day, to day; nay instantly, this very moment be­wail thy offences, and resolve upon amend­ment: and say to morrow, to morrow, (or rather never, never) when thou art tempted to commit a wilful Sin.

5. Oh how many are now burning in Hell, for being such fools, as to believe that they should find a to Morrow to repent in; and who neither found Repentance, nor to Morrow! Oh how many are now burning in Hell, because they would not repent when they might, and afterwards could not when they would! Oh how many are there now burning in Hell, who delay'd to work out their Salvation, while the Light of their Day lasted; and afterwards had neither light, nor time, being seized upon suddenly by the dark Night of Death! Fools, ridiculous Fools, that left the Matter of greatest Importance, to be done in the time of greatest Confusion! Fools, ridiculous Fools, to give the worst of their time, to the saving of their Souls, which is the only Matter of[Page 26]Concernment; and the present, which is the best and the most acceptable, to the damning of them! To imploy their Health, their Youth, and their Strength, in sinful Pleasures; and to put off their Contrition, and Amend­ment, till they are sick, and old, and feeble! In offending the Just, the Holy and Omni­potent God, they spend all the Years of their Life; and to obtain Pardon, can afford no­thing, but the Moment of their death! To offend him, they give all their Senses, Pow­ers, and Faculties, while they are quick and lively; and think them good enough for re­pentance, when they are dull, sleepy and stu­pified! They lay the heavy load of Repen­tance upon decrepid old Age, which is not able to bear it self; and waste their most active and vigorous Days, in vain delights and trifles! Finally, they lie dead in Sins, all the Years of their Life; and presume they shall be able to rise to Repentance (that is to lead a godly Life) in the Hour of their Death!

6. Suppose a tender hearted Father, pity­ing the Ruine of a Son justly disinherited and brought to slavery by his many Rebellions, should send Messengers on purpose to fetch him home from Captivity to his Favour, and to his Fortune; provided he return be­fore a certain Day prefixt; Suppose they in­form him, the Road is very dangerous, espe­cially near his Journey's end, and that the E­vening will probably be very dark and tem­pestuous.[Page 27]What wouldst thou think of him, if instead of hastening to his Father's em­braces, and the plenty of his House, he should be so ungrateful to his Father's kindness, so forgetful of his past misery, and so regardless of his future happiness as to turn into the first pleasant Meadow he spies by the way, and if notwithstanding the many earnest Calls of those that were sent to bring him, (who tell him how the day wasts, and that they cannot stay for him) he should lie down and loiter out the time, picking up Flowers, and catch­ing Butterflies, till Night force him in the midst of stormy Winds, Rains, and Thunder­claps, to grope for his way alone in the Dark, through Bryars, Bogs and Precipices, where it is in a manner impossible to escape De­struction?

It is hard to think that any Man can possibly be so stupid, and wretched or so wilfully foolish; yet thou thy self, art much more stupid, wretched, and foolish than He; if deluded by the Pleasure of Sin, thou delayest thy Repentance till the Night of Death; for He knew the certain number of Hours in his Day, but thou know­est not how few there may be in thine, nor how suddenly thy Sun may set, and leave thee (perhaps before thy Noon) exposed to a darker and a more tempestuous Passage. Again, He lies in the cool Shade of a pleasant Meadow, but thou probably liest wallowing like a Swine in the Mire of Sensuality, or basking in the Heat of Lust, in spite of the Perswa­sions[Page 28]of thy Spiritual Guides, that would bring thee into the Ways that are truly pleasant, and into the Paths of Peace. In short, He by the delay of his Journey, ventures but the loss of an earthly Inheritance, or at the worst of a temporal Life; but thou by that of thy repentance wilt loose an inheritance e­ternal in the Heavens, which fadeth not a­way; and not only a temporal Life (as well as he) but also an eternal one, receiving in­stead of it, an everlasting Death, as the just Reward of thy more wilful Folly.

7. Again, Suppose a Husbandman, instead of manuring, plowing, and sowing his Land in the right Season, should waste the Year in carelesness, and think it time enough to fall to those businesses, when his Neighbours who have done them all in due order, are reaping their Corn and filling their Barns with a plentiful increase. What wouldst thou judge of him, for having not only slighted their good Example, but despised their frequent Ad­vices to be more provident and industrious?

Though thou mayst have learnt by the for­mer Simile, to apply this to thy self; I can­not but condemn thee as more ignorant than the very Birds and Beasts, for they infallibly know and exactly observe their several Sea­sons. But all they that delay their Repen­tance, are beyond comparison more ignorant and more slothful then that Husbandman; considering the infinite disproportion there is,[Page 29]between those hopes that should have moved his Industry, and those assurances which should encourage theirs; as likewise between those fears, that should have quicken'd his sloth; and those terrors, that should rouze up theirs. That Hus­bandman might possibly make a shift, though a hard one, to rub out that fruitless Year by the help of charitable Persons, and having dearly bought more wit, by the sad Experi­ence of his Poverty, might buckle close to his work, and by future diligence against the following Harvest, be Master of as rich a Crop as any in the Field; but if thou defer thy Repentance till the Harvest of Death, there is no possibility for thee to have ano­ther Year. No in that Harvest thou shalt be reaped thy self, and bound up with the Tares to be cast into the Fire. Nor do thou adven­ture to trust to the Charity of others. But remember, that although the wise Virgins, had Oil in their Lamps, yet were they so far from having any to spare; that they had hard­ly enough for themselves; and when the fool­ish ones, that wanted, came to them for a supply, they were sent away with a flat de­nial, and it being then too late, to get any for their Money, they were shut out from the Feast of the Bridegroom for ever.

8. Oh what sad stories might be related to thee upon the Subject of delayed Repentance! How many Examples be there of Persons that after long sleeping securely in Sin, have been[Page 30]rouzed of a sudden by the sharp Stings of Conscience at the Approach of Death, and frighted from the vain Confidence they had of their Salvation, into the other Extream of Despair, by the dreadful Terrors of Hell-fire, which then seemed to flash in their very faces! Some of them have started into such dismal Apprehensions of God's severe Justice, which they never regarded before; that they quite forgot the abundance of his Mercy, whereof till then they had groundlesly made themselves too sure; nor could they in that condition, be perswaded there was any pardon to be got for them, though they should repent never so much; they could not believe the Goodness of God, though infinite, was large enough to afford them any share in that Redemption, which he sent his Son into the World expresly to purchase for all Mankind, at the price of his most precious Blood. Though He be so gracious as to call all Sinners, and to say he came to seek and to save them that were lost, professing with an Oath, that he delights not in their death, but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and live; Nay, that he would have all to be saved, and none to pe­rish; yet the Devil, taking advantage upon their having so long delayed to repent makes them now to believe that it is too late, as he did before that it was too soon. They can en­tertain no thoughts of God, but what are dis­mal, looking upon him as their greatest Ene­my, and some of them, even hating him out [Page 31]of a prodigious Belief that he created them on purpose for Damnation. This Crime is so heinous, and of so deep a dye, that the Stains of it can hardly be fetched out even with that Blood, which makes Sins though red as Scarlet, to become as white as Snow; yet not for want of Vertue in the Remedy, but because that Sin, is so hardly repented of; nor is it strange, if upon so high a provocati­on, God in his Justice, suffer their wretched Bark, to be tossed and weather-beaten, upon the unquiet Billows of a wounded Spirit; and to be dashed in pieces against the Rock of Despair, by the violent Gust of his Dis­pleasure. Methinks I hear their loud Com­plaints, and lamentable Cries, and though I dare not so much as imagine the horrible Blas­phemies which some of them utter in that woful anguish of their Souls, yet I cannot but learn how amazing their condition is, and how insupportable; since it makes divers of them hang, drown, poyson, or stab themselves, and blindly to fly from temporal into eternal Torments. Oh take warning by such dismal Examples, which the divine Providence some­times permits (as humane Justice does noto­rious Malefactors to be exposed in Chains) for the greater Terror of all, that behold, or but hear the Narrative of their Execution.

9. And yet there is another State, which though quite contrary, is no less dangerous then theirs; and numberless is the Multitude of those that are in it, which makes me the[Page 32]more earnestly beg of thee, to be careful thou be not one of them. These flatter themselves vainly with the false Notion of God's infinite Mercy, and quite forget the strict severity of his Justice: they think it enough to avoid gross, and scandalous Sins, and count those they commit so inconsiderable, that they are safe though they neither repent of them, nor regard the Performance of Religious Duties. Thus do they pass their days in a Lethargy of Security, till their dead sleep be changed into the Sleep of Death; and they swallowed up in the Gulph of Presumption, without any noise; few reflecting upon their end, and few­er being warned by their Example. Some of them indeed seem to be more awaken'd; to rise out of this Spiritual Lethargy; and to walk in the Course of Religious Duties; but resting in the outward Performance of them, without the Sincerity of Repentance, or fer­vency of Devotion, they are but like Men that walk in their sleep; and while they dream they are going in the right way to Heaven, drop into Hell with more presump­tion in themselves, and less warning to others, than the former; most thinking them in a safe Condition, and being therefore encourag'd to follow them in the same Road. But oh! take heed of that Security, and of resting upon the broken Reed of formal Religion, for even some of those Despairers that strike so much terror into those that see them may sooner escape, provided their Despondency [Page 33]proceed from in excessive apprehension of their own unworthiness; which has been the Case of some very devout Souls, whose Faith hath failed, more out of the Timerousness of their own Nature, than through any di­strust of God's Mercy, or of their Saviour's Merits.

10. Would'st thou than escape from both these dangers? Consider seriously the Short­ness of Life, and the Certainty of Death; that the time of it when come can by no means be prolonged; that the Place, Manner and Time is utterly unknown to thee; that it will come like a Thief in the Night; that we can die but once; and if we do it ill, there is no second time to do it bet­ter; that as the Tree falleth so it lieth. Ex­amine which way it would fall with thee, if it should now be cut down; Let these thoughts fill thee with the holy Fear of God's Justice, which will keep thee from the Gulph of Pre­sumption. Bring forth Fruits of Repentance, and entertain an humble Hope of God's Mer­cy, whereby thou shalt avoid the Rock of Despair; and looking up to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of thy Faith, with the Arms of that Faith lay fast hold upon the Merit of his Cross, and so shalt thou pass safely into the Haven of everlasting Happiness. Let not Life deceive thee, but let Death undeceive thee. See what St. Austin says, The Sinner that would not when he might, is not able when he would; and being asked the Reason, he answers, Be­cause [Page 34] by his affection to what was evil, he lost the power of doing what was good. A Man that has spent a whole Life in sinning, will not find it easie to die repenting; he whose Life is departing and Death seizing on him, is but in an ill condition to grieve for his Sins; he is not like to lament, and bewail his offences, which are hastening on his Death; it being more probable his Sorrow will then be for the Loss of his Life. In that terrible moment, the Sinner will want Time, he will want Disposition, he will want Understand­ing, and all things fitting for that weighty Business; and will abound in nothing but Pain, Terrour, Anguish and Confusion.

The Third WEEK.
The dreadful Call of God, to the Sinner that defers Repentance till his Death.

MEN want time to repent, because God justly takes it from those, that have so long abused his Mercy, and gone on delay­ing their Repentance, to such a time as is ra­ther to be called a Moment than a Time. Thou hast provoked my Anger, (says God to the Sinner) thou hast forsaken and cast me off during thy whole Life. How can'st thou ex­pect [Page 35]to find me kind and loving to thee at thy Death? I gave thee the best time, and thou givest me the worst. Doest thou think it is so easie, to regain that best time which thou didst despise, with the worst, and in the worst, till which thou hast delayed to use it? When I gave thee Light and Strength, thou imployedst it to persecute me; and will it be easie for thee, without Strength and without Light, to seek me, and to find me? Is it all one thing, O presumptuous Sinner, whether thou offendest, or pleasest me? I have called upon thee, and wooed thee with many gra­cious Invitations, and with innumerable Be­nefits, ever since thou camest into the World: Is it enough for thee, having despised them all, and wounded me with thy Ingratitude, to come to me when thou art just going out of it? And canst thou expect, that I will then receive thee? If thou art rejected then, O sin­ful Man, the Fault will not be mine, but thine own. If the business of thy whole Life, has been nothing but a wilful provocation of my Anger; Can there be any thing more un­reasonable, than at thy Death to expect my Favour? Is the Grace of Contrition in thy own Power, whensoever it pleases thee? Wilt thou be able to do that in the instant of Death, which thou could'st not do in so many Years of thy Life? Wilt thou be able to do that with a disturbed Judgment, and a confused Understanding, which thou never didst at­tempt, nor wouldst ever learn while thy Un­derstanding[Page 36]and Judgment were clear and found? If the whole Custom of thy long Life has been nothing else but sinning, canst thou, O Man be so sensless, as to look that the end of such a wretched Life, should be merit and reward? How canst thou hope to die a Saint, having ever lived a scandalous Sin­ner? If so many repeated acts of Sin, have begot in thee a powerful Habit and an invete­rate Custom of despising me; Which way wilt thou begin to overcome that Custom, when thy Life is at an end? If thou hast spoken but one Language all thy Life; wouldst thou go about the learning of another quite contrary to it, in the Moment of thy Death?

2. So long as thou didst live in health, thou never wert acquainted with sorrow for sin, nor knewest what it was to be contrite and penitent; will it be easie for thee to learn and practice these things, when thou art going out of the World, to which thou wert so a­verse all the time of thy being in it? If thou hast spent it all in the deceits and entangle­ments of sensual Delights, How wilt thou be able to get loose from them, and free thy self in that short instant, when thy Soul is to be separated from thy Body? If then thou wouldst leave them, they will not leave thee; thou holdest them fast, and they stick as fast to thee: How will you then get loose from one another? Canst thou be willing to leave that at thy death, which thou never wouldest [Page 37]forsake, nay, which thou didst ever run after, and hug with so much fondess all thy life? I shall be willing to pardon thee, O Man, but thou wilt not be able to ask me pardon; the fault will not be in me, O Sinner, but in thy self.

3. Thou wouldst never think of Death, much less think how to dye; and then thou wilt not know which way to beg for Pardon, because thou wouldst never endeavour to learn; and that time must then be spent in dying, which ought to be spent in bagging forgive­ness. Thou wilt not be able, because thy Will, disturbed with fears, will fail thee; thy Un­derstanding will be darken'd with Anguish, thy Memory afflicted with Sins, thy Senses dulled and decayed with a mortal Sickness; and finally, all thy abilities will be meer dis­abilities. Thou hast wasted all thy life, as if there were never to be a death; and there­fore thou wilt not have power to repent thee, at thy death, which is the death of Eternal Life. Thou never in all thy life didst remem­ber that there is a Hell; and therefore at thy death thou wilt either forget it, or else be so prest with the fear of going thither, that thou wilt not be able to pour down Tears, nor send up Prayers to escape it. Thou hast li­ved without Judgment, as if there were to be no Judgment; without calling thy self to Ac­count, as if thou wert never to be called to Account; therefore, O sinner, thou wilt find [Page 38]at thy death, that 'tis more easie to tremble at thy Account than to give it.

4. Thou hast spent all thy life in sin and wickedness, without any remembrance of the Glory to come; what Idea therefore can thy Memory have of that Glory, when thou comest to dye? If it be tedious and wearisome to thee to confess a few daily sins, how dost thou think thou shalt find Diligence and Pa­tience enough when thou comest to dye, to confess that infinite number thou hast com­mitted from the time of thy birth? Thou canst not (or wilt not) now in thy health lift a hundred weight, and dost thou think thou shalt be able in thy sickness to lift a hun­dred thousand? Dost thou reserve that weight to be laid upon thee in thy weakness, which thou darest not venture to lift at in thy full strength? What profit or advantage can thy Death bring thee, when all thy care and trou­ble will be imployed about the losing of thy Life? Thy Heart being glued to the Wealth and to the World, which thou must leave; How wilt thou be able to loosen it from thence, and to join it to what thou hast ne­ver cared for? The Chains of thy Passions, tye thee fast to this transitory World; How wilt thou be able to break them in an in­stant, and to give thy self to that which is eternal?

[Page 39]5. It cost me Tears, and Groans; Prayers, and loud Cries to raise up Lazarus to Life a­gain, who had been dead but four days, of a natural Death; What will it cost to raise up thee, from the spiritual Death, in which thou hast lain dead (perhaps) these forty Years? I raised up Lazarus, without his do­ing any thing to help towards his own Resur­rection; but I will not revive thee, unless thou dost something on thy part, and how wilt thou be able, O wretched Man, to per­form that under a double Death; thy Soul in that of Sin, and thy Body so near to that of Corruption? Thy Spirit being conquered, and having yielded it self a Slave to thine Ap­petite, which has domineer'd powerfully all thy Life, and forc't thy Soul to the Drudgery of Sin: Dost thou believe, that in breathing out thy last Gasp, thou shalt be able to reco­ver its liberty? No, thou wilt find, that though it be freed from thy Body, for a time, it is going to suffer a much greater slavery in Hell, and to be tormented by the Devil in Chains of Darkness, till the Day of Judgment; when thy Body indeed shall rise from the Grave, as did that of Lazarus to be joined again with thy Soul; yet not, as his, to Life, but to die eternally, and to be for ever banished from my sight.

6. Thou hast used thy self, all thy Life, to follow thine own will, and never to deny thy self in any thing; and doest thou think, thou shalt have power, to do that in the end of it, [Page 40]which has always been so contrary to thy In­clinations? Or if thou hast endeavour'd to get Victories over thy self, and hast fought without success, that spiritual Combate; is it probable thou shalt overcome thy self, better in thy utmost weakness, and when thou liest gasping for Breath? If thou couldst not con­quer that Enemy, when thou hadst all thy strength, if with the force of Reason, quicken'd by frequent Admonitions, called upon by many Exhortations, and excited by several good Examples, thou could'st not sub­due thy sensual Appetite, in so many Years; how wilt thou conquer it, when thy Reason, and Understanding shall have forsaken thee, and when the Ear of thy Body, shall be as deaf to all other Motives as that of thy Soul has been till then? Thinkest thou, when thou liest fainting in thy Death-bed, without strength to move a Hand, rattling in the Throat, and gasping for Breath; to overcome that Enemy, that potent Enemy insulting over thee, in the Pride of so many repeated Victo­ries? That Enemy, which the Apostles them­selves, and their Successors, with so many other excellent Saints, fought against all their Lives; wilt thou conquer, with the dregs of thine; being without Memory, without Un­derstanding, and even without Sense, in that great disorder, and confusion which Death uses to bring especially to those, who have al­ways suffer'd their Appetite to triumph over them?

[Page 41]7. How long, O Sinner, wilt thou go on in this foolish Presumption? I do not bid thee despair when thou diest; but I bid thee work out thy Salvation with fear and trembling while thou livest; I deny not, but that I saved the good Thief; He believed on me, when my Disciples forsook me, and fled; and prayed to me, even when I was nailed to the Cross; to such an extraordinary Faith, I shew'd an extraordinary Favour; and though I promi­sed he should be with me that day in Paradice; thou mayest remember, I suffered him that was crucified with me on the other hand, to be condemned. If he, who died so near my side, and looking upon that Blood, which I shed for him, was damned; Wilt thou delay still, and hope to escape, at that last Hour? I do not forbid thee to hope, when thou com­est to die; but I bid thee to do good works in the mean while; and serve me during thy Life, without deferring it till Death; for if thou despisest the warning I give thee now, the time will come, when thou shalt call, and I will not hear; and when thou shalt cry, Lord, Lord, I will answer, I know thee not thou worker of Iniquity. Depart from me, into everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.

The Fourth WEEK.
The Answer of a repenting Sinner, and that we ought to prepare our selves for Death.

1. AH, let us all quake, and tremble; what shall we answer to these terrible Words of the Lord? What shall we answer to these Arguments, which are rather evident Conclusions? What shall we answer to that eternal Wisdom, to that eternal Light, and Truth, whose Sayings are undeniable, and whose Accusings are clear Convictions? Here is nothing to be done, but to acknow­ledge our guilt, to humble our selves, and a­mend our Lives. Here is nothing to be done, but with Repentance, Humility and Contri­tion, to weep and sigh and earnestly beg for Mercy.

2. Here is nothing to be done, but with a most intimate Desire and Sorrow of the Soul, to say; Lord I have sinned against thee all my Life, and I will bewail my offences du­ring my Life, that I may likewise bewail them at my Death. If I be not willing to lament them now, perhaps then, I shall neither be willing nor able. I sinned in the best of my time, and so made it the worst; and I desire [Page 43]to forsake my Sins, in the best that remains; before the last comes, which is the worst in­deed. I desire, O God, to imploy the re­mainder of my days in thy Service; since thou yet affordest me time to bewail that time, which I so sinfully have lost. I desire to la­ment my Sins, with all my Senses Powers, and Faculties; since I have abused them all in offending against thee my God; nor will I defer my Tears, till my Death, since I did not defer my Sins till my Death.

3. I desire, O Lord, that I may not be to seek for Oil in my Lamp, when the Bride­groom calls, but to have it ready prepar'd and lighted, against his coming. To get Oil after death, is impossible; grant that I may buy it, and furnish my self before I fall asleep. Life, without thy Grace, is not only Sleep but Death; grant therefore, O Lord, that I may prepare for Death, during Life, by living well. Grant, O Lord my God, that the Bridegroom at his coming may find me watching; grant, O Lord, that when the Thief shall come to break into this House of my Body, and rob me of my Soul, I may not be found asleep, in any customary Sin, but awake upon my Guard, and with my Lamp ready lighted; and let me never hear from thee the Light e­ternal, that terrible saying, I know thee not.

4. Grant that at thy second coming, thou mayest find me with my Loins girt, and my Light burning, and able to give such an ac­count of the Talents which thou hast given[Page 44]me, that the Benefits of thy former coming, may by thy Mercy be made effectual to my Soul. What shall become of me, O my God if I loose thee? If once I loose thee, O Light eternal, when shall I be able ever to re­cover thee? Deliver my Soul from the roar­ing Lion; free my darling from the Power of the infernal Dragon; if once I loose my self and thee; Is it possible I should ever find thee again, my Saviour? Is there any passage from Hell, to Glory? Is there any Redemp­tion in that place of Torment, where all Mer­cies are utterly cut off? Shall I expose my Soul to that hazard, to that danger, and to that loss at my Death, for not repenting while I live? Shall I trust that which is most preci­ous, and most important, to the most unfit and the most uncertain time? Shall I put off, the loosing or enjoying thee eternally, O my Jesus, to a Conjuncture so full of anguish and confusion, as scarce affords a possibility of knowing thee? No, Lord, suffer me not I beseech thee to fall into so miserable a Con­dition; rather let me die now, instantly, at this present moment, in thy Grace; than so foolishly to adventure the loss of both thy Grace and Glory.

5. This is the Answer we should make to God; these are the Thoughts we ought to feel; these are the Requests we ought to make, before the Agony of Death, for then the Pains of the Body, the Anguish of the Soul, the Grief for leaving the Pleasures of [Page 45]this World, and the Fear of going into the Torments of the next; the Distraction of thy Thoughts, and the Decay of thy Under­standing, will neither suffer thee to attend thy Prayers, nor allow thee time to consider what to pray for; O how ignorant, how mad a Folly it is, to delay our amendment till the Hour of Death! What a mistake it is to be­lieve, that our dammage does not increase with that deceit, and our deceit with that dammage! What an Error, to think I shall be better; when I see, and feel my self daily growing worse! And that the end of my Life shall be good, when the whole course of it from the beginning, has been evil! What a Cheat the Devil puts upon a Man, to per­swade him, that when his Soul is torn out of his Body, he shall be able to imploy himself in any thing else, than to feel that strong Di­vision between the Body and the Soul!

6. This puts an end to the Sinner's Life; this puts an end to his Delights, this puts an end to his Acquaintance. His Friends, his Riches, his Honour, his Power; all these must be left; this is the thing that disquiets and afflicts him; thither his Mind runs then where he had pla­ced his contentment; thither his sorrow, his torture and confusion where he had ri­vetted his Heart. His thought, his care and his attention being taken up with what he loses, and which is worse, with what he fears; he is in too great a Distracti­on,[Page 46]to discourse of that which he should, and which imports him most.

7. And therefore, if thou wilt live eternal­ly; die before thou diest. Think of that now, which thou meanest to think of here­after: Let not Death go out of thy Memory, and so thou shalt amend thy Life. Live, and do all things, as a Person that must die, and thou shalt die to live for ever. Thy Death shall be but a Passage, not a Death; and a passage to eternal Life; not a dying to eter­nal Death.

MARCH.

The First WEEK.
Of the particular Account that each Man is to give immediately after his Death.

1. NOW give ear, and I will tell another thing, more dreadful and terrible; more quick and speedy; and of more hazard and danger, Anger, than Death it self. And that is the account thou art instantly to give; with the Judgment and Sentence that shall be pas­sed upon thee in particular, at the Moment of thy Death. What, so soon? Yes, so soon; scarce dead, when already judged; and Sen­tence past, either to absolve, or to condemn thee! The Body is not yet quite cold upon its Bed; And is the Soul judged already? They are yet holding a Looking-glass to my Mouth, to try whether I have any Breath left in me; and is my Cause already dispatched, conclu­ded, and sentenced? The Body is not yet put into a Winding-sheet; and is the Soul al­ready judged, and which is more the Sentence executed upon it! Shall there not be a little delay? Will they not allow me a little space, [Page 48]to think how I may satisfie by some excuse, the Charge that is brought against me? Will they pluck me away, and precipitate me so sudden­ly, without having any thing to lay hold on, when I am driven out of the Body; without any thing to lay hold on, when I am snatch­ed to Judgment; without any thing to lay hold on, when I am hurried to execution; without finding one moment of delay, ere I receive the Sentence? Is it possible, that there is no place of refuge? No retreat, where I may stop a little, though it were but at the foot of that very Judgment-seat, where I am to be sentenced, or at the Threshold of that Dungeon, where I am to he imprisoned? May not the Execution be suspended for a lit­tle while? Is there no Chappel, as I pass where a condemned Person may linger a while, and pray between the Judgment-seat and the dis­mal place of Torment? Is it possible that there is no other way, either on the Right­hand or on the Left, from Death to this ac­count, to this Judgment and to this Sentence, whereby I may escape and hide my self? Can I not turn back again? Is it absolutely neces­sary I must be thrown headlong? Must I needs swallow that bitter draught, and be forc't to make that irrevocable leap from the Delights of this World to the Miseries of the other?

[Page 49]3. No, no, there is no remedy; that most bitter Potion, is forc't, not voluntary; and it must of necessity be drunk, for they will not let thee spill it. To die, to be judged, to have Sentence executed; and to conclude all, and make an end for ever, is but one instant. See how thou goest out of this Life, for so thou shalt enter into Judgment; see in what con­dition thou art to make thy account, for in the same thou shalt come from thy account; see well, how thy Case stands, for according to the Proof, so shall the Sentence be. There is no mending of Answers, no Wrestings, nor Perjuries, nor Briberies in that high Court of Justice; all is dispatched in a moment; the Charge, the Answer, the Judgment, the Sen­tence and the Execution. The Sentence is but to look upon the Criminal; to come into the Presence of God is to be condemned, and even but to come into the Presence of God, is a casting off the Wicked from his sight for e­ver, and a receiving of the Good into eter­nal Joys.

4. What, and is there then no remedy for a Sinner before God's Tribunal? Is there no way to come off from that Judgment, and from that account? Yes, there is a remedy; But what, I beseech you? To judge thy self in this Life, and to call thy self daily to strict account. Let the Sinner pass Judgment upon himself, during his Life, and then his Death shall be a Comfort; his Account a Blessing; that great Day, a Day of Mercy; then the [Page 50]Sentence shall be Joy; and the Execution Glory. The Sentence is published there; but the Tryal is made here; and according as the Case is found, the Sentence is fitted to the Tryal. God pronounces the Sentence, in his Tribunal, according to the Tryal; but thou and I are here forming and giving Matter to that Tryal, by our Thoughts, by our Words, and by our Actions. Take heed what thou doest, for there thou shalt find it; and take heed what thou sayest, for there thou shalt hear it; the Tryal, I say, is of our own ma­king; by it that most righteous Judge shall judge us; take heed then what thou thinkest, for there thou shalt see it; and take heed what thou sowest, for there thou shalt reap it.

5. As thy Life shall be here, such shall be thy Death, thy Account, and thy Sentence at that Tribunal, and afterwards the Execution. The Judgment is God's Truth; the Sentence is his Righteousness, and the Execution his Justice. It is neither the Judgment, nor the Sentence principally, which condemns a Per­son, but the wickedness of his Life. The Sen­tence of God's eternal Judgment, is rather a Declaration, then a Condemnation. Thou didst sentence and condemn thy self, when thou didst Sin; and being already condemn­ed, thou goest to be judged by dying in thy sins. All that is done there, is but to declare, that thy Wickedness, deserves Hell; and thy Life, eternal Death.

[Page 51]6. And according to this, at the last Judg­ment in the Gospel, our Lord says nothing else in pronouncing it; but Go ye cursed, or Come ye blessed of my Father. He does not say, My will condemns the Wicked, nor my will absolves the Good; as he finds them, so he judges; he finds those cursed; and as cursed he casts them from him; he finds these blessed, and as blessed he calls them, he embraces them, and takes them to himself. The reason of this is because that as God is the eternal Truth, he judges according as he finds the Tryal, and if that be deadly, the Sentence of necessity must be so likewise.

7. He that will escape Judgment, at the Day of Judgment, must begin from this pre­sent time to judge himself. He that will clear his account at that day of Account, must be­gin in this Life to call himself to an account. Let a Man take good heed on what hand he lives in this mortal Life, on that hand he shall be placed in the immortal Life: if on the Left hand, then on the Left; if on the Right-hand, on the Right: In this World which is full of Deceits and Equivocations in Suits and Causes; all the danger of the Person condemned, is in the Judgment past upon him; for his Inno­cence will little avail to save him, if the Sen­tence condemn him; nor if that absolve him, will the greatest Crime and the most evident­ly proved do him any harm: but at God's Tribunal, the Danger is not in the Sentence, but in the Case of the Criminal. Hereby,[Page 52]amongst many other Reasons, God is justified in condemning the Wicked, although he be Mercy it self; for it is not his Mercy, Good­ness, and Pity; but the Sins, the Guilt and the Malice of the Wicked that condemns them. 'Tis they that choose their own Sen­tence, for they make their own process in this Life. 'Tis they that make Hell their own choice, because they wilfully choose those Sins that carry them thither; and will not choose Repentance, that would free them from it. They are the makers of their own Mis­fortunes, and themselves are the Causes of their Death, their Hell and their Damnation; by not applying Tears and Contrition to their Sins.

8. O, what a strange Doctrine is this! Ac­cording to it, there is nothing to be fear'd at the Day of Judgment, but our Lives; no­thing to be fear'd in the Sentence, but our Sins.

Nay all is to be fear'd; for terrible and dreadful are the Judgments of the Lord; yet are they just, righteous, and holy; therefore, fear Sin, which brings thee to be sentenc'd; fear Guilt, which brings thee for ever to be condemned; fear that Sentence, which throws thee into eternal Damnation; and fear that Judgment, which casts thee headlong to ever­lasting Torments.

The Second WEEK.
Of the Rectitude and Severity of the Judgment.

1. BUT admit all this be so, yet may not some of our faults be forgotten, or some of our Sins excused at that Day? Thô I go out of this Life in the Judge's disfavour, may I not in the other Appeal, or reply, or beg, and obtain his Favour before he pass the Sentence? May I not by Gift, or Craft, or Industry, or subtilty of Discourse, evade, or extenuate, or hide, or at least disguise the Sins I have committed?

2. O how foolishly doest thou argue, if thou canst have such a Thought! Thou art more blind in thy reasoning, than thou art in sinning: for that is but weakness; but this the highest Ignorance. What excuse canst thou possibly have, for offending thy God, and thy Redeemer, who died upon the Cross only to free thee from Death, and Sin. What excuse for not being willing to take the Benefit of his Sacraments? What excuse for rejecting his Helps, and holy Inspirations? What excuse for the frequent rebelling against his holy Commandments? What excuse for refusing[Page 54]his divine Counsels? What excuse for stop­ping thine ears to the Masters of Christian Instruction; and to those loud Cries with which his Preachers daily call upon thee from their Pulpits?

3. What canst thou say, for having neg­lected the Directions of thy Spiritual Guides, those internal Physicians of Souls, and Con­sciences? What canst thou say, for having so often turned away from God, who by them called upon thee, daily intreating thee, and offering thee eternal Life? What for following his and thine own Enemy that offer'd thee nothing but eternal Death? What canst thou say to quit thy self from so many Accusations? What Evasion canst thou find to so full an E­vidence? Or how wilt thou get off from so weighty a Charge, wherein thou wilt not be able to answer so much as one of Ten thou­sand? If the Charge be true, how will it be possible for thee to oppose the Truth; thy Judge being also the Truth it self? What de­ceit will be able to prevail before so great a Light, and such a manifest Conviction? Dost thou think, O simple Creature, to over-reach that infinite Wisdom? Doth thy Ignorance think to circumvent him, who sees the time present, the time past, and the time to come, all at one instant? Or does thy foolish proud Presumption, hope to escape his all-seeing Eye? Thou deceivest thy self, and not him, in so silly a conceit; his Judgments are Evi­dences; his Sentences Truths, and his Execu­tion[Page 55]Justice; and doest thou think there can be forgetfulness of thy faults in that eternal Comprehension that beholds all things? There is not the lightest Thought, the suddenest Mo­tion, the inconsiderablest Word, nor the smallest Action, which is not punctually regi­stred there. That eternal Justice has all Sins counted, weighed, and measured in his pre­sence, from the first bitter Fruit of Adam's Apple, to the last and slightest Sin of all Man­kind, till the end of the World. That which was only known to thy Chamber, to the se­cretest; Corner of thy House, or of thy Heart; that which is unknown to thy most favoured Servant, or most intimate Friend, is all pub­lick, and manifest before the Face of thy Creator. The Leaves of all the Trees in the World; the Sand of all the Seas, all the Stars of the Sky, and the Atoms of the Sun, with whatsoever is created, are all numbered and present to him; and canst thou believe he will forget thy Sins?

4. Wouldst thou know what the Judg­ment is, that thou mayest live with Judg­ment, before thou comest to Judgment?

5. It is an exact, and particular Register, of thy loose and wretched Life; all that thou hast said, seen, done, and thought, in seventy Years of thine age, is perfectly seen to God, in that instant, as if thou wert but then in do­ing of it.

[Page 56]6. O Jesus, my Lord and my God; is it then all one thing with thee to behold, and to judge? And is thy Judgment, the perfect and particular Sight of all the Sins and Trans­gressions of our whole Life? Alas! Alas! What then shall become of me, at that Day? Is it possible, O my great God, that thou shouldst then see all my Crimes and soul Mis­deeds? That thou shouldest then see all my Subtilties, Deceits, and Falshoods? Must all my beastly Vices, and filthy Sensualities, be seen by thee at that Judgment; with the Pride, and Presumption wherewith I have despised, and trampled upon others; with my unjust censurings, and rash judgings of my Neighbours, and my Vanity and Folly in thinking better of my self then of them? Shalt thou then see the Sins, not only of my Person, but likewise of my Office, and Dig­nity? My Sins of Omission, as well as those of Commission? The Evils I have done, the good Actions I have left undone, and my suf­fering others to act those Crimes, which I might have hindered? Must thy pure Eyes, which cannot behold Inquity, see and behold, and judge all mine Iniquities in that one in­stant? How can I but tremble, to think that thy holy, and heavenly Eye should see such filthy Impurities, and such horrible Abomi­nations? What can I hope for in that Sen­tence? What can my Wickedness expect from thy eternal Justice, but everlasting Torments? All my Bones quake for fear, O God, and I[Page 57]am ready to wish the Rocks might hide me, and the Hills might cover me from thy Pre­sence; but I know how vain that is, and that even in the Center of the Earth, thy Right­hand will find me out, I am therefore plainly convinced that there is no refuge for me, but from the Bar of thy Justice, to the Bowels of thy Mercy. Yet how shall I dare take San­ctuary there, having so much abused it? Now, I discover the necessity I stand in of a Media­tor, to plead there for me; yet dare not beg his Intercession, having so long neglected it. Thou of thy infinite Mercy, and Goodness, hast given thine own dear Son, even the Man Christ Jesus to be that Mediator for all Man­kind, and in him some beams of Hope begin to comfort me, remembring his excessive Love that willingly died upon the Cross, to make Satisfaction to thy Justice for the Sins of all. But with what confidence can I hope in him whom I have so often crucified afresh by my redoubled Offences! This is my sad Condition, and when I look only upon my Guilt, I am almost ready to despair. But Lord, I know that that is a greater Sin than any I have yet committed; therefore I will hope even against hope; and carnestly beg of thee, O my dearest Saviour, that since thou hast hitherto given me time, and now so loudly callest me to Repentance, by this ter­rible Meditation of God's vigorous Judgment; I may not delay a Moment longer, to lament and bewail the Multitude of my Transgressi­ons.[Page 58]Grant I may go to that great Day, with Tears of Contrition, and that I may de­part from it, with Songs of Praise. Grant I may go to it, weeping for having offended thee, and that I may come from it with joy for thy having pardoned me. And since thou seest my sins which provoked thy Wrath, grant thou mayest also see my Repentance, to obtain thy Mercy. Grant, O dear Jesus, that since thou seest my Ingratitude, thou may­est also see my Heart deeply grieved, and af­flicted for having been so ungrateful: And lastly grant I most earnestly beseech thee, that I may see thy infinite Pity, interposing the Merit of thy Death, thy Blood, thy Cross and Passion, between thy Father's Justice and my sinful Soul, now and ever; and most e­specially in that great and terrible Day; and that in the mean while, I by thy Grace may so spend the rest of my days in Sorrow and Amendment of Life, that at my Death I may be received into thy Glory. Amen.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Means there are in this Life, to pre­vent the Account and Judgment of the other.

1. I Am stricken with amazement, stand trembling at the thought of the Judg­ments of the Lord. I know not what to do, nor can find any way how to escape them. I am ashamed and confounded to appear in his presence full of so many Miseries and Sins. Is it not possible to delay it? Is there no remedy against this Evil, nor defence against this Danger?

2. The Evil is not in being judged, but in going unprepar'd to Judgment. This immi­nent danger, hath an easy, plain, and safe re­medy, by the Grace of God.

And that is for a Man to judge himself of­ten times, before God judge him once for all. Wouldst thou not be afraid of the Judgment, nor of that dreadful Sentence? Judge thy self before hand; examine thy self, before thou comest to be examin'd; call thy self frequent­ly to a strict account; humble thy self, a­mend thy Life; and at the sight of thy Sins, pray, and weep, and thou shalt go willingly[Page 60]to Judgment, and come off safe with thy ac­count. Serve thy Judge, love thy Judge, and obey him in all things, before he come to judge thee; and thou shalt go contentedly to his Judgment, and find thy Judge to be thy Friend.

3. Consider that many Saints have desir'd, that their Life might be shorten'd, that their Death might be hasten'd, and that they might come to Judgment thereby to enjoy God. They desir'd to be dissolved, and to leave this mortal Tabernacle. They desir'd this knot of Life might be untied, and to be free from the Prison of this miserable and corruptible Body, to see their God, their Creator and Redeemer; whom they loved, served and ador'd while they lived in this World. They esteem'd Death, as Life, be­cause it freed them from a dying Life, which delay'd their enjoyment of an eternal Life.

4. They could not pass to the beatifical Vision of their God, without going by the way of the Judgment and Sentence. They did as it were die, with an eager desire of dying; and joyfully embrac'd that Death, which brought them to behold the kind, the cheerful, and beautiful Countenance of their loving Judge. They knew they were to be judged by their Father, their God, their Creator, and Redeemer, their faithful Friend and their most gracious Lord. They loved him in their Life, they sought him by their Death; they ador'd him in the Judgment, and with an humble con­fidence in his infinite Pity, they hoped for Mer­cy in the Sentence. They knew their offences [Page 61]were many, but they had bewailed them; they knew though they were Sinners, they had lived desirous to please him, diligent to serve him, and with care not to offend him. They knew they could not put their cause into better hands, and that the same Person was to judge them, who had shed his Blood for them, and given his Life upon the Cross for their Re­demption. They went to offer their Works, their Tears, and their Repentance unto God; yet without trusting any thing in their Works, they relied wholly upon the Goodness of God and the Merits of their Saviour.

5. For though it be just, that the Judgments of the Lord should be fear'd; yet it is as just that they should be loved. My Father (says the holy Soul) is to judge me; what am I then afraid of? My Lord and my God is my Judge; How can I choose but hope, and trust in my Lord and my God, though he be my Judge? If he have a kindness for me, and I have a re­verence for him; What can I look for in the Sentence, but Mercy and Compassion? What Son is afraid to be judged by his own Father, if he hath not lived and acted as an Enemy to his Father, or if he hath bewailed the time that he was his Enemy? What Wife, is afraid to be judged by her tenderly affectionate Hus­band, if she hath not been an Adulteress, or hath heartily lamented that Injury, and peni­tently begged pardon of her dearly loving Husband? What Friend is afraid to be judged by his Friend, if he hath been faithful to him,[Page 62]or hath shewed a real grief for the breach of his Fidelity? Though I be afraid and wretched, says a sick Soul, I have been desirous to serve thee, O my God, thy Precepts have been my Direction, and thy Counsels have been my Rule, if not in the execution, yet at least in my intention and earnest desire. I hope for mercy from that eternal goodness of God my Creator and Redeemer, who dyed upon a Cross for my Salvation. He that was so gra­cious, and so loving in Redeeming me, can­not but be a sweet and tender Father in Judg­ing me.

6. These are the breathings of a Holy Soul; Thus said St. Paul and many others when they desir'd to be dissolved, that they might come to the presence of God; and for the obtain­ing of that, did not fear to put their Cause and Sentence into his hand. They feared his Power, and they adored his Power: They were afraid by reason of their sins; and yet they hoped, knowing his mercy and loving-kindness. Their love conquered their fear, because their hearts were inflam'd with that perfect Charity which casts out fear. And thus, if thou doest desire to have a holy and assured hope, humbly resign'd and yet chear­ful in the Judgment, and in the Sentence; do that which the Saints have done, and thou shalt hope, as they have hoped.

7. Make account in thy life-time of that Account thou art to give hereafter; I repeat it to thee once again, keep a Judgment-seat [Page 63]within thy self every day, till thou comest to thy last. Judge thy self ten thousand times, and consider in what steps thou treadest, for according to what thou doest in this World, thou shalt be judged in the other. Strictly ob­serve thy very thoughts, and mend what thou shalt find amiss: For by this means, thou shalt increase that love which casts out fear. Do thou judge thine own Actions, before God judges them; beg light of him to see and know them, and tears to bewail them; and so with a holy resignation, and with an hum­ble confidence thou mayest appear in the pre­sence of God. Take good heed to thy Words, Thoughts, and Actions, and square them by the Rule of the Divine Law, and of the Will of that Lord, who is to Judge thee; and strive in this Life to obtain Mercy and Pardon for thy Sins and Miseries.

8. Be careful to purifie thy Understanding, and to purge it from evil; fill it with honest and spiritual Considerations; cleanse thy will from corrupt Desires, and fill it with the love of thy Creator. Let thy Memory be the Store-house of Holy Meditations, and then, hope and trust; love and adore the Judgment of the Lord. His goodness does more desire to Pardon thee, than thou dost to be pardoned; He is more desirous of thy Salvation, than thou art to be saved. He is more desirous to deliver thee from that Infernal Dragon, than thou art to be delivered. Be careful (I warn thee once again) on what hand thou livest[Page 64]in this life, for on that hand thou shalt find thy self when Death carries thee from hence.

9. Fear the Judgment of the Lord, for it is very just so to do; fear, humble thy self, and tremble; but yet hope, and be more afraid of the sins wherewith thou offendest him, than thou art of his righteous Judgment. Thy fear of his Judgment is so great, because that of thy Sins is so little. Thou livest in a course of wickedness, and committest thy wickedness with boldness, and even with gree­diness, and then thou art afraid to be judged; and that is because thou art to be justly con­demned. But thy chief and principal fear ought to be that of offending so severe a Judge; and thy chief and principal hope ought to be that of being judged by so indul­gent, and so loving a Father. It is the part of an unfaithful Servant, not to dare appear before his Master's face; and though he fears him, yet he does not love him: But a good Servant is glad to come to the Presence of his Master. Every Call of his is a joy to him, every Command a comfort, and he runs chear­fully to wait upon him, at every knock; but an evil Servant is afraid to see him, because he was not afraid to offend him.

10. Every sin thou committest, unless thou repent of it, is a rigorous Sentence against thy self; every guilty action, and every wilful transgression is a Criminal Article, whereof thou accusest thy self at that Tribunal. How[Page 65]is it possible for thee not to tremble and dread the Judgment and thy Account in the other Life, if thou livest without Judgment, and without Account in this? Repent therefore, pray and weep; love and serve thy Judge here, that thou mayest find him kind, gentle, and gracious hereafter. He is a Judge that suffers himself to be gain'd in this life; there­fore use means to win his favour before he comes to Judge thee in his anger, for thy ha­ving slighted and neglected to get his favour when thou mightest have done it. Tremble with apprehension to see him in his wrath, who may yet be appeased by the means I have shewed thee, and who being reconciled, first fills the Penitent's Soul with transports of his Love, and after with those Joys and Pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Ʋniversal Judgment at the end of the World.

1. I AM something comforted with your Discourse, (says the Penitent) but I have heard dreadful things of that great Day, when all Mankind must rise to Judgment; that horrible Trumpet, which makes even the[Page 66]Dead to hear, (how much more the deaf) does also make the heart to tremble, and con­founds the senses with amazement.

It is no wonder indeed, that thou shouldst be dismayed at that which affrighted St. Hierome, and very many other holy Men; thou mayest very well tremble at that which they were afraid of.

2. Who can choose but fear and tremble, to see the whole Creation destroyed by the Creator of it; and all the World consumed by his powerful hand? Who can choose but fear the Signs which fore-run that Judgment, those terrible Earth-quakes, and horrible roar­ings of the Sea? Who would not fear to see the Elements, those preservers of Life, to be­come its furious Enemies; and fighting with one another, to become the Ministers of Death? Who can choose but fear, to see the confusion of Mankind; some calling on the Rocks to hide them, others upon the Darkness to cover them, all being full of terror and astonishment, to see all sorts of miseries come together, to bring our Nature to an end? Who can choose but fear, to see the Sun covered with a deadly Vail, his light obscured, that of the Moon ex­tinguished, the Stars also falling from their places, and overwhelming the Generations of Men. Nothing to be heard but publick Com­plaints and Lamentations, Cries, Sighs, and Groans; nothing to be seen but Fears, Dan­gers, Losses, Miseries, and Confusions.

[Page 67]3. Can any one choose but be affrighted to see the dead rise again by God's Command, at the sound of that horrible Trumpet, to take up the consumed and scattered pieces of their Body, to cloath themselves therewith, and each one unite it to his Soul, that he may appear at the dreadful Judgment-seat of God, waiting for the Sentence, either of Eternal Life, or of Eternal Death? Who can choose but be amazed with fear, to see the Almighty cloathed in Majesty, to come down with the Court of Heaven, armed with Justice, to be exercised against sin and wickedness? Who would not be dismayed, to see the Creator hurle flames of fire against all he hath created; to see Houses and Cities, Palaces and Kingdoms burnt together; and finally, to see the whole World destroyed in that cruel and dreadful Conflagration? Who would not even dye with fear, to see so many Angels, and so many De­vils together divided from one another, on the right hand, and on the left; expecting the word of Sentence to be put in execution? The Angels carrying the good to Eternal Joys, and the Devils dragging the wicked to Eternal Tor­ments.

4. How is it possible not to fear a Tribunal so dreadful, a Judgment so terrible, and a Sen­tence so formidable; from whence there is no Appeal, and the Execution whereof is either Life Eternal, or Death Eternal, for ever, for ever, for ever; so that they shall know no end of that ever, ever, ever? My Soul is asto­nished,[Page 68]and amazed in the consideration of the Universal Judgment: It is dismayed to think, and to imagine all this which is but as a Dream, thus represented to us in writing, in compari­son of what it will be, and of what we shall see it in effect.

5. Grant, O Lord, that I may tremble, bewail, lament, and sigh deeply for my sins and wickednesses, before I hear that killing Sentence pronounced against them by thy Di­vine lips. Grant that my Tears and Repen­tance, my Sorrow and Contrition, may make my polluted Soul fit to be washed and purified by thy most precious Blood; to the end I may never hear that confounding word, Go ye cur­sed into eternal fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.

6. O give me grace to imitate the Martyrs in Faith, the Confessors in Hope, and the Blessed Virgin thy most holy Mother, and all the rest of the Saints in Charity; to the end I may hear that most sweet, and most wel­come call of, Come ye blessed of my Father, in­herit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foun­dation of the world.

7. Oh that I had never offended thee my dearest Lord, that I might not see thee offend­ed! Oh that I had ever served thee, that I might see thee appeased! Mercy, sweet Savi­our, mercy in this Life, that I may find it in the Judgment, and in the Sentence of the Life to come! Prepare me, O Lord Jesus, for my particular Judgment, that I may be able to [Page 69]stand in thy Universal Judgment. Have mer­cy upon me, when thou shalt Judge me alone, to the end thou mayest have mercy upon me, when thou shalt Judge me and all the World together. O grant I may live with such care to judge and call my self to an Account in this Life, that the remembrance of that other which I must one day give to thee, and my earnest endeavour to make my self ready for it, may never depart out of my mind. Amen.

APRIL.

The First WEEK.
Of the Torments of Hell.

1. OH, what terrible things are these; Death, Judgment, Account, and Sentence, without any Remedy.

Yet there are things more terrible than all these, and they are, viz.

To be damned, and to suffer the Torments of Hell to all Eternity. Death is Life, Judg­ment is Joy; the Account is Pleasure, and the Sentence is Delight, in comparison of what it is, to depart from thence condemned to be thrown eternally into Hell and Damnation; and to suffer there, those intolerable pains, which a sinner hath deserved here. This is that which makes Death terrible, Judgment formidable, the Account insupportable, and the Sentence dreadful. Actions are measur'd by their Successes, and Causes by their Ef­fects.

2. If they had condemned me to lye for many years in some strait place, and some nar­row Dungeon, and always in obscure dark­ness,[Page 71]where mine eyes should never see the Light, that were a great Evil; but in Hell, the darkness is far more horrible, without the least hope of light.

3. If they had condemned me for ever, to suffer extremity of Torment, though but in one Hand, in one Foot, or in any one parti­cular Member; that were a great Evil: But in Hell, the whole Body and Soul suffer to­gether, without having one part or Member free to comfort another, and all of them suf­fering for ever! and ever!

4. If they had condemned me to some mo­derate pain of sense, and such as might have been endur'd, leaving my Thought and Un­derstanding free; yet that pain being for ever, would be a very great Evil; but that in Hell is far greater, for the pains that are suffered there, are unmeasurably sharper, both in their intension and extension.

5. If they had condemned me to lye a­mong Gally-Slaves, Traytors, and Murderers, the vilest and basest of Wretches; men of a­bominable Life, and worse Manners; this were a great Evil, to be tyed to such ill Company. But they condemn me to be amongst utter Enemies, who not only abhor, but would fain destroy one another, and themselves too; to hear nothing else but Yellings and Blasphemies, to see none but Tormentors executing their Rage, and their Revenge upon the damned, by a death that knows no death, and an end[Page 72]that is still beginning; and which keeps it du­ration even in the midst of Torment.

6. If they had condemned me to some li­mited time, though it were for a hundred years, to suffer such sharp and terrible pains; that were a great Evil, since we see that one year of acute pain is insufferable; how much more then for millions of millions of years? But for ever! for ever! for ever! to suffer in­numerable and remediless Miseries and Tor­ments, which have no end nor limitation, but must last eternally; who can be able to suffer and undergo them?

7. If they had condemned me to all these Sufferings in my Body alone, leaving my Soul free, that I might feel no more Affliction than what is caused by the Punishment of my Bo­dy, that were an intolerable Evil; but the tor­ment which is felt within, is greater than that without; and more insufferable is that excess of grief and anguish, which the never dying Worm of Conscience gives unto the Soul, than all the pains and torments which are laid upon the Body. These are, as it were, the body of Hell; but the soul of it, is the tor­ment of the Soul; far more intolerable and disconsolate. Yet this is but a slightdraught, a very remote and faint description of Hell in general; consider it now in particular.

The Second WEEK.
Of the Place of Hell.

1. COnsider now the Place of Hell; the Habitation of Devils, the hor­rible dwelling of the Damned; A dwelling, that is no dwelling; a habitation, that is no habitation; a place, that is no place, but hor­ror, darkness, fire, torment, and confusion. There is nothing in those unhappy Prisons that speaks order; there is nothing that speaks distinction; all is disorder, all is contrariety; all flame, and yet all obscurity. All that is seen there is fire and flame, which do torment, but not enlighten. The Place where those mi­serable wretches are condemned, is Sorrow; their Rest, is Affliction; their Food is burn­ing; and their walk, a passing from one ter­rible pain, to another more intolerable.

2. The Lodgings of that horrible Palace, are Racks and Tortures; the Halls and Gal­leries are fire and its continuance; the Cham­bers and Closets, are vexation and anguish; the Windows are darkness, and the Light, is to see nothing but miseries and woes. Think what they shall do and suffer there; who here im­ploy all their care, and spend all that Money [Page 74]which they owe to the Poor, in sumptuous Buildings, in stately Appartments, in costly Furniture, in curious Pieces, and in rich Ac­comodations.

3. Nature does require ease, comfort, joy, light and cheerfulness, but the Damned shall there find pain, affliction, grief, sadness and obscurity. How much does a Man suffer ly­ing in a dark Dungeon! Nay, how tedious it is to suffer an easie Bed, if a Man be kept there but two or three Years, nay but two or three Days, by any sharp infirmity; his weariness makes it a severe and a heavy Punishment! How much does a Man suffer being fastened to the Bank of a Gally, a Chain at his Foot, an Oar in both his Hands, and his Shoulders ex­posed to cruel Lashes! But alas, how spacious and lightsome are Dungeons! How pleasant is a sick Bed! and how delightful are Gallies, and the sharpest Pains of this mortal Life, in comparison of those unutterable Sufferings of the Damned in Hell!

4. Man's Nature desires fair Houses, large and cheerful Appartments; but that is a place strait, close and narrow, for the pain of it; and only great, wide and spacious, in the lasting of that pain. Nature requires room and liberty to walk; to dilate the Heart and cheer the Senses; but that is a place where the Limbs have no Motion, the Heart no En­largement, and where the Senses on all sides, meet howlings, tortures, griefs, stenches, fire, and confusion. Nature requires a place to de­light [Page 75]and recreate it self: But that place is all misery, and discomfort, torments, and more torments; Losses, Sorrows, and Sufferings, without end, without measure, and without remedy.

5. Finally, the place of Hell, is a place of calamities, even beyond all imagination, and of extremity of tortures for an eternal Dura­tion. Its limit, is to repeat eternity; it ceas­ing to be, is a new beginning; and a continu­al repetition of torment.

6. Now all this being so; is there any one that believes it, who would not suffer here, to the end he may not suffer hereafter? Woe be to thee, and me, if we do not consider here, and endeavour to prevent what is pre­pared, and what expects us there! Woe be to thee and me, if we do not examine, weigh, and bewail the times, wherein we have of­fended that eternal Judge, who condemns the most part of Mankind to that infernal abode, for not considering these things here while he gives them time to do it, and for neglecting his many calls, both of mercy, and chastise­ment; and thereby making Hell to become their own choice.

7. Is it possible, O my Jesus, that I have chosen that horrible place, by choosing Sin, and continuing in it! Yes; for God set before thee Life, and Death; Blessing and Cursing; and left the Election to thy self. Why then, Lord, if I have hitherto chosen Death, and that accursed place by sinning; grant I may[Page 76]get out of it, before I go into it; and that by repenting, by forsaking my sins, and by re­lieving thy poor Members, I may gain thee to be my Saviour; and at the last day be cal­led to thee with those comfortable words, Come ye Blessed of my Father, inherit the King­dom prepar'd for you from the Beginning of the World.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Company of the Damned, and of their pain of Sense.

1. IF that terrible Abode, were only a wide empty space, though sad, obscure and afflictive to the Wicked; yet without such ill Company, it might be more tolerable: But the fierce and cruel Inhabitants, and their hate­ful Company, is worse and more intolerable than the place it self. None but Devils, and damned Persons are the Neighbours of that in­fernal City. The Devils that are busily in­flicting Tortures, and the damned most impa­tient in suffering them; raging and blasphe­ming with incredible Fury. Nothing is heard there, but the noise of the Lash, and the cry of those that feel it; a sighing without com­sort, a groaning without ease, an eternal Woe,[Page 77]and alas, an endless weeping, wailing and gnashing of Teeth.

2. Their Lamentations, are Oaths, Curses and Blasphemies; they rage, despair; and they belch out Vengeance, without Revenge, and Wrath without Satisfaction. O good Jesus! The hearing of one Curse, the hearing of one Blasphemy, is sufficient to pierce a Heart and afflict a Soul; What will it then be, to hear so many horrid Curses and Blasphemies? This may be reckoned the very Hell of Hell it self. But alas! Lord, the Damned do not only hear and suffer them, but also utter them, and that is yet much worse, and more to be ab­horred. Rather, O Lord, let me suffer a Hell without pains; but without Sins and Blasphe­mies; than a Hell of Sins and Blasphemies, without any other pain.

3. In that unhappy and calamitous City, and among those wretched Citizens, all their Peace is Discord; all their Quiet, War; all their Comfort, Anger, all their Order, is Di­vision, Disagreement, and Confusion. Ima­gine thou didst behold a City where the In­habitants went up and down killing and burn­ing one another, with Swords and Fire-brands in their Hands; here loud Complaints; there louder Cries; here Rage, there Death, and Desperation. Such a place, were peaceable, and quiet in comparison of the Hatreds, Fight­ings and Discords that are in Hell: For those at last come to an end, when the Inhabitants have made an end of one another: But these [Page 78]instead of ending, are always beginning a new. The Sufferings of those have some mea­sure and limitation, but these have no degree below infinite, nor any limit short of Eterni­ty; and finally, the Companions, Friends and Neighbours of that dismal Abode, are only the Devils, and the Damned, most inveterate­ly hating and abhorring themselves and one another.

4. Think how the nice and delicate Person will be able to endure this surly boisterous Company, who by being used to suffer no­thing that can cross his tender Inclination, is become too haughty, and insolent to bear the Company of his own Family, or so much as bear with patience the attendance of his Ser­vants. How will the proud, scornful and dis­solute Woman, endure to see her self encom­passed with Devils, and with Souls as proud and imperious as her self; who cannot endure the Company of that Husband, which God has given her? How will the tyrannical Go­vernour, be able to suffer so many Devils to be his Superiors, and to tyrannize over him, who cannot suffer his Inferiors, though Loyal and Obedient, to live quietly under him? And how will the rebellious Subject, be able to suffer so many infernal Princes, to exercise over him the Empire of their cruel Wills, who never can suffer one good just and moderate Sovereign, ruling him according to the Laws?

[Page 79]5. Oh, if thou didst turn the Eyes of thy Consideration another way, and didst see loose and sensual Persons, instead of the delightful Embraces of their lustful Lovers, embraced and inflamed by Vipers and fiery Basilikes, and suffering unexpressible Torments, without any remedy or comfort; If thou didst see the Scornful, the Proud, the Haughty, trampled upon by Devils, dragg'd and despised by them, and burning in unquenchible Fire; If thou didst see the ambitious Grasping at the top of Flames and Smoak, and for ever suffering the Thirst, which that of their ambition kindled here in so short a Life; If thou didst see the rich covetous Miser, in eternal beggary and nakedness, without any other plenty but of Fire, Torment, Anguish, and Affliction; If thou didst see the beautiful and lascivious Wo­man, whose Sins and Vanities carry her to Hell; there become ugly, loathsome, and abo­minable; her Body parched with flames and her Soul racked with vexation and despair; If thou didst see the debauched Clergy-man, who instead of guiding Souls to Heaven, by his Doctrine, brings many to Hell by his evil Ex­ample, tormented there in living Flames; his holy Orders much increasing his punish­ment, and what was here his Honour, and his Ornament, becoming there the greatest Ag­gravation of his Crimes; If thou didst see the Glutton, and the Drunkard, the Epicure and the Libertine, there hungry and thirsty, lean and pale, all their Delights reduced to Fire[Page 80]and Brimstone, without one drop of Water to cool or quench their thirst; and instead of their delicate meats to be now devoured them­selves, and gnawed for ever by the Worm of their own Consciences; If thou didst see all this, and heard'st so many sad Cries and woe­ful Lamentations; so many Curses, Blasphe­mies and Confusions; If (I say) thou didst see, hear and well consider all this; Ah! how much more careful would'st thou be, to see, to hear and to live otherwise than thou hast done hitherto. Therefore, go down into Hell by consideration, while thou livest; that thou mayest not go down into it by con­demnation, when thou diest. Look well up­on it thus; and behold it now, to the end thou mayest not be thrown into it; now by Meditation, to the end thou mayest never see it any other way; nor be there compel­led to feel the weight of God's wrathful In­dignation.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Duration and the Pain of Loss; and of the Worm of Conscience.

1. IS there any Evil in Hell, greater than this? Can there be any other greater?

Yes, there is yet another, greater, and more cruel than all these; and that is the E­ternity of them.

2. If these horrible Misfortunes, Torments, and Miseries, were to last for a Hundred thousand Years, or for a hundred Millions of Years, and that then at last they might have an end; and that there did shine some glimpse of hope (though so remote) of their being ended, it were not absolutely Hell. It is no infernal Evil that hath a conclusion, nor can that be cal­led the Pain of the Damned, which can be seen (as it were behind) going away from them. That ever! ever! ever! eternity! eternity! eternity! is the Torment of all the Torments of Hell. To shut the door against all Mercy, for ever! To bolt and lock the Gates of Hell, and to throw the Key into the bottomless Pit, so that it shall never be taken out of it again! For the Damned to turn their Eyes on every side, and find all passages utterly barr'd up; to see [Page 82]the Dungeon not inhabitable, and yet closed up on every side, and to lie burning, and suf­fering in it to eternity; this, this is the Evil, of all the Evils of Hell!

3. Never! never! never to see the Face of God! That the Damned shall never be ad­mitted, to the Light of his heavenly Counte­nance! That they shall never have any benefit by the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he came to offer for them, as well as for the rest of Mankind, if they would have made them­selves capable of it! That the Devils shall ne­ver stir from their sides, nor cease one mo­ment to torment them! That they shall never be able to think one honest thought, to speak one vertuous Word, nor to do any one Acti­on, but what shall be abominably wicked! That they shall always go wishing, and seek­ing for Death, and yet never find it! That neither the Tormentor, nor the Tormented; nor the Torments themselves, nor the place of those Torments, shall ever come to an end! What is this, good Lord, what is this, but Horror, and Astonishment?

4. Ah, how my Thoughts are disturbed, and even distracted; and Nature it self is in amazement, and in a manner lost, in the Me­ditation of these Things! How well was it spoken of him that said, there were but two sorts of Punishments to be ordain'd in this World for all those that are the Followers of it, and that are deceived by it. One for the Here­tick, if he does not believe; and another for [Page 83]the Fool, if he believes and does not do ac­cordingly. Is there a Hell for ever? And yet we do we sin! Is there a Hell for ever? And yet do we not fear! Is there a Hell for ever? And yet do we not repent!

Oh! what a Terror is stricken into my Soul, by contemplating the Eternity of those Torments; But is it not hard that God should inflict eternal Punishments for temporal Of­fences?

Oh; take heed of judging thy Judge, who has forbidden thee to judge so much as thy Neighbour; how much more then thy Crea­tor! If thou wilt needs be judging, judge thy self, for that thou lawfully mayest do; but presume not to question his ways, for they are unsearchable, and his Judgments past finding out. Thou mayest as well empty the vastness of the Ocean, and pour all the Water of it into an Egg-shell, as fathom the Depths of his Proceedings, with thy shallow capacity. Yet there want not Reasons to convince thee of God's Justice, and to vindicate it from Incon­gruity. God sets before thee Blessing, and Cursing; Life eternal, and Death eternal, he shews thee the way to obtain the one, and to escape the other. He calls upon thee often in his Word, and by his Ministers to walk in the narrow way that leads to Life; but if still thou wilt go in that great Road, which thou know­est must of necessity bring thee to eternal Death, thou makest it thine own choice, and oughtest rather to blame thine own choice,[Page 84]and oughtest rather to blame thine own Folly, than God's Justice. He hath set before thee Heaven, and Hell, and out of his exceeding love, sent his own Son, to take Man's Nature upon him, on purpose that he might suffer Death, to redeem thee from the one; and purchase the other for thee. He swears, As I live, I will not the Death of a Sinner, but ra­ther that he would turn from his wickedness and live. He invites thee earnestly, saying, Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, and kindly ex­postulates? Why will ye die? But if after all this method of Mercy, Men will not be wrought upon, but will run on to their own destruction, which they are forewarn'd must be eternal, it is their own will, not God's se­verity, that is to be blamed: Besides if a Man sin as long as he can, even to his Death, and would continue to do so for ever, if he lived so long, which is not unknown to God, who searches the secretest corners of his Heart, and foresees his most hidden thoughts long before; that they are only evil, and that continually; can it be unjust that he should be condemned to suffer continually? He does what he can against God, by his Sin; and may not God justly correspond with him in punishment? He never ceased from Sins while he had pow­er to commit them, and God ceases not from punishing while he hath power to inflict it, which is for ever. Add to this, that an offence which may seem very small against an equal, becomes an heinous Crime, if committed a­gainst [Page 85]the Majesty of a King, by one of the basest of his Subjects. And if David, who was a great King calls himself a Worm, and no Man, humbling himself in the Presence of God; how vast must the disproportion be between God's infinite Majesty, and such a Worm as thou art, being so much inferior to David! Therefore even the smallest of thy Sins, committed against that infinite Majesty, must needs have an infinite guilt; and so may justly suffer an infinite punishment. More Ar­guments might be brought to this purpose, but to dispute those Points is not the business of this Design.

This is enough, to shew their Error; and teach them to beg pardon for it; beseeching God to forgive the lightest Thought, that can entrench upon his Justice, and to give them Grace to make such use of this Representati­on of those eternal Pains, as may make them careful instantly to forsake, and lament their Sins, and totally to apply themselves to ob­tain his Mercies.

5. If I have struck a Terror by representing the bodily Pains of Hell, and the Duration of them, how will it move thee seriously to con­sider, how far they are exceeded by the Tor­ments of that Worm of Conscience, which gnaws the Souls of the Damned; which kills them without suffering them to die; and which devours and consumes them, without any di­minution, or bringing them one moment near­er to their end. This is Hell in the Abstract.[Page 86]The Pains, and Torments of the Body, shew only the outside of those Vessels of Wrath, and of that Hell where they are tortured; but the inside of it, is that Worm of a Man's own Conscience, and his rage against himself, for his Sins and Follies. This is the bitterness of that Cup of Gall and Wormwood, where­with those Vessels are filled, they being com­pelled to drink and suck out the very dregs of it.

6. Oh what a sad thing it is, to hear the Damned howling out their woeful Lamentati­ons, grinding their own Hearts with doleful Complaints, and crying out. Ah! wo is me, that had it in my power to be saved, and so foolishly chose those wicked ways that hath brought me to this endless Misery! Ah! woe is me, how great a happiness have I lost! I had time, and means sufficient, and for not making use of them, I am come to suffer for ever in this hellish Dungeon. I was born, and bred a Christian, I had the Sacraments, and other outward Helps of the Church; and be­cause I regarded not those advantages, I am now here suffering these most cruel Tor­ments.

7. I despised the gracious, and gentle Com­mandments of my Lord God, and now I am forc't to undergo much harder Laws, and must submit to the most fierce and cruel Com­mands of Devils, suffering what they impose, eternally without remedy! I might have fol­lowed the Examples of the Godly, but I[Page 87]scorn'd, and mocked at those that gave me them. I might have forsaken, and wept for my Sins; but I delighted in them, and would not part from them, and now I neither can, nor would repent, neither would it profit me though I could; for should I weep never so much for them, tears here in Hell will avail me nothing.

8. I refused God's holy Inspirations, I har­den'd my self against the Checks of my own Conscience. I rejected the Calls and Reproofs of many excellent Preachers, I stopt my ears against the Advices and Counsels of Spiritual Guides, following in spite of all these, the Pleasures of my sensual Appetites; and now I suffer, and must suffer eternally those tor­ments which by well imploying a little time while it was in my power, I might easily have prevented and avoided.

9. Oh miserable wretch that I am, What have the Death and Passion of Jesus Christ serv'd me for, but to aggravate my Pains for having despised them! What have the Sacra­ments and other holy Mysteries of Religion served me for, but to increase my Torments! Oh! how it tears my Soul, to think that for a short and beastly delight, I am now thus grievously tormented, and must lie here ra­ging and suffering so long as God shall be God, without any ease or remedy! That my Pains, Miseries and Torments, must never, never have any end! That I must for ever, for ever lie howling, despairing and devouring my own [Page 88]Heart, with malice and envy against those that enjoy the Happiness, from which I must everlastingly be excluded.

10. Cursed be the Moment, in which my Mother conceived me, cursed be the Hour in which I was born; cursed be the Parents that begot me; cursed be all the Days of my wick­ed Life; cursed be all those that afflicted me to sin, and accompanied me in sinning; and cursed be I my self, who by my own fault, and folly have been the procurer of my eter­nal Damnation. Ah wretched and miserable Creature that I am, how much better were it for me, if I had never been born!

11. These and such other woeful Com­plaints, are the Damned continually uttering, and they are heard by God's Justice: But the Ear of his Pity and Compassion is always stopt against them. His Justice hears them, because it rejoices in making it self satisfaction, by the punishment of those Sinners that have offend­ed it: But his Mercy hears them not, be­cause they abus'd it, and because the time is past, wherein they might and would not re­ceive it.

12. Oh; but is there no remedy, dear God, no means to avoid so great a Mischief? Yes; and that is to prevent suffering, before thou comest to suffer, and to repent and lament thy sins before they come to be punished; To weep here, that thou mayest not weep there; to take pains in this Life, that thou may'st not endure pains eternally in the other; to give[Page 89]and receive Blessings here, that thou may'st neither give, nor receive Curses hereafter. To forsake and amend thy Sins and Offences for a short time, that thou mayest not be tor­mented for them to eternity when time shall be no more.

THE SECOND PART OF THE Spiritual Year, IN May, June, July, August.

MAY.

The First WEEK.

Of the Divine Benefits.

1. WHAT dismal Discourses have these been! How sad and dreadful!

2. It must be confess'd they have been so indeed, but by this sadness which is short, we[Page 91]must pass to that Joy, which is eternal. The darkness of the Night is followed by the Light of the Day; the Reward is gotten by labour; and the Battle must be fought, before the Con­quest and Crown can be obtain'd. Choose which thou wilt, either to begin with Pains in this Life, and end with Joy, which never shall have end; or to begin with momentary Plea­sures, and by following them end in the ever­lasting Pains of Hell. Thou can'st not avoid one of these two Extreams; If thou wilt have the Victory, there is a necessity of fight­ing; and if thou wilt fight it is as necessary to take pains, and suffer. If thou dost neither fight nor conquer, the Enemy will conquer and captivate thee; and having made thee his Captive, will carry thee to eternal Condem­nation. To him that overcometh, saith God, I will give the hidden Manna. This Manna is hidden, and therefore it is necessary to seek it, and to labour and sweat to find and to ob­tain it. And so, before thou comest to enjoy that high Kingdom of Glory, where that true Manna is to be found, thou seest it will be ab­solutely needful for thee to strive, and use thy utmost endeavours in the Kingdom of Grace. If thou dost not fight, if thou dost not conquer here, it will be impossible for thee to triumph there.

But thou wilt say, who is sufficient for these things? You have given me so deep a Sense of the Miseries and Frailties of Man's Nature, that I am quite discourag'd at my own Disa­bilities; [Page 92]for how can such a weak and wretch­ed Creature hope to get the Victory over such powerful Enemies?

If thou wert to stand upon thine one strength only, thou wouldst have reason indeed utterly to despair of Victory; but our strength is in the Lord, that made Heaven and Earth, and thou art to enter the Combat against the Spiritual Goliah, as David did against him of Gath, in the Name of the living God. Man is apt to think too well of his own Abilities, and to be too ventrous upon his own Strength, and therefore it was necessary to abase that self-conceit; but if thou hast really attain'd to that high Point of Knowledge, which makes Men low in their own Eyes, thou art thereby in a safer Condition, and much more able to withstand all danger. St. Paul says, When I am weak then I am strong, and in ano­ther place, I can do all things through him that strengthneth me, for our sufficiency is of God. Thy own weakness will make thee rely only upon thy God, an from this knowledge of thy self, thou mayest come to some knowledge of him. Excuse not thy Sloth and Cowar­dize, by laying the fault upon the Frailty of thy Nature; for that is but to accuse God as an hard Master that expects much, where he gives but little. No he expects no more from any Man, than what he enables him to per­form. Raise therefore thy Courage by Con­templation of those divine Benefits he hath be­stowed upon thee; Make clear the Glass of [Page 93]thy Soul, and in it thou shalt see God, and shalt hear and find him; for although God be in all places by his Essence, Power, and Pre­sence; yet is he no where better seen and known, than where he is present through Grace. What a number of things wilt thou find with­in thee by beholding God within thy self! What Treasury! What Chearfulness! What Joy! What Wisdom!

St. Augustin seeks God over all the World, and says of himself, That he sought, but could not find that without him, which he already had within him. He entred into himself, and there found what he had sought, though he could not find it by wandring abroad. If thou hast God within thy self, in vain wilt thou seek him elsewhere. 'Tis within thy Soul, 'tis within thy Heart that this Precious Treasure is to be found. If not there, then no where else. As soon as thou findest him within thee, thou shalt see ineffable Lights, and meet with Directions that shall guide thee to keep him fast within thy self, and yet to find him every where without thee also. Thou shalt learn to trust him, and by that to fear him. There shalt thou see the Divine Bene­fits, what he has done in thy favour, without thee, above thee, and on every side of thee; thou shalt find it all there. There shalt thou see and meditate, what thou owest him, and by thy internal and superiour knowledge, thou shalt be able to see, to ponder, and to penetrate, what before thou neither didst see, nor know, nor love, nor consider.

Of the Benefit of Creation.

Thou shalt see the good he did thee in Crea­ting thee, in making thee a reasonable Crea­ture, in giving thee a Soul, and forming in thee an admirable Image of his Heavenly Countenance. Thou shalt see what he did for thee, in drawing thee out of the Abyss and Confusion of nothing, to be capable of all things. Thou shrit see what he did, in that when it was in his power to make thee a Stone, a Tree, or a brute Beast, he made thee a Reasonable Creature, and capable of God himself. Tell me, what hadst thou done, that could oblige him to it? Upon what merits did this high Benefit fall? Didst thou perhaps win him to it by thy sins, which were then present to him at thy Creation?

Oh how unspeakable is that Benefit, bestow­ed even in the sight of Ingratitude itself! That God should have all my sins present before him at my Creation, and should yet Create me; that in Creating me he should fix his eyes upon his own Mercy, and cast my sins behind his back; this was a goodness more wonderful than can well be conceived. The anger of a liberal Person grows enraged by the presence of an ungrateful one, whom he has relieved; and yet here my Creator not only was not angry, but in the sight of all my Offences bestowed a Benefit upon me, which it had been much to have granted upon the highest Services.

[Page 95]Behold, how greatly we are indebted to God for Creating us reasonable Men, at the same time he beheld our sins, making us ca­pable to bewail them, and flexible, docil, and disposed (through his Grace) to wash them with our Tears. By this first and principal Benefit he filled us with infinite other Bene­fits; for in giving us that chief Jewel the Soul, all the rest, though greater, are less; because they all depend upon that.

It is more to be a Man, than to be a Great Man. It is more to be a Man, than all that can be contained in the Being of Man. It is much to be Wise, but it is more to be Man, than to be Wise, because he could not be Wise unless he were a Man. It is much to be Rich, Powerful, and Noble, but more to be a Man, because he has all those by being Man. It is much to be a King, but more to be a Man, because without being a Man, he could not be a King. It is much to be Good, Holy, and Vertuous, but it is more to be a Man, because he could be none of these without a Rational Soul, which makes him to be a Man.

Know thy Dignity, O Man, and use it with respect, and do not abase that part of thee, which is Man, to the level of that other, which is but Animal. Let not sin defile that Soveraign, and that Coelestial Majesty, which thou hast in thy Soul; for to spot, blemish, and deface it, is great sin and ingratitude. To make thee a Man, was to give thee all that[Page 96]is visible, and to make thee capable of all that is invisible. What Thanks, what Services do these Benefits require? To make thee a Man, was to make thee Head, King, and Soveraign of this inferiour Nature. He chose thee for Prince of the Planets, of the Sun, of the Moon, and of the Stars. Finally, he gave thee the Elements, all things mixt, and all the several Individuals, for thy Contemplation, and for thine Inheritance.

Thus God's Creating Man, and giving him a Rational Soul, is the chiefest and greatest of all the Gifts he hath bestowed upon Men; for although afterwards he enriched them with others of his Grace, which are more excellent, yet they all depend on that of Nature. They are Benefits, which fall upon this first Benefit, and without which they could be of no Effi­cacy or Advantage.

But let me not pass over in silence, or for­get to mention in particular those other admi­rable and illustrious Endowments, which in Creating thee a Man, and giving thee a Soul, God hath furnished thee with, so vastly sur­passing those of the inferiour, and irrational Tribe; I mean the glorious and sublime powers of thy Soul, by which it operates; for how do they transcend the low Capacities of sen­sitive Beings? How noble and excellent are thy Faculties, and how wonderful their Opera­tions, in respect of the grosness and inactivity of theirs?

[Page 97]Thou hast an Understanding capable of knowing all things, able to draw Inferences from precedent Propositions, and to frame Conceptions of universal and immaterial Ob­jects. God hath given thee ability (if thou wouldst improve it) to penetrate into the pro­foundest depths of Humane Knowledge, and in some measure into his Divine Essence; thou art able to make some discovery of those in­finite Perfections, which concentre in him the Original of all Perfections, and to soar up by Contemplation into the highest Heavens, where this infinite and incomprehensible Nature most eminently resides. Thou art able from things made and visible to collect the absolute neces­sity of the existence of some first Being, which is the Author of them, and invisible. Thou seest the frame of Nature contriv'd in a won­derful manner, and beholdest innumerable Creatures of all kinds, some having but Being; others, Being and Life; a third sort, Being, Life, and Motion; a fourth, Being, Life, Mo­tion, and Sense; a fifth, Being, Life, Motion, Sense, and Reason; and from hence thou art able to infer, that there must be a Creator of them, since nothing can make itself, and so proceeding through the whole Chain of Causes, thou comest at last to one first Cause of all things, which is eternal, self-existent, and in­dependent; and to him thy understanding bids thee ascribe infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, all which Attributes were most il­lustriously displayed in the Creation of the[Page 98]Universe. And further, as by the light of this Principle thou art able to discover the Being of God, so by the same thou art enabled to com­prehend thy Duty to Adore, Reverence, Wor­ship, Serve, and Obey him. Thou knowest, thou couldst be made for nothing but for his Service, and that his having made thee gives him a most indisputable Right to thy Obedi­ence and Homage; thou knowest the diffe­rence between Good and Evil, and apprehend­est not only what is pleasant or unpleasant to the Senses, (which is the utmost degree of Knowledge that the brute Creatures arrive at) but also what is honest or dishonest, just or unjust, morally good, or morally evil, and art sensible of thy Obligations to prosecute the one, and avoid the other; and from hence it is, that thy Conscience, that internal Witness and Judge, seldom fails to excuse and comfort thee, when thou dost thy Duty, or to accuse and torment thee with uneasie thoughts, when thou committest Sin. Further, this unvaluable Benefit qualifies thee for Society and Govern­ment, (Blessings not known or enjoy'd by the lower rank of Creatures, which are unsociable and incapable of Discipline or Order) and capacitates thee for that, which we deservedly account a most desirable happiness, the Con­versation of thy Friends, and of those of thine own kind, without which thou wouldst be disconsolate and miserable.

O inexpressible Benefit of thy bountiful Maker! deserving thy most intense meditation,[Page 99]and the service of thy whole life. What re­turn canst thou make to God for this singular Gift? What requital worthy of so vast a Fa­vour? Has God made thee an Understanding Creature, and given thee a Capacity to com­prehend not only Natural Objects contain'd in this low Sphere of matter, but also things supernatural above the reach of sense? Let it then be thy principal care to endeavour after an improvement of this Noble Faculty, to employ it about things that are suitable to its Dignity, but above all to know God and his Son Jesus Christ, which is Eternal Life. Con­sider how it imports thee to acquire a due knowledge of those Holy and Divine Truths, which God hath been pleased to manifest con­cerning himself; and whatever escapes thee, suffer not thy self to be ignorant or unskill'd in those Sacred Oracles, which contain the will of God to be performed by thee, if thou desirest to partake of his Glorious Promises, or ever to enter into his beatifick Presence. 'Tis the Gift of God, that thy Nature is en­riched with this high Ornament and Perfecti­on, and therefore use it to his Glory, and have a constant regard to his Honour in the em­ployment of it. Let thy whole aim bet to magnifie God thereby, and have a care of dishonouring him by his own Gift, which he gave thee for thy benefit, but to be used in his Service. In a word, seek all occasions to shew thy thankfulness for it, to celebrate the goodness of thy Divine Benefactor, and to[Page 100]shew forth his Praise by applying it constantly to the glorification of his great and venerable Name.

But besides this Faculty of Understanding, thou hast yet others, which are no less excel­lent and sublime, for which thou art equally obliged and indebted to thy liberal Creator. He has given thee Memory, that Store-house of Science, and common Receptacle of all things that are apprehended by the Under­standing, an Endowment most eminently use­ful and beneficial to thee. To this thou com­mittest, as to a Guardian or Register, what­ever thy Judgment or Imagination presents, drawing it forth again, and remanding it back, when occasion requires. In this thou treasu­rest up the Images of things, and lodgest in­numerable Idea's vastly different from each other, the most disagreeable Objects being therein reconcil'd, and joyn'd together with­out the least jarring or discord, confusion, or disorder; and which is most wonderful, by how much the greater the multitude of the Objects is, that are fastened there, by so much the more space there remains for others; and by how much the more thou endeavourest to croud and to fill it, so much the more it will still hold, it being capable of an infinite ex­tension. From the assistance of this Faculty thou derivest many great and considerable Ad­vantages. Thou art enabled thereby to reflect upon thy past Actions and Follies, in order to amend them for the future; to represent things[Page 101]absent and gone, as present before thee; to descant upon the Mercies of God, which have been formerly extended to thee, and upon thine own Ingratitude in making him no other re­turn for them, but disobedience and sin; and remembring how vile thy Practices have been, by this means thou mayest conceive an hatred and detestation of them, and be brought to Repentance. Finally, by the help of this Gift, thou mayest recollect the principal passages of thy Life, and recal to mind, what thou hast done amiss, which is the first step to Contri­tion and Amendment.

Since therefore God hath vouchsafed to en­due thee with so admirable a Perfection, and to plant in thy Soul so useful and excellent a Faculty; strive to embellish and adorn it with suitable Objects, and consider how thou art obliged above all things to remember thy Crea­tor, and to lay up his Word within thy heart. Remember him who gave thee Memory, and bear in mind thy great Engagement to him for this Benefit. Be careful to treasure up his precious and saving Truths, nor let his Good­ness and Bounty to thee be ever forgotten. 'Tis a most unnatural Ingratitude, not to re­member him, whose Gift it is, that thou re­membrest any thing else, and to let him slip out of thy memory, who took care to furnish thee with that Noble Treasury, for the Enter­tainment of himself, and of things that are agreeable to thy Nature.

[Page 102]Nor are these all the Advantages which thou enjoyest, from God's having given thee a rea­sonable Soul; thou hast still something of equal Worth and Excellency with the former En­dowments, deserving thy Thankfulness and Acknowledgment. Thou hast a Will unca­pable of constraint or force, which above all other Possessions is most properly thine own, in thine own power, and not subject to any ex­ternal violence. Thy Understanding may be taken from thee by several Accidents and Dis­eases, and thou mayest be depriv'd of thy Me­mory by sundry Mischances, but nothing can despoil thee of thy Will, or hinder the free­dom of its Operations. Thou canst choose, or refuse, act or not act, and art exempt from that fatality, whereby inanimate Beings are mov'd: Thou hast no necessity upon thee to determine thy Actions this or that way, nor art thou led by Natural Instinct with the Brutes to pursue those things, which make for thy good, but by Election and Choice, having an absolute liberty, either to follow or reject, what is outwardly represented to thee. Thou canst not be compelled to do such things, as are evil and prejudicial to thee, but 'tis purely thine own act. The Devil himself, that great Tempter, can only sollicit and allure, perswade and entice thee, he cannot force thee to do any immoral Action, nor all the Powers of Darkness; much less have men any Authority over thy Will. They must obtain thy con­sent, before they can draw thee into sin, and[Page 103]thou must will the evil, before thou canst act it. 'Tis in thy power, whether thou shalt fol­low the Counsels and Suggestions of wicked men, or whether thou shalt refuse to be led by them, nor is it possible that thy Will should be driven by compulsion or violence to the prosecution of Objects, which it does not first seek and desire.

Consider then the greatness of this Gift, and study how to express thy gratitude to God for it. Since he has made thee Agent, and given thee Election, take heed, that thou direct thy Choice to such things, as tend to his Honour, and thine own Benefit. Be sure to govern thy Will by the Rule of Reason, and let no Passions or Temptations prevail to vitiate or corrupt it, for otherwise that which is in itself a great Blessing, will prove to thee a Curse, and an Instrument of Misery. Remem­ber thou art under a Moral, though not a Na­tural Restraint; that 'tis thy Duty to will only such things as are good and honest, though thou hast power to embrace the contrary. God leaves thee to thy freedom, whether thou wilt obey him by practising such Duties as he hath commanded in his Word, and be saved; or whether thou wilt disobey him by pursuing those Vices, which he has forbidden, and be damned. He leaves it to thy choice, whether thou wilt use the means that lead to Eternal Life, or to Eternal Death. Be not therefore so regardless of thy Happiness, as to choose Misery, and so utterly unthinking, as to make[Page 104]Damnation thine own choice. O consider how much depends upon the due regulation of thy Will, and labour to restrain its un­bounded freedom within the limits of thy Du­ty. Apply it only to Vertue and Goodness, and thy Reward shall be a Crown of Glory, and everlasting Peace.

The Second WEEK.

Of the Institution of Matrimony.

GOD having Created Man, and perfectly furnish'd him with suitable Faculties, did next provide him a meet Help, and a com­fortable Companion, blessing them for the pro­pagation of Mankind by the Institution of Ma­trimony; and though it was abus'd by Poly­gamy, yet Christ afterwards reduc'd it to its Primitive state, telling the Jews, that from the beginning it was not so, for Male and Fe­male created he them. He himself honoured that State by being born of a Virgin betrothed to an Husband, with whom she lived, as in Wedlock. He honoured it also by being pre­sent at the Marriage in Cana of Galilee, work­ing there a wonderful Miracle, which was his first. He communicates particular Graces and Gifts to it: First, that of Fidelity to Husbands,[Page 105]to the end, that a Man, who ought to give Example to his Wife, may not run into that which is forbidden, by forsaking that which is allowed him; and to the Woman, that she may not be false and treacherous to her Hus­band. And as it is a Bond, which cannot be untyed; so nothing should untye the Affections of their hearts. To this Grace of Fidelity and reciprocal Chastity, he gives that of Patience, to enable them to bear the burdens of Marriage, which are great; That the Wife should bear the condition of her Husband, and that the Husband should provide Maintenance for the Wife, and that both carrying that holy Yoke upon their shoulders, may go on with equal steps in the ways of Vertue and Religion, ta­king care of their Children and Family with Humility and Prudence. This Patience is the seasoning of that Holy State, without which the married Pair must be undone. Where there are Troubles, Patience is necessary; as Remedies are, where there are Wounds. The Soul and Body, how close soever united, yet are not always at agreement with themselves, but ever and anon there are Quarrels between them. How then shall the Husband and Wife agree always, who, though they be two in one flesh, as the Soul and the Body, yet they are two several Persons, and each in itself remains one. One of the great wonders of the Grace of this Holy Institution, is, to preserve two Persons of several Sexes, and often of contra­ry Conditions and Humours, united together,[Page 106]which is done by Patience. A great Miracle! To live tied to one another with that strict Bond, and yet to act with quietness and tran­quillity, each seeking the good of the other, as much as their own. Who, but God, could bring Peace out of Diversity, and Concord out of Contrariety? And though married Per­sons do frequently live in Discord, that is not the fault of the Institution, but our misery and frailty, which throws away the Grace and Be­nefit which might be receiv'd from it. If a rich man should offer me his Riches, and I turn away from him; Is he ever the less rich, be­cause I refuse them? If the Sun enlightens me, and I shut my Windows, and do choose dark­ness; does it cease to give light, because I will not see it? This Institution is light, is holy, is pure. If the married Couple do not dis­pose themselves to receive it; If they choose Discord, rather than Agreement; to persecute, rather than to bear with one another, and to hate, rather than to love one another; this they may do without being married, for there be many that live in Dissention, besides Men and Wives; but to live, to agree, to be united in affection, and to have a mutual complyance for so long a time as the whole Life, nothing but the Grace of God giving a Blessing to them, can effect; as he does in those, who dispose themselves for such Attainments. Thus if there be disagreeing Couples, it is because they do not conform themselves to serve and to please God, who is the Author of those[Page 107]Blessings; and if they would but reconcile themselves to God, they would soon be recon­cil'd in Peace to each other. The Holy Ghost tells us, that Zachary and Elizabeth were righteous before God, walking in all the Commandments, and Ordinances of God blameless; and thence it was, that they lived peaceably together. If the chief Wheels in a Clock be in disorder, the less cannot move regularly. A Bone out of Joynt gives great torment, till it be put into its right place again; and so the Man and Wife, being at variance with God, till they be set right there, there will be nothing but disorder and quarrelling between them; but that difference being compos'd, their Conju­gal state will be a state of Comfort and Hap­piness, and in every respect a great and High Blessing.

Of Civil Society, and Government.

Mankind being propagated and multiplyed by the means of that Divine Institution; from hence arise in the first place Families, which, as Aristotle observes in his Politicks, are the first Societies in Nature, the Ground and Original, the Nurseries and Seminaries of all the rest; and from them larger Societies, and Bodies Politick. And from this mutual Combina­tion and Fellowship, who does not see the great good and benefit accruing to Mankind in general? What inestimable Advantages spring from such an Union and Association?[Page 108]'Tis certain, by Nature we are all dependent, and cannot live without the mutual Assistance of our fellow-creatures; we must be behold­ing to others for things necessary, without which our very Being cannot be preserved; and therefore to supply those defects and im­perfections which are in us living singly and solely by our selves, we are even naturally in­duced to seek communion and fellowship with others.

And the Benefit of a Sociable Life suffici­ently appears, in that Nature has implanted in all Men a strong desire of it, which shews it to be in all respects advantageous and profita­ble; for otherwise such a desire had never been so universally engrafted in the Constitu­tions of Men. Civil Society does more con­tent the Nature of Man, than any kind of private solitary living; because in Society the good of mutual participation is so much lar­ger, than otherwise. Nor indeed are we sa­tisfied with a Society bounded within the nar­row limits of our Native Country, but we covet to have a kind of Fellowship (if pos­sible) with all Mankind. Which thing So­crates intending to signifie, professed himself a Citizen, not of this or that Common-wealth, but of the World. And an effect of that de­sire in us (to have universal Fellowship with all Men) appears by the wonderful delight men have, some to visit Foreign Countries, some to discover Nations not heard of in for­mer Ages; and all of us to know the Affairs[Page 109]and Dealings of other People, yea, to be in League and Amity with them. And does not Reason tell us, that by this means Traffick is promoted, and when many are confederated, each may make other the more strong? Is it not evident, that by such Confederations and Compacts the general Good is advanced, and the publick Tranquillity secured? How is it possible for the Interest and Welfare of Man­kind to be provided for, without men's being link'd and united in such settled Societies, where each Individual is obliged to study and to consult the Common Advantage, and every Member to be serviceable to the good of the whole Body? And therefore the confounding of Languages was rightly accounted a Curse to the Old World, because thereby men were rendred incapable of mutual Commerce, and debar'd the great Priviledges resulting from thence. They became Barbarians to each other, and lost the sweet Benefit of Society and Converse, without which all Delights are insipid, all Order is disturb'd, and all Safety banish'd.

And as the Benefit and Necessity of such Communions, and Politick Societies is great, so consequently Laws for the maintenance of them must be equally necessary and beneficial, the just power of making which Laws belongs properly to the same entire Societies; which having gained a Publick Approbation, do af­terwards obtain an obliging force, and be­come binding to every particular Member.[Page 110]And without this Government and Discipline, it is not conceivable, how any Societies can consist; for if, when there was but one Fa­mily in the World, no means of Instruction, either Humane or Divine, without positive Laws, could prevent the effusion of Blood; how is it possible now, when Families are so multiplyed and increased on the Earth, but that without Laws, Envy, Strife, Contention, and Violence must grow amongst them?

There is no impossibility indeed in Nature, (Man retaining his original Integrity) but that Men might have liv'd without any publick Government; but presupposing the Corrupti­on and Sinfulness of Man and of his Off­spring, it cannot be denied, but that the Law of Nature doth now require of necessity some kind of Government; so that to bring things to the first course they were in, and utterly to take away all kind of publick Government in the World, were apparently to overturn the whole World. It must be acknowledged that Government is the effect of Sin; but yet that does not in the least detract from its necessity or usefulness to Men. Those Laws of right Reason, which in a State of Innocency had been sufficient to direct each particular Person in all his Affairs and Duties, are not now suffi­cient nor able to serve, since the Corruption of our Nature, when Mens iniquity is so diffi­cultly restrained within any tolerable bounds; but do require the Addition of other Laws, to which it has always been found needful to an­nex[Page 111]Rewards, to allure unto Good; and Pu­nishments to deter from Evil. These are the Instruments, which uphold the World in Or­der, and keep it from running into a State of Confusion, and Violence. These are the Bridles, which restrain the Exorbitant Passions of Men, and contain them within due bounds; and these alone secure us in the Possession of our just Rights, which otherwise we might be depriv'd of by an unjust force without a possibility of Redress. In a word, without this Bulwark and Defence, there would be no­thing but grievances and wrongs, injuries and endless discord. The World would not be able to subsist, nor we to live in it without daily Fears and Jealousies; for whither would not the impetuous and turbulent Passions of Men drive them, if they were at liberty to take their full career, without controul or re­straint? What would not the Wickedness of Men attempt, if all things might be commit­ted with impunity? 'Tis therefore to Govern­ment, that we owe the Possession of whatever is dear to us, and for that reason we may deserved­ly account it a most unvaluable Blessing, deriving it self from God, the Author of all good Gifts; without which we can have no secure enjoy­ment of any thing that is valuable, but must be in continual fears of being dispossess'd of it by violent Aggressors, who being more power­ful will not dispute the Right or Equity of the Matter. If the Irregularities and Vices of Men can hardly be curb'd by the most severe[Page 112]Sanctions and Penalties; what would they not dare to enterprize, if they were exempted from those Penalties, and were wholly left to themselves, to act as they please, without fear of punishment? What dismal consequences would this produce! And therefore we can never sufficiently extol the inexpressible Bene­fits of publick Government and Laws, nor yet that God, who has graciously enabled us to find out and enact such Laws, as are most fit, and expedient, for our mutual Preservation and Welfare.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Benefit of Preservation; and first of our Bodies.

TO the Benefit of Creation with all those advantages already spoken of must be added that of our Preservation; for if to make thee a Man was so great a thing, and to give thee reason to understand, and means to make advantage of Blessing, shall it be accounted less to preserve thee from returning again to nothing? It is a great Matter to conquer, but it is no less to keep what has been gotten by Conquest; That Benefit was effected in a short time; God dispatch'd thy Cretion in [Page 113]an instant, but how many Years does he pre­serve that Life, he then bestowed upon thee, and all that while nourish, protect, and de­fend thee? Is this to be less accounted of than that? Life and Health are common Blessings, (nor yet are they the less to be valued for be­ing common) but those personal Mercies, which he hath shew'd to thee and me, how great, and how many are they?

His care in preserving thee began from the very first moment of thy Conception, he quicken'd thee, when thou wert but an Em­bryo; He nourished thee in thy Mother's Womb, and preserved thee in preserving her, that thou mightest not be the untimely Fruit of a Woman, which never sees the Sun. He kept thee alive in that close Imprisonment, where it was impossible for thee to breath, and at the just time of Birth brought thee forth into the open Air of this World, where it was impossible for thee to live one minute without breathing. Here thou found'st ready prepared for thee (the most proper Aliment for the Weakness of Infancy) two Fountains of Milk in thy Mother's Breasts, and when thou knowest nothing else, he made thee know the use of them, and taught thee to suck, as soon as they were presented to thee, He filled the Heart of thy Mother with such a natural Love and Tenderness towards thee, that when thou could'st do nothing else, but disturb the Repose so needful for her at that time, she for­got the thoughts of her own present weakness,[Page 114]to take care of all things that were requisite for thee, and thou that wert born more helpless than any other Creature, had'st by his Goodness more helps provided for thee, than all the rest of the Creatures put together. Thy Flesh was washed from its pollution, thy Nakedness co­vered, thy feeble Limbs swathed to prevent their being crooked and deformed, and when thy Mother broke her sleep by night, and disquiet­ed her rest by day, to rock and tend thee, it was he that gave her Ability and Courage to go through with that difficult Task, to support the weakness of thy Legs; and made her tire her self with stooping, that thou might'st learn to go upright, and to speak with a faultring Tongue, that thine might be able to speak plain. What but the Power of God for thy Preservation, could have made her find a plea­sure in so much real pain and trouble? He made her Eye continually watchful over thee, when a small neglect might have been the loss of thy Life, by any of those accidents, which we frequently see happen to other Children. The carelesness of a Servant lets one fall out of a Window, another into the Fire, or the Water; how many are maimed or cripled by a thousand several Mischances, but God hath not only preserv'd thy Life, and the use of thy Limbs, but that of thy Senses also, the great Value and Benefit whereof ought to be consider'd, though we never sufficiently esteem it, till we come to feel the want of them;[Page 115]yet their loss is greatest to those, that never had them to loose.

For if thou hadst been born deaf, thou like­wise must of necessity have been dumb, and since nothing can come into the Understand­ing but by the gate of some one of the Senses, whereof the Ear is the chiefest for receiving the Notions of Truth and Wisdom, in what a tedious stupid Life hadst thou lingered thy time out? being by the want of hearing depri­ved of the most comfortable part of Life, the Conversation of Friends unable to discourse with them, or with thine own thoughts, which would have been empty through the Igno­rance of those things, that should afford Mat­ter for that pleasing and profitable Entertain­ment. And if thou hadst been born blind, thou would'st not only have wanted the Com­fort of all those delightful Objects the World affords, but also the easiest and speediest way or means of Knowledge. The Eye teaches us many things in an instant, which a blind Man can never come to conceive by all the Descriptions that can possibly be made of them, and the want of Eyes doth also in a great mea­sure take away the use of Legs, Sight giving both the occasion and means of going from one place to another. Thus the loss of any Sense is more than a single loss; and even the want of Smelling, which is the Sense might best be spar'd, is commonly accompanied with a great defect in the Taste, so needful for the distinguishing of wholesome from tainted[Page 116]Meats, and the Pleasure whereof God hath added to our hunger, that both of them may daily call upon us to eat for the preserving of our Lives. For were it not for those two In­citements, can we think Men would take all that pains, and be at so much cost and trouble, as they are about their Tables, only out of a care for the maintaining of Life, when we daily see them by that very means destroy their Health and shorten their Lives? more perishing by Gluttony and Drunkenness than by the Sword. Nor hath God only given us an Appetite to eat, and a Pleasure in eating, but for the same end hath also given a nutritive Quality to each several sort of meat and drink, without which our Bodies could receive no more nourishment by those we account the most substantial Meats, nor by the choicest Wines, than by pouring Water into our Hats, or by putting Stones into our Pockets.

I should not have been so particular in this Discourse, but to bring thee to consider and admire, from how small, how weak, how wretched beginnings, by what strange means, and by what wonderful Protections, the Pro­vidence of God conducts Men through those many difficulties and dangers, which every Year, nay every day, and hour of their Child­hood, of their early Youth, and growth to Man's Estate, they are subject to, till in the midst of these they (under his support) attain to that strength of Body, to that sagacity of Mind, and that undauntedness of Heart,[Page 117]which makes them capable of the most de­sperate, and seemingly impossible underta­kings.

Behold one, whom a while ago thou sawest lying in his Cradle, unable to stir either Hand or Foot, now venturing to encounter the most fierce and savage Beasts, and not only taming the unruly Horse, but bringing even Lions and Elephants under his Subjection. Here Men dig Mines the depth of many Fathoms under ground, and there they build Towers and Pyramids of as many above it. Here a mighty Emperor joins Land to Land, by ma­king a Bridge over a Bay of the Sea; there a most potent King attempts to join Sea to Sea, by cutting a Passage of many Miles from the Mediterranean to the Ocean. Behold them leading huge Armies, and cutting through Mountains that oppose their passage, to rush upon Pikes and Swords, as if they were resol­ved to be killed in spite of God's Protecti­on.

Thus when Men are grown up to their greatest Strength instead of being more able to defend themselves against those manifold Dangers and Diseases we are naturally subject to; they on the contrary have gotten but the more Power, and the more Liberty to run in­to them by the Prosecution of their violent Passions. The aspiring Ambition of one Man, the greedy Covetousness of another, their un­ruly Lust, or enrag'd Jealousie, their insolent Pride, or their furious Anger, exposing them [Page 118]continually to the Revenge of some impla­cable Enemy.

But if God hath given some the Grace to govern their Passions with more moderation; yet the necessary occasions of their Business or Calling, may several ways make them also ly­able to numberless dangers, as of Tempest and Shipwracks, of Piracy and Slavery in Voyages by Sea; of Falls, and Precipices, of Robbe­ries and Murders in journeys by Land, and of loss of Life in the Wars, either by Sea or Land. But if neither their Profession, nor any other accident have engag'd them in these, there are Plagues and Famines, Lightnings and Thunders, Conflagrations and Earthquakes, Sea-breaches, and Inundations with divers other publick Calamities, which even Persons of the most quiet and retir'd Condition are subject to. Besides the particular Mischances of drowning, burning, and many more such like, than possibly can be imagined, from which no sort of Persons can be exempted; so that it is no wonder that Men die, but the great wonder is, when any one lives to be very old, and were it not for the Power of an Al­mighty Protection, the sight of a very aged Man would be counted little less than a Prodi­gy. How many thousands perish before or in their Birth? How many have Mothers more hard-hearted than the Estrich, which is said to leave her Eggs exposed upon the bare Rocks, and to regard them no further? Nay, and some Monsters much more barbarous, do most [Page 119]cruelly destroy their innocent Babes to con­ceal their own Infamy. How many in their Childhood, how many in their Youth are snatched out of this World by one or other of the forementioned Accidents? Not one of an hundred living to forty Years, nor one of a thousand to double that Age; and for those few that do, their Strength then is but Labour and Sorrow, so soon passeth it away, and we are gone. Those that dwell in populous Ci­ties, are every hour put in mind of this truth by the continual tolling of Bells, and by their frequent meeting those, that are carrying dead Bodies to be buried, every one of which thou art to look upon, as a preservation of thy self, who hadst dropp'd into the Grave before them, if his hand had not upheld the weight of thy Mortality, which naturally tendeth thi­ther. The Mischiefs which some do suffer, are the Benefits of those that escape: Blindness, Lameness, Crookedness, Dumbness, Deafness, and all Diseases whatsoever another suffers, are so many Obligations thou hast to God, that frees thee from them. Their harms are thy Bles­sings, since thou ought'st to have suffer'd, if thou hadst not been pardoned, all that they suffer, who are so punished; and if thou hast not suffered these Mischances, how many more, which thou knowest not of, would have happened to thee, if God had not pre­serv'd thee from those dangers? His Preserva­tion of thy Safety is manifested to thee in those many miserable Objects thou seest about[Page 120]the Streets, since without his particular Fa­vour thou mightest have been in the same, or in a worse Estate.

Whensoever therefore thou beholdest any of those wretched Creatures, gastly pale, and lean with sickness, or almost starv'd with hun­ger, loathsome with Sores and Ulcers, or na­ked with Poverty and Beggary; Whenever thou seest the Members of one consumed and shrivel'd up by Fire, or of another blasted and withered by Lightning, or finally any of those lamentable Spectacles, from which thou turn'st away thine Eyes through horrour, let their Misery at the same time move thy Heart with Compassion to thine own Image, and with thankfulness to thy God, that thou thy self art not in that woful Condition. Consider him as a Man of the same Nature with thy self, as one whose manner of Birth was just like to that of the greatest Monarch; though in this World God hath set the one upon a Throne, and laid the other on the Dunghill. Say then, O Lord, this is my Picture, and just such an one might I now have been, if thy preser­ving Mercy had not put so vast a difference between us. As I have daily new occasions to remember this Mercy; so let me daily praise thee for it with joyful Lips, and with a thank­ful Heart, Lord, that I may make a right use of it, and then it will move me not only to pity, but also to relieve his Misery; so shall we make an exchange advantageous to both, my Soul feeling the Affliction of his Distress,[Page 121]and his the Comfort of my Alms, and of my Compassion. Let me still remember, that I am liable to the like Disasters, and be prepar'd with an humble Resignation to undergo, what­soever thy fatherly Hand shall at any time lay upon me, hoping that if I share with La­zarus in his Sufferings here, I shall also share with him hereafter in the Joys of Abraham's Bosom.

But the Diseases and Miseries of the Soul, when they break out to shameful and scanda­lous Actions, are much more loathsome and a­bominable than those of the Body; therefore when thou shalt likewise see any notorious Sinner, glorying in his wickedness, as too many do now a-days; when thou shalt hear any one abusing the Name of God, and the Ears of good Men, with horrid Oaths and Blasphemies, or with prophane Atheistical Dis­courses; When the disfigur'd Face of one shews thee the Marks of his brutish Lust, or the reeling steps of another discover his swi­nish Drunkenness; in short, when any come in thy way that are manifestly guilty of those heinous Sins, which yet thou art free from, take heed of thinking thy self good, because they are so much worse, and if thou standest take heed least thou fall, and be not high minded but fear, for there was a time when those profligate. Wretches, were as far from such Practices, as now thou thinkest thy self to be; Ascribe it then to God's Mercy only, that thou art not such an one, and say, Not[Page 122]unto me, O Lord, not unto me, not un­to me, but unto thy restraining Grace be the Praise, for without that I should have been (nay, and yet may be, if that should forsake me) as great a scandal to others, as this wretch­ed Person is to me. Grant, that I may de­test the Vice, but not the Man. Convert him, I beseech thee, from the evil of his ways, and so strengthen me in the Paths of thy Com­mandments, that I may never fall away, but persevere in them constantly unto my Live's end.

Of the Benefit of Preservation, whereby we our selves have been delivered from particular Dangers.

Now if the Calamities of others, when but look'd upon, are a just Motive to us of Thank­fulness; how much more those we our selves have been freed from by particular Escapes: God permitting us sometimes to fall into dan­gers that his Goodness and fatherly Care may be the more visibly manifested in our delive­rance; and that we may acknowledge our selves more obliged to remember them with Gratitude, and to make him returns of Duty and Obedience. Thou mayest be able to re­late and express those he has shew'd to thee, I will relate those done to my self, though it be more easie to have a Sense of them, than to express it. I shall not need to insist upon his Benefits of doing one good, since thou wilt know them by those of delivering me from[Page 123]evil. (Here the Author reckons up his parti­cular deliverances, which I omit to insert.) Do thou likewise, Reader, following his Example recount to thy self the chief of those dangers God hath preserved thee in, which it concerns thee carefully to remember, and gratefully to lay them to heart. And when thou hast recol­lected as many as thou canst, say with the Psalmist, Praise thou the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me praise his holy Name, Praise the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his Bene­fits, Who forgiveth all thy Sins, and healeth all thine Infirmities, Who saveth thy Life from de­struction, and crowneth thee with mercy and lo­ving kindness. I will always give thanks unto the Lord, his praise shall ever be in my mouth. O praise the Lord with me, and let us magnify his Name together.)

Of the Preservation of our Souls.

But is not the Preservation of the Body from corporal Death much less considerable, than that of the Soul from spiritual Death? Yes certainly. There is no comparison be­tween them, for the former is only in order to the latter, and when he saves us from any such dangers, as those I have before-mention­ed, they are to mind us of our Mortality, and to make us think in what condition we should have been, if he had then snatch'd us suddenly out of this World. His sparing us longer, was only to give us a longer time to[Page 124]repent, and to urge us to make use of it, to the end, that when he shall come again to take us away in good earnest, he may find us pre­par'd for Death, in being reconciled to him by Repentance and newness of Life. Thus in all the occasions, wherein he delivered me from a Temporal, he delivered me also from eternal Death, affording me a longer time to break off, and to forsake my Sins by a Repen­tance not to be repented of, quick'ning my Faith to lay faster hold on my Saviour, least I should be pluck'd away from him, as I had like to have been, while I was in so great an Error, as to presume he would be held by me, whilst I was loath to let go my sins, as if it had been possible to embrace Christ, and the World both at the same time. How often, when his Divine Majesty was ready to throw me justly into Hell with one hand, hath he detained me with the other? And when I was already con­demn'd by his Divine Justice, how often hath he saved me by his Compassion and Mercy? How often, when I was going, nay running, to throw my self into the infernal Flames, hath this compassionate Lord stopt me in my Ca­reer, and freed me from Temptations, which were hurrying me to eternal Miseries? How often hath he driven back the Devil, who had seized me, and was dragging me away, when his Divine Majesty laid hold upon me, rescued, sustained, and receivcd me, pardon­ing my wickedness, and embracing me in the Arms of his boundless Charity? How often,[Page 125]when being blind and foolish I went astray, hath he sought me, and brought me home? How hath he called, advertised, reproved, and counselled me, by which means I was re­covered and restored? How often, sometimes sleeping, sometimes waking, while I was dead to Grace, but quick to Sin, hath he rouzed me up, called me, and led me by the hand to make me forsake Sin, and return to Grace? Who then bound the Hands of his Justice, who entreated for me, when I was lull'd asleep in that sinful security? What was there in me, that I should find more favour, than those, that are taken away from amongst us in the midst of their days, and in the heat of their youthful Lusts? My Sins cried out against me, but the Lord stopped his Ears. My offences daily encreased against him, and his Mercies abounded as daily towards me. I sinned and he did expect me, I fled from him, and he followed me, and when I was even weary in offending him, yet his long sufferance was not weary in expecting me; for in the midst of all my Sins I received many good Inspira­tions and Reproofs from his Holy Spirit, which check'd me in my inconsiderate course of Life. How often did he call me with the Voice of Love? How often did he terrifie me with threats and fears, laying before me the Peril of Death, and the Rigour of his Divine Ju­stice? How often hath he followed me with his Word preached? How often invited me with Blessings, and chastened me with Crosses, [Page 126]compassing me about, and hedging my way with Thorns, that I might not be able to break from him? By all these holy Methods he made me at last to see the Vanity, the Folly, the De­ceitfulness, and even the Painfulness of Sin. l found that it was dangerous and costly, as well as slavish to be hurried up and down by the Tyranny of my unruly and vicious Pas­sions. I found I had no fruit of those things, whereof I was afterwards ashamed, and was at last convinced, that the end of them was Death, nay, and death eternal. Then did I fully resolve (being assisted by thy Grace) with an unchangeable purpose, to alter my course of Life, and to run the way of thy Commandments, since thou hadst set my Heart at liberty. My Soul escaped even as a Bird out of the Hand of the Fowler, the Snare was broken, and I was delivered. O let me never again be entangled with the Birdlime of sinful Delights, from which it is so hard to get disengag'd, but grant I may now soar up to those Pleasures, which are at thy Right-hand for evermore, taking my flight freely to thee, and to the Ark of thy rest, for the Deluge of Wickedness, that hath covered the Face of the Earth affords no safe place for the sole of my Foot, O put forth thine hand to take me in to thee, as Noah did the Dove. I come with the Olive-branch of Peace in my mouth, the Merits and Intercession of the Prince of Peace. I have nothing else to plead, but by them and by them only I hope to be received, and[Page 127]kept from ever departing from thee any more.

If thou hast not been so great a Sinner as I, art thou less bound to God for preserving thee from it, than I, for being pardon'd and re­claimed? Shall the Benefit by thee be account­ed less, because it is really much greater? Does the Hand, that saved me from a Wound, do me a smaller kindness, than that, which cures me, when I am wounded? Or rather is not the benefit of Preserving much the greater, by saving the Blood I should have lost by the Wound, and the Pain I should have suffered in the Cure? For though it require a greater Power to lift me up, when I am down, than, when I am up, to keep me from falling; yet to me the Benefit is more worth, which pre­vents me from a Mischief, than that which gives me remedy, when I am in it.

Thus have I seen, O God, for how many Benefits I am indebted to thee notwithstand­ing my many Sins, O let not an horrible In­gratitude be the last, and greatest of them all. Man's Laws have ordained no Punishment for that infamous Crime, either because they did not believe, that any thing in the World could be so bad, as an ungrateful Person, or that they could find no Punishment proportionable to so great a Crime. The wildest and the most sa­vage Breasts are grateful to their Benefactors, and good turns have tamed the fiercest Lions; but we, more savage than the furious Beasts, are so far from Gratitude, that on the contra­ry[Page 128]we each moment offend our most gracious Benefactor. But suffer us not, O Lord, to do so any longer; and let the greatest of all thy Benefits be to make us thankful for them, and with the humblest Devotion of our Souls to acknowledge, that the Number of them is infinite, and their Nature most transcen­dent.

Of the Guard of Angels.

We have seen how watchful the All-seeing Eye of God's Providence is for the Preserva­tion of our Souls and Bodies. The Holy Je­sus tells us, that without it, not so much as a Sparrow falls to the Ground; how much less a Man, who is more worth than many Spar­rows? And to express his great Care of our smallest concerns, he says, that even the very Hairs of our Head are numbred. Thus dwel­ling under the Defence of the most High, and abiding under the Shadow of the Almighty, any other Protection might be thought wholly needless; yet God (as subordinate to that) hath out of his super-abundant Love to Man­kind been pleased from the Beginning of the World, to protect them particularly by the Guard of Angels; for having created those Blessed Spirits in distinct Hierarchies and Choirs, the chiefest of them he applied prin­cipally to the Worship and Veneration of him­self, and appointed others to serve him in the Succour and Assistance of Humane Nature.[Page 129]We are told in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that they are Ministring Spirits, sent forth to Mi­nister to those, that shall be Heirs of Salvati­on. And their forwardness to obey God in all things that relate to the good of Man, is seen in many places of the Scripture.

HEre the Author having cited many places, where An­gels have been employ'd for the Service, or for the Punishment of Mankind, makes a long Discourse, where­by he endeavours to establish their Doctrine of adoring and praying to Angels, and proceeds with great Devoti­on therein; but here our Church forbids us to go along with him, allowing us to search the Scriptures, where we find express Texts and Examples flatly to the contrary; thus we read in the Revelation, that, when St. John was going to fall down, and to adore the Angel, he was strictly forbidden by him, saying, See thou do it not, for I am thy Fellow-servant, Worship thou God. And we have a plain Text, fore-warning us to take heed, that no Man deceive us by a voluntary Humility, and the Wor­shipping of Angels. St. Paul was wrapp'd up into the Third Heaven, and yet he makes no relation of those bles­sed Inhabitants, but says, he saw, what it was not law­ful for Man to utter, and the Scripture tells us, that things secret belong unto the Lord, but the things that are revealed belong to us; We ought therefore to content our selves with them, and not to be wise beyond Sobriety, but while they pretend not only to know particularly the Names and Ranks of the several Choirs in each Hierar­chy, but also the particular Business and Employment of every one of them; Our part should be to acknowledge how infinitely we are indebted to God for his Goodness to­wards us, and to raise our Minds to the highest Admirati­on and Reverence of God's unspeakable Power in Creating them, and to the most ardent Love of his Goodness in em­ploying [Page 130] their Ministry for our Benefit, but most especially for that happy Message brought by the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Incarnation of the Eter­nal Word, which was the beginning of our Redemp­tion, and for the joyful News of his Nativity delivered to the poor Shepherds by an Angel, when suddenly a Multi­tude of the heavenly Host sung, Glory to God on high, &c. How can we forbear to cry out with the Psalmist, Lord, what is Man, that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of Man that thou regardest him? Thou madest him lower than the Angels, to crown him with Glory and Honour. Instead of praying to them, let us lift up our Minds and Prayers to the Creator of them, and in Thankfulness for all Mercies join with that blessed Choir, to magnifie him. Let us beseech him, that hath ordained and constituted the Services of Angles and Men in a wonderful Order, mer­cifully to grant, that as his holy Angels always do him ser­vice in Heaven, so by his appointment they may succour and defend us on Earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.)

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Benefit of Redemption.

WE are come now to the utmost top of all the Divine Benefits, which requires a most attentive Consideration. Our great Creator in the making of Man designed a most wonderful Union between his Soul, his Body, and his God; Three things so vastly distant, and so strangely different, that nothing but Omnipotency could have joyn'd them toge­ther; for what can be more different than a dead Clod of Earth, and a living immaterial Soul? What can be more distant, than a Soul dwelling here below in the narrow Limits of an Earthly Body, and the Divinity of an in­finite and an eternal God, who dwelleth in the highest Heavens, and whom even the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain?

In this blessed State he was placed in the Garden of Paradice, where nothing was for­bidden him, but the Tree of Knowledge; and with this Covenant, that if he continued in obedience, he should never die, but be tran­slated from that Earthly to an Heavenly Para­dice;[Page 132]but Lucifer, who from a glorious Angel was become a Devil, having been thrown out of Heaven for aspiring to be equal to God, envied, that Man should enjoy the Happiness which he had lost, and knowing by woful Ex­perience that Heaven could not contain a proud Person, he thought himself sure to pre­vent Man's being admitted there, if he could but make him guilty of the same Sin, Pride. Hereupon he subtilly first began to tempt the weaker Vessel, Eve, by shewing her the beau­tiful Fruit of the forbidden Tree, telling her that by tasting it she might become like unto God himself, and when by his perswasion he had deceived the Woman, he made use of her (as he still does) to deceive the Man. Thus Sin, like a cunning Thief crept in at the Window of his Eye, which he unwarily had set open to behold the Beauty of that Fruit, and soon opened also the Doors of his Ears to admit the Enticement of his Wife, conspiring with his treacherous Appetite to let in Death at the Gate of his Mouth, by his disobedience in eating the Apple, which was presented to him by her. Then that blessed Union was broken, and a Separation made not only be­tween his Body and his Soul, by a temporal Death, the Sentence whereof instantly pass'd upon him, though the Execution was deferr'd; but also between his Soul and his God by an eternal Death, to which he also became there­by liable; and as a Fore-runner of both, he and his Wife were driven out of Paradice[Page 133]from the Presence of their gracious Creator. Now as the Departure of the Soul from the Body is Death, so the Departure of God from the Soul can be no less than Hell; for as in his presence there is fulness of Joy, so in his ab­sence there must be extremity of Sorrow, and as at his Right-hand there be Pleasures for evermore: so on his Left there must needs be everlasting Pains, and what can the feeling of them be but Hell? To this miserable Condi­tion Sin brought our first Parents, and from them all we their wretched Posterity became tainted with an original Corruption, the Seeds whereof growing up into innumerable actual Transgressions afford no other Fruit but Death in this World, and eternal Damnation in that which is to come; but God being infinitely merciful would not abandon them to perish for ever in this sad Estate, but out of the Bowels of his tender Compassion, did with incomprehensible Wisdom find out a way for the Satisfaction of his own Justice, and for the Salvation of Mankind. It had been utter­ly impossible for all of them together to have done any thing in the least degree towards the Salvation of so much as one Man, for it cost more to redeem a Soul, so that they must have let that alone for ever. But God contriv'd it by an Union much more admirable than that already mentioned, and that was between the Divine and Humane Natures; And Adam had no sooner broken the first Covenant of unsin­ning Obedience, which God made with him in[Page 134]Paradice, but he graciously made a Second with him and his Posterity in the second Adam the promised Messiah. This he afterwards perform'd, by sending his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, equal to his Father, as touching his Godhead, into the World for the Redemption of Man­kind, who being conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost in the chast Womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, became also perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and humane Flesh subsisting; to the end that as Man he might be capable to suffer, and as God, to satifie for the sins of the whole World.

This was a Benefit so high, and so transcen­dent, that neither the Understanding of Man, no, nor that of Angels is able to comprehend it. Here all consideration is confounded, and humbles itself with astonishment, to see, that the Son of God, to the end that he might cloath thee with his Grace, cloathed himself with our Nature, which is a poor, torn, wretch­ed Garment, full of beggery and misery; and yet that Soveraign, Eternal, and Divine Ma­jesty put it on for our sake; and though this was exceeding much, yet he did a great deal more for us; since besides this Humanity which Christ the Divine Word took upon him, he underwent so many Sufferings for Mankind, and wove this seamless Coat of Grace, (which he gives us in Baptism) with such unmeasura­ble griefs and torments, as never have been suffer'd in all the World, but by himself, nor ever shall be. Nay, he did yet more, for he[Page 135]not only wove this Coat of Grace with these unspeakable pains, but even with his holy death, and would end his Life in that very employ­ment of weaving and finishing it, to the end he might give that seamless Robe its utmost Beauty and Perfection.

Here all our thoughts ought to be Silence, Amazement, Terror, Reverence, and Admi­ration, with Tears of Love and Contrition. That the Eternal Son of God, to cloath me with his Grace, should cloath himself with my humble Nature, and presently load him­self with the burden of my sins, and then take upon him their Punishment upon the Cross, and die upon it for them! That the cleansing of me should make him be defil'd with the spittings of blasphemous mouths! That the giving me the Life of Grace, should make him die the Death of Nature, and that in such cruel Torments! That for the washing of my Soul, he should shed all his Precious Blood! And that he should devest himself of all Humane Comfort, only to give me Com­fort, Remedy, and even Heaven itself! This is a business more proper for our Love, than our Meditation, more to make us active in his Service, than contemplative in our Thoughts, and to be expressed more by our Wonder than our Words. Yet it is good to meditate upon it, that we may love him; to consider it, that we may serve him; and to speak of it, that by finding we cannot speak enough, we may admire and adore him.

[Page 136]A Man, that does me a kindness, has my Thanks; and if by his pains and danger, he draw me out of any Trouble, I shew my Gra­titude by acknowledging it. There be Laws, that order Recompences for a Subject, that saves the Life of his King, in War, or in Peace, appointing him to be rewarded with Wealth, and crowned with Ensigns of Honour. Mor­decai, only for giving Notice to Ahasuerus, that some of his Treacherous Servants meant to kill him, was by the Command of that Hea­then King, cloathed with his own Royal Robe, and his most beloved Favourite was made to lead the Horse, upon which that Loyal Sub­ject rode about the Streets of the City. This was an high Honour easily attain'd; so notable a demonstration of Favour, so Royal and Ma­jestick a Recompence but for a bare Adver­tisment.

Consider now, if so much were due to a Vassal, who by the discovery of a Traytor, had sav'd the Life of a King; what shall a Vassal owe to his King, who not only hath sav'd him from Death, but, which is more, hath given him Eternal Life, freeing him from everlasting Damnation, and not at so cheap a rate as words, but by sweating Blood, suffering Torments, and giving up himself to Death, even the death of the Cross? Can this Bene­fit, this Love, this excess of Kindness, find any in the World, that can be compar'd to it? And if we should be ungrateful for it, or for­getful of it, (which in some sort is worse than [Page 137]to be ungrateful) could there possibly be a greater wickedness? O Lord, suffer not me, I beseech thee, to be guilty of so great an Error, of so great a Folly, and of so great a Wickedness; for such a strange want of Love, and such an abominable Ingratitude, cannot be thought of by any good Person without horror.

JƲNE.

The First WEEK.
Of Baptism and Confirmation.

COnsider now what God hath done for thee in particular, towards making thee a partaker of this high Benefit of Redemption, for though Christ by his death paid a sufficient Price for the Souls of all Man­kind, yet thou (no more than many others) couldst have had no share in it, hadst thou not been made a Member of his Body; and how high soever the Benefit of Creation be, it had been much better for thee never to have been born, than not to have been made a Christian. But what couldst thou, a poor helpless Infant do towards the attaining so great a Benefit, when thou didst not so much as know thy want of it? Yet the Mercy of thy most Gra­cious God prevented thy desires, and in his eternal purpose he determined thee to be one of that happy number, that should be born of Christian Parents, in that part of the World, where the Gospel is most purely profess'd, and[Page 139]where thou wert early consecrated to him in Baptism. Thou wert brought to that Laver of Regeneration, where the stains of thy Ori­ginal Corruption were washed away in the Blood of Christ, represented by the outward and visible sign of Water, wherewith thou wert sprinkled, to signifie thy death unto Sin, and thy new birth unto Righteousness: Thou wert baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, accord­ing to thy Saviour's Appointment. By the Gate of that Holy Sacrament thou wert ad­mitted into the Church, and made a Member of Christ, a Child of God, and an Heir of the Kingdom of Heaven; being by Nature born in sin, thou wert thereby made a Child of Grace. Thus the second Covenant made with Mankind in Christ Jesus was sealed be­tween God and thee, which cannot fail on his part to be faithfully performed, if thou be but careful on thine, to do the best thou canst, and to serve him with sincere, if not with perfect Obedience.

Men use to envy those that are born of Noble Parents, whose Care, Power, and Great­ness, may support and succour the naked, weak, and innocent Infants; but O! what a Noble Birth is that of Faith? What rich Man­tles and Swadling-cloaths are the Coelestial Vertues? That this little Creature shall no sooner be born, but that at the same instant he comes into the care, not of a weak frail Mother, who lies unable to help her self, by[Page 140]reason of the Pangs and Throws she suffer'd for the bringing of a Child into the World, but of an Holy, Perfect, and Spiritual Mo­ther, which is the Catholick Church, that cloaths him with the Robe of Grace, an ad­mirable Pledge of a safe and an eternal Inhe­ritance in Glory! That the Child should scarce­ly be born, when already the Son of God, as an invisible Minister doth by the visible hand of his Minister baptize, and at the same time wash away sin from that Soul, and fill it with Graces, Gifts, and Vertues! This is an Ho­nour, which is indeed deservedly to be valued, and a Benefit, which can never be sufficiently admir'd. From the time that the Water of Baptism washed off the filthy rags of Adam, and cloathed thee with Grace in the Blood of the Lamb; sin, which had wounded thee be­fore, became wounded it self; and whereas before it gave death, from that time it suffered death. In Natural Sicknesses, the Remedies seldome reach to the Diseases, and the Body, when it is recovered, hardly gets so great strength, as what it lost by Sickness; but in the Spiritual Sickness, and in the Hurts and Diseases of the Soul it uses to be much other­wise; for the wounded party recovers more strength and vigour, when he is gotten up a­gain, than what he lost by falling into them. The Devil ruined us, but God is more power­ful in good, than he is in evil. Sin destroy'd us, and Grace renew'd us, but Grace is more effectual to renew us, than Sin to destroy us.[Page 141]Our weak and ruined Nature was indebted Ten Thousand Talents, but the Eternal Son of God hath satisfied the Debt, not with Ten Thousand, nor with an Hundred Thousand, but with his Blood, a Price of inestimable value.

Dost thou think that any thing can be more powerful than God? Hath he not received thee into his Church by Baptism? And hath not he on his part promised to protect, to free, and to assist thee? Hast thou not passed through those Waters, flying from the Enemy, that pur­sued thee? Did not that Red Sea of thy Sa­viour's blood open to give thee passage? And did it not shut again to drown the Egyptian, I mean Original Sin? Then what hast thou to be afraid of? Sing the Victory with Miriam and the Daughters of Israel, which the Son of a better and a more glorious Myriam hath ob­tained for thee. Is not God thy succour and thy hope? Whom hast thou to fear? Is not he thy defence and thy protection? What dost thou dread? When a man is once cloathed with the Grace of God in Baptism, all his Ene­mies are but few. By the Infusions of Grace thou oughtest to count Sin and Nature to be already conquer'd. What signifies the Sign­ing thee with the Sign of the Cross in thy Forehead, but the marking thee out for a Soul­dier of Jesus Christ? Be not therefore asham'd to confess the Faith of Christ crucified. Thou art not only his Souldier, but art furnished with Arms of his Magazine. The Old Man [Page 142]is put away, and thou art cloathed with the New, and that New Man is Jesus Christ, who enters into thy Soul, to cloath it with himself, and with his Graces, for he enters to arm, to defend, to favour, to protect, and to assist thee. The Field, in which thou fightest, is thine own, for he strengthens and encourages thee in all encounters. Thou fightest in the Militant Church, whereof thou art a Mem­ber, against which that Enemy with whom thou fightest can never prevail. Great part of the Victory consists in the Advantage of Ground, but all is favourable to thee from the time thou art entred into the Church. That Entry by Baptism was the first Victory, for the entrance it self was a Victory, and that Victory a Triumph. From that day Hell trembles at thee, only because thou art a Chri­stian, and now no body can destroy thee, but thou thy self, and thou art told by the Word of Truth, that the greatest outward Enemy, the Devil, will flie from thee, if thou dost but resist him.

Thou canst not but be greatly chear'd with these Encouragements, and much comforted by seriously considering what thou hast recei­ved in Baptism. We Christians certainly ought never to lose the sight of that Benefit, but still to reflect upon the greatness of it with thank­ful hearts. Yet we ought not only to look upon what God hath done for us, but also to think upon our part of this Covenant, and to weigh the Duties we are oblig'd to by it. Re­member[Page 143]that thy God fathers and God-mo­thers, when thou wert baptized, did promise and vow in thy Name, that thou shouldst for­sake the Devil and all his Works, the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh; as likewise that thou shouldst believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith, (contained in the Apostles Creed) and finally, that thou shouldst keep God's Holy Will and Commandments, (con­tain'd in the Decalogue) and walk in the same all the days of thy life. The Church ap­pointed them to do this for thee, as thy Sure­ties, because at that time by reason of thy tender Age, thou wert not able to make, much less to perform, these Promises; but being come to Understanding thou art bound to take that Vow upon thy self; and they may properly be called God-fathers and God-mo­thers, because in the mean while it is their Duty to take care, that their God-Children, as they grow up, may be taught, what a So­lemn Vow, Promise, and Profession they have made for them, and to cause them to be in­structed both in the Articles of the Creed, and in the Ten Commandments. Moreover, if at any time they shall hear them speak, or see them do any thing contrary to that Divine Law, they ought to put them in mind, that they promised and vowed the contrary in their Baptism. But O! how little of this care is there in the World! there is nothing more neglected or forgotten than this Duty of[Page 144]God-fathers, yet I hope not generally. I can­not have such hard thoughts, for though I must needs confess it is too much slighted, yet certainly there be many, that have a due re­gard of it. But since Children, when they grow to Age, are themselves bound to perform what was promised in their Names by their God-fathers and God-mothers. They may in great part discharge themselves, when they take care, that their God-children be so well In­structed in the Christian Religion, as to know the Duties that Vow engages them to; and when being of years able to renew that Co­venant, and to take the charge of their Souls upon themselves, they shall have perswaded them upon serious consideration so to do, and have brought them to the Bishop to be Con­firmed, according to that Order, which the Wisdom of the Church hath established, ap­pointing all the Members thereof to be so, or at least to be ready and desirous to be so, be­fore they be admitted to the Holy Commu­nion. The Bishop, by whose Ministry this Office is performed, first causeth the Parties, who are to be Confirmed, to make an open Confession in the Publick Congregation, that they do renew the Promise and Vow, that was made in their Name at their Baptism, ratify­ing and confirming the same in their own Per­sons, and acknowledging themselves bound to believe and to do all those things, which their God-fathers and God-mothers then undertook for them. He also prays to God to strengthen [Page 145]them by the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily to increase in them his manifold Gifts and Graces; the Spirit of Wisdom and Un­derstanding; the Spirit of Counsel and Ghostly Strength; the Spirit of Knowledge and true Godliness; and to fill them with the Spirit of his holy Fear for ever. Lastly, he lays his hand upon each Child, and blesses him, as our Saviour did upon those Children that were brought to him, and concludes, beseeching God to direct, sanctifie, and govern both their Hearts and Bodies in the ways of his Laws, and in the works of his Commandments, that through his mighty Protection both here and ever they may be preserved in Body and Soul, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Much are those Parents and Sureties to be blamed, that omit to bring them to this Order of Confirmation, it being a great benefit, both to the Sureties in the discharge of their Obli­gation; and to the Children, who are duly fitted and prepared for it, for they are there­by awakened to an early sense of Religion, and to a future endeavour of performing their Duty in it.

When Young Plants are removed out of their Nurseries, and set in the open Field, it is necessary to fence them about with Stakes, to hinder their being crop'd or trodden down by Beasts; and it is no less necessary thus to confirm and strengthen new beginners in Chri­stianity, that they may be the better guarded at their coming into the open World against[Page 146]the dangerous approach of brutish Men. Such Branches as are so engrafted into the true Vine, God doubtless vouchsafes to water with his Grace, and though in weak measure at first, yet if they continue to take firm Root, he will not fail to make them thrive, and bring forth good Fruit. Those gifts of the Spirit prayed for on their behalf, will likewise through his Mercy increase, till they become so many strong Bulwarks to defend their Souls against the Common Enemy, within which they may stand safe to fight according to their Vow, a­gainst the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.

Remember therefore always the Obligation that lies upon thee by that Vow. We are en­gaged in our Childhood to that, which we neglect, when we are grown up; whereas, being grown up, we should be careful to per­form that, which our Sureties promised for us, when we were Children. Keep then still in mind that thou art a listed Souldier, forget not in what Army thou art enroll'd, what Captain thou art to follow, what Fidelity thou hast sworn to him; and fight valiantly even to the death, rather than suffer thy self to be overcome by the subtil Perswasions and De­vices of his and thine own Enemies.

The Souldiers of this World for a very small hire keep Fidelity to their General; they fight and die for him without any other bond or tye, than that of some little piece of Money, ill paid, and yet they give their blood, and daily venture their life for that Pay;[Page 147]whereas we Christians, the Souldiers of Jesus Christ, listed under the Ensign of his Cross, assisted by so many Benefits of Grace, being Heirs, and Co-heirs of Glory, and having Heaven for our Pay, do frequently desert our Colours, like vile infamous Cowards, and by sin treacherously fly over into the Enemies Camp. The Souldiers of the World fight to defend their King, or their General, but here our General fights, and gives his Blood and his Life for the defence of his Souldiers. They hazard their lives for a pitiful Pay, which oftentimes they never get; but our King and Captain secures us a certain Pay, rewarding us with Life and Glory. If they fly over to their Enemy, 'tis out of hope to preserve their lives; but if we do so, we run to eternal death, and fly from eternal life. The War of the World is made by wounding, hurting, and killing others, but the War of God against the World is made by receiving Injuries, Affronts, Wounds, and even Death it self, if it be necessary. The War of the World is to Conquer, by destroying others, but the War against the World is to Conquer by undergoing Difficulties, and Suffering for God's sake. In that War, it is Force that overcomes, in this 'tis Patience. The Victo­ries of that War are gotten by pulling down, and trampling upon others, but in this by de­basing and humbling our selves. The Tri­umphs of that War are here upon Earth, and of a short continuance; but those of this War[Page 148]are to be in Heaven above, and to endure for ever and ever. Fight therefore couragiously, have patience, and persevere; the Battle lasts but for a while; thou art already near the Crown, that is to be thy Reward. Arm us, O thou great Captain of our Salvation, for this Warfare with the Shield of Faith, the Breast-plate of Righteousness, the Helmet of Salvation, and with the Sword of the Spirit; and grant that having our Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, we may chearfully withstand all Assaults of our Ghostly Enemies, keeping still present in our thoughts, the Vow we made to thee in our Baptism, to fight manfully under thy Banner, against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and to con­tinue thy Faithful Souldiers and Servants unto our lives end.

The Second WEEK.

Of Repentance and Absolution.

OUR blessed Redeemer and Saviour of Souls did not stop here; He thought it not enough to Arm us for the Spiritual War­fare, but has also provided a Remedy to cure our Wounds. His Divine Majesty knew our weakness, he knew our proneness to Vice, he[Page 149]knew that like Cowards we should sometimes throw down our Weapons at the feet of our Enemies, and basely fly from his Banner, for the sake of some filthy Appetite. He would not leave our Souls without help, but his Com­passion seeing our Frailty and Misery, was plea­sed in the very sight of so great Ingratitude, to prepare a Medicine for the cure of our Wounds, and an Antidote for the Poyson of our Sins, by establishing the Doctrine of Repentance, and by giving Power and Commandment to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce unto such as are truly Penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins. Great was the Love of our Lord in dying for us upon the Cross, nor was it less in giving us this means to make his Sufferings effectual to us. To pardon past Offences has been seen, and sometimes one man to suffer for another, but not at so dear a Price as his own Blood. For a Person of­fended to suffer the sight of his Enemies, is much, when it is to do them good; but 'tis much more, when he knows that they are not only Enemies, but that they are ungrateful, and despise his Benefits, to shed his very blood to make a Medicine for their Wounds: This is a pity exceeding all Humane Understand­ing.

That there should be care taken in Armies to cure the Wounded, and Hospitals for the Sick, it is not strange, because they are Faith­ful Souldiers, and venture their Lives in Fight­ing for their King: But in the War of the[Page 150]Spirit, that the Saviour of Souls should prepare Remedies, not for his Friends that fight on his side, but for Enemies and Souldiers that desert him; that he should admit them again to be new listed under his Banner, is a Mercy beyond comparison. To pardon Mutineers has been seen in Armies, but yet the Heads are commonly punished, and the Companies disbanded; but not only to pardon such Ene­mies and Traytors, but to call them back, to Love, to Cure, to Reward, to Honour, and Sustain them with his own Flesh and Blood, can be the effect of nothing but an Infinite Charity and Compassion. So great is the Be­nefit of Repentance, which giving us a Title to the blood of Christ, not only Cures those that are wounded, but also raises those that are dead in sins; nor is there any thing above the Cure of that Soveraign Medicine, unless the Party affected resists the power of it, which is so great, that it not only cures the Wound, but takes away the very Scars, and makes those, that are recovered, more sound and healthful than they were before.

Behold a Man fallen from a Ship into the Sea, and ready to be drowned amidst the Waves! see with what eagerness he calls for a Cable, with what greediness he catches at the Plank, nay, the poor wretch would even lay hold on a naked Sword to save his Life, though with the loss of his Blood; so the Christian, who by the Grace of Baptism sails in the Ship of the Church, being carried by[Page 151]his Passions throws himself into the World, and is sinking in the Tempest of his sins, and if he be drowned, he perishes to Eternity; but as he is sinking, he finds this second Plank of Repentance to save him from Shipwrack, and by it is drawn up into the Ship again, and preserved to arrive in safety at his desired Port. Apply thy self therefore to the use of this Re­medy, with Humility, with an holy Dispo­sition, and great sorrow for thy sins, and by Faith in the Merits of Christ's Blood, and then thou shalt rise up not only cured, but crowned. Call to remembrance thy sins, and make a firm Resolution never to offend thy Lord a­gain. Be affected with a sorrow, that is pure in its sincerity, pious in its intention, great in its degree, perpetual in its lasting, and parti­cular in the enumeration of thy several sins, with all the aggravating Circumstances there­of. Finally, let thy Confession be clear and undissembled, with confusion of Face for thy often relapses, giving Glory to God, and ta­king Shame to thy self,. Make use of a Spi­ritual Guide in all difficulties of Conscience for thy Instruction and Consolation. Forgive all Injuries thou hast at any time received, which are but a few Pence in comparison of the many Talents, which thou hast to be for­given, and remember that Christ says, Except ye forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses. And not only forgive thine Enemies, but embrace them with unfeigned Affection, for his sake, and by [Page 152]his Example, who loved thee, when thou wast his Enemy.

Of the Holy Eucharist.

In this Preparation of Soul wounded both with Love and Grief, and thirsting, as the Hart for the Water-brooks, approach reve­rently to the Sacrament of thy Saviour's Body and Blood, which that gracious Lord institu­ted at his last Supper, for a continual remem­brance of the Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross, purchasing our Redemption by his Death, the Merits and Benefits whereof shall therein be assur'd and convey'd to thee, as a Pledge and Seal of thy Pardon. Apply it to thy self with an humble Confidence in his Promises, with a firm Faith, that his Blood was shed for thee, since thou art admitted to be a partaker thereof. That Divine Antidote is not only to be thy Medicine, but thy Nou­rishment; and receiving it with lowliness and Devotion, thou shalt not only find Grace, but the Author of Grace; thou shalt not only find the Guide, but the Way, the Comfort, and Support of the Spirtual Life. If he be God Eternal, the Son of the Eternal Father whom thou receivest into thy Breast, art not thou certain, that all his Vertues and Attributes en­ter with him? If in receiving him I make him not only my Guest, but also my Lord and Ruler, I become one with him, as the fire which heats the Iron, is united with it. If his[Page 153]Goodness be in me when I receive him, how is it, that it does not abolish my Wickedness? If his Omnipotency, why does it not take away my Weakness? If his Love be in me, why does it not expel my Luke-warmness? If his Purity and Chastity, why don't they chase away all my Defilements?

A PRAYER.

O Eternal and Coelestial Light, O my Re­deemer, and Soveraign Master, and Phy­sician, O sweet Spouse of my Soul; What is it that hinders the Operation of so great a Light in me, but that my Soul is in so thick a Mist of Darkness? What is it, that can hinder the admi­rable Effects of thy Grace in me, but the wicked­ness of my ungrateful heart? What keeps the Di­vine Strength and Power from waking, but my great coldness and hardness of heart? What hinders thee, O Heavenly Physician, from curing the Dis­eases of my Soul, but that it loves them, and ab­hors the Remedy? What hinders thy Sheep, O Heavenly Shepherd, from receiving the Coelestial Food thou offerest them, but their being lost and running astray after sensual Delights, the Poyson of their Vices? What hinders the amorous Embraces and Favours of this loving Bridegroom, but the ungrateful forgetfulness of his Spouse? My heart gives it self up to worldly Loves, and so does not perceive these glorious Pleasures. What keeps my Soul from receiving the Graces and Favours, which my King entring into it would bestow, but the [Page 154] Passions and Rebellions wherewith it is fill'd? What hinders me from hearing the wholsome Counsels of my most wise Instructor, or, if I hear them, from following them, but that my Passions make me deaf to his Inspirations, or weak and unable to follow those which I have heard? O Lord my God, and my Redeemer, All my Sickness is in my self, all my Cure is in thee. O my God, since thou dost vouchsafe to enter into me, stay there and deliver me from my self: I am mine own Enemy, no body can hurt me, if I hurt not my self. Free me from that inward Enemy, O dear and potent Friend; Thou art the strength of Heaven, Thou art the succour of the Weak, and I am weak; Thou art the light of the Blind, and I am blind; Thou art the comfort of the Afflicted, and I am afflicted; Thou art the Shepherd of lost Sheep, and I am one of them; Thou art the pardoner of the Ungrateful, and I am even Ingratitude itself. What can Cure so great an Ignorance, but thy Heavenly Wisdom? What can take away or destroy so great a wicked­ness, but thine Infinite Charity? What can cleanse so many Defilements, but thine ineffable Purity? What can give strength to my feeble Soul, over­whelmed with Vices, but the Infinite Power of thy Glorious Vertues? Have I thee here within me, and wilt thou not Cure me? I will not believe it, Lord. Art thou one of those, that see their Friends in the Sea of their Troubles, and suffer them to be drowned? Art not thou He, who alone art able, if thou wilt, to appease a Tempest? Art not thou He, who stretch'd forth his hand to Peter, when he was sinking in the waves? Art not thou He, who [Page 155] sleeping in the Ship, didst awake and calm the Sea, when it was ready to be swallowed up? Art not thou He, who walked'st upon the Waters of the Sea only to help those that were in them? Art not thou He, who both by Sea and Land, in Moun­tains, Towns, and Cities, wert the Universal Re­medy both of Souls and Bodies? For to whom thou gavest Grace in the one, thou also gavest Health in the other. Art thou less able in my Soul, than thou wert in Judaea and Palestine? Is not thy Power as great to Cure Souls now, as it was to Cure Bodies then, since thou didst therefore Cure their Bodies, that thou mightest the better Cure their Souls? Is thy skill less now adays, O Omni­potent Physician, than it was in those times? Does not thy Immense Charity rather increase, if it be possible for it to receive any augmentation? Does not every one of thy Benefits call a great many more after it? Canst thou do any thing else, than give more, and more, and more? Art not thou All-powerful, O my Jesus? Art not thou all Love and Goodness? And art not thou infinitely Wise? If then thou art both able, knowing, and willing; How is it, that I feel not the effects of thy Power, Goodness, and Wisdom? It is true, I have very often resisted them all, but now I penitently yield my self up to them; now I humbly prostrate my self, I call, I seek, and adore the Author of my Remedy. Enter into me, O Lord, my Glory. Cast out of me all Humane Resistance, and though (wretch that I am) I did resist thy Vertues, I will no longer resist thy Remedies. I desire, O my God, to desire. Lend thy helping hand, and banish all that can se­parate [Page 156] me from thee. Drive out of me all that Will, which opposeth thy Blessed Will. O Lord God, I believe, (as another incredulous Person said) help thou my unbelief, and my obdurate Nature, which is the Original of all my harm. I believe, I will, I desire, I love, I seek, I weep. O mer­ciful Lord, O Eternal and Heavenly Light, par­don and banish my want of Love, my Coldness, my Ingratitude, and my Forgetfulness. I would fain desire, but I know not how to desire; I would fain work, but I know not how to work; but since thou entrest into me, O my Jesus, work thou in me. Separate from me, and destroy in me all that hinders and detains me from serving, from loving, from following, and adoring thee. Let that Love of thine, which was enflamed with the love of me, conquer and expel this ungrateful want of love. Let thy Light drive away my Darkness, and thy Goodness my Wickedness. Finally, O Lord, make thy self Master of me, of my heart, of my will, and of all my Faculties, and carry my Soul thy Captive in the Triumph of thine Infinite Love.

These are the breathings thou oughtest to send forth from the bottom of thy Soul, when thou hast receiv'd thy Lord, for that is the time for thee to beg and pray, since he is not deaf, but will hear thee; not dumb, but will speak unto thee; not blind, but will look up­on thee; and being most loving, he will not reject thy love. God works in the hearts of the Faithful according to what he himself is, and according to what he finds in them, and[Page 157]even though he find not in them such a con­venient disposition as is due to so high a Ma­jesty; yet if they be in any measure disposed, his goodness improves it, and even that first disposition is a gift of his Goodness and Ver­tue. Since therefore he gives thee all things, and thou owest him whatsoever thou hast, give thy self wholly to him, who gives thee all things. Come with cleanness to receive that Divine Purity, and beg of him more Purity, and more cleanness, knowing thine own de­filement and unworthiness. Keep him fast with love, whom thou receivest with an holy reverential fear, and be not guilty of so gross a folly, as to forsake him, when thou hast but newly received him. For thee to receive God, and presently to turn thy back upon him, and give thy self up to Worldly Affairs, is the gross stupidity of the Traytor Judas, who had scarce received him, when he presently went away to sell him. No, be not so base and unwor­thy, remain with him, and suffer thy self to be enflamed with that Coelestial fire. To him reduce all thy love and consideration, raise up thy mind to him in Heaven, and where thy Treasure is, there let thine Heart be also.

The Third WEEK.
Of frequenting the Sacrament.

THE time shall come (saith our Saviour to the Woman of Samaria) that God shall be adored in all places, and not only in Jeru­salem; as who should say, the time shall come when Heaven shall come upon Earth. Wouldst thou attain eternal Blessings? Ask them of the Lord in the blessed Sacrament. Wouldst thou be freed of thy Passions, and have all Vertues planted in thee? Wouldst thou have encrease of Grace, and high Gifts of the Spirit? Beg them of the Lord in his Sacrament, receive it with frequency, and purify thy self to ap­proach that Lord of all Purity. Receive with profound Humility that admirable Example of Humility; and with ardent Charity him, that is not only the Pattern of perfect Charity, but even Charity it self. That which thou recei­vest, he gives thee, and that which thou seek­est desirest, and labourest for, thou mayest find in that foundation of all our Good, and that remedy of all our Evils.

[Page 159]But thou wilt say, Alas! I cannot easily, no nor with all the Pains I take, find that Humi­lity, Purity and Charity you speak of, and which, you say, will make me fit to receive him; for if I could, I would seek them, and strive to get them, and would offer them up to that Divine Lord; but because I cannot at­tain them, I fear to partake of that coelestial Food.

It concerns our Necessity to seek them, but the finding of them belongs to his Grace. If thou seekest them heartily in Spirit and Truth, thou already hast them; for God in his Good­ness never obliges thee to find, but only to seek. The finding is much more certain than the seeking, for this depends upon thy weak­ness, but that upon his infinite Love and Charity.

Dost thou confess thy Sins with an unfeign­ed Sorrow, and with true purpose and desire of Amendment? Dost thou avoid the occasi­ons of Sin, and dost thou fly from Evil, stri­ving to exercise thy self in that which is good? Dost thou feel Contrition for having offended so good a God? Art thou truly desirous to please him for the future? Wouldst thou in good earnest have thy Soul and Conscience or­dered by him, and that he should frame it according to his good pleasure? Then what art thou afraid of? Draw near to thy Lord with Love, but yet still preserve his filial and holy Fear. That good fear does not separate[Page 160]a Man from God, but calls him and draws him nearer, and encreases in the Saints in the same Proportion that their Love does. A per­fect Fear, which springs from the high Know­ledge of so high a Majesty, and brings forth a deep Humility and Reverence of God, does not drive Souls from, but unites them more nearly to God. This is the difference between a base servile Fear, and a filial Fear; that the servile grows greater by doing ill; but filial Fear increases, and becomes more perfect by doing well. Wouldst thou see it? An imper­fect Man fears by reason of the Pains of Hell. How much the more he sins, so much the more he fears; and how much greater is the number of his Offences, so much greater is his fear of Damnation, nor does he make one step in wickedness, which (if he set himself to think of it) does not augment that terror. This is the greatest Anguish of Mind ill Men have when they come to die, and their fear is sometimes so excessive, that they utterly de­spair of Mercy, unless God by his especial Grace detain them. On the other side the good Man fears God, because he is his Father, his Lord, and Creator, and is therefore afraid to displease him; by how much the more he loves him, by so much the more he fears to pro­voke and anger him; and by how much the more his knowledge of that high Majesty does encrease, by so much the more that holy Fear of God encreases also, and with it the[Page 161]desire of pleasing him, and the care not to offend him, whereby he comes with greater confidence to rely upon his Mercy and Fa­vour; and therefore Thomas Aquinas says, That the holy Fear of God may consist with the Blessedness of those in Heaven, who, though they be already freed from the Fears of the World, and from losing that unspeakable Happiness, do yet fear the Lord, as well as love him, and do there­fore fear him, because they love him; for this holy fear takes Birth from Love, is cloathed with Love, and is indeed rather respect and reverence, than fear.

And thus thou oughtest to receive the Lord in the Sacrament with Love and with Fear, since this fear is Humility, is Reverence, is Love. For because thou knowest so great a Majesty, thou fearest it; and fearing, loving, and reverencing the Greatness of that Majesty thou art to approach, thou humblest thy self in the depth of thine own unworthiness; and this Knowledge, Fear, Reverence, and Hu­mility, inclines God to come unto thee, to dwell with thee, to inflame thee, and pre­serve thee in his Love. Woe be to that Man, that comes to receive Christ without fearing him! Woe be to that Man that receives, without considering that it is God, whom he receives, and that he that receives him is but a weak, wretched, and sinful Man! Woe be to him, that receives God rashly and inconsi­derately without weighing the infinite Diffe­rence [Page 162]that there is between the high [...]od, and so vile a Creature!

Those holy Men, who did most frequently receive and consecrate the Sacrament, were they, that fear'd him most, and within that Hu­mility, Reverence, and Fear they found the Treasures of Love. O what tears of Fear did they shed at the receiving of it! What fire of Love did they find in their Breasts by being so united to their Saviour? What high know­ledge sprang up from the depth of their Hu­mility and Fear? What Faith in believing and adoring him? What Hope in seeking him, and what Charity in finding and possessing him? They did, as St. Peter did, at the first knowledge of his Master's Divinity in the Miracle of the draught of Fishes, when throw­ing himself prostrate at his feet, he said, De­part from me, O L [...]rd, for I am a sinful Man. The Apostle runs to his Master's feet, and at the same time prays him to depart from him. His high fear makes him beg that he would depart, and his ardent Love makes him at the same instant to draw near; that approach was caused by Love, and the bidding him depart proceeded from fear. Thus at the Commu­nion be thou all Humility, Fear, and Acknow­ledgment, that thou art unworthy to receive so great a Lord, but yet knowing thy unwor­thiness, thou oughtest so much the rather to approach so high a Majesty with Love as well as with Fear and Humility. That Fear, which separates us from God, is ne­ver[Page 163]a good Fear; for where but in God can we find the Perfection both of Love and Fear?

O eternal God, is not thy Goodness com­municable? Art not thou a God, who givest thy self, and makest all Creatures to partici­pate of thy Goodness? Then why shall not we come to this Communion, and receive this communicable Good? Art not thou Good­ness and Liberality it self, who bestowest thy Treasures upon all? Didst thou institute this Sacrament in Bread and Wine, to the end that Men should only see it, and not receive and eat it? Why didst thou leave thy self in this manner amongst Men, but to be their Support and Nourishment? When thou didst consecrate this Coelestial Bread, didst thou not receive it first of all thy self, and then give it unto thy Holy Disciples? Thou knewest, O Lord, their Imperfections, and that they would forsake thee and deny thee that very night; yet thou gavest them remedy in thy blessed Body, for without that their fall and their loss had been much greater.

O eternal Glory, dost thou seek me, and sh [...]ll not I receive thee? Dost thou come from Heaven to seek me, and shall I fly out of the Church that I may not receive thee? Thou comest, O eternal Shepherd, to be both my Shepherd and my Food, and shall I poor, lost, and wandring Sheep refuse this Food, and re­fuse to be born upon those blessed Shoulders? Didst thou shed thy Blood, to give it me for[Page 164]drink, and was thy Body broken, that I might feed upon it; and shall I shut my Lips, and my Heart, and Soul, against this meat and against this drink? If I reject thee, who art the Re­medy of all my Griefs, whom shall I ever re­ceive? If I drink not of thee, thou Fountain of all Goodness, when shall my thirst be satis­fied? If I bath not in this Fountain, which thou hast set open for Sin and for Uncleanness, who shall wash this Soul full of so many abo­minable Pollutions? And if I be not to re­ceive thee, my God, my Lord, and my Crea­tor, but when I am indeed worthily disposed for it, when shall I ever dare to approach thy Table? Is any the highest Cherubim or Sera­phin worthy to receive thee? Can the great­est Purity deserve to partake of that un­speakable Greatness? Is there any Good­ness worthy or capable of that infinite Majesty? The Blessed Virgin thy Mother con­fesses she is not worthy to receive thee, and what am I then polluted Wretch, and sin­ful Man, unworthy beyond all unworthiness? Didst thou not know, O eternal God, when thou didst institute this Sacrament, that it was to be received by weak Men, and m [...]e­rable Sinners? Thou didst consecrate it with this Condition, O infinite Mercy, that thou wert to suffer the Misery of our Nature, and to bear with the Neglects and Imperfections of our Frailty. Before thou madest thy self the Nourishment of Men, thou knewest the Weakness and Sinfulness of Men, and didst[Page 165]leave this Institution not only for our nourish­ment, but also for the remedy of our Diseases. Who can cure them, O God, but thou? Who else can guide and strengthen and encourage me to encounter all the Difficulties, to avoid all the Deceits, and to overcome all the Tempta­tions, that I meet with in this Spiritual War­fare? Who can be my Antidote against the Poison of Sin, but the Author of Grace? Who can enable me in this Banishment to tra­vel through the most rugged Passages into my heavenly Country, but thou, who art the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that dost sustain, lead, cheer, and refresh me? Do not suffer me, O Lord, to have that kind of fear, which shall hinder me from serving and adoring thee, from seeking and finding thee, from possessing and enjoying thee; but give me a filial and reverential Fear, and such an one, as even in the midst of fear may enflame me with thy Love.

Thus may we comfort and encourage our selves against the thought, that Fear cannot well consist with Love, by which mistake some are kept from daring to receive the Sa­crament. And because St. John says, That perfect Love casts out Fear, they believe that Love and Fear are not compatible, and that not having this Love, it would be a great Pre­sumption in them to receive the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Holy Jesus. But they do not well understand St. John, for he does not speak of reverential Fear, which[Page 166]is very consistent with Love, and grows up with it; but of servile Fear, for that is it, which is thrown out by holy and perfect Love. The holy Fear of God keeps no Man from doing any thing that is good; and much less from the chiefest good, which is the receiving this blessed Sacrament: but rather by how much more perfect fear is, so much the more does it burn in Love, and so much the near­er does it draw us to God. And thou must not only take heed that filial fear hinder thee not from receiving it with that frequency, which thy Spiritual Guide shall advise; but thou oughtest also not to forbear the receiving it, though with but a servile Fear. If thou hast thy Conscience burdened with no hei­nous Sin, and hast confessed and lamented all those thou knowest thy self guilty of, resol­ving to forsake them for the future; Go with Humility, and an holy Confidence to receive that Sacrament, for God may turn thy Attri­tion into Contrition, and his Love will better thy fear; though in the beginning it be Ser­vile, yet if thou frequent the Table of the Lord, his Grace will amend it, and make it to become Filial. It often happens, and very often, that beginning by the fear of Hell and Punishment, a Man comes at last to the fear of offending so great a Goodness; the Lord being so gracious and so good, that he en­creases our Charity, only through the excess of his. We begin with that which is imper­fect, before we can attain to that, which is[Page 167]perfect. We begin with Self-love, and end with the hatred of our selves, and with the perfect Love of God. Believe me, the re­ceiving of this Sacrament draws vast Advan­tages along with it, and those the Lord only by his infinite Goodness works wonderfully in us, beyond what we see, know, or under­stand. Let every one draw near with such Examination, Confession, and Preparation, as he is able to make, be it more or less, (if he have us'd his utmost diligence) and let him hope that God will give him an hundred-fold encrease of what he brings. How many Saints hath servile Fear made, and brought to filial Fear, who afterwards with Faith and Hope, burning in Charity, have cast away the for­mer Fear, and been enflam'd with love of the second? How many Saints have begun their Spiritual course with fear of being tor­mented in Hell, who afterwards only for God, and his Love's sake, have repented and bewail­ed their Sins, and are now reigning in the Joys of Heaven? How many Saints have by the means of Love cast out that imperfect Fear, which was the Instrument to bring them to Love, and to perfect filial Fear? Our good Lord cures and remedies all things; if we seek him, and receive him by Grace, trusting and relying upon his Goodness, and Love to us.

Therefore those acts of Religion, which are due as to their last end, unto the three di­vine Persons in one Essence, thou oughtest fre­quently to direct to the Reverence and the[Page 168]Worship of God in this divine and mysterious Sacrament. In this Point all the Lines of thy Affection and Devotion ought to meet, as in their Center. Though it was the Son alone, by whom it was instituted, yet the Father is with him, and with the Father is the Holy Ghost. That Divine Lord, that he might be­come our Saviour, took our Nature upon him, being conceived in the Womb of the blessed Virgin; and if thou dost adore him, the Saints and Angels are at the same time Adoring and Worshipping him, whom thou dost adore and worship; and for thy doing so with them, He will both help and bless thee. Thus the Devotion to our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Sacrament is the greatest of all Devotions. This Worship and Reverence is the highest, and compre­hends all the rest.

The Fourth WEEK.

Of the Kingdom of Grace.

THE Kingdom of God, says the Saviour of Souls, is within you, and it is that Kingdom of Grace, which brings to the eternal Kingdom of Glory, nor is it a small benefit and comfort that it is within us, that we need not go far to seek it, and to find it. Happy is that necessitous Person, who has his relief within himself, he cannot be poor, unless through perverse idleness he embraces his own Misery, neither desiring, nor knowing how to make use of that relief. O the great Un­happiness, that we should have this holy King­dom within us, and yet go out of it? O the high Misfortune, that this Kingdom of Grace being an infallible Pledge of that eternal one of Glory, I by my Sins should banish my self from both the Kingdom of Grace, and that of Glory that I my self, of my own accord should forsake the eternal Joys, and choose the Tor­ments of Hell, by embracing Passions and despising Vertue!

[Page 170]The Kingdom of Grace, is to be in the Grace of God, and God in us by his Mercy; to subdue our Passions, and by that means to make the inside suitable to the outside; It is, that my Reason should govern my Passions, and the Spirit my Reason, and to keep the Flesh mortified under that Dominion. The Kingdom of Grace is that mine own Will and Appetites should be destroyed, as much as may be, and that the Divine Will should rule Instead of it. O true Kingdom! O just Em­pire, without the least shew of Tyranny, where the Creator governs the Creature, and where Reason keeps the Passions, and inferior. Faculties of the Soul in subjection to it! O Kingdom of true and holy Peace, which knows nothing but Quietness and inward Joy above all other Contentments!

The Kingdom of Grace is for God to be in the Soul, and the Soul in God; for the Son to be in the Favour of his Father; for the Creature to find himself beloved by the Crea­tor; for the Servant to yield himself humble, obedient, and resigned to the Will of his lo­ving Lord, which is not only Grace, but Glo­ry and great Glory. In how great liberty is that happy Soul, that lives and acts thus in the Grace of God! how much above all the Trou­bles and Miseries of this Life! No torment, no pain, no disgust cometh into this King­dom, for there can be no torment, pain or disgust but in the loss of it; nor can any one lose it, but he that will, by forsaking Grace,[Page 171]to commit Sin. So long as a Man is in the Grace of God, and does not lose his Grace and Mercy, all things else do neither add to him, nor take from him, neither hurt him, nor concern him. Let the World burn in Wars, abound in Misfortunes or shine in Feli­city; Let this Man rise, and the other fall; Let humane Affairs go as they will, and these temporal transitory Kingdoms be in Peace or in Confusion. He from the height of his Spi­ritual Kingdom looks down upon all with a quiet Resignation. Let all the World join a­gainst it, and with the World, the Flesh and the Devil. Let Affronts, Calumnies, and Persecutions arise; if he lose not God, and his Grace, all the rest is but a greater encrease of Grace, and a nearer approach to Glory. Strive therefore to enter into this Kingdom, for only those that live in it here, shall see the Face of God hereafter. Rather live tor­mented in it, than be drawn out of it by de­ceitful Pleasures. Rather suffer thy self to be torn in pieces, than to be brought under the Slavery and Miseries of Sin. Rather suffer a thousand Torments in this holy militant Jeru­salem, than make thy self a wretched Slave in the infamous City Babylon. Forsake not those Squadrons that are at the Gates of Heaven, to flie over to those, that are entring into the Jaws of Hell. Each of these must go to their own place, either to Glory, or eternal Tor­ment. That they might not forsake this King­dom of Grace, the Holy Apostles, Martyrs, and[Page 172]Confessors forsook their Lives; not to lose that, the Baptist lost his Head, St. Peter chose his Cross, and the Apostle of the Gentiles gave up his Neck to the Sword, St. Bartholomew gave his very Skin, and finally all the Saints in Hea­ven chose Tribulations and Torments here up­on Earth, rather than to leave that sweet Kingdom of Grace. And what great matter was it, that they lost here, since they reco­vered it an hundred fold in the Kingdom of Glory? O happy Torments! O joyful Death, that is rewarded with eternal Bliss! This Knowledge, and these Lights will God en­crease in thee, if thou livest humbly morti­fied and resigned, disposing thy self daily to receive more Grace.

Of the Purity of Intentions.

O that I could see my self so secure in this Kingdom of Grace, as never to enter into that sad and dismal Kingdom of Sin! But how can I be secure, so long as I live in this miserable Life so full of Snares and Dangers? There can be no security, where Man's Will is to act, which is so weak and frail, and so unsteady. The World is full of Snares, there are more Stumbling-blocks, than Steps. We carry with­in us the Nourishment of our own Miseries, and the Source of our Passions is the cause of our Sins and Imperfections. But for all that, Wouldst thou persevere in this Kingdom of Grace, and go with full sail into the Kingdom [Page 173]of Glory? Watch then, and pray, hope and fear, trust and persist. Let thine Intentions be pure, and thy Conscience clean, and do all things as in the Presence of God, and be­lieve that the end of this short Voyage will be the Haven of the Coelestial Country, and of eternal Salvation.

Let thine Intentions be pure, (I repeat it again to thee) let thine Intentions be pure, for thereby thy Passage shall be safe from Rocks and Tempests. If thy Intention really be to serve God, and to please him in all things; thy Practice, thy Words, thy Actions will also be to please him in all things. As Matters go with thee internally, so will they also externally. If the Tree be good, it gives good Fruit, and if evil, evil Fruit. An evil Tree cannot bring forth that which is good, nor the good that which is evil. The Quality of the Spiritual Tree is taken from that of the Intentions, and the Quality of Fruits and Works from that of the Tree. O happy he, who has a clean and pure Heart, that is, a clean and pure Intenti­on! O happy he, who desires and loves no­thing but God, and his Service! for all the Exercises of such a Man will be to serve and adore him.

Thus then if thou desirest to persevere and to encrease in the Spiritual Life, let thy first rule be to purifie thy Intention, for that gives Life to thy Works, and Cleanness to thy Heart. If thine Eye be single, saith God, all thy Body [Page 174] will be full of Light, as if he had said, if the Intention be right, the Body of all the Actions will be right, and shi­ning in good Example. The Light, that lightens thy Body, is thine Intention; if it be pure, it enlightens thee; if otherwise, thou wilt walk in darkness. See! how a Lanthorn shines that has a little Candle in it, it not only is clear it self, but gives light to all that are round about it: So the Soul, that has a pure holy Intention within it, has thereby all its Actions made holy, clear, and perfect. God is to be thy Intention in all thou dost, in all thou speakest, in all thou thinkest, and what­soever thou dost, must be for God, with God, and through God.

Of Purity of Conscience.

If this be thy Intention, and thou hast at­tain'd its Purity, thou shalt easily by the Grace of God attain Purity of Conscience also, or rather it may be said, if thou hast the one, thou already hast the other also, for what is Purity of Conscience, but Purity of Heart and Intention? If that be pure, thy Thoughts, Words, and Actions, will be so likewise; and if they be pure, thy Heart and Conscience are so too; yet Purity of Conscience signifies, not to consent to any blemish or defect in thee, and when thou findest any to throw it away presently, and to wash it with tears; It signifies an attentive Care and Vigilance to [Page 175]purifie the Soul from all Sins and Imperfecti­ons, small as well as great, and not to allow them entrance, or let them remain there, but to confess, bewail, and forsake them; It sig­nifies an implacable Enmity between Inno­cency, Truth, and Sincerity of Heart, and Sins of all kinds, and a dissent and contradicti­on to them without permitting them to make any stay in it. It signifies an exact care to see and observe what passes in thy Soul, and not to tolerate any thing in it, not only that is contrary, but that tends but to the lessening thy desires to please God; It signifies a great disquiet and uneasiness at any thing that offends God, and an open War against Sins without having any Contentment or Satisfaction, till thou hast thrown them out by Penitence and Contri­tion.

Those that live and walk with this hateful­ness, and with this desire are they, which the Saviour of Souls meant, when he said, Blessed are the pure, for they shall see God, as if he had said, 'tis impossible to see God without purity of Heart. Let a Man do works that are never so perfect and holy, let him be li­beral in Alms, visit Hospitals, pray, and suffer as much as he will, or do any thing else; If his Heart and Conscience be not pure, 'tis impossible for him to see or enjoy God, till he have cleansed and purified them. Into Hea­ven no defect can enter, nothing but what is clear, shall be received into that bright City, for a Man must enter there, as he is to[Page 176]live there. No Man can see God in Glory, even though he were in Glory, unless his sight be made so clear by purity of Life, as to be able by the Divine goodness to be raised to behold God. Employ therefore all thy care to cleanse thy Heart and Conscience; not to consent, that any Sins, Passions, or Imper­fections should lodge there, but to throw them out, and wash them off with tears. I do not say that thou shouldst have none, (though I wish it) but that thou shouldst not entertain them, for it is impossible in this sinful Life, that a Man should not fall into small, and sometimes even into great Sins; but whether they be great or small, he ought to detest them, as soon as they are perceived, and not to keep but to cast them out instantly with humble Sorrow. Do not go to sleep with Sin in thine Heart, before thou hast washed it out with tears. Think how unsafe it would be for a Man to sleep with a Viper in his Bosom, but 'tis far more dangerous to sleep with Sin in the Soul. As the Sea casts out dead Bodies, so do thou cast Sins out of thy Soul. See how long thou canst keep a burning Coal in the Palm of thine Hand, and even a less time suffer Sin to continue in thy Soul. As in the other Life no Man can see God without a pure Heart; so in this Spiritual Life seldom does a Man hearken to God, till he hath cleansed his Conscience by casting out his Sins. Sins and Passions are troublesome Companions, and make so great a noise, that they disquiet and[Page 177]deafen the inward Senses. In the loud noise of a Mill. I could not well hear the gentle voice of a Friend, who comes to succour me in imminent danger; It is necessary the noise should cease, that I may apply my attention to hear the voice of my Friend: If my Soul be diverted with Passions and other Thoughts, how can it hear the amorous Invitations of the eternal Word? How can his holy Inspirations enter, or work upon me, if I be taken up and carried away with worldly Cares? If the Light of my Reason, and of the Spirit be ex­tinguished by my Passions, how shall I see God, or hear him, when he speaks in my Heart? Thy Life is within thee, and there­fore the Government of it ought to be Inter­nal and Spiritual. Thou oughtest to observe thy inward Motions, and to hearken to the secret Voice of thy Master and Redeemer, who comes to direct thee. His Precepts and divine Counsels are not only to guide thee outwardly, but by them thou art to square all thy Thoughts, Words and Actions. It is not only from our Spiritual Fathers and Teachers, that we ought to receive direction, but we have also another Master, an inward and se­cret Master, which is the Spirit of God, who is Superior to them and enlightens them. That shall speak to thee, admonish, and reprehend, and guide thee, and thou art to hearken to, and obey it, which thou wilt neither be wil­ling nor able to do, if thy Conscience be not pure, and if thou dost not listen attentively[Page 178]to it. That holy Master will govern thee with internal Light and Knowledge, to which it is a great hindrance, if the Heart be drawn away by Sin, whether great or small, but e­specially by Self-love, and a Fondness of the Vanities of the World.

Pray therefore to God, that he would cleanse thy Heart, awaken, enlighten, guide, and teach thee, and not suffer Sins or Passi­ons to enter into thy Soul, or if at any time through infirmity thou fallest into any, that he would give thee Grace to bewail them, and to return to purity of Heart.

JƲLY.

The First WEEK.

Of Temptations, and the Grace of God in them.

BUT methinks I hear thee complaining, and saying, Lord, I desire to please thee, and would fain keep fast in this Kingdom of Grace, that I may not loose that high King­dom of Glory, nor be ungrateful for so great benefits; but my weakness is very frail, and temptations are many, which cross and hin­der my works and my desires. In me every step is a danger, or, to speak more properly a loss. The Flesh disturbs me, the Devil afrights me, and the World deceives me. I feel a Law within me, which drags me away, and carries me after it, and when I have a mind to that which is good, I find my self a Captive to that which is evil; and though I know what is best, yet I am drawn to follow that which is worst. I would flie even from my self, and yet I still find self within me. O wretched Man! Who shall deliver me from that self, which hath more power over me, than I my self have.

[Page 180]Do not disturb thy self, thou hast one with­in thee, who will defend thee from thy self; great is the Labour, but greater the Assistance. If the Devil persecutes thee, God helps thee. If the Flesh tempts thee, the Spirit encoura­geth thee; and if the World entices thee, the divine Light guides thee. Suffer with re­signation, and be not weary of suffering, for from thence will come thy remedy and thy reward. Fear not Temptations when they come to thee, but fear them, when thou goest to them. If God permits them to come, he will strengthen thee to resist them, and assist thee to conquer them; But take heed of be­ing in Temptation by thine own will and choice, for then thou wilt fall in it. By how many steps thou goest towards danger, by so many thou drawest nearer to Sin. Believe me I give thee Caution. Thou art not so strong as David, nor so wise as his Son Solomon, and yet both of them fell by going to Temp­tation. If thou livest with wariness, heed, and fear, be not afraid of those Temptations, wherewith the Lord proves thee, for he does it to see the Bottom of thy Vertue. If with the Left-hand he tempts, with the Right he helps thee; If with the one he assails thee, with the other he supports thee. Wouldst thou triumph without getting the Victory? No Man is crown'd in Peace, but he that with Valour, Constancy and Perseverance endures the Hardships of War. Wouldst thou live in the Spiritual Life without Temptations and [Page 181]Tribulations? That is not to be truly Spiritu­al. Take it therefore for a Temptation to be without temptation. The stillest Peace uses to be the highest danger, and what seems to be safety, is many times but deceit and vani­ty. The Devil lets thee alone to make thee trust in thine own self, that he may the soon­er, and the more certainly destroy thee. That troublesome Enemy has his Stratagems, he withdraws to deceive thee, and retires to come back with a fresh Assault. Sometimes he recreates thy Senses, disposes thee to Ten­derness, and outward Devotion, only to beget a secret Pride in thee, and a foolish Confi­dence, that may carry thee to eternal ruine. But do not thou consent to that, which is bad, but ask Strength of God, and so thou wilt make the Bad to become Good. The Saints suffered Tribulation, and the Saviour of the World suffered Temptation, and dost thou refuse to suffer them? By going the same way thou shalt come to the same end, and by fol­lowing thou shalt attain. Do not believe, that without steering the same course, thou shalt arrive at the same Port, where they are entred. Dost thou think to find a particular way for thy self? That will be no way, but a Precipice. Sufferings, Pains, Difficulties, and the Cross are the way to Heaven, but in those Pains and Difficulties there is exceeding great Consolation. Who art thou, that thou wouldst not suffer, weak, wretched, and faint-hearted Sinner? Who art thou? or what Man is there[Page 182]in the World, that can be exempt from Troubles and Temptations? Man is born to Labour, and is full of Misery, within him and without him, he is encompass'd round therewith; but fear not Tribulations or Hard­ships, be afraid of nothing but Sin. Believe me, there is no other way to save thee, but the royal, holy, and perfect way of the Cross. The Redeemer of Souls saves us by the Cross, He died upon the Cross, and we must live under the Cross, to enjoy the Triumphs of the Cross. He from his Passion came to his Resurrection, and by his Resurrection to his glorious Ascension. Thou shalt never be rais'd to the Life eternal, if thou dost not suffer for God in this temporal Life. Thou shalt not enter into the Kingdom of Glory, without striving here in the Kingdom of Grace. Dost thou think, that by avoiding to suffer for God, thou shalt escape suffering? Thou deceivest thy self, for they suffer most, that run fur­thest from God. O how much greater are the Sufferings of those, that are so deceivd! how much more painful and afflicting! The Sinner passeth his whole Life in pains by reason of his Vices; and so much the greater are his Torments, by how much the greater are those Passions, which disquiet and molest his trou­bled Mind. Behold the loathsome Diseases of the sensual Man, both of his Body and Soul! Behold the unclean Surfeits of the Glut­ton! Behold the fiery Rage of the Angry and Revengeful! The racking Cares of the Co­vetous! [Page 183]and the uneasie Emulations of the Proud! Behold the frettings of the Envious Man! All of them live, or rather all of them die, for how can they be said to live, that un­dergo such Anguish and Vexation? Then be­hold the difference between him that suffers for God outwardly, and feels joy and comfort in­wardly. And how wilt thou grow in the Spiri­tual life without Temptations and Tribulations? Thou canst not only not grow, nor thrive, but not so much as live in it. Wouldst thou drive Sin out of thy Heart? It must be by Mortifica­tion, or else it will still remain there. Wouldst thou drive away thy Passions? It must be by conquering Temptations. Wouldst thou be fitted for the Coelestial Building? It must be by the Chisel and Mallet of Temptation and Mortification. Wouldst thou throw out Vi­tious Habits? It must be by exercising con­trary Vertues. Wouldst thou live humbled? It is necessary that thou shouldst be afflicted. Wouldst thou know what thou art? By suffer­ing Temptations thou shalt perceive thine own Frailty and Misery. Wouldst thou cast Self-love out of thine unquiet Heart? Deliver thy self up to an holy Self-denial. Wouldst thou give thy self wholly to God, thy Saviour and Redeemer? Deny thy self, and refuse to sa­tisfie thine own desires. Finally, wouldst thou have Glory? Take up the Cross, embrace Sufferings, love Tribulations, do not defend thy self from the Cross, but under the Cross, and by the Cross; do not defend thy self from[Page 184]Sufferings, but under them by the power of Grace; do not defend thy self from the Temptations which God sends thee, but from the evil of those he sends thee.

That it is no easie matter to be saved, but that it is necessary to fight.

Believe it, he does but deceive thee, who tells thee, that thou mayest enjoy God in ano­ther Life, without Suffering for him in this Life. He does but cheat thee, who says, there are two Glories for the Soul, one of Tempo­ral Delights, the other of Coelestial. He de­ludes thee, who says, without any Tribula­tions thou shalt enjoy that Glory, which our Lord entred into by suffering them. He de­ceives thee, who makes thee believe, there is another way for thee, than that which all the Saints pass'd through. He cheats thee, that says, It is an easie matter for thee to live ill, and to die well; to take thy fill of Pleasures here, and to partake in Eternal Joys hereafter. He abuses thee, that says, 'tis an easie thing to be sav'd, and that the Gate of Heaven stands open for him at his death, who hath lived wickedly all his life. No, the Saviour of Souls does not tell thee so, but he says, That narrow is the way, that leads to Salvation. He says, We must strive to enter, because the gate is strait. He says, The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and that the violent take it by force. He tells thee, His Flock is a little Flock; that many are [Page 185] called, but few chosen. All this speaks no easi­ness, nor temporal and sensual Sweetness, but Rigour, Courage, Constancy, Repentance, Sorrow, and a Life of Crosses and Tribula­tions. Believe it, the strictest Livers are at no small labour to obtain Salvation. Strive there­fore, since it was not without cause, that so many Holy Persons before thee have under­gone the most terrible Difficulties and Afflicti­ons in their way to Heaven.

Of the Grace of God.

This indeed is a sharp unpleasing Doctrine, and very unwelcome to our Nature; but if it be an Enemy to our Nature, it is a Friend to our Spirit, and to that Grace, which brings Glory to our Nature. It is a safe Doctrine, because it is taught by our Redeemer. It presses Men to take care of their Souls, that they may seek God, and not forsake him; that they may serve him, and not offend him. But all this which is so difficult, and even impossible to our frailty, is sweet and easie by the Grace of God. It is that Grace, which fills and sup­ports, assists and conquers, convinces and dis­poses, does and perfects all. The most power­ful Grace of God, is that, which sweetens all Labours, and renders them not only tolerable, but delightful. This Grace makes the good desire Sufferings, as the bad do Pleasures, and causes them to find Joys in their Austerities, when the wicked find Trouble in the midst of[Page 186]their Delights. Grace encourages, sustains, com­forts, and gives an inward sweetness to Suffer­ings, which makes them more savoury and pleasant, than the most pretended Enjoyments of this World. Grace in the Spiritual Life strengthens the weak, enlightens the blind, eases the afflicted, comforts the sorrowful, and gives joy to the disconsolate. Grace supports the Soul, animates, guides, accompanies, raises it when it is sinking, leads it in the way, and crowns it in the end. O most powerful Grace of God! thou admirable effect of his Good­ness. All is owing to thee; How many steps are taken in the Spiritual Life, how many affections and desires are stirred up, how many good actions are done, how much perseverance is exercised, how many tears are shed, and how much love is enkindled, all is owing to God's Holy Grace. Fear not therefore Tri­bulations if Grace be with thee, for by it Temptations and Tribulations will be rendred of no force, and thou shalt conquer all by its Effectual and Omnipotent Power. I can do all things, saith the Apostle of the Gentiles, through him that strengtheneth me, for then he was strengthened by Grace; Not I, says he, but the Grace of God, which is in me; as if he had said, I work, but I am carried, guided, and assisted by Grace, for without it I neither know, nor can do any thing, being of my self unable so much as to think one good thought.

[Page 187]Behold with what facility David lamented his fall, by the help of Grace! Behold how quickly St. Peter wash'd away his sin with tears by the help of Grace! Behold with what Resolution Mary Magdalene broke off the dis­soluteness of her sinful Life, by the help of Grace! Behold how suddenly St. Paul from a Persecutor, became a joyful sufferer of Persecu­tion, and the Prodigy of the World, by the help of Grace! See the World converted and reformed, and Heaven peopled in a short time by the Apostles, through the help of Grace! Now that same Grace, which made them Saints, may make thee one also, though now thou art a sinner. 'Tis the same Grace that favours and assists thee, and is not less powerful now, but is as kind, as sweet, as strong, and effectual, as it was then. Grace does not grow old, but continues the same, or rather increases. Strive then, fight, and persevere, for he that without Grace is but meer weakness, may by it become a power­ful Conquerour.

The Second WEEK.
Of the Glory of the Blessed.

THough the former Doctrine was sad and disconsolate, I hope this last has chear'd and comforted thee. We must still walk be­tween hope and fear; for the doubt of fear restrains us, and the light of hope sets us for­ward. To facilitate the way of the Spirit is good and sound Counsel, and of possible per­formance, for it is made easie by Grace, and therefore a Christian ought not to be afraid of it; but to facilitate Salvation, and to make it consistent with a loose and licentious Life; to make it attainable without seeking Heaven in good earnest, without Repentance and Con­trition through Grace, and without conquer­ing the Passions, and banishing them from the Soul; to make it easie, I say, to be sav'd that way, is a most plain Fallacy, and dangerous Deceit. St. Paul tells us, That through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, and therefore the steps that lead to Glory are Tribulations. And believe me, even so it is purchased at a very cheap rate, for all we can suffer in this Life full of Miseries, is not worthy of the Glory that shall be revealed, [Page 189]which he obtains, who suffers willingly for God. What can our Sufferings be in compa­rison of those Enjoyments? How light are they all in respect of the eternal weight of Glory? What an inexpressible Happiness must it be, to see ones self admitted to be one of the Citizens of the Coelestial Jerusalem; to see ones self in the ravishing Company of Saints and Angels; to see ones self with the Patri­archs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confes­sors, and Virgins; to see all those Just and Holy Spirits singing Hymns and Praises to the Glory of God? And yet all this is less (though unspeakably great) than to see the holy Hu­manity of our Lord, that gracious Counte­nance, those Divine Eyes, whose brightness darkeneth the Sun, and enlightens all the Crea­tures; those Hands and Feet, and that pierced Side, from whence, as Blood heretofore, there now comes forth the Splendour of Glory, the Stream of Grace, the Joy and Comfort of all the Saints. And still this is less, than to see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, Three Persons in One Essence, the beginning and the end of all Creatures, (that ineffable Mystery, which exceeds all created Understandings) before whom all the Angels and Saints prostrate themselves in Ado­ration. This is that, which amazes the Pen, and humbles the highest Meditations, in con­templation whereof the most lofty Cherubims and Seraphims lose themselves, not being able fully to comprehend it.

[Page 190]From this Fountain and Original of Divi­nity and Goodness proceed all the Felicities of those holy Citizens in that Triumphant Jeru­salem; from that Source of Joy and Delights flow all their Delights and Pleasures; from that Infinite, Omnipotent, and Supream Es­sence, which is Incomprehensible in all it's Attributes, springs the Original Glory of the Blessed. All their Power and Being arises from his Power and Being. The sight of that Goodness, that Wisdom, and Charity is the cause of theirs. From that Light proceeds their Light. Only to see one of his Attributes, whether his Goodness, Justice, or Mercy, (though 'tis impossible to see any one of them without seeing the rest) is enough to give in­expressible Glory to all the Creatures.

What a blessedness also is it to turn the Eyes upon the Order and Beauty of that whole Coelestial Court? To see the Martyrs crown'd with Ensigns of their own Valour; to see the Holy Confessors adorn'd with their Vertues; to see the Virgins with their Palms and Crowns; only to see the Order wherein they are rank'd, and wherewith they Adore and Praise the Lord; to see the Nine Quires of Angels with the Three admirable Hierarchies; only to see the great number of beatified Souls and Spirits, every one in his Place and Employment ser­ving their Creator, and the Author of all their Happiness with unspeakable Contentment. What a wonderful and high Felicity is this? Then what Peace, what Contentment, what [Page 191]Joy, what Quiet, what Sweetness, what U­nion, what Conformity, what Ardent love of God, and of his Creatures, is there in that blessed City?

Finally, wouldst thou see what Heaven is? Look what all the Delights of this World are, freed from any mixture of Disgust, and thou shalt find, that in respect of them, they are but Pains and Torments. Think what it is to hear the sweetest Voices, to smell the sweet­est Perfumes, and to enjoy whatever can de­light the rest of the Senses; think of an Heart full of Joy and Contentment, an Understand­ing with all the Powers of the Soul fill'd with all the Delights and Pleasures, that this World can afford, it is all but Sadness and Affliction, Pain and Anguish in the highest degree in comparison of those Eternal Joys.

Wouldst thou know what Glory is? Then consider, who it is, that gives it to the Saints. Think how Infinite the Power of God is, it's his Power that gives that Glory. Think how Infinite is his Wisdom, 'tis that Wisdom, which gives that Glory. Think how Infinite is his Goodness, 'tis that Goodness, which gives that Glory. If then an Infinite Power, an Infinite Wisdom, and an Infinite Goodness joyn together to give Glory, what must that Glory be, which is the effect of such a Power, of such a Wis­dom, and of such a Goodness? If God gives to every one of his Saints in his just propor­tion according to his Love, his Power, and his Wisdom, what Riches shall he give, who[Page 192]is infinitely Rich? What Wisdom and Light shall he give, who is Infinitely Wise? And what Joy shall he give, who is Infinitely Good and Happy? If the necessitous Person mea­sures his hopes by the Power and Hand of the Liberal; what shall the Joy be, that is given by an Infinite Power, which is willing to give that which is Infinite?

Wouldst thou see what Joys those are, which God will give to the Blessed in Heaven? Think how great the Punishments are, that are inflicted upon the Damned in Hell. If those are so sharp and intolerable for the pain of them to the wicked, how sweet and super­abundant will be the Enjoyments of the good? Though his Justice and his Mercy are Essen­tially equal, yet in the effects his Mercy is greater than his Justice; for he punishes in Hell less than Sinners deserve, and rewards in Heaven more than the Saints deserve. What Glory shall he give in Heaven, who punisheth so terribly in Hell with everlasting Fire?

Wouldst thou see the Joys which he confers upon the Elect, who serve him in this Life? Think what he suffered for them, and what he did to save them. If he gave his Blood and Life upon the Cross for the bad, as well as for the good; What will he give in Hea­ven to the good alone? And if he underwent so many pains and torments in this Life, only to purchase Eternal Happiness for them; what Contents, what Delights will he give them, when they come to enjoy it? The dif­ficulty,[Page 193]the greatness, and the incomprehen­sibleness of that infinite Ransom was, that God gave his Life upon the Cross for Man; but it is an easie thing for him to bestow those Joys, after he has paid the Purchase. How great is that Glory, which he bought for the Just, when the Price of it was Infinite, and that In­finite Price was the Blood of the Eternal Son of God? But after all in my judgment, the most proportionable measure to judge of it by, is St. Paul's Rule, The eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, nor have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

See then how light and trivial are the pains and torments of this Life, whereby we arrive at those high Contentments. But to the great­ness and immensity of this Joy, Delight, Sweet­ness, Happiness, and Glory, is to be added the Eternal duration thereof. To enjoy God for ever, to be freed from Sufferings, and to live possess'd of Joys for ever, for ever, for ever! an Happiness that has no end; a Glory that shall never cease; Delights that time can­not consume, having no power either upon them, or those that enjoy them. In this un­certain Mortal Life our Delights (if there be any) either end of themselves, or put an end to the Life of him that enjoys them. They end by their duration, and perish even whilst they are lasting, and destroy him that takes pleasure in them, and are pain and death in the Image of Delights. But O the Eternal[Page 194]and Coelestial Joys of Heaven, which live and last, and grow in their duration! They change Time to Eternity; their Being is Continuance; they last without ending, and are always be­ginning anew; they are impossible to be lost, and as impossible to be express'd. For who is able to declare what it is to be Eternal? Since Eternity is an immense Ocean, whose bottom cannot be found; a most obscure Abyss, where­in are sunk all the Faculties of Humane Un­derstanding; an intricate Labyrinth, out of which there is no issue; a perpetual, invaria­ble, and indeficient Present, without what was, or what shall be; a great Year, which ever begins, and is never to end; Finally, that which never can be comprehended or con­ceived. Dionysius the Areopagite, speaking of God, confesses that it cannot be said, what he is, but only what he is not, and besides what he is. In like manner, Eternity can­not better be declared, than by what it is not, and besides what it is. Eternity is not Time, it is not Space, it is not an Age, it is not a Million of Ages; but it is more than Time, Space, or Millions of Ages. The Life, where­in thou now art, and which must shortly have an end, is not Eternity; the Health which thou at present enjoyest, is not eternal; thy Pleasures and Entertainments are not eternal; thy Possessions and Treasures are not eternal; that wherein thou trustest is not eternal; the Goods of this World, in which thou so much delightest, are not eternal. Thou must leave[Page 195]them all. A far greater thing is Eternity, above Kingdoms, above Empires, and above all Felicities. 'Tis this that makes the Joys of Heaven so inestimably valuable, and so infi­nitely excellent. Had they not an eternal durance, they would be incomparably less desirable, but Eternity being annex'd to the fruition of them, enhances their worth above all possible comparison. If we were to enjoy all the pleasures of the Senses for a thousand Myriads of Years, but were to pass no fur­ther, we ought to change them all for one only Pleasure, that would last for ever. Why then exchange we not one perishing Pleasure of the Earth, which is to last but for a mo­ment, for all those immense Joys, which we are to possess in Heaven for a World without end? All the Temporal Goods of the World might well be quitted for the securing of only one, that were eternal; how is it then that we secure not all the eternal, by forbearing now and then one, which is Temporal? It would infinitely exceed the Dominion of the whole World, so long as the World shall last, to be Lord, but of one little Cottage for Eter­nity. Time holds no comparison with it; all that is Temporal, how great soever, being to be esteemed vile and base; and all that is Eter­nal, how small soever, high and precious. And that we may enlarge this Consideration as much as possible, the very Being of God himself, if it were but for a time, might be quitted for some other infinitely less excellent,[Page 196]which were Eternal. And shall then the Co­vetous Man satisfie himself with those poor Treasures, which Death may rob him of to morrow, despising for them the Eternal Trea­sure of Heaven? For certain if God should promise us to enjoy the pleasure of one only Sense for ever in the next Life, we ought for it to part with all the pleasures we have in this: How huge a folly is it then, that pro­mising all those immense Joys of Heaven, we will not for all them together part with some of those poor ones on Earth? That having a sure Prospect of an everlasting Recompence, we will not for the sake and attainment of it despise temporal and uncertain Possessions? In Eternal Blessings, besides their perpetual continuance, there is likewise this Advantage, that they are free from change, so as they can neither end nor diminish; and that whilst Temporal Goods change and consume them­selves, they remain in the same firm, stable, and immutable condition for all Eternity. Compare therefore the brevity and inconstan­cy of the things of this Life, with the un­changeableness and eternal duration of those of the other. Do but seriously observe the difference betwixt those two words, Now and Ever. The Fools of this World say, Let us now rejoyce; The Wise and Vertuous say, It is better that we forbear our Pleasures now, that we may hereafter enjoy Eternal Happiness. The Worldlings say, Let us now live daintily, and fare deliciously; The Servants of Christ say,[Page 197] Let us dye in the Flesh, that we may live ever without change. The Sinners say, Let us now enjoy the World; They who fear God, say, Let us flie from this unstable World, that we may for ever enjoy the Coelestial. Compare these two, and see who are the wiser; those who aim only at what endures but this momentary In­stant Now; or those which look after Eternity, which lasts for Ever; those who shall suffer eternally without any Profit at all, or those who are content to suffer a little in this World, for so great a gain, as is the Kingdom of Heaven.

In all respects therefore the eternal Goods are incomparably the most excellent, and most transcendently superiour to all perishing De­lights. Aspire therefore unto them, and strive to Purchase them, even at the loss of all which is Temporal, and in this Life as much as may be to imitate the same Eternity, which is to be done by the Practice of those three Ver­tues, which St. Bernard recommends to us in these words: With Poverty of Spirit, with Meek­ness, and Contrition of Heart is renewed in the Soul a Similitude and Image of that Eternity, which embraces all times. For with Poverty of Spirit we merit the future; with Meekness we possess the present; and with the Tears of Repen­tance we recover what is past. Let all thine Actions be accompanied with this Thought, For Ever; that for ever shall be rewarded what thou doest well, and with this consideration thou wilt not only animate thy self to do good [Page 198]works, but to do them well. If in all thy deeds thou wouldst but propose to thy self E­ternity, and wholly respect it, thou wouldst find little difficulty in any good works thou goest about. Fix therefore thine Eyes and Thoughts upon that, which is to be given us, for that which may be done in a moment. Blessed be God, who bestows upon us a Re­ward without end, for Troubles so short, that they scarcely have a beginning. The Benefit which David reaped by this consideration, was a firm Resolution to mend his Life, and change into a new Man, animating himself to a great­er Observance, and a more high Perfection. And so in that Psalm, wherein he says, That he thought upon the days of Old, and the years of Eternity, he adds immediately the effect of his Meditation, saying, That he was to begin anew. Considering that Eternity never ends, but still begins, and that it is wholly a beginning, he determined with such new fervour to give a beginning to a more perfect Life, that he would never flag or be dismayed in the prose­cution of it; willing in this to imitate Eter­nity, which as it is ever beginning, so he would ever begin to deserve it. And what great matter is it, if that which we are to en­joy for ever be ever in beginning, that we should likewise be ever beginning to deserve it? Our Reward is not to fail us, and therefore there is no reason, why we should fail, and grow weary in our Service and Endeavours. Our Joy is ever to begin, why should not then[Page 199]our Endeavours be ever beginning? The Re­pose we hope for, shall never have an end; why should then our Deservings ever cease? We ought never to look back upon our La­bours past, but still to animate our selves to labour anew for God and his Service, as did the Apostle St. Paul, who says of himself, That he did forget what was past, that he did en­large his heart and mind, extending it for that which is to come; which the Apostle spake in a time when he had suffered much, and done such Services to God in the good of Souls, that he had already laboured more than all the Apostles. After that he had entred into the Synagogues of Damascus, and publickly preached Jesus Christ with the most evident danger of his Life; After that he had conver­ted many People in Arabia, Tarsus, and An­tioch; After he had distributed great Alms, gathering them with much labour, made long Journeys, and brought them unto the Poor in Jerusalem; After the suffering of innumerable Persecutions, and after infinite more Services performed for the Church; After all these it seemed unto him, that he had suffered no­thing, done nothing for Christ, and he for­got it all, as if it had been the first day of his Conversion, determining still to do more, to suffer more, to labour more, to begin anew, esteeming himself after so many Labours and Services an useless, unprofitable Servant, and to be far short of deserving that Eternal Bles­sedness, which is reserved for the Faithful in [Page 200]Glory. And indeed what proportion does a whole Life of Labours and Sufferings bear to an everlasting Reward, and never-ending Joys? What Conditions canst thou think too rigid to be performed, or what Calamities too hard to be undergone, for the attainment of an Immortal and Incorruptible Crown? If we would but allow this Point it's due considera­tion, how slight should we think all the Evils and Troubles of this World? How inconsi­derable are all Pains and Difficulties to them that have a Prospect of those future Beati­tudes?

Let me see thee, O God, in thy Glory, and let me suffer a thousand Torments in this Life. till I come to see thee. Let me see you, O Blessed Angels, in Heaven, and let me suffer upon Earth, till I come to see you. Let me be admitted into your blessed Company, O happy Saints, hereafter, and let me suffer, whatever ye suffered, here. Come Pains and Punishments, so I may but see those Eternal Joys and Contentments. Let me endure any thing in this Vale of Miseries, so I may at last come to the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, abounding in all manner of Joys and Comforts. Finally, O my Jesus, do what­soever thou wilt with me here, so that I may but at last see, adore, praise, and enjoy thee for ever there.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Imitation of the Life of our Bles­sed Saviour; and of his Mysteries.

IF the Examples of Men, nay, even of the worst, may help very much towards the making us good, being incited thereby to take care to avoid their evil Action; and if those of good Men are so prevalent to draw us un­to Vertue, what excellent Vertues may be ac­quir'd by imitating those which are to be seen through the whole course of the Life of our Blessed Saviour, who has commanded us to learn of him? And whither should we go but to the Life and Passion of our Blessed Re­deemer, for the attaining of that Glory, which he has purchased for us with his most precious Blood? Where shall we find those Vertues, which we ought to practice in the Kingdom of Grace, which is the way to it, but in his holy Imitation? Where those Merits, which must give Life and Value to all the best Actions we can possibly perform, but in the Merits and Sufferings of his Cross? And where the Grace, that must Animate, Quicken, and Fortifie our Nature, but in that which he ob­tained for us by those Sufferings, and by that Cross?

[Page 202]And thus, wouldst thou have Glory? Then go strait to the Passion of our Lord. Wouldst thou improve thy self in good and holy Cu­stoms? Fix the Eyes of thy Consideration up­on the passages of his most Holy Life. Wouldst thou know how to Fight and Conquer? Be­hold his Battles and his Victories. Wouldst thou walk in the way of Eternal Life? Fol­low him in those holy steps which he has trod before thee. Wouldst thou overcome the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, those Ene­mies of the Cross? Take up the Cross and fol­low him, who goes before thee carrying it upon his own shoulders. Dost thou desire Light and Knowledge, the Fire of Charity, the Fervour of Devotion, and to banish all Wickedness and Imperfection from thy Soul? Then contemplate the Mysteries of the Blessed Jesus; for in them thou shalt find Light, Joy, and Company; Fervency, Grace, and De­votion. Go on, and continue this Holy Me­ditation, and it shall fill thy Soul with Trea­sures of Spiritual Comfort.

Of the Mystery of the Incarnation.

And first, behold and consider the Eternal Son of God, Co-eternal, Co-omnipotent, and Infinitely Wise with the Father, coming forth from the Father (yet without leaving him) to be made Man; the Holy Ghost in this high Mystery co-operating with the Father and the Son, for the Three Divine Persons, who con­curred[Page 203]in the Creation of Man, concurred also in his Reparation and Redemption. Con­sider how he sets forth accompanied with the whole Court of Heaven, and takes Flesh in the chaste Womb of the most pure and per­fect Virgin that Nature ever saw, the most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Honour of Naza­reth, the Glory of Jerusalem, and the Joy of all Israel.

Behold that unspeakable Union between the Divinity and the Humanity; behold the Eter­nal Word cloathing himself with our Nature, and espousing himself to it in that Virgin Bride-bed. Here thou mayest know what thou owest to thy Creator and Saviour, who for the love of thee, and for thy Remedy, made himself Man, took on him the form of a Ser­vant, and subjected himself to all the Labours and Miseries, to which Mankind is liable; and together with our Nature loaded himself likewise with all their Pains and Punishments; and which is more, being Innocency itself, he took upon him all their Sins also, to suffer for them. Consider thus, what God did for thee, and then consider likewise what thou owest to God for having done all this for thee. That the Immense, the Omnipotent, and the Infinitely Wise should become Man for the Redemption of Man! That those two Ex­treams so distant and distinct should be con­joyned; that the Nature of Man, which is Frailty and Misery, should be united to the Divine Person of the Eternal Son of God,[Page 204]which is the Supream and Soveraign Deity! What greater cause can there be of Astonish­ment and Admiration? Men use to say, when they would express any thing impossible, Hea­ven and Earth shall meet, before this can come to pass. Consider how much greater a thing is God's joyning the Humanity with the Di­vinity for my sake, than the meeting of Hea­ven and Earth. Can there be a greater Fa­vour, than that God to shew his love to us, should do impossibilities? Could Omnipotency want other means to Save and Redeem Man­kind? Could not his Infinite Wisdom have contriv'd other ways for the Salvation of the Sons of Adam, without engaging himself in this incomprehensible expression of Love? Yes, most probably. For to him that is All­powerful, the most difficult things were very easie, and to him that is Infinitely Wise, they were also most clear and manifest; but his excessive Love would for the Salvation of Man, give that which was not precisely necessary, and having it in his power to do less, for their sakes he would needs do more.

O more than Infinite Goodness! O Love that exceedest all Consideration! That thou the Immense, the Omnipotent, and Infinite God shouldst be made Man, for Man! That thou shouldest so have limited thy self, being the unbounded Creator of all things both in Hea­ven and Earth! That thou shouldst be redu­ced to so short and narrow a space; Thou, who comprehendest the whole Creation with­in[Page 205]thy self, and yet hast infinite room within that unmeasurable comprehension! That thou shouldst become passible, being by thy Divine Nature incapable of Labour, Pains, and Suf­ferings! And not only passible, but already beginning actually to suffer, being Innocency and Goodness itself, and the very Original of all Goodness and Innocency! This does not only amaze Man's Understanding, but even that of the highest Cherubims; and only that same God can comprehend it, who celebra­ted and performed this high and Soveraign Mystery.

Now let us come back to our selves, and consider, what is it for Man, sinful Man, to suffer, that drags so many Chains of Passions and Wickednesses, (it being just that he should suffer for them) since this Divine Lord suffers a close Restraint and Imprisonment in the Vir­gin's Womb? What is it for Man to humble himself for God's sake, seeing God for Man's sake humbled himself so far, as even to be­come Man? What a small thing is it for Man to shut himself up in a Cell, or to hide him­self in a strait Enclosure in hope that he shall come forth to the enjoyment of Eternal Li­berty, since God the Son imprisons himself so closely for nine Months to come forth to suf­fer so many ways for Thirty and three years, that he might purchase and obtain that very Liberty for Man? What is it for the low, the mean, the vile, and the unworthy to humble himself; since the Divine, the Immense, the [Page 206]Omnipotent, the Infinite, and the most High hath abased himself to so great a degree? Draw from hence that Humility, which after a certain manner thou oughtest to be proud of, as an Honour; since thou dost that which God himself did, for it must needs be always a great Honour to do that which has been done by that Eternal Majesty. Behold what thankfulness thou owest to that unspeakable Goodness, for that wonderful expression of his Love, in the Incarnation of the Son of the Eternal God, and how it can be possible for Man with sufficient gratitude to acknowledge, that God should make himself Man for the Redemption of Man, that he should come down from Heaven to Earth, to make Earth an Inheritor of Heaven?

This in my Opinion was the greatest of all the expressions of God's Love and Kindness; in this was the greatest Conquest of his Cha­rity; in this it was that he measured the most unmeasurable distance. When once he was made Man, to suffer for Man was but an Hu­mane distance, although a very vast one, be­cause that Man was God; but that being God, he should make himself Man, was a Divine distance, and that so beyond all excess, that for the measuring of it, it was necessary that Omnipotency itself should yield to the greater power of Love. When once he had made himself passible by becoming Man, it was so natural for him to suffer, that if he would have freed his Humanity from it, it must have been[Page 207]by the help of his Divinity; but for him, being God, to make himself Man, that he might become passible; this was a Prodigy more than Divine, and which does almost seem incredible. Those that are of High and Noble Birth avoid to come near the Plebeians and Vulgar sort; those that are Rich, scorn to have any thing to do with the Poor; and those that are Wise, despise to talk with the Ignorant. But thou, O Eternal Wisdom, Riches, and Nobility, not only camest near to our Poverty, our Baseness, and our Frailty, but cloathed'st thy self therewith, to instruct, to enrich, and to enoble our Nature. From henceforth, Lord, we ought to learn from thy Divinity, to humble and abase our selves, and to become Poor, that we may imitate thee in thy Humanity.

Of the Birth of our Lord.

Behold now, when the appointed time for the Birth of the Messiah was come, how the Eternal Son of God, the Author of our Na­ture, to Honour and Redeem it, after having so long suffered that close Imprisonment in the pure Womb of an humble Virgin, was humbly born in the Stable of an Inn, and laid in a Manger. He was born in a Stable amongst Beasts, coming to live amongst bru­tish Men; and he was laid in a Manger, that was to be the Food of Souls; and in an Inn, the common receptacle of all Comers, that all[Page 208]might have access to him, who was the com­mon Saviour of all Mankind. Behold that poor Cottage of Bethlehem, already transformed into a Heaven, and his supposed Father the chaste Joseph, with the Blessed Virgin his Mo­ther, kneeling to adore the Child of her Bow­els, who also was her Maker, being the Crea­tor of the whole World. Behold all the Evan­gelical Spirits, busie in worshipping the Lord God, and in calling the Shepherds, to acknow­ledge their true and eternal Shepherd. The Angels sing, Glory to God on high, on Earth Peace, and good will towards men, exalting that Hu­mility, which had laid itself so low, and ma­nifesting his Divinity at the same time that his Humanity appeared. Enter thou also with them, O my Soul, to adore the Divine Son of God, who had now cloathed himself with the Nature of Man, and fill'd it with greater Humanity and Love, than ever till that time it was capable of: Come thou therefore with love, and lay aside thy fears; if thou art a Shepherd to others, thou art one of his Sheep. This chief Eternal Shepherd comes to call and to seed, not only the Sheep, but their Shep­herds also. Draw near, O my Soul, to that Manger, for his Deity and his Humility would have no greater Throne, to the end that thou mightest the better approach it. Seeing thy baseness, his Divine Nature abased itself to the uttermost, to the end that the baseness of thine might attain to so high a Greatness and Sove­raignty. Draw near, my Soul, be not afraid,[Page 209]for his tender Mother holds him out to thee in her Arms, and calls thee to his Humanity, lest his Divinity should affright thee.

O Infant God, the Joy and Consolation of Mankind! O Infant God, the Light of Eter­nity, and Comfort of the Universe! O Infant God, the unspeakable Delight of all Creatures, and the sweetest Gladness of Souls! Why should not I suffer for thee, since thou camest purposely into the World to suffer for me? O Immortal, and yet Mortal, Child, wherefore art thou in this Stable, wherefore weeping and suffering in this Manger, since thou art the Author of Grace, and of all that is Grace­ful, the Author of Delight, of Joy, and Glad­ness? Were it not better, O beautiful Infant, were it not fitter that Sin (that is I) should suffer, than thou, who art Innocency itself? Were it not fitter that the wicked should be in pain, than that thy Goodness should endure it? What hast thou done, O tender Infant, that thou bewailest the faults of others, and makest the punishments of them thine own? Wilt thou, O sweetest Goodness, wash my defiled Soul with thy Tears? Wilt thou, O lovely Child, by suffering Cold, inflame the coldness of my Heart; or dost thou feel that cold, to reproach the coldness of my Devo­tion? O Glory and Comfort of my Soul! Would God it were so clean and pure, that I might offer it instead of Swathes to enfold and to embrace thy tender Body. Would God it were full of Spiritual Flowers, and sweet-smelling[Page 210]Vertues, that I might lay them in that Manger instead of that straw, which was ho­noured with bearing upon it that Divine Eter­nal Grain, which is the Food and Nourish­ment of all that is created. But, O Holy and Eternal Infant, I have nothing in me to offer thee but Thorns; nothing but Sins and Mise­ries in my Soul, and it is not just to anticipate those Thorns, which must one day Crown thy sacred Head; nor to begin so early to hurt that tender Body with them. O thou that art my Happiness and my Glory, how soon do my Sins begin thy Punishment! How soon doth thy Love lye suffering between two Beasts, dying for the love of Man, who within few years art to suffer Death between two Men? How soon, O my Jesus, after thy Birth, art thou in the company of Beasts, who art to live amongst Beasts, and to dye amongst Beasts of a more cruel kind? These at thy Birth are much more innocent, for how brutish soever they be, yet the Ox knows his Owner, and the Ass his Master's Crib; but they would neither know nor receive their Saviour, but first they scourge and buffet, and then nail their Re­deemer to the Cross. Why dost thou weep, O Heavenly Child? Yet since it is natural to thee to weep, because thou hast taken our Na­ture; weep, because I do not weep, to the end that I may weep with thee; since thou sighest, let it be because I do not sigh; since thou feel­est pains, let it be, because I am insensible of thy pains, and let them beget in me a deep[Page 211]sense of my unworthiness, that thou shouldst suffer them for my sake. Let those Tears of thine become my Remedy and my Rejoycing; transfer them from thine eyes to mine, and as they wash thy beautiful Cheeks, let them also wash my polluted Soul. Transfer the love of thy tender heart to this obdurate heart of mine, and grant as it offends thee, so it may infinitely grieve for having offended thee, and desire with passionate longing to adore and to embrace thee. Let the thought of that frosty Season, wherein thou wert born, thaw this frozen heart of mine into a love of thee, that sufferedst that frost for me, who am benumb'd with one more hard and lasting; for that con­tinued some few weeks perhaps, but this of my heart has continued many years. O that I had suffered it for thee, dear Child! for the most rigorous frost that is felt for thy sake, is Warmth, is Love, and is not Ice, but Fire to kindle and inflame my heart. Thou wert born for my Happiness, and for my Remedy, Grant, O dear Lord, that such a Repentance; such a Sorrow, and such a Contrition may be born in my Soul, as may prepare and fit me for my Remedy, and grant that the light and power of those Beams of Love, which dart from the beautiful Countenance of thy Huma­nity, may drive away the darkness of Sin and Infidelity from my Soul, which thou camest to banish from thence, and may kindle in me such a fire of love towards thee, as nothing may ever be able to extinguish it.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the other Mysteries of our Lord till his Preaching; and first, of Circumcision.

IT is hard to get out of this Cottage, that was honoured with the Birth of our Lord, which is the sweetest Mystery, and fill'd with the softest Expressions of his Love; but there is a necessity of waiting upon him through the other demonstrations of it; and because he came to Redeem us, it is very fit we should follow him, that we may attain that Redemp­tion. It seem'd a small thing to his Love, to shed tears for us in the cold he was expos'd to, by the openness of that inconvenient place; but he also shed his blood already for us, by being wounded with the Legal Knife. O ten­der Infant, how soon dost thou pour out the blood of thy most precious Veins for my sake? O, who would not wish to be so happy, to spend the last drop of his for thine? My sins gave sharpness to that Knife, which was the Instrument of thy pain in this Mystery, and that blood was spilt by my Offences, and by thy Loving-kindness. As they Circumcise thy Flesh, O Eternal Good of Souls, do thou Cir­cumcise my wickedness. Lord, cut away my[Page 213]Vices and Deformities; Take away the Old Man, O Lord, form and reform the New-Grant that I may cease to do evil, and begin to do good, that by so doing, I may live for evermore.

The Adoration of the Kings.

They bring back our Saviour wounded with Love and Grief, as well as with that knife, unto the Stable and the Manger; unless it was perhaps in that very place, that he pour'd forth his blood, as well as his tears. There they stay, till three Kings come to Adore him, in requital of that one, who sought to destroy him. O how much greater a Kingdom did they find at the feet of this Coelestial Infant in the Manger, than in their own Royal Thrones. How much higher were they ad­vanced by laying themselves prostrate before him, and to what an height were they exalted by having so humbled themselves? By throw­ing down their Crowns at his feet, they en­compassed their Heads with brighter Crowns, and those not earthly, but Crowns of Grace and Glory.

They presented unto that Divine Child things Temporal; and he gave them things Heavenly and Eternal. The Gifts they pre­sented to him, were but transitory, but those he filled them with, were permanent and ever­lasting. They Offer to him Gold, Frankin­cense, and Myrrh, and he in exchange gives[Page 214]them the Golden Vertue of Charity, the In­cense of pure and fervent Devotion, and for Myrrh, the Grace of Mortification, whereby dying to this World, they began to live to that other, which never shall have end. O how much greater were those Gifts, which were bestowed on them by that little Child, than those that were offered to him by those great Kings! They presented to him Gold, as to the Creator of all the Riches of Heaven and of Earth, and he in exchange gave them the Riches of the Earth and Heaven. They gave him Incense, the perfume whereof as­cending from Earth towards Heaven, acknow­ledged him God as well as Man; and he gave them Grace, as an Earnest, that they them­selves also should ascend into Heaven. They gave him Myrrh, as to a Mortal Man, and he in being Mortal, did by his death quicken them to live with him for ever in his Glory.

Let us offer to him, with those Kings, that which those Kings did offer; let us offer De­votion, Charity, Mortification, and Adora­tion; let us offer to him a Life, that from this day may aspire to an Eternal Life; let us of­fer unto him Ardent Love, Fervent Prayers, and Humble Penitence; let us offer to him all the Actions of our Life, and let us take care, that all our Actions be such, as may be fit to be offered to him. We may well draw near with an humble confidence to adore this Child, who suffered himself to be approached by Children, and to be adored by the poorest[Page 215]Men, as well as by the richest Kings. He was born poor himself, to the end, that he may be found by those that are poor; and a Child, that he may be ador'd by little ones, for even out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings he has ordained strength, and perfected praise. Come with Humility and Assurance to make him an Offering of thy self, and thou shalt find him tender, and wounded with Love, readily to accept thy Offering.

But what can I offer to thee, O Glorious Infant; I, who am meer Poverty? What Gold of Charity, being with thee at Enmity? What Works of Repentance, being full of Obstina­cy, Rebellion, and Impenitency? What De­votion, my Prayers being full of wandring Thoughts and Distractions? O my God, I come not only to adore thee, but also to beg of thee. Lord, I believe that I please thee more in asking of thee, than in giving to thee. Such is thy Charity, thy Goodness, thy Mer­cy, and Liberality, that to exercise it, and to be giving, is thy Glory; and thou rejoycest much more in that thou bestowest, than in all thou canst receive from us poor necessitous Beggars. And what can we bestow on thee, O Infant God, we that are nothing but Mi­sery? What can we give but trifles unworthy of a God, and only tolerable for a meer Hu­mane Child, but far unfit for thee, who art also God? Thou alone canst give us what we ought to give thee; and if the Gift, which we ought to offer thee, come not first from thine[Page 216]hand, the worth of it can be no ways suitable to such an Hand, to such a Child, and to such a God.

Finally, it is from hence thou must endea­vour to draw those Gifts that thou oughtest to Present him; It is from himself thou must ob­tain the Gold, the Frankincense, and the Myrrh, in Prayer, Charity, and Mortifica­tion. From hence thou must procure a Cha­rity burning with the love of that Lord, a Mortification constant in suffering for him, that suffered for thee; that suffered cold, and shed his blood in that mean place for thy sake. In short, from hence thou must draw an earnest and fervent Devotion to contemplate and adore so many, and so great Benefits, without suffering them to slip out of thy Me­mory; and him, whom those Kings sought in that particular place, thou must love, seek, follow, and adore, in all places, wheresoever thou shalt happen to be.

Of His Presentation in the Temple.

His Holy Mother, when the days of her Purification were accomplished, according to the Law of Moses, carries her Son, the Eter­nal Son of God, and with his supposed Fa­ther, Joseph, Presents him in the Temple with a pair of Turtle Doves, the Offering appoint­ed for the Poor, they not being able to make a richer. There he was received by the hands of Simeon the Priest, who having been assured[Page 217]by the Holy Ghost, that he should not die, till he had seen the Lord's Christ, knew by the same Spirit, that that Promise was then ful­filled, which he openly declared, when taking him in his Arms he blessed God, and desired to depart in peace, for that his eyes had seen his Salvation, which God had prepared be­fore the face of all People, to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the Glory of his People Israel. It is said, that Joseph and his Mother marvelled at those things that were spoken of him, and no doubt rejoyced greatly to hear them, but that Joy was quickly check'd, for though he blessed them, he said to Mary his Mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall as well as the rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign, which shall be spoken against, yea, and a sword shall pierce through thine own Soul also. There the Virgin-Mother saw the future Pas­sion of her Son Prophesied of unto her, and her heart was wounded with a Mortal stroke of Grief, and of Compassion. From that moment she never wanted Sufferings, nor did that Sword, foretold by Simeon, ever depart from her Soul.

Thus he subjected himself to the Law, who was exempt from all Law, and who came to give us Laws; and shall thou and I be so vain, and proud, and foolish, as to shake off from us the necessary Yoke of Laws? Does he obey, to whom all ought to be obedient; and shall thou and I, who are born only to obey, resist Humility and Obedience? No, let us submit[Page 218]to our Superiours, and obey not only for Wrath, but for Conscience-sake; and let us pray unto God, that as his only begotten Son Jesus Christ submitted himself to be presented in the Temple in the substance of our Flesh, so we may be presented unto him with pure and clean hearts, by the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Of his Flight into Egypt.

With this sweet Lord and his blessed Mo­ther, and Joseph his reputed Father, thou art next to leave Judea, and accompany them flying into Egypt, to avoid the Cruelty of that Tyrant, who slew so many Innocents, that he might slay Innocency itself. Go along with those Fugitives through those Sandy Desarts, with a desire to serve them in the way, and if thou couldest, to lessen the weariness of so tedious a Journey. Make hast to get before, to prepare them a Lodging, and that not in any material House, but in thy heart; and that it may be the fitter to receive him, fill thy Soul with affectionate desires to please him; with fear to offend him, and with unwilling­ness ever to be separated from him.

Of the other Mysteries.

Being returned from Egypt, go along with thy Blessed Saviour to the House of his Mo­ther. Behold him there growing up in Age, and in Grace, and Beauty, who is the Foun­tain and Original of all Grace and Beauty. There beg of him, that thou mayest daily grow in Grace and Charity, which is the greatest beauty of the Soul. Lose thy self al­so with him in his way to the Temple, since thou art utterly lost without him. Seek him there with the Virgin, and thou mayest find him at Twelve Years old disputing with the Doctors, and teaching the Law and Precepts of his Father; for first, he accomplished them, and then he taught them. Follow the Blessed Virgin, and imitate the trouble and the care she was in for having lost him, and her great joy and gladness in finding him again, to serve him. Do thou lament like her, when thou losest God by sin, and rejoyce no less to find him again by Grace, and by Repentance. Seek God in the Temple, and thou shalt find him there; but then thou must be sure to seek him with Fervour and Devotion. Seek God there by Prayer, and by Prayer thou shalt be sure to find him. Seek him in the Divine Precepts, and in Obedience to them thou mayest be certain he will be found by thee.

[Page 220]He afterwards retires and dwells in privacy with his humble Mother, and his supposed Father from the Age of Twelve to Thirty; living obscurely those Eighteen Years, where­of the Scripture gives us no particular Account, saying only, that he was obedient to his Parents; and we may reasonably believe, that he, who was the Example of all Vertues, would not spend so much time in Idleness, which is the nourisher of all Vices; but rather that he as­sisted honest Joseph in the business of his Oc­cupation, and that probably he used even that painful means to help to support that Poverty, who came to relieve the Poverty of all Man­kind. For though the Jews in one of the Evangelists call him but a Carpenter's Son; in another they asked, Is not this the Carpenter? Some of them probably having seen him em­ployed in that Profession. Behold the Crea­tor of all things subjecting himself to his own mean Creatures; and thou rebellious and wretched Creature, wilt not thou submit thy self to thy great Creator? Behold that Majesty, nay, that Divinity, obedient to the Humanity of his Father and Mother; and wilt thou be disobedient and refractory to his Commands, who is thy Eternal Father; and who gave thee a Being in this World to no other end, but that thou mightest obey and serve him? Behold him helping to build Houses for others, who never had one of his own to rest his head in. Imitate him in his laborious In­dustry, and give not up thy self to sloth and [Page 221]laziness. Though God hath given thee Riches, so that thou art not forced to work for Ne­cessity, remember that a slothful hand tendeth to Poverty; and if thou exercisest thy self in some manual Business, thou wilt be the better able to bear a low Condition, if thy uncer­tain Riches should make themselves wings, and flie away. Learn also to be contented in the poorest Estate, by his Example, who in this World was worse provided for than the Foxes, for they have Holes; or the Birds of the Air, for they have Nests. And Pray to that builder of the Coelestial Jerusalem, that, since in his Father's House there be many Mansions, he would bestow the meanest corner in one of them upon thee; and that in his good time he would remove thee from this Earthly Ha­bitation, to an House not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.

Here let us stay and dwell a while longer upon the thoughts of our Saviour's strange condescension in that poor, painful, and ob­scure manner of Life; for here it is thy Folly and mine, thy Pride and mine must find their Cure. To see the Creator of Heaven and Earth live Eighteen Years in silence, obedi­ence, and humility, may well be a Cure for the highest Vanity, and for the most rebellious Obstinacy; since the Maker and Creator of all things humbled himself to serve and obey two of his own Creatures for the space of Eighteen Years, who would not humble him­self below all Creatures for Eighteen Thou­sand,[Page 222]nay, for an Eternity of Years? O my God, O God-man, that wert so humble, so resigned, and so obedient for Man, give me that Obedience and Humility, cure my Pride and Vanity, and grant that forsaking the noise and hurry of this tumultuous World, I may retire with delight, not absolutely to a soli­ [...]ary unactive life, but frequently into the pri­vacy of my Closet, there to admire thy Di­vine Excellencies, and to contemplate thy Humane Vertues; and that by Imitation of the one, I may through thy Mercy obtain a participation of the other.

AƲGƲST.

The First WEEK.
Of the Baptism and Preaching of our Lord, with his Doctrine, Miracles, and Pa­rables.

NOW I will shew thee the Original, of which thou oughtest to be a Copy, and the Looking-glass, where­in thou oughtest to dress thy self; I mean the Actions of our Lord, which hitherto have been unspeakable Mysteries; but now besides being Mysteries, they begin to be Advertise­ments, Instructions, Lights, Counsels, and Informations of the Spiritual Life.

Behold how after Eighteen Years of Silence and Obedience, our Saviour at the Age of Thirty begins to teach and direct Souls. A rare and admirable Example, teaching us, that we ought to restrain our selves, and not be too hasty in getting up into Offices and Preferments, but to fear them, and to learn first, that we may be afterwards able to teach; since he did so, who had no need of learning,[Page 224]and who was Wisdom itself, that came to teach us. Do thou love Obedience, Patience, and Silence, and if thou wouldst learn to Teach and Govern, learn first to Obey, and to hold thy peace:

Behold how that Lamb of God goes to the River Jordan, to seek his Holy Fore-runner, John the Baptist, who pointed out the Saviour of Souls with his finger, bearing Witness that it was He, who came to take away the sins of the World. See how presently going into the Water to be baptized, he was not so much washed himself, as he purified and cleansed the Waters with his Innocency and Holiness, and by them our sins; leaving us the Univer­sal Remedy of Baptism, the Gate of the Church, the ineffable Seal, and mysterious Character of Humane Redemption, and of Christian Vocation. Behold, how the Father acknowledges his beloved Son, in whom he declares himself well pleased. Behold the Ho­ly Ghost also appears upon him in the visible form of a Dove, the whole Trinity co-opera­ting in the Institution of that Holy Sacrament. Pray to him, to restore unto thee that Robe of Grace, which he gave thee in thy Bap­tism, and which thou hast lost by thy many sins. Beg of him to renew it by his Vertues, and amongst the rest, by the chiefest, which is final Perseverance. Consider what Thanks thou owest unto this Lord, for having caused thee to be born where thou hadst the benefit of this blessed Sacrament, and wert made[Page 225]capable of those Heavenly Blessings, which by it are brought into thy Soul.

Behold in the next place, how our Lord goes to the Desart to Fast forty days, that he might consecrate Fasting to us by his Absti­nence; and the labours and difficulties of a Spiritual Life, by being tempted. If the Eter­nal Son of God, who is Goodness and Inno­cency itself, did Fast, have not I need to do so, being meer Wickedness, Excess, and In­continency? If the Eternal Son of God, be­ing the Creator of all things, suffered himself to be tempted by our common Enemy the Devil, why should thou and I, who are vile Worms of the Earth, think it much to suffer Temptations and Tribulations; since our Mi­sery and Wickedness for the most part give nourishment to those very Temptations, and that we very often run into them by tempting our selves? See how he conquers both the Tempter and the Temptation, the one by his Abstinence, and the other by his Humility and Patience, choosing those two Vertues for an Universal Remedy of all the Diseases of the Soul. Humble thy self therefore, and be confounded in the knowledge of thy Misery, and when thou art tempted, (since Christ himself was so) do thou imitate him in a firm and resolute Resistance, patiently relying upon his strength, who with the Temptation will make a way for thee to escape, and will deliver thee when thou callest upon him.

[Page 226]Behold now, how he chooses his Apostles, the first Pillars of the Christian Religion, and the chief Masters of the Spiritual Life, be­ginning with two poor Fisher-men, who ha­ving spent all the Night toyling in vain, and caught nothing, taught us Obedience by their readily letting down the Nets again at his Command; which was well rewarded by the Miraculous draught of Fish, with which they themselves were caught, and were from that time made fishers of Men. These he increased to the number of Twelve, most of them be­ing of that mean Profession; whose Poverty and Ignorance he chose to confound Humane Wisdom and Greatness, that to neither of them, but to his Grace alone might be acknowledged the conquering and confounding of the most presumptuous Power, Knowledge, and Vanity of this World. Therefore love Poverty, and believe that the Kingdom of God cannot con­sist with Riches and Greatness, unless they be mingled with Humility.

Mark how he begins his holy Preaching with that Divine Sermon in the Mount, the Matter whereof has been the Subject of all Sermons ever since. Read it often, till thou hast fixed it in thy Memory, and have it al­ways before the eyes of thy Mind, to follow it in thy Practise. Let the Prayer he teaches there, be the Pattern of all thy Prayers; In the three first Petitions whereof thou mayest learn thy Duty towards God; to Sanctifie his Name, to resign thy self to his Will in all [Page 227]things, and to love him above thy Life in long­ing for his Kingdom, which thou canst not enter into, but by Death. Learn in the other three thy Duty towards thy Neighbour, in loving him as thy self; since by using the Plu­ral Number, thou beggest all those Blessings for others, which thou desirest for thy self; and askest to be forgiven thy Offences towards God no otherwise, than as thou thy self for­givest those that are done unto thee by Men: And since the doing good to all, and the for­giving all Injuries, is the greatest perfection of Christianity, and the thing wherein we most resemble our Blessed Saviour; be sure amongst all those excellent Lessons of that Divine Ser­mon, to make that one of doing to others, whatsoever thou wouldst have them do to thee, the continual Rule of all thy Actions; for that will make thee to love and to do good unto all, because thou wouldst have all to love, and to do good unto thee; and it will make thee forgive the greatest Injuries that any Enemy can do unto thee, because thou wouldst have no body to take Revenge for those they re­ceive from thee.

When the Holy Jesus had ended his Sermon on the Mount, that Divine Repository of the most excellent Truths, containing a Breviary of all those Precepts, which make up and per­fect the Morality of the Christian Religion; he descended into the Valleys to consign his Doctrine by the power of Miracles, which were next to Infinite, and which, it is re­markable,[Page 228]he chose to instance in actions of Mercy, that all his Powers might especially determine upon Bounty and Charity, and at the same time be invincible Arguments of the Divinity of his Person and Doctrine. Almost all the Miraculous Works he did during his Natural Life were actions of Relief and Mer­cy, that he might at once, both do good to Men, and also demonstrate his Mission from God; which indeed was the principal design of all his Miracles, which being so infinitely and apparently above the power of Nature, could not but create great confidence in his Disciples, that himself would verifie those great Promises upon which he established his Law, nor fail to make a very deep impression upon all Persons whose interest and love of the World did not destroy the Piety of their Wills, and put their Understandings into Fetters. So marvellous was the force of Conviction by these supernatural Operations, that to minds un­biass'd and honestly dispos'd to receive the truth, it was hardly resistible. Who could chuse but be wrought upon to confess his Di­vinity, from the sight of that first Miracle, which he wrought after his descent from the Mount, upon the poor leprous Person, which came to him worshipping him, and begging to be healed. He did but barely put forth his hand and touch him, and immediately his Leprosie was cleansed. What so great Vertue could possibly proceed from Natural Agents; or from whence could so sudden and effectual[Page 229]a Remedy come, but from that Great and Heavenly Physician, who is Lord of Nature, and consequently has no need to use Physical means, but by a word of his mouth can ac­complish whatever he pleases, both in Hea­ven and Earth? He bad the Man go to the Priest to offer an Oblation according to the Rites of Moses his Law, hereby teaching what Respect and Obedience we owe to the Laws of that Religion which is duly established. For in all the wonderful Works which he wrought for the healing Men's Bodies, he had this further design to heal their Minds too, by insinuating good Instructions. He was a Phy­sician of Souls as well as of Bodies, and al­ways had an eye to the Spiritual benefit of Men, by contributing to their bodily ease. This Observation holds in all those Corporal Cures, which he wrought for the outward good of Men by that Divine Power, which God had anointed him with. As his Miracles were intended for Mercy, so also for Doctrine. The Impotent and Diseased Persons were not more cured, than we instructed; which will appear, if we cast an eye upon some of his Miraculous Cures.

Behold him then in the next place giving sight to the Blind; to one, who besides his blindness was also possess'd with a dumb De­vil, which being cast out, he presently spake and saw; to another, by anointing his Eyes with Clay and Spittle, which one would think were more likely to have blinded him, if he[Page 230]could have seen; and even to one that was born blind, without any natural capacity of receiving sight; which more increased the Wonder of the Multitude, all confessing, That since the beginning of the World it was never known, that any one had received sight, who was born blind. And do not these Examples teach us to admire his Goodness and his Power, which working both with means, and with­out means, nay, and against means too, may convince us of his being God as well as Man? How should we be excited by this excessive Bounty of our Lord, to beg of him to en­lighten the blindness of our Understandings, which is far greater and worse than the blind­ness of those Men; and to give us such a clear sight of Heavenly things, as may make us look upon all the Greatness, the Riches, and the Pleasures of this World only with Contempt and Pity; that we may plainly perceive the Path that leads to eternal Happiness, and avoid all those stumbling-blocks which are laid in the way? O thou that openedst the Eyes of the Blind, suffer not the thick Mists of Igno­rance to obscure and darken my mind, and so hinder it from seeing and knowing in my day, the things which belong to my Peace, that they may never be hid from me.

See in another place a Noble Personage coming to Jesus with much Reverence, and de­siring him with great importunity to come to his House, and cure his Son, being now ready to dye. Jesus, who did not do his Miracles[Page 231]by Natural Operations, cured the Child at a distance and dismissed the Prince telling him his Son lived; which he found to be true, and that he recovered at that time, when Jesus spake those salutary and healing words. Where­upon he and all his House became Disciples, and were throughly convinced of his being the true Messiah, and that Salvation was only through him; which effect the Miracle did naturally tend to produce.

Behold at another time, how soundly he sleeps in the midst of a most violent Tempest, which so affrighted his Disciples, that they hastily awoke him, saying, Lord save us, we perish. Thus quietly do they rest in the midst of dangers, which trust in God; and so are they dismayed with fears, who dare not re­pose an entire confidence in him. Imitate thou his Disciples in having recourse to Prayer in all thy distresses, but rely upon God with assurance of his help. Observe how their di­strust was check'd with a, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little Faith! Yet his Mercy granted their Request, for he presently rebuked the Winds and the Seas, and their was a great Calm. In like manner, O Lord, compose the storms of my troubled Breast, appease the boisterous Winds of my unruly Passions, and the rolling Billows of my exorbitant and un­steady Desires. Say unto them as thou didst unto the Sea, Peace and be still; so shall I safely pass through the Tempestuous Waves of this miserable World with a calm and contented [Page 232]mind, till I arrive at the Haven of endless Rest and Comfort in thy Kingdom.

Nor does he only quiet the Sea, but walks upon the Waters of it, which seem'd so strange to his Disciples, that they took him for a Spi­rit. St. Peter having his Master still in his thoughts, that he might be certain, calls out, If it be Thou, command me to come to thee. Ob­serve the strength of his Love, which makes him desirous to be with Jesus in any place, how dangerous soever; and yet the weakness of his Fear, which presently causes his Faith to fail, though he had an Omnipotent hand ready to help him. His heart first sinks in his Body, and then his Body sinks in the Water. Learn then to follow Christ, by imitating the Vertues which he practised as Man; his Pa­tience, Meekness, Humility, and Charity; and do not affect to do those things which he performed as God. It is enough for us to un­dergo Dangers, when Providence shall bring them upon us, and too much to run our selves into them unnecessarily; for that is to tempt God by a vain Presumption, the Punishment whereof is to be left to our selves, and most probably to perish in our own rashness.

Let us next accompany our Saviour to the Marriage in Cana, (and indeed there it was that he wrought his first Miracle) where to rescue the married Pair, who were poor, and wanted Wine, from Affront and Trouble, he com­manded the Water-pots to be filled with Water, which by his Divine Power he changed into[Page 233]Wine; where the different proceeding of God and the World is highly observable. Every man sets forth good Wine at first, and then the worst; but God not only turns the Water into Wine, but into such Wine, that still the last draught is most pleasant. The World presents us with fair Language, promising Hopes, con­venient Fortunes, pompous Honours, and these are the outsides of the Bole; but when it is swallowed, these dissolve in the instant, and there remains nothing but bitterness and cor­ruption. Every sin smiles in the first Address, but when we have well drunk, then comes that which is worse, Fears and Terrors of Con­science, and Shame and Displeasure, and dif­fidence in the day of Death. But when after the manner of the purifying of the Christians, we fill our Water-pots with Water, watering our Couch with our Tears, and moistening our Cheeks with the perpetual distillations of Repentance; then Christ turns our Water in­to Wine; first Penitents, and then Communi­cants; first Waters of Sorrow, and then the Wine of the Chalice; first the Justifications of Correction, and then the Sanctifications of the Sacrament, and the Effects of the Divine Power, Joy, and Peace, and Serenity, hopes full of Confidence, and Confidence without Shame, and Boldness without Presumption; for Jesus keeps the best Wine till the last; not only because of the reservations of the highest Joys till the nearer approaches of Glory, but also because our relishes are higher after a long[Page 234]enjoyment, than at the first Essays; such be­ing the Nature of Grace, that it encreases in Relish, as it does in Enjoyment; every part of Grace being a new Duty, and new Re­ward.

Next, let us contemplate those most appa­rent and indubitable effects of a Power truly Divine and All-sufficient, that our Saviour wrought in raising the Dead, and recalling Life and Breath into them; which is a Work that baffles all the Powers of Nature, and is too difficult to be compassed by a limited Ver­tue. See how he comforts Jairus, one of the Rulers of the Synagogue, when certain Mes­sengers came and declared to him the depar­ture of his Daughter, (whom having left at home at the point of Death, he came to Jesus to beg a Cure for her,) and desired him to trouble the Master no further. Be not afraid, says he, only believe; As if he had said, Trouble not thy self at this doleful Message, neither be grieved for thy Daughter, for I am as able to restore her to Life now she is Dead, as I was to heal her when she was Sick, had I had a timely notice of her illness. Only have Faith in me, and believe that I am able to accom­plish this great Action, and it shall presently be accomplished: And according as he believ­ed, so was the event, for entring in, where the Damsel was lying, he took her by the Hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi, that is, Damsel arise, and immediately she arose and walked, to the great Astonishment and Joy of [Page 235]those that were mourning and weeping for her Decease. In like manner our Lord beholding another Object of Pity, namely, the Widow of Nain, bewailing and lamenting the Death of her only Son, who was now carrying to be Buried, had compassion on her, and bad her forbear weeping, for that her Son should be restored to her again; and by the Voice of his Mouth, which commands the whole Creati­on, and awakens the Dead, recover Sense and Motion, which was soon effected; for he did but call, Young man, I say unto thee arise, and forthwith he that was dead, sate up and began to speak; whereupon, there came a fear on all: And being struck with amazement at the sight of so marvellous an Action, they glorifi­ed God, saying, A great Prophet is risen up among us, and God hath visited his People. At another time, he exercised this Supernatural and Divine Vertue, in raising up his beloved Friend Lazarus from the Grave, who had been buried four Days, and had seen Corrup­tion. His Sisters Martha and Mary in his Sickness, sent to Jesus, saying, Behold he, whom thou lovest is sick. Jesus permitted him to taste of Death, that the Glory of God might be manifested in his return to Life. He deter­mined to get him Glory by his Resurrection; and therefore when he knew of his Death, he said to his Disciples, Our friend Lazarus sleep­eth, but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. As he went, he was met by Martha, who re­ceived him with this mournful Lamentation;[Page 236] Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died; (the same words wherewith Mary received him afterwards, when she came to him) but however (taking comfort by Faith) I know, said she, That even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus answered her, Thy brother shall rise again, and that not only at the last day, (as she understood him) but instantly: Where­fore he demanded where they had laid him; and coming to the place, he bad them take away the stone from the cave, which being done, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth; at the sound of which words, the slumbring Carcass was awakened, all its parts revived, and his Soul re-united to his Body. So readi­ly do all Creatures obey when God commands. These Instances our Lord designed as Types of our rising again at the final Consummation of the World to an immortal State, When our corruptible shall put on incorruption, and our mor­tal immortality. As they were raised again to a Temporal Being, so shall we to an Eternal, in Joy or Misery. How greatly then does it im­port us so to frame our lives in this World, that we may be counted worthy to rise again to eternal Life, and not to Eternal Death. Can we truly and heartily believe, that our Souls and Bodies shall be re-united at the last Day, and be called before Christs Tribunal to be judged and sentenced according to their Deeds here, and yet live in a careless security, with­out ever regarding to set right our Accounts, [Page 237]before we appear at that Judgment-seat? Can any thing be more absurd, than to entertain this Faith, and yet to live as if we utterly dis­own'd it? If we were really perswaded and convinced of this grand Truth and Article of Christianity, and would often meditate upon it, we should not fail to guard ourselves against the assaults of Sin, and enchantments of Plea­sure, to live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly, and to apply our whole Endeavours to prepare our Souls and Bodies, for a glorious and [...]ap­py Re-union.

Finally, (to name no more of our Lord's Miracles) let us come to that Sign, which was given to the Jews and Pharisees, to cure (if possible) their obstinate Incredulity; that greatest of Miracles, which could have no suspicion of Imposture, no Instance, or Pre­cedent, or Imitation; and that is, Jesus, his own lying in the Grave three Days and three Nights, and then his raising up himself again, and appearing unto many, and conversing for forty Days together; giving probation of his rising, and of the verity of his Body; and making a glorious promise, which at Pentecost was verified. He by his Omnipotency raised his Body from the Dead, and enlivened it, according to that Prediction of his, Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will build it up again. What more pregnant evidence could possibly be afforded, of his being the Son of God, than this sublime Miracle? This one would think, were enough to conquer the[Page 236] [...] [Page 237] [...] [Page 238]most inveterate Infidelity, and to banish the least doubt or suspicion of our Saviour's Divi­nity. O my Soul, do thou endeavour herein to resemble Christ: As he died and rose again for thee, so do thou die from Sin, and rise a­gain unto Righteousness and Newness of Life, seeking those things that are above, where Christ is ascended, and praying to him to quicken thy sinful and earthly Heart with ho­ly Desires, and heavenly Affections. That Infinite Power, which did so solemnly tri­umph over Death and the Grave, can much more easily roll away the Stone of a customa­ry Sin, and subdue and mortifie the most powerful Lust, though of never so long conti­nuance, and enable thee to live henceforward to God, in a careful observance of all Christi­an Duties, which will at length bring thee to the end of thy Hopes; to those Glories, which being the Portion of Angels and Saints, and the nearest Communications with God, are infinitely above what we see, for hear, or un­derstand.

After the Miracles of our Saviour, succeed his Parables; which way of Expression was abundantly useful, and recommended it self chiefly upon this account. That whatsoever was represented in this Figurative manner, was apt to insinuate more closely, and to work more powerfully upon the Affections. Foras­much as in this case the mind was not only addressed to, by the meer dint of Reason; but Truth was in a manner made Visible, and[Page 239]set off in such lively Colours, that the Imagi­nation being Impregnated, the Passions were easily carried along too. Hereby also the me­mory was exceedingly fortified; for such things as we feel and see, or which our Ima­ginations have an express Image of, and our Affections relish; those things always stick by us. And further, this way of Parables, which our Saviour made so frequent use of, in many cases came more home to Mens Consciences, and carried more Conviction, than any other more express and direct way of speaking: And had it not been, that the Jews were filled with Intollerable Prejudices against him, they must of necessity have had his Wisdom in great Veneration. For though under his Parables were hid mysterious Senses; yet they were not so mysterious, but that they were easily intelligible to Minds unprejudiced, honest, and desirous of Instruction. The Truth shines through the Veil, and the Shadow does itself guide to the Body and Substance.

How excellently did our Lord represent the great Efficacy of Repentance under the Gos­pel-state, and its acceptableness with God from the vilest Sinners, under the Parable of the Pro­digal Son? The Pharisees who were hardened in Infidelity, for the sake of this Doctrine, accounted him a Friend of Vicious and Lewd Persons. They knew that the Law gave hopes of Pardon only to some smaller Offences, excluding all great and notorious Offenders, and shutting them up under Wrath; and they [Page 240]not being elevated above this literal Dispensa­tion, would not believe that God would exer­cise Mercy upon any other Terms, than what he therein proclaimed; and therefore our Sa­viour Preaching Repentance, and giving hopes of Pardon to the greatest Sinners, upon con­dition of an hearty and thorough Reformati­on; these demure Hypocrites were offended, and insinuated a suspicion of our Saviour, That he was a favourer of wicked Persons. In an­swer to this unjust Imputation, and to silence the murmuring of these hard-hearted Jews, our Saviour makes use of this Parable, with two others of the like nature, wherein he plainly sets forth this great Doctrine; and shews, that as it is the common course of Men to express most Joy upon the recovery of any thing lost; so God, to whom the Souls of Men are infinitely valuable, is highly pleas'd with the recovery of lost Sinners, and upon their returning to him, will mercifully accept them, as the Indulgent Father here embraced his returning Son, who had been so long en­gaged in the most wild Extravagancies, and in the greatest Disobedience to his Paternal Authority. O the merciful Compassion of God to Mankind! O Love, that surpassest all Understanding! That the worst of Sinners should be received into favour, and be made capable of Pardon, only by repenting of their Wickedness, and being sorry for their Sins.

[Page 241]In another Parable, to wit, that of the Talents, how forcibly does our Lord instruct us in the Duties of Industry, Diligence, and Spiritual Husbandry? How plainly does he teach us the necessity of improving those Gifts and Graces, which God communicates to us for that purpose, and to encrease those Talents which he entrusts us with, and which he will call us to an account for, how we have used them, and what we have gained by them? He sets before us the Reward of a care­ful employing of them to the Uses designed, and the Punishment of a neglectful manage­ment of them. Those that had gained by their Talents, were pronounced good and faithful Servants, and commanded to enter in­to their Masters Joy; but he that had hid his Talent in the Earth, and made no advantage of it, was branded with the infamous name of wicked and slothful Servant, and command­ed to be cast into outer Darkness. In like manner God will require an account of us, how we have used all those Gifts and Endow­ments, which he has bestowed upon us, whe­ther they be Goods of Fortune, or of Grace. We are mistaken, if we think them given meerly for our sakes. Have we the Blessing of a plentiful Fortune? God entrusts us there­with, to make us capable to do good, and to relieve the necessities of our poor Brethren; and unless we thus use it, it will prove a Curse to us. Are we favoured with extraordinary Endowments of Mind? It is, that we may [Page 242]instruct the Ignorant, and employ them to the Glory of God, and to the good of others, which are destitute of so great a benefit. Is God pleased to infuse his Grace into our Hearts? it must then be our daily endeavour to grow therein, and to add one Vertue to a­nother. We must faithfully employ and hus­band the first beginnings, to the end, that we may obtain still greater degrees. God will Reward or Punish us according to the good or ill Employment of his Goods, which he makes us Stewards of; If we give diligence to add to those Talents, of whatsoever nature they be, which he deposits with us; then no doubt God will honour us with the Title of faithful Ser­vants, and abundantly recompense our Indu­stry; but if through Idleness and Sloth, we so employ our Talents, as to bring in no gain to our Lord; we must expect nothing, but that dismal Sentence denounced against the slothful Servant; Cast ye the unprofitable Servant into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gna­shing of teeth.

Another most useful and profitable Doctrine is taught us in the Parable of the Ten Virgins going forth to meet the Bridegroom; which is that of Vigilance or Watchfulness, and a time­ly preparation for Death and Judgment. As the exact time of the Bridegrooms coming was unknown to them, so is our latter end to us. And as the Door was shut against the foolish Virgins, and they excluded from the Marri­age, for their unpreparedness at the Bride­grooms[Page 243]coming; so the Door of Mercy will for ever be shut upon us, if we suffer ourselves to be surpriz'd by Death, without making a due preparation for it. The coming of the Lord to Judgment, will be as a Snare on all them that dwell on the Face of the whole Earth. Let us Watch therefore and Pray al­ways, that we may be found worthy to stand before the Son of Man.

We are likewise taught to pray instantly and perseveringly, by the Parable of the Im­portunate Widow, whom the unjust Judge, that feared not God, nor regarded Man, did yet condescend to avenge of her Adversaries, meerly because of her Importunity and con­stant Entreaties, that he might not be weari­ed by her continual coming. If this unjust Judge could by this means be mov'd to do right, and to hearken to the Petition of the oppressed Widow; How much more will God hear thy Prayers, if thou continuest instant in soliciting his Divine Majesty? If at the first thy requests be not granted, yet cease not thy Addresses, nor give over praying, but contend and wrestle, as it were with God, till thou gainest a hearing. God loves such an holy Violence. First see, that the matter of thy Petitions be just, lawful and convenient; and then thou mayest be sure to obtain them, or something better, if thou perseverest with Faith and Patience.

[Page 244]Another most necessary Duty is very strong­ly enforc'd in the Parable of the King, which would take Account of his Servants, I mean the Duty of forgiving Offences and Injuries. When he began to reckon with them, one was brought to him, which owed him ten thousand Talents; but being utterly uncapable of ever discharging so vast a Debt, he fell down be­fore his Lord, and with great Humility and Earnestness entreated him to have patience with him, whereupon he freely forgave him the whole Sum. But this same Servant after­wards severely exacting a far less considerable Debt of an hundred Pence of one of his fel­low-servants, and notwithstanding all entrea­ties casting him into Prison, till Payment should be made, his Lord thus expostulates with him; O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the Tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to him. This is our case; as the Servant's Debt to his Master was great and important, and that of his fel­low-servant to him but trivial and inconside­rable: So our Offences against God are infinite, and of a provoking Nature; and the Injuries of our fellow-Creatures to us are but few, and of small importance; if therefore we desire God to pardon our hainous and often-repeated sins against him, how can we refuse to pardon the petty and small Affronts of our Brethren?[Page 245]With what Modesty canst thou, who denyest to forgive thy Brother one single Trespass, expect that God should forgive thee ten thou­sand? Or how canst thou hope for the Mercy of God, who art most cruel and unmerciful to others? Revenge, as it is an unchristian Principle, so it tends directly to unqualifie us for forgiveness, and is uncapable of the least rational defence; for no man ever did or can forgive his Neighbour so many Provocations and Offences, as he himself has need to be forgiven by God; which is an eternal Reason and Motive to incite us to the exercise of Cha­rity and Mercy, and cannot fail to work up­on ingenuous and considering Minds. Can there be a greater Argument devis'd to make us easie and willing to pardon Offences, than the consideration of that absolute necessity we our selves stand in of God's Pardon, without which we must eternally perish? Especially since our Saviour has plainly revealed to us, that unless we from our hearts forgive every one his Brother their Trespasses, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us our Trespasses. Con­sider this attentively, and thou canst not but perceive the great unreasonableness and sinful­ness of Revenge. Think seriously how much thou dependest upon the Mercy of God for thy Salvation, and then thou wilt not fail to be merciful to thy Brethren. Finally, see what an infinite multitude of sins must be for­given thee by God, if thou escapest Damna­tion; and thou wilt find great cause to pass[Page 246]by without the least thoughts of Revenge, all the Injuries and Wrongs, that can possibly be done thee by thy Fellow-Creatures.

And many more useful Doctrines may we find couch'd under these Figurative Speeches and Parables which our Saviour delivered. Thus by the Parable of the Tares permitted to grow amongst the Wheat, he intimated the Toleration of Dissenting Opinions, not de­structive of Piety, or Civil Societies. By the three Parables, Of the Seed growing insensi­bly, of the grain of Mustard-seed growing up to a Tree, and of a little Leven qualifying the whole Lump; he signified the increase of the Gospel, and the Blessing of God upon the Apostolical Sermons. By the Parable of the Sower scattering his Seed by the way-side, some on stony, some on thorny, and some on good Ground, he intimated the several Capa­cities and Indispositions of mens hearts, the carelesness of some, the frowardness and levity of others, the easiness and softness of a third; and how they are spoil'd with World­liness and Cares, and how many ways there are to miscarry, and that but one sort of Men receive the Word, and bring forth the Fruits of an Holy Life. Thus plentifully did the Saviour of Souls provide for the winning of mens hearts, or else (if they were Stubborn and Contumacious, and would not be wrought upon) for the hardening of them, by such pleasing Discourses; which to pursue in par­ticular, were endless; for, Without a Parable spake he not unto them.

The Second WEEK.

The Eve of the Passion.

NOW it will be needful for thee to pre­pare thy Mind for great Tribulations, because thou drawest near the Passion of our Lord, whose Holy Imitation is the Joy and the Glory of Suffering. How well does a Soul­dier fight seeing the Courage of his General! How well the Subject in the sight of his King, that is ready to lose his Life for him! The Disciple is not to be above his Master, nor the Servant above his Lord. The Son is not to fare better than his Father, nor the Creature better than his Creator. Embarque thy self in the vast Gulf of thy Saviour's Passion. In that Stormy Sea of his Sufferings thou wilt sail more safely, than in the Haven of thine own Will; for this is hazard, and that Secu­rity. I had rather endure Torments with my dear Lord, than enjoy the Delights and Great­ness of the World; I had rather follow him and serve him on Mount Calvary in this Life, than to rejoyce in the Glories of Mount Ta­bor. Deny thy self not only in Temporal and Sensual Pleasures, but also even in those that are Spiritual. Love the Cross, not only in[Page 248]flying from evil, but in following that which is best. Pains and Sufferings, Lord, are the Portions of this Life, for Joys we may well wait till the eternal. O what were thy Suffer­ings, my sweetest Jesus! If once thou gavest liberty to thy Divinity to swallow up thy holy Humanity in Glory at thy Transfiguration, how often didst thou hide it under thy Suffer­ings; nay, rather thou madest use of it, that the Sufferings of thy holy Humanity might be the greater, the stronger, and the more du­rable? Thou with the Power of thy Godhead didst support the frailty of thy Manhood, and thy Divine Nature gave strength to thy Hu­mane, to the end, that it might thereby be enabled to undergo that, which otherwise it could not possibly have endured. Consider then and lament, and follow him in this first part of his holy and dolorous Passion. When the Eternal Word being prepar'd to Suffer, ask'd leave of his Eternal Father to enter into that Sea of Torments, to compleat the excess of his love to Man, and to crown that Obe­dience wherewith he dispos'd himself for the Redemption of Mankind, Behold, from Six a Clock in the Evening of that Thursday (which also may well be called Holy) the many painful steps, which our Saviour took, in going to shed his Blood, and how that most gentle Lamb was carried, and offered up by Love for a Sacrifice upon the Cross.

There the Prophecy of Venerable Simeon had its perfect completion; there the sharp[Page 249]Sword of Sorrow pierced through the heart of his Virgin-Mother. Learn of him, as she did, to resign thy self in all kinds of Suffer­ings for him, as he resigned himself to the Will of his Father, in his Sufferings for thee. Yield an humble resignation to the Judgments of the Lord, and chearfully bear whatsoever he shall ordain concerning thee, since thou seest the Son of God and his Mother; the one giving up his Blood to obey it, and the other her Heart. Refuse not Labours, repay not Slanders, resist not Persecutions and Affronts, but whatsoever thou shalt suffer, suffer it hum­bly and patiently for the sake of that dearest Lord. God the Father sends them, God the Son in bearing teaches thee to bear them, and God the Holy Ghost will give thee Comfort in them.

Dost thou feel how much the Enemy per­secutes thee? Dost thou feel how much thy evil-willers afflict thee? Dost thou feel the In­justice and Oppression of the Powerful? Dost thou feel Losses, Trouble, Sickness, Anguish, Poverty, or whatsoever else lies heavy on thy heart? Ease it, by considering that all comes to thee from Heaven. That which is God's permission in him that sins, is his dispensation to him that suffers; and those very Afflictions and Persecutions which God permits by a Ty­rant, he makes use of as the Chisel and Mallet, with which he is cutting out and forming of a Martyr. He commands the one to suffer, and suffers the other to torment; to the one he[Page 250]sends a Crown of Martyrdom from Heaven, and leaves the other upon Earth to commit Sins, which will be his everlasting Torment in Hell; therefore whatsoever thou shalt suf­fer, bear it patiently in God, with God, and for God.

Of the Last Supper, and of the washing of his Disciples Feet.

Now behold the Lord Jesus with all his A­postles entring into the Chamber prepared for them to celebrate the Legal, Natural, and Eucharistical Suppers in, where the Eternal Shepherd made himself Food, for the Nou­rishment of his Sheep. Behold, how with his Disciples he celebrates the Ancient Legal Passover, with Staves in their hands standing, with Shoes on his holy feet, eating those bit­ter Herbs which he abolished, and leaving them for the sweet Aliment and Sustenance, he after gave us in his most Holy Body and Blood. With that he gave a full accomplish­ment to the Ancient Written Law of Moses, and gave it a Farewel with his most holy Hand, shutting the Door for ever against those Ceremonies, which till then were enjoyn'd, but are since seal'd up and prohibited.

Having ended that first Supper of the Pas­chal Lamb, (which was much more a Figure, and a Mystery, than a Nourishment) his Apo­stles celebrated the natural and common Sup­per, giving refreshment to their weary Limbs,[Page 251]that their Nature might be enabled to support those Injuries, Pains, and Torments, which Sin was like to bring upon them. In that se­cond Supper our Saviour gives Judas an hint of his intended Treason, and of his own Mercy; and as if he had meant to awaken him from his wicked Lethargy, offers him the Sop he had dipped, to the end that the Li­quor changing the colour of the Bread, might check the Traitor with the thought of his most precious Blood, and that he was going to shed it, even for him, by being nail'd up­on the Cross. Our Lord strikes a trouble in­to all his Disciples, by affirming that one a­mongst them would betray him. Peter loving him fervently, and being stout, desires to be informed by the means of John, who that Traiterous Disciple was, that (as it is credible) he might chastise so horrid a wickedness; but our Lord, who that Night had made, as it were, an Embargo upon all Pains and Punish­ments, and seized them only for himself, would not plainly manifest the Traitor, lest by discovering so horrible a Treachery, the Salvation and Redemption of Mankind should have been hindred.

Those two Suppers being ended, our Sa­viour, to establish Humility in the hearts of his Disciples, to the end that by increasing and multiplying, it might be derived to the whole Church of God, enriching and improving it with that Holy Vertue; The Creator rises to wash the feet of his Creatures, and who could[Page 252]cleanse them better, than he that Created them? Who could better repair what was fal­len down, than he that made the Building? Who could better restore us to our former In­nocency, than he that was like us in all things, Sin only excepted? Who could wash and pu­rifie our Sins, but the Author and Fountain of Grace? which flowing in the Heart of our Lord most full of Mercy, that Source of eter­nal goodness pours it forth with his most Holy Hand; for, From what other Hand could so great pity and compassion have proceeded?

What other Water, O Jesus my Redeemer, could cleanse the foulness of my Sins? What other but thy Divine Hands could purifie the Defilements of my inordinate Passions? What but Innocency itself could whiten the stains of my polluted Soul? What could take away my Wickedness, but thy Infinite and Unspeak­able Goodness?

He begins to wash the Feet of his Apostles, of which some think the first were the foulest and the most disloyal, that ever trod upon the Ground; beginning as the Divine Physician with Judas, who had the most deadly Disease, and hastening the Remedy to him first, that was in the greatest danger. Others, who would have St. Peter to be Head of the Church, say, He began with him; That Reformati­on being the best grounded, and the most powerful, which begins from the highest, de­scending from the Head unto the rest of the Body. That holy Apostle seeing his Redeem­er[Page 253]at his Feet, was humbled and confounded before he touched them. He that had walked upon the Waters, and Trampled upon the Waves, sinks deeper in this Bason, through Love, than he had done in the depth of the Sea through Fear. Seeing an Humi­lity so beyond all measure, and that his God was down upon his Knees at his Feet, he was in such an amazement, that he denied them him, saying, Lord, thou shalt not wash my feet. O what an high acknowledgment was this of St. Peter, when he said, Lord, wilt thou wash my feet? It was in its kind, an higher one than when he confessed him near Cesarea. He then knew him, and confessed him to be God, but he did not know himself; but now Peter acknowledges him to be God, Infinite and Omnipotent, and himself to be a wretched weak Man, and a most miserable Sinner. Many pretend to know God, and are ignorant of themselves; but they know him indeed, who by his Divine Light, come to discover their own Darkness. Lord, wilt thou wash my feet? Thou, the God of Heaven, and I a lit­tle Dust of the Earth? Thou the Creator, and I the vilest of all Creatures? Thou, the Eternal Greatness of the Creation, the Soul of all that lives; and I the frailest, the meanest of all that Die? Thou my Master, and I thy Disciple? Thou, the King and Crown of An­gels, and I a poor simple Fisherman; nay, which is worse, a sinful Worm, and therefore more base, than any of those that crawl upon[Page 254]the Ground? Thou, that art Innocency adn Goodness itself, upon thy Knees at the Feet of my Sins, and of my Wickedness? Finally, O my Jesus, Thou, who art greater than the greatest, dost thou kneel at my Feet, who am less than the least of thy Mercies?

Thus the Humility of that loving Disciple opposed that of his Master with a Holy Con­tention, while all stood looking and admiring, to behold which would get the Victory, whe­ther the Human nature knowing the infinite height of the Divine, or the Divine know­ing the infinite Misery of the Humane. It seems more just, that here Peter should have overcome God, than God Peter, as it is more reasonable that Man should serve God, than that God should serve Man. It is the part of Man to obey, and of God to command; to Man it belongs to Serve, and to God, to suffer himself to be Served, Loved, and Adored.

This indeed was a Mystery of Love and Divine Charity, and he shewed this excessive kindness, to oblige and to enflame theirs to him, and to one another by his example; say­ing, If I being your Master and your Lord, have washed your Feet, ye ought also to wash one anothers Feet. That Love, which made him being God to become Man, made him being Man, to humble himself before Man. And that Sovereign Lord never took a righter course for that high intent, than by humbling and prostrating himself, to wash, to cleanse, and to purifie Man. He made himself Man, [Page 255]that he might redeem him; and did it seem much for God being become Man, to kneel down to wash him?

Yes, dear Jesus, it is much, much beyond expression, for nothing of all this could be deserved by Man. He does not deserve any remedy, because he has been the Author of his own Misery, but thy unbounded, thy unspeak­able compassion looks upon his Necessity, and not upon his Demerits. Whither, dear Savi­our, shall the high expressions of thy Love ex­tend? Where shall this Infinite Charity of thine be limited? Behold Lord, we are Men, that is to say, meer Misery and Wickedness. Behold, Lord, thou art God, that is to say, the most Sovereign Power, and Supreme Ma­jesty. Dost thou so far abase thy Divinity, as to drag it upon the Earth within thy Humani­ty? Is it not enough for thee to make thy self Man, unless thou humblest and prostratest thy self before Man? Who can see God at his feet without falling into an Extasy of Asto­nishment, and without giving up his life, through an excessive Humility? Who can choose but die with shame and confusion, to see so unfitting an in-equality? I do not won­der, that St. Peter resisted it, for besides that, he knew that his Master was God, and he a vile Creature, he loved his God, and he loved his Master extreamly much, and in the same proportion that he loved him, was the trouble he felt to see him kneeling at his feet; since he knew that it was the duty of all earthly Crea­tures[Page 256]to serve and adore him. But yet for all that, Peter at last yielded to Christ, it being most just that man should yield to God, since the greatest Humility lies in the greatest Obe­dience; the Disciple therefore must obey his Master, and the Servant his Lord. Our Sa­viour told him, that if he would not be wash­ed and purified, he could have no share in his Redemption; at the hearing of which terrible Sentence, Peter offered him not only his feet to be washed, but his Hands and his Head al­so. To this Christ replyed. He that is wash­ed, needeth not save only to wash his Feet but is clean all over: That is, he that hath been already washed in the Laver of Baptism, need­eth only to wash the Feet of his Affections, which from the Earth and misery of our In­clinations and Passions rise up to the Heart. Hereby the Redeemer of Souls signifies that Purity, wherewith we ought to prepare our selves for the receiving of the Blessed Sacra­ment; for before he Consecrates that, he in the washing his Disciples feet, gives them an example of Humility and Resignation, and in the Water expresses the vertue of those peni­tent Tears, wherewith they were to wash their Sins, and bewail their Miseries. And by not suffering the Dust of the Earth to re­main upon their Feet, teaches them that they should much less suffer inordinate Affections to remain in their Hearts.

[Page 257]In short our Blessed Lord washed the feet of all the Holy Apostles, and amongst the rest, those of the Traitor Judas, whose cruel Ob­stinacy was so great, that neither the touching them with those Divine Hands, nor the bring­ing them so near to the Compassionate Breast of the Redeemer of Souls could mollifie the hardness of his Heart, nor change the cruelty of his Intention. O how hard-hearted a thing is Covetousness! What an insensible Rock! How well does St. Paul call it the Source of all evil? O what a difficult thing it is to bring those with sincerity home to God, who once have lost their respect to him so far, as to dare to offend him to his Face. Let so many Pub­licans and Sinners, so many Harlots, and o­ther wicked Livers speak this, who repenting were pardoned, and the Traiterous Apo­stle Judas, who persisting in Impenitency was Damned.

Of the Institution of the Holy Sacrament.

This Gracious Action being finished, he holds a most loving Discourse to his Disciples, preparing them to see their Master suffer, and to bear all those sufferings they were to under­go themselves. O how does he forewarn and advise them! How does he encourage and in­struct them! How does he enlighten and com­fort them! There he rebukes Peter, thereby giving a Lesson to the rest, and shews them Beams of Mercy even in those Prophecies of[Page 258]Tribulations and Afflictions, that were to be­fal them. If he foretel their Frailties and their Failings, he also assures them of Victories and Triumphs, and that they shall subdue and trample upon the World through the Vertue and Power of his Grace.

That most tender Discourse being likewise ended, he Celebrated the third and last Sup­per, or more properly, the admirable and un­speakable Mystery of the Sacrament, in which he expressed and Epitomized the Intimacies of his unmeasurable Goodness and Charity. To make himself Man, and to suffer for Man, seem­ed but a small thing to his Love, unless he still remained with Man to be the food of Man. O Infinite Charity, which contentest not thy self with being our Redemption, unless thou also becomest our Nourishment! O Infinite Cha­rity, who not only offerest thy self to Death to save my Life, but who also wilt enter into my Breast to give me a better Life, and to defend and free me from a more lasting Death! O Infinite Charity, who having our Ingratitude in thy thoughts, and that thou wert to be con­demned by Men to die upon the Cross, yet leavest us a benefit, which we could not have received, but by thy passing first through so great an Ingratitude of Men! O Infinite Cha­rity, which knowing that my Offences would nail thee to the Cross, wert yet providing that remedy for those very Offences! O Infinite Charity, which knowing that a thousand In­juries and Torments were contriving in the [Page 259]Hearts of Men against thy unspeakable Good­ness and Mercy, didst yet leave thy self for Food to those Infamous Mouths, and having it in thy Power to inflict a severe punishment up­on them for so great a Wickedness, wert offer­ing them means and expedients of Mercy, Goodness, and Charity! What was Man do­ing, when thou didst institute this blessed Sa­crament for him? What, but preparing the Scourges, the Crown of Thorns, the Nails, and the Cross for thee? He was designing thy cruel Death, and thou his eternal Life. He was contriving Torments for thee, and thou Glory for him. He was platting a Crown of sharp Thorns for thy sacred Head, and thou a Crown of Joys and Eternities for his. Lord, is it thy Custom to repay Benefits for Injuries, and to give Crowns for the Reward of Ingra­titude? Come hither, O devout Souls, come and bewail with me so great a Sin; Come, love with me so great a Love. Come with a Spiritual Hunger, and offer up your hearts to receive that Divine Nourishment, and let whatsoever is in you of your selves, go forth of you to make room for this most deservedly beloved Lord to enter.

Of the Consecration of the Apostles.

After that our Sovereign Lord and Master had Consecrated the Elements of Bread and Wine, breaking the one and giving it them to Eat, and pouring out the other, and com­manding[Page 260]all to Drink, calling the one his Bo­dy, and the other his Blood, and thereby changing not their nature, but their use, that they might become a Sacrament, which should remain in his Church, not only for a Remem­brance of his precious Death and Passion, but also for a Conveyance of the Merits thereof, for the Remission of Sins. He Consecrated also the Apostles themselves, and gave them the Power and Vertue to Consecrate and Or­dain others, and to send them forth, as he did them for the Propagation of his Gospel, and for the Administration and Government of Souls. This was another admirable expression of the Love of our Lord Jesus to Mankind, since whereas he could have taken upon him the nature of Angels, and left them Heirs of that rich Possession of Receiving, Consecra­ting, and Administring those precious Sym­bols, he was pleased to bestow that Benefit and Priviledge upon Mankind, which thereby re­ceived Honour and Favour, as well as Reme­dy. But, Lord, I wonder not at that, since from the time thou madest thy self Man, all advantages were brought to Man, by joyning thy Divinity to his Humanity.

O that, as thou hast given to us Bishops and Priests this Dignity, we had also the Spirit, the Devotion, and the Piety of the Apostles! And, Lord, as the Power thou hast conferr'd upon us, is what thou hast not granted to An­gels and to Seraphins, O that the Perfection of our Manners, and the Purity and Charity of[Page 261]our Souls were in some degree suitable to that of Angels, and of Seraphins! But, O God, we have a Dignity of great weight upon very weak shoulders; the Dignity is fit for Angels, the Weakness is of miserable Sinners; And thou only, O Eternal Goodness; thy Mercy, and thy Strength alone can help and encou­rage, and support our Weakness and Misery. Since then, O sweet Lord, thou givest us this Dignity, give us also those parts and qualifica­tions which are expedient for it. Since thou hast given us the Obligations, help us also with the Abilities; since thou givest us the Ministry, give us also the Spirit. As thou hast made us to represent thee, make us also to imitate thee. As thou hast given us the Power, give us also the Vertue with the Power. Suffer us not, O Divine Goodness, to serve in that High Digni­ty with Uncharitableness and Indignity. If thou wilt not help the Bishops, the Fathers of the Faith, and the Shepherds of Souls, O thou Eternal lover of Souls, whom wilt thou help? If our Light must enlighten the Souls of others, what shall become both of us and others, if we want thy Light? Thou callest the Apostles and Ministers the Salt of the Earth, and if the Salt lose its savour, how shall their Do­ctrine be seasoned? If the blind lead the blind, shall they not both fall into the ditch? Grant, O Lord, that thy Goodness and thy Love may dwell in us, that thy Mercy and thy Charity may burn in our hearts, and that the fire of thy Divine Love may break forth from thence to kindle[Page 262]and enflame the hearts of our Christian Bre­thren.

Our Blessed Saviour having Consecrated his Holy Apostles to be Teachers of the Faith, and Pillars of his Church; and having made himself their Minister and their Priest, enters into the breasts of those that were to be his Ministers and Priests, to become an unbloody Sacrifice in the Altar of those living Temples, before he was a bloody one upon the Altar of the Cross. They with profound Reverence receive the Lord, whom they adore and be­hold in receiving him, and at the same time feel within themselves him that ministers unto them; and two fires becoming but one in­flame them, that without by their Eyes, and that within by their Hearts. That happy Night the Lord took possession of the breast and heart of Men, and they in exchange took a Proof of the excessive Love of God; but our Sa­viour likewise had a Proof of Man's Ingra­titude, since the Traitor Judas received him; his infinite Charity being resolv'd to try, if he could possibly be washed clean within, who was not purified at all by his having been washed without: But he, that had kept his foul Intention notwithstanding the washing of his Feet, and would not make use of that Wa­ter to wash his evil Eye, was as little the bet­ter for the inward washing, for he shut his Eyes against that Beam, which would have enlightened him, and the fire of his Covetous­ness was more powerful than the fire of so[Page 263]great a Charity. He suffered his Redeemer to come into his breast, not that he might re­ceive him, but that he might the better sell him, and so he carried him along with him, that he might not get away, when he was to deliver him up in the Garden. At the same instant that he received the Saviour of Souls into his covetous Breast, he presently went out to sell him to the Jews, whereby it appears that he received him, to the end that he might betray him more securely that way, than by leaving him behind. And this was the first and most grievous step of his Passion, to be received by that Treacherous Disciple. O let us, that are Priests, tremble in Receiving and Administring the Sacrament of him, who in loving us enters as a meek and a gentle Lamb into our breast, and who, when he comes to Judge us, will be a fierce Lion, if we receive him here unworthily.

The Third WEEK.
Of his Agony in the Garden, his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

THese three unspeakable Mysteries being ended, the Saviour of Souls goes forth into the Garden of Gethsemane, to give be­ginning to his dolorous Passion, that the place where the second Adam rais'd us up, might be like that, where the first Adam cast us down. It was in a Garden we were ruined by the first of Men, and in another Garden we were repair'd by the best of Men. There our Re­deemer sweats drops of Blood for the purging of thy sins and mine; so laborious was it to bear the weight of our sins, that his holy Pores were thereby opened, and even Innocency itself was put into an Agony by that intolera­ble burden. There to see the Ingratitude of Mankind, and how much they would despise the un-utterable Treasures of Man's Redemp­tion, made blood break forth from the Body of the King of Heaven, and run trickling down to the very Earth. There he thrice made earnest Prayer unto his Father for him­self, and for us; asking strength of Body for himself, and strength of Soul for us. There[Page 265]he repeated his Prayer so often, to teach us, that our Prayer ought to be earnest and per­severing. The Humane Nature begg'd assi­stance from the Divine; and he weighed the heaviness, and shrunk from the bitterness of that Cup, that his Divinity might help his Hu­manity in the drinking of it. There our dear Master by suffering taught us to suffer; that our Patience and Courage in Suffering depends wholly upon God, and that there is nothing in us but Miseries; as if he should have said, If I, who am God as well as Man, do as Man need the succour and favour of God, and ask it with a threefold repetition; Why do not ye, weak, wretched, and miserable Men ask it a thousand times, and why are ye not in­stant, devout, and fervent in your Prayers?

He there also granted, that the Cup of his grievous Passion should pass on to his Disci­ples, and that they, and from them the rest of his Church, should inherit that Patrimony of Pains, and that effectual Medicine of Sins. Let this Cup pass from me, says he to his Fa­ther; as if his meaning had been, Grant, O my God and Father, that these my Apostles, and all those that by the Preaching of them and their Successors shall heartily receive and embrace my Religion, may drink of this Cup with me, that they may also Reign with me. There he was comforted by an Angel, who was himself the Comfort of Angels; and be­ing God, would shew himself, as Man, to stand in need of Divine Consolation, giving us as­surance[Page 266]that we likewise in our needs shall be succoured and protected by Angels. There all his Disciples are dismayed, or fallen asleep, and none wa [...]ches but the Traitor Judas. O Lord, how luke-warm and indifferent is our Love! how strong, how vigilant is our Ingra­titude! In serving thee, dear Jesus, we are dull and sleepy; in offending thee we are lively and watchful. Who could bear with such Wickedness, but only thy infinite Good­ness? Who but thou, O most Gracious Savi­our, could endure such sleepiness, and such watchfulness; such watchfulness in Sin, and such sleepiness in Love?

Judas being Treacherous and Covetous, for a little Money sells the Eternal Son of God, and makes them pay for him, to whom he freely offers himself in Gift. Those infamous Ministers of Covetousness and Envy come with great force of Arms to lay hold of a gentle Lamb; and Humane Weakness attempts with Cords to bind the Divine Omnipotence. But what great matter was it, that he should suffer himself to be bound by their wickedness, when he had already bound himself with his own Charity? That Treacherous Disciple with infamous lips kisses his Face, and turns the Sig­nal of Peace into a Signal of the greatest Treachery. The Lord calls him Friend, al­though he was so cruel an Enemy, and still bore with him, and loved him, because he suffered himself to be sold for Love. His de­sign was to try, if it were possible, to soften [Page 267]the heart that was so hardened in mischief; but his heart being in his Purse, he neither would, nor could let it be wrought upon by the meekness of his Master. St. Peter being both fervent and valiant, at the taking of our Redeemer cuts off an Ear of one of the Ser­vants, (and it is probable he would have done the like to Judas, if he had been near him) but the most sweet and merciful Jesus restores it, reproving that loving Disciple; and being able with his Divinity to have defended his Humanity, he makes use of the one to mani­fest the other, by a clearer demonstration dis­covering his Divinity in the Miracle, and his Humanity in the Advice and Remedy. O more than infinite Goodness! O thy merciful forwardness to Pardon and to Suffer! Thou reprovest him that defends thee, and curest him that offends, and comes to take thee. Yet in that hurry and disorder of wickedness the Miracle was not taken notice of, and it being a Night of so much darkness, to what could it prompt the minds of Men, but to what was black and cruel?

Now they bring the Blessed Jesus thus tied and bound at Midnight to the House of Annas, who was the Father-in-law of Caiaphas the High-Priest, and there without Right or Rea­son, without Justice or Mercy, the Universal Judge of Souls is examined, as a guilty Per­son. He gives them a modest holy Answer, for which they give him a box on the Ear, the whole Heaven weeping at that time to see [Page 268]so horrid a Crime committed upon Earth. From that day Affronts became honourable, Ignominy glorious, and that began to be Re­nown, which before had been Contempt. The Cross had been accounted shameful, till the unspeakable Mysteries of Man's Redemp­tion were celebrated upon it; but from the time that God blessed and consecrated Pains and Punishments with his Pains and Punish­ments, to be Merry began to be a great Dan­ger, and to Suffer was made to be a great Honour.

While our Lord suffered these things in the House of Annas, the Officers and People ga­thered themselves together in the House of Caiaphas, and they led the most meek and ho­ly Jesus before him, because he was the High-Priest for that Year, and so the Lamb was brought before a Council of Lions, and ra­vening Wolves. There Envy Examines him, Injustice Condemns him, and the Blasphemers of God pronounce God himself to be a Blas­phemer. O Folly, that exceeds all Folly! O Wickedness, that surpasses all Wickedness! Man condemns God for a Blasphemer, when the greatest Blasphemy, that Man's Nature could commit, was to declare so foolish a Con­demnation, and so Blasphemous a Sentence.

But while they are condemning our Blessed Lord, his Divine Majesty suffers no less by the Denial of his Loving Disciple, than by the Persecution of his bitter Enemies; but his merciful Eyes raise him up again, since it was[Page 269]the fall of a Lover, who came to seek for his Beloved. St. Peter fell, where no body else durst come; His fall was by the frailty of our Nature, but his coming thither, when all the rest forsook their Master and fled, was by the Valour of Grace. It was not so with the Impenitent Judas, who, besides his being a Covetous Traitor, was also distrustful of Mer­cy, for he having made Restitution of his ill­gotten Money, did with a worse kind of Re­pentance, seek his Remedy in Despair.

Behold Jesus being condemn'd to Death by the Jew, they deliver him up to the Gentile; and having loaded him with Injuries, Affronts, Buffetings, and a thousand other sorts of Pu­nishment, they present him to Pilate. By him he is examined again, and the Idolater less partial acknowledges the Malice of the Sons of Israel, and the Vertue and Holiness of the Son of God. Yet what does that help, if Envy and Cruelty be more powerful in Per­secuting, than Truth and Innocency in De­fending? But to the end that the pains of our Redeemer might be the greater, he finds him very slack and remiss in his Defence, and them very fierce, vigorous, and constant in his Prosecution; but at last the violent and im­portunate Accuser always gets the better of a weak and unconcern'd Judge; so Pilate, not to give himself the trouble of defending Inno­cency, delivers it up bound into the hands of Malice; yet having some little scruple to com­mit so great a wickedness, he would fain have[Page 270]shuffled it off to another, and remits him to Herod, to see if he could ease himself of so troublesome a Cause, and avoid so foul a Crime as that which those fierce Tygers would have had him to commit.

They bring the Saviour of Souls to the House of Herod, and that sensual Incestuous King would have had him to work some Mi­racle for his Diversion, not having been wil­ling to believe those he had wrought for his Salvation. Our Blessed Lord gives him no Answer, for he that had beheaded John Bap­tist, and silenced the voice of his Holy Fore­runner, did not deserve to hear the voice of the Eternal Word. In the end, the Eternal Wisdom being despised as a Fool, Herod dis­dains to be the Judge of his Cause, and so being cloathed in a Robe of Scorn, they bring him back again to Pilate. Thither the cruel Multitude follow him with their Clamours, and being impatient to see Injustice so back­ward to Condemn Innocency, they with loud cries entreat the Gentile, that he might be Cru­cified, because the Superstitious Jew would not defile himself by his death in the time of the Passover, thinking that provided he kept but an outward Purity, it was no matter though he had a thousand Impurities and bloody stains in his Soul. How well did our Saviour tell them, that they were Cups washed clean on the outside, but that within they were full of Riot and Excess; and whited Sepulchres, whose inside was full of Rottenness and Cor­ruption![Page 271]The President makes still some re­sistance, and for an expedient of Pity Con­demns the Holy Jesus to be scourged, believing that at the sight of his Scourging and Crown­ing with Thorns, his fierce Accusers would be softened and satisfied. O Pity, more cruel than Cruelty itself! Are five thousand lashes a merciful means to save the Innocent? Be­hold, O my Soul, what sort of Compassion was used in the dolorous Passion of the Re­deemer of Souls, since they took it for a kind of Pity to tear his Flesh with so great a num­ber of Stripes, and how justly it is said, That the mercies of the wicked are cruel! Thus shed­ding Rivers of Blood, crowned with Thorns, having put a Reed in his hand, and an infa­mous Robe of Purple on his back, he brings forth the Lord Jesus to be seen by that ungrat [...] ful People, bidding them behold the man; but they still fierce and barbarous, cry out to have him crucified. How soft are Rocks, how gentle are Lions and Tygers in comparison of such Monsters! Behold our Savage hardness, since God suffers in this manner for Man, and Man still continues cruel and obdurate to­wards God! Is it possible that so many wounds and sufferings should not work upon them? nor at all abate their fury? Is it possible so doleful, so miserable a Spectacle should not soften Humane hearts? There is no Anger, no Rage, nor Fury so violent against a Criminal, which does not relent to some tenderness at the sight of his Punishment; but here at the[Page 272]sight of Innocency itself tormented, abused, and affronted with all kinds of Mockery and Derision, they become more hardened, more furious, and more enraged. Sure they were Statues of Brass, since all this could not move them; or if they had the flesh, at least it was impossible they should have the hearts of Men. But, O Lord, how much more reason have we to condemn our selves! For if our sinful and obdurate Souls are not chang'd and soften'd by thy Pains and Sufferings, believing and con­fessing thee; what wonder is it, if those cruel Murtherers persisted in their bloody purpose, since they denied and rejected thee? The President seeing that his Expedient had been fruitless, and that the People were grown but the more furious by it, condemns him to Death, (though disswaded by his Wife upon her Dream from having any thing to do with that Just Person) and delivers him to them to be crucified; since all that was easier for such a mean complying Judge to consent to, than to trouble and hazard himself in the further Defence of Innocency. Yet that he might remain clear and spotless, and honoured in the Opinion of the World, in Condemning our Saviour he declares himself not guilty of his Blood, and so he washes his hands, and satis­fies himself with laying the Crime upon others. But what greater Infamy can a Judge be guilty of, than to suffer the Accusers themselves to write and to sign the Sentence?

[Page 273]This being done, our Blessed Saviour car­ries his Cross alone for a great part of the way to Mount Calvary, and because they thought the time long of his getting thither, they make Simon the Cyrenian help him to bear it, that he might be there so much the sooner; for it was not out of pity that they gave him that Assistance, but it was an effect of their Cruelty; nor did they intend it for any ease to his Life, but for the hastening of his Death. In his way to Calvary he is bewailed by the Daughters of Jerusalem, leaving this Glory to the Women, that they alone wept at the Pas­sion of their Lord, their Master, and their Redeemer. They strip his Body for the cloa­thing of our Souls, and at the same time both Heaven and Earth were cloathed with Grief and Darkness to mourn for the Sufferings of their Creator. They with rough hard Nails fasten the Eternal Son of God unto the Cross, the Ingratitude of the Jews making him that requital for all his Divine Benefits. Those blessed Feet, that travelled up and down so many weary steps, to seek Sinners, that he might save and pardon them; Those liberal Hands, full of Charity and Beneficence, are bored through, and nailed by those very Per­sons whom he came to succour. Not to ac­knowledge a good turn, is Ingratitude and Wickedness; what shall it then be to pierce both the Hands and Feet of ones Benefa­ctor?

[Page 274]Then they raise up the Blessed Jesus upon the Cross, and allow him the Superiority over two Thieves, as fit Subjects for the King of that Royal Throne; and by the same action they raise and exalt Man's Nature, and ad­vance it in a manner to be Divine. When the Son of Man shall be raised up (said his Di­vine Majesty) he will draw all along with him. It is clear he did so, since by his most preci­ous Blood he washed and redeemed them, and with his most ardent Love he called and en­flamed them. O my dearest Lord God, who wert wounded and despised, crucified and crowned with Thorns, and for my sins didst suffer so many torments upon the Cross; I beseech thee by the Merits of them all, O sweetest Jesus, to pardon all my grievous Of­fences. Since thou hast drawn up all, draw me up also, O most Gracious Saviour. Do not suffer that most precious Blood to leave unwashed this Soul, which confesses thee, and acknowledges thee to be God. Thy ardent Charity interceded to thy Father for those very Enemies that crucified thee; How much rather then wilt thou be the Mediator and Re­deemer of a poor Christian, who confesses and adores thy Sovereign Majesty?

Behold, admire, and adore thy Suffering Saviour, and bewail thy sins the cause of all his Sufferings. Behold all Creatures in amaze­ment to see their Creator in so woful a condi­tion! Behold the Heavens obscur'd at that Eclipse of his Heavenly Beauties! Behold the [Page 275]Earth and all the Elements confounded at the awfulness of his Pains and Torments! Behold how the Sun withdraws its Light, not to see so horrid a Wickedness, and so terrible an In­gratitude! Behold even the very Rocks so softened, as to cleave asunder in compassion! What kind of hearts then are those that re­main unsensible? Lord, suffer not mine to be one of them, but let it melt with Love and Contrition, to think of thy heavy Torments, and of my hainous Offences. The Vail of the Temple was rent in twain, and shall my Heart be whole? Shall not my Breast and all my Bowels open themselves to receive the Blood which thou sheddest for my Redemption?

Behold the Holy Virgin at the Foot of her Son's Cross, who recommends her to the care of his beloved Disciple. Behold, how one drop of his Blood falling upon the good Thief, was to him the Baptism of Life; and eternal Con­demnation to the Bad, who knew not how to make his advantage of it. He there made the Divine Nature propitious to the Human, that it might be pardoned, and by the last of those seven Words which he spake upon the Cross, declar'd that by his Blood and Death he had finished the Work of our Redemption. Then after having hung three Hours alive upon the Cross, He that was the Life of Souls, gave them Life by his Death, and a Life eternal, which Triumphs over Death for ever. When he was dead, the Souldier with a Spear pierced his most holy Side, out of which came Wa­ter[Page 276]and Blood, representing the two Sacra­ments, and making a wide Door for holy Souls to enter; and after other three Hours, the Piety of his Friends takes him down from the Cross, laying his precious Body in a new Sepulchre, which was bestowed on him by the Charity of Joseph of Arimathea: So he, who during his Life had not a House to rest his Head in, was so poor likewise at his Death, that he had not so much as a Grave of his own, to put his Body in. There they sadly lament his loss, and burying him in their Hearts, as they had done in that Tomb, they leave him there embalmed with Spices, that, as it was Prophesied of him, he might be as the Rich in his Death; and though there they leave him, yet they carry him away with them in their remembrance, that we by their example never may forget him.

After his sad and bloody Passion, succeeded his Powerful Resurrection, when he had con­quered Hell, as well as Death, and then the Glorious Triumph of his Ascension, to the end, that Human Nature might not only be Redeemed, but also Honoured and Crowned; yet before he went up into Heaven, he com­forted his Mother and the Apostles, to whom he several times appeared after his Resurrecti­on, to the end that their Joy for it might re­compense the Sadness they had felt at his do­lorous Passion. He examined St. Peter thrice concerning his Love, that by three Confessi­ons he might purge away the Shame of his [Page 277]three Denials, bidding him as often to feed his Lambs. He signified to him by what death he should Glorifie God, commanding them all to Preach the Gospel, and assuring them, that he would be with them to the end of the World.

Within few days after he made good his promise in sending them another Comforter, for at Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in fiery Tongues, to the end, that the third Person in the Holy Trinity might Govern the Church, which the second had founded in his Blood, and which the first still supports with abundance of Coelestial Blessings. This is a Week, which is sufficient to employ all our Days, and Weeks, and Years, even to Eternity; in imitating those Vertues, in adoring those Mysteries, and in for ever prai­sing that Saviour and Redeemer of Souls, who performed them for our sakes.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Exercise of the three Theological Vertues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, upon Contemplation of the Life and Death of our Saviour.

WE have been furnished with large mat­ter of Consideration, which not only is sweet and holy, but also most profitable to our Souls. For the Life of Jesus Christ must be the Looking-glass of our Lives: His Passi­on must banish the Sins and Passions of our Hearts. His Sufferings must moderate and re­form our Pleasures. His Wounds must be the Cure of our Wounds and Maladies. His Cross must be our Banner, and his Death our Life. From hence, as from a most clear and beauti­ful Original, thou art to Copy out those Ver­tues, which are to resist, assault, and conquer thy Vices. Upon these high and Heavenly Mysteries, thou art to fix thy Faith, thy Hope, and thy Love at all times. So far as thou shalt think and meditate upon the Life and Passion of our Lord, so far will thy Faith quicken and enliven thee; and that Faith, which being Dead and without Works, will[Page 279]be but the cause of thy greater Condemnati­on, by being made a living and a working Faith will obtain for thee a high Reward. If you have Faith, sayes our Saviour, you shall remove Mountains. O how great is the pow­er of Faith? If you have Faith, ask of me and you shall receive, seek me, and you shall find me; and if you knock, it shall be opened unto you.

That lively Faith, which is offered and gi­ven us in the Life and Death of the Saviour of Souls, is not only to believe what Faith teaches us, but also to do in the same measure as we believe. To believe so many Heavenly Mysteries, and not to act in conformity to them, is a very imperfect Faith. To believe a God will not serve the turn alone; The De­vils, saith St. James, believe and tremble too, and yet are now burning in Hell. The De­vil knows very well, that God is God, and abhors him, though he believes. Dost thou believe in God, art thou a Christian? Tis well. But tell me how many are Condemned for ever, who believed but did not do according­ly. Dost thou believe in Christ, and yet wilt not follow Christ, and which is worse, dost thou Persecute him, and Crucifie him again by thy wicked Life? Woe be to thee! and woe be to me! if we thus believe in Christ. This People (saith he) honour me with their Lips, but their Heart is far from me. Woe be to thee and me, if we honour Christ on that manner!

[Page 280] Not all those (saith the Holy Jesus) that cry unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that does the will of my Father. That is to say, there are two sorts of Persons, that cry Lord, Lord, which are two sorts of Believers: The one say, and do not do; believe, but do not work: The other both say and do, believe, and likewise work. He that believes and does shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that believes a God, and yet works against him, and Offends and Crucifies him, shall ne­ver be admitted into those Heavenly Mansions. 'Tis not enough to do, without believing, nor to believe without doing; both are necessary, and we must work without giving over. Let every one look and consider what his works are, for thither he shall go, whither his Thoughts, Words, and Actions direct their Course. Are they sinful? Then to Hell. Are they full of Tears, Repentance, and Contrition? Then to Heaven.

Look what thou sowest, for that shalt thou reap. If Corruption, thou shalt reap Cor­ruption; if Perfection, thou shalt reap Per­fection. Dost thou sow Vertues in this Life? Thou shalt reap Coelestial Crowns in the other. Dost thou sow Vices? Thou shalt reap Eternal Torments. A lively Faith, I say, a lively Faith is that which will save us; a lively, active, a pure, holy Faith; not one defil'd with Sins, deformed with Passions, and full of Misery, and Presumption. Dost thou live as if thou[Page 281]wert an Heathen, and yet believe thy self a Christian? Unless thou amendest thy Life, the Heathen shall carry the Christian along with him to Hell, but the Christian shall ne­ver carry the Heathen along with him to Hea­ven. Dost thou believe an Eternity, and yet livest without any memory of that Eternity, having all thy thoughts fastened on that which is meerly Temporal? These Transitory and Temporal things will pass away, and then thou shalt come to suffer Torments in Eternity.

Do not deceive thy self, nor think it is e­nough to believe without working, nor that Christ's having suffered for thee will be enough to save thee, whilst thou ungratefully offendest him, that suffered for thee. Alas! that will not serve the turn, but rather it will be enough and too much to damn thee. Dost thou think Christ came to suffer, to the end that thou mightest the more freely sin against him? Dost thou think he came into the World, that thou mightest heap up thy wickednesses upon his holy shoulders? Dost thou think he came to facilitate thy Crimes? to the end that obsti­nate sinners might compound their Vices with his Merits? Dost thou think that Heavenly Master of Purity and Holiness came to open a Gate unto all Vice, whereby his Sufferings might serve to save those, that only believed and wrought nothing but Sins and Transgres­sions? The Eternal Son of God came into the World, not only to Redeem us, but also to Teach us; In his Blood he left Redemption, [Page 282]and in his Life, Instruction. He underwent his Passion to redeem Souls; but his Actions were so high and holy, to amend, inform, di­rect, and purifie them. The effect of his Pains, his Cross, his Death, is to give Merit to our Works, and Grace and Force to a Christian to suffer with him; but the effect of his Ver­tues, Perfections, and whole Life, is to teach us, and to set us a Pattern to imitate, as far as we are able. I have given you an Example, says he, that ye should do as I have done. And in another place he says, Whosoever doth not bear his Cross, and come after me, cannot be my Disciple. He is no perfect Christian, nor is it possible he should be, that flies from the Cross, even though he might escape it. Every Chri­stian is to follow, and embrace the Cross of his Redeemer. Can any Man be a perfect Christian without keeping the Commandments? No, certainly. Why then the keeping of them is to follow Christ in taking up his Cross.

Consider, that when thou camest into the Gate of the Church, by being Baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, thou wert signed with the Sign of the Cross, in token that thou shouldest not be asham'd to confess the Faith of Christ crucified, but manfully fight under his Banner against Sin, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil; and continue Christ's faithful Souldier and Servant unto thy life's end. Consider, that being come to Understanding, thou art brought to take thy Baptismal Vow upon thy[Page 283]self in Confirmation, whereby the Soul is for­tified to fight the inward Battles of this Life, and to bear the Cross. Consider, that at the receiving the Sacrament, if thou dost it worthily, thou renewest the same Vow, and that the Benefits of Christ's Death cannot be convey'd to thee therein, but by believing, and working according to thy belief. What is all this, but to teach us, that our Faith ought to be lively, and that believing and doing must go together in a Christian? For if thou wantest a hand to work, thou wilt also want a hand to lay hold of Christ's Merits, and to apply them to thy Soul. Beg therefore of God, that he would give thee a true, a vital, and an active Faith, for by that means thou mayest have a sure, and a certain Hope, and an ar­dent Charity; since they that believe well, hope well; and they that hope well, love well.

He that works as he believes, and believes as Christ commands him, hopes in the same proportion that he believes. If thou hopest as thou believest, and believest as thou oughtest, and lovest in the same manner as thou ho­pest, Heaven and Glory are surely thine, thou hast already conquer'd Hell: The De­vils flie already from thee; The Angels are already with thee; The Saints already bear thee Company; Thou art already under the Protection of thy Blessed Saviour, and art al­ready sealed by him for an Heir predestinated to his Glory. Pray therefore earnestly to God [Page 284]for a lively Faith, and then thou shalt have certain Hope, and fervent Charity. The Root of that most beautiful Tree, is Faith; the green Leaves and fair Flowers of it are Hope; and the sweet savoury Fruit is Cha­rity. This Tree of true Wisdom is the Tree of Eternal Life, which cures the Wounds of the Tree of Death and of Knowledge. Pant and gasp after the Fruit of this Spiritual Tree, which is Divine Charity. If thou feelest that, if thou possessest that, thou art already grown up, and hast profited considerably in the Spi­ritual Life. If thou feelest the love of God in thee, and that thy heart be warmed with one spark thereof, rejoyce and be of good courage, for thou art already near the top of Calvary, which is the Mount of Christian Perfection. The day that God gives a Soul the feeling of his Love, and an eager hearty desire to serve and to please him, he draws it near to him, and unites it to himself; nay, he already gives it a Pledge, that living always so, he may safely hope never to be parted from him. Hast thou Divine Charity, and dost thou feel the love of God within thee? Thou wilt cast away Humane Passions and Im­perfections; and having banished that which is imperfect, that which is perfect will con­tinue and increase in thee. Hast thou Divine Charity, and dost thou feel the love of God? Darkness will speedily flie away, and an holy perfect Light will enlighten thee.

[Page 285]O Divine Charity! how great is thy Power! how great is thy Worth! What is it that thou canst not do? Thou art more Omnipotent in a manner, than Omnipotency itself. Thou madest the Son of God to leave the Bosom of his Omnipotent Father, to seek a Mother, to become Man, and to die on the Cross for Man; In the doing all which acts of excessive Kindness, Omnipotency was as it were the Servant of Divine Charity; since those things could not have been done, if Omnipotency had not obey'd the infinite Love of God, in performing what his Charity ordained.

If thou lovest God then, I reckon thee safe on shore. Persevere, go on with joy and chearfulness, and all will be easie, sweet, and pleasant to thee. The Love of God facilitates the Exercises of a Spiritual Life, and makes them sweet, though in themselves they be bit­ter. The Love of God chears the Soul, and resists great Storms of Temptations, Afflictions, and Tribulations, and keeps a Conscience pure, holy, prompt, and lively. The Love of God gives more pleasure in Suffering, than Pleasure itself does in the enjoying. The Love of God gives Light, and drives away Darkness from the heart; and as Night and Day cannot con­sist together, so neither can Divine Charity and Sin. The Love of God gives Strength and Perseverance in what is good, and Va­lour and Constancy to oppose what is evil. The Love of God roots out Passions, Hatred, and Revenge from the heart, and introduces[Page 286]Pity, Goodness, and Mercy, with the other excellent Vertues. Finally, the Love of God quickens, defends, comforts, strengthens, en­lightens, and perfects the Heart and Soul; and so long as thou keepest it there, it brings all under Subjection and Obedience to Reason. It is strong, sweet, and powerful; loving, constant, couragious, and chearful; it con­tains in it all that is good, and casts out what­soever is evil.

Exercise thy self then in Love, if thou de­sirest the Lord should Crown thee. If thou hast a mind to profit, employ thy heart in loving Day and Night. Love the Lord, who in his Eternal purpose loved thee, before there was Day or Night. Let every return of thy breath breathe out the Love of this Lord, so that thy respiration and thy love to him may he equally constant in thee.

THE THIRD PART OF THE Spiritual Year, IN September, October, November, December.

SEPTEMBER.

The First WEEK.

Of the Vertue of Religion; and of the manner of Governing the Cardinal and Moral Vertues, by that of Religion.

AN ardent Love, a lively Faith, and a constant Hope will bring thee to ano­ther most sweet and noble Vertue, cal­led Religion, or the inward and outward Worship of God; which is that that creates [Page 288]and promotes all the other Vertues, and goes alway intermingled with Prayer. In this thou oughtest to Exercise thy self with very great Humility. All thy Conversation should be with God, of God, and for God. Enter thy self into his Service by Faith, adore him with Reverence, and love all that appertains to him. There is no need for thee to go up into Hea­ven to seek this Lord; since for that purpose even Earth is Heaven, and all Heaven is to be found in this narrow place of our Banishment. Thou oughtest also to bear great Reverence to the Houses of God, and to Sacred Persons; for these are the Ministers of God, and do represent God; and those are Holy places, con­secrated and appointed for his outward Wor­ship. If thou dost live thus with Reverence and Fear, and dost exercise the Vertue of Re­ligion with Love, which is the height of all Perfection; thou shalt walk on in Spirit, in Truth, and in Prayer, and shalt in the end infallibly attain the Crown of Eternity.

'Tis Religion that sanctifies and gives worth to the four Cardinal, and to the Moral Ver­tues; for without it they are only Natural; though they have an outward Beauty, yet in­wardly they are empty of Grace and Value. The Gentiles, Barbarians, Idolaters, and He­reticks also have Vertues; but they are only Natural ones, they want that Soul, that Spirit, and that Efficacy, which they get by the di­rection and intention of serving God by them. Without Religion and love to God, thou shalt[Page 289]find no Vertue in thy heart, that can deserve to be so called, but the worth of it will in­crease, by how much the more it is performed with Purity, Fervour, Attention, and Devo­tion. Endeavour to keep thy Conscience clean, and to do all things through God, and for God; for that is all thy Vertue, all thy Remedy, and the value of all thy Actions. The same pains taken, only by changing the Intention, may either prove an Advantage, or a Ruin to thy Soul. O how good and ho­ly might the Vicious Man be, if he would but suffer so much for God in Vertue, as he does to satisfie his Lusts in Vice! The Covetous man plows up the Seas, and runs up and down through several Countries, to get Wealth; but think what Treasures, what Crowns he might acquire, if he would undergo the same hazards, as St. Paul and the Holy Apostles did, for Zeal of propagating the Faith! See the ardent Passion, wherewith the Sensual Man rushes upon an Object full of Misery and Cor­ruption, which, though to him a seeming Good, is indeed but Loathsomness and Folly! If thou gavest thy heart and soul with as much eagerness to God, that true, first, and chiefest Good, to whom it is due; O how happy mightest thou be! Only by changing thy La­bours for another Object, they would become holy, which else are perverse and imperfect. Only by changing the Intent and the Action; nay, sometimes by only changing the Intent, and not the Action, the Heart is made clean[Page 290]and pure, which would else be sinful and de­filed. Only by giving that to the Invisible, which is given to what is Visible, Men might with the same, nay, with less pains, lay up Rewards in this Life, which will be delivered to them again in that to come; whereas by employing Diligence to attain sinful Pleasures, they also procure Eternal Damnation.

O what Labours, what Difficulties, what Misfortunes and Afflictions do Mortals under­go here upon Earth! and at last either they perish in the search, or else they obtain but perishing Advantages, which when they have found, and conquer'd, and possess'd, are all no better than a little Earth! They spend their time, which wastes and comes to an end, in seeking, finding, and acquiring that which they long to enjoy; and they always find the Pains, but seldom the Enjoyments. Vain Labours! Unprofitable Travels! Ill-employed Pains! and Unhappy Vexations! To spend their Time, their Life, their Honour, and their Estate, in seeking and acquiring that, which it is not a pin matter whether they get or lose! That, which I no sooner have deceived my self in­to the delight of possessing all my life, but I am undeceived with the sadness of having it taken from me by Death! This is that, which the Damned bewail themselves for; saying, We wearied our selves in the ways of wickedness and destruction, yea, we have gone through De­sarts, where there lay no way; but as for the way of the Lord, we have not known it. What hath [Page 291] Pride profited us? Or what good have Riches with our vaunting brought us? All those things are pas­sed away like a shadow, and like a Post, that pas­seth by. And seeing the Righteous stand with great boldness before such as afflicted them in this World, they complain, saying, This is he, whom we had sometimes in Derision, and a Pro­ve [...] [...]f Reproach; We Fools counted his Life Mad­ness, and his end without Honour: How is he num­bred among the Children of God, and his Lot a­mong the Saints? O Happy Labours! O Hea­venly Repentance, which workest, enrichest, and obtainest the Crown of Everlasting Life!

Of the Application of Christian Works.

And thus Holy Men say, that one ought not so much to consider, what pains a Man takes, or what sufferings he undergoes in this Life; but for whom, and for what end he ei­ther does or suffers. Non quantum (says St. Austin) sed ex quanto. A Criminal is extreamly sorry that he has killed an Innocent Person, because he is going to be hanged for the Fact. He is much troubled for the Murder, by rea­son that his Life must satisfie for the others Death. But this Sorrow, how great soever it be, will not procure him the least degree of Reward. Why? Is he not sorry, and extream­ly sorry for having killed him? Yes; but his grief is not for his sin, nor for having offended God; but he bewails his own Death, and is afflicted for the loss of his Life; yet let him [Page 292]change his Intention, and he may save his Soul with much less sorrow.

We squander away Treasures by not ap­plying our Intention to a good Object, in what we do. All our Actions may be holy, and pro­fitable to our Salvation, whether they be good or indifferent, if we do them for God, and offer them to God. The same thing [...]at is either naturally good, and yet for want of application remains without either Sin or Me­rit, (in the Opinion of some) or that is sin­ful and imperfect (in the Opinion of others) may be made holy, good, and effectual to our Souls, only by being done out of love to God. Nay, there are some that say, there is nothing Indifferent, and that whatsoever is not dire­cted to God, is guilty and inordinate; and even to walk and discourse, without applying it to God, is in a degree sinful, though in itself it have no other ill, than the not being dire­cted to God. Finally, they say, that if what we do be not good, it must of necessity be bad; if not in a high, yet at least in some measure.

O how hard this Judgment seems! yet in my Opinion it discovers very excellent Rea­son in the Root of it. For we are in such manner Debtors to God, (all our Senses, Powers, and Faculties being his) and we are so much indebted to him for those Talents, which he gave to our management, to the end we might increase them in his Service; that not to do so, whether it be in a great matter, or in a[Page 293]small, must needs be either a small or a great Offence. Work for me, says God to his Crea­tures; Traffique till I come, since to that end it was I gave thee all thou hast. All that thou dost not restore unto me, thou takest away from me. Consider that thou robbest me of all that which thou dost deny me. To work for any other, or for thy self, as thy ultimate end, is to work against me. If thou placest thy End in the Creature, thou takest it away from the Creator. If thou dost not place it in me, but either in thy self, or others, thou givest that to the Creatures, which thou owest to me. He that is not with me, is against me, and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth a­broad. If thou dost not work for me, because thou wilt not, thou deniest me thy Will; and if it be, because thou dost not remember it, thou deniest me the Memory, which thou owest me. He cannot be freed from the blame of Ingratitude to his Benefactor, that forgets the Benefit; but the greater Forgetfulness seems the greater Ingratitude.

Upon this it is they ground themselves, who say, that every indifferent Action, which is not applyed to God, is evil and imperfect; that there is nothing indifferent; that in the sight of God's Justice, whatsoever is not good, is bad; that every action of Man must be in the Service either of God, or of Belial; and that there are no more than two hands, the Right and the Left, whether the sin be great or small.

[Page 294]Let Doctors discourse of this in Universi­ties, and let them decide it in the Schools; but let us go the safe way. Every Morning Offer to God all thy Works and Thoughts. Endeavour to preserve the Actions of thy Life innocent; Offer them to God, every Year, every Month, every Week, every Day, and if it be possible, every Moment. All thou dost, all thou thinkest, all thou willest and desirest, let it be applied to his Service, and in the mean while give the Doctors leave to Dis­pute in the Schools. This inward Offering alone makes that which is Indifferent to be­come good, and that which is good, to be perfect. If (with the Opinion of some) there be Indifferent Actions, by this application of them to God, they become good; and if there be none, it will give an Efficacy to that, which else would be unprofitable; and San­ctifie that, which else would be evil and im­perfect.

Observe what Advantages the Vertue of Re­ligion brings along with it; and the benefit of a Christian's taking care to apply all his Thoughts, Words, and Actions to God, look­ing upon God in all he does, and working for God in all he undertakes. Thou oughtest to exercise all thy Vertues, both Cardinal and Moral, with this consideration, and with this aim; and if thou canst not with an actual, yet do it at least with an habitual Intention; for by this means thou wilt make those Ver­tues to be true and solid, which without this[Page 295]holy Attention and Intention will be no more than seeming ones.

The Second WEEK.
Of the three first of the Cardinal Vertues, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude; and first of Prudence.

PRudence is that Verture, which directs the manner of Humane Society; if it be through God, and for God, it is truly Prudence, for by him it finds fit and conveni­ent Means, and holily Guides by a good Way, unto a good End.

The Prudence that is of God, and through God, is Divine Prudence, which designs all for God, and never fails of its aim, because it is guided by the Rules and Directions of God. This holy Prudence leads the Intention and the Heart, and adorns every Action with ex­cellent Circumstances. Avoid and cast off from thee the false and crafty Prudence of the World, which is full of its deceits and sub­tilties. Banish from thy sincere Heart, that falsly-call'd Prudence, made up of Lyes and Jugglings, which gounding its designs upon falshood, most commonly perishes, when it[Page 296]comes to contest with that, which is true and certain. I have always found, that Truth gets Victory over Lies. I have always seen Sincerity fool the Tricks and Cheats of Craf­tiness. I have always seen the Prudence of God, triumph over that of the World, and if it happen otherwise sometimes, that lasts but for a while, for in the end Truth and Honesty are Victorious.

Wouldst thou be prudent? Work sincerely, speak always the Truth, take care in whatso­ever thou doest for God, not to offend his ho­ly Laws, keep the Rules, to which thy State and Profession oblige thee. Let thy Intenti­ons be single, and thy Actions ordered accor­ding to Reason; and believe me, thou shalt be God's prudent Man, without so many tur­nings and windings, as ill Men entangle them­selves in; without so much Pains and Anxiety as it costeth them, and without so many Tricks, Dissimulations, Plots, and Policies, as the Imprudent prudent Men of this World beat their Brains in contriving.

Wouldst thou be Wise and Prudent, so that no body may deceive thee; but that rather, if they attempt it, they shall be deceived them­selves, and ruined thee without thy Fault? Then be careful to keep Gods Commandments, live with an holy Plainness and Sincerity, and ever speak the Truth. Art thou a Christian? Obey the Laws of Christ. Art thou a Cler­gy-man? Keep the Canonical Rules. Art thou a Bishop? Be careful of thy Diocess.[Page 297]Art thou a Lay-man? Keep the honest Laws of the Laity. Art thou a Subject? Be Loyal to thy Prince. Art thou a Magistrate? Put the Laws in Execution; for who does thus, is Prudent, Wise, and Discreet, and can nei­ther be deceived, nor deceive others.

Deceit lasts not long; Truth and Sincerity defend themselves, but Doubleness and Fashood have need of Friends to defend them. A right Intention makes an Action to be Right and Prudent. And if at any time it be requisite for the good Prudence, to dissemble and be silent, it knows how to dissemble and be silent, yet without feigning, lying, or deceiving. The good Prudence has so heedful a Discreti­on in all Actions, that what the false one does with great Labour, it performs with Facility. It examines and disposes the means sweetly and orderly unto their End, and having chosen an holy End, makes use of good and discreet means for the attaining of it. On the con­trary, as the Ends of the World's Wise Men are foul, so likewise their means are foul and vain. The Prudent Men of the World use to be more subtle in their ways (says our Savi­our) but not more constant, nor more effe­ctual. These ill Politicians may perhaps stand for a while, and maintain themselves in their crooked Designs, but at the last they must fall at the feet of Prudence, and of Christian Po­licy.

Of Justice, and of Good and Evil Judges.

Justice also has need of the Vertue of Re­ligion, that is, to have an Eye to God in all things, and without that it can hardly be able to take one right step, nor can it well be said, that there is such a thing as Justice. For that being the Director of all Humane Actions to what is fit and honest, and the Reducer of all that is created unto those Rules, how can there be any Justice, where there is no regard had to the true, holy, and just Law of the Eter­nal Creator? What Justice can there be where Humane Understanding does not square its Discourse and Judgment according to that true and eternal Justice? All the Wrath, all the Injuries, all the Wickedness, and all the Injustice of the Creatures proceeds from their departing from that right Justice of the Crea­tor. Consider how many Mischiefs are caused by a slackness in Legal, Vindictive, Commu­tative, or Distributive Justice. Consider the inequality of the World, in disposing of Re­wards, Offices, and Dignities. Consider the wrong done in Suits, by giving that Sentence for the Rich and Powerful, which is due to the Poor and Necessitous Person. Consider the false Clemency and Pity, whereby ill Men are Pardon'd, and the secure Tyranny, where­by the good are Oppressed. Consider the Di­sturbances that arise from the ill management of Laws, and of Publick Resolutions. All this[Page 299]disorder, all this excess or defect, omission and commission, and all this perverting of Judg­ment proceeds from our swerving from that Eternal Rule of Internal and Superiour Ju­stice, which God imprinted in Natural Rea­son, and which his Grace afterwards did more illustrate by his Holy Laws, Counsels, and Directions.

Tell me, what Justice there can be in the heart of him who is unjust in himself, and who is possessed with filthy Appetites, and inordi­nate Passions? That Justice which begins with so terrible an Injustice; as to throw God out of the Possession of his heart, how can it deserve the name of Justice? Or how can that be so called, which does not oblige a Man to do within himself, as he desires that others should do without himself? The first thing, that a wicked and partial Judge does, is to rob God, by taking away his own Heart, Un­derstanding, and Discourse from him, and giving it to the common Enemy. Now where is this Judge like to end, that begins thus with playing the Thief? He that robs God of that which is his, what Robberies will he not com­mit upon Man? 'Tis manifest, that his Justice will be but a tolerated and applauded Ty­ranny; since he is to Judge and pass Sentence openly, who is himself already Judged and Condemned secretly. Partiality and Arbi­trariness will sway his Sentence, to free a De­linquent, if he be his Friend, and to con­demn an Innocent, if his Enemy. He will[Page 300]prefer one that bribes and flatters him, and reject another, that neither presents nor ho­nours him. He will prefer his own Commo­dity, Pleasure, Profit, or Will, before the Pub­lick Peace, Quiet, and Security. In all his Actions he will measure the Publick Conve­niency with his own, and leave his neglect and carelesness to the Publick. All his Diligence and Watchfulness shall be for himself, but not the least part of either for God, or the due performance of his Publick Employment.

Now wouldst thou do Justice, and be Ex­cellent in that Vertue? Then first be just with­in thy self, and then thou wilt not fail of do­ing Justice to others. Settle and govern thy inward Common-wealth with Holiness. Let God and Reason, and the Rules thereof, or­der that little World which thou hast within thee, and then thou mayest come forth holy and just to govern the World without thee. Is it not certain, that if thy little World be disturbed, confused, and in disorder, the great World will be so likewise, as far as thou hast the Government of it? If the Governour himself be naught, how shall it go with the thing governed? If a furious Storm have bro­ken and carried away the Rudder, what shall become of the poor Ship? If thou and I, when we are Superiours, be the Rudder and Government of the People; and if we will be ungoverned and destroyed by Vice, how shall they be governed and preserved in Ver­tue? Let us govern our selves first, and then[Page 301]we may be fit to govern others. Let us do Justice in our own Houses, and then having given credit to it by that means, it will enter powerfully and effectually into the Houses of others.

With what colour of Modesty can the Judge, that is inwardly unjust, act outwardly against a Criminal, or a guilty Person, finding himself more guilty than that Criminal? Will not his Heart and his Conscience in every Action be condemning and lashing him for his own Injustice? Will it not call out unto him with clear and loud cries, and speak truth to his Soul in the midst of his falshood and de­ceit? Saying, Why dost thou condemn ano­ther, O thou wicked Judge, being thy self the most worthy of Condemnation? Thou Hy­pocrite, thou seest the smallest Mote in the Eye of another, and dost thou not see the Beam in thine own? Wilt thou guide, and restrain, and govern others, being blind, and loose, and disorderly thy self? Take away thine own Beam, and then thou mayest see to take away the other's Mote. Govern thy self, and then thou mayest govern the People. Amend thy self, and then thou mayest amend them; Corect thy self, and then correct them. First do Justice within thy self, and then thou wilt likewise do it abroad. Wouldst thou be just towards others? Then rectifie thy self. Cleanse the Affections of thy Soul, and thou shalt see clearly. Passions are as the Eye-lids of the Soul, they close themselves upon it,[Page 302]and take away all its light. Lift up those Lids, set aside those Passions, and look up to God, and thou shalt see, and shine, and burn, and give light to others.

Of Fortitude

The same thing thou findest concerning Ju­stice, thou wilt also find concerning Fortitude, whose exterior practise depends totally upon the interiour. This excellent Vertue is the Crown of the rest; since it conserves, strengthens, and defends them all. Fortitude in its Origi­nal, is Valour; in its Behaviour, is Prudence; in its Cause, is Justice; and in its Execution, Temperance. Since then that Fortitude is Va­lour, Prudence, Justice, Temperance, nay, and Perseverance too, how can it consist with the Vice, Weakness, and Inconstancy of a Man, that governs not himself by Reason, but is subjected and enslav'd by Passion? He that is not strong in himself, must needs be weak against others; for he is wholly governed by his inordinate Passion, which in itself is meer weakness and debility.

What dost thou think that Fortitude is? Dost thou believe it is to conquer Provinces, and to trample under foot Kingdoms, and to tyrannize over the World? This rather is a crowned Weakness, a respected Violence, and a publick Pest. What matter is it for the Va­liant Tyrant to present his Face to the Enemy, if at the same time he turn his back to Vertue?[Page 303]What matter is it though he defeat and con­quer the Army he fights against, if at the same time he be conquer'd and dragg'd in Triumph by his Passions? That cannot be Vertue, which is the cause of innumerable Crimes, and is a Crime itself in its very root. Alexander the Great subdued all the World, but was the great and publick Thief of the World. His Commanders punish one that steals a Thou­sand Ducats, whilst he in one Year Robs and Usurps Thirty Kingdoms, and that was a Crowned, a Reverenced, and an Adored Crime. Julius Caesar, who, if he had pos­sess'd himself of his Neighbour's Inheritance, would have been banish'd from Rome, Usurps and takes Possession of the whole Roman Em­pire, destroying and cutting the Throats of innumerable Neighbours and Citizens; and is ador'd by Rome, and by the Roman Empire. Shall we ascribe the Vertue of Fortitude to those Royal and Imperial Crowned Serpents of the Earth, who laid waste, and dispeopled the Earth? Shall we allow that Atila, or To­tila, with such like Monsters of Cruelty were endowed with the Vertue of Fortitude? These and their Fellows, who by their weak and powerless Ambition over-turn'd the World, destroyed, pillaged, burned, and razed innu­merable Cities, Kingdoms, Nations, and Pro­vinces, at the same time while they were cap­tivating the World, were themselves captiva­ted by their Passions.

[Page 304]No, these were not truly strong and valiant, but Men powerfully weak, who turned the World upside down. They had been valiant, if their Valour had overcome their Passion, and if they had known how to confine their hearts within the limits of Reason. Julius Cae­sar had been truly Valiant, if he had defended his Country, and Citizens, and had been able to defend himself from himself, without pas­sing from the Name of Citizen to that of Ty­rant. We might have ascrib'd Fortitude to Alexander, if he had governed his own King­dom in Peace, defending his Crown in just War, within the Bounds of Macedonia; but to make an Inundation upon Asia, to take away so many Crowns, and make them the Trophies of his Ambition, was a powerful Weakness, but neither Valour nor Fortitude. The Vertue of Fortitude preserves the Mind in that which is right, just, and holy, with­out consenting to let Passion enter to disorder and triumph over Reason. He that is first conquer'd by the Vertue of Fortitude, will have force to conquer himself, subduing his Appe­tite, making it yield to Reason, and setting that up to Reign and Govern in his heart.

Shall he that disquiets a City, and makes hurly-burlies in it, becoming the scandal of the People, be said to have the Vertue of For­titude, though he kill, and burn, and make himself the Terror of a Country? He has only a strong Frailty, so mad and frantick, that he can neither order nor contain himself[Page 305]within those Honest and Lawful terms, which are allowed in our Commerce with others. He lives and acts, as being dragg'd and tram­pled on by his Fancy and Humour, and would he then have us think him to be truly Valiant? The Powerful Prince, the King that defends his Crown justly and orderly; the General that Governs his Army rightly, keeping Mi­litary Discipline; the Judge, who constantly repelling Passions and Partialities, gives to every one that which is his own, working in subjection to the Laws of God, and those of his Country; the Honest Man, that walks fix­ing his Eyes only upon God and Reason; the Modest Woman, that firmly and constantly defends her Chastity; these may indeed be said to have the Vertue of Fortitude. The good Prelate, that with just Discipline governs the Souls under his Charge; the Glorious Martyr, who in the midst of Persecution, en­compassed, or rather crowned with Torments and Tyrants, yet breaths Valour, Constancy, and Perseverance. Finally, all those who give their Body, their Fame, their Fortune, or their Life for the saving of their Soul, and keep that strong, constant, and persevering in goodness, only for God's sake, whether they suffer, or suffer not; whether they are esteemed or despised in the World; These are they that are truly Valiant, and are eminently possess'd of that honourable, glorious, and couragious Vertue of Holy Fortitude.

The Third WEEK.
Of Temperance, the Fourth of the Cardi­nal Vertues.

TEmperance, which moderates our Passions, and governs our Souls with rectitude, hath its Root also in Religion, and must di­rect itself to God, if it will be a perfect Ver­tue. Its Duty is to reduce the Appetite, both irascible and concupiscible, to moderate bounds, in order to God and his Holy Laws. Anger is the Sword of Reason, which sometimes she is necessitated to draw, to defend her self, but yet acts in such a manner, that by Tem­perance she cuts out only what is sufficient, without passing on to what is superfluous. There have been Natural Philosophers that condemn'd Anger, and would have Reason to be sufficient of itself; they thought to devest Humane Nature of Passions, was enough to make it to act prudently, without any other means, pretending to bring mens minds to an insensibility, and to banish from them all man­ner of Natural Affections; but they deceived themselves, for it is neither possible nor con­venient, that Reason should quite lay aside the use of Passions and Affections, because they[Page 307]move our hearts to act. That which is con­venient and possible, is by the help of Grace to govern our Affections well, and to regulate our Passions.

Let the Prince be angry, as much as Justice and Occasion requires, and let him moderate his Anger by the right Rule of Reason. A General, that sees an unjust and cruel Enemy coming to destroy his Army, may and ought to defend himself with Anger, and stir up his Fury to obtain the Victory. Let the Supe­riour use his Anger to chastise the wicked, and yet at the same time have compassion upon the wicked. Let Reason Command, let An­ger Serve and Obey; and let them joyn to­gether to go as far as is convenient. Be angry (says the Lord) but sin not; as who should say, Let Reason temper Anger, and let Anger be subservient to Reason. The Zeal of Moses, when he was angry, flew those that rebelled against the Law; that of Elias brought Fire from Heaven upon the Souldiers of Ahab. Heaven did administer Fire to his Zeal, be­cause his Zeal was moved with a just and hea­venly Anger. Our Saviour also sanctified An­ger, when seeing the Temple of his Eternal Father profaned by the Jews, he twice took up the Whip to drive out the Buyers and Sel­lers, and when he threw down the Tables of the Money-Changers. Thou must not there­fore think that an easie clemency and slack­ness, which suffers the bad to run to ruin, de­serves the name of Temperance; for to tole­rate[Page 308]the bad, and leave the good undefended, is not Temperance, but a base Remisness, and detestable Negligence. For Superiours to be sluggish, whilst Subjects are insolent, is so far from Temperance, that it is an egregious Intemperance.

Temperance is that, which neither comes short in what is right, nor goes so far as what is prohibited. Temperance is that which does not punish, when it is urged by Grief or Importunity; but when Reason appoints, and the Nature of the thing requires. Temperance is that, which does what God commands, and neither swerves from it by excess, in going too far; nor by defect, in doing too little. It is not Temperance for a Man utterly to for­bear eating, but to eat temperately. It does not forbid a Man to sustain his Body, but to give it as much as the inordinate Appetite re­quires. It gives that which is sufficient, but allows not that which is excessive. When the Appetite asks what is necessary, it grants it; but if it demand what is hurtful, it denies it. Thus Temperance is the Bridle of the Appe­tite, whether it be concupiscible, or irasci­ble.

Temperance has two Reins in her hand, sometimes she stops, sometimes she puts for­ward; now she turns on the one hand, now on the other. Whithersoever the Law, Rea­son, and the Divine Will directs, thither she guides. How should all be governed without Error, if the Mind be not moderated, en­lighten'd[Page 309]with Reason, and subdued with Mor­tification? How is it possible, that Tempe­rance without God should be able to contain and moderate man's unbridled Appetite, ei­ther irascible or concupiscible? Or how can it without the power of Grace, subdue our corrupt, rebellious, and unruly Nature? How can this outward part be governed, unless God illuminate and guide it from within? And what can shew us the way of Vertue here below, but the light that comes in to us from above?

The Gentiles did practise some Moral Ver­tues with Temperance, yet even in them, and in others, they themselves acted with Intem­perance. Diogenes an humorous, overwean­ing, and wilfully-poor Philosopher, tramples with his bare Feet all dirty upon the stately Train of Plato, a wealthy Philosopher richly apparell'd: Plato asked Diogenes, What dost thou? He answers, I trample upon Plato's Pride. Yes, reply'd Plato, but with a greater Pride. Here the very Light of Nature judg'd among the Gentiles, and enlighten'd them to see their Errors; and one Pride reformed ano­ther, for there was Pride in both. Plato will be an Heavenly Man, full of Vanity and Pride, and fast giued to the Commodities of Life, playing the Philosopher about Eternity only in Speculation, but giving up his Will and Passion wholly to Temporal things. Diogenes on the contrary despising outward things, was neither contented in himself, nor could live[Page 310]quiet among others, being full of an inward Pride, that contemned, abused, and offended all. Both of them were acted by Intemperance, and were Philosophers of this World and of Nature, but not true Philosophers of God, nor of the Spirit of Grace.

If one of the Saints, or ancient Fathers of the Church, had come into the richly-furnish­ed Room of Plato, he would have despis'd, but not trampled upon his costly Furniture. He would have despis'd his Riches with the same holy Humility, wherewith he despised himself. He would have despis'd the brave Hangings and Carpets of Plato, but not the Person of Plato. O the Celestial Knowledge of God, and of his holy Law! O incompre­hensible Wisdom! How pure and clear, how bright thou shinest in the heart of a Christian, who suffers himself to be govern'd by thy Light, and directed by thy Means! It is a ri­diculous thing to think there is any perfect Vertue without God; neither Prudence, Ju­stice, Fortitude, nor Temperance can be so without him: for without God Prudence is Imprudence, Justice is Injustice; Fortitude is Weakness, and Temperance Intemperance. If God does not govern, order, temper, and en­lighten it; if he does not guide and direct it, natural Vertue will be so weak, and full of imperfections, that it will stumble at every step: If it go right now, it goes wrong with­in a moment, and if here it punishes the Guil­ty, there it condemns the Innocent: But the [Page 311]Government of God, and that Soveraign Light which enlightens a Righteous Man, that hea­venly Grace which assists and counsels him, that is it which thou art to pray for, and en­deavour to obtain; that is it that must temper thee, if thou wouldst attain to the true pra­ctise of the Moral Vertues.

Of the Manner of Governing the Moral Vertues by the Cardinal.

By these four principal Vertues thou art to govern and direct the seven Moral ones, (I mean those which are opposite to the seven deadly Sins) which in the Spiritual Life do or­der our Manners, and make the Soul accep­table to the Lord of Vertues. The former do command, dispose, guide, encourage and di­rect us in the way; but the latter to practise and put in execution what the others ordain. Prudence gives the Manner, Justice the Recti­tude, Fortitude the Courage, and Temperance the Measure in all thy Actions. Of all the Mo­ral Vertues, there is not one perfect, which in its Exercise, Duration, and Perfection, does not contain all the four Cardinal ones within it self.

Humility, the Glory, Peace, and Founda­tion of the Spiritual Life, the most fruitful Se­minary of Gifts and Excellencies, stands in need of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Tem­perance, and so do all the rest. First [...]t has need of Prudence: for without a prudent[Page 312]management Humility might pass on so far, as to become Scandal or Vanity. Secondly, It has need of Justice; for a Man ought to keep it in such manner, as likewise to keep up his Office, Ministry, or Dignity. Thirdly, It has need of Fortitude, to preserve the Man be­tween two vicious and contrary Extreams, which the Moral Vertues are always in dan­ger of, unless they be corrected and assisted by the four Cardinal ones. And lastly, It has need of Temperance, to keep a well-ordered proportion in every business.

Of Judging falsly.

But observe, that there is a worldly judg­ment of persons and things, that has nothing of the Spirit, and another that is Spiritual and Internal; therefore in thy Actions avoid the former, and give thy self wholly to the latter. Whatsoever a Soul does for God, is accounted foolishness by those of the World, because they take their own Rule, and measure the Action with a natural Measure; whereas the end for which it is done, is Supernatural, and so he who does that good thing, does not suit nor proportion himself to the Judgment, Rule, and Censure of evil Men. They hold that for im­prudent, unjust, weak, and intemperate, which is heavenly Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, and great Prudence.

G [...] calls the Soul with an effectual Voca­tion, and presently the gallant Young-man, [Page 313]and the beautiful young Lady, quit their Va­nities and Follies, and despise the Pleasures, Honours and Riches of this World, to secure an Inheritance in that to come; by entring into a strict course of performing the Duties of Religion. God calls the ancient Person, who being undeceiv'd by Experience, presently forsakes the World, and retires from Business, to spend his Age in a severe and penitent Life, that he may give an holy end to those begin­nings and middle parts of it, that were wick­ed and scandalous. This the World esteems to be imprudence, injustice, lightness of affe­ction, and takes it for the distemper and dis­order of Reason.

The Spiritual person fasts, and uses other Au­steries, he flies from those Companies that for­merly were the occasion of his sins; he seeks God in Solitude, or else in Business and Em­ployments, and lives in his Service, having an eye to him in all his Actions. The World in­stantly gives him the Character of a strange, singular, extravagant and distempered Man; whereas he is truly just, temperate, valiant, wise, and one that gives life unto the World. For this reason it is, that our Saviour says, that the Prudence of this World is an Enemy to the Prudence of God; for these two sorts of Prudence being very opposite and contrary, do always look upon each other with an eye of dislike and enmity. Our frail miserable Na­ture being inclin'd to evil, is subtil and discur­sive in any thing that is bad; but is dull, blind, [Page 314]and careless in all good, and if a Divine Ray from above does not help and clarifie our Na­tural Light, it will presently be obscur'd, if not extinguished by our Passion.

It is therefore very useful and convenient in the Spiritual Life to walk in the Divine Pre­sence, with the light of Prayer in our hands, to the end, that by the brightness thereof, we may with God's Grace and Spirit choose the fittest means for so high an end, despising vain and worldly Wisdom, and making use of one, that is Divine, Spiritual, and Celestial. O let thy Prudence and Discretion consist in fol­lowing the ways of thy Salvation! All the means thou employest to this end, are Christian, good, holy, just, powerful, and prudent. And all those Motives, which would put thee out of those ways, though they seem to come shining with Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, are really unjust, weak, intem­perate, and very imprudent.

The end of any thing ought to govern the means. Thy end ought to be to save thy Soul, to serve, please, and not to offend God; to live an internal and spiritual life, to make thy life a preparation for death; to fit thy self by death for Judgment, by Judgment for thy Account, and by thy Account for that Sen­tence, which may deliver thee from Eternal Condemnation, and give thee the Crown of Glory in Life Eternal. Oh! What an heavenly Prudence is this. Oh what Justice! What Fortitude! What Temperance! How well[Page 315]are they all temper'd with one another! and and how imprudent, and unjust, how foolish, how mad, how distemper'd, and how ruinous is the contrary!

Thus these four, which were wont to be Natural, Politick, and Heathen Vertues, thou mayest by a right intention and direction, transform into Christian and Spiritual ones; taking from Prudence not what the Flesh, but what the Spirit requires; from Justice, not what the Inferiour but the Superiour directs; from Fortitude, not what Passion, but what Reason commands; and from Temperance, what is allowed by God, not by the World and the Devil.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of Humility, and its contrary Pride.

WIth these Rules (which are not world­ly and natural, but holy and spiritual) concerning the four Cardinal Vertues, the first thing that thou art to practise continually in the life of the Soul, is Humility. This is an unspeakable Vertue indeed, and the Mother of all the rest; for they are all bred and produ­ced in her Bowels. Humility is that which the Eternal Word chose among all the rest,[Page 316]when being God he became Flesh, to dwell amongst us clothed in our Humane Nature; for the Immense and Omnipotent Lord of Heaven shew'd himself in this World so na­ked, so poor, as to be born in a Stable; so lit­tle and so limited, as to be contained in a Manger: He consecrated Humility, and dedi­cated himself to it, through the whole Course of his most holy Life, from the Virginal inclo­sure of his Mother's Womb, and taught it up­on the Cross by his most holy Death. This is that which he has left for an Inheritance to his faithful Followers, when he said, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and when afterwards having humbled himself at his Dis­ciples feet, he bad them do as he had done.

We have seen already how great a number of Vertues, our blessed Saviour, the Example of Christian Perfection, did practise, whilst he liv'd in this World, leaving us to imitate that Divine Original; and yet for all that he calls upon us, sollicits, and perswades us in par­ticular to Copy none, but his Humility. Why did he not call upon us to practise his Patience? Why did he not bid us learn his Charity? Why not his Zeal and Diligence? Why not his Fortitude, Justice, and Temperance, but on­ly his Humility? By reason that the greatest fall and wound of both the Natures, Angelical and Humane, was Pride; and so that Nature of the two, that remains in a possibility of be­ing cured, which is the Humane, and which our Lord came to remedy, finds[Page 317]its principal Medicine in Humility.

Wilt thou see how contrary Pride is to Hu­mility, that thou mayest the better know, how contrary Humility is to Pride? Why, Pride is the Natural Mother of all the Devils? she engendred them in her Bowels, and an Infernal Pride made them Devils of so many Angels; they would needs be like God, and equal themselves to him in Power; and that Pride threw them in an instant from Heaven into the bottomless Pit.

Would'st thou now see what Humility is? It is that which made Angels to be more An­gels than they were before; for when taking warning by the Fall of their Companions, they humbled themselves before God, he confirmed them in his Grace, and fixed them for Angels eternally in his Glory, above the danger of e­ver becoming Devils.

And would'st thou see what Pride is? Look upon our first Parents Adam and Eve in their highest Felicity of Paradise, and thou shalt see, that because they would be as Gods, and pass from Humane Limits to Divine; they were instantly cast out, banish'd, naked, and un­done, sowing Tribulations and Sorrows, and reaping Thorns, Afflictions, and Misfor­tunes.

Would'st thou see what is Humility? Be­hold those same first Parents weeping, grieving, and bewailing their Fault with an humble Pe­nitence, and thou wilt also behold them par­doned by the Divine Goodness, and both them­selves[Page 318]and their Posterity restored to Grace and Glory, with a remedy more noble, and much superiour to the Felicity they had lost.

Wilt thou see what Pride is? Look upon Cain, who despises God by denying the best of his Fruits, which were due to him, as the Author and Lord of the Inheritance; and be­ing proud and covetous forgets the Banish­ment, the Example, and the Tears of his Pa­rents, and would exempt himself from that just and holy Tribute. This Sin carries him to another, which is worse, I mean that of En­vy; and Envy thrusts him on to a higher, that of Murder, even the murder of a Brother; and this drives him to the greatest of all, which is final Obstinacy and Impenitence. He lives in Despair, flying from himself, and dying wounded with a deadly Arrow, becomes the Head of the Reprobates, and the Damned.

And wilt thou see on the other side, what Humility is? Look upon holy and blessed A­bel, who humbly acknowledges his Eternal Creator, by offering him his Fruits. He gives him the best of them, and the best of his Soul, which is Humility; whereupon God blesses, favours, and crowns him, as being the first Martyr of Heaven, and the First-fruits of those that were called, appointed, and pre­destinated by the Will of Christ to an immor­tal Glory. Finally, these first successes and contrary effects of these two Contraries, have been followed by innumerable others, and there[Page 319]is nothing seen, nor has been seen, nor ever shall be seen, but the ruins of Pride, and the triumphs of Humility.

Therefore of all those Vertues thou oughtest to follow and exercise in this Spiritual Life, there is none thou shouldest so deeply medi­tate upon, nor so earnestly beg that God would give thee, as that of holy Humility. Though Humility be a Vertue, as it is exer­cis'd, yet it is a Gift as it is bestow'd; and therefore it is needful to beg it of God, with earnestness, constancy, and humbleness. So great is our Pride, and so great is our Vanity, that without a particular succour and favour of our good Master Jesus, we are not capa­ble of true, holy, and perfect Humility. Pride is so natural to us, and so rooted in us, that e­ven when we exercise our selves in Employ­ments of Humility, we are wont (unless God by Grace prevent it) to make them the matter of our Vanity: How mischievous must that needs be, which turns our Remedy into a Mis­chief? How great is my Pride, if when I pro­strate my self meekly and humbly, I often rise up again proud, insolent, and disdain­ful?

Even in the midst of Humility, there may spring up a Vanity of being Humble, and an inward Pride may grow out of a Conceit of my Humility, which is worse than an outward Pride, cloath'd with Vanity, for that, when it hurts, does undeceive; but this both hurts and deceives together. O Lord of Mercy and Pi­ty,[Page 320]that my Vanity should be so excessive, as to make me (unless thou prevent it) grow vain and proud in the very Temple of Humi­lity! That I should profane those holy Walls, and upon the Altar of the Lord, set up the I­dol of Dagon, and that I should adore my self in that place, where I ought to adore none, but God alone!

Therefore beg Humility of God without ceasing, and whatsoever thou shalt do, that is orderly, right, honest, good, holy, or per­fect, still beg of God Humility. If thou wert able to give sight to the Blind, strength to the Lame, Ears to the Deaf, nay even to raise the Dead, yet tremble, and pray to God for Hu­mility. If thou could'st speak as an Angel, and do Works that might become a Seraphim; If thou drawest all the World after thee, and that for God; if thou convertest Souls; if thou art a Master in Spirit and Perfection, and that all thou goest about succeeds to thy desires; yet tremble, and pray to God for Humility. Be­lieve me, between Hell and those Successes, Miracles, and Perfections, there is not the breadth of a finger; I say, not so much; since all the distance between them is but thine own Will, which is weaker and of less power than thy finger.

Dost thou work Miracles? Why so did Ju­das. Dost thou know much? Lucifer knew more. Art thou good? Adam was much bet­ter. Are thy Writings heavenly? Those of David were much more so. Hast thou Di­vine[Page 321]Revelations? So had Solomon. Yet some of these fell, and others of them were lost for ever. Humility! I say Humility! Stick close to that, for thereby all things shall redound to thy profit, and without it any thing may be thy ruine and destruction.

Go with humble confidence into the pre­sence of the Lord; with humbleness, because thou art wicked; and with confidence, because he is infinitely good. Go with contrition, be­cause he sees thy wickedness; and go with cheerfulness, because thou fixest thy eyes upon his goodness. Never place the end of thy re­medy in thy self, nor believe in thy Works a­lone, that thou shalt go to Heaven for them, or that thine own hands and feet shall carry thee thither. Thou shalt not enter there with­out them, but neither shalt thou enter for them. It is God that carries us to Heaven, and his Grace, his Goodness, his Pity, his Me­rits, his Death, Passion, and Mercy; for with­out these, let us do what we can, and take ne­ver so much pains, we shall never be able to get thither. It is a better Phrase to say, God has taken him up to Heaven, than to say, He is gone to Heaven. God carries us, guides us, helps us. God calls, pardons, and crowns us, and all this because he loves us.

Lazarus, that holy Beggar, was carried by Angels to Abraham's bosom; but the rich Glut­ton went to Hell of himself. God carries us to Heaven, if we be sav'd, and we condemn our selves, if we be damned. Dost thou look[Page 322]upon thy good works? Thou owest them all to God. Dost thou see the Repentance that reformes thee, the Chastity that adorns thee, and the Charity that enflames thee? Thou art endebted for them all to God. The Pot dress'd up with Flowers is not proud of them, for it is but a little Earth and Dung honour'd by the hand of the Gardiner. What hast thou, that thou hast not received? And if thou hast re­ceived it, why dost thou foolishly boast, as if thou hadst not received it? They are the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles. He that has wrought best in the Spiritual Life; he that has been a Martyr of Perfection; he that has liv'd so, as to strike all the World with admi­ration of his Spirit and Fervour; he that has most exercised himself in all Verrtues; the most generous Martyr, the glorious Apostles, St. John the Baptist, the most holy Virgin, and all the Saints and just Persons at their entring and being crown'd in Glory, do not give thanks to their own Excellencies, nor ascribe their Salvation to themselves, but unto God, and to his Mercy, Goodness, Blood, and precious Merits, which gave them those Excellencies and Vertues. They liv'd humbly, they entred with humbleness into Heaven, and they are crowned for their Humility. Therefore be thou humble, and do not think thy self the Author of thy Fortune, when it is good; but when it is bad acknowledge that thou art so.

[Page 323]Depend for all thy Fortune upon God. Those hands that made, and fashioned thee, will preserve, inform, and reform thee. Be­lieve that of thy self, thou art nothing but a source of misery, and that thou hast no good­ness, nor any stability in thee, but what is gi­ven thee by his Goodness, Grace and Mercy. Attribute all that is good and holy in thee to God, to whom it all belongs; but all that is evil, wretched, and imperfect, to thy self, for that only is thine own. Labour, sweat, per­severe, exercise thy self in what is good, and with care and diligence avoid all that is e­vil: But in doing all this, rely nothing upon thy self without God, but trust all to him, who is thy Helper within thee, above thee, and round about thee.

Then let the Humility, which thou embra­cest inwardly, shoot forth also outwardly in all thy Actions; for it is not easie to believe that internal Humility can dwell with exter­nal Vanity. Let thy words and actions suit with an humble heart; for to praise and ap­plaud ones self openly, and pretend to be e­steemed and respected, does not make it very probable that Humility is lodged within. The Humility of that Mind comes very short, that cannot reach from the inside to the outside, the distance being so little between one and the other. The Tree is known by its fruit, as our Saviour says, and the Root is known by the Tree; and for a Man to be proud in his outward behaviour, and to be very humble [Page 324]in his heart, are two things very hardly com­patible.

Do not excuse thy self with thy Office or Dignity, thereby to be dispens'd from an ex­ternal Humility, and from conforming it to the internal. There is no Dignity so high, wherein Humility may not apparently shine forth. Our Kings, who in publick represent the Majesty of God, do often exercise their Humility in touching the poorest Cripples, and sometimes even in washing the feet of their Maundy-men after Christ's Example. Why cannot the Bishop represent his Dignity in his Cathedral, and afterwards exercise his Cha­rity and Humility with the Poor at home? He is no less honourable at their naked feet, washing and kissing them, than in the Gran­deur of the Church, and of his Dignity: If in the one he represents Mount Tabor, in the other he represents the Humility our Saviour practise at his last Supper.

Believe me, when the Vertues do not break forth from the internal, and shew themselves in the external, they are much to be suspected; and those Affections are seldom powerful, that can be stifled, and conceal'd within. Can'st thou think that thou art humble, when seeing thy self despis'd, thou breakest out like Light­ning in thy Defence? Thou mayest be humble in thine own conceit, but art far from being so in good earnest. They that are both outward­ly and inwardly humble, do not despise others, but yet they despise themselves, and are so far [Page 325]from being sensible when they are despis'd, that they rejoyce and delight in being despised, which are the four degrees of perfect Humi­lity.

Seekest thou great things for thy self? Seek them not. Be not eager to get Offices and Places of Honour, but set thy self down in the lowest room, as the Holy Jesus adviseth, lest a more honourable than thou come, and thou be fain with shame to leave it, and remove lower. There may be reason sometimes per­haps to shew thy reason to make thy self e­steemed, yet I fear very much, that in those matters they are but thine own reasonings, and not right reason.

It has happened heretofore to me poor, weak, vain, and wretched Man, to set forth such reasons my self, and (as one who then had but small light) sometimes to enforce them also, thinking that therein I did very good service; but looking afterwards upon those occasions in a clearer light, I saw that was but deceit, and vanity, and no perfect Humility. True Humility is, when a Man humbles him­self to the Will of God, and suffers himself to be governed thereby; when he thinks, that there is no Employment so mean, as his desert, and that every Dignity is too high for his un­worthiness. The reasons that are contrary to this, are reasons sought for, but not found. They are Reasons of Nature, but seldom of the Spirit, or of Grace.

[Page 326]This which seems to thee to be Humility, is conveniency and safety; for the humble Man is quiet in his Humility, whilst the proud Man labours, and endangers himself by his Pride. I have read of an holy Man, that up­on occasion of seeing one fall from an high Dignity to a Scaffold, threw himself flat on the ground, taking fast hold of it with his hands, and being asked, why he did so? He answer'd crying out, That I may not fall. Be­sides, in natural reason, a Man of an humble heart cannot fall. Whither can he fall, that through Humility lies prostrate upon the Earth? He may well get up higher, but can go no lower. He may well rise, and be crown­ed, but who can humble him that hath through­ly mortified himself? Therefore it is that our Lord hath said, They that exalt themselves in this Life shall be humbled in the other; and in the same proportion that a Man humbles himself here, he shall be exalted hereafter. The Eternal Word abased himself in coming down to the Earth, and laying himself pro­strate upon it; but he quickly after ascended into Heaven to be crowned there. On the o­ther side, Lucifer would needs be crowned in Heaven, but for his punishment was thrown down headlong into Hell. Thus thou seest Humility not only is honour and profit, but also (as I told thee before) safety, convenien­cy, peace, joy, and comfort. How courte­ous is the humble Man! What a many quar­rels and vexations is he freed from! All seek[Page 327]for the humble Person to honour him; and he by having Humility, appeases, quiets, and pacifies them all. If they despise me (says the true humble Man) it is that I desire. If they esteem me, it is a thing I have found, which belongs not to me, and therefore I of­fer it up to God, who is the right owner of it; for what am I but Earth, and Dung, Dust, Ashes, and Corruption? This is my own, this is what I deserve; which is to be humbled, persecuted, and despised.

OCTOBER.

The First WEEK.

Of Liberality, and its contrary, Covetous­ness.

IF thou be humble, thou wilt be also liberal, for the humble Man desires nothing for him­self. Every thing is too much for his Poverty, for true Poverty is true Humility. He that is of an humble heart, flies from his own honour and excellency; but he that is proud loves his riches, and heaps them up, that he may be e­steemed, respected, reverenc'd, and ador'd; for he seeks his own excellency, and delights in it. Covetousness is the Daughter of Pride, which is the fruitful Mother of Vices; for she nourishes, supports, and encreases them. There go many Vices to the forming of Covetousness, many to the practise, and many to the preser­ving of it; and therefore St. Paul calls it, The Root of all Evil. Covetousness made Cain the first of the Damned; because that he might keep the best Fruits for himself, he gave the worst to God. Covetousness put the Whip twice in the hand of Christ to drive it out of[Page 329]the Temple, because it made his Father's House a Den of Thieves. Consider the Saviour of Souls made angry. Consider that infinite Meek­ness and Gentleness made fierce, and thou mayest judge how terrible that Vice is, which could bring his infinite Pity to be so severe. Covetousness, of a Disciple made Judas a Traitor, and wrought upon him to sell his Master, transforming him from a chosen A­postle, into the worst Man that ever was born.

On the Contrary, Humility and Liberality, the Enemies of Covetousness, are the Mothers of Poverty of Spirit, of unconcernedness for the Goods of this World, and of dis-engage­ment from all things created. They love most their Creator, who delight most to humble, divest, and set themselves at liberty in his Pre­sence, nor would draw after them those Im­pediments, Snares, and Miseries of this Life, which they call Riches. The Poor Man, that is not humble, may be as insolent as the Rich; and many times more than the Rich; but he that is poor and humble too, can neither be Insolent, nor does pretend, or desire to be Wealthy.

From hence it comes to pass, that the hum­ble Man is very free and liberal; for he that desires nothing for himself, does easily give away all; and he that thinks that all he has is too much for him, does neither covet nor desire any thing he has not. Thus the humble and meek of heart are not only liberal and[Page 330]forward to give Alms, but prodigal after an holy manner; and when they want where­withal to give, they readily give their very selves. Serapion the Sindonite gave his upper-Coat to a poor Man he met, and passing on further, he gave his under one to another, re­maining in a manner naked, with only the New Testament in his hand, which he also gave away to a third; and being ask'd, Who stripped him so? He answered, that Charity had strip'd him of his upper-Coat, the Gospel of his under one, and of the Book of the Go­spel, Christ himself, the Author of the Gospel. This same Man sold himself twice to Slavery, that he might convert his Masters. And ano­ther Bishop, after he had given all he had to the poor, hired himself out by the Day, that he might have wherewithal to give; therefore fly from Covetousness more than from the Fire. Love Holy Poverty, Charity, and Li­berality, and if thou must exceed in any kind, rather err on the right hand of giving, than on the left hand of refusing.

Our Saviour (as an Ancient Father of the Church says) is always between two Thieves, and this is most verified in the Moral Vertues; because the excess or defect destroys the Ver­tue; which consists in the middle. He that does not give that which is sufficient, is covetous. He that gives too much, is prodigal; but he that gives that which is useful, fitting, and ne­cessary, is liberal, and so with him Jesus Christ is to be found. Therefore when through Hu­mane[Page 331]frailty thou art like to err on the one hand, or the other, and dost not know how to walk straight in the middle way; keep on the right hand, for the Prodigal Man is the good Thief, and the evil Thief is the Cove­tous, and God more easily pardons him that gives.

I always observe in the Holy Gospel Prodi­gal Persons pardoned, and Covetous ones con­demned. Mary Magdalene was tax'd of Pro­digality, for breaking the Box of precious Oynt­ment to serve our Redeemer, which was great wast according to appearance. O Heavenly Prodigal, all seems little to her for the anoint­ing of her Lord! She breaks the Box, and with it all her vain desires; she casts her self down a prodigal Sinner, and presently rose up a pardoned Saint; she was Prodigal in good, and so what she did, was to be accounted ra­ther love than wast; but the Prodigal Son was Prodigal in Evil, and spent his Portion fool­ishly amongst Harlots, wandring, and distres­sed about the World; yet in the midst of all those squandrings, God gave him a good and holy Consideration of remembring his Father, and a Resolution to return penitently to seek him. This wretch went astray, 'tis true, but yet he gave; he ruined himself, but he relie­ved others. If he sinned in giving ill, yet there was something good wrought in that giving ill; namely, to give, to succour, and to sustain those that wanted. If he offended [Page 332]God in sinning, yet he imitated God in giving at least; for God gives not only to the good, but also to the evil; and to give, though with squandring to the bad, was an evil not totally void of good.

The unjust Steward, that lessened the Debts to his Master's cost, to pass them so afterwards in his Accounts, did very ill; but yet he gave, and the Lord commended him, as having done wisely, and puts him for an Example, that we should make Friends of the unrighte­ous Mammon, that is, of Money ill-gotten, and that we should get out of that wickedness, by giving, when we cannot find the Person to whom it should be restor'd; but the Covetous Man, that had so many Barns, and yet in his thought was foolishly contriving to build more and greater ones, to hoard up the great abun­dance of his Corn, was himself cast into Hell, as a bundle of Tares: And the other Rich Glutton, who would not give so much as the broken scraps of his Gluttony to feed the ho­ly Beggar, that lay at his Door, was also for ever condemned; there being amongst the evil they did, nothing that was good, for Pity to lay hold on.

And thus it is ill to be Prodigal, and it is al­so ill to be Covetous. The good thing is to be Liberal, and a giver of Alms; yet of the two extreams, he is the less evil (with equal imperfection) that gives, than he that refuses; He that throws away, than he that takes a­way; and he that wastes, than he that spares.

Of Chastity and Abstinence.

With Humility and Liberality thou oughtest to love Chastity, the inward and the outward Cloathing, which cleanses and beautifies the Conscience, and adorns the Soul with a white Garment, sweetly perfumed, and very plea­sing in the Lord's Eyes. A Vertue beloved of our Saviour and his Mother, and one of those he shew'd most kindness to; Jesus being a Vir­gin himself, would have a Virgin-Mother, and a Virgin-Father, in her Husband Joseph, a Virgin-Fore-runner in the Baptist, a Virgin-Disciple in St. John the Evangelist, and even in Heaven Virginity had its first birth in the Angelical Nature.

O Heavenly Virginity! O Soveraign Puri­ty! O un-utterable Chastity, which dwellest in Heaven, and wert a Vertue there before thou wert known upon Earth! O Heavenly Virginity, which waitest upon the Virgin-Lamb, who is accompanied by Virgins, that follow him whithersoever he goeth! O Hea­venly Virginity, which art the fruit of the Blood of the Lamb, since it is that Wine which engendreth Virgins.

Virginity and Chastity purifie the Soul, and which is more admirable, preserve the Body also pure, white, and spotless. Chastity makes the Spirit pure, clean, and fervent. Chasti­ty disposes the Will to give itself wholly up to God, and not to love the Creatures, nor to [Page 334]forsake the Creator for them. Chastity keeps the Powers, Faculties, and Senses clean, to the end that being pure, chast, and dis-enga­ged, we may forsake all Creatures, freely seeking after the Creator. Chastity betroths itself to Vertue, protects and defends it, and obliges the Eternal Son of God, and his Holy Mother, with all the Saints and Angels to be our Friends. Finally, wouldst thou see the excellency of Chastity? Look upon its con­traries, Lust and Sensuality. Wouldst thou know the beauty of Light? Consider the ugly and loathsome horror of Darkness. These defile, embase, and make deformed; whereas the other clears, adorns, and beautifies.

The Mischiefs of Sensuality.

Sensuality depraves the Senses, defiles the powers of the Soul, disorders all our Faculties, destroys all our Rational part, and reduces us to be meerly Animal. Sensuality obscures Reason, and makes Passion tyrannize over it. Other Vices do bespot the Soul, this the Soul and Body too. The rest are Vices and Passions of Discourse, this is a beastly Passion, com­mon to Bruits, that are not able to Discourse. The Proud, the Ambitious, and the Covetous have something of Reason in them. In those Vices something of Discourse is requisite; and that Natural elation and vanity of the Mind speaks Superiority; but the Base, Lascivious, and Sensual Person, is very short and sottish [Page 335]in his Discoursing, being totally sensual and bestial; and agrees so much the more with Beasts, by how much the more he is Brutish and Animal in his unbridled Passions.

Who is able to number the Ruins this Vice hath caused? It is easier to lament, than to reckon them. See what it brought upon Da­vid. It made that Heavenly Man become an Adulterer, a Murtherer, Treacherous, Faith­less, and Cruel to a worthy and valiant Sub­ject. From the ill Example of the Father, it pass'd on to the Incestuous Son, and made Amnon to force his Sister Thamar: Next it dis­pos'd Absalom to take Revenge by killing his Brother Amnon: Thence proceeded the con­tempt of David's Reign, when his Subjects saw themselves commanded by an Adulterous, Murthering, and Treacherous King. Thence came a general Scandal, and thence the King­dom rebelled, and the poor despised and per­secuted King was fain to fly from his own Son, bewailing the Sin he had committed, the lives of an innumerable company of his Sub­jects being paid for one Sensual Delight. Now if we have often imitated David in sinning, let us imitate him also in repenting. Let our Tears remedy that Mischief, and let our Grief and Contrition help to make amends for our follies of Lasciviousness, and let our Eyes be­wail the Offence, which by lustful looking upon Beauty they have committed. Let Sor­row cure the heart that is wounded by that Passion, and let the warning of such Exam­ples[Page 336]make him Wise, Chast, and Wary, who has been made Foolish, Sensual, and incon­siderate by the pleasure of a moment.

What Ruines and Misfortunes, what Mise­ries and Desolations does not the Kingdom of Spain owe to this Sensual Vice? It was above nine hundred Years under the Chain of an hard Captivity, purging away the guilt of one sin hastily committed, but long and sharply pu­nished. Look upon the Sensuality of the last King of the Goths, how it made an end of his Empire, threw down his Power to the ground, drew Barbarians into Spain, banished the Faith out of it, filled it with Infidelity, and quite rooted out the Valour and Goodness of the Gothish Nation. Finally, one momentany De­light cost the loss of an innumerable company of Lives and Souls. This Example is of a Neighbour-Nation, but the like Causes will probably produce the like Effects in other places; many Instances whereof may be found in the Histories of all Countries, to the end that great Persons chiefly may take warning, because their evil deeds are of more dangerous consequence, in the influence they have upon the Guilt and Punishment of others in this World; but as to the other World, even the meanest are as nearly concerned to fly this Vice, for the consequence of it to them will be the rottenness of their Bodies, and the damnation of their Souls, (which is bad e­nough) unless God give them the Grace to Repent, and forsake so ruinous a Vice.

[Page 337]Consider what the mischiefs of this sin must be in its Roots, which produces such innume­rable mischiefs in its Fruit; What it must needs be in its beginning, that has so dismal and la­mentable an end; what it must be in its origi­nal, which gives birth to so many miseries and misfortunes. O who could have believed that this Vice had been so heinous, and so ter­rible! One might have thought it indeed to be weak, foul, and ugly, but not that it had pow­er to produce such unspeakable mischiefs. O! yes, it works great ones, and such as are truly unspeakable, not only to each individual Per­son, but also to the Publick. Sensuality ener­vates the strength of Nations, embases the Ma­jesty of Princes, blinds the Understanding, weakens the Courage of their Souldiers, besots the knowledge of their Wise men, and fills the most Prudent with Ignorance and Folly. Sensuality makes young men base and feeble; old men blind and doting; it dulls the reason of the wise, darkens their knowledge in coun­sel, and makes their Government rash, heed­less, and inconsiderate. It banishes Providence, and casts out care and watchfulness from Kings and Kingdoms.

Of Remedies against Sensuality.

But what Remedy is there against such ter­rible Mischiefs? God and the serious thought of him is the principal Remedy; Prayer and begging earnestly of God to cleanse us, and give [Page 338]us Chastity. This is the only remedy, since it is certain, that no man can be chast with­out the gift of God; Nemo enim continens esse poterit, nisi Deus dederit; Pray therefore conti­nually that God would defend thy Soul from this Vice, and give thee an hatred of it. But together with this, which is the principal Re­medy, there are others which God applies to free us from that inbred and Domestick Evil. And the first is the Protection and Intercession of Christ, with his holy Example, and thy endeavour to imitate the Purity of his Life; for if thou prayest, and actest contrary to thy Prayers, thou provokest him to anger, that should grant thy request; and if thou wilt have the chast and holy Jesus to be thy Master, thou must shew thy self to be his Disciple, by stri­ving to follow him in holiness and chasti­ty.

Next this Remedy, (and even in this Re­medy) avoid the occasions of loosing thy Chastity. Trust not in thy self, nor presume upon thine own strength, but believe thou shalt no longer be sav'd from falling, than thou keepest thy self from the occasion of falling. Think how is it possible to have live Coals up­on thy Breast and not be burnt? Think, how is it possible that fire and tow should touch one another without being enflamed. Think how is it possible to dawb thy self with Pitch, and not be defiled. Consider, I say, that there is as little possibility to escape safe from a volun­tary and very near occasion. If thou hast e­scap'd[Page 339]to day, it is in a manner a Miracle, and it is ten thousand to one, that thou shalt fall miserably to morrow, if thou presume to venture upon it again, and shalt fall so much more fouly and irrecoverably, by how much the more thou art confident, that thou shalt not. Let not thy Passion, nor thy foolish Pre­sumption deceive thee; thou art not holier than David, nor wiser than Solomon, nor stron­ger than Sampson; and yet all these fell by not avoiding the occasions, and these were pub­lick warnings, which God hath left to the World, to the end we may open our Eyes, and be more wary.

Art thou a Spiritual Person, and dost not avoid the occasions of sin? Why then, thou art not a Spiritual Person. Thinkest thou, because thou livest upon thy guard, thou shalt not fall? If thou trustest to that, thou art fallen already, unless thou also livest retired. Sometimes, nay often, a Spiritual Person, that exposes himself to voluntary occasions, (if he may be called Spiritual that does so) is in greater danger of falling than a loose and debauched man; for the loose man incurs less danger, because he incurs more; and the cautious person probably incurs more, because he incurs less. How is this? you'l say, I do not understand it. Then I will explain it to thee. The Lascivious man by custom in that Vice, sometimes looses his Appetite, or at least abates it, and with that the Temptation; but it encreases with the cautious man, and becomes more ardent by[Page 340]his forbearance, and therefore the Tempter is more sollicitous, vigilant, and vehement to o­vercome him. The Delights wherewith the Devil entices a Spiritual Man, are in the ima­gination, and have nothing of act, whereby he may become undeceived; but those of the Vicious Man are filthy in his practise of them, and that very filthiness and foulness tires him, enlightens him, and undeceives him; for this reason Spiritual Persons ought to be more watchful and wary than those, that are Sen­sual; and if not, they will do as the Galatians, who ended in the Flesh, having begun in the Spirit.

In Conclusion, would'st thou be chast, care­ful and wary? Would'st thou conquer this Vice? Then fly from it. Other sins are con­quer'd by fighting, this by flying. This flight is both the Combat, the Victory, and the Tri­umph; but withal use Abstinence, and other acts of Mortification, to overcome and subdue so powerful a Passion. There is a sort of De­vils, saith our Saviour, that cannot be cast out without Fasting and Prayer. To eat much, and to drink much, and neither to think of God, nor call upon him in Prayer, is not the way to conquer that strong, contagious, and dan­gerous Passion. It is frail, and needs strong Remedies. It is incontinent, and needs con­tinent Remedies. It is unruly and unbridled, and therefore needs Remedies that may re­strain and tame it. By Abstinence thou may­est also conquer Gluttony, the foul ugly Mo­ther [Page 341]of many sins. The ancient Philosophers, though they had but the Light of their Can­dle, which is Natural Reason, yet said very excellently, That a Vertuous Life consisted wholly in two words, Sustine & Abstine, Bear and Forbear, or be patient and abstemious. If a Heathen could say so by the Light of his Candle, What shall a Spiritual Man say, being enlightened by the Sun of Christian Verities, and by the Rays of Eternal and Celestial Light? Abstinence is an Universal Vertue, which comprehends innumerable Vertues; and so this Vertue alone is a general Antidote a­gainst the Maladies of a Spiritual Life.

Would'st thou not sin? Why then abstain from offending God by the breach of his holy Commandments. Would'st thou grow in the Internal Life? Why then, abstain from reject­ing his holy Counsels. Would'st thou have the Vertues come and lodge within thee? Why then, abstain from running into Vice. Would'st thou be perfect in all things? Why then fast inwardly, as well as outwardly. Would'st thou subdue thy Vices? Encompass thy self with the Vertues, for that is the Girdle, which our Saviour tells us is the Scourge of Vice. What good doth it to begirt the Body with a Cord, and make it lean with fasting; if in the mean while the Soul grow big, and swell up with Self-will. What good does the yellow meager Countenance, which speaks abstinence from Meat and Drink; if in the mean while wrath and hatred give a worse Complexion to the[Page 342]Soul, because they feed it with a worse Nou­rishment? In the midst of your Fast, says God, your own Will reigns, whereas the resigning it up to my Will ought to be the Crown and Honour of your Fast. This is another kind of Abstinence than that which is contrary to Gluttony; but I will now say something of that.

Of Gluttony.

Gluttony is an infamous Vice, that pollutes and destroys both Body and Soul no less, than Sensuality, dulling and abasing the Senses of the one, and the Powers of the other. It is a loathsome Vice, and filthy, both in its Cause, and in its Effects; for in its cause it fills a man with foul Humours and Diseases, with Pain­fulness and Misery; and in its Effects, because by wakening and feeding the Appetite, it breeds as many Mortal Distempers in the Soul, as Diseases in the Body.

The Scripture tells us, The People sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. As if it had said, They sate long at Meat, whereas they should have eaten, but as it were in passing. They did eat as if their utmost end had been eating, and that they had been born for no­thing else; and not considering that they were born to live after another manner, as soon as they had done eating, they played away their Life, their Fortune, and their Honour. God commanded that the Paschal Lamb should be eaten standing, with their Loins Girt, and their[Page 343]Staves in their hands: What is this, but to teach us, that as our Lives pass quick away, our Meals should do so too?

Let us eat and drink (said some deluded men) for to morrow we shall die. See what a madness! Observe what a foolish Consequence these Epi­cures draw, when Gluttony is the Antecedent! Because they are to die to morrow, they eat excessively to day: But Wretches, if you must die to morrow, and vomit up your Meat, gi­ving a strict account of what ye shall eat and drink; Why do you cram your selves like Beasts to day? Death uses to terrifie, and un­deceive every Body else, but it hardens these and deceives them more; and that which affrights others from sin, invites these stupid men to sin. See how Gluttony dulls and stupifies the Un­derstanding, since it fills it with such ignorant and sensless Discourses and Arguments.

O heavenly Abstinence and Moderation, which givest a pure, a long, and a righteous Life! Long, because thou correctest those foul gross humours that choak and drown it; Pure, because thou dost quite banish them; and Righteous, because thou cuttest off Pas­sions by taking away the nourishment of Vi­ces, whereof Gluttony is a fruitful Mother. O heavenly Abstinence, thou art the Fore­runner of great Blessings! By having prepared themselves with Abstinence and Fasting, Mo­ses received from God the Tables of the Law; Elias received Nourishment from an Angel; and the Saviour of Souls obtained innumera­ble [Page 344]Victories. O holy Abstinence, which dost sweeten, adorn, and sanctifie Repentance! For by thee Vertue is cherished, Vice is put to flight, and holy Desires and Perfections be­come active, vigorous and permanent.

The Second WEEK.

Of Patience.

THou wilt think perhaps, that by being humble, liberal, abstinent and chast, thou hast perfected the Spiritual Life; but thou hast not done all yet, thou must have Pa­tience also; for without that, thou can'st scarce be said to have begun. Those other Vertues look to what thou oughtest to do within thy self, and to what thou oughtest to do to others. This teacheth thee how thou oughtest to suffer from others, when they oppress and injure thee.

The Vertue of Patience is an inward forti­tude of the Mind; to bear for God's sake what is laid upon us by men, and is as necessary for the Spiritual Life, as Breath is for the Natural. Think how impossible it is for one that is con­tinually shot at with Bows and Guns, to escape; unless he have some defence against the Bullets and Arrows: As impossible it is for thee to[Page 345]live in the Spiritual Life, without being de­fended with the shield of Patience.

All things assault and shoot at him that loves God. The Devil persecutes him, the World slanders him, the Flesh tempts him; he is af­flicted from without, he is drawn and allured from without, his Superiours trample upon him, his Equals despise him, his Inferiours presume to affront him, and even the Lord himself, whom he adores, does seem also sometimes to be his Enemy, because he has a mind to make trial how far his Courage and Constancy will reach. Thus it is said in the Book of Wisdom, That God proves the Good, to the end he may find them worthy of himself. And Job complained of this, and said, Where­fore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine E­nemy? Wilt thou break a Leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry Stubble? Thou wri­test bitter things against me, &c. Consider what Patience he had need to have, who is persecu­ted by God, by the World, by the Flesh, by the Devil, and by his own self.

In short, the Spiritual Life is a fruitful Seed­plot of Thorns, and the way of Afflictions; and therefore it is necessary at every step to have the Staff of Patience in thy hand to support thee. Is it not the way of the Cross? Why then have Patience. Is it not the way of Difficulties? Why then have Patience. Is it not a way of Tribulations? Why then have Patience. By this one Vertue alone many Vi­ces are destroyed. Without Patience thou[Page 346]would'st throw the Cross from thy shoulders, and run over to the Party of thy Enemies, which are thy Delights and the Devils; for this reason the Lord recommended Patience to his Disciples above all other Vertues, saying, In patience possess your Souls. He sent them out as Lambs into the midst of Wolves; he sent them to preach, teach, and to give light to a foolish, perverse, and a wicked World; what could they look for, but Pains, Crosses, Death, and Torments? And how should they be able to make any advantage of them, without Pa­tience and Suffering? In another place he tells us, That the good bring forth fruit in patience; as inferring, That without Patience there is no Fruit at all of Vertue.

This is most certain, That the Vertues, how many soever they be, can neither consist with one another, nor have any Life, Subsistence, or Perseverance in themselves, without Pati­ence. And reason shews it, for all of them make it their business to subdue the Appetite, and to give Reason her Sceptre and Empire. The Appetite resists, and desires Superiority: Reason on the other side sights and makes op­position, so that to hold out such a cruel, ob­stinate, continual, and internal War, there is a necessity of having a great deal of Patience. Affronts, Calumnies, and Persecutions assault the Spiritual Man; What other Remedy has he but Patience? He walks with Temptations round about him; What Remedy is there but Patience? He falls into Imperfections and Mi­series,[Page 347]and the Enemy tempts him to Despera­tion, What other Remedy but Patience? Pa­tience, Humility, Constancy, and Perseve­rance, which are all Sisters, do crown the Soul, and make it triumphant in the Spiritual Life.

What else was the Life of Christ, our bles­sed Example, but a long, constant, repeated, and enlarged Patience? Behold him suffering cold in the Manger, the smart of a Knife in Circumcision, heat and weariness in his flying to Egypt, slanders, revilings, and insolencies from some Ministers of the Law in his Mani­festation, Scourging, Thorns, Wounds, Death, and the Cross in his Passion. In all this he consecrated Patience, and the same Vertue was practis'd by his Mother in the Torments of her Son, suffering in her tender heart what our Lord suffered in his Divine Per­son.

What Complaints were heard from our sweet Master Jesus? O the innumerable Inju­ries that were done him! But what resent­ments did he shew? Why, to teach, to give light, to guide, to suffer, to entreat, and to pray for his Enemies. Patience is not only a Merit, and a Merit of very great excellency; but it is Comfort, Peace, and Joy, and very great Wisdom. Who is the Wise man? says one of the Fathers of the Church, and answers that doubt, The Patient man. And who is more wise? He that is more Patient. And who is the wisest of all? He that is most Patient of all.

Of Anger.

Believe me, Anger is an ugly, fierce, ignorant, and unruly Vice; for it vexes, afflicts, disquiets, precipitates, and works nothing but confusion, coming very short in Means and in Remedies. Patience will free thee from all this; for it enlarges the Heart, encreases the Understand­ing, and gives strength and depth to our Dis­course. What dost thou think that Anger is but a short madness? for the angry man and the mad man differ only in time, not in acti­on. The furious mad man is angry for a long time, and the furious angry man is mad for a short time. Would'st thou see the Picture of Anger? Look in a Glass when thou art angry, and thou shalt see a terrible ugliness in thy Face; thine Eyes sparkle with rage, thy Brows wrinkled with Frowns, thy Complexion dis­compos'd and enflam'd with redness, and all thy actions sudden and disorder'd. What a kind of thing is Anger in the Soul, which thus transforms the Countenance, and deformes the whole Person?

The Lord in that holy Precept of loving E­nemies, had an Eye not only to the good of the Enemy, and the Person hated; but also to that of the Friend, by whom he would have him to be loved. His aim was not only, that the one should not die, but also that the other might live; and which is more, he desir'd not only to prevent a Christian from defiling his Soul with hatred; but also to preserve him from the vexation and torment of so unquiet[Page 349]a Passion. His intent in this most sweet and gentle Precept, was to give the Christian a Temporal, as well as an Eternal Life. Eter­nal by his obedience, and Temporal by his quiet. To hate is rage, disquiet, anguish, and death, and so he banished Anger from the Soul, to free it from death, anguish, and dis­quiet.

Dost thou think that by thy hatred thou takest revenge upon thine Enemy? Thou art deceived; it is he that is revenged on thee. What greater punishment can thy Enemy in­flict upon thee, than that to which thou con­demnest thy self meerly by thy hatred? Thou frettest, thou stormest, thou vexest, and tor­mentest thy self; thou abhorrest on the one side, and longest eagerly on the other, and li­vest in a continual Affliction, between the earnestness of thy Desires and Aversions; tos­sing and turning to and fro, biting thy Lips, grinding thy Teeth, and contriving Scorpions for another; but all this within thine own heart. What Torture can the Enemy give thee, that is greater, nay equal to this that thou bringest upon thy self? On the contrary, he very often laughs when thou lamentest; and he is at rest when thou art upon the rack. By this it is manifest, that 'tis more easie, more cheerful, more pleasant and delightful for thee to love, than to hate thine Enemy. Accord­ing to this, it is not only pleasing to God, but happy and comfortable to our selves to love our enemies. According to this patience, the medicine[Page 350]of Anger is not bitter, but sweet; and the heaven­ly Physician cures thee of a Calenture in the Dog-days, by prescribing thee a draught of Cold water; for he cures the Infernal fire of An­ger, and washes it away with the gentle Stream of Love and Charity. For this reason we may justly call Patience the Celestial Art of Peace. Would'st thou have Peace, and Joy, and Com­fort in thy Soul? Get Patience, and thou shalt have Peace, and by having Peace and Pati­ence, thou shalt not only have Joy, and Com­fort, but the Author of Patience and Peace, of Joy and Comfort, shall dwell continually in thy Soul.

Of Moderation in speaking, and the mischiefs of the Tongue.

There is yet another kind of Abstinence, besides that excellent Vertue of forbearing the Excess of Meat and Drink, which we have already spoken of; which is that of forbear­ing, superfluous and hurtful Talk; for that is also a very admirable and profitable kind of Abstinence. I do not know, whether I should not say; Thou shalt do a better and a greater thing, to abstain from speaking much, than eating much; for speaking causes more mis­chiefs than eating, and men grow tir'd and weary with eating, but never with talking. Our Saviour doth advertise us well of this, when he says, Not that which enters into the Mouth defiles the Soul, but that which comes out of [Page 351] the Mouth. Now they be words which come out of the Mouth, and it is meat that goeth into the Mouth; What then, Is not excessive eating very hurtful? Yes to the Body; but the Soul receives no hurt from the meat, but from the excessive delight in it; whereas that, whereby the Soul is so frequently defiled, comes out of the mouth, in filthy, loose, smutty, and sinful words, as also in those that slander, and detract, and destroy the Honours, Lives, and Fortunes of their Neighbours. These are they commonly that do the mischief to our Souls.

The Tongue is the Source of Vice, and the Ruiner of Vertue. This little Instrument is a sharp and cruel Razour, that cuts, and burns, and kills, and sets the whole World on fire, and is set on fire of Hell. St. James calls it an unruly Member, full of deadly poyson, the mat­ter of infinite vexations, quarrels, and conten­tions; it disturbs, disquiets, and overturns all. In short, this little Engine is the universal Con­veyance, through which all the mischiefs of the World come out of the heart, in counselling, perswading, disposing, and quickning its de­struction. 'Tis not without great reason, that God hath shut up this dangerous and powerful Instrument, the Tongue, within a double wall of the Teeth, and of the Lips, to the end that it might be kept close and restrained; and no words suffered to pass out of that Fortress, till they be well examined. One Bridle is enough for the fiercest Horse, but for this little Worm[Page 352]two are not sufficient. Think what a suspect­ed House that is, which needs two Porters; either it is in a very unsafe Condition, or else the keeping of it is of great importance.

Be very wary of thy Speech, and keep thy self, as much as thou canst towards silence, for that is very secure; but speaking, very ha­zardous to thy Soul. Think, ruminate, exa­mine, and file over thy words oftentimes, be­fore thou utter them with thy Tongue; and consider that when once they come there, and are shot from thence, they become Arrows, which cannot be recalled, and which kill with­out remedy. The Tongue (says St. Austin) being in a dark moist place, is very apt to slip, and it is very dangerous to go in slippery places without either light or care.

Of Silence.

Silence is the Furnace of Charity, and as when the mouth of a Furnace is open, the fire comes easily out of it; so out of ours some­times does the fervour of Spiritual Charity, for the good of our Neighbour. The ancient Philosophers, that they might learn to know, were taught to be silent, for Silence is the Pa­rent of inward peace, rest, and quietness. If this be requisite in the Meditation and Con­templation of Natural Things; how much more then, in Eternal, and Celestial?

[Page 353]Dost thou love Peace? live in silence. Would'st thou do much? Take heed what thou sayest before thou speakest. Let thy words pass twice through thy thoughts, be­fore they pass once through thy Tongue. Hear, see, and say nothing, if thou wilt be disturb'd at nothing. Audi, vide, & tace, si vis vivere in pace. I have often repented me of having spoken, but never of having held my Tongue. He that speaks, makes him­self subject to the Censure of all that hear him; but he that keeps silence is the secret Censurer of all that speak. See the difference there is between being a Subject and a Superi­our, between being a Judge and being Judg­ed; the same there is between speaking and hearing. To speak much shews Confidence, Lightness, Imprudence, and Vanity; to speak little shews Modesty, Goodness, and Discretion.

The Third WEEK.
Of Envy.

ABstinence, Patience, and Silence are na­turally followed by the Love of our Neighbour, whereof the contrary is Envy, an infamous Vice, which took birth, growth, and gathered strength with our very Nature; but I come short, Envy is more ancient than our Nature; for Lucifer and his Fellows stum­bled in Heaven by Envy, and fell headlong from thence into the bottomless Pit. It being propos'd to that high Cherubim, (according to the Opinion of grave Authors) that he should adore the Eternal Son of God, when in future time he should be united to our Na­ture, he disdained to do it through Envy, that an Union should be made with the Humane, when he might have taken the Angelical.

It was Pride in Lucifer not to adore the Son of God; but it was a Pride (according to this Opinion) that had its Root in Envy. It was Envy also that moved him afterwards in Para­dise to lay that Trap, into which our innocent Parents fell, alluring their holy sincerity and goodness with offers of being like unto Gods. It was his Envy to see them in the fa­vour of their Eternal Creator, while him­self was Condemned into Everlasting Fire.[Page 355]It was Envy that in the first steps of the Ba­nishment of our first Parents, made angry Cain an Enemy to God, and to his Brother Abel, and which made him first commit Mur­der, then to Despair, and at last to be quite cut off; that Envy proceeding from God's fa­vourable accepting of the Sacrifice of the Li­beral, and turning away his Eyes from that of the Covetous. This wild Beast within his heart, broke out into open Fury, and was the first that shed Humane Blood, and the first that put the Life and Death of the Innocent into the power of the Guilty. This was the first wickedness, that after their own Disobe­dience, afflicted our first Parents, and the Tears, Grief, and Repentance for their own Offence, were much encreased in seeing the Murder of their good and holy Son, commit­mitted by the hand of the other, that was a wretched Villain and a Cast-away.

It was Envy that sowed innumerable Dis­cords between those first Patriarchs and Heads of the several Tribes; Joseph's Brethren not being able to endure his Vertues, nor the kind­ness of his Father to him, they resolved ra­ther to sell him, than to imitate him. It was Envy that brought in the Dissentions and Dis­cords between Jacob and Esau, the elder not being able to suffer the Blessing of the young­er. It was Envy that took away the Vertue, the Kingdom, and the Life of Saul, who, be­cause he could not bear the Valour and the Spirit of David, chose rather utterly to destroy[Page 356]him than frame himself to follow his Example. It was Envy also that durst attempt to bite e­ven the Apostles themselves, when seeing the favour of their Master to St. John, they be­gan to strive which of them should be the greatest. It was Envy that was the chief In­centive, that kindled the fire of Rage and Passion in the hearts of the Scribes and Phari­sees, and of the Priests and Masters of the Law against Jesus, when seeing his Vertues and Miracles, they chose rather to put him to Death, than to enjoy Eternal Life.

Behold the Victories and Trophies of En­vy, and entertain a great abhorrence of this cruel Enemy; for it is a powerful one, though in it self it be vile, base, and infamous; choo­sing rather to hate Vertue, than to emulate it, and affecting priority, rather by destroying that which is good, than by making that good which is evil.

It is an infamous, a desperate, and an un­grateful Vice; for the first, that it kills, is the Person who entertains it, and the Envious man dies with Envy himself, but cannot thereby kill the Person envied. It is an infamous Vice, for that being able to ease it self (in a great measure) of vexation, by imitating Vertue; it frees it self rather by the destruction and death of the innocent and vertuous Person, making Poyson of the Antidote, and corrupt­ing it self by the vertue of another. It is an infamous Vice, because it draws the nourish­ment of hatred and abhorrence out of the[Page 357]same ground, from whence it ought to draw that of Love to Vertue; and it defames and dishonours that which right Reason extols and magnifies. It is an infamous Vice, because it destroys the love of our Nature; for whereas one man ought to love another as man, and much more if he be vertuous, Envy abhors him so much for being vertuous, that it would not suffer him to continue man. It is an infamous Vice, because it prosecutes the damage of ano­ther, without bringing any profit to it self, and loads it self with more Crimes, without lessening anothers Vertues. It is an infamous Vice, because it makes an Enemy of that Per­son, whom it ought to imitate and esteem as a Friend, choosing rather to abhor that which is good, than to make use of it in forsaking that which is evil. Finally, Envy is the Vice of base wretched People; for whereas the en­vious man might by a noble emulation and sincere endeavour, make himself both vertu­ous and generous, he chooses rather to torment himself, and become more base, more wretch­ed, and more miserable.

Remedies against Envy.

This Vice must be cured by means contrary to those we directed against Sensuality, for that (as we said) must be cured by flight, but Envy must be conquered by fighting. Thus when thou feelest in thy heart the first moti­ons towards Envy, raise up thy self to encoun­ter[Page 358]it with a stout Opposition, and force thy self to love and praise that Person, whom it would tempt thee to abhor and to calumniate. Let both thy words and thy thoughts com­mend that Person, whom thou art troubled to see preferred before thee. Exalt his fame, and copy his vertues with thy utmost endea­vour.

There are two sorts of men in the World, which are very great in my esteem; those that acknowledge the ill which is in themselves; and those that acknowledge the good which is in their Enemies. It is a generous sense, and a noble action for a man to conquer En­vy, and to own Vertue wheresoever he finds it. That is a powerful and a generous light which illuminates the Soul, and drives away the darkness of Envy; and a Man will not be far from imitating the vertue of a person whom he rightly understands to be vertuous.

What dost thou gain by Envy, but rage, anguish, and the gnawing of thy own bowels? He enjoys all his happiness, and thou choosest torments and vexations. If Envy could take away the good things of the person envied; if it could bring home his Riches and Honours to the House of the envious man, though with the adding of Theft to his Envy, yet at least he would get some profit by it, and have where­withal to comfort himself in the midst of his tortures. But it is not so; for the envied per­son remains healthful, happy, rich, and pow­erful, and the envious man poor, afflicted,[Page 359]wretched, and miserable; getting nothing of the Wealth he envies, but of the colour of that Gold in his Complexion.

Better thy Fortune by thy Vertues, but ne­ver attempt to advance it by Vices. Do that which is in thy power, which is to imitate whatsoever is good, and fly from whatsoever is evil; and strive not in vain to do what is above thy power, namely, to take away the goodness from him that is good by making thy self wicked, and by torturing thy Soul with continual disquiets.

Of Charity to our Neighbours.

Charity towards our Neighbours is the bridle of Envy, the total destruction of it. With this thou must banish that out of thy heart. Love to our Neighbours is a Ray of the Divine Love; for Man imitates God in loving that which he loved, that is to say, Man, for whom he died. If we love not our Neighours, whom will we love? Will we perhaps love the wild brute Beast? We are Humane by Nature, let us be Humane also in our Love. Who is there that abhors himself? or who is there that abhors his own Natural Condition?

Our Nature has produced so Savage a Beast, so pitiless a Man, and so great an Enemy to Mankind, that kissing a Child, and being ask­ed why? He answered, That he foresaw by his Art, that Child would be a Souldier, and a great Captain, who would kill an infinite number of men, [Page 360] and for that reason he began to love him. This Man, or rather this Monster of Cruelty, would for the same cause have kissed the Plague, if he had met it in the Street. There was ano­ther like this, that was also a great Enemy to Mankind, and they two visiting one another, the first said, I am very glad to be in the Company of one that abhors Men; To which the other re­plied, So should I also to be in thine, but that thou art a Man. Were these Men? No certainly, but Beasts, and fiercer than Beasts.

Our blessed Redeemer did not thus, but was always pleased to be called Man; and being God, the Eternal Son of God, God of God, seldom or never called himself the Son of God, but often the Son of Man, honouring that Na­ture which he came to Redeem, and making himself Man, by taking his Name from it.

Love thy Nature, says the Holy Ghost, hate not thine own Flesh. If Men abhor Men, and which is more, Men that are vertuous (for that is it which Envy commonly abhors) who shall love Men, or reward Vertue? He is no true Christian that abhors Men through Envy or Cruelty? for he follows not the principal Vertue which Jesus Christ did practise. God being Divine became Humane, and being God, cloathed himself with our Nature, to be­come Man; and canst thou abhor thine own Nature, or at least a Man? Tell me, after what manner did God converse with Men, being perfect God and perfect Man? How meek![Page 361]how gentle! how favourable! how sweet and gracious towards all Men!

Of Courtesie.

And this he did amongst other things, to teach us not only Humility, but even Cour­tesie, Humanity, and Civility, as Beams of that Charity; for that Infinite Love bestowed and communicated himself on that manner, with his very Humanity. The Saviour of Souls condemns any one that shall be rude and discourteous, or that shall call his Brother Raca, which in the Opinion of grave Expositors, signifies a manner of discourteous and reproach­ful Behaviour; and St. Paul also makes Cour­tesie an holy and a Sacred thing, counselling that in honour we should prefer one another, Honore se invicem praevenientes; as who should say, be Courteous, and prevent one another in Civility, or strive each of you to be the first in Courtesie.

Think not that Humanity and kind: Beha­viour is a slight matter in the Spiritual Life. No; it is of great weight, and of much worth. When thou art invited, says our Saviour, sit not down in the chiefest place, least a more honourable than thou come, and thou be forc'd with shame to take the lower Room. Thou should'st strive to be Courteous and Civil; for it is a great good to thy self, and very pleasing to others. Thy love of God cannot be great, if it make thee not shew thy self meek and courteous towards[Page 362]Men. That has but a very small force which cannot break forth through the thickness of four fingers, and that is as much as the distance can be from thy heart to the outside of thy breast. If thy love of God be a true love, it is not possible thou should'st forbear to love his Creatures; and thou wilt do it so much the more, by how much the more the love of God is pure and perfect in thee. In the same proportion that thy love of God increases, thy love to thy Neighbours will increase likewise; and in the same proportion the one wasts and decays, the other ceases and vanishes also. If God, who is love it self, do love Man, how can a Man that loves God forbear to love Man, and to desire his good? The love of God to Man appeared before his Divine Majesty crea­ted him; his love being uncreate and eternal in it self, though in respect of its manifestation to Mankind it had a beginning.

That loving Apostle, the glory of Apostle­ship, the beloved Evangelist, and the adopted Son of the most blessed Virgin, wrote an E­pistle perswading to the love of God, and of Men; and being grown so old that his Disci­ples were fain to carry him in their Arms, all his Sermon was, Little Children, love one ano­ther. All we Men are Sons by Grace of one same Father, which is God; and Sons by Baptism of one same Mother, which is the Church. We are all made by one same Cre­ator; all redeemed by one same Price, which is the Blood of Christ; and all nourished by[Page 363]one same Milk, which is his most holy Do­ctrine and admirable Sacraments. And is it possible that so many Bonds and Obligations should not tye Man close to Man, nor make them love and help one another? Is it possi­ble that Wrath, Passion, and Envy should break all these Obligations? No, No. Love Humane Nature, for though it were not no­ble in it self, yet it being created by God, it becomes noble, and is illustrious by being re­deemed, honoured, and favoured by his most precious Son. That which cost much is of great value; but the repairing of Man's Na­ture cost the Blood of the Eternal Son of God. He cloathed himself with it, and ho­noured us also by it. God Created Man af­ter his own Likeness; Who will not esteem Man for being the Image of God? And the more, because God afterwards, by becoming Man, made himself the Image of Man.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of Diligence and Fervency, and of the Mischiefs of Omission and Sloth.

THE Vertues help forward one another; The love of God will guide thee to that of Men. This love will bring thee to ferven­cy, and fervency will open the Gate to zeal, and zeal for the good of thy Neighbours, burn­ing in Charity both for them and for thy self, will open thee the Gate of Heaven. This fer­vency and this love will not suffer thee to be lazy and sleepy; for sleep is no usual Compa­nion of Lovers. Charity and Sloth cannot dwell together in one breast. To sleep much, and to love much, are not things consistent. My Father always worketh, saith the Lord, and I work. What wonder is it that the Father and the Son should always be working, since through the Holy Ghost they are always lo­ving?

There can be no such thing as a lazy Spritu­al Person; for so much as he hath of sloth, so much he wanteth of being spiritual. Love is full of an holy disquiet. It is a sweet longing and refreshing; and if it be afire, how can i­dleness and sloth be in so active and stirring an Element?

[Page 365]Fly from sloth in the Spiritual Life; fly from it, I say, for it is a great and terrible Evil. Go learn of the Ant, says the Holy Spirit to the sluggard. Judge what the Vice is, and what the Person is that is infected with it, who needs to be taught by so contemptible a Master; and how much more wretched and contemp­tible is the Scholar? Sloth stupifies the Senses, dulls the powers of the Soul, puts shackles up­on all the Faculties, and by little and little strips the Spiritual Man quite naked, and leaves him meerly natural and sensual. Sloth is the Mother of Omission, and Omission is mani­festly the ruin of us. Dost thou see all the e­vil that is in the World? It all proceeds and takes birth from the Omission of good. Dost thou see the World to be full of wickedness? It ever springs and grows up in idleness.

How well did he, that beat the Master, when he saw the Scholars loitering in his pre­sence! he justly punished that defect, even by falling into some excess. If Omission of Supe­riours did not foment the neglect and careles­ness of those under their Government, there is no doubt, but they would be reformed. I sleep, and while I am sleeping, those under my charge are ruined waking. My sleep becomes their death, and my sloth and remisness their utter destruction.

God deliver me and thee from those Vices which consist in not doing; for they have a face and outside of Innocence, but within their Bowels they are full of innumerable Crimes,[Page 366]since they cherish all those which they do not correct. God in judging us, though he will judge us for every sin, yet I observe that the Articles of Accusation at that high Tribunal are all of Omission. I was hungry, and thou ga­vest me no meat; I was thirsty, and thou gavest me nothing to drink; naked, and thou didst not cloathe me; sick and in prison, and thou visitedst me not. But Lord! Are there not other sins of Commission? Dost thou only Charge us with those of Omission? Are there not a thousand wickednesses and beastly filthinesses, as well as heinous Cruelties committed? And dost thou only take notice of Perfections and Vertues not performed? But what if this be meant of that part of the Universal Judgment which concerns the Heads and Governours of this World, as well Secular as Ecclesiastical, and that God intimates that the sins of Commission of their Subjects are included in those of Omis­sion of their Superiours, and that in judging these he also condemns those?

What if the Eternal Judge, finding the World ruined by their neglecting to do their duty, condemns the wilful sins of the one sort in the careless sins of the other? What if he judges Idleness, as being the Mother of Wick­ednesses? and sentences the debauched and dissolute Sons, in the lazy and careless Fathers, they being thereby the Root of their Vices? I know not how that will be, but this I can tell thee, that thou oughtest to shun Sloth and Omission, as the fruitful Seed-plot of Vices and[Page 367]Wickedness of all sorts. Take notice of, and hearken to those Reproofs that our Lord gives to the Masters of the Law, and thou shalt see that all of them tend and are directed to re­form those Heads, because in them consisted the destruction of the Members, but he almost always favoured and protected the Multitude; he bore with them, he fed them, he had com­passion on them, he wrought Miracles to give them food, both Spiritual and Corporal. And what, Were there not many wicked among those common People? Yes, no doubt there were, but they were common People. But against the Masters of the Law, who slept in their Vices; against the High Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, who had placed the Tables of the Law among the Tables and Coffers of their Covetousness, and who left off Preaching and Teaching, to the end that in the mean while they themselves might be left, and assisted to rob and steal; against these his Reprehensions were most vehement and severe. He called them Serpents, Generation of Vipers, Sepul­chres full of Corruption, Sons even of the De­vil himself; and finally in this the meekness of the Lord was turned into Zeal, Justice, and Ri­gour.

If the Preacher pass over sins in silence, how shall the sinful hearer ever come to amend­ment? If the Confessor dissemble, how shall the Penitent ever be reformed? If the Shep­heard sleep, and the Wolf be very vigilant, what shall become of the poor defensless Flock?[Page 368]If the Father of a Family be remiss, What shall become of the Son that is let loose among the heats of Youth? If the Mother sleep care­lesly, and be silent, what will the Daughter do having the liberty of Courtship? If the Ma­gistrates sleep in Security, what will not be at­tempted by the seditious and tumultuous Peo­ple? Dost thou see how this sleep, which we call Omission, is Sloth, is Death, is Misery, and Confusion?

It may well be defended, that all the ruin of Mankind sprung from the negligence and sloth of our first Father Adam; because he was not diligent and careful to make his Wife keep at a distance from the forbidden Fruit, and from having conversed with the Serpent. Is it not certain, that if Adam had pulled Eve by the Arm, when she drew near to the Tree of Knowledge, and had carried her to walk in some other part of the Garden far from dan­ger and death, that the ruin of us all might have been prevented? Adam says nothing; Eve holds Discourse with the Serpent. It was pro­bable that from thence would arise the Temp­tation of that deadly Apple, from whence we inherit an immortal Mortality.

Dost thou see the Fault of Pilate? He con­demned our Saviour to the Death of the Cross, and which is more, at the same time declared him Just and Innocent. All which in my judgment proceeded from Sloth and Omission. It was manifestly so; for when the Jews brought him as guilty to be examined, where­as[Page 369]he might have done Justice with diligence, truth, courage, and rectitude, he through Sloth and Omission not doing so, and through desire of putting off that business from his own Tribunal, because it was very troublesome to him, referred it to Herod, to avoid being tired with long Discourses, and wearied with a Pro­cess, in which he saw there were such strong Accusers engaged.

Why, was it not as easie, O Pilate! and more just, to dispatch Justice and free Inno­cence, when thou sawest it in the cruel hands of Malice and Slander, then to remit a Pri­soner to Herod, who did not desire it, nor had formed any competition about it? It was more just, I confess, says Pilate, but not so easie; and I embraced that which was easiest, and left Justice on the other hand.

Herod sent our Saviour back again to Pilate, and he begins again to be vexed at so entangled a Cause; for on the one side, he knew the In­nocence of Christ, and on the other, he saw the Power of his Slanderers. To free our Sa­viour, and chastise the Jews, Fortitude and Diligence were necessary; but to condemn him there needed nothing but Injustice and Cruelty. Pilate had no desire to make use of these, but being too remiss a Judge, he want­ed Courage to use the other.

Well then, what remedy? What is to be done in this Case? says the perverse. Magi­strate, Let us Scourge Jesus, let us Crown him with Thorns, and then shew these ungrateful[Page 370]People their King, whip'd, spit upon, and a­bus'd; for how powerful soever their Fury be, it is not possible but that Compassion will soft­en and overcome it. But, Pilate, was it not easier and more just to condemn, and scourge, and crown the guilty Scribes and Pharisees with Thorns, than to use an holy and inno­cent Person in that pittiless manner? More just, 'tis true, (replys that partial Judge) but not more easie; for they are many, and he is but one. The correcting of them could not be effected without difficulty, but to chastise the Innocent, is very easie. I forsake Justice to follow that which is safe and easie, and so let Innocence pay for the fault of my Sloth and Remisness.

And how succeeded the Omission of so faint-hearted a Judge, with this cruel Expedient of saving our Saviour by scourging and crowning him with Thorns? Much worse, than if with­out any pity or remorse he had given him out to be crucified. For the People being hard and obstinate, were not softned with the Pains of the Holy Jesus, but rather they became more obdurate in their sin, seeing that their Passion and Wickedness was more couragious than the heart of the Judge; and therefore not doubt­ing to get the Victory over him, they cried out more fiercely with loud Voices, Let him be cru­cified, Let him be crucified.

Then the Judge, being of himself cowardly and fearful, was the more afraid, hearing such furious Cries, and finding that the matter grew [Page 371]harder upon him, was conquered by them; and being slothful, timorous, and unactive, re­solved to condemn him, because he had not the courage, diligence, and industry which were necessary to save him.

But, Pilate, if thou meanedst to condemn him after he was scourged, buffeted, and crowned with Thorns, and after thou hadst shewn him to the People as a Mock-King, affronted and abused; had it not been a less Evil to have condemned him before, and to have prevent­ed all those Pains and Reproaches? It would have been a less Evil, (says he) I confess; but my faint-hearted lukewarmness used them as means to save his I [...]nocence; and the discour­ses of a slothful person tend always to his own conveniency, and the injury of another.

Observe what a kind of pity that of the slothful man is? and thou wilt find it more cruel then Cruelty it self. If Pilate had con­demned our Saviour at once, how unjust, how severe, how cruel soever, yet he had spar'd him five thousand Lashes, and an infinite num­ber of other Reproaches; whereas by being pardoned and defended with such sloth, his Pains and sufferings were infinitely aggrava­ted. Besides, the lightness wherewith this in­famous Judge pass'd over such terrible wicked­nesses, was in a manner worse then all the rest; for with but washing his Hands in a little Water, the President declar'd himself, and all the People Innocent, and the Innocent Guil­ty. He declared the Innocent Guilty, because[Page 372]though he knew and confessed his Innocence, yet he suffered him to be Crucified as a Cri­minal; and he Absolved the guilty People, because he forbore to Chastise them, though he knew their Malice.

The reason of this is, that amongst all the other great Evils, of the Sloth, Omission, and Negligence of Judges, this is one, that it is very short-sighted, and forgetful of all the Mischiefs that it does; for it looks with very little, or no light at all, upon those Evils which either it committeth or permitteth. Pilate con­demns our Saviour, and delivers him into the hands of his Enemies; he delivers up that bles­sed Lamb to those ravenou [...] Wolves; he gives them a greater liberty than they had before; and not only whips and imprisons him; but condemns him also to be Crucified; and with a little Water not only washes himself from all these Wickednesses, but commends himself, and expects to be thought a just, an holy, and an innocent Judge.

A City shall be enflam'd with heinous Crimes, a Commonwealth shall burn in all manner of loosness and debauchery, and a lazy slothful Governour shall in the mean while sleep carelesly whole nights and days; and although all those Enormous Crimes are committed, because his remisness forbears to correct them; yet because he does not act those things himself, he thinks he is holy, ju­stified, and guiltless.

[Page 373]No, do not so; do thou strive in thy Per­son, and in thy Employment to act with at­tention, diligence, and vigilance, abhorring Sloth and Remisness. Do not make the sins of others become thine own Crimes through O­mission. Take not upon thee the Office of a Judg, Magistrate, or Superiour, unless thou hast Vi­gilance, Diligence, Zeal, and Courage to cor­rect Offences. It is not I that tell thee this, but the Word of God in the Proverbs; as who should say, If thou art a Governour, and al­lowest those that are under thy Charge to commit Wickedness, thou makest their Faults to become thine own. Measure therefore thy strength before thou undertakest such an Em­ployment, and having entred into it a Judge, take heed thou come not out of it a Crimi­nal.

Sloth and Negligence are, as we have seen, hurtful in all Persons, but in Prelates, Magi­strates, and Superiours, it is the Pest of the Publick; for under the coldness and indiffe­rency of Omission, there is no Mischief that will not be ventur'd upon, all bold daring Crimes being the Consequences of it; and it is better to live, where nothing, than where e­very thing is counted lawful. But in the Spi­ritual Life, Diligence is that which promotes it, securing our inward Advancement, and our going forward in the way of Vertue; for every step that Diligence takes, adds Glory to the Crown of our Reward.

[Page 374]The time of our Race passeth swift away, that of our Life flies very fast, and which is most dangerous, Death hastens, and then we shall neither have time to run, to work, to make satisfaction, nor to recover the oppor­tunities we have lost; and therefore it is ne­cessary to make use of this present Moment, before it pass, for it is impossible to be recal­led.

Work, while you have light, says the Saviour of Souls; Work before my Time come, in which I shall call you to account, and judge you for your Time. On the other side, while you have light, walk and work, before the Day-light of Life pass away; least having spent your time viciously or idly, (which is all one) the darkness of the Night of Death seize upon you at unawares. Can any Evil be greater or equal to that of loitering all the day in idleness and vice, expecting the darkness of Night, and of Death, the punishment of idle, vicious, and slothful Persons? The Life of our Saviour in this World, was all working, suffer­ing, taking pains, walking, watching, teach­ing, putting Men in mind of the account they were to give, of the Universal Judgment, of Hell, and of Glory. His Zeal, his Diligence, and his Goodness not suffering his Charity to be one moment idle.

Why stand ye here all the day idle? said he in the Parable to those that were found in the Market-Place; as who should say, Can you spend all the Day in sloth and idleness, while [Page 375]Night, the Sword of the slothful, hangs over your Head, and will certainly fall upon you? If you will not work in the Day, how will it be possible for you to work in the Night? If you refuse him the Day, which is the time of working rightly, and with profit; 'tis manifest that in the Night you will find nothing but Errours and Mischiefs. Who would refuse to go his Journey while the Sun shines, believing that he shall find his way better in the dark? Therefore shake off idleness, and embrace fer­vency and diligence. Do you think you shall be able to find diligence at your Death, when you have wasted all your Life in laziness, and in sloth? or that you shall find Amendment when you come to be judged, Idleness being the Mother of all Vices?

The Saints call Idleness the Sepulchre of the Living, because Worms, Rottenness, and Cor­ruption are engendred by it, and that it fo­ments all kinds of Miseries together. That holy Man understood it well, who living in the Desart, busied himself in carrying stones from one place to another, and in bringing them back thither again; and being asked why he did so, he answered, I avoid idleness, or at least I master that body that would master me.

No Vice is so destructive to the Spirit, nor so kind a Companion to the Flesh, as idleness; and although it seems the least, is yet the cause of the greatest Evils. Besides, being slothful and idle in good, there is no ill which does not encrease and become worse by it; for it is[Page 376]the same thing as to set open the Gate of the Soul to all the Passions and Vices that shall have a mind to enter. There is no Vice so mean, but will adventure to assault an idle Man, be­cause it looks upon him as one that will not take the pains to make any resistance, being so weak as to have yielded up himself even be­fore he be attempted, and so all wickednesses take confidence to come upon him, and assume to themselves a Jurisdiction over him.

If the Devil be diligent, watchful, bold, strong, heedful, crafty, and cruel, What will he be not able to do against a weak, idle, careless, and disarmed Man? The holy, the spiritual, and the diligent, who night and day busie themselves in some vertuous Employ­ment, have much ado to escape free from the Assaults of the Devil? How then shall the slothful be able to defend himself from so de­signing and so dangerous an Enemy?

So much thou dost encrease in holiness, as thou dost encrease in diligence, and therefore work always without ceasing; for those works are Safety and Reward, and do advance thee in Spirit and Charity. The blessed Virgin came to so much Perfection by working; for having begun with such unspeakable Graces, she rose to more than can be imagined, only by going on each moment, encreasing and improving her former Gifts and Graces. The holy Apostles were the Light of the World; and observe how diligent they were. They went about like the Sun in perpetual motion;[Page 377]and by that means Twelve Men alone were able in a little more than Thirty Years, to enlighten, to reduce, and to confound the blindness of the Gentiles throughout the whole World. How could holy Persons in former Ages become in few Years such Prodigies of Holiness, but by their diligence to encrease and redouble their Talents, and by constantly following the Dictates of the Holy Spirit which governed them? Even those valiant and ambitious Men that heretofore conquer'nt so many Nations and Countreys, could never have done it, but by diligence: One of those being ask'd, How in less than Nine Years he had gained so many Kingdoms; answer'd, Non pro­crastinando, by not delaying till to Mor­row.

If this be necessary for the Conquest of frail, mortal, and inconstant Kingdoms, that are but Heaps of Dung; What diligence and care is needful in us Christians, for the gain­ing of the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven? Traffick, till I come, (says the Saviour of Souls;) Be industrious, and suffer not your Talents to lie idle.

That slothful Servant, who buried his Ta­lent, did no other harm, but that he did so, and sat down quietly by it; and yet for all that, the Lord condemns him to Hell, and calls him wicked Servant; Serve nequam, Cursed of God, because being lazy and slug­gish, he gave that to the Earth, and to[Page 378]what is Sensual, which was due to Heaven, and to what is Spiritual.

Our Humane Condition and Misery can hardly hold to an Indifference. If thou dost not labour in that which is good, thou wilt take pains in that which is Evil; not to watch, is to fall asleep; not to serve God and please him, is little better than to offend him; and in the Opinion of those who will allow no indifference in things, it is (as I have shew'd) absolutely to offend him.

Believe me, 'tis not for nothing that Christ so often calls upon us to Watch: He pronoun­ced that word fourteen times, and his blessed Lips exhort us to it so often, with that very same word, Watch. Sloth, Idleness, Omis­sion, and Negligence, is the sleep of Death, which carries us to Death Eternal. Watch then, for the Devil sleeps not; for thine Ap­petite sleeps not. Watch, least the Bridegroom find thee without Oyl, like the foolish Vir­gins, when he shall come to judge thee. Watch, for the Thief goes about carefully to rob thy House. Watch, for the Infernal Lyon goes about seeking to devour thee. Watch, and expect the coming of thy Lord, with thy Lamp burning, when he shall come from the first Marriage unto the second; that is from his first to his second Coming.

[Page 379]Finally, If thou wilt be a true Spiritual Per­son, thou must work, and labour, sweat, and walk without stopping, and with fervent steps follow the Lord, who goes before thee carrying the Cross on his Divine Shoulders, and giving strength, breath, and courage unto thy Fervency by his Love.

NOVEMBER.

The First WEEK.

Of the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit in General.

IT is time now to gather in the Fruits of this Spiritual Year, that we may praise God in the advantages of a Plentiful En­crease. St. Paul, the Light and the Apostle of the Gentiles, teacheth us, That the Fruits of the Spirit are Twelve: to wit, Charity, Peace, Long-suffering, Benignity, Faith, Continence, Joy, Patience, Goodness, Meekness, Modesty, and Chastity.

I admire that he puts the End in the Mid­dle, and seems to make the Root to be the Fruit: For I should think that the Fruits of the Spirit were the Graces and the Blessings we have already treated of in some of the former Months; that is to say, a happy Death, Absolution from Judgment, a Pardon pro­nounced to us at the passing of that Sentence, and the Reward, Crown, and Glory of the Blessed in the other Life, which is given to[Page 381]those that have fought a good fight in this; but to make the Fruit of the Spirit, and of being vertuous, to be Vertue it self, seems to me ei­ther to put the end of Vertue in the middle; or else to anticipate that Fruit in this Life, which only can be attained perfectly in the Life Eternal.

But St. Paul by naming the excellent Fruits of the Spirit, wisely answers the wicked of this World, who hold the Spiritual Life for Folly, and laugh at the Godly, for mortifying and persecuting themselves with Abstinence and other Acts of Repentance, living retir'd and abstracted from the World, and despising Humane Delight and Felicity. Loose and de­bauch'd Persons use to ask those of stricter Life, What Fruit do ye get by that Mortification, by that Solitariness and Fasting wherewith ye torment and destroy your selves? Had you not better live merrily, and enjoy the Pleasures of the Flesh, as we do? The Apostle replys, What Fruits do we get? Twelve heavenly Fruits the Holy Spirit gives us, which we would not Exchange for all the Fruits, for all the Delights, and for all the Pleasures which the World can bestow. And we must take notice, that he most discreetly forbears to rec­kon for the present Fruits, those Eight Beati­tudes with which Christ begins his Sermon up­on the Mount, for they are Promises of Bles­sings in the future; and though some of them are not without effect, even in this Life, yet they all chiefly regard the Life to come. He[Page 382]says, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted; that is, with everlasting Comforts. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth; that is, the Land of the Living, which is Hea­ven. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness; that is, do earnestly desire to be good: for they shall be filled; that is, shall have most perfect goodness in Glory. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; that is, at the Day of Judgment. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the Peace-ma­kers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. St. Paul would not reckon these for the Fruits of the Spirit, because our Saviour had spoken of them before in his Gospel; and these are not the Fruits of our Banishment, but of our Coun­try. Those Beatitudes are the Fruits of these other Twelve, which St. Paul here nameth. That which he meant, was to turn the Argu­ment upon those poor deceived Wretches of this World; saying, Do ye ask us, What Fruit we have in mortifying our selves by the power of the Spirit? We answer, That we not only obtain Eternal Glory (as Christ promised us) in the Life to come, and that proportionable to what we suffer here; for he says, We shall receive an hundred fold: but that even in this Life he gives us Fruits of Glory, Comfort, Peace, and Joy; and the Spirit causes such heavenly Effects in us, as give our Life the ad­vantage far above all the Feasts and Merri­ments[Page 383]of yours. St. Paul seems to compare Spiritual Delights with Sensual Pleasures; and the Recreations of the Good, with the Pas­times of the Wicked. This appears in that he does not count Eternal Glory for the Fruit of the Spirit; but those Effects which the Spirit it self produces in this Life, which are Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, &c. as if he should have said, The Spirit has two sorts of Fruits; one for this Life, which is an Internal Glory; and the other for the Life to come, which is both an External, Internal, and Supernal Glo­ry. Two Fruits, one of Temporal Peace up­on Earth, and the other of Eternal Peace in Heaven.

This Question, which sinners make to the righteous, seems to correspond to that which St. Paul makes to sinners, when he asks them, What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? and they, (if they will an­swer truly) can answer nothing, but that Grief, Misery, and Confusion has been the Fruit of them: but they answer only with another Question, saying, And you, What Fruit do you get by following of Vertue? To which St. Paul answers, Not One Fruit, but Twelve most savory and pleasant ones, which are the cause of Eternal Fruits. He likewise impli­citly puts the Beatitudes for the Fruit of the Spirit, and comprehends them in these Twelve, as one that gives the name of the Effect to the Cause; for it is as if he had said, Do thou assure me that thou enjoyest these[Page 384]Twelve Fruits of the Spirit in this Life, and I will assure thee, that thou shalt enjoy those Eight Beatitudes in the other Life. Do thou assure me that thou livest here in the King­dom of Grace, and I will assure thee that thou shalt Reign there for ever in the King­dom of Glory.

'Tis true, one would think that these Twelve Fruits, which we now speak of gathering in, and storing up for the Harvest of the Spiritual Year, seem to be those common Vertues we spoke of in the Second Part; but though they be like, there is great difference between them; for this Peace, this Chastity, this Charity, this Benignity, &c. are not altogether the same with those there spoken of; but these do pre­suppose those, and these are a Supream Habit which God gives by his Holy Spirit, whereby he raises, facilitates, perfects, and crowns those Vertues which are there begun, and brings them to an high, and heroical Per­fection. The Reason upon which I ground my self, is, That those Vertues, though they be serviceable for the Exercise of Grace, yet they are not called the Fruits of the Spirit, but Vertues which conduce to the Spirit, and with which we begin and proceed in the Spiritual Life; but these Fruits which St. Paul here mentions, are more than Vertues, they are Gifts and Fruits which grow from the Spirit; and as a Tree, after having been digged about, manur'd, prun'd, and taken care of all the Year, does by gathering an inward Sap beget[Page 385]the generative vertue of its Fruit, defends it by its Bark in the Winter, shelters it with its Leaves in the Summer, seasons it with the Sun and the Air in the Autumn, and lastly, offers up its Fruit to be gathered by the own­er, which is the best of all his Labours: So also these Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit, are the best of the Spiritual Life, and much more excellent than those Vertues wherewith Men begin, and go on in it at the first, and these grow from them into a Fruit, which by and through their means, the Holy Spirit ripens, and makes more fragrant, more sa­voury, and more substantial, than all those Vertues of the beginning.

We will go on, discoursing of these Twelve Fruits in the remaining Weeks of this Spiritual Year, to the end that thou mayest rejoyce in finding, That Blessedness is not only the Reward of Vertue, but that Vertue it self is Blessedness already; and that thou mayest see, and know, and feel within thy self, that whatsoever is not Spirit, and Vertue, and the Love of God, is nothing but Sadness, Pain, and Misery.

Of Charity, the first Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Here St. Paul, the great Master of Souls, seems in these Fruits, and Gifts of the Holy Spirit to joyn the beginning with the end, and the Root with the Fruit; for he says, that the two first Fruits which the Holy Ghost gives[Page 386]to a Spiritual Man, are Charity and Peace.

This Charity, which the Apostle here of­fers, as the highest Gift and Fruit of the Di­vine Spirit is reduc'd into two kinds: First that which the Soul bears towards God, not only when it begins to be in Grace, (for that may be with many imperfections and fast­nings to worldly things) but an excellent, perfect, and inflamed Charity, which with its fire burns up, and with its flame consumes all the Dross, Imperfections, and Miseries which our wretched Nature sends up as in smoke, to the Region of the Spirit. This excellent and superiour Charity, which nei­ther suffers nor allows so much as a consent to the smallest sins, nor admits voluntary imper­fections and adhaesions to earthly things, how little soever they be, and which, if they come, does not entertain them, but presently casts them out and bewails them, is a great Gift of the Holy Spirit, the highest of all its Fruits; for this strips the Soul of all that is imperfect, and cloaths it with all that is holy, perfect, and heroical. This Fruit of the Spi­rit is the Source and Original of whatsoever good our weakness is capable of; it takes off those Skins that covered the old Adam, and adorns us with the Garment of Grace of the new Adam, Jesus Christ our Lord. Those Skins are our Passions and Imperfections; and this Garment is made up of our Saviour's Vertue. This Heroick Charity not only be­gets, but defends the new Man in us; it roots [Page 387]out our old customs of sin, pulls up those ha­bits of sensual delight, and throws out those formerly beloved Vices and Miseries, where­with it hath been choaked up; so that the Lord's Inheritance becomes clean and fitly tilled, to receive the spiritual Seed, namely, those Gifts and Graces which God is pleased to communicate to Souls. Where God be­stows the Fruit of this ardent Charity, I count that Soul to be safely got into Port, as having by the Grace of our Lord overcome those strong Billows, and broken through those con­trary Winds, that would have hindred its passage; because God affords therewith a constancy and firmness in holy Exercises, a continual desire and longing to prosecute, and to finish its Course, and to die in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ; for all things else, it neither values them, nor loves them, nor fears them. He that has gotten to receive from God this high degree of Charity, is governed in all things by his Hand, and punctually follows his Directions; for he loves the Name of God, and that Love moves and guides, informs, counsels, and accompanies him from Life to Death. This Love is that which the Church asks of God for her faithful Children, when she says, O Lord, who never failest to help and govern them, whom thou dost bring up in thy sted­fast fear and love; keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good Providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

[Page 388]St. Paul had this Fruit of Charity, when he said, Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Who? Neither Tribulation, nor Sword, nor Persecution, nor Death, no, nor Hell itself; which is, as if God having cloathed and ar­med that Saint with this Charity, had made him capable to defie all Creatures, and all things contrary to the love of his Creator.

This Charity and Fruit of the Holy Ghost he had, when he said, That he desir'd to be dis­solved, and to be with Christ, for that his Soul filled and enflamed with Charity (which is the ripe and seasonable Fruit of the Holy Ghost) waited to be gathered by the hand of the Ma­ster of that Garden who planted it in him; and had not the Earth for its Centre, which corrupts and rots the Fruits that fall upon it; but Heaven, where he was to be laid up and preserved for ever.

This Charity and Divine Fruit of the Spirit that Saint had, who said, I live, but not in my self, and I so earnestly long after so high a life, that I even die, because I do not die; as St. Paul also said, I live, yet not I, but Christ, who liveth in me; his Death was Life, and his Life Death; as he likewise spoke, Who shall deliver me from this body of death? or from the death of this Body, as holding the life of this Body to be no bet­ter than death, and very death it self to be as life, because it was to be a sweet passage to him to Eternal Life. All the Saints have held the same, for God communicates this high Fruit of Charity, either more or less to them [Page 389]all, and all of them have suffered this amorous Impatiency, which is that the Spouse in the Canticles expresses, when she says, Encompass me with flowers, for I die for love.

O sweet Death! O glorious Life! O health­ful Sickness! O Coelestial Fire, which kindlest and enflamest, which enlightenest, and ena­mourest, burning with delight, and by thy consolations changing Earth into Heaven! O eternal Jesus! O sweet! O glorious! O loving and powerful Lord, grant that I may die of this Wound! Grant I may be enflam'd by this Heavenly Fire. Grant I may see by this Light, and be consumed by this Heat. O that I might be turned into ashes in the burnings of this amorous Fire! and that I may cease to be in this life, to the end, that I may be with thee eternally in the other! Ah! when a Soul once comes to know and to understand this Love, how little does it regard the loves of this World; I mean not only those that are light and vain, but those also that are allow­able, if they be worldly; for God cleanses and purifies the Soul in such manner, from all Propriety, (although it be of those Affections which are tolerable, yet imperfect through their excess) that he possesses the Soul totally with his love, and from the most inward to the uttermost extent of the heart, and from the superiour to the most inferiour parts of it, fills it wholly with himself; so that if such an one loves his Parents, whether Natural or Spiritual, he does it in God, and for God; and[Page 390]if he loves his Brethren, whether those of Na­ture, or those of Grace, he loves them also in God, and for God, who orders and go­verns all his Love. This the holy Soul says in the Canticles, when amongst other Favours her Spouse had done her, she acknowledges, that he had ordered and governed her Affe­ctions. As if she had said, though there were Charity in me, yet it was inordinate, for I loved some more than I ought to have loved them; others, when I ought not to have lo­ved them; and others after another manner than I ought to have loved them. I loved more than I ought to have loved, because that Affection, which I gave inordinately unto a Creature, (although a Father) I stole from the Creator, who is my true Father. I loved them for that, which I ought not to have lo­ved them for, that is, for mine own Delight, for mine own Interest and Comfort; and though my love was Lawful, yet the end of it was Natural, when it should have been Su­pernatural. I loved them after another man­ner than I ought to have done; for my love was Sensual, whereas it should have been Spi­ritual; and all this the Spouse felt very much, even in those loves which were allowable, and complained of it to her Beloved, and his Di­vine Majesty (as being much pleased with it) took into his own hand the love of his Spouse towards her Neighbours, and towards all Crea­tures, and ordered it rightly, making her to ove them all, in that manner, for those ends,[Page 391]and in that degree, which he approv'd. And this, which the Spouse asked of her Beloved, we ought oftentimes to beg of him; for our self love (if the Lord doth not rectifie and re­form it) destroys and burns up the Soul with an inordinate fire; and so the love of God is the only love, which can be called love, with­out fear of loving too much, and all other loves whatsoever, are loves of fears and jea­lousies, and disquiets to an holy Soul. They are loves intermix'd with fears, whether I do not exceed, whether I do not take from God that which I give to the Creatures, whether I do not tye my Soul too fast unto them, and entangle it with snares in the way of my Spi­ritual Life.

O Lord, thou love of all the Creatures, how miserable is this Life! how full of Thorns and Stumbling blocks! how full of Griefs, Hazards, and Dangers! Since I cannot love that which is good and allowed, without the fears of running into that which is evil and prohibited. O God, do thou regulate our love. O thou Eternal Good, grant that we may only love thee, and that in thee alone, we may love those whom thou wouldst have us to love, and that we may do it, when, and how, and for those ends that thou approvest. Let none other love but thine, O Lord, enter into my Soul. Drive out of it all other loves but that; and if any other would force an entrance into my heart, let the strength of thy love defend it, and not suffer any other[Page 392]love to disturb my Soul, nor oppose thy love within my Soul. Thy love, O dear Lord, is a sweet love; it is Chearfulness and Comfort, Quiet and Contentment; it is Joy and Glory. All love besides this, and contrary to this, is Perturbation and Disquiet, Heaviness and Pain, Sorrow and Affliction.

Finally, all the Saints have tasted of this Fruit; and I have only given thee an Exam­ple of St. Paul, to the end, thou mayest know, that the Holy Spirit and its Fruits are the same in the Primitive Church, in these times, and will be so in those that succeed us; for God never waxeth old, neither do his Gifts and Graces decay; and if we miserable sinners, neither have, nor feel those Fruits, it is because we hinder them with our Passions, and by giving the Rein freely to our Inclinations; for there are many now in the World, who have and enjoy this heroical, orderly, and perfect love to God, and to their Neighbour; but let thou and I, who are weak and frail, endeavour to exercise our selves in those first Vertues, and to cultivate the Tree of our Souls with Repen­tance and Contrition, with Mortification and Tears; but above all, with the Blood of the Lamb, and with hearty Prayers to him, who shed it through the excess of his love, that he would give us that sweet and excellent Fruit, that most ravishing and glorious Love.

The Second WEEK.
Of Peace, the Second Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

NExt to this Savoury Fruit of Divine and Humane Charity, or of Love to God and our Neighbour, follows the Delightful Fruit of Peace, which quiets and recreates the Soul, freeing it from those common Per­turbations that use to disturb it.

Fear and Hope are two Humane Affections, which do disquiet and discompose Worldly Minds; God drives out these two from a holy Soul, with two Coelestial Gifts, which are Re­medies against their Poyson, and these be the Fear of God, and the Hope of Glory. From the instant that our Soul fears God alone, it despises all things else; from the instant that it hopes only for things Eternal, it tramples upon those that are Temporal. Such a Man keeps Peace with all Persons, because he nei­ther troubles, nor importunes; he neither vexes, nor is jealous of any body; since no body can deprive him of Eternity, which is all he pretends to. This Fruit of Peace also hath two parts; one inward, Peace of the Soul with God; the other outward, Peace with[Page 394]the Creatures. From the inward Peace with God, which is the Root, springs up the out­ward one, and spreads into several branches of the Creatures, just as an outward heat pro­ceeds from a secret fire, and the brightness of light from flame, and the love of our Neigh­bour from that of God.

The inward Peace of the Soul depends up­on the Unity and Conformity of a Spiritual Man's Will, with the Will of God; for if he loves and desires the same thing, and conforms himself to all that God does, and resigns him­self to all that he suffers; and does so not on­ly after things have come to pass, but even prevents them with his desire that the Will of God should be done in him; it is manifest, that by such an Unity and Conformity, he must have a constant Peace; and that there can be no disagreement between that and him. This Union with the Divine Will, and the finding no contraction between it and the Hu­mane Will, begets Love and Peace with our Neighbours, and makes it communicate with all Creatures; for since it neither loves them, nor desires any thing from them, in any other way, than according to God's Will; and that God's Will is in order to Peace, because it is the Original of Peace; it necessarily follows, that he must also have Peace with all the Creatures.

And so the true Spiritual Man, who loves God with that Holy Fruit of Charity we have spoken of, loving his Neighbours also in their [Page 395]proportion, and keeping Union with the Will of God, and inward Peace with him; and for his sake with his Neighbours in all things that are good and holy, must needs satisfie and content all Persons, if they be good; and if they be not so, though he does not content them, (because that is not in his power) yet he satisfies them with his Reason, though per­haps they will not acknowledge themselves to be satisfied; for if they be his Superiours, he obeys them with Humility, behaves himself towards them with Respect, and yields readily to their Orders and Commands; obeying his Superiours in the same manner as he obeys the Will of God. If they be his Equals, he gives them all that belongs to them, and applies himself with Charity to assist in their Affairs. He eases them in their Troubles, comforts them in their Afflictions, counsels them in their Doubts, and helps them in their Neces­sities: And if they be his Inferiours, he loves them with a Fatherly Affection, bears with them and favours them, guides and directs them, supplies their Wants, and affords them a Remedy so far as he is able in whatsoever they have need, for he loves himself for their sake.

Thus the Holy Spirit says, Great is the Peace of those that love God; because they have both outward and inward Peace, with him, with themselves, and with all Men; since they nei­their love, nor do, nor desire, nor pretend to any thing, but what God wills.

[Page 396]I like all this very well, you'll say, but how will you give me Peace with the Wicked? How can a Judge have Peace with Robbers and Murtherers? A Superiour with an Inso­lent and Rebellious Subject? An Honest and Loyal Subject with a Cruel and Merciless Su­periour? Or any one Man with another, that persecutes him without Reason? Is it necessa­ry, that a Man's Will must not be moved with these things, and that neither his inward nor outward Peace must be disturbed by them?

There is a great deal of difference, I an­swer, between holding Peace with the Wicked, and Conformity with the Wicked. This ought never to be done, the other may be done al­ways. Conformity speaks Union of Wills in respect of their Objects, and this a good Man cannot have but with those that are good, and in those things that are good; for that can­not be called Peace, that is War against God. If I to keep Peace with the World, should forsake that which is good, and offend God, the Author of Peace, who is the chiefest Good, that were but an evil Peace, a seeming Quiet, but a real Disquiet. This is that the Prophet spake of, That they should say, Peace, Peace, when there was no Peace; For there is no Peace, saith my God, to the wicked. And thus when the Saviour of Souls left Peace, as a Legacy, to his Holy Apostles, he told them, that the Peace he gave them, was his, not that of the World, nor as the World gives it; for that is a Peace with Vices, with Passions, and Sensualities;[Page 397]but a cruel and furious War against God. With such Persons, nor with their Sins, we must have no Conformity; which is that the World would have, to make us all of her colour; but we may have perfect Peace, and which is more, perfect hatred at the same time, not abhorring those which are evil, but that evil which is in them, and loving their Persons, that we may draw them into the way of good­ness. A Superiour, who is a good Man, may Correct and Reform, and Love those whom he does Correct; nay, rather he does Correct and Reform them, because he loves them with a very perfect and superiour love. Well may a Companion Love and Counsel, Advise and Guide his Companion to that which is good, and have a dislike of the evil which he com­mits; nay, because he loves him, he guides and draws him from that which is evil. Well may a Subject disapprove the sin of a vicious Superiour, and love him without helping him to effect it; nay, because he loves him, he will not give more matter to his Condemna­tion, nor add more Fuel to the Fire of his Pu­nishment. What! Dost thou think, that Je­sus Christ our good Master, did not love those Buyers and Sellers, whom he whipped out of the Temple, when he overturned the Tables of the Money-Changers to banish Covetous­ness out of his Father's House? It is certain that he did love them, but he corrected them to amend them, and such a Mischief needed such a Remedy. He relieved their afflicted[Page 398]Souls, that were kept in Slavery by their Co­vetousness, and set their Reason at liberty, which was captivated, and kept a Prisoner by their Passion. Reproof and Chastisement are as an Alms to the Soul that is poor in Ver­tue, and that is in great Necessity for want of Light, Counsel, and Direction. Such an one stands in need to be corrected and to be re­lieved with Instruction and Reformation, by such means as may conduce most to his A­mendment. Who says that a Physician hates his Patient, when he Cures him with a bitter Potion? He hates the evil Humours in his Body, and destroys and drives them out with that bitterness. Nor is the Chirurgeon less kind when he cuts and lances, than when he binds up a Wound with an healing Plaister; And therefore sick and wounded Men do both thank and pay them for that sharpness and bitterness, whereby they recover the sweetness of their Health. And inward Peace with God, and outward Peace with our Neighbour, may be preserved by us, and yet we not have any Conformity with them in their evil; for since Peace is inseparable from Love, it follows necessarily, that from the time we begin to love them, we must have an honest, good, and holy Peace with them, which is the true Peace indeed, for the other is not Peace, but De­struction, and a cruel War against God.

This difference there is between the Will of God and that of Men; that to the Will of God we must Conform without any limi­tation, [Page 399]or exception whatsoever. Let him command, order, and dispose whatsoever he pleases, for with him there are no Conditions nor Capitulations to be made; We are totally to perform, and absolutely to desire whatsoever God wills; but with the Creatures it is other­wise, for since their Rule is not Infallibly good and holy, as that of God, but very weak and fallible, we must not deliver up our selves to that, nor to their Will, without Conditions; and the first of them is, that we never swerve, nor vary from that Superiour Will, and that our Prince, our Father, or our Friend must never require any thing from us, but that which is agreeable to the Will of God. And if they, or any of our Neighbours go beyond that, we must give them Peace, but not Conformity; we will give them Love, to the end that they may love God, and that we may draw them towards God, and bring them to God; but we will not give them Conformity, for then we should offend him, as they do.

This orderly, perfect, and holy kind of Peace is a very high fruit of the Holy Ghost; for in it infinite good things are contained. And as the Ancient Philosophers and Poets held, that upon the top of Mount Olympus there was a perpetual Calmness and Serenity; so the Per­son to whom God gives both inward and out­ward Peace, is above all Humane Perturbati­ons, and feels not any Troubles to disquiet and molest him, for he humbles and resigns him­self freely to the Will of God in all things. If [Page 400]evil Men persecute him, he bears it patiently, and reduces them, if they can be reduced; but if not, he turns himself towards his God, and begs of him to reduce them, and to bring them home to himself; and there is nothing high nor low, great nor small, that can take away that Peace and Tranquillity of Mind, which God gives him, by the means of his Love; for in that love there is a full resigna­tion to all that God doth, disposeth, or per­mitteth; and there he quiets, comforts, and chears up himself, where the Will of God is; for in that the true Peace consists.

The Third WEEK.
Of the Third and Fourth Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Longanimity, and Benig­nity.

THE Apostle of the Gentiles proposes Lon­ganimity as a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, because it is not only profitable, but necessary for the preservation of Peace and Charity, and is a most excellent Vertue of Souls. Lon­ganimity signifies a dilating and enlargement of the heart, which gives it a capacity of bearing both inward and outward Troubles;[Page 401]and having this, nothing affrights or amazes, nothing terrifies nor afflicts it. And if God did not give this admirable Fruit and Gift to the Soul, it would be lost, and fall away at every step, and neither act with valour, con­stancy, nor perseverance.

The heart of Man is so little, that it is not sufficient to give a small break-fast to a Kite, and so of it self it is not capable of any great thing, being so wretched a Morsel. Can the Sea be contained in a Thimble? Can the thing contained be greater than what contains it? If the Vessel of this Human Nature, that is, Man's heart be so narrow; what great thing can find room within it? Now see the Mira­cle that God works with the Spiritual Man; and how high a Fruit this Longanimity and the Enlarging of the Heart is, which God gives to a Soul, according to the measure it hath served, loved, and pleased him; or according as he thinks fit to give it of his own good will, making it so capacious, as to be able to con­tain the Soveraign Gifts and Vertues of God, and which is more, even God himself, who contains all things.

It would be a rare thing, if a Man that lives in a poor little Cottage, should of a sudden find himself in a Royal, Stately, and Majestick Palace, or in a huge populous City. What a wonderful Enlargement would that be of his poor Hermitage? O Divine Beauty! O hea­venly Architect! O immense good of Souls! How vastly thou dilatest! how strangely thou [Page 402]enlargest Man's heart with thy Grace, and with thy Spirit! Who does not sometimes see a Man great in Wit, in Fortune, and in Qua­lity? Who in a few years (nay perhaps in a few Months) before was busily running after childish Pleasures, and drag'd along by his mean, vile, and sensual Appetite, in such trouble, anguish, and affliction, that his Soul (hardly so big as a Child's Rattle) was capa­ble of nothing but empty Vanities, his Heart being scarcely so big in comparison, as a Pep­per Corn, mistaking every action, stumbling at every step, every thing afflicting him, every thing tormenting him, and God of a sudden entring into him, and with Soveraign Light enlarging his Heart, and spreading out his Mind by Longanimity; he begins to despise and to mock at those things which he so fondly hunted after before, and pretended to, as things highly considerable; but now being made ca­pable of greater Matters, turning his back to such mean, vile Trifles, he seeks after that which is really great and high, that which is heavenly and unspeakable, without ever rest­ing or contenting himself, till he have attained it. What is this? who enlarged that Heart? Who stretched out that narrow Vessel, which before was fill'd with a few small drops, and now nothing can fill it but the unmeasurable Sea of the Passion of our Lord? Who made a Giant of this Dwarf, that before could hardly wield a Straw, and now like Sampson, is able to throw down and carry away Pillars,[Page 403]and bear all the strong weaknesses of this Life? Who hath made him, that before cried as a Child, because he could not get an Hobby-horse (for such are the highest things the World can give) now undervalue and despise whole Nature, to ingulf himself in the vast Ocean of Grace? Who hath made him, that a while be­fore followed, hunted after, and embraced Dung and Corruption, to think the whole Heavens too little for him, aiming to seek and possess the Creator of them, and of himself? Yesterday he was as busie in making little Houses of Sticks upon the Sand, and covering them with Straw, as Children are about ma­king Dirt-Pies in some Corner; and now he tramples upon the Stars, and pretending to E­ternity, can content himself with no House but the Empyreal Heavens. Who could work these Miracles but the Holy Ghost, giving that Heart his Fruit and Blessing, in that high Gift of Longanimity, which enlarges it, and dilates the Soul, making it capable of those in­finite good things; that Supream Gift being the Tree which bears these admirable Fruits? This St. Paul knew, when he said, When I was a Child, I spoke as a Child, I thought as a Child, and did as a Child; (and in all that he acknow­ledged his own littleness) but now that I am a Man, I act as a Man, and put away all childlish things. Behold the difference between a Child and a Man: In a Child all things are childish; in a Man they are serious. In a Child there is neither strength nor capacity; he is a pub­lick[Page 404]Necessity, that lives upon Alms, which Cha­rity bestows upon him, whether it be of his Pa­rents, or of his Nurse, or of any other, that takes pity on him. A Man has strength and a­bility, he is a publick Succour, that is capable of any thing. Now the same difference that there is between a Man and a Child, (nay a far greater) there is between a good Spiritual Man, and a wicked debauch'd Fellow, that lives in a loose and sinful Course, I say a much greater; for the growth of a Child that be­comes a Man, is a natural Growth, which is short, limited, and slow, increasing by very insensible degrees, and that hardly rises six Feet from the Ground in fourscore Years; but the growth of a Man that was wicked, and to whom God hath shewed the kindness to make him good and holy, and to give him that Gift of Longanimity, that is, a growth of Grace, in which there is no Geometrical material Di­stance or Degrees, but is all Supernatural. Behold the distance there is between Heaven and Earth, that between an evil and good Man is yet greater. Nay, how far it is from Hell, which is much lower than the Superfi­cies of the Earth, unto the Empyreal Heaven, where God himself doth inhabit; and so great is the distance between a vicious and a vertu­ous Person. Now consider what difference there is between a heart, when God hath en­larged it with this Gift of Longanimity, and what it was before; for that, which was so fill'd with some trifling Passion, that the Breast[Page 405]was not able to contain it, but it broke forth and ran over through the Lips, is made capa­ble to receive even God himself, so vast is the difference between an evil and a good Man. And take notice that this place of St. Paul may also be understood, not only of the infinite di­stance between the Heart of a Man, when it is limited and straitned in the Miseries of this World, and when it is possess'd of God, and made capable of his Gifts and Mercies; but also between the Heart, that went on in a course remisly vertuous, and that had but be­gun to take some steps in the Spiritual Life; and an Heart, that by holy Exercises and Per­severance in Prayer, hath obtained of God to be enlarged by this Gift of Longanimity; for though it was hard for St. Paul, and even im­possible, after the instant of his Conversion, to have his Heart taken up with slight or trifling things, because God from the very beginning of his Conversion, made that Vessel of Ele­ction so capable, as to receive his rarest Gifts and Graces, for he had rare Light, rare Know­ledge, and rare Zeal, for the Honour and Glo­ry of God, even from the very first; yet other Spiritual Men go on following the steps of the Spirit in that proportion which the Lord has been pleased to communicate to them, accord­ing to the measure of their Service; but in the beginning they were Children, as St. Paul says, and God afterwards by degrees makes them to grow up Men, to become great, and strong, and bold, to own and to persist in a vertuous[Page 406]Course; and God gives them such largeness of heart at length, that those who in the be­ginning were scarce able to such a little Milk, can now digest the strongest Meat; and those who at first were disquieted with every thing, and whose weak Stomachs turned at the swal­lowing of a Pea, are now able, like Estriches, to digest Iron. They can bear, and teach o­thers so to do; they can suffer cheerfully, and guide others in the same way, without any trouble. And it is certain, that this high Gift and Fruit of Longanimity, though it be very important for all, yet it is most so for Superi­ours, for in them it is necessary, that they may know how to bear with patience the Faults and Impertinencies of those under their Charge, and to govern them with patience, and without passion. And so when God en­dued Solomon with what he needed for the Go­vernment of such an innumerable multitude of Subjects, he, amongst those other Vertues and Gifts wherewith he adorned him, bestowed on him also, as the Text saith, this Longani­mity and Largeness of Heart, so that it con­tain'd even the Sands upon the Sea-shore; as who should say, that Royal Breast was capa­ble of all things; nothing could overwhelm or trouble him, for he dispatched all Affairs with calmness and serenity.

A Spiritual Man sometimes disquiets him­self because there are sins in the World. What? Would he that there should be none? If there were sins in Jerusalem where Christ himself li­ved, [Page 407]who was able to remedy them, Shall there be none where he dwells? Let him remedy those he can, and let him beg of God with Tears and Prayers, that he would remedy the rest, but let him lay aside all sollicitude and disquiet, and possess his own Soul with Pati­ence. A Spiritual Man is troubled that he can­not mend a thousand little Faults in himself. What? Would he shine here in Perfection? Let him humble himself and acknowledge his Misery, and pray to God for the remedy. Let him bewail his Defects with humility, for God sees his sorrow and pain, and knows what he has need of; and if he delay his Amendment to day, probably he will grant it to morrow. In this respect largeness of heart is needful for all things, and thou must understand, that God is not a God of Affliction and Disquiet, but of Peace and Tranquillity.

Next to the Holy Spirit of Longanimity, St. Paul reckons that of Benignity, which is an outward pleasingness, proceeding from an in­ward one, whereby a Man behaves himself with Charity towards all; and it was discreet­ly done of the Apostle to place this after Lon­ganimity, because it is a sweet Effect of that most generous Vertue, and as it were a Fruit, or benefit of that Fruit. For Benignity, which is that outward gentleness of Behaviour, is ex­ercis'd not only with the good, but oftentimes also with the evil and the wicked, to mend and reclaim them, and to bring them into a better way; and which could not be done [Page 408]by Benignity without Longanimity; for if I should converse so much with those that do ill, as to disturb my self, and abhor and disdain them; if I should be weary of them, or de­spise them, how could I behave my self to­wards them with Benignity? How could I by Charity draw them to Grace and to Charity? and how could I win them with sweetness, and bring them gently to that which is right? Gracious and righteous is the Lord, says David. First he calls him gracious, then righteous; be­cause by his graciousness and benignity, he brings sinners into the right way, as it fol­lows in the same Verse of that Psalm. And in another, O taste and see how gracious the Lord is. Taste of that which is gracious and sweet, to the end that Nature afterwards may be able to suffer those bitter Remedies which Grace applies, for the curing and rectifying of it. Be­nignity then is an heavenly and gracious Af­fection, and an Effect of Longanimity and Charity; or I may call it Charity, practised both towards the good and towards the bad. Benignity is like the Sun, which does good to all without difference, it covers, warms, quick­ens, cherishes, guides, and directs all, whether they be good or bad. This heavenly Gift is, as we have said, one of the most important Vertues of the Spiritual Life, but chiefly for Superiours, and therefore they will do well al­ways to pray for it, because it tempers and moderates that Zeal, which else commonly burns with too much violence in their Charity.[Page 409]To make Iron cut well, they use to temper it with Steel, which is softer, and makes it cut more smoothly than it would do, with its own hardness and brittleness. The Winter does not leap of a sudden into the Summer, nor the Summer into the Winter; but the cold of the Winter is sweetned by the benignity of the Spring, and the heat of Summer is qualified by the temperate Weather of the Autumn. For a good Man to think that he can make an e­vil one good and holy in an instant, or to con­quer that force by force, is neither very easie nor convenient. Even God himself works na­turally, and makes use of these natural means to bring Souls to his interiour and spiritual Secrets. That Divine Lord ordinarily catches and gain Souls by their Bodies; and so in Judea and Palestine, he cured and rejoyced them with Corporal Health, and then bestowed Spiritual Health upon them also. To his holy Disciples first he promised Kingdoms, and Glories, and Crowns, and Thrones of Eternity, to the end that afterwards they might be the better enabled to bear Crosses and Persecutions, Deaths and Torments. First they saw him Glorious and Triumphant in Mount Tabor, to the end that afterward they might be able to endure the Pains and Sorrows of Mount Calvary.

The Jews murmured, because the Disciples eat a few Ears of Corn, (a goodly cause of murmuring) and the Lord answered, They now have the Bridegroom with them, and so it is fit there should be some little allowance and[Page 410]permission in his Presence; but the time will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast in those days; and so it is needful sometimes to bear, and to shew Long-suffering, to the end, that afterward by this outward Benignity and gentleness of Con­versation, we may pass on to fervency of Af­fection, and to the unspeakable effects of Cha­rity, and of the Spirit. Though Christ did abolish the Rites and Ceremonies of the Old Law; though he buried it, and sealed it up, and covered it with the Law of Grace; yet he would have it buried with Honour, and that it should be practised upon some Occasi­ons, even after it was abolished; as may be seen in the Holy Scripture, and Divines say, it was to make it honourable Obsequies of Graciousness and Benignity; for that was Ho­ly before, which God prohibited afterwards; and so do thou endeavour to converse with Benignity, in all things, and with all persons, whether they be good or bad. Do thou to all, whatsoever thou wouldest have them to do to thee; and believe, that Benignity is a most powerful and effectual Instrument of Grace, and of Charity.

St. Ambrose counsels his Bishops, that in their first six Months, they should shew all Gentle­ness, Benignity, Courtesie, and Respect, with Decency; for the Will being once gained by Gentleness, the People of their Diocess will afterwards easily lend an Ear to their Doctrine. The greatest Jurisdiction is that of the Coun­tenance,[Page 411]much more powerful and effectual, than that of the Hand; for that begets Fear, and sometimes Hatred; and Hatred one while begets Contumacy, and another while De­spair. But on the contrary, a meek and gen­tle Countenance begets Love, and that makes the Will of Man more plyable, and to do any thing better and sooner. I might say, that Be­nignity is that, which seasons all Humane Actions, and is as Leaven, which gives savour to our Bread, or as Sugar, which gives sweet­ness to our Food. It is as a Coelestial Bath, which softens and supplies, and gives a nimble­ness of motion; and a Superiour oftentimes obtains more with a kind Look, than with an angry Threat. This the holy King David begged of God, when he said, Let the beams of thy countenance shine upon me, and teach me thy statutes. Make me glad with thy gracious Favour, O God, and then command whatso­ever thou wilt; for a gentle Superiour finds no resistance in his Subjects. With this kind of coun­tenance it was, that Christ looked upon St. Pe­ter, when he brought him back into the right way; and by one kind glance of his Eye, dis­posed him to that sorrow, which neither the so-often-crowings of the Cock, nor the fore­telling of them, and of his Fall, could effect. That gracious look drew Rivers of Tears from his Eyes, and he wept with the remembrance of that Gracious Love and Benignity, which those Divine Eyes had cast upon him. Therefore pray to God for Benignity, and make use of[Page 412]it towards all Persons, for it is the Temper that will make thy Zeal more constant, and thy Charity more effectual.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of the Fifth and Sixth Fruits of the Ho­ly Spirit, Faith and Continence.

SAint Paul likewise reckons Faith for one of the Fruits of the Spirit; and that excellent Vertue, being the Root of our Good Works, from which Hope and Charity do grow, and from which all Christian Perfection, and all Spiri­tual good things proceed, as from the Source and Fountain; It is necessary to think, what kind of Faith the Apostle speaks of; for this does not seem to be well fitted, as a Fruit of the Spirit, but rather that the Spirit should be counted as the sweetest Fruit of Faith. That Faith is the Original and Beginning of our Im­provement, and not the Fruit, but the Root of it, is evident; for without Faith there can neither be Hope, nor Charity, nor any other Moral Vertue; nor without Faith can any one be saved, nor do any good Action, nor think any good Thought. Look what the begin­ning is in respect of the means and of the [Page 413]end; that beginning is Faith. Look what the Foundation is in respect of the Building; that Foundation is Faith. Look what the thing contained is in respect of that which contains it; that which contains it, is Faith. Look what the first Number is in respect of all those that follow it; that first Number is Faith. Look what the Matter is in respect of the Form; that Matter is Faith. Finally, look what the Root and Sap is in respect of the Fruit and Branches; that Root and Sap is Faith: And so we see, that St. Paul acknowledging, that Charity, as the end, is a greater Vertue than Faith; yet he makes Faith the greater, as the beginning; and therefore he says, there re­main these three, Faith, Hope, and Charity, but the greatest of them is Charity. Note, that he places Faith first, because without it there can be no Charity; and because that Crowns Faith; for it lasts and continues, even when we come to our Heavenly Country, whereas Faith and Hope are the Vertues of our Banishment, and Hope ceases with Pos­session, as Faith does by Evidence and Light. Charity is the greater, as the Object, End, and Crown of the other Vertues; and Faith is the greater, as the Beginning and Original of them: Therefore it is necessary to determine what St. Paul speaks of, when he makes Faith a Fruit of the Holy Spirit; it being the Root of all the Fruits of the Spiritual Life, without whose beginning there can be no Fruit at all. I should believe with some Expositors, that he[Page 414]speaks of an high Gift of Faith, of a Supream Magnitude, of an Heroick habit of Faith, which all the Creation obeys, and becomes subject to; which is a piece, (to speak on that manner, though with impropriety) which is a piece, I say, even of Omnipotency itself. Think of that Faith our Saviour spake of, when he said, if we had so much of it, as a grain of Mustard-seed, we should do very mar­vellous things. Think, when he said, If we had Faith, and should say to a Mountain, that it should be plucked up, and thrown into the Sea, it should be so. Now it is this kind of Faith the Apo­stle of the Gentiles speaks of. Think what Faith the Apostles had and prayed for, when they said, Lord increase our Faith; for that they had, was the Theological Vertue; and that they prayed. for, was this high Gift, which the Apostle means in this place.

Consider the Father of that Demoniack, who begging of Christ to cast the Devil out of his Son, was asked by his Divine Goodness, Dost thou believe that I can do this? And the poor afflicted Man answered, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief; as if he should have said, Although I do believe, yet I fear my Incre­dulity; and therefore, O Lord, I fain would believe with an higher Faith, and with a more firm Assurance. The Faith then which that Man desir'd over and above that which he had already, is that Fruit which is here spoken of by St. Paul. Consider that Faith, for the want of which our Lord reproached St. Peter, when[Page 415]he leaped out of the Ship into the Sea, to go to adore him, and feared, and sunk, and beg­ged help, whereupon the Lord stretching out his hand to succour him, said, Why art thou fearful, O man of little Faith? That Faith which our Saviour found wanting in St. Peter, although he had so high a Faith, as to throw himself into the Sea, is this Fruit of the Spirit. That Faith which gave him the boldness to leap in­to the Sea was great; and that Faith which he had in crying out to the Lord for help, was that Faith, which we call the Theological Vertue; but that, which he wanted yet, and which our Saviour found wanting in him, was this high Gift of Faith. Consider that Faith, with which the same St. Peter, being with St. John in the Porch of the Temple, which was called Beautiful, after the Passion of our Lord, said unto the lame Man that begged an Alms of him, Silver and Gold have I none, but that which I have, I give thee; In the Name of Je­sus of Nazareth rise up and walk; and he cured him in such a manner, that it seemed, as if St. Peter had taken Strength and Faith, as Mo­ney out of his Purse. Now this Soveraign Gift of believing, that God can, and that God will work such a Miracle, and that it will succeed according to his Faith, is the Gift which St. Paul here speaks of. Consider that Faith of the Centurion, and that of the Ca­naanitish Woman, which the Lord so highly commended; that Faith is this Fruit of the Divine Spirit. That Faith, whereby the Go­spel[Page 416]was propagated, which the Lord gave to his Apostles, after he had confirmed them in Grace, and which was necessary to conquer the Gentile-World; and which in less than an hundred years enlightened all the World, so that those Trophies of Faith were seen and heard, and felt in all places, and the Echo of them resounded into all Countries; that Faith, which we might explain and set forth by ma­ny other Examples, St. Paul here calls the Fruit of the Spirit; but after Christ had formed and established his Church, he hath very sel­dom given this kind of Faith, unless unto some few, that have led a very Spiritual Life, and have often conquered the Flesh by the Spirit, and have held the Inferiour part of Nature so subdued by Grace, that God hath been pleased to bestow this high Gift of Grace upon them, for the Service of his Church, in some extraordinary occasion.

Some others will have this Faith and Fruit of the Spirit here mentioned, to be an high Gift of believing the Truths of God, and his Promises. Behold that which the Blessed Vir­gin had, in believing the Soveraign Mystery of the Incarnation of her Son, and that pro­found Humility, wherewith she captivated her own Understanding and her Will unto the Power of God: Behold that Faith, where­with the Prophets believed and declared such Heavenly Mysteries, long before they came to pass: Behold that belief of Faith, which the Lord found wanting in Moses and Aaron at [Page 417]the Waters of Strife, in the Desart, for which they were condemned never to enter into the Land of Canaan: Behold that Faith, which the Holy Angel Gabriel wanted in the Holy Priest Zachariah, when he declared to him, that the Baptist should be born of an Ancient Mother, and struck him dumb, because he believed not: Behold that Faith, which the three Children had in Babylon, when they told the Tyrant, that though he should cast them into the fiery Furnace, or into the Den of Lions, yet the Lord their God would deliver them; nay, and though he should nor deliver them, yet would not they quit their Faith, nor cease to believe in that same God; which was a most excellent and discreet Answer. Now this Fruit proceeded from the Spirit, which governed those Holy Souls, and others, that have been favoured and adorned with this Heroical degree of Faith.

There be some also that say, that this Gift or Fruit of the Holy Spirit is the Gift of Fide­lity to keep Faith and Promise to our Neigh­bours. Though this be holy, profitable, and necessary, (for if the due regard of this Ver­tue fall to the ground, all Peace and Truth in Correspondency between Man and Man falls with it) yet for all that, I am of Opi­nion, that this Holy Fruit is no other, but that Supernatural Gift first mentioned, and that whosoever has that, shall have all the rest; for they depend upon its Power and[Page 418]Vertue. And therefore do thou act with Diligence and Constancy. Pray continually with Fervency, and love thy Redeemer ar­dently and tenderly; for to those who do these things, God grants this Fruit and excel­lent Gift of the Spirit.

Of Continence.

Continence, which is the Sixth Fruit of the Spirit, though it seem to be the Antidote of that Vice, which is forbidden in the Se­venth Commandment; yet I do not believe, that in this place, it signifies the Fruit of Cha­stity; for St. Paul puts that expresly for the last of the Twelve; and it is not probable, that he would offer us the same Fruit twice, for that would be an imperfect repetition, and cannot suit with the Wisdom of that Spirit, which guided his holy Pen; and so my Opinion is, that in this place by Conti­nence is meant an Universal Girdle or Wall, that encompasses the honest Appetite on every side, to the end, that it may not go beyond the due compass allowed, nor break forth to any thing prohibited; but that it may pre­serve, guide, and promote the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Continence is a Gift, and a ge­neral Vertue, whereby whatsoever is loose and destructive; whatsoever is opposite or repugnant to the Divine Spirit, is restrained. It is a Bridle to the Appetite, and the Bit that[Page 419]curbs it, and brings it so under subjection, as to make it go right. It is the Mother of the Spirit, and that which most nourishes and advances the Vertues thereof, making it to become great and heroical. This Gift of Continence begets Mortification in all things, subdues the Flesh, and makes it yield to Rea­son: It also begets self-denial, whereby a Spiritual Man rejects his own Will, and de­livers himself up to be disposed by the Will of God. It begets that Heroical Humility, whereby he brings down Pride, and flies from his own Excellency, to prostrate himself be­fore the Excellency of God.

This Girdle of Continence, which St. Paul here speaks of, that which the Lord bids us to gird our Loins withall, against his coming to Judgment; for being begirt therewith, and having our Lamps burning in our hand, we shall be admitted unto that everlasting Wed­ding. The Ancient Philosophers were wont to say, as we have told you already, that the greatest part of Vertue consisted in Absti­nence; and here St. Paul with a great Pro­priety, calls that kind of Abstinence, by the name of Continence, because that looks at the interiour defence of the exteriour; but this at an interiour care and attention, so to encompass that, which is within, that nothing from without may ever be able to overcome it. That encompasses one, or some single Vertue, this all; That is a Natural Vertue[Page 420]and Heedfulness, this a Supernatural and Hea­venly one, which in all things looks towards God, and is given by God; and this is that Continence which St. Paul here speaks of, and which thou art to pray to God to bestow up­on thee.

DECEMBER.

The First WEEK.
Of the Seventh and Eighth Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Joy and Patience.

JOY is properly a Fruit of the Holy Spirit in those who follow and advance in the Spiritual Life; for since all their Care and Diligence consists in emptying the Soul from its own Will, which is that that begets the Passions of it; and that they are a certain Vermin, which sting, disquiet, dis­compose, and disturb it; having once freed itself from them, the Heart remains quiet, the Soul clear, and God works in it, as in his own dwelling, fills it with himself, and with his Blessings. It is manifest that God is all Peace, Quiet, Chearfulness, and Joy, and this Joy is not only found in very Spiritual Persons, whom God by continual Exercises of Morti­fication and Self-denial, has made capable of those Gifts; but even in beginners also, for it is most certain that in the first steps of Spi­ritual Life, the very being eased of the burden [Page 422]of their sins, and the seeing themselves deli­vered from that intolerable load, causes in them an unspeakable Joy and Gladness. See how often it comes to pass, that a Man en­lighten'd by God, with the knowledge of his sins, finding the grievous Wounds they have made in him by his long continuance in a de­bauched and wicked Life, upon his making a general Confession of them, and taking a firm Resolution to forsake them, feels in him­self an inward Joy and Contentment; as if in taking away the Passions and Sins out of his Soul, his Body also had been freed from Chains and Imprisonments; And he, that a while before, being press'd down under the hard Yoke of his Offences, liv'd in Sorrow, Af­fliction, Disquiet, and Anguish; presently af­ter Confession and Absolution becomes light, and free, lively and joyful by the assurance of Pardon. Now, to the end thou mayest see and believe the Wonders of God, though this happen to all that lead Religious lives; yet most frequently to those, that live the most strictly, and use the sharpest Exercises of Re­pentance and Mortification; for God will ma­nifest his Power, and the effects of his Spirit, and make Humane Nature know, that in seeking his Infinite Goodness, they shall find more Motives and Exercises of Joy, than they could have apprehended occasions of Trouble before in those Severities.

[Page 423]O the Goodness and Power of God! O the Greatness of his Mercy! Here methinks he Triumphs over our Nature, and will have the Devil, the World, and the Flesh to know, and Men (as well the bad as the good, and the holy as well as the profane) to understand, that God gives more Joy and Comfort in one day of a vertuous Life, than wicked Persons feel in many years of their repeated Delights. This is so efficacious an Argument to any un­derstanding Man in favour of the Spirit, that all they whose Judgments are awakened, must not only know and avow it; but that some have thereby been mov'd to forsake the World, and to follow that holy Call unto a Devout Retirement; and others by seeing the Joy, the Peace, the Comfort, and the Delight, which they have met with in those that have embraced the like Austerities, have with great Devotion followed their Example, and have gone to seek that holy Joy in their Conversa­tion and manner of Life, which they vainly had endeavoured to give themselves, by run­ning after the Pleasures of this World.

What is this, O Christian? What dost thou forsake, and what dost thou seek after? What? Wilt thou leave the Delights and Jollities of this Life? He Answers, No; I leave only the Disquiets and Vexations of it. What? Dost thou seek after Grief, Sorrow, and Repen­tance? No, says he, I neither seek, nor find any thing, but Consolations and Satisfactions. I live here in this Religious course, as if I[Page 424]were already in Glory; and while I spent my time in the debauched Rambles of the World, though I had outward Pleasure, I had an in­ward Hell. And that thou mayest practical­ly see, what the Joy is of those that serve God, (besides innumerable Examples that might be given of it) I can assure thee, that I my self knew a Man, not in a Religious House, but abroad in the World, who having left a very loose and wicked Life, upon the Light of Truth, that had undeceived him, was seiz'd with so excessive a Joy soon after his Conver­sion, that not being able to contain himself, he would rise by Three of the Clock in the Morning, and sometimes much sooner, to break forth into Divine Praises, and give vent to the overflowings of his Delight, by singing Psalms, which he was not able to forbear. What is this, Lord? What is this? Yesterday a Thief and a Murtherer, that fill'd the Air with the Cries of those that felt his Violence; and to day fills it with soft Tunes of his Spi­ritual Musick! Yesterday a Devil, to day an Angel. Yesterday groaning under the Chains of Vice, to day rejoycing for the recovery of his Freedom! O the Infinite Goodness of God! How wonderfully thou workest with the Sons of Men! In short, this inward Joy increases in such manner in the Spiritual Life, that if God did not enlarge the hearts of those, to whom he gives it, they would even burst and dye in the excesses of it, and pass from that Spiritual to Eternal Joys; for being greater[Page 425]than can be entertain'd within the bosom of their Soul, it breaks out, and finds itself a passage through their Lips, and through their Eyes. There are some that cannot contain themselves in their Prayers, but prostrate them­selves, and cry out, as one did, Hold, Lord, It is enough, it is enough. And it is reported of another, that he even died with such tran­sports, and that not so much grief for his Sins, as the high delights of his Joy, and the effica­cious Power of the Divine Love, was the cause of his Dissolution. Ah! If thou didst but taste the Joyful Affections, and Glorious Delights of the Love of God; If thou didst but taste of that ravishing Wine, which makes glad the heart, that is filled by the love of him that trod the Wine-press alone, thou wouldst know where the holy and true Joy is to be found, and wouldst abhor all the Delights and Pleasures of this World, in comparison of it. This Joy overcomes all Difficulties, it tram­ples them down, and flies above them, it burns and consumes them, and makes the greatest Labours to become a Pleasure.

The Masters of the Synagogue called the Apostles before them, reproved them, scour­ged them, threatned them, and commanded them, that they should not Preach, sending them away not only punished, but reproached, and shamefully affronted; but they go out, and presently Preach again with exceeding Joy, (as the Text saith) that they were thought wor­thy to suffer for the Lord's sake. Take heed, say [Page 426]some, to the Apostles, it is not two Months since the Jews crucified your dear Master; and if you do not forbear to Preach, they will do the same to you. What care we? answered they, if the Joy we feel outweighs that fear; nay, that Joy hath already banished it, and made us utterly insensible of it, arm­ing us against the worst that they can do. This Joy, and this Courage continued in their Suc­cessors, many of which so readily embraced Martyrdom. A Tyrant commands St. Law­rence to give him up the Treasures of the Church, who replies, he will do it very wil­lingly. He goes and distributes the Treasure amongst all the Poor he could find, and brings an Army of Lame and Blind, of weak and diseased Persons unto that Covetous Praetor, saying very chearfully to him, Here I have brought you the Treasures of the Church. Take heed, good Man, the Tyrant will be reven­ged on thee. Let him do what he can, I care not; for my Joy in serving God is dearer to me than my Life. They lay him upon a Grid-Iron with live Coals under it, which kindle the fire of his Joy and of his Love at the same time that the flames do scorch his Body; yet he smiling and jesting, says to the Tyrant, Now this side is broyl'd enough, it is time to turn the other, and you may eat of it. Who among such real Torments, among that Fire, Smoak, and Confusion, could produce that holy Jest, that Joy, that chearfulness, that pleasantness of Wit and Contentment? God, and none [Page 427]but God, who was pleased to make that Mar­tyr's Joy to Triumph over all his Sufferings. Who made St. Andrew the Apostle to sing the Praises of the Lord, when he was fastened upon the very Cross, but this Joy, this won­drous Fruit of the Spirit? Certainly there is no Chearfulness, no Contentment, no Joy, but in God. Rejoyce, and be glad in the Lord, ye righteous, says David; and in another place, Great is the joy of those that fear the Lord. Re­joyce, and be exceeding glad, says our Saviour, when ye shall suffer for my Names-sake; for great is your reward in Heaven; and Christ himself, for the joy that was set before him, endured the Cross, and despised the shame. Thus that inward Joy drives away and banishes all the toils and troubles, and all the Sufferings of the Spiritual Life. This Fruit then of the Spirit, which is called Joy, contains in it both Honour and Profit, and is well worth thy praying for, since it facilitates and sweetens all thy Pains, and will make thee forward and chearful in giving up thy self to undergo any thing for the Lord's sake; and will thereby make thee to be fa­voured, and be loved by him; For, as the Scripture tells us, God loveth a chearful giver.

Of the Fruit of Patience.

The Fruit of Patience is more properly cal­led a Fruit, than the rest, because Christ lite­rally calls it so; where speaking of those that keep the good Seed of his Divine Word, and[Page 428]of his holy Inspirations in their hearts; and lay them up, and put them in practice, He says, they shall bring forth their fruit in Patience; that is, because a chearful and resigned Pa­tience is one of the most excellent Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the most profitable and ne­cessary to serve God with Purity; the most profitable, because the Lord says, In Patience ye shall possess your souls; which is the greatest profit that can be attained, or thought of in this life, as who should say, if your Life be Spiritual, full of Tribulations, and a sharp continual War both within and without; if it be a Conquest that consist in dying, not in killing; not in Persecuting and Oppressing others, but suffering Persecutions, and in sub­duing ones self, certainly Patience is very ne­cessary for that War. And as in those of the World, Men get the Victory by Impatience, by Anger and Fury, by Force, and by Re­venge; so in the Spiritual Warfare, we must Conquer by Suffering, and by Humility; for the Combat here is to undergo Pains and Hardship; to live and die, with bearing, and with Patience. This Fruit is also necessary, because by it the rest are preserved; The A­postle explains it, where he says, Patience is necessary for you, that ye may obtain the Promises; and in another place, That ye may be made wor­thy of the promises of Christ; that is, that ye may obtain the Blessings, which are set forth in the Eight Beatitudes; and in many other places, where the Lord says, Your name is writ­ten [Page 429] in the Book of Life; and that there ye shall receive an hundred-fold, whatsoever ye shall have forsaken here for the love of God. Patience is necessary, because neither Faith, Hope, nor Charity, nor any other of the Moral and Cardinal Vertues, without Patience are of any worth; for in losing that, they lose their Beau­ty, and become vain and ineffectual. Finally, if this be a life of Labours and Afflictions, of Slanders and Reproaches, what Vertue can be more profitable, more necessary, more impor­tant, and of more frequent use, than Patience? For all the blows, both inward and outward, that are struck at the Mind of Man, must be receiv'd upon the Shield of Patience, and he that wants that, can never be able to sustain the Combat; therefore St. Paul, when he fur­nishes the Christian with Spiritual Arms, puts upon his left Arm the in-expugnable Shield of Patience, that he may be able to withstand the fiery Darts of his Enemy, Assumens scutum inexpugnabile Equitatem, observing that in the word Equitatem, he not only meant to express ordinary Patience, but an equality of Mind, which is the Excellent and Heroick Patience, and that is the Fruit here spoken of; as who should say, It must be a Patience full of Equality, receiving Crosses and Afflictions with as great a Chearfulness and Contentment, as thou couldst do their contraries. Take no­tice that St. Paul says not, that thy Patience should be equal, but even Equality itself. Consider the Joy thou hast for the Favours of [Page 430]God; thou oughtest to have the very same, when he sends Tribulations, for they also are his Favours. Give not thy Affections more to things that are Delightful, than to those that are Disgustful; to Pleasure, than to Pain; to Comfort, than to Affliction. Thy Chearful­ness ought to be equal in Sufferings, as in Joys; in Rebukes, as in Applauses; in being pull'd down, as in being advanc'd; and in suffering Affronts, as in receiving Honours. And this which seems to be a very hard Law, is so sweet an one, that though St. Paul contents himself here with an Equality, yet some Saints, as we see in the Examples that have been gi­ven, pass on further, and express more Joy in Sufferings, than in Comforts; though these come from God, and those from the hands of Men. As we may believe, that the Di­vine Goodness of our Lord took more delight in Redeeming Mankind upon the Cross, than in the Glories of his Transfiguration upon Mount Tabor; though upon Mount Tabor those Favours came from the hands of his Father; and upon Mount Calvary his Sufferings came from the hands of Men. So likewise those who suffer for God, the Holy Apostles, and all those that now follow, or have followed them, rejoyce more in Pains and Tribulati­ons, which God sends them by the hands of Men, than in those Favours and Comforts, which they receive immediately from God himself: Therefore our Saviour said to his Disciples, at his going to his last Supper, when[Page 431]he was beginning to enter upon his Holy Pas­sion, With a great desire have I desir'd to eat this Passover with you; but he said no such thing to them, when he went to the Glories of Mount Tabor. In imitation of this, we read of one, that for a favour begged of Christ to be crowned with Thorns; another to bear the marks of his Wounds, with a lively feel­ing of his dolorous Passion: One Devout Soul begs, Lord, if I may obtain my desire, grant that I may be despised for thy sake; Another medi­tating on Christ crucified, Lord, I desire nothing but thy self, and to be crucified with thee. This in my Opinion was an high and wise Petition, because he asked to suffer with Christ in this life, as Christ in this life had suffered for him; and then presently to have Christ himself for a Reward in the Life Eternal; for he that begs for Christ crucified to be made his, it is clear, he does not beg for a Glorious Christ, but wounded, bloody, and in the anguish of his Passion; and so he asked not the Crown of Thorns alone, nor the five Wounds alone, but also what he suffer'd, in the scourgings at the Pillar; Not only the Mockeries, the Buf­fetings, and the pains of his Passion, but the Slanders, Affronts, and Persecutions, which he suffered before it; And not those alone, but whatsoever he suffered from his Blessed Mother's Womb, and the Manger, till he ex­pir'd upon the Cross. This we ought to ask and imitate in this life, and to advance there­by in Grace and Patience, and thereby thou[Page 432]shalt see how certain it is, that such Holy, De­vout Persons not only do possess that equality of Patience, wherewith St. Paul Arms his Spi­ritual Man, in receiving Affronts and Crosses, with as chearful a Countenance, as the Plea­sures of this World; but that their Delight is greater, and their Patience more chearful in suffering, than their Joy is in rejoycing.

The Second WEEK.
Of the Ninth and Tenth Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Goodness and Meekness.

THese two Fruits of the Spirit, which God gives to those that are exercised in the Spiritual Life, are as the Cause and the Effect; for in truth Goodness is the Mother of Meek­ness. And as some Fruits by reason of their great fecundity, grow one within another; and as an Ear of Corn produces many Grains, so Goodness produces Gentleness, Meekness, and Affability, repeated again and again in all its words and actions. And we must take notice that this Goodness, which St. Paul names here for a Fruit of the Spirit, is not barely that Vertue which is the first cause of Grace; that is to say, a disposition to receive and to hold it, by the Soul's being free from the guilt[Page 433]of any great sin; for that is a Fruit of the Di­vine Goodness and Mercy, which gave the Soul light and strength to cast out sin, rather than a Fruit of the Spirit. But the Goodness here meant is in my Opinion an high Gift of Grace and Favour, which God grants to holy Souls, after they have serv'd him long in the Spiritual Life; whereby the Soul is cleansed and purified, not only from greater sins, but even from lesser (nay, even the least) Pas­sions; and by taking away those Barks, as it were, and inward Rinds of our Nature, lays it bare and naked, from those folds and doublings of imperfect Habits, leaving the Soul in so great a purity, truth, and sincerity, that St. Paul calls it perfect Goodness. It is as if God should make an Old Man to become a New Man; or as if an old decayed and broken House, should by his Power not only be re­paired, and strengthened, and made up again in the same proportion, grace, and Beauty it had at first, but also be brought to a greater perfection, and enriched with more costly Or­naments. And though it still leaves in him the incitement and provocation to sin; (for that never ceases, nor does Grace take it away) yet it is as much weakened and disabled, as Reason was in it before.

This Goodness and Sincerity the Lord found in holy Job, and to give him an high Praise indeed, he said, He was single and upright. God by his Grace had taken from him all those folds and doublings, which we have in our[Page 434]Souls, those corners and hollow places, where Malice uses to dwell. He had cast out all Im­perfections from thence, and had filled it with his Lights and Vertues, making him a Mirrour of his high Perfections. This Goodness and Sincerity is that, which Christ desir'd to find in his Disciples, when they were contending who should be the greatest, and he Discour­sing upon it, took a Child, and laying his Ho­ly Hands upon the Head of that little Angel, said unto them, Unless ye become as this little Child, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Some Authors say, this Child was St. Ignatius, afterwards Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, who was one of the most Holy Disciples that the Apostles had, and from that touch of Christ's hand, he became so much in love with him, that he took for his Motto, Amor meus crucifixus est, For his only Love was Christ crucified; and at his Martyrdom, this holy Man defied the Lions that were to tear him in pieces, and said to them, I am the Wheat of Christ, and I shall be ground by your teeth, that I may be worthy to be made the Bread of that Lord. This Digression I have made to quicken the Faith of Clergy-men, for if Christ but by touching him, made him to become so holy, how holy ought we to be, who not only touch the Bread of the Lord, but the Bread, which is the Lord, and do so often Consecrate and Receive it. Two things God requir'd of the Apostles, in imitation of that Child; first, Humility, for since they were proudly striving[Page 435]who should have the highest place, he could not set before them a fitter Example, than that Age, and that Humility. Do ye desire to be great? Then ye must become little, that ye may be great; For he that would be exalted, must humble himself, and he that humbles himself, shall be exalted. Behold, I came down from Heaven, and have humbled my self, by taking the form of a Servant, to be despised upon Earth; and ye poor Earthen Vessels, are ye lifting up your heads, and your pretentions to the highest places in Heaven? The second thing, that he requir'd of them, was, that they should have the same Sincerity, Goodness, and Purity of Soul, which that Child had. Unless ye become pure and simple, as this child, ye shall in no wise enter into the King­dom of Heaven. This was to move them to that first Grace in all its Purity and Perfection, since without that no Soul can enter into Hea­ven. For a Christian must be brought back to that first Grace and Purity, which he re­ceived in Baptism, either by keeping his Soul from sin, even from the lightest; or else after having sinned, whether lightly or grievously, by washing his Soul with Tears of Repentance and Contrition, and cleansing it from all stain and guilt by Faith in the Passion of Christ, and by partaking of his Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrament; and so the Soul is brought into the Purity of that little Child, and made capable of entring into the Kingdom of Hea­ven.

[Page 436]Now the Sincerity, and Charity, and clear­ness of Conscience, wherewith the Lord by the force of the Spirit, and by the holy Exercises of the Spiritual Life cleanseth and purifieth a Soul, St. Paul calls Goodness, which in sub­stance is an inward and superiour degree of pureness of Conscience, so simple, and so per­fect, that it resembles the Innocence of a Child. This Goodness is an absolute compliance of our Thoughts, Words, and Actions to the Will of God. It is a full resignation to whatsoever God does; that goes whithersoever his Divine Majesty directs; performs whatsoever he ap­points, and seeks, and follows, and loves God in all things. By this kind of Goodness a good Man does not seem to be in search of that which is good, but to be already in the possession of it, and holds it as a thing, which he had found before. This Purity of Loving, Thinking, Speaking, and Doing, the Lord Je­sus requir'd also in his Disciples, when he said to them, Let your words be Yea, Yea; and Nay, Nay; as if he should have said, let your words speak according to your hearts; and your hearts speak according to my holy Will. Say neither more nor less than what ye think, for the Speech ought in all things to be conform­able to the Thoughts; and whatsoever is more, can neither be Goodness, nor Sincerity; for Christ himself says, that it is sin; and there­fore to praise a Man very much, we properly say, he is a Man that thinks what he speaks, and speaks what he thinks; for the former[Page 437]praises his Truth, and the other his Ingenuity and Goodness. This intrinsick Goodness is that which is in God by his Essence, and that for which he is so often praised in the Scrip­ture, saying, Thou art good, O Lord, teach me to be good by thy goodness; as who should say, O uncreated Goodness, impart some of thy Goodness to me; and the Soul begs this same Goodness with a gentle Sweetness and Meek­ness, when she prays, Let the light of thy coun­tenance, O Lord, shine upon us, and teach us thy statutes, which is a Prayer we ought very of­ten to make to God.

Of Meekness.

This kind of Goodness is accompanied with Meekness, as Light is with Brightness; for that being true, and sincere, and holy, and having so much of God in it, his Divine Ma­jesty does, as it were, cloath him outwardly with the latter, who inwardly possesses the for­mer; making a sweet and gentle Meekness to shine through all his Deportment. And so thou mayest know a good heart by a peace­able quiet behaviour; for nothing moves or disturbs it. Nothing disturbs a good Man, because his Confidence and his Affection are only placed in God; he loves and seeks him, and disregards all things else. Nothing affrights him, for his Goodness by Love doth cast out Fear; he desires nothing that is Temporal, for he sees whatsoever is so, passeth away, and[Page 438]comes suddenly to an end. Nothing moves him, because he only seeks for God, who is unmoveable. Nothing afflicts him, because he resists and conquers all Crosses with his Pa­tience. He wants nothing, because he pos­sesses God, who possesses all things; and de­sires nothing, because God alone is to him All-sufficient. Now consider, what Meekness that Soul must have, who neither loves, nor desires, nor pretends to any thing; who is neither troubled, nor affrighted, nor discompo­sed at any thing; but in all Occurrences rests quietly in God.

This is a rare Meekness indeed; I say, rare, because it is admirable; and because I believe few have it in this Mortal Life; since we see that even the holiest Men have been angry, and there are Persons that are very perfect, who Reprove and Chide, who Reform and Punish with Anger. Nay, even Moses himself, who is called the Meekest Man upon Earth, was certainly transported with great Anger, when he threw down and brake the Tables of the Law, which God had written with his own finger.

God and his Love can do all things; and no body can number, or weigh, or measure the Miracles of his Grace. But thou deceivest thy self, (as I have told thee) if thou think­est that a Spiritual Meekness excludes Zeal for Reformation; since the being gentle in Heart, and very couragious in Zeal, may well e­nough consist together; and it was a great [Page 439]cause of surprize and indignation for Moses to find that People worshipping an Idol, that had so manifestly seen the Power of God so many ways made known to them in their Pro­tection and Deliverance. And Christ himself, who far excell'd Moses in Meekness, as in all other Vertues, was angry, when he whip'd the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple, ur­ging that Verse of the Psalm, The Zeal of thine House hath even eaten me up. And when he repre­hended the Masters of the Law for destroying the Law, and suffering the People to be loose and wicked; though he was angry with them, yet he was not the less meek in heart, for the gentleness and serenity of it shin'd even through his Zeal; and even then also he might have said, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart. He meekly had a sweetness within his Zeal, as the Honey-comb was in the mouth of Samson's Lion. He shewed his Anger to draw them to his Meekness, and seeing so many Discourses, and so many Sermons, and so many Miracles had wrought nothing upon them; to soften their hardness, as we do Iron by Fire, he applied that of his Zeal for a Re­medy. The Vices do oppose and hinder one another, but the Vertues do assist and help one another. A Man cannot be Prodigal and Covetous at the same time; for if he will give Prodigally, he must part with that Money, which his Covetousness would fain keep; and the Slothful Man cannot be Ambitious, for that Vice requires great Diligence, and Pains-taking;[Page 440]but Sloth is Idle, and loves ease; and thus it is with other inordinate Passions: But the Vertues are helpful to each other, and while some of them are put in practise, the rest of them lye peaceably in the Soul. Thus Meekness, after having exercised Zeal in Re­formation, receives that Person with a gentle sweetness, whom it had drawn to Vertue with much Rigour and Severity: And so let Meek­ness remain in thine heart, with Goodness, even when thou hast occasion to use thy Zeal, that it may be according to Knowledge and Discretion; for thou must take care to shew no more of it than is needful, and that when the Cause of God, or what concerns his Ser­vice, doth require it.

The Third WEEK.
Of Modesty and Chastity, the two last Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

MOdesty also is an excellent Fruit of the Spirit, and a very substantial one; for it not only contains that which is good, and beautiful, and gracious, and perfect in the appearance; but it mingles itself very essen­tially in all our Actions. Modesty is not only an outward composure of the Countenance,[Page 441]Person, and Habit, though that be a very com­mendable and exemplary Vertue; but it is a perfect manner of performing all we do, and a decent way of doing, whatsoever we un­dertake. All our Actions in this Life are com­pounded of Substance and Circumstances, and these change the manner of what we do; for if they be well ordered, it becomes perfect; but if otherwise, it is defective. Modesty then is a good, discreet, and prudent way in ordering all the Actions of a Christian, and the Circumstances of them; and to find out that way, is a most excellent Gift, and great Fruit of the Spirit. A Preacher may Preach with a good and graceful fashion, and man­ner of delivery; or with one that is very un­pleasing to his hearers; and that very defect may make a very good Preacher to be thought an ill one; so that his Voice and Action is not less considerable, than what he says. He may Discourse with, and Reprove one of his Flock with a very good Intention, but his Do­ctrine, and his Advices will have no Effect, if they be given in a harsh, imprudent, and un­decent manner. In the Spiritual Government, whether Politick or Moral, all depends upon the manner; for that changes the substance in such sort, that that becomes Poison without it, which with it is a Medicine and an Antidote. What imports it, that the Penitent mortifies, and punishes, and persecutes himself, if it be by an outward way of Penance, so vain, and so affected as to shew Hypocrisie? On the[Page 442]contrary, the same thing being done in secret, and well ordered, may have a very good Ef­fect, as proving the reality of Repentance by that indignation against our selves, for having offended so gracious a Father. God in the Prophecy of Isaiah, reproves their manner of Fasting, as having too much in it of their own Will, and tells them, He will not accept their Fast, because the way of it wus totally un­pleasing to him. This Fruit of a good Mode in all our Actions, and Modesty, which is an Effect of that Mode or Manner, is that, which in other places, the Scripture calls the Spirit of Discretion; which is to discern, and to di­stinguish the good way from the bad; and to choose and judge between two ways of doing any thing, that which is the better, and more conducing to its end; only here is the diffe­rence, Discretion comprehends the substance of Actions, as well as the Circumstances; but Modesty employs itself more particularly a­bout the Circumstances, than about the Actions themselves. All things have their terms and measures, and to go beyond them, is to offend against Modesty, and to lose the things them­selves by the Mode of doing them. Every Action, and every Resolution is cloathed and coloured by its Circumstances. Now to make the Garment long or short, large or strait, ac­cording to the Person, and to suit or change the Colours, or to mix them together with a good fancy, gives not only the Beauty, but the Convenience and Perfection of the Dress.[Page 443]A Man must use Mildness in Reproving, be­cause the Person requires it, who perhaps will be enraged, or driven into despair by Sharp­ness; and therefore to make use of that, and neglect the other, is to lose the substance for the manner, and to frustrate his own design, by having chosen a wrong way. On the con­trary, if I have to deal with another Nature, that by Gentleness grows more negligent, and runs into greater Liberties, but by Rigour may be restrained, and kept to the performance of his Duty; then in taking that way, and leaving the other, I shall obtain my end, and make the Circumstance to gain the Substance.

In great Painters, that which most raises their Reputation, is their well disposing of their Colours, not only in fitting and mixing them amongst one another, but in ordering them upon the Picture, and in suiting and laying them in proportion to the intent and action of the Subject. Just so we are to do in Spiritual Affairs, striving (as good Painters) first to make an exact Draught of the Design, and then to colour, and form, and reform it with such skilful touches, as may bring it to an entire Perfection. How many great, nay, very great Men in Knowledge, and in Dis­course, and in desire of doing good, have lost themselves by their way of going about it, and have not only lost themselves, but even those also, to whom they intended that good? Therefore the Director of this Modesty, or Mode of Acting, must be Prudence, which[Page 444]is one of the chiefest Vertues of the Spiritual Life: A Vertue so high, and of such pre-eminence, that it not only governs itself, and Mankind, but also all the other Vertues. To govern those that are Vertuous, is a great Dig­nity and Pre-eminence; how great an one therefore must it be to govern the Vertues themselves? And this is that, which Prudence does, which is the Natural Mother of Mo­desty, or the right Mode of performing any Action.

That which I ground my self upon, to be­lieve that this Fruit is not only an outward Modesty, but an holy Habit, or manner of doing that which is honest, decently; that which is good, perfectly; and that which is best, discreetly; is (besides that some Expo­sitors are of that Opinion) the Experience I have had of the Treacheries of an outward Modesty, and how little that is to be trusted for a Proof of that which is interiour and substantial. Now a thing, that is in appear­ance, and without substance, cannot be a Fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is a good thing to seem good, and therefore an outward Mo­desty hath some degree of Goodness; but it is not to be valued unless the internal answer to the external. An outward behaviour mo­destly governed, while the inward thoughts are loose and ungoverned, what is it but a well-composed Falshood, and a well studied Hypo­crisie? And all this is highly abominable to God; nor do I wonder he should abhor it,[Page 445]for his Divine Majesty is Truth and Sincerity itself; and therefore he must of necessity de­test a substantial Lye, mask'd under the ap­pearance of a Truth. Christ reproved the Pharisees for making clean the outside of the Cup and Platter, while within they were full of the deadly Poison of Extortion and Excess. Make clean (said he) the inside, and thereby the outside will become clean also. He also calls them whited Sepulchres, which had the appearance of Vertue and Religion, but within were full of Bones, Worms, and Rottenness; as if he should have said, Ye have lively Passions with­in, while your Passions seem utterly mortified without. Thus this outward Modesty, while it corresponds with the inward, is both Ver­tue and Example; but if it be not proporti­oned to that, it is but a Mantle of Snow that covers an heap of Dung; the Sun of Truth comes and melts it, and then it is so much the worse, by how much before it appeared the better. Outward Modesty is always conve­nient, in as much as it covers Imperfections, to the end that a fault may not pass on to a scandal, which is the worst and the most hurt­ful thing in the World; yet when an ill Man makes use of outward Modesty to give Credit to his Authority, and to those Erroneous Pra­ctises which he inwardly favours, that conceal­ed Wickedness is a great deal worse than a manifest Crime. A Wolf in Sheep's cloathing is much more dangerous to the Flock, than when he appears in his own shape, for so he[Page 446]is known both to the Dog, and to the Shep­herd. The one does but whistle, and the o­ther presently flies at him; but when he comes in a fair Disguise, he is unknown to both, and the poor Flock is in danger to become his Prey. Every body that has Eyes, may escape a Precipice, but hardly any body can escape a Snare; for that has a seeming shew of Secu­rity, but the other visibly shews the Hazard and the Danger. The Common Enemy is never more dangerous to Souls, than when he tempts with pretences of Good; for he that takes him for an Angel of Light, and of Ho­liness, will more easily suffer himself to be perswaded, than if he saw him in the Defor­mity of the Devil. Though the Devil was a Serpent, yet some Expositors say, he spoke not to our first Parents in the figure of a Ser­pent, but cloathed himself with a beautiful Appearance, for fear lest Eve seeing him so ugly, should have been afraid of his approach, and so not have suffered her self to be perswa­ded by him. He took the Colours of the For­bidden Fruit, which was Beautiful in shew, and Poison in reality.

Thus the Substantial Fruit of the Holy Spi­rit, which thou must endeavour to obtain, is not only an outward Modesty, for under that great Treacheries, and much Hypocrisie may lye hid, though of itself it be good, when it is not abused; but an outward and an inward Modelty coupled together, as well in the actions, as in the manner of doing them; and [Page 447]in ordering all we do in such a way, that the Circumstances and Substance may receive mutual Advantage from one another, and may together be like a fair gilt Case and Dial­plate, exactly fitted to the proportion of a well-wrought Clock, whereby being preserved from Rust and Foulness, and defended from those Accidents that might spoil and disorder it, the motions of its Wheels are kept regular, and it is not only an Ornament to the place where the Maker sets it, but a needful Help and Direction to all that look upon it for the disposing of their Time, and of their Affairs; and thereby the worth of the Case is also im­prov'd, as a necessary and proper means of attaining the end for which the Clock is de­signed; but if that be taken away, the Case remains an empty useless thing; and though the sight of it may please Fools and Ignorant Persons, who regard not, though the Hand point to a wrong Hour, yet those of discern­ing Judgments will soon perceive the want of life and motion, and disregard it as a thing of a flight and inconsiderable value.

Of the Fruit of Chastity.

The Fruit of Chastity is also a more excel­lent and higher Vertue, than that we formerly spake of; for this Fruit grows out of that, be­ing the Flower of that Tree, and the produ­ction of that Holy Root. This is a Chastity of an Heroical degree, a Chastity of Supream [Page 448]Magnitude; 'tis that, which those Saints were blessed with, who gave their Lives to defend it, or not to lose it. This is that, which the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Virgins, and the prime Example of Chastity, had. This is that, which Joseph had, not only the Pa­triarch, who was first of that Name, when by his Chastity he triumphed over the wan­ton Lightness of his infamous Mistress, choosing rather to suffer a cruel Imprisonment, than to blemish it, or do a Treachery to his Master; but also the other Patriarch Joseph, the Hus­band of the Blessed Virgin, more Holy, and more Chast than the former. This is that, which the great John Baptist had in losing his Life, for having endeavoured to cleanse the heart of that Tyrant Herod from the Vice con­trary to Chastity, which cost him his Head, that was sacrificed to the Revengeful Adulte­ress. And this is that, which many of the Primitive Christians valued to so high a degree, that nothing could stain the whiteness of their Chastity but the Blood of their own Veins, which was shed for the preservation of it.

This excellent Vertue may live and reign also even in Wedlock, and shine brightly in holy Matrimony; for Continence, Tempe­rance, and Modesty, in the use of Marriage, is perfect Chastity; sanctifying, honouring, and authorizing that holy Bond, as St. Paul says. This Fruit of the Spirit is acquir'd, or, to say better, given by God, through the Holy Spirit, both to the married, and unmarried;[Page 449]to Virgins, and to all those that have exercis'd themselves in keeping a clean and holy Pu­rity, both in Body and Mind. And although all these Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit are owing to his Infinite Bounty; yet this of Cha­stity is so more than all the rest; for if, as we have said, none can have that former degree of Chastity, out by the Gift of God, Nemo enim continens esse potest, nisi Deus dederit; how can any one by other means obtain this Flower of Chastity, which is the Crown and Fruit of that excellent Vertue, which honours and improves even Chastity itself, being exercis'd in such occasions, and with such Heroical Ver­tues, as do much increase the Glory of it? Nor does the dependance of this Admirable Vertue upon the Bounty of God more than others, increase the difficulty of it; for in my Opinion, and according to my way of Un­derstanding, it is so much the better to be ex­ercised, because it depends upon his most Ho­ly Hand. We ought never to think our Com­fort and Happiness more secure, than when it is in the hand of God; and if I could forsake what­soever I have, or can have, and utterly re­nounce it, and give it up to his most blessed hands, without returning to ask it again, I would renounce it only that I might depend totally and absolutely upon such liberal hands. It is clear, that all our Ruine and Destruction depends only upon our own Weakness and Misery; and that all our Strength and Happi­ness depends only upon God: And therefore [Page 450]one of the Reasons, why Chastity is possible, is because it depends more upon the Bounty of the Lord than other Vertues, for if it de­pended only upon our selves, there would be no such thing as Chastity in the World. We are weak, wretched, and miserable Vessels, filled with Passions; and so of our selves we can neither receive, nor keep those Treasures which God bestows upon us. Even our Free­will, though continually defended and assisted by Grace, (without which we could not make so much as one step in Goodness) is every moment choosing the worst; and having E­ternal Life on the one hand, and an Eternal Death on the other, we embrace Death, and turn our backs upon Eternal Life. What therefore would become of Chastity, that high Gift, if we depended upon our selves, and it were not given us from above? Thus though all depend upon God, yet chiefly the Gift of Chastity, this most sweet and excel­lent Fruit. The Grace of entertaining holy Thoughts, is his; that of flying the Occasions that are dangerous, and of loving this unspot­ted Vertue, is from his Favour; and the pre­serving, and persevering in it, all proceeds from his Powerful Hand. Therefore thou oughtest with great care to strive to follow the Chast Motions of his Holy Spirit, to avoid all Places and Companies that may be dangerous, endeavouring to subdue and mortifie thy self, earnestly praying to God for his Favour, and acknowledging that if his Divine Majesty give[Page 451]it not, there is nothing in thy self but Misery and Destruction, and that all thy Good, thy Remedy, and thy Chastity consists only in his Grace, Mercy, and Goodness.

The Fourth WEEK.
Of Perseverance, and Prayer to God.

O That I had these Gifts! O that I might die with these Vertues of the Spiritual Year! O that I were able to spend my Hours, my Days, my Weeks, my Months, and my Years in this safe Doctrine!

Be not discouraged, do but go on; perse­vere, and call upon God in Prayer, for that is all thy Remedy. Constancy, Perseverance, and Continuance in Prayer obtain all things. Many run, says St. Paul, but one alone wins the Prize: Many Vertues run in the Spiritual Life, many are exercised and practised, but the Re­ward and Crown is given only to Perseverance; without that Gift the rest will profit nothing. Take notice what our Saviour says, That if we seek, we shall find; if we ask, he will give us; and if we knock, he will open unto us. Remem­ber how he tells you it succeeded to the Man, that awakened his Friend to borrow three Loaves, by reason that a Stranger was come[Page 452]into his House; he came unseasonably to him, disturbing his Rest in the Night; yet he let him have them, because of his Importunity, which without that he would not have done for his Friendship. Remember the poor Wi­dow, that persisted earnestly to beg of the Un­just Judge, who carelesly delayed to dispatch her business; her Importunity did more than the Right of her Cause, for that overcame his Sloth, when this was not at all regarded. Call to mind that Christ says, If a Son impor­tunes his Father for an Egg, he will not give him a Scorpion, but the thing he desires. All these Comparisons our Saviour sets before us, to the end we may persevere, and not faint, nor turn back again to slothfulness, but that we should still pray, and beg, and call, and cry, for at last he will hear us. He that puts his hand to the Plow, and looks back, is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. What, shall he lose it only for looking back? In but looking back, there is great danger of losing it. Hast thou not seen it in Lot's Wife, who only by look­ing back towards Sodom, was turned into a Pillar of Salt, to season us by her Punishment, and to give us warning, not to do as she did? Having once renounced the World, and its Vanities, we must not so much as think upon them with delight, or trouble for having left them; for this is a looking back. O how ma­ny Vertues and Perfections! how many excel­encies of Holiness, have fallen by looking back, and not pressing on constantly forward [Page 453]to the Mark of our high Calling? What lofty Trees, and tall Cedars of Libanus have fallen at the feet of little Shrubs?

Remember Solomon, more Rich in Gifts than in Wealth. Remember Judas the Apostle, chosen of God for one of the firm Pillars of his Church. Look upon Origen, the Master of Christian Instruction, and upon Tertullian, a stout Defender of the Faith, and the Terror of Hereticks: What wonderful, what dread­ful Falls were theirs? How fair, how safe, how excellent were their beginnings, and their progress! But how unfortunate, how sad, how doubtful their conclusions! Whence all that Mischief, whence all those great Misfortunes? Because they persevered not, they continued not instant in Prayer. They grew weary of asking, and of well-doing. They trusted in themselves, who should only have put their trust in God, and been fearful of themselves.

It is clear, that in Solomon there began at first some secret thought, and that his Wisdom was so high, that he either made no reckoning of it in the beginning, or that being so Wise a Man, he found out some plausible Reasons to bring Idolatrous Queens into his House; be­lieving that in regard of his great Holiness and Learning, there could not be so great danger for him, as for others; nor that cause in him to avoid it, which mov'd God to forbid his People the taking of Women of another Religion: He presumes, being a Man that used to speak with God, he should never suffer himself to[Page 454]be perswaded by them; but rather that he should convert them, and gain their Souls, by drawing them over to the Worship of the true God: But they were more powerful with their Beauty and Allurements, than Solomon with all his Eloquence; and their Perswasions over­threw him and all his Wisdom. Then he found Reasons to allow them Temples only for themselves at first, and within a while by Idolizing them, he became an Idolater with them in that Temple of the Devil. O how great a Fire was kindled from one Spark! Shut thine Eyes, and thine Ears against all Evil, cut off the first thoughts, and first beginnings of it; make hast from the path of Destruction, and from whatsoever may draw thee near to any thing that is evil; and if thou wilt be safe, look upon the danger of a Mischief, with the same fear, and with the same hatred, that thou lookest upon the Mischief itself.

How wise and cautious were the Recabites, who being forbidden by their fore-fathers to drink Wine, would never so much as eat Rai­sins, and why? Because Raisins are made of Grapes, and of those Grapes, Wine; and they fear'd, that by eating dry Grapes, they might be tempted to eat ripe Grapes; and so by de­grees to squeeze out the Juice to make Wine and from making Wine at last to come to the drinking of it. Thus it concerns thee to be careful never to turn back from the way of God, neither with thy Sight, no, nor with thy Hearing, nor with any other of thy Senses, [Page 455]or Faculties. Walk still forward without stop­ping; for not to go forward, is to go back­ward. If thou givest but one of thy Senses up to danger, by that it will gain thy whole Soul with all its Senses, Powers, and Faculties. David did not give up his Heart to the dan­ger, nor his Understanding, Will, and Me­mory; nor his Hearing with the rest of his Senses and Faculties; No, no; he gave only a Glance, he did but look upon Bathsheba, and having only allowed that nimble Sense to the hazard, by it the Devil caught him, and so gain'd his Understanding, Will, and Memory, with all the rest of his Senses, Powers, and Faculties, and triumphed a whole Year toge­ther over that poor King, who afterwards did no small matter to make his escape out of that Slavery, and to rescue himself by the force of Penitential Tears, after the suffering of many great Afflictions. To God all must be given, all that thou hast, without reserving any thing whatsoever; for he is the Lord of all, from whom thou hast received all thou hast. To the Common Enemy allow not so much as the smallest share imaginable; for if any thing be given him, how little soever it be, that may be the occasion of very great Mischiefs. When Moses contended with Pharaoh about letting the Children of Israel go, that Barbarous King seeing his Power, contented himself with less and less in every Capitulation, and came lower and lower from one demand to ano­ther, only that something might remain in his [Page 456]possession, that belonged to the People of God, hoping by that means to find out an Excuse to keep them still his Captives; but Resolute Mo­ses stood firmly to his first demand, and would not make him the least abatement, telling him finally, That there should not remain so much as a hoof of the smallest Beast that belonged to any Israelite, but that all, absolutely all, should go out of Egypt. This Example thou must follow; leave nothing, nothing at all to the Devil, but give all; all is little enough to be given to God. The Tyrant contents himself with a very little at first, knowing how probable it is, that from such small beginnings, he shall make himself Master of all at last. In his first attempt he seems very modest, and makes as if he thought all were too much, but in the end he thinks all too little. How many Ci­ties have been lost, and taken by their Ene­mies at the entrance of a very small Breach, or of some little hole, or narrow passage, that has been neglected, or less carefully guarded? We have often seen, that at some little Wicket or Cleft in a Wall, where a Man could hardly put in his hand, the Enemies with very little Industry have made Passages for whole Armies to enter. Therefore after so many Vertues, which I have set before thine Eyes, I especi­ally recommend these two, Vigilance and Di­ligence; for they are the most serviceable for the obtaining the Gift of Perseverance.

[Page 457]Consider well what it is that may separate thee from God; observe it with Vigilance, and fly from it with Diligence. Be not neg­ligent, do not sleep, for then thou wilt be en­compass'd with Enemies, and with that roar­ing Lion, as St. Peter calls him, who goes about, seeking whom he may devour. Pray still, for by Prayer thou shalt obtain Perseverance. That important Gift depends wholly upon God; it is he that gives it, to him thou must owe it, and it cannot be merited in this Life, though in it it may be obtained. By how much the more this Gift of Perseverance depends upon God, with so much the greater, and the more repeated Instances oughtest thou to beg it of him, and to strive to win him by fervent Love, by Prayers, Tears, and Contrition.

O Father, that I could but know, whether or no I shall Persevere in the Spiritual Life! O that I were sure that I should be so happy, as never to turn back from it! With what Comfort, and with what Joy and Gladness should I serve God?

But do not desire, nor search to know, what thy end shall be. Be careful to learn thy Duty, and to perform it; be careful to serve and to please God, and if thou dost so, hope assuredly; for if thy Life be Vertuous and Pious, the end of it will be Perseverance. Endeavour to spend thy days in Holy and Ver­tuous Employments, and thou mayest confi­dently trust in the Divine Goodness, that thy Death shall be such as thy Life hath been.[Page 458]What canst thou get by knowing what will become of thee in the other Life? To pre­sume and grow careless, if they tell thee thou shalt be saved; or to be discouraged, and de­spair, if they say thou shalt be damned; In which desperate condition it is impossible thou shouldst be saved; and in the other by Pride and Negligence, thou must necessarily be dam­ned. Wilt thou have me tell thee, what will become of thee and me in the other Life, and whether we shall be damned, or saved? Then let us both observe how we live, and what our Actions are in this Life, for according to them it shall befal us in the other. This is most certain, no good Man was ever condemned, nor evil Man saved, while they continued to be such. If thou livest well, hope, and trust in God, that he will save thee; but if ill, and dost not amend, thou mayest be certainly as­sured, thou shalt be condemned. All thou shalt desire to know beyond this, will bring thee into great danger either of Distrust, or Vanity, but can no ways be profitable unto thy Soul. Believe and think worthily of God, for he is Goodness itself. Canst thou possibly think, that his Infinite Mercy will let thee pe­rish, if thou servest him? Canst thou think, if thou beggest of him, that he will deny to Pardon thee, who dost confess and adore him during thy Life? He that at his Death begged Pardon for those that were Crucifying of him? If thou and I do all we can to please him, though we are weak, though we are ungrate­ful,[Page 459]what will not God, who is Soveraign Goodness, and Super-abundant in Mercy, do for those that strive all they can to please him? But on the contrary, if we offend and provoke him to wrath, and do neither humble our selves, nor ask Pardon, what can we hope for from a Just and an Almighty Lord, being of­fended and provoked? Let us cast away and forsake our Evil, and then be certain, that in God we shall find nothing but Goodness and Pity. Let us throw down our Arms, and cast away those Weapons, wherewith we have fought against him; let us fall prostrate at his Feet, and not be so foolish, as to fight against an Omnipotent God; and if we cease to sin a­gainst him, Repenting, and bewailing our for­mer evil ways; God who is strict, severe, and rigorous to the Wicked, will be found gracious, sweet, and merciful to the Penitent. It can­not be certainly known in this Life, what will become of a Soul in the other; but we may well conjecture, and I would have thee go­vern thy Life by that, which may probably be conjectured, and not weary and distract thy self in seeking after certain Proofs of that which cannot possibly be known.

If I see a Man that fears God, that loves and serves him, that frequents the Sacrament, that is constant in Prayer, that often recollects himself to think of Eternity, that is kind to the Poor, and forward to relieve them; that hears the Word of God with Humility and Delight, and who, if through frailty he falls[Page 460]sometimes, presently seeks to God for Pardon, with Penitent Tears humbling himself, con­fessing his sins, and flying from the occasions of them; I dare be bold to conjecture and to hope, nay, to be well assured in the Divine Goodness, that the Soul of that Man will not fail to be saved. But if on the other side, I see one forgetful of Eternity, regardless of Heavenly things, much given to the Pleasures, and Honours, and Riches of this World, full of Vices and Passions, without any remem­brance of Death or Judgment, Heaven or Hell, making it his only business to delight and to entertain himself, to eat and drink with Cu­riosity and Excess, and that does no right to others, nor will suffer any the least wrong done to himself; I cannot but fear upon these grounds, that he will not escape Damnation; and I neither hold that to be Presumption, nor this rash Judgment; for that is an Holy Hope, which we ought to have in the Divine Goodness and Mercy; and this a Pious Doubt and Fear, which is due to the Divine Justice. This manner of Conjecture is taught us by the Holy Scripture, and therefore it cannot be an evil thing; for I see that Lazarus, a poor humble Beggar, that bore his Miseries with Patience, was sav'd; and I see the rich hard­hearted Glutton, who fared deliciously, and wallowed in his Vices, was condemned. Now, how should I frame my Conjecture, but by the Experience of what I have seen? I see Judas, despairing of God's Mercy after his Fall, [Page 461]was condemned; and St. Peter after his, by weep­ing and repenting, was saved; and must I not needs gather from thence, that he who distrusts God's Mercy, will be condemned; and he that begs it, and trusts in it, will be sav'd? I see, Saul, who made no reckoning of his sins, was condemned; and I see David, who lamented and forsook his, was saved. Must I not needs collect from hence, that he who regards not, and is not concerned for an evil Life, will most probably have an evil Death; and that he will have a good one, who turns from his evil ways, and amends them during his Life? I see Covetous Cain condemned, be­cause he was Covetous, and repented not him­self of his Covetousness; and I see Liberal Abel saved, because he frankly offered to God of the Fruits of his Flock. From hence I must necessarily think, that he who denies or grudges to bestow part of those Goods in the Service of God, which he received from him, is going in the broad Path of Destruction; but he that gives chearfully and bountifully to the Poor, and by returning that part, ac­knowledges that he has received all from a more Liberal Hand, is going in the right and certain way to Heaven, where he shall receive an hundred fold, and be eternally Crowned.

In short, I see nothing else in the Scripture, but Examples of the good, that are saved; and of the wicked, that are damned; and that the Gift of final Perseverance, is given by God to those at their Death, who by their constant[Page 462]Prayers, and Good Works, have made it their endeavour to obtain it, during the course of their Life. That Prodigy of the World, the good Thief, who escap'd from Shipwrack at his Death upon the Plank of the Cross, was an instance of the extraordinary Power of Grace, and one of those strange Wonders that concurred at the Crucifying of our Sa­viour. It was like the tremblings of the Earth, and the cleavings of the Rocks; like the tear­ing of the Vail of the Temple, and the Dead breaking out of their Sepulchres, to return to life; like the darkning of the Sun, and the disturbance of the whole Frame of Nature. Amongst these and other Prodigies, that great Wonder may justly be reckoned, that he should die a Saint, who had been a Thief during the whole course of his Life, till that moment. And observe, that though there were many Graves that opened, and many that arose from the Dead; many Rocks that were cleft, many Lights that were darkened, and many Signs, that manifested the Power and Efficacy of the Death of Christ; there was but one of a Con­version at the last gasp. And though the Lord Jesus had another Thief as near him, to whom he might have shewed the same Mercy; yet he suffered him to die in his Impenitency, and to go to the Devil. The very words which Jesus spake when he saved the good Thief, do contain a warning, that no Man may venture to delay his Repentance till his Death; for he said, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt [Page 463] thou be with me in Paradise. All which words seem to be full of Limitations. Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, is, as it were, a kind of Oath; for a thing so admirable, as the saving of a Man at his Death, who had all his Life-time been a Thief, and a wicked Person, seemed to stand in need of an Oath for to make it be believed. I say unto thee is added, as who should say, Do not believe others, if they should say, it is easie for those to be sav'd, who delay their Repentance till their Death; No, that is no easie matter; but I will now at this time make that easie for thee, which else doth seem impossible; as if he had limited that Grace then unto that Soul, because it de­parted from his Body in the sight of his dying Saviour. I say unto thee now, for as for others, I shall see hereafter, how I shall deal with them. This day, that is, this day of so great Mercy; this day, a day of so many Prodi­gies; this day, when I desire to shew how far my Grace and Mercy can extend; for other days, I shall refer them to my Justice, and to the Occasion. Thou shalt be with me; thou that dyest with me, shalt go with me; but if thou hadst not kept me Company in Death, thou shouldst not have kept me Company in Paradise. All which are rare Singularities, which, if they do not shorten the Power of God, and his Grace towards others, yet St. Austin notes, that they may well make Man's Presumption tremble. Finally, we have more reason to fear in this case God's Justice, for [Page 464]that the other Thief was not sav'd, (though he was so near our Saviour) because he had delayed his Repentance till Death; than to be too confident of his Mercy, who saved the good Thief with so many limitations.

What is all this, but to warn us to do well, while we live, and enjoy our Youth, our Health, and our Strength; and not to defer our Amendment till the hour of our Death? And to make us observe, that good living, and good dying go together, and that evil living, and evil dying do so too; and that to expect those Miracles when we die, which only hap­pened at the Death of our Saviour, will in­stead of making him our Friend, while we live, most certainly provoke him to be our Enemy at our Death, and Judgment. Thus Good Works are the probable Signs of a good Death to follow; and an ill Death is the sign of Evil Works, which went before.

FINIS.

A Catalogue of Books Printed for Samuel Smith, at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard. 1692.

  • THE Meditations of Marcus Aurelius An­toninus, the Roman Emperour, concerning himself: Treating of a Natural Man's Hap­piness, wherein it consisteth, and of the means to attain unto it. Translated out of the Original Greek, with Notes. By Meric. Causabon, D. D. The Fifth Edition. To which is added, The Life of Antoninus, with some select Remarks upon the whole, by Monsieur and Madam Da­cier. Never before in English. In 8o. 1692.
  • The Wisdom of God, manifested in the Works of the Creation. In two Parts, viz. The Heavenly Bodies, Elements, Meteors, Fossils, Vegetables, Animals, (Beasts, Birds, Fishes, and Insects) more particularly in the Body of the Earth, its Figure, Motion, and Consistency; and in the Admirable Structure of the Bo­dies of Man and other Animals, as also in their Generation, &c. By John Ray, Fellow of the Royal Society. The Second Edition, very much enlarged. In 8o. 1692.
  • Three Discourses concerning the Changes and Dissolution of the World. The First of the Creation and Chaos. The Second of the General Deluge, Fountains, formed Stones, Subterraneous Beds of Shells, Earthquakes, and other Changes in our Terraqueous Globe. The Third of the General Conflagration, Dissolu­tion, and means of bringing them to pass. Of [Page]the Future State, &c. The Second Edition, Corrected, and very much enlarged, and Il­lustrated with Copper Plates. By John Ray, Fellow of the Royal Society. In 8o. 1692.
  • A Treatise of Church-Government: Or, A Vindication of Diocesan Episcopacy, against the Objections of the Dissenters, in Answer to some Letters lately Printed concerning the same Subject. By Robert Burscough, M. A. In 8o. 1692.
Several Books Written by the Reverend Dr. Rich. Lucas, Vicar of St. Stephen's Coleman-street.
  • Practical Christianity: Or, An Account of the Holiness which the Gospel enjoyns, with Motives to it, and the Remedies it proposes against Temptations; with a Prayer conclu­ding each distinct Duty. In 8o. 1685.
  • Enquiry after Happiness, in several Parts, &c. The Second Edition enlarged. In 8o. 1692.
  • The Duty of Apprentices and Servants. 1. The Parents Duty, how to Educate their Children, that they may be sit to be employed and trusted. 2. What Preparation is needful for such as enter into Service; with some Rules to be observed by them how to make a wise and happy Choice of a Service. 3. Their Duty in Service towards God, their Master, and themselves, with suitable Prayers to each Duty, and some Directions peculiarly to Servants for the Worthy Receiving the Holy Sacrament. Published for the Benefit of Families. In 8o.
  • [Page]A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of Mr. Tho. Lamb, July 23d. 1686. In 4o.
  • A Sermon Preached at the Assizes held at Horsham in Sussex, August 23. 1691.
  • Christian Thoughts for every day of the Month, with a Prayer, wherein is represen­ted the Nature of Unfeigned Repentance, and of Perfect Love towards God. In 12o. 1692.
  • The Plain Man's Guide to Heaven: Con­taining, First, his Duty towards God. Second­ly, towards his Neighbour: With proper Prayers, Meditations, and Ejaculations. De­signed chiefly for the Country-man, Trades­man, Labourer, and such like. In 12o. 1691.
  • Devotion and Charity, A Sermon Preached before the Lord Mayor, March 30. 1692.
  • The Christan Race, A Sermon Preached before the Queen, July 31. 1692.
  • Mr. Thornton's Sermon at the Assizes held at Chelmsford in Essex, September 2d. 1691.
  • Mr. Gee's Sermon before the Queen, Aug. 7. 1692.
  • Dr. Stanley's Sermon at the Consecration of Thomas, Lord Bishop of Lincoln, January 10. 1691/2.
  • The History of the Roman Conclave: Containing the Rites and Ceremonies used and observed at the Death, Election, and Coronation of the Pope: As also an Exact Description of the State of Rome during the[Page]Vacancy of that Chair. Together with a brief Account of the Life of this present Pope, In­nocent XII. By W. B. M. A. 1691.
  • Medicinal Experiments: Or, A Collection of Choice Remedies, for the most part Simple and easily prepared, which being cheap, may be made Serviceable to poor Country People. By the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq late Fellow of the Royal Society. Licensed Nov. 18. 1691. by Sir Robert Southwell, President of the Royal Society; and the major part there­of Printed before the Author's Death, who Deceased Decemb. 30th. 1691. To which is annexed a Catalogue of all his Theological and Philosophical Works, together with the Order of Time wherein each of them hath been Published respectively. In 12o. 1692.
  • Of the Reconcileableness of Specifick Me­dicines to the Corpuscular. By the Honoura­ble Robert Boyle, Esq Fellow of the Royal Society. In 8o. 1686.
  • Miracles Works above and contrary to Na­ture: Or, an Answer to a late Translation out of Spinosa's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, Mr. Hobs's Leviathan, &c. In 4o. 1683.
  • History of the Original and Progress of Ec­clesiastical Revenues. By the Learned P. Si­mon. 1685.

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