Meditations vppon the mysteries of our holy faith with the practise of mental praier touching the same composed in Spanish by the R.F. Luys de la Puente ... ; and translated into English by F. Rich. Gibbons ...

The first Pointe.

FIrst, I am to consider three greate Deceites which the forgetfullnesse of Deathe bringeth with it, by reason whereof our Lord God calleth this Ri∣cheman foole.

The first Deceite is, [ 1] to promise to myselfe many yeares of Life, and to beethinke mee what I shall doe with them, as if this depended onely vpon my VVill, and not vpon Gods: who peraduenture hath determined to take from vs our Life the very same night, or day, wherein wee thought it should haue beene largest: And herewith hee defeateth our Imaginations, and discouereth how much they went astraye. VVhereupon I will reprehende my∣selfe with the wordes of the Apostle S. * 1.1 Iames, saying to myselfe: How darest thou say, to morrowe I will goe into such a Cittye, and there I will spende a yeare, and will trafficke, and make gaine, when thou art ignorant what shall become of thee to morrowe? for thy life is as a Vapour which soone vanisheth awaye; Therefore it were fitter thou shouldst say, If our Lorde will, and If I shall liue, I will doe this, or that, for otherwise thou shallt finde thyselfe deceiued, if God haue determined the contrarye. [ 2] The second Deceite is, to promise to my∣selfe

not onely long life, but also to assure myseffe that I shall haue healthe, strength, and content with all the goods that I possesse, and that they also shall last as long as I: from whence it proceedeth that hereupon I exhort my Soule saying; Requiesce; co∣mede, bibe, & epulare, Take thy rest, eate, drinke, and make good cheere, giue thyselfe to banquetting and Pleasure, for thou shallt want nothing. And this is a most grieuous Illusion, for all this depen∣deth vpon God, who can take from mee my goods before my life bee ended, and though hee take not away them, * 1.2 hee may (as ecclesiastes saith) take from mee my healthe, and strength, that I may not enjoy them. The third Deceite is, to forget to prouide what is necessarye for the other life, as if there were no more but this present. And this was the most quallified folly of this riche man, that hauing prouided his Soule of so much wealthe to passe this temporall life, hee was alltogither obliuious to prouide it of those necessarye goods for life euerla∣sting: for the which it must needes bee, that the vn∣happy Soule that in this miserable life, did eate, drinke, and banquet, must afterwardes endure per∣petuall Hunger, and Thirst, and eternall miserye.

Pondering these three deceites, I will examine, if my Soule bee beguiled with them, and will ex∣hort her contrarily to this riche man, saying vnto her: O my Soule promise not to thyselfe many yeares, * 1.3 for peraduenture thou shallt not liue out this present. Glory not of to morrovve, for thou knovvest not vvhat the daye that is to come shall bring forth Giue not thy∣selfe to rest, but to labour; not to feastings, and ban∣quets, but to Fasting, and Teares. * 1.4 Haue a care of eter∣nall life vvhich attendeth thee, for after Deathe there is no meanes to meritte any durable rest, or saciety. O eternall God, deliuer mee of thy Infinite goodnesse from these miserable Deceites, before Deathe seaze

vpon mee in them. Exhort thou my Soule to vvorkes that are pleasing vnto thee, that this day it may more and more separate itselfe from all such things, as of∣fend thee. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iaco. 4.13.
• * 1.2

  Eccles 5.18.
• * 1.3

  Colloquie
• * 1.4

  Prouer. 27.1. Eccles. 9.5.