Sweete thovghtes of Iesvs and Marie, or, Meditations for all the feasts of ovr B. Saviovr and his B. Mother togeither with Meditations for all the Sundayes of the yeare and our Sauiovrs Passion : for the vse of the daughters of Sion : diuided into tvvo partes / by Thomas Carre ...

A CHRISMAS CONTEMPLATION WITH A SEARCH INTO THE SOVRSE OF ALL MANS HAPPINESSE FOR THE DAVGHTERS OF SION.

O SWEETEST night! my mynd I nere can wayne From thought of thee; in which the heauens; doe raine Huge shewres of grace; the hillockes flowe with sweets And from the mountaines, milke and honie sweates, O sweetest night! my starued soule doth dye, To haue a full draught of ty Ambrosie. Tertulian grauely said: some goods there are As well as euils, which euen oppresse, and beare Vs to the ground. The wonders of this night Are such; to find our God in su…… a plight; That hardly such a bastard soule is found Who sends not knees, and heart to kisse the ground.

God threats eternall death; and yet we stand Stiffe-neck'd, nor bowe to that his powerfull hand. He offers endlesse life, nor are we mou'd By hopes nor threates, our God's nor fear'd nor lou'd. By thunder-bolts he testifies his ire He speakes the same by earth-quakes and by fire Yet stupide man, howere he dreade the rodde He lookes as high, as though there were noe God. But when the WORDS made flesh, when God's made man, The high flowen heart, must stoope, doe what it can. Heare your Seraphique Father teach this truth While he, as yet, lay strugling with his youth. While tortur'd thus I lay, quoth he, at length I had a feeble will to gather strength Thee to inioye, my God, nor could I find A way squar'd out according to my mynd Till I fell downe vpon thy infancie, Clad in the weede of our humanitie For then my wind-blowen heart began t'vnswell, And prostrate on my low layd lord I fell: Downe downe proude soule, keepe lowe, it is not meete That wormes should swell, while God lyes at their feete.

He biult himselfe a cotage of our clay, To teach vs lowlinesse, and how t'obeye.

THAT THE SOVRSE OF MANS happinesse, is, God's infinite and meere goodnesse.

BVT stay my muse, before we further goe, Lets find the sourse whence all man's blisse doth flowe The sourse is goodnesse, that vaste Ocean Which speads ore all, and is shut vp from none: God's naturall goodnesse; which he nor owes; Nor man can merite, vncompell'd it flowes. So you haue seene some fruitfull mothers breast Oreflowe its snowie bankes, ere it was pres't Or sue'd to by the greedie babe. With store She was opprest, and could conteyne noe more. She needes the infants pouertie, it againe Needes her abundance: she's richly poore: in paine On whom t'imploye her store, to whom t'impart Those milkie streames, the treasures of her heart

OF GODS INFINITE COMMVNI∣cation within, to the sonne and to the holy Ghost.

BVT now as greater good hath greater bent. T' impart it selfe abroad, and to be spent In larger measures; so goodnesse infinite

Would infinitly giue, if it could light On suting subiects, but none such being found Mongst all thinges made, his riches doe abound Within at home, to vast infinitie Within the bounds, of th' blessed Trinitie. To his sweete sonne, God doth communicate His goodnesse, Maiestie, his kinglie state: His Essence, Substance; all's perfection, His Godhood too, wherin those two are one. And from that boundlesse sourse againe doth flowe, The holy Ghost, our God, who doth not owe His being to another. He's as old, As Good, as great, as wise, as vncontrold As are the Father and the sonne on high: They're equall all and one in Deitie. Ther's noe dependance, want, prioritie Their measure is, a vaste eternitie. Euen so the sun noe sooner doth appeare But's light is seene, and's heate our hearts doth cheere. The light is found noe younger then the sun, Nor is the heate after the light begun, They're all at once, in tyme, they're equall all: Nor this the first, nor that the last we call. Thus we a glimps, but noe cleare light can see In th' order of the blessed Trinitie. Stoope then my Muse, thou takest too high a flight, This is not reash't, by word, by thought, by signt.

Leaue search of Maiestie; descend belowe And what doth more concerne thee strine to knowe.

THE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in the order of nature.

VVHENCE was this thinge call'd man, who is so gract'? That ore the vniuersall world he's plact'? He was not ere, much tyme had passd' away While th' proudest man aliue in's nothing lay. Whence is the worlds great eye, which makes the dayes, And glad's the heart of man, whilst it displayes Its golden beames; depriues the starrs of light And sends the moone to walke her round by night. Who hunge this earthly ball amidst the ayre And richly people'd it? who vndertooke the care To haue it stock'd with all that might conduce To man's content, for pleasure and for vse: With beastes, with birds, with fruites of euery sorte For health, for sicknesse, nourishment disporte? Tell whence the roaring Ocean did spring And whence it had the riches it doth bringe To euery Port? whilst it the earth surrounds And where it daignes to touch, the land abound's

Call these, and thousand's more, longe to relate Effects of goodnesse, th' heauens communicate To thanklesse, carelesse man: nor is this all, All these are guifts of nature, poore and smale Compar'd to guifts of grace. O let these be The subiects of our soules actiuitie.

THE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in the order of grace.

IT was the grace which sprunge from Bethleem stable Which made man more then man, yea made him able To soare vp to the heauens to imitate The Angells gracefull, blissefull, ioyfull state By nature's guift it was we were made men, The lords of all the creatures: but when Free grace began to worke, we did proceede From men to Angells, yea to God's indeede. For grace it is which nature doth refine: To witt, it makes vs share nature diuine. We groueling lye in sinne, nor can we stirre, Till grace come in t'our ayde; it is by her We ryse, we walke, we run, we comprehend: She calls vs vp; conduct's vs to the end. It was not natures strength which brought you hither,

But grace and nature, wrought the worke togeither To leaue our parents, nature doth not preach To quitt the land we loue, she doth not preach All these are fruites of grace, which makes vs loue What nature neuer lick'd, did nere approue. Hence naked men doe fight with bull and beare; And Tyrants wroth; nor sword, nor fire they feare They scorne the Tyrants furie, and rejoyce That of their nothinge wisdome had made choyce To magnifie his power, and to confound The power of darknesse. I, their ioyes abound Amidst the worst of torment's which doe proue Noe paines to them, but argument's of loue. Noe paines to them, but argument's of grace Which makes them stand vndaunted in the face Of fiercest foe; to preach God's holy name B'ing gract' withall to suffer for the same. Hence tender Mayd's both ease and friend's forsake And to a choysen geole themselues betake: Where they foretaste such sweetes of heauenly ioyes, That all the world can boast, appeares meere toyes.

HE COMMVNICATION OF God's goodnesse in a substantiall vnion by taking vpon him, not the nature of an Angell, but that of man.

THESE guifts are great, these graces ad∣mirable: Yet must not man esteeme them comparable, To that vnparell'd one which we doe find So graciously imparted to mankind, Where man is ioyn'd (ô blist communion!) To's God by a substantiall vnion. Whence strange extreames are ioynd, and whence we can Confirme that man is God, and God is man. And that the fruite which sprung from Iesses rodd, Was truly Maries sonne; and Maries God. Hence man is raysd to all that's great on high, And God depresse to all man's miserie. He louingly himselfe exinanites And th' Master to the seruant's forme vnites He meekly humbles himselfe, and is made The sinners price, which on the Crosse he pay'd He's in a manger layd; he quakes with cold, That old of yeares, is now few moment's old. He scrikes, he sighes, and shewres of syluer teares Gush from his eyes, to wipe away our feares.

He hungers, thirsts, as sonns of mortalls doe, And runs to Maries breasts to stench his woe. He feares, he flyes, he wayles and makes great moane For stranger-crymes alas! none of his owne. O dearest goodnesse! deare excesse of loue Which streamest from that drainlesse sourse aboue Oreflowe this barren heart of man, and make These charming heauen-growne seeds of grace stil take More life, more vigour, cheerefulnesse and rooote; That man may more heauen-suting fruits bring out All this I doe beleeue, yet helpe my want Of faith, ô Lord, I find it weake and scant Els should I flye aboue with quicke addresse T'imbrace my Lord, to loue his graciousnesse. What nations euer had their God's so nigh That they this Christian truth could verifie Here lyes my God; here lyes my God a man; A man, a God indeede, as Christians can? Our blest Emmanuel, our God with vs, Who fauours, loues, and Deifies vs thus. That man dare humbly say of th' God of blisse, Bones of my bones, flesh of my flesh he is. That man dare say a part of me's aboue To pleade for more of mercy, more of loue. Since then a parte of me is truly there

Ile strongly hope for blisse; farewell despaire. My Lord, my loue, my life, commande and giue What thou command'st; in loue my life shall liue: My life in loue shall liue; in loue shall dye, Thy boundlesse mercies ere to magnifie.

GOD'S BOVNDLESSE GOODNESSE in communicating himselfe truly and really in the B. Sacrament.

BVT here's not all, my soule, here is not all. The guifts we preach, are guifts in general. But loue bursts out, and giues a louder call And strikes the eares of euery one, and all. Come Marie, Martha, Thomas, Isbell, Iohn Come all my dearest, come, come euery one: My flesh I had from you, my flesh I giue That I in you, and you in me may liue My flesh I giue, my bloode, my deitie, To lincke you all in th' bands of charitie. Come dearest friends, come dearest children myne Inebriate your selues of this chaste wine. Come Angell-like, endeuour still to meete, Your God in loue, liue like the God you eate. For thjs I came, and liu'd in your poore state That whom you worshippe, him you'd imitate. Hearke how he calls; If you desire to be My friends, take vp your Crasse and follow me

Doe you desire to walke? I am the WAY▪ I'st truth you ayme at? Truth it selfe doth say I'am veritie. Or i'st your sute to liue? I'am endlesse life, and endlesse life doe giue O then quitt vncoulth wayes: hope not in lyes, To find out truth, nor th' life that neuer dyes In fading moments. Ah you seeke in vaine To find true life in th'land where death doth raigne.

THE COMMVNICATION OF THE diuine goodnesse by imparting of his Glorie

OVR sea of goodnesse still streames on, there is Noe end in it, we tend to endlesse blisse. Those guifts of nature, grace, and all the rest Are gu'in to bringe vs to eternall rest. Our joyes were great, at the coming of that guest, Our hearts reioyc'd to lodge him in our breast. But ah, he will not haue vs end our storie, Till he conduct vs to the state of glorie. So saith our faith, to this our hopes are raysd With this excesse our charitie's amays'd. That goodnesse free from want, our dust should choose. To place it's loue vpon: and kindly loose Himselfe on man (Ble'st prodigalitie!) By th' guifts of his diuine Hypostasie. To be himselfe companion in his way,

To call him backe by grace, in case he stray: To feede and fatten him, with his owne bloode. (O that this happinesse were vnderstoode!) To proue in death bis sauing sacryfice. And endlesly to be himselfe his price. So saith his word: I'le be my selfe thy hyre. What more then this can vastest heart desire?

AN APOSTROPHIE TO THE DAMES OF SION.

O Then deare Dames, let th' loue I dayly find Mongst you increase, and all your hearts cobind In one loue-knott; vse all your wit and Arte To haue but all, one comon soule, one heart. This God command's, this Austine doth aduise Doe this alone, deare soules, it will suffice.

FINIS.

SINE FINE GLORIA TIBI DOMINE.