he reveal his secret to his Servants But he revealed all his Will and all Perfection to his Apostles by his only begotten Son as he says Jo. 15. All things whatsoever which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you To the end that they might reveal the same to Posterity which also they have faithfully done For their sound went out into all the Earth and their Words unto the ends of the World Psal 18. But amongst the Apostles he revealed and declared his greatest Secrets to S. John the Evangelist and to S. Paul Amongst other things he revealed to them the eight Beatitudes saying Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in Spirit c. Blessed are the Meek c. which Beatitudes contain in them great Perfection and declare the perfect Will of God There is a difference betwixt Contemplation Meditation and Cogitation for in Cogitation the Mind wanders in Meditation it finds out something in Contemplation it admires Cogitation is without Labour and without Fruit Meditation is with Labour and with Fruit Contemplation is without Labour and with Fruit. We are brought to the Contemplation of God by three Degrees concerning which St. Gregory The first is That the Soul recollect it self to it self The Second is that it see it self what it is thus recollected The Third is That it arise above it self and submit it self attending to the Contemplation of it's invisible Maker But it can by no means recollect it self to it self unless it have first learnt to restrain the Phantasms of terrestrial and celestial Images from the Eye of the Mind unless it have learnt to reject and trample upon whatsoever shall occur to it's Thought from the corporeal Sight Hearing Smelling Tasting or Touching that it may seek it self such within as it is without those for whilst it thinks upon those things it turns over within it self as it were certain shadows of Bodies Therefore all those things are to be driven away from the Eyes of the Mind by the hand of Discretion that the Soul may consider it self such as it is created under God above the Body that being vivificated by the Superior it may vivificated the Inferior which it administers We often will consider the invisible nature of Almighty God but we are not able and the Soul wearied with those difficulties returns to it self and makes to it self of it self degrees of Ascensions that first of all if it be able it may consider it self and then find out that Nature which is above it as far as it is able But if our Mind shall be dispersed in carnal Images it is by no means sufficient to consider it self or the Nature of the Soul because by as many Thoughts as it is lead it is as it were blinded by so many Obstacles The first Degree therefore is that the Soul c. The Motives to Contemplation are the ineffable Sweetness which is there perceived the admirable Perfection which is there learn'd the principal of all Beatitude which is there found for the Fountain of all Beatitude the most High God is there known and what is known that is loved and what is truly loved is desired and laboured for that it may be obtained and what is industriously laboured for that is at length acquired and when at length it shall be acquired it is possessed with endless Delight Of this St. Bernard A Soul which has once learnt of our Lord and has received of him to enter into her self and in her most inward recesses to pant after the presence of God and to seek his Face alwayes for God is a Spirit and they who seek him must walk in the Spirit and not in the Flesh that they may live according to the Flesh Such a Soul I say I know not whether she would count it more horrible and painful to experiment Hell it self for a time than after having tasted the Sweetness of this spiritual Study to go out again to the Allurements or rather to the Troubles of the Flesh and to return to the insatiable Curiosity of the Senses Ecclesiastes saying chap. 2. The Eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the Ear with hearing For hear an experienced man what he says Thou art good says he O Lord to those who hope in thee to the Soul which seeks thee From this Good if any one should have endeavoured to have averted that holy Soul I believe he would hardly have taken it otherwise than if he should have seen himself to have been cast out of Paradise and from the very Entrance of Glory Hear yet another like unto this My Heart says he has said to thee my Face has sought thee thy Face O Lord will I seek Whence he said But it is good for me to adhere to God And also speaking to his Soul he says Be converted O my Soul into thy Rest because the Lord has done well unto thee I say therefore unto you that there is nothing which one who has received this Favour does so much fear as lest being left by the Divine Grace it should be necessary for him to go out again to the Consolations yea the Desolations of the Flesh and again to suffer the Tumults of his carnal Senses In this Contemplation was St. Augustin when he said But it displeased me that I lived in the World and it was a great burden to me my sensual Desires not now inflaming me as they were wont with the hope of Honour and Money to endure that so grievous Servitude For now those things did not delight me by reason of thy sweetness and of the beauty of thy House which I loved He has an Argument of true Contemplation who is weary of living in this miserable World saying with B. Tobias chap. 3. It is better for me to dye than to live And with H. Job chap. 10. My Soul is weary of my Life And with St. Paul Rom. 7. Vnhappy Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death And he who thirsts after the Fountain of Life saying with the Psalmist As the Hart thirsts after Fountains of Water so thirsts my Soul after thee O God Psal 41. Whence St. Gregory A contemplative Life is to retain indeed in the heart the Love of God and our Neighbour but to rest from exterior Action and to inhere only in the desire of the Creator so that nothing is now to be done but all Cares being trampled under Foot the Soul burns with desire to see the Face of it's Creator so that now it knows how to bear with Grief the weight of the corruptible Flesh and with all it's Forces to desire to be present amidst the sweet-singing Quires of Angels and to be mixed with the caelestial Citizens to rejoyce before God for eternal Incorruption He has an Argument of false Contemplation who holds something concerning God or some Perfection of God contrary to the Holy Scriptures which notwithstanding he temerariously defends by Reasons And hence came Heresies of old to wit that of Arrius who denied the Son to be coeternal and consubstantial with the Father And that of Sabellius who confounded the Persons in the Trinity putting
same is to be understood of voluntary Vows which have an equal Obligation with Precepts St. Gregory also bears witness to our Lord Return sayes he my dear Brethren inwardly to your selves Ask your selves if indeed you love God Yet let no body believe himself whatsoever his mind shall answer him without the attestation of his Works Let the Tongue Mind and Life be asked concerning the Love of your Creator The Love of God is never idle For if it be it works great things but if it refuse to work it is not Love But this Execution of Works and Observation of God's Commandments must be purified by the Intention and must be done neither for fear of Punishment nor for love of Reward as St. Augustin testifies He loves God not who therefore keeps the Commandments because he is compelled thereunto either by the greatness of Punishment or by the greedy desire of Reward but because that which is commanded is honest and the very best There are also two other signs of a sincere Love to God to wit when a man congratulates with God in all things which please him by whomsoever at whatsoever time and in whatsoever place they are done For a natural Love deserves no praise from God because it alwayes reflects it self upon it self and seeks its own commodity but the gratuitous or free Love only is praise-worthy which always is carried out of it self into another A second sign is when a man condoles with God in all things which displease him by whomsoever at whatsoever time and in whatsoever place they are done Of true Love of our Neighbour True Love to ones Neighbour is to love ones Neighbour as himself Friend and Enemy as St. Augustin says To love ones Neighbour as himself is to love him in God to God and for God Thus every one ought to love his Neighbour as himself As he desires all good to himself and flies all Evil so let him do to his Neighbour Or thus As every one loves his own proper Good in Body and Soul in Goods and good Name and as every one in these four flies and hates his own proper Evil and Dammage so every one ought in these to love all the good and hate all the dammage both of Friend and Enemy Though no body is bound by way of Precept to be moved so much or so ardently to his Neighbour as to himself True Charity cannot be known by our Love of our Friends For even the Publicans love those who love them Matt. 5. But true Charity is understood by our love of our Enemies To love him that loves us is but Nature but to love one who does not love us is the work of Grace But true Charity to our Neighbour is yet more excellently understood in the Gloss upon St. Matthew which says To love one that loves us is Nature but by Favours and Courtesies to draw one to love who loves us not is Perfection And although no body be bound by Precept to love so much and so fervently his Enemy as his Friend yet happy were he and highly Perfect who could love as much yea more and do works of Charity for his Enemy as for his Friend for him that corrects and reproves him as for him that flatters him for him that dispraises him as for him that praises him because as St. Chrysostom says Nothing makes us so like unto God as to be courteous to those who malign and hurt us And it is certain we might get greater Grace out of Persecution than out of Favour if we knew how to use it aright as the Enemies of the Martyrs profited them more to Eternal Glory than did their Friends Nature ought to move us to the love of our Neighbour because every living Creature loves his like and so should every man his Neighbour Eccles 13.19 And because the Image of God is in him and it is commanded us so to do in the Holy Scripture The signs of true Charity to our Neighbour are Truly to condole as well with Enemies as with Friends in all their Adversities Truly and from the heart to rejoyce with them in every thing that happens prosperous unto them The signs of true Hatred to our Neighbour are when we think of him with Regret when we see him with sadness of heart when we speak with him or of him or hear others speak of him with bitterness of mind when we hinder as much as we can all his Good and that which is profitable unto him when we diminish and pervert the good which is in him Our Lord Jesus did not so to his Traytor Judas who in the very time of his Treason fed him with his own Body and Blood together with his other beloved Apostles and in the very place where he betrayed him refusing not to be kiss'd by him most courteously saluted him grieving more for his Evil than for his own incommodity as sayes St. Hierom. But it is wonderful that any one can flatter himself as if he loved his Brother when he has these signs of Hatred in his Heart But to many it seems sufficient if they wish Eternal Happiness to their Neighbours which they can neither give them nor take away from them and which they ought to wish even to Jews and Pagans Nor will they remember that seeing our Lord has laid down his Life for his Enemies we are obliged also not only to love our Christian Brethren but also to part with our Goods and Lives for them in the time of their necessity But Superiours are chiefly obliged hereunto By two things Charity is cherished Our Charity to God by keeping his Commandments according to that John 15. If ye keep my Commandments ye shall remain in my Love as I also have kept my Fathers Commandments and remain in his Love Our Charity to our Neighbour by Compassion according to that of Ecclesiasticus c. 7. Fail not to comfort those that weep and walk with those that mourn refuse not to visit the sick for by these things thou shalt be strengthened in Charity CHAP. II. Of Humility OUR Humility is true and perfect when we do not desire glory should be given us and contemn it when it is given us The humble man always fears lest any glory should be given him and if any be given him he trembles and is heavily sorry for it knowing that Honour and Glory are due only to God The truly humble never glories of any Grace or Glory unless he intend hereby to raise his Hearers to a Confidence in God But if any Grace or any thing that 's glorious be reported of him he hears it with grief of Heart and dejection of himself knowing that what is ascribed to him is God's alone To whom alone all Glory is to be given 1 Tim. 1. The truly humble compares himself neither to his Superior nor to his Inferior nor to his Equal nay indeed he deems no Body inferiour to himself he contemns no Body he heartily despises none
but himself and earnestly desires to be despised by all and greatly rejoyces when he is despised Such an one never fears Reproaches because he loves no Glory There is one who wickedly humbles himself and his inward parts are full of Deceit Eccles 19. But the truly humble says S. Bernard desires to be reputed vile not humble He who loves Humility ought to plant the Root of Humility in his Heart that is to acknowledge his own Frailty He ought to acknowledge not only how vile he is but also how vile he may be Yea also how vile he would be this very day unless God Almighty did violently restrain him from sinning and substract Temptations from him There every one may know himself and how that of his own Frailty he is disposed to fall into the Abyss and Gulf of all Vices according to that Thy Humiliation is in the middle of thy self Mich. 6. A frequent Exercise in humble Offices begets true Humility the holy Scripture testifying that he shall never attain the Vertue of Humility who shuns humble Works True Humility is cherished by this that a man truly and indeed acknowledge that he cannot overcome any Temptation carnal or spiritual of himself and that he is not able to do the least Good and acceptable Work to God without the special Assistance of Jesus Christ It is a sign of true Humility when a man so far depresses himself that he judges himself unworthy of all Grace nor dare he desire any Grace and if any Grace without his Desire flow in upon him from God he receives it with Fear nay he judges it more laudable to want the Grace of God than to have it which he has so often divers ways demerited and defiled and which he never enjoyed according to God's Appointment Also it is a Sign of true Humility always to seek the lowest Place the meanest Companions the humblest Office and the poorest Cloaths The Pride of the mind may be discerned two ways By an outward Argument according to that The Cloathing of a Man and his Laughter and his Gate shew what he is Eccl. 19. as a good or bad Tree is known by good or bad Fruit because all Works proceed from the Heart or Thought as says S. Augustin as a sweet or stinking Breath exhales out of a sound or corrupted Stomach as out of good or bad Spices laid up in it and as a wanton Eye is the Messenger of an unchaste Heart according to St. Augustin so outward Signs betray mens Intentions Pride is discerned by an inward Argument when one in his Heart takes pleasure in himself and prefers himself and desires to be preferred before others and when in his Deeds he desires and affects to please men Such an one is very unlike our humble Master Jesus Christ who neither pleased himself as St. Paul testifies but expected the Reproach of Men and Misery nor came to rule but to be subject as himself testifies Matth. 20. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve Therefore such a Master dissipates the Bones of Scholars who seek not to please God but Men who as the Psalmist testifies shall at length be confounded because God has despised them Psal 53. CHAP. III. Of Obedience to God TRue and perfect Obedience to God is when a Man diligently and often considers what in every Time and Place would best please God and what the wise God has especially ordered him to do and this with all his Might he always endeavours to fulfill Of Obedience to Superiors But true Obedience to the Vicars of Jesus Christ to wit Superiors is when the Subject faithfully and willingly performs what is most contrary to his Inclination never manifesting by any Sign Word or Deed that he has an Aversion from that he is commanded But there true Obedience cannot be seen where the Subject contrives the Precept and himself suggests the Work which he would gladly do St. Augustin testifying He is thy best Servant O Lord who does not desire to hear from thee what he would but rather would that which he shall hear from thee The truly obedient never expects an absolute Command but only knowing or believing the Will of his Superiour he fervorously executes it as if it were a Precept after the Examample of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom the Will and good Pleasure of his Father was the highest Command The truly obedient never disposes of his own Actions nor does he judge according to his own Sense nor does he declare his own Sense to any one concerning his own Actions seeing he has neither Will nor Nill but simply and securely he commits to God and his Superiour the entire Disposal of himself The truly obedient does not discern betwixt Good and Evil As Abraham when God Almighty commanded him to kill his Son did not discern whether it was good or evil nor does he discern betwixt good and better For he always judges that to be best which is commanded even when it is doubtful unless the Command should appear manifestly to be sinful for then according to S. Gregory We must know that never any ill thing must be done for Obedience but sometimes a good thing we are a doing ought to be intermitted for Obedience The same S. Gregory says moreover But because sometimes the desireable things of this World are commanded and sometimes the contrary It is greatly to be remarked That Obedience sometimes if it have any thing of it's own 't is of no value and other times unless it have something of it's own 't is little worth for when the agreeable things of this World are commanded a higher place for example He who out of Obedience accepts of these things he evacuates in himself the Virtue of Obedience if he also aspire after these things by his own proper Desire For he does not guide himself by Obedience who in accepting the grateful things of this Life serves the Lust of his own Ambition Again when the despicable things of this World Disgraces and Contumelies are commanded unless the Soul of it self desire these things it lessens to it self the merit of Obedience because forced and unwilling it descends to those things which are despised in this Life And a little after Obedience therefore in things that are displeasing it ought to have something of it self and again in those things that are pleasing it ought not by any means to have any thing of it self To the end that in things that are displeasing it may be so much more glorious by how much it is joyned to the divine Disposition even with Desire And in things that are pleasing it may be so much more true by how much it is more heartily separated from the present Glory which it partakes by the Divine Order The motive of true Obedience is the exact Obedience of Jesus Christ who was obedient in all things not only to God his Father saying Notwithstanding not my Will but thine be done Luke 22. but
good of himself as says the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of our selves as of our selves but our Sufficiency is of God This takes away Presumption and that he can do all things through Christ more fully and perfectly than by himself the Apostle being witness I can do all things in him who strengthens me This takes away Despair which two things to wit Presumption and Despair are very noxious to spiritual Persons and often impugne them also ever before God to acknowledge not only how vile he is but also how vile he may be and might have been if God had not prevented and this takes away all swelling Pride And that God will exact an Acconut of all Evil committed and all Good omitted and all Graces neglected both for himself and for the Community this gives just Fear Also to receive all Good as from God giving it and this excludes false Love and infers Gratitude And to receive all Evil as from God graciously permitting it for our Profit and this infers Patience The more any one profits in these the more he tends to a spiritual Life and grows and is confirmed in it He has an Argument of true Spiritual Life whose Spirit absolutely over-rules the Flesh who is as sensible of any spiritual Damage as corporal and as much shuns the Place Time and Persons where and by whom he may be hurt in Spirit as where he may be hurt and incommodated in Body and as speedily takes care to cure his Spirit as his Flesh yea has so much more care of his Spirit as his Spirit is more worthy than his Body He also has an Argument of true spiritual Life who is as much delighted in spiritual Food as in corporal and does as unwillingly neglect at any time his spiritual Food as his corporal and does as orderly take it as his corporal and does as much compel himself to it when he has no Appetite as sick Persons are compelled to corporal Food when they loath it Another Argument of spiritual Life is if a man be as diligent about his Spirit as about his Flesh if he be as ready to obey in all things his spiritual Physician for the health of his Spirit and Soul as the corporal Physician for the Health of his Body if he be as solicitous to get the Grace which he wants in Prosperity and Adversity which he wants towards Friends and towards Enemies which he wants when he is praised and when he is dispraised which he wants alone before God and which he wants amongst Men as he is sollicitous about Flesh and Fish or about Summer and Winter Garments if he labour as much to get multiply conserve and profitably to expend spiritual gifts as a secular Person does concerning temporal goods and is so much more diligent about his Spirit than his Body by how much his Spirit is more worthy than his Body Concerning all these things the Apostle says Rom. 8. They who walk according to the Flesh savour the things of the Flesh But they who walk according to the Spirit savour the things of the Spirit An Argument of a carnal Life is to live according to the Rule of the Flesh St. Augustin He lives according to the Flesh who lives according to himself that is goes whither he will sleeps when he will and as long as he will speaks what he will and to whom he will and when he will eats and drinks when he will and as much as he will laughs and takes filthy Pleasure amongst whom he will and when he will In fine whatsoever is sweet to his Smell he seeks it whatsoever is soft to his sense of touching whatsoever is delightful to his Eyes whatsoever is pleasing to his Body he exercises and follows it as he will and when he will because he carnally wills all things lawful and unlawful He is delighted in fine Cloaths Horses and Arms as he will and when he will And so he lives and is delighted not according to God but carnally and fulfills all the desires of the Flesh as he will and when he will Another Argument of a carnal Life is Liberty of Tongue whence follows a Distraction of Heart according to that James 1. If any man think himself to be religious not bridling his Tongue but seducing his own Heart this mans Religion is vain Therefore it is written Prov 21. He who keeps his Mouth and his Tongue keeps his Soul from Straits chap. 18. Death and Life are in the Power of the Tongue CHAP. XXIX Of Maturity TRUE Maturity is when all the Affections and Forces of the Soul are unanimously gathered up into God Hereby the Mind is restrained from Vanity and the five Senses from their Allurements but when the Soul recedes from that blessed Union forthwith it is entangled with diverse Vanities for all things under Heaven are Vanity as says Ecclesiastes ch 1. The most holy Example of our Lord Jesus ought to induce us to true Maturity concerning whose Seriousness St. Augustin writes thus We read that our Lord Jesus was sad wept was weary from travelling suffered Reproaches and Injuries Spittle Whips the Cross but we never read that he laughed or enjoyed the Prosperity of this Life Hence all the Elect rejoyce in themselves when they begin to be wearied with the Adversities of the World and not to be vainly deceived with any of it's Prosperities knowing that there is another Life to follow Also because the Holy Scripture much dispraises Dissolution and Laughter according to that Eccles 2. I looked upon Laughter as an Error and to Joy I said why art thou in vain deceived And Prov. 14. Laughter shall be mingled with Grief and Joy ends in mourning And the Psalmist speaks thus to the Lord Psal 30. Thou hast hated those who occupy themselves in deceitful Vanities without Profit And especially the Commination of our Lord Jesus Luke 6. Woe unto you who now laugh because ye shall lament and weep Also because it much withdraws any one from the Familiarity of God and obstructs the Perception of Divine Graces He has an Argument of true Maturity who neither by idle Words nor by Deeds nor Signs nor dissolute Gate nor by any other Behaviour provokes others to Levity but always in himself and others from his Heart detests Dissoluteness He avoids all places where are occasions of Levity and all dissolute Company that he may conserve Maturity knowing That he who will touch Pitch shall be defiled thereby Eccles 13. And he who converses with dissolute Persons will not avoid Dissoluteness Such an one was B. Job who was so mature and sober that dissolute Persons avoided his Presence as he himself says chap. 29. The Young men saw me and hid themselves And he had such a custom of Maturity that if the contrary were seen in him no body would believe it whence he says in the same Chapter If at any time I laughed at them they did not believe me and
only a nominal difference whereas they truly differ in their Properties For the Father properly has Innascibility the Son properly Nascibility the Holy Ghost Procession CHAP. XXXIV Of Discretion TRUE Discretion is prudently to judge betwixt the Creator and the Creature what the Creator is and what the Creature Also to discern what is good what better and what the best of all what is bad what worse what the worst of all How much God is to be desired and how much Evil to be detested Also what Reverence one ought to have to his Superior what Clemency and Compassion to his Inferior and what Society to his Equal how he ought to behave himself to the Dead how to the Living how to his Predecessors and how to those that are to succeed him How to his Friends that they be loved in God and how to his Enemies that they be loved for God How secretly before God and how openly before men What refection is to be given to the Flesh and what to the Spirit What Cloths he is to wear When he is to eat when to drink when to abstain and how much and from what meats when to Watch and when to sleep and how much and how long When to pray when to weep and when to do any work How to behave himself to praise and how to reprove When to speak and when to be silent how much for what causes with whom in what place and at what time When to receive when to retain and when to give and how much and to whom and and at what time To order and prudently to discern Concerning all these things is the work of true Discretion This Vertue is the mistress of all Virtues appointing unto them all their Measure and Order But where discretion is not there charity does not observe Order What is to be loved in the first place and what in the last nor measure what is to be loved less and what more S. Augustin testifies where Humility is too much observed the Autority of him that rules is broken There obedience is blind and foolish where one believes he is to obey even in ill things There Liberality is too profuse when one gives without Necessity to Stage-players Where Discretion is not there Fear is dejected into Despair and Hope is turned into Presumtion There Justice shews too great Severity There Patience Mercy Meekness Benignity Goodness dissemble unjust things There Religion is dissolved into Licentiousnes Truth falsified Chastity violated Maturity made light Constancy quite changed This Virtue encreases by the failing of other Virtues For when a man often falls from Humility into Pride or Vain-glory from Charity into Envy from Patience into Anger from Meekness into Rancor from Fervor into Tepidity from Chastity into carnal Concupiscence from love of Poverty into Covetousness from Peace into Disquiet from Union into Discord from Obedience into Rebellion from matutiry into Levity from Religion into Dissolution from Silence into Talkativeness or Detraction from spiritual Love into Carnal from Hope into Presumption from a just Fear into Humane and Servile from Justice into Severity from Mercy into Softness from Constancy into Mutableness from Truth into Falseness then indeed one is made more cautious and more sollicitous and discreet in all things Helps to true Discretion are diligent reading and meditation in the Holy Scriptures continual search into the Examples of Saints frequent Counsel from discreet Persons according to that Tob. 4. Alwayes ask counsel of the wise Whence our Lord to Paul Acts 9. Arise and enter into the City and it shall be told thee what thou art to do In like manner he sent the Lepers Luke 17. Go shew your selves to the Priests Not to one only but to more that if one be less discreet another more discreet may be sought He has an Argument of true Discretion who does all his works with the counsel of the Discreet whom if he cannot always have he discusses all his Works and Affairs in his own Conscience before God with true Discretion and mature Deliberation according to that Eccles 32. Son do nothing without counsel and thou shalt not repent thee afterwards Yet let him not in this neither always believe his own Conscience unless he have the manifest testimony of the Scripture Neither let him by any means wrest the Scripture to his own sense but conform his sense to the Scripture He has an Argument of Indiscretion who above his strength labours in Watchings Fastings Prayers Disciplines and Tears destroying himself in a short time he is made unprofitable in the Service of God for many years But alas there are few in our days guilty of this Excess He has an Argument of false Discretion who being careful not to destroy his Body neglects nothing which makes for its commodity saying to the Lord My Strength I will keep for thee Psal 58. And in the mean time the Spirit faints and pines away for want of spiritual Food which by no means can be had without Labour whence St. Augustin Whilst we fear the weakness of our Flesh we neglect the health of our Soul Because the Flesh if it be daintily fed kills the Spirit As the Moth eats up the Wool and the Fire consumes Wood Hey and Straw so the rebellious and dainty Flesh burns up and consumes the Soul Such an one does not consider that at length his Flesh shall be destroyed although it should enjoy all sorts of Commodities As Secular People giving all pleasure to their Bodies do not serve God the more but are more frequently sick However it is better that the Spirit should live replenished with Grace in a languid Body than that it should be languid or dead in a sound Body CHAP. XXXV Of Congratulation TRUE Congratulation which regards God is to rejoyce with God for all his Beatitude and eternal innate Perfection to wit for his Omnipotency Wisdom Goodness c. and that he wants nothing but is sufficient for himself and all Creatures Also to rejoyce with God for the orderly Disposition of Heaven and Earth and of all things that are in them and for all his Works from the beginning of the World to the end thereof especially for the works of his Incarnation Circumcision Passion Resurrection Ascension and Mission of the Holy Ghost and for all his Judgments manifest and secret about Devils about Souls in Hell Lymbus and Purgatory and about wicked men in the World Also to rejoyce with God for whatsoever Praise and Honour he has from Angels and Saints in Heaven and from Men on Earth True Congratulation to our Neighbours is to rejoyce with all the Angels and Saints for their glory in Heaven to rejoyce with the B. Virgin Mary with the Patriarchs and Prophets with the Apostles and all the Elect with all holy men
was taken away be restored Against this it is said in Ecclesiasticus Chap. 34. One building and another throwing down what profit have they but their Labour He throws down who is sorry for his Sins he builds who continues in a will to Sin concerning such a building St. Augustin says Out of a perverse will is made lust or desire And whilst lust is served there is made a custom And whilst a custom is not resisted there is made a necessity CHAP. XL. Of Confession TRUE Confession is a sincere and rightful manifestation of Sins without concealment to a Priest This our Lord commanded when he said to the Lepers Luk. 17. Go shew your selves to the Priest And St. James chap. 5. Confess your Sins to one another To true Confession it is required that it be entire pure discreet faithful and perfect According to that of Lamentations 2. Pour out thy Heart as Water before the sight of the Lord. By pouring out is noted the Integrity for we must not industriously tell our Sins by drops which we have never confessed but whatsoever we can together call to Mind must altogether be poured out before one Priest as Water Where it is noted Confession ought to be simple and pure not made out of servile Fear or by Compulsion but purely and simply for God Thy Heart where is noted Discretion For not only our Words and Deeds Commissions and Omissions are to be confessed but also our unclean Thoughts and morose Affections inordinate Intentions noxious Wills perverse Judgment and rash Suspicions for Origen says That in that day Thoughts shall accuse and defend Souls not the Thoughts which then shall be but which are now in us of which certain Marks shall be left in the Heart as it were in Wax Before the Sight of God Where is noted the Fidelity and Perfection of Confession for all things are to be considered according to the Acknowledgment of God for where we acknowledge one Sin he in his Wisdom sees a thousand The assured Remission of Sins and the cleansing of the Soul ought to induce us to a true Confession according to that 1 Jo. 1. If we confess our Sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Iniquity And because the Father Son and Holy Ghost are obliged to Remission and Pardon according to that Although God knows all things yet he expects the Voice of Confession For Christ has cause to intercede for thee and the Father has cause to pardon thee and whatsoever the Son wills the Father also wills and the Holy Ghost He has an Argument of true Confession who pours out all his Sins as Water so that there remain neither colour as in the pouring out of Milk nor Fatness or Savor as in the pouring out of Oyl or Blood nor smell as in the pouring out of Wine or Vinegar The colour remains when the Sin is told but the Occasion Provocation to sin is concealed as it happens in Gluttony or Fornication the Fatness or Savour remains when the Sin is told but quantity or long continuance of the delight in which Reason was wholly drowned is concealed according to that Psal 108. It has entred like Water into his Bowels and like Oyl into his very Bones The Smell remains when the Sin is told but the Infamy or bad Example and Scandal of others is concealed But he who rightly confesses manifests both the Sin and what went before it and what followed after it It is an Argument of true Confession when one confesses his Sins in Number Weight and Measure We must confess in Number that is how often we have sinned because a Wound often renewed is more slowly cured Also in Measure when one confesses the continuance of Sin for he who is longer sick sooner dies In Weight that is the grievousness of our Sins for Sin is aggravated from a sacred Place as a Church or Church-yard from a sacred Time or Person as if it were a Clergy-man who was hurt if a religious or married Person with whom one sinned An Argument of false Confession is when one confesses lest he should be reputed an Infidel or that he may be accounted more holy or lest the Holy Communion should be denyed him to his Confusion as Saul confessed lest he should have been confounded before fore the People by the Prophet Samuel CHAP. XLI Of Penance TRUE external Penance is an Abstinence from lawful things when pardon is asked for unlawful as says the Scripture So Penitents and Religious Persons abstain from Flesh reject Fine Cloaths Fast Watch afflict themselves with Disciplines keep Silence break their own Will and refrain from many Delights which would have been lawful to them if they never had committed any thing unlawful This our Lord and S. John Baptist commanded saying Do Penance for the Kingdom of God is at hand Math. 4. 3. The Necessity of true Penance ought to induce us thereunto for without it there is no Salvation our Lord saying Luke 13. Vnless ye have Penance ye shall all in like manner perish And S. Augustin Sins be they little be they great they cannot be unpunished Whence the Lord enjoyned David Penance for his Sin in numbring his People that he should either suffer seven years Famine or three years the Vengeance of his Enemies or three days Pestilence and David chose for himself and his People the common scourge of Death By this is signified that every one shall certainly be punished for his Sins either in Hell signified by the seven years Famine or in Purgatory signified by the Violence of Enemies for three Months or with temporal Punishment signified by the Pestilence of three Years So it is profitable to us to choose for our selves the easiest Penance and which soon passes away An Argument of true Penance is a due commensuration of the Pain to the Fault that according to the quantity of the Fault be the quantity and gravity of the Pain according to the delight of the Fault the bitterness of the Pain according to the length of the Fault the length of the Pain and according to the multiplicity of the Fault the multiplicity of the Pain as S. John prescribes Matth. 3. Do worthy fruits of Penance For as particular Infirmities of the Body have necessarily particular Medicines and no Medicine is of such efficacy as that it can cure all Diseases so also special kinds of Sins have their special Penance For Pride is not directly cured by Alms-giving nor Rancor and Envy by Prayer nor Covetousness by Fasting nor Impurity by Watching c. But we directly satisfie for Pride by Humility for Avarice by giving of Alms for Impurity by the chastizement of the Flesh with Hair-shirts and Disciplines for Gluttony by Fasting for Talkativeness by Prayer for Envy by Charity and remission of Injuries for Rapine and unjust possessions by Restitution c. But if any one as St. Chrysostom says cannot fulfill the whole Order of