A pretious booke of heauenlie meditations, called a priuate talke of the soule with God which who so zealouslie wil vse and pervse, shal feele in his mind an vnspeakable sweetenes of the euerlasting happines: written (as some thinke) by that reuerend, and religious Father S. Augustine; and not translated onlie, but purified also, and with most ample, and necessarie sentences of holie Scripture adorned, by Thomas Rogers.

Chap. 21.

That by the consideration of Gods temporal benefites, wee may gather the greatnes of his heauenlie blessings.

O Lord, reueale thy great mercie to∣warde mee; shine vpon me yet more and more with thy light, I be∣seech thee, that more and more I may perceiue the same.

For thy great things by these smalest thingsa; and thine in∣uisible things, by these visible creatures are seeneb, ô God, holiec, and goodd, our Lord and makere.

For if thou prouidest both from heauen, from the aër, from the earth, from the sea, from light, from darkenes, from heate, from shade, from deaw,

from raine, windes, showres, birdes, fiishes, beasts, trees, and from the diuersitie of herbes, and fruite of the earth, and from the seruice of al thy crea∣tures which serue for mans vsef in their due season, to comfort him withal: If, I saie, thou proui∣dest so ample, and so infinite benefites for this vileg, and corruptibleh bodie; ô Lord, I beseech thee, how excellent, & how innumerable shal those good things be, which thou hast prepared for those which loue theei, in that heauenlie coun∣triek, where wee shal see thee face to facel! If thou dost so for vs in prison; what wilt thou doe in thy palace!

Greatm, and without num∣ber doubtles be thy workesn, ô Lord King of Heaueno.

For sith al these things are ex∣ceedinglie

goodp, & delightful, which thou impartest as wel on the euil, as vpon the goodq: what shal those hereafter bee, which are laid vp onelie for the good?

If thy giftes are so infinite and diuers, which in this world thou giuest to thine enimies, as wel as to thy friends; how great and how infinite, how sweete and howe comfortable shal those blessings be, which thou wilt impart onelie vpon thy friends! If we haue so much de∣lectation in this time of teares; what ioie wilt thou bring vs on the daie of our mariager! If our prison haue such pleasure; how vnspeakeable shal the happines of our countrie bes!

O God, none eie without thee hath seene the things which thou hast prepared for them

that loue theet! for according to the great number of thy mightie workes, thy goodnes is great which thou hast laid vp for them which feare theeu.

For great art thou, ô Lord my God, and incomprehensiblex, neither is there ende of thy greatnes, nor number of thy wisedomey, nor measure of thy benignitie: neither is there end, nor number, nor measure of thy blessingsz. For as thou art great thy selfe, so is thy libe∣ralitie great, because thou art the reward, and the bles∣sing which they shal haue that fight as they ought to doea.

Notes

• a

  Prou. 30, verse. 24. 25, &c. Esaie. 6, 3. Esaie. 5, 16.
• b

  Rom. 1, 20.
• c

  Hab. 1, 12.
• d

  Ier. 33, 11. Lame. 3, 25. Luke. 18, 18. 19.
• e

  Deu. 32, 18 Psal. 100, 3. Eccles. 1, 8.
• f

  Psal. 8, 6. 7.
• g

  1. Cor. 15, verse. 42. 43, &c.
• h

  Wisd. 9, 15 Rom. 1, 23.
• i

  1. Cor. 2, 9. 10 2. Esdr. 4, 27.
• k

  Heb. 11, 13 Reuel, 21, 1. 2.
• l

  1. Cor. 13, verse. 12. Reu. 22, 4.
• m

  Psa. 92, 5. Psal. 111, 2.
• n

  Iob. 41, 4. 5. 6, &c. Psa. 104, 24. Eccl. 16, 20. 21, &c.
• o

  1. Esd. 4, 46 58. Wisd. 18, 15
• p

  Gen. 1, 31. Eccle. 39, 16 33.
• q

  Mat. 5, 45. Luke. 6, 35.
• r

  Mat. 2 2, 1. 2, &c. Luk. 14, 16. 17, &c. Reuel. 19, 7 9.
• s

  Heb. 11, 9. 10. 11, &c. 1. Cor. 2, 9.
• t

  1. Cor. 2, 9.
• u

  Psa. 31, 19.
• x

  Psa. 145, 3
• y

  Psa. 147, 5
• z

  Psa. 106, 2.
• a

  2. Tim. 2, 5