THE PARADISE OF THE CHRISTIAN SOUL, DELIGHTFUL FOR ITS CHOICEST PLEASURES OF PIETY OF BY JAMES MERLO HORSTIUS, OF THE CHURCH OF THE B. VIRGIN MARY IN PASCULO PASTORIS AT COLOGNZ. A New and Complete Translation. By Lawful Authority. LONDON: BURNS & LAMBERT, 17 PORTMAN STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE. 1850. NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR. JACQUES MEILO, or MERLO, called, from the place of his nativity, Horstius, was born of poor parents at Horst, a village in Germany, in July 1597. Mabillon is said to have profited much from his edition of the works of St. Bernard. That he was the author of other devotional works besides the Paradisus Animæ appears from allusions made to them in this work. He was a parish priest at Cologne, in which city he died in the year of our Lord, 1644. May he rest in peace! CONTENTS. [The Devotions marked with an Asterisk are from the Appendix to the Mechlin [An Alphabetical Index will be found at the end of the Volume.] PAGE CHAP. I. Colloquy between Christ, and Man on the § 1. The necessity and profit of prayer 2. Preparation for prayer by the affections of humility and 3. Preparation for prayer by directing the intention to its end |