A heavenly treasure of confortable meditations and prayers written by S. Augustin, Bishop of Hyppon in three seuerall treatises of his meditations, soliloquies, and manual. Faithfully translated into English by the R. F. Antony Batt monke, of the holy order of S Bennet of the Congregation of England

The soules desire to attaine to the hea∣uenly city Hierusalem. CHAPT. XXV.

O Mother Hierusalem, thou sacred city of God, thou dearest spouse of Christ, my hart doth loue thee, & my mind doth exceedingly longe after thy beautie. O how gli••••ering, how glorious, how ge∣nerous art thou. Thou art altogether faire, and there is noe spott in thee. Triumph & be gladd (o faire daughter of the Prince) for that the king, (euen he that surpasseth all the children of men in beauties excel∣lencie) hath desired thy fauoure, and hath been enamoured of thy beautie.

But what is thy beloued more then an other beloued (o thou that art most beau∣tifull) My beloued is white and ruddie, chosen of thousands. As the apple tree a∣mong the trees of the woodes, soe is my beloued amongst the sonns of mē. Behold I sitt ioyfull vnder the shadowe of him, whom I haue desired, and his fruite is sweete vnto my throat. My beloued hath putt his hand through the hole, and my bellie hath trembled at his touch (C ••nt. 5.) In the night season in my bedd I haue sou∣ght him, whom my soule loueth, I haue

sought and founde him, I doe holde him, and will not lett him goe, vntill he bring me into his house, & into his bedd-chāber, o my most gloriouse mother. For there thou willt graunt me to suck of thy breasts more perfectlie and aboundantlie, and I shalbe in that manner satisfied with vn∣speakable plentie, as that I shal not hunger or thirst any more during all eternitie.

O how happie will my soule be, yea happie euerlastinglie, if I shall merit to be hold thy glorie, thy felicitie, thy beautie, thy gates and walles, thy streetes, and ma∣nifolde mansions, thy most noble citizens, and thy most puissant king, sitting in his magnificence. Because thy walls are built of pretions stones, thy gates are composed of the rarest pearles, thy streetes paued with most pure golde, in which Alleluia is ioyfullie and continuallie songe to God. Thy mansions (which are many) are foun∣ded vpon fower square stones, built of Sa∣phires, and couered ouer with tyles of golde, into which none doe enter, but such as are cleansed, none doe dwell that are defiled.

Thou art beautifull and pleasant in thy delightes (o Hierusalē our mother.) None of those thinges are suffered or seene in thee, which we suffer and see in this vale of miserie. In thee there is neuer any dar∣kenes,

or night, or any change of time The light that shineth in thee, proceedeth nei∣ther stom lampes, or candles, nor from the moone, nor from the brightnes of the starres, but God of God, the light of light (euen Christ) the sunnne of iustice giueth light in thee. The white and immacultate lambe, is thy most cleare and beautifull light; The sunne, and brightnes, yea thy whole happines doth consist in the contē∣plation of this thy king, surpassing all others in fairenes. Euen the king of kinges himselfe in the middest of thee keepeth continuall residence, compassed about with his seruants.

There are the quires of Angells singing hymnes, there are the companies of the heauenly cittizens. There is celebrated the sweete solemnitie and feaste of all such as returne from this sorrowfull pilgrimage vnto thy most ioyful rest. There is the for∣seeing assembly of the Prophetes. There is the mysticall nomber of the twelue A∣postles. There is the inuincible armie of innumerable Martyrs. There is the reue∣rend companie of holy Confessors. There are the true & perfect Monkes. There are the sacred Virgins, and other holy woemē, who haue ouercome all worldly pleasure, & likewise the weakenes of theire owne nature. There are those blessed boyes and

girles, who haue surmounted theire tender yeares by theire mature manners. There are the sheepe and little lambes, who (as from a wolfe haue now escaped from the intangling snare of the pleasures of this life. All these reioyce and triumphe in the∣ire proper places, differing ech one from an other in degree of glorie, but being all alike in excesse of gladnes.

There charitie raigneth in full perfe∣ction, because God is all in all vnto them, besides whom they desire nothing: whom they eternallie doe behold, and by conti∣nuallie beholding him, doe continuallie burne in his loue: whom they alwaies doe loue, and by louing doe prayse, and by praysing doe loue: theire whole exercise and all they haue to doe, being nothing els but to praise God euerlastinglie, without any difficultie.

Happie were I, yea happie indeede for all eternitie, if after the seperation of my soule from this my bodie, I might be ad∣mitted to heare those Canticles of cele∣stiall melodie, which are sung in the praise of the euerlasting King, by the cittizens & troupes of Saints of that heauenlie coun∣trie. Happie I say, yea exceeding and exces∣siuelie happie were I, if I (poore vnwor∣thie wretch) might be thought worthy to sing, and in my turne to intone those ce∣lestiall

Canticles; if I might be neare vnto my king, my God and my capitaine, and might behold him in glorie, euen as he vouchsafed to promise vs, when he sayed. O Father my will, and desire is, that those, which thou hast giuen me, be with me, that they may see my glorie, which I had with thee, before the creatio of the world: And in an other place: He that ministreth vnto me, lett him followe me, and where I am, there likewise shall my minister be: And againe: He that loueth me, shal be lo∣ued of my Father, and I will loue him, and will shew my selfe vnto him.