Holy Wisdom

1 Preface → 2 Continual union in spirit with God the end of man's creation, and practised by Adam in innocence → 3 Commonly those only are said to aspire to perfection that consecrate themselves to God → 4 The contemplative state more perfect → 5 A strong resolution necessary in the beginning → 6 A third motive to resolution is the danger of tepidity, of which the nature and root is discovered → 7 A confirmation of what hath been said, particularly of the necessity of a strong resolution and courage to persevere, shown by the parable of a pilgrim travelling to Jerusalem, out of Scala Perfectionis → 8 In internal contemplative ways a guide is necessary, and why? → 9 Why an external guide is necessary in the beginning → 10 Of reading, which is next to prayer → 11 Of the third and principal way by which God teaches internal livers, viz. immediate divine inspirations; the order of particular considerations following touching them → 12 All internal livers obliged to attend to God's inspirations → 13 The gift of the Holy Spirit is the principle of all good actions in us → 14 How a soul is to behave herself to obtain light in doubtful cases of moment → 15 Sufficient assurance may be had that inspirations are from God → 16 Objections prevented → 17 That the proper school of contemplation is solitude → 18 How a secular person may make use of these instructions, some of which do equally belong to such an one as well as to religious → 19 Of a religious state → 20 Motives inducing to religion to be examined. False security of tepid religious persons. Of false and true motives → 21 A religious person is not perfect by his profession → 22 That internal prayer was the practice of ancient hermits; what kind of prayer that was → 23 Of special duties of religious persons → 24 Superiors ought carefully to examine the dispositions of those that they admit to religion → 25 Advices to novices → 26 Of the obligation of the English Benedictines to the Mission. The sublime perfection of that employment → 27 All the duties of a contemplative life reduced to two heads, viz. 1. Mortification; 2. Prayer. And the grounds of that division → 28 The mortifications here treated of in particular are not of such sinful deordinations of passions as are acknowledged to be sins, either mortal or venial → 29 Naturally we love ourselves only → 30 Certain general rules for mortification sufficient for some → 31 Mortifications divided into: 1. Necessary, and 2. Voluntary. And what each of these is → 32 Of certain sorts of mortification which are more general → 33 The third kind of general mortification is silence; the which is strictly enjoined in St. Benedict's Rule. But in these days cannot so rigorously be observed; and why? The conditions of it → 34 Of the fourth kind of general mortifications, viz. tranquillity of mind → 35 Mortification properly is not of the senses or cognoscitive faculties, but of the affections → 36 Love is the root of all other passions → 37 The proper seat of charity is the superior will, not the sensitive affections, though oft in beginners it operates much there → 38 Of charity, as it is the same with Purity of intention. How God is the only end of all our actions. Of a pure and right intention → 39 Of the loving of God in ourselves and other creatures; and how the love to ourselves is to be ordered → 40 Of the mortification of sensual love to meats, &c., by temperance in refection → 41 Of the mortification of anger by patience → 42 Of mortification of fear and scrupulosity, which is the most disquieting passion → 43 Of scrupulosity arising from certain inward temptations → 44 Of scrupulosities about external duties, as the Office, fasting, &c → 45 Of the most bitter kind of scrupulosity touching Confession → 46 Of a scruple concerning a soul's vocation to a religious life → 47 Of the mortification of the affections of the will: to wit, pride, &c → 48 Of the mortification of our natural inclination to liberty or independency, by the virtue of Obedience → 49 We do not here treat of all kinds of mortification or virtues; but principally such as are most proper and most necessary to be known and practised in order to an internal life → 50 Of Prayer in general. What it is → 51 Of Vocal prayer → 52 Of internal prayer in general, and principally of internal affective prayer → 53 Conditions required to affective prayer: of which the first is, that it ought to be continual, by our Lord's precept → 54 The second condition requisite in affective prayer, to wit, fervour or devotion → 55 A second discouragement in prayer opposite to perseverance, to wit, Distractions → 56 Internal affective prayer (of contemplation) hath always been entertained at first with jealousy and rigour → 57 Several degrees and stations in an internal life; as the three ways, Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive → 58 Of Meditation: the first and lowest degree of internal prayer → 59 How a soul is to exercise Meditation → 60 Of the custom of set appointed Retreats for Meditation, &c → 61 A change from meditation to prayer of the will is necessary in an internal life → 62 Of exercises of the will: to wit, forced immediate acts, or affections and aspirations → 63 Touching certain forms of immediate acts, &c., adjoined to the end of the book; and how they are to be used → 64 More special advices touching the exercise of affections of divine Love → 65 How internal exercises are to be practised in times improper and distractive → 66 How internal livers ought to behave themselves in time of sickness. The benefits of sickness to such only → 67 Internal exercises weaken the body, yet oft prolong life → 68 [N.B. The instructions contained in this chapter are to be received with the utmost caution; and let the note which is inserted in. be attended to.--J. N. S.] → 69 Of contemplation in general; what it is → 70 Of the prayer proper to the state of contemplation: to wit, Aspirations; and why they are so called → 71 Of the second sort of unions: to wit, passive → 72 Of the second and more perfect sort of passive unions, to wit, such as are purely intellectual → 73 Of the great desolation usually following an intellectual passive union → 74 Of the end of all the precedent exercises, and of all the changes in a spiritual life: to wit, a stable state of perfection and prayer → 75 Advertisement and Postscript to the Reader → 76 Devout Exercises and Prayers →