The spiritual conflict writen in Italian by a deuout seruant of God ; and lately translated into English out of the same language.

an inflamed heart vnto him: beholde O my Lorde I haue done euen like my selfe, nei∣ther can I expect any other thing of my selfe then to fall: O my Lord and Sauior I am sory for it, neither could I haue stayed my self here, if the hand of thy goodnesse had not stai∣ed me, for the which I yeeld thee humble thanks: do thou O Lord like vnto thy self per∣mit me not to liue in thy dis∣grace, neither that I may any more offend thee. And this beeing ended, do not turne thee to thinke, whether God haue forgiuen thee or no? for so to do is pride, disquietnesse of mind, losse of time, and a snare of the diuell.

Therefore leauing thy selfe

freely in the hand of the diuine pietie, continue thy exercise, as though thou hadst not fal∣len. And if thou happen to fall many times a day, and be wounded, do the same things with no lesse trust the second, the third, and also the last time then the first.

This exercise by so much dis∣pleaseth the deuill, by how much heseeth it pleaseth God, and therefore he doth hold vs as it were fast bound, and see∣keth to make vs so very sloth∣full, that many times we leaue to do it. Therefore by how much thou findest the greater difficultie in this, by so much thou oughtst to vse the greater violence, renewing it more then one time in one fal.

And if yet after the fall thou find thy selfe disquieted, a∣shamed, and discomforted: the first thing that thou must doe, is, that thou recouer the peace and tranquilitie of hart, and being so quieted and set in peace, turne thy selfe then afterwards to God; for that disquietnesse that vseth to remain after sinne committed, hath not for the obiecte, the offending of God, and the loue of him, but thy owne pri∣uate losse and dammage.

The waye to recouer this peace, is; that thou forget thy selfe to haue fallen, and settle thy self to consider the ineffa∣ble bountie of God, and how he desireth, to vnite himselfe to thee, & make thee blessed

in his eternall ioy. And after that with this or such like con∣sideration, thou hast setled thy mind: thou shalt turne thy self to thy fall, doing as I taught thee before, and at the time of thy going to confession (which should be often) call then to mind all thy defects, and open thē sincerely to thy confessor.