for ever I cast upon thee all my care; for I know, O thrice greatest God, that both the one and the other, and myself also, are objects of thy care. Though thou knowest me and my nothingness, keep me, I beseech thee, for thy own sake, as the apple of thy eye, and protect me under the shadow of thy wings.

What, though there is no evil in the city which thou hast not done, why, my most loving Lord, should I complain? Be done, be done thy will; and if there is no good but what comes from thee, shall I look to any but thee? My God, I will wait with silence for thy salvation, and will love thee with my whole heart. Amen.

X. EXERCISE

For the affection of humility.

Thou commandest me, good Master, to learn of thee, that I may be meek and humble of heart. How, then, I ask, is it that I deceive myself, when I am nothing but a vapour, and ignorant whether I deserve thy hatred or thy love? If I am nothing, if I have nothing that I have not received, and if all things are thine, to whom can I prefer myself? Every best gift, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. And, thanks be to God, thanks be to God, thanks be to God, I see what I am,

where I am, and of what character; ah! where, what doing, or able to do may I be this day! All that I do of myself will be evil; or if I do any good, it will be through thee; for we are not sufficient to do any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from thee, and thou hast wrought in us all our works. Shall the axe, then, boast itself against him that cuts with it, and before thee, thrice greatest God, who exaltest the humble, and despisest the proud, angels though they be, in the conceit of their heart, and humblest every proud one? By thy grace I desire, therefore, to sit down with thee in the lowest place; to complain of nothing, for thou hast done all things with true judgment; to envy none, for of

thee, and in thee, and by thee are all things, O God of my heart, and my all!

XI. EXERCISE

For contempt of earthly
things.

O eternal Wisdom, O Truth, O good Master! who hast uttered to us things hidden from the foundation of the world, grant me to have one mind with thee, one speech. Let me call blessed the poor, the meek, the patient, the peacemakers whom thou hast so called, and are with thee for ever as thy so many Saints and Elect.

Grant me, O my God, to think as thou dost of the world and its concupiscence; for do not all things that exist pass away like a ship, a flower, a bird, a stream, a smoke, and a vapour? For what and where are they now, who, from the foundation of the world, or even a century ago, have inhabited this spot, city, or country? Where will they be, then, ere long, who are now alive? These too will pass away, like those who have passed already, and of whom no vestige is to be found.

Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity. I know it, I know it, and thou only art Truth, thou only art Goodness, whom I love above all things, for whom I forsake all things. For what profit is it to me or to any man to gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of our own soul? What profit is it?

For true it is, that the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing, nor the soul with all these earthly things, for almost all things without us are within us only by knowledge; nay, the soul rests as much in opinion as in reality, nor can my heart rest in any thing at all, unless it rest in thee.

Why, then, do I run after a vain thing, and beat the air? Why do I seek the day, or revere the judgment of any 1 Wisdom v. 9-15.

man? To me it is a very small thing to be judged by any one, or by man's day.1

But why need I seek other things, which cannot satisfy me, and which, if I seek thee first, thou wilt add to me of thyself? They err, therefore, who trust in a mere nothing and speak vanities, who have conceived labour and brought forth iniquity, who have broken the eggs of asps and have woven the webs of spiders. 2

Therefore, as thou

hast said, Unless a man renounce all that he has, he cannot be my disciple, I renounce all, and adhere to thee, my God, who art all good. Amen.

XII. EXERCISE

For poverty.

O King of kings and Lord of lords! who art here present with me, and preservest me every where, hast not thou, O Truth, truly said, Blessed are the poor in spirit? And can I not wish to be blessed, and to possess thy kingdom, and to be like thee, my King and my God, and hereafter to sit with thee and judge with thee? True it is that thou hast chosen the poor in this world, and art wont to hear the desire of the poor.

Choose me, therefore, and hear me; for behold, in affec

11 Cor. iv. 3. 2 Isai. lix. 4.

tion at least, for thy sake, I sincerely renounce, with my whole heart, all things, great and small, that I may be able to say, Behold, we have left all things, and have followed thee; what, therefore, shall we have? What? Doubtless the greatest treasure in heaven. And what is that? Thou thyself, most loving Jesus; for thou art my treasure, in whom is my heart and all my desire.

Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; and naked I desire to follow thee, O Jesus, who wast naked thyself, and to be perfect, and sell all, that in thee I may find, here and ever, a hundredfold, and all things. Amen.

XIII. EXERCISE

For obedience. Thou hast humbled thyself, O Lord, my God and my King, by becoming obedient to death, even to the death of the cross, that I might learn of thee to be meek and humble of heart; and shall I not follow thee when thou so invitest me? Shall I not listen to thee when thou sayest, He that hears you hears me; he that despises you despises me?

By thy grace I will follow thee. Better indeed is obedience than sacrifices, and to 1 Job i. 21.

hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams; because it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel, and like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey.' By thy grace, therefore, I will be subject to every creature for thy sake, especially to my superiors, whether they are good or froward; and will freely sacrifice to thee, who wast offered for my sins, and bruised for my iniquities, that my own will may be found in none of my works.

And as Abraham did not, neither will I inquire why thou hast commanded me, for thou art eternal Wisdom, and I a child that know not my coming in and my going out. Thou art infinite goodness, yet thou vouchsafest to take care of me, as though none existed but me, and I know that an obedient man shall speak of victory."

What, then, O Lord Jesus, my Redeemer, what wilt thou have me to do? My heart is ready, my heart is ready; give what thou commandest, and command what thou wilt of thy servant, the son of thy handmaid. For I am come to do thy will, O my God, and have wished, and wish still, thy law to be in the midst of my heart. Amen.

11 Kings xv. 23.
2 Prov. xxi. 28.

XIV. EXERCISE

For chastity.

O Virgin's Son, Jesus Christ, most beloved of my soul, whose eyes behold me in every place, blessed, truly blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see thee; this alone is my wish, and all my desire.

I have heard thy Preacher say, He that loves cleanness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall have the king for his friend.' I love it, therefore, that thou mayest be my friend, my most loving Lord, who hast given me grace to take the word, which all do not take, not to marry, but to be as an angel of God, careful only for the things which belong to my Lord, that my soul being all fair and without spot or wrinkle, may merit to hear hereafter, Come, come from Libanus, my sister; my spouse, come, thou shalt be crowned.3

4

But because I know that I cannot otherwise be continent unless thou give it me, O God, by the bowels of thy mercy, I beseech thee, preserve my soul, for I am holy, that by avoiding those occasions and conversation, N., and by keeping a strict watch over my senses, I may escape that fire which devours to

1 Prov. xxii. 11.
2 Matt. xix. 11, 12.

3 Cant. iv. 8.

4 Ps. lxxxv. 2.

utter destruction, but may burn with the fire of thy love, for the kindling of which thou hadst so strong a desire. Amen.

XV. EXERCISE

For patience.

I hear thee, most patient Jesus, and see thee as it were most present with me, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity. I hear thee telling me, by word and example, that in my patience I should possess my soul. "If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow me.'

I desire, therefore, to take up my cross and follow thee. For I know that thou wilt not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able. Thou knowest my strength; the burden of the beast that I am become to thee. And I know that good things and evil, poverty and riches, are from thee, my God; and there is no evil in a city which the Lord has not done. And if we have received good things at thy hand, why should we not receive evil ?

I will bear thy anger, O Lord, for I have sinned against thee; as the apostle exhorts me, I will count it all joy when I shall fall into divers temptations. And I will

Ps. Ixxii. 23.
2 Ecclus. xi. 14.
3 Job ii. 10.

think of thee, most loving Jesus, who hast endured for me such opposition against thyself, that my patience may be found far more precious than gold, to the praise and glory of thy name, who hast suffered so much and so greatly for me, that thou mightst enter into thy glory. And I hope that this, N., which is momentary, and light of our tribulation, will work for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. Amen.

XVI. EXERCISE For abstinence. O eternal Wisdom! can it be that both our ears do not yet tingle with that first command of thine, which thou gavest to the first man while he was yet holy: In what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death; and are we yet willing to listen to our Eve, to give way to this our vilest enemy, and to obey our belly as a god? to eat, and never be satisfied with the husks of swine? The just eats and fills his soul, but the belly of the wicked is never to be filled. Does not every one that strives for the mastery refrain himself from all things; and they indeed, that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorrup

tible?

I Prov. xiii. 25.

Therefore I will not, for the love of thee, who for me wast hungry and thirsty forty days, and wast given gall and vinegar to drink upon the cross, I will not, for the sake of so very worthless a thing as meat, and for a momentary pleasure, destroy thy work, O my God; but, if it be thy will, O Lord, I will gladly follow thee with the Nazarites, and drink no wine nor strong drink, in which there is luxury; but with Daniel and Elias, John, and all thy saints, I desire to live to thee, soberly, and justly, and godly, and to wait for the blessed hope and advent of thy glory, O God, my sufficiency, who indeed art all my good! Amen.

XVII. EXERCISE

For renewal of spiritual
fervour.

O Lord Jesus, my King and my God, thou, for my sake, wert in labours from thy youth: all thy elect bear the burden of the day and the heat; the sun, stars, elements, thy creatures all serve me, that I may serve thee. What is there that the children of this world would not do for its most worthless goods? How they toil and torment themselves for honour, which is a smoke, and pleasure, which is a shadow! And shall I thy servant, who am bought at so great a price,