SECTION I.

ASage Father of the desart, cyted by Pela­gius a Greek [...] author, being asked whether the path of [Page 16] perfectiō were long or no, sayd: All vertues came to­geather, and that if a man would, he might in one day arriue at the measure of Diuinity, according to its proportion. Verily all our vertues are included in our actions, and our actions in the houres, and the hou­res in the day, and the day in the moneth, and the moneth in the yeare, and the yeare in the ages. E­uery day is a briefe Table of our life; and the meanes to become quickly perfect, is to performe all dayly a­ctions [Page 17] with great conside­ration, and perfection. Be­hould a pourtraict heerof, the lineaments of which I haue partly drawne from a man endowed with much wisedome, Religion, and integrity, whome I would gladly name, did I not fear to be troublesome to his humour, able to endure a­ny thing, but his own [...] prayses.

SECT. II. Morning.

IT is a long tyme, since the Sunne for your be­nefit [Page 18] droue away the shad­dowes of night, to the end you might reioyce at the fight of the great spectacle of the workes of God, and yet are your curtaynes shut vp, to entertaine you with a shady image of death. A­rise from your bed, & think this goodly Starre which makes you begin the cour­se of this day, will ere night performe the passage of ten or twelue millions of lea­gues. And how many steps will you aduance to ver­tue? This indefatigable har­binger is gone forth to score [Page 19] you out the lodging of a Tombe; so many minutes are so many pointes dedu­cted from your life. Will you not follow the counsel of the sonne of God, and do good whilest it is day? A great night will very spee­dily inuolue you vnder its wings, wherein you shall no more haue further mea­nes to trauell.

Take euery day as a day in haruest: take it as a Faire, or Mart, take it as a day, wherein you are to labour in the mines of gold: take it as a Ring, which you are [Page 20] to engraue, adorne, and to embellish with your acti­ons, to be offered in the e­uening at the altar of God.

Represent vnto your self a notable consideration of S. Bernard, that your acti­ons passe, as not passing; for euery good worke you do is a graine of seed for life eternall. Say, as did Zeux [...] that painter so renowned [...] Aternitati pingo: I paint for eternity.

Follow the counsell of S. Thomas; Do euery action in the vertue of lesus christ desiring to haue al the good [Page 21] intentions, and affections of the Church militant, & triumphant. Doe it, as if therō depended the prayse of God, the good of the whole world, al your hap­pynesse, and as if it were to set a seale vpon all your workes.

Beginne from the eue­ning the purpose of good workes, which you are to performe the next day, what points you ought to meditate on, what vices you should resist, what vertue exercise, what af­fair [...] you are to handle, to [Page 22] make all appeare in its pro­per tyme with a well ma­tured prouidence. It is the threed of Ariadne, which guideth our actions in the great Labyrinth of Tyme, otherwise all runneth to confusion.

Exercise sometymes the curiosity to know of what colour the day-breake of morning is, out-strip the steps of light, according to the counsel of the Wisemā, to prayse God. Take good head, least you imitate that Hogge Epicurus, who boa­sted to haue waxed old, & [Page 23] neuer to haue seen the Sun eyther rysing, or setting. It is a good custome to ryse in the morning, but very difficult to persuade womā so, and all the Antipodes of nature, who change dayin­to night, & night into day. That famous Appollonius held in his tyme for an O­racle of the world, cōming very early in the morning to Vespasians gate, and fin­ding him awake, coniectu­red thereupon, that he was worthy to commaund an Empire, and sayd to him who bare him company, [Page 24] [...], vndoub [...]edly this man will be Emperour, since he is so watchfull.

All that which you are to dispose the day vnto, is diuided into, foure parts. Deuotion, Practise of ver­tues. Affaires, and Recre­ation. Deuotion should car­ry the Torch, & open the gate vnto all our actions.

Make account at your a­waking, to giue all the first fruits of your facultyes, of your senses, and your fun­ctions to the diuine Maie­sty. Let the memory instāt­ly remember it selfe, that [Page 25] it must doe the worke of God. Let the vnderstāding cast a cōsideration vpon its Creatour, like a flash of lightning. Let the Will b [...] enkindled with his loue. Let the hart shoot forth so­me fiery shafts, some desi­res, & some affectiōs who­ly celestial. Let the mouth and tongue indeauour to pronoūce some vocal pray­er to the most holy Trini­ty. Let the handes figure on the forehead, and breast the signe of the Crosse, since they are lifted vp to heauen. Let the armes, & [Page 26] feet shake off the sluggish­nesse of sleep, as S. Peter did the chaynes at the voy­ce of the Angell. Behold a good beginning, how to offer ones self to God. The haire was pulled from the victime, and put into the fire before it was sacrificed; so must you draw away at your awaking those sligh­ter actions, to giue begin­ning to your sacrifice.

SECT. III. Fiue singular Actions to begin the Day.

THis Action ought to serue as a preparatiue for another deuotion much longer, and more serious, which you are to make in your Closet at your com­ming out of bed. If you haue so great a pompe of at­tires to put on, that you must employ some notable tyme to cloth your selfe, it is a miserable seruitude: do not thinke this is the way to render your Tribute to [Page 28] God, but attire your selfe correspondently, so much as is necessary for decency, and health. Then bending your knees, performe fiue things, Adoration, Thanks­giuing, Oblation, Contri­tion, and Petition.

I will heere trace out vn­to you the manner how to frame these actions, which you may read at tymes; & I will add examples, and formes partly drawne out of Scripture, and fit to be daily repeated.

SECT. IV. Of Adoration, the first act of Deuotion.

YOu are to note, that Prayse is one thing, ho­nour another, reuerence a third, & adoration a fourth Prayse properly consisteth in wordes, Honour in ex­teriour signes, Reuerence in interiour respect, but A­doration considered in its extent, comprehendeth all those acts with much more eminency. For Adoration is an act of Religiō, wher­by we doe homage to the [Page 30] soueraignty of God with a low submission, which is not in that degree commu­nicable to any creature.

This Act is formed, and composed of foure thinges, which be (as it were) its e­lements. The first is a strōg imaginatiō of the greatnes, and excellencies of God. The second, a considera­tion of our abiectnesse cō ­pared to this great Maiesty. The third, a flaming act of the will, which vpon this thought is wholy powred out into reuerence. And the fourth, an exteriour refle­ [...]on [Page 31] from the mouth, and postures of the body, which witnesse the ressentment of our hart.

The Soule then to dis­charge her selfe in this act of Adoration, first concea­ueth God, great, terrible, replenished with Maiesty; she conceaueth him as a sea infinite in essence, bounty; beatitude, which encloseth with in it selfe all being, al goodnes, all truth, and not only encloseth, but from al eternity preuenteth it with an eminency incompara­ble.

She beholdeth the whol [...] world in the immensity of God, as a Sponge would be in the middest of the Oceā, an Atome in the Ayre, and a little Globe of glasse en­chased in the primum Mobile. She knoweth God, as the foundation of all possible thinges, the essence super­essentiall of all thinges, which are, and are not, without which nothing subsists, eyther in act, or power, nor hath it any hā ­dle, whereby the vnder­standing may lay hold of, to haue the knowledg [...] [Page 33] thereof. She figureth God vnto herselfe as the begin­ning, and end of all things; the Creator, the Founder, the Basis, the Support, the Place, the Continuance, the Terme, the Order, the Band, the Concord, the Consummation of all crea­tures, retayning in it selfe all the good of Angells, of men, and vniuersal nature, which hath all the glory, all the dignityes, all the ri­ches, all the treasures, all the ioyes, al the blessinges, as very well Lessius expli­cateth in his treatise of Infi­ [...]ity.

This soule not content, leasurely walketh in these fourteen Abbysses of great­nesse, which are in God, to wit, Infinity, Imm [...]nsity, Immutability, Eternity, Omnipotency, Wisedome, Perfection, Sanctity, Beni­gnity, Power, Prouidence, Mercy, lustice, & the End whereunto all things tend. She first considereth euery perfection absolutly, then by comparison, and appli­catiō making a circle about her selfe, & comparing this Infinity of God, to her no­thing, this Immensity to [Page 35] her littlenesse, this Immu­tability to her inconstancy, this Eternity to the short­nes of her temporall life, this Omnipotency to her weaknesse, this Wisedome to her ignorance, this Per­fection to her defects, this Sanctity to her vices, this Benignity to her ingratitu­de, this Power to her po­uerty, this Prouidence to her stupidity, this Mercy to her obstinacy, this Iustice to her iniquity, this End whereunto all thinges in­cline in great dependenci [...]s which spring from her in­firmityes.

It abydeth there wholy rauished in God, as a small Ant would be in the Sun, and not vnlike Aristotle, who (as it is sayd) being not able to vnderstand the floud, and ebbe of an arme of the Sea, threw himselfe into it: so she likewise in­gulfeth her selfe in so ma­ny wonders, not willing any longer to measure her loue, by the ell of her knowledge.

She is entraunced in this great labyrinth of Miracles much more then the Queen [Page 37] of Saba in the pallace of Sa­lomon, and necessarily she must in the end breake out into an exteriour act, and say: My God, and my All, the God of myhart, my por­tion, and myne inheritance for all eternity!

SECT. 5. Example of Adoration.

PVrsuing this course you shall worship God, pro­strate on the earth, resoun­ding as a small string of the great Harpe of the world, offering the whole vniu [...]r­se to the Creatour, as a vo­tiue [Page 38] Table hung vp on his altar, & entirely resigning yourselfe to his will. To this act, agreoth well the Hymne of the three Chil­dren in the Fornace, who called all creatnres, as by a list-rolle to the prayses of God: or els take the forme which the Angels & Saints vsed in adoring this soue­raigne Maiesty, Holy, Ho­ly, Holy, Lord God of Hoastes, who hast beene, who art, and shalt come; thou art worthv, O Lord our God, to receaue, as a tribut, all glory, al honour, [Page 39] all vertue; for thou art the Creatour, & absolute ma­ster of all things. It is thou, who hast created both hea­uen & earth, with all their ornaments: thou who bin­dest the Sea by thyne om­nipotent word: thou who signest the Abisses with the seale of thy name; terrible, & prayse-worthy for euer: thou who makest the pil­lers of Heauen to tremble vnder thy feet: thou who strikest terrour into al crea­tures by the vnsupporta­ble lustre of thy Maiesty: thou who sittest in the pa­uillion [Page 40] of thy glory vpō the winges of Cherubims, & from thence doest measure the depth of the abysse. I adore thee, my God, from the center of my Nothing, with al the creatures of the world, making into thy hā ­des a full resignation of all that, which I am: and desi­ring to depend for the pre­sent and for all eternity v­pon thy holy will.

SECT. 6. Of Thankesgiuing, which is the second act of Deuotion.

IT is an act very neces­sary [Page 41] considering the bene­fits, which we continually receaue from the hand of God. It is not fit we resem­ble the clowds, which co­uer the Sunne after it hath raysed them vp, but that we rather cōforme our sel­ues to the mirrour, which rēdreth the image so soone as the face is presented.

We ought not to suffer a­ny benefit to passe, cōming to vs from this soueraigne hand, of which we repre­sent not the liuely figure in our grateful remembrāces. And if those ancient He­brewes [Page 42] (according to the relation of Iosephus) set mar­kes, and formes sometymes on their armes, otherwhi­les on their gates, to declare vnto all the world the be­nefits which God had con­ferred on their families; is it not a matter very iust, that we endeauour to acknow­ledge in some manner the liberalityes of the diuine maiesty?

This act, consisteth in three thinges. First in the memory which presenteth to the vnderstanding the benefits receaued: and this [Page 43] derstanding cōsidereth the hand which giueth them, and to whome, and how, and wherefore, by what meanes, and in what pro­portion: thereupon is fra­med in the will an affecti­onate acknowledgment, which not being able to become idle, vnfoldeth it selfe in exteriour acts, to witnesse the seruour of its affections.

To practise it throughtly, a lift must be made to your selfe of the benefits of God, which are contayned in three forts [...] goodnes, and [Page 44] mercy.

The first is, that, by which he hath drawne this great vniuerse from Abysses, and darkenes of nothing to the light of essence & life, for our sakes creating a world, with so much greatnesse, beauty, vtility proportion, order, vicissitude, continu­ance; and preseruing it, as with the perpetuall breath of his spirit, affording to e­uery thing its ranke, forme, proprietie, appetite, incli­nation, seituation, limits, and accomplishment. But aboue all, creating Man, as [Page 54] a little miracle of Nature, with the adornement of so many pieces, so wel encha­sed, to beare on the brow thereof the rayes of his Ma­iesty.

The second benignity is, that, whereby he hath de­termined to rayse in man totall Nature to a superna­turall condition. And the third, by which he hath trāsferred humance Nature fallen into sinne, into mi­series, and into the shadow of death; to innocency, fe­licity, light, & life eternal.

It is the incomprehensi­ble [Page 46] mistery of the Incarna­tion of the Word, which cōprehendes six other be­nefits, to wit, the benefit of the doctrine and wisedom of heauen conferred on vs; the benefit of the good ex­amples of our Sauiour; the benefit of redemption; the benefit of adoption into the number of the children of God; the benefit of the tre­asure of the merits of Iesus Christ; the benefit of the holy Eucharist. Besides these benefits, which are in the generality of Christi­anity, there are to be repre­sented [Page 47] oftentymes, with much humility, the particu­ler fauours receaued from God in birth, breeding, e­ducation, instruction, in talents of mind and body, in meanes and abilityes, in friends, in alliance, in kin­red, in vocation, state and profession of life, in conti­nuall protection, and deli­uerance from so many pe­rils, in the vicissitude of ad­uersities, and prosperityes, in the mannage of degrees of age, wherein euery one in his particuler may ac­knowledge infinit passages [Page 48] of the diuine Prouidence.

And all this falling vpon the soule with considerati­on of the circumstances of ech benefit, draweth in the end from the will, this act of gratitude, which maketh it say that, which the Pro­phet Dauid spake: My God, who am I, & what is the house of my Father, that hath hither­to bred me?

SECT. VII. The manner of Thankesgiuing.

PVrsuing this, you shall then giue thanks for al benefits in generall, and [Page 49] ticulerly for those, which you presently receaue, and which are at that time pro­posed vnto you; to the end you may season this act with some new tast. The Church accommodateth vs with an excellent forme of Thankesgiuing to God, in the Hymne Te Deum laud [...] ­mus. Or you may well say with those blessed soules.

To thee, O my God, be­nediction, light, wisedome, thankes, honour, power, & vertue, in the reuolutiō of all ages, for euer more.

My God, the glory which [Page 50] thou dost merit, be rendred to the throne of thy Maie­sty; and be thy holy peace on earth graunted to men of good will. My God, I laud, I blesse, & adore thee. I yield thee thankes for the greatnesse of thy glory, & be [...]fits. Great God, King of heauen & earth, eternal Father, and absolute Lord of all thinges. And thou al­so my Sauiour Iesus, only Sonne of the heauenly Fa­ther, true God, true man, who takest away the sinns of the world, and sittest at the right hand of the liuing [Page 51] God. And thou holy Ghost cōsubstantiall with the Fa­ther, and with the Sonne, most Holy Trinity, recea­ue my prayers in thankes­giuing.

SECT. VIII. Of Offering or Oblation: which is the third act of Deuotion.

REligion, and Sacrifice began frō the worlds infancy, and haue euer byn tyed to geather with an in­separable band. God who giueth all, would that we giue him; and persuadeth that we take out of his cof­fers, [Page 52] what cannot be found in our Nothing. Obserue now (I pray) a matter cō ­siderable, that as in the law of Moyses, there were three māner of sacrifices, to wit, Immolations, Libations, & Victimes; Immolations, which were made of the fruits of the earth; Libatiōs of liquors, as oyle & wine; Victimes of beasts: so like­wise God requires, that for fruits you affoard him your actions; for liquors, your affections; and your selfe for Victime. This is done by the act of Oblation, or [Page 53] Offertory, which is a way of sacrifice, wherby we of­fer our selues, and all that belongeth to vs at the altar of the diuine Maiesty.

That this act may be wel performed, it is necessary at the first, to haue a chast ap­preh [...]nsion of the power, and dominion which God hath ouer vs: Secondly, a most intimate knowledge of the dependance we haue vpō him, representing vn­to our selues, that we not only receaued Being, and all that which consequent­ly dependeth thereon, frō [Page 54] his goodnesse, but that we also are supported perpetu­ally by his hand, as a stone should be in the ayre; and that, if he neuer so little re­mit thereof, we should be dissolued into the Nothing from whence we were ex­tracted. From thence will arise an act of lustice in the promptnesse of the wil we shall haue to yield to God what appertaineth to him, and as heeretofore the Ho­locaust was the most noble of all Sacrifices, where the Hoast was wholy consu­med, in honour of the di­uine [Page 55] Maiesty: so should we imitate this excellēt worke of Religiō by consecrating to God, not only our acti­ons, and affections, but al we are, wishing to be anni­hilated, and dissolued for him, if it may be for the glory of his diuine Maiesty.

But if this annihilation cannot be real, it must be at the least formed in the mind in a very singular manner, acquiring to our selues as much as possibly we may, 12. sorts of disengagemēts, wherein consisteth the per­fection of the Holocaust.

The first is, a discharge frō all affection of things tem­porall, so that we no lon­ger loue any thing, but for God, & according to God. The second is, a dis-entan­glement from proper inte­rest in all our actions. The third, an entire mortificatiō frō sensuality. The fourth a separation from amities sensuall, naturall, and ac­quired, not suffering them any longer to lay hold on our hart, to the preiudice of vertue. The fifth, a ba­nishment of wordly ima­ginations, in such manner, [Page 57] that their only representa­tion may breed in vs an a­uersion, and horrour. The sixth, an enfranchisment from worldly cares not ne­cessary to saluation. The seauenth, a freedome from bitternes, and perplexityes of hart, which ordinarily spring from ouermuch loue conferred on creaturs. The eight, a couragious flight from all sorres of vanityes of the mind. The ninth, a contempt of sensible con­solations, whē God would haue vs to be weaned from them. The tenth, an abne­gation [Page 58] of scruples of hart, and proper fantasies, to fol­low the aduise and com­mand, of those who go­uerne vs. The eleuenth, a mitigation of the distu [...] ­bances which happē in ad­uersityes. The twelfth, an absolute mortification of iudgment, & will: so that we follow al the inspitati­ons of God, as true Dyalls do the Sunne.

He, who therein hath proceeded so farre, maketh a true annihilation of him­selfe, and an excellent obla­tion of all that he is: nay if [Page 59] you cānot wholy giue the Tree with so much perfe­ctiō, at least yield the fruits desiring in conclusion to offer vp all your facultyes, your senses, functions, wordes, workes, and all you are; remembring the saying of S. Iohu Chrysostom: That it is the most wicked auarice that may be, to de­fraud God of the oblation of ones selfe. Offer your Memory to the Father, to replenish it as a vessell of e­lection with thinges profi­table; your Vnderstanding to the Sonne, to enlighten [Page 60] it with eternall verityes; your wil to the holy Ghost to enkindle it with holy ar­dour; consigne your body to the B. Virgin to garde it vnder the seale of purity. Say particulerly to the Word Incarnate, what the deuout S. Gertrude did.

SECT. IX. The manner of offering ones self to God.

O My sweet Sauiour il­luminate my intenti­ons with thy lights, and support my imbecillityes by thy mercyes. I at this [Page 61] present recommend the lit­tle seruice I do to the inef­fable sweetnes of thy hart, and henceforth set it before thyne eyes, to direct, cor­rect, and perfect it. I offer it vnto thee with all I am in the full latitude of my a [...] ­fections, both for my selfe, and all the faithfull, and I offer it in the vnion of that most exact attention thou vsedst, when thou prayedst vpon earth to thy eternall [...]ather.

SECT. X. Of Contrition, the fourth Act of Deuotion.

IT is an act most necessa­ry, in such perilous en­counters, and so great frail­ty wherein we ordinarily liue. The learned Theodo­ret in his questions vpō the Scripture sayth, there are three kindes of life signify­ed by three sortes of crea­tures, whereof mention is made in the sacrifice of A­braham in the 15. Chapter of Genesis. There is a life Animall, represented by [Page 63] foure-footed beastes. 2. A life mourning, figured in the Turtle. 3. A life white and pure, wherof the Doue is the Hierogliphick. Ani­mal liues are the most fre­quēt in the world; Doue­like liues are very rare; but there is not any Doue so pure which hath not euer some need of the mourning of the Turtle. Behold the cause why we ought not al most to pray at any tyme, without stirring vp some acts of Contrition. Euery one knowes Contrition is a detestation of sinne, be­yond [Page 64] all thinges most dete­stable, which taketh its fource frō the loue of God, and from the hope of his mercy, and ought euer to be accompanied with a fir­me purpose of amendment. The first foundation of it is the beliefe of a liuing God, of a God cleere-sighted, of a God dreadfull in all his iudgments, wherby is pro­cured a feare, awed with the paines due to sinne in harts the most stupid. This is the Thūderstroke which causeth Does to fawne, and rayseth tempests, & earth­quakes [Page 65] in the soule. Then Hope reareth it selfe aboue the Horizon, dispersing a­morous rayes with a certai­ne confidence we haue to obtaine pardon of our sinns in submiting vs to the yoke of pennance. Afterward, the loue of God beginneth in the soule to free, and dis­charge it selfe from interests of the earth, to produce in the end this celestial dolour which is created as pearles from the dew of heauen. O a thousand tymes happy those, who wash thēselues with the waters of snow, [Page 66] wherof holy Iob speaketh, and purify themselues in the wholesome poole of Penitence.

Stir vp oftentymes acts of Contrition in generall for all sinnes, and particu­larly for some defects, and imperfections, which most surcharge you, with a firme purpose to resist thē stout­ly, & vtterly to extirpe thē by the help of God. Say for this cause, what fol­loweth.

SECT. XI. A forme of Contrition.

O Father, I haue sinned against heauen, & be­fore thee, vnworthy that I am to beare the title of a sonne, hauing repayed so vnspeakable a goodneswith contempt, and such bene­fits with ingratitude. I cō ­plaine not of the punish­ments cōtracted by my re­bellion; but I bewayle a God offended, who ought to be loued, and honoured aboue all thinges. Where shall I find torture inough to reuenge me on my selfe, [Page 68] & reares sufficient to wash away my offences? Father, the aspect of my sinne shall henceforth be more hide­ous to me, then Hell. Vse me as one of thy mercena­ryes. My God, thou art our Father, and we are nought els but earth, and slime in comparison of thee. Thou art our workman, and we all as clay in thy handes: My God be not angry with an object so fe [...]ble, and wretched. My God remē ­ber not the sinnes of my forepassed life.

SECT XII. Of petition or request, the fifth Act of Deuotion.

A Great Emperour ar­riuing in Aegypt, to witnesse the zeale he bare to the publique, sayd to the Aegyptians: Draw from me, as from your riuer Ni­lus: but what may be draw­ne from a man, but hopes, which are crackt as bub­bles in the water, to the same proportion they are raysed. It is from God we must draw, since he is a fountaine which perpetu­ally distilleth, and who [Page 70] quenching the thirst of all the world, hath himselfe but one, which is (as sayth S. Gregory Naztanzon) that all mortalls should thirst his goodnes.

We must necessarily beg of God, since our necessi­tyes enforce vs thereunto, & his bounty inuiteth vs, we must aske that he hath appointed vs in our Lords praye [...], which is the abrid­gement of all Theology: we must demaund it in the name of the Sonne, & with confidence to obtaine it; we m [...]st begge it for the [Page 71] Church, for the Pastours, for our most gracious King for publike necessities, for our selues, for our neigh­bours; we must aske for spirituall & temporal bles­singes, so much as shall be lawfull according to occa­sions, neuer forgetting the dead. For which purpose it is good to haue a colle­ction of prayers for all oc­currēces, as a litle Fort fur­nished with all manner of pieces of battery, to force euen heauen it selfe with a religious fortitude, and a pious violence.

At the least pray daily e­uery morning, that thou mayst not offend God mor­tally, not be wanting in grace, light, and courage to resist those sins, to which thou art most inclined; to practise the vertues most necessary for thee; to be guided and gouerned this same day vnder the proui­dence of God, in all which concerneth the weale of soule, body, and thinge [...] exteriour. To participate in all good workes done tho­rough Christendome; to obtaine new graces, and [Page 73] asistances for the necessities of our neighbours, which may then offer themselues, and that by the intercession of Saints, where with your prayer must be sealed. Say for your selfe, and all those, who concerne you, what S. Thomas vsed.

SECT. XIII. A forme of Petition.

MY God giue both to me, and to all those whom I recommend in my prayers, an vnderstanding, which may know thee, an affectionate deuotiō, which [Page 74] may search for thee, a wis­dome that may find thee, a cōuersation that may please thee, a perseuerance that may boldly waite on thee, a confidence which may happily imbrace thee. My God so handle the matter, that I may be wounded with thy sufferings in pe­nitence, that in this life I may vse thy blessings in grace, & enioy in the other thine eternall comforts in the bosome of glory. So be it.

SECT. XIIII. Of the intercession of Saints, of which we make vse in the petitions we offer to God.

AS for the intercession of Saints it is good to recommend your selfe ve­ry particularly to the Mo­ther of God by this aunci­ent forme.

O my most Holy Mi­stresse, I put my selfe to day, and so all the dayes of my life into your protection, & (as it were) into the bosome of your mercyes. I recom­mend [Page 76] vnto you my soule, my body all that belon­geth to me, all my hopes, all my affaires, all my difficultyes, my miseries, my consolations, and a­boue all the manner of my death, to the end, that by your merits, & prayers all my actions may be directed according to the most holy pleasure of your Sonne.

O most mild virgin, suc­cour the miserable, asist the weake, comfort the affli­cted, pray for the people, be the aduocate of persons Ecclesiastike, protectrix of [Page 77] the deuout sexe. So vse the matter, thatal those, whoce­lebrate your memory, may at this time tast your fauors: but most especially obtaine for me of your Sonne a pro­found humility, a most vn­spotted chastity, progressi­on, and perseuerance in goodnesse, and affoard me some small participation in the dolours you suffered on the day of his passion, adding thereunto also a sparke of that great deuo­tion you did vse in the ho­ly Communion, after the Ascension of the Word In­carnate.

SECT. XV. Of the time proper for spiri­tuall Lesson.

IF you will belieue me, at the very same instant of the morning when your mind is most free frō earth­ly thoughts, you shall do well to vse some spirituall reading, one while of pre­cepts, another while of the liues of Saints, remembring that which S. Isidore spake in his booke of sentences; That he who will liue in the exercise of the presence of God, ought often to pray [Page 84] and read. For when you pray, you speake to God, & when you read God spea­keth to you. Good sermons, and good bookes are the si­newes of Vertue.

Do you not obserue, that colours (as philosophy tea­cheth vs) haue a certayne light, which during in the night becometh dull, and (as it were) buryed in matter: But so soone as the Sunne rayseth himselfe a­boue the earth, and display­eth his beames ouer so ma­ny beautyes languishing in darkenesse, he awakens [Page 85] them, and maketh them ap­peare in their true lustre, So may we (truly) say, we haue all, certaine seeds of Wisdome, which amidst the vapours enforced by passi­ons, remaine (as it were) wholy smothered vp, if the Wisdome of God, which speaketh in holy scripture, and good spirituall bookes, excited them not, giuing them beauty, and vigour to vnkindle the passage of our actions to vertue. Per­petually call vpon the Fa­ther of Lights, to direct your reading, before you [Page 86] take a booke in hand. Read little, if you haue little ley­sure, but with atten [...]ion; & euer stay vpon some sen­tence, which returneth a­gaine to your memory du­ring the same day. You shall find that good bookes only teach you that which is truth, commaūd nothing but good, and promise nought but felicity.

SECT. XVI. Of other Acts of Deuotion: and first of Masse.

MAsse should be heard euery day, if it were [Page 87] possible, and at a certaine hower, in the manner, as we haue expressed in the practise of this Exercise: & it is one of the principall Acts of deuotion, the forme whereof ought to haue fiue conditions, Consideration, Feruor, Comelynesse, Ex­ample, Vnion. Considera­tion for the vnderstanding; Feruor, for the wil; Come­lynesse, for the body and exterior gestures; Example, for your Neighbour; Vni­on, for God. Consideratiō, not to go thither through Custome, or Complement, [Page 88] Hypocrisy, or compulsion; but with reason, and reue­rence, as to the Treasury of the sufferings, and merits of Iesus Christ. Feruor, to pray there deuoutly, pure­ly, and ardently, dismissing at that time the thoughts of all other affayres. Comely­nesse, in auoyding tattle, ill postures, & the irreuerences of so many ill instructed persons, who shall in the end find the vengeance of God in the Propitiatory. Example, in edifying all there present, who ordina­rily deriue great apprehen­sions [Page 89] of God, by beholding in the Church the deuoti­on of persons of quality. V­nion, in dilating your hart and soule, in the hart and soule of the Sonne of God, by an inward, and harty af­fection, hauing at that time neyther eyes, eares, nor thoughts, but for his loue; according to the saying of an auncient Father, who affirmed that no man beha­ued himselfe deuoutly in­ough in the Church, if he thought there were any thing els in the world, but God, and himselfe.

It is muh to the purpose to haue good prayer-books, where the offices be distin­guished for euery day of the weeke, and to say them ac­cording to your leysure, & with a well-rectifyed, and perseuerant piety.

It is a familiar, and well accommodated deuotion to heare Masse well, which is done by conforming your action to that of this great Sacrifice. Masse hath fiue principall parts. The first consisting in the confession and prayse of God. The se­cond in the instruction of [Page 91] the Epistle, the Gnospell, & Creed. The third in Obla­tion. The third in Obla­tion. The fourth in Conse­cration. The fifth in Petiti­ons and Prayers, which are especially made at the end.

At the Consiteor, you shall implore the diuine as­sistance to direct this Act wel, you shal coufesse your sinnes: and likewise God in the Hymne of Angels, which is ordinarily repea­ted in this place, endeauou­ring to imitate the reue­rence of those Heauenly Quires.

At the instruction, if you vnderstand not the words of the Epistle, and Ghospel, which is then read; Read, and meditate attentiuely at that time on some sentēce of the little abridgement of the doctrine of Iesus Christ. A little to tast leysurely the wordes of our Sauiour is a great spurre to perfection; & it oftentimes happeneth, that many haue beene con­uerted by a good Word, which penetrated very far into their harts.

SECT. XVII. An abridgment of the Doctrine of Iesus-Christ to be vsed at Masse.

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No man commeth to the Father, but by me. Iohn. chap. 14.

The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdome of God is at hand: Be penitent, and be­lieue the Ghospell. Marc. chap. 1.

Come to me all yee that labour, and are burthened, and I wil refresh you: Take vp my yoake vpon you, & [Page 94] learne of me, because I am meeke, and humble of hart, and you shall find rest to your soules: For my yoke is sweet, and my burthen light. Matth. 11.

Al whatsoeuer you will that men do to you, do you also to them: For this is the law & the Prophets. Math. 7.

This is my prec [...]pt, that you loue one another, as I loued you: Greater loue then this no man hath, that a man yield his life for his friendes: you are my friendes, if you do what I commaund you. Iohn. 5.

Loue your enemyes, do good to thē that hate you & pray for thē that persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in Heauen, who maketh his Sun to rise vpon the good & bad, & raineth vpon iust and vniust. Math. 5.

Be merciful, as your hea­uenly Father is mercifull: ludge no man, and you shal not be iudged. Cond [...]mne no man, & you shall not be condemned.

Forgiue, and you shal be forgiuen. Giue, and there shal be giuen to you. Luc. 6.

See, and beware of all a­uarice: For not in any mās aboundance doth his life consist, of those things that he possesseth. Luc. 12.

Enter by the narrow gate: because broad is the gate, and large is the way that leadeth to perdition, & many there are, that enter by it: How narrow is the gate, & straite is the way that leadeth to life, & few there are, that find it? Math. 7.

He that taketh not vp his Crosse, & followes me, is not worthy of me. Math. 10.

You shall be afflicted in this world: but take cou­rage, I haue vanquished the world. Iohn. 19.

Behold I am with you all the dayes, euen to the end of the world. Math. 28.

Watch, & pray, that you may not fall into tentati­on. The spirit is prompt, but the flesh is frayle. Math. 26.

Let your loynes be gir­ded, and candles burning in your hands, and you like to men expecting their Lord, when he shall returne from the wedding; that when he [Page 98] doth come, and knocke, forthwith they may open vnto him. Luc. 12.

Looke well to your selues, [...]east perhaps your harts be ouercharged with surfetting and drunknesse, & with the cares of this life. Luc. 21.

Behold the houre, whē all those, that are in their graues shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God, and such as haue done well shal come to the resurrection of life, but those who haue done ill, to the resurrection of iudgement.

SECT. XVIII. VVhat is to be done at the Offer­tory in Masse, and other ensuing Acts.

AT the Offertory you shal endeauour to stir vp in your selfe a great re­uerence of this incompa­rable Maiesty, who com­meth to replenish this sacri­fice with his presence; and you shall say: My God, dis­pose me to offer vnto thee, the merits of the life, and Passion of thy wel beloued Sonne. At this present, in the vnion thereof, I make [Page 100] oblation vnto thee of my vnderstanding, my wil, my memory, my thoughts, my words, my workes, my suf­ferings, my consolations, my good, my life, all that I haue, al that I can euer pre­tend vnto: and I offer it vn­to thee, as by the hand of the glorious Virgin Mary, and the holy Angells, who are present at this sacrifice, to present vnto thee the prayers of all this faithfull company.

Afterward at the Pre­face, when the Priest inui­teth all the world to lift [Page 101] their harts vp to God, or whē the Angelical Hymne is pronounced, which is cal­led by the Auncients T [...]i­sagion, these words may be sayd, drawne from the Li­turgy of S. Iames, & S. Chry­sostome.

To thee the Creatour of all Creatures visible, & in­uisible: To thee the Trea­sure of e [...]ernal blessing [...]: To thee the fountaine of life, & immortality: To thee the absolute Mayster of the whole world, be the praise honour, and worship yiel­ded, which thou deseruest. [Page 102] Let the Sunne, the Moone, the Quire of Starres, the Ayre, the Earth, the Sea, & all that is in the Celestiall, & Elementary world blesse thee. Let thy Hierusalem, thy Church from the first birth therof already enrol­led in heauen, glorify thee. Let so many chosen soules of Apostles, Martyrs, and Prophets; Let Angels, Ar­changels, Thrones, Domi­nations, Principalityes, Powers, and Vertues; Let the dreadfull Cherubins, & Seraphins perpetually sing the hymne of thy triumphs.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hoasts, Hea­uen, and Earth are filled with the glory. Saue vs, thou, who doest inhabite Heauen which is the Pal­lace of thy Maiesty.

SECT. XIX. Deuotions directed for the dayes of the weeke.

IF you desire this distin­ction of dayes, I tell you [Page 111] that some dedicate Sunday to the most holy Trinity; Munday, to the comfort of faythfull soules, which are departed into the other world; Tuesday, to the memory of Angels; Wed­nesday, to that of the Apo­stles, & of al Saints; Thurs­day, to the veneration of the Sacrament of the Al­tar; Friday, to the mystery of the passion; and Satur­day, to the honour of our Blessed Lady.

Others employ their re­membrance to be particu­ler for euery day: as for Sū ­day, [Page 112] the glory of Paradise; Munday, the iudgmēt-day; Tuesday, the blessinges of God; Wednesday, death; Thursday, the paynes of Hell; Friday, the passion; Saturday, the vertues of our Lady, as heeretofore. It is the Counsell of S. Bo­nauenture, in his lesser wor­kes.

We deriue also a singu­lar practise of deuotion for euery day of the weeke frō the Hymnes of S. Ambrose, which the Church for euer makes vse of. For from thence we learne to thank [Page 113] God, for euery worke of creation, and to make the greater world correspond with the lesse.

Sunday, which is the day, wherin the light was created, we should render thanks to God, that he hath produced this temporall light, which is the smiling of heauen, & the ioy of the world, distending it as a piece of cloath of gold ouer the face of the ayre & earth, & enkindling it as a torch to behold his workes by. From thence penetrating further, we will giue him [Page 114] thankes, that he hath affor­ded vs his sonne, called by the holy Fathers, the Day­bringer, to communicate vnto vs this great light of sayth, which is, as sayth Saint Bernard, A copy of the Eternity; we will humbly beseech him, this light may neuer be Eclypsed in our vnderstandings: but may daily replenish vs with more & more knowledge of his holy will. And for this purpose, we must heare the word of God, and be present at diuine Seruice with all feruor and purity. [Page 115] Carefully preserue your selfe frō pollution through any disorder, on the day, which God hath reserued to himselfe, and from gi­uing to Dagō the first fruits of the weeke, which you should offer vp at the feet of the Arke of Couenant.

Monday, which is the day, wherein the Firma­ment was created to sepa­rate the waters, the Cele­stiall from the inferior and terrestriall waters; we shal represent vnto our selues, that God hath giuen reason vnto vs, as a firmament to [Page 116] separate diuine cogitations from animal; and we will pray vnto him to mortify in vs anger, and concupis­cence, and grant vs a per­fect maistery ouer all the passions, which oppose the law Eternall.

Tuesday, the day wher­in the waters, which be­fore couered the whole e­lement of the Earth, were ranked in their places, & the earth appeared to be­come the mansion, nurse, & tombe of man; we shall figure vnto our selues the great worke of the iustifi­cation [Page 117] of the world, made by the Word Incarnate, when it had raysed vp a huge masse of obstacles, as well through ignorance, as sinne, which couered the whole face of the world, and that he hath made a Church, which appeared as a blessed Land, loaden with fruits, and beauties to eleuate vs in fayth, and bu­ry vs in hope of the resur­rection. We will begge of him to take away all the hinderances of our soule, so many ignorances, sinnes, imperfections, feares, sor­rowes, [Page 118] cares, which hold it, as in an Abysse, and that he would replenish vs wi [...]h the fruits of Iustice.

Wednesday, wherin the Sun, Moone, and Starres were made; we shall pro­pose vnto our selues for obiect, the beauty, and excellency of the Church of God, adorned with the presence of the Sauiour of the world, as with a Sun; of the B. Virgin, as a most resplendent Moone, and with so many Saints which are as starres of the firma­ment; and we will hum­bly [Page 119] intreate of God to em­bellish our soules with the lights and vertues suteble to its condition. And aboue all, that he would giue vs the six qualityes of the Sun Greatnes, Beauty, Measu­re, Feruour, Promptnesse, Fruitfullnesse. Greatnesse, in the eleuation of our spi­rits aboue all thinges crea­ted, & in a capacity of hart which is neuer filled with any thing, but God; Beau­ty, in guifts of grace; Mea­sure, in the sway ouer pas­sions; Feruor, in exercises of Charity; Promptnesse, [Page 120] in the obediēce we owe to his law: Fruitfullnesse, in production of good works.

Thursday, the day wher­on God (as sayth S. Am­brose) drew birds, & fishes out of the waters, the Birds to fly in the ayre, and the Fishes to abide in this infe­riour element; we shall i­maginewith our selues the great separation, which shall be made at the iudg­ment-day of God, when of so vast a number of men, extracted from one, & the same masse, some shallbe raysed on high to people [Page 121] Heauen, & enioy the sight of God: others made a prey for hell, and exposed to e­uerlasting torments, and in this great abysse and rerror of thoughtes, we will be­seech God to hold vs in the number of his elect, and af­foard vs the fauour to score out our predestination, in our good and laudable a­ctions.

Friday, whereon other creatures were brought forth, and man was created who was at that tyme ap­pointed ouer thē for gouer­nour and king, we will [Page 122] propose vnto our selues the greatnesse, excellency, & beauty of this man, in the Talents which God hath giuen him, as well of grace as Nature: what a businesse it hath beene to keep the hands of the Creatour em­ployed in his production: hands (sayth S. Basil) which were to him as a wombe; but how much more hath it cost him to make him a new, drawing forth so much trauell, such quanti­ty of sweat, and bloud from the Sonne of God, who an­nihilated himselfe for him, [Page 123] cherished, and fostered him (sayth S. Thomas in his trea­tise of Beatitude) in such sort that he, who were not well instructed by Fayth, would say: Man is the God of God himselfe. Thereu­pon we wil begge that we may not frustrate the merit of the life of God, giuen to eternize ours, and we will practise some kind of mor­tification, to beare God in our flesh (as sayth S. Paul) and to conforme vs to the sufferinges of the King of the afflicted.

Saturday, which is the [Page 124] day wheron God rested af­ter the creatiō of the world we will meditate vpon the repose, which the beatify­ed soules enioy in heauen. There is no more pouerty, maladyes, sorrowes, cares, calumnyes, persecutions, heate, cold, night, alterati­on, clamour, nor noyse. The body resteth fiue, or six foot vnder the ground, free from the relapsing em­ployments of a life, frayle, and dying. It is in the se­pulcher, as an inuincible sortresse, where it no lon­ger feareth debts, Seriants, [Page 125] prisons, fetters. And the soule, when it is glorifyed leadeth the life of God him­selfe, a life vitall, a life lo­uely, a life inexhaustible, for which we oght to sigh, take paines, & begge it of­ten of God with teares in our eyes, and grones from our hart; as sayth S. Augu­stime.

It is necessary on the same day to make a reuiew of the whole weeke, to ex­amine the state of your sou­le, your passions, your affe­ctions, your intentions, scope, proceedings, & pro­gressions.

And especially when the moneth is spent, to consi­der diligently, what God would haue of vs, whatwe of him, & what course we take to please both him, & our selues: what desire we haue of Perfection, what obstacles, what defectes, what resistance, what mea­nes; & to mannage all our endeauours vnder the pro­tection of the Saint we shal take for our Patron in the moneth following.

SECT. XX. Deuotion for the houres of the Day.

THE Church likewise assigneth vs a practise of deuotion for all the hou­res of the Day, if we will rightly apply it. For it see­meth the hath a purpose to make of a Christian cham­piō, a true bird of the Sun, which saluteth (as it were at all Houres) this bright starre, seeming to applaud it by her song, and the clap­ping of her winges, she de­sireth, that in daily imita­tion [Page 128] of her, we loose not God out of our fight, and that we abide in perpetual centinel, hūbly to beseech and adore him.

SECT. XXI. Of Confession: an Act of deuo­tion very necessary; with counsell vpon it.

I Ranke amongst the de­uotions of the weeke, [Page 134] Confession, and Commu­nion; for (for such as will lead a life pure, there is no excesse ar all) if the weeke circūuolued they discharge themselues of this duty. And although I haue spo­ken amply inough accor­ding to my scope, of the practise of these exercises, in Treatises which I haue compiled thereof, and that it were as to carry a drop of water into a riuer, to write of it after so great an aboū ­dance of bookes: yet am I bound by the necessity of my dessigne, to tell you in [Page 135] few wordes, that to make your Confession good, it ought to haue the qualities of a Mirrour. 1. Solidity, 2. Liuely representation, 3. Clearenesse.

1. Solidity, in going ther­unto with much conside­ration of your misery, of your sinnes, and imperfe­ctions.

2. Much reuerence tow­ardes the Maiesty of God, who beareth sway in this Sacrament.

3. With a reasonable exa­minatiō of your conscien­ce.

[Page 136]4. A distast of your of­fences, more for the inter­est of God, then for any o­ther consideration.

5. An accomplishment of the pennance enioyned, & a true amendment.

SECT. XXII. Behold heer an excellent prayer of S. Augustin for this exer­cise of pennance, drawne frō a Manuscript of Cardinall Seripandus.

MY God, see heere the staynes, and woundes of my sin, which I neither can, nor wil hide from the eyes of thy Maie­sty. I already beare the pai­ne in remorse of my con­science, and in other suffe­rings ordayned me by thy prouidence for my corre­ctiō: but I endure nothing, [Page 148] that may equal my deme­rit. One thing amazeth me that I so often feeling the payne of sinne, still do re­tayne the malice and obsti­nacy therof: my weaknesse boweth vnder the burthē, and my iniquity still aby­deth immoueable. My life groneth in languishments, and is not amended in its workes. If thou slacken the punishment, I deferre my amendement, & if thou chastice me, I can no lon­ger continue. I confesse my offence in thy correction, and after thy visitation, I [Page 149] no longer remember my sorrowes; whilst thou hast the rodd in hand to scourge me, I promise all; & if thou with-holdest it, I performe nothing. If thou touch me, I cry out for mercy; and if thou pardon, I againe pro­uoke thee to strike. My God, my Lord, I confesse vnto thee my miseries, and implore thy clemency, without which there is no saluation for me. My God giue me what I aske, though I deserue it not, since without any merit of myne, thou hast extracted [Page 150] me from nothing, to begge it of thee.

SECT. XXIII. Of Communion, which is the principall of all the Acts of Deuotion: with a briefe Ad­uise on the practise thereof.

As for receauing, re­mēber the six leaues of the lilly which it should haue; I meane, Desire, and Purity before you present your selfe therein; Humi­lity, & Charity in presen­ting your selfe; Thankes­giuing, and Renouation of mind after presentation.

And if you desire to know the quasityes, which will make you discerne a luke­warme Communion from a feruent, I say, that a good Communion ought to be lightsome, tastfull, nouri­shing, effectuall. Light­some, in illustrating you daily more and more with reflections, and verityes of fayth, which may transport you to the loue of thinges diuine, and contempt of worldly, frayle, and tem­porall. Tastfull in making you to rellish in will, and sense, what you know by [Page 152] the light of the vnderstan­ding. But if you haue not this tast in deuotion tender and sensible, be not amazed thereat. For sensible deuo­tion will oftentymes hap­pen to him, who hath left Charity, as is obserued by that great Doctour Richar­dus vpon the Canticles: Affe­ctuosa dilection interdum afficit minūs diligentē. It is inough that you haue in the vpper region of your soule good habits of vertue. Nourish­ing, in holding your selfe in a good spirituall way, good thoughts of heauenly [Page 153] thinges, good affections towards the seruice of God free from drynesse, mea­gernesse, & voluntary ste­rility. Effectuall, in apply­ing your selfe instantly to the exercise of solid vertues Humility, Patience, Cha­rity, and to the workes of mercy; for therein behold the most vndoubted note of a good communion.

It is good to present your selfe in it with sincere in­tentions, which are ponde­red, and fitted to occurrē ­ces; communicating (as S. Bonauenture obserueth in a [Page 154] little Treatise he compo­sed of preparations for the Masse) one while for the remission of sinnes, another while for the remedy of in­firmities, sometyme for de­liuerance from some affli­ction, sometymes to gaine a benefit, sometymes for thankes-giuing: Some­tyme also for the help of our neighbour, and aboue all for the soules in Purga­tory. In the end to offer vp a perfect prayse to the most holy Trinity, to record the sufferings of Iesus-Christ, and dayly to increase in his [Page 155] loue. For this purpose you may repeate, before you communicate, this prayer of the great Saint S. Tho­mas.

O most sweet Iesus, my Lord, and my Maister, Oh that the force of thy loue more penetrating then fire, & much sweeter then ho­ny, would engulph my soule as in an abysse, draw­ing it from affections inor­dinate towardes all things vnder heauen, that I may dye in thy loue, since tho­rough loue thou hast vou­chafed to dye for me on a Crosse.

SECT. I. Twelue fundamentall conside­rations of Vertues.

YOVV must vndoubtedly persuad your selfe, that the chiefest deuo­tion consisteth in the pra­ctise [Page 160] of good manners, without which, there is neither solide Piety, nor hope of Saluation.

Paradise is replenished with happy soules, & Hell with wretched. But the world wherein we liue, hath great diuersity of mer­chants; some trafike in Ba­bylon, and others in Sion, some through euill trade, & disorder in their carriage insensibly hasten to the vt­most misery, which is a se­paration frō the life of God in an eternity of punish­ment. Others go in a direct [Page 161] line to the prime, and soue­raigne happines, which is the vision, fruition, and possession of God, in an Eternity of inexplicable contentments. If you de­sire to take this way, I coū ­sell you to set oftentymes before your eyes these twelue cōsideratiōs, which I haue inserted in the holy Court. For in my opinion they are twelue great mo­tiues to all actions of ver­tue.

The first is the nature, and dignity of man, to wit, that the first and continuall [Page 162] study of mā ought to be mā himselfe, to behold what he hath beene, what he is, & what he shall be. What he hath beene, Nothing; What he is, a [...]reasonable creature; what he shalbe, a guest of Paradise, or of hel; of an eternall felicity, or of an euerlasting vnhappines. What he is according to na­ture; a maister-piece, where many Prerogatiues meete togeather; a body compo­sed of a meruaylous Archi­tecture; a Soule endowed with Vnderstanding, Rea­son, Spirit, Iudgment, Wil, [Page 163] Memory, Imagination, O­pinions: A soule, which flyeth in an instant frō one Pole to the other, descen­deth euen to the Center of the world, and mounteth vp to the top, which is in an instant in a thousand se­uerall places; which im­braceth the whole world without touchingit, which goeth, which glittereth, which shineth, which dig­geth into all the Treasures and Magazins of nature, which findeth our all sorts of inuentions, which inuē ­teth Artes, which gouer­neth [Page 164] Common-wealthes, which disposeth worldes.

In the meane tyme she beholdeth about her selfe, her passions, as an infinite number of dogs, that barke at her happinesse, and en­deauour to bite her on eue­ry side.

Loue fooleth her, Am­bition turmoyleth her, A­uarice rusteth her, and Lust inflames her, Vaine hopes sooth her, Pleasures melt her, Despaire ouerbears her Choller burnes her, Hatred filleth her with gall, Enuy gnaweth her, lealousy pri­keth [Page 165] her, Reuenge ērageth her, Cruelty makes her sa­uage, Feare frosteth her, & Sorrow consumeth her. This poore Soule shut vp in the body, as a bird of Pa­radice in a cage, is altogea­ther amazed to see her self assayled by all this muti­nous multitude: & though she haue a Scepter in her hand to rule, she notwith­standing often suffereth her selfe to be deceaued, raui­shed, & dregged along in­to a miserable seruitude.

Then see, what man is through sin, vanity, weak­nesse, [Page 166] inconstancy, misery, malediction.

What he becommeth by Grace? A child of light, a terrestriall Angell, the son of a celestiall Father by a­doption, brother and co­heire of Iesus Christ, a ves­sell of election, the temple of the holy Ghost.

What he may arriue vn­to by glory? To be an In­habitant of Heauen, who shall see the Starres vn­der his feet which he hath ouer his head, who shall be replenished with the sight of God, his beginning, his [Page 167] end, his true, only, and o­riginall happynesse.

The second, the bene­fits receaued of God, con­sidered in generall, as those of Creation, Conseruation, Redemption, Vocation, and in particular the guifts of the body, of the soule, of Nature, of capacity, a­bility, industry, dexterity, Warinesse, Nobility, Offi­ces, Authority, Meanes, Credit, Reputation, Good successe of affayres, & such like, which are giuen to vs from heauen, as instru­ments to worke our salua­tion. [Page 168] And sometimes one of the greatest blessings, is that which few esteeme a benefit; not to haue al these helps which lead a haugh­ty spirit, weake, & world­ly, euen into a headlong precipice; but quite con­tray, their better wants, in the opinion of the world, put him into the estimati­on of heauenly things; man seeing what he hath been, what he is, and what he must be; from whence he commeth, whither he go­eth, & that the vnion with God (his Beginning) is his [Page 369] scope, butt, and ayme; if he doe what reason dictats to him, he presently resol­ueth to haue neithersinew, veyne, nor artery, which tendeth not to his end, to subiugate his passions, and no longet to serue creatu­res, but so farre as he shall know them auailable to ar­riue at his Creatour. Seruae commissum, expecta promissū, caue prohibitum. Euery crea­ture sayth these three wor­des to man: O man preserue that which is giuen thee; expect that is promised; & auoyd what is forbidden [Page 170] thee.

The third consideration, is the passiō of the Sonne of God, a bottomlesse abysle of dolours, scornes, annihi­lations, loue, mercy, wise­dome, humility, patience, ch [...]tity, the book of books, the science of sciences, the secret of secrets, the shoppe where all good resolutions are forged, where all ver­tues are purifyed, where al knots of holy obligations are tyed. The Schoole where al Martyrs are made all Confessors, all Saints. Our weaknesse and faint­nesse [Page 171] commeth not, but for want of beholding this ta­ble of Excesse Who would euer open his mouth to cō ­plaine of doing too much, of sussering too much, to be too much abased, too much despised, too much turmoyled, if he conside­red the life of God, deliue­red ouer, & abandoned for him, to so paineful labour. so horrible confusions, so insupportable torments: Nolo viuere sine vulneré, cùm te videam vulneratum. Oh my God, my woūded God as long as I shall see thy [Page 172] woundes, I will neuer liue without wound.

The Fourth, the exam­ple of all Saints, who haue waited on the King in the way of the Crosse, when we consider the progresse of Christianity, & the suc­cession of so many ages. Wheresoeuer our conside­ratiō setteth foot, it findeth nothing, but the bloud of Martyrs, combats of Vir­gins, Prayers, Teares, Fa­stings, Sackcloth, Haire­cloth, Afflictions, Persecu­tiōs of so many Saints, who haue (as it were) wonne [Page 173] heauen by maine force: such haue been found, who heer to fore filled sepulchers with their members, torne with the engines, & swor­des of persecution, and yet were aliue to endure, and suffer in their bodyes, ha­uing more woundes, then partes of their bodyes to be tormented. Demorabantur in luce detenti, quorum mem­bris pleni erant tumuli, sayth S. Zeno. Is it not a shame to haue the same name, the same Baptisme, the same profession, and yet to be alwayes desirous to tread [Page 174] vpon Roses; to be embar­qued in this great ship of Christianity with so many braue spirtis, which euen at this houre dayly do wōders, & go vnder hatches to sleep in the bottome of the Vessell, as needlesle out-casts, & the very scor­nes of reasonable Nature.

The fifth, the peace of a good conscience, the inse­parable companion of ho­nest men, which sugreth al their teares, which sweet­neth all their acerbityes, which dissolueth all their sharpnesse; a perpetual bā ­quet, [Page 175] a portatiue Theater, a desicious Torrent of in­explicable contentmentes, which begin in this world, & which are many tymes felt euen in chaynes, prisos, persecutions. What will it be when the consummatiō shall be made in the other world; when the curtayne of the great tabernacle shal be drawne; when we shall see God face to face, in a body impassible as an An­gel, subtil as a ray of light, swift as the wings of Thū ­der, radiant as the Sunne, & when he shall be beheld [Page 176] among so goodly, and flo­rishing a cōpany, in a Pal­lace of inestimable glory; and when one shall lead no other life, but that of God, of the knowledge of God, of the loue of God, as long as God shalbe God: Nescio quid erit, quod ista vita non erit: vbi luet quod non ca­pit locus: vbi sonat quod non rapit tempus: vbi olet quod nō spargit flat us: vbi sapit quod non minuit edacitas, vbi haeret quod non diuellit eternitas, said S. Augustine What will this life be, nay what will this life not be, since all the [Page 177] goods thereof, eyther are not, or are in such a life: Oflights, which place can­not comprehend; of voices and Harmonyes, which Tyme cānot take from vs; of odours, which are neuer scattered; a feast, which ne­uer is finished; a blessing, which Eternity well may giue, but of which it ne­uer shall fee an end.

The sixth, there is to be cōsidered on the other side the condition of this presēt life: A true dreame, which hath the disturbances of sleep, & neuer therepose; [Page 178] a childish amuzemēt, a toy­le of burthensome, & euer­relapsing actions, where for one Rose, a thousand thornes are found; for one ounce of hony, a Tun of gall; for bl [...]ssinges in sem­b [...]ance, euills in substance. The most happy there, count their yeares, and cā ­not reckon their griefs; the carreires of the greatest ho­nour are there all of Ice, and oftentymes not boun­ded, but with headlong ruines. His felicities are floating Ilands, which al­wayes recoyle backward [Page 179] at that tyme, when we think to touch them with our fingar. They are the feast of Heliogabalus, where are many inuitations, ma­ny ceremonyes, many re­uerences, many seruices, and at the end thereof we find a Table, & a banquet of waxe, which melts be­fore the fire, & fromwhē [...]e we returne more hungry then we came. It is the en­chanted Egge of Oromazes wherein this Impostor vaū ­ted to haue enclosed all the happinesse of the world, and in breaking there was [Page 180] found nothing but wind: Omnia hae cōspectui nostro in­sidiosis coloribus lenocinantur: vis illa oculorum attributa lu­mini, non applicetur errori, sayth S. Eucherius. Al these prosperityes flatter out sen­ses with an imposture of false colours: why doe we suffer those eyes to be taken in the snars of error, which are giuen vs by heauen to behold the light, and not minister to lying? Yea, that which greatly should distast vs in this present life, is, that we liue in a Tyme stuffed with maladies, as [Page 181] old age with indispositiōs: we liue in a world greatly corrupted, of which may be sayd; it is a monster, whose Vnderstanding is a pit of darknesse; Reason, a shop of malice; Will, a hell, where a thousand passions outragiously infect him. His eyes are two conduit­pipes of fire, from whence fly sparkles of concupiscen­ce; his tongue an instru­ment of maledictiō; his vi­sage a painted Hypocrisy; his body a spunge of ordu­res; his [...]handes the Talons of Harpies: & finally see­meth [Page 182] to haue no other faith but infidelity; no law but his passion; no other God but his owne belly. What contentment can it be to liue with such a Monster?

The seauenth: If there be pleasures in life, they do nothing but a little slightly ouerflow the hart with a superficial delectatiō. Sad­nesse diueth into the bot­tome of our hart, and when it is there, you will say, it hath feet of lead, neuer to forsake the place: but plea­sure doth sooth vs onely in the outward partes of the [Page 183] skinne; and all her sweet waters runne downe with a ful speed into the salt sea. Behold wherefore S. Au­gusti [...]e sayd, whē any pros­perity presented it selfe to his eyes, he durst not touch it. He looked vpon plea­sure, as vpō a fleeting bird, which seemeth (as it were) ready to be seyzed on, and flyeth away as soone as e­uer he sees himselfe almost surprized.

The eight: Pleasures are borne in the senses, & like abortiues are consumed in their birth: Their desires [Page 184] are full of disturbāces, their accesse is of violent, forced, and, turbulent agitations. Their satiety is forced with shame, & repentance; they passe away after they haue wearied the body, & leaus it like a bunch of grapes, the iuyce wherof is crushed out by the presse (as sayth S. Bernard.) They hold it a goodly matter to extend their fullnesse; it must end with life, and it is a great hazard, if during life it selfe they serue not their Host for an Executioner. I see no greater pleasure in this [Page 185] world, then the contempt of pleasure: Nulla maior vo­luptas, quam voluptatisfasti­dium, sayth Tertullian.

The ninth: Man which wasteth his tyme in pleasu­res, when they are slipped away much like waters en­gendred by a storme, fin­deth himselfe abandoned, as a Pilgrime despoyled by a theefe. So many golden. haruests which tyme pre­sented vnto him are passed, and the rust of a heauy Age furnisheth him with no­thing, but sorrow to haue done ill, and inabilities of [Page 186] doing well: what then re­mayneth to be sayd, but as the miserable King who gaue his scepter for a glasse of water: Alas, must I for so short a pleasure loose so great a kingdome?

The tenth: Euill alwaies beareth sorrow behind it, but not true Pennance. It is a most particuler fauour of God, to haue tyme to de­plore the sinnes of our pas­sed life, & to take occasion by the for-locke. Many are packet away into the other world, without hauing at any tyme thought vpon [Page 187] their passage; and some sup­pose they shall haue many teares at their death, who haue not one good Act of repentance; they bewayle the sinnes which forsake them, and not God whom they haue lost. True Con­trition is a hard piece of worke; how can he obtai­ne it, who hath euer sought to neglect it? Facilius inueniqui innocentiam seruarent, quam qui congruè paenitentians agerent, sayth S. Amborse.

The eleuenth: In the meane tyme Death approa­cheth apace; it expecteth [Page 188] vs at all houres, in all pla­ces, and you cannot attend it one sole minute; so much this thought displeaseth you. The decrees thereof are more cleare, & perspi­cuous, then if they were written with the beames of the Sun, and yet we cā ­not read them. His trum­pet soundeth perpetually, more audibly then thun­der, & yet we heare it not. It is no wonder, that Dauid in the 48. Psalme calleth it an Aenigma, euery one be­holdeth the table, and few know the sense of it. Not­withstanding [Page 189] it case cō ­cluded, we must take a long fare wel frō all things which appertaine to life., that can extend no further, then life it selfe; and it is a case concluded also, that serpents, & worms must be inherited in a house of dar­kenesse. It is a goodly les­son, whosoeuer can well learne it. To know it wel once, it must euery day be studyed. Nothing is seene euery where, but watches, clocks, and dyalls, some of gold, some of siluer, and others enchased with pre­tious [Page 190] stones. They aduer­tise of all the houres, but of that which shalbe our last, & since they cannot strike that houre, we must make it sound in our conscience. At the very instant, when you read this a thousand & a thousād (perhaps) of sou­les vnloosned from bodyes are presented before the Tribunall of God: what would you do, if you were presently to beare them cō ­pany? Omnia ista cont [...]mnit [...] quibus solutus corpore non in­digebis. There is but one word. Timely despise in [Page 191] your body, the thinges of which you shall haue no need out of your body.

The twelfth: your soule shall go out, and of all the attendants of life shall haue nothing by her sides, but good and enill. If she be surprised in mortall sinne, Hell shalbe her share. Hel the great lake of the anger of God; Hell the common sewer of all the ordures of the world; Hell the store­house of eternall fire; Hell a depth without bottome, where there is no euill but we may expect, nor good [Page 192] to be hoped.

These twelue Conside­rations are very fit to be monethly meditated on, at leasure.

SECT. II. Seauen pathes of Eternity, which conduct the Soule to great Vertues.

THese twelue Consi­deratiōs well weygh­ed, cause vs to take a seri­ous resolution to hasten di­rectly to good, whereof if you yet desire some notable demonstration, I tell you, that S. Bonauenture sheweth [Page 193] vs with a finger seuen faire pathes, and seauen large gates, which lead vs in a right line, to this most hap­py Eternity: and I hartily wish we had as much cou­rage to follow them, as he grace to vnfold them.

First, seeing the begin­ning of your vertues, and felicities consisteth in the knowledge of God, & the condition of the other life, of which one cannot be i­gnorant without some cri­me, & which is neuer wel vnderstood without profit; you must know, the first [Page 194] gate of Eternity is to haue good, and sincere intenti­ons in the matter of thinges e [...]ernall. To conceaue a strong resolution to worke your Saluation, at what price soeuer: To hold all temporall thinges as wild birdes, which looke v­pon vs from the braunch of a Tree, make vs some light chirping-musicke, & then fly away: To thinke, that in hauing a vitious soule in remarkeable orna­ments of fortune, is to hold a leaden sword in an iuory scabbard: To banish tho­roughout [Page 195] all the course of your life, and excercise of Charges, intentions euill, hypocriticall, impure, and me [...]enary; to go to God, to do for God, to intend the honour and glory of God, aboue all thinges.

You shall make no slight progresle, if you will tread this path. From thence you shall come to the second, which is the meditation of things Eternall, wherein the kingly Prophet exer­cised himselfe, like a braue champion, when he sayd: I haue considered elder [Page 196] dayes, and haue set before mine eyes yeares Euerla­sting. This good intention, which you shal vndergo to tend to Eternity, will d [...]ily furnish your thoughts with an eternal God, a Paradise eternall, a Hell eternall, a Life euerlasting. And as the Ewes of Iacob by loo­king on the party-coloured wands, brought forth va­riously spotted lambs: so in contemplating this eterni­ty, all you doe will be co­loured with Eternity. And if some temporall pleasure be presented vnto you, or [Page 197] any accommodation of for­tune to commit a sinne, you shal say that which the Oratour Demosthenes did of the beautifull Lais, when an excessiue summe of mo­ney was demaunded of him to see her; I wil not buy re­pentance at so deare a rate; I am not so ill a merchant as to sel the eternall for the temporall.

Hauing passed thorough this gate, you shall come to the third, which is the ga­te of light, called Contēpla­tion of things Eternall: There it is, where matters diui­ne [Page 198] are beheld, not onely by forme of discourse, and rationall argument, as one makes an accōpt vpō some receite; but they are seene with the light of the illu­minated Vnderstanding, as if with one glaunce of an Eye, we should behold an excellent pourtraiture of a braue Maister, with an ad­miration all­most insen­sible. So S. Tiburtius saw Paradise, when he walked vpon burning coales: so all the Saints beheld Beatitude among so many afflictions; they stood immoueable, [Page 199] oppressing euen the dolour of body, by the inundation of the minds contentemēt.

From this stepp we ne­cessarily encounter with the fourth Gate, which is a most feruent loue of things eternall. For as S. Thomas hath well sayd, the sight of a temporall beauty maketh a temporall loue, oftenty­mes filling the soule with fire, and flames: so the con­templation of the Eternity createth Eternall Loue, which is an affection bur­ning towards God, and all that which belon geth to [Page 200] his glory, as was that of S. Mary Magdalen, who saieth in Origen, that Heauen, & the Angels are her char­ge, and that she could no longer liue, if she beheld not him, who made both Heauen, and the Angels: she had passed the seas ar­med with monsters, and tempests, hauing no other sailes, but those of her de­sires to meet with her be­loued; she had throwne her selfe athwart slames, and had a thousand times grap­pled with launces, and swordes to cast her selfe at [Page 201] his feet. It is a meruaylous Alchimy, when one is ar­riued at the perfect loue of God, it changeth iron into Gold, Ignominies into crownes, and all sufferings into delights.

At the fifth gate which is called, the Reuelation of thinges eternall, God spea­keth at the eare of the hart, and replenisheth a soule with goodly lightes, and knowledges, euen then darting vpon it (as sayth Gerson) certaine lightning flashes of Paradise, as if a torch reflected some rayes [Page 202] through the creuisses of a door, or window: So (saith he) our Lady was enlight­ned in this life with liueiy apprehensions of Beatitude which shot forth before her eyes, like flying fires.

And as the know ledges of our Vnderstanding, are nothing without the fer­uours of our will; from this gate we passe along to the sixth, which is called, the Antipast of Experience, by which we earely begin to tast in this life the ioyes of Paradise, & contentments which cannot bevnsolded. [Page 203] A hundred thousand ton­gues may talk to you of the sweetnes of hony, yet ne­uer shall you haue such knowledge of it, as in ta­sting: So a world stuffed with bookes may tell you wonders of the science of God, but neuer shal you vn­derstand it exactly, but by the tast of experience. True science (as sayth S. Thomas vpon the Canticles [...]) is more in rellish, then in know­ledge: In sapore, non in sa­pere. I had rather haue the feeling, which a simple soule may haue of God, the [Page 204] all the defini: ions of the Philosophers.

Lastly the seauenth gare of Eternity is called, Ope­ratiō deifying, or diuinized which S. Denis tearmeth, [...], then it, is when a soule worketh all its actiōs by eternall principles, in i­mitation of the Word In­carn [...]te, and a perfect vnion with God, S. Clemens A­lexādrinus calleth him who is arriued to this degree, [...], a little God, who conuer­seth in mortall flesh: and addeth, that as all good O­ratours [Page 205] much desire to be come like vnto Demosthenes, so our principall mystery in this world is to procure vn­to our selues the resemblā ­ce of God. It is that wher­in consisteth all our perfe­ction.

SECT. III. Of Perfection, and wherein it consisteth.

NOW, to the end this doctrine, which is som what too sublime may not dazle your fight, nor enkindle your boldnesse, I will discourse vnto you a [Page 206] most famisiar Theology, to wit, that there are two sor­tes of perfection, the one of glory, and the other of pil­grimage.

That of glory, is reser­ued for the other life, and that of pilgrimage is at this present our principall affai­re. It is ordinarily diuided into the perfection of State, & the perfection of Merit. Perfection of state is as that of the Ecclesiasticall degree of Prelats, magistrates, & Religious also, who are o­bliged by the duty of their profession, to vertues more [Page 207] eminent. Perfection of me­rit is that, which consisterh in good manners. Goe not about to busy your selfe v­pon perfection of state, but liue contented with the co­dition, where in the Proui­dence of God hath rancked you, holding it for a marter vndoubted, that the grea­test Philosophy in the world, is well to performe your office. It importeth not vpon what stuffe you worke, so you worke wel, for it is the manner, & not the matter, which shal gain estimation. Great dignities [Page 208] are oftentymes great masks vnder which there is no brayne; and little fortunes may performe with slen­der voyce, actions, that wil proue to be of no slight ac­count with God.

Apply your selfe stoutly to the perfection of merit, which resteth in the regu­lar gouernement of the Hart, the Tongue, & Han­des, in perfect charity. Ad­dict your selues to the pra­ctise of singular and solid vertues, which beget on earth all wonders, and in heauen all crownes.

SECT. IV. Of Vertues, and their degrees.

IF you desire to know the name, the qualities, and degrees of it, I will re­hearse a wise saying of Pla­ [...], that there are foure sorts of Vertues. The first, are Purgatiues; the second, Il­luminatiues; the third, Ci­uil; the fourth, Exemplar. Purgatiues; serue to dis­charge our harts from vices and imperfections, ordina­ry to depraued Nature; Il­luminatiues, establish the [Page 210] soule in a serenity, which resulteth from a victory gayned ouer passions; Ci­uill, apply man to the du­ty he oweth to his neigh­bour, euery one in his de­gree, and to a good conuer­sation among men: Exem­plar are those, which make the greatest progression in­to perfection, and may be considered as models, from whence others who be­hould them, are to draw forth a copy.

Handle the mattor so, that your Vertues may ar­riue to such a degree, that [Page 211] they not onely may purge your hart, illuminate your soule, dispose you to good conuersation; but serue o­thers also for a light to ma­nifest you in them, by the imitation of your good ex­amples.

I add also in few words, definitions and acts of ver­tue, by which you may di­rect your manners.

SECT. V. Of foure orders of those, who aspire to Perfection,

COnsider at this time what vertues, and in what forme you would practise them; for there are foure sorts of people, which aspire to Perfection.

The first are, very inno­cent, but little valiant for the exercise of vertues. The second, besides Innocency, haue courage inough to bu­sy themselues in worthy actions, but are very spa­ring towards God, and do [Page 246] measure their perfections by a certaine Ell, which they will not in any kind exceed, wherein they are not vnlike the Oxe of Susis, who very willingly drew out of a well his vsuall nū ­ber of buckets of water; but whatsoeuer could be done, it was impossible to make him go beyond his ordina­ry proportion. The third order is of the feruent, who are innocent, couragious, & vertuous without restricti­on, but they will not take charge of others, supposing thēselues troubled inough, [Page 247] with their owne bodyes, wherein they may often­times be deceaued.

The fourth ranke com­prehendeth those, who b [...] ­ing enabled through mu [...]h industry, do charitably opē themselues to the necessi­ties of a neighbour, when they are called for aduise, thinking it is to be in some sort euill, not to be good, but for ones selfe.

Obserue what is requi­red of you, and be an emu­lator of the most aboundant graces. But if the multipli­city of these degrees of ver­tue [Page 248] do perplex your spirit, I wil discouer to you a way of perfection much shorter, and more easy.

SECT. VI. A short way of Perfection, pra­ctised by the Auncients.

THe Auncients had this custome to accommo­date all vertue to certayne heads, and some addicted themselues with so much feruour, and perfection to the exercise of one sole ver­tue, that possessing it in a supreme degree, with one only lincke they insensibly [Page 249] drew the whole chayne of great actions. One dedica­ted his whole life to the manage of the tongue, an­other to abstinence, ano­ther to meekenesse, ano­ther to obedience. So it was found at the death of a ho­ly man named Or, (as Pela­gius relareth) that he had neuer told a lye, neuer sworne an oath, neuer slaū ­dered, neuer spoken but v­pon necessity. So Phasius in Cassianus said vpō his death­bed, that the Sun had neuer seene him take his refecti­on: for he euery day fasted [Page 250] till that Sunne was let. So Iohn the Abbot witnesseth, that the Sunne had neuer seene him in anger, that he neuer had done his owne will, nor had euer taught others any thing, which he had not first practised himselfe. There was need of much fortitude of spirit to come to this. If you de­sire matters more imitable, rest assured you shall lead a good life in disposing your selfe perpetually to the pra­ctise of these three wordes, To Abstayne, To Suffer, To go forward in wel doing, as saith [Page 251] S. Luke in the Acts of the Sonne of God. 1. In abstay­ning from all vnlawfull things, and sometimes also from pleasures lawfull, by vertue. 2. In mortifying concupiscence, anger, de­sire of estimation, and ri­ches. 3. In guiding your Senses, your Will, your Iudgment, and euer gay­ning some victory ouer your selfe by the maistery of your passiōs. 1. To suffer, by enduring the burthens of life with great patience, esteeming your selfe happy to participate in the paines [Page 252] of our Sauiour, which are the most noble markes of your Christianity. 2. By endeauouring to vse a sin­gular meekenesse in suffe­ring the commands, and de­fects of others. 3. By vn­dertaking some austerityes of body, with counsell. 4. By holding a firme footing in good, already begunne: For as sayd the auncient Marcus the Hermite; The wolfe, and the sheep neuer agree togeather, to breed vp their young: so trauell, and distant neuer made vp a good vertue.

To go forward in well doing by becoming dili­gent, & obliging towards al [...] the world, euery one according to his degree: but aboue al, haue still be­fore your eyes the listof the workes of Mercy, as well spirituall as temporall, as a lesson whereon you are to be seriously examined, ey­ther for life, or death eter­nall. And for this purpose some Saints had for all books these words in their Library.

• To visit
• To quēch
• thirst
• To feed
• Redeeme
• Cloath
• Lodge
• Bury
• To teach
• Counsel
• Correct
• Comfort
• Pardon
• Suffer
• To pray for the dead.

The best science of one man is to oblige another. The tyme will come whē death will disarray vs euen to the bones, and leaue vs nothing but what we haue [Page 255] giuen to God.

SECT. VII. Meanes to become perfect.

FOr this purpose you must perpetually be watchful ouer your actiō [...], and be like a Seraphim all sprinkled ouer with eyes, and lights, as Bessarion sayd, you shall know your pro­gression in vertue, when purged from greater sins, you begin to apprehēd the least, when you shall feele your selfe free from ardent desires of interest and ho­nour, when you shall free [Page 256] your tongue from slaunder & vanity, when your hart becommeth very much pu­rifyed in its affections, and that you draw neare to in­differency. The meanes to make your selfe perfect in this manner is. First, to be inflamed with a feruēt de­sire of perfection. Second­ly not to neglect the extir­pation euen of the slightest imperfections. Thirdly to haue a good directour, who may be vnto you, as the Angell Raphaell was to the yoūg Toby, & consequent­ly to conferre with spiritu­all [Page 257] men very often, and to be enkindled by their ex­ample. Fourthly to make a poesy of flowers of the liues of Saints, to take into you the odour, and imitati­on of them. Fiftly to ren­der your selfe constant in good purposes, and to offer them vp to God, as by the handes of our Lady, and your Angell Guardian.

SECT. VIII. How one ought to gouerne him­selfe against Temptatiōs, Tri­bulations, & obstac [...]es which occurre in the way of Vertue.

FInally, seeing in the practise of vertues you must still haue armes in hand, to destroy the pow­ers of our aduersary, and to aduance the affaires of sal­uatiō, recal to memory the twelue Maximes, which I proposed against those ob­stacles, which may hap­pen.

The way to resist temp­tation [Page 259] is not to frame with­in your selfe a spirituall in­sensibility which is moued at nothing. It is hard to attayne it, so sensible is self loue, and had you it, it were to be a stone, not a man. It is not to driue a­way one temptation by an­other, and to do one euill to be freed from another; for to pursue that course is to wash your selfe with inke. It is not to hide your selfe vpon all occasions, & neuer to doe good for feare you must fight against euil, but manfully to resist in [Page 260] the māner I will shew you. The great spirit Iohn Picus Mirandula hath collected togeather twelue notable Maximes, the practise of which is most profitable to wage warre in spiritual cō ­bat against weaknesse.

The first Maxime. That you must be tempted on what side soeuer it happen: In hoc positi sumus. It is our profession, our trade, our continuall exercise. The Eagle complaineth not of het winges, nor the Night­tingale of her song, nor the Peacocke of her trayne, be­cause [Page 261] it is by kind, and it is as naturall for a man to be tempted, as for a Bird to flye, to sing, to prune her seathers. If you forsake the way of spirituall life, fea­ring to be tempted, and turne head towards worl­dly contentments, hold it for an infalliable verity, you shal thereby be the further engaged, and which is worse, without comfort, honour, merit, or recom­pence: you shal leaue a pa­per crosse, which if you wel knew how to manage, would load you no more [Page 262] then feathers do the Bird: you will forsake it (say I) to take another hard, vn­easy, and bloudy, which will put you into confra­ternity with the bad thiefe. The great Prelate of Fran­ce Sidonius Apollinaris rela­teth, that a certaine man called Maximus being arri­ued at the height of honor by vnlawfull, and indirect wayes, much grieued from the first day, and breathing out many sighes, spake these words: Felicem te Da­mocle, qui non longius vno prā ­dio regni necessitatem tolera­uisti. [Page 263] O Damocles, I esteeme thee most happy to haue byn a King only the space of a dinner tyme. It is now a whole day, that I haue beene so, & can no longer endure it.

The second. Remember that in the affaires of the world, we fight a long ty­me, we trauell more pain­fully, we reape more fruit­lessly, the end of one toyle is the beginning of ano­ther. In paines-taking there is no other hope, but euer to labour, and a temporal toyle doeth many tymes [Page 264] draw after it an eternall payne.

The third. Is it not a meere folly to belieue a pa­radise, an eternal life, a Ie­sus Christ, who made vn­to himselfe a ladder of the Crosse to ascend to the throne of his glory; & you in the meane tyme to be desirous to liue heere with armes acrosse, to see the Maister open the way of heauen thorough so many thornes, & the seruant not to be willing to tread, but vpon flowers? To see vn­der a head all wasted, and [Page 265] worne with sufleringes, a delicate member, as one should put feet of flaxe to a brazen Colossus?

The fourth. Were there no other fruit in temptati­on, but the conformity, which we thereby haue with Iesus Christ who is the soueraigne Wisedome, it were to be highly recō ­penced. A braue Captaine sayd to a Soldiar who dy­ed with him: Thou who wouldest haue beene vn­knowne all thy life tyme, it is no small honour for thee to dye this day with thy [Page 266] maister: and who would not hold it a great glory to haue the sonne of God for Captaine, for companion, for spectatour, for theater, for guerdon in all his affli­ctions, and tribulations? Who would not account it a great dignity to be daily crucified with him, to di­stend his handes, and armes vpon the Crosse, in with­holding them from violēces, rapincs, ruines, wher­with the spirit of lying transporteth vs? To fetter your feet in hindering thē to runne after the vnbride­led [Page 367] desires of your hart. To make bitter your tongue in subduing the pleasures of your tast. To wound your body in beating down the incitementes of flesh, by a holy mortification. To les­sen your selfe by the con­tempt of honour according to the exāple of him, who being able alwaies to wal­ke vpon the winges of Cherubims, would creepe among vs like a little wor­me of the earth. What a glory were it to say with S. Paul, Ego stigmata Do­mini Iesu in corpore meo porte.

The fifth. Not to confide in humane remedyes, whē you vndertake to ouerco­me a temptation; It is not a thing which depēdeth me­rely vpon vs; It is neces­sary God go before, and we thereunto contribute our free will: If he watch not ouer our heads, it will be a hard matter for vs to keepe Centinell. No crea­ture is so feeble, as he, who holdeth himselfe for strong, being onely armed with his owne confidence: Multa in homine bona fiunt, que non facit homo. Nulla ve­rò [Page 269] facit homo bona que non De­us praestet vt faciat home, saith the Councel of Orange. Ma­ny good things are done in man, which man doth not, and man doth no good which God doth not. Who thinks to resist temptations without his helpe, is like him that hastneth to the warrs, and stumbles at the threshold of his own doore. And therefore an effectu­all meanes in this battel is to insist much on prayer, es­pecially at the first aproach of a temptation.

The sixth. When you [Page 270] haue vanquis [...]ed a temp­tatiō, take very good heed you forsake not your hold, & wh [...]ly slackē your cou­rage, as if there were no other enemyes to be oppo­sed. As distrust is the mo­ther of safety, so ouer much security is the gate of dan­ger. If your enemy sti [...] ro­ame vp and downe like a roaring Lyō, become you on the other side a watch­full Lyon in the centinells of the God of hoastes, and take for your deuise, Super speculam Domini ego st [...].

The seauenth. Content [Page 271] not your selfe only not to be beaten, but assayle your enemy: when Sathan sets a snare to entrap you, make it an instrument of merit. If he present a good worke to you, which glittereth in the world thereby to tēpt you with Pride, make a good worke of it, and lea­ue vanity, referring all to the greater honour of God.

The eight. When you are in the cōbat, fight with alacrity, as if you already were certaine of the victo­ry. Turne away the eye of you confideration frō what [Page 272] you suffer, and hold it per­petually fixt vpon the re­ward. A great vnhappi­nesse, which maketh ma­ny to fall headlong into temptation, is that they ha­ue their minds so stretched and bent vpon the thought of paines, that they cannot abide to behold the rewa­rde which waiteth on thē. When the forty Martyrs were in the frozen lake, thirty nine of them looked backe vpon their future crownes, and one of them (vnhapily) thought of no­thing but his punishment. [Page 273] All of them remayned vi­ctorious, except this wret­ched creature, who soyling the glory of his patience, came out of the poole to dy presently after in his infi­delity. Do you not magi­ne that which comforted our Sauiour on the Crosse in the bottomlesse Abisse of Calumnyes, and Dolours, was a mirrour of glory, wherin he saw all his suffe­rings in crownes? Behold the course which is to be held. To stay a litle on the present, and rest in a strōg apprehension of the future. [Page 274] And euer to haue these wordes of S. Paul in your hart: Momentaneum, & le­ue tribulationis nostrae, aeter­num gloriae pondus operatur in nobis. Fight then with cou­rage, as if it were the last temptation which should assayle you, and be persua­ded, that heerein is the summe of your predesti­nation: when you haue o­uercome it, gouerne your selfe like a mā readily prest to enter againe into the list, and make one victory the degree for another.

The ninth. Though you [Page 275] be valiant, braue not dan­ger, tempt not temptation by casting your selfe into the occasions thereof, tho­rough presumption of hart: He that much affecteth ha­zard, insteed of finding glo­ry therin, shall trace out his owne Tombe.

The tenth. A soueraigne meanes to conquer tempta­tions, is seasonably to dis­couer the countenances of them freely, to open your hart to your ghostly Father to declare your thoughtes, to know them well, to cō ­sider their nature, to see [Page 276] the strengh they haue vpō the spirit. It ordinarily happeneth what the good Epictetus saith: It is not the thing that troubleth vs; it is our phantasy. How ma­ny temptations would be vāquished by sligh [...]ing thē, if one tooke but a li [...]le ley­sure to laugh at them? We make Elephā [...]s of flies, and of little dwarfes who by stealth pinch vs, we frame Giants. We resēble young children, who for feare of a vizard hide themselues with teares in their nur­ses bosomes, but take a way [Page 277] the maske, and giue it thē to handle, they will make sport with it. How many things seeme terrible, and impossible to vs, which we find ridiculous, and easy to ouercome, if we but neuer so litle touch them with a finger? In temptations of pusillanimity it is good to represent to your self these false Gyants, as Dwarfes; but in that of concupiscēce you must not despise any thing, rather lay hold of li­tle threds, as if they would become huge Cables. Both in the one, and the other [Page 278] there is nothing to be don, but to dash the litle Baby­lonians against the stones: withstand beginnings, and suffer not our enemyes to fortify themselues to our disaduantage.

The eleauenth The sto­ne of offence, and scandall is, that they liuely represēt to their imagination, the sweetnesse of sinne, and neuer consider the pleasu­re which is deriued from the victory ouer sinne. So soone as a man is plunged in the puddle thereof; be­hold a blushing soule dren­ched [Page 279] in pensiuenesse, me­lancholy, and despaire, to whome a loathsome plea­sure, which passeth as a dreame, from a dreame fur­nisheth him with a huge heape of scornes sorowes, and consusions. But quite contrary the soule, which hath resisted, finds it selfe content, generous, ele­uated, satisfied with holy comforts, which come frō the Paradise of God. Few men reuolue this thought, which S. Cyprian much re­cōmendeth: Behold why the number of the damned [Page 280] is very great; and yet doth it not leeme to you very reasonable, that a man, who a thousand times hath yielded to temptation, once in his life should tast the sweetnesse which is in victory ouer temptation, to reioyce for euer? Many haue beene put from great, and euident precipices by often pōdering these wor­des. Well! To yield, what will be the end? To pur­chase repentance so deare? To resigne as a prey to an vnhappy moment of plea­sure, the renowne of so [Page 281] many yeares? Where is thy sayth promised to God? Let vs at the least seeke out a place, where he is not: and where is he not? So many Starrs, so many In­telligences, where with the world is replenished, are so many eyes of God which behold thee. He himselfe discouereth thee, euen to the bottome of thy conscience; take leaue of him, if thou wilt sinne; but how wilt thou begge it of him, and how obtayne it? A little patiēce; this temp­tation is a cloud, which [Page 282] will passe away. Thou go­est about to cōmit a sinne, the pardon wherof is very vncertaine: but it is vn­doubted, that in all eterni­ty, when thou hast acted it, God himselfe cannot do so, that it be not done.

The twelfth. Thinke not you are the lesle accep­table to God, when he suf­fereth you to be tempted, yea with dishonest thoghts which to chast soules are very yrkesome. Alas why? If S. Paul, that Cherubim scorched with celestiall ar­dours, who fixed his foot [Page 283] vpon the front of the star­res (according to the opini­on of S. Ambrose, Theophilact, & Oecumenius) hath felt the stinges of concupiscence in a flesh, rapt to the third heauen; thinke you, in that you haue some good dis­positions of wel doing, you ought to be freed frō war­res of Nature, which euer keep in humility your spi­rit, a little too indulgent to it selfe?

Finally follow the coū ­sell of Cassian, daily consi­der the passiōs which grow in your hart, as a Fisher­man [Page 284] beholds the fish swi­ming in the water, of pur­pose to catch them. Look [...] on that which is most pre­dominant in your hart, frō wha [...] root it ryseth, when it began, what progression it hath made, what empire it ordinarily vsurpeth on your soule, what effects it produceth, whether it be sensuall or spirituall, what thinges vse to foment it, what remedies haue most serued to direct it. Pro­uide counsell, & meanes to extirpat it, proceed ther­in with courage, & feruout [Page 285] as to the acquisition of an incomparable good.

SECT. IX. Remedyes Against passions and temptations which proceed from euery Vice.

FIrst to consider, that Passion is a Motion of the sensuall appetite which proceedeth from the ima­gination of good, or ill, with some stirring of the body.

2. That there are eleauen passions, six in the appetite of Concupiscence, which are, Loue, Hatred, Desire, [Page 286] Loathing, loy, Sadnesse. Fiue in the appetite, of An­ger, Hope, Despaire, Con­fidence, Wrath.

3. That there are two wayes to ouercome al pas­sions, the first whereof is a precaution of the mind a­gainst the occasions, and vayne apparences of all thinges in the world. The second is a serious employ­ment, on better thinges, as Prayer, Study, Labour, & Affaires: but aboue all you must aske of God the light, & strēgth of his holy grace, which infinirly surpasseth [Page 287] all humane remedies.

SECT. I. Affaires, and their importance.

THE third ē ­ployment of the day, is in the affairs we handle, whe­ther it be for the publike, [Page 298] or for the particuler in the gouernement of your fami­ly, or discharge of some of­fice. Good deuotion is a good affaire, and there is nothing more to be feared, then Idlenesse, which is the very source of sinne. He who taketh paynes (sayd the ancient Fathers of the desert) is tēpted but with one Diuell; he who is idle, hath them all vpon him. No man is so noble, who ought not to find out so [...]e manner of occupati­on. If Iron had the practise of reason, it would say, it [Page 299] better loued to be vsed by force of labour, then to grow rusty in the corner of a house.

SECT. II. Two heades, to which affaires are reduced.

VVE must consider in affaires, the Substance and the Forme. The substance; for it is great prudence to make good choice in this point, to vndertak good employ­ments, & to leaue the bad, the dangerous, & burthen­some, which doe nothing [Page 300] but hinder the mind, and choke the sense of deuotiō, principally when there is no obligatiō to enterprise them. Those are truly sick in good health, who inter­pose themselues thorough curiosity, to know, to doe, to sollicite the affaires of o­thers. It sufficeth (sayd the Emperour Antoninus) that euery one in this life do that well, which is his vocatiō. The Sunne play­eth not the part of the rai­ne, not the raine of the Sun. Is it not a meere frenzy to see men in the world, who [Page 301] haue no other action, but to attempt all, and do no­thing?

As fir formein the exer­cise of charge, offices, & af­fairs, there must be vsed sci­ence, conscience, industry, and diligence. Science, in learning that which is pro­fitable to be knowne for discharge of ones duty. 2. In informing your selfe of that which you cannot ap­prehend of your selfe. 3. In harkening most willingly to aduise, by examining, and pōdering it with pru­ence, and wholy gouer­n [...]ng [Page 302] you [...] selfe by counsel. 4. Cōsciencein performing all matters with good in­tentions, and much inte­g [...]ty, according to lawes both diuine, and humane. 5. Industry, in doing all thing [...] discree [...]ly, and pea­ceably, with more fruit thē no [...]se: in such sort that no anx [...]ety be sh [...]wed in affai­res like vnto that Prince, of whom an Ancient sayd, tha [...] in his most serious en­ployments he seemed euer to haue a vacancy. 6. Dili­gence, carefully spving out occasions, and doing euery [Page 303] thing in tyme, and place, without disorder, cōfusion, passion, hast, irresolution, precipitation. For behold these are def [...]cts which or­dinarily destory good go­uernment. He who hath neuer so little witt, and good disposition shall euer find wherein to busy him­selfe, especlally in workes of mercy, amongst so ma­ny obiects of the miseries a neighbour.

SECT. III. Of the gouernement of a Family.

THat man hath no smal busynesse vpon his hand, who hath a family to gouerne. A good Father who breedeth his children wel, that they one day may serue the commonwealth, performeth an important busynesse for the publique. A mother who trayneth vp a little Samuel for the serui­ce of the Tabernacle, as did S. Monica her sonne Aug [...] ­stine, obligeth all posterity. [Page 305] A maister, and a mistresse who hold their domestique seruants in good order, me­rit much before God, and men. Foure thinges very considerable, are to be vsed; Choice, Discretiō, Exāple, Entertaiment. Choice, in the cōsideration of the quā ­tity, quality, capacity, sidelity of those whom you take into your seruice. As for quantity, it appeares it ought to be proportionable to your estate, and reue­newes: it is a great folly to make ostent of a number of seruants for meere vanity. [Page 306] As did Herod the sophister according to the relation of Philostratus, who allowed his sonne twenty foure pa­ges, euery one of which bare the name of a letter of the Alphabet; for so bloc­kish was this child, that h [...] could not otherwise learn [...] the first Elements.

Starres, which hau [...] least circuit are neerest the pole, & men who are least perplexed with affaires, most approach vnto God. A great Retinue, is a note of great scarcity: were ther [...] a Beast, such an one as [Page 307] the Hebrew tables haue faigned, to whome we should da [...]ly giue all the grasse vpon a thousād m [...]ū ­taines for his allowance, would you account him more happy, then a Nigh­tingale, which is satisfyed with a few seeds, or a Be [...] which liueth on dew? The rich hath vse for many Pi­stolets, the poore of a lit­tle bread: both are indigēt, but the one is lesse, then the other, since he hath lesse need. A great number of seruants is not to make a man the more happy: for [Page 308] there is not any one a gre­ater Maister, nor better o­beyed, then he, who kno­weth how to serue himsel­fe.

For quality, Take good heed, least you resemble sorcerers, who care not to hold the diuell in fee, so they may make vse of his seruice for their pretension: you eyther must take your seruants good, or you must make them so: in the one there is good hap, and in the other oftentimes much difficulty. For many are like the Asse of S. Vincent [Page 309] Ferrerius, who did more for a Carter that called on the diuell then for his Mai­ster, who lead him along in the name of God; which the holy man seeing, he put him away, not being able to endure such brutish­nesse in a beast: & can you thinke, that for the necessi­ty of your affaires it may be lawfull for yon to tolerat [...] a man, who hath neyther God, nor conseience; that so thereby your children may at first sucke in the ve­nome of his conuersation?

For capacity, It is most [Page 310] certayne, that besides ho­nesty there must be ability in charges: and allthough it be sayd the Saints are ready to do all, yet God doth not euer giue them both the desire, and mea­nes to entermeddle in all sortes of affaires. Our abi­lityes are limited, as our spirits; and euery one hath his particular talent, which ought to be vnderstood by those, who will make vse of it.

For fidelity, It is one of the qualityes, which she Ghospell alloweth to a [Page 311] good seruant. You haue reason to exact it, and pru­dently confesse it, not by suspitions, and iealousyes, which serue to no other purpose, but to prouoke those who haue a disposi­tion to do well: oftentimes a man is made faithfull in thinking him so: and ma­ny by fearing perpetually to be deceyued, haue taught others to deceaue, teaching them the ready way to sinne by their di­strust ( [...]s sayth the Roman Philosopher.) You must af­ford your officers the com­maund, [Page 312] and liberty, which their charges require, not arguing them euery minu­te vpon trifles; yet you must carefully reserue the state of your affaires for your owne knowledge. For it is as great solly in­differently to trust euery man, as to be diffident of all the world.

SECT. IV. Of direction in matter [...] spirituall.

VVHen you haue happened vpon a good choice, the gouern­ment [Page 313] is no hard matter; for S. Augustine saith, there is nothing so easy, as to per­swade good among those, who haue a great desire to put it in execution. Go­uerne your family in that manner, as the good S. Ele­azar did his, of which the reuerend Father Binet hath framed so natiue a pour­traict. First banish vice, and scandall from your house: let loue-daliances, and such ordures neuer ap­proach, no more then the serpent to the flower of the vine: let not surfet, and [Page 314] drunkennesse, nor such ex­ce [...]se know so much as gare: le [...] gaine of hazard find no harbour: let there neither vncleane word, nor blasphemy be heard, because as Nabuchodonozor caused the Pages, which were to attend on him to learne his language; so the Diuell teacheth those his dialect, who seeme already to be in his pouer.

Vice being exiled, ac­custome your Houshold­people to some deuotion, causing them carefully to heare Masse, especially on [Page 315] Festiuals commanded, in­uyting them to frequent the Sacraments according to their ranke, by assem­bling them as did S. Charles Borromeus in the euening, or at some houre of the day to repeate certaine prayers togeather, if conueniency of place permit; as also to see how they are instructed in the articles of Fayth.

Your example will do more, then all your wor­des; for the life of a good maister, and mistresse is a perpetual Cēsar in a house. Those who seeke to gayne [Page 316] their good opinion, desire to be like them, and by that meanes whilest they en­deauour to be loued, they become honest. We liue in an age, wherein we haue more need of examples, then precepts. Seruantes sticke to the pillars of a house, as Iuy to great trees, & in a word, at the com­maund of great men, all af­fections are of waxe, so fle­xible they become.

It is fit likewise for en­tertainement of this opi­nion, that you be liberall according to your meanes, [Page 317] in the dispose of your fami­ly, honourably accommo­dating the expences which is requisite, both according to necessity, and decorum. For we vse Nets of threed to take fish, and threeds of gold to catch men.

Besides, forget not in the whole manage of your af­fairs to cal very particular­ly vpō the assistāce of God, saying oftentymes ouer these wordes of Salomon in the booke of Wisedome, the 9. Chap. My God giue me the wisedome which waiteth on thy throne, sēd [Page 318] it me from the sanctuary of heauen, and the seat of thy Maiesty, that it may be with me, trauell with me, and make me know thy blessed will to put it in execution.

Preserue your selfe from indiscreet hast in the b [...]gi­ning of a worke, from an­xie [...]y in the progression, & despayre in the end. If your proiect your proceed well, giue thankes vnto God, and example of mo­desty to your neighbour. But if matters succeed not to the tune of your will, practise to pursue the loue [Page 319] of the diuine prouidence, which composeth all the harmonyes of the world: you haue power ouer your designe not ouer enents: you are to pray maters may happen, not as you wish; but to desire them, as they proue. Accustome your selfe not to be contristated at worldly accidents, no more then you would be for an ill dreame: all heere beneath pa [...]eth away as a dreame, and we do much if in loosing all, we retaine this beliefe: but by a long [...]oothing of ou [...] proper wils [Page 320] we haue euen forsaken (as sayth Cassianus) the shadow of patience.

SECT. V. Aduise for those, who are in employments, and gouer­nementes.

SAint Bonauenture hath composed an excellent Treatise, which he ter­meth, the wings of the Se­raphim, wherin he giueth most sage instructions to those, who are in office, and gouernment, where­of heere in part behold the quintessence, and marrow [Page 321] which I intreate you to rellish well. He giueth his Seraphim six wings. The first is, the zeale of the ho­nour of God, which you shall exercise in obseruing foure thinges, to wit.

1. Neither to commit, nor shew to those vnder you, the least suspition of euill, or sinne.

2. Not to giue way to it in any kind, not withstan­ding the alluremēts which you may haue vpon the one side, and the importu­tunityes that will assayle you on the other.

[Page 322]3. Neuer to be ple [...]sed, that an euill act be done, although it come not to your knowledge, for that would be to betray your conscience.

4. To correct, and take away disorders, as much as you can possible.

The secōd wing which you ought to haue, is the spirit of compassion to hel­pe the sicke, the aged, the feeble, the faint-harted, the afflicted, for they are poore Porcupines, laden with prickles, and acerbi­tyes, to whome you must [Page 323] serue for a Sanctuary, and Rock of refuge: Petra refu­gium Herinaceis.

The third. Patience in so many trauels, and cares, which be (as it were) in­separable from charges, & gouernments. Patience in ill successe of affaires, which do not allwayes prosper to the proportion of our paynes, and good endeauour. Patience, to to­lerate the vngrateful, who many tymes throw stones at those who giue them hony-combes; not much vnlike the Atlantes, that [Page 324] shot arrowes against the Sunne. Patience in the oc­casion of wordes, and af­faires treated with certaine people, who are quickly offended, & fretted in their harnesse. It is a great ver­tue to mollify them with a swetetnesse peaceful, si [...]ēt and charitable, as if one should cast oyle into a tem­pestuous sea. An Ancient sayd, That he who could well endure an iniury was worthy of an Empire. His sole silence will disarme a passionate man, and pro­strate the selfe same at his [Page 325] seet, who [...]eemed to thun­der ouer his hea [...].

The fourth wing is Ex­āple, which is obserued in three things. 1. in putting into practise the good con­sells and precepts, which we teach others by word. 2. In managing dignity in a manner [...] ha [...]sh, hau [...]thty nor arrogant, bu [...] mild, affable and com­municatiue. 3. In entertai­ning also a grauity, honest and moderate that the ch [...] ­racter may not be vilifyed which God impresseth on thos [...], whom he calleth to [Page 326] charges, and commaunds.

The fifth and principall wing is called Discretion, without which all vertues become vices: for the ho­no [...]r of great actions con­si [...]teth not so much in doing good, as in doing good, well.

This discretion cōsisteth in foure thinges. To go­uerne the good with good iu [...]gment: to correct euill; well to administer the [...]ē ­porall affaires wherewith one is encharged: and a­mong these encombrances to support, & preserue ones [Page 327] selfe as fresh water in the salt sea.

The mannage of good is maintayned, in three es­peciall acts. The first, to cause those vnder vs, strai­g [...]htly to obserue thinges necessary, and which can­not be omirted without disorder, or scandall. The second, to entertaine, and sweetly attract euery one according to his condition, capacity, and iudgement in workes the most perfect wherein they haue not a formall obligation. The third to dispose with agood [Page 328] Oeconomy, charges and burthens, according to their inclinatiōs, and strēgh of spirits, whom you are to gouerne.

As for correction, eyther they are sleight faults of persons well conditioned whom you are to correct, and those are co be handled with much sweetnesse; or they are couert vices of some maligne consciences, which you neyther ought, nor can discouer: but heere you must vse much indu­stry, patience, and wis­dome to vn-neastle vice, [Page 329] and draw the winding ser­pent out of his Caue, as by the hand of a midwife (as the Scripture speaketh;) or they are sinnes of desperate people, who offend with hope of amendment, to the infection of a multitude: & heere it is where you are to be fortifyed with all your power, so to take away the euill, and the euill doers.

As concerning tempo­rall affaires, vse thē in such sort, as we haue sayd be­fore, and take good heed you entangle not your mind therein, as a fish in [Page 330] the Net, depriuing them of the liberty of the chil­dren of God, to serue the earth.

But aboue all, euer looke well into your selfe, as the prime piece of your gouer­nement. Let your consciē ­ce be pure, confident, and peaceable, speaking, and doing all things with great consideration, and neuer despising their counsell, who are able to aduise you.

Finally, your sixt wing is Deuotion, which is diui­ded into three sorts: the one common; the other [Page 331] singular; the third conti­nuall. The common con­sisteth in exactly perfor­ming the dutyes of piety, which are with in the li­mits of your profession, and to doe them by the way of imitation of that celestiall warfare, which is perpe­tually employed in the prayses of God, and by way of edification of those to whom you ow this good example. Singular deuo­tion obligeth you to seek [...] a particulat refuge in the Tabernacle, following the steps af Moyses according [Page 332] to the necessityes of your charge. Cont [...]nuall deuo­tion [...]yeth you to a most feruent exercise of the pre­sence of God, which you shall witnesse by hauing a desire to please him in eue­ry place, in all occasions, and in all actions, and by dedicating to him all your workes before you begin them, and at the end of thē to set the seale of thangsgi­uing due to his diuine Ma­iesty

Imprint very deepe in­to your hart this speach of S. Bernard, which is read [Page 333] in the first booke of Consi­deration, the fifth Chapter. Cùm omnes te habeant, esto etiam tu ix habent [...]bus v [...]us. Quid solus frau [...]arts m [...]nere tui? vsque quo vadens spiritus, & non rediens?

It you be a man full of affaires, and that all the world haue a share in you, take a part in you [...] selfe, as wel as others. Frustrate not your self of a good so iustly yours, and be you none of those who trauell incessāt­ly, and neuer returne a­gaine to their lodgings.

SECT. I. Recreation, and necessity thereof.

FOrasmuch, as concerneth Recreation, which is vsed in company, at repast, in honest games, [Page 336] in walkes, in good conuer­sation, it is necessary to di­rect the mind, and repayre the forces. Cassianus in his 24. Collation Chap. 21. tels, that a Hunts man ha­uing found on a tyme S. Iohn Euangelist playing with a Partridge, was amazed how a man of so great re­putation could entertaine himselfe with so slight a re­creation. The Saint seeing this man had a bow in his hand, asked him, why he did not alwayes carry it bent and he thereunto an­swearing, it would marre [Page 337] it; the A postle thē replyed, so it is with the mind of man, which needes must sometymes be vnbent, to shoot the b [...]tter.

SECT. II. Pleasures of [...]ast.

Note, for he sayth Vn­bent, no [...] vnloos [...]n [...]d: preserue your se [...]ues [...]o [...] th [...]se excesses, which ren­der men now a dayes as glu [...]ouous in the eyes, as belly it is a stra [...]ge va­nity to l [...]ue the reputation of knowing the tastes of good morsells, to let all [Page 338] your mind to serue that part of the body, which hath least spirit in it, and to cherish a renown which is only fa [...]ned with the su­mes of the Ki [...]chin.

Vse not your belly, as Caligula did his ho [...]se; for he aff [...]arded the great atten­dance and cu [...]osityes of a Prince to a beast, to whom Nature allowed nothing, but oares and hay. And you would do the like, if you bestow so much cost and endeauour to pamper the most bestiall part in you, which the diume prouidē ­ce [Page 339] would haue to be spa­ringly nourished. These great feasts which begin by vanity, and are extended with so much ryot, are e­uer ended in folly, & very often in repentance. No­thing els is gained from the pleasures of the throte, but a body more crazy, a pri­son of flesh more straight, and a sepulcher more stin­king. Vnhappy are the banquets, which the hun­ger of the poore, accuseth before God: it is aboue six­teene ages ago, since they burned the tongue of the [Page 340] rich Glutton, buryed in hell: so many Tunnes of delicious wine hauing not left him one only drop of refreshment.

If you desire to know what the banquets were of ancient Christians, which ought to be the modell of ours, the excellent Tertul­li [...] frameth a discourse ther­of in his Apology. Our feastes (sayth he) shew in the beginning of their na­me, what they are: They are called Charityes, be­cause they are instirured for the comfort of the poore. [Page 341] Our Table resembleth an Altar, and our Supper a sa­crifice; we looke not back at that tyme, vpon what it cost vs; it is a gaine to make expence in the name of pi­ety. Our Table hath no­thing, which sauoureth of basenesse, sensuallity, or immodesty; we there feed by measu [...]e, we there drink according to the rules of chastity, we satiate so much as is necessary for those, who must ryse at midnight to offer their prayers to God; we there speake, and conuerse, as in the presence [Page 342] of God, with handes wa­shed, and candles lighted; euery one repeateth what he knowes of holy Scrip­tures, and of his owne in­uention, to the honour of God. Prayer concludeth the banquet, as it began it. From the table we go vn­to the exercise of modesty, and honesty; you would say in beholding vs, that it were not a supper we too­ke, but a lesson of sanctity.

Out alas! Compare the Feastes of many Christians to these same, and you shal paralell the table of Cen­taures [Page 343] to that of Angells.

SECT. III. Of Game.

FRet not you selfe like­wise at those games of hazard, which haue in thē so much auarice, feruour, and flames. Should a man commit no other sinne, but to conuerse about the third part, or moity of his life with Kinges, and Knauc [...] of Cardes being inuited to the conuersation of Angels, he should do no small hurt. But besides this, euill game is the inuētion of the fiend [Page 344] Zabulon, as S. Cyprian ob­serueth in the Treatise he composed touching this subiect; it is the altar of Fortune detested by the Prophet; it is shop of deceit; the [...]choole of Coueto [...]s­nesse; the appren [...]iship of blasphemy; the skirmish of choller, where are made amityes enraged, thefts vn­punished, curious throat­cutting, and from whence one oftentymes carryeth a­way nought but a tempest in the mind, gal in the hart, & wind in the purse. Who can at the last iudgement [Page 345] day of God excuse a man that gameth with full han­des, and keepes backe the wages of a seruant, or the life of a poore creature, that pineth, and quaketh at his doore?

The souldiers of Pilate cast dice on the garment of the sonne of God as on the bloud, which droped from his body, but they were Hangmen, and I [...]fideils: who would not tremble at a Christian that among so many images of the suffe­ring of the sonne of God, without any regard of ti­me [Page 346] of God or men, playes away the bloud, eyther of his domestiques, whome he neglecteth, or of the poore, whome he dispoy­leth? take away these sol­laces, which are brought forth, as the Salamander, in the teares of heauen.

Clemen [...] Alexandrinus in his Peda [...]ogue w [...]ll discouereth that these games of Cards, & dice, and such like were ill receyued into the pri­mitiue Church: for he reacheth, that such pasti­mes are often, as a bubling of delights ill rectifyed, & [Page 347] an indigestion of euill idle­nesse.

If we must needes game to giue satisfactiō to others we ought (at the least) to take care, this be for some good purpose; that it be a­mong our [...]qualls, and free from passion, litle, and m [...]derate, and to the pro­fit of the poore.

SECT. IV. Of Dauncing.

FOr daunces, balls, and sog [...], that is tru [...], which is sayd by the holy Bishop, and excellēt Author in his [Page 348] Introduction; they ressem­ble M [...]shromes, the best of which are worth nothing. Ryot, vanity, foolish ex­pence, maskes, good cheer, night, youth, loue, liber­ty are as daungerous coun­sellors of wisdome, as euill inst [...]uc̄tours of Modesty. One may therein blesse himselfe by miracle, but some are dayly lost by in­firmity: if we be more weake, then miraculous, we ought to seeke for that safety in the flight from oc­casions, which w [...] cannot find in the strength of our soules.

The Fable tells, that the Butterfly asked the Owle, how she should deale with the fire, that had findged the tipps of her wings? & he counselled her, not to behold so much as the smo­ke thereof. With what cō ­science can a faithfull soule frequēt wordly recreations which haue layd so many blemishes vpon its purity? Must we expect vntill we be on fire, to be freed from the flame? I wonder at those, who would spiri­tualize dauncing, & make it agree with frequent Cō ­munions; [Page 350] they in conclu­sion shall find the employ­ment of the Emperour A­drian, who put Adonis into the cradle of Iesus. There must be so many circum­stances of the intention, tyme, place, persons, and māner to season such plea­sures well, that the absēce from them would be much more easy, then the best vse.

SECT. V. Of wanton Ayres, and Comedyes.

IT you speake of wantō Ayres, of the reading of [Page 351] naughty books, of vnchast Comedyes, and Stage­playes, your Conscience which is the schoole-mi­stresse of the soule wil per­haps dictate more of it vn­to you, then you are wil­ling to belieue. Such recre­ations serue as Harbingers to disorder, as handes to sensuality, tinder to sinne, and scandall to vertue. E­uill at that tyme entreth in­to you, thorough all the gates of the senses, & issu­eth not out againe, but by the posterne of pennance, which is not alwayes open [Page 352] to our indispositions. A young Soule is surprised therin, as in a golden snare; it seemeth that to describe a sinne, is not onely to teach it, but to commaund it. For we are at this tyme in an age, where to know, and do ill, haue not (as it were) any Medium to sepa­rate them, & if we be ver­tuous oftentimes, it pro­ceedeth rather from igno­rance of vice, then precepts of vertue, sayth Saluianus.

SECT. VI. Of pleasure in walking, and running.

REcreatiōs the most in­nocent are euer the most commendable, as are those which are taken in the countrey in the excer­cise of the body: for the Countrey life (sayth the worthy Columella) is the cosen german of wisdome.

Take away the cōforts which are had in churches, in matters iustice, lear­ning, artes, and cōmerce, what are great cittyes, but [Page 354] great p [...]isons? Men liue there as birds in cages, they throng one another, and bedawbe each other by a frequent, and contagious cōuersation. The turmoy­le of affaires, the importu­nity of visites, the sottish tyranny of complements, deceaue them of the moity of their life. In the Coun­trey the heauens, the ayre, the earth, the waters, which the Cittyes bereaue vs of, are afforded vs with farre more liberty. There it is, where all the crea­tures of God speake to vs [Page 355] face to face, to tell vs the wonders of the Creatour. The Christians of the pri­mitiue Church made Her­mitages of their Farmes, to found a retreat from affai­res of the world, and to obserue fit times for reposes but many now a dayes make of their gardens Tē ­ples for Belphegor, where no other Diuinityes are a­dored, but the belly, ryot, game, and impurity.

Many vse ayre-takings, & barley-breakes, where they runne not farre with­out stumbling: for they [Page 356] rather ressemble the list of Atalanta, and Hippomenes. then the race, where S. Paul exhorted the Christi­ans to runne. There it is where the sense, flattered with a thousand delicious obiects, put themseues in­to the field, where the bloud is enflamed, the tongne vnloosned, concu­piscence enkindled, and where false liberty renteth often a piece of the scarse, which was (as yet) ouer the face of Modesty, & au­daciously becomes a Por­tresse to Loue. Such are the [Page 357] sacriledges, which dry vp yeares, which bring disor­der into seasons, sterility into the entrailes of the earth, & despaire into our miseryes.

SECT. VII. Of foure Conditions of Re­creation.

YOur recreation ought to haue foure notable things: Choice of persons, Good intention, Innocen­ey, Moderation. Choice of persons, auoyding euill company, as the most dan­gerous shelfe of life; for the [Page 358] frendship of wicked men is like to bundels of thrones, which keep togeather to burne, and crackle in the flames. Your friendship should be vertuous, sayth­full, disinteressed, if you from it desire to deriue a­ny fruit.

Good intention: such as would be fit to cherish health & strength to serue the soule; for a good man ought to seeke for merit e­uen in play, and repast, as S. Francis, who rose in the night, & fed before a poore hungry fryer, to take from [Page 359] him the shame he had of eating at an extraordinary houre.

Innocency: For there must consideration be vsed therin, least nature be dis­solued into a brutish life, altogeater vnworthy of a generous hart. Behind then comes gluttonny, intem­perate gaine, bold scoffing, and detraction, which in this Age is very hard to be auoyded.

The most ordinary book in companies of men is mā himselfe: you shall find ve­ry few who are now a­dayes [Page 360] delighted to talke of the old & new Testament; nay verily, not so much as of ancient Roman Con­sulls, or Aegyptian Pyra­mides, or of the antique warres of Caesar. Men stu­dy the bookes of time, talke of garbes, habits, cō ­tenances, conditions, of affaires, customes, and al­lyances: and allthough we haue no purpose to of­fend any, yet is it a matter very easy in so great vari­ety of discourse to let many words fall, which are of much lesse valew, then [Page 361] Silence. It is a singular in­dustry to make a good mat­ter slide into company, whether it be vpon occa­sion, question, consequē ­ce, narration, or proposi­tion, as the rouerēd Father Iaquinot obserueth, in his Addresse.

Moderation, since (as sayth the Wiseman) as we must not excessiuely glut our selues with hony: so ought one to take heed, that recreations which are made to refresh the mind, tend not by exorbitancy to dissolution. It must be ob­serued [Page 362] what tym [...], place, and persons require, and to find out your selfe in some recreation, you must not go out of your selfe by pro­fusion.

SECT. VIII. Of v [...]cious conuersation: And first of the Impertinent.

THe Hebrewes say, Game, Anger, Glasse, and Conuersation, are the windowes of the soule, which many tymes cause her to see more then she would. That man is wise, who maks vse of the mee­ting [Page 363] of company, as of a file to polish the mind, & euer to render it more apt for its functions.

Vicious conuersation is drawn (as it were) to three heades, to wit, the Imper­tinent, the Vaine, the Ma­ligne. Impertinent, as the clownish, the sottish, the troublesome, which hap­peneth to many thorough the want of prudence, fa­shion, and ciuility.

Theophrastus, one of the quaintest wits of Antiqui­ty relateth some passages thereof, which he sayes he [Page 364] obserued in his tyme, ar­guing a great weaknesse of iudgment. Some (sayth he) seeke to lay hould of one going vpon an important businesse, to tell him (as they pretend) a matter of great importance, & when it is spoken it is found to be nothing els, but a meere foppery. Others inuite a Traueller, who comes out of the countrey extremely weary, to walke vp, and downe. Others draw a man out of a ship ready to dis-anker, to entertaine fol­lies on the shore. Others [Page 365] come to beare witnesse. when the cause is determi­ned, and bring along with them sweating full many a drop, the Phisitian to se [...] one newly deceased.

Others boast they know the way wel, and promise the rest to be their guide: but do wander in the very beginning, & protest they haue lost their ayme [...]. O­thers make enquiry very grossely into affa [...]es, and hasten to aske a Generall of an army whither he goes, and what his designe is. Such also (sayth he) are to [Page 366] be found many times so r [...] ­sticall, that admiring no­thing of all that which de­serues admiration in ciuill life, sticke vpon the way to behold an Oxe, as men in rapture; and in company haue no better behauiour, then to take their dogge by the muzzle, and say: Oh what a braue beast is this, how well he keepes the house. Such conuersation is able much to vilify a mā, & to take from him all the estimation he may gaine in his profession.

SECT. IX. Of vaine Conuersation.

VAine conuersation is that of bablers, flat­terers, vain-glorious, and such like. This poore Theo­phrastus in my opinion fell into the hands of a tattler, since he so well describeth a man, who with much passion spake the prayses of his wife, and then told all he had dreamed the night before; then what he had eaten at diner, then that he had an ill stomack. From thence taking his flight he [Page 368] discoursed of ages, and as­sured him that men of these times were much short of the Auncients.

Afterward he told, that Corne was cheape: that there were many straun­gers in the Citty: that if it h [...]p [...]pened to rayne, the yeare would be f [...]uitfull; that he had a field to be ploughed; that Dan [...]ppus gaue the greatest w [...] ­light at an offering; that there were so many staires in such a piece of building, and that he had numbred them, and a thousand o­ther [Page 369] the like. Such people (addeth this Author) are more to be feared then a feauer. He that desireth to liue at rest, should seldome keep them company. Ho­race makes mention of one very like, who made him sweat downe to the hee­les, and when he saw him so vexed, that he knew not which way to turne him: I well see sayth he, syr, that I am troublesome, but there is no remedy; for since I haue met with you, it is fit I waite vpon you, hauing nought els to do.

Flatterers are much more acceptable, though they are many times, more daungerous: for they will tell you all the world ca­steth an eye on you; that you are much esteemed, & that all the towne talkes of such a cause, which suc­ceeded well with you; that you haue an excellent wit, handsom body, a good grace, a dainty garbe; that any thing sits well vpon you, and that it seemes whē nature made you, she brake the mould, because she cannot possibly frame [Page 371] the like. If you speake, they proclayme silence to all the wo [...]ld; then as oracles they extoll your words, & if you scoffe at any one they burst thēselues with laugh­ter to please you, and dei­fy all your imperfections. Behold the true poyson of friendship, and hood-win­king of humane life.

The Vain-glorious will ordinarily entertaine you with their owne prayses, and h [...]ue a thousand slight singularityes in their car­ryage, their attyre, their speach, their houses, their [Page 372] trayne to giue notice the­reby they haue some aduā ­tage aboue others. The fore-mētioned author sayth he hath obserued those, who accoūted it for a great glory to haue a Moore for a lacky, so to be the more noted; and if they sacrifi­ced an oxe, they set the hornes ouer their gates, to let the world know of their offering; and to con­clude, were so great louers of themselues, that they made Epitaphs euen vpon the dogges of their houses, specifying their age, their [Page 373] qualityes, and conditions. These are testimonyes of a soule very friuolous, and voyd of all māner of humi­lity.

SECT. X. Of maligne Conuersation.

MAligne conuersation is the worst of all: as that of the harsh, who rē ­der themselues vnsociable in company; that of the o­piniatiue, who beare for their deuise, Yea, & No, & are euervpon contradictiōs euen in truthes the most euident: that of the crafty, [Page 374] an [...] [...], who ende­auoar to discouer all the secrets of others, while they in the meane sp [...]ce hide thems [...]lues vnder a Maske of dissimulation, & in perpe [...]u Il labyrinths of words, fa [...]gning to be ig­norant of all they know, to know wha they know, not, to retayne no memory of a promise, to seeme to wish thē wel, whom they would d [...]ceyne, and ma­ny such like things: those of the proud, who [...]ld [...]y­he, and cōtemne [...]l [...] what themselues are not: those [Page 375] of the cholerique, who are displeased vpon euery oc­casion: those of scoffers, Buffons, and slaunderers, who are obscene, biring, and offensiue in all causes.

It were a long busynesse for him, who would exa­mine all this particularly: and I freely had discoue­ted it in a Treatise of man­ners, and passions, whe­rein I had a hope to giue my Reader contentment, were it not, that the desi­gne of this little booke di­uerted me from it.

It would be to litle pur­pose [Page 376] to make so longe a worke of it, and it is euer much better to conclude well, then enlarge ill.

SECT. XI. The condition of good Con­uersation.

I Will in few words tell you, S. Bernard, S. Tho­mas and other learned men are of opinion, that in cō ­uersation one must render himselfe affable, and amia­ble, yet not too familiar, not curious in other mens affairs, not suspitious, light, riotous, discontented, af­fected, [Page 377] magistral, captious, exceptious, no scoffer, me­lancholique, trifler; not churlish, ceremonious, tal­katiue, not too plyant, & smooth, not chollerique, iealous, proud, nor vayne, as those who through va­nity (which is onely rich in fooleryes) perpetually idolatrize themselues, as a Deity. But one must go­uerne himselfe with great discretion and modesty, he must gaine without deba­sing, laugh without bur­sting, take recreation with­out effeminacy, be constāt [Page 378] without obstinacy, prudē [...] without crast, simple with out doublenesse, he must often dissemble ill, aduāce good, correct his owne faults by those which dis­ple [...]se in another, euer to beare away from the gar­den of graces some fruit in­to the house; and if any secret be there learned, which were fit to be con­cealed, to make your hart a sepulcher for it.

You shall find, there are ordinarily fiue qualityes, which make a conuersati­on very amiable. The first [Page 379] is an obliging fashiō, which sweetly soweth good tur­nes, from which in tyme, and place, we behould re­compences to aryse. The desire to do good to all the world is a hooke we must continuall hold in the wa­ter; for men are thereby more profitably taken, thē fishes: and such there haue beene, who opportunely giuing a glasse of water, haue gayned the prime di­gnityes of a Kingdome, as as we know by the history of Thaumastus, and King Agrippa.

The second, an as [...]bili­ty ioyned to a grace, and sweet behauiour, which hath most powerfull char­mes ouer soules, that are naturally inclined to hone­sty. It is nothing to doe well, & not do it hansom­ly: a benefit giuen with frownes is a fl [...]ty loa [...], not taken but for necessity.

The third, an awakened and wary prudence, well to discerne dispositions, ca­pacityes, manners, humous, aff [...]ctions, and pretensions of those with whome we conuerse, and to adapt our [Page 381] proceedings to the temper of euery one.

The fourth, Humility without sottishnesse, or ser­uile bassenesse, ready to giue way to reason, & not to persume of proper for­ces.

The fifth, whereof we haue spoken heeretofore, is a discreet patience to suffer men, and affaires without disturbance, in such sort, that it may euer keep your hart in a good posture, yea euen in vnexpected, and thorny accidents. Who wel vnderstands this mystery is [Page 382] worthy to command ouer men, vertue hauing alrea­dy set him in a place next approaching to Angels.

It is a good rule for faire conuersation to propose to your selfe some person re­nowned for a perfect car­ryage, to imitate him. So S. Paul the Apostle sayth to the Galathians (accor­ding to the Gteeke Text) he came to historify the groat S. Peter; for he be­held him as an Historian should a Monarch, whose prowesse he intendes to write, or as a Painter a mo­dell, [Page 383] to draw out the cop­py.

So S. Augustine remitted those to the conuersation of S. Paulmus, who desired to profit in vertue, Vade in C [...] ­pa [...]tam, disce Paulmum.

But the most effectuall precept is to thinke, how the Word Incarnate would conuerse if he were in our place: for following his ex­ample, we should do that, which [...]oseph did in Aegypt of whome the Scripture in the Psalme [...]04. according to the Hebrew, sayd, that he hanged the Princes of [Page 384] King Pharao's court about his hart.

The Reuerend Father Gontery, a man of great iudgment, and like vertue hath written a litle treatise of Conuersation, wherein he farre descendeth into particulars. He that will reade it, shall therein find prudent instructions.

SECT. XII. Conclusion of the Diurnall.

IN the euening before rest you are to make the Examen of Conscience, which is the litle Cōsisto­ry [Page 385] of the soule (as Philo ter­meth it) where hauing gi­uen thankes to God, & in­uoked his holy grace, you must recall your thoughts, your words, your actions, your defects, and neglects to an account: that you may see the gaine, losse, & reckonings of that day, so to aduance good, and cor­rect euill, remitting the one to discretion, and the other to the mercy of God.

Remember this word, which S. Bernard spake in the Booke of the interior House, as an Oracle, that [Page 386] one of the principall mir­rours to see God in, is, A reasonable Soule, which finds it selfe out.

There it is we are to set the Conscience in a throne with scepter in hand, and all passions, and imperfe­ctions vndersoot.

There it is, where she is to take the liberty to say vnto you: Wicked seruant, behold a day lost. What sluggishnesse at your rising? what heauinesse at prayer? what negligence in la­bour? what great words, & little workes? To what [Page 387] purpose is this curious in­terrogation, & temerarious iudgment? these wand [...]ing eyes; these straying thogh­tes? what, must you needs be āgry for so slight a cause in such a meeting? Must you so freely speake, and murmur at the actions of another? must you take re­past so sensually, and so greedily seeke for your ease in, and thorough all; and so of the rest. But if by the grace of God you find some kind of vertues, yet must you well examine, & [...]i [...]t them, as the per [...]ume. [Page 388] which was set before the Tabernacle, to present them before the face of God and say for cōclusion with al humility, what the holy man Fa. Rob. Southwell did: Quid fuerim scio, quod fui pessimus: quid sim nescio, qui [...] de gratia incertus; quid ero ignoro, quia de salute dubius: quod fui Domine ignosce, quod sum corrige, quod ero dirige. My God, I know what I haue beene (to wit) most wicked; I know not what I am, since I am still vn­certain of the state of grace. I know not what I shal be, [Page 389] being euery momēt doubt­full of my saluation. God pardon me what I haue beene, correct what I am, direct what I shal be.

This done say the litanies or some other vocalprayers happily to cōclude the day with acts of Contrition, of Fayth, of Hope, of Suppli­cation for the liuing, and dead.

In the Morning.

I Wil pray vn­to thee in the morning: in the morning thou wi [...] he­ [...]re my voyce. Psalm. 5. [...] 4.

Thou sh [...]lt enl [...]ghten me with the rayes of thy face, & the wild beastes (which are passions) shall go into their dennes. Psalm. 103.

My dayes are as the dayes of a hired man, whilest the tyme of the day of Eternity rise ouer me, and the shad­dowes of the night of this world do vanish. Iohn 7. & Cant. 4.

At the beginning of any good VVorke.

It is written of me in the beginning of thy Booke, that I do thy Commande­ment. [Page 399] My God, I will, for I beare thy law, engrauen on the midst of my hart. Psalm 39.

In good Inspirations.

God hath opened the eares of my hart, and I will beware how I gaine-say him. Isay 50.

For Masse.

I will go, and I will see this great vision. Exod. 3.

O how louely are thy Tabernacles, Lord God of Hoastes. Psalm. 63.

At spirituall lesson.

Speake, O Lord, for thy [Page 400] se [...]uant hark [...]neth 1. Reg. 3.

In speaking.

My ha [...] na [...]h vttered a good word; I will tell my workes to the King Psalm. 44.

At Resection.

Thou openest thy hand, and [...]h [...]u fillest euery crea­t [...]re wi [...]h blessing. Psalm. 144.

In prosperity.

Let my tongue cleaue vn­to my i [...]wes, if I remember not [...]hee in the beginning of all my i [...], and prospe­rityes. Psalm. 136.

Inaduersity.

God mortisyeth, & quik­neth. 1. Reg. 2.

If we haue receaued good from the handes of God, why should not we recea­ue ill? Iob. 2.

Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things, and so to enter into his glo­ry? Luc. 24.

In the affaires, and cares of the world.

Man passeth as an image and he is troubled in vaine Psal. 38.

In Calumnies.

If I did please men, I [Page 402] should not be the seruant of Christ. Galat. 1.

In prayses.

Not to vs, O Lord, not to vs, but to thee be glory giuen. Psalm. 113.

Against the vaine hopes of the world.

As the dreame of them that rise (O Lord) in thy citty thou shalt bring their image to nothing. Psal. 72.

Against Pride.

He that exalteth himself shall be humbled. Luc. 14.

Auarice.

It is a more blessed thing [Page 403] to g [...]ue then to take. Act. 20.

Vncleanesse.

Know you not that your bodyes are the members of Christ? 1. Cor. cap. 6. v. 15.

Enuy.

He that loueth not his Neighbour, remayneth in death. 1. Iohn 3.

Gluttony.

The kingdome of hea­uen is neyther meate, nor drinke. Rom. 14.

Anger.

Learne of me, for I am [Page 404] humble of th [...]t. Matth. 1 [...].

Sloth.

Cursed be he who doth the worke of God negli­gently. Hier. 48.

Rules of Fayth.

God is not knowne but by himselfe. From God must be learned, what is to b [...] vn [...]erstood of God. Hi­lar [...]b. 5. de Trinit.

God calleth not vs to a blessed life by difficult que­stions: in simplicity he is to be sought by piety profes­sed. Idem lib. 10.

Transgresse not the an­cient [Page 405] boundes, which thy Fathers haue put. Prou. 12.

Many graue considerati­ons iustly hold me in the bosome of the Catholiqu [...] Church. The consent of people, and nations. The authority of the Church it selfe, which is risen from miracles, norished by hope, increased by Charity, esta­blished by it [...] antiquity. The succession of Bishop [...] holds me therin, which be­ginning by that Sea, & au­thority of S. Peter (vnto whome God recommen­ded the care of his flocke) [Page 406] hath maintayned it selfe to this present tyme. Lastly, the name of Catholike holds me. S. August lib. de [...]. [...], & contra epist. F [...]n­dam.

It is an extreme folly to dispute against beliefs ge­nerally receaued into the Church. S. August. Epist. 1. 18.

Let vs follow generali­ty, antiquity, consent: let vs hould what was held throughout, euery where, and by all, so that it be au­thorized by the diuine law and tradition of the Ca­tholike [Page 407] Church.

Not to know any thing beyond it, is to know all. Vincent. Lyrin. against profano noueltyes. Tertullian in his Prescriptions.

Act of Fayth.

O Lord I belieue, help my incredulity. Mar. 9.

I know my Redeemer liueth &c. Iob. 9.

Of Hope.

Although I shal walke in the midst of the shaddow of death, I will not feare­uill, because thou art with me. Psalm. 22.

With him I am in tribu­lation: [Page 408] I will deliuer him, & glorify him. Psal. 90.

Of Charity.

What is to me in heauen? And besides thee, what would I vpon earth? My flesh hath fainted, and my hart. God of my hart, and God my portion for euer. Psal. 72.

O Lord feed me thy sup­pliant with ceaselesse in­fluence of thy Diuinity: this I begge, this I desire, that seruent loue may pe­netrate me, replenish me, and change me into it. Blo­ [...].