Kaptaine conductour of his people to worke by his meanes such woudrous 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 this and is Humilitie and that wee diâ—trust our selues and that we vely not 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 fiduciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo ne innitaris 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 Almig tie God They are like twoe ballances for looke hoâ— 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 all 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 in ostentione spiritus virtutis Not in the perswading words of humanae wisedome but in the manifestation of Spirit 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—â— 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 shaâ—t 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 goods 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 for it must alsoe be very well wept vpon very well recommended to God and when you shall haue made your head ake with studying it ruminatinge vpon it you must say Serui inutiles sumus quod debuimus facere secimus We haue but done what we ought and we are vnprofitable seruants what am I able to effect I haue made a little noyse of words like a peece which shotes powder without a bullett but if the hart be wounded it is thou O Lord who must doe it Cor regis in manu Domini quocunque voluerit inclinauit illud The kings hart is in Gods hand he inclines it to what soeuâ—r he wâ—ll It is thou o Lord who art to moue and wound the hart Alas what are we able to doe to them What proportion can our words and all our humaine meanes carry to an 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 Numquid gloriabitur sicuris contra eum qui secat in ea aut exaltabitur serra contra eum à quo trabitur 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
purpose they bring that which Saint Paule said of those Philosophers whome for theyr pride God deliuered ouer to the desires of their harts In immunditiam vt contumelijs afficiant corpora sua in semetipsos in passiones ignonimiae They came to fall into vncleane sinnes which were most filthy and not to be named God permitting it soe for their pride to the end that they might be humbled and confounded when they saw themselues turned beasts with the harte and conuersation and custome of beasts Quis non time bit te O Rex gentium Who will not be afraide of thee O thou king of the Nations who will not tremble at this punishment which is soe great as that there is none greater out of Hell Nay sinne is euen worse then Hell Quis nouit potestatem irae tuae prae timore tuo iram tuam dinumerare Who O lord hath knowne the power of thy wrath or who is able to relate it through the great feare which ought to be had thereof The Saints note that God in theis cases is wont to vse two kindes of mercy towards vs a greater mercy and a lesse The lesse mercy is when he succours vs in our lesse miseries which are the temporall and such as onely concerne the body and the great mercy is when he succours vs in our great miseries which are the spirituall and which iâ—â—ort the sowle And soe when Dauid sâ—â—â—â—â—selâ—e in his great misery of beinge abandoned and dispossessed of God by the adultery and murder which he had committed he cryed out and beggs the great mercy of God Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam They say alsoe that there is a great and a little anger of God The lesser is when he punishes men heere in the Temporall with aduersities in losse of goods of honour health and the like which onely concerne the body but the great anger is when the punishment goes soe farre that it arriues to the interiour part of the sowle according to that of the Prophet Ieremy Ecce peruenit gladius vsque ad animam And this is that wich God saith by the Prophett Zacharie Iramagna ego irascor super gentes opulentas I will be angry with my great Anger with that Nation which is proud and puffed vp When God forsakes a man permitts him to fall into mortall sinnes in punishment of his other sinnes this is the great anger of God theis are wounds which are giuen by diuine indignation they are not as of a father but as of a iust and rigorous iudge Of which wounds that of the Prophett Ieremy may be vnderstood Plagainimici percussi te castigatione crudeli I haue wounded thee with the wound of an enemy with a cruell punishment And soe alsoe saith the wiseman Fouea profunda os leoenae cui iratus est dominus incidet in eam The mouth of a lewd woman is a deepe ditch and he with whome God is angry shall fall into it Finally pride is soe wicked a thing and soe much abhorred by Almightie God that the Saints say that sometymes it is good for the proud man to be thus punished by Almightie God that soe he may come to be cured of his pride Soe saith Saint Augustine Audeo dicere superbis esse vtile cadere in aliquod vitium apertum manifestumque peccatum vnde sibi displiceant qui sibi iam ceciderant I presume to say that it is profitable and good for proud men that God permitt them to falle into some visible and externall sinne that soe they whoe were very well satisfied and pleased in themselues and were already falne though they perceiued it not may soe begin to know and to humble and distrust themselues according to that of the wiseman Contritio praecedit superbiam ante ruinam exaltatur spiritus The same doe Saint Basill and Saint Gregory affirme Saint Gregory by the occasion of the sinne of Dauid why God permitts that the elect and such as he hath predestinated to aeternalle life and on whome he had heaped vp his graces and guifts should fall sometymes into carnall and filthy sinnes and he answeares that the reason of it is because sometymes they who haue receiued great graces fall into pride and they haue it soe rooted and euen wrought into the most intimous parte of the hart that they themselues vnderstand it not but are soe well pleased and confident of themselues as to thinke that God and they are all one As it hapned to Saint Peter the Apostle who conceiued not that those words of his had flowed from pride when he said Though all men should be scandalised yet will not I be scandalised but he thought that it had bene courage in him and an extraordinary loue which he carryed to his Master Therefore to cure such pride as this which lyes so close and is soe disguised as that a man is already falne though himselfe perceiue it not our lord permitts sometymes that such persons falle into certaine manifest exteriour cornall filthy sinnes to the end that soe they may know themselues better and looke more exactly in to their sowles and may soe come to perceiue their pride which they beleeued not to be in them before and whereof they looke for noe remedy would so haue come to perish but now by meanes of such grosse falls they know it and being humbled now in the sight of God they doe penance both for the one and the other and soe meete with remedy for both their miseries at once as we see S. Peter did who by that visible aparant fall of his came to know that pride which lay soe secretly within and he grew to lament it and to doe penance for them both and thus was his fall good for him The same hapned also to Dauid whoe therefore saith Bonum est mihi quia humiliasti me vt discam iustificationes tuas O Lord it hath cost me deere I confesse it but yet vpon the whole matter it hath bene good for me that I haue bene humbled that soe heere after I may learne to serue thee and know how to abase my selfe as I ought And as the wise Phisitian when he is not able to cure the malady out right and when the peccant humour is soe rebellious and maligne that he cannot make nature digest and ouercome it procures to call and drawe it into the exteriour parts of the body that so it may be the better cuâ—ed iust soe for the cure of certaine haughty and rebellious sowles doth our Lord permitt them to fall into greiuous exteriour sinnes to the end that they may know and humble themselues and by meanes of that abasement which appeares without the maligne and pestillent humour may be alsoe cured which lay close within And this is a word which God works in Israell which whosoeuer comes to heere his very eares shall euen tingle for meere feare theis I say are those great punishments of God
hominem quem suscipere dignatus est disciplina morum fuit sed praecipue humilitatem suam â—mitandam proposuit dicens Matt. 11. Discite 〈◊〉 me quia mitis sum humilis corde The whole life of Christ our Lord on earth was ledd for our instruction and hee was the Master and teacher of all the vertues but especially of this of humilitie which hee desired cheifely that wee should learne And this consideration alone may well serue to make vs vnderstand both the greate excellencie of this vertue and the greate neede alsoe which wee haue thereof since the sonne of God himselfe came downe from heauen to earth to teach vs the practise and to make himselfe our instructour therein and that not onely by word of mouth but much more particularly by his actions For indeede his whole life was an example and liuely patterne of Humilitie The glorious S. Basill goes discoursing through the whole life of Christ our Lord euen from his birth and hee obserues and shewes how all his actions serued to teach vs this vertue in most particular manner Hee would needes saith the saynt be borne of a mother who was poore in a poore open stable and bâ— laid in a manger and be wrapped in miserable clouts hee would needes be Circumcised like a sinner and fly into Egipâ— like a poore weake creature and be baptised amongst Publicans and sinners likâ— one of them And afterward in the course of his life when they had a minde to â—oe him honor and take him vp for their â—ing hee hidd himselfe but when they â—ut dishonor and afronts vpon him hee â—hen presented himselfe to them When â—e was celebrated and admired by men â—ea and euen by persons whoe were possessed with the deuill hee commaunded â—hem to hould their peace but when â—hey thought fitt to reproach and scorne â—im hee held his peace And neere the â—nd of his life that hee might leaue vs â—his vertue by his last will and Testament hee confirmed it by that soe admiâ—able example of washing his disciples â—eete as alsoe by vndergoeing that â—oe ignominious death of the Crosse â— Bernard saith Exinaniuit semetipsum vt â—rius praestaret exemplo quod erat docturus â—erbo The sonne of God abused and dimiâ—ished himselfe by taking our nature vpon â—im and hee would haue his whole life be a â—atterne of humilitie soe to teach vs by actions â—â—at which hee would alsoe teach vs by words 〈◊〉 strange manner of instruction But â—hy Lord must soe high a maiestie be â—based soe Low Vt non apponat vltra manificare se homo super terram To the end that from henceforth there may not soe much as onâ— man be founde whoe shall once aduenture tâ— be proud and to exalt himselfe vpon the earth Intollerabilis enim impudentia est vt vbi sesâ— exinaniuit maiestas vermiculus infletur intumescat It was euer astrainge bouldnes or rather a kinde of madnes for 〈◊〉 man to be proud but nowe saith the saynt when the maiestie of God hath humbled and abased it selfe it is an intollerable shame and an vnspeakeablâ— kinde of absurditie that this little wretched worme of man should haue a minde to be honored and esteemed That thâ— sonne of God who is equall to the father should take the forme of a seruanâ— vpon him and vouchsafe to be dishonored and abased and that I whoe am buâ— dust and ashes should procure to be valued and admired With much reason did the Sauyouâ— of the world declare that hee is the maister of this vertue of Humilitie and thaâ— wee were to learne it of him for neitheâ— Plato nor Socrates nor Aristotle did euâ— teach men this vertue For when thoâ— heathen Philosophers were treating 〈◊〉 those other vertues of Fortitude of Teâ—porance and of Iustice they vere soe faâ— â—re of the while from being humble therein that they pretended euen by those very workes and by all their vertuous actions to be esteemed and recommended to posterity It is true that there was a Diogenes and some others like him whoe professed to contemne the world and to despise themselues by vsing meane cloathes and certaine other pouerties and abstinencies but euen in this they were extreamely proud and procured euen by that meanes to be obserued and esteemed whilst others were despised by them as was wisely noted by Plato in Diogenes For one day when Plato had inuited certaine Philosophers and amoÌ„gst them Diogenes to his house hee had his roomes well furnished and his carpetts laid such other preparations made as might be fitt for such gests But as soone as Diogenes entred in hee began to foule those faire carpetts with his durtie feete which Plato obseruinge askt him what he ment Calco Platonis fastum saith Diogenes I am trampling saith hee vpon Platoes pride But Plato made him then this good answere Calcas sed alâ—o fastu insinuating thereby that the pride wherewith â—he trode vpon Platos carpetts was greater then Platos pride in possessing them The Philosophers did neuer reach to that contempt of themselues wherein Christian Humilitie consists nay they did not soe much as knowe Humilitie euen by name for this is that vertue which was properly and onely taught by Christ our Lord. And S. Augustine obserues how that diuine sermon made by our Sauiour in the Mount began with this vertue Beati pauperes spiritu quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum Blessed are the poore of Spiritt for theirs is the kingdome of heauen For both S. Augustine S Hierome S. Gregorie and other Saints affirme that by poore in spirit such as be humble are vnderstood See that the redeemer of the world beginns his preaching with this he continues it with this and he ends it with this This was hee teaching vs all his life and this doth he desire that we should learne of him Discite à me non muÌ„dum fabricare non cuncta visibilia inuisibilia creare non in ipso mundo mirabilia facere mortuos suscitare sed quoniaÌ„ mitis sum humiâ—is corde Hee said not as S. Augustine obserues Learne of mee not to create heauen and earth learne of mee not to doe wonderfull things and to woorke miracles to cure thâ— sicke to cast out diuells and to reuiue the dead but learne of mee to be meeke and humble of hart Potentior est enim tutior solidissima humilitas quam ventâ—sissima celsitudo Better â—s the humble man whoe serues God â—hen hee whoe works miracles That other way is plaine and safe but this is full of stumbling blocks and dangers The necessitie which wee haue of this vertue of Humilitie is soe greate that without it a man cannot make one stepp â—n spirituall life The glorious S. Augustine saith Nisi humilitas omnia quaecunque bene facimus praecesserit comitetur consecuta fuerit iam nobis de aliquo bono facto gaudentibus totum extorquet de manu superbia It is necessarie that all our
infirmitatibus meis in contumelijs in necessitatibus in angustiis pro Christo. For which reason I reioyce in my infirmities and iniuries affronts necessities persecutions and all kinde of difficulties for Christ our Lord. And wryting to the Philippians and treating of his imprisonment he desires them to beare him company in the ioy he had to see himselfe in Chaines for Christ our Lord. Hee had such an abundance of ioy in the persecutions and afflictions which hee suffered that hee had to spare for his freinds and therefore he inuited them to pertake thereof with him This is that milke which the Blessed Apostles suckt from the brest of Christ And soe wee read thus of them Ibant gaudentes a conspectu concilii quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pati They were full of ioy and gust when they were carried prisoners before their presidents and into their Sinagogues and esteemed it for a great fauour regalo at the hands of God to be thouht worthy to suffer affronts and iniuries for the name of Christ Heerein they were imitated by other Saints as for example by a Saint Ignatius the Martyr whoe when they were carrying him to be martyred at Rome with many scornes and reproaches was full of ioy and said Nunc incipio Christi esse discipulus It is but now that I begin to be a Disciple of Christ And this is that which our Father desires that we may imitate and he inioynes it in theis words of great exaggeration ponderation They who shall enter heere liue in the Society are to obserue and consider as in the presence of God our Creatour and our Lord that it is of great moment and must be with vs of greate accounte in order to our profiting in the way of spiritt to abhorre wholly and not onely in parte whatsoeuer the world embraces and loues and to embrace with our whole harts whatsoeuer was embraced by Christ our Lord. For as worldly men follow and loue the world and with all diligence search after worldly honour and estimation and fame as the world teaches them so they whoe walke in spiritt and are serious in following Christ our Lord doe ardently desire the direct contrary That is to say the same cloathing and liuery which our Lord ware for the loue and reuerence which we beare him And all this to such a proportion as that where soeuer it may not be of any offence to his diuine Maiestie nor involue the sinne of any of our neighbours nor our selues giue any occasion thereof we must desire to suffer iniuries false testimonies affronts and to be esteemed for noe better then fooles and this onely through a desire to imitate resemble Iesus Christ our Lord and creatour in some poore manner In this Rule is decyphred all that which can be said of Humility This is to haue in good earnest forsaken and detested the world and the most difficult parte thereof which is the appetite and desire to bee valued and esteemed this is to be dead to the world and to be indeede Religious that as they of the world desire to be honoured and esteemed and reioyce in it so we may desire dishonour and contempt and be glad of them This is to be truly of the Society of Iesus and to be the companions of Iesus Let vs therefore keepe him company not onely in name but in dishonor and contempt and lett vs put on his liuery in being affronted and despised by the world with him and for him and in being ioyfull and glad thereof for his loue Thou O Lord wert publiquely proclaimed as wicked and placed betweene two murdering theeues and therefore permitt not that I be proclaimed for good for it is not reason that the seruant should be better esteemed then the Master And if O Lord they persecuted and despised thee lett them also persecute affront and despise me that soe I may imitate thee and appeare to be thine assotiate and disciple Father Franciscus Xauier said that he held it to be vnworthy of a Christian who is euer calling to minde the affronts which were done to Christ our Lord if he the while would take gust in that the world should beare him reuerence honour That the perfection of humilitie and of all other vertues consists in performing the acts thereof with delight and gust and how much this imports towards our perseuerance in vertue CHAPTER XVI IT is the common Doctrine of the Philosophers that the perfection of vertue consists in performing the acts thereof with delight and gust For treating of the signes whereby it may be knowne whether a man haue obteyned the habit of any vertue they say they are theis when a man works according to that vertue Promptè Faciliter Delectabiliter with Promptitude with Facilitie and with Delight Hee who hath acquired the habitt of any art or science performes the workes thereof with extreame promptitude and facilitie And soe we see that hee who is skilfull vpon any instrument and hath gotten the habitt thereof playes with extreame promptitude and facilitie and hath noe neede to prouide himselfe nor to thinke much of the matter for euen though he thinke of other things he will yet play well Now in the selfe same manner he whoe hath acquired the habitt of vertue performes the acts thereof And therefore if you will know whether you haue acquired the vertue of Humilitie looke first whether you performe the works thereof with promptitude and facilitie for if you feele difficultie or repugnance in the occasion which present themselues to you it is a signe that you haue not yet acquired th◠perfection of that vertue And if for the bearing them well you haue neede of preuentions and consideration I confesse it is a good way for the obteyning the perfection of that virtue but still it is a signe that you haue not obteyned it yet As he whoe is to play vpon the Lute must goe thinking where hee is to place one finger where an other calling to minde the rules which hee was taught doth well towards his learninge to play but with all it is a signe that as yet he hath not gotten the habitt of that instrument For he who hath gott it needes not call this or that to minde to the end that he may play well And soe said Aristotle Ars perfecta non deliberat tam sibi facilis est actus suus Hee whoe hath perfectly acquired the habit of any art findes it soe easy to performe the acts thereof that he hath noe neede of cogitation or deliberation how to doe them for the doeing the◠well And soe the Philosophers come to say that the vertue of a man is knowne by his suddaine and inconsiderate acts In repentinis secundum habitum operamur a mans vertue is not knowne by the acts which he performeth vpon great deliberation but by such as doe come from him at vnawares Yea and the Philosophers
of being beloued by Christ our lord to be despised by the world with him and for the loue of him This is the cause why Saints haue taken so much gust in the contumelies and affronts of the world and haue tryed soe many conclusions for the obteyning to be contemned thereby It is true saith Saint Iohn Climachus that many of theis things were done by particular instinct of the holy Ghost and soe are a more fitt obiect for our admiration then for our imitation to worke vpon But Though we arriue not to performe that holy kinde of simplicitie in act as those Saints did we must yet procure to imitate them in the loue and great desire which they had to be vndervalued and desprised Saint Diadocus goes on further and saith that there are two kindes of Humilitie Vna mediorum altera perfectorum The first is of the middle sort who are proficients but yet are still in the fight and are combated with the thoughts of pride and of ill motions though they procure with the grace of our Lord to resist them by humbling and confounding themselues Another Humilitie there is which belonges to such as are perfect and this is when our lord communicates soe great light to a man in the way of knowing himselfe that it seemes as if now he could nor be proud yea and that euen the motions thereof could now come noe more Tunc anima velut naturalem habet humilitatem Then habt the soule a kinde of Humilitie euen as if it were naturall For howsoeuer hee may performe greate things yet he exalts not himselfe one iott the higher for that nor doth he esteeme himselfe the more but rather houlds himselfe for inferiour to all And he saith there is this difference betwene theis two kindes of Humilitie commonly the first is exercised with some trouble and paine as being in fine perfourmed by such a one as hath not yet obteyned a perfect conquest of himselfe but still feeles some contradiction for this is indeede that which giues sorrow and paine when the occasion of Humiliation and disestimation arriue for in this case they may take things with patience but they cannot doe it with ioy for still there is some what within which makes resistance because the passions are not ouercome But now the second kinde of Humilitie giues noe paine or greife at all but rather much ioy soe that the man be indeede in that confusion shame and haue that true disesteeme and contempt of himselfe before our lord for such a one hath nothing now which can make him any resistance in reguard that he hath conquered and subdued the contrary passions and vices and obteyned a perfect victory ouer himselfe And from hence it is sayth the Saint that they whoe haue but the first humilitie are troubled and altered by the aduersities and prosperities and variety of eueÌ„ts in this life But as for them whoe possesse the secoÌ„d Humilitie neither are they troubled by things aduerse nor doe prosperous things make them giddy or light nor doe they cause any vaine coÌ„tentment in them but they euer stand fast in one and the same kinde of State and they inioy greate â—ranquillity and peace as men whoe haue â—cquired perfection consequently are superiour to all euents Nothing can disquiet and giue paine to him who desires to be disesteemed and is glad thereof for â—f that which might trouble him and giue him paine namely the being forgotten and disesteemed be that in fine which he desires and that which giues him contentmeÌ„t and gust whoe can euer be able to disquiet him If in that whereby it seemes others sustaine soe much warre he can finde as much peace nothing can depriue him of that peace And soe saith S. Chrisostome Such a man as this hath found heauen and the state of happines heere on earth Anima auteÌ„ quae sic se habet quid potest esse beatius quicuÌ„que talis est is in portu continuo sedet ab omni tempestate liber oblectatur in serenitate cogitationum Now to this perfection of Humilitie must we procure to arriue and lett vs not hould it to be impossible for by the grace of God saith S. Augustine not onely may we imitate the Saints but euen the lord of Saints alsoe if wee will For our Lord himselfe requires vs to learne of him Discite à me quia mitis sum humilis corde Learne of mee for I am meeke and humble of harte And the Apostle Saint Peeter sayth that he gaue vs am example to the end that we might imitate it Christus passus est pro nobis vobis relinquens exemplum vt sequamini vestigia eius And Saint Ierome vpon those words of Christ our Lord Si vis perfectus esse saith that it is cleerely gathered from theis words that it is put into our power to be perfect since Christ our lord saith If thou wilt be perfect Qâ—ia si dixeris vires non suppetunt qui inspector est cordis ispe intelligit For if you say I haue noe strength wherewith to doe it God knowes our weaknes very well and yet still he saith that you may if you will For he is euer ready to helpe vs if we will and with his helpe we may doe all things Iacob saith the Saint saw a ladder which reached from earth to the heauens and the Angells went vp and downe by it and at the vpper end thereof the omnipotent God himselfe satt to helpe them who were ascending vp and to animate them by his presence to vndertake that labour And now procure you alsoe to mount this ladder by theis steps whereof we haue spoken for himselfe will reach you sorth his hand that soe you may be able to ascend euen the last stepp thereof When the trauailer sees some steepe hill whereby he is to passe it seemes from farre off to be a kinde of impossible thing for him to ascend there but when he comes neerer he findes the way ready made and that it is easily to be ouercomed Of some meanes for the obteyning of this second degree of Humilitie and perticularly of the example of Christ our Lord. CHAPTER XVIII THey ordinarily vse to assigne two seueral wayes or meanes for the obteyning of Morall vertues The one is of reasons and considerations which may conuince and animate vs thereunto and the other is exercise of the acts of that vertue whereby we may acquire the habitts thereof To begin with the first kinde of meanes one of the most principall and efficatious considerations whereof wee may helpe our selues towards being humble or rather the most principall and most efficatious of them all is the example of Christ our Lord our Master and our Redeemer whereof though wee haue already said some what there will euer be enough to add The whole life of Christ our lord was a moâ— perfect Original of Humilitie from thâ— very tyme of his birth to that other of hiâ— expiring vpon the
Crosse But yet to thiâ— purpose S. Augustine doth particularly ponder the example which he gaue vs by washing the feete of his disciples vpon that Thursday of the last Supper vhen he was euen vpon the very briÌ„me of his passion and death Christ our Lord saith S. Augustine was not content with hauing giuen vs the exaÌ„ples of his whole life past nor yet with them alsoe which he was shortly to giue in his passion the same being then soe close at hand wherein he was to appeare according to the Prophett I say the very last or lowest of men and as the royall Prophet Dauid saith the very reproach and scorne of men yea the very out cast of the world But sciens Iesus quia venit hora eius vt transeat ex hoc mundo ad patrem cum dilexisset suos qui erant in mundo in finem dilexit eos Our Lord Iesus knowing that his hower was now at haÌ„d wherein he was to passe out of this world to his Father hi carryed a great loue to his disciples was resolued that he vould expresse it now towards the end of his life And supper being ended he rises from the table he putts off his vpper garment he girds a towell to himselfe he putts water into a basen he prostrates himselfe at the feete of his disciples yea and of Iudas too hee washes them with those diuine hands of his and he wipes them with the towell whereby hee was girt O vnspekable mistery What is this O lord which thou art doeing Domine tu mihi lauas pedes saith the Apostle Saint Peter Thou O Lord to wash my feete The disciples vnderstood not then what he did Quod ego facio tu nescis modo scies autem postea sayth our Lord you vnderstand not now what I am doeing but are long I will declare it to you Hee returnes to the table and declares the mistery thus at large Vos vocatis me Magister Domine bene dicitis sum eâ—enim si ergo ego lauipedes vestros Dominus Magister vos debetis alter alterius lauare pedes You call me Master and Lord and you say well for soe I am If then I being your Master and your Lord haue humbled my selfe and haue washed your feete you are alsoe to doe the like to one another Exemplum enim dedi vobis vt quemadmodum ego feci vobis ita vos faciatis I haue giuen you an example to the end that you may learne of me and doe as I haue done This is the mistery that you learne to humble your selues as I haue humbled my selfe The importance of this vertue of Humilitie is on the one side soe greate and soe is the difficulty alsoe on the other that our Lord was not content with soe many examples as he had already giuen vs and had then soe neere at hand to giue but that as one who well knewe our Weakenes and who perfectly vnderstood the malignity of that peccant humour whereof our nature was sicke he would needes giue vs this stronge Phisicke against it and put it amongst the cheife legacies of his last will and Testament that so it might remaine the more deepely imprinted in all our harts Vpon those words of Christ our Lord Learne of mee for I am meeke and humble of hart Saint Augustine exclaymes thus O doctrinam salutarem O Magistrum dominumque mortalium quibus mors poculo superbiae propinata atque transfusa est quid vt discamus à te venimus ad te O Soueraigne doctrine O Master and Lord of all men into whome death entred by meanes of pride what is it O lord which thou wilt haue vs come and learne of thee That I am meeke and humble of harte This is that which you are to learne of me Huccine redacti sunt omnes thesauri sapientiae scientiae absconditi in te vt pro magno discamus à te quoniam mitis sum humilis corde In this are the treasures of the wisedome and knowledge of the Father summed vp which haue beene hidden in thee that thou tell vs for the highest pointe that wee must come and learne of thee that Thou art meeke and humble of hart Ita me magnum est esse paruum vt nisi a te qui tam magnus es fieret disci omnino non posset It is so high and great a thinge for a man to make himselfe little that vnlesse thou who art so greate hadst made thy selfe little no man could haue learnt it of thee Yea saith Saint Augustine So great and so hard a thing it is for a man to humble himselfe and make himselfe little that if Gof himselfe had not humbled himselfe and become little men would neuer haue bene brought to humble themselues For there is nothing soe deepely conueyed into their very bowells and soe incorporated as it were into their harts as this desire of being honored and esteemed and therefore was all this necessary to the end that we might grow to be humble for such Phisicke did the infirmitie of our pride require and such a wound such a cure But if such a receipt as this for God to haue made himselfe man and to haue humbled himselfe soe much for our sakes will not recouer vs and cure our pride I know not saith S. Augustine what will euer be able to doe it Haec medicina si superbiam non curat quid eam curet nescio If to see the Maiestie of our Lord soe abased and humbled will not suffice to make vs ashamed of desiring to be honored and esteemed and that heere vpon wee yet will not growe to a thirst of being despised and a based with him and for the loue of him I know not what will euer serue the turne And Guericus the Abbott being amased and conuinced by the great example of our Lords Humilitie exclaimes and expresses that which it is reason that we should alsoe say and drawe from hence Vicisti Domine vicisti superbiam meam ecce do manus in vincula tua accipe seruum sempiternum Thou hast ouercome O Lord thou hast ouercome my pride thine example hath bounde me hand and foote behould I render and deliuer vp my selfe into thy hands for an euerlasting slaue It is alsoe an admirable conceipt which the glorious S. Bernard brings to this purpose The sonne of God saith he saw two creatures and both were generous noble and capable of that blessed state to which they had been created by Almightie God and they both lost themselues because they would needes be like him God created the Angells and instantly Lucifer had a minde to be like Almightie God In coelum conscendaÌ„ super astra dei exaltabo solium meum sedebo in monte testamenti in lateribus Aquilonis ascendam super altitudinem nubium similis ero altissimo And then he carried others after him and God cast them instantly downe to Hell and soe of Angells they became deuills
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 honor 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 know 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 thē 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 di◠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 vanitie 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 opiniō and estimation of the world the Saints affirme that noe reasons or cōsiderations are sufficiēt 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 can 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 workemā 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 this meanes wee shall
possesse them And if any man will tell me that for the composing and moderating our passions and the affections of the minde and for the obteyning alsoe of vertue the considerations and reasons the documēts and Councells of holy Scripture are sufficient he is deceiued as S. Basill saith Is similiter facit vt si quis disceret aedificare nec vnquam aedificaret aes cundere quae didicisset ea in actum numquā educeret This would be like him whoe should learne to build a howse or coyne mony and would neuer exercise himselfe therein but that all should passe in hearing the documents and rules of arte in which case it is certaine that he would neuer proue good workeman And as little will he grow to possesse Humility or any other vertue who will not exercise himselfe therein And in confirmation heereof the Saint brings that of the Apostle S. Paule Non enim auditores legis iusti sunt apud deum sed factores legis iustificabūtur It is not enough for this purpose to heare many documents and reasons but they must be put in executiō For practise cōduces more to this busines then all the speculation in the world And though it be most true that all vertue and euery thing which is good must come to vs from the hand of God and that we cannot compasse it by our owne strength yet the same lord whoe is to giue it is pleased that we should helpe our selues by our owne endeauours Saint Augustine vpon those words of Christ our Lord Si ergo ego laui pedes vestros Dominus magister vos debetis alter alterius lauare pedes saith that this is that which Christ our Lord intended to teach vs by this example of washing his desciples feete Hoc est beate Petre quod nesciebas quando fieri non sinebas hoc tibi postea sciendum promisit Ecce ipsum est postea This is that O B. Peter which thou didst not know when thou wouldst not consent that Christ should wash thy feete He promised that thou shouldst know it afterward and now that afterward is come and now thou shalt vnderstand it And it is that if wee will obteyne the vertue of Humilitie we must exercise our selues in the exteriour acts thereof Exemplum enim dedi vobis vt quemadmodum ego feci vobis ita vos faciatis For I haue giuen you an example to the end that you may doe as I haue done Didicimus fratres humilitatem ab excelso faciamus inuicem humiles quod similiter fecit excelsus Since the omnipotent and soueraigne Lord humbled himselfe since the sunne of God abased and imployed himselfe in meane and lowly exercises washing the feete of his disciples seruing his Blessed Mother and the holy Ioseph and being subiect and obedient to them in what soeuer they commaunded lett vs learne of them exercise our selues in hūble and meane imployments and thus we shal come to obtaine the vertue of Humilitie This is alsoe that which Saint Bernard saith Humiliatio via est ad humilitatem sicut patientia ad pacem sicut lectio ad scientiam The humiliation of the exteriour man is the way and meanes to obtaine the vertue of Humilitie as patience is for the obteyning peace and reading or study for the obteyning knowledge Si virtutem appetis Humilitatis viam non refugias humiliationis nam si non poteris humiliari non poteris ad humilitatem prouehi And therefore if you will obtaine the vertue of Humilitie doe not fly from the exercise of humiliation for if you say that either you cannot or will not humble or abase your selues as little haue you a minde to obtaine the vertue of Humilitie Saint Augustine proues it very well and giues the reason why this exercise of humiliation is so vsefull important and necessary for the obteining of true humilitie of hart Cum enim ad pedes fratris inclinatur corpus etiam in corde ipso vel excitatur vel si iam inerat cōfirmatur ipsius humilitatis affectus The interiour exteriour man are soe interlaced and vnited together and the one depends so much vpon the other that when the body is humbled and abased the hart is stirred vpp towards the loue of Humilitie That humbling my selfe before my brother and kissing his feete hath some what in it that poore and meane coate that low and base office hath I know not what which goes ingendring and breeding Humilitie in the hart and if it be there already it conserues and increases it And thus Saint Dorotheus answeres this question how a man with a poore and meane coate which belongs to the body may come to obtaine the vertue of humilitie which inhabits the soule For it is certaine saith hee that the body in many cases giues a good or ill disposition to the soule And soe we see the soule hath one kinde of disposition when the body is well and an other when it is sicke O when it is full fedd and another when it is very hungry Now in the selfe same manner the soule vests it selfe with one kinde of inclination when a man is seated vpon a throne or vpon a horse richly adorned and with another when he sitts vpon the ground or is riding vpon a iade and one kinde of inclination when a man is seated vpon a throne or vpon a horse richly adorned and with another when he sitts vpon the ground or is ryding vpon a iade and one kinde of inclination it hath when he is set out in sumptuous cloathes and another when he is but couered with a poore coate Saint Basil also noted this very well and saith that as gallant and shiuing attire lifts vp the harts of worldly men and ingenders in them certaine fumes of vanitie of proper estimation and pride so doth a poore and meane habit awake in the hart of Religious men and of the seruants of God an inclination to Humility and it breedes a disesteeme of ones selfe and it makes men indure better to be despised And the saynt adds further That as wordly men desire rich and glorious cloathes that soe they may be the better knowne and the more honored and esteemed thereby so the good seruants of God and such as are truly humble desire to be poorely and meanely cladd that soe they may be valued the lesse and especially because they conceiue themselues to finde much helpe therein towards their conseruation and augmentation in true Humilitie Amongst all the exteriour humiliations that of poore and meane cloathing is one of the cheefe and for this wee finde it to haue bene soe much vsed by such as are truly humble Wee reade in the life of Father Franciscus Xauier that he euer went very poorely cladd to conserue himselfe the better in Humilitie and fearing least some little estimation or presumption might mingle and wrap it selfe vp in good cloathes as it vses to happen many thymes It will alsoe appeare by
Society inclines to put you for what serues Humilitie or indifferency and to what end should your Superiours desire it And thus euery Religious man may specifie in the particular Rules of his Order and euery other man in all those particulars which his condition or vocation may require That wee must take heede of speaking any such words as may redound to our owne praise CHAPTER XXVI THe Saints and Masters of spirituall life Saint Basil Saint Gregory Saint Bernard and others also aduise vs to take heede with great care of speaking any words which may redound to our owne estimation or praise according to that which the holy Tobias councelled his sonne Superbiam nunquam in sensu tuo aut in tuo verbo dominari permittas Neuer suffer pride to haue dominion either ouer thy hart or ouer thy words Saint Bernard ponders that of Saint Paule very vell to this purpose Parco autem ne quis me existimet supra id quod videt in me The Apostle had formerly spoken great things of himselfe and soe it was fitt at that tyme that he should doe for the good of hearers and for the greather glory of God and he might yet haue said greater things since he had bene rapt vp into the third heauen where he had seen and wnderstood more then the tongue could speake but I forbeare saith hee to speake thereof least otherwise any man should thinke more then he sees and heares of me Saint Bernard saith Quam pulchre dixit parco Non parcit sibi arrogans non parcit sibi superbus non cupidus vanae gloriae iactator actuum suorum qui vel sibi arrogat quod est vel mentitur quod non est O how well he said I forbeare or pardon that for this time The proud or arrogant man forbeares not such things for he suffers noe occasion to passe wherein he may magnifie himselfe yea and some tymes he adds and saith more then is that soe he may be esteemed the more Solus qui verè humilis est parcit animae suae qui ne putetur quod non est semper quantum in se est vult nesciri quod est Onely the man whoe is truely humble let ts theis occasions passe and to the end he may be sure that they shall not ascribe more to him then that which is true he conceales that which is true The saynt descends more particularly into this subiect and saith Loquens nihil dicat vnde multum eruditus multum ve religiosus possit putari You must not say any thing whereby you may seeme more learned or to be a man of pietie and prayer And generally you must euer take heed of saying any thing which may redound in any kinde to your owne praise for it is very daungerous though you could say it with much truth though it might be matter of aedification and though you may thinke it be to a good end and for the profitt of another yet it suffices that it is to your owne praise to keepe you from speaking it You must euer walke with great care concerninge this least otherwise by this meanes you loose the good which perhaps you did Saint Bonauenture saith Nunquam de scientia vel de seculi statu se iactent You must neuer speake word which may giue others to vnderstand that you haue eminent parts or that you were formerly of some acounte in the world It lookes very ill fauouredly in a Religious man to value himselfe by the nobilitie and riches of his freinds for all theis pedegrees and states are no better then a little winde and as one asked Doe you knowe for what Nobilitie is good the other answered very well To be despised as wealth is That whereof we make accounte heer is the vertue of Humilitie which you haue this is that which wee esteeme for what you were or were not before you came hither is all but ayre and he whoe values himselfe by theis things or makes accounte thereof in a Religious state shewes abundantly his little Spirit and how vaine a hart he hath Such a man as this hath not yet for saken or despised the world S. Basil saith Qui natus est ex spiritu iuxta domini vocem ac potestatem accepit fieri filius dei eum cognationis secundum carnē pudet Hee who is borne by another new birth and hath contracted a spirituall and diuine kindred with God and receiued a power to become his sonne growes ashamed of that other carnall kindred and layes it vtterly a side Who soeuer the man be words of praise sounde ill out of his owne mouth And soe the prouerbe saith Laus in ore proprio vilescit And the wiseman saith better Laudet te alienus non os tuum extraneus non labia tua But in the mouth of a Religious man they doe much worse as being soe contrary to that which hee professes and soe he growes to be slightly thought of and disesteemed by means of that very thinge whereby hee ment to be honored S. Ambrose vpon those words of the Prophett Vide humilitatem meam eripe me Behould O lord my humilitie and deliuer me saith that although a man be sicke and poore and of meane condition yet if he growe not proud nor preferre himselfe before any other Ipse se humilitate commendat By humilitie he makes himselfe to be esteemed and beloued Soe that Humilitie supplyes all defects and on the other side though a man be very rich and noble and powerfull though he be very learned and excell in abilities and good parts yet if with all he boast thereof and looke bigg vpon it Insolentia sibi vilis est By this he lessens and a bases himselfe and growes to be disesteemed and despised because he growes to be held proud The history of the Abbot Arsenius recounts that although hee had beene soe illustrious in the world and soe eminent in learning for he had bene the instructor or Master of the Sonnes of the Emperour Theodosius and of Arcadius and Honorius whoe alsoe came both to be Emperours yet after hee once became a Moncke no word was euer heard to fal frō him which might sauour of greatnes or which gaue to vnderstand that he had learning but he cōuerst and liued among the other monckes with so greate Humilitie and simplicity of hart as if he had neuer knowne any thing and hee alsoe asked questions of the other monks concerning the most ordinary things of spirit affirming that in this sublime science he deserued not to be their disciple And it is related of the B. S. Ierome that he was of most noble extraction and yet we finde not in all his workes that he hath soe much as insinuated any thinge thereof Sainct Bonauenture giues a very good reason against this vanitie and it is this Know that there can hardly be any good thing in you worthie of prayse which breaks not and shines not out to others soe
parte thereof which they haue from vs but from what they haue from the grace of our Lord iust soe as the legall value which curraÌ„t money hath it hath not from it selfe but from the stampe or coyne And therefore we must not ascribe any glory at all to our selues but all to God from whome both our Naturall and supernaturall being is deriued carrying euer that of Sainct Paule both in our mouthes and in our harts Gratiâ dei sum id quod sum I am whatsoeuer I am by the meere grace of God But now as according to what wee said God not onely drew vs out of our nothing and gaue vs that being which now we haue but after we are created and haue receiued our being wee doe not subsist in our selues but God is euer susteyning vphoulding and conseruinge vs with his hand of prower that soe we may not falle into that former profound Abiste of Nothing from whence he tooke vs before in the same manner is it alsoe in the case of our supernaturall being for not onely did God shew vs the fauour to bring vs out of the darkenes of sinne wherein we were into the admirable light of his grace but he is euer conseruing and houlding vs vp with his hand that soe we may not returne to fall And this to such a proportion as that if God should take of his hand of custody from vs but for one instant and should giue the diuell leaue to tempt vs then at his pleasure we should returne both to our former and to greater sinnes Quoniam à dextris est mihi ne commouear said the Prophett Dauid Thou O Lord art euer at my side houlding me vp that I may not be pluckt downe it is thy worke O Lord to haue raysed me vp from sinne thine to haue kept me froÌ„ returning to sinne againe If I rose vp it was because thou gauest me thy haÌ„d if now I be on foote it is because thou houldst me from dropping downe Since therefore as we shewed it before to be sufficieÌ„t to make vs hould our selues for nothing because on our parte wee are nothing we were nothing we should be nothing if God were not euer conseruing vs soe this is alsoe sufficient to make vs euer keepe our selues in the accounte of being Wicked sinners because for as much as is on our part we are sinners we were sinners and we would be sinners if God were not still vphoulding vs with his holy hand Albertus Magnus saith that who soeuer would obtaine Humility must plant the roote thereof in his hart which consists in that he knew his owne weakenes and misery and vnderstand and weigh not onely how vile and wretched he is now but how vile and Wretched he may be yea and would be euen very now if God with his powerfull hand did not keepe him and sinne a sunder and did not remoue the occasions and assist and strengthen him in temptations Into how many sinnes had I fallne if thou O Lord through thy infinite mercy hadst not kept me vp how many occasions of my sinning hast thou preuented which were sufficient to haue pulled me downe as they pulled downe the Prophet Dauid if thou knowing my weakenes if thou I say hadst not hindred them How many tymes hast thou tyed the diuells hands to the end that he might not tempt me at his pleasure and if he would tempt me that yet he should not be able to ouercome me How often might I haue said those words of the Prophet with much truth Nisi quia Dominus adiâ—uit me paulominus habitasset in inferno anima mea If thou O Lord hadst not holpen me this sowle of mine had already bene little lesse then in the very bottome of Hell How often haue I bene assaulted and euen almost tripped vp towards falling and thou O Lord didst hould me and didst apply thy swete and strong hand that I might take noe hurt Si dicebam motus est pes meus misericordia tua domine adiuuabat me If I said that my foote slippt thy mercy O Lord came to helpe me O how often should we haue bene lost if God through his infinite mercy and goodnes had not preserued vs This is theÌ„ the acounte wherein we are to hould our selues because this we are and this we possesse on our parts and this we were and this we should alsoe be againe if God tooke of his hand and custodie from vs. From hence it came that the SS despised humbled and confounded themselues soe farre that they were not content to esteeme little of themselues and to hould that they were wicked and sinfull men but they thought themselues the meanest of all others yea and the most vnworthie and sinfull men in the world We read of Saint Francis that God had soe highly exalted him and soe greately inriched him with spirituall graces that his fellow or company on being in prayer saw a chaire richly wrought with enamel and pretious stones and this amongst the Seraphins which was prepared for him And yet afterward asking the Saint what opinion he had of himselfe his answere was that he thought there liued not in the world a greater sinner then hee And the same did the holy Apostle Saint Paule affirme alsoe touching himselfe Christus Iesus venit in hunc mundum peccatores saluos facere quorum primus ego sum Our lord Iesus Christ came into this world to saue sinners of whome I am the first or cheife And soe he aduises vs to procure to obtaine this Humilitie that we hould our selues for inferiour and lesse then all others that wee acknowledge them all for our Superiours and betters Saint Augustine saith Non fallit nos Apostolus nec adulatione vti iubet cum ad Philippenses 2. dicit In humilitate superiores sibi inuicem arbitrantes Et ad Romanos 12. Honore inuirem peruenientes The Apostle deceaues vt not when he saith that we must hould our selues for the least of all and that wee must esteeme all others to be our Superiours and betters and hee commaunds not heereby that we should vse any words of Flattery or court-shipp towards them The Saints did not say with counterfeite Humilitie or telling a lye that they were the greatest sinners of the world but meerly according to truth because they thought soe in their very harts and soe they alsoe giue vs in charge that wee thinke and say the same and this not by compliment or with fiction Saint Bernard ponders very well to this purpose that saying of our B. Sauiour Cum vocatus fueris ad nuptias recumbe in nouissimo loco When you shall be inuited sitt you downe in the last and lowest place Hee said not that you should choose a middle place or that you should sitt amongst the lowest or in the last place but one but he will onely haue you sitt in the very lowest place of all Vt solus videlicet omnium nouissimus sedeas teque
procure or esteeme it Nay rather he hath a harte which soe truly despised both honour and dishonour that be houlds nothing to be great but vertue and for loue thereof hee is moued to doe great things despising the honour which men can giue For vertue is a thinge soe high that it cannot be honoured or rewarded sufficiently by men and deserues to be honoured and rewarded by Almightie God and therefore the magnanimous person values not all the honours of the world at a strawe It is a meane thinge and of noe price at all with him his flight is higher For the onely loue of God and vertue is he inuited to doe great things and he despises all the rest Now then for the hauing of a hart which is soe great soe generous such a despiser of the honour and dishonour of men such as the magnanimous person ought to haue it is necessary that he haue alsoe much Humility To the end that a man may arriue to soe great perfection as to be able to say with Saint Paule Scio humiliare Scio abundare vbique in omnibus institutus sum satiari esurire abundare penuriam pati I know how to carry my selfe in humiliation and in abondance of prosperitie and as well in hungar as full dyet Per gloriam ignobilitatem per infamiam bonam famam vt seductores veraces sicut qui ignoti cogniti quasi morientes ecce viuimus To the end that soe stiffe and soe contrary windes as they of honour and dishonour of praise and murmuring of fauours and persecutions may cause noe change in vs nor make vs stumble or shrinke but that we may still remaine in our owne being it is necessary to haue a great foundation of Humilitie and of wisedome from heauen I know not whether you will be able to keepe your selfe free for the doeing of al good works when you are in aboundance like the Apostle S. Paule As for suffering pouertie begging goeinge in pilgrimage and to be humble in the midst of dishonours and affronts this perhaps you will be able to doe But to be humble in honours chaires pulpits and the higher sorte of ministeries I know not whether you will be able Alas those Angells once of heauen knew not how to doe this but they grew proud and fell Euen Boetius could say Cum omnis fortuna timenda sit magis tamen timenda est prospera quam aduersa It is harder for a man to conserue himselfe in Humilitie in honour and estimation of the world and in high imployments and ministeries then in dishonour contempt and in the discharge of places which are meane and poore for theis things draw Humilitie after them and those others vanitie and pride Scientia inflat knowledge and all other high things do naturally puff vs vp and make vs giddy and therefore the Saints say that it is the Humilitie of great and perfect men to knowe how to be humble amongst the great guifts and graces which they receiue from God and amongst the honours and estimations of the world They relate a thinge of the B. Saint Francis which seemes very different from that other of his treading morter that so he might auoyde that honour where with they were goeing out to receiue him For passinge once into a Country towne they did him much honor for the opinion and estimation which they held of his sanctitie and they all came to kisse his habitt and his hands and feete to all which he made noe resistance His companion was inclined to thinke that he was gladd of that honour and the temptation did soe farre ouercome him that at length he acquainted him with it and the Saint made him this answear This people my good brother performes noe honour at all in comparison of what they ought to shew His companion was then more scandalised then he had bene before for he knew not what to make of this answeare but the saynt then sayd This honour my good brother which you see them doe me I attribute not to my selfe but leaue it all to God whose it is my selfe still remayninge in the same profounditie of myne owne basenes and they for their parts gett well by doeing it because they acknowledge and honour God in his creature His companion then remayned satisfied and admired the perfection of the Saint and he did soe with great reason For to be held and honoured for a Saint which is the highest estimation and honour whereof any creature is capable and to know how to giue God the glory of it as he ougth without ascribing any thinge to himselfe and without the sticking of any thinge to his hands and without takeing any vaine contentment therein but remayning soe intirely in his Humilitie and basenes as if no such thinge had passed and as if the honour had not bene giuen to him but to some other is a most profound Humilitie and a most high perfection Wee must therefore procure to arriue to this Humilitie by the grace of our Lord we I say who are called not to the end that we should be shutt vp in corners or be hidden vnder a bushell but sett vp on high like a Cittie vpon a hill or like a taper vpon a Candle sticke to shine and giue light to the world For which purpose it will be necessary for vs to lay a very good foundation and for as much as is on our parte to haue great desire to be disesteemed and despised and that this may flow out of a profound knowledge of our owne miserie our basenes and our nothing such as Saint Francis had when hee put himselfe to treade morter that soe he might be held for some meane foole From which profound knowledge of himselfe that desire grew of being despised and from thence alsoe it followed that when afterward they did him honour and kissed his habitt and his feete he grew not proud with all this nor valued himselfe one haire the more but he remained soe fixt in the knowledge of his Humilitie and meannes as if they had done him noe honour at all ascribing and reâ—erring it all to God And soe though theis wo acts of Saint Francis seeme to be â—oe contrary to one another they yet proceeded from the same roote and from the selfe same spiritt of Humilitie Of the great benefitts and aduantages which are in this third degree of Humilitie CHAPTER XXXVII TVA sunt omnia quae de manu tua accepimus dedimus tibi After king Dauid had prepared much gould and siluer and many rich materialls for the building of the Temple he offered them vp to God and said theis words All things O Lord are thine and that which we haue receiued at thy hands that doe we render and returne againe This is that which we must doe and say in all our good works O Lord all our good workes are thine and soe we returne what thou hast giuen vs. Saint
the onely hearing whereof is able to make men tremble from head to foote But yet our Lord whoe is soe full of benignitie and mercy doth neuer imploy this soe rigorous punishment nor this so lamentable and vnhappy remedy but after haueing vsed other meanes which were most gentle and sweete Hee first sends vs other occasions and other more gentle inducements that so wee may humble our selues Sometymes sicknes sometymes a contradiction sometymes a murmuration and sometymes a dishonour when a man is brought lower then he thought But when theis temporall things will not serue the turne to humble vs he passes on to the spirituall and first to things of lesse moment and afterward by permitting fearce and greiuous temptations such as may bringe vs so within a haires bredth and euen perswade vs or at least make vs doubt whether wee consented or noe That so a man may see and finde by good experience that he cannot ouercome them by himselfe but may experimentally vnderstand his owne misery and the precise neede which he hath of helpe from heauen and soe may come to distrust his owne strenght and may humble himselfe And when all this will not serue then comes that other so violent and soe costly cure of suffering a man to fall into mortall sinne and to be subdued by the temptation Then comes this Canterie which is made euen by the very fire of Hell to the end that after a man hath euen as it were beaten out his braines he may fall at length vpon the iust examination and knowledge of what he is and may at length be content to humble himselfe by this meanes since he would not be brought to doe it by any other By this tyme I hope wee see well how mightily it imports vs to be humble and not to confide or presume vpon our selues and therefore lett euery one enter into accounte with his owne harte and consider what profitt hee reapes by those occasions which God dayly sends for the making him humble in the qualitie of a tender harted Phisition and of a Father that so there may be no neede of those other which are so violent Chastise me O Lord with the Chastisement of a Father cure thou my pride with afflictions diseases dishonours and affronts and with as many humiliations as thou canst be pleased to send but suffer not O Lord that I should euer fall into mortall sinne O Lord lett the diuell haue power to touch me in pointe of honour and in my health and lett him make another Iob of me Verumtamen animam meam serua but permit not that he may euer touch my soule Vpon Condition that thou O Lord neuer parte from me nor permitt me euer to parte from thee what soeuer tribulation may come vpon me shall be sure to doe me noe hurt but it shall rather turne to my good towards the obteyning of Humilitie which is so acceptable to thee Wherein the discourse aforesaid is confirmed by some examples CHAPTER XL. SEVERVS Sulpitius and Surius in the life of Saint Seuerinus the Abbot relates of a certaine man who was very remarkeable both for his vertues and miracles that he gaue health to sicke persons and dispossessed men of deuills and did many other wonderfull things for which they flocked to him from all parts and he was visited by Prelates and great lords yea and they held it for a pointe of happines if they might but touch euen his cloathes and if he would giue them his benediction By the vse of theis things the Saint began to perceiue that a certaine vanity was growing to enter vpon his hart And on the one side finding that he was not able to diuert his concourse of people and that he could not on the other deliuer himselfe from those importunate thoughts of vanity which pressed vpon him he was much afflicted therewith and putting himselfe one day in prayer he besought our lord with greate instance that for the remedy of those temptations and to the end that he might be conserued in Humilitie his diuine Maiestie would permitt and giue libertie to the diuell to enter into his body for sometyme and torment him as he did other persons God heard his prayer and the diuell entred into him and it was matter of Wonder and a mazement to see him bound vp in Chaines as a franticke and possessed man and soe to be carryed to others to be exercised to whome not longe before they had bene wont to bringe possessed persons that they might be cured by him Thus he remayned fiue moneths and at the end thereof the story saith that he was cured and freed not onely from the diuell whoe had possest his body but from that pride alsoe and vanitie which had possest his soule Surius relates another example like this and saith that the holy Abbot Seuerinus had in his Monastery three Monckes who were a little high and toucht with vanitie and pride Hee had admonished them thereof and yet they perseuered in their faulte The Saynt through the desire he had to see them reformed and humble besought our lord with teares that he would correct them with some punishment of his owne hand that soe they might be humbled and reformed and before he rose vp from prayer our lord permitted that three diuells might possesse them by whome they were greiuously tormented and they confessed with loud cryes the pride and hautines of ther owne harts A punishment very proportionable to the faulte that the spiritt of pride should enter and inhabit men who were full of vanitie and pride And because our lord saw well that nothing would be soe able to humble them he suffered them to remaine soe forty dayes at the end whereof the Saynt besought our Lord that he would be pleased to free them from the diuell which he obteyned and soe they remayned sound both in body and sowle when once they had bene thus humbled by this punishment of our Lord. Cesarius writes how they brought a certaine possessed person to a Couent of the Cistertian Moncks to be recouered The Prior went out to meete him and in his company a yonge Religious man of whose vertue otherwise there was a greate opinion besides that he was knowne to be a Virgin The Prior said then to the diuell It this Moncke commaunde thee to depart darest thou yet remaine To which the diuell made this answere I feare not him for he is proud Saint Iohn Climacus relates how once the diuell began to sow certaine prayses in the hart of a most valliant Cauallier of Christ who was running on a pace towards this vertue of Humilitie But he being moued by the inspiration of Almightie God mett with a very short way for ouercominge the mallice of those peruerse spiritts and it was that he wrote vpon the wall of his Cell the names oâ— some most admirable vertues namely Perfect Charitie most Profound Humilitie Angelicall Chastitie most Pure and high Prayer and the like And when those ill thoughts of pride began to tempt him he made this answeare Let vs come to the proofe of it and soe he redd those tytles especially that of most Profound Humility and said This haue not I I would be glad that it were euen but Profound for I know not whether I be arriued to the first degree thereof Perfect Charitie Charity if you will but as for Perfect it is not very perfect For I speake sometymes quicke and Lowd to my brethrem Angelicall Chastitie No for I haue many ill thoughts yea and I finde many ill motions in my selfe Most high Prayer No for I am much distracted and sleeppy therein And then he said thus to himselfe When thou shalt haue obteyned all theis vertues say yet that thou art an vnfruitefull and vnprofitable seruant and for such must thou hould thy selfe according to those words of Christ our Lord Cum feceritis omnia quae praecepta sunt vobis Dicite serui inutiles sumus But now when thou art soe farre off what canst thou thinke of thy selfe Praysed be God and his B. Mother FINIS