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.

THE II. DAY. The Gifts of Ʋnderstanding.

1. COnsider in your prayer the ef∣fects of this gift, which are (1.) to make us love what we believe, & to render our faith so lively & strong, that it may make such an impression upon our minds, as if we saw the ob∣jects of what we believe, so that a soul inlightened with this gift, is lost in the respect & love it finds, in gods pre∣sence, in prayer, & before the bles∣sed Sacrament, as if it saw God with its eyes; & this gift works the same effect in the soul, as the light of glory does in the souls of the Blessed▪ It sees God in the bosome of it, & feels his presence after so intimate & certain a manner, that it is rather a possession, then a knowledge of God. (2.) This gift makes us see God in all things, & makes all things carry us to God; So that a soul which is enlightened with it, considers nothing that is good, rich

or perfect in creatures, but onely i•• God, as in the source of all bounty & goodness: It is full of the Idea of th•• greatness of God, It penetrates chr••¦stian verities with a supernaturall view It discovers in abjection, & in th•• cross, beauties unknown to sensual soules, & depises all earthly goods

2. O my God dissipate the darkne•• of my mind, by the light of your holy spirit; grant I may judge no more o•• things according to their appearances & according to sense, but according to truth, & according to the superna∣turall view of grace, that all things that I understand, may carry me to you that all creatures may disappear in the presence of their Creatour, to the end that God alone may take up my mind, which is made, to know him, & my heart which was created, to ove him.

3. Observe that which is marked the first day after meditation, to wit, the frequent aspirations during the whole day, taken out of the affections marked in your meditation; The visit of the blessed Sacrament, The office of the holy Ghost, The veni Creator,

to obtain this Gift, & do the same the other days of the Octave.