PARAPHRASTICAL AND DEVOUT DISCOURSES UPON THE PSALM MISERERE, COMPOSED BY CH. M. Rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: because he is benign and merciful, patiented and of much mercy, and ready to be gracious upon the malice. joel 2. ANNO M.DC.XXXV. TO THE READER. DIVERS of the learned Catholics of our nation (Gentle Reader) have written sundry books in our vulgar language to inform and instruct thy understanding in matters of faith and Religion, and I also according to my little ability and slender Talentes, have not been wanting in that kind. And diverse also have either translated other men's books, or published their own to move and stir up thy will to piety and devotion: whom I desiring to imitate, have compiled for thee these Paraphrastical discourses upon the Psalm Miserere: In which I bring in the Royal Prophet David much lamenting, bewailing, and ruing his two great sins, the murder of Urias, and his adultery with his wife Bersabee: & thereby I endeavour to move the wills of all sinners to sorrow & repentance of their sins, and amendment of their lives. These discourses I intent principally for great sinners, who also still persist in their sinful state of life, though I exclude not other sinners, whose sins are not so great as David's sins were, no not any the least sinners: because though some sins be mortal, some venial, some great some lesser, yet if they be compared to the Divine Majesty which they offend, no sins are to be esteemed little, be they in themselves never so little: and so they also may take benefit by these my discourses. I have lived long out of my Country, and so know not who are the greater, who the lesser sinners: yet this I know in general, that there must needs be many, & great sinners in England: because where there are ill-beleevers, there, ordinarily, are ill livers, and where there are many believers (as there are in England) there are many ill believers (true faith and belief being but one) and consequently many ill livers, true faith being the rule & square of good life. For although sometimes true and good believers are not good livers, because they live not according to the rule of their faith and Religion; and sometimes ill believers do live well morally, because guided by God his grace, which is wanting to none, they follow natural reason, and their own virtuous inclination and disposition, not the precepts of their Religion: yet ordinarily, ill believers are not good livers; & at least, amongst good believers you shall find more good livers then amongst ill believers. Wherefore these my Paraphrastical Discourses and pitiful lamentations of King David, (who was a true believer, and yet some times an ill liver, but in this psalm showeth himself a true penitent) I intend for all sinners as well Catholics as not Catholics, and of what so ever Religion, I being debtor to all: & because I would have them all to peruse these discourses, Rom. 1. I abstain from Controversies in Religion, lest I should avert any from the reading of them; only in paraphrasing the last two verses of this psalm, occasion being offered, I speak of the unbloody and daily sacrifice of the Altar, but so, that I rather touch it then handle it, mention it then treat of it, suppose it then prove it in that manner as I might, hoping that this doctrine now, will not be distasteful; for seeing that now in England in very many churches, Altars, which heretofore were thrown down, are again erected according to the laudable example and pious use, and custom of the Catholic, & even primitive Church; to aver a true sacrifice, will not be ill taken, because to allow of Altars is to allow of a true sacrifice, which useth to be offered on them, an Altar, and a true & proper sacrifice being correlatives, of which th'one inferreth the other, and so the one can not be averred without the other, nor th'one denied without the other. And although (as I said) there want not books of piety & devotion in England, to move the good to devotion, piety and good life, & sinners also to repentance, the beginning (after faith) of all good life: yet I would not therefore be silent; rather by the example of other writers, I was encouraged to offer my mite, & my small endeavours also for the conversion of sinners, & to follow therein not only their examples, but the example also of my Saviour JESUS CHRIST, & his Apostles. For he died for sinners, and came not to call the just, but sinners to penance, and he left ninety nine in the desert, Luc. 5, to seek out one sheep that was last, and he and his Angels rejoice more upon one sinner that doth penance, Luc. 15 then upon ninety nine just that need no penance. And his Apostles traversed the world through many storms of persecution, to gain the souls of sinners, and to gain them, thought it no loss, to lose their own lives. And as sin through humane frailty, doth so domineer in this life, that, as the Prophet David saith; Psal. 13 All have sinned and transgressed, all have declined, & there is not one that doth good, no not one, to wit so, as not sometime to sin: so nothing is more necessary in this life then penance, it being the only remedy against sin, and the ground of justification and salvation. In Paradise there was no penance, because there was no sin; that place being a place of innocence; In Heaven there is no penance, because, sin being a misery, can not have access to that place of felicity; In Hell there is no true penance because though there, be sin, yet that place is a place of obstinacy, and sin there, is not pardonable. But in this life and world, penance is necessary, because this life is subject to sin, and in this life sin is also pardonable, whilst the sinner liveth. And therefore Holy scripture inculcateth nothing more than penance and repentance. Ezech. 18. Math. 3. Luc. 13. Act. 2. Hieron. epist. 8. add Demetr. cap. 6. Penance as S. Hierom telleth us is a second table after Shipwreck, by which we may escape drowning, and swim out of the sea of sin to the haver and haven of of grace. Penance is a salve against all the wounds of the soul, it is a plaster against all her sores of sin, it is a sovereign receit against all her spiritual diseases. And whereas many wounds and diseases corporal, are incurable by corporal physic, no disease of sin in this life is incurable, but only final impenitence, because it excludeth penance. And whereas no corporal physic can of old, make us young, or of dead, living again: penance will make the soul after she is old and decrepit by sin, young again by grace and newness of life: 2. Co. 4 Eph. 4. 4. Collos. 3. Epla ad Tit. c. 3. 1. Pet. 1. 1. Rom. 6. & 12. Gal. 6. It maketh us put of the old man, and put on the new, it regenerateth us and maketh us new creatures, and after we are dead in soul by sin, it restoreth us to the life of grace, yea & glory also, if we persever in grace. For these causes I have made these Paraphrastical Discourses, to allure sinners to repentance, knowing how miserable a thing it is to live in sin, how dangerous to defer repentance, and how hopeless to dye in sin without it. And if by these my small labours, I shall be so happy as to convert any sinners, yea but one sinner, I shall esteem it no small benefit, not only to the sinner converted, but also to myself: because S. james assureth me, that he that maketh a sinner to be converted from the error of his ways, jacobi 5. shall save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins, not only of the sinner whom he converteth, but also of his own; because the conversion of a sinner's soul, is a sacrifice for the converters soul more pleasing to God, then if he had offered an hecatomb, yea a world to God for his own sins. For, as S. Chrysostome saith, Chrysost. ho 3. in 1. ad Corinth. nullius rei pretium est cum anima conferendun, ne totus quidem mundus; quare etiamsi divitias innumeras dederis pauperibus, nihil tale efficies, quale is qui convertit animam. The price of nothing, no not of the whole world, is to be compared to a soul. Wherefore although thou shalt give innumerable riches to the poor, thou shalt not do so great a work, as he that converteth a soul. But of penance and the effects of it, I shall not need in this Epistle to use more words, it being the principal subject of my ensuing Paraphrastical Discourses; and therefore here I shall take my leave of my Reader, and desire him whether he be Catholicque or not Catholicque, to take in good part this my little labour, intended and taken for th' one, as well as for the other: and if he take profit by it, let him thank God th' Author of all that is good; if, through my default, it move him not to that repentance and amendment of life, which I intended, I must desire him to pardon me: I was not so able, as willing. APPROBATIO. POEnitentiae coronam hanc, in qu● nihil quod fidei Catholicae splendori, morumue sanctorum integritati non sit consentaneum, de speciosissimis Psalmi quinquagefimi floribus Poenitentium Principis memoriae scitè contexuit pius hic Paraphrastes. Ita sentio Ed. St. S. T. D. APPROBATIO. NIhil est in hac Paraphrasi Psalmi quinquagesimi fidei Catholicae, aut bonis moribus contrarium, sed plurima ad poenitentiam excitandam & iwandam conducenntia: qua propter utiliter excudi poterit. Actum Duaci die 30. Martij 1635. Georgius Colvenerius, Sacrae Theol. Doctor, & Regius ordinariusque Professor, Duacensis Academiae Cancellarius, & librorum Censor. PARAPHRASTICAL AND DEVOUT DISCOURSES UPON THE FIFTITH PSALM MISERERE. Miserere mei Deus. Have mercy on me, o God. THE Royal Prophet David, having, through humane frailty, committed two great offences against the divine Majesty, 2 Reg. 1●. & 12. no less than adalterie with BERSABEE, and murder of her husband Urias; and being reproved thereof by the Prophet Nathan accused by his own conscience, and moved by the divine grace; he conceiveth such a detestation and horror of those his sins, and is so ashamed and confounded with the horrid aspect of them, that he falleth down prostrate at the feet of his GOD, whom he had thus offended. And at the first sorrow hindered his tongue from craving pardon: but his eyes undertaken the office of the mouth and tongue, and pleaded better for the delinquent, by tears, than the mouth could have done by tongue and words, tears being the best orators. At length his speech coming to him, he singeth, or rather sobbeth forth this his doleful Psalm and sonnette; and peradventure he playeth to it with his harp, but assuredly with his heart: and so maketh a sweet consort of his heart by sorrow, of his eyes by tears, & of his voice by a lamentable tune. And fearing God his justice, he flieth to his mercy, and beginneth with that doleful note miserere; have mereie. As if he had said: 1. THOU art just, o Lord, Psal. 118. and thy judgement is right: joel 2. but thou art also benign and merciful, patiented, and of much mercy, and ready to be gracious upon the malice. If thou wert just only, I should despair, knowing my two so great offences, which now especially I lament. If thou wert merciful only I should presume: but because thou art just and merciful, my fear is mixed with hope, and my hope with fear, and I so fear thy justice, as I hope in thy mercy. Thou art o Lord (I confess) so just, that thou art justice itself, and this maketh me fear, but thou art also so merciful, that thou art mercy itself, and this maketh me hope: that discourageth me very much; this as much encourageth, and giveth me the hart to say, Miserere mei Deus: Have mercy on me o God. If I were o Lord as just and holy as a Saint, yet durst I not appear before the eyes of thy justice, job 4. job 25. which in the Angels found wickedness, and in whose sight the moon doth not shine, and the stars are not clean: but seeing that I am no Saint but a wretched sinner, conceived in sin, borne in sin, brought up in sin, and guilty of the two mentioned and many other sins; how shall I dare to appear, before thy justice? For if the just man trembleth before the Tribunal of thy justice, how shall the sinner stand before it? 2. But I appeal, o Lord, (saith David) from thy justice to thy mercy, not as to an higher Tribunal (for thy justice and mercy are both infinite, and so equal) but as to a Tribunal more benign, more clement and gentle. And although I be guilty of grievous and enormous sins, and those so great, that if I regard them only and their ill disertes, Gen. 4. I may say with Cain: mine iniquity is greater, then that I may deserve pardon: Yet they are not so great, but thy mercy is infinitely greater, & so compared to it, they are not so great, but they may deserve pardon: for if thou please, o Lord, to put not only my sins, but also all the sins of all men in one scale of thy divine balance, and thy mercy in the other, thy mercy would out way and oversway them, and as the sands of the sea, job 6. thy mercy would appear heavier. 3. Wherefore, o merciful Lord, not daring to appear before thee as a just judge, I present myself before thee as a merciful and loving Father. He that is presented as guilty before a judge, useth to deny, or diminish, or excuse the fault: but I presenting myself before thee, o Lord, as before a merciful father, do neither deny nor excuse nor extenuat my fault; thy prophet Nathan, 2. Reg. 12. thy under judge, having condemned me as guilty of no less than adultery and murder, & mine own conscience having pronounced sentence against me, crying in my name, peccavi: but standing before thee as a condenned person, I bring in no witness to defend me, no slights nor excuses to hide my faults (as who can hide any thing from thee, whose eyes do penetrate the most secret corners of our hearts) only I plead, beg, and claim thy mercy, crying Miserere mei Deus: Have mercy on me, o God. Psal. 119. for if thou shalt observe iniquities o Lord, Lord who shall sustain it? And therefore, Psal. 142. enter not into judgement with thy once servant David, examine not his case and cause, according to the order of justice, but according to thy mercy: I confess all, & I have nothing to say for myself but Miserere, Have mercy. I hide not my fault, nor can I, it is too well known unto thee, only I can say Miserere, Have mercy. 4. Deal not with me, o Lord, (saith David) according to thy justice; that would cast me in all law, but according to thy mercy; by that only I can be saved. Thou art (it is true) sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, to whom even Kings and potentates are but vassals; but Lords also do pardon their servants, when with tears of eyes & sorrow of heart they demand pardon: I demand it in the same manner. Apoc. 5. Thou art a a Lion, & a Lion of the Tribe of juda, but Lions also will spare them who prostrate themselves before them; I prostrate both body & soul unto thee. 5. I confess that by sin I am become, Psal. 31 Sicut equus & mulas in quibus non est intellectus: as a horse and mule which have no understanding. And my brutish appetites, to which I have been a slave, have metamorphized me & made me so brutish, that I am in life and conversation rather a brute beast then a reasonable creature: Psal. 35 but yet, Men and beasts thou wilt save o Lord: and in the law delivered by Moses, though it be a law of terror, thou hadst pity even of brute beasts, and therefore wouldst not permit the jew to plough with an ox and an ass, Deut. 22. Exod. 23. & Deut. 14. lest the ass should be over laboured; nor to seethe the kid in the milk of his dam, that seeming cruelty, nor in a nest to kill or take the old bird with the young ones, Deut. 22. nor to moosel the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Have mercy then on me, though by sin more a beast than they. 6. If I were the only sinner o Lord, thou shouldst have less reason to pardon me, but seeing all have sinned, and transgressed, Psal. 13 seeing that all have declined, and that there is not that doth good, Noah not one: if thou shouldst exercise justice only, on sinners, thou shoulest find none on whom thou couldst exercise thy mercy. If thou shouldst punish all sinners, thou shouldst have none to pardon: and so thy most grateful attribute mercy, should never show itself. And yet none of thy divine attributes is so grateful as thy clemency, none do make thee so popular as thy mercy; neither hath thy divine nature any thing greater than that thou canst remit sins, nor more pleasing to men & Angels, then that thou wilt. If no sinner, o merciful Lord, had ever obtained mercy and pardon at thy hands, than might it seem arrogancy in me to demand mercy: but if many and very grievous sinners have found mercy at thy hands, then do thou vouch safe to pardon me, whom by pardoning others thou hast caused to hope for pardon; and be not displeased if the burden of my doleful sonnet be still the same, Miserere mei Deus, have mercy on me o God, o most merciful God. And thou o Christian soul who hast sinned with David, cry peccavi; I have sinned, with him cry, miserere mei Deus, have mercy on me o God. 7. Rue the day and hour, yea the many days and hours in which thou hast offended God, and acknowledge therein thy to too great ingratitude, because in offending him thou hast offended thy creator, by whom thou hast thy natural being, by whom thou livest and breathest, thou hast offended thy Redeemer, who to ransom thee from death, the devil and sin became man for thee, and suffered the most shameful and most painful death of the cross to give to thee here in this life a spiritual life and being by grace, and in the next life an eternal life, and being by glory. Say unto him: I ought myself wholly unto thee for my creation, and I ought myself again wholly unto thee for my redemption, and so I but one, am twice thine, and twice due unto thee. And if I own myself and consequently my all for my creation, what shall I give thee for my redemption? What shall I render to our Lord, Psal. 115. for all things that he hath rendered to me. I am less, o Lord, than either of these benefits of creation and redemption, yea then the least of thy graces and favours. How ungrateful then was I to offend thee, and thereby as much as lay in me, to take from thee, who can never give thee sufficient, to injure thee, disgrace, dishonour thee, who can never render thee sufficient for the least of thy benefits though I give all I am and have, yea though I could give ten thousand times more than I am and have But seeing I own more than I am and have, and yet have also beme so ungrateful as to offend thee, what wilt thou expect of me? Thou knowest, o Lord, that of an ill & unable debtor, thou canst expect nothing but an acknowledgement of the debt, & an humble demand of pardon for the offence and remission of the debt, as I do in David's doleful cry: Which I repeat after him. Miserere mei Deus: Have mercy on me o God. 8. And o my not only ingratitude but impudency who being not so much as a vile worm, compared unto thee, o Lord, durst offend thine infinite Majesty: and was not ashamed to commit those my heinous offences not only before thee, but also against thee, which I would have shamed to commit before my servant, or in presence of the poorest beggar: as though I had thought there had been no God, or that thou, who mad'st the eye didst not see, or that thou who art every where hadst not been present. I said then in effect as the fornicator, or adulterer did in Ecclesiasticus: Ecclesiastici 23. Who seethe me? darkness compasseth me, and the walls cover me, and no man beholdeth me: whom do I fear? The Highest will not be mindful of my sins. O Good God, where was then my understanding that I could think that I could hide any thing from thy all seeing eyes? That I could Imagine, or could behave myself, as though Thy eyes were not brighter than the sun, Ecclesiastici 23. beholding round about all the ways of men, and the bottom of the depth, & the hearts of men. Or if I did know or think that thou didst see the sins which I committed in the dark or in the secret closet of my heart; how impudent and shameless was I, Who feared not to do that before thy divine eyes and in thy divine presence, which I should have shamed and blushed to do in the presence of the poorest beggar? how couldst thou, o God, endure this impudency of so vile a sinner? O ye blessed Angels, who carry the sword of God his justice, how could you hold your hands seeing your Lord & Prince so contemned by so vile, malapert, and saucy a varlet? But what shall I do, o Lord? If my sins passed could so be recalled, as not to have been, I would revoke and recall all my offences. But seeing I can no more recall my former evil actions than the day or hour paste; I can only wish that I had never sinned, and be heartily sorry that I have sinned: and that I do, and so doing, I can not but hope that thou wilt forgive and forget my sins; for so thou hast promised by thy Prophet Ezechiel, & I take thee at thy word. And this is thy promise: Ezech. 18. But if the impious shall do penance from all his sins, which he hath wrought, etc. living he shall live, and shall not dye. All his iniquities which he hath wrought, I will not remember them. In this thy promise I will hope, because I know thou art verity itself, and so canst not deceive or be deceived, & thou art goodness itself, & so wilt not deceive. On this promise I will rely, because I know thou art able and willing to forgive their sins who are penitent for them: If thou wert able only but not willing, I could not easily hope, nor could I, if thou wert willing only, and not able: but seeing that thou art both able and willing, I will hope for pardon for my sins, and I will never let my hold go of this hope, it being grounded in thy promise; but (as job said: job 13. ) Although thou shalt kill me, I will trust in thee: and animated and encouraged by this hope, though I be a grievous sinner, and a great offendor, I dare crave mercy with David and cry: Miserere mei Deus: Have mercy on me, o God. 9 I intent, o Lord, to leave the state of sin, and to amend my life for hereafter, and seeing that thy mercy is the source & beginning of all thy works, I desire that by thy mercy this work of mine amendment may be begun. Mercy was the beginning of creation: for when we were nothing, we could not deserve any thing, and so it was thy mercy, of nothing to make us something, and thy great mercy to make us the greatest and noblest thing after the Angels. Mercy is the beginning of the great grace of predestination, which distinguisheth the elect, from the reprobate, as appeareth by those thy words to Moses alleged by thy Apostle. Exod. 33. Rom. 9 See S. Aug. ep. 105. ad Sixtum. I will have mercy on whom, I will have mercy, and I will show mercy, to whom I will show mercy. Whence S. Paul inferreth, That it is not of the willer nor the runner, but of God that showeth mercy. And a little after: therefore on whom he will, he hath mercy, and whom he will he doth indurate, to wit, permissivelie. And so it is not to be imputed to any merit of ours that we are predestinated, but to the only mercy of God. Though to the reprobate also he giveth grace sufficient to be saved. Mercy was the beginning of the Incarnation, which is the ground of all man's grace, merit and glory; because it was decreed and effected by God, S. Th. 3. p. q. 1. ●. 3. not for man's merit, but out of God his mercy, and compassion he took on man's misery, into which by Adam's sin, he was fallen: and it being the beginning of all grace and merit, could not be prevented by the merit of man, but only by the mercy of God: Mercy is the beginning of our redemption: for although to Christ his passion, and its value and merit our redemption was due by right of justice, yet that he did suffer for us and suffering redeemed us, it was his mercy not our merit: Mercy is the beginning of our justification, and remission of sins, because we are justified gratis, Rom. 3. by his grace, and grace is given gratis, for no merit of ours, but only for God his mercy; for as S. Paul saith: Rom. 11. If by grace; not for works, or merits, otherwise grace were not grace: Mercy also is the beginning of our glorification, for although glory be given for our merits, and so in that respect be a reward, Vide Aug. ep. 105. ad Sixtum. Rom. 6. yet our merits would not be merits, if they proceeded not from grace which is given gratis, & therefore S. Paul saith, The grace of God, life everlasting: And so I with David desiring justification from my sins and after it glory and life everlasting, do humbly crave thy mercy the ground of both, saying with David: Miserere mei Deus: Have mercy on me o God. Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. According to thy great mercy. 1. IT is not so proper to the sun o Lord, to illuminate and give light, nor to the fire to warm and give heat, as it is to thee to have mercy: because it is but an accidental propriety to the sun to illuminate, as it is also for the fire to heat; but thou, o Lord, art essentially merciful and mercy itself, & therefore if thou wilt show thyself to be thyself, have mercy on my sinful soul; and because thy mercy is infinite, Have mercy on me according to this thy great mercy. Little miseries, as sicknesses and diseases of the body require but little mercy, and may often times be healed & cured by Physicians; but sin, if it be mortal, is a great misery (as which depriveth the soul of her life of grace, makes her odious and deformed in the sight of God, makes her an enemy to God, and his Saints, and a friend only to the devil, depriveth her of life everlasting, and of the clear vision and fruition of God, & if she repent not in time, tumbleth her headlong into hell, and into that inextinguible fire for ever, (where the damned shall ever burn, & never be consumed, where they shall be dying and never dead, where torments shall be without ease, miseries without end) and therefore requireth a great, and an infinite mercy, and can not be pardoned but by God, or by special power and authority from him, which he only granted to his Apostles & their lawful successors, Mar. 2. for to them only Christ said, joan. 20. Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them. And therefore David whose conscience accused him of mortal sins, which he knew to be great miseries, desired God to have mercy on him according to his great mercy. 2. Reg. 11. & 12. He had committed two great and heinous sins, for he had committed adultery with Bersabee, and to cover it, he had killed Urias her husband, and so he stood in need of a great mercy. 2. O David although thou hadst formerly been a good King, Act. 13. and a man according to God his hart, yet I can not excuse thee now from great sin and great ingratitude; and this thou thyself seest and confessest. Thou didst violate the wife of Urias thy faithful servant and valiant soldier, and to cover this fault thou addest an other, to wit, the death of this thy innocent and faithful soldier. O David doth not the zeal of Urias thy soldier confound thee! he would not lie with his own wife whilst, 2. Reg. 11. & 12. The Ark of God and Israel and juda, dwelled in pavilions, and his Lord joab and the servants of his Lord abode upon the face of the earth; thou at that time liest with his wife in a soft bed, takest thy unlawful pleasure with her; He exposed his life for thee, thy kingdom, and the cause of God, and thou causest him to be unjustly & cruelly murdered, and to be sure to kill him, thou exposest to danger of death many other soldiers, & thereby givest occasion to the Infidels to insult over the army of God, and to blaspheme the name of God, who had elevated to the dignity of a King, thou, who now dealest more traitorously than many of them would have done. 3. And this treachery, cruelty, injustice, and ingratitude thou committest, o David, after many gifts of grace & nature, which God had hestowed on thee; Psalm. 77. after he had chosen thee and taken thee from the flocks of sheep, from after the ewes with young: & had made thee of a shepherd a King, and of a governor of a flock of sheep a King & Pastor of the people of God, after he had honoured thee with so many victories, first over Goliath, and then over the Philistians and Assyrians; after he had delivered thee so often from the hatred, envy and malice of Saul; after he had endued thee with the light of prophecy and knowledge of divine mysteries, yea and and with great sanctity also; after he had promised to establish the sceptre of juda in thy family, Psalm. 88 and had begun to fulfil his promise: Thou, o David, for one filthy and short pleasure (o inconstancy, o levity, o ingratitude,) forgetting all these graces & favours, couldst find in thy hart to forsake so good a God, and so great a benefactor, for so short and so brutish a pleasure, and to offend him so grievously, who had been so beneficial to thee. But this thy great fault, o David, I need not to aggravate, thou knowest it better than any man else, and thou acknowledgest it, and therefore for so great a sin and misery, thou desirest, not whatsoever, but a great mercy. 4. God almighty his mercy in itself is always great, and so great, that it is God himself (for whatsoever is in God, is God, and so, infinite as he is) but yet this divine attribute of mercy in its effects, is greater and lesser; greater in those to whom many and great sins are forgiven; lesse in those to whom lesser and fewer sins are pardoned. David therefore desireth God to show mercy unto him in effect according as he had showed to the greater sinners. 5. And I o Lord (say so o sinful Cstristian) acknowledging myself with David a great sinner, and if not in the same kind of sin, at least in some other kind as great or greater, and if not in carnal, S. Tho. 1.2. q. 73. art. 5. at least in spiritual sins, which are of themselves greater than carnal sins, as in Schism, Heresy, envy, pride, ambition, hatred of my neighbour, and the like, do desire thee to have mercy on me according to thy great mercy in effect, according to that mercy which thou show'dst to David, Manasses and other great sinners in the old law, according to that great mercy thou show'dst to S. Peter, S. Matthew, S. Paul and S. Marie Magdalen, in the new law; for my sins being great, do require a great mercy. Or have mercy on me according to that great work of mercy the Incarnation, to which peradventure David alluded, for out of thy mercy only not for our merit, thou wast incarnate: Or have mercy on me according to that great work of mercy, thy painful death and Passion, which out of mercy and compassion thou sufferdst for man's redemption. And if, o heavenly father, out of thy mercy and compassion towards us thou sparedst not thy own son, Rom. 8. though equal & consubstantial unto thee, but for us all deliveredst him, unto death, no doubt thou art ready on thy part for this so extraordinary work of mercy, to have mercy on the greatest sinners. Or else thou whosoever hast sinned with David, say with him; have mercy on me o God, according to thy great & infinite attribute of mercy, which is as great as thyself, who are essentially mercy, and is so infinite, that all the sins of the world are but little drops, in regard of that sea of mercy. In this mercy, o Lord, that is in thyself who art this mercy, I principally hope, and next in that great effect & work of mercy, thy Incarnation and bitter passion. And if in the Ocean sea I can not want water to wash and cool me, If in the sun I can not want light to illuminate me, nor in the fire heat to warm me; much less can I want mercy in this Ocean of mercy, or light of grace in this sun of mercy, which shineth on the good and the bad; or can my cold sins make me shiver for want of heat of charity, in this infinite fire of mercy, which consumeth sins, but saveth souls? Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, deal iniquitatem meam. And according to the multitude, of thy commiserations, take away mine iniquity. 1. MY sins o merciful God (saith David) are not only great, but also many, Prou. 24. for if the Just finneth seven times in a day venially, I who have of long time led a sinful life, who seldom resisted tentations, and as seldom flyed the occasions of sins, but rather sought for them: who have sinned so often that I may say with Manasses, Orat. Manas. & 2. Par. 33 Peccavi super numerum arenae maris. I have sinned above the number of the sand of the sea. And as Ecclesiasticus said, Eccles. c. 10. Arenam maris & plwiae guttas & dies saeculi quis dinumeravit? The sand of the sea, and the drops of rain, and the days of the world who hath numbered? so may I say: my sins of mouth, heart, deed, my many sins of my five senses of the body, & of the faculties & powers of my soul, which I committed every day and night, every hour and moment, in this place, in that place, and in all places; who can reckon? they are so many that I myself can not number them, thou only, o Lord, hast them all in thy count-book, which one day will be produced against me, if in the mean time by my sorrow, with thy grace, they be not canceled. And whilst I thus multiplied my sins, what patience, what mercy; o Lord, didst thou show unto me? when I provoked on my part more and more by often sinning thy wrath and indignation, thou extendedst thy patience and mercy? for when thou might'st have justly taken me in my sins, & for them, by sudden death, might'st have sent me presently to hell, there to receive my just punishment, as thou hast dealt with many no greater, yea lesser sinners than I, yet thou grauntedst me lesure and grace to repent, and whilst I contemned thy goodness & patience, and longanimity, thy benignity expected me to penance, wherefore resolving by thy grace, to multiply my sins no more, yea never to add any one mortal sin to my former, I desire thee to pardon my former sins, and because they are very many, to have mercy on me, According to the multitude of thy commiserations, and mercies. 2. And thou o Christian, who hast multiplied sins upon sins with David, & peradventure more than he, desire God, with him, to have mercy on thee according to the multitude of his mercies▪ 2. Reg. 12. Say, with him: Thou forgivest penitent David, penitent Ezechias, and penitent Manasses, thou pardone●st S. Peter, S. Paul, S. Matthew, S. Marie Magdalene, and thousands other great sinners; pardon me also, o sweet Lord, according to these thy so many mercies, Psal. 88 & commiserations. Where are thine old mercies o Lord, which thou show'dst heretofore to sinners? Psal. 21 In thee our forefathers (though sinners as we) have hoped, they have hoped & thou didst deliver them, They tied to thee & were saved: they hoped & were not confounded I cry, o Lord, with them, hear me as thou didst them, I hope with them for mercy, let me find mercy at thy hands as they did, and let not me be confounded. Are all thy mercies spent? are none left for me? May I say unto thee as Esau said to his Father Isaac? Genes, 27. Hast thou not reserved me also a blessing, a mercy? Hast thou one only blessing, Father? Hast thou no more blessings nor mercies left for me? no I can not say so. Thou art, o Lord, infinitely more rich in mercies, than Isaac was in blessings. Thou hast bestowed thousands & millions of mercies on sinners, and yet thou hast infinite mercies reserved for other sinners that cry unto thee for mercy. Thy mercies are infinite, and an infinite number can not be exhausted, thy mercies are above the sands of the sea, Thy mercy is a sea which can not want the cooling waters of mercies: sooner may the sea be dried up then the Ocean of thy mercies drawn dry. Wherefore I cry with David, Have mercy on me o God according to thy great mercy, because my sins are great, and according to the multitude of thy commiserations, and mercies, because my sins are many; & as he cried peccavi for his sins, so will I send forth from hart and tongue many a peccavi, and day and night, and howerlie and whensoever my sins occur to my memory, I will cry peccavi. 3. And because I can not safely enough rely (in my opinion) on my peccavies, not knowing whether they proceed from a truly contrite heart or no, I will have recourse to thy infinite mercies, o Son of God, which are merits in respect of thee, as which deserved of thy Father our redemption, but in respect of me, who deserved them not, they are mercies; And I shall offer unto thee all the steps thou walkedst on earth for me, all the hours thou livedst for me, all the words thou spakest, all the prayers and exhortations thou mad'st, all thy Theandricke or humane-divine works and operations, all thy miracles, all the drops of sweat thou swetst for me in the garden, all those lashes thou enduredst for me at the Pillar, all the pricks thou feltst in thy coronation with thorns, all the pearsinge of the nails, all the pangs on the cross, all that shower of blood which reigned from the heavenly cloud of thy sacred humanity, yea all the drops of that shower, of which every one was a mercy to me, of which every one was such a merit in respect of thee, that the least would have been sufficient to redeem a thousand worlds, And according to this multitude of thy commiserations, and mercies; take away mine iniquity. And take our all the stains and blottes which sin hath left in my soul, and cross and cancel by thy death and passion, out of thy book of accounts, all the Items and debts I own, take away my sins from my soul, from thy eyes, from thy memory, that they may not only be forgiven, but also forgotten, and so buried in perpetual oblivion. 4. For although thou canst not forget any sins committed against thee, no not S. Marie magdalen's sins, which were washed away with many tears of eyes and heart; yet when sins by true repentance and hearty sorrow are remitted, & quite effaced and taken away, thou dost no more impute them, nor dost thou punish them, at least with eternal pain, as if thou hadst forgotten them: & therefore thou hast promised, and this promise is my comfort, that whensoever a sinner shall repent himself of his sins, Thou wilt not remember them, Ezech. 18. that is, so, as to punish them, or to be offended with the sinner for them, because by contrition and the grace thereof they are taken away, as if they never had been. Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea, & à peccato meo munda me. Wash me more amply from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 1. A Fowl cloth, and especially if it be also stained, requireth much washing and no less rubbing; and a soul that hath much sinned, requireth much washing by the tears of contrition, and much rubbing by the austere works of penance. King David having cried peccavi Domino, 2. Reg. 1●. I have sinned to our Lord, for his great and manifold sins, deserved to hear from Nathan the Prophet's mouth: Dominus quoque transtulit peccatum tuum: our Lord also hath taken away thy sin, and so by that peccavi, spoken with sorrow of heart, the malice of his mortal sins was washed away, yet he not attending so much to nathan's revelation, as to the greatness of his sin committed, desireth to be more amply washed, to wit not only from the malice of his mortal sins (of which he will not be secure, and of which one can not by grace and contrition be remitted without the rest, grace being equally opposite to all) but also from his venial sins, and the temporal pain due to mortal sin remitted. For although the eternal pain due to mortal sin be always remitted with the sin, yet not the temporal pain, unless the contrition be extraordinary, as it was in S. Marie Magdalene; And therefore after that Nathan had told David, 2 Reg. 12. that our Lord had taken away his sin, he told him also that because by his sin he had made the enemy's of our Lord to blaspheme, for this thiag the son that is born to thee, dying shall die. Yea Nathan told David, that the sword should not departed from his house. 2. Reg. 13. 2. Reg. 18. 3. Reg. 1 2. Par. 21.24.25.35. As indeed three of his own sons, Ammon, Absalon, and Adonias were slain, as were also many others of David's race and family. Finally David, in desiring to be more amply washed, desired to be cleansed from all the relics of sin. 2. But thou, o sinful Christian, because thou hast not that revelation which David had, to wit that our Lord hath taken away thy sin, 2. Reg. 12. Desire him to wash thee clean, even from the malice of sin, yea and to wash thee more amply, that is from the pain and relics of sin. Say unto thy merciful God: o Lord how often have I wallowed in my filthy pleasures, and in the fowl puddle of sin, by which I have polluted body and soul, yea the earth on which I have walked, and the air in which I have breathed; in so much that I have defiled by sin the Image of God engraven in my soul, and have caused my soul to savour so ill to thy divine senses, and to seem so ugly to thy divine eyes, that thou hast turned thy face from me. 3. And if it seem strange to any, that sin should pollute the soul, which is of a spiritual, immortal, & incorruptible substance, he must know, that then a thing is polluted or defiled when it is united or mixed with a base thing than itself: See S. Tho. 2.2 q 7. ar. 2. in corp. then graced or embellished when it is mixed with a thing more noble than itself. And so silver is defiled when it falleth in the dirt, or into melted lead, but when a silver ring falleth into molten gold, it is guilded and graced; And seeing that by sin our soul averteth itself from God, and converteth and uniteth, and as it were mingleth itself by inordinate affection with creatures, as corporal and beastly pleasures of the body, the trash and pelf of the world, base than she, and inferior to her, she is contaminated and defiled, but when she converteth herself to God the creator by charity and love, then is she graced and adorned, because than she is united to a more noble substance than herself: And therefore as one can not touch pitch, Eccl. 13 coals or other filthy things but he shall file his hands, so a sinner can not touch creatures by inordinate affection, but he shall be defiled in soul. 4. S. Tho. 1.2. qu. 86. ar. 1. & 2. Hence it is that Divines do affirm that every mortal sin leaveth behind it maculam a spot or blot, which blurreth, staineth, and defileth the soul, and maketh her odious in the sight of God. Wherefore God by Hieremie the Prophet telleth the jewish Synagogue, which had defiled herself by many sins and even by Idolatry, Hier. 2. If thou shouldst wash thyself with nitre and multiply to thyself the herb borith, thou art spotted in thine iniquity before me. And of our Blessed Lady, because she was free from all sin, at least actual, Cant. 4 the Spouse saith in the Canticles, Thou art all fair, my love, and there is not a spot in thee, Ephes. 5 And S. Paul saith that Christ so loved the Church that he delivered himself to death for it, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it by the laver of water in the word, that he might present to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle. 5. And this spot and filth of sin, is the filthiest of all filthes; for corporal filthes do only pollute, and defile bodies, and cannot defile any spiritual substance. And therefore if an Angel, or a man's soul should passed through the most filthy puddle that is, it would not be defiled, and hence it is that in a lepours body the soul of man is not a whitt contaminated; but sin is so fowl and filthy, that it defiled Lucifer & the Angels that followed him in his rebellion against God, and it blurreth, spotteth and polluteth our souls, as I have showed. And therefore God who hath created all things, even those which seem to us foul and unclean, and yet never defiled his hands, and who is in all things by essence, power, and presence, S. Tho. 1 pa q. 8. ar. 3. and yet is no more contaminated by them then the sun is when he shineth on the puddle or dunghill: yet if he could create or be Author of sin, he should be contaminated, and therefore he can not be Author of it, because he can not be contaminated. 6. From this filth David cryeth to be washed & cleansed: But what water, o penitent David wouldst thou have to wash & cleanse thee from this filth? the filth of sin is so abominable, that neither the water of the Cistern of Bethleem which thou once so greedily desiredst: nor the Probatica Pond, 1. Para. 11. joan. 5.4. Reg. 5. Luc. 4. which being stirred by an Angel cured the corporal lame and blind, nor the river of jordan, in which Naaman was cleansed from his leprosy, can wash away this filth of sin, or take out the stain thereof. And therefore most wisely, o Royal Prophet, thou specifiest none of these waters, but only demandest that water and laver which hath force to wash out the filth of sin, and leavest to God to find out the water, at which also by faith, thou thyself aymedst. 7. And what is this laver? it is the blood of the Lamb CHRIST JESUS which he shed for all sinners, Apoc. 1 1. joan. 1. and in which he hath washed us from our sins. By virtue of this Blood, all the sins that were ever remitted from the fall of Adam, have been washed, and our souls have been cleansed from them: And therefore this lamb of God is said to have been killed from the beginning of the world. Apoc. 13. Not only because he was in figure killed in Abel, but also because all who have had remission of their sins from the beginning of the world, have had it by faith in Christ, and by virtue of his sacred blood which was shed for us. O Lord, saith David, wash me and rinse me in this holy bathe and laver of thy blood, that I may be cleansed from all filth of sin, and appear grateful hereafter to thy divine sight. 8. But although this sacred blood and passion of Christ be the general cause of all remission of sins, yet there are many other particular causes, which in virtue of that do also remit sins; as Baptism, and other Sacraments in the new Law, and the water of contrition in all Laws. And this laver of Christ's blood, David by faith foresaw, and desired to be washed and bathed in it, and to be cleansed from the filth of sin by it. 9 We are defiled in general by two sins, to wit original and Actual or personal sin; and because original sin is contracted not by our own personal act or will, but by the will of our first parent Adam, Rom. 5. in whom as S. Paul saith, All have sinned, therefore to wash out the filth of this sin, no personal act of ours is required (as children are not capable of any such act,) but in the Law of nature, the faith of the parents manifested by some external sign was sufficient, in the Law of Moses' circumcision, and in the new Law, Baptism doth suffice. But because our actual sins are committed by our own proper Wills, a laver and Baptism of contrition, called by the Divines Baptismus flaminis, baptism of the Spirit, was ever in all Laws necessary. And for this water David cried when he said, Wash me more amply from mine iniquity. 10. And almighty God out of compassion of the thirst David suffered in this kind, struck the rock of his stony hart hardened by sin and made the waters of contrition to gush forth in that abundance and with that impetuosity, that he saith in an other place: Psal. 118. mine eyes have gushed forth issues of waters, and he will not weep once only for his sins, he will weep day & night, and this laver of tears where in he desireth to wash his soul, shall not be a torrent, which runneth impetuously, but for a time; it shall be an ever running fountain, Psal. 6. for saith he I will every night wash my bed, I will water my couch with tears. See Genebrard on this Psalm. And the Hebrew text by an hyperbole explicateth yet more the abundance of his tears, for whereas our vulgar Latin text hath, Lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum. I will every night wash my bed. The Hebrew hath natare faciam. I will make my bed swim with the floods of my tears. S. Marry Magdalen though beautiful in body, by sin was become so loathsome a creature in soul, and in the sight of God, that she durst not look Christ in the face, but Standing behind besides his feet, Luc. 7. began to water his feet with tears, yet being bathed in this water she became as white as driven snow. S. Peter what a sin did he wash away by this laver? He had denied his master Christ jesus three times, and not at the threatening of a Tyrant, but at the voice of a woman and she a wench & an handmaid, and he had also abjured him, Mat. 26 Mar. 14 Luc. 2. with oaths & curses most unworthily and ungratfully, considering his master's love unto him, and yet going forth and weeping bitterly, this great sin was washed so clean away as if it had never been. 11. Say then, o sinful Wight, unto thy merciful God, If David, Manasses, Marie Magdalene, & other great sinners have been washed clean from their sins, why should I despair to be washed from the filth of my sins. I Confess that I am a great sinner, and consequently defiled and polluted from top to toe, but I desire thee, o Lord, to wash me in the water of contrition, which hath virtue from thy blood, for than I make no doubt to be cleansed: I cry o Lord with Hieremie the Prophet: Who will give water to my head, Hier. 9 and to mine eyes a fountain of this water, that I may weep day and night, For less will not serve to wash my defiled soul? 1. Par. 11. I cry with David, o that some man (Christ jesus, God and man) would give me water of this cistern of Bethleem. Gen. 6. This water of contrition is an other noah's flood which drowneth sins and saveth souls, to which water if the sinners of the world at that time had had recourse, they had never been drowned in the deluge. It is an other red sea, Exod. 14. red with the blood of Christ, from which it hath its virtue, which drowneth the Egyptians, the devil & all his hellish troops of sins, but saves souls and the true Israëlites, by which out of Egipte, that is, out of the state of sin, we pass to the land of promise, heaven, the home of our soul, and the land of the living and blessed. This water is distilled in the limbeck of our hart, by the Holy Ghost & the fire of charity, which maketh it to ascend to the eyes, and thence to Heaven, because it is: joan. 4. Aqua saliens in vitam aeternam, water which stringeth to life everlasting. 12. O Lord, I demand not with thy blessed virgin-mother, for wine for the Bride, I cry only for this water that washeth away the filth of sin, cooleth the heat of concupiscence, mollifieth our stony hearts, and like an heavenly rain maketh fertille the soil of our soul, and causeth it to bring forth the flourishing plants and sweet herbs and flowers of all manner of virtues, which setteth a new gloss on our soul, and maketh the Image of God therein engraven to appear most amiable to God, and his Angels and Saints, assuageth God his ire & indignation, and extinguisheth the fire of hell. Give me this water o Lord, and I shall esteem it above the most precious wines, It shall be meat and drink unto me, and I shall say with our Royal Prophet: Fuerunt mibi lacrymae mea panes die ac nocte: Psal. 41. my tears have been breads unto me day and night, & the grateful refection of my soul. 13. And give me, o sweet God, a watery ground above and a watery beneath, judie. 1 as Axa asked of Caleb. Water, I beseech thee, with this water of contrition not only the eyes of my body but also the eyes of my foul, and not only the inferior part of my soul but also the superior. If the eyes of my soul & superior part be watered with this heavenly water, it is sufficient, although the eyes of my body should be dry, but I desire thee to water both, that not only my hart and eyes of my soul may weep, but that also the eyes of my body may gush forth with tears, for that one helpeth the other, & many times the sorrow of the superior part redounds to the inferior, and when the hart sorroweth the eyes shed forth tears. I desire not tears for temporal losses, I defier to behold them with dry eyes, and if I should weep never so much for such losses, weeping would not help me give me grace to weep only for spiritual losses, for having offended thee by sin, for having by sin lost thy grace, thy favour, yea life everlasting; because tears shed for sin and spiritual losses are never in vain, are never frustrated; because tears to obtain those favours are better orators than words, and the eyes by tears do sooner persuade, than the mouth by words, wherefore Hieremie the Prophet in his Threnes or Lamentations, wisheth Jerusalem then captivated and desolate (and in her he speaketh to every sinful soul) to shed tears as a torrent by day and night, Hier●e. ●am. 2. s●u Thren. 2. to give no rest to herself, neither to let the apple of her eye be silent. I desire of thee, o Lord, this torrent, yea fountain of tears, which from the heart useth to fall in to the eyes, that I may shed for my sins not a few drops but a torrent, and not a torrent only which runneth for a time, but a fountain also which runneth perpetually: that I may cry as David did, not only with mouth, and tongue, but with heart and eyes also, not only with words, but also with tears? Wash me more amelie from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco, & peccatum meum contra me est semper. Because I do know mine iniquity and my sin is before me always. 1. BEfore that I washed myself (saith David) in the water of contrition I was a great sinner, but did not know nor acknowledge as I ought to have done, the greatness of my sin, I was defiled yet saw not my own filthiness; but since I have beholden and looked myself in this water, I see my sins and I know mine iniquity and my sin is before me always. No marvel then that God did not pardon David before he acknowledged his fault, and no marvel that before his contrition of heart, he did not acknowledge it, because his eyes were bleared and blinded with carnal lust, and so he did not see nor know his sin; but after the tears of contrition, his eyes were cleared, and then in this water, he saw his sin, and seeing it, he acknowledged it, and acknowledging it he asked pardon, & ask pardon, he deserved it, and deserving it, he obtained it. 2. The vulgar Latin text hath. Et peccatum meum contra me est semper; which may be translated not only, and my sin is before me always, but also, and my sin is always against me, as is were accusing me, yea and tormenting me with the remorse and gnawing worm of conscience, which it engendereth: And indeed God hath engraven in our hearts, and souls a conscience of sin, which like a law dictateth unto us what is lawful, what unlawful, and telleth the thief & murderer that they sin against justice, the fornicator that he offendeth against Chastity, the liar that he contradicteth the truth. The conscience is also a witness which accuseth the sinner before God even of his most secret sins: and whether he be in bed or at board, at home or abroad, alone or in company, it still crieth against him, guilty: And like a judge it condemneth him, and like an executioner by remorse, it tormenteth the delinquent, by day and by night: and in the night vexeth him with fearful dreams, in the day crosseth his recreations and pastimes with melancholic dumps, and mixeth his wyne with water, that is his joy with sorrow. So that as the murderer hath always his murder and the judge and executioner before his eyes or imagination; so a sinner hath no sooner committed his sin, but conscience putteth it before his eyes, and placeth it also as an enemy against him. So that sin is at it were always in arms against us, terrifying and threatening, and therefore the sinner should always be in arms against it, detesting it, wishing he had never committed it, punishing it by works of penance and satisfaction. 3. And here I note that David saith, mine iniquity, my sin: signifying by the Pronownes possessive my and mine, that sin is the sinner's possession, so we say my land, my house, my gold my silver. But o the unhappy possession; by possessing temporal goods, and riches we are rich and happy for this world, but by possessing sin we are poor, not rich, being deprived of grace & all spiritual riches of the soul, we are miserable, not happy, Sin being the greatest misery that is. We possess sin, as a snake, or viper in our bosom, or as a plague, or mortal sickness. And whereas we may leave or give away our temporal lands, money & other things at our own pleasure, we can not be rid of sin without God's grace, and our much sorrow, and as we take possession of it with pleasure, we can not be dispossessed of it but by sorrow, and contrition of heart and many austerities of penance. 4. As David said that his sin was always before him, and against him, so may every sinner say. Cain had no sooner killed his brother Abel, but his conscience presented unto him his sin in that heinous manner, that he hung down the head like a sheep byter, and (to use the phrase of the Scripture) his countenance was fallen, Gen. 4. and go he where he would, he could not put from his eyes the sight of his sin, but it scared him so, that he feared that every one he met would kill him. The sons of jacob after they had unnaturally sold their Brother joseph to the Ismaelites, Gen. 37 this their sin still crossed their sight, and whensoever any adversity happened to them, they imputed it to this their sin, Gen. 42 saying: Worthily do we suffer these things, because we have sinned against our Brother. 5. And some sinners when their sins present themselves before their eyes, Gen. 5. despair, as Cain did, but others so soon as their sins show themselves in their ugly hue, do acknowledge them, and acknowledginge them do cry to God for mercy, knowing that his mercy is greater than all the sins of the world. So David did, 2. Reg. 12. who not only when Nathan the Prophet checked him for his murder of Urias, and adultery with Bersabee his wife, but in this psalm in every verse almost, and in all his life time cried peccavi, and even in the night when his eyes should have slept, he made them awake to gush forth tears, and to water his bed with them. 6. So S. Peter's denial of his Master came often into his mind, Niceph. lib. 2. c. 37. Baron anno Christi 69. & especially when the cock crowed, and moved him to such tears, that it is written of him that his eyes were red with often weeping and his face furrowed with the trickling down of his tears. And so, o Merciful God, let my sins be always before mine eyes, to humiliate me, and to make me know mine own frailty, to make me take heed for hereafter, to make me abhor these monsters, to make me detest these vipers, to make me cry often to thee for mercy to make me lament my misery, & to endeavour always, to pacify thee for my offence, and to satisfy thee by works of penance for the injuries I have done against thee. Tibi soli peccavi & malum coram te feci ut iustificeris in sermonibus tuis & vincas cu● iudicaris. To thee only have I sinned and have done evil before thee, that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and mayst overcome when thou art judged. 1. I am an absolute King, and sovereign Prince, made so by thee, o Lord, and by thy goodness, & authority, & so I have no judge nor superior on earth, whom I need to fear; or who can call me to an account, or punish or pardon me; and so, in this sense, I have sinned against thee only, because none, but thou, can call me to an account, none but thou can judge, punish, or pardon me, and therefore to thee only I confess, my sin, and cry peccavi, and of thee only I crave pardon. 2. I confess I have offended against Urias in causing him to be murdered, and against him and his Wife in violating her, yea and against joab also in commanding him to expose Urias to danger: 2. Reg. 11. yet thee only I have offended principally, because I have transgressed thy law which forbiddeth murder, adultery & all sin▪ yet thou only I have offended principally, because that, which most aggravateth my sin, is thy divine majesty which I have not feared, thy divine goodness which I have not regarded thy infinite power, which I have contemned, though thou only couldst by thy omnipotency annihilate me, by thy justice punish me even with hell fire, and by thy goodness and mercy pardon me. And so although I have sinned against men, yet my sin especially showed its malice, in that by it I have offended thee so great and so good a God, who hast created me and all men, who hast redeemed me and all men, and who hast made me in particular King of thy people, and hast taken the crown from Saul his head to put it on mine, & hast deprived his family of the sceptre to bestow it on mine. 3. To thee only have I sinned because Urias knew not of the wrong I did him, Bersabee was consenting, and not offended, my sin was done secretly in my secret chamber, none but thou, o Lord, didst know of it, and so in this sense also I offended thee only. But, o inconsiderate wretch that I was, who chose to, commit this sin because men saw me not, whereas I should have feared to commit it because thou sawest me, & should have more feared to commit it before thine eyes, then in the sight of all the world: But thou hast dealt justly with me; because the sin which I thought to conceal from the world, thou hast diwlged to all the world, according as thou toldst me by the Prophet Nathan. Thou hast done this secretly, 2 Reg. 12. but I will do this word in the sight of Israël and in the sight of the sun. 4. And thou Christian who hast sinned with David, say also with him. To thee only I have sinned and do●● evil before thee. That is, to thee only I have sinned principally, for although I have sinned against men; as against my superiors by disobedience and breach of their commandments, against my neighbour by detracting from his good name, stealing his goods, or killing or wounding his body, and against mine own body also by carnal sins, in which, as S. Paul's saith, we sin against our body, 1. Cor. 6. yea and against mine own soul also in killing it spiritually by mortal sin, which depriveth it of the life of grace, because as the wiseman saith, Sap. 1. the mouth that lieth (to wit perniciously and to the notable damage of an other) killeth the soul: Yet in all these sins I sinned principally against thee who forbadst these things, and my sin is much more aggravated in that it is against thee and thy infinite majesty, then in that it is against men of whatsoever dignity they be, the circomstance of the person against whom we sin, aggravating the sin. Say also, o Christian soul unto thy God: To the only I have sinned and done evil before thee, When in my secret chamber, or in the dark night I sinned, and hid my sins from the sight of men, but not frou thy allseeing eyes: To thee only I sinned when in the secret cabinet of my hart, by thought & consent, resolution or will to sin, I offended thy divine Majesty, for, voluntas reputatur pro facto, the will before God is reputed for the deed: To thee only I then sinned: because thou only wast conscious of these my sins, which I could conceal from men, but could not hide them from thy all-pearcing eyes. 5. But seeing that, o Lord, in all my sins even those that I committed against men, I have principally offended against thy divine Majesty, how shall I dare to appear before thee, and thy dreadful Tribunal, who as thou art the party chiefly of 〈◊〉, so thou art the judge, and witness, and accuser of all. Thou art the supreme judge, even of Kings and Emperors, because thou art the sovereign Lord, and King even of Kings. How shall I avoid such a judge who is so wise that he can not be deceived, so upright that he will not be corrupted? how shall I defend myself against such a witness, who knoweth the truth, and never sayeth but the truth? how shall I excuse myself against such an accuser, who because he knoweth all can prove all he sayeth? I will confess all, & so avoid all: because confession of the fault, is a vomit which maketh the sinner cast up all the filth of sin, it is a lancing of the sore of sin which maketh the filthy matter run out; confess before men and thou art condemned, but confess before God, and thou shalt be reprived, yea quite pardoned. 6. I will lay open my faults, that by thee (o Lord) they may be covered, I will confess all that thou mayst pardon all, I will accuse myself, that thou mayst excuse me, I will Judge & condemn myself, that thou mayst not condemn me, according to the promise made by thine Apostle, 1. Cor. 11. If we did judge ourselves we should not be judged, that is, condemned 7. I will make mine own process against myself, & that shall be to accuse myself, to bear witness against myself, and to condemn myself; and for myself I will plead only. Miscrere, have mercy: wash me more amply from mine iniquity; that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and mayst overcome, when thou are judged. That is, that thou having promised mercy & forgiveness to all repentant sinners, mayst justify and show thyself to keep thy promise in forgivinge me, who do so heartily repent myself of my sins, that I rue the time and moment that ever I sinned; and so mayst overcome, when thou art presumptuously judged, not to have kept this promise. Or when thou art judged to be so just in punishing sinners, as that thou are not also merciful in pardoning them, when from the heart the sinner crieth for mercy, thou mayst overcome. Or else (which perhaps was also David's meaning) pardon me, o Lord, and do not forsake me and my family for this sin, as thou forsookest Saul and his family, for his disobedience: that if any presume to judge that thou wilt also forsake and cast me of as thou didst him, not withstanding that thou hast promised to establish the Kingdom of juda and Israel in my family, thou by pardoning this my fault, mayst prove thyself true in thy promise, and so mayst overcome, Psal. 88 those rash judges, Thou hast sworn to David thy servant: Ibidem. for ever will I prepare thy seed. Thou hast said; I will put his seed for ever and ever: Ibidem. and his Throne as the days of heaven. Ibidem. And again, once have I sworn to my holy, if I lie to David, his seed shall continue for ever. And again: Our Lord hath sworn truth to David, & he will not disappoint it: of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy seat. Keep these promises, o Lord, notwithstanding my sin that thou mayst overcome those, who think that for my sin thou wilt forsake me & my family. Or lastly, when any do rashly judge that thou sometimes punishest sinners in this life to rigorously (as thou punishedst David severely, partly in himself, permitting his son Absalon to rebel against him, and to abuse his wives and concubines, partly in his children & Royal issue, Thou mayst overcome when thou art so judged, thy judgments being often secret, never unjust. 8. And say thou, o Christian sinner unto thy God; I for my part, o Lord, do confess that thou art Lord of life and death, and mayst without any injustice punish or annihilate even the Innocent at thy pleasure, and no man can justly say why didst thou so? For, Sap. 12. as the wiseman saith. Who shall impute it to thee, if the nations perish which thou hast made? much more mayst thou punish those who dare offend thy so great majesty. One mortal sin deserveth an eternal Hell, much more doth it deserve all temporal punishment of this life, and therefore, o Lord, say what temporal punishment thou wilt on me, I shall never complain of thy justice, but shall think thou dealest favourably with me, so thou sparest me eternally. Hic ure, hic seca, ut in aternum parcas: Here burn me, here cut and lance me, that thou mayst spare me eternally. 9 I desire thee, Sweet Lord, to give me true penance, which may quite wash away my mortal sins, & change the eternal pain due to them into temporal pain, & although temporally thou punish me for it, as thou punishedst David, yea though thou shouldst chastise me all my life time, I shall cry. Psalm. 118. justus es Domine & rectum iudicium tuum: Thou art just, o Lord, and thy judgement is right. And seeing I have begun to speak unto thee, Gen. 18 though I be but dust and ashes, & have adventured to beg of thee that repentance which may wash away the malice of my mortal sins, & the eternal pain due unto them, I will not be afraid to ask of thee also, thou being so liberal a Lord, such a repentance, such a flood of tears, as thou gavest to that penitent sinner Marie Magdalen, by which I may not only wash away all the malice of my sins, but also all the pain even temporal due unto them: And if after both my sin and pain due to it be quite abolished, thou shalt think it good to punish me for that I have sinned, I shall not complain of thy severity, but shall kiss thy rod, as being laid on by a loving Father; for that will be for my greater caveat, and better warning, for my increase of grace, merit, and virtue, as also for my greater security. Yea I will be content to weep daily for my sins forgiven, and to exercise myself in works of penance and satisfaction, as fasting, prayers, and almsdeeds, and according to the counsel of the wiseman, Eccl. 50. of sin forgiven I will not be without fear. But following the example of S. Peter, S. Marie Magdalene, & other penitent sinners, and conforming myself to my Saviour JESUS-CHRIST, who though he never did nor could commit the least sin, yet led a most austere life: I will spend the rest of my days in weeping, and satisfying for my sin past, though peradventure quite pardoned. Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum, & in peccatis concepit me matter mea. For behold I was conceived in iniquities, and my Mother conceived me in sins. 1. THat I may the better facilitate my pardon, o Lord, and induce thee the more easily to mercy, I desire thee (saith David) to consider of what stock and and race I am descended. If the root of the tree be infected, sound fruit can not be expected of it, if the sown seed be tainted, the corn must needs taste of it, if the fountain be muddy, the river can not run clear, if the foundation be ill laid, the house builded upon it, can not choose but totter with every blast of wind, and if one be borne lame, he can not but halt or go awry all his life time. So it is with me, o my merciful God, the very root and beginning of my life was infected with original sin, in the which I was conceived: pardon me then if my works, which are my fruits be sour & infected with sin, they proceeding from this infected and infecting root. Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine. job 14. Who can make clean him that is conceived of unclean seed. The foundation of my life, o Lord, was ill laid, not by thee, for thou laidest a foundation of an innocent and happy life in Paradise, by original justice, but by Adam's sin who being our head infected all his members & being our first parent transfused his sin, and the infection with it to all his posterity; Pardon me then, o merciful God, if I shake at every tentation of the world, flesh and devil, yea if I fall at the puffs and blasts of these winds, my foundation being not firmly laid; And seeing I was borne, yea conceived lame, & crooked even in soul, not through thy default (for thou createdst Adam and us in him, right & upright in soul and body, in so much that by original justice his body was subject, and obedient to his soul, his sensuality to reason, and the inferior part of his soul to the superior) but through Adam's sin, who broke this goodly frame, & made the first discord in this heavenly harmony, And whereas thou mad'st man (the first man) right, he hath entangled himself with infinite questions, and oppositions betwixt reason and sensuality, out of which, we his children can not extricate ourselves. How then, o Lord, canst thou expect of me that am borne lame and crooked, to walk so right in the way of thy commandments, as never to halt, never to stumble; never to go awry, never to swerve from the rule of reason, and thy eternal Law? Consider, o Lord, that this original sin, by dispoiling me of original justice (which was the bridle and curb of sensuality, and which in Adam, before his sin, was prepared for me) hath caused in me a great proneness & propension to sensuality, to sin and vice, which being hard to resist may make some excuse for my manifold sin. 2. And thou, o Christian penitent sinner, allege also with David thy proneness to sin, for thou wast conceived in sin as deeply as he, and consequently hast contracted thereby the like propension to sin. For this may induce thy merciful God, in that respect, to be the more forward to pardon thee. The Angels that fell by sin, could not allege this excuse, because they had not this proneness to sin, & so deserved not mercy, but seeing thou art conceived and borne in sin, and hast contracted this propension to sin, which is called foams peccati, and which stirreth up to sin, cry unto thy Lord, Have mercy on me, o God, for behold I am conceived in sin, and thereby I have contracted a great proneness to sin, which with thy ordinary grace I can hardly resist, and without it not at all: Have mercy then upon me, o merciful Father, & excuse thy child's sin, to which he was so much inclined. 3. I have, I confess, so much yielded to this my propension, that whereas thou hast given me reason, and grace also sufficient to resist this propension yet I yielding to it, did like the prodigal son, lavish out prodigally my child's portion both of reason and grace, and gave myself to all licentiousness: But thou o merciful God, art not less loving than was that Father, & I, as I hope, no less penitent than that his son. Luc. 15 For, as he did, so do I confess, that I have sinned against heaven and earth, and am not worthy to be called thy son: And, as he did, so do I return unto thee again by sorrow and repentance. Embrace me then o Lord, and receive me in to grace, as that Father did his son, and be not thou, o Eternal Father, inferior to that Temporal Father, in mercy and compassion; and show thyself as thou art, more prone to mercy, than I am to sin, more prone to pardon, than I was to offend. Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti, incerta & occulta sapientiaetuae manifestasti mihi. For behold thou hast loved truth, the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest unto me. 1. THou hast, o Lord, loved verity, truth and sincerity of hart in me, and that before my fall) I was a sincere and true lover of thee, and thy law (no double dealer in any my words or actions,) thou hast liked in me, and for that cause thou hast revealed unto me many things uncertain to men (though not to thee) yea altogether hidden to them, to wit the mystery of the Incarnation, thy life and death, Resurrection and Ascension, which are the verities of the figures of the old law under which I live, and which verities thou lovest, o Lord before all those shadows, & figures: for partly by faith, partly by spirit of prophecy and revelation, I have had such knowledge of future things, that there is almost no mystery of the new law, no promise made unto it, which thou hast not revealed unto me, and which I have not foreseen, and foretold also in my psalms. And so thou, who hast done me so many favours, wilt not, I hope, deny me that grace, without which all the rest of thy benefits will be cast away, and will not any whitt pleasure me, but will rather be to my greater damnation. And what is that? it is remission of my sins, without the which to have been good will not benefit me, without the which the safety of prophecy and miracles, and all other gifts will not save me, but rather aggravate my sins, & augment my damnation. Wherefore, o Lord, knowing myself to be a great sinner, I still cry unto thee, as I did in the beginning of this my penitential psalm. Have mercy on me, o God, according to thy great mercy. 2. Or (saith this Royal Prophet and penitent sinner) I might, o Lord, in some sort cover my fault, & extenuate and excuse my sins, because (as I have said in the precedent verse) I was conceived in iniquities, and in a great proneness & propension to sin: but I know thou lovest truth, that is a sincere heart & a true tongue that confesseth the truth. And therefore I sincerlye confess, that this proneness to sin doth not quite excuse me from sin, because it could not enforce me against my will, I by faith in the Messiah (who is the way verity and life, and by his life and death which was revealed to me, and by grace from his death and passion, which was not wanting to me) having had grace sufficient, by which, maugre this proneness to sin, I might have resisted & overcome all tentation to sin; And therefore I will not excuse myself by my proneness to sin, but ingenuously, sincerely, and in verity confessing it, I fly only to thy goodness & proneness to mercy. 3. And o Christian soul say thou also with David unto thy Lord: I acknowledge that I have received many benefits and favours at thy hands. Thou hast created me of nothing, and made me of nothing something, and not what thing soever, but a reasonable creature, resembling thee by the image of thyself, which thou hast drawn and engraved in me. I by sin, as I confess have marred, what thou hast made, and have blurred, slurred, blotted and defaced this thy so glorious image. But, what o Lord! wilt thou therefore abandon thy creature, thy own handworke? To have created me is a great benefit; but if thou leave me to myself, and in the misery into which sin hath plunged me, this thy benefit of creation will be to me no benefit, because better it is not to have been, then to be miserable, as sin maketh me now, and will make me more miserable hereafter in hell, into which it will tumbleme, unless thou first forgivest and remittest it. Thou then, o Lord, who hast done so much for me as to make me, vouchsafe to renew me, and to set a new gloss and hue on me by thy grace, which may wash away my sin, and rid me of this misery. 4. Thou hast not only created me, but also conserved me in the being thou gavest me by creation, yea thou hast preserved me from many corporal dangers: And great are these benefits in themselues, but unless thou remit my sin which maketh me miserable, better had it been for me, that thou shouldst not have conserved me, but rather annihilated me, and so prevented this my misery; better had it been for me, that thou hadst not preserved me from corporal dangers of fire, water and the like, then to preserve and conserve me, & so give me the time to fall in to a greater damage, to wit of sin, which offendeth thee, maketh me miserable, and exposeth me to hazard of hell itself. 5. Thou hast heretofore justified me and cleansed me from original sin by Baptism, & from Actual sin by contrition, the Sacrament of penance, and other sacraments: Great are these benefits, but if thou do not again justify me by thy grace, and remit these my last sins, it will be little benefit to me: rather thy former grace of justification will aggravate my sins committed after it; and these my sins having deprived me of the grace of justification, have mortified also my former merits done in grace, & so all will be lost, unless thou again take mercy on me, and again remit my sins. 6. Thou hast redeemed me, and didst bind thyself to thy eternal Father to pay no less (o the dear bargain) for my ransom, than thy precious blood and death: And wilt thou now cast me of who cost thee so dearly? Truly all this is lost in me, & I with it, unless thou again forgive me, & by thy grace apply this price paid for me unto me, and so again pardon me. 7. Thou hast called me to be a Christian, and hast revealed unto me, as thou didst to David many hidden mysteries, as the sacred Trinity, the son of God incarnate, his life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, and many other mysteries, the secrets of thy wisdom, which thou didst hide from the Philosophers & Sages of the world. And hast thou done all this for me, and wilt not do this one thing for me (to wit pardon my sins) without which all the rest will not profit me, but rather will augment my damnation? Thou saidst, o Lord, Matth. ●. Luc. 5. that thou cam'st not to call the just, but sinners to penance. And behold I confess myself a great and grievous sinner, and I hearken to thy call, desiring thee to hearken to my petition, which is, have mercy on me according to thy great mercy, which I hope thou wiltt not deny, thou having bestowed so many other benefits on me, which yet are all lost, unless thou add this also unto them. 8. Or else I also, o Lord, might allege with David, that I was conceived & borne in sin, & thereby contracted a propension to sin. And I might add thereunto my corrupt nature, mine evil complexion and disposition, my evil customs, and ill company, which have alured me to sin: but because I know thou lovest truth, and sincerity of heart I confess ingenuously, and I truly acknowledge, that notwithstanding all this, I might with thy grace (which is never wanting to them that demand it, or will accept and use it) have resisted all these allurements and incitements to sin; & therefore I will not use any such excuse (for these might excuse (as divines say) A tanto, non à toto, from part, but not from all) but plainly truly and sincerely confessing my grievous sin, I fly only to thy mercy, and under the shadow or wings of that, I desire only to shroud myself. All I have to say is peccavi, as David said, and I beseech thee to speak those comfortable words to me, which thou utteredst to him, 2. Reg 12. And our Lord hath taken away thy sin. Asperges me Hyssopo & mundabor, lavabis me & super nivem dealbabor. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop and I shall be cleansed, thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 1. I Cry not (saith David) to Moses, nor Aaron, nor the priests of the old la, under which I live, but to thee, o Eternal son of God, God and man, the Messiah and Redeemer of the world, to sprinkle, and wash me, and cleanse me from the filth of my sins; They could wash the body from legal immundicities, but not from the filth of sin, from which I desire to be cleansed; nay they could not cure the corporal leprosy, but only could pronounce a declarative sentence, Levit. 14. when it was healed: but thou canst even heal; and cleanse my soul from the leprosy & filth of sin, and therefore my hope is that thou wilt sprinkle me, not with the Cedar wood, Levit. 14. scarlet, Num. 19 Vide Augu. to 4. q. 33. super Numer. and hyssop dipped in the blood of the immolated sparrow, nor with the ashes of the red cow, but with the blood of thy sacred humane nature, ruddy by its passion, and prefigured by those figures, by this blood shed in thy passion, and sprinkled by the means of the humble hyssop of the cross, I hope thou shalt sprinkle me, and I shall be whiter than the snow. 2. In this blood is my hope, because this only can take out the stain of sin, this only can wash away the filth of sin, wherewith my soul is defiled. The blood of goats and oxen, and such like sacrifices sprinkled (saith David) can wash away legal immundicities, but it can not wash away the filth of sins, but thy blood, o Blessed Saviour, can sanctify and mundify our souls from all filth of sin. 3. I foresee, saith David, by faith in Christ, that by the Sacraments of Baptism and penance in the new law, and by contrition in all laws, souls are washed from the filthiness of sin, but yet by the blood also of the lamb Christ jesus, from which they take their virtue. Thy blood, o Blessed Saviour, is the general cause, they are particular causes appointed to apply that: thy blood and passion is the principal moral cause of grace and remission of sins, they are but instrumental causes, which work in virtue of that principal. 4. And although now by wallowing myself in the puddle of sin, I am in soul more foul, than the hog that walloweth himself in the mire, yet this laver of thy blood, o Lord, will wash me so clean, that I shall be whiter than driven snow. And although my sins were as scarlet, Isa. 1. they shall be made white as snow. And if they be red as vermilion they shall be white as wool: and my soul watered with this blood, and heavenly rain, which rained out of the cloud of thy sacred humane nature, shall be made fertile, and apt to bring forth the green plants, & sweet herbs and flowers of all manner of virtue, and bathed in this bathe it shall recover its former lustre & beauty of grace, which it had lost by sin, and of a vessel of base service which it yielded to the world, flesh, and Devil, it shall be a vessel of honour (Because take away the rust from silver, Prou. 25. and there shall come forth a most pure vessel) & a goodly piece of plate, fit to be set on thy cupboard, o Lord, and to be served in at that table in Heaven, where the Angels are waiters, and the blessed are commensalls, and thy divinity is the viand on which they feed by clear vision and fruition, for all eternity. 5. And thou, o penitent Christian, confess with David, that by sin thou art slurredd and defiled more than the sow washed in volutabro luti, 2 Pet. 2. in the wallowing of mire, & so, as thou needest to cry with David to be sprinkled with the blood of the immaculate lamb Christ jesus, by the means of the humble and contemptible hyssop of the cross. The blood of Goats and oxen and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled, sanctifyeth the polluted to the cleansing of the flesh, how much more hath the blood of Christ, Heb. 9 who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleansed our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? This laver of this blood I desire because it clenaseth the soul from dead works, that is deadly sins which bring death to the soul: Sprinkle then and wash me, o Lord, with this blood, Apoc. 7. that I maybe on of those happy ones, who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb. For whereas my soul by sin is ugly in thy sight, and therefore forsaken of thee, and divorced from thee, and betrothed to the Devil; after she shall be washed in this laver, and restored to her former beauty, which she received by baptism, she may break with the Devil, and with all that is contrary to thy will and pleasure, and may be made again a grateful spouse unto thee, worthy thy love in this life, and thy eternal imbracementes in the next. Auditui meo dabis gaudium & latitiam, & exultabunt ossa humiliata. To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness, and the bones humbled shall rejoice. 1. ANd when thou hast forgiven me my sins, and cleansed my soul from the filth of them, then shall the remorse and worm of conscience (the brood of sin) be killed, and my conscience no more gnawed with it, but instead of it a great calmness & quietness, yea a gladness of heart shall follow, which shall be a continual banquet to my soul, because as the wiseman saith, A secure mind, Prou. 15. is as it were a continual feast: and the ears of my soul, shall always hear those comfortable words, which by thy Prophet Nathan thou utterdst unto me: ●. Reg. 12. And our Lord hath taken away thy sin; then, to the ears of my understanding thou shalt give joy and gladness, & then to them nothing shall sound not melodious, nothing not grateful, nothing not comfortable, which shall so comfort my soul, that my bones humbled, that is the forces and powers of my soul, which were debilitated and dejected, and which were even faint with fear of thy judgements, shall rejoice, and shall recover their spiritual forces and strength again: by which I shall be made constant & courageous to resist all tentations, and to persist for ever hereafter in thy service, and so ever enjoy the joy and gladness of heart, with which thou feedest and refreshest all thy devoted friends and servants. 2. Demand thou also, o penitent sinner, with David the joy and gladness of heart and conscience, in lieu of the remorse & gnawing worm bred by sin, which continually tormenteth the conscience. For if ever thou possess this calm of conscience & joy of heart (which God his Spirit imparteth when it giveth testimony, that is a moral certitude, to our spirit, and conscience, that we are the sons of God, if sons, heirs also, Rom. 8. heirs truly of God, and cohey●es of Christ:) then the yoke of CHRIST will seem sweet, and the burden of his law easy, and his service honour and pleasure: then fasting will seem feasting, prayer will never seem long, In almsdeeds we shall seem rather to receive, then to give: at least it will seem beatius ●are, quam accipere, a more blessed thing to give, Act. 20 then to take: Then virtue will appear in its own lustre, amiable, and vice, though seasoned with never so much corporal pleasure, will seem brutish, ugly, & beastly. O Lord, let me never lose this joy and gladness, by virtue of which my bones, & spiritual forces of my soul humbled and weakened by sin, may rejoice and receive their forces again, and I thereby may walk cherfullie in the ways of thy commandments, and so walking, may carry this joy and gladness of heart (grounded in grace and the observations of thy commandments) with me to Heaven, and even to those eternal joys, which there are laid up in store for all those that depart hence with joy and gladness, of conscience, devoid of all sin. Auerte faciem tuam à peccatis meis: & omnes iniquitates meas deal. Turn away thy face from my sins: and wipe away all mine iniquities. 1. ANd after my conscience shall have enjoyed this calm & quietness, after the storm of sin shall be appeased, which made debate betwixt thee and me, and incensed me against thee by malice, and provoked thee against me by anger; I beseech thee, o Lord, saith David, to turn away for hereafter thy face from my sins. There is no child that hath committed a fault, but feareth the eyes and face of his Father, there is no scholar that hath played the truant, who dreadeth not the sight of his Master, no thief that quaketh not at the sight of the judge; no marvel then, if David feared the stern countenance of God, he being his Father, whom he disobeyed, his Master, whom he had neglected, his judge, whom he had slighted, and therefore he had reason to desire God to turn away his face from his sins. 2. I know, saith David, my sins can not be hidden from thy allseeing eyes, which reach to the sight of all things past, present & future: But yet I desire thee to turn away thy frowning & angry countenance from them, and not to be displeased any more with me for them, and to lay aside all cogitation of punishing me for them. Thou still remember'st the most penitent sinners sins, and offences, but yet since they were washed away by the tears of contrition, and remitted, and pardoned by thy grace & mercy, thou dost not remember them so, as to be displeased with the penitent sinner for them, or so as to have the thought of punishing him, at least eternally. Thou seest still the penitent sinners sins, though long since remitted, but thou art no more displeased with him for than; nor dost thou think of punishing him at least eternally for them. Thou lookest on him still & his sins past, but thou lookest not on him with an angry, but with an amiable look; And in this sense saith David I desire thee after my sins are forgiven, & after the joy of conscience which followeth their forgiveness, to turn away thine angry countenance from me & them, not to be any more displeased with me for than, nor to think of punishing me at least eternally for them, but to be have thyself towards me hereafter, as though thou didst no more remember than, as though thy face & eyes wese turned from them: and so to love me hereafter, so to behold me, and with such a mild aspect & countenance, as though I had never sinned, for so thou beholdest all truly penitent sinners, and turning away thy angry face from me, & beholding me with a mild countenance, wipe away all my iniquities. 3. Thou promisedst, o sweet Lord, Ezech. 18. by the Prophet Ezechiel that if the impious shall do penance of all his sins, etc. ehou wilt not remember them, that is, so, as to punish them, at least eternally. Forget, o Lord, my sins also in the same manner. Thou promisedst by thy Prophet Micheas, Michea 7. that thou wilt cast our sins into the bottom of the sea, that is, of the sea of thy mercy, that they may be seen no more, cast my sins into this sea, that they may be drowned & hidden from thy face. Thou dist cast all the sins of Ezechias behind thy back, Isai: 38 cast also my and turn thy face from them. 4. I also o Lord (say so o penitent sinner) have sinned with David, and I fear with him to appear before thy face, or to come in thy sight or presence: And therefore, as my first Parents Adam and Eve did, Gen. 3. I desire to hide myself from thee, if it might be in some bush or thicket: Gen. 4. and as Cain had no sooner sinned but his countenance was abated and fallen, so I guilty of many and grievous sins, dare not look thee in the face: I count myself with Manasses unworthy to look up to the height of Heaven, Orat. Manaes'. Lucae 18. and with the penitent Publican I dare not so much as to lift up my eyes towards Heaven, where thou art. Wherefore, o Lord I cry to thee, with David, to turn thy face from my sins: It is not convenient that thy Divine eyes should cast their light and beams on so vile objects; It is not convenient they should look on such filthiness, lest they provoke thee to disdain, to Indignation, and anger; remember them no more so as to be displeased with me for them, remember them no more, so as to punish me, at least eternally, for them: but as thou remember'st S. Marry Magdalen's sins, and yet since her repentance art not depleased with her, nor dost punish her for them: so deal with me, and in this sense, turn thy face from my sins, and behave thyself towards me. 5. But let mine own eyes, o Lord, and cogitations be ever fixed on my sins, not to approve them, not to take delight in them, nor yet thereby to despair of thy mercy towards me, but as oft as I think of them, to detest and abhor them, to humble myself, and to take notice of mine own frailty by them, to think into what danger of damnation they brought me, & how grateful I should be to thee, who hast delivered me from this danger; To take heed hereafter lest I fall again into them, to weep for them, and to cry thee mercy for them, so oft as I think on them, and by so fixing mine eyes and cogitations on them, to cause thee, to turn thy face and Divine eyes from them, and by thy grace and mercy, to wipe away all mine iniquities. Cor mundum crea in me Deus, & Spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis. Create a clean heart in me o God, and renew a right Spirit in my bowels. 1. THere is no merit or desert in me, o Lord, saith David on which, as on a subject thou mayst work my justification from sin, and cleanness of heart; but as thou createdst the whole world of nothing, so thou must create a clean, right, and just heart in me of nothing that is mine; that is of no precedent merit of mine, because the grace of justification by which my heart is to be cleansed from sin, is not given for any precedent good work or desert of mine. For if by grace, Rom. 11 I be justified then not by works, otherwise grace were not grace, no free gift, but a reward. 2. The alms I gave to the poor, the fasting wherewith I chastised my body, my many prayers then made to thee; o Lord, and whatsoever good work I did whilst I was in the state of mortal sin, were dead works, the works of a dead man, dead in soul by sin, and so could not merit my justification, and therefore having nothing in me, which could merit my justification, & cleanness of heart, thou, o Lord out of thy mercy, & for the merit of thy sacred passion, must justify me, and not for any thing in me: and so thou must create my heart, thou must create me a new creature of nothing of mine, but only of thine, that is of thy grace and mercy. A sinner as a sinner is no creature of God, and therefore in the Canticle Benedicite, where all creatures, even to winds, tempests, dew, snow, yea and brute beasts, are invited to praise & bless God, the sinner is not invited, because he, as a sinner, is no creature of God, but a monster of his own perverse will, yea a nothing, sin being no real thing; & if it be true, as it is most true, which the wiseman sayeth, fear God and observe his commandments, ecclesiastes. 12. for this is every man: then a sinner who is not this, because he neither feareth God, nor observeth his commandments, must be no man, nothing: and consequently, if God will make him of a sinner just, and an observer of his commandments, he must make him of nothing, and therefore David useth the word create, which signifieth a production of nothing, as when God created the world of nothing; And seeing that as cold is not expelled but by heat, nor darkness but by light, nor any contrary, but by its contrary, my heart, saith David, can not be freed from the darkness of sin but by the light of grace, nor from the filth of sin but by the clean, and cleansing quality of grace, and therefore I desire thee, o Lord (saith he) to create in me this grace of nothing of mine, that thereby my heart may be mundified, and renewed. 3. A perverse heart is abominable to our Lord, saith the wiseman, Prou. 11. and therefore, o Lord, create in me a new heart, which shall be clean, and pleasing unto thee: my old heart was become by sin old, & was clothed in the old habit of the old man the first Adam, and the first sinner of men: take this oldness of sin from me and from my heart, and create in me a new heart, a clean heart. 4. O Lord, thou promisedst that thou wouldst give to thy people a new heart, Ezech. 36. and wouldst put a new spirit in the midst of them, and wouldst take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a fleshy heart. This promise I challenge, o Lord, and this heart I desire, mine old heart hitherto was by sin fowl and unclean, give me a clean heart, It was by sin become as hard as a stone, not apt to receive thy good inspirations, nor pliable to any good, give me for hereafter a fleshy heart, a soft heart, mollified by thy blood, and by the waters of contrition, an heart as soft as wax, easy to be form and figured by thy Divine hand, and to be framed to what thou wilt, apt to receive thy Divine inspirations, apt to melt in thy love, apt to be moved passionately for mine own sins and compassionatlie for the sins & miseries of others. Give me a new heart, a clean heart, clean washed from the abominable filth of sin, by the water of grace, which floweth from thy holy passio through the channels of the Sacraments. 5. Demand thou also with, David, o penitent sinner, a clean & a new heart. Say unto thy God; Thou commandest me o merciful God, by the wise Solomon, Prou. 4 with all guard to keep my heart, because life proceedeth from it: but because I have not well looked to it, nor have set a watch, or guard over it by continual vigilancy, I desire thee to take it to thy care, Psalm. 126. (for unless thou keepest this City, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it) & not to permit any unclean thing to enter into it. It hath hitherto lodged the world, the flesh, and the Devil, by inordinate affection: expelle them I beseech thee out of it; It is, or aught to be, thy mansion place, thy cabinet, thy Temple, let none else enter into it. Give me grace to adorn this Temple, with chaste and holy cogitations, that thou only in it mayst be loved, thou only worshipped, thy praises only may be daily sung in it, & to thee only the sacrifice of a contrite heart, of praise, and thanksgiving may be offered: And seeing my old & unclean heart is not fit for this, create in me a clean and a new heart. 6. Thou commandest me to give my heart unto thee, and thou beggest it of me in those enchanting words; Praebe, fil●mi, Prou. 23. cortuum mihi: my son give me thy heart. And if thou please to create it new, (for else it is not worth the giving, nor worthy the acceptance) I give it thee frankly, and freely, and in so doing, I shall but give thee that which is thine own by creation, redemption (for to redeem this heart thou died'st) & sanctification; I do not only lend it thee for a time, as I did heretefore, when I lived well for a time, but after by sin wrested this my heart out of thy possession, and gave the Devil the keys of this City: but I give it thee for ever, never intending (by thy grace) to take it from thee again. 7. O Eternal Father: thou gavest unto me by Incarnation thy little one, isaiah 9 so styled by the Prophet Esaie, little in his temporal birth, and as little as a sucking babe, but great in his eternal nativity; little in his humane nature, great and immense in his Divinity; weak as a child in his little body, but omnipotent and of infinite power in his Divinity; contained and restrained in a narrow crib, in respect of his body, but filling Heaven and earth, containing all things, contained of nothing, in regard of his Divine nature. I give also unto thee, my little one, my heart, one of the least members of my body in quantity, greatest in vigour, force, and virtue: as which is the fountain of life, imparting motion, life, ad vital spirits to the rest of the membres; Thou gavest unto me, by Incarnation, thy son, the middle person in Trinity, I give unto thee my heart, which is my middle, because it is placed in the midst of my body, that it may the better impart heat & life to all the other parts thereof. Thou gavest unto me, by Incarnation, thy first and only begotten son; I give unto thee my first borne, that is my heart, which is the first living, and last dying in me. And this I hope will be pleasing unto thee, thou, like the Eagle, desiring to feed on the heart, by a complacence which thou takest in it, and thou esteeming the heart, if it be clean and Sanctified, above all the mansion places in earth, and desiring rather to devil in it by charity, 1. joan. 4. (for God is charity & he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him) then in the richest Palace on earth, yea then in salomon's Temple. 8. And having given this my heart unto thee, henceforth it shall not be mine but thine: thou shalt possess it, thou shalt govern it, thou only shalt rule it: I will not meddle with the government of it, but under thee & according to thy commandments, counsel and direction: And although this heart heretofore hath been the rendezvous and Receptacle of the Devil, the world, & flesh, thy sworn enemies, yet if thou please by thy grace to cleanse it, and adorn it, they shall be sent packing, thou only shalt be entertained, and it shall be at thy disposition, ready to believe in thee, to hope in thee, and to love thee above all things, and to do thy will, and pleasure in all things. For all this, my old heart was altogether unapt, create then in me a new heart by the newnesses of grace. 9 To this new heart, saith David, give for hereafter a new spirit, renew a right spirit in my bowels. After the earth and world was drowned, and overflowed with that Deluge and general inundation of noah's flood, Gen. 2. thou brought'st a Spirit or wind upon the earth to dry it; Give to the little world, and land of my soul and heart, a spirit of grace, which may dry it from all concupiscence and from the Deluge of sin, for that, Osea 4. & 5. this is a right Spirit. Rid me of the wrong spirit of fornication, and of all carnal delights, free me from the unclean spirit of lust, from the spirit of lying and dissembling; from the Spirit of pride and envy, for that these are not right spirits, and renew in me the right spirit, of charity, chastity, humility, poverty; renew in me and create a new, those seven graces and spirits of the Holy Ghost, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, Isa. 11. the spirit of knowledge and piety, the spirit of the fear of our Lord: of which, every one is a right Spirit, is thy good spirit, Psalm. 142. which will conduct me into the right way to salvation. The former spirit wherewith I was lead heretofore, was not a right spirit, because it led me out of the way, it was a crooked spirit, because, though my body be made to look up to heaven, yet the evil spirit, which before ruled me, did crooken my soul & made it look down to the earthly pleasures, not upward to thee and to the bliss of Heaven. Give me therefore, o Lord, the former seven Spirits, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, which are right Spirits, and which do put my soul in a right posture towards thee & Heaven, and do make my soul in all her actions to aim principally at thee and thy honour, and do elevate her to Heaven by contemplation, by which she converseth in Heaven with thee, and thy-Angelles, and Saints. Engraft this Spirit in me, o Lord, and then as the graft of a pear tree grafted on a thorn tree, beareth not thorns but pears: so this spirit grafted on the thorn of my carnal and corrupt nature, will make me henceforth to bear, not the fruits of the flesh, but of the spirit. This is the right spirit I desire to have for my guide and conductor, and director in all my actions. In this thy spirit now is all my delight, not in the spirit of the word, or flesh; and how good and sweet is this thy spirit, Sap. 12. o Lord in all? 10. And I beseech thee, sweet Lord, to renew and innovate this spirit, this right spirit, in my bowels. Permit not the spirit of Hypocrisy to domineer in me, because that spirit doth all to the outward show, and hath a fair outside, but a fowl and filthy inside: That spirit moveth to fast, to seem holy, to pray, to seem devout, to give alms, to seem charitable; but I desire a spirit which may work inwardly, what it showeth outwardly, and therefore I desire it maybe innovated in my entralls, in my heart, that when I pray, it may not be with lips only, but with heart also, when I give alms, it may not be out of a desire to please men, but out of charity and compassion, to please God. O Lord give me this right heart this right and inward spirit, for if the spirit of my heart be right, all my actions will be upright, not crooked, nor bending to the world, If my heart be clean all my cogitations, purposes, and even my outward actions will be clean: but if the heart be crooked, or unclean, all my actions will be crooked and unclean, because if the fountain be muddy, the river can not run clear, if the root be poisoned, the bows and fruits will be infected, & will infect; If my heart be dead, all my actions, even the best, will be dead, and not meritorious of life everlasting; but if my heart be living by the life of grace, all my good works will be living and meritorious. And seeing my former heart, o Lord, was unclean by sin, & crooked by a crooked spirit tending to earthly things, yea was dead by mortal sin, which deprived it of the life of grace, give me a clean heart, fit for thee to devil in, give me a right heart, which may always aim at thy glory, give me a living heart, which, living here by grace, may live in Heaven by glory, the fruit and harvest of the seed of grace. Ne proijcias me à facie tua, & Spiritum Sanctum tuum ne auferas à me. Cast me not away from thy face, and thy holy Spirit take not from me. Aug. l. 1. de libero ar. cap. 16. & lib. 2. c. 19 & lib. contra Socundinum Manich. c. 15. 1. Sin, if it be mortal, is an aversion of our will from God the Creator, and an inordnate conversion of the same to the Creature, it is a scornful turning of the back to God, and a loving turning of the face to the creature, it is a disdainful farewell to the creator, & a friendly welcome to the creature; And this were enough to cause God to turn his face from us, because we by sin do turn our faces from him, and our backs to him. I, o Lord, saith David, in a former verse desired thee to turn thy face from my sins, that is, so, as not to be displeased with them; now I desire thee not to turn thy face from myself, & my person. My sins are no creatures of thine, but ugly monsters of my perverse will, and therefore thou hast cause to turn thy face from them, and not to deign these viperous broods, thy good look, or favourable countenance: but I myself, though I be a sinner by mine own malice, yet I am thy creature by thy goodness, and seeing Thou lovest all things that are, Sap. 11. & hatest nothing of those things, which thou hast made, yea thou sparest all, because they are thine, And especially thou lovest souls & reasonable creatures; I hope thou wilt not turn thy face from me, but look on me with a loving aspect. Thou hatest not the Devil but for his sin, and were it not for that, thou wouldst love him; Hate then, o Lord, my sins, for I also do hate and detest them with thee, avert thy favourable countenance from them, for I also, through thy grace, can not afford them a good look. But hate not me, I am thy handworke, and thy masterpiece after the Angels: hate not me, I bear thy lively image, which thou canst not hate, it so lively representing thyself, Hate then my creature, my sin, but not thy creature, avert thy face from my sins; but cast me not from thy face, convert thyself to me, that I may be converted to thee. I could of myself, avert myself from thee, but I can not convert myself to thee, unless thou by thy grace convert me. 2. Heretofore it was a pleasure to me (but o the now displeasing pleasure) to be averted from thee, and converted to thy creatures, which I loved in ordinatlie, because above thee, & above thee, because against thy commandments: but now thy grace hath made a great mutation in me, Psa. 76 & this is mutatio dexterae excelsi, the change of the right hand of the Highest; now it is the greatest corrosive to my heart to be averted from thy face, in which the Angels take delight, and it will be my greatest comfort, if thou vouchsafe to turn thy benign countenance to me, and not to cast me away from thy face. The aspect of thy countenance, the very turning and conversion of thy glorious face to me, is a torch and light, which illuminateth my way, and keepeth me from stumbling and falling; it is the sea star which directeth my navigation; it is the pillar of fire which leadeth me by night, & the cloud which guideth me by day through the deserts of this life, Gen. 13 to Heaven the land of promise. 3. I heretofore (which now I rue) took a fall by sin from thee (o God) from thy grace & favour, from Heaven, into the depth of sin, and if thy merciful hand had not holden me, into the pit of Hell: but now that by thy grace, the effect of thy benign countenance, I am risen, let me not fall again; now, that by the light of thy face, which is thy grace, I am directed in the right way, let me not range out of it any more; now that by the same grace I am washed from my sins, let me not defile myself again; now that I am by this grace cured of my disease of sin, let me not fall into it again, now that my mortal wounds are healed by this grace, let me not renew them. For what would it avail to be risen up, if I fall again the after fall would make my rising more difficult: What to have walked in the ways of thy commandments, if I lose this way again? I shall the more hardly find it. What to have been washed clean in the laver of penance, and by thy grace, if like a swine, I wallow myself again in the puddle of sin? the stain will more hardly be gotten out; better it is for me to say with the Spouse, Cant. 5 I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? What will it avail to have been cured of the ague of sin, if I admit an other access of it? Recidivation is more dangerous than the former sickness. What, to have been healed of so many mortal wounds as mortal sins, if I renew them again? the renewing makes them harder to be cured then before. Wherefore turn not thy face from me by withdrawing thy grace, for than I shall fall again into all those miseries: to have well begun is a small thing, how many good beginners are now in Hell? perseverance is that which maketh us go on to the end, and the end crowneth the work. And therefore, o Lord, take not thy holy spirit from me. Take not from me the create spirit of grace, by virtue of which I may persever to the end: yea, o Eternal Father, o Eternal Son, give me your increate spirit, the holy Ghost who proceedeth from you both, and who is equal, coequal, and consubstantial to you both, and who is your mutual love and eternal knot of friendship; take not from me this your increate Spirit. So long as this Spirit supporteth me, I can not fall; Heaven will sooner fall, than I so supported can fall. 4. And thou, o penitent Christian, desire almighty God to turn his face from thy sin, but not from thee, it being thy only comfort in this life, to have its benign aspect, and the light of grace which proceedeth from it, and which illuminateth thy way, which thou art to walk. Desire him also not to take away his holy Spirit from thee, without which, living thou art dead, living in body, dead in soul, which, if thou fall, will raise thee, if thou stand, will so direct thy steps, as thou shalt never fall again. joan. 1. This Spirit hovered over the waters in the first creation, & gave them fecundity to bring forth fish and fowl. The same spirit hovered over the waters of Baptism, when thou waste regenerated of water and the holy Ghost, joan. 3. and gave it force to this day to bring forth Spiritual fishes, to wit Christians, who are spawns and young fishes of the great fish CHRIST JESUS, Tertul. lib. de Baptismo. Aug li de Civit. ca 18. styled by the Sybille in the first letters of her Greek verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (which signifieth a fish) because in the river of jordan, where he was Baptised by S. john Baptist, he like a fish, did, as it were, swim, and thereby gave virtue to the water of baptism to regenerate Christians, whereas Christians have their origin from the water, as fishes have. This Spirit again hovered over the waters of contrition & the Sacrament also of penance, when it inspired into me the Spirit of compunction, and contrition, by which from my sins committed after Baptism, I was again washed, and rose again from sin to justifying grace. Let it give me also, o most merciful Lord, the grace and gift of perseverance, which is all in all, and without which all is nothing. Do not take this Holy Spirit from me, and I shall persever to the end against all tentations, maugre all the Devils in Hell. 5. S. Peter before he was fortified by this Spirit, was so frail, fearful, and cowardly, that he denied his Master at the voice of a Maide-seruaunt; a woman dashed him out of countenance; but after he was armed & fortified by this Holy Spirit, he feared not the Tyrants of the world, nor all the torments that cruel hearts could device: but like a rock withstood the boisterous winds of their persecutions, which did but break & waste themselves, moved not him. And he, & the rest of the Apostles, who fled when their Master was taken, and who even after his death and resurrection, assembled themselves together, and shut the doors: Propter metum judaeorum, for fear of the jews, joan. 20. after they had received this Holy Spirit, they feared not the Tyrants of earth, nor all the Devils in Hell: Yea they but twelve set upon all the world, and not jointly neither, but singly, and made a conquest of a greater world than ever Alexander the Great did, & subdued not only their bodies, as he did, but their wills and understanding, & subjected the Empire to the Church, the Sceptre to the cross, made philosophy stoop to Christ's doctrine, Matth. 10. and Idolatry to Christian religion. And whereas they were sent as sheep amongst wolves, yet these sheep, strengthened by this Holy Spirit, were to hard for the wolves, and as fire converteth all into it, so they inflamed with this Heavenly fire, consumed sin and Idolatry, and like so many walking fires, set all the world on fire, converted all to Christ, and made all like themselves, that is Christians. 6. I, o Lord request at thy bountiful hands with David, a gift of this Holy Spirit, Act. 20 and this Heavenly fire, which descended on the first Christians in the form of fiery tongues, corroborate and encourage me by this Holy Spirit, inflame me with this heavenly fire, and harden me with it, that no assaults of the Devil, world, or flesh may be able to overthrow me, that for fear of persecution I may not deny thee; but as now (as I hope) I am risen by thy Holy Spirit, and grace of justification, so by thy safety and grace of perseverance, the proper effect of it, I may never fall again by mortal sin from thy grace, favour, face, and eternal vision, the bliss of the blessed, which is only granted to them, who persever to the end. Red mihi letitiam salutaris tui, Et spiritu principali confirma me. Render unto me the joy of thy Salvation: and confirm me with thy principal Spirit. 1. I Remember, o Lord, saith David (say the same, o penitent soul, with him) what joy, peace of conscience, and comfort I enjoyed in thee and in thy service, before my sin, and when I was enriched with thy grace, the fountain of true peace and joy: Then I tasted and saw how sweet thou art, than I experienced, Psal. 33 how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, o Lord, which thou hast hid for them, that fear thee; and hast hidden from the worldlings, who fear thee not: Sap. 12. O how good and sweet is thy spirit, o Lord, in all. Math. 11. Thy service is a yoke, but sweet, it is a burden, but light. And, o my infelicity, who when I sinned, left thee, and all this true joy and consolation. When by justifying grace I lived in thy house, I abounded with this bread of consolation; but when by my sin I left the house of thee my eternal father, & followed the service of the world, with the Prodigal son, Luc. 15 than instead of this bread of true consolation, I was fed as he was, after he left his father's house, with the husks of worldly consolation, & with carnal and brutish pleasures, the hoggish fare of sinners, which never quencheth thirst, never slaketh or assuageth hunger, never giveth contentment: 2. When I served thee, o Lord, I drank of the fountain of living waters and true pleasures, joh. 4. & whilst I drank those waters, I never thirsted after any other; but when I forsook thee the Creator and fountain of living water, Hierem 24. and digged to myself cisterns, broken cisterns, which are not able to hold water: that is when I thought to extinguish my thirst by my love of creatures or create riches or pleasures, I found them to be broken cisterns, which do not contain the water of solid comfort, pleasure, or contentement. When I served thee, I was fed with Manna, Num. 21. the bread of Angels, which containeth in itself all delight; but when by sin I loathed and left this food of Angels, and sought to satisfy mine appetite with worldly, and carnal pleasures (o what an ill exchange I made) I then sold with Esau my spiritual first birthright, Gen. 25 which grace gave unto me, for a mess of pottage: Exod. 25. I exchanged Manna for the flesh pots, yea onions and garlic of Egypt I left thee, o Lord, the Creator in whom I had true contentment, for thy creatures, which by reason of their insufficiency, can not content. 3. Thou hast created us, o Lord, to thyself and for thyself, and hast made us capable of thyself, by thy clear vision and fruition, and thou being rich, eminent in excellency above all, beautiful, most good, yea a sea of goodness; hast made us capable of all these thy Divine attributes and perfections: But because we seek for these things not in thee, where they are, & where only they content, but in thy creatures, where is but a shadow of them, and where they do not content; we by abuse have made this our capacity of fruition of thee, & thy Divine perfections, which only can satisfy and fill us, the cause of all our discontentement, yea our vices and disorders. For whereas thou hast made us capable of thy Divine excellency, to which supreme honour is due, we by abuse seek for this excellency, and honour, not in thee, but in ourselves, desiring too much to excel others, and to be esteemed above them, & this is pride & ambition, which is never satisfied. Others give this excellency and supreme honour to creatures, as to the sun, moon, stars, and this is Idolatry; whereas thou hast made us capable of thy beauty, which is the cause and fountain of of all beauty, we leaving thee, do seek for it in thy creatures, where is but a shadow of that thy beauty, and this is carnal concupiscence, which is never filled. Whereas thou hast made us capable of thy riches and abundance, which comprehendeth all the riches, and varieties of Sea and Land, & that also most eminently; we by abuse seek this abundance, and variety of all things in thy creatures, and trouble Sea & Land to procure it, & this is riot and avarice, which is never contented: whereas thou hast created us capable of thy bounty & liberality, by which thou shinest & raynest by thy gifts, and favours on the good, and bad, and castest a largess of thy infinite gifts, and benefits on all thy creatures, even to the young ravens and crawling worms, we by abuse seek for this bounty out of thee, & would be liberal, not out of thy abundance, but out of our own store, and this is lavishing prodigality, which spendeth till it hath ruined the spender and his family, and afterwards stealeth to spend more & more, and so findeth no end nor content in spending. 4. And the reason why these creatures and create perfections can not content our will or appetite, is, because thou, o Lord, hast given to our will an infinite capacity, capable of thyself, who art an infinite sea of all goodness and perfection, whereas thy creatures are finite and limited in perfection, an so can not fill a vessel (as our will is) of infinite capacity: and thy creatures are also imperfect, & so do not only not satisfy and fill us, but do also, by reason of this imperfection and disproportion, cause in us a spiritual thirst and hunger which vexeth and tormenteth us. One world was not great enough to content Alexander the Great, nor would many worlds have satisfied him, though thy had been as many as Democritus imagined. what rich man was ever satisfied with riches? what ambitious man with honours? what luxurious man with carnal pleasures? And no marvel: no create thing is proportionat to man's infinite capacity. All create perfections are defective, insufficient and vain, like to painted grapes, and so can give no solid satiety or consolation. 5. For what are the gold and silver, lands and livings, and all the riches of the world (which are gotten with labour, kept with care, and lost with sorrow) but pelf and trash and fruits of the earth, and so earthly, and consequently improportionate to our soul's appetite which is spiritual? what are the pleasures of the body, but gay stinking flowers, thorny roses, sweet poisons, delights of brute beasts, in which we agree with them; which so are the pleasures of the body, that they are the greatest displeasures of the soul? what are the honours and estimations of the world, which so daste worldlings eyes, but blasts of men's mouths, or the transitory conceits of men's minds, which often are erroneous, always inconstant, and more changeable than the wind, passing more swiftly them the waves of the running water? And as yet the man was never found which was satisfied with these painted gugawes. 6. Thou only, o my Lord, and God, who art infinite in all perfection and goodness, canst fill the infinite capacity of our soul: Thou only art the centre of our desires in whom only they rest: The stone will sooner rest in the air, before it come to the centre, than the soul of man in creatures, before it come to thee her creator, her first efficient, and last end. Fecisti nos Domine ad te (saith S. Austin) & inquietum est cor nostrum, Aug. lib. 1. Confess. cap. 1. donec requiescat in te. Thou hast made us, o Lord, to thee, and our heart is never quiet till it rest in thee. Seek then, o my soul, for true riches, true beauty, true pleasure, true contentment, but seek for them in God, where they are, not in creatures where they are not; seek for what thou seekest, but not where thou seekest. If thou seek still for them in the creatures, thou shalt always seek and never find, if thou seek for them in God, there thou shalt find them, for that there they are in their prime cause and fountain, there they are in their prime perfection. 7. Return then, o my soul to thy Lord God, and remember what joy and consolation thou enjoyedst, when thou lovedst and servedst him. Then thou spakest not but of him, thoughtst not but of him, dreamedst not but of him, lovedst nothing but him, or for him, reioicedst in nothing but in him, or for him, & this brought thee such joy and consolation, that thou enjoyedst a kind of Heaven in earth, and hadst a taste & feeling of the joys of Heaven, which there are laid up in store for them, that fear God, love him, and serve him. 8. This a wordling will not easily conceive, for he having or esteeming no other Heaven but this world, and proposing to himself no beauty but corporal beauty, no riches but wordly riches, no pleasure but carnal pleasure, is a sensual man, 1. Cor. 2. which perceiveth not those things that are of the spirit of God. But a spiritual man understandeth what I say, & knoweth by experience that it is true; For if the body, as it is animated by the sensual part of the soul, hath its delights, if corporal beauty please the eyes of the body, if music of men's voices or instruments please the ears, if worldly riches content in some sort for a time, what delight hath the soul according to her reasonable and superior part, which is more noble, and hath more pure & noble objects? what delight taketh the devout soul in the contemplation of Heavenly things, & in the exercise of moral and supernatural virtues? If virtue could be seen, saith one, as to the spiritual man's eye it is seen, mirabiles excitaret amores, it would straunglie enamour us, If a beautiful creature draweth, and as it were enchanteth our affections, what delight taketh the devout, and contemplative man in the love and contemplation of God the creator & fountain of all beauty, riches pleasure, perfection? if the good we find in creatures, though finite and imperfect, not pure but mixed with something that is displeasing in it, doth so allure us, how doth the goodness of God (in whom God and good is all one) whose goodness is the fountain of all that is good in creatures, ravish and transport the devout and spiritual man? 9 O sweet Lord render me this joy of thy salvation, so called because it is the effect of justifying grace, caused by the merit of thy sacred passion, our redemption and salvation. If thou now render it to me again, it will be after my disgust & discontentement taken in sin, and in the service of the world, as a great benefit, so far more grateful and pleasing than it was before my sin. For even as the good cheer the Prodigal son made after his return to his Father, and after the husks he had eaten, Lucae 15. seemed more delicious, then ever it did before: Or as peace is more welcome after war, sweet more pleasing after sour, and heat after cold, light after darkness, sight after blindness, health after sickness, liberty after servitude, rest after labour, is more gratlull: so the manna of spiritual consolations, wherewith now I shall be feasted, will seem more delicious, after my hoggish fare in sin; and the peace of conscience after war waged against God by sin, the sweetness of virtue after the sour taste of sin, the heat of grace & charity after the nipping cold of sin, the light of grace after the darkness and blindness I endured in sin, my spiritual health received by grace after the mortal sickness of sin, my liberty of spirit and grace, after the slavery of sin, the rest and quietness of mind, after my drudgery in sin, will be more pleasing grateful, and delightful, then ever they were before my sin. 10. Render me then, o Lord, this joy of thy salvation; and do not only render it, but conserve it to my dying day, that I may carry it with me to the eternal joys of Heaven; and, that it may be thus conserved in me, I beseech thee to confirm me with thy principal Spirit, the holy Ghost the principal Spirit, and fountain from which all create spirits of grace do flow, let this Spirit conserve this joy of my salvation so constantly, that I may never lose it, so pure that it may never be mixed with any joy of thy creatures, which is not pleasing to thee, let this Spirit be my guide, my director, my conductor, my protector in all my ways, actions, and proceedings, that I may never lose again by sin thy justifying grace purchased by penance, and consequently may ever conserve this joy of thy salvation, this joy of conscience, the effect of this grace: 11. The Apostles and Martyrs, by this principal Spirit, and the spirit of grace which it giveth, were so confirmed and heartened, that all the torments, which they suffered of the cruel Tyrants and persecutors, could not daunt them, but they so joyed in their persecutions and torments, that either they felt them not, or they joyed in feeling them for thy sake. Their persecutions were of themselves the bitter waters of Mara, Exod. 15 but by the wood of the Cross dipped in them, that is by consideration of thy passion suffered on it, they became sweet. They were of themselves bitter pills, but being wrapped in the sugar of this joy of salvation, they seemed not bitter, but pleasing to the taste of the soul; this thy principal Spirit did so fill their hearts with joy, that there was no place for grief or sorrow, but when they were scourged & persecuted, they went from the sight of the Council rejoicing, because they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of JESUS. Act. 5. And if thou vouchsafe, o Lord, to confirm me with this principal Spirit, & by the grace it giveth, I shall never be separated again from thee by sin, I shall never forsake so good a God, as thou hast been unto me, either for fear of persecution, or death itself, or for love of whatsoever the world can afford, but rather shall so joy in all temporal sufferances and losses for thee here on earth, that I shall be made worthy to joy and rejoice with thy Angels and saints, by thy clear vision and fruition for all eternity. Docebo iniquos vias tuas, & impij ad te convertentur: I will teach the unjust thy ways, and the impious shall be converted. 1. A Scar, spot, or blot in the face or forepart of the head can not be hidden, but is exposed to the sight of all, though in the inferior members of the body it be seldom marked. Even so the faults or evil examples of Princes or Superiors, who are the heads of their subjects, are by & by noted, when their subjects faults are not regarded; and therefore it is said that Prince's faults are written in their foreheads. I, saith David, am the Head of my People & King of my Kingdom, & so my faults of murder against Urias, and adultery with his wife, are so well known to all my subjects, that they have not only offended thee, o Lord, but have also scandalised them, from whom they could not be hidden, and have given them the evil example to follow me in my evil ways, because the People followeth the example of the King, and thinketh they may do that securely, which they see the Prince do before them. 2. Yea I have not only by these my great sins scandalised the jews my subjects, but also the Gentiles, 2. Reg. 12. and have caused the enemies of thee my Lord to blaspheme thy name, wherefore hereafter for satisfaction of thee, o Lord, and of the world, I will teach the unjust thy ways & the impious, by my means shall be converted to thee. For as I have heretofore accompanied the Ark, which was thy mamnour house, with nables, harps, cymbals, trumpets, and all musical instruments, Yea and have danced before it to honour and praise thy name, 1. Par. 15. which now by my sins I have caused to be blasphemed of thy enemies▪ so I will again resume this my devotion: and although thou hast forbidden me to build thy Temple, because I have been a warrior, & so having defiled my hands with blood, am not fit to build it; 2. Reg. 7.1. Paral. 28. yet I will give the charges of it, and of gold I will give a hundred thousand talentes, and of silver a thousand thousand talentes. 1. Par. 22. But of brass and iron there is no weight, for the number is surpassed with the greatness; timber and stones I have prepared to all the charges. I will dispose of the offices of the Temple, & Musicians, and their instruments, and psalms, and songs. 1. Par. 23.24. & 25. 2. Par. 28. I will give to my son Solomon a description of the porch and of the Temple, and of the cellars and of the upper loft, and of the chambers in the inner rooms, and of the house of the proposition etc. And this, saith David, I will do for satisfaction of my sins, and for the glory and praise of thy name, which shall be praised, and honoured in this Temple till the Messiah shall come. And whereas I have scandalised the Gentiles, they, when they shall be converted to Christian Religion, shall in their churches sing day and night, (and I in them, & by the psalms which I have composed) praises & laudes unto thee, even to the end of the world: Ps. 56. I will confess to thee amongst peoples, o Lord, and I will say a psalm to thee among the Gentiles. And I shall teach the unjust amongst jews and Gentiles thy ways, which if they follow, they shall attain to life everlasting; & the impious amongst them, shall be converted unto thee. And this I will do, partly by my psalms in which I teach them to know thee, to love thee, to fear thee, to serve thee, In which I shall teach both jew and Gentle Christian Religion (for I shall treat in them of thy power, Majesty, justice, mercy, and of all thy Divine attributes; yea in them I shall discover unto them the Incarnation of the Son of God, his Conception, Esa. 11. Esa. 9 Nativity, life and death, Resurrection and Ascension) and partly also I shall do this by the examples of my good life, which hereafter I will lead. For as job was an example of patience, and will be to the end of the world, to all that are in affliction, So will I be an example of penance to all sinners, I will by my example make them to hope in thy mercy, never to despair of it: For if I, after so great sins and so many, have found mercy at God his hands, what sinner may not hope to find the like mercy, if he be sorry for them, as I have been. If I a King would detract so much time from the public affairs of my Kingdom, as seven times in the day to pray and sing laudes unto God. Ps. 118 If I would rise at middnight to Confess to God, what shall other sinners do who have no such encumbrances? If I a King have laboured in much sighing, If I every night have washed my bed and have watered my couch with tears: Psal. 6. If my eyes have gushed forth issues of tears; will other sinners, think without tears and sorrow, to get remission of their sins? I David, cry then unto you all, who are sinners you, who have followed David in his sins, follow him in his repentance, and you will find mercy, as he hath done. 3. O David, I must needs confess that as thou hast sinned grievously, so thy sorrow, and satisfaction for thy sin hath been great, as thou hast by thy evil works dishonoured God his name, so by thy good works alleged, thou hast glorified God, and by thy example hast caused also others to glorify his name; as by thy evil example thou hast perverted many, so by thy Heavenly psalms and wholesome documents in them, thou hast converted thousands, & shalt by them convert sinners to the end of the world. O great King & Prophet, thy sins indeed have been great, but thy repentance also, and satisfaction, through God's grace, hath been great, & so great, that I can not easily say whether thou waste more unhappy in sinning, than thou hast been happy in repenting; yea thy repentance hath been so great, so honourable to God, so beneficial and exemplare to all the world, that I can scarce hold myself from saying; o happy sin of David, See the like speech in the benediction of the paschal candle: O foelix culpa, que talem at tantum meruit habere Redemptorem. which was seconded by so rare and so exemplare a repentance, and satisfaction. 4. Grant unto me, o Lord, (say so, o repentant sinner) that as I have imitated David in his sins, so I may follow him in his repentance and satisfaction; I have by my evil examples, yea persuasions alured others to sin, but grant me, o Lord, thy grace, and in virtue of it, I shall endeavour with David to teach by word of mouth, or by books, or example, the unjust thy ways, & the impious thereby shall be converted to thee; To sollicitate others by persuasion or evil example, unto sin is the office of the Devil, who in all his tentations intendeth nothing else but to draw us to sin, and not only to spiritual sins, as pride, envy and hatred, which he committeth himself, but also to carnal sins, which he can not commit, though he be guilty of them in enticing us. And I, o Lord, do ingeniously confess, that I have been the Devil's Agent in provoking others to sin, either by persuasion, or evil example, by which I have offended thee, ruined them, and by the same sin, have run mine own soul through, to wound them. In this Kind preachers of false doctrine, and Princes, and superiors who command or persuade their subjects to sin, do offend, and who not by evil example? 5. Wherefore I, o Lord, as heretofore I have cooperated with thy professed enemy the Devil to pervert others, & thereby to ruin their souls; so hereafter I will serve no such master, I will be no instrument, nor Agent, nor factor for him, but as I am sorry for the sins past, by which I have offended thee, and cooperated with him to the spiritual ruin of my neighbour's soul: so hereafter, if it may please thee to give me the grace, I will be thy instrument, thy factor and coadiutour, & will labour with thee and under thee for the conversion of souls: 1. Cor. 3 6. It is a great sin by persuasion or ill example to pervert others, it is to cooperate with the Devil, it is worse than David's murder of Urias, because that killed the body, this the soul: And contrariwise to cooperate with God, as his instrument, and Minister, to the conversion of sinners, is the noblest office & employment that can be. It is the very office of CHRIST JESUS the son of God, who came not to call the just but sinners to penance, Mat. 9 Luc. 5. 1. Tim. 1. and, as S Paul saith, came into this world to save sinners, and therefore he was Incarnate, borne, lived 33. years amongst us, taught us, exhorted us by words and deeds, wrought miracles to confirm what he said, and at length suffered and died for sinners, and had not been man, S. Tho. 3 p●● 4.1. art. 3. nor had descended from Heaven to earth, but to save sinners. For as S. Augustin saith, nulla fuit causa veniendi Christo Domino Aug. 〈◊〉 9 de verbis Apost. nisi peccatores saluos facere, tolle morbos, tolle vulnera & nulla est causa medicinae: There was no cause of Christ his coming, but to save sinners, take away diseases, take away wounds (of sin) and there will be no cause of a medicine. In this we do Gods will and pleasure, who, of himself, will all men to be saved, 1. Tim. 2. and to come to the knowledge of the truth: For saith he by his Prophet Ezechiel, why, is the death of a sinner my will, Ezech. 18. and not that he convert from his ways and live? 7. This work of the conversion and justification of a sinner, Aug. tract. 72. in joan. to. 9 S. Th. 1. 2. q. 113 art. 9 is greater than the creation of the world; because creation had for its effect this world, which is a thing natural; justification of a Sinner, hath for its effect grace, which is a thing supernatural, that is nature, this above nature; that is temporal for Heaven and Earth shall pass, in respect of their state & quality, Matth. 24. this of itself eternal, because it is the seed of glory which is eternal; that is a participation of God as he is Author of nature, this as he is Author of grace; that ordaineth us to God as he is our natural end, this as he is our supernatural end; and as creation is of nothing, so the justification of a sinner is of no merit of his. And although glory & glorification be absolutely greater than the justification of a sinner, because glory is greater than grace, yet glory is given to the just, uho deserve it by their merits; the grace of justification of a sinner, is given to him that deserveth it not, and so is a greater safety & favour, because not deserved. And although creation, justification & glorification, be all great works, and do argue Gods infinite power, yet the justification of a sinner, is a work of greater, yea greatest mercy. It is a greater work to convert a sinner than to raise a dead man to life, because by that miracle a dead body is raised to a temporal life only; by the conversion of a sinner the soul is raised from the death of sin to the life of grace, which causeth life everlasting, if by our fault we do not lose it. 8. Seeing then, o God, thou hast wrought so great a work, as is the conversion of a sinner, not only in David, but, as I hope in me also, I will hereafter (say so o penitent sinner) to show myself grateful for so great a benefit, teach with David, the unjust thy ways, and I will endeavour to convert the impious unto thee: They that have lived in captivity do most commiserat captives and prisoners, they that have lived long in banishement, take greatest compassion on the banished; they that have been greeveouslie sick do take most pity on the sick. And I, who have been a great sinner, & who have experienced the misery and danger sin bringeth with it, will hereafter take compassion on sinners. I will inflame myself with David's zeal of souls. Ps. 68 3. Reg. 19 This zeal of souls did eat David, and consumed Elias, it shall consume me; for I will employ myself, my talentes, my labours, my endeavours, and all I am and have, for the conversion of sinners. 9 This zeal of souls, Greg. Hom. 12. super Ezech. as S. Gregory saith, is a most pleasing sacrifice to God, it is an holocaust, because it consumeth all we are and have, to gain souls: It is, Dionies. lib. de Eccles. Hier. as S. Dionysius the Areopagite saith, Divinorum operum divinissimum, of all the Divine works the most Divine. The conversion of souls was the office of the son of God, of his Apostles, and all Apostolical men, who have consecrated themselves to the conversion of Countries: & it shall be my office whilst I live, for if I can not cooperate to the conversion of sinners, with CHRIST JESUS the principal Saviour and convertour of them, by preaching, teaching, or writing of books, as the Apostles did, and as Doctors, Pastors, & the learned aught to do, I will at least do my endeavour herein, by my counsel & good examples, knowing that he which maketh a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, jacobi. 5. shall save his soul from death, and covereth a multitude ofo his own sins; Dan. 12. Knowing that they who instruct others to justice shall shine as stars unto perpetual eternities. This is now my mind, & this mind, by God's grace, I will carry to my dying day. Libera me de sanguinibus Deus, Deus salutis meae & exultabit lingua mea iustitiam tuam. Deliver me from bloods o God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall exulte (for) thy justice. 1. THe afflicted person, whose heart is seized with grief & sorrow for any great loss, sickness, or adversity, thinks it not sufficient to cry once or twice for aid, help, or succour, but often reiterateth the same cry, complaint or petition, and never resteth crying for help, till he find help; And the reason is, because the misery itself still prompteth and suggesteth, and putteth him in mind to cry and call for help, till he be rid of it. By which we may easily gather how great the grief and sorrow of our penitent David was for his sins, since it made him so often to cry for mercy, so often to demand to be rid of his misery of sin. He had cried Have mercy on me, o God, according to thy great mercy, for my sin is great, & according to the multitude of thy commiserations take away mine iniquity, for my sins are many. He had cried, Wash me more amply from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; And not content with this: he again singeth the same doleful song, saying, Turn away thy face from my sins, & wipe away all mine iniquties: & as though he had never cried enough, he cryeth now again for the same remission of his sins saying, Deliver me from bloods, o God, the God of my salvation. He imitateth herein the young sparrows, or swallows, which being destitute of meat, when their dam is absent, do fill the air with their cries: for so David left of God, because by sin he had left him, and now by sin spoiled of God his grace and favour, and of the birthright of life everlasting, plunged also in the misery of sin, and by it exposed to danger of Hell, what should he do but cry to God, who only can help? what should he do but fill Heaven and earth with his cries, thereby to move God to take compassion? 2. And what meaneth he by bloods, but the bloody murder of Urias, and many other Soldiers with him? and his adultery with Bersabee his wife, which was a sin of blood, proceeding from the ardour of blood, which inflamed his concupiscence and made it break forth into that adultery? O David, what dost thou mean now in crying to be delivered from bloods? Didst thou not even in the first words of this psalm make the same petition, when thou cried'st, Have mercy on me, o God, according to thy great mercy? were not these the sins for which thou cried'st God mercy? hast thou then never done crying for mercy for these thy two sins? Ps. 68 No (saith he) I have laboured crying, my jaws are made hoarse with crying; and although I hope those two sins are forgiven me, yet of sin forgiven I will not be without fear, Eccl. 5. and therefore so long as I live, and can cry, I will cry for forgiveness of them. Deliver then me, o Lord, from all sin and especially from the bloods of murder & adultery. And although thy Prophet Nathan hath told me that my sins are forgiven, 2. Reg. 12. yet I fear the pain due to them, knowing that thou usest to punish those sins even in this life most severely. 3. And as for murder, Gen. 4. I know that Abel's blood, unnaturally shed by Cain his brother, had a voice to cry for vengeance upon him, for so God told Cain, saying; the voice of thy brother's blood cryeth to me out of the earth. Wherefore fearing the cry of Urias his blood which I caused to be shed, I desire thee, o God, the God of salvation, to deliure me from the hideous cry of Urias his blood, and to defend me from it by the shield of thy mercy. Mat. 23 The blood of the just shed by the jews and their predecessors, whom they imitated, from Abel to Zacharie fell upon them. S. John baptist blood which Herod shed cried more terribly against him before God, than the voice of his mouth did, when he told him that it was not lawful for him to have the wife of his brother. Mar. 6. And with what a loud voice did the Innocentes & most holy blood of CHRIST JESUS cry against the jews? it is true it cried for our redemption, Heb. 12 by a sprinkling of it which spoke better than Abel, but it cried for such vengeance against the jews, who uniustly shed it, that to this day they feel it in the destruction of their temple and City, in the abrogation of their law and Preesthood, and in their wandering about the world; which if they had foreknown, they would never have cried, as they did, His blood be upon us and upon our children. ●…h. The martyrs of the primitive church are brought in by S. John crying, after death, Apoc. 6. to God to revenge their blood, And their blood also cried and obtained the ruin of the Roman Empire, as than it was, the extirpation of Idolatry, & the planting of Christ his church and the propagation of Christian faith and religion. 2. Macab. 8. Wherefore judas Machabeus knowing that blood uniustly shed cried vengeanee against the shedder, desired God to hear the voice of the blood of the then innocent jews, shed by the infidels crying to him. And it is noted that when the murderer is brought near to him whom he killed, the blood floweth from the dead body, as crying for revenge. 4. David then fearing the cry of the blood of Urias, which he had shed, cryeth to God to deliver him from bloods. And indeed he had already in part felt the revenge of Urias' blood, for after he had caused Urias to be slain, that he might enjoy his wife, the child, which was the unfortunate brood of his murder and adultery, died, and David could not with all his praying, 2. Reg. 12. fasting, and lying on the ground, impetrate his life. And this was not enough to silence Urias his blood, nor to cause it to leave crying; for after this, it cried for revenge against David & his family, 2. Reg. 13.15.16.18. 3. Reg. 2. in the death of his son Ammon, and after in the rebellion and death of his son Absalon, whom he loved so dearly; as also in the violating of his concubines by his said son Absalon, & in the death of his son Adonias killed by Solomon, and in the miserable ending of many Kings of his blood and race. 5. And because David knew that God useth to punish adultery also very severely, he desireth also to be delivered from this blood, or sin, which proceedeth from the heat of blood & concupiscence In the old la (much more in the new) this sin was ever counted most grievous before God and man, & and therefore by that la it was punished with death, & even with stoning to death. And when the Husband was jealous of his wife, Deut. 22. Levit. 20. joan. 8 Num. 5 she was brought before the Priest, and after some ceremonies used, if she proved guilty of adultery, her thigh rotten, and her womb swelling burst, as we read in the books of numbers. And good reason; because, besides the offence committed against God, and the wrong done to her Husband, this sin maketh issues and successions to inheritance uncertain, and disturbeth families. And therefore David fearing least this sin of blood should also cry vengeance against him, he desireth to be delivered from it, saying in the plural number, Deliver me from bloods, that is not only from the bloody murder of Urias, and his soldiers, but also from the adultery with Bersabee, this sin also proceeding originally from the heat of blood. And (saith David) If thou, wilt, o Lord, deliver me from these bloods (as I hope thou wilt) thou being the God of my salvation, my tongue shall exalt thy justice, that is, shall rejoice in this justice and praise thee for it; For although the remission of my sin, in respect of my unworthiness, be mercy, yet it is justice in respect of CHRIST'S passion (which I foresee & behold) because that did merit in rigour of justice this remission, and this justice I shall praise for ever. 6. Say thou also with David, o penitent sinner; I, o Lord, am also guilty of bloods, and therefore I desire thee to deliver me from bloods, for if I be not guilty of murder & adultery, at least I am guilty of many other sins, which all may be called bloods, or sins proceeding from flesh and blood, which nourish and pamper concupiscence, the fountain of all our sins: for as S. john telleth us, 1. joan. 2. all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, & the concupiscence of the eyes, & the pride of life: These be the sources, roots, and fountains from which all our sins do proceed. and so all our sins are bloods, because they flow from concupiscence which is inflamed by the heat of blood: Deliver me therefore from these roots, and I shall be free from the branches, deliver me from the fountains, & and I shall be free from the rivers, deliver me from concupiscence of the flesh & make that chaste, 1. Cor. 9 or give me grace to chastise it with S. Paul, that it may be chaste; take from me concupiscence of eyes & huddwincke them with thy grace, that by them no sin enter into my soul, as a glance only of the eye caused David's adultery; Take from me pride of life, give me an humble heart, repress aspiring thoughts, so shall I be free from pride, ambition, envy, and all other spiritual sins, which are bloods, because they proceed from concupiscence, which is kindled by the heat of blood, 2. Cor. 2 & are the works of a sensual man who perceiveth not the things, which are of the Spirit of God. Deliver me then from bloods (that is from all sins) O God the God of salvation, because it is beseeming the God of salvation to save and to have mercy on sinners. Which if thou dost, o Lord, I promise, with David, that my tongue shall exult in the praise of thy justice; for although in respect of us sinners it be a great grace & mercy to deliver us from sin, we having nothing to deserve it, yet in respect of CHRIST JESUS, our God of salvation and Saviour, it is great justice, because he by his death and passion did merit this for us; and if for this his sacred death and passion, the more than just price of our Redemption, thou please to deliver me from bloods, and sins, I shall praise and exalt this thy justice for ever, and my tongue shall never be silent in the commendation of it. Domine labia mea aperies, & os meum annunciabit laudem tuam. Lord thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 1. Sin, o Lord, saith David, (& say so with him, o penitent sinner) had stopped my mouth, and made me dumb in thy praises; for whilst I was in sin, I praised this world, but cared not for Heaven, I praised the beauty of thy creatures, but cared not for the beauty of thee their Creator, who art the fountain of all beauty, and beauty by essence, they only by participation; I commended the pleasures of the body as the only pleasure, as though there had been no pleasure but in eating & drinking and such like; but cared not for the pleasures, which the godly take in contemplating thy goodness, in loving and serving thee. I praised the Kings, Princes, and Potentats of the earth, and I admired their greatness, power, splendour, and riches, but in thy praises I was altogether mute, though thou be'st the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Apo●● 19 to whom the greatest Monarches are but Viceroys, Lieutenants, and tenantes at will. And so, Psal. 11 ● I who before my sin did sing praise to thee seven times a day, was by sin become dumb, mute and tongue-tied in thy praises. But if thou deliver me from bloods, that is from sin, them sin the cover of my mouth, and tie of my tongue, being taken away, thou wilt open my lips, and lose my tongue, by thy grace, & my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Psal. 33 Then I will bless thee our Lord at all times thy praise shall be always in my mouth. 2. And thou, o penitent sinner, desire God as David did, to open thy lips, which now are shut by sin; and confessing the truth, say thus unto him: Sin, o Lord, hath made me like an Infant in a spiritual life, not able to form any words in thy praise. So that I may say with Hieremie. Hier. c. 1. A, a, a, o Lord, behold I can not speak, because I am a child. Wherefore, o Lord, do me the like favour thou didst to this Prophet, though I much less deserve it then he did: Hier. c. 1. put forth thy hand & touch my mouth, and thereby put the words into my mouth which I shall speak, for then assuredly, my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Nay confess unto thy God and say unto him: Sin, o Lord, hath not only stopped my mouth, but hath also so polluted my lips, Isa. c. 6. that I may say with the Prophet isaiah: I am a man of polluted lips. And greater cause have I to say so then he had: for he esteemed his lips polluted, because he was silent when he should have spoken, and therefore cried: Woe is me, Isa. c. ● because I have held my peace: But I have spoken in detracting, lying, callumniating, swearing, & the like, when I should have been silent, and so I have offended not only in omission, as he did, but also in commission, and so have much more polluted my lips. Send therefore, o Lord, unto me, as thou didst to thy Prophet isaiah (pardon me, sweet Lord, if I far unworthier than he, presume to beg the same favour at thy hands which he did, because it is not any mine own merit, but thy only mercy which thus imboldeneth me) one of thy Seraphins, so called because, as he is inflamed with charity, so he inflameth, that he with an hot coal taken from the Altar, may touch my mouth, Isa. c. 6 and purge my lips from all filth of sin: See S. Thom. Lyra. Hector Pintus and Sanctius on the sixth chap. of Isai●. that is, that he with the burning coal of charity taken from the Altar of the cross, or CHRIST his passion endured on the cross (for that is the source of all grace and charity) may purge my hart and lips as gold in the furnace, from all dross of sin, that my hart may think nothing, my mouth and lips may speak nothing, which is not pure, chaste, and holy: For than my mouth will be apt to show forth thy praise. Or else, send, o Lord, one of thy Priests who by office is a Seraphin, instituted and ordained to illuminate and inflame the hearts of the people by preaching and administration of the Sacraments: And let him either by the burning coal of thy word (for thy word is fired exceedingly) or by that sacred & burning coal of CHRIST'S holy body in the Eucharist (burning continually with the Divinity, Ps. 118. yet not consumed) taken from the holy Altar, where it is offered daily in the Church of God, may inflame my heart & purge, first it, and then my lips, which are the interpreters of the heart, from all filth of sin. Or else, o my sweet God, send unto me one of thy Seraphins, one of thy Priests who ministeriallie by means of the Sacraments which he ministereth, giveth the Holy Ghost, that he by the hot coal of this holy Spirit (proceeding as ardent love from God the father and God the son, coequal and consubstantial unto them, & who in the day of Pentecoste descending from heaven in the form of fiery tongues, inflamed & purged th' Apostles and first Christians) may inflame & purge my heart & lips from all filth of sin, and so may make me fit to show forth thy praise, for until I be purged from sin, Ps. 49. I am a sinner, & to the sinner thou sayest: why dost thou declare my justices and tak'st my Testament by thy mouth? And Ecclesiasticus telleth me, Eccleisastici 15. that praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner. 3. But open my mouth, o Lord, stopped by sin, and purge my lips polluted by sin, and then not only my mouth shall be the trumpet to sound forth thy praises (which thou o penitent sinner must say after him) but my soul shall say to herself: Ps. 102. My soul bless thou our Lord, and all the things that are within me; my understanding, my will, my memory, my heart and all that is in me shall bless and praise God; yea my body and all the senses and parts of it, as mine eyes, mine ears, & the rest of my senses, my head, my hands, my feet, in employing themselues in thy service, shall be so many trumpets to sound forth thy praise. 4. And not only with body and soul I will praise thee, but I will conjure all people and nations to join with me in thy praise, for I will cry unto them: Ps. 1●6 Praise our Lord all the Gentiles, praise him all the people's yea I will conjure all thy creatures aswell reasonable as unreasonable; sensible as unsensible to praise thee, and confess thee to be their Creator, and to say, as they do say every day to those that have intelligence, He made us, Psa. 99 and not we ourselves: I will with Sidrach, Dan. 3. Misach, & Abdenago call upon all creatures, to praise thee & I will sing daily their Canticle and Benedicite. All works of our Lord bless our Lord: ye Angels of our Lord praise and superexalt him for ever: ye Heavens bless our Lord, praise and superexalt him for ever; All waters that are above the heavens, bless ye our Lord, praise and superexalt him for ever; Sun and Moon bless ye our Lord, praise and superexalt him for ever. In the like manner I will invite the stars & planets; the showers and dews, the winds and tempests, fire, & heat, frost, and cold, ice and snow, and the rest, which are invited to the praise of God in this Canticle; for that all those creatures, though many of them be devoid of reason, many also of sense, do praise God in exciting men by consideration and contemplation of these admirable works of God, to the praise of him. 5. For as when we see a picture well drawn, or a statue cunningly carved, we by and by commend not only the picture & statue, but also, and especially, the painter and Carver; so when we look upon the Heavens and those ever shining lights (which may be overshadowed, but never are put out) and the goodly order and disposition of the Heavens, elements, and creatures in them, we praise not only them, but much more the Creator. And in this fence the Heavens (though they have neither reason nor sense) are said to show forth the glory of God; Ps. 18. wherefore hence forth with thy grace, o Lord, all my actions shall be directed to thy honour & glory, every morning so soon as I rise or awake, both they and all I am & have shall be offered & designed for thy honour; and so by word and work I will ever show forth thy praise, and I will never cease from singing praises unto thee, till I come to sing Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy, with the choir of thy Heavenly musicians, thy Saints and Angels. Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: Holocaustis non delectaberis. Because if thou wouldst have had sacrifice, I had verily given it: with holocaustes thou wilt not be pleased. 1. I Promised thee, o Lord, (saith David) that my mouth should show forth thy praise, Ps. 4●. because I take the sacrifice of praise to be more pleasing unto thee, otherwise if thou wouldst have had sacrifice, to wit the material & corporal sacrifice of brute beasts, I would verily have given it. And thou knowest, o Lord, that in such sacrifices I have not been wanting but I know they are not pleasing to thee; nay with Holocaustes, (which were the best kind of external sacrifices, as being wholly burnt and consumed to thy honour) thou art not delighted, as they are taken in themselves without the internal sacrifice of the mind. Solomon in the dedication of the Temple, 3. Reg. 2. offered of oxen two & twenty thousand, & of sheep an hundred twenty thousand; and yet all these sacrifices taken nakedly in themselues, without the inward sacrifices of the mind, were not pleasing to God. Mich. 6. For as Micheas saith Nunquid placaripotest Dominus in millibus arietum? can our Lord be pacified with thousands of Rams? Or as thou, o Lord, thyself sayest, will I eat the flesh of oxen, Ps. 49. ibid. or will I drink the blood of buckgoats? Immolate to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vow to the highest. 2. And what need, o Lord, hast thou of these external sacrifices of brute beasts? All the wild beasts of the world be thine, the cattles in the mountains & oxen, Ps. 49. the fowls of the air, and the beauty of the field is with thee. And therefore, thou, o Lord, exprobatest unto men, saying, that if thou be'st hungry, that is if thou couldst be hungry, I will not tell thee, I will not ask an alms or a peace of bread of thee, ibid. for the round earth is mine and the fullness thereof. So that thou, o Lord, standest not in need of any thing we can offer unto thee: if we offer an Hecatomb of oxen unto thee, thou art never the richer, if we offer thee nothing, thou art not a jot the poorer. Before thou createdst the world, there was nothing but thyself, and yet thou wast then as rich as now; for even then thou containedst in thee most compendiously all things, which now are in heaven and earth, or which hereafter shall be, or which are possible to be; for thou, o Lord, art the first and general cause of all things, and so containest in thyself all things, even as the cause containeth its effects before it causeth them; And so all things are in thee, & in a more eminent manner in thee then in themselves, for in themselves some be living, some not living, but in thee all things are living, yea as S. john saith, joan. 1. Vide Augu. Tract. 1. in joan. & l. 11. de civi. Dei. c. 29. & S. Tho. 1. parte q. 4. a. 1. life itself. In themselues some be corruptible, some incorruptible, in thee they are all incorruptible. In themselves some be great, some little, in thee all great, yea infinite, as thou art, because in thee they are thyself. In themselues some be perfect, some imperfect, in thee they are all perfect. In themselves they are all created, in thee they are increated, in themselues they are all divers & distinct one from an other, in thee they are all one, because they are all one with thee. In themselues they are creatures, in thee they are the Creator, yea in thee they are God, because whatsoever is in God is God. For as the sun with other second causes is cause of all things in this sublunary world, and so all things are in the sun as in their cause, without division; and as the piece of work, be it a statue or Image, is cast or drawn in the Artificers mental platform, before it be fashioned in itself, and in the Artificers mind, idea, or conceit, hath a more noble being then in itself, for in itself it is corporal, massy, & material, in his idea, it is intellectual & spiritual: So all creatures which are Gods works, are contained in God, and in his divine essence, as in their first cause, and Idea, or mental platform, and in him they have a more eminent being, that is Divine, without all division and imperfection, as is already said. 3. What then, o Lord, can we contribute to thee by sacrifices of oxen, sheep, and the like? If we should offer unto thee all the Angels of Heaven, all the Heavens, stars, planets, all the four elements, to wit, fire, air, water, and earth, and all the metals of gold, silver etc. within the earth, all the trees, plants and beasts upon it, and all creatures living and not living in one sacrifice; thou shouldest be never the better or richer, because all these things are thine already, by Title & right of creation, & thou didst possess them all in thy Divine essence, and in a more noble manner than they are in themselves, from all eternity. So that as we can take nothing from thee, so we can give thee nothing. Thou must say. Quis dedit mihi ve reddam ei? job. 41. omnia quae sub Coelo sunt mea sunt. Who hath given me before, that I may render unto him? all things that are under the Heaven, yea & in Heaven, are mine, And therefore saith David, if thou, o Lord, wouldst have had sacrifice (of bruit beasts) I would verily have given it, but even with holocaustes, the principal sacrifices, thou wilt not be delighted, because by them thou art not the richer, they being already thine by title of creation, and possessed by thee, in that thou art their prime & general cause. Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, & humiliatum Deus non despicies. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite, and humbled heart, o Lord, thou wilt not despise. 1. ALthough it be true that the external sacrifice of oxen, sheep, and the like, are not profitable to God, as in the explication of the former verse is showed, yet before the coming of CHRIST, and before they with the old law by CHRIST were abrogated, they were not absolutely displeasing to God, they being commanded by God, and the manner of offering them being by God prescribed in the book of Leviticus. Yea if they proceeded from the internal sacrifice of faith, submission of the mind to God, and devotion, they were holy acts of Religion, by which God was highly honoured, pleased, yea and pacified towards sinners. Why then did David say in the former verse that God would not have sacrifice, and would not be delighted in holocaustes, the best kind of sacrifice? Why did Micheas question the matter saying. Mich. 6 Why? can our Lord be pacified with thousands of rams? Why did God himself say, To what purpose do you offer me the multitude of your victimes? Isa. 1. I am full. etc. And again saith he: Offer sacrifice no more in vain; Incense is abomination to me. 2. To this answer may be made, first that some jews thought that the only external sacrifice without the internal of the mind did please and pacify God. And such sacrifice God rejecteth as not pleasing. Isa. 29. So God said this people approacheth with their mouth, and with their lips glorifieth me, but their heart is fare from me. secondly these sacrifices, as they proceeded from wicked people, or were procured by wicked men, whose hearts were full of malice, and whose hands were full of blood, and injustice, were not pleasing but displeasing to God, not for the sacrifices themselves, but for the sins of them that offered them. Isa. 1. And so God said that incense (though by him commanded) was abomination to him. thirdly Scripture diverse times when it seemeth to reject external sacrifice, rejecteth them not absolutely, because God did institute them, but comparativelie, that is, in comparison of the in world sacrifice of the mind, which it preferreth. In this sense God saith by the Prophet Osee, Oseae. 6. I would mercy and not sacrifice: That is I prefer mercy and charity towards your neighbour before sacrifice to me, Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. Dei cap. 5. 1. Reg. 15. & so Augustin saith, Sacrificium sacrificio praefertur, one sacrifice is preferred before an other. In the same sense Samuel saith to Saul, who had disobeyed God: and yet had offered an holocaust of the first of the preys, which he had brought from Amalec: Why will our Lord have holocaustes and victimes, and not rather that the voice of our Lord be obeyed? for better is obedience then victim, and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams. So that the external sacrifice taken nakedly by itself, or as it proceedeth from sinful men is not pleasing to God. The inward sacrifice is pleasing to God by itself & without the external sacrifice, but this, without that, is not pleasing. 3. The sacrifices then, which especially please God, are the inward sacrifices of the mind, such a sacrifice is the praise of God which is called the sacrifice of praise in diverse places of Scripture, Tob. 2. Psal. 4.49.115 which David in his 49. Psalm preferreth before the sacrifice of oxen, and other beasts; for having rejected those sacrifices he saith: Immolate to God the sacrifice of praise: By this sacrifice of praise, we humble ourselves and make a kind of sacrifice of ourselves to God, in acknowledging ourselves to be nothing, to have nothing, which we have not from him, and so taking away all matter & motive of praise from ourselves, we give all thankes and praise to God only for all his benefits & graces, and we say with David, not to us o Lord, Psalm. 113. 1. Tim. 1. not to us, but to thy name give the glory. And with S. Paul, To the King of the worlds, immortal, invisible only God, honour & glory for ever and ever. of which sacrifice S. Paul speaking saith, Heb. 13. by him therefore let us offer this host of praise always to God that is to say the fruit of lips, confessing to his name: 4. Such a sacrifice is obedience, by which we sacrifice not the bodies of brute beasts, but our own wills, affections, and judgements, which are the things most dear unto us. Gen. 22 Such a sacrifice Abraham offered to God, when after God had commanded him to immolate & sacrifice his only and dear beloved Isaac, he took the wood and laid it on Isaac his son's shoulders, to prefigurat thereby CHRIST JESUS, who carried the wood of the cross, on which he was sacrificed for our Redemption, and Abraham himself carried the fire with which he thought to have burned Isaac into an holocauste, he built an Altar, he bond Isaac, and laid him on the pile of wood, which was on the Altar, and taking his sword & stretching forth his hand, he was ready to kill his own son Isaac. O obedience better than an holocauste or hecatomb of all the oxen & sheep in the world. O noble sacrifice by which he sacrificed his paternal affection to so dear a son. But God almighty was so pleased with this inward sacrifice of his obedience, by which he sacrificed his will, and all natural affection towards his only son, that he sent an Angel to command him to hold his hands, saying, by this, o Abraham, I see thou fearest God, by this I have tried thy love & obedience towards me, who wast ready to kill thy only & thy so dear son to obey me: Enough Abraham, enough, this internal sacrifice so pleaseth me, that now I care not for the external, hold thy hands, Oratio de divinitate Filij & Spiritus S. kill not thy son. S. Gregory Nissen affirmeth of himself, that when on a time he saw the picture of Abraham ready to sacrifice his own son, he could not pass by the picture without shedding tears, as indeed the picture & the example would move any tender or generous heart. 5. Such a sacrifice is Beneficence or Almesgiving, which S. Paul biddeth us not to forget: Heb. 13. because with such hosts God is promerited: this sacrifice is on Alms which proceeding from the love of God & compassion towards our neighbour, is first offered to God, because it is given principally for his sake, & then is given to our neighbour or the poor: and so is a sacrifice resembling those sacrifices of the old law, of which not only the Priest, but the people also, was partaker. 5. Such a sacrifice is prayer made to God with fervency & devotion; the Priest who offereth this sacrifice is the devout Christian, his Altar is his soul or heart, his sacrifice is his prayer, the fire which burneth this sacrifice is Charity, out of which prayer ascending mounteth up to Heaven, yea penetrateth it as a sweet perfume, and savoureth sweetly to the divine senses, and perfumeth all the court of Heaven, like a most sweet incense, Psalm. 140. according to that of David: Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: And as by sacrifice we acknowledge our own baseness, and vility, God his sowerainitie & majesty, ourselves his creatures, him our Creator and Lord of our lives, who could destroy and annihilat us, as by sacrifice beasts were want to be killed and consumed, that we hold out being of him as tenants at will, & are of ourselves nothing; so by the spiritual sacrifices of prayer we acknowledge ourselves beggars, God the rich King of Heaven and earth, ourselves so poor, that we have nothing, and are nothing of ourselves, him so rich, that he is the fountain and source of all goodness, perfection, yea and being; on whom we depend more than the river of the fountain, or the sun beams of the sun; and so by prayer we saccrifice all we have, and are to God, acknowledging that of ourselves we have nothing, are nothing, but have all of God, and so do live precario by begging, and at his will. 6. Such a sacrifice is a contrite heart, and this is the principal of all spiritual and inward sacrifices, and is of all the most pleasing to God, because, as David saith in this verse, a sacrifice to God (& that more pleasing than holocaustes in which he will not be delighted) is an afflicted spirit, and a contrite and humbled heart, which God will not despise. The external and corporal sacrifices taken alone are neither profitable to God, nor pleasing, as in the former verse is declared; the inward sacrifices alone are not profitable to God, but yet they are pleasing to him. They are not profitable, for what is he the better for our praise? what the worse for our dispraise? what is he the better if we honour him? what the worse is we dishonour him? what the better is he for our good works, prayers and devotion? what the worse for all the sins we commit? For as Eliphaz Themanites said to job. job. 22. What doth it profit God if thou be just? or what dost thou advantage him, if thy way be unspotted? And as, Eliu said to the same job; job. 35. If thou sinne what shalt thou hurt him? & if thy iniquity be multiplied, what shalt thou do against him? More over if thou do justly what shalt thou give him, or what shall he releave of thy hand? yet the spiritual and inward sacrifice is more pleasing to God then are external sacrifices, yea in respect and comparisons of the inward sacrifice, God, as it were, despiseth the external sacrifices, as we have seen above. 7. And hence it is, that in the new la, which is of Christ, all those external sacrifices of the Jews are abrogated with their la, & now there is no proper external sacrifice, but the bloody sacrifice of christ offered on the cross for our Redemption, and the unbloody sacrifice of the same christ, which he offered at his last supper for application of that; Matth. 26. and which is repeated daily in the office of the church, and at the Altar, of which also Malachi prophesied when he saith that instead of the sacrifice of the jews a clean oblation should be offered in all places: Malac. 1. which prophecy can not be understood of the sacrifice of the Cross, that being offered but once, and in one place; nor of any external sacrifice of the jews, such sacrifices being in that place of Malachi rejected, nor of improper sacrifices of prayer, good works, etc. they being many, this sacrifice mentioned by Malachi being one, and they being improper sacrifices, this of which Malachi speaketh, being proper, as which is by him opposed to the jews proper sacrifices; but of the sacrifice unbloody offered at the Altar, which is a clean oblation, & unbloody, whether we regard the external signs, the accidents of bread and wine, or that which they contain, which is the body & blood of Christ offered in them by the Priest in an unbloody manner, and which by ancient fathers & councils is called a sacrifice, and ever in the church hath been esteemed and offered on an Altar as a sacrifice. 8. Wherefore now we are not to sacrifice oxen and calves or lambs as the jews did; now we are said to immolat the calf when we sacrifice by austerity our own flesh; now we sacrifice the lamb when we suppress our own fury and anger, and show ourselves meek & gentle to those, who have wronged or offended us; now we sacrifice the goat when we repress lasciviousness; now the turtle when we keep our chastity undefiled; now the young pigeon when we live in charity with all. God now will not have us sacrifice brute beasts, but our brutish passions and sensualities, not other living creatures, but ourselves; so that God now taketh no pleasure in the external and carnal jewish sacrifice, but in the inward and spiritual sacrifices of Christians, and as I said in the external sacrifice of his sons sacred body and blood on the Altar. 9 And amongst all the inward and spiritual sacrifices, the afflicted spirit, a contrite & humbled heart, is that, which especially pleaseth God? When David considered his sins against God, his heart was contrite, that is rend & broken with sorrow, and when he considered that his sin was not only an offence of God, but also a misery to himself, which made him more odious to God & his Angels, than the vilest toad or serpent, than it humbled his heart, and at the same time made it, Cor contritum & humiliatum, a contrite, or broken, and humbled heart: His heart was broken with sorrow, when he considered how good a God, how clement a Prince, how tender a Father, how great a benefactor, how loving a friend, he had offended: it humbled his heart, when by his sin he experienced his own frailty, & saw into what danger of eternal damnation he was fallen; it broke his heart, when he considered that sin is the greatest disease that is, greater than any ague, palsy, or leprosy, for that these are but diseases of the body, sin of the soul: And it humiliated his heart to see himself become by sin a Lazar and a foul leper; it broke his heart when he considered that sin is the greatest wound that is, greater than a stab through the bowels of the body, for that only woundeth & killeth the body, sin stobbeth, woundeth, yea & killeth the soul, by depriving it of the life of grace, & therefore the wiseman biddeth us to fly from sin as from the face of a serpent, Eccl. 21. because saith he, the teeth of a Lion are his teeth, killing the souls of men: It humiliated him to see himself thus wounded, and by so base a thing as his sin was, a filthy & brutish pleasure, and a traitorous murder; It broke his heart with sorrow, when he considered that sin, especially if it be mortal, is a greater evil than Hell itself, for that hell is only malum paenae the evil of pain, sin is malum culpae, the evil of fault & offence of God, which is the greatest evil: Hell is but malum poenae an evil of pain, & it is an effect of God his justice, inflicted by God: sin is no effect of God, nor creature of God, but only a bastardly Imp of the sinners perverse will: It humiliated him when he considered that he was oppressed with the greatest evil that is, & that God could not lay so great an evil on him, though he should heap upon him all the pains in Hell, as he laid on himself by his sin; It broke his heart to consider that he had sinned: it humbled his heart in that he was sure he had sinned and had wept for his sins, and yet, without revelation he could not tell whether his sin was forgiven or no, Eccl. 9 whether he was worthy hatred or love; and though it was revealed to him that his sin was forgiven, 2. Reg. 12. by Nathan the Prophet, yet it was sufficient matter of humility to have sinned, and therefore S. Paul, though he was sure his sin of persecuting the first Christians was forgiven him, 1. Tim. 1. and that he had obtained the mercy of God, because he did it being ignorant in incredulity, yet because he had persecuted the church of God, he thought it a sufficient matter of humility, 1. Co. 15 and a motive ever after to think himself an Abortive and the least of the Apostles not worthy to be called an Apostle, only because he had heretofore persecuted the church of God. And therefore David not content that the Prophet Nathan told him, 2. Reg. 12. that God had taken away his sin, weepeth still, bewaileth and lamenteth that he did sin, & breaketh his heart with sorrow & humbleth it, knowing that a contrite and humbled heart, God will not despise. 10. O David, who art thou, who thus filleth the air with cries throbs, sobs and lamentations? who art thou, who fetchest from thy heart so deep and so doleful sighs, wherewith thy heart is broken, rend, and humbled? I am a criminal, saith he, and a guilty person condemned by God, and by his Prophet Nathan, yea and by mine own conscience (which, forceth me to cry peccavi) of no less sins than murder and adultery: what marvel then if my heart break with sorrow, my mouth sound it out in cries, and my eyes witness it with bloods of tears? O David who art thou, who now art so humble even in heart? waste not thou elected by God, and anointed by Samuel the Prophet King of the jews? was it not thou, 2. Reg. 10. who killed'st a lion and a bear, 1. Reg. 17. foyledst at thy feet the great Giant Goliath, who braved the hosts of God, & made them all to quake? Art not thou he of whom the young maids & virgins sang, 1. Reg. 18. Saul struck a thousand, and David ten thousand? It is true, I am he that did all this, but I, who killed the lion, 1. Reg. 17. the bear and the Giant Goliath, am now slain by an homebred, yet more cruel beast concupiscence, which pretending to do me a pleasure, hath given me my deadly wound, and like a traitorous joab seeming to offer me a kiss, 2. Reg. 20. 1. Reg. 18. Psa. 88 gave me the stab. O David, art not thou he, to whom God promised the Kingdom of Israel to continue in thy race for ever, of which race the Messiah was to descend? why then art thou so dejected, and humbled in heart? I am he, but I am now a grievous sinner, and those great titles, prerogatives, and privileges wherewith God heretofore honoured me, do now but aggravat my sins, and therefore not withstanding the aforesaid titles, I am afflicted in spirit my heart is contrite, broken with sorrow and humbled. 11. And yet, o Lord, saith he, I will not despair, knowing thee to be merciful and mercy itself. Psa. 21. Ps. 70 ibid. Thou art my hope from the breasts of my mother; thou art my hope from my youth. In thee, Lord, I have hoped, let me not be confounded for ever: Ps. 131. Remember David, o Lord, and all his meekness. Remember what I was, heretofore, Act. 13. a man according to thy heart; consider not what I am, but pardon what I am, & restore me to what I was, to my former virtue, grace, and favout; and for my sins past, I will offer thee a sacrifice, not of oxen or sheep, but of myself, of an afflicted spirit, of a contrite, & humbled heart, which is more agreeable to thee than hecatombs of brute beasts: I, o Lord, will be myself the Priest, my Altar shall be my soul, my sacrifice my heart, which by contrition I shall break, and bruise; by charity I will burn unto thy honour, as a most grateful holocauste, knowing that a contrite heart and humbled thou wilt not despise. 13. O the noble sacrifice of a contrite heart! This sacrifice in all laws be it the la of Nature before Moses, or the la written before CHRIST, or the new law since the coming of Christ, is available, always grateful, never abrogated, as the old sacrifices are: I need not seek fare countries for it, it is within me, I need not lay out money to buy it, it is mine; CHRIST JESUS by his passion bought it, and gave it to me, if I will, I need not beg it of any but CHRIST JESUS, it is in my power with his grace, it is a sacrifice, which every one may offer, aswell the poor, as the rich, aswell the subject, as the King, aswell the servant, as the Master, it maybe offered aswell in the night as the day, aswell in the field as the Church: no time, no place, no person, no hour, no moment unfit for this sacrifice. 14. I, o Lod, remembering with David my many & grievous sins am desirous with him to offer a sacrifice to appease thy anger conceived against me for them: and because the sacrifices of brute beasts, which were offered in the old la, are not now pleasing unto thee, nor never were for themselves, unless they proceeded from the inward sacrifice of the heart, I offer unto thee the inward sacrifice, which David offered thee, to wit a contrite and humbled heart, beaten to powder with contrition, burned to ashes by love of thee and charity: The zealous Moses when he saw that the jews had adored the golden calf instead of God, Exod. 32. was transported with such an holy rage & fury, that in this zeal he slew the Idolaters, and caused the golden calf their Idol to be beaten to powder, and mingling the powder with water, caused the children of Israel to drink it. If Moses was so angry with that Idol, which committed no Idolatry, but was only the object of the jews Idolatry, to which also it could not consent, How should I detest my heart, in what a rage should I be against it? why should I not beat it to powder, by contrition, it having committed a kind of Idolatry, so often as it sinned mortally, in preferring the creature before the Creator & his commandments? and why should not I mingle this powder with the tears of contrition, and drink, daily this potion, and make it my meat and drink, Psa. 41. as he did, who said: Fuerunt mihi lachrymae meae panes die ac nocte. My tears have been breads unto me day and night? 15. O sweet jesus, our true Moses the verity of the jews Moses, a type & figure of thee, who gavest us the law written in hearts, not in tables, as he did, who deliveredst us not from a temporal captivity of Pharaoh, as he did, Exod. 17. but from an eternal thraldom of the Devil; strike with the rod of thy cross, and consideration of thy passion, suffered for our sins on it, the rock of my stony heart, that the tears of contrition, may gush forth and flow from it by my eyes, as they did from David's, S. Peter, & S. Marie Magdalen's eyes. O sweet jesus resolve by the blood of thy passion my hard heart into the rivers of tears, in which David, Manasses S. Peter S. Marie Magdalene washed their souls from the filth of sin. In this jordan of tears wash me, o Lord, 4. Reg. 5. Luc. 4. from my leprosy of sin with Naaman Syrus: In this pool of Siloe wash mine eyes with the blind-borne: joan. 9 joan. 5. In this Probatica heal me, and cure me of all my infirmities. joan. 4. Wash me in this fountain of living water which springeth up to life everlasting. In this second baptism called Baptismus flaminis, regenerate me a new creature. 2. Par. 33. jonae. 3. 4. Reg. 20. 1. Reg. 2 Psa. 50. Luc. 7. Math. 26. These tears restored Manasses to his kingdom, delivered Ninive from destruction, prolonged Ezechias life fifteen years, procured to Anna a Samuel, to David, S. Peter, S. Marie Magdalene, and thousand other sinners, remission of their sins; And if in Noë his time, the world had been washed in this water, it had never been drowned in the Deluge. In this water the ship of my soul shall sail to the haven of heaven securely, because in this sea of tears there is no storm to shake it, no surging waves to toss it, no rock to shiver it in pieces, or on which it running itself, may suffer shipwreck, nor Pirates to board it and spoil it. And to this port & haven of Heaven, & eternal bliss & felicity, bring me, o Lord, through the waters of contrition, and if it shall so please thee, through the waters also of tribulation, and adversity whatsoever. Benignè fac Domine in bona voluntate tua Zion, ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem. Deal favourably, o Lord, in thy good will with Zion, that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Tunc acceptabis sacrificium iustitiae, oblationes & holocausta, tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos. Then shalt thou accept sacrifice of justice, oblations and holocaustes: then shall they lay calves upon thine Altars. These two verses are explicated to gether by reason of their connexion, the second yielding a reason of the first. 1. THe first thing that a sinner must ask of God Almighty, is pardon for his sins committed, and by it, God his grace & favour; for till that be obtained, the sinner is an enemy to God, and odious to his sight, & so not like to be heard; but pardon for his sins, and consequently grace and favour being once purchased, than he may be bold to be a suitor and a beggar for other benefits. David, as we have seen in the former verses of this Psalm, hath often prayed for mercy & forgiveness for his sins, & now hoping (yea knowing by revelation from the Prophet Nathan) that by his penance remission of his sins is obtained, and he now in grace and favour, he taketh the heart to pray to God for other benefits; and because the common good is to be preferred before one's private commodity, he asketh God, neither health, nor wealth, nor long life, nor any such private benefit, but being zealous of the common good, and especially of the public worship and honour of God, which bringeth with it many blessings to a country, he desireth God, to deal favourably with Zion that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. 2. He always shown a great zeal for Jerusalem, because it was the Metropolitan and head City, as also because there God was religiously served, and was afterwards, when the Temple should be built, much more to be honoured by the many sacrifices which there were to be offered; and especially because the Messiah, CHRIST JESUS, was to teach, preach and work miracles in that City and Temple, and was to sanctify and honour both, by his sacred presence; all which he foresaw in spirit by faith and the gift of Prophecy. Psalm. 136. 3. And therefore saith he, If I shall forgeth thee, o Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten, let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee, if I shall not set Hierusalsm in the beginning of my joy: The like or greater zeal shown towards the Ark and temple, though this as than was not bult: Behold, 1. Par. 17. saith he I dwell in an house of Cedar, and the ark of the covenant of our Lord is under skins: that is under a tabernacle or pavillon. And again: If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, If I shall ascend into the bed of my couch, Psal. 131. If I shall give sleep to mine eyes, and slumbering to mine eye lids, & rest to my temples, until I find a place for our Lord, a tabernacle for the God of jacob. O the zeal of David. He would not, he could not sleep nor rest, till an house and temple for God was built, & he had rather to have lain out of the doors, then that God should want his temple, and house of prayer and sacrifice wherein to dwell, & therefore he would have built the temple in his own days if that God had not told him by Nathan the Prophet that not he, 2. Reg. 7. but his son Solomon should build it: 4. But although he built not the Temple, yet such was his zeal, that he provided the materials, and almost all that was necessary for the building of it, and beside, stones, timber, brass, iron, & such like, 2. Paral. 29. he gave three thousand talents of Gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of Silver, towards the building of it; and besides all this he gave unto Solomon a description of the temple, and told him the order of the Musicians and Levites which were to sing and serve in the temple, and he composed the psalms and sonnettes, and provided the musical instrumentens which were to be used in it, as above we have seen, and so it maybe called in a manner aswell David's, as salomon's temple. 5. He desireth then that Jerusalem may be builded, that is accomplished, for although he speaketh only of the walls of Jerusalem, yet he taketh the part for the whole, and by the walls of Jerusalem he understandeth Jerusalem: And although the city of Jerusalem, for the greatest part, was then built, yet he desireth that it may be augmented, and perfected, especially with the addition of the Temple, the greatest strength and ornament of the City, being the house of God, in which he dwelling, the City could not be without defence or guard. 6. And although he knew by revelation from God that this temple would infallibly be builded by Solomon, yet partly to show his zeal and desire, partly because he foresaw that this temple was to be one of the chief wonders and miracles of the world, and therefore could not be brought to pass without God his cooperation, nor succeed prosperously unless God, as it were, did lay the first stone, & second this stately building and Masterpiece of masonry, he prayeth to God for the building & hastening of it: 7. And why, o Royal Prophet, dost thou so earnestly desire that Jerusalem should be built? That it may be an honour to thee and thy son Solomon the principal Authors of it? or that it may be a perpetual monument of thy riches or magnificence? or that it may be an ornament to the City, and a wonder to the world? No, no, thy thoughts were leveled to an higher mark. Thou desiredst, that God thereby might be glorified, that his name might thereby be honoured & praised, for thou foresawest by the gift of Prophecy, & the light of faith, that the holy Ark with great pomp and solemnity, & to the great glory of God, should be transported and translated in to the temple. Thou knewest that in that temple God should be highly praised, by Hymns, Psalms, Canticles, and all manner of musical instruments: Thou didst foresee the great & goodly sacrifices, which by lively faith & devotion of the Priests, should be offered to God his honour: thou didst foresee that after this temple should be sacked by Nabuchodonosor, & raised, and reared up again, Nehem. 3. Agg. 2. as it was in the time of Nehemias, and after by Herode, the Messiah should honour it by his sacred presence, preaching, teaching, and miracles: Whereby as Aggeus prophesied, Agg. 2. Great should be the glory of this last house, more than of the first. This was that at which David did aim, this was the butt of his desire, to wit, God his honour and glory, not any his own interest, as appeareth by these his words which begin the next verse, Tunc acceptabis sacrificium iustitiae, etc. Thou shalt then accept sacrifice of justice, oblations and Holocaustes, then shall they lay calves upon thine Altar: For although the sacrifices of the old law did not justify of themselves, yet when they proceeded from a lively faith, they did justify, as other good works do, and so might be called in this sense sacrifices of justice. 7. By this, o my soul, thou mayst learn a godly lesson, that is, to be zealous with David for God his glory, & to prefer that before all private interests, to spare no cost nor labour, that God may be honoured; And if thou have not the means, to build a spiritual temple to his honour, that is either to convert a soul, or thy country to true faith and holy life, by teaching, preaching, or writing of books: then to set others on, that can, to encourage them, to aid and assist them by thy means, as David encouraged and assisted Solomon to build that material temple; for so though thou thyself do not build this temple, yet thou shalt with David prepare the materials and give the means, as he did to Solomon his son, and so shalt be partaker with them, who convert souls, and so build to God a spiritual temple in which he may be honoured with the spiritual sacrifices of thanksgiving, prayer, praises of his name & the like. England is English mens Jerusalem, which they must never forget in their prayers, Psalm. 136. but they must say as David did, If I forget thee, o Jerusalem, o England, let my right hand be forgotten. And the true church of England, heretofore great and glorious, now little and obscure in the eyes of men, by reason of the change of state and former persecution, must be their temple, to the restoring where of, some must cooperat by preaching, teaching, writing and good examples, others by encouraging their preachers and teachers, and by ministering means unto them; and both must, with David, prefer this common good, & flourishing estate of the Church and Country of England, before all private respects, and commodities. 8. But David, no doubt in an Allegorical sense had a farther aim, to wit, at the Church and temple of CHRIST, the second Solomon, and the verity of that figurative temple; for David having a more explicit faith then the ordinary jews had, believed explicitelie that the Messiah CHRIST JESUS, God and man, was to come to save mankind, & to that end was to build a fare more Auguste temple than he & his son Solomon could build, & out of this zeal he prayeth to God to build the walls of this Jerusalem and to plant this temple of his church, knowing that this Jerusalem and temple fare excelleth that. 9 The founder and Author of the first temple was the first Solomon; the founder and architect of the temple of the Church was Christ jesus who feared not to say of himself, behold more than Solomon here, Luc. 11. because he knew himself not only to be wise, but also wisdom itself; that temple was confined in Jerusalem; this is greater than Jerusalem and all jewrie, yea hath no other limits than the limits of the world; that temple and Synagogue comprehended only the jews, the issue of Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, and therefore God was only known in jewrie, Psal. 75 and in Israel his name was great; this temple of Christ's Church containeth jew and Gentile, and all the world, and therefore few were saved by that temple, thousands and million by this; that temple was built of material and inanimate stones, this of living stones, 1. Pet. 2 according to that of S. Peter: be ye also yourselves, superedifyed as it were living stones. That temple was not built by David the warrior, but by peaceable Solomon, this not by Alexander the great or julius Cesar, nor any such warlike prince, but by the peaceable Messiah Christ jesus, the Prince of peace; Isa: 9 3. Reg. 5. there were many workmen who travailed in the building of salomon's Temple, seventy thousand who carried burdens: 3. Reg. eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain: besides the overseers which were over every work, in number three thousand three hundred: The workmen which concur to the building of Christ his Church are some Apostles, and some Prophets, and othersome Evangelists and othersome Pastors and Doctors, and those, Ephes. 4 millions in number, by preaching and ministering sacraments shall work in the temple to the world's end, to the consommation of the Saints, unto the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the body (Mystical) of christ, which is his Church: There was heard no noise of hammer or hatchet and tools of iron, 3. Reg. 6. when that temple was built, because the stones were hewed before they were brought to the building And in the foundation and building of the Church, there was no noise of arms, or engines or instruments of war, by which the Empires of the Chaldeans, Medes, Persians and Romans were built, only the preaching of a few unarmed fishermen was heard, and by virtue of that, this goodly temple was raised and daily augmented, notwitstanding that jews and Gentiles, Philosophers, Tyrants and all the world stood in arms against the builders, & did all they could to hinder the building: 3. Reg. 6 That temple was vested with gold, this with a more precious gold, charity; In that was a great laver, in this Baptism, 2. Par. 3. &. 4 which washeth the soul; In that was the Altar of holocaustes & of incense, in this, as S. Paul saith, Heb. 13. we have an Altar whereof they can not eat, which serve the tabernacle; In that temple, were places separate, 2. Par. 3 one called Holy an other Holy of Holies, others called courts: In this there are diverse orders, and degrees of Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, inferior Pastors, & many Religious orders; 2. Par. 4. In that were ten golden candlestsicks, on which were lights to illuminate the Temple; In this are the Apostles and their successors, who are called the light of the world, Mat. 5● and they are candlesticks also, which show the light of the faith to others: In that was a cloud called the glory of God, 2. Par. 7. because it was a sign and figure of his Divinity; In this the son of God, Christ jesus, God and man, was offered once bloody on the Cross, and every day unbloodilie on the Altar, Optatus Milevitanus l. 6. contra Donatistas'. Agg. 2. which Optatus calleth Sedem corporis Domini, the seat of the body of our Lord; by which it is manifest, that, as Aggeus long since prophesied, Great is the glory of this last house temple, and Church of Christ) more than of the first. 10. David therefore, foreseeing by faith the glory of this temple, Jerusalem, and Church of Christ, desireth almighty God that it may be built, And why David? o saith he, then and not before, thou shalt accept the sacrifice of justice; And what is that? the sacrifice of the Cross, to wit, of Christ jesus offered by death on the cross. This sacrifice is the fountain of all grace received ever since Adam's fall; this sacrifice appeaseth God his wrath and satisfieth his justice, in paying the great price of our Redemption; by this sacrifice God was more honoured then by all the sacrifices that ever before were offered; by this sacrifice we were reconciled to God, and his Angels; By this, sin was canceled, the Devil vanquished, Hell, that is limhus Patrum, was ransacked, and all those prisonners enjoyed a jail delivery; death was despoiled of his sting, yea was put to death; finally by which only host, once only offered, our redemption was consummated, Hebr. 9 & 10. for as S. Paul saith, by one oblation hath he consummated for ever them that are sanctified. 11. And peradventure David being a Prophet and having a more explicit faith then the other jews had, Matth. 26. alludeth also to the sacrifice, which Christ instituted and offered at his last supper; & which is repeated by the Priest daily in the Church; And this in respect, of the thing offered, which is Christ, differeth not from the sacrifice of the cross, because in both sacrifices the same Christ, & the same body and blood of his, is offered; though in other respects they differ, because that of the cross was a bloody sacrifice, this unbloody, that was offered in its own form, this in the likeness of bread & wine; that was a real mactation and killing of Christ, this mystical only, that was our Redemption, this an application only of it; that was an universal cause of all grace and remission of sins, this is a particular cause (as Baptism is) which determineth the universal cause to determinate effects; that impetrated grace by its own virtue, this by virtue from that; that, because it was a bloody sacrifice, and contained the full price of our Redemption, was offered but once, because a bloody sacrifice is but once killed, a ransom or Redemption, is but once paid; this, because it is a mystical mactation, and an application only of that price of our Redemption, is oftentimes offered; That was offered immediately by Christ, this now immediately by his Priest at the holy Altar. 12. This verity of the unbloody sacrifice, Catholic writers do prove by all those kind of arguments (as I myself have in some books of mine) by which the greatest mysteries and articles of our faith are proved, as by Scriptures, Counsels, fathers, and practice of the Church; but because I intent in this my Paraphrase to abstain from controversies, and only to stir up sinners to repentance, I will omit all such arguments, and will return to our penitent king and Prophet. And why David dost thou so much desire that the walls of this Jerusalem, and the temple of the Church of Christ should be built? out of my zeal, saith he, of God his greater glory, and salvation of others, for then, saith he, shalt thou accept sacrifice of justice, then, and not before shalt thou accept the bloody and unbloody sacrifices of the son of God the true sacrifices of justice, because the bloody sacrifice satisfied thy justice in paying the price of our redemption, & the unbloody applieth the price: & then by these sacrifices thou shalt be infinitely more honoured then by all the sacrifices of the old law; then thousands more both of jews and Gentiles shall be saved, then were in the old la; then shall be laid on thy Altar not calves, and oxen, but the sacrifices of thy sacred body and blood, the verities of those figures. 13. In a tropical or moral sense, Jerusalem & the temple do signify the soul of man, and in this sense, David desireth that the walls of his Jerusalem, the forces of his soul, lost by sin, may by grace be repaired. Desire thou also, o penitent sinner, with this penitent king and Prophet, that the forces of thy ruinous Jerusalem, of thy soul, cast down by sin, may be repaired, that faith the foundation of this spiritual temple may be renewed, if it be lost, or strengthened, if it be not lost; that the walls of thy hopes by which this Jerusalem and temple riseth and is raised, may be erected & fortified, that Charity the top and roof, may cover it, that this temple may be cleansed from all sin, and that by all Christian virtues it may be adorned & by God his grace and gifts of the holy Ghost, embellished; and that in it daily spiritual sacrifices of prayer, praise, thanksgiving of a contrite heart, & of all good works may be offered to God his honour & glory. 14. Lastlie, in the Anagogical sense, David desireth that the walls of the celestial Jerusalem may be built, that is, that the Heavenly Jerusalem ruined in part by the fall of Lucifer and his rebellious followers, may be repaired, and their seats filled. For he knew by faith that there was a Jerusalem in Heaven fare more glorious than that in earth, Apoc. 21. and which by S john his description is built of no worse materials then pearls, gold, and precious stones, thereby signifying the splendour, riches, and majesty of it. S. Paul calleth it a mount Zion, Heb. 12. & the City of the living God, Heavenly Jerusalem, and the assembly of many thousand Angels, the Church of the first borne, which are written in the Heavens. This is the true Jerusalem, that is, the true vision of peace, where all seeing God face to face, do all peaceably agree, in loving, praising, honouring, and serving him. 15. In this Jerusalem every Saint and Angel is a living stone, which composeth & buildeth up this City, every Saint and Angel is a courtier of this Court, every Saint and Angel is a minion, and favourite of the Heavenly king, every Saint and Angel is a Chorister of God his Chapel, every Saint & Angel is a king of a kingdom of no less extent, than the Kingdom of Heaven. 16. In this Heavenly Jerusalem there is peace without war, security without fear, contentment without disgust, satiety without glutting, joy without sorrow, rest with without labour, light without darkness, morning without evening, day without night, spring without the fall of the leaf, summer without winter, youth without old age, health without sickness, life without death, happiness without misery, and one happier than an other without all envy, because every one rejoiceth in an others happiness, as if it were his own, no sin against God, all jointly loving him, no falling out with one an other, because all in God do love one another, and no end of this felicity, but a perseverance in all this, for all eternity. O world, how vile seemest thou, when I contemplate this Heaven? All thy pleasures, honours, & riches, are but sweep of this house, lees of this wine, dregges of this drink, dross of this gold, chaff of this corn, fragments, crusts and crumbs of this banquet; all the world is but a poor cottage in respect of this Palace, a village in respect of this kingdom, a little hillock in respect of this high and holy mountain, a point in respect of this circumference. O how great is the house of God, Baruc. 3. and how great is the place of his possession? o How beloved are thy tabernacles, o Lord, of hosts? my soul coveteth & fainteth unto the courts of our Lord: Psal. 83 Blessed are they that devil in thy house, o Lord, for ever and ever they shall praise thee: If I shall forget thee o (Heavenly Jerusalem, Ps. 136. ) let my right hand be forgotten; let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee: the cogitation of thee shall make me endure with all alacrity, all affliction, the cogitation of thee shall make me contemn all that the world can promise or threaten. 17. O Lord, saith David, deal favourably in thy good will with Zion that the walls of Jerusalem (of this Heavenly Jerusalem) may be built up, that sinners may with me be daily converted, & made fit to be of the living & precious stones, of which that Cit●e is built, that the empty rooms in Heaven, made vacant by the fall of Lucifer and his adherentes, may be filled by holy souls, daily thither ascending, that the number of the elect and predestinate may be accomplished, and that the Church militant may be assumed to that Church triumphant, and consequently that then there may be no more any Church militant, but of both may be made one Church triumphant, where the blessed may for all eternity offer spiritual sacrifices unto thee, of themselues & all their actions; where they may render unto thee, not the material calves which the jews laid upon thine Altar, but the spiritual calves of the lips, Osee. 4. Heb. 13. as Osee the Prophet styleth them, or the fruit of the lips, as S. Paul termeth them, that is praise, and thanksgiving, for ever and ever. 18. And, o my soul, pray thou also that this Heavenly Jerusalem may be built up, that thou mayst be one of the stones of which it is to be built, though thou be the least stone in the building, yea though thou shouldst suffer much knocking and hammering of adversities, before thou canst be made a fit stone to be placed in that building. Nothing attaineth to perfection but by suffering. The gold can not be pure unless it pass the fire, nor can it prove a golden goblet, fit for a Prince's cupboard, before it suffer the knocks of the gold smith's hammer; The corn is not purged from the chaff but by threshing, & it can not make bread till it be grinded; The grapes are pressed before they prove good wine, frankincense perfumeth not till it be burned, nor do spices smell till they be bruised in the mortar: The stones of the material Jerusalem & temple, could have no place in those sumptuous buildings, till they were hewed, knocked, smoothed, and carved; and shall any christian think ever to be placed in the celestial Jerusalem without suffering, hammering, & knocks of adversity? Our blessed Saviour the cornerstone, yea the foundation both of the Jerusalem militant and triumphant, his virgin-mother who was the next precious stone of that City, the Apostles which were next to her, and all the martyrs and Saints, what knocks of torments, yea and deaths did they suffer, before they found place in this Celestial Jerusalem? Tunsionibus, pressuris, Expoliti lapides, Suis coaptantur locis Per manus artificis Disponuntur permansuri Sacris aedificijs. Those stones the workmen press and beat Before they throughly polished are; Then each is in his proper seat Established by the bvilder's care; In this fair frame to stand for ever, So joined, that them, no force can scuer. 19 O Sweet JESUS the Prince, chief builder, and Architect of this Heavenly Jerusalem, grant me a place in that glorious building, and if by reason of my many sins, I be so unapt for that place and building, that I need much hammering, and knocking, spare me not, but hammer me, and break me here, so I may be one of those living precious and glorious stones, of which that Jerusalem is composed, spare me not here, so thou place me there Hic ure, hic seca, ut in aeternum parcas; here burn me, here cut and lance me, that thou mayst spare me for ever. Amen. FINIS.