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

THE HART ENFLAMED WITH THE LOVE of IESVS shines al vvith light and flames. (Book 17)

THE HYMNE.

COme Moyses to the bush, draw nere: Now God Incarnate doth appeare, Man's hart the b••••••sh (cease to admir••••••) With flames of loue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sets on fire. See here the scoriching flakes and f••me of pr••••er, which burne & not consume, But only drosse of sinne. Behold A hart refi••'d of tryed gold: A Bush wherin loue so contriues, That IESVS, Phenix-like reu••ues, Amidst sweet aromatike sents A bush wherin one that contents Is al in al. And now though rare One bird in bush is better farre.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. THe whole hart is al on fire these flames then either come from heauen; & deriue from IESVS, or al these fires are sprung from hel and lewd desires. Ah my litle soule! Why art thou so in doubt? Deliuer thy whole hart to IESVS, that he only may enflame it with the fires of diuine loue.

2. Behold his hands, feet, hart, eyes, face, the whole body: IESVS is nothing els but fire, naught but litle flames of loue, whatsoeuer he doth, speakes, suffers, breath but loue, and that the loue of thee.

3. O loue! o sweet loue! o fla∣mes of loue! Ah burne this hart I pray. Yea my soule, doe thou burne thee to ashes too in the loues of my IESVS; and in these sweet flames,

may it liue, dye, reuiue againe, like another Phenix.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

IESVS was on the top of mount Thabor, in the friendly company of S. Peter, Iames, Iohn, Moyses & Elias; a 1.1 when sudenly his face began to shine like the sunne, his garments to be as white as snow, and the hil it∣self to glitter al with flashing rayes, flowing from his countenance. But when Moyses heretofore ascended on mount Sinay, to receiue the law of God in stony tablesb 1.2 the people beheld al the place to be set on fire to sparkle, to burne, to shine al ouer. Lastly Elias chariota 1.3 the fiery sword of the Cherubin, watch∣ing at the gate of Paradise,d 1.4 the foure beasts of Ezechiel,e 1.5 and al

furniture about them, seemed not onely to shine, but to burne also. But what-said the Spouse of her beloued and his chast loue? His lamp, said she, are lamps of fire and flames; many waters were not able to extinguish charity.f 1.6 O fires and liuing flames euen in the midst of flouds of waters! This is the fire which encloses the hart so, and sends forth such radiant and re∣fulgent rayes, as banishing al dark∣nes, al things shine and burne both within and without. Of this lamp mercy is the oyl; and that truly inde∣ficient, as flowing from an inexhau∣stible chanel, the very bowels of God. This is that wal of fire, which God had prouised by the Prophet, g 1.7 which being interposed; the lyons creast would fal, the enemy be forced to turne his back, and he be smit & strucke with a thunder-bolt, who should once goe about to set

there to his sacrilegious hand. But of al these wonders, this is most to be wondred at, that as the greene bush amidst the purest flames did burne vntouchedh 1.8 and impeached a whit, and God himself was heard to preach therein, as in pulpit; so the hart encompassed al with flames, & therewith round beset, most constāt∣ly alwayes burnes and is not consu∣med, but euer shines and flasheth ligth, since IESVS raises and resus∣citates those fires, and feedes the im∣mortal flames. Marke here, how high the smoak of these fires mounts vp to heauen. Goe to then, come hither with your thuribles and in∣cense: How nigh in a moment the incense of such fires sends forth most sweet odours to Heauen! How spee∣dily the vowes and prayers commen. ded to this fume, arriue at the throne of heauen! The Heauens with this

exhalation shal breath forth Nectar: The ayr repurged shal sauour sweet∣ly, the threats and rage of Deuils shal expire; for indeed they can no more endure these odours, the grunting snowts of swine abide the breath exhaling from the sweetest smelling lillyes; and therefore shal they be enforced to fly away, and returne againe into the immost and most hidden receptacles of Hel.

This is the fire, this the flame, which quenches the heat of concu∣piscence; for as one nayle driues out another, so the fire of diuine loue expels and represseth the libidinous flames of base and carnal loues.

Burne therefore my hart, o IESV, the dearling of my soule, and let not the oile of the lamp be euer wanting: be this fire as a wal vnto me;i 1.9 be it as a sunne, and be this my chiefest ambition, that I burne and be con∣sumed

with this flame: Yea, and be reduced into ashes; then those ashes into a litle worme, and presently be∣come a new hart. O Metamorphosis of loue! But first would I haue the old be throughly tryed, in the litle furnace of his loue, the drosse, and al the dregs to be scoured thence, and no humane and terrene lees to be left behind, but meerly to take a heauenly state vpon it: to liue a spiritual life, to feed on spiritual food to vse a spiritual tongue, to haue spi∣ritual feet and hands; yea diuine cogitations and affections, & not done by aspects only, but euen Angelical. In summe may this hart, thus purged and purified, giue forth hereafter naught but a liuely and euerlasting figure of a blessed im∣mortality. So then doe thou my dearest IESV) here fix thy hart, at last; dwel here in thy Palace; and

here shoot forth the glittering rayes, of thy glory,

XVII. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras quesumus, &c.

THE PRELVDE.

I Came to send fire into the earth and what would I els but haue it burne.a 1.10

1. Point. Consider how necessary it is the hart enflamed with loue, should mount vp and vanish into vapours; and so great is the force of this flame, as it ascends to heauen streight, where it arriues without impediment: nor hath the world,

without God, ought that can satiate and replenish the bosome of the hart.

2. Point. Consider, how subtle and actiue the flame of diuine loue is piercing, cleare, neuer idle, vn∣quiet, impatient to beheld shut vp in any other place then in the boso∣me of the Crucifix; where as in a furnace of loue, it purges and re∣purges ouer and ouer, and receiues new life and vigour againe.

3. Point. Note the matter and fuel of this fire to be al those things which Superiours enioyne, in the execution whereof is manifestly dis∣couered what force there is in this fire,

THE COLLOQVY.

SHal be directed to Christ whom I wil seeme to behold with two burning lamps in his hands: I wil beseech him, to purge whatsoeuer is vnperfect or vicious in me, and to reduce the very hart to dust & ashes: that a new may arise like a Phe∣nix, which after he hath laid downe the spoyles or weedes of his mor∣tallity, resuscitates a new, and re∣uiues againe from the tomb it-self, more beautiful and a great deale better.

Pater Aue.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Mat. 17.
• b 1.2

  Exod. 29.
• a 1.3

  4. Reg. 2.
• d 1.4

  Gen. 3.
• e 1.5

  Ezech. 1.
• f 1.6

  Cant. 8.
• g 1.7

  Zach. 2.
• h 1.8

  Exod. 2.
• i 1.9

  Zach. 2.
• a 1.10

  Luc. 12.