Meditation I. Concerning the Dignity and the Misery of Human Nature

I. That ive were created in the Image and Likeness of God

Awake, my soul, awake! show thy spirit, arouse thy senses, shake off the sluggishness of that deadly heaviness that is upon thee, begin to take care for thy salvation. Let the idleness of vain imaginations be put to flight, let go of sloth, hold fast to diligence. Be instant in holy meditations, cleave to the good things which are of God : leaving that which is temporal, give heed to that which is eternal. Now in this godly employment of thy mind, to what canst thou turn thy thoughts more wholesomely and profitably than to the sweet contemplations of thy Creator's immeasurable benefits toward thee. Consider therefore the greatness and dignity that He bestowed upon thee at the beginning of thy creation ; and judge for thyself with what love and reverence He ought to be worshipped. For when, as He was creating and ordering the whole world of things visible and invisible, He had determined to create the nature of man, He took high counsel concerning the dignity of thy condition, forasmuch as He determined to honour thee more highly than all other creatures that are in the world.

Behold therefore to what greatness thou wast created, and again consider what manner of love thou oughtest to render therefore. Let Us make man, saith God, in Our image, after Our likeness. If thou art not aroused by this word of thy Creator, if thou art not at so unspeakable a goodness of condescension in Him towards thee, set all on fire of love towards Him, if thy whole heart is not inflamed with longing after Him, what shall I say ? Shall I count thee asleep, or rather dead ?

Hearken then diligently what this meaneth, that thou wast created in the image and likeness of God. Thou hast here assured to thee sweet matter for devout meditation, wherein to exercise thy thoughts. Note therefore that the likeness of God is one thing, the image another. Thus a horse, an ox, and every other like creature hath some likeness to a man ; but none hath the image of a man, except another man. A man eateth, so doth a horse ; here is a certain likeness, that is, something in common between natures that are different. But the image of a man none can express, except another man of the same nature as that whose image he is. Thus the image is higher than the likeness.

Thus we may have in the way we have said, some likeness to God if, considering that He is good, we study to be good ; if, knowing that He is righteous, we endeavour to be righteous ; if, beholding His mercy, we give ourselves to mercy.

But how can we be in His image. Hearken. God is mindful of Himself, understandeth Him self, loveth Himself. And thou too, if thou after thy measure art mindful of God, understandest God, lovest God, then wilt thou be in His image ; for thou wilt be striving to do that which God ever doth. Man ought to make this the end of all his life, to be mindful of the Chief Good, to understand it and to love it ; to this should every thought, every motion of the heart be bent, be whetted, be con formed, that with an unwearying love thou shouldst be mindful of God, understand God, love God, and so for thy health set forth the dignity of thy creation, wherein thou wast created after the image of God. But why say I that thou wast created after the image of God, when, as the Apostle witnesseth, thou art thyself the image of God. A man, saith the Apostle, ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of GW.

II. That the End for which tue were created tvas to glorify God for ever

A RE not these inestimable benefits bestowed upon thee by thy Creator enough for thee, to make thee render to Him continual thanks giving and pay to Him thy debt of love unceasing, when thou considerest how at the beginning of thy creation He called thee by His goodness out of nothing, or rather out of the dust of the earth to so great a height of dignity ? Apply to thine own life the words of the Saints. Hear what is said concerning a Saint. This then is the praise given to a Saint : With all his heart he praised the Lord. Behold that end whereunto thou wast created ; behold the task which thy Master hath set thee to do. For to what end should God have raised thee up by so glorious a privilege in thy creation but that He desired thee to give thyself to His praises with out ceasing ? Thou wast then created to praise thy Creator, so that, being occupied in nothing else than His praises, thou mightest here by the service of thy righteousness draw nearer unto Him and hereafter attain to the life of blessedness. For His praise makes thy righteousness in this world, and thy happiness in the world to come. But if thou praisest, praise Him from thy whole heart, praise Him by loving Him. For this is the rule of praising that is given to the Saints : With all his heart he praised the Lord and loved God that made him.

Praise therefore, and praise with thy whole heart, and love Him whom thou praisest. For he praiseth, but not with his whole heart, whom prosperity persuadeth to bless God, but adversity restraineth from the office of blessing. Again he praiseth but loveth not, who in the praises of God, seeketh to have anything by his praising beside God Himself.

Praise therefore, and praise worthily, so that to the utmost of thy power there be in thee no charge, no thought, no contemplation, no carefulness of mind, that is void of the praise of God. Let no worldly prosperity divert thee, nor any worldly adversity restrain thee from His praise. For thus thou wilt praise the Lord with thy whole heart and with love also ; thou wilt seek from Him nothing else than Himself, that He may Himself be the goal of thy desire and the reward of thy labours, thy consolation in this lite of shadows and thy possession in the blessed life to come. Hereunto wast thou created, that thou shouldst bear a part in His praises for ever and ever, and this thou shalt more fully understand, when thou, being lifted up by the blessed vision of Him, shalt see that by His mere free bounty thou, when thou wast not, wert out of nothing created to such happiness, and created, called, justified, glorified unto such unspeakable bliss. For the contemplation of such things will give to thee a love that shall not weary of praising Him for ever, of whom and by whom and in whom thou shalt rejoice that thou art blessed with good things so great and so unchangeable.

That wheresoever <we arc, tue live and move and have our being in God, so long as ive have Him 'within us.

DUT leaving that felicity which is to be, with the mind's eye look for awhile also upon the greatness of the favour ; which He hath abundantly bestowed upon Thee even in this transitory life. He who dwelleth in heaven, who reigneth among the angels, to whom heaven and earth and all that in them is, do reverence, He hath given Himself to be thy dwelling ; He hath prepared for thee His presence as an abode, for as the Apostle Paul teacheth, in Him <we live and move and have our being. Life is sweet, movement is pleasant, being is desirable. For what can be sweeter than to have life in Him, who is the Blessed Life itself? what pleasanter than to order all the course of our will and deed toward Him and in Him who maketh us strong with everlasting stability ? what more desirable 1 Acts xvii. 28.

than by prayer and conversation to be continually in Him, in whom alone is true being, nay rather who alone is true being, without whom nothing can have wellbeing. /, saith He, am that 1 am. This is a saying most excellent. For He Himself alone hath true being, whose being is unchangeable. Thus He, whose being is so excellent, may be said to be in so especial a sense, that He may be said alone in very truth to be ; in comparison of whom all being beside His is nothing ; when He, I say, created thee for a so great a height of dignity that thou canst not even comprehend the glory of thine own natural dignity, where did He appoint thy dwelling? what abiding-place did He prepare for thee ? Hear what He saith unto His own in the Gospel : Abide in Me, and I in you. O inestimable dignity, O blessed abiding-place, O glorious intercourse between God and man ! How great the condescension of the Creator that it should be His will that His creature should dwell in Him ! How incomprehensible the blessedness of the creature, that he should abide in his Creator ! How great the glory of the rational creature to have communion with his Creator in so blessed an intercourse, that the Creator Himself should abide in the creature, the creature itself in the Creator! So excellently then were we by His will created, so mercifully was He pleased that we should abide in Him ; even He who is above all things, ruling over 1 Exod. iii. 14. ' John xv. 4.

all things, yet without carefulness ; who upholdeth all things, as the foundation of all things, yet without labour : surpasseth all things in excellence, yet without pride ; comprehended! all things in His embrace, yet without distinction of parts ; filling all things with His fulness, yet without limitation of Himself.

He then, though He is nowhere absent, chose for Himself a kingdom of delight within us, according to the witness of the Gospel, where it is said, The kingdom of God is within you. But if the kingdom of God is within us, and God dwelleth in His kingdom, doth He not abide in us, since His kingdom is within us ? Certainly He doth ; for if God is wisdom, and the soul of the righteous is the seat of wisdom^ then he who is truly righteous has God abiding in him. For the temple of God is holy, saith the Apostle, 'which temple ye are.^ Do thou there fore follow earnestly after holiness without fainting, lest thou cease to be the temple of God. He Himself saith of His own, / 'will dwell in them and walk in them.^ Doubt not that wheresoever there are holy souls, He is in them. For if thou thyself too art everywhere wholly in thy members, to which thou givest life ; 5 how much more is God wholly every where, who created both thy self and thy body? Thus it is to bewith all diligence considered with what great circumspection and reverence we ought to exercise our senses and the members of our body, over which the Godhead itself presideth. Let us therefore, as is right, give to so great a tenant the whole command of our body, so that nothing in us may be displeasing to Him, but that all our thoughts and motions of our will, all our words and works, may wait upon His pleasure, obey His will, and be ordered by His governance. For so we shall be in truth His kingdom, and He will abide in us, and we, abiding in Him, shall live well.

IV. That all <we, 'who have been baptized into Christ^ have put on Christ

A WAKE, I beseech thee, O my soul, and * let the fire of a heavenly love be kindled in thy heart, and wisely consider the beauty which Thy Lord God hath bestowed upon thee, and in considering Jove it, and in loving do it reverence with the service of a holy conversation. For doth not He who maketh thee to abide in Him, and hath condescended to dwell in thee, clothe thee, cover thee, adorn thee with Himself? As many of you, saith the Apostle, as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ,

What praise, what thanksgiving wilt thou rightly bestow upon Him, who hath clothed thee with so great beauty, exalted thee to so great honour, that thou canst say with all joy of heart, The Lord hath clothed me ivith the garments of salvation, He hath covered me 'with the robe of righteousness. It is the highest joy of the angels of God to contemplate Christ, and lo, of His boundless condescension He so far inclineth unto thee, as to be pleased to clothe thee with Himself. What manner of clothing is this but that of which the Apostle boasts, saying Christ of God is made unto us nvisdom and righteousness and sanctification ? 2 How would He more richly apparel thee than by making thee glorious with the garment of wisdom, the ornament of righteousness, the beauty of holiness ?

V. That ive are the Body of Christ

AND why should I say that Christ hath clothed thee with Himself, when He hath joined thee so closely to Himself that He hath been pleased to make thee flesh of His flesh in the unity of the Church. Hear what the Apostle saith, expounding the testimony of the

Scripture, And they two shall be one jlesh. But I speak, saith he, concerning Christ and the Church. Hereupon consider also in how wonderful a bond He hath united thee with Himself. The Apostle establisheth it, that thou art the body of Christ. Te are, saith he, the body of Christ and members in particular.^

Keep therefore thy body and thy members with that reverence which is befitting, lest if thou wrong them by lightly entreating them, thou suffer a greater punishment for thine unworthy ill-usage of them, according to the greatness of the reward that would have been thine, if thou hadst used them aright. Thine eyes are the eyes of Christ. Therefore thou mayest not turn the eyes of Christ to behold vanity, for Christ is the Truth, and all vanity is contrary to the truth. Thy mouth is the mouth of Christ. Thou oughtest not therefore to open, I say not only in slanders and lies but even in idle words, that mouth which should be opened only for the praises of God and the edification of thy neighbour. Be of this mind in respect also of the other members of Christ that are committed to thy charge.

VI. That ive are one in Christ, and one Christ 'with Christ Himself

CONSIDER also more yet more deeply in how close an union thou art joined with Him. Hear what the Lord Himself prayeth to the Father for them that are His : / will, saith He, that as Thou and I are one, so they also may be one in Us. I am (that is) Thy Son by nature ; I pray that they may be Thy sons and My brethren by grace. How great a dignity is it for a Christian man, so to grow in Christ that he himself may becalled in a sense Christ. This also that faithful steward of God's house hold the Church perceived when he said : All ive that are Christians in Christ are one Christ.'* Nor should we wonder thereat, when we consider that He is the head and we His body ; He the bridegroom and He also the bride ; in Himself the bridegroom, but the bride in the holy souls whom He hath bound to Himself in the bonds of an everlasting love. As upon a bridegroom, saith He, hath He set a crown upon Me, and as a bride hath He adorned me with ornaments z Here then, O my soul, here do thou consider His benefits towards thee, be thou inflamed with the love of Him, let the fire that is in thee break out into longing after the blessedness of beholding Him. Cry out boldly in the words of the faithful bride, Let Htm kiss me with the kisses of His mouth. Let all delight which is not in Him depart from my mind, let no pleasure, no consolation of this present life comfort me, while His blessed presence is denied to me. Let Him embrace me with the arms of His love, let Him kiss me with the heavenly sweetness of His mouth, let Him speak to me with that ineffable eloquence wherewith He revealeth His secrets to the Angels. May the Bridegroom and the Bride enjoy such mutual interchange of discourse, that I may open my whole heart to Him and He reveal to me the secrets of His sweetness. Thus, O my soul, refreshed by these and such like meditations and full of the passion of a holy longing, do thou strive to follow Thy Bridegroom and say unto Him, Draw me after Thee ; we 'will run after the odour of Thine ointments.- Speak to Him and speak as a loyal spouse not with the sound of words that passeth away but with a longing of heart that fainteth not ; so speak that thou mayest be heard, so desire to be drawn by Him that thou mayest follow. Say therefore to thy Redeemer and Saviour, Draw me after Thee. Let not the sweetness of this world but let thy sweetness of Thy most blessed Jove draw me.

a Cant. i. 3, according to the Vulgate.

Draw me, for Thou hast drawn me heretofore ; hold me fast, for Thou hast laid hold upon me. Thou hast drawn me to Thee by redeeming me ; draw me by saving me. Thou hast drawn me by pitying me ; draw me by blessing me. Thou hast laid hold on me by appearing among men, made man for us; hold me fast as Thou sittest on Thy throne in heaven, exalted above the Angels. That is Thy word, that is Thy promise. Thou hast promised, saying : And 7, if I be lifted up from the earth , will draw all men unto Me. Draw therefore now in Thy mighty exaltation him whom Thou didst draw to Thee in Thy merciful humiliation. Thou hast gone up on high ; let me believe it : Thou reignest over all things ; let me acknowledge it. Do I not acknowledge that Thou reignest ? Surely I acknowledge it, and give Thee thanks. But do Thou grant that I may acknowledge with the acknowledgment of a perfect love that which I acknowledge by a devout faith concerning Thee. Bind the desires of my heart to Thee with the indissoluble bonds of love, since the first-fruits of my spirit are already with Thee. Vouchsafe that we, whom Thy love in redeem ing us did knit to Thee, may have fellowship with Thee in the unity of the same love. For Thou hast loved me, Thou didst give Thyself for me ; may therefore my heart and mind bewith Thee continually in heaven, and Thy protection with me continually on earth. Help 1 John xii. 32.

him when he burneth with longing after Thy love, to whom Thou didst show Jove when he despised it. Give to him when he asketh, to whom Thou givest Thyself when he knew Thee not. Receive him when he returneth to Thee, O Thou who didst call him back to Thee when he fled from Thee. I will love Thee that I may beloved of Thee ; nay rather, because I am loved of Thee, I will love Thee more and more that I may beloved the more. May my thoughts beknit to Thee, may my heart be wholly made one with Thee, where our nature, which Thou hast in mercy taken upon Thyself, reigneth with Thee in bliss. Grant that I may cleave to Thee without parting, worship Thee without wearying, serve Thee without failing, faithfully seek Thee, happily find Thee, for ever possess Thee.

Addressing God in these words, O my soul, do thou kindle thyself, do thou burn, do thou break forth into flames, and strive to become wholly on fire with longing after Him.

VII. A Commemoration of our Sins , for 'which our Con- science doth reproach us, and 'whereby *we have lost all these things

DUT when thou considerest to what good things and to how great thou hast been by

His grace advanced, remember also what good things and how great thou hast lost through thy fault, into how evil a state thou hast by thy sins been cast down. Consider with sighing the evil that thou hast done in thy wickedness ; think with groaning upon the good things which thou for that evil's sake hast miserably lost. For what good thing did thy most excellent Creator out of His goodness bestow upon thee ; what evil didst thou not render Him, thou that wast nurtured in detestable unrighteousness ? By losing the good thou hast deserved the evil, nay by casting away the good thou hast chosen the evil ; and losing or rather rejecting the grace of thy Maker, thou hast to thy misery increased His anger. Nor canst thou prove thyself guilt less, when the multitude of thy sins, like a mighty army, encompasseth thee about ; here casting in thy teeth the reproach of thy wicked deeds ; there bringing forth a store exceeding great of idle and (which deserve a greater condemnation) harmful words spoken by thee ; there again displaying the vast mass of thine evil thoughts.

These are those things for whose sake thou hast lost things good beyond all price ; for the sake of these hast thou endured to be without the grace of Him that made thee. Groan as thou thinkest upon them, renounce them as thou groanest, condemn them as thou renouncest them, renounce them by changing thy life for a better. Strive inwardly with thyself, lest anon, even for a moment, thou assent to some vanity, whether in heart or in tongue or, what hath the greatest condemnation, even in deed. Let there be in thy mind a daily, nay, a continual warfare, lest thou keep any league with thy sins. Strictly examine thyself always, search out the secrets of thy heart, and whatsoever thou findest in thy self that is reprobate, smite it with severe re proofs, throw it down, crush it, root it out, cast it forth, destroy it altogether. Spare not thyself, be not gentle with thyself, but in the morning (that is, in the contemplation of the Last Judgment, for the Last Judgment followeth like the morning light upon the night of this present life) destroy all the ungodly that are in the land (that is, the offences and sins of a worldly conversation) that thou mayest root out from the city of the Lord (which thou oughtest to build within thy self) all 'wicked doers (that is, all suggestions of the devil, all delights that God hateth, all deadly consentings, all perverse deeds). From all such thou shouldest, as a city of God, be puri fied, that thy Creator may find and take in possession and continually hold a habitation within thee, wherein He may have pleasure. Be not of those whose obstinacy God Himself seems to lament, saying : There is no man layeth it to heart and saith> What have I done ? 2 If they are rejected, because they refused to be ashamed for the evil which they have done, and to re prove themselves, wilt thou not take care, in order that thou mayest come soon into the number of the elect, to call thyself to account, to judge thyself, to correct thyself with severe discipline ? Consider then diligently in thy meditations the benefits which thy Creator hath bestowed upon thee, wherewith without any merits of thine He hath exalted thee ; and call to mind the innumerable evil thoughts words and deeds, wherewith thine unrighteousness unworthily recompensed His kindness, and con ceiving great sorrow in thyself, cry aloud, What have I done ? I have vexed God, I have pro voked my Creator to wrath, I have recompensed His innumerable benefits with innumerable sins.

What have I done ? As thou sayest this, smite upon thy breast, utter thy voice in groaning, pour forth thy tears. For if thou weepest not now, when wilt thou weep ? If the turning away of the face of God from thee because of thy sins stir thee not to sorrow, let at least the greatness of the torments of hell, which these same sins of thine have provoked, break the hardness of thy heart.

Return then, return, thou wanderer from the right way, unto thy heart, draw thy foot back out of hell, that thou mayest be able to escape the evil things which thou hast deserved and win back the good things whereof thou art justly deprived. For if thou have respect to those things which are evil in thee, thou wilt find that thou hast lost all the good things which He had bestowed upon thee. Thou must therefore ever turn thine eyes upon the evils within thee, and especially upon those whereof thy conscience most seriously accuseth thee, that He may turn away His eyes from them. For if thou by a worthy purpose of amendment dost turn away thy sins, He turneth away from them the eyes of His vengeance ; but if thou forgettest them, He remembereth them.

VIII. A Commemoration of the Incarnation of our jLord, 'whereby <we have recovered all these things

HTHEREFORE, that thou mayest be delivered thence, hear the mercies of thy Redeemer toward thee.

Thou wast indeed blinded by the fault of thine original sin and couldest not behold the excellency of thy Creator. Encompassed by the cloud of thy sins thou wentest on still in darkness and, driven by the swift waves of the flood of thine offences, wast being swept down into everlasting night.

And, behold, thy Redeemer anointed thy blinded eyes with the salve of His incarnation, so that thou, who couldest not look upon God in His glory in the secret place of His majesty, mightest look upon God appearing in the form of a man, and beholding Him acknowledge Him, and acknowledging Him love Him, and loving Him do thine utmost with all thy might to come unto His glory. He was made flesh that He might call thee back to the things of the spirit. He was made a partaker of thy changeableness that He might make thee a par taker of His unchangeableness. He condescended to thy lowliness that He might exalt thee unto His high loftiness. He was born of a pure virgin that He might heal the corruption of thy sinful nature. He was circumcised that He might teach man to cut off from himself all the superfluity of sinful lusts. He was presented in the temple and received by the holy widow, that He might admonish His faithful servants to be continually in the house of God and to en deavour by the practice of holy living to be worthy to receive Him. He was taken into His arms and glorified by the aged Simeon, that He might show forth His love towards gravity of life and ripeness in righteousness. He was baptized that He might sanctify the sacrament of our baptism. In the river Jordan as He bowed Himself to receive baptism at the hand of John, He heard the voice of the Father, and received the Holy Ghost coming upon Him in the form of a dove, that He might teach us that we should abide in humility of mind, and therein be honoured by the word of the Father in heaven coming unto us, whereof it is said that His communication is with the simple^ and glorified by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who resteth upon the lowly. For Jordan signifieth humility ; since, being inter preted, Jordan is their descent? And He was baptized by the hand of John, whose name signifieth the grace of God? that whatsoever we receive of God, we should ascribe it to that grace and not to our own deservings. After fasting forty days He overcame the devil and his temptations, and was glorified by the ministry of angels, thereby teaching us in the whole time of this present life by refusing the delights of things temporal to trample under our feet the world with the prince thereof, and so to be escorted by the protection of angels. By day He abode with the people preaching the king dom of God, and edifying the multitudes by His wonderful works and by His words. By night he went into a mountain, and gave Himself to prayer, teaching us, as the season requireth, sometimes by word and deed to show forth, according to our ability, to our neighbours among whom we live, the way of life ; sometimes, entering into the stillness of our soul and ascending the mountain of virtue, to breathe the sweet air of heavenly contemplation and without fainting to direct our thoughts to things above. He was transfigured in the mount before Peter, James, and John, instructing us thereby that if we study like Peter, whose name is by interpretation acknow ledging,^- humbly to acknowledge our weakness, to supplant our sinful nature (for supplanter is the meaning of James'2}, and in faith to submit ourselves to the grace of God (which is the signification of John), we shall to our happiness ascend the mount of heaven, there to behold the glory of Jesus, He Himself our King being also our guide thither. In Bethany, which is by interpretation the house of obedience,^ He raised Lazarus from the dead, showing that all, who by the earnest endeavour of a good will die to the world, and rest in the bosom of obedience, shall be raised by Him to life eternal. When He delivered His body and blood to His disciples in the mystical supper He humbly washed their feet, teaching us that the sacred mysteries should be celebrated with deeds of purity and devout humbleness of mind. When He was to be glorified by the splendour of His holy resurrection, He endured the mocking of traitors, the cruelty of insults, the shame of the cross, the bitterness of gall, and at the last death itself, admonishing His servants thereby that they who desire after death to attain unto glory must bear the troubles and labours of this present life and the oppressions of the wicked, not only with out murmuring, but with Jove and desire and cheerful welcome to all that is hard in this world for the sake of the eternal reward.

Upon these glorious and inestimable benefits, bestowed upon thee by thy Creator, if thou worthily meditate, if thou devoutly embrace them, if thou strive with fervent charity to imitate them, thou shalt not only recover the good things which thy first parents lost, but shalt obtain far greater things for ever through the unspeakable grace of thy Saviour. For God Himself through the mystery of the incarnation hath become thy brother ; and what ineffable joy shall not this cause to thee, when thou shalt behold thy nature in Him so far exalted above all creation !

IX. 7 hat ewe must pray to le delivered out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay

VA/HAT then now remains but after the due ^* consideration of all these matters to kindle in the mind the desire to inherit so great goods, and with continual supplications to implore Him who created thee to possess them to bring thee out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay, and make thee the possessor of blessedness so great ? What is that horrible pit, but the abyss of worldly covetousness ? what the mire and clay but the filthiness of carnal pleasure ? For in the toils of these two, of covetousness and of pleasure, is it that the race of man is miserably entangled and hindered from attaining to the blessed freedom of heavenly contemplation. For in truth the horrible pi( is worldly covetousness, which drags the mind that is subject unto its dominion by desires innumerable, as by chains, into the depth of sin, and suffereth it not ever to rest. For the mind of man, when oppressed by the yoke of covetousness, is distracted by the love of things visible and driven hither and hither by divers passions. It is wasted by toil in the getting of money, by carefulness in in creasing, by joy in possessing it, by fear of losing it, by grief at the loss of it, and by none of these is suffered to see in how great danger it is. This is the horrible pit, which worldly covetousness ceases not to fill with all these great evils. Out of this pit did blessed David rejoice to be delivered, when he gave thanks and said : He brought me out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay.

W hat is the mire and clay ? The enjoyment of unclean pleasure. Cry out boldly then with blessed David, and say to thy Creator, Take me out of the mire, that I sink not. Cleanse thy heart from all the pollution of fleshly delight, shut out unclean thoughts from thy mind, if thou wilt escape the foulness of this mire. But when by repentance and confession, by weeping for thy sin and occupying thy heart with holy meditations, thou hast escaped thence, take heed that thou fall not into it again ; but with all thy heart utter thy vsighing before God, beseeching His mercy that He may set thy feet upon the rock, that is, that thy mind may establish itself upon the firm ground of righteousness by constantly cleaving unto Christ, of whom it is said that He is made unto us of God 'wisdom and righteousness and sanctlficatlon.^ Pray moreover that He may order thy goings 3 that they turn not back unto wickedness, but may go on steadily in the heavenly way of His commandments, and so hasten without any turning aside to the blessed country of the Angels.

But when His direction shall have lifted thee up, be careful that thou be not slack in singing the praises of the Creator ; rather do thou beseech Him of His mercy to put a new song in thy mouth^ that with due devotion thou mayest sing a thanksgiving unto our GodJJ It is meet that thou, my soul, when thou hast been brought into fellowship with God by newness of life 6 shouldest break forth into a new song in His praise, despising things temporal, and longing only after things eternal ; being obedient to the law of God not from fear of punishment but from love of righteousness. For this is to sing a new song to God, to mortify the desires of the old man, and to follow the way of the new man, which the Son of God hath shown to the world, from mere desire of the life everlasting. He singeth a thanksgiving, who keepeth in the remembrance of a pure mind the joys of his heavenly country and, being sustained by the consciousness of a holy life and trusting in the gift of grace from above, striveth to attain thereunto.

A Meditation on the Miseries of this "Life.

JN the midst of these meditations, think earnestly upon all the miseries of this present life, and with a watchful heart consider how carefully thou oughtest to live therein. Remember that thou art of his company, concerning whom the Scripture hath said : A man whose way is hid, and ewhom God hath hedged in with darkness.1* For truly thou art hedged in with a deep darkness of ignorance, since thou knowest not how

God will weigh thy works, and canst not tell what thine end will be. No man knotueth, saith Solomon, 'whether he is worthy of hatred or of love, but all things are kept uncertain even unto the tndJ-

Imagine to thyself a valley deep and dark and all manner of torments in the bottom thereof. Suppose moreover a bridge cast across this valley, exceeding long but of no more than a foot's breadth. Let a man be compelled to pass over this bridge, so straight, so high, so perilous ; let his eyes be blindfolded that he cannot see his steps ; let his hands be bound behind him, so that he cannot guide himself by groping his way with a staff. How great would be the fear and distress of mind in such an one ! Dost thou think there would be place in his thoughts for cheerfulness, for merriment, for wantonness ? I trow not. All pride would be taken from him, all vainglory put to flight, the darkness of death alone would abide in his mind. Imagine moreover a monstrous multitude of savage birds hovering about the bridge and seeking to drag the traveller, as he crosseth it, down into the abyss. Will not his dread be multiplied thereby? And what if each plank be at once withdrawn so soon as he hath passed over it ? Will not he be stricken thereby by a yet greater fearfulness ?

But now consider the signification of this image and let a godly fear and trembling take 1 Ecclesiastes ix. i, according to the Vulgate.

hold upon thy mind. By the deep and dark valley is signified hell, which is an abyss immeasurable, and terrible with the shadows of most black darkness. There are assembled together all manner of torments. There all that can soothe is lacking ; and everything that can appal and torment and distress, is present. The perilous bridge, from which whosoever maketh not his passage over it aright is hurled downward, is this present life ; wherein whoso ever liveth ill, descendeth to hell. The planks which are withdrawn when the traveller hath passed over them are the days of our life ; which pass away never to return, but by growing fewer press us onwards toward our end, and compel us to hasten to our goal. The birds that hover about the bridge and beset them that pass over, are evil spirits, whose whole study is to cast men down that are set on the right way, and to hurl them into the depths of hell. We ourselves are the travellers that pass over, blind folded by our ignorance and bound by the chain of the difficulty of doing good works, so that we cannot direct our steps freely toward God in holiness of life.

Consider therefore whether thou oughtest not in so great a strait to cry out earnestly to thy Creator, so that, being defended by His protection, thou mayest sing in faith among the hosts of thine enemies : The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom then shall I fear ? l 1 Ps. xxvii. i

He is thy light against thy blindness; thy salvation against thy difficulty. These are the two evils, whereinto our first father caused us to fall, even ignorance whither we go and difficulty in seeing what we ought to do. Meditate upon these things, O my soul, think upon them ; let thy mind daily exercise itself therein. Let it being intent thereon, turn away from vain and unprofitable cares and thoughts, let it burn with the fire of holy fear and blessed love to fly from these evils and lay hold upon eternal goods.

XI. Of the Body, after the Departure of the Soul

FO Thee I now turn back, O my most sweet Creator, my most gracious Redeemer, Thou fashioner and refashioncr of my nature, humbly in prayer beseeching Thy goodness to teach my heart to consider with life-giving fear and wholesome trembling the foul and mournful state of my flesh after my death when bereft of that spirit which doth at present quicken it, it must be delivered over to be consumed by cor ruption and the worm. If it have any beauty now, wherein it taketh pride, where will it then be ? where the abundance of most exquisite delights ? where the delicate limbs ? Will there not then be fulfilled indeed that saying of the Prophet, All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as thejlonver of thejleld ? 1 Then shall mine eyes be closed and turned backward unto the inner chambers of the brain, in the vain and mischievous imaginations whereof I so often took pleasure. Now they rejoice to drink in vanity as daylight ; but then shall they lie covered with horrible darkness. The ears that now with damnable delight entertain the discourse of slanderers and the vain rumours of the world shall then lie open to the worms, soon to be filled by them. The teeth that now are loosened in gluttonous eating shall be miserably clogged and choked. The nostrils shall stink, that now are delighted with variety of sweet odours. The lips shall be hideous with the fulness of corruption, that so many times rejoiced to be opened in foolish laughter. The throat shall be clogged and the belly filled with worms, that have again and again been swollen by all manner of meats.

But why should I speak severally of every member ? The whole frame of the body, whose health comfort and pleasure is almost all our care, shall be dissolved into corruption, into worms, at the last into the basest dust of the earth. Where is now thy proud neck, where thy boastful words, thy rich apparel, thy mani fold delights ? They have passed away like a dream, they have all gone never to return, and him that was in love with them they have left to misery.

XII. Of the Soul after her Separation from the Body r\ GOOD God, what is it that I behold? ^^^ Lo, there cometh fear upon fear, sorrow upon sorrow. After she is separated from the body, the soul shall be beset by a multitude of evil spirits, who shall hasten to meet her and shall magnify their accusations against her. And inquisition shall be made concerning all things whereof they accuse her, even to the least of the negligences that she hath com mitted. There shall come the prince of this world with his companions, raging with fury, cunning in deceit, skilful in lying, malignant in accusing, bringing forth against the soul all that he can of the evils that she hath done, and devising falsely many beside that she hath not done. O terrible hour, O severe judgment ! On the one hand will be a Judge most strict in judgment ; on the other adversaries most wanton in accusing. The soul shall stand alone with none to comfort her, except she be defended by the consciousness of good works. But in that great severity of judgment, wherein all things shall be laid open, who shall boast that his heart is clean ? * If the righteous scarcely be saved, 'where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ? 2 1 Cp. Prov. xx. 9. 2 i Pet. iv. 1 8.

Then shall idle gladness depart, the pomp of place shall be put to flight, the pursuit of worldly greatness shall be proved deceitful.

Blessed is the soul, which in that judgment a good conscience defendeth, and the remembrance of a holy life protecteth ; which, while she was yet in the flesh, was often cleansed by the water of repentance, adorned with earnestness of confession, enlightened by meditation on God's holy law ; which humility made gentle, and patience quiet, and obedience free from seeking her own will, and charity fervent in the performance of every virtue. Such a soul shall not fear that dreadful hour, and shall not be ashamed 'when she speaketh 'with her enemies in the gate. For she will have fellowship with them, of whom the Scripture saith : When He hath given His beloved sleepy behold the inherit' ance of the Lord.

XIII. A Meditation on the Day of Judgment, 'wherein the Goats shall be set on the Left Hand

DUT who can say anything of that terrible sentence of the Last Judgment, whereby the sheep shall beset on the right hand and the goats on the left ? How great shall be the trembling when the powers of the heavens shall be shaken ? x How great the confusion, the lamentation, the crying of those that howl, when they that neglect to do good shall be met by that terrible word, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire? Verily that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ivasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and a!arm.B Verily bitter is the voice of the day of the Lord ; the mighty man shall be afflicted therein.^ For they that in the pride of their hearts despise the will of God, boast themselves now in the following of their own wills ; but then shall they be cast into everlasting fire which shall not be quenched for ever, and the worm that dieth not shall feed upon them, and the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for ever and ever. 6

XIV. A Meditation on the Joy which shall be 'where the Sheep shall be set on the Right Hand

DUT while these are in woe, and for distress ^ of spirit are uttering the lamentable groanings of their hearts, what thinkest thou will be the joy and exultation of those blessed ones, who shall beset at the right hand of God and hear that most blissful voice which shall say unto them, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the ivorld.^ Then verily shall the 'voice of joy and health abide in the dwellings of the righteous.1 Then shall the Lord lift up the head of the meek, who now refuse not to be counted vile and outcast for His sake. He shall heal the broken hearted, and console with everlasting joy them that weep for longing after Him in this earthly pilgrimage. Then shall be manifested their unspeakable reward, who for love of their Creator rejoice in the renunciation of their own wills. In that day shall a heavenly crown beset upon the heads of them that serve Him, and the glory of those that wait patiently for Him shall shine forth with splendour ineffable. There shall love enrich His faithful soldiers with the fellow ship of angels, and purity of heart shall bless them that love Him with the blessed vision of their 1 Matt. xxv. 34. ' Ps. cxviii. 15.

Creator. Then shall that song be sung by all the elect : Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house ; they 'will be alway praising Thee.^ In which song of praise may He vouchsafe to make us partakers who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen.