Contemplations, sighes, and groanes of a Christian. Written in Latine, by Iohn Michael Dilherrus. And Englished by William Style of the Inner Temple, Esquire

CONTEMP. &c. 13. (Book 13)

Of the Conception of Christ.

O What humility, O what a desire to save me hadst thou, O Christ my Saviour: there was no truth in my mouth, my throat was an open sepul∣chre, I have dealt deceitfully with my tongue, and my spirit is not pure; and thou that art the very mouth of truth, the throat of sweetnesse, the tongue of virtue, my most unspotted Saviour, and

free from all contagion of sinne, dost kisse mee with the kisses of thy mouth; O blessed kisse and to bee wondred at for its admirable value, in which, one mouth makes not an impression upon another, but God and Man are united together. With what else shall I com∣pare thy incarnation, but to a kisse? a kisse, a token of peace and reconciliati∣on; and by thy incarnation, was peace and reconciliation restored to the world. O what a blessed day is that, when thwarting thy paths I receive a kisse from thy offended mouth, in stead of a deserved reproofe; as thy Spouse the Church cries out, burning with im∣patient love, shee cryes out, Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth: with a desire kindled from the promises and benefits of Christ, she beseeches the Messiah might be sent unto her, that she might heare him speaking, and behold him instructing her: in his flesh, shee requires him to descend, and to bee united to the humanity. Consider the Church O my soule, who having (of a long time) had a promise of her Lords comming, from the mouth of the Pro∣phets; and having beene a great while in suspence, raiseth her selfe from the

body; abandoning luxury, and carnall pleasures, and delights, and disroabing her selfe of the care of secular vanities, doth wish for the infusion of the divine presence, and grace of the saving Word; and how is shee tortured and affli∣cted, that hee comes so late? wounded as it were with love, not able longer to endure his delay, turning to the Fa∣ther, shee beseecheth him, that he will send God the Word unto her. I will not have him speak by Moses, nor by the Prophets; no; let him take my body upon him, let him kisse me in the flesh: Follow my soule, thou which art a part of that most happy assembly; follow the example of that groaning Church, and think on nothing more; love, cherish, vow unto, and expect no∣thing more, than thy Messias. See, I be∣seech you, and consider, the familiar, and friendly communication of those soules (sighing in the flesh,) with the heavenly powers; they rejoyce in those kisses, they aske for what they desire, yet they name not him they love, be∣cause they doubt not, but that hee knowes them, with whom they have been accustomed (so often) to converse withall; therefore they say not, let this

or that particular kisse me, but only let him kisse us; as Mary Magdalen did not expresse his name whom she sought, but only said to him (she thought had been the Gardner) Sir, if thou hast ta∣ken him; What him? she utters it not, because she thought that must needs be manifest to all, which could not (for one moment) depart out of her heart; neither doth that betrothed Virgin, de∣sire one kisse, burning continually with chaste love, and impatient of delayes; but she askes for many kisses, that her desires may bee satiate. For she that loves, is not content with the parcimo∣ny of one kisse, but requires many, cha∣lenges many, and so useth to commend her selfe often unto her beloved. Kisse thou also the Lord, O my soule, lest at any time he be angry, and thou perish in the way. Who will give thee unto me, O Lord? O let me find thee, and I will kisse, not my hands, or any thing my hands can touch, but even thee, O Lord. Let the tumultuous flesh be silent, let the phansies of earth, and water, of ayre, and of the vault of heaven hold their peace; let dreams and imaginary revelations bee still; let every tongue, every signe, and

whatsoever is acted in a trice, be quiet; say nothing to thy selfe, O my soule, passe by thy selfe, and have no thought upon thy selfe, but upon my God. For he is truly all my hope and trust. For in God and our Lord Jesus Christ most sweet, most bountifull, and most piti∣full, is every of our portions, our bloud and flesh: the lover doth (as much as possible) desire to be one with the thing beloved: and therefore they cling toge∣ther, and glew, as it were, their bodies in one, and they strive to make, of both their soules, but one, by the conjuncti∣on of kisses. Thou, O Jesus, my love, thou my desire, thou my thought, thou my hope, thou my wish, I would I could alwayes cleave unto thee. Would to God that where thou my portion doest raigne, there I may at least be a subject, and where thou my blood doest rule, there I may obey, and where thou my flesh art glorified, I may not bee there confounded. I am indeed a sin∣ner, but yet I distrust not of the com∣munion of grace; and if my sinnes doe forbid it, yet my substance requireth it; if mine owne offences exclude me, the fellowship of my nature drives mee not back; for God is not so great an

enemie, that hee should not love his owne flesh, his members, and bowels. I might indeed despaire, by reason of my too too many sinnes and offences, my infinite faults, and negligences, which I have committed, and which I daily, and without ceasing doe act, in heart, mouth, and worke, and by all wayes that humane frailtie can offend, except thou haddest kissed me, except, O Word, thou haddest beene made flesh, except thou shouldest dwell in me. Let reason here be silent, and let faith speak; the things are true which I say, for thy Spirit hath revealed them unto me; yet are they so profound, that I cannot pierce into them; they are so high, that my abjectnesse will not suf∣fer me to reach them. I will adore them in silence, and admire in my adorati∣on. And thy miraculous incarnation, shall clense my spotted conception. Let not reason conceive that which thy o∣vershadowing doth work, so that my Salvation may be firme, sure, and un∣shaken.