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 SVVEEP•• THE DVST OF SINNES from the hart. (Book 5)

THE HYMNE.

O IESV thou art come from Heauen, Find'st lying al at, six and seauen, In seueral shapes, my horrid sinnes To sweep away the broome begins; Not like the chips, when thou didst keep At home, and with the besome sweep The dust, and little chips, which flew About the house, but now in view, Thou sweep'st, as chips cut from that tree Which was the sourse of misery, Those mōsters, loathsom dust, where breeds Th'old serpent; on this filth he feeds. Hels Scauendger, come take thy load, The muck the viper, serpent, toad.

THE INCENTIVE.

1. GOE to, you pure Inhabitants of Heauen, which ioyned prayers tire out the gracious and benigne IESVS, that he would deyne to cleanse this hart, of al its filth. For we sily dwarfs, as woulded but of slime, can neither lift vp our eyes to Heauen, nor open our lips to prayer.

2. Would any one beleeue? Oh force! Oh excesse of diuine loue! God with a secret force applyed, of holy affections, and a liuely sorrow of the mind truely penitent, as cer∣taine besomes, conferres succours of diuine grace; where-with from the floure of the hart he sweeps out the filth of ••innes.

3. Goe on, my little IESV, and oh! expel, tread, crush vnder thy

holy feet this poysonous virulence of serpēts, which with their venome intoxicate and kil my soule. Destroy them quite, and so frame me a hart wholy according to thy hart.

THE PREAMBLE to the Meditation.

VVhen Lucifer, foyled by the in∣uincible forces of Michaela 1.1 that great Leader of the heauenly Hoast, with his factious and rebel∣lious squadrons, was cast downe headlong into Hel, a new light was seen to shine in heauen, new peace to smile, new loues to burne, & new delights to powre forth themselues.

Besides, the glorious victories a∣cheiued vpon the Moabits, Iebus••ans, and other barbarous Nations, either expulsed or els constreined at least to pay tributes to the people of Israel,

bred a general peace and ioy to the whole Palestine.

But alas! the Leader of this infer∣nal Legion, thus precipitously throwne downe, what a dreadful terrour brought he vnto sea & land? For hence amid the ioyful & trium∣phant acclamations of the blessed Angels, this verse was rung into the eares of miserable mortals, Woe to sea and land, because the deuil in a great rage descendes vnto you.b 1.2

Hence truly, the open springs of al our euils, hence flow our teares, hence these so many snakes deriue their being, which occupy and so cruelly torture our minds. But what is this? I am deceiued. For me-thinks I see a huge shole of serpents, cha∣sed away from the lurking den of the hart. But alas! how I feare, least the enemies in their flight may leaue therein some impression or print be∣hind

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them. Surely thou excellent Dauid didst daily exercise thy self, and sweepst thy spirit, as thou hast written of thy selfc 1.3 yet with al thy study and exactnes, doe what thou couldst, thou couldst neuer bring to passe, but some little dust would al∣wayes yet remayne, or slimy trace be left behind, at least from the trai∣ling of those serpents.

It is very wel: IESVS with new brooms in the Chapel of the hart stands sweeping out the dust, least ought should escape his industry or eyes. O admirable thing! The bles∣sed Spirits, stand amaz'd at this, ei∣ther lowlynes of mind, or officious diligence of his, and yeald him thanks for that benefit bestowed on man. Goe to then, O thou victo∣rious and triumphant IESVS, spurne, trample this Hydra, a beast of so many wicked serpents heads,

kil him with thy flames, that here∣after he may haue no enterance or place in thy Sanctuary. And thou, most Blessed Dearling of my hart, fortify and preuent al the wayes & passages of the enemy, and place strong Guards at the entryes and gates thereof, least happily they steale or rush in any where; for they are not al of one and the self-same kind. Some there are which like dragons with a foule & vgly flight corrupt the ayre; some like Aspikes and vipers, craule on the ground, some sodainly peep vp like lizards, and leap away againe; others like touds lye lurking at the very gate of the hart, vpon aduantage, yet slouthful the while. These like bats be stirre themselues by night only; they on the contrary of the race of harpyes or hauks, appeare by day, and attend their prey: So great ne∣cessity

thou hast, deare soule, not to be idle at any tyme or place. Nor yet truly as soone as they are thrust out▪ by the powre and industry of IESVS, is al the busines quite done: For then the banished pests euen choake the aire againe with an intollerable stench, thunder & light∣nings, cast forth outrageous stor∣mes, they tumult, they rage, they mutiny, they trouble al things, and euen menace and threaten al extrea∣mities, vnles (which they clayme as their right, and exclayme to be their due by title of victory) they may be suffred and haue leaue to returne to their ancient home, againe. But thou my sweet IESV, open the earth the while with a horrible rupture, and fold them vp with a like ruine, to that, wherein of old thou threwest to Hel the double prodigyes, those spirits, refractory and rebellions to

thee. And that they may neuer be seen or heard of more, or raise any new tumult, being-bound, and sent to those dismal vaults beneath the ground, damne them to eternal dark∣nes; that they may loose al hope of returne againe, or raging any more.

V. MEDITATION.

The preparatory Prayer.

Actiones nostras, &c.

FIRST POINT.

HOw fierce and cruel a warre God made in Heauen once against sinne, may hence be gathe∣red, in that he damned Sathan and his Cōplices, precipitously throwne downe from those happy seates of beatitude vnto the extreame tor∣ments

of euerlasting fires. How im∣placable a warr likewise he brought against the same very enemy on earth as easily appeares, in that he feared not to descend into the lists of this mortal lifea 1.4 that fighting foot to foot, and hand to hand, he might vtterly defeat the deuils works, to wit, sinne. Lastly, how deadly a ha∣tred he beares in Hel to that wicked enemy, is cleere enough by this, that not enduring sinners to remaine any longer in these lists, bidding them depart, he banisheth them, into such miserable dungeons of eternal pu∣nishments.

2. Point. Attend besides, with what study and diligence, he com∣maund the monsters of vices, to pack away from our hart, like as a noble General in warr, as soone as he hath taken some Towne or fort, either by a sodaine stratagem or assault, re∣moues

the ancient Magistrates, and pute the souldiours in Garrison from their ranck and place, nor suffers any one to remaine behind, that might stirre vp the least sparckle of any treason.

3. Point Now with what iubiley and joyful signes the Angels exult and triumph in a manner, when they behold that infamous rable of por∣tents to be thrust forth, and chased from our hart! How stand they amazd in the meane tyme, at so great a multitude and deformity of ene∣mies! But how especially they ad∣mire, that infelicity or stupidity of ours, that we should euer seeme to afford any place to such execrable and damned Ghosts as these.

THE COLLOQVY.

OH what dulnes of mind is this, what stupidity of hart, that we should so long suffer these monsters, to rest and abide with vs, as if they were some friends and familiars of ours! Oh truly admirable goodnes of God! who hath attended and ex∣pected vs so long to returne to the duty and office of good men; and now at last most powerfully hath brought vs into liberty, wherefore we wil stedfastly purpose, and de∣termine hereafter, to die rather, then once to afford any place in our hart to sinnes.

Pater. Aue.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Apoc. 12.
• b 1.2

  Apoc. 12.
• c 1.3

  Psal. 76.
• a 1.4

  Ioan. 3.