Contemplating Mortality and Immortality, Part 3 – Epilogue
THE RAPTVRE OF THE SOVLE.
RApitur anima, cùm coeleſtia Contemplatur, & contemplando iucundatur. And becauſe ſight increaſes delight; Therefore Rapture would faine aſcend to viſion. But that's a priuiledge for Saint Paul; It ſo diuinely rauiſhes, as it raiſes in man towring thoughts, irradiates his ſoule with high apprehenſions; yea, ſo it eleuates mans ſoule to God, as it takes him out of himſelfe, to liue aboue himſelfe. The Soule being thus powerfully attracted by the faire inducements of ſo diuine delight, She on her party correſponds, and with a willing aſſent glides after theſe attracts: And as a vapour exhaled by the Sun, ſhee goes out of her ſelfe, would willingly draw the body with her, but that ſubſtance is too ſad: wherefore ſhee quitts it, as not agil, and ſpritefull enough to ſoare ſo high.
It is an admirable thing to conſider, that the eye of a man, ſo weake a creature, ſhould looke vp eueryevery day to heauen, ſo wonderfull in height, and yet neuer bee tyred by the way. But by this I ſee, that heauenly Contemplation, if it be ſtrong enough, and not ouer-clogged with earthy thoughts, is able to carry vsus with caſe to heauenly extaſie: but then there muſt be application of the will and vnderſtanding, from things ſublunarie, to things heauenly. For the will takes pleaſure to perceiue the vnderſtanding taken into Rapture; and when as the faculties both of will and vnderſtanding, doe intercommunicate their rauiſhments, then are we ſweetly brought into diuine extaſie.
Of this ſacred extaſie, the Seraphical Diuines make diuersſorts: One of Vnderſtanding a ſecond of Affection, a third of Action.
Action is well added, for a man is not to bee aboue himſelfe in Contemplation, and vnderunder himſelfe in Conuerſation.
The firſt of the three is in Splendore. The ſecond in Feruore. The third in Labore. The one cauſed by Admiration, the other by Deuotion, the laſt by Operation.
In theſe Raptures, the Fathers who were ſtiled Saints had ſuch a complacency, as they ſtroue to act this as the way of a new life, ſometime before their Death, inſomuch as the Votaries would ſay: Neuer was Saint but had Extaſie and rauiſhment of life before his death. They laboured by a liquefaction of their ſoules into God, to Inſoule themſelues in God: to put their foules out of the naturall comportment of the body, and ſo to liue in diuine extaſie, without liuing in the body.
Some ſo liued, as it was doubted whether they were liuing-men dead, or dead-men liuing: nay ſome, with feruency of ſpirit, were tranſported into ſuch Extaſie, that their ſoules being wholly conuerſant in diuine Contemplation, they cared not to afford common aſſiſtance to Nature, and ſo hauehave dyed through exinanition and want of ſtrength.
Thus did louelove performe the office of Death. LoueLove is as ſtrong as Death, ſaith Solomon; nay with them it wrought more then death could doe. For death onelyonly performeth by effect, that which louelove operated by affection.
Death did but ſeparate their bodies from their ſoules. But louelove ſeparated their ſoules from their bodies. In ſuch a trance they report Saint Auſtine to ſay, O God thou onelyonly art all mine, when ſhall I bee wholly thine?
S. Bernard to ſay, What is there in heauen, or what deſire I on earth, but thee, O Lord? Thou art the God of my heart, and my eternall portion, my Soule is ſatisfied with nothing, but to be with thee.
S. Ambroſe to ſay, The ſoule of Ionathan was knit to Dauid; but my ſoule is glued vntounto thee, O Lord.
S. Hierome to ſay; O my Sauicur, diddeſt thou die of louelove for mee? A louelove more delorous then death: but to me, a death more louely, then louelove it ſelfe. I cannot liue, louelove thee, and be longer from thee.
S. Baſil to ſay, That Iacob, when hee had faſt hold on God, let him goe for a bleſſing: but the Shunamite, My ſoule will not let thee goe ſo. For ſhe now ſeekes no more Benedictions of God, but to enioy the God of Benedictions.
When Sauernius the Indian Saint, was recouering from dying, it is reported hee was heard to ſay, O my God, doe not for pitie ſo ouerioy me, if I muſt liue ſtill, and hauehave ſuch conſolations, take me to heauen. For he that hath once taſted this and thy ſweetneſſe, muſt neceſſarily liue in bitterneſſe.
This is the ſtate of loues life in God, which giueth a ſuper-humane Being vntounto man, man being yet on earth. So that this ardent louelove, neuer ſatiated heere, hauing ingrafted mee into God by her vniting vertue, makes me now ſay Viuo ego, ſed non ego: viuit verò in me Chriſtus. My life is hid in Chriſt with God. And though my Sauiour be hidden from my corporall eyes in God, as God was hidden in him, while hee liued heere on earth; yet now me thinkes I ſee him face to face. Viſione beatificâ, & iugitèr reuelatâ facie, Sponſi gloriam ſpeculando, transformatur anima de claritate in claritatem: Audet & ipſa loqui, Tota pulchraes amica mea.
MORTIS EPILOGVS.
QVoniam mors me quotidiè expectat, ego mortem quotidiè expectabo. But before thou goeſt, conſider well theſe foure things.
1 Ʋndevenis.
2 Quò vadis.
3 Quides.
4 Quid eris.
VponUpon enquiry vndè venio, I am told,
Peccatores peccatorem me in peccato genuerunt.
Miſeri miſerum me in hanc lucis miſeriam induxerunt.
Conceptus culpa. Naſci miſeria. Ʋiuere paena. Mors Anguſtia. Et quantò eſt vita mea longior, tantò eſt culpa mea numeroſier.
This makes me to thinke, Quorſum commodata eſt mihi vita humana?
For this onelyonly,
Ad comparandum vitam coeleſtem:
Et hoc vult diuina clementia,
Quòd vita mea ſit breuior,
Vt labor meus ſit leuior.
For my, Quò vado.
IT is lifes Poſy, Vadere, to fade and decay.
Vado tels me I am in tranſitu,
But it reioyces mee to thinke,
Eo ad Patres.
And this promiſe comforts,
Sepelieris in aetate bonâ.
Therefore nec me taedet viuere, nec
timeo mori:
Mihienim Mors ſeruit in ſolatium vitae.
Ʋitam habeo in Patientia,
Mortem verò in deſiderio.
Plangam ergo Paulatim dolorem meum,
Et tunc
Oblitus exilij Ibo ad Patriam: nam
Mortuâ morte reuertitur mihi Chriſtus.
To expreſſe, Quid ſum.
QVis fando explicare queat?
Puluis & Aer, this I know;
Et in puluerom reuertêris. This is ſure.
That homo is Morbidum, putre, caſſum;
This eueryevery man findes.
Homo de humore liquido; This is our metall,
And the mould is no better, In vtere impuro,
Damnatus antequàm natus, that's our Condition.
Semen Abrahae; thats our beſt Stocke.
Dicens putredini; Thou art my Mother,
And to the Wormes, You are my Brethren.
So heere is our great kindred.
Our dwelling is, Inter pulices & culices, amongſt Flyes and Fleas.
Our qualitie is vile and baſe, lighter then vanity, there is our waight.
A thing of nothing, that's our worth.
Et in non hominem vertitur omnis homo.
There is our end.
What then is our being?
Somnium & dolor eſt tota vita hominis, cùm creſcit vita, decreſcit. Vita ipſa non eſt vita, ſed vmbra mortis & figura vitae.
Flentes naſcimur; In labore viuimus; In dolore morimur.
Then certainly
Si natus ſum plorans,
Si morior plangens,
Nolo egoviuere ridens.
Hoc tantum volo.
Animam meam ornare quae Deo & Angelis
mox praeſentenda eſt in coelis.
Now for, Quid eris. This alſo I know.
QVodſum, & me noneſſe, ſcio. Sedid eſſe & nôſſe deſidero.
Num videre Deum, viuere cum Deo,
Eſſe in Deo, & habere Deum:
Haec eſt aeterna ſecuritas & ſecura aeternitas.
This may be admired, but cannot be througly vnderſtood:
Yet better vnderſtood, then can be expreſſed.
Therefore to my ſoule I ſay not,
O Animula, blandula vagula: but,
O Anima Dei inſignita imagine,
Decorata ſimilitudine,
Deſponſata Fide,
Redempta Sanguine,
Dotata Spiritu,
Deputata cum Angelis,
Quidtibi cum Carne?
But to contemplate Quanta claritas, quanta ſuauitas, quanta iucunditas maneat te in illa viſione, cùm facie ad faciem videbis Chriſtum?
FINIS.
Erratae.
PAge 2. line 2 is redundat. pag. 18. line 23. fawnes pro fannes. p. 19. l. 2…. Diſeere, pro Deſere. p 29. l. 12. the threats, pro for threats. p. 30. l. 6. animas, but ſuas, pro animas ſuas, but p. 30. li. 7. Inde, pro Iudae p. 36. l. …3. conu ncun…, pro comminuunt. p 38. l. 23. we chinke, pro wee would thinke. p. 51. l. 23. amaze, pro amuſe p. 41. l. 8 amicum, pro annulum p. 74 l. vltima. Tolerabili…r, pro Tolerabilius. p. 80 l. 4 Signicinium, pro Cygnicinium. p. 92. l. 7. Palmarios, pro Palmares.
End of the text · Henry Montagu, Contemplating Mortality and Immortality (1631)