they should be like God since they could not become like him in the pointe of his diuinitie they endeauoured to make him like them in the pointe of their sinne soe they made it greater by defending it then they had done by comitting it And now as being Children of such parents and in fine as being men we still remaine with this infirmitie and with this defect and ill custome and when we are reproued for any fault we instantly haue a minde to couer it with an excuse as vnder bowes and leaues yea and some tymes a man is not content to excuse himselfe but he must needes be casting the fault vpon others A Saint compares such as excuse themselues to the hedge-hogge which when it perceiues that they goe about to take her shee shrinks in her head and feete with extreame speede and remaines as a bowle being circled on euery side as it were with thornes soe that a man cannot touch her without pricking himselfe first Vt prius videas sanguinem tuum quam corpus suū Soe that you shall sooner see your owne blood then her body In this manner saith the S. be they whoe are wont to excuse themselues for if you wil but thouch them by telling them the faults which they made they instantly defend themselues like the hedgehog and some tymes they pricke and gaule you and giue you also to vnderstand that you as wel deserue reproofe At other tymes they will be telling you that there is a Rule which forbids one to finde faulte with another and at others that there be some whoe make greater faults which yet men are content to dissemble and in fine doe but touch the hedgehogge and you shall see whether he will pricke you or noe All this busines growes from our great pride whoe would not haue our faults knowne nor be held for defectiue and it troubles vs more that they be vnderstood and for the estimation which wee thinke vee loose thereby them for hauing committed them and soe we procure to conceile and hide them the most we can Nay there are some soe vnmortified in this kinde that euen before you say any thing they preuent you and excuse themselues and giue reasons for that which they thinke you may obiect and they say If I did this it was for this reason and if I did that it was for that and the like But whoe in the meane tyme pricks you now that you must skipp soe high The goade of pride it is which you carry soe deepely rooted in your harts This is that which pricks you and which makes you leape euen before your tyme. It will therefore be well done by him whoe findes this old and ill custome in himselfe to examine himselfe particularly thereof till at length he may come to parte with all desire of couering his faults but rather since he committed them lett him be gladd to be held faulty in recompence and satisfaction thereof Yea and though you haue made noe faulte and yet they reprehend you as if you had yet doe not you excuse your selues For when the Superiour shall haue a minde to know the cause or reason which you had for doeing it he can aske you the question and perhapps he knowes it already and desires but to make tryall of your Humilitie and to see in what manner you take the admonition and reprehension which he giues The fifth is alsoe very good for a man to examine himselfe vpon namely the restrayning and cutting of all thoughts of pride A man is soe proud and vaine that many idle and presūptious thoughts will be rushing in vpon him and he will imagine himselfe to be in some high office and performing of some great function Already you fancy your selues to be preaching in the places where you were borne with great allowance likinge and you imagine that you produce great fruite Already doe you conceiue that you are reading or disputinge against such Conclusions with great applause of the hearers and such things as theis All this growes from our great pride which lyes spronting and breakinge out into theis thoughts And therefore it will be very well done to make a particular examination vpon the clipping and cutting of theis thoughts which are soe haughtie and vaine And soe will it be fitt so to stopp instantly to cutt off all impure thoughts and rash iudgments or any other vice whereby we may finde our selues to be molested The sixt pointe shall be to carry a particuler examination vpon your selues whether you esteeme of all men as your Superiours according to what our Rule saith Namely that we must animate our selues towards Humility by procuring and desiring to giue the aduātage to others esteeminge them all from our very soules as if they were our Superiours and exteriourly bearing them that respect and reuerence which the condition or state of euery one of them shall beare with plainenes and Religious simplicitie of hart and this is alsoe taken from the Apostle And how soeuer there is to be a difference amongst men according to the distinction of their persons and states yet for as much as may concerne the interiour and true Humilitie of our sowles our Fathers will is that as this Society was called by him the least of all other religious Orders soe euery member thereof must hould himselfe for the least of them all and must hould them all for his Superiours and betters This shall therefore be a very good and profitable examination but yet soe as that it be not onely speculatiue but that in the exercise and practise thereof we procure to carry our selues soe towards all with such Humilitie and respect as if they were indeede our Superiours For if you esteeme that other man as your Superiour you will not be talking to him with such libertie and harshnes and much lesse in words which may mortifie and offend him nor will you soe easily passe your iudgment rashly vpon him nor be disgusted that he should treate you or speake to you in this or that manner And so you are to sett downe and note all theis things for faults when you examine your selfe there vpon The seauenth thing whereof we may particularly examine our selues vpon this subiect is vhether we make good vse of all those occasions which offer themselues towards the getting of Humilitie Are you wont to be troubled when another speakes some little word to you which you would not heare or when they commaunde you any things in to resolute and imperious manner or when you thinke they make not soe much accounte of you as of others Examine your selues whether you make good vse of theis as alsoe those other occasiōs which some tymes present thēselues redounding to your disestimation This is one of the most proper and most profitable examinations which wee can vse towards the obteyning of the vertue of Humilitie For besides that we shall thus goe prouiding our selues for all those things which may
Conclusions but you rather thinke that you haue lost opinion and credit by it and therefore you are Melancholy and sadd yea and when you are to doe any of theis publicque things the very feare of the successe and whether you shall gaine or loose honorâ— by it makes you afflicted and greiued Theis are some of those things which make the proud man Melancholy and sadd But now the humble of hart who desire noe honour or estimation and contents himselfe with a meane place is free from all this restlesnes and disquiet and enioyes great peace according to the words of Christ our Lord from whome that saynt tooke this saying of his If there be peace in this world the humble of hart possesses it And therefore though there were noe way of spiritt or perfection to be looked after but onely our owne interest and the keeping our harts in peace and quietnes euen for this and this alone we were to procure Humilitie for thus wee should come to liue whereas the other is but to leade a kinde of dying life Saint Augustine to this purpose recountes a certaine thinge of himselfe whereby he saith that our Lord gaue him to vnderstand the blindnes and misery wherein hee was As I went one day sayth he full of affliction and care in thought of a certaine Oration which I was to recite before the Emperour in his praise whereof the greatest parte was to be false and my selfe procuring to be praysed for my paines euen by them who knew that it would be false that men may see how farr the vanitie and folly and madnes of the world extends it selfe as I went I say with much thought heereof and was full of trouble and care how the busines might succeede and hauing as it were euen a kinde of feauer vpon me of consuming thoughts it hapned that in one of the streetes of Milan there was a poore begger who after he had gotten well to eate and drinke was playing tricks and taking his pleasure and in fine was very merry and iolly But when I saw this I fell to sigh and represent to my freinds whoe were present there to what misery our madnes had made vs subiect Since in all our troubles and namely in those where in we found our selues at that tyme carrying a great burthen of infelicity vpon our backs and beinge wounded with the vexation of a thousand inordinate appetites and dayly adding one burthen to another we did not soe much as procure to seeke any other thing then onely some secure kinde of contentment and ioy wherein that poore begger had outstripped vs already whoe perhaps should neuer be able to ouertake him therein For that which hee had now obteyned by meanes of a little almes namely the ioy of temporall felicitie I still went seeking and hunting out with soe much sollicitude and care It is true saith Saint Augustine that the poore man had noe true ioy but it is alsoe true that the contentment which I sought was more false then his and in fine hee then was merry and I sad he was secure and I full of cares feares And if any man should aske me now whether I had rather be glad or greiued I should quickly make answere that I had rather be glad and if he should aske me yet againe whether I had rather be that begger or my selfe I should then rather choose to be my selfe though I were then full of afflictions but yet for ought I know I should haue noe reason to make this choise For I aske what cause I can alledge for my being more learned gaue me then noe contentment at all but onely desired to giue contentment to others by my knowledge and yet that not by way of instructing theÌ„ but But without doubt saith hee that poore man was more happye then I not onely because he was merry and iolly when I was full of cogitations and cares which drew euen my very bowells out of my body but because he had gotten his wine by lawfull meanes whereas I was hunting after vaine glory by the way of tellinge lyes Of another kinde of meanes more efficatious for the obteyning the vertue of Humilitie which is the exercise thereof CHAPTER XXIII WEe haue already spoken of the first kinde of meanes which are vsually assigned for the obteyning of virtue which is certaine reasons and considerations both diuine and humaine But yet the inclination which we haue to this vice of pride is soe very greate by reason that the desire of diuinitie Eritis sicut dij remaines soe rooted in our harts from our first parents that noe considerations at all are sufficient to make vs take our last leaue of the impulse and edge which wee haue to be honored and esteemed It seemes that that happens to vs heerein which occurrs to others whoe are full of feare For how many reasons soeuer you giue to perswade such persons that they haue no cause to feare such or such a thing they yet make this answere I see well that all you say is true and I would faine not feare but yet I cannot obteyne it of my selfe For iust soe some say in our case I well perceiue that all those reasons which you haue brought against the opinion and estimation of the world are good and true and they conuince that all is but meere vaniâ—ie and winde but yet with all this I cannot by any meanes Wynne soe much of my selfe as not to make some accounte thereof I would faine doe it if I could but me thinke I know not how this kinde of things transports and disquiets me strangely Well then as noe reasons and considerations are sufficient to free the fearefull man from feare but that besides this we must intreate him to put his hand to worke and bid him draw neere to feele and touch those things which seemed to him to be bugbeares and sprights and aduise him to goe sometyme by night and alone to the same places where he thought he saw them that soe he might finde by experience that there was nothing indeede but that all was his imagination and apprehension that soe by this meanes he may loose his feare soe alsoe for the makeing vs giue ouer the desire of opinioÌ„ and estimation of the world the Saints affirme that noe reasons or coÌ„siderations are sufficieÌ„t but that we must also vse the meanes of action and of the exercise of humilitie for this is the principall and most efficatious meanes which we for our parts ean imploy towards the obteyning of this vertue S. Basill saith that as sciences and arts are acquired by practise soe alsoe are the morall vertues That a man may be a good Musition a good Rethorition a good Philosopher and a good workemaÌ„ in any kinde let him exercise himselfe herein and he will grow perfect And soe alsoe for obteyning the habit of Humilitie and all the rest of the morall vertues wee must exercise our selues in the acts thereof and by
his temptations but was euen sett on fire by them and was sometymes in danger to fall and to leaue the institute of a Moncke Being then in this trouble the holy Abbott Isidorus came to him and told him on the parte of God that for that tyme forweard his temptations should cease in the name of IESVS CHRIST our Lord and soe they did and neuer sett vpon him more And the Saint by way of declaring the cause adds this that till then God had not giuen compleat victory to Abbot Moyses least he should haue growne vaine and proud as conceiuing that he had conquered by his owne strength and therefore that God had till then permitted it for his greater good Moyses had not yet obtayned the guift of distrusting himselfe and now to the end that he might obtaine it and not grow proud by confiding in himselfe God left him soe longe a tyme and he obteyned not by soe many and soe great indeauours the compleate victory ouer this passion which others by diligence had obteyned The like did Palladius relate to haue hapned to the Abbot Pacon for euen whilst he was seauenty yeares old he was very much molested by vncleane temptations and he saith that the other affirmed it to him with an oath that after he was fiftie yeares old the combat had bene soe vsuall and soe very fearce as that there had not passed either one day or night in all that tyme wherein he had not bene tempted to that sinne Hee did very extraord nary things to free himselfe from theis temptations but they did not serue the turne And lamenting one day and euen halfe fearing that our lord had forsaken him he heard a voice which interiourly said thus to him know that the cause why god hath permitted this sharpe assault to be made against thee that beene to the end that thou mightst know thine owne pouertie and miserie and the little or nothing which thou hast of thy selfe and therefore see that thou humble thy selfe heereafter and conside not in thy selfe at all but in all things haue recourse for helpe to me And he saith that he was soe comforted by this instruction that he neuer felt that temptation againe In fine the will of our Lord is that we put all our confidence in him and that we distrust our selues with all our owne diligences and meanes This is the doctrine not onely of Saint Augustine Cassian and those antient Fathers but of the holy Ghost himselfe and that in those very termes whereby we haue expressed it heere The wise man in the booke of wisedome setts expresly downe both the Theory and the practise of this pointe in theis words Et vt sciui quoniam aliter non possem esse continens nisi deus det hoc ipsum erat sapientia scire cuius esset hoc donum adij Dominum deprecatus sum illum ex totis precordijs meis When I know saith Salomon that I could not be continent but by the spirituall guift of God Now Continent is heere the generall word which embraces not onely the conteyning or restrayning that passion which is against Chastitie but all the other passions alsoe which rebell against reason And that other place also of Ecclesiasticus Omnis autem ponderatio digna est continentis animae No weight of gold is able to goe in ballance with a continent sowle No pretious thinge is soe much worth as the person who is continent Hee meanes that kinde of man who intirely containes all his affects and appetites that they may not passe beyond the bounds of reason And now saith Salomon knowing that I could not containe theis passions and powers both of my body and sowle within the moderation of vertue and truth without the especiall guift of God but that sometymes they would exceede the knowledge whereof is a high pointe of wisedome I had recourse to our lord and begged this guift of him with my whole hart Soe that in fine this is the onely meanes whereby a man may become continent and may be able to continue continent to restraine and gouerne our passions and binde them to the good behauiour and to obtaine victory ouer all temptations and the perfection of all vertues And soe the Prophet vnderstood it rightly when he said Nisi Dominus aedificauerit Domum in vanum laborauerunt qui adificant eam Vnlesse our lord build the howse he labours in vaine who desires to build it Nisi Dominus custodierit Ciuitatem frustra vigilat qui custodit eam If our lord doe not guard the Cittie he labours in vaine who seekes to guarde it It is he who must giue vs all good things and when he hath giuen them must conserue them to vs or els all our labour will be lost That Humilitie is not contrary to Magnanimity but rather that it is the foundation and cause Thereof CHAPTER XXXVI SAint Thomas treating of the vertue of Magnanimitie makes this question On the one side the Saints say yea and the holy Scripture alsoe saith that Humilitie is very necessary for vs and with all that Magnanimitie is alsoe necessary especially for such as exercise high ministeries and liue in high place Now theis two vertues seeme to bee contrary in them selues because Magnanimitie is a greatenes of minde to attempt and enterprise greate and excellent things which in them selues may be worthie of honour and both the one and the other seeme to be contrary to Humilitie For as for the first which is to enterprise greaâ—e things this seemes not to sute well with this vertue because one of the degrees of Humilitie which the Saints assigne is Ad omnia indignum inutilem se confiteri credere To confesse and hould himselfe vnworthie and vnprofitable for all things and now for a man to attempt that for which hee is not fitt seemes to be presumption and pride And as for the second pointe which is to enterprise things of honor it seemes alsoe to be contrary because the true humble man must be very farre from desiring honour estimation To this Saint Thomas answeres very well and sayes that although in apparance and by the exteriour sound of the words theis two vertues may seeme to be contrary betweene themselues yet in effect and truth one vertue cannot be contrary to another in particular he saith coÌ„cerning theis two vertues of Humility and Magnanimâ—ty that if wee will attentiuely cast our eyes vpon the truth and substance of the thing we shall not onely finde that they are not contrarie but that they are direct Sisters and depend much vpon one another And this he declares very well because as for the first which is to enterprise and attempt great things which is proper to the magnanimous person it is not onely contrary to the humble man but rather is very proper to him and he who is the one may well do the other If confiding in our owne diligence and strength wee should vndertake great
to worke by his meanes such wondrous and prodigious things as hee resolued to lett the world so thought fitt for the cause aforesaid that first that very hand wherewith he was to deride the read sea effect of other things so very strange being first put into his bosome should be then drawne forth seene by himselfe to be full of Leprosie A second reason for which we stand in more particular necessitie of Humilitie is to the and that we may gather fruite in those very ministeries wtherein we are imployed Soe that Humilitie is necessary for vs not onely in regard of our owne improuement least otherwise we should grow vaine proud so cast away our selues but besides for the gayning of our neighbours the bringing forth fruite in their soules One of the most principall meanes towards thiâ— end is Humilitie and that wee distrust our selues and that we vely noâ— vpon our owne industry or prudence or other parts but that we place all our confidence in God and ascribe and referre all to him according to that of the wiseman Habe fidâ—ciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo ne inuitaris prudentiae tuae Put your confidence in God with your whole hart rely not vpon your owne prudence And the reason heer of is as afterw and I shall declare more at large because when through distrust of our selues wee place all our confidence in God we ascribe it all to him put the whole busines to his accompt whereby we oblige him much to take care thereof O Lord dispatch thine owne busines the conuersion of soule is thine and not ours alas what pouer can we haue to saue soules But non when wee are confident in the meanes wee vse and in the discourses which wee are able to make we bring our selues to be parties to the busines attribut much to our selues all that doe wee take from Almightie God They are like twoe ballances for looke how much the one rises so much the other will be suer to falle as much as we attribut to our selues soe much wee take froÌ„ God and runne away with the glory aÌ„d honor which is onely his thus he comes to permitt that noe effect is wrought And I pray God that this be not some tymes the cause why we doe our neighbours noe more good We read in the life of our B. Father Ignatius that by certaine discourses of the Christian Doctrine which he made some tymes in Rome with plaine and rude and improper words for he was them nothing skilfull in the Italian tongue he yet wrough soe great fruite in soules that vpon the end of his speech his auditours would haue their harts alâ— wounded came with such sighes sobbes teares to the feete of a Ghostly Father that through excesse of greiuing and weeping they could hardly speake And this grew because he put noe trust in his owne words but onely in that Spiritt by which he spake Non in persuasibilibus humanae sapientiae verbis sed iâ— ostentione spiritus virtutis Not in the perswading words of humanae wisedome but in the manifestation of Spiritt truth as S. Paule saith Hee was distrustfull of himselfe placed all his coÌ„fidente in God soe God gaue strength and spiritt to those inproper and rude words of his which seemed euen to dart burning flames into the harts of his hearers And nowe I know not whether the reason why we produce not at this day soe great fruit be not because we sticke much closer to the opinion of our owne prudence because we rest and relie much vpon our owne meanes of perswation and our learning discourse our polite and elegant manner of declaring our minds and we goe gustinge and delighting our selues much with our selues O vell then saith God when you conceiue that you haue said the best things deliuered the most conuincing reasons and remaine content and iolly with conceit that you haue done great matters you shall then effect least of all And that shall be fulfilled in you which the Prophet Oâ—e said Da eis Domine quid dabis eis Da eis vuluam sine liberis vbera arentia I will take order that thou shalt be a barren mother that thou shalt haue noe more thereof but the name You shall be such or such a Father and such a Preacher you shall be called but you shall remaine as I said with the onely name and you shall haue noe spirituall Children I will giue you dry brests such as noe Childe shall hange vpon nor shall any thinge sticke by theÌ„ which thou saist for this doth he deserue who will needes vsurpe the good of God and attribute that to himselfe which is proper onely due to his diuine Maiestie I say not but that what soeuer men shall preach must be very well studyed considered but yet this is not all foâ— it must alsoe be very well wept vpon very well recommended to God anâ— when you shall haue made your heaâ— ake with studying it ruminating vpon it you must say Serui inutiles sumuâ— quod debuimus facere secimus We haue bâ— done what we ought and we are vnprofitabâ—â— seruants what am I able to effect I hauâ— made a little noyse of words like a peecâ— which shotes powder without a bulett but if the hart be wounded it iâ— thou O Lord who must doe it Cor regâ— in manu Domini quocunque voluerit inclinâ— uit illud The kings hart is in Gods hand he inclines it to what soeuer he will It is thoâ— o Lord who art to moue and wound thâ— hart Alas what are we able to doe tâ— them What proportion can our wordâ— and all our humaine meanes carry to aâ— end so high and so supernaturall as it is to conuert soules No such matter But how comes it then to passe that we are so vaine soe very well pleased with our selues when we thinke some good is done and that our busines succeedes well as if we were the men who had done the deede Nunquid gloriabitur sicuris contra eum qui secat in ea aut exaltabitur serra contra eum à quo trahitur Shall peraduenture saith the Prophet Esay to God the hatchet or the saw bragg against him who vses it and workes with it and say I am he who haue cutt and whoe haue sawed that word Quomodo si etenetur virga contra eleuantem se exaltetur baculus qui vtique lignum est This were as if a Cudgell should looke bigg and admire it selfe because a man lifts it vp whereas the thing in it selfe is but wood which can not once stirr if men stirr it not Now we are iust thus in respect of any spirituall and supernaturall end of the conuersion of soules We are like soe many wands whoe cannot once stirr if God stirr vs not And therefore we must ascribe all to him as
carefull as were sitt which is a daungerous course and hath bene the fundation roote of of many fearefull and great ruines O how many men whoe were very spirituall and whoe seemed to be sublimed as high as heauen in the exercise of prayer and contemplation haue cast them selues downe headlonge by this precipice O how many who really were Saints and great Saints haue come by this meanes to haue most wretched falls Because they forgott them selues because they made them selues too sure through the fauours which they had receiued from God They grew to be full of confidence as if there had already bene noe more danger for them and soe they came miserably to distruction Wee haue bookes which are full of such accidents S. Basill saith that the cause of that miserable falle of king Dauid both into adultery and Murther Was the presumption which once he had when he was visited by the hand of God with abondance of consolation soe farr as that he presumed to say Ego dixi in abundantia mea non mouebor in aeternum I shall neuer be altered from this state Well stay a while God will a little take of his hand those extraordinary fauours and â—egalos shall cease and you shall see what will happen Auertisti faciem tuam a me factus sum conturbatus God leaues you in your pouerty and then you will be like your sel e and you shall know to your cost when you are once fallen that which you would not know whilst you were visited and sauoured by Almightie God And S. Basill alsoe saith that the cause oâ— the fall denyall of the Apostle S. Peeter was the confiding and presuming vaynly in himselfe Etiam si oportuerit me mori tecum non te negabo si omnes scandalizati fuerint in te ego nunquam scandalizabor Because he said with arrogancy and presumption that thouhg all men should be scandalized yet would not he be scandalized but would rather dye with Christ For this did God permitt that he should fall that soe he might be humbled and know himselfe Wee must neuer giue way that our eyes may waÌ„der from our selues nor euer be secure in this life but considering what we are we must goe euer on with great care of our selues and with great doubt and seare least the enemy whome we carry still about vs put some tricke vpon vs and prouide some snare into which he may procure vs to fall So that as we must not stay vpon the knowledge of our owne miserye weakenes but passe instantly on to the knowledge of the goodnes of God soe neither must we stay vpon the knowledge of God and his mercies fauours but returne with speede againe to cast our eyes downe vpon our selues This is that Iacobs ladder whereof one end is fastned to the earth in our knowledge of our selues and the other reaches vp to the very hight of heauen By this ladder must you ascend and descend as the Angels ascended and descended by that other Rise vp by the knowledge of the goodnes of God but stay not there least you grow into presumption but descend to the knowledge of your selues yet stay not also there least you fall into despaire but still returne againe to the knowledge of God that so you may haue confidence in him In fine the businesse consists in that you be still ascending and descending by this ladder Thus did S. Katherine of Siena vse this exercise to free her selfe from seuerall temptations which the diuell brought against her as she herselfe relates in her Dialogues when the diuell would tempt her by way of confusion desiring to make her beleeue that her whole life was nothing but errour and abuse For then she woud raise her selfe vp but yet still with humilitie by the coÌ„sideration of the mercies of God and she would be saying to this effect I confesse o my Creator that my whole life hath bene led in darkenes but yet I will hide my selfe in the wounds of Christ Iesus Crucified and I will bath my selfe in his blood and soe my wickednes shal be consumed and I will reioyce in my Creator and my lord Lauabis me super niuem dealbabor And soe also when the Diuell would offer to putt her vp to pride by tentations of a contrary kinde seekeing to make her thinke that she was perfect and pleasing to God and that there was noe cause why she should any longer afflict her selfe and lament her sinnes then would she humble her selfe and make the diuell this answere O wretched creature that I am S. Iohn Baptist neuer committed sinne was sanctified in his mothers wombe and yet notwithstanding all that was contynually doeing penance And I haue comitted for many defects and haue neuer lamented them no nor euen considered them aâ— they deserued With this the diuell not likeing to endure soe great humilitie or the one side nor soe great confidence on the other said thus to her Be thou accursed and he alsoe vhoe hath taught thee this for I know not how to make entrance heere since if I abase thee by coÌ„fusioÌ„ thou raisest thy selfe vp as high as heauen by the consideration of the mercy of God and if I raise thee vp towards presomption thou abasest thy selfe by the consideration of thy sinnes as low as hell by way of humilitie yea and thou persecutest me euen in hell it selfe Now after this very manner are we to vse this exercise and soe shall wee on the one side be full of circumspection and feare and on the other full of courage and ioy Fearfull in reguard of our selues and ioyfull through our hope in God Theis are those two lessons which as we are taught by that other Saint God giues dayly to his elect the one to make them see their defects and the other to make them see the goodnes of God who takes them from vs with soe much loue Of the great benefitt and profitt which growes by this exercise of a mans knowing himselfe CHAPTER IX TO the end that we may yet be more animated to this exercise of the knowledge of our selues we will goe on declaring some great benefitts and aduantages which are conteyned therein One of the cheife thereof hath bene shewed already namely that this is the foundatioÌ„ and roote of Humilitie and the necessary meanes both for the purchase and preseruation thereof One of those antient Fathers being asked how a man might doe to obtaine true Humilitie made this answere Si sua tantummodo non alterius mala consideret If he consider onely his owne sinnes sounding and digging deepe into the knowledge of himselfe this man shall obtaine true Humilitie This alone were sufficient to make vs attend much to this exercise since it imports vs soe very much towards the obteyning of this vertue But yet the Saincts passe further on and say that the humble knowledge of our selues is a more certaine way towards the knowledge of
cost him deere For hee saw himselfe soe vgly and soe abominable that he vttered loud cryes and said O Lord I beseech thee euen for thy mercies sake take this spectacle from before myne eyes for I can looke noe longer vpon this figure From hence growes alsoe that holy kinde of hate and detestation of them selues in the seruants of God whereof I spake before For how much more they know the immense goodnes of God and loue him more soe much the more doe they abhorr them selues as hauing bene opposites and enemyes of God according to that of Iob. Quare posuisti me contrarium tibi factus sum mihi metipsigrauis They see that in themselues they haue the roote of all mischeife which is the wicked and peruerse inclination of our flesh and vpon this knowledge they raise them selues vp against them selues and abhorr them selues Doe you not thinke it reason to abhorre him who made you forsake and sell soe greate a good as God is for a little contentment or gust Doe you not thinke it reason for you to hate him whoe made you loose eternall glory and deserue Hell for euer him who wrought you soe much hurt and still persistts in doeing it Doe you not thinke that you haue cause to detest Well now this person is your selfe an opposite and enemy of God an opposite and enemy of your owne saluation That the knowledge of ones selfe doth not cause dismay but rather giues courage and strength CHAPTER X. THere is another great benefitt which growes from the exercise of knowinge a mans selfe that not onely it causes no dismay or base feare as perhaps some might doubt but rather a great hart and courage towards all those things which are good And the reason of this is that when a man knowes him selfe hee sees that here is noe colour why he should rely vpon him selfe but that distrusting himselfe hee must put all his confidence in God in whome he findes himselfe stronge and able for all things Hence it is that theis are the men who are apt to attempt and vndertake great things and theis are they who goe through with them For in reguard they ascribe all to God and nothing to them selues God takes the busines in hand and makes it his and holds it vpon his ownes accounte and then he is wont to doe mightie things and euen wonders by the meanes of weake instruments Vt ostenderet diuitias gloriae suae in vasis misericordiae quae preparauit in gloriam To shew the riches and treasures of his mercies God will doe wonderfull things by instruments whoe are miserable and weake Hee vses to put the treasures of his mercy into the poorest vessels for thus doth his glory shine most This is that which God said to Saint Paule when being euen tyred with temptations he cryed out and begged that hee might be deliuered from them and God made him this answere Sufficit tibi gratia mea nam virtus in infirmitate perficitur My grace shall be sufficient for thee how great soeuer thy temptations and miseries may be and then doth the power of God proue it selfe to be more stronge and perfect when the weakenes and infirmitie is more apparent For as the Phisition gaines more honour when the sicknes which he cures is more daungerous soe when there is more weakes in vs our deliuery brings more glory to Gods arme and power and soe doth Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose expound this place So that when a man knowes and distrusts himselfe and puts all his confidence in God then doth his Maiestie come and helpe and when on the other side a man putts confidence in himselfe and in his owne diligences and meanes he is forsaken by Almightie God This saith Saint Basile is the cause why when we desire to make our Prayers best and to haue most deuotion in certaine principall festiuities it falls out many tymes that we haue lesse because wee put our confidence in our owne meanes and in our owne diligences and preparations And at other tymes we are preuented with great benedictions and sweetenes when we looke for them least to the end that we may knowe that this is an effect of the grace and mercy of our lord and of no diligence or meritt of ours So that a mans knowing his misery and frailty causes noe cowardise or dismay but rather giues courage and strength in regard that it makes him distrust him selfe and place all his confidence in God And this is alsoe that which the Apostle saith Cum infirmor tunc potens sum and againe Cum humilior tunc exaltor For thus doe both Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose declare it When I humble and a base my selfe and know that I am good for nothing then am I exalted and raysed vp Whilst I know and see my infirmitie and miserie fastning my selfe vpon God I finde my selfe more stronge and more full of courage for hee is all my confidence and strength Et erat Dominus fiducia eius Heereby you may vnderstand that it is not Humilitie nor any thing which springs from thence when there come to vs some tymes certaine dismaies and deiections concerning our little progresse in Spiritt and when we feare that we shall neuer obtaine such or such a vertue and neuer ouercome such an ill condition or inclination or that we shall not be fitt for this or that office and ministery in which we are or may be imployed by Obedience as when we question whether we shall be fitt to take Confessions or to be sent to or fro in Missions or the like This may seeme to be Humilitie but many tymes it is not soe but rather springs from pride For such a one cast his eyes vpon himselfe as if by his owne strength and diligences he were to goe through with that busines whereas he ought to cast them vpon God in whome we are to be full of confidence and courage Dominus illuminatio mea saluâ— mea quem timebo Dominus protector vitae meae a quo trepidabo Si consistant aduersum me castra non tiâ—ebit cor meum Si exurgat aduersum me praelium in hoc ego sperabo si ambulauero in medio vmbrae mortis non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es If whole armies shall rise against me my hart shall not be affraide If they shall bidd me battaille yet will I hope in God Though I walke in the midst of the very shandow of death and arriue euen at the very gates of hell yet my hart shall not feare because thou O Lord art with me With what varietie of words doth the holy Prophett expresse the selfe same thing and indeede we haue the Psalmes full of this to signifie the aboundance of pious affections and of the confidence which he had and which we ought to haue in God In Deo meo transgrediar murum In my God I vill passe ouer a wall how high soeuer it may be