Selected quad for the lemma: world_n
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A85367
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Good thoughts for every day of the month. Translated out of French By Mrs. D.S.
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1656
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Wing G1082; Thomason E1716_2; ESTC R209652
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20,927
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179
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Enemies after all these reasons and allurements can our Enemies be so odious in our sight Shall wee renounce God our selves and all or shall we love them 4. Two Christians Enemies seem as if they were not of the same flock nor of the same Religion for what means is there to unite under the obedience of one Law two souls that are rent asunder And to joyn together in one belief at the same altar two hearts whose approach to one another is mortal their sight killing their remembrance execrable we are not allowed to hate any but the Devils and the damned who hate one another Examine well if you have no bitterness towards any never suffer that cursed passion to take root in you There is no greater signe of reprobation then not to forgive a soul that hath this mark is marked for Hell S. Aug. c. 74. Enchirid If you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses Mat. 6. He whom this great thunder awakes not is not asleepâ— but dead The XVI Day Of Example 1. IL example hath damned an infinite number of Soules If we could search hel we should hardly finde any but say such a Man or such a Woman hath damned mee what an account wee are commanded to love our Enemies why then should we massacre souls that do us no hurt 2. They who have destroyed any had best look to their consciences we scarce ever see such come to a happy end what can we hope of Jesus Christ having ravished from his hands and his heart that which cost him so dear 3. O. Fathers and Mothers it were better that your Children had been stifled or that they had never been then to have had you for Parents and for Masters who instead of life have given them death eternal death by your example when they shall accuse you of their loss of Paradise at the day of Judgement what will you answer 4. Let us put on Jesus Christ saith S. Paul that we may be known by his Livery so as all that see us may remember him at present Jesus is dishonoured and as it were despizable in the impurity of his Images he is disfigured in his Members Christians show themselves no longer Christians to see them one would take them to be clean contrary to what they are O my God pardon mee the sins of others which I have been cause of and grant that henceforth none of my actions may contribute to the damnation of any Consider whether you do any thing the sight whereof may make an ill impression upon others Are not our own sins enough Let us not make our selves guilty of the sins of others Salvian lib. 4. de Provid He who by sinning causeth others to blaspheme is guilty of a crime above humane limits The XVII Day Of distrusting our selves 1. THE greatest Saints that defied Tyrants and persecutions have trembled onely at the thought of the estate of their heart before God whereof they saw not any thing They have been heard to sigh and sob at the hour of death in expectation of the dreadfull sentence of Gods justice upon the estate of their conscience not knowing what they were not what should become of them And I alas c. 2. But our frailty is much more extream then our ignorance there is no creature be it never so little that cannot encamp before our heart assail it make a breach in it and take it One sigh one tear one penny c. Man of himself without staying to be summoned or assaulted is very ready to run to his ruine becomes all eyes to deceive himself all hands to enslave himself is betrayed by those very actions which he doth to secure himself what is Man but a Man Lock up a Glass in a Trunk it will be there a thousand yeers without breaking but shut up a Man as long as you please you shall never hinder him from falling losing himself see if you have studied as much as is necessary to know you are your own Enemy 3. To adde to our weakness our selves raise engines against our selves all our sences and passions are continually employed in secret conspiracies And they whom persecutions and temptations could not overthrow have found in themselves an enemy that hath destroyed them So that we are more prevalent against our selves then Tyrants and Devils and we should in some sort fear our selves more then we fear God we should be more afraid of our own weaknesse then of the infinite power of God The Angels fell Adam sinned Judas betrayed and S. Peter renounced his Master Hostus fell into Sensuality Tertullian into Heresie Origen into Idolatry O be alwayes in fear of your self Here you must make provision against dangerous occasions Micah 6. 14. Thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee The XVIII Day Of care of our salvation 1. O What great fools were the Caesars the Pompeys the Alexanders the Princes the great ones of the world that destroyed so many lives spilt so much blood and those at present who spare none leave nothing unexecuted to acquire a little vain honour c. And have neither the wit nor courage to save themselves What doth it profit a Man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul 2. All Creatures â—re made to further our salvation So that as many drops as there are in the Sea c. as many crumbs of bread as I eat are so many obligations to my salvation all this being made for the good of my soul And from the very moment that a Man ceaseth to work for his salvation the Sun should bee eclipsed the Heavens should give over their motion c. All Creatures cease to be profitable to the World for us when wee make them unprofitable to this end 3. And for the most part we aim at nothing lesse wee will do all and do all very well and save all but our own souls this ground must be ploughed this money put out to interest we would have al thrive and do well and wee complain of all losses but this we find by our account great expences laid out upon our bodies and the world so much for a garment so much for a Feast and nothing for our salvation and if our soul were not ours as if it were the soul of one of our mortal enemies so ill we use it or rather as if it were the soul of some beast which hath onely sence and appetite not pretending to any thing further Nay some there are who are afraid one would imagine of being saved so unwilling they are to think of it to be touched by God to endeavour it what bruitishness 4. We must make accompt but of two things in the world to love God and our own salvation and who doth not is as mad as unhappy If I had two souls said Benedict the fourth I would give one for Philip a King who asked something of him against his conscience
and incorporated our selves in eternal damnation He that hath communicated worthily is strong enough to sustain Martyrdome Do you finde such courage in your self Examine the most notable defects of your Communions S. Aug. Hom. 49.50 To Penitents I say What doth it profit you that you are humbled if you be not changed The XXIII Day Of our condition of life and employment 1. WE are here by the wil of God let us be well perswaded to that and at present we can do nothing more agreeable to God then to acquit our selves well of our obligations and charges it is the work of the Lord cursed be he that doth it negligently 2. One of the greatest unhappinesses in the world is the loss of time the time of this life is so short our last hour is so near and for all that we live with as little care and as unprofitably as if this life would never have an end or as if we had nothing else to do 3. Alas if a damned person had but one moment of the many that I lose how would he profit by it as many minutes as I let slip fruitlesly so many blessed eternities I might gain wee omit no occasion to divert or accomodate our selves and we neglect the great employment of time for Heaven 4. The day that is best spent is not that wherein you have gained most as to the Interest of the World but that wherewith God is best pleased so order it that at what hour so ever you meet with any one if he ask what you do you may say I work for God and for my soul I gain my living eternall life Renew the principal intentions of the state of your life and remember that every action which is not conformable to the will of God or done for him is at least of no value Not how long but how well The XXIV Day Of Suffering 1. What a sweet ease it is to our pains to be assure that no ill comes unto us but God our good Father opens the door for it and that it is for our good Let us then chang the names of things let us speak no more after the fashion of the world afflictons should not now be called miseries since they come from so good a friend and conduct us to felicity they cease to be afflictions and put on the nature of that good whereunto they lead 2. Ah! what do wee think we are Christians to be rich to make a show and take our pleasures there needed not for this any Christianity nor that God should come down upon the earth shed so many tears so much blood there needed no more then to let the World go on the world without any thing else to let loose opinion passion c. A Christian is a Christian under another form of life and unless he renounce his Baptism and the Gospel and bely his faith hee must resolve to humble himself to suffer c. 3. But in what Christian Countrey is that profession made the Gospel speakes reade nothing more express the Books of all Saints what say they Yet this now seems an unknown barbarous language no more understood then that of Indians who run to Martyrdom and triumph in Persecutions but we must blot that Article out of the Gospel of Europe it is very little now in use See! our felicity is to weep to suffer who believes it c. Endeavour to put your heart into this disposition oblige it to love your crucified Lord to account all dayes of vain delight dayes of Reprobation to fear nothing so much as that God should give over afflicting you Matth. 10.38 He that taketh not his Cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me The XXV Day Of Almes 1. VVHat an infinite favour thou hast done us O Jesus in substituting the poor of this Word in thy place to whom we may do good as to thy self The naked represent thy nakedness the prisoners the bands wherewith thou wert bound the sick thy cruel pains Let us look upon them so Ah who would not see them willingly in this precious relation If we love the Son of God let us not shew our selves strange to him in his Images 2. O happinesse without comparison That I can give with my own hand to Jesus a piece of bread a piece of silver a garment that I can give him a good word I resolve that I wil give almes in this sence no otherwise and I will consider that in refusing it I refuse it to Jesus Christ who will have cause enough one day to blame me for it 3. As on the contrary at the day of judgement when Iesus shall see himself clothed in my clothes in a poor indigent person comforted in one that is sick lodged in a stranger when he shall wear my clothes hold my money my bread in his hand what can he say to himself opposed to himself He that is mercifull shall have mercy Here you must examine whether you discharge your obligation towards the poor in this point whether you give what you can and as wel as you can Iames 2.13 He shal have judgement without mercy who hath shewed no mercy The XXVI Day Of humane respects 1. THE World speakes speech is but a little noise which at the worst only hurts the Ear and kills not let a hundred thousand in the world speak can they hinder you from being reasonable or dispence with your obligation to follow the rule of your Conscience A holy action is propounded will you suffer your self to be reduced to that pass that you shall not dare to do good for fear Fools should say that you are wise What will they say This is the Drum and the Trumpet of antichrist in the world which scandals and carries away all souls Take heed to your self 2. To blush at the doing of a good thing for fear of what the world will say nothing is more contrary to Christianity which wears the Cross in her forehead and is holily confident To profess a Religion of which they that are of it are ashamed And to take rules of life maxims from the world the Enemy of Iesus Christ is not this to renounce our faith and to declare our selves Apostates to the Gospel That being wicked we are not afraid to appear such that the meanest Artisans make open profession of their Trades and yet we are ashamed in the very heart of the Church to appear Christians 3. Have you any thing my adorable Saviour of which we may be ashamed Is your name infamous They are not ashamed of being Adulterers Blasphemers nay they boast of it yet is it a reproach to your servants to declare that they are yours Oh whatsoever they say this is true the most honest Man in the world is he that is the greatest servant of God Search all the corners of your soul to see if this Bug-bear the World affright you Luke 9.26 Whosoever shall he ashamed of of mee and of