Of Petition. Chap. X
IMmediatlie after that we haue offered vp vnto almightie God, this so riche a present, we maie then with great securitie, in vertue of the same, de […] what soeuer fauours & grace. And first […]er vs demaunde with great affection of Charitie, and with desire of the glorie of God, that al nations and people of the world maie know, p[…]aise and adore him, as […]heire onlie true God, and lord, saying, euen from the bottom of our hart, these words of the Prophet. 1 Let all people confesse thee, o God, let all people confesse thee.
Let vs praie also for the Catholike Church, and for al the Prelates of the same, such as be the Pope, Cardinals, Bisshops, and other inferior ministres and Prelates; that our lord wil gouerne them, and giue them light, in such sort, that they maie bring all men to the knowledge, and obedience of the[…]e Creator. We must likewise pr[…]e (as S. Paul counseleth vs) for kings, 2 and for al those that be in dignitie, that (thorough theire prouidence) we maie liue […] quiet and peaceable li[…]e, in al p[…]ritie and chastitie, because […] is acceptable before God our Sauiour, […] desireth that all men be saued, and com to the knowledge of the truth.
Let vs also praie our lord foral the members of his mistical bodie; for the iust, that he wil conserue them in theire goodnes; for sin[…]ers, that it maie please him to con […]ert them; for the dead, that he wil mercifellie deliuer them, out of the great paines of purgatorie, and bring them to the rest of euerlasting life. Let vs praie also for al such as bee poore, sicke, in prison, in captiuitie &c. that God, through the merites of his sonne, wil help and […]eliuer them.
After that wee haue thus demaunded for our neighbours, let vs forth with aske for oure selues. Now what we ought to desire for our selues, the particular neede of eche one wil teach him, if yet he know him self. Let vs also with this demaund pardon, and amendment of our sinnes, by the merites and paines of our Sauiour; and especiallie let vs request his ayde, and assistance against al those passions and vices, to which we feele our selues most inclined, and of which we be most tempted; and let vs discouer al these our wounds to this heauenlie phisition, that by this meanes he wil vouchsase to heale, and cure them with the ointment of his grace.
After this make an end, with demaunding the loue of God; and in this demaund staie, and occupie thy self for the most part of the time, desiring ourlord with most hartie affection and desire, to graunt thee this vertue, for so much as in it consisteth al our good, and so thou maist saie as foloweth.
An Especial Petition of the Loue of God
AECVE all this giue me, O lord thy grace, that I may loue thee with all my hart, with all my sowle, with all my forces, and with all my entrailes, euen in such sort, as thou desirest. O all mie hope, all mie glorie, al mie refuge, and al mie ioie! O the most beloued of beloue[…]s, O florishing spowse, O swee[…]e spowse, O honisweere spowse! O comfort of my hart, O life of my sowle, and the pleasant repose of my spirite!
Prepare o my God, prepare, o mie lord, in me an acceptable dwelling place for thie self, that according to the promise of thie holie woord, thou com […]o me, and repose in me; mortifie in me, what soeuer displeaseth thy sight, and make me a man according to thie hart; wound, o lord, the most inward part of my sowle, with the dartes of thie loue, and make me drunke with the wine of thy perfect charitie.
O when shall this be? when shall I please thee in al things? when shall al that die in me, which is contrarie to thee? when shall I be altogeather thine? when shall I leaue to be mine owne? when shall nothing els liue in me, but thou? when shall I loue thee most feruentlie? when shal the flame of thie loue wholie burne me? when shall I be altogeather melted, and pearced through with the woonderful efficacie of thy sweetenes? when wilt thou take me hence by force, and drowne me, transport me and hide me in thy self, where I maie neuer more be seene? when wilt thou free me from all these impediments and distractions, and make me one spirite with thee, that I maie not anie more depart from thee?
O deerebeloued, deer[…]beloued, deerebeloued of my sowle, o sweetenes of my harte; heare me, o lord, not for my merites and deserts, but for thy infinite goodnes and mercie. Teache me, lighten me, direct me, and assist me in al things, that I maie dooe nothing, nor saie nothing, but that which is agreeable to thie sight. O mie God, mie welbeloued, mie deerest hart, and the verie good of mie sowle! O mie sweere loue, o my great delite, o mie strength! help me, o mie light, and guide […] thee.
O God of mie bowels, wherefore gi[…]est not th[…]u th[…]e self to thie poore creature? […] the heauens and the earth, and leauest thou mie ha[…]t emptie and void? Seeing thou clo[…]hest the lilies of the field, […] to the little birds, and seedest the […] of the earth, wherefore doest thou forger me, whoe haue forgoten all others for thie sake? To late haue I knowen thee, o infinite goodnes! To late ha[…]e I loued thee, o bewtie so auncient, and so new. Wooe to the time, that I loued thee not: wooe to mee, since I knew thee not. Blinde was I, that I sawe hee not. Thou wast within me, and I went seeking thee abrode. But now, although I haue found thee late, suffer not, olord, for thie diuine mercie, that I euer leaue hee.
And beea s[…] one of the things, which most pleaseth thee, and most woun deth thy hart, is that a man haue eys where with to behold thee, giue me, o lord, those eys, with which I maie see thee; to wit, eyes simple of a doue; eyes chast and shamefast, eyes humble and louing; eyes deuout, and geuen to teares; eyes attentiue, & discreete to know thy will, and fulfil the same; that when I looke vppon thee with these eyes, I may be seene of thee with those eyes, with which thou diddest view S. Peeter, when thou madest him to bewaile his sinne; with which thou didest behold that prodigal child, when thou receauedst him, & gauest him a kisse, of peace; with which thou didest behould the publicone, when he durst not lift vp his eyes to heauen; with which thou diddest behold Marie Magdalen, when she washed thy feete with the teares of her eyes; finallie with those eyes, with which thou didest behold the spouse in the Canticles, when thou saidest vnto her. How bewtiful art thou, o mie dearling, 3 how bewt[…]ful art thou? Thie eyes ar as the eyes of doues; that pleasing thee with the eyes and beutie of mie sowle, thou giue them those pledges of vertues and graces, with which they maie appeare alwaies faire, and bewtiful in thie presence.
O most high, most merciful, most gracious Trinitie the father, the sonne and the holy Ghost, one onlie true God, teach me, direct me, and help me, O lord, in al things. O almightie father, for the greatnes of thy infinite power fasten, & establish my memorie vppon thee, and fill the same with holie and deuout desires. O most holie Sonne, for thy euerlasting wisdom clarifie, and illuminate my vnderstanding, and bewtifie the same with knowledge of the highest veritie, and of mine owne extreme basenes. O holie Ghost, the loue of the father and the sonne, for thy incōprehensible goodnes ground in me thy will, and kiudle the same with so great fiar of loue, that no waters maie be able to quenche it. O most blessed Trinitie, my onlie God, and al my good! o that I were able to praise thee, and loue thee, as all the angels doe praise and loue thee! O that I had in me the loue of all the creatutes in the woorld, with how good a wil would I aford it thee, and powre it out into thee? albeit neither this were sufficient to loue thee in such wise, as thou deseruest. Thou onlie canst loue thy self woorthilie, and woorthilie praise thy self; because thou alone doest comprehende thy incomprehensible goodnes, and so thou onlie canst loue the same as it deserueth: so that onlie in that diuine brest of thy most gracious maiestie, the iustice and lawe of true loue is en[…]irelie obserued.
O virgin Marie! virgin Marie! virgin Marie! most holie virgin, mother of God, Queene of heauen, ladie of the whole woorld, vestrie of the holie Ghost, lilie of puritie, rose of patience, paradise of delites, mirrour of chastitie, patterne of innocencie, praie for me poore banished creature and pilgrime, and make me partaker of thy most aboundant charitie. O al ye happie Saincts, and ye other blessed spirites, that dooe so burne in the loue of youre Creator, and in particular ye Seraphines, whoe enflame the heauens, and the ear the with your loue, abandon not this my poore and miserable hart, but rather purge the same, as the lippes of Esaie, from al sort of sinne, and burne it with the flame of your most feruent loue, that it maie loue this onlie lord, seeke him onlie, make his abode and repose in him onlie, and this for euer and euer. Amen.
Footnotes
Chapter 13 of 23