and discharged all his duties, in such a manner, that he was scarce known to himself or others. What astonished him most was a sprout of life which remained with him, and a gift of prayer. He saw that there was readily given him what he could never have before, whatever pains he took for it: And this enlivening sprout was the principle which made him act, gave him grace for his employments, and an inward fruition of the grace of GOD, which brought all good with it. He gra dually brought me all the novices, all of whom partook of the effects of grace, though differently, according to their different degrees. Never was there a more flourishing noviciate.

THE Master and Superior could not forbear admiring so great a change in their novices, though they did not penetrate the cause of it. One day, as they were speaking of it to the Collector, for they esteemed him highly on account of his merit and virtue, and telling him, they were surprized at the change in the novices, and the blessing the LORD had bestowed on the noviciate, he said to them, "My fathers, if you will permit "me, I will tell you the reason of it. It is the "lady against whom ye have exclaimed so much "without knowing her, whom God has made "use of for all this." They were very much surprized; and both the master, though advanced in age, and his superior then submitted humbly to practice prayer, after the manner taught by a little book, which the LORD inspired me to write, and of which I shall say more hereaf ter: And they reaped such benefit from it, that the superior said to me, "I am become quite a 66 new

The short method of Prayer.

new man.

I could not practise prayer before; "because my reasoning faculty was grown dull

and exhausted; but now I do it as often as I

will, with ease, with much fruit, and a quite "different sensation of the presence of GoD:" And the master said, "I have been a Religious, "or friar, these forty years, and can truly say "that I never knew how to pray, nor have I ever known or tasted of GOD, as I have done "since I read that little book."

66

MANY others were gained to GOD, besides those whom I looked on to be my true children, and who cost me the pangs of their birth. For the others I felt not that maternity, and that intimate efflux of grace I have spoken of, though they were won to the LORD by my means. He gave me a very great number of children, and three famous friars, of an order by which I have been, and still am, very much persecuted. He made me also of service to a great number of Nuns, of virtuous young women, and even men of the world; among the rest a young man of quality, who had quitted the order of the knights of Malta, to take that of the priesthood. He was the relation of a bishop near him, who had other designs of preferment for him: He has been much favoured of the LORD, and is constant in prayer. I could not describe the great number of souls which were then given me, as well maids as wives, priests and friars. But there were three curates, one canon, and one grand-vicar, who were more particularly given me. There was one priest very intimately given me, for whom I suffered much, through his not being willing to die to himself, and loving himself too much; with a sad regret I saw him decaying, fiing away till

Le

was quite snatched from me. As for the others there are some of them who have continued stedfast and immoveable, some whom the tempesthas shaken a little, but not torn away. Though these start aside, yet they still return. But those who are snatched quite away return no more.

THERE was one true daughter given me, whom our LORD made use of to gain many others to him. She was in a strange state of death when I first saw her, and by me he gave her life and peace. She afterwards fell extremely ill. The doctors said she would die; but I had an assurance of the contrary, and that GOD would make use of her, (as he has done) to gain souls. There was in a monastery a young woman confined in a state of distraction. I saw her, I knew her case, and that it was not what they thought of it. As soon as I had spoken to her she recovered: But the prioress did not like that I should tell her my thoughts of it, because the person who had brought her thither was her friend. They plagued her more than before, and threw her back again into her distraction.

A SISTER of another monastery was for eight years past in a deep melancholy, unrelieved by any one; for her director increased it, by practising remedies contrary to her disorder. I had never been in that monastery; for I did not go into such places, unless I was sent for, as I did not think it right to intrude, but left by myself to be conducted of Providence. I was very much surprized that at eight o'clock at night one came for me from the prioress. It was in the long days of summer, and being near it I went. I met with a sister who told me her case; she had gone

to

to such excess, that seeing no remedy for it, she had taken a knife to kill herself; but the knife fell out of her hand; and a person coming to see her had advised her to speak to me. Our LORD made me know at first what the matter was; and that he required her to resign herself to him, instead of resisting him as they had made her do for eight years. I was instrumental to draw her into such a resignation, that she entered at once into a peace of paradise; all her pains and troubles were instantly banished; and never returned since. She has the greatest capacity of any in the house. She was presently so changed as to be the admiration of the whole community. Our LORD gave her a very great gift of prayer and his continual presence, with a faculty and readiness for every thing. She was given me for a daughter; and also a domestic sister, who had troubled her for twenty-two years past, was delivered from her troubles, and is become a very religious woman. That produced a close tie of friendship between the prioress and me, as the wonderful change and the peace of this sister surprized her, she having so often seen her in her terrible pains. I also contracted other such ties in this monastery, where there are souls under the LORD's special regard, whom he drew to himself by the means he had been pleased to make choice

of.

I

CHAP. XXI.

WAS moved to read the holy scripture. It had been some time since I had read at all, not finding in myself any void to be filled. When I began I was impelled to write the passage, and instantly upon it, its explication was given me,

which

which I also wrote, going on with inconceivable expedition, light being poured in upon me in such a manner, that I found I had in myself latent treasures of wisdom and knowledge which I had not yet known of. Before I wrote I knew not what I was going to write. And after I had written, I remembered nothing of what I had penned; nor could I make use of any part of it for the help of souls; but the LORD gave me, at the time I spoke to them, without any study or reflection of mine, all that was necessary for them. Thus the LORD made me go on with an explanation of the holy internal sense of the scriptures.* I had no other book but the Bible, nor ever made use of any but that, and without even seeking for any thing. When in writing on the Old Testament I made use of passages of the New, to support what I had said, it was without seeking them, they were given me along with the explication; and in writing on the New Testament, and therein making use of passages of the Old, they were given me in like manner without my seeking any thing. I had scarce any time for writing but in the night, allowing only one or two hours to sleep. The LORD made me write with so much purity, that I was obliged to leave off or begin again, as he was pleased to order. He proved me every way herein. When I writ by day, often suddenly interrupted, I left the word unfinished, and he afterwards gave me what he pleased. What I wrote was not in my head: That part was kept free and disengaged. If I gave any way to reflection I was punished for it, and could not proceed. And yet sometimes I

was

*All her explications have been published; those on the Old Testament in twelve small octavo volumes, and on the New Testament in eight.