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 ...

Here followe other Meditations, and formes of Praier to obtaine puritye of soule, and perfect Mortification of her vices, and Passions.

TO obtaine perfect Puritie of soule, which is the perpetuall ende of the Purgatiue waye, there are ordained certaine formes of Praier, pres∣cribed in the ninth: §. of the introduction of this booke: of which, the first containeth for matter of Meditation the Seuen capitall, or Principall Vices, commonly called the Seuen deadely sinnes: And the Ten commaundements of the lawe of god: And the Three faculties, and Fiue senses of Man. And it is ve∣ry profitable to knowe more particularly, the mul∣titude, and greatenesse of our sinnes: and to learne how to examine the conscience, as well for sacra∣mentall Confession, as for the quotidian exami∣nation, which is euery night to bee made. And fi∣nally it aydeth much to diue deepe into the know∣ledge of our selues, to discouer the rootes of our sinnes, and to applye vnto them the remedies thereof.

In this first place I will set downe the meditati∣ons

of the Seuen deadely sinnes: * 1.1 For in them as in seuen heades the other sinnes are virtually included, and for this cause our principall battaile muste bee against them; for whosoeuer perfectly vanquisheth them, vanquisheth the Dragon with the seauen heades, which maketh warre vpon the sainctes, and destroyeth the seuen nations of Enemies which hin∣der the entrance into the lande of promise, * 1.2 not ter∣renne, but coelestiall, as Cassianus largely prosecu∣teth it in those bookes which hee wrotte of this matter. From whence it proceedeth that the prin∣cipall ende of these Meditations must not bee onely to knowe the malice, and deformitie of these vices, and to abhorre it; but to lay presently handes to the worke, and to mortifie those disordinate Passions, and Affections, * 1.3 that haue taken deepe roote in our hearte (for as S. Basile saithe) Vices are not vanquis∣hed, nor vertues gained with bare cōsiderations, but with strong exercises of mortification; for the which Meditation, and praier is a helpe, moouing our will to bee willing to bee mortified, and obtaining of our lorde, forces to that ende. And allbeit it is tru∣the, that all mortall sinnes are taken away togither and at an instant by contrition, and confession, whe∣rein one mortall sinne is not pardoned without a∣nother: yet vicious customes that remaine in the soule, & passions of the apetite vpon which they are founded, are to bee mortified by parcells, & by litle, & litle; for the which Moyses said to his People, spea∣king of the seuen nations aboue mētioned. * 1.4 Ipso con∣sumet nationes has in conspectu tuo paulatim, at que per partes, non poteris eas delere pariter: He vvill consume these nations by litle, and litle, and by partes: thou canst not destroye them all togither: The diuine Prouiden∣ce so ordaining it for our exercize, and humilliati∣on; because the warre continuing longer, the victo∣rye shall bee more secure, and more proffitable. For

this cause wee will make a speciall meditation of euery one of these vices, teaching the manner how to make warre vpon them by their contrary actes. To which ende wee shall ponder in euery one three things. First in what manner a man may sinne in euery vice, setting downe not onely greate, but also light sinnes, that those which are desirous of perfection, may knowe more often what things they are to mortifie. The Second shall bee, the losse which followeth such a vice, and the temporall punishements, wherewith God vseth to chastize it, and the eternall which in the other life are espe∣cially correspondent vnto it. The third shallbee the greate fauours, and rewardes which they enioye, that valourously doe mortifie it, and embrace the contrarye vertue, declaring some actes, and excel∣lencies thereof, that feare, and loue may animate vs to mortification.

Notes

• * 1.1

  D. Th. 1.2. q. 84. ar. 4. Apocal. 12.3.
• * 1.2

  Deuter. 7.1. Itē Col∣lat. 5. cap. 16.
• * 1.3

  Reg. 7 ex fusis.
• * 1.4

  Deuter. 7.22.