Memorials of Fr Augustine Baker

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MEMORIALS OF FAtHER AUGUSTINE BAKER, O.S.B.

Catholick, he through disorders contracted such corporal infirmi~ies, as that he could not possibly reach to such extreme age, as o!~er­ wise he had done, nor had found such extreme corporall debility, in the extremity of the age he actually touched to, and whe~em indeed his body proved to be even of the feeblest that possIbly could be sufficing to administer life to the same body. 27. Though yet the divine Mercy and infinite. Goo~nesse afterwards turned such viciously contracted corporall mfirmIty to his souls greater good. Yea, had it not bin through means of such (though so contracted) infirmity, it is likely he would n?t so easily have become and remained a Catholick; an~ lesse hkely would have bin able to undertake or stand to the cehbat or chast life that appertaineth to clericall and religious estates. And ind~ed (as I have heard him say) the .divine Provide~ce, in that and other regards towards him a~d hIS good, had bm so ~re~t, that it would astonish him to consIder of the same, as how It dISposed these and all other things, of what kinds soever, or though in themselves never so bad, that concerned him, to his souls greate~t good, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter et disp'o.nens. omn~a suaviter, Sap: 8, and causing to him I?~um tandem d~hgent~ omma (imo ipsa maxima peccata) coopera!t m b0?tum, Rom: 8. Yea, his body being through the foresaId occasIOns broug~t t? that passe, that it could not as it .was hold out so long as It did, nor serve for his spirituall proceedmgs near so long or so. well, as afterwards indeed it did, it pleased God some ot~er ~peclall and extraordinary way to supply such bodily defect m ~un, and to en~ble the same body of his, for the foresaid good holdmg out and ~Olng, so far as it did indeed; and which it could never have done Wlth?ut such extraordinary supply for it, through .Gods meer and specmll providence in it. For otherwise,.h~ had elt~er much sooner dyed (though he had lived never so relIgIOusly, bemg become CatholIck) which is likelyest he had done; or if his bo.dy ",:oul~ have serve.d him for some further time, as to have remamed m life, yet had It bin and continued in such infirmity and in~i~positio~, that ~e could never have enjoyed the health and abIlIty, whIch he dl~ indeed (though with some feeblenesse withall of ?~dy) tow~~s h1S so much exercising of spirituall prayer, and wntmg of sp~ntuall books; but had likely lived wholly unprofitable, both to hunselfe and to others. . 28. The next and greater danger of his l~fe was wh~n he, bemg about 7 years old, and being with other chIldren of hIS age upon a woodden bridg (which I know well) th