CONTENTS |
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Preface by the Author |
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PART I. Counsels and practices suitable
for the soul's guidance from the first aspiration after a
devout life to the point when it attains a confirmed
resolution to follow the same. |
1. |
What True Devotion is |
2. |
The Nature and Excellence
of Devotion |
3. |
Devotion is suitable to
every Vocation and Profession |
4. |
The Need of a Guide for
those Who Would enter upon and advance in the Devout Life |
5. |
The First Step must be
Purifying the Soul |
6. |
The First Purification,
namely, from Mortal Sin |
7. |
The Second Purification, from all Sinful
Affections |
8. |
How to effect this Second Purification |
9. |
First Meditation - Of Creation |
10. |
Second Meditation - Of the End for which we
were Created |
11. |
Third Meditation - Of the Gifts of God |
12. |
Fourth Meditation - On Sin |
13. |
Fifth Meditation - On Death |
14. |
Sixth Meditation - On Judgment |
15. |
Seventh Meditation - Of Hell |
16. |
Eighth Meditation - On Paradise |
17. |
Ninth Meditation - On the Choice open to you
between Heaven and Hell |
18. |
Tenth Meditation - How the Soul chooses the
Devout Life |
19. |
How to make a General Confession |
20. |
A hearty Protest made with the object of
confirming the Soul's resolution to serve God, as a conclusion
to its Acts of Penitence |
21. |
Conclusion of this First Purification |
22. |
The Necessity of Purging away all tendency to
Venial Sins |
23. |
It is needful to put away all Inclination for
Useless and Dangerous Things |
24. |
All Evil Inclinations must be purged away |
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PART II. Containing sundry counsels as to
uplifting the soul to God in prayer and the use of the
Sacraments |
1. |
The Necessity of Prayer
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2. |
A short Method of Meditation. And first, the
Presence of God, the First Point of Preparation |
3. |
Invocation, the Second Point of Preparation
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4. |
The Third Point of Preparation, representing
the Mystery to be meditated to your Imagination |
5. |
Considerations, the Second Part of Meditation |
6. |
The Third Part of Meditation, Affections and
Resolutions |
7. |
The Conclusion and Spiritual Bouquet |
8. |
Some Useful Hints as to Meditation |
9. |
Concerning Dryness in Meditation |
10. |
Morning Prayer |
11. |
Evening Prayer and Examination of Conscience |
12. |
On Spiritual Retirement |
13. |
Aspirations, Ejaculatory Prayer and Holy
Thoughts |
14. |
Of Holy Communion, and how to join in it
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15. |
Of the other Public Offices of the Church |
16. |
How the Saints are united to us |
17. |
How to Hear and Read God's Word |
18. |
How to receive Inspirations |
19. |
On Confession |
20. |
Of Frequent Communion |
21. |
How to Communicate |
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PART III. Containing counsels concerning
the practice of virtue |
1. |
How to select that which we should chiefly
Practise |
2. |
The same Subject continued |
3. |
On Patience |
4. |
On Exterior Humility |
5. |
On Interior Humility |
6. |
Humility makes us rejoice in our own Abjection |
7. |
How to combine due care for a Good Reputation
with Humility |
8. |
Gentleness towards others and Remedies against
Anger |
9. |
On Gentleness towards Ourselves
|
10. |
We must attend to the Business of Life
carefully, but without Eagerness or Over-anxiety |
11. |
On Obedience |
12. |
On Purity |
13. |
How to maintain Purity |
14. |
On Poverty of Spirit amid Riches |
15. |
How to exercise real Poverty, although
actually Rich |
16. |
How to possess a rich Spirit amid real Poverty |
17. |
On Friendship: Evil and Frivolous Friendship |
18. |
On Frivolous Attachments |
19. |
Of Real Friendship |
20. |
Of the Difference between True and False
Friendship |
21. |
Remedies against Evil Friendships |
22. |
Further Advice concerning Intimacies |
23. |
On the Practice of Bodily Mortification |
24. |
Of Society and Solitude |
25. |
On Modesty in Dress |
26. |
Of Conversation; and, first, how to Speak of
God |
27. |
Of Unseemly Words, and the Respect due to
Others |
28. |
Of Hasty Judgments |
29. |
On Slander |
30. |
Further Counsels as to Conversation |
31. |
Of Amusements and Recreations: what are
allowable |
32. |
Of Forbidden Amusements |
33. |
Of Balls, and other Lawful but Dangerous
Amusements |
34. |
When to use such Amusements rightly |
35. |
We must be Faithful in Things Great and Small |
36. |
Of a Well-balanced, Reasonable Mind
|
37. |
Of Wishes |
38. |
Counsels to Married People |
39. |
The Sanctity of the Marriage Bed |
40. |
Counsels to Widows |
41. |
One Word to Maidens |
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PART IV. Containing needful counsels
concerning some ordinary temptations. |
1. |
We must not trifle with the Words of worldly
Wisdom |
2. |
The need of a Good Courage |
3. |
Of Temptations, and the difference between
experiencing them and consenting to them |
4. |
Two striking illustrations of the same
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5. |
Encouragement for the Tempted Soul |
6. |
When Temptation and Delectation are Sin |
7. |
Remedies for Great Occasions |
8. |
How to resist Minor Temptations |
9. |
How to remedy Minor Temptations
|
10. |
How to strengthen the Heart against Temptation |
11. |
Anxiety of Mind |
12. |
Of Sadness and Sorrow |
13. |
Of Spiritual and Sensible Consolations, and
how to receive them |
14. |
Of Dryness and Spiritual Barrenness |
15. |
In Illustration |
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PART V. Containing counsels and practices
for renewing and confirming the soul in devotion. |
1. |
It is well yearly to renew Good Resolutions by
means of the following Exercises |
2. |
Meditation on the Benefit conferred on us by
God in calling us to His Service |
3. |
Examination of the Soul as to its Progress in
the Devout Life |
4. |
Examination of the Soul's Condition as regards
God |
5. |
Examination of your Condition as regards
yourself |
6. |
Examination of the Soul's Condition as regards
our Neighbour |
7. |
Examination as to the Affections of the Soul |
8. |
The Affections to be excited after such
Examination |
9. |
Reflections suitable to the renewal of Good
Resolutions |
10. |
First
Consideration--of the Worth of Souls |
11. |
Second Consideration--On the Excellence of
Virtue |
12. |
The Example of the Saints |
13. |
The Love which Jesus Christ bears to us |
14. |
The Eternal Love of God for us
|
15. |
General Affections which should result from
these Considerations, and Conclusion of the Exercise |
16. |
The Impressions which should remain after this
Exercise |
17. |
An Answer to Two Objections which may be made
to this Book |
18. |
Three Important and Final Counsels |