to procure the saluation of theyr neighbours sowles CHAPTER IIII. QVanto maiores humilia te in omnibus coram Deo inuenies gratiam How much thou art greater soe thou humble thy selfe saith the wise man soe much the more and thou shal finde grace in the sight of God We whoe make profession to gaine sowles to God haue the office of Grandes For wee may say for our confusion that God hath called vs to a very high state sinc our institute is to sewe the holy Church in certaine ministeries which are very eminent and high to which God chose the Apostles namely the preaching of the Ghospell the administratiō of the Sacraments and the dispensation of his most pretious blood soe that we may say vith Saint Paule dedit nobis ministerium reconciliationis Hee calls the preaching of the Ghospell the dispensation of the Sacraments by which grace is communicated the ministery of Reconciliation Et posuit in nobis verbum reconciliationis pro Christo ergo Legatione fungimur God hath made vs his seruants his Embassadors as his Apostles were Legats of that cheife Bishop Iesus Christ tongues and instruments of the holy Ghost Tanquam Deo exhortante per nos Our Lord is pleased to speake to soules by our tongues by theis tongues of flesh wil our lord moue the harts of men for this haue we there fore more neede then others of the vertue of Humilitie and that vpon twoe reasons first because by how much the more high our institute and vocation is so much more hazard shal we run and so much greater will be the combatte of vanitie and pride The highest hills as S. Ierome saith are assaulted by the stiffest windes Wee are imployed in very high ministeries and for this are we respected and esteemed ouer the world We are held to be Saints and euen for other Apostles vpō earth and that all our conuersation is sanctity and that our study is to make them alsoe Saincts Whith whome we cōuerse Here is neede of a greate foundation of Humilitie that soe high a building as this may not be driuen downe to the grounde Wee had neede haue greate strength of vertue that wee may be able to beare the weight of honor whith all the circumstances thereof A hard taske it is to walke in the midst of honors and that yet noe part thereof should fasten it selfe to the hart It is not euery bodyes case to haue a head that can be safe soe high O how many haue growne giddy and fallne downe from that high state wherein they were for want of the foundation of Humilitie how many whoe seemed Zagles sowringe vp in the exercise of seuerall vertues haue through pride become as blinde as batts That Moncke wrought Miracles of whome it is written in the life of S. Pachomius and Palemon that he walked vpon burning coales without hurting himselfe but he growe proud vpon that very occasion and he though a contemptuoustly of others and said meaning of himselfe that he was a Saint who could walke vpon coales without burning himselfe which of you said hee can doe so much Saint Palemon reproued him for this perceiuing that it grew in him from pride and at length he came to falle miserably and to end ill The holy Scripture the histories of Saints liues are full of such examples as this For this doe we therefore stand in particular neede to be very well grounded in this vertue for if we be not we shall runne greate hazard of being giddy and of falling into the sinne of pride yea and that the greatest of all others which is spirituall pride S. Bonauenture declaring this saith That there ar towe kindes of pride one which concernes temporall things and this is called carnall pride and another which concernes things spirituall and this is called spirituall pride and he saith that this second is a greater pride and a greater sinne then the former The reason hereof is cleere For as S. Bonauenture saith the proud man is a theefe and committs robbery for he runs away with the goods of another against the will of the owner by hauing stolne the honor and glory which is proper to God and which he will not giue away but reserue to himselfe Gloria meam alteri non dabo saith he by the Prophet Esay and this as I was saying Doth the proud man steale from God and he runs away with it and applyes it to himselfe Now when a man growes proud of any naturall aduantage as of nobility of agilitie and strength of body of quicknes of vnderstanding of learning or the like this man is a robber but yet the thest is not soe greate For though it be true that all theis blessings are of God they are yet but as the chaff of his howse but he who shall grow proud of his spirituall guifts as namely of sāctity or of the fruite which is gathered by gaynīg soules this is a great theefe a famous theefe a robber of the honor of God and who steales those iewells which he esteemes the most rith and of the greatest price and valew and which indeede were sett at soe high a rate that he thought his owne blood and life well imployed vpon the purchose thereof For this reason the B. S. Francis was full of care and feare least hee should fall into pride he was wont to say thus to God O Lord if thou giue me any thinge keepe it for me whoe dare not trust my selfe with it for I am noe better then a theefe and am still runing away with thy goods And now lett vs alsoe walke on with the same feare since we haue much more reason to be afraide are fare frō being so humble as S. Fracis was Lett vs not fall into his soe daungerous pride lett vs not run away with those goods of God which he hath put with soe much confidence into our hands Lett noe parte thereof sticke to vs lett vs attribute nothing to our selues but returne the whole backe to God It was not without greate mistery that Christ our Sauyour when he appeared to his Disciples vpon the day of his glorious Ascention reproou'd them first for their incredulity and hardnesse of hart cōmaunded them afterward to goe preach the Ghospell wee the whole world and gaue them power to worke many mightie miracles For he giues vs hereby to vnderstand that he who is to be exalted to the doenig of great things hath neede to be humbled first and to be abased in himselfe and to haue a true knowledge of his owne frailties miseries that soe though afterward he come to fly aboue the heauens and to woke miracles he may yet remaine still intyre in the knowledge of himselfe sticke fast to the vnderstanding of his owne basenes without attributing any other thing to him selfe then vnworthinesse Theodoret to his purpose notes that God resoluing to choose Moyses for the Kaptaine conductour of his people
to worke by his meanes such wondrous and prodigious things as hee resolued to lett the world so thought fitt for the cause aforesaid that first that very hand wherewith he was to deride the read sea effect of other things so very strange being first put into his bosome should be then drawne forth seene by himselfe to be full of Leprosie A second reason for which we stand in more particular necessitie of Humilitie is to the and that we may gather fruite in those very ministeries wtherein we are imployed Soe that Humilitie is necessary for vs not onely in regard of our owne improuement least otherwise we should grow vaine proud so cast away our selues but besides for the gayning of our neighbours the bringing forth fruite in their soules One of the most principall meanes towards thiâ— end is Humilitie and that wee distrust our selues and that we vely noâ— vpon our owne industry or prudence or other parts but that we place all our confidence in God and ascribe and referre all to him according to that of the wiseman Habe fidâ—ciam in Domino ex toto corde tuo ne inuitaris prudentiae tuae Put your confidence in God with your whole hart rely not vpon your owne prudence And the reason heer of is as afterw and I shall declare more at large because when through distrust of our selues wee place all our confidence in God we ascribe it all to him put the whole busines to his accompt whereby we oblige him much to take care thereof O Lord dispatch thine owne busines the conuersion of soule is thine and not ours alas what pouer can we haue to saue soules But non when wee are confident in the meanes wee vse and in the discourses which wee are able to make we bring our selues to be parties to the busines attribut much to our selues all that doe wee take from Almightie God They are like twoe ballances for looke how much the one rises so much the other will be suer to falle as much as we attribut to our selues soe much wee take froÌ„ God and runne away with the glory aÌ„d honor which is onely his thus he comes to permitt that noe effect is wrought And I pray God that this be not some tymes the cause why we doe our neighbours noe more good We read in the life of our B. Father Ignatius that by certaine discourses of the Christian Doctrine which he made some tymes in Rome with plaine and rude and improper words for he was them nothing skilfull in the Italian tongue he yet wrough soe great fruite in soules that vpon the end of his speech his auditours would haue their harts alâ— wounded came with such sighes sobbes teares to the feete of a Ghostly Father that through excesse of greiuing and weeping they could hardly speake And this grew because he put noe trust in his owne words but onely in that Spiritt by which he spake Non in persuasibilibus humanae sapientiae verbis sed iâ— ostentione spiritus virtutis Not in the perswading words of humanae wisedome but in the manifestation of Spiritt truth as S. Paule saith Hee was distrustfull of himselfe placed all his coÌ„fidente in God soe God gaue strength and spiritt to those inproper and rude words of his which seemed euen to dart burning flames into the harts of his hearers And nowe I know not whether the reason why we produce not at this day soe great fruit be not because we sticke much closer to the opinion of our owne prudence because we rest and relie much vpon our owne meanes of perswation and our learning discourse our polite and elegant manner of declaring our minds and we goe gustinge and delighting our selues much with our selues O vell then saith God when you conceiue that you haue said the best things deliuered the most conuincing reasons and remaine content and iolly with conceit that you haue done great matters you shall then effect least of all And that shall be fulfilled in you which the Prophet Oâ—e said Da eis Domine quid dabis eis Da eis vuluam sine liberis vbera arentia I will take order that thou shalt be a barren mother that thou shalt haue noe more thereof but the name You shall be such or such a Father and such a Preacher you shall be called but you shall remaine as I said with the onely name and you shall haue noe spirituall Children I will giue you dry brests such as noe Childe shall hange vpon nor shall any thinge sticke by theÌ„ which thou saist for this doth he deserue who will needes vsurpe the good of God and attribute that to himselfe which is proper onely due to his diuine Maiestie I say not but that what soeuer men shall preach must be very well studyed considered but yet this is not all foâ— it must alsoe be very well wept vpon very well recommended to God anâ— when you shall haue made your heaâ— ake with studying it ruminating vpon it you must say Serui inutiles sumuâ— quod debuimus facere secimus We haue bâ— done what we ought and we are vnprofitabâ—â— seruants what am I able to effect I hauâ— made a little noyse of words like a peecâ— which shotes powder without a bulett but if the hart be wounded it iâ— thou O Lord who must doe it Cor regâ— in manu Domini quocunque voluerit inclinâ— uit illud The kings hart is in Gods hand he inclines it to what soeuer he will It is thoâ— o Lord who art to moue and wound thâ— hart Alas what are we able to doe tâ— them What proportion can our wordâ— and all our humaine meanes carry to aâ— end so high and so supernaturall as it is to conuert soules No such matter But how comes it then to passe that we are so vaine soe very well pleased with our selues when we thinke some good is done and that our busines succeedes well as if we were the men who had done the deede Nunquid gloriabitur sicuris contra eum qui secat in ea aut exaltabitur serra contra eum à quo trahitur Shall peraduenture saith the Prophet Esay to God the hatchet or the saw bragg against him who vses it and workes with it and say I am he who haue cutt and whoe haue sawed that word Quomodo si etenetur virga contra eleuantem se exaltetur baculus qui vtique lignum est This were as if a Cudgell should looke bigg and admire it selfe because a man lifts it vp whereas the thing in it selfe is but wood which can not once stirr if men stirr it not Now we are iust thus in respect of any spirituall and supernaturall end of the conuersion of soules We are like soe many wands whoe cannot once stirr if God stirr vs not And therefore we must ascribe all to him as
to reach to be deedes And when you shal be arriued soe farre as to conceiue that you beare those occasions well which vse to present them selues yet you must knowe that there are seuerall degrees stepps in the same worke w ereby you must rise towards the perâ—ection of Humilitie For the first stepp is that you exercise your selues in bearing all those occasions which may be offred for your contempt with patience wherein there will be some what to doe that perhaps for a good while After this you must passe on and not stay nor grow weary til you come to reioyce in being affronted and till you feele as much contentment gust therein as worldly meÌ„ doe in all the honors riches and pleasures of the earth according to that of the Prophett In via testimoniorii tuoruÌ„ delectatus sum sicut in omnibus diuitiis If we desire any thing in good earnest we are naturally gladd when we haue obteyned it and if wee desire it much we reioyce much and if little little Take you therefore this for a signe whereby to see whether you seriously desire to be little esteemed or no and whether or noe you goe increasing in the verâ—ue of Humilitie and soe also in the other vertues To the end that wee may profitt the more by this meanes in our Prayer and that t erein this vertue may imprint it selfe the more deepely in our harts we must goe descending to those particular and hard cases which may ocurre and we must animate our selues and actuate vpon them as if we had them present then insisting and deteyinge our selues therein till at length no one thinge may be able to putt it selfe before vs which we cannot make plaine and smooth For by this meanes vice will come to be rooted vp and vertue will be sincking and incorporating it selfe into the very roote of the hart perfecting it self dayly more and more That is a very good coÌ„parison to this purpose which the Goldsmiths vse for the refyning of God they melt it in the chrysuble and when it is melted they cast a graine of Sublimate in to it and then the gold begins to boyle vp with great heigth and fury till the Sublimate bee spent for then the gold begins to be quiet The gold smith comes againe and casts in another graine of Sublimate and the gold boyles vp againe but not with soe much strength as before and when that Sublimate is also spent the gold lyes still They cast in Sublimate a third tyme and the gold boyles againe but gently now and finally he casts in more Sublimate the sowerth tyme but then the gold makes noe noyse or alteration at all any more then if they had cast nothing in and then the gold is perfectly refined and this is the signe thereof Now this is that very thing which we must be doeing in prayer namely to cast in a graine of Sublimate imagining that such a particular mortification or contempt is then offering it selfe to vs and if it beginne to trouble and stinge vs we must detaine our selues therein till the heate and feruour of our prayer consume that graine of Sublimate and till we be able to make head against it and finde our harts quiet and reposed therein And the next day cast in another graine of Sublimate imagininge that some other matter of difficulty and of much mortification and humiliation is offering it selfe and if still your nature be troubled and offer to boyle vp detaine your selues therein till it be spent and you be quieted Then cast in another and yet another graine as occasion serues and when now the Sublimate makes noe noyse nor breedes noe trouble to you but that what soeuer occasion may be offered and represented to you yow still remaine with much quietnes and peace the gold is then purified and refined and this may serue you for a signe of hauinge obteyned the perfection of this vertue In what manner we are to make a particuler examination of our consciences concerning the vertue of Humility CHAPTER XXVIII THE Particular examination as we haue said already in the proper place is to be of some one onely thing for thus will this meanes bee more efficatious and haue greater force then if we carryed ore many things together and it is therefore called particular because it concernes one onely thinge And this is of soe great importance that Ordinarily it is necessary to take many tymes one vice which we would auoide and one vertue which we would obtaine into parts that soe by little and little we may be able to compasse that which wee desire Soe is it therefore in this vertue If you will make your particular examination about rooting vp the pride of your harte and of obteyninge the vertue of Humility you must not take it in hand after a kinde of generall way For Humility and pride imbrace many perticulars and if you take it but soe in grosse as to say I will be proud in nothing but humble in all things it is too much to examine your selues vpon at once and it will be more if you doe it vpon two or three vertues at once and thus in fine you will doe nothing But you are to take it into parts and to goe on by little and little Consider in what you are cheifly wont to faile concerninge Humilitie or in exercising of pride and beginne there and haueing ended with one particular thing take another to hart and then another and thus by little and little you will goe rooting vp the whole vice of pride out of your soules and plantinge the vertue of Humility in place thereof Let vs therefore now goe parting and deuiding theis things that soe you may the better and with the more profitt make this Particular examination concerning this vertue which is soe necessary The first shall be not to speake a word which may redound to our owne estimation and praise For the appetite of honor and estimation is so naturall to vs and wee carry it soe rooted in our harts that euen as it were with out thinking or reflecting vpon it our tongues runne voluntarily to say some what which either directly or indirectly may redownd to our owne praise Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur The hart is wont to speake out of the aboundance of the mouth As soone as any occasion is offred whereby honor may be gayned wee instantly come in for our parts as by saying I was in place I was partly the cause If I had bene absent I was interessed in that from the begining c. And the while I dare warrant you that if the thing had not brought honor with it you would haue bene content to hould your peace though you had bene present yea and partly had bene the cause there of Of this kinde there are other words which many tymes we obserue not till they be past and therefore it will be very well done to make a Particular
desire he would haue bene glad to goe through the streetes all stucke with feathers and full of Durt that soe he might be held for a madd foole but that the Charitie and desire which he had of the good of sowles had repressed this soe ardent impulse which carryed him towards the acts of Humilitie and put him into the obligation of treating himselfe with such decency and grauity as might be fitt for his coÌ„ditâ—on and person But as for his desire and inclination it was euer to be despised and a based and whensoeuer any occasion was offered whereby he might humble himselfe he imbraced it and when it was not offered he sought it with great desire to finde it By this you shall therefore know if you be gladd of honour and estimation for the good of soules and the glory of God or els for your owne honour and fame If when any occasion of Humilitie and contempt is offered you imbrace it in good earnest and with the heart and if you reioyce thereat it is then a good signe that when such a sermon or such another imployment hath succeeded well and that you are valued and esteemed for it you reioyce not for your owne honour and estimation but meerly for the glory of God and the good of soules which growes thereby But when on the other side some occasion of Humilitie and of being held in small accounte is offered you reiect it or you carry it not well and if when it is not necessary for the good of others you will yet be gladd of estimation and praise of men and procure alsoe to haue it this indeede is a signe that you are gladd also in those other things as for a thinge which hath relation to your selfe and your owne estimation and honor and not meerely for the glory of God and the good of sowles Soe that it is true that the honour and estimation of men is not ill but good if we vse it rightly and it may lawfully and vertuously be desired as when Father Franciscus Xauier went to the king of Bungo with great company and grauitie Yea euen a mans praysing himselfe may be holy and good if it be done as it ought And so wee see that Saint Paule writing to them of Corinthus began to praise and recounte great things of himselfe relating the high fauours which our Lord had imparted to him and saying That he had laboured more then the rest of the Apostles Yea and he began to tell them of his reuelations and rapts whereby he had bene carryed vp to the third heauen But all this he did because it was conuenient Yea and necessary for the glory of God and good of them to whome he wrote that soe they might growe to hould and value him for an Apostle of Christ and embrace his doctrine and take benefitt thereby and he spoke theis things of himselfe with a hart which did not onely despise honour but loue dishonour for the loue of Christ our lord and when his honour was not necessary for the good of others he knew very well how to empty and a base himselfe saying That he was not worthie to be called an Apostle because he had persecuted the Church of God and styling himsemfe blasphemous and abortiue and the greatest of sinners and when the occasions of dishonour and contempt were presented to him therein was his contentment and ioy Such harts as theis we may well trust with receiuing honour and with saying some tymes such things as may conduce towards it because they will neuer doe it but when it may be necessary for the greater glory of God yea and euen then they doe it soe much without the sticking of any part thereof to themselues as if they had not done it it at all for they loue not their owne honor but the honour of Almightie God and the good of Sowles But because it is a matter of much difficultie to receiue honor and not to growe proud by it nor to take any vaine coÌ„tentment or complacence therein therefore the SS through their feare of the great danger which lurcks in estimation and dignitie and high place fledd as farre as they could from it all and transported them selues into parts where they might be neither esteemed nor soe much as knowne and they procured to busy them selues in meane and conteÌ„ptible imployments because they saw that they profited thereby in Humilitie which was the most secure way for them S. Francis said very well I am not a Religious man if I take not dishonour with the same both inward and out ward ioy wherewith I take honour For if I ioy in that honour which others allowe me when I preach or performe any other office of Charitie to them for their good whereby yet I put my soule to runne some hazard through the daunger of vanitie much more ought I ioy in mine owne good and in the saluation of mine owne sowle which I preserue with more security when I am scorned and it is euident that wee are more obliged to ioy in our owne good and profitt then in that of others because Charitie well ordered beginnes at home If then you ioy in the good of your neighbour when the sermoÌ„ or other imployment hath succeeded well and when you are esteemed and praysed for it why should you not be gladd of your owne good when you hauing done what was in you are yet vndervalued for your paine for this is better and more safe for you If you be gladd when you haue a great tallent wherewith to doe great things for the good of others why are you not glad of you owne good and for your being left in conteÌ„pt because God gaue you no such tallent If you be gladd when you haue much health and strength wherewith to labour hard for the good of others why should you not be glad when God is pleased that you should be sicke and weake and be fitt for nothing but to be layd by in a corner and without vse for this is your profit and this will helpe you more towards Humilitie and in this shall you please God more then if you were a great preacher since his will is soe Heerby it may be seene how much deceiued they are who haue lodged theyr eyes vpon honour and the estimation of the world vnder colour forsooth that is necessary for the doeing good to others and vnder this pretence they desire high place and honourable imployments and all that which lookes like greatnes and soe they fly from all that which is meane and poore for they make them selues beleeue that they were to be disauthorised thereby But in this is another deceipt and a very greate one that by the very thing whereby a man pretends to gaine authoritie and by that whereby he thought to loose it he shall gaine it Some conceiue that by meanes of the poore coate and by exerciseing that low and meane place they shall loose that value and estimation
videlicet omnium nouisâ—mus â—eas te que nemini non dico preponas sed nec comparare presumas Not onely are you not to preferre your selues before any but not soe much as to presume to compare or equall your selues with any other but you are onely to remaine in the last place without any equall in your basenes esteeming your selues to be the most miserable sinners of the whole world It puts you saith he to noe daunger if perharps you should humble your selues too much and putting your selues vnder the feete of all but the preferring your selues before any one alone may put you to a great deale of preiudice And he brings this ordinary comparison As when you passe by a low gate the stooping too much with your head can doe you noe hurt but if you stoope neuer soe little lesse then the gate requires you may doe your selues soe much hurt as to breake your heads soe is it alsoe in the soule For to abase and humble your selues too much cannot be hurt full but to forbeare to humble your selues though it be but little to preferre or euen equall your selues to any one is a dangerous thing What knowest thou O man whether that one whome thou takest not onely to be worse then thou for perhapps it seemes to thee now that thou art growne to liue well but that he is the wicked man and the greatest sinner in the whole world may not proue perhaps a better man then either they or thou yea and that he is soe already in the sight of God Who knowes whether God will not change hands as Iacob did and that the lotts will be alsoe changed and that thou wilt come to be the forsaken and the other chosen Quid sâ—is si melior te illis mutatione dexterae excelsae in se quidem futurus sit in Deo vero iam sit How doe you know what God hatht wrought in that hart sinâ—e yesterday yea and in this last minute Facile est enim in oculis Dei subito honestare paâ—perem In one instant is God able to make Apostles of a Publican and a Persecutor as he did of Saint Matthew and Saint Paule Potens est Deus de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Abrahae Of sinners more stonie and hard then a Diamond can God make sonns for himselfe How mightily did that Pharise finde himselfe deceiued when he iudged Saint Mary Magdalen for wicked and when Christ our Lord reproued him and gaue him to vnderstand that shee whome he held for a publique sinner was better then hee And soe Saint Benet and Sainct Thomas and other saynts sett this downe for one of the twelue degrees of Humilitie Credere pronumtiare se omnibus viliorem To say and thinke of himselfe that he is the worst man of the whole world It is not enough to say soe with the tongue but it must be felt with the very hart Thinke not that thou hast profited at all if thou hould not thy selfe for the worst of men saith S. Paule How good and holy men may with truth esteeme themselues lesse then others yea and affirme themselues to be the greatest sinners of the world CHAPTER XXXIV IT will not be matter of curiosity but of much profitt to declare how good and holy men may with truth esteeme themselues lesse then all and alsoe affirme that they are the greatest sinners of the whole world For we haue said that we must procure to arriue thus farre Some of the Saints refuse to answere the question how this may be and content themselues with beleeuing of themselues that they are soe in their harts S. Dorotheus relates hat the Abbott Zosimus being one day speaking of Humilitie and saying soe of himselfe a certaine Philosopher was there who asked him how he could hould himselfe to be soe great a sinner since he knew himselfe to keepe Gods coÌ„maundements To which the holy Abbot made this answere I say that this which I haue said is true and that I speake as I thinke and therefore aske me no more questions But S. Augustine S. Thomas and other SS giue an answere to this question and they doe it diuers wayes That of S. Augustine and S. Thomas is that a man placing his eyes vpon his owne defects and considering in his neighbour the secret guifts which he hath or at least may haue of God euery one may with truth affirme of himselfe that he is the vilest and greatest sinner of the whole world for he knowes his owne defects and knowes not another mans graces or guifts O but say you I see that hee committs many sinnes which I committ not But yet how doe you know what God hath wrought in his hart since that tyme. In a moment may God haue secretly imparted some guift and fauour to that man which may haue made him excell you as it hapned to that Pharise and that Publican of the Ghospell who went into the TeÌ„ple to pray Dico vobis descendit hic iustificatus in domum suam ab illo verely I say to you said Christ our Lord that the Publican who was held for soe wiâ—ked returned iustified out of the â—â—ple and the â—hariâ—e whoe was held for good went out condemned This alone might serue to fright vs and to make vs not presume I say not to preferre our selues before but euen not to compare our selues with any and to make vs keepe our selues in the lowest place of all which certainely is most secure And for him who is truly humble and from the hart it is a most easy thing to hould himselfe in the lowest and least accountt of all others For the truely humble man considers in other men the goodnes and vertue which they haue and in himselfe he obserues but his owne defects and he is soe busie and earnest about the knowledge and redresse thereof that he hath no leasure to lift vp his eyes towards the faults of others as conceaueing himselfe to haue enough of his owne to lament and soe he houlds all other men for good and himselfe for wicked And by how much the more holy any man is soe much the more easy is this to him for after the rate or the encrease of his other vertues the knowing despising and humbling himselfe doth alsoe increase for all theis things goe together And still the more light he hath from heauen and the more knowledge of the goodnes and Maiestie of Almightie God the more profound vnderstanding will he come to haue of his owne misery and of his nothing because Abyssus abyssum inuocat That Abisse of the knowledge of the goodnes and greatnes of God calls vp and discouers that other profound Abisse of our miserie and makes vs able to discerne the infinite little moates and graines of dust of our imperfectioÌ„s And if we hould our selues in any accounte it is certainely because we haue smalle knowledge of God and little light from heauen The beames of the Sunne of Iustice
hauing nothing to bragg of in our selues God doth soe much esteeme that we rely not vpon our owne strength or humaine diligence that we should take nothing to our selues but ascribe all to him and giue him the glory of all that S. Paule sayth that for this reason Christ our Lord would not make choice of eloquent and learned men for the conuersion of the world by the preaching of the Ghospell but of poore fishermen who were ignorant rude Quae stultâ— sunt mundi elegit Deus vt confundat sapientes infirma mundi elegit Deus ea quâ— non sunt vt ea quae sunt destrueret God madâ— choice of ignorant and grosse people to confound the wise of the world he chose the poorâ— and weake to confound the mightie and stronge he chose the meane and base who seemed to be nothing in the eyes of flesh and blood to subdue kings and Emperours and all the Grandes of the earth But know you why saith S. Paule Vt non glorietur omnis caro in coâ—spectu eius sed queÌ„ admodum scriptuÌ„ est qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur To the end thaâ— man may not goe bragging in the sight of God nor take occasion of ascribing any thing to himselfe but giue all the glory of all to God If thâ— Preachers of the Ghospell were verâ— rich and powerfull and went with great troopes and strong hand to preach Gods word ouer the world they mighâ— perhaps impute mens conuersion to the fooce of their armes If God had chosen the great learned men the most excellent Oratours of the world who by their learning eloquence might conuince the Philosophers a man might haue attributed the conuersion of man kinde to curiositie of speach and subtiltie of arguments in diminution of the Credit and reputation of the vertue power of Christ our Lord. But it must not be after this manner saith S. Paule vt non euacuetur Crux Christi God was not pleased that this great busines should be caryed by eloquence of speech or humaine wisedome least the estimation of the power and efficacy of the Crosse and passion of Christ our Lord should suffer preiudice thereby S. Augustine saith Dominus noster Iesus Christus volens superborum frangere ceruices non quasiuit per oratorem piscatorem sed per piscatorem lucratus est Imperatorem Our Lord Iesus Christ resoluing to humble the necks of the proud did not by meanes of Orators gaine fishermen but by meanes of fishermen gayned both Orators and Emperours Magnus Cyprianus Orator sed prius Petrus piscator per quem postea crederet non solum Orator sed Imperator Cyprian was a great Orator but S. Peter the fisherman was before him by meanes of whome was conuerted not onely the Orator but euen the Emperour The holy Scripture is full of examples to shew that God is wont to choose weake meanes instruments for the doeing of mightie things to teach vs this truth and to the end that it might remanie deepely fixed in our harts that we haue nothing whereof to glory or to ascribe to our selues but absolutely all to God This are wee also taught by that illustrious victory of Iudith which she beinge a weake woeman obtayned against an army of aboue a hundred and fortie thowsand men This are we alsoe taught by that of the poore little Sheapheard Dauid who being but a boy and with no other weapon but his sling bett downe that Giant Golias and triumphed ouer the Philistians Vt sciat omnis terra quia est Deus in Israel nouerit vniuersa Ecclesia haec quia non in gladio nec in hasta saluat Dominus ipsius enim est bellum To the end that the whole world saith he may know that there is a God in Israell and that all men may vnderstand that God hath noe neede either of sword or launce for the obteyning of victory for battells in fine are his and victory is his and that men may be sure of this he giues it when he will without armes This was alsoe the mistery of Gedeon whoe had drawne twoe and thirtie thowsand men together against the Madianits whoe were more then a hundred and thirtie thousand men and God said thus to him Multus tecum est populus nec tradetur Madian in manus eius Gedeon thou hast great store of people with thee but Madian shall not be deliuered vp into thy hands Consider what a strange discourse of God this is Thou shalt not ouercome because thou hast much people with thee If he had said thou caust not ouercome them because they are soe many and thou hast soe few it seemes that the discourse had bene rationall But you are deceaued and vnderstand not the businesse This had bene a good reason for men to alledge but that other was proper to God alone You cannot ouercome saith God because you are many But why soe Ne glorietur contra me Israell dicat meis vtribus liberatus sum To the end that Israell may not glorifie it selfe against me and soe steale the victory from me and become vaine and proud as conceiuing that it was conquered by the strength thereof God carried the matter soe as that there onely remayned three hundred meÌ„ with Gedeon and comaunded that he should then present battaile to the enemy and with them he gaue Gedeon the victory Yea and they had not soe much as neede to put themselues in armes or to take their swords into their hands but with the onely sound of the trumpetts which they carried in one of their hands and with the noyse of breaking certaine potts and with the brightnes of the flaming torches which they carried in the other God strucke the enemy with such a terrour and amazement that they ouer whelmed and killed one another and the rest put themselues to flight as thinking that the whole world was cominge vpon them Then the others could not say that they had ouercome by their owne strength and this was that which God desired Namely that they might be forced to acknowledge If then euen in temporall humanie things wherein our owne diligences and meanes carry some kinde of proportion towards the end as our armes and forces doe towards the obteyning of victory God will not yet permitt that wee attribute any thing to our selues but that we must ascribe the victory of a battaile and indeede the good successe of all affaires to him If euen in naturall things neither he whoe plants nor he who waters is any thing and it is not the gardner whoe can make any plant grow nor make any tree giue fruite but onely God what shall we say of spirituall and supernaturall things of the Conuersion of sowles of a mans owne profitt and increase in vertue wherein our meanes indeauours diligences remaine soe short and soe farre behinde as that they carry no proportion at all with so high an end The Apostle S.
Paule saith itaque neque qui plantat aliquid neque quirigat sed qui incrementum dat Deus God onely is he whoe can giue increase and spirituall fruite God onely is he whoe can strike the harts of men with amazement and mightie feare God onely is hee whoe can make men abhorre sinne and forsake wickednes of life And as for vs we can onely make a little noyse with the trumpett of the Ghospell and if we shall breake theis earthen potts of our bodyes with mortification and if men may be able to see the light of a very exemplar life shine in vs we shall indeede haue done our parts but yet still it is only God whoe must giue vs the victory Lett vs gather and draw two things from hence that soe we may exercise our functions with much comfort and with the profitt both of our selues and our neighbours The first is that whereof we haue already spoken to distrust our selues to place all our confidence in God and to attribute the whole fruite good successe of all things to him S. Chrisostome saith Nolimus igitur extolle sed nos dicamus inutiles vt vtiles efficiamur Let vs nos wax proud but lett vs confesse our selues to be vnprofitable that soe we may growe to be profitable and vsefull And S. Ambrose saith If you will produce much fruite amongst your neighbours obserue the rule which we are taught by the Apostle S Peter Si quis loquitur quasi sermones Dei si quis ministrat tanquam ex virtute quam administrat Deus vt in omnibus honorificetur Deus per Iesum Christum cui est gloria mperium in secula seculorum Amen Hee whoe speakes lett him make accompt that God put those words into his mouth he who workes lett him make accompt that it is God whoe w rks by him and lett him giue the honor and glory of it all to him Let vs not ascribe any thing to our selues nor runne away with strange conceipt nor take any vaine contentment in the act The second thing which we are to fetch from hence is that wee be not difaminated or deiected when we consider our owne wretchednes and misery Of this we haue alsoe greate neede For who obseruing himselfe to be called to soe high an institute and to so supernaturall an end as it is to conuert soules to drawe them out of sinne out of heresies out of infidelitie who I say considering this will not fainte vnder the thought and say Iesus how a greate disproportion is this Such an imployment fitts not well with me who am the most needy and miserable creature of all others But yet in this you are deceiued for euen for this very reason this enterprise is fitt for you Moyses could not beleiue that he was euer to performe so greate a worke as to draw the people of Israell out of the Captiuitie of Egipt and he excused himselfe thus to God whoe was desirous to send him Quis sum ego vt vadam ad Pharaonem educam filios Israell de Aegipto What am I that I should goe treate with the king and procure him to lett the people of Israell depart out of Egipt Obsecio Domine mittequem inissurus es Send him o Lord whome you are to send for as for me I am a stammerer and vnfitt for the imployment This is thaâ— saith God which serues my turne Ego ero in ore tuo docebo te quid loquaris It is not thou who shalt doe it I will be with thee I w ll teach thee what thou art to say The same hapned alsoe to the Prophet Ieremy whome God sent to preach to the world but he began to excuse himselfe thus A. A. A. Domine Deus ecce nescio loqui quia puer ego sum A. A. A. Doe you not see O Lord that I can hardly pronounce my words but am a very Childe how then wâ—ll you haue me vndertake soe great an enterprise as this Euen for this very reason he will vse thee and thou art iust the man he seekes And perhaps if thou wert indued with many parts God would not haue chosen thee to this end but now thou shalt haue noe coulour to steale the praise and attribute any thing to thy selfe by such weake instruments is he desirous to doe great things The holy Euangelists recounte that the Apostles cominge from preaching Christ our Lord obseruing the fruite which they had gathered and the wonderfull things which they had wrought did highly reioyce in the holy Ghost and gaue great thanks and glorified his eternall father In illa hora exaltauit Spiritu sancto dixit Confiteor tibi Pater Domine caeli terrae quod abscondisti haec a sapientibus prudentibus reuelasti ea paruulis ita pater quoniam sic fuit placitum ante te I giue thee thanks o eternall father lord of heauen and earth for that thou hast hidden theis things from the wise and prudent of the world and hast reuealed and communicated them to thy little ones and by their meanes doest worke soe greate wonders Blessed and praysed be thou O Lord for euer because thou hast bin pleased to doe thus O happy little ones happy humble soules for theis are they whome God exalts and by whome he works wonders whome hee takes for his instruments in doenig great things in working great conuersions and gathering great fruite of soules Therefore lett noe man be discouraged or dismaid Nolite timere pusillis grex quia complacuit patri vestro dare verbis regnum Be not affraid little flocke be not diâ—aminated or put out of hart O thou little Society of Iesus because thou seest thy selfe very little and the least of all others for it hath bene pleasing to your heauenly father to giue you power ouer the harts and sowles of men I will be with you said Christ our Sauyour to our father Ignatius when he appeared to him as he was grenig to Roome Ego vobis Romae propitius ero I will assist you I will be with you And by occation of this miracle and admirable apparition the Tytle and name of Societie of Iesus was giuen to our Order To the end we may vnderstand that we are not called to the Society and Order of Ignatius but to the Society of Iesus that we may hould for certaine that Iesus will euer be in our succour as himselfe promised to our father and that we shall euer haue him for our conductour and Captaine and therefore let vs not grow weary or be discouraged in this soe greate affaire of helping sowles to which God hath called vs. Of the first degree of humilitie which is for a man to thinke meanely of himselfe CHAPTER V. SAint Laurentius Iustinianus saith that noe man knowes well what Humilitie is but he who hath receiued the guift of being humble from God It is really a very hard thing to be knowne A man saith this