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.

FROM THE ASCENSION to whitsontide.

I.

ONe must enter into an exteriour retreat, with the holy Virgin, &

the Apostles, casting off all unneces∣sary business, visits or unprofitable discourses, & keeping the spirit of sweetness, & charity with our neigh∣bour, but aboue all, we ought to be carefull to joyn thereto, an interiour retreat, keeping our minds sequestred from all vain & curious thoughts, or all unprofitable reflections upon our selves or others, imploying ones mind & heart in frequent aspirations & sighs addressed to God, to demand his holy spirit, which to obtain, we must unite them with the interiour dispositions & prayers of the holy Virgin & the Apostles.

II.

SAy every day, the Veni creator, at the end of the book, & make seven elevations of mind, to demand the seven gifts of the holy Ghost; the disengagement from creatures, the victory over our humours, which is the life of our own spirit oppo∣sed to that of the holy Ghost. Make

one elevation of mind to the eternall father, another to the son, a third to the holy Ghost, a 4.^th. to the holy Virgin, a 5. ^th. to the Apostles, a 6. ^th. to your good Angell, & the last to S. Phillip Nery who reeived with such fullnessh the, oly Ghost upon the day of Pentecost.

These elevations of mind ought to be made with ardent desires of obtaining this singular grace. Aboue all, beg a total change of your heart, & beseech the holy Ghost, that he would cause you to live a life wholly supernaturall, & to die to all the longing & & hankering appetites of the human & sensuall life.

VENI CREATOR OR The Hymne of the holy Ghost.

COme Creatour, Sp'rit divine, Visit now the souls of thine; Fill with grace distill'd from heau'n,

Hearts, to whom thou life hast giv'n;

Whom the comforter we call, Gift of God transcending all, Living spring, fire, fervent love, Ghostly unction from aboue:

Sev'nfold grace thou dost impart, And Gods right hand finger art: Thou, the fathers promise, which Tongues with language doth enrich,

Kindle light in every sense, Love into our hearts dispence: Strengthen what in flesh is fraile, With a vertue cannot faile:

Drive away our mortall foe, Peace upon us soon bestow: As a guide before us shine, That all vice We may decline.

By thee may it so be done, That we father know & Son, And in thee believe, who dost Flow from both, the holy Ghost.

Glorious may the father reign, And the Son who rose again, So the holy Paraclite, During Ages infinite.

III.

ADd a quarter of an hour to your ordinary time of prayer & as much to your time of silence, to think in the presence of God, of the great af∣fects which his spirit works in a well disposed heart, in order to the making an absolute charge in it, as he did in the hearts of his Apostles, & the better to entertain your self with a meditation upon some one of the gifts of the holy Ghost, as you will find them explicated in some of your book on that subjet; Make also a particular visit to the blessed Sacra∣ment every day, to demand of Jesus-Christ, the fullness of his spirit.

IV.

AVoid tepidity, negligence, or humour in your actions, as faults particularly opposite to the fervour of that divine love which the holy

Ghost in kindles in a soul; & watch over your self, to be able to discerne the motions of his grace, be faithfull in following them, & do to thing against the light which God gives you to avoid any thing: because that would be to afflict the holy Ghost.

The practise of your aspirations during this holy time, may be done after this or some such like manner.

Father of mercy, send me your com∣forting spirit, that may give peace to my soul my Jesus give me the spirit of understanding & wisdome, that may make me know you with a lively faith, & that I may feel your pre∣sence within my heart, & that I may relish nothing but you alone: O holy Ghost, heart of the blessed Trinity, substantiall love of the Father & the son, come & inlighten my mind with the truths of faith, animate my heart with the flames of pure love; come & strengthen me in my weakness, raise me up after my fallings, & pu∣rify me from all hankering after, or fondness of creatures: O love of my God, be you the soul of my soul, be

you my life, grant that I may die wholly to my self, & live wholly to you.

The seven gifts of the H. Ghost.

THe gift of Wisdome. The gift of Understanding. The gift of Knowledge. The gift of Counsell. The gift of Fortitude. The gift of Piety or Godliness. The gift of the Fear of God.