The devout hart or Royal throne of the pacifical Salomon. Composed by F. St. Luzuic S.I. Translated out of Latin into English. Enlarged with incentiue by F. St. Binet of the same S. and now enriched with hymnes by a new hand

IESVS RVLES AND REIGNES IN THE louing & deuout hart. (Book 8)

THE HYMNE.

OMightie Souer aigne, if you please, To deigne a looke & view our seas; Where harts like ships with wind & tide Are sayling; some at anker ride, Some with waues and boystrous windes Tost to & fro;' mongst them you find My floating hart, with euery blast Of greife or of affliction past, As' twere immersed with in the maine. But yet, Greate Monarch, if you deigne To be my Neptune, or to guide The sterne of my poore hart, beside The surges flying ore my decks, Reigne in my hart, let Hel play reks.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. VVhen IESVS sits in the hart, as in a Throne & there com∣mands, the hart is a Paradise, our cogitations, affects, desires, are euen as Angels, Cherubins, yea Seraphins, so here doe al things burne with di∣uine loue.

2. God raignes nor rules not? Sinne therefore swayes and beares the rule, most tyrant-like; and stri∣kes and wounds the miserable hart, already stretched on the cruel rack and torture, with terrours, scruples, horrid spectres, bestial appetits: no hart, but euen a Hel.

3. Little King, great God, tame my rebellious hart, subdue it to thy heasts, and eternally commaund it: Surely I wil doe what I can to de∣dicate and consecrate it to thee: doe thou defend the place, wherein thou likest wel to be shut vp.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

THe pacifical Salomon in those dayes of old had built him a Throne of iuory* 1.1 six degrees or steps in height, on both sides where∣of watched a Lyon, very exquisitly wrought, the truest symbol of regal Maiesty; and likewise for the people beneath in the midst of the Temple he erected a very eminent and sta∣tely Chapel. And so to thee Immor∣tal God; the heauen is a Throne the earth a foot-stoole. For thou sit'st (as sacred scripturesb 1.2 tel) vpon the wings of Cherubins, whence thou giuest Oracles, prescribest lawes to the world; and euen with the only looke, maiesty, and state, becomst most terrible to the haughtiest mids. Hence thou exactst iust punishments

from the damned: hence thou ine∣briatst the blessed Citizens of Hea∣uen, with the nectaral honey of thy goodnes: lastly hence thou carrousest cups mingled with the gal of iustice, and honey of pure goodnes, to the earth, suspended betweene heauen and hel. Besides in the triumphant Church the celestial spirits, whom we cal Thrones, are thy royal seat; and in the militant, the sacred Altar is thy lodging chamber, where thou sweetly takest thy rest.

But nothing is thine owne so much or due vnto thee, with a better title, then the hart of man, which with a low abasement of thy self, and a singular obedience to thy father, thou hast lawfully recouered and bought with the price of immense labour and paynes; yea redeemed with thy bloud, & a shameful death on the Crosse. Here, o pacifical

Salomon, thou rulest, there thou com∣maunds with a beck, in this soyle or seat, as in thine owne dominion, thou swayst in that manner, as there is none so bold or of so impudent a face, that dares, vnbidden, step in a foot, or, not touched with the point of thy golden scepter,c 1.3 looke in a-doores. Here thou hea∣rest the humble suits, and petitions of thy subiets, here thou stiflest lewd desires, putst a bridle on the rebel∣lious senses, tamest the insolence of carnal concupiscence, sweetnest the acerbity of labours. And, (O most happy kind of gouernment!) thou alone sufficiently sillest the whole hart, attended with a most happy trayne of heauenly Citizens which thy retinew or Court can neuer de∣part from thy side, or vanish from thine eyes; so strongly tyest then the minds, harts, and loues of al vnto

thee. Moreouer in the basis or foun∣dation of this royal edifice, stands faith, more cleere then any Chrystal; in which glasse of Eternity, mans hart sees and beholds the past and future things. The whole frame su∣steines it-self, on that, thy surest and most constant truth; where with thou proppest and holds it vp. For if faith leane not vpon thee, it cannot hold the name or dignity, of faith. Now the steps by which they as∣cend into this Throne of the hart, are those which the Kingly Prophet insinuats, where he sayth: They shal passe from vertue to vertue.d 1.4 Humi∣litie lyes in the lowest place, obe∣dience followers, anon pietie ari∣seth then patience shewes it-self; re∣signation attends and perseuerance tops and crownes them al. The foū∣dation faith consists of Iaspar, each stair shines with his special gemmes.

The first, is black with ieat, the se∣cond, greene with the emarald, being the colour of hope, the third glissens with the purest chrystal, the fourth is hard with the adamant, which no contrary violence or force can ma∣ster; the fift euen sprinckles fire with the chrisolite, but the Carbuncle, the sixt, flashes forth both fire and flames at once: yet thou midst al, my sweetest IESV, o prodigy! not only sits secure, but euen deliciatst thy self.

There are besides, two litle co∣lumnes or pillastres of this Throne; loue appeares on the right hand, and feare of thy iustice is to be seen on the left: yet sitst thou so venera∣ble with diuine Maiesty, in this hu∣mane seat of the hart; as the face of thine enemies, cannot behold the dignity of thy countenance, or endure thy aspect. There thou

giuest precepts, and art presently obeyed; commaundst, and thy heasts performed in a moment. The Angels themselues, euen the Che∣rubins and Seraphins, tremble to approach any neerer; as who know wel enough, this litle region to be properly thine, so only made for thee, and so due to thee by right of purchase, as whatsoeuer is lesse then thee, or shorter then eternity cannot please or satiate the hart; grown proud of such a Lord. For it is hun∣gry and thirsty, nor liues conten∣ted with any owner, vnles thou fix the seat of thy kingdome in its pre∣cincts. If thou beest present with it desires no more; if absent, come in al created things at once, & wooe it neuer so much, there wil yet be place enough for more. If thou getst from thence, al felicity departs with thee: if thou abidest, al beatitude

comes sodainly thither. Raigne the∣refore, and eternally raigne in my hart, O loue of my hart. Quiet the motions of perturbations, nor euer suffer the vnhappy hart; to thrust the King out of his seat; then which cannot happen a greater disastre to it. Nor suffer I say, o darling and delight of my hart, that one hart should be shared into many parts. For thou sufferest no riual. Oh suffer it not euer to be enticed with the allurements of worldly pleasure, which gate being once set open, I see how easily the enemy wil rush in. Be thou to it a brazen, yea, a wal of fire, which may so roundly girt the Tower, as that no passage may be found vnto it. But that only the Holy Ghost may come downe from Heauen, whereto the hart lyes open and enter therein, with a ful gale and occupy the whole hart;

that so I may truly professe and glory, My beloued to mee and I to him.e 1.5

VIII. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras, &c.

THE PRELVDE.

MY Kingdome, is not of this world, (a) for my Kingdome is thy hart, o soule deuout to God.

1. Point Consider how God see∣mes to make but litle reckoning of the rule, and gouernment of heauen & earth, in regard of the dominion and care he hath of mans hart; wherein, as in a breife epitome or abridgement, he summs and collects

togeather the whole perfection of the Vniuerse.

2. Point. Consider againe, how sweet the yoke of Christ is; compa∣red with the most cruel and direful tyranny of the deuil. For into what horrible vices and abhominations, doth not this wicked Tyrant and cruel butcher of soules, drawe men who are subiect to him? How farre this Lord differs from the genius of the world. For if this Impostour promise mountaynes of gold to his clients and followers, after a long & irksome bondage, after a tedious yoke, and loads of intollerable in∣iuries, which it layes vpon them, it really performes nothing but smoak of words & empty shadowes. Lastly, how diuerse this Masters benity is from the hard & cruel apprentiship of the flesh, which for a singular reward of most abiect seruices, re∣paies

nothing but a thousand sordi∣ties, and miseries, as wel of the soule as body.

3.Point. But on the contrary, where IESVS rules in the hart, the appetits, which were before vnbrid∣led, comply with the law of reason, and the soule-it-self, reduced as it were into the forme and order of a watch, being in tune and wel dispo∣sed, poyseth al her thoughts, words, and works, with iust weight and measure.

THE COLLOQVY.

SHal be with the most sweet IESVS, earnestly beseeching him he would take ful possession of the hart, commaund therein, as in his Kingdome, and exercise an ample power vpon al the faculties of the soule: that he would ad∣uance,

pul downe, enrich, impoue∣rish; lastly fraue it to each beck and signe of the most holy and diuine wil.

Pater. Aue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  3. Reg. 10.
• b 1.2

  Psal. 17.
• c 1.3

  Ester, 5.
• d 1.4

  Psal. 83.
• e 1.5

  Cant. 2.