The paradise of the Christian soul/Preface
TO
THE CHRISTIAN READER;
ON THE
SCOPE, PLAN, AND ORDER OF THE “PARADISE.”
The present age, fertile as it is in writers, has produced a variety of books serviceable to Christian piety. Some furnish lessons and instructions on the spiritual life; some suggest devout meditations, and subjects for holy affections; others, again, contain prayers, offices, litanies, and forms of devotional exercises. So little need have we to complain of scantiness in the sources of devotion, that we are all but overwhelmed by their variety and number.
It seemed to me, therefore, no unprofitable labour to survey the gardens and pleasure-grounds of every author, — to cull thence the most notable plants, flowers, and shrubs, and to plant with them a new kind of Paradise of pleasure, or rather of piety; and thus to comprise in one small volume, suitable for daily use, the juice and sap of all those whose object is the cultivation of goodness. This is my purpose and design, which thou wilt learn more fully from the plan of the book, which I now subjoin.
I. Since prayer is the desire of some good, and to act for the sake of an end is proper to man, it is a question what is the end proposed to one who prays? It is God, who is man’s Supreme End and Sovereign Good. As is right, therefore, at the ‘outset, and in the First Part, the most Holy Trinity, the Triune God, is proposed as the object of worship, in the clear vision and fruition of whom consists the end of man. For God himself is the reward of his own service.
II. This end might appear arduous and unattainable to us, were it not that we behold it attained already by others. In order, therefore, not to be too tardy in our endeavours, we ought to be stirred by their example. For why should we despair of our ability to do what we know that others have effected? The Blessed have effected it, who now reign in heaven with God; and they aid us by their patronage, that we may be able to effect it likewise. Their Worship and Veneration, therefore, will be treated of in the Second Part.
III. Further, we cannot imitate the Saints, nor have them for our patrons, unless we recover ourselves from our sins, and do penance like them, putting off the old man, and putting on the new. Hence, therefore, the right practice of Penance and of Confession of Sins will be treated in the Third Part.
IV. But it is not enough to decline from evil , unless we also do good,[1] and are equally attentive to the duties of Christian justice. The Fourth Part, therefore, will treat of the Spiritual and Religious Life, and of the virtues and means that belong to it.
V. This life, however, needs aliment, that it may not become weak and faint, but increase more and more in strength and stature. But aliment of what kind? The Bread which strengthens man's heart,[2] that, namely, which came down from heaven, and gives life to the world. For the Flesh of Christ is meat indeed, and his Blood is drink indeed.[3] This it is that refreshes and strengthens the powers of the soul, that we may not faint in the way. Therefore Holy Communion and the Sacrifice of the Mass will be treated of in the Fifth Part.
VI. Again, because the life of man is ever exposed to many temptations and miseries, nothing can excite us so powerfully to endure with fortitude the toils and hardships of the present life, or even comfort us in adversity, as the Life, or example, and the Death and Passion of our Saviour. For, Christ having suffered in the flesh, let us also be armed with the same thought;[4] relying on the hope that, if we suffer , we shall also reign with him.[5] Hence the Sixth Part will treat of the Contemplation and Imitation of the Life and Passion of Christ.
VII. While, therefore, we live continually devoted to these exercises and holy studies, we are hastening at the same time to the goal of life. But this we shall the more certainly accomplish if we live in the constant recollection of death, and are always, even until death, assiduous in the worship of the Virgin Mother of God, the mother of life, and the Mistress of death. To this end the Worship of the Virgin Mother and the Care of Death are set forth in the Seventh Part. That, as God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done , so also, by her in whose tabernacle the Lord has rested, [6] man may at length rest happily from his labours in the eternal enjoyment of God, who is himself his labourers’ reward.
In this method and plan it appears to me that I have comprised all that is to be desired for the exercise and practice of Christian devotion. For it has been my special purpose to comprise within the compass of one small and convenient volume, what is, in theory as well as in practice, the sum and pith of all piety. And it is my wish that the Meditations or Exercises with which each Part commences, should be read and weighed with attention, since in them are expressed, in words and sentences taken principally from Holy Scripture, the most important lessons of the spiritual life. And this I have done in the form of a colloquy between Christ and Man, because I hold it certain, that the greater the authority of the teacher and the counsellor, the more powerfully and pungently is the human mind stimulated to exertion. Words penetrate the depths of the heart in proportion as they are believed to proceed, not from man, but from God.
For the Word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword.[7]
INTRODUCTION
Here, good reader, thou seest a Paradise open to all. But as it is not my wish that any should go into it rashly, I am desirous, at the entrance, to offer thee a word of advice.
It is a very common mistake to place or to have in books the devotion which ought to be sought for in the heart. Many imagine themselves, or others imagine them, to have devotion, if they steadily observe a fixed rule of saying out of good books a number of long prayers as a daily task.
This practice I admit to have a semblance of piety, and I should be loth to condemn it altogether. Yet is it not true that such devotion justly merits suspicion where it is meantime attended with no change or amendment of life, and where, while no value is set upon inward goodness and solid virtue, repose is found in adherence to the repetition of the favourite prayers? For here is an absence of the very root and sap from which true piety draws all its vigour.
The special claim which earnestness in prayer possesses to commendation lies in the aid and advancement which it procures to holiness of life. St. Augustine says, that he who knows how to pray rightly , knows how to lead a good life . This is true. A good life and good prayer mutually aid each other; and neither can subsist without the other. A good life is the recommendation of prayer; and prayer preserves and promotes a good life.
Dost thou, then, ask, who is to be looked upon as devout? One, I answer, who is not only attracted with prompt affection to divine things, as prayer and the offices of devotion, but also endeavours to lead a life worthy of the service of God. Wouldst thou, then, dear Christian, be good, or assuredly become so? This is accomplished, not by words, however good and holy, but deeds. Therefore, when reading good, devout, and holy prayers, join to them a corresponding affection of piety, and endeavour earnestly to give expression to holy feelings in thyself. For even a bad man may easily read what is good; but none but the good can read in a good manner; that is, with care to make the holiness of their life harmonise with the holiness of the words. Be sure, then, in short, to feel in thy heart what thou hast upon thy lips, lest it be said likewise to thyself — This people honours me with their lips , but their heart is far from me. Or, Why dost thou declare my justices, &c.?
For what is prayer but the elevation of the mind to God? But how can the mind be in heaven when its morality wallows in the mire?
Again, prayer is commonly divided into mental and vocal . This be careful not to understand, as though vocal prayer consisted in the office of the voice or of the lips alone; for even in this, if not actually, the presence of the mind is, at least, virtually and habitually required.
For what is prayer without the mind, but chaff without grain, bark without sap, a lamp without oil, flowers without fruit, a body without a soul? They utterly deceive themselves who imagine that God is to be wrought upon by words, however fair, fine, or even holy. God is a spirit, and is to be adored in spirit.
But here it may be said, To what purpose, then, are words, ceremonies, and rites? What, but to stir up men’s minds; for this alone is what God regards. Behold the brothers, Cain and Abel: God saw them both make their offering; but the difference of spirit in the offerers caused him to distinguish between the gifts and the merits of each, so that he may be said to have regarded the sacrifice of Abel only.
The three objects of attention in vocal prayer— viz., God, the words, and the sense of the words— are well known. It is no part of my purpose at present to treat at length of the doctrine of prayer. This requires a separate treatise; the most necessary part of which the good reader will find in the Colloquy of the First Part. But as vocal prayer is not in such favour with many as it ought to be, I have deemed it not irrelevant to make some brief remarks upon it before entering upon the Paradise.
Vocal prayer, then, is of two kinds— public and private. To the one belongs ecclesiastical psalmody, or the Canonical Hours; to the other, those arbitrary prayers which are either made by all for themselves, or adopted, when made by others. Our present purpose is to lay down some rules necessary and profitable for the latter, but, at the same time, no less useful for the former. Of all the ways of practising vocal prayer, the two that follow are the most perfect.
I. When he who prays recites all the words attentively and distinctly, so as to understand at the same time what be reads, but without pausing, so that the mind dwells and ruminates on no portion of what is read.
This is the common mode of praying; but the spirit of the person who prays is thus barely nourished with any taste of devotion. For no sooner does a word or a sentence suggest some holy feeling or affection, that it escapes and disappears in the course of transition to others.
Hence this method is like a copious and violent shower of rain, which washes the surface only, but does not penetrate or moisten the ground, from which it flows off before it can drink it in. So, too, by this hasty kind of vocal prayer, the person who prays is only sensibly affected; but the mind is imbued with no solid feeling, when the foot, as it were, is planted nowhere, and passes on continually to something else.
II. Vocal prayer is practised, when, in praying, the mind not only understands the words, but also rests, as it were, a little while to ponder and reflect upon each of the words, or at least of the sentences, by which some holy feeling is produced, as if it had found some pleasant pasture, wherewith to refresh itself.
Thus, for instance, in repeating the Lord’s Prayer, or the Psalms, we may pause a little at the words or sentences, and consider what portion of celestial honey, of spiritual devotion, consolation, or doctrine may lie within it; by means of which may be elicited from each of them the affections , for example, of faith, hope, love, &c.
This kind of prayer is like a continuous rain, which falls in small but numerous drops, and quickly sinks into and penetrates the ground, watering and fructifying it abundantly. Such prayer has a fixed and definite end, and thus leaves behind it affections imprinted fixedly on the mind, by which it is thenceforward the more copiously refreshed, nourished, and watered.
This method and practice of prayer has been exemplified with sufficient clearness, in my remarks on the Lord’s Prayer, in each port of the Paradise.
That F. Leonardos Lessius , a man illustrious for his holiness and learning, Was in the habit of praying thus, is related by the author of his life. Take, he says, as an example, his use of the Lord’s Prayer, and judge from this of his other devotions. He would not run cursorily over it, as many have the bad habit of doing, but used to repeat each of its clauses twice, thrice, or oftener, and would not pass on to the next before he had thoroughly weighed every word of the preceding, and had, with the full affection of his heart, imbibed from it individually all the sweetness of devotion. “ It is better,” he would say, “to recite the Lord’s Prayer once only, thus repeating and drawing devotion from its clauses, than to run through it cursorily 'a hundred times with merely a slight attention.” But on this point we would offer a few
INSTRUCTIONS
VERY USEFUL FOR ALL PRAYER.
I. There should be preparation of the mind. Before prayer , prepare thy soul , and be not as a man that tempts God. Reflect seriously what thou art going to do. It is to converse and treat with God thy Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth, to tell his praises, to declare to him thy necessities and infirmities, to implore his assistance and his favours. Then how attentively, reverently, religiously, devoutly, and humbly ought this to be done in the presence of so great a Majesty!
II. Begin with an act of contrition. For God does not hear sinners , nay, he hates them, as such, or if not penitent for their sins. How, then, can an impenitent criminal dare to thrust himself into the presence of his offended Judge?
III. Fix on a good intention beforehand, or rather not one, but many. As, for example, make thy prayer solely for the glory of God, or for thy own and thy neighbours salvation; or with the desire to be endued with this or that virtue, or freed from this or that fault, &c.
IV. Ask grace to pray devoutly, attentively, and profitably. Resolve at the same time firmly within thyself not to
give entrance, knowingly, to any thoughts foreign to prayer,
let them present themselves ever so importunately, or under
whatever form or pretext of advantage; and to this end
keep strict guard over thy senses, especially thy eyes and thy
ears. How easily does some cause of disturbance to our
peace of mind enter in at these gates! Choose the spot
most proper for prayer and least liable to distraction. Let
the posture of thy body be such as will conduce to devotion.
V. Collect thy thoughts often in the course of thy prayer. Renew very frequently thy recollection of the divine Presence. Prayer (that is, vocal prayer, especially if framed by another) should be, as it were, sprinkled and seasoned from time to time with some mental address of thy own, that it may speak of itself to God, and also may treat with God, standing alone, as it were, without the support of another. This is to be done by eliciting affections in unison with the selection of words or of sentences, as of faith, hope, charity, contrition, gratitude, humility, &c.
VI. Lastly, do not forget to go away from prayer with reverence. If admitted by thy Sovereign to a conference on an affair of thy own, how rude and unbecoming would it be, if, after laying it before him, thou wert instantly to turn thy back upon him and depart, without showing any mark of gratitude or of respect!
Examine, therefore, briefly, the issue of thy prayer. Be sorry and ask pardon for its defects, offer and commend humbly to God thy service, imperfect though it be, that it may please him, through the merits of his Son Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the Saints, and this for the intention or object proposed at the beginning. All this, for which some form will be given below, may be briefly and readily accomplished.
This is the method of praying rightly and profitably, or of using the forms of prayer prescribed in the Paradise or elsewhere; which, if thou observe not, good reader, I myself will also be ready to admit that vocal prayer is dry and devoid of spiritual fruit and devotion; and that thus is verified the complaint of the Prophet, that you eat , but have not enough; you drink , but are not filled with drink; you sow much , and bring in little , &c.
I will not deny that prayers read from books have the disadvantage that is to be expected where there is the deficiency above mentioned of earnestness in prayer; that they often fail to harmonise with the particular feelings or wants of the person who reads them. Thus the words may express compunction, love of God and our neighbour, zeal for the divine Law, detestation of covetousness, &c., as when is said, for instance: Lord, my heart is not exalted , nor are my eyes lofty. And again, Oh, how have I loved thy law , O Lord; it is my meditation all the day . Therefore have I loved thy commandments above gold and the topaz, &c. Incline my heart to thy testimonies , and not to covetousness .s And yet the reader’s heart may be unaffected with these virtues, nay, may be possessed with feelings opposed to them, nor even once shrink from them so far as to think of expelling them, for which reason his prayer is not turned into his bosom. For by gulping down unchewed all at once food already partially eaten by others, and prepared for the palate and taste of another, he loses its pleasantness of taste, and cannot convert it into the blood and juice that are necessary for his nourishment.
Now for this the only remedy is to utter the holy thoughts expressed in books of devotion, as though they were the spontaneous offspring of the inmost feeling of the heart, and to be affected conformably to them ourselves; to renounce before God the inward affections of our rebellious nature, which we discover to be opposed to them, and to endeavour to subdue and to correct them by his grace.
For this kind of devotion the safest of any is the Lord’s Prayer, since from its adaptation to the wants and condition of all, it cannot but suggest matter for prayer at once suitable and necessary for all classes. Let it not, then, seem strange to thee, good reader, to see in this new Paradise exercises so many and various upon the Lord’s Prayer. But marvel rather with me, that one and so short a prayer should be so pregnant with holy meaning, and furnish us with exercises of devotion in such varied abundance.
But how is this to be wondered at, when the great Master of all petitions in the supreme court has himself arranged it and dictated it to us! The reader may find its eulogies amply and beautifully written by S. Cyprian, S. Augustine, and others; but they are inadmissible within the narrow limits of this work.
We have given several, and indeed new, litanies, but their novelty need offend no one, for they consist merely of words and sentences from Scripture. They represent also the principal attributes, perfections, offices, benefits, praises, and eulogies, as well of the Divine Nature as of the several Persons in the most Holy Trinity; and are really nothing more than devout aspirations, such as any one may frame from Scripture in a sound acceptation of the words.
In these and other devotions, the good reader will, if I mistake not, have abundant matter for pious feelings and holy meditations. If, perchance, any one is wearied by their length, he may try to subdue or to temper this feeling with the love of God; if ineffectually, there is no reason why the longer portions should not be divided. Or else, since in the Paradise, as at an elegant repast, there are various dishes served up, each may choose what is most to his taste. For here too, as elsewhere, much in substance is better than much in quantity. But let us close our Introduction with the words of S. Augustine. He says, —
To pray long is not , as some suppose , to pray with much speaking. A quantity of words is one thing, continuance in affection is another. For it is written of the Lord himself that he passed the whole night in prayer and that he prayed very long; all which was to give us an example how seasonable is the prayer that is made in time, of which the Father is the eternal hearer. For prayer should be free from much speaking, yet not from much praying, if the intention continue fervent. For to speak much in prayer is to express a necessity in a superfluity of words. But to pray much is to knock to him to whom we pray with a lasting and holy energy of heart, a work that is better performed with groans than with speeches, with weeping than with words.
PREPARATORY PRAYER,
THAT MAY BE USED PROFITABLY BEFORE ANOTHER PRAYER.
Almighty and everlasting God, I, an unworthy sinner but the work of thy hands, come before thy presence to praise thee, because thou art my God, my Lord, my Creator, my Saviour, and my Preserver; who alone, I know, canst bestow gifts profitable to my own and my neighbour’s salvation, because thou art supremely powerful; nor can I doubt thy will, because thou art supremely good: to whom all creatures in heaven and earth owe praise, and can never praise as thou meritest to be praised.
But, wretch that I am, bow unworthy, alas! and unprepared, from the countless number of my sins, do I come to pray to thee! From the bottom of my heart I am sorry that I have ever offended thee, my God, who art supremely good, whom I ought to have praised and loved above all things.
But thou, of thy mercy, make me worthy, and cleanse me from all my iniquities with the precious Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ my Saviour. Deliver also my heart from all vain, hurtful, and absent thoughts, that I may be able to adore and praise thee in spirit and in truth, and obtain what I purpose humbly to ask of thy infinite goodness; and this according to the good pleasure of thy most gracious will, to which in all things I cheerfully bow myself. But how can one who is an unprofitable servant find grace in thy sight? Look, O Father, upon the face of thy Christ, in whom thou art well pleased, in whose name I humbly entreat thee mercifully to hear me.
Behold, I offer thee his most ardent prayers, devout affections, and holy desires, his most holy thoughts, words, and works, and all the merits of his Life, Passion, and Death, that from their union and perfection all my defects may be supplied, and that by him, as our Mediator and Advocate, this, my obedient service, may be pleasing to thee, O eternal Father!
And oh, that with the affection, zeal, and fervour of the most Blessed Mother and Virgin Mary, of the holy Angels, and of all the Blessed, especially my Patrons N. and N., I may be able to worship thee, love thee, and praise thee!
And this, to the end that thou mayst take away from me all, especially N. and N. , that is displeasing to thee in me. Thy eyes see my imperfection, O Searcher of hearts! And that thou mayst bountifully bestow on me the grace and virtues most necessary to me, as these N. and N., that I may the more worthily serve thee in my vocation. That I may do all things to the greater glory of thy Name, and to my own and my neighbour’s salvation, especially those to whom I am most especially bound.
This, only, O Lord, is the earnest desire of my soul, to serve thee, please thee, and adhere to thee, now and for ever. For thou art my God and my all! Amen.
PRAYER BEFORE HOURS.
Open my lips, O Lord, to bless thy holy Name; for I desire to sing to thee faithfully and attentively, and to praise thee sincerely, in union with that most perfect attention, with which thou prayedst to thy Father, and praisedst him upon earth, and that especially with which, with all the fervour of thy heart, and in the Bloody Sweat of thy face, thou prayedst at Mount Olivet.
Aid me by thy grace, without which I can do nothing, and let the power of thy measureless charity supply all my defects, that my obedient service may please thee, which I offer for the glory of thy Name, and for my own and my neighbour's salvation.
ANOTHER.
Prevent, O Lord, we beseech thee, our actions with thy Spirit, and further them by thy aid, that all our prayers and works may ever begin and end alike with thee. Through our Lord.
ANOTHER.
O God, to whom every heart is open, every wish speaks, and from whom no secret is hid, purify the thoughts of our hearts by the infusion of the Holy Spirit, that we may merit to love thee perfectly and to praise thee worthily. Through.
PRAYER AT THE CLOSE OF OFFICE OR PRAYER.
Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight, O King of kings, most excellent, most powerful and most wise! Let thy fatherly mercy pardon, I beseech thee, all its errors and defects, and receive it in union with all the prayers of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, and of thy Elect in heaven and on earth, uttered with all the affection of the whole militant and triumphant Church.
To thy glory and praise, and that of the Blessed Virgin and all the Saints, especially those whom I have undertaken to honour this day, according to the decree of the Church, or of my own accord as my Patrons.
In remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ my Saviour; in thanksgiving for all thy benefits; for the salvation of all who have recommended themselves to me; in satisfaction for all my sins; for obtaining thy grace, and this virtue N. And grant that I may bless thee at all times; and that, as thy praise is ever in my mouth, so too I may praise thee in heart and deed, and please thee by my sobriety, modesty, seal, devotion, purity, obedience, meekness, and patience; that all may love thee and glorify thee, who art blessed for ever. Amen.
ANOTHER.
Most merciful God, who of thy infinite goodness hast vouchsafed to permit me a sinner to stand and praise thee in thy presence; forgive me, I pray thee, all the errors which I have admitted into my prayers, whether through dryness, negligence, or natural infirmity; that my prayer may not be turned to sin, and my enemy boast against me, that he wounds me with the very weapons with which he was to have been wounded himself.
Regard, O Lord, my humility and my toil, and pardon me all my faults through thy only-begotten Son, in whom thou art well pleased. Let me please thee in prayer as well as in deed, though, alas! there is much in it that is defective. But thou wilt not, O Holy Father, despise it, if thou look upon the face of thy Christ; for thou hast heaped upon him all the treasures of thy grace and bounty, that We might be rich through his abundance.
Confirm, O God, that which thou hast wrought in me; for I have sworn and determined to keep the judgments of thy justice. Make me to love thy commandments above gold and the topaz, that I may love thee, and be loved by thee, to all eternity. Amen.
ANOTHER SHORT PRAYER.
Receive, O most merciful God, my dutiful service, through the intervention of the merits of thy only-begotten Son Christ Jesus, and also of the prayers of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, and of all thy Saints.
And if I have done anything worthy of praise, favourably regard it; and that which has been done negligently mercifully pardon. Who, in the perfection of the Trinity, livest and reignest, God, world without end. Amen.