Holy Wisdom Or Directions For The Prayer Of Contemplation

1 PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION. 2 TO OUR MOST REV. FATHER LAURENCE REYNER, 3 A PREFACE TO THE READER. 4 CHAPTER I. Continual union in spirit with God the end of man's creation 5 CHAPTER II. Commonly those only are said to aspire to perfection that consecrate themselves to God. 6 CHAPTER III. The contemplative state more perfect. 7 CHAPTER IV. A strong resolution necessary in the beginning. 8 CHAPTER V. A third motive to resolution is the danger of tepidity 9 CHAPTER VI. A confirmation of what hath been said, particularly of the necessity of a strong resolution 10 CHAPTER I. In internal contemplative ways a guide is necessary, and why? §§ 2 11 CHAPTER II. Why an external guide is necessary in the beginning. 12 CHAPTER III. Of reading, which is next to prayer. 13 CHAPTER IV. Of the third and principal way by which God teaches internal livers 14 CHAPTER V. All internal livers obliged to attend to God's inspirations. 15 CHAPTER VI. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the principle of all good actions in us. 16 CHAPTER VII. How a soul is to behave herself to obtain light in doubtful cases of moment. 17 CHAPTER VIII. Sufficient assurance may be had that inspirations are from God. 18 CHAPTER IX. Objections prevented. 19 CHAPTER I. That the proper school of contemplation is solitude. 20 CHAPTER II. How a secular person may make use of these instructions 21 CHAPTER III. Of a religious state. 22 CHAPTER IV. Motives inducing to religion to be examined 23 CHAPTER V. A religious person is not perfect by his profession. 24 CHAPTER VI. That internal prayer was the practice of ancient hermits 25 CHAPTER VII. Of special duties of religious persons. 26 CHAPTER VIII. Superiors ought carefully to examine the dispositions of those that they admit to religion. 27 CHAPTER IX. Advices to novices. 28 CHAPTER X. Of the obligation of the English Benedictines to the Mission 29 CHAPTER I. All the duties of a contemplative life reduced to two heads 30 CHAPTER II. The mortifications here treated of in particular are not of such sinful deordinations of passions 31 CHAPTER III. Naturally we love ourselves only. 32 CHAPTER IV. Certain general rules for mortification sufficient for some. 33 CHAPTER V. Mortifications divided into: 1 34 CHAPTER VI. Of certain sorts of mortification which are more general. 35 CHAPTER VII. The third kind of general mortification is silence; the which is strictly enjoined in St 36 CHAPTER VIII. Of the fourth kind of general mortifications, viz 37 CHAPTER I. Mortification properly is not of the senses or cognoscitive faculties 38 CHAPTER II. Love is the root of all other passions. 39 CHAPTER III. The proper seat of charity is the superior will 40 CHAPTER IV. Of charity, as it is the same with Purity of intention 41 CHAPTER V. Of the loving of God in ourselves and other creatures 42 CHAPTER VI. Of the mortification of sensual love to meats, &c. 43 CHAPTER VII. Of the mortification of anger by patience. 44 CHAPTER VIII. Of mortification of fear and scrupulosity, which is the most disquieting passion. 45 CHAPTER IX. Of scrupulosity arising from certain inward temptations. 46 CHAPTER X. Of scrupulosities about external duties, as the Office, fasting 47 CHAPTER XI. Of the most bitter kind of scrupulosity touching Confession. 48 CHAPTER XII. Of a scruple concerning a soul's vocation to a religious life. 49 CHAPTER XIII. Of the mortification of the affections of the will 50 CHAPTER XIV. Of the mortification of our natural inclination to liberty or independency 51 CHAPTER XV. We do not here treat of all kinds of mortification or virtues 52 TO THE VENERABLE AND R. LADY D. CATHERINE GASCOIGNE 53 CHAPTER I. Of Prayer in general 54 CHAPTER II. Of Vocal prayer. 55 CHAPTER III. Of internal prayer in general, and principally of internal affective prayer. 56 CHAPTER IV. Conditions required to affective prayer: of which the first is 57 CHAPTER V. The second condition requisite in affective prayer, to wit 58 CHAPTER VI. A second discouragement in prayer opposite to perseverance, to wit 59 CHAPTER VII. Internal affective prayer of contemplation hath always been entertained at first with jealousy and rigour. 60 CHAPTER I. Several degrees and stations in an internal life; as the three ways 61 CHAPTER II. Of Meditation: the first and lowest degree of internal prayer. 62 CHAPTER III. How a soul is to exercise Meditation. 63 CHAPTER IV. Of the custom of set appointed Retreats for Meditation 64 CHAPTER V. A change from meditation to prayer of the will is necessary in an internal life. 65 CHAPTER I. Of exercises of the will: to wit, forced immediate acts 66 CHAPTER II. Touching certain forms of immediate acts, &c. 67 CHAPTER III. More special advices touching the exercise of affections of divine Love. 68 CHAPTER IV. How internal exercises are to be practised in times improper and distractive. 69 CHAPTER V. How internal livers ought to behave themselves in time of sickness 70 CHAPTER VI. Internal exercises weaken the body, yet oft prolong life. 71 CHAPTER VII. Touching a special sort of internal prayer prescribed by Antonio de Rojas 72 CHAPTER I. Of contemplation in general; what it is. 73 CHAPTER II. Of the prayer proper to the state of contemplation 74 CHAPTER III. Of the second sort of unions: to wit, passive. 75 CHAPTER IV. Of the second and more perfect sort of passive unions 76 CHAPTER V. Of the great desolation usually following an intellectual passive union. 77 CHAPTER VI. Of the end of all the precedent exercises, and of all the changes in a 78 AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER. 79 A POSTSCRIPT TO THE READER. 80 A MEMORIAL 81 TO THE DEVOUT READER. 82 HAIL, JESUS; 83 PSALMUS DE PASSIONE D. N. JESU CHRISTI. 84 HOLY EXERCISES OF CONTRITION. 85 ACTUS CONTRITIONIS, &c. 86 HOLY EXERCISES OF PURE LOVE TO GOD. 87 CERTAIN AMOROUS DESIRES, &c. 88 CERTAIN AMOROUS SPEECHES OF THE SOUL TO HERSELF IN PRAYER: 89 HOLY EXERCISES 90 HOLY EXERCISES OF RESIGNATION. 91 A DAILY CONSTANT EXERCISE. 92 EXERCITIUM QUOTIDIANUM. 93 INDEX.