The daily exercises of a Christian life or the interiour spirit with which we ought to animate our actions throughout the whole day: With an easy instruction for mentall prayer, translated out of French by I.W. of the Soc. of Jesus.

II. Adore Iesus in the bosome of Mary, & salute Mary in the heart of Iesus. THE II EXERCISE. For the Evening.

1. WE must consider with a pro∣found respect a God inclo∣sed in the womb of a Virgin, & ac∣knowledge in adoring him, that as little, as hidden, & as annihilated as he is, in the chast bowells of the Virgin, he is the same God who is adored by the Angells in heaven, & is the ab∣solute Lord and Soveraign of all crea∣tures; Then unite our selves in spi∣rit & will, with those all divine dispo∣sitions which he possesses in the bo∣some of Mary & with the most lo∣ving designes he has for our salva∣tion.

2. Let us take notice of the ver∣tues which this Infant God practised in this prison in which he was shut up for nine months together, for our instruction & for our good▪ Let us admire the profound humility of an Infant shut up in his mothers womb. In effect, he there hides his power under weakness, he there confines his immensity within the little body of an Infant, & annihilates all the splen∣dour of his glory in the obscurity & lowlyness of Infancy. And after all this, is it just that pure nothings as we are, should desire to elevate our selves aboue others, despise them, give place to none, search after the esteem of men, & have a high conceit & idea of our selves? O how far do we fly from annihilated Iesus, while we elevate our selves by those senti∣ments of vanity!

3. 3. Let us consider the patience of the same Saviour undergoing the incommodities to which all Infants are subject whilst they are in this condition. Alas my Iesus! from this very time, thou didst foresee my im∣patience,

my murmurings, my de∣licacy that would suffer nothing: & you punish't your self on their score for me, from that very time, I begun to give you that pain, and cause you to suffer for the ungratefull, & sa∣crifice your self for miserable crea∣tures who apprehend nothing more then to suffer. O Pains, ô dolours, ô Incommodities of life, how dear ought you to be to me, since from this very time you became the hearts delight of my Iesus!

4. In fine represent to your self, how rude & severe the mortification was, which little Iesus exercised upon his senses in the womb of his mother; having deprived them of their exer∣cises, & of all their naturall satisfa∣ction, that so you may do pennance for all the sensuall pleasures you abandon your selves unto. O curiosity of my eyes, how sensible you are to my Iesus, since to make satisfaction for you, he remained nine months in his mothers womb without seeing any thing! How highly am I obliged to you my Saviour, for imposing so long

a silence upon your tongue, to ob∣tain pardon for all my evil or unpro∣fitable speeches which mine has pro∣nounced. O how heartily I renounce for loue of you, all the satisfaction of my senses, all the delicacys of my body, and all the affections I may feel in me that are human, curious, or unprofitable. O Iesus, ô amiable In∣fant, ô adorable victim of justice & loue, I unite my self to the sacrifice you made of your intire self to your eternall Father, from the first moment of your life, which was a sacrifice of fidelity, of sorrow, & of obedience. O grant, that I may consummate it with you upon the cross!

5 Say Nine Paters & Aves every day to honour the nine months that Iesus Christ was in the womb of the Virgin & salute Iesus as often in the womb of Mary, & Mary, in the heart of Iesus. Retire your self from company as much as you are able, increase your mortifi∣cations in your time of silence, keep your mind sweetly imployed with the

thoughts of the profound silence & intimate union of the soul of Mary, altogether lost & swallowed up in the bottomless depth of the heart of Iesus; Enter with her into this adorable san∣ctuary of loue; which you will find full of bounty for you, & wholly taken up with the thoughts of your salvation. O how is Mary filled with the loue of Iesus! & ô how is Iesus replenished with the loue of Mary, & whith charity for sinners! O holy Virgin, I conjure you by this admira∣ble favour which you had in the pos∣session of your Iesus, to fill my heart with the loue of him.