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, that Christe our Lord sea∣ted

in the Throne of his glorie, looking towar∣de the righteous, with a gentle, * 1.1 and amiable voice shall say vnto them: Come, yee blessed of my Father, possesse you the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the VVorlde, for I vvas hungrye, and you gaue mer to eate etc. This sentence wee will me∣ditate worde by worde, pondering the mystery that every worde containeth, conformable to the se∣cond forme of Praying set downe in the ninth §. of the introduction. And yet wee will here doe no more, but pointe at the considerations of these wor∣des: for that hereafter they shall bee handled more at large.

Venite.

THe first worde is, Come, wherein I am to ponder for what cause hee sayeth vnto them Come; from whence they are to come; and whither they are to come Hee saithe vnto them come, to recall to their memorye their first vocation, when hee called them to followe him, saying vnto them; * 1.2 Come yee to me that labour, and are burdened, and I vvill refresh you. and If any man vvill come after mee, let him de∣nye himselfe and take vp his Crosse, and folovve mee. And because they hearkened to this Vocation, hee calleth them with such a nother like worde, as if hee should saye: seeing you came after mee, embra∣cing the crosse, and mortification, to followe my life, Come to receiue the rewarde, follo∣wing mee in glorye Come from Mount Liba∣nus of my Churche, wherein yee were baptized, * 1.3 and washed with the teares of Penance, and grewe vp like Cedars in all Vertues. * 1.4 Come from the greate Tribulation wherein you haue li∣ved, washing your robes, and making them white in my precious blood. Come from the Dennes of the Lyons, and the inhabitations of

Tygers in whose companye you haue lived, suffe∣ring greate persecutions. Come out from amongst the middest of them, and come to bee crowned, and to receiue the rewarde that you haue merited for the many Victories you haue obtained. * 1.5 O my soule, heare speedily the voice of Christe vvherevvith het calleth thee to imitate his life, that thou mayest bee vvorthy to heare this svveete voice vvherevvith hee shal call thee to receiue the Crovvne.

Benedicti Patris mei.

THe second worde is, yee, blessed of my Father. Hee calleth them blessed, [ 1] that all may vnderstand the immensitie of Benefits that hee hath donne, doth, * 1.6 and wilt doe thoroughout all eternitie, full∣filling that of the Psalmist, that the innocent, and Pure of hearte should receiue the benediction of our lord, and the mercye of God his saviour. And hee sayeth not, [ 2] Come yee blessed of Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, nor yee blessed of Moyses, or of the Pa∣triarches, * 1.7 and Prophets: but, yee blessed of my eter∣nall fathet, who hath blessed you with all kinde of caelestiall benediction, communicating vnto you the goods of his grace, and now entirely those of his glorye. And hee sayeth not, yee blessed of God, but of my Father, that it may bee vnderstood, that all these blessings proceeded from the fatherly loue that God bare them in respect of his sonne. And for that his benediction is effectuall, [ 3] and performeth presently what it promiseth, with this sweete wor∣de hee wil replenish them with a newe, and extra∣ordinarye alacritie.

Possidete paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi.

THirdy, hee saieth vnto them, possesse you the king∣dome prepared for you from the foundation of the vvorlde. In which wordes I am to ponder what kingdome this is: how long time agoe, since it was prepared: that it is prepared for the Righteous, and that to them is giuen the possession thereof, in all which is resplendent the infinite Charitie of our caelestiall Father. For first hee would that the in∣heritance, and eldership of his Children, should bee a kingdome: so soveraigne, that for excellencie thereof it meriteth the name of a kingdome, for it is no terrene but a caelestiall kingdome, whose ri∣ches are infinite, and the pleasures thereof so inesti∣mable, that they make blessed their possessors. This kingdome was prepared for them from all e∣ternitie, predestinating them of his mere mercye to raigne with him. And from the foundation of the worlde hee created the Heauen called Empyreall, that it might bee a royall Cittye, and habitation of these blessed kings. And with greate tendernes hee addeth that worde Vobis, for you: as who should saye. This kingdome was not prepared principally for the Angells, and for want of them for you, en∣tring in place of those that lost the seates of this kingdome: But it was prepared equally for all the iust, Angells, ad men, and for you, for your soules, and for your bodyes.

Come then to take peaceable possession of this kingdome so noble, and so auncient, out of the which you shall never bee eiected; enter into the ioyes of my Father, which shall never bee taken from you; * 1.8 sit downe to raigne with mee in my throne, as I am seated with my eternall Father in his. O most loving Father, I giue thee thankes for this

so soveraigne kingdome vvhich thou hast prepared for thy elect, to shevve in them the infinite Riches of thy Grace, and Charitye. Graunt mee, o Lord, that I may in such manner prepare my soule, that thou maist raig∣ne therein by thy grace, and aftervvardes carry it to possesse this eternall kingdome of thy Glorye. Amen.

Esurivi enim, & dedistis mihi manducare &c.

THen declareth the iudge the reason of his senten∣ce, and the merites for which hee ge••eth them his kingdome, saying: I vvas an hungred, and you gaue mee to eate: I vvas a thirst, and you gaue mee to drinke: I vvas a straunger, and you tooke mee in; na∣ked, and you couered mee: sicke, and you visited mee; I vvas in Prison, and you came to mee to set mee at libertye. And the iust admiring that for so little workes hee should giue them a kingdome so greate; and that hee should so much esteeme these workes of mercye, as if they had beene donne to his owne Person, shall aske him, not so much with wordes, as with affections, and inward feelings of greate admiration; saying, Lord, when did wee see thee hungrye and Thirstye, and gaue thee to eate, and to drinke? Or when did wee see the a straunger, naked, sicke, or in prison, and vsed towarde thee such mercye? Then our Lord will aunswer them; Amen, I say vnto you, as long as you did it to one of these my leasle Bretheren, you did it to mee; * 1.9 for I was in them; and though but little ones. I yet esteeme my selfe to holde them for my Bretheren. O happy poore, that are accounted as his Bretheren, by the Iud∣ge that shall Iudge them, and by the eternall king that shall revvarde them, vvho likevvise revvar∣deth others, for doing them good. O happy vvorkes of

Mercye vvhose principall obiect 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Christe, and vvhose Revvarde is his kingdome. O blessed are the merci∣full, seeing in this daye they shall obtaine so greate mercye!

Lastly, I wil ponder, that albeeit Christe our Lord in the Gospell, alledgeth onely for the reason of his sentence the workes of mercye to wardes our Neighbours, yet hee will also declare the other good workes of obedience, and mortification ne∣cessarye to enter into Heauen. And as the voice of God is of infinite Vertue, hee will to every one mentally declare, (in such sorte, that all may vnder∣stand,) the speciall workes for the which hee gi∣veth him his kingdome. To the Martyr, hee will saye, Come thou blessed of my Father, to possesse the kingdome prepared for thee, because thou shedst thy blood formee. And to the Virgin, hee will say, Come thou blessed of my Father, for the Virginitie which thou preservedst with puritie of Bodye, and soule. And to the Religious man: Come thou blessed of my Father, for thou lestst all things to followe mee. And in this manner I may runne thorough all the other Estates of the iust O what Content will all receiue with the sweete voice of this comfortable sentence, * 1.10 with the which God will giue to their eares compleate Ioy, and alacri¦tie, and the Bones that were humbled shall reioice! Happy the sheepe that in this life heare the voice of their shephearde, and followe his steppes, for on this day being placed on his right hande, they shall heare the voice that calleth them to the eternall pa∣stures. O soveraigne shepheard, * 1.11 ayde mee vvith thy abundaunt grace, that I may bee vvorthy to heare so favourable a sentence. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. 25.34.
• * 1.2

  Math. 11.28. & 16.24.
• * 1.3

  Cant. 4.8.
• * 1.4

  Apocal. 7.14.
• * 1.5

  Colloquie
• * 1.6

  Psalm. 23.5.
• * 1.7

  Ad E∣phes 1.4.
• * 1.8

  Apocal. 3.21. Colloquie
• * 1.9

  Colloquie
• * 1.10

  Psalm. 50.10. Ioan. 10.3.
• * 1.11

  Colloquie