CHAPTER XXVI.

HOW TO PRAY AND MEDITATE BY MEANS OF THE HOLY ANGELS AND HEAVENLY CITIZENS.

dress thy

Eternal

1. ANOTHER powerful means to obtain thy petition 1. Ad- is, by the Angels and blessed Saints in heaven. self to the This also is practised two manner of ways. Father. First, apply thy thoughts to the Eternal Father, and present before Him the love, honour, and praise wherewith His heavenly court worships and exalts Him. And withal, lay open all the miseries, labours, and molestations which His Saints suffered and by His grace surmounted here upon earth.

glorious

Saints

2. The other way is by applying thyself to these 2. Unto the glorious spirits, as to those who not only reAngels and member us amidst their joys, but earnestly themselves. desire our perfection. Beg, therefore, their faithful assistance in thy fight against vices, and sometimes implore their aid and assistance at the hour of thy death, against thy dreadful enemies. Other times, reflect upon those excellent gifts and graces wherewith their Lord God endued them; exciting in thy soul a lively feeling of love and joy that they possess these high perfections, as much, yea more, than if they were thine own, since such was the good will and pleasure of the Divine Majesty.

3. And that thou mayest more easily and orderly

Dividing

them into perform and practise this pious exercise, divide

choirs, ac

cording to the choirs of this blessed company according to

the week.

the week-days, in some such manner as fol- the days of loweth :

1. Upon Sunday, meditate on the Nine Choirs

of Angels.

2. Upon Monday, on the Choir of the Holy Apostles.

3. Upon Tuesday, on that of the glorious Martyrs. 4. Upon Wednesday, on that of the blessed Bishops.

5. Upon Thursday, on that of the holy Doctors. 6. Upon Friday, on that of the holy Confessors. 7. Upon Saturday, on that of the sacred Virgins. 4. But let no day pass without some special devotion to the most glorious Virgin Mary, to thy Angel- But pray guardian, and to that particular Saint and Patron B. Virgin to whom thou owest singular duty and veneration. Patron.

daily to the

and thy

ENLARGE

MENT.

And to St.

5. Amongst these I persuade thee to place St. Joseph, the dear spouse of the Sacred Virgin, who, as experience and contemplative persons Joseph. testify, will assist thee by his holy prayers in all thy temporal and spiritual necessities, and particularly advance and direct thy soul in its spiritual exercises of Prayer and Contemplation. And surely, if our loving Lord so highly esteems His other Saints, because they paid Him His due honour and obedience upon earth, how much more doth He value this most humble and happy Saint; and how all-prevailing are his prayers likely to be with that Divine Son Who honoured, served, and obeyed him upon earth as His father.

CHAPTER XXVII.

HOW TO MEDITATE UPON THE HOLY CROSS, AND CHRIST OUR SAVIOUR HANGING THEREON, TO EXCITE AND MOVE OUR AFFECTIONS.

1. I HAVE before showed thee, O my dearly beloved, How to the manner of meditating and praying upon our affections, Saviour's Passion.* Now, I will instruct thee

enkindle

meditating

on

sion.

the Pas- how thou mayest thereby stir up good motions and enkindle holy affections in thy soul. When, therefore, thou hast taken some point of meditation upon Christ's Cross and Passion-as, for example, of His crown of thorns think thus with thyself:-How thy most innocent and amiable Lord Jesus was, with greatest derision and scorn, clothed in a purple garment, crowned with sharp thorns, cudgelled with a hard cane, besmeared with filthy spittle. How this King of Eternal Glory, Whom millions of Angels adore in heaven, was by the worst and wickedest sort of men mocked upon earth as a counterfeit King, with scoffing adoration and reverence.

ing upon Christ's love and

2. Now, when by these and such other points of By reflect- meditation thou desirest to raise in thy soul true feelings and affections of love, elevate thy goodness. heart oftentimes, whilst thou art meditating, to acknowledge the boundless goodness of thy Lord God, and His love towards thee, which thou mayest easily gather from the multitude and bitterness of His

*See chap. xxiii.

sufferings for thee. goodness, thy love will be more and more inflamed, and a true contrition for thy sins will be more easily obtained-especially if thou considerest that thou hast again and again offended this thy most bountiful and loving Lord God, Who was thus cruelly slain for the ransom of thine iniquity.

By this acknowledgment of His

get a con.

3. To raise also a constant hope in thy soul, look upon thy Lord Jesus, the King of kings and How to Lord of lords, reduced to the extremity of stant hope, misery to free thee from the slavery of sin and snares of satan, to reconcile thee to His heavenly Father, and to give thee confidence to come to Him cheerfully in all thy necessities.

spiritual

4. And if, furthermore, thou wouldst, by these meditations on thy Saviour's Passion, move thyself and a to spiritual joy, warn thy thoughts from re- joy. maining any longer upon His pains, and pass to the profits, fruits, and effects of His sufferings. Then thou wilt find thyself and the whole world absolved from sins by them, the Divine wrath appeased, the devil defeated, death conquered, the lost sheep brought back, the Angels' seats filled up! Join to all this the joy of the sacred Trinity, and of the whole Church, both triumphant and militant, who all rejoice in the profit issuing from Christ's cruel Death and Passion.

5. But to raise affections of sorrow and compassion towards thy suffering Saviour, thou mayest As also weigh, not only the many wounds of His sacred of sorrow

M

affections

passion.

and com- Body, but the multitude of anguishes, griefs, and sadnesses of His most holy soul. For He, well knowing the eminent and infinite dignity of His heavenly Father, Whom He so highly loved, must needs be grieved above measure to see this benign and bountiful Creator of all things, after so many and so great benefits, to be so rashly, so maliciously, and so frequently offended and deluded by His own creatures. And this sadness of thy Saviour's soul was much augmented by the foresight He had of that vast multitude of men who, by their own sin and sloth, were to be damned eternally. The same grief was further aggravated by seeing the immense dolours of His dear and worthily beloved Mother; and the same sword spared not His which pierced her heart with sorrow. Moreover, Christ's sacred soul, which, by reason of the Divine union, was omniscient, suffered in all the Martyrs' and tender Virgins' torments, sustained for His faith and affection.

contrition

6. In these and the like meditations upon thy Lord And acts of and Saviour's Passion, thou must often reflect for thy sins. that thou, by thy grievous sins and defects, wert the cause and occasion of these His afflictions. And from hence conceive acts of true sorrow for thy shameful ingratitude, and humble thyself at the feet of His Majesty. And know that to be the best pleasing and most acceptable compassion when thou persecutest thine own disordered affections, and strivest to ruin and root out of thy heart those enemies which were the cause of thy Lord's so cruel pains and Passion.