Meditation. I. Of Sins.

Divi­sion 1. COnsider how that thy Soul was made by GOD, most noble and most beautiful: But thou, by living wickedly and carelesly, hast most dis­honourably defiled it, and made it vile, sor­did, and abominable. For the deformity of sin, is greater than any visi­ble deformity.

And indeed, so great is the enormity of mor­tal Sin (which deserves eternal damnation) that by right we ought to depress our selves for one, even the least such Sin, all the dayes of our life, to the very dust, even under the brute Beasts.

2. Thou wast made to this end, that thou shouldst exhibit obser­vance and reverence to thy most high, most wor­thy, and most bounti­ful Creator, and that thou shouldst love and praise Him: but by sin­ning, thou hast averted thy self from Him, and [Page 3]converted thy self to the love of vain and perish­able Creatures, and so hast made thy self un­worthy of His favour; but worthy of eternal punishments.

Wherefore deserved­ly thou shouldst strive to bewail thy self, and lament the evils by which thou hast offended thy Lord God, with in­ward, or also with out­ward tears.

3. Wherefore call to mind, as well as thou canst, in the bitterness of thy Soul, all thy more grievous Sins, which thou hast committed from thy child-hood, to [Page 4]this very moment, by works, words, thoughts, and omissions, as if thou wert immediately to make an exact Confes­sion of them to a Priest.

Yet notwithstanding, thou must not stay long upon the Sins of the flesh, which thou hast com­mitted, lest such an ima­gination breed in thee some harmful delight.

Run over diligently year after year, or day after day, or time after time. Call to mind the places in which thou wast; the persons with whom thou livedst; and the state and office which thou hadst. Ponder how [Page 5]often thou hast repeated thy wicked wayes.

Make to thy self as it were a little bundle of all thy Sins, that, as often as thou shalt un­fold it, thou mayst ea­sily see the Crimes and Wickednesses of thy for­mer Life; and mayest therefore blush, be com­punct, and humbled.

4. Exaggerate and ag­gravate thy Sins, by which thou, a despica­ble and vile Man, hast dishonoured and despised the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and Lord of highest Majesty, and hast done Him an infinite af­front; and after a cer­tain [Page 6]manner hast Cruci­fied CHRIST again: Who, notwithstanding, has alwayes most boun­tifully done thee good, and preserved thee.

Pondering well this thy pride, perversness, and ingratitude; hum­ble, cast down, and put thy self beneath all the men in the world; yea, beneath all Creatures, e­steeming thy self the vi­lest of all, and unwor­thy, whom the earth should sustain; but wor­thy, whom hell should swallow up, unless the Mercy of God hinde­red.

5. Ponder, how much [Page 7]God detests and puni­shes Sins, so that by His terrible and just Judg­ment, He has damned eternally very many, for one single Mortal Sin; as is manifest in Lucifer, and in the Angels who consented to him.

It is manifest also, how much God was offended by one only Transgres­sion, which our First Parents Adam and Eve committed.

Now, What ought to have been done with thee, who hast so often offended the most holy King of Glory? Deeply considering these things, accuse and judge thy self, [Page 8]lest afterwards thou be judged by our Lord.

Admire greatly, that all the Elements, and all Creatures have not risen up against thee, to re­venge upon thee the In­jury of their Maker. Be astonished, that the Earth has not opened it self, to swallow thee up alive, and has not transmitted thee into Hell; how the holy Angels also have been able to endure thy iniquities.

6. Finally, grieving with thy very Soul, or desiring to have Grief, and eyeing attentively JESUS crucified, and His bloody Wounds, cry [Page 9]out from thy heart, and say these, or such like words; Alas! O most pittiful Lord Jesus Christ my Creator, Redeemer, and Benefactor, I most unhappy, have so and so offended Thee, and con­temned Thee; those and those Iniquities I have so often repeated; I have been so disobedient and ungrateful unto thee. But pardon me, I beseech thee, for thy immense Goodness and Charity, with which thou didst sustain for me thy most bitter Passion.

When thou shalt with humility have said these or such like words, by [Page 10]no means despair, but resuming a full and a­morous Confidence in God, purpose firmly, by his Grace, to mend thy self, and to avoid, as much as shall be in thy power, all Sins, not only Mortal, but also Venial, and the least.

Meditation. II. Of Death.

Divi­sion 1. TO think on Death before­hand, and diligently to prepare ones self for it, is true wisdom. And [Page 11]thou shalt be happy, if alwayes, and every where expecting the Hour of Death; thou shalt so watch, as thou permit­test nothing to reside in thy Conscience, which might cause thee anxi­ously to fear, although thou wert just now to dye.

It shall be well with thee, if, considering how vile thy Flesh shall be, thou art not proud, nor dost not follow Carnal delights. For, How mi­serable, I pray thee, is thy Flesh in this Life! How frail! how full of Filthes, which continu­ally flow with an intol­lerable [Page 12]stench through all the passages, although outwardly it appear fair and neat! So that thy Body at present may rightly be called a sack of dung, and all kind of filth; but shortly it shall be an abject, cor­rupted, and putrid Car­cass, and Worms meat.

2. Think therefore that thou must shortly dye, yea, perhaps to day, and must go hence into another unknown region; and must leave here riches, glory, ho­nours, pomps, pleasures, friends, vanities; and all other transitory and pe­rishable things, which [Page 13]thou inordinatly lovest, or in which thou art now delighted.

And indeed every day, every hour, and every moment thou approach­es near thy death, and the last hour of thy life. Therefore compose thy self as if thou wert now to dy. Think thy coun­tenance to wax pale, thy mouth to be contracted, thy sight to be darkned, thy breath to fail, and the sweat of death to be now present; which te­stifies nature to be over­come.

3. Think, I pray thee, how great a trem­bling and horror will [Page 14]then seize thee, and how much thou wilt grieve, if thou shalt be unprovi­ded, because thou hast not vigorously mended thy self.

O how short will the time of thy life seem to thee? For it will appear like a dream, and a sha­dow: when thou shalt reflect that eternity is at hand, which shall never end.

Perhaps thou wilt de­sire one little hour to correct thy self, but it is uncertain whether thou shalt obtain it.

What will thy pride profit thee? what will it profit thee, if thou shalt [Page 15]now have followed thy own will, and the viti­ous passions of thy mind.

O how sad wilt thou be, when thou shalt have lost thy precious time, or spent it unprofitably! How wilt thou be vexed that thou hast lived so wickedly, negligently & remissly! That thou wast so greedy to see, hear, and talk vain things! That thou hast not more manfully contemned the Allurements of thy Flesh and Senses, that thou hast been so slack to the mor­tification of thy self; and to follow true hu­mility and charity, and to gather together all [Page 16]spiritual good things!

Now therefore, whilst thou hast yet Time, a­mend thy self, and study to live better, and more holily.

4. Think, when thy Soul, galled with the sharp prickings of death, shall cease to see the light of this world, and shall begin with its in­ward eyes to behold the state of the other Life, and those things which before it would not be­lieve: Cruel Beasts, and horrible troops of De­vils will present them­selves, by divers means endeavouring to ensnare thy same Soul, and ex­specting [Page 17]it to make a prey of it, if it shall have departed here with­out true Repentance.

It is therefore good and healthful to Salva­tion, now to provide for ones self, to cut off bad and unprofitable de­sires; to leave vain and worldly things, and to convert ones self wholly to love and seek af­ter Celestial and Eternal Goods.

5. Consider, how that thy Soul being gone out of thy Body, it shall im­mediately be presented before the Tribunal of a Terrible Judge, who cannot judge thee other­wise [Page 16] [...] [Page 17] [...] [Page 18]than thy works de­serve, seeing that He is the Supreme and immu­table Justice.

In this particular Judg­ment thou must render a most exact Account of thy whole Life, of all thy Time spent unpro­fitably, of all thy Bad Works, of all the Good thou hast omitted, of all thy Idle Words, and of all thy Thoughts and in­ordinate Affections.

The Devils shall pro­pose all thy sins, and all thy negligences, which have not been blotted out by Repentance.

Finally, a Sentence shall be pronounced by [Page 19]the Just Judge, concer­ning thy Soul, which shall never be recalled for all eternity: For, where the Tree shall fall, whe­ther towards the South, or towards the North, there it shall for ever remain; and shall belong either to eternal Salva­tion or Damnation.

6. It is profitable for thee often to think on these things, that thou may'st with diligence Correct thy Life, and make thy Peace with God, before that thou shalt be called hence. This thou wilt do, if thou be'est wise.

For our Lord God is very merciful, and re­ceives [Page 20]most courteously all those who timely re­turn unto Him by true Repentance: Because He wills not the death of a sinner, but rather that the sinner should be Con­verted and Live. Ezek. c. 18. & 33.

Meditation. III. Of the Ʋniversal and Last Judgment.

Divi­sion 1. NOthing can be imagined more dreadful, than that strict and terrible Judg­ment, by which God will [Page 21]judge all men in the Last Day.

Very terrible Signs shall go before this Uni­versal Judgment, to wit, a stupendious violence of Winds, tumultuous Ri­sings of the Sea, unusu­al Workings of its Waves, vast Earth­quakes, Fallings of Buil­dings, knocking together of Mountains, breaking of Rocks, claps of Thun­der, obscuration of the Sun, Moon, and Stars; sad roaring and bellow­ing of Beasts, miserable withering of Men for fear, &c.

The Day of Judgment being now at hand, the [Page 22]world shall be set on Fire by the Divine Power, and so the Fire shall destroy and consume all brute Animals, and all Men which it shall find A­live.

But the Supreme Judge will come in His Majesty, and with intol­lerable Anger. That dreadful Judg shall come in the Clouds of Hea­ven, with the Elders of the People, and with thousands of Angels, with the whole Celestial Host.

Deservedly therefore the Prophet Sophonias, considering that great and bitter Day of our Lord, Sophon. 1. sayes, [Page 23] That Day is a Day of Anger, a Day of Tribu­lation and Straits, a Day of Calamity and Misery, a Day of Darkness and Gloominess, a Day of Clouds and Tempestuous­ness, a Day of a Trum­pet and Noise.

And blessed Hierom, sayes, Whether I eat or drink, or whatsoever else I do, the Noise of that dreadful Trumpet always sounds in the ears of my mind, Arise ye dead, come to Judgment.

2. Then all Men in a moment, having recei­ved their Bodies shall Rise again, and our Lord shall come down to Judge them.

And the Elect indeed agil, beautiful, strong, splendid, rejoycing, and secure, shall meet the Judge; and being Raised from the Earth, shall stand in the Air on his right hand: But the Re­probate shall stand upon the Earth, heavier than Lead, infirm, deformed, stinking, vile, obscure, and miserably trembling, and shall be on his left hand.

O! what horrid and unimaginable straits shall they sustain! With how unutterable a Terror and Fear shall they be struc­ken, when they shall see above them, an Angry [Page 25]and an Inflexible Judge, beneath them the Pit of Hell open, and gaping for them; about them the World on Fire, be­side them a multitude of Devils Accusing them, within them a guilty and gnawing Conscience.

All their Sins, and all the Secrets of their Hearts shall be manifest as well to Men as Angels.

The Wicked shall seek to turn away their Face from the angry Counte­nance of the Judge, but shall not be able.

Who also beholding the glory of the Just, Shall be troubled with a horrid fear, and sighing [Page 26]for anguish of Spirit, shall say, These are they whom sometimes we had in de­rision, we fools deemed their Life a madness, and their End without honour. Lo how they are reckoned a­mongst the Sons of God, and their Lot is amongst the Saints. Wised. 5.

3. Christ our Lord will show to all his Wounds shining with an ineffable Comliness, which truly shall bring to the Just a most sweet consolation, but to the Wicked a dreadful confusion.

Christ himself shall then terribly reproach to all the Reprobate and Un­grateful, the benefits of [Page 27]his Incarnation and Pas­sion: And they, with unconceivable grief shall acknowledge Him, whom they chose rather to slight and despise, than to fear and worship.

4. No Evil shall then remain undiscussed or unrevenged; but a strict Examen shall be made of all thy works, words, thoughts, and affecti­ons.

The Justice of the Judge is not less than his Mercy; both is in­finite. Wherefore thou must render an account of all the time granted to thee, of spiritual Gifts neglected, of temporal [Page 28]Goods ill expended, of Meat, Drink, and Alms, unworthily consumed.

Thou shalt render an Account, not only for thy self, but also for those, to whom thou hast at any time set a bad ex­ample, and hast given an occasion of doing ill.

As also, for all Sin­ners and Pagans, per­haps a grievous account shall be exacted of thee, for that thou hast not faithfully prayed for their Conversion.

But chiefly thou shalt give an account for those who were specially com­mitted to thy care.

Innumerable sins, which [Page 29]thou dost not take no­tice of, nor acknowledge, shall then break out a­gainst thee, as it were out of ambush, and shall be objected unto thee. The least thoughts, and very minute words, which thou slighted, and reputed as nothing, shall then be discussed. Hence the Psalmist prays, From my hidden faults cleanse me O Lord. Psal. 18.

Attend now that most hard and irrevocable Son­tence of the just and an­gry Judge. For when he shall have said to those who shall be on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, &c. He shall [Page 30]say to those who shall be on his left hand, Go ye cursed into eternal fire. O sharp word! O word full of all horror and bitterness!

This Sentence of eter­nal Damnation being pro­nounced, immediately the Earth, with a terrible crack, shall swallow up the wicked; and that fire, with which the world shall burn, involving them with darkness, and with all the filth and stench of the whole world, shall thurst them down into Hell, there to be for e­ver tormented.

But these falling down into the depth of Hell, [Page 31]the Elect shall go up gloriously into Heaven, the same Reprobate be­holding that very thing, and, to their greater Ca­lamity and Misery, ne­ver forgetting it.

O Despisers of the Law of God! think se­riously, I beseech you, how sharp it will be, to be in this manner sepa­rated from the society of God, and the B. Vir­gin Mary, and all the Citizens of Heaven!

When Hell shall have received the wicked dam­ned Wretches, it shall be shut, and stopped at the top like a pot, and no Devil or Man shall [Page 32]ever come forth thence.

6. Thou therefore, that thou mayst be able to avoid this unexpres­sible misery, confusion, horror, and strait, whilst the time of Mercy lasts, study to appease God, and to please Him.

Bewail, and humbly, and sincerely confess thy Sins. Do not hide now from the Vicar of Christ, the Priest, what thou de­sirest should be hidden in that dreadful Judg­ment.

Correct thy Life with all thy forces. Depart from evil, and do good. Psal. 36. Spend thy time profita­bly: Fly vain and fool­ish [Page 33]joyes: Mortify, as much as thou canst, the vicious Passions and Af­fections of thy Mind.

Now wisely fear, that thou mayst be then hap­pily secure.

Meditation. IV. Of the Pains of Hell.

Divi­sion 1. AS the Happi­ness of the Saints in Heaven is un­utterable, so the Cala­mity of the Reprobate in Hell, is ineffable and incomprehensible.

Do thou now imagin [Page 34]a place under ground, and a horrible Gulf: Be­hold a vast Furnace, all on Fire with Sulphur and Pitch, terribly bur­ning, dark, smoking, stinking; full of men and devils.

There is everlasting Horror, and never end­ing Despair; there's Gnashing of Teeth, and great Howling, and per­petual Blaspheming; there the Damned, for the sharpness of their Pains, bite their Tongues, and Curse the King of Hea­ven.

2. Consider that there is such Fire and Heat, and such Cold, as all [Page 35]fire and heat, and all cold of this world, in comparison of that Heat and Cold, is nothing. There they are forced to pass from intolera­ble Heat, to intolerable Cold. There they are most cruelly boyled and roasted.

They feel most bitter Torments in every Sense, and in every Member: Their Sight continually beholds dreadful & hor­rid Faces of Devils. Their Hearing continu­ally perceives the La­mentations & sad Cryes of those, who continu­ally cry out, Wo, wo, wo! Why were we crea­ted [Page 36]and made? Cursed be God who made us. This is the sad Song which is there continually sung.

Imagin there to be Vessels full of all filthi­ness, to wit, Toads, Snakes, putrid Flesh of dead Carcasses, and the filth and dung of Jaques's mix'd together: And the Wicked to be drown­ed over head and ears in those Vessels, and against their will to smell, touch, eat, and drink that stink­ing Mixture. Thou canst imagin nothing so abo­minable and grievous, but there are there things more abominable & grie­vous.

There every one is punished most in those Members, by which he has most sinned.

3. There the Devils insult over those whom they torment, and whom they have, and shall for ever have for their com­panions, saying, Where are now your Riches, where your Honour, where your Glory, where your Plea­sure, where your Delights, where your Vanities?

Who is so hard and mad, as not to conceive a profitable Fear from the consideration of these things? And, as not to amend his wicked and negligent Life?

Assuredly whatsoever can torment, whatsoever can cause horror and a­bomination, shall for e­ver be seen, heard, and felt in Hell.

4. Consider moreover the inward punishment of the damned; for they shall be for all eternity deprived of the sight of God. They shall never see that blessed City, the celestial Jerusalem.

God has cast them a­way, and they are deli­vered to everlasting obli­vion; nor will He ever have mercy on them, Rom. 1. For they are vessels of wrath, in which the rigor and the seve­rity [Page 39]of the Divine Justice is manifested.

The Worm of their Conscience shall never dye, but shall without ceasing gnaw and accuse them, for that for so short a joy, and so mo­mentary a pleasure, they have lost eternal Hap­piness, and found ever­lasting Punishments.

O Ponder! ponder di­ligently this Eternity of Pains. After a thousand thousands of Years their End shall be no nearer, because they shall never end; but in Hell there shall be a perpetual pre­sence of all Evils, and a perpetual absence of all Comfort.

5. Lo such a Calami­ty is the Reward of those who fear not God, and continue in their Sins without true Repentance, until their Departure out of this Life. For there being in Mortal Sin an infinite enormity, by rea­son of the contempt of the immense God: Such a Sin (if it be not blot­ted out by Repentance) shall be punished with endless Pain.

But thou who art yet in the time of Grace, leaving thy Vices and Vanities, without delay return to the Lord thy God, and He will receive thee, cleanse and heal [Page 41]thee. Fear Him, serve Him, love Him with all thy heart. For so thou shalt escape those Tor­ments, which never are ended, never Intermit­ted, never diminished.

6. If thou art entred into Religion, thou must with all thy might tend to perfection, thou must lead an humble, pure, and signally Holy Life. But if thou hast a secular Heart and Religion, and livest negligently, and shall end thy life in such negligence, thou shalt be thrust down into Hell; or certainly shalt endure such sharp, horrid, and long pains in Purgatory, [Page 42]as if thou couldest now foresee them, thou wouldest dye for fear and horror of them.

Wherefore now, if thou beest wise, thou wilt take diligent care for the salvation of thy Soul.

Meditation. V. Of the Life and Passion of Christ.

Divi­sion 1. THe sin of the world could not have been taken a­way, unless the Creator of the world assuming [Page 43]human flesh, had abolish­ed it with his own blood.

Ponder therefore, how our Lord Jesus, the Son of the living God, the most high God, for the excessive love, with which he loved us, would be con­ceived by the holy Ghost, and be made man in the womb of the B. Virgin Mary: that thou load­ed with thine Iniquities mightest not descend down into Hell.

Thy God was made thy Brother. He was born a tender little In­fant, in a poor Stable. He was wrapped in vile clouts. He was laid in the Crib of Beasts. He [Page 44]lay upon hay and straw. He was suckled by the breasts of a very poor Mother.

He was Circumcised the eighth day, from his Nativity, and shed his Blood.

Then he fled into Ae­gypt.

And so in his sacred Infancy, and Childhood, he sustained very many necessities, and grievan­ces, with Mary and Jo­seph.

2. The sweet Jesus when he was about thir­ty years old, humbly re­ceived Baptism from his servant John.

He fasted, was temp­ted, [Page 45]watched, preached, was wearied with jour­neys and labours.

He endured with a most meek heart, three and thirty years, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, and innumerable grievances, and innumerable perse­cutions; and at length went to Hierusalem there to dy for thee.

3. The sweet Jesus, when upon his knees, he had humbly washed the feet of his Disciples, and had wiped them with a Towell, and had institu­ted the Venerable Sacra­ment of the Eucharist, he went unto Mount Oli­vet. O how grievous, [Page 46]how unworthy, how sharp things did he suffer for thee.

For he the Lord of highest Majesty, would tremble and be sad even unto death. He would be bathed in a sweat of blood, by reason of the vehemency of the angui­shes, with which he was oppressed.

He resused not to be kis't by the Traytor Ju­das, and as a Theif by wicked men, to be ig­nominiously apprehend­ed, bound, led away, dragged, pushed, smit­ten.

4. The sweet Jesus, the Lord of Lords, vouch­safed [Page 47]to receive a cruel buffet from a servant of the high-Priest.

He vouchsafed to be unjustly condemned, to be defiled with spit­tle, to be beaten with blows and buffets, to be reproachfully blinded, mocked, and scoffed.

The most meek Lamb, did not in the mean while complain, nor turn away his face, from those who spat on him: but teach­ing us patience, and ex­hibiting himself a pattern of patience, he was dumb and opened not his mouth. Isa. 53. He endured with silence, revilings, con­tumelies, disgraces, and many injuries.

5. Behold, sweet Je­sus, the Holy of Holies, bespatred with spittle, and bound, is lead to Pilate, and before him falsely accused, but he humbly holds his peace.

He is sent by Pilate to Herod, and is despi­sed by Herod, and clo­thed in a white and ridiculous coat, as a fool, and so is sent back to Pilate.

He is stripped in the Pretors Hall, and inhu­manely tyed to a Pillar, and most cruelly torn with whipps. His Vir­ginal and delicate flesh was all deformed with bruises and wounds, and [Page 49]out of it ran on all sides down upon the earth rivolets of his precious blood.

O what, and how sad a Spectacle was this! Truly he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our wicked­ness, and by his bruises we were healed. Isa. 53.

6. The sweet Jesus King of Kings, is Clo­thed in a Purple Cloak, to his greater re­proach is Crowned with Thornes, and Woun­ded. Hence his Pur­ple Blood flowed down plentifully upon his ami­able face, and neck.

A reed is put in his hand, and he is scof­fingly saluted and ado­red; he is stricken with a reed, again he is spit upon, and buf­feted.

He is exposed to be gazed upon by the peo­ple, with a Crown of Thorns upon his Head, and a Purple Vestment about his shoulders.

7. The Sweet Jesus, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, carrys his own Cross upon his bruised and hurt shoul­ders.

He tastes upon mount Calvary wine mixed with myrrhe and gall.

Again he is stripped, and his wounds are re­newed by the pulling off of his Garments.

He is unmerciful stret­ched out on the Cross, and his delicate hands, and undefiled feet are transfixed with hard Nailes, and the Joynts of his most Holy Limbs are miserably loosed.

Most Pure Blood Flows abundantly out of his sacred Wounds, as out of so many Foun­tains.

Go to, Ponder, and Me­ditate profoundly these things. Take notice of the Bloody and saving wounds of thy Redeem­er, [Page 52]Salute and Venerate them with a Devout Heart.

8. The Sweet Jesus endured most bitter Torments three Hours, Hanging on the Tree of the Cross betwixt two Thieves.

Lo, he is Mocked, and blasphemed! but he prays for his blasphe­mers, he prays for his Crucifiers.

He deeply Compas­sionates his Sorrowful, and Afflicted Mother standing by, and Cour­teously speaks to her.

Burning with a most grievous Thirst, Vinegar is given him to Drink.

And forthwith bow­ing his Venerable Head he gives up the Ghost. The good Pastor lays down his life, for his sheep. He who gives Life to all things dyes for thee.

Afterwards his Side is opened with a Spear, and thence Flows out Blood and Water.

Last of all, his Imma­culate Body being taken down from the Cross, is laid in a Tomb, and buryed.

9. Thou hast here a Spiritual bundle of Myrrhe. See thou lay it diligently between the breasts of thy Soul.

But whilst thou pon­derest these things, be­hold with thy inward Eyes thy beloved Je­sus Christ, not as a Pure Man, but Contemplate him as God and Man in all things, which he did and suffered.

Consider diligently his deep humility and pa­tience, his inestimable bounty, and most Ar­dent Charity. Admire! be amazed, imitate, com­passionate him, and re­turn love for love as thou art able.

Adore, praise and glorifie him, and give him thanks.

Consider, I beseech [Page 55]thee, whether it be fit­ting, that the Son of the most high, the Supream King of Glory, endu­ring for thee a most vile Caitiff, so great Ab­jection and Ignominy, and so great labours and torments, thou in the mean time, as if thou wert secure, shouldst give thy self to sports, and jests, to vanities and delights; little or no­thing thinking of him, and living negligently, nay, perhaps wickedly!

O! how ill at the last shall it go with those ungrateful and unhappy hearts, who little esteem so great [Page 56]benefits, such ensignes of love, and care not to ruminate the Passion of Christ! Far be it from thee.

Meditation VI. Of the Imitation of Christ.

Divi­sion 1. LO, the Cruel, base, and hor­rible Prince of dark­ness the Devil, says to thee, hear and follow me, be Proud: and neglecting God do thy own will, love the world, and those things which are in the world, that thou maist be Tor­mented with me in the [Page 57]horrible punishments of hell.

On the contrary side, the Mild, Gracious, and Amiable King of Glo­ry Christ, says to thee; Hear, and follow me; be humble, and despising the World, deny thy own proper will. Love God, and those things which are above, that thou maist rejoyce with me for ever in Heaven.

Here now enquire and weigh diligently with thy self, whether of the two thou oughtest to hear and follow. Assuredly, thy reason manifestly crys, and shews, that thou oughtest to follow [Page 58]the Lord Jesus, thy most sweet Creator, Redeemer, Lover, and Benefactor.

Which being so, do thou without delay joyn thy self to Christ, and say from thy heart: O Lord Jesus, I despising the Devil, from hence­forth purpose, thy grace assisting me, to follow, imitate, and love thee my King.

2. Wherefore as Je­sus Christ thy King, the most high God, humbled and emptied himself by assuming human flesh, and the form of a servant, by being born of a poor Virgin, by washing his Disciples feet, by most [Page 59]perfectly obeying his Fa­ther and Men: so thou must purpose hereafter to humble thy self under all things for his love.

Thou must willingly submit thy self to all men; willingly serve all.

Willingly take the lowest place, seeing thou art not worthy that the earth should support thee, by reason of thy sins and ingratitude.

Thou must willingly perform vile and abject works, although thou shouldest therefore suffer some shame before men.

Thou must willingly & readily obey men in law­ful and convenient things [Page 60]not only thy superiours, but also thy equalls, and moreover thy Inferiors.

3. Also, as thy King Christ was alwaies meek and humble of heart, so thou oughtest hereafter to endeavour, that all rough and vitious moti­ons of Anger be extin­guished in thee.

Thou must not be ob­stinate in thy own sense, nor adhere to thy own proper Judgement: but must wisely prefer the judgement and will of o­thers before thy own judgement and will.

Thou must from thy heart, repute thy self the most unworthy of all [Page 61]men, and renounce all vain glory and self com­placence, as much as thou canst: acknowledg­ing thy self of thy self, to be nothing, to be able to do nothing, and to have nothing but sins and de­fects.

Thou must therefore never usurp to thy self any thing of Gods gifts, but must attribute all good things to God, and purely refer them to him.

Thou must chuse and love rather not to be known and little esteem­ed by men, than to be known or praised.

4. Also as thy King [Page 62]Christ abstained from all vanity, pomp, curiosity, and superfluity in meat, drink, clothing, and o­ther necessaries for his life; yea and chose most abject poverty in his Na­tivity and Death: so al­so thou must purpose hereafter to use all things moderately, and to be content with simple meat and drink, and simple cloathing; removing from thee whatsoever is vain, proud, or altoge­ther superfluous.

5. Again, as thy King Christ did not follow sen­sual pleasures and the de­lights of the flesh, but even thirsting drunk Gall [Page 63]and Vinegar, and adhe­red inordinately to no­thing, and had most pleasing manners and be­haviour: so thou must purpose hereafter, to re­ject all impure and sensu­al delights, and impure pleasures.

Thou must restrain all thy senses, thy sight, hearing, tast, and touch­ing, and also thy tongue from all excess, vanity, and curiosity.

Thou must keep thy heart with all diligence, clean and free. Thou must not adhere by inor­dinate affection to any person, or to any perish­able thing.

Thou must shun immo­derate laughter, and all lightness of manners.

Thou must prudently decline noxious and su­perfluous conversations of worldly men, and oc­casions of sinning.

Thou must spend the remainder of thy life, profitably to the honor of God, and with Gods as­sistance, endeavour to live soberly, chastly, purely and piously.

6. Moreover, as thy King Christ endured un­just accusations of him­self, revilings, persecu­tions, and pains inflicted on him, most humbly, most patiently, most [Page 65]gently, and with a mind absolutely resigned: so thou hereafter must pur­pose, to endure patient­ly and gently reproof of thy self, injuries, re­proaches, contempt, do­lors, and all crosses for his love, taking all from his fatherly hand.

Thou must resign thy self wholly, as well as thou canst, to his most just judgement, and most acceptable good pleasure: Thou must I say, leave thy self absolutely to him, permitting him to do with thee, to send to thee, to take away from thee, whatsoever he will, and as he will. Thou [Page 66]must renounce all thy own will.

Thou must believe thy self to be worthy of all Tribulation, and that no creature can so much af­flict thee, as thou deserv­est to be afflicted, by reason of thy infinite ini­quities.

Thou must not lightly complain, that any injury is done thee; nor say that thou sufferest any thing unjustly: because thou wilt alwaies suffer less, than thou hast deserved.

7. Lastly, as Christ thy King, loving all men, and desiring the Salvati­on of all, prayed even for his enemies, and makes [Page 67]his sun to rise upon the good and bad: so thou must purpose hereafter sincerely to love all men, none excepted, desire the Salvation of all, and out of charity exhibit thy self, faithful, gra­cious, and sweet to all, especially to thy enemies.

Thou must grieve, that so many Souls, stamped with the most Noble Image of God, do perish. Thou must compassionate the afflict­ed; Thou must despise no body, Judge no body, for rash judgments great­ly hinder the grace of God.

8. Thou must diligent­ly [Page 68]ponder these things with thy self. Thou must consider attentively how true it is, when in the foregoing points, Christ is said to have done this or that.

Thou must wish from thy heart to be confor­mable to him, that the Disciple may be as his Master: and the most vile Servant must not be proud, the supream Em­peror shewing humility in all things.

Thou must examin thy self diligently in the particulars, and see whe­ther thou hast an abso­lute will to fulfil by work, with the Grace of God, [Page 69]that which thou readest. For thou oughtest to be ready to this, without any tergiversation.

If not withstanding thy nature repugning, thou perceivest thy self as yet less ready, thou must not therefore be too pu­sillanimous, but must do what is in thy power, and have a good will; renounce vices, and re­sign thy self as well as thou canst.

Thou must pray to God that he would strengthen thee, and give thee those things, which are necessary for thy sal­vation, and are pleasing to him.

If thou desire and en­deavour thus to imitate thy King, thou shalt without doubt come to his Heavenly Pallace, and shalt obtain everlasting Life and Glory, with all the Saints.

Meditation 7. Of the Glory of Heaven.

Divi­sion 1. THou must i­magin that Celestial Country, to be as it were a most splen­ded, glorious, and large City, built of most pure gold, and most pretious [Page 71]Or, if thou hadst rather imagin it to be a most spatious Country, and a­dorned with all the beau­ty of grass, flowers, and trees, and filled with all fragrant sweetness and delight: where there is ever a most pleasant spring and delightful summer. Where there is pleasantness, rest, qui­et, and peace surpassing all sense.

2. Thou wast created for the highest and infi­nite good, which is God. This good thou shalt have for the merit of the In­carnation and Passion of Christ, and shalt enjoy it for all eternity, if here [Page 72]thou shalt have worship­ed God purely and holily in fear and love.

Consider, that this most pleasant good contains in it self, superabundantly all nobleness, pulchri­tude, comeliness, ele­gancy, sweetness, delight, grace and perfection. This when thou shalt have obtained, thou shalt not be able to desire any thing more; for thou shalt find most fully in God, whatsoever may be desired.

It is manifest there­fore, that the Vision of God is most highly plea­sant, and incomparably excells all delight imagi­nable. [Page 73]For if naturally thou willingly beholdest that which is beautiful, what, and how great joy will it be to thee, clearly to contemplate the divine Essence, which is the Fountain whence all beau­ty flows, and which is infinitely splendid, fair, comely, sweet, and de­licious?

O what does he see, what does he hear, what does he smell, what does he taste, what does he feel, who is united to God in Heaven? Truly eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have the goods and joyes entred into the heart of mortal man, [Page 72] [...] [Page 73] [...] [Page 74]which God has prepared for his elect, 1 Cor. 2.

3. In seeing God, thou shalt see all things, and know all things which thou wouldest know. Thou shalt behold in God the order of the whole Universe and all truth.

Thou shalt enjoy the highest good, & shalt al­waies possess it, and thou shalt have in it whatso­ever is delightful.

Thou shalt be shined upon by the eternal wis­dom, and shalt most a­bundantly tast the sweet­ness of the divine Peace.

Thou shalt be wholly absorpt with the love of [Page 75]thy Creator, and shalt be transformed into him, and shalt alwaies embrace him according to thy de­sire, and shalt be perfect­ly united unto him.

Thou shalt see the bright & ever quiet Tri­nity, and thou shalt know how the Son is begotten by the Father, and how the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son; and how the Father loves the Son, and the Son the Father, and both the Holy Ghost. Also how the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are One GOD.

Then thou shalt most perfectly praise God, and [Page 76]without any Irksomness or Labour. Thou shalt praise him with all the Blessed for ever and ever.

Now thou shalt never displease him more, but shalt please him in all things.

4. Thou shalt see the excellency, and beauty of the humanity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. O! how wilt thou re­joyce, beholding the Amiable Jesus exalted, and Glorious in his Kingdom! Who once in the world was for thy sake poor, despised, and afflicted.

Thou shalt also see with ineffable joy, the [Page 77]Beauty and Glory of the most Sweet Mother of God the Virgin Ma­ry.

Thou shalt behold all the Orders of the An­gelical Spirits, and how thousands of thousands Minister to their Crea­tor, and that the Soul­diers of God are num­berless.

Thou shalt know most perfectly all the Citi­zens of Heaven; thou shall know their invio­lable peace, their most fervent Charity, their most Pleasant Society, their unshaken security, their Inenarrable Beau­ty, Splendor, and Glo­ry. [Page 78]And all the Bles­sed are illustrious and glorious Princes and Kings.

Thou shalt have most familiar, and perpetual society with Christ, and his most Lovely, and most Gracious Mother Mary, and with all the Blessed.

Assuredly all the joys of the world Compa­red with the least joy of Heaven are meer bitterness. The vast O­cean does not so much exceed in quantity one single drop of water, as the least pleasure of the Blessed does exceed all the delight and plea­sure, [Page 79]that ever was in the world.

And the joys of Hea­ven shall never be ended, nor ever be diminished: Nor be interrupted for one single moment for all eternity.

5. Besides, when thy Soul in the Resurrection shall have received thy glorious body, what joy shall it thence receive? For thy very body shall be most splendid, and much more bright than the Sun: it shall be most sound, most firm, most beautiful, most pure, odoriferous, incorrupti­ble, impassible, most sub­til, and very agil. [Page 80]Whence thy soul with its glorified body, can be wheresoever it will, in a very short space of time: nothing can hin­der it, nothing put a stop or impediment un­to it.

Thou shalt also (after the Resurrection) con­ceive exceeding great Joy from the happy re­novation of this visible World: which shall be of a far more elegant form than now it is.

For whatsoever is now in the World unclean, whatsoever is obscure and shady in the Earth, whatsoever is cold in the Waters, and whatsoever [Page 81]has power of burning in the Fire, all that shall go down into Hell.

The Sun, and Moon, and Starres, shall be se­ven times more bright than they are now. Henceforth there shall be no Clouds, nor Hail, nor Rain, nor Winds, nor Lightning, nor Thunder. Night shall cease to be, a per­petual Day and Clarity succeeding, as well on Earth, as in the Heavens. The Air shall have more light than it has now; the Water shall be purer than it is now. The Earth shall be fair as Gold, and pellucid as [Page 82]Crystal, and plain as the palm of your hand.

6. Such things God has prepared for those who love him. O how un­happy are they, who for the most base pleasures, delights, and vanities of this World, deprive themselves of so great joyes!

But thou who readest these things, aspire and make haste to that ne­ver-fading Glory.

Detest and fly all Sin, as much as thou canst: contemn all transitory things, love God, love all Men, and spend the time profitably which is allotted thee.