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
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
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
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