Page:TheParadiseOfTheChristianSoul.djvu/662

 The Scourging. 3. The Crowning with  Thorns. 4, The Carrying  of  the  Cross. 5. The  Crucifixion.

To the  Glorious, 1. The Resurrection of  our  Lord. 2. The  Ascension. 3. The Descent of  the  Holy  Ghost. 4. The  Assumption  of  the Blessed Virgin. 5. Her  Coronation.

But it  must  be  remarked, that merely  to  run  over  the beads, repeating each  Our Father and  Hail  Mary  one after the  other  without  stopping, and  so  to  get  through the Rosary, as  the  uneducated vulgar too  often  do,  like  a task,  without  any  reflection of the  mind  upon  the  Mysteries, or  meditation,  or  arousing of  the  affections  at  intervals, is  a way  of  praying  that is very  barren  and  imperfect, and destitute  of  all  spiritual devotion. For what  profit  or pleasure  can  there  be  in  such prayer? But if,  good  Reader, thou  wouldst  use  the  Rosary  in  a manner  well-pleasing  to  God  and  his  Mother, as well  as  profitable  to  thyself, thou  wilt  proceed  thus:

I. Before  commencing  the Rosary, fix  upon,  and  keep before thy  mind  some  pious intention or  object,  and,  if only  by  short  sighs,  ask  of God  grace  in  reference  to  it through  his  Mother.

II. At the  beginning  of each  Decade,  reflect  a little while upon  the  Mystery  to  be honoured  in  it,  and  try  to elicit  holy  feelings  in  unison with it. To do  this  the  more easily and  profitably, it  will be of  great  use  to  have  meditated at  other  leisure  times  on the  fifteen  Mysteries  of  the Rosary, and thus  by  pondering them  all  well, to  have penetrated the  hidden  treasures which  they  severally contain of  the  divine  Power, Wisdom, Goodness, Justice, Mercy, &c.,  remarking  at  the same time  the  affections  that lie beneath  the  surface,  &c., all of  which  will  occur  readily to the  memory  as  occasion  requires. For this  a form  and method is  given  by  Father Christian Mayer. Though, as the  compiler  of  a Manual only, I cannot include  in  it  all I could wish,  still  I cannot omit to  set  down  briefly  what follows.

Martin Navarrus,  a most learned man  (who,  though constantly  engaged  in  the  office of  public  teacher, in  the discharge  of  which  he  gave several  lectures  daily,  was yet,  for  more  than  sixty  years, in  the  constant  habit  of  saying the  Rosary  every  day,) suggests, for easier  meditation upon  the  Mysteries,  the insertion at  each  Decade  of the  Mystery  itself  after  every Hail Mary,  thus: