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 seuenteenth Meditation of the paines of the Senses and interiour faculties: and of the paine of losse or Damnation, which is suffered in hell.

AS the sinner embraceth two greate euills which are, to seperate himselfe from God the Fountaine of liuing water; * 1.1 and to turne vnto the creatures, to enioye their perishing delightes: so in Hell he is punished with two sortes of paines: one which they call of Losse or Damnation, * 1.2 for the first euill: and another which they call of Sense for the second: and with this wee will begin, because to haue sense is most easye.

The first Point.

1. FIrst, * 1.3 I am to consider the paine which the Dam∣ned doe suffer, when they haue a bodie. For ac∣cording to the lawes of Gods iustice, Per quae quis peccat, per haec & torquetur. By vvhat things a man sinneth, by the same also he is tormented. And seeing sinne entreth by the senses; in them must bee thee punishement thereof. This may bee pondered running thorough all the fiue. The Sight shall bee

tormented by beholding their Enemies neere them, and by suffering horrible visions which the diuells will set before them, taking these dreadefull figures to torment them withall, they not beeing able to shut their eyels from seeing them, in chastizement of the sinnes they committed with this sense. [ 2] The Eare shall allwaies bee hearing blasphemies against God, maledictions, and wordes most iniurious, and other most harshe soundes after the manner of hor∣rible howlings, and roarings, without beeing able to shut vp their Eares, in chastizement of the sinnes which with them they committed. The smell, [ 3] shall bee smelling stinking things like brimstone, but a∣boue all, the abhominable stinke that shall proceede from the Bodyes of the damned, and from his owne. The Taste, in the throte, [ 4] and tongue shall taste things exceeding bitter, * 1.4 yea much more bit∣ter then Gall, or wormewood, with terrible bel∣chings, and vomitings of the stomake: and on the other side it shall suffer the Hunger of a Dog, * 1.5 and a raging thirst, desiring, like the riche couetous man, one litle drope of water, which yet shall not bee graunted him, in chastizement of his sinnes of Glut∣tonie. The Touching, [ 5] thoroughout the whole bo∣dye shall suffre greate torments, from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the Head, so that there∣in shall bee assembled the paines of the Eyes, Eares, and teethe, of the side, of the hearte, and of the goute, and of all other that torment vs in this life. Now if the paine of one only sense cause so greate dolour in this life, how much dolour shall that pai∣ne cause that entreth by troopes into all fiue? O vn∣happy sensuall delightes, whose ende are such ter∣rible bitternesses!

VVith this consideration I am to animate myselfe to bewaile the sinnes, which with these fiue senses I haue committed, sorrowing for the liberty that

I haue giuen them, * 1.6 and resoluing to mortyfie, and restraine them, that deathe, ane hell enter not by them.

The Second Pointe.

SEcondly I am to consider the paine of the fier which is so terrible, that in comparison there∣of, this heere is no more, then as if it were but painted: for it is an instrument of gods Iustice, and omnipotencie to chastize, and tormente, not onely bodyes, but soules alone, and pure spirits. The properties of this fier are: [ 1] First, that it im∣bowelleth it selfe with the damned with such a connexion, that wheresoeuer the diuell goeth, hee is tormented with this fier, and wee may say, that hee carrieth the fier of hell with him, because hee carrieth the torment that hee receiueth thereby Secondly, [ 2] though this fier bee one, and the same, yet it tormenteth not all the damned alike; * 1.7 for the gre∣ater sinners it tormenteth much more, and the les∣ser lesse. Yea, and hee himselfe that is damned, it shall torment more in one parte of his bodye, then in the other, when that parte was a speciall instru∣ment of his sinne. Some it will torment more in the Tongue, because they where murmurers, and per∣iured. Others in the throate, because they where Gluttons, and drunkardes. And all this is wrought by the omnipotencie, and iustice of god, which taketh it for the instrument thereof. [ 3] The thyrd is, that it wanteth that which vseth to refreshe, and retaineth that which is pure tormēt. For (as alreadye hath beene touched it burneth, and giueth no light; it burneth and consumeth not: it burneth perpetu∣ally, and neuer diminisheth; For it is preserued by God. * 1.8 And allbeeit the miserable damned (accor∣ding to the sayng of the Prophet) are like vnto

strawe, this fier layng sodainelye holde vpon them without any resistance: yet this strawe neuer cea∣seth to burne; and the flame that proceedeth from it, casteth out such a smoke, that it blindeth, but choketh not: it tormenteth, but killeth not. Then what will it bee to see one of the damned drencht. add ouer whelmed in a pit of fier, and in an immen∣sitye of flames, with pittifull gronings, and exclama∣tions, without finding any refreshing, or hope of ease? O what a terrible euill is sinne, seeing that God beeing infinitely mercifull, beholding one that is his owne Creature, redeemed with the blood of the Lambe, to suffer such horrible Torments, yet hath no compassion of him, nor pulleth him out of that fier: nay rather from heauen hee standes looking on him, * 1.9 and reioicing that hee suffereth according to the statute of his Iustice. O my soule, heare vvhat this our Lord saith: VVhich of you can dvvell vvith deuovvring fier? O vvho shall bee able to dvvell in the∣se perpetuall ardours? If thou darest not touche the light fier of this life, vvhy doest thou not tremble at the terrible fier of the other? Contemplate this fier vvith attention, that the feare thereof may consume the fier of thy insatiabel desires, if thourough thy vvant of fer∣uent Zeale, the fier of gods loue bee not sufficient to con∣sume them.

The third Pointe.

THirdly, discoursing of all the interiour faculties of the soule, I am to consider the paines which they suffer.

First, * 1.10 the Imaginatiue shallbee tormented with horride Imaginations, more terrible then those which the most melancoly suffer in dreames, or then

those the Egiptians did suffer, which (saiethe the VViseman) were horrible, * 1.11 and dreadefull, with most monstrous affrighting visages of wilde be∣astes, and dragons, and with roarings, and hissings, that wrought in them greate terrour, and amaze∣ment. [ 2] Herevpon it is, that the Appetites shall bee tormented with the furye of their owne Passions, which shall issue out in troopes, and with greate vehemencye: to witte, Feares, Heauinesses, Irksomnesse, Agonies, Anger; Desperations, Enuyes, and Rages, with such a cruell warre a∣mong themselues, that they shall one rent another in Peeces.

The Intellectuall memorye shall bee tormented with a continuall, [ 3] and fixed recordation of things passed that it possessed; and of the present which it suffereth, and of those which are to come in eterni∣nitie, so that it cannot thinke vpon, nor call to minde any thing that may ease it, nor diuert it selfe not to thinke vpon its miseries. And if it remem∣bre the Pleasures it had in the worlde, it is for its greater torment. In such sorte, that its memorye shall bee like a most tumultuous sea, with innume∣rable waues of imaginations, more bitter then gall, some going, and others comming, leauing him not so much as one moment of rest. The Vnder∣standing shall bee darkened, [ 4] without beeing able to discourse, or vnderstande any thing that may please it: it shall bee full of errours, and illusions, pondering, and exaggerating his Euills, and iudging with pertinacie that God doeth him wrong, complaining against him, as against one Iniust. [ 5] The VVill shall bee obstinate, and obdurate in his sinnes: and in the Hatred of God, of his sainctes, and of men, without beeing able to bee appeased, or chaunged, or to repent what it doth; and desiring to do his owne will, hee shall neuer

bee able to doe it in any thing, that may bee for his comfort: * 1.12 for allready they haue bounde him hande and foote to cast him into that darkenesse, not permitting him libertie to exercise the workes of light or of ioye. VVhervpon a mans owne will not being fullfilled, shall bee the Hell of itselfe, to chastize it for those many times that in this life it was fullfilled contrarie to the will of God.

Finally I will consider that the Hearte of one of the damned, is like a most bitter sea, whereinto enter ten Riuers of most terrible torments. Fiue for the fiue exteriour senses. And other fiue for the fiue interiour faculties; to chastize the sinnes they committed against the ten commaundements of Gods lawe, or against any one of them. For (as the Apostle saithe) whosoeuer breaketh one, * 1.13 shall passe thorough the same kinde of torment, which hee shall, that breaketh all. Then vvhat greater vn∣happinesse can there bee, then that those faculties vvhich God our lord gaue mee to enioy him, and to innoble myselfe, should bee conuerted into my cruell executioners to torment, and confounde mee? Immense God, ayde mee to mortifie, and subdue the faculties vvhich thou hast giuen mee, and let mee bee their tormentour in this life, rather then they should bee mine in the life to come.

The fourth Point.

FOurthly, * 1.14 I am to consider that paine which they call of losse or Damnation which is infi∣te, because it depriueth of an infinite good, which is God. So that these wretches shall for euer bee banished from heauen, and depriued of the blessed∣nesse, and ende for the which they were created; and of the cleare beholding of God, of the loue that maketh blessed, and of that Riuer of delightes which proceedeth from all: all which shall

giue them terrible torment, and heauinesse, especi∣ally those who in this life beleeued therein. For all∣beeit that their vnderstanding bee obscured to knowe other things, it shall not bee so to ponder, and esteeme this; Gods diuine Iustice so ordaining it for their greater torment.

1 The terriblenesse of this paine may bee conside∣red two wayes: the first is, by that which holy men feele here, who haue the light of heauen to knowe the greatenesse of the Glorie, and the high felicity that it is, to see God: who holde it for an ex∣treame paine to want this sight, and tremble onely to thinke on it, as is noted in the third pointe of the sixte Meditation. Thesecond waye is, by that which the damned themselues feele by wanting this high felicitye, not in so much, as it is an honest Good, for they neither loue God, nor any holy thing: But for so much, as they want that which should gi∣ue them high, and eternall rest, and free them from so horrible a torment. This I may come to find out by some likenesse of things of this life: For if men haue so much feeling to bee depriued of an Inhe∣ritance, wherevnto they had some right, how much more shall they feele to bee depriued of the eternall inheritance of heauen, to which they might haue had right, if they had not forfeited it thorough sinne? And if the priuation of finite, and limited goods, and delightes doth so much grieue the hearte, how much more will it bee grieued with the priuation of an infinite Good, wherein are eminently comprehended all the goods, and plea∣sures created? And if among terrible things, deathe is the most terrible, because it diuideth the soule from the bodye, and from this visible worlde: how much more terrible shall eternall deathe bee, whe∣rein the soule is diuided from God, from his king∣dome, and from the inuisible worlde? And as nei∣ther

eye hath seene, nor Eare hath hearde, * 1.15 nor hath it ascended into the hearte of man, vvhat things God hath prepared in Heauen for them that loue him: So likewise it is not possible to imagine the terrible∣nesse of the euills, that are included in wanting for euer these Goods. O infinite god, * 1.16 let all the other paines of sence bee discharged vpon mee, so I may bee vvithout sinne: rather then thou shouldst chastize mee vvith this paine of lesse, depriuing mee thorough my sinne of thy amiable presence.

To this paine is annexed the wanting of the sight, and companye of our Sauiour Christe, of his most blessed mother, of the nine Quires of angells, and of all those that are blessed. The which shall inflict much terrible Torment vpon these wretches when in the daye of iudgement they shall see parte of the glorie of this blessed Companie, and shall bee diuided from them, the memorie whereof shall perpetually remaine in them with a furious Enuye, and rage. Finally by the terrible euills which they suffer, they shall collect what most ex∣cellent Goods they want; because they coniecture that God will bee as liberall in rewarding, as hee is terrible in chastizing: & that, in that most beautiful place of heauen hee hath as many Delectations, as there are torments in that most wretched place of hell: of which greate goods to see themselues de∣priued, will exceedingly augment their euills. VVith these considerations, I will cast deepe roote in the affections of the feare of God, and detestati∣on of my sinnes, accompanying them with a greate confidence in Gods mercye, that hee will deliuer mee from this extreme miserie, & so will I begge it of our Lord, saing vnto him: I confesse, o my god, * 1.17 that I am that miserable sinner, vvho in the lande of the sainctes committed innumerable sinnes; for the vvhich I deserue not to see thy glorie: nor to bee admitted in∣to

the companye of those that enioye it. I am sorrye for those sinnes by vvhich I haue merited so greate punish∣ment. Pardon them, o Lord, thorough thy mercye, that the vvorke of thy Handes, bee not destroyed, nor vvant that ende for vvhich it vvas created. Let not mee helpe to people Hell, nor to bee fevvell for that neuer ending fier: * 1.18 suffer mee not to fall into an estate, vvherein I thould curse, and abhorre thee: For in hell vvho shall praise thee? No, no o Lorde it must not bee so, for I must for euer loue, and blesse thee, and after this life thou must place mee in the other, vvhere I may loue, and praise thee vvorlde vvithout ende. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ierem. 2.13.
• * 1.2

  Paena Damni. Paena sensus. Hiere. 2.
• * 1.3

  Paena sensus. Sapien. 11.17.
• * 1.4

  Ierem. 23.15.
• * 1.5

  Luc. 16.24.
• * 1.6

  Hiere. 9.21.
• * 1.7

  D. Tho. 1. p. q. 64. art. 4 ad 3.
• * 1.8

  Malach. 4.1.
• * 1.9

  Isa. 33.14. Colloquie
• * 1.10

  D. The. in addit. q. 94.
• * 1.11

  Sap. 17.4. & deinceps.
• * 1.12

  Mat. 22.13.
• * 1.13

  Iacob. 2.10. Colloquis
• * 1.14

  Pana damni. D. Tho. 1.2. q. 87. ar. 4.
• * 1.15

  1. Cor. 2.9.
• * 1.16

  Colloquie
• * 1.17

  Isa. 26.10.
• * 1.18

  Psalm. 6.6.