Peter of Alcantara

“ Upon a time, the Count Orapsane, a devout nobleman, came to visit him, and falling into discourse, how much Almighty God was moved with the sins of the world, out of his zeal breaketh into these speeches, O Father! what do you think? what will become of this wicked world? do you think the divine justice can contain itself any longer from revenge? behold, how virtue is oppressed, and sin triumpheth? how wilfully do we hoard up anger against the day of anger? ”

“ When she saw her Son in this case, what grief, what dolors can we imagine she then did suffer? angels of peace come and lament with this blessed Virgin, lament heaven, lament stars, lament all creatures of the world. She embraced the mangled body of her Beloved Son, she hugged him in her arms, (for love administered this strength,) she thrust her face amongst the thorns to come to kiss his mouth, whereby she wounded her face with the sharp pricks which she washed with flowing tears. ”

“ Lord, from these unheard-of torments, and abundant satisfaction which thou madest for my sins, I cannot but acknowledge, with all humility, the grievousness of my heinous transgressions, which were the occasions of all thy miseries. I see thee, my King and God, fastened upon a wooden cross, with two iron nails; thy precious and tender flesh, to be stretched without any manner of respite. If thou wouldst a little ease thyself upon thy feet, the weight of thy whole body enlargeth their wounds: if thou wouldst leave the burthen to thy hands, the weight of it doth likewise rend their wounds. ”

“ What dost thou do? what dost thou think, my soul? my tongue, why art thou silent? O sweet Saviour, when I open mine eyes and behold this sorrowful spectacle, my heart is rent with grief. What, Lord, were not thy former torments, imminent death, and abundance of thy blood already shed, sufficient for the redemption of mankind? but thou must yet be crowned with sharp thorns? ”

“ O my chiefest strength, prepare, O Lord in my soul a delicious bed, that according to thy promise, there thou mayest dwell, and make thy mansion. Mortify in me whatsoever is displeasing to thee, and make me a man according to thine own heart. Pierce the marrow of my soul, wound my heart with the darts of dear affection, and inebriate me with the wine of love. ”

“ Behold the centurion struck a lance into his sacred side, with such violence that the very cross did tremble, out of whose side did gush abundance of blood and water, for the redemption of all mankind. O river of paradise, running forth to water the whole earth! O precious wound which rather the love thou didst bear to us sinful men, than the enemies' weapon did inflict! ”

“ These things being digested with attentive meditation, as much as thou canst, urge thyself to a contempt of thyself: imagine that thou art like an empty reed, shaken with every blast of wind, without gravity, without virtue, without constancy, without stability, and, finally, without any thing. Think thyself to be a Lazarus four days dead, a stinking and abominable carcass, swarming with vermin, so filthy that passers by, are forced to stop their nostrils, lest they smell such a nasty savour. ”

“ Faith, is the prime root and foundation of a Christian; hope, is a staff to defend us from all tribulations of this present life; charity, the end of all perfection; fear of God, the beginning of true wisdom; humility, is the basis and ground work of all virtues; patience, is the strongest armor against the fury of our enemies; obedience, is the most grateful oblation to God, wherein man offereth himself for a sacrifice ”

“ Now the innocent Isaac, with his weak shoulders, supported the intolerable burthen of the cross to the place of sacrifice. The simple people and devout women, followed him weeping. For who was able to contain tears, to see the Lord and King of angels going thus on foot, with the extremity of torments? his knees quivering, his body stooping, his eyes blinded, his face besmeared with blood, his head crowned with thorns, and his ears deafened with the noise of drums and trumpets. ”

“ O all ye saints of God, and ye angelical spirits, who burn with a vehement affection of your Creator, especially ye seraphims, who inflame both heaven and earth with love, do not forsake my miserable soul, but purify it as you did the lips of Isaiah from all vice and uncleanness, and set it on fire with the flames of your ardent love, that I may love and seek our Lord God, resting and remaining in him for ever and ever. ”

“ Although our blessed Saviour was barbarously and almost cruelly handled by that blood-sucking multitude, yet, nevertheless, thou mightest have seen in his countenance a pleasant sweetness, in his eyes a comely gravity, in his manners, a divine grace, which all the torments of the whole world could not so much as diminish in the least degree. ”

“ Prayer establisheth the inward man, pacifieth the heart, knoweth the truth, conquereth temptations, expelleth sorrow, reneweth the senses, stirreth up languishing virtue, putteth to flight tepidity, and scoureth the rust of vices. In prayer, the quick sparkles of celestial desires are incessantly sent forth, from the burning coals of divine love. The privileges of prayer are rare, the prerogatives admirable. Prayer unlocketh the gates of heaven, manifesteth divine secrets, and always findeth free access to the ears of God. ”

“ If thou wilt establish thy heart with a manly spirit, and constant purpose in the service of God, be a man of prayer. To conclude, if thou wilt root out vice, and be endued with virtues, be a man of prayer. In it is received the unction of the Holy Ghost, which teacheth all things. Also, if thou wilt climb up to the top of contemplation, and enjoy the sweet embracings of thy beloved spouse, be a man of prayer. For by the exercise of prayer, we come to that contemplation and taste of heavenly things. Thou seest of what great power and virtue prayer is. ”

“ For we see the souls of those who arise from profound and devout prayer, to be strengthened with admirable resolutions, adorned with new graces, and replenished with firm purposes of amendment of life, and frequenting pious exercises, they burn with an ardent desire of serving and loving him with their whole heart, whom in their prayer they found the God of all goodness and benignity, desiring to suffer any grievous and burdensome cross whatsoever it be, yea to shed their blood for his sake. ”

“ Moreover, it is very profitable, to insist a while upon this consideration, and that thou esteem thyself nothing, and certainly persuade thyself that thou hast nothing of thyself but sin; all other things to be the gifts of Almighty God's bounty. For it is most evident, that all our good, both of grace and nature doth flow from him; for he is the author of the grace of predestination (which is the fountain and original of all others) of the grace of our vocation, of concomitant and preserving grace, and of the grace of everlasting life. What hast thou then, that thou canst boast of, but sin? ”

“ And the benefit which he bestowed upon us in his passion, because he bought us with the inestimable price of his precious blood, of which only, we reap the benefit and commodity. Sometimes let us ruminate upon the conveniency of the manner, his eternal wisdom would be pleased to choose, to cure our miseries, to satisfy for our sins, to relieve our necessities, to make us partakers of his glory, to repress our pride, to induce us to the love and joyful suffering of poverty, injuries, austerity, and all commendable laborious exercises. ”

“ He had such efficacy in his preaching, that many common women, drawn with the sweetness of his spirit, changed their sordid and base habits of living, into holy and pious conversation. Others, as well of the nobility, as amongst the meaner sort of people, renouncing all pleasures for the love of Jesus, shrouded themselves in cloisters, where they might be secure from the contagion of worldly vanities. And many consecrating their virginity to their celestial spouse, like lilies amongst thorns, persevered in the open world amidst the dangers thereof, with immoveable constancy. ”

“ Augustine saith, shall be true glory, when every one shall be commended without error or flattery. True honor shall be denied to none that is worthy of it, and it shall be given to none unworthy, neither shall any unworthy attempt it there, where none shall be permitted but the worthy. There shall be true peace, where they shall suffer no contradiction from themselves or others; the reward of virtue shall be he which gave virtue. ”

“ This day thou shalt meditate upon the latter judgment, to the end, that thou mayest stir up in thy soul two principal effects, which every Christian soul ought to have, to wit, the fear of God and hatred of sin.
Place, therefore, first before thine eyes, how terrible that day will be, wherein all the litigious causes of the sons of Adam shall be decided, and a final end put to the processes of our whole life, and what shall be ordained of those for all eternity, shall be publicly pronounced to the view of the whole world. ”

“ Seeing also, the mighty risings and inundations of the water; and by these conjecturing the calamities and misery these prodigious signs threaten to the world, will be amazed with such a horror, that they will be without life, without voice, without color, or human shape; they will be dead before they die, dreading their damnation before the sentence be pronounced, imagining the future pain, by their present distemper. ”

“ If the conversation and fellowship of good men be so delightful, what pleasure will it be, to be associated with so great a multitude of saints? — to be conversant with the Apostles, to talk with the prophets, to discourse with martyrs, and to enjoy the blessed familiarity of all the elect? ”

“ It was not in his own power to contain himself, but what thing soever he either saw, or heard, which might delight his beloved Jesus, though it were but afar off, his heart-strings would begin to tremble, and his vital spirits leave him, and frequently fall into extacy. He was accustomed for a whole hour together, to say his prayers with his arms stretched out in the manner of a cross, sighing and weeping, till at last he would be beside himself, elevated from the ground, and united only to his God. ”

“ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all that he hath done for thee. Who forgiveth all thy iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. ”

“ Although I cannot deny, but after some pious action, the mind is better disposed for meditation, for as dried wood quickly burneth, so the mind that is well disposed, is sooner kindled with this celestial fire. ”

“ Thus going from grace to grace, from virtue to virtue, his good example was a burning lamp to give others light, to imitate his virtues, that the whole monastery began every day more and more to flourish in regular observance, and in the opinion of the world, to get a great name of sanctity. ”

“ When the meditation is imaginary, so that the thing meditated upon hath, or ever had, any actual existence or being, we must so frame and represent it to our fancy, as though we were present in the same place, and saw with our eyes those things which were there done. This representation will make the consideration of these things more vivacious, and cause a greater impression in our souls; for if our imagination can comprehend whole cities and countries, with less difficulty can it comprehend one mystery. ”

“ Neither are these the greatest torments the damned suffer. There remaineth yet a more grievous, which the divines do call the punishment of loss, which consisteth in the perpetual privation of the beatifical vision of God and his saints, and of all that glorious and blessed society. For that is the greatest torment that depriveth man of the most excellent good. Seeing, therefore, that God is that effectual and chief good of all goods, to be deprived of him wust needs be the greatest of all evils. ”

“ Enter into consideration how rigid thou art to thy neighbor, and how indulgent to thyself? how thou lovest thy own will, how thou adherest to thy sensuality, how chary of thy honor, and of every thing that belongeth unto thee. Weigh well with thyself, how every day thou growest more arrogant, more ambitious, more vain, more prone to anger, more desperately bent to malice, more prone to delights and pleasures, more mutable, more unconstant, more propense to carnal sins and a greater lover of earthly vanities. ”