Book 3, Chapter 22 — A Closing Prayer

A mournful Exclamation and lamentable Moan to God for the Small Company of Souls that arrive at Perfection, the Loving Union and the Divine Transformation.

216. O Divine Majesty, in whose presence the Pillars of Heaven do quake and tremble! O thou Goodness, more than infinite, in whose love the Seraphins burn! give me leave, O Lord, to lament our blindness and ingratitude. We all live in Mistakes, seeking the foolish world, and forsaking thee, who art our God. We all forsake thee, the Fountain of Living Waters, for the stinking Dirt of the World.

217. O we children of men, how long shall we follow after lying and vanity? Who is it that hath thus deceived us, that we should forsake God our greatest good? Who is it that speaks the most truth to us? Who is it that loves us most? Who defends us most? Who is it that doth more to shew himself a Friend, who more tender to shew himself a Spouse, and more good to be a Father? that our blindness should be so great, that we should all forsake this greatest and infinite goodness?

218. O Divine Lord! what a few Souls are there in the World, which do serve thee with perfection! how small is the number of those, who are willing to suffer, that they may follow Christ crucified, that they may embrace the Cross, that they may deny and contemn themselves! O what a scarcity of Souls is there, which are disinterested and totally naked! how few are those Souls which are dead to themselves and alive to God, which are totally resigned to his divine good pleasure! How few those, who are adorn’d with simple obedience, profound knowledg of themselves; and true humility! how few those, which with an entire indifference give up themselves into the hands of God, to do what he pleases with ‘em! how few are there of those pure Souls which be of a simple and disinterested heart, and which, putting off their own understanding, knowledg, desire and will, do long for self-denial and spiritual death! O what a scarcity of Souls is there which are willing to let the Divine Creator work in ‘em a mind to suffer, that they may not suffer, and to die, that they may not die! How few are the Souls which are willing to forget themselves, to free their hearts from their own affections, their own desires, their own satisfactions, their own love and judgments! that are willing to be led by the highway of self-denial and the internal way! that are willing to be annihilated, dying to themselves and their senses! that are willing to let themselves be emptied, purified and uncloathed, that God may fill and cloath and perfect ‘em! In a word, how small, O Lord, is the number of those Souls which are blind, deaf and dumb and perfectly contemplative!

219. O the shame of us the Children of Adam! who, for a thing of meer vileness, do despise true felicity, and hinder our greatest good, the rich treasure and infinite goodness! Great reason has Heaven to lament, that there are so few Souls to follow its precious path-way. Viæ Sion lugent, eo quod non sint qui veniant ad solennitatem. Lam. 1.4

I submit every thing, with humble prostration, to the Correction of the Holy Roman Catholick Church.