RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS

FOR A

HOLY LIFE.

For disposing you the better to observe these rules and profit by them, be pleased to take the following advices;

1. Put all your trust in the special and singular mercy of God, that He for His mercy's sake, and of His only goodness, will help and bring you to perfection. Not that absolute perfection is attainable here, but the meaning is, to high degrees of that spiritual and divine life, which is always growing and tending towards the absolute perfection above; but in some persons comes nearer to that, and riseth higher, even here, than in the most. If you with hearty and fervent desires do continually wish and long for it, and with most humble devotion daily pray unto God, and call for it, and with all diligence do busily labour and travail to come to it, undoubtedly it shall be given you. For you must not think it sufficient to use exercises, as though they had such virtues in them, that, of themselves alone, they could make such as do use them, perfect; for neither those nor any other, whatever they be, can of themselves (by their use only) bring unto perfection. But our merciful Lord God, of His own goodness, when you seek with hearty desires and fervent sighings, maketh you to find it. When you ask daily with devout prayer, then He giveth it to you; and when you continually, with unwearied labour and travail, knock perseveringly, then He doth mercifully open unto you. And because those exercises do teach you to seek, ask, and knock, yea, they are none other than very devout

petitions, seekings, and spiritual pulsations for the merciful help of God; therefore they are very profitable means to come to perfection by God's grace.

2. Let no particular exercise hinder your public and standing duties to God and your neighbours: but for these, rather intermit the other for a time, and then return to it as soon as you can.

3. If, in time of your spiritual exercise you find yourself drawn to any better, or to as good a contemplation as that is, follow the track of that good motion so long as it shall last.

4. Always take care to follow such exercises of devout thoughts, withal putting in practice such lessons as they contain and excite to.

5. Though at first ye feel no sweetness in such exercises, yet be not discouraged, nor induced to leave them, but continue in them faithfully, whatsoever pain or spiritual trouble ye feel: for, doing them for God and His honour, and finding none other present fruit, yet, you shall have an excellent reward for your diligent labour and your pure intentions. And let not your falling short of these models and rules, nor your daily manifold imperfections and faults, dishearten you: but continue steadfast in your desires, purposes, and endeavours; and ever ask the best, aim at the best, and hope the best, being sorry that you can do no better; and they shall be a most acceptable sacrifice in the sight of God, and in due time you shall reap if you faint not. And of all such instructions let your rule be, to follow them as much as you can; but not too scrupulously thinking your labour lost if you do not exactly and strictly answer them in every thing. Purpose still better, and by God's grace all shall be well.

SECT. I.

Rule 1. Exercise thyself in the knowledge and deep consideration of our Lord God, calling humbly to mind how ex

cellent and incomprehensible He is: and this knowledge shalt thou rather endeavour to obtain by fervent desire and devout prayer, than by high study and outward labour. It is the singular gift of God, and certainly very precarious.

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2. Pray, then, "Most gracious Lord, whom to know is the "very bliss and felicity of man's soul, and yet none can know Thee, unless Thou wilt open and shew Thyself unto him; "vouchsafe of Thy infinite mercy now and ever, to enlighten "my heart and mind to know Thee, and Thy most holy and perfect will, to the honour and glory of Thy name. Amen." 3. Then lift up thy heart to consider (not with too great violence, but soberly) the eternal and infinite power of God, who created all things by His excellent wisdom; His unmeasurable goodness, and incomprehensible love: for He is very and only God, most excellent, most high, most glorious, the everlasting and unchangeable goodness, an eternal substance, a charity infinite, so excellent and ineffable in Himself, that all dignity, perfection, and goodness, that is possible to be spoken or thought of, cannot sufficiently express the smallest part thereof.

4. Consider that He is the natural place, the centre and rest of thy soul. If thou then think of the most blessed Trinity, muse not too much thereon, but with devout and obedient faith, meekly and lowly adore and worship.

5. Consider Jesus the Redeemer and Husband of thy soul, and walk with him as becomes a chaste spouse, with reverence and lowly shamefulness, obedience, and submission.

6. Then turn to the deep, profound consideration of thyself, thine own nothingness, and thy extreme defilement and pollution, thy natural aversion from God, and that thou must, by conversion to Him again, and union with Him, be made happy.

7. Consider thyself and all creatures as nothing, in comparison of thy Lord; that so thou mayest not only be content, but desirous to be unknown, or being known, to be contemned and despised of all men, yet without thy faults or deservings, as much as thou canst.

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8. Pray: "O God, infuse into my heart Thy heavenly light and blessed charity, that I may know and love Thee "above all things; and above all things loathe and abhor my"self. Grant that I may be so ravished in the wonder and "love of Thee, that I may forget myself, and all things; feel "neither prosperity nor adversity; may not fear to suffer all "the pains of this world, rather than to be parted and pulled "away from Thee, whose perfections infinitely exceed all "thought and understanding. O! let me find Thee more ❝inwardly and verily present with me, than I am with myself; ❝ and make me most circumspect how I do use myself in the presence of Thee, my holy Lord.

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"Cause me alway to remember how everlasting and constant " is the love Thou bearest towards me, and such a charity and ❝continual care as though Thou hadst no more creatures in ❝ heaven or earth besides me. What am I ! a vile worm and

"filth."

9. Then aspire to a great contrition for thy sins, and hatred of them, an abhorring of thyself for them; then crave pardon in the blood of Jesus Christ; and then offer up thyself, soul and body, an oblation or sacrifice, in and through him; as they did of old, laying wood on the altar, and then burning up all so this shall be a sacrifice of sweet savour, and very acceptable to God.

10. Offer all that thou hast, to be nothing, to use nothing of all that thou hast about thee and is called thine, but to His honour and glory; and resolve through His grace, to use all the powers of thy soul, and every member of thy body, to His service, as formerly thou hast done to sin.

11. Consider the passion of thy Lord, how he was buffeted, scourged, reviled, stretched with nails on the cross, and hung on it three long hours; suffered all the contempt and shame, and all the inconceivable pain of it, for thy sake.

12. Then turn thy heart to Him, humbly saying, "Lord "Jesus, whereas I daily fall, and am ready to sin, vouchsafe me grace as oft as I shall, to rise again; let me never pre

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"sume, but always most meekly and humbly acknowledge my "wretchedness and frailty, and repent, with a firm purpose to "amend; and let me not despair because of my great frailty, "but ever trust in Thy most loving mercy and readiness to "forgive."

SECT. II.

1. Thou shalt have much to do in mortifying of thy five senses, which must be all shut up in the crucified humility of Jesus Christ, and be as they were plainly dead.

2. Thou must now learn to have a continual eye inwardly to thy soul and spiritual life, as thou hast used heretofore to have all thy mind and regard to outward pleasure and worldly things.

3. Thou must submit and give thyself up unto the discipline of Jesus, and become his scholar, resigning and compelling thyself altogether to obey him in all things; so that thy willing and nilling thou utterly and perfectly do cast away from thee, and do nothing without his license: at every word thou wilt speak, at every morsel thou wilt eat, at every stirring or moving of every article or member of thy body, thou must ask leave of him in thy heart, and ask thyself whether, having so done, that be according to his will and holy example, and with sincere intention of his glory. Hence,

4. Even the most necessary actions of thy life, though lawful, yet must thus be offered up with a true intention unto God, in the union of the most holy works, and blessed merits of Christ; saying, "Lord Jesus, bind up in the merits of thy "blessed senses, all my feeling and sensation, and all my wits ❝and senses, that I never hereafter use them to any sensuality!"

5. Thus labour to come to this union and knitting up of thy senses in God and thy Lord Jesus, and remain so fast to the cross, that thou never part from it, and still behave thy body and all thy senses as in the presence of thy Lord God, and commit all things to the most trusty providence of thy loving Lord, who will then order all things delectably and sweetly for