Sancta Sophia, or, Directions for the prayer of contemplation &c. extracted out of more then (sic) XL treatises / written by the late Ven. Father F. Augustin Baker, a monke of the English congregation of the Holy Order of S. Benedict, and methodically digested by the R.F. Serenvs Cressy of the same order and congregation ...

CHAP. IX.

§. 1. Aduices to Nouices.

§. 2. 3. 4. 5. Of the Feruor Nouitius: Why God giues it at the Beginning of our Conuersion. And what vse is to be made of it.

§. 6. 7. How they are to behaue themselues after their Nouice-ship.

§. 8. Superiours ought not to employ young Religious in Distractiue Employments.

§. 9. How they are to be ordred about their studies.

1. THERE vvil be occasion in the follovving Treatises to speake of seuerall speciall Duties of Religious Persons, as How they are to behaue them∣selues in Exteriour Offices, in Sicknes, Refections &c. I vvill therfore content my selfe to adioine here a few Directions and Cautions addressed particularly to Be∣ginners or Nouices in Religion.

2. Daily experience confirmes that vvhich Spirituall Writers obserue, that God in great Goodnes to soules, does vsually vpon their first Conuersion bestovv vpon them a great Feruour in Diuine & Religious Duties, vvhich therfore our Holy Father calls Feruorem Noui∣tium. Yea euen naturally the inbred liking that our infirme Nature has to all Nouelty and change, causes a more then ordinary pleasure, diligence & earnestnes in any New-begun Employment.

3. To this purpose there is in the Annalls of the Fran∣ciscans

related a passage touching a deuout Brother called Michael Magothi, by vvhich vvee may learne the ground and intention of Allmighty God in bestovving such a Feruour. The Story is this. There vvas one of the Reli∣gious Brethren in his Cōuent that obserued of himselfe, that ordinarily vvhen he vvas in any Externall Em∣ployment of Study, Labour &c, God did preuent his Soule with his blessings of Sweetnes, and an affection often∣der Sensible Deuotion: the vvhich vvhensoeuer he set him∣selfe purposely to Prayer, forsooke him. Wherupon he addressed himselfe to this good Brother Michael to de∣mand his Counsell. Who ansvvered him thus, When you are vvalking at leasure in the Market-place, thin∣king of nothing, there meetes you a man vvith a vessell of vvine to sell: He inuites you to buy it, much com∣mending the excellency of it. And the better to persvvade you, he offers you gratis a small glasse of it, to the end that being delighted vvith the colour and fragrancy of it, you may be more tempted to buy the vvhole ves∣sell, vvhich, you must expect, vvill cost you very deare. Euen so our Lord Iesus vvhilst your thoughts are vvandring vpon other matters, either in reading, or hearing a Sermon, or vvorking, by a secret Inspiration inuites you povverfully (instilling a fevv drops of his svveetnes into your heart) to tast how delicious he is. But this is but transitory, being offred not to satiate or inebriate you, but only to allure you to his seruice. And therfore if you expect any more, you must consider, it is to be sold, and a deare price paid for it. For Spirituall Svveetnes can be obtained no other vvay but by

corporall affliction, nor Rest but by labour.

4. Good Soules therfore are often to be exhorted to make good vse of this Feruour, and to improue it diligēt∣ly (yet vvith Discretion) therby to produce in their hearts an vnshaken Resolution to proceede in the vvaies of the Diuine loue, notvvithstanding any contradi∣ction or paine that may happen. They must not expect that this Feruour vvill be lasting: for being seated in the inferiour, grosser part of the Soule, it is not of long con∣tinuance, since it may easily be altered, euen by any change made in the Bodily humours, or by Externall occurrents. So that if it be not vvell managed, and good vse made of it to fixe holy and resolute Desires in the Spirit (vvhich are more lasting, as not depending on the Body or outvvard things) it is iustly to be feared, that God will not bestovv the like aftervvard.

5. A Nouice-ship is a golden time for the learning and practising matters of the Spirit. In that short space therfore a Religious Person is to raise a stock for his vvhole future life: So that if a Nouice-ship be negligently & vnprouidently spent, he vvill scarce euer haue the like opportunity to promote his spiri∣tuall Good. For after his Profession he vvill, besides Liberty, haue many more distractions, more freedome of Conuersation, and more entercourse vvith the Nevves & affaires abroad. Besides he vvill not vtterly be out of danger of some Offices & employments, for the discharge of vvhich some perhaps vvill suppose him already fit & prepared in Spirit.

6. At the going out of the Nouice-ship, the person is

to be very carefull vvith vvhom he conuerses, so as to become an invvard acquaintance: least being so tender as he is yet, he happen quickly to be corrupted vvith the Society of negligent, Tepide Companions. For want of this care too oft it happens, that all the good gotten in a Nouice-ship is cleane lost in a short time: since vsually things are no other vvay preserued but by the same meanes that they vvere first gotten. Therfore since it vvas by Praier & Abstraction of Life that a Nouice procured all the litle proportion of Diuine Loue that he is possessed of, he must expect that it will no other vvay be preserued. For this Reason, it is ve∣ry requisite that the Superiour should appoint such an one his Companions.

7. A Soule must consider that it is not a litle dili∣gence, nor yet the space of a yeare or tvvo, that vvill, ordinarily speaking, suffise to get an Habit and Stability in Mortification and Prayer. And therfore a young Be∣ginner ought to imprint deeply in his heart this most im∣portant Truth and Aduice, That his Duty is neuer to abate or slacken, but rather continually to encrease in firme∣nesse of minde and Resolution to proceede coura∣geously during the vvhole course of his follovving Life in the Internall Exercises of Spirit. For he is to consi∣der, that his Nouice-ship being once ended, he must neuer expect such aduantages therto aftervvard, such Stillnes, such vvant of interruptions and Tentations, such cleare Light and such calmnes of Passions, as he en∣ioyed before. Therfore least by a change of his State from a rigorous solitude and silence to ordinary conuer∣sings,

and perhaps Employments, or (hovveuer) studies, he should come to endanger a decay in Spirit, and so be miserably reduced to his first naturall State, or vvorse: (for indeed, vvorse it vvill be, if such a decay happen:) let him be very vigilant and industrious to auoid all things that may hinder him from prosecuting Internall Prayer, and let him be carefull to continue according to the vtmost of his ability to vse all Abstraction possible, as if he vvere still in his Nouice-ship.

8. Indeed Superiours ought to be very carefull not to put their young Religious into Distractiue Employments or studies, either sooner, or more then can vvell stand vvith their spirit, or before they be reasonably vvell grounded in Prayer. For hovv is it possible for an imper∣fect Beginner, hauing such hindrances, to make pro∣gresse in Spirit? Wheras if a good foundation of Spiri∣tuall Prayer vvere once laid, such a soule by being ap∣plyed to his studies or Externall Offices, vvill suffer no decay; yea moreouer he vvill probably proffit in Studies aboue the proportion of his naturall abilities: by reason that Passions, vvhich much distract and darken euen the naturall Vnderstanding, vvill be much abated by Prayer: And moreouer he vvill vndertake his studies as a Duty and matter of Conscience, vvhich vvill en∣crease his attention and diligence. Yet perhaps by rea∣son of his Abstinence and Exercises in Spirit, his bodily strength vvill not be vigorous enough to enable him to support very much study: And if it should proue so, the losse is not great, since the Diuine Loue vvill sufficiently recompence all other vvants. So it fared vvith our holy

Father vvho, as S. Gregory saies, vvas sapienter indoctus, his vvisedome consisted in despising all learning vvhich vvas not helpfull or not necessary to his aduancement in the Diuine Loue, vvhich alone is the true Wisedome and learning.

9. Truly so great harme comes to young Religious after a Nouice-ship vvell spent, by being put immediatly to Schooles, & for that purpose dispensed vvith, in a great measure, about their Monasticall Duties of Prayer, Abstraction, Silence &c: That it vvere very good and fit, vvhen Persons of tender Age come to demand the Habit, to put them of: and in the first place to informe them vvell about Prayer: and to endeauour to persvvade them, that before they vndertake a Religious State, they should dispatch their course of Philosophy and Di∣uinity, and during such a course to vse as much Abstra∣ction and Recollection as vvell they can, for vvhich they vvill then find more time then if they had bene Religious, because they shall not be interrupted by the Quire & other Regular Obseruances: So that if Studies be then a hindrance to Prayer, hovv much more vvould they be so, in case they had bene Religious? Hauing done all this, then in Gods name let them demand the Habit. By this meanes good Soules vvould not be inter∣rupted in their Religious Course, nor put in danger ne∣uer againe to recouer the Spirit of Prayer. And if fol∣lovving such Directions they should come to dye before the time of taking the Habit, they may assure themselues that in Gods account they shall be esteemed as Religious Soules, vvholly consecrated vnto him.