De Civit. Dei and in Psal 74. For as the True and Divine Love which reigneth in the Citizens of Hierusalem that is in the Servants of God takes its original spring from the Charity of God and makes them humble and to undervalue themselves for the honour and praise of God so in the same manner the self-Self-love of the Citizens of Babylon takes its original spring from their proper will and they raise themselves so high by reason of it that they come to undervalue and despise even God himself their own salvation and eternal interest We see in men divers sorts of affections divers sorts of judgements oâ—inions wills in so much that they â—re not more different in feature and â—n the frame and fashion of their Boâ—ies and natural Humors then they â—re in their proper Wills and Self-love â—nd the reason hereof is because they â—o not regard to conform themselves â—or to adjust their proper loves to the True Divine Love This is the source â—rom whence so much Self-love proâ—eeds men do not their endeavour to perform the will of God as they ought put follow too much every one their proper sensualities and private wills Oh would to God the onely true and perfect Love were well rooted and engraven in the hearts of men how would it make them true Followers and Imitators of those that live now â—n the Coelestial Hierusalem â— Without question they would then be all of one mind as the Apostles and Disciples of Christ were who so conformed themselves that as the Holy Text saith of them Acts 4. 32. they werâ— Cor unum anima una all one souâ— and one heart SECT 3. self-Self-Love contrary to the Love oâ— God Egredere de terratua de cognatione tua de domo patris tui Gen. 12. 1. Go forth of thy Countrey from thy kindred and thy Fathers house said Almighty God unto us all in the person of the Patriarch Abraham ouâ— Father insinuating hereby that you must all go forth and give over the love of worldly Creatures if you mean to love Coelestial you must pluck out of your selves all the weeds of self-Self-love and so root them out of your hearts that they may never grow up again self-Self-love is displeasing to God and altogether contrary to his love Self-love is the cause of all evils it perverteth the judgement overthrows and disturbs the mind stops and perverts reason dulls â—he understanding empoisons the will and shuts up the way to Eternal â—alvation He that loves not well doth not know God injures his neighbour â—orsaketh Vertue and seeks after honour riches and such like things â—oves the world and himself but not God Take heed therefore since it â—s this Self-love that destroys all commands and leads by it self all sinners â—o eternal damnation Why do you love Honour Riches â—nd other Corporal Objects of the World so much Why do you seek why do you hunt after them with so much greediness It is only because you love your selves inordinately Yet are you to leave all and forsake all even your selves and your own â—ife for the Love of God if you preâ—end to be everlastingly happy And â—he reason is because if the Love of God be not the first and chief in your affections sensual desires will usurp the prerogatives of Reason and get thâ— chief place which is due to God alone and so by consequence you forsake God for the love of your self and for the enjoying of your own propeâ— will and fancy you rob God of thâ— honour which is due onely to him aâ— the Creator and Maker of all Creatures To mortifie and subdue Self-love and our proper wills is not onely the Counsel but was also the Practice oâ— all the Ancient Fathers who used all their endeavors to weed and pluck out Self-love from themselves and to with-draw it also from the hearts of others especially of those who pretend to the perfection of Christian Vertue and Piety and have the state of a Religious Life in honour and esteem Now our proper will in this place signifies that absolute self-Self-love which men use and whereby they alwayes take complacency in themselves and ordain and refer all things to the satisfaction of themselves and of their own mind whereas on the â—ontrary true and perfect Christians â—enounce whatsoever is contrary to God and give themselves totally to Divine Love and to the performance â—f Gods Will and Commandments â—rdaining all to God and in a manâ—er denying all to themselves Seeing then that these two Loves â—re so contrary and opposite the one â—gainst the other it follows that such â—ikewise must be all the affections and â—he operations that proceed from â—hem that is opposite and quite conâ—rary one to another in so much that â—t is impossible these two Loves should ever reign at once or together at the â—ame time in one and the same heart â—eeing they are altogether incompatiâ—le You will never find the Love of God agree with the love of the world â—he love of Earthly Things with the â—ove of Coelestial the Carnal with the Spiritual And as it is impossible for Truth and Falsity to agree or Morâ—ality with Immortality Sweetness with Bitterness in a high degree oâ— Peace with War so in the same manner impossible it is to reconcile Self-love with the Love of God We cannot with one and the same eye aâ— the same instant look up to Heaveâ— and down to Earth so neither is it iâ— our power at the same time to lovâ— God and this world Therefore to humble and get thâ— Victory over Self-love we are firâ—â— to overcome our selves and shake oâ— the yoke and tyrannizing power oâ— our proper will which is the spring of all evil to us We must absolutely reject that if ever we mean to embrace Vertue as we ought and submit our selves wholly unto God beinâ— mindful of all the graces and benefitâ— we have received and do still everyday receive from him following herein the good counsel of Saint Augustin great Pillar and Doctor of thâ— Church Recordare quomodo creaviâ— te non existentem redemit te c Remember saith he how God createâ— thee of nothing how he redeemed â—ee with his own blood how he did â—ee thee being captive how he proâ—â—cted thee in thy infirmity how he â—riched thee being poor and naked â—nd how he will happily reward and â—own thee if thou remainest a true â—ver to him SECT 4. How Self-love opposeth the Love of God Upon the apprehension you might â—â—t perhaps be satisfied with me in â—â—ving onely declar'd That Self-love contrary to the Love of God but â—ould willingly know some particuâ—â—rities how and in what manner this â—â—lf-love repugns and opposes that â—hich is divine to comply in some â—easure with your desires and inâ—â—nations I say in the first place â—hat as Divine Love doth afford â—â—d cause to mankind all manner of â—â—iritual comforts consolations and â— kind of happiness so on the contrary
All which when Saint Anselm reflected upon he could not refrain from saying O my Soul when I consider and ponder well how much you are indebted to the Eternal God I blush at my former negligence in not performing my duty and great Obligation Tell me O Lord which way I am to turn my self and what I can do that will be acceptable to your Divine Majesty You have made and created me by your love therefore I owe you all and all that I am You have redeemed me in Love by your Sacred Death and Passion out of the perpetual slavery of Satan therefore I owe you all and all that I am You have promised me such eternal comforts and reward after my decease therefore I owe you all and all that I am In one word you did give your self wholly to me and for me therefore I owe you all and all that I am O Lord what satisfaction can Man give what recompence can he make for so many benefits already received and still to be received from your Hands and of your Bounty Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi said the Prophet David on the like occasion Psalm 115. 3. What shall I render to our Lord for all the good things that he hath rendered to me As if he had said I am full of confusion I am asham'd and troubled in mind what to do considering that he hath not only given and bestowed many great benefits upon me and mankind but hath also rendred good for evil mercy for ingratitude forgiveness for our sins and transgressions And we most unthankful have rendred to him evil for good for which cause reflecting upon what the truly penitent Sinner King David said in this case I resolve with all my heart and Soul to say the same with him Calicem Salutaris accipiam nomen Domini invocabo said he ubi supra v. 4. I will take the Chalice of Salvation say I and will invocate the name of our Lord that is to say Seeing that I am not able to render any thing worthy of Gods Favours to me I will do what I can I will gratefully acknowledge and accept his great benefits especially the sacred Cup of Christ which he was pleased to bless for the Salvation of Mankind and to drink of himself I will praise him and call upon his Holy Name SECTION VI. How to cure the pernicious Disease of Self-love Sect. 1. By with-drawing our love from all Corporal Objects 2. By humbling and undervaluing our selves 3. By overcoming our selves and sensual appetites Sect. 1. By with-drawing our love from all Corporal Objects To cure and totally to extirpate the pernicious disease of Self-love I must confess is no easie task it requires hard labour to overcome that inordinate Passion being a Vice so inveterate that nothing is more rooted in our hearts and so connatural that nothing is more pleasing to corrupt and unmortified nature so that to compass this end we must strive to our utmost and level all our actions intentions and wills so purely at Gods Honour and Pleasure as that we make him the only end we aim at and the sole object of our love for which purpose we cannot do better than to follow the example and counsel of the Seraphical Father Saint Francis saying daily in imitation of him Deus meus omnia Deus meus omnia O my sweet Jesus O my sweet Lord Thou art my God and all In the first place therefore great care is to be taken and exact diligence used for to with-draw our affections from all eternal objects whatsoever and to place and fix the same totally upon God for otherwise we run great hazard to fall short of our aim and that of the Evangelist will be found true in our selves Qui amat patrem aut matrem plus quam me non est ne dignus Matth. 10. v. 37. He that loveth Father and Mother more than God is not worthy of God that is deserves not to be accounted nor shall ever be accounted Gods true lover What love is more lawful or more recommended by God unto us than the love of Children to their Parents Wherefore seeing that even this kind of love to wit the love of Children to Parents and vice versa the love of Parents to Children c. can be no just excuse why we should not love God as we ought seeing that even this love when it is opposite to the love of God is forbidden us and we are commanded to cast it off there can be no reason to doubt but that all other loves of less nearness and concernment of less piety and vertue of less obligation in like occasion are likewise forbidden us and that we are commanded to with-draw our hearts from them and to give our selves wholly to the love of God above all things not to love any creature so much as we love God nor to be hindred by it from doing service The Evangelist Saint Luke seems to be yet more strict that we say not rigorous in the matter not only exacting to the full the accomplishment of what the Evangelist Saint Matthew mentions to wit that we should not love our Parents more than God or above and before God but requiring also that we should even hate our Parents if need requires it for Gods sake and renounce all affection love and Duty to them rather than to offend God or to forsake the least part of the love and Duty we owe to him for so we read Luc. 14. v. 26. Si quis venit ad me non odit patrem matrem c. adhuc autem animam suam non potest meus esse discipulus If any man cometh to me and hates not his Father Mother c. yea and his own life besides he cannot be my disciple It may seem an hard sentence but the meaning is easie This we are to do rather than hate God we must hate our Parents rather than do any thing which he will judge and esteem an hating of him we must renounce and cast off all love and duty to our Parents rather than to renounce or cast off our love and duty to God This expression therefore of the Evangelist obliges us to leap over all stumbling blocks that are laid in our way to hinder us in our going about Gods service We must renounce and reject whatsoever is most dear unto us yea our own selves and all the desires affections and inclinations of our Hearts how specious how morally good pious and honest soever they seem to be if they stand in our way and stop us from the supream love of God Fie upon all friendships must we say fie upon all affections that are attended with such mischiefs and do lead us into such dangers and fie upon all distracting and disquieting designs of the world which bend our imaginations wholly to the things unprofitable and impertinent thereby disturbing and separating us from the love of God
Divine Grace and the Spirit of God who is Love according to the same Apostle 1 Joan. 4. 8. Quoniam Deus Charitas est These two Loves are so inseparable that as soon as one commeth to decay the other at the same time perisheth On these two Loves depend the whole Law of God and he that has them and does exercise them as he ought fulfils the Law according to that of the Apostle Rom. 13. 8 10. He that loveth hath fulfilled the Law and Love is the fulfilling of the Law and all that God has commanded us by the Prophets by the Apostles by the Evangelists by his Disciples or any other lawful Teachers yea by Moses or by Christ himself tends altogether to this end namely to love God and our Neighbour Christ our Saviour himself loved his Neighbour that is all Mankind for by taking our Nature upon him and by conversing with us in Humane Flesh he made us all his Neighbours and Brethren Christ I say himself loved Mankind so tenderly that all his Desires Entreaties Counsels and Commands tended to almost no other thing save only to excite move and stir us up to a mutual loving of one another and to mutual affections mutual good-will and kindheartedness one from another charging it upon his Disciples even at the last and when he was ready to leave the World in these express words Joan. 15. v. 12. This is my Commandment that ye love one another and telling them Joan. 13. v. 35. that hereby all men should know them to be his true Disciples if they had love one to another and when he gives the world precaution not to offend or do injury to any of his for that all offences committed against them are taken by him to be done against himself as we read Zach. 2 v. 8. Qui tetigerit vos tangit pupillam oculi mei He that shall touch you to do you harm toucheth the Apple of mine Eye I say to what end tendeth this precaution but to signifie how much we should love one another after the Example of Christ who declares himself as much sensible and seems to be as much offended at transgressions done against another as at those committed against himself I do not advance this truth without ground and reason seeing Christ himself in the Gospel makes it manifestly appear to be so to wit in the Parable of the King calling his Servants to account Matth. 18. v. 23 24 25 26 c. The good King when his poor indebted Servant asked him mercy being fallâ—n into arrears with him much more than he was able to pay presently and most willingly pardoned him and forgave him the whole Debt that is all the transgressions and offences which the Servant had committed against himself yet because the same ungrateful Servant would not forgive a small Debt nor have patience with his Neighbour or Fellow-servant he presently called him to him and rebuked him adjudging him to severe punishment as that he should be cast â—nto a Dungeon and there tormented not to come out till he should have paid the utmost farthing which â—e ought his Lord thus speaking to â—im Thou ungracious and wâ—â—ked Servant I forgave thee all thy Debt â—ecause thou be soughtest me oughtest â—ot thou therefore to have mercy upon â—hy Fellow-servant even as I had â—ercy upon thee immediately whereupon saith the holy Text he was delivered to the Tormentors By the conclusion of which Parable it is easie to see how absolute the will and pleasure of God is that we should love our Neighbour even as we love our selves and to do to them such things as we desire should be done to our selves But here a question maâ— perhaps be asked of some viz. Whether loving our Neighbour as our selves be such a condition or qualification of our love as that it is of it self sufficient for the fulfilling of the Precept of loving them I answer no it is not alwayes sufficient in some cases it is and in some it is not When the love of our Neighbour tends to the honour and glory of God then it is sufficient and then by loving our Neighbours as our selves we do fulfill Gods Commandment or the Precept of loving our Neighbour but when it is on the contrary that is when the love of our Neighbour tends to the dishonour of God or be such as he is offended by it then instead of being a fulfilling of Gods Commandement or a just performance of our Duty and Obligation it is matter of high displeasure against God and we incur the guilt of great and grievous offence in so loving our Neighbour And therefore as Lusitanus the honour of the Friers Minors doth well observe and admonish us Serm. 1. in Com. Apost Though the Commandment of God doth exact of us to love our Neighbours as our selves yet we ought to consider how this is to be done by reason that many men love themselves amiss not according to God but according to the lusts of concupiscence giving themselves up to all sorts of inordinate love so as to drown and cast themselves thereby into eternal perdition For such men to love thoir Neighbour as they love themselves were to make sport for the Devil and to aggravate their own damnation As for example a fawning and foolish Lover will not stick to say to some vain woman that he loves her as much as he loves his own self and with all his heart and though for the most part such people mean nothing less than they say yet they utter unawares a sad truth For they love themselves not well they love not themselves so as they ought but with a love that in fine will carry them headlong to Hell and plunge them into the deepest pit of Destruction Well therefore may they profess to their companions in lewdness that they love them as they love themselves and their own hearts and if their Copesmates consent with them and love them as well they will both have the Sentence of Eternal Wrath pronounced against them Go ye wicked into everlasting fire Matth. 25. 41. O unhappy love of our Neighbour that by loving sensually the Body hates his soul Such do not know how to love seeing that in loving themselves after this manner they destroy both their own and their Neighbours souls For true is that saying of the Prophet Qui diligit iniquiâ—atem odit animam suam He that loves iniquity hates his own soul Now to know the True Lovers from false and also how to love our Neighbour rightly the great Doctor Saint Gregory will teach us Ille veraciter amat proximum qui eum diligit in Deo Greg. Homil. 27. in Evang. Joan. cap. 15. True Lovers of their Neighbour are those that love him in God and for Gods sake which plainly shews how many there are that mistake themselves herein and love their Neighbour to little purpose as to God and his Divine acceptance because they love him not in God God is
as to wish and make Prayers to Almighty God that all Mankind may be converted and become one in Christ and if we cannot suffer death for the good of others I mean so great good and so greatly tending to Gods Honour as is the Conversion and Salvation of Sinners yet at least let us not be unwilling to suffer injuries at their hands and afflictions for their sakes and to edifie them what we can by the example of a true Christian Life both active and passive in doing well and suffering ill when occasion â—equires This is but the common Duty of all True Christians and â—urely he must be thought to have but â— weak and faint Love of Christ that cannot or will not do thus much for his Saviours sake who hath done and suffered so much for him and hath â—eft us his own Example expresly to that end namely to shew how much we are to condescend to others and deny our selves to procure their good in order to God Exemplum dedi vobis saith he I have given you an Example that as I have done to you so you should do also to others Sustain therefore patiently for unto this you are called because Christ hath suffered for us the just for the unjust leaving us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet 2. v. 21. Let us therefore follow our Saviour and Redeemer since they that follow him walk not in darkness but enjoy the light of life Sect. 5. How we may know our selves free from self-Self-love in loving God and our Neighbours Seeing that the Love of God must be predominant over all other Loves and reign over all our Passions Affections Lusts Desires c. as we have already declared it cannot but seem reasonable and a thing to be wish'd for by all such persons as do seriously concern themselves in things of the Spirit that we should at least in brief point at and shew them the means how by Gods Grace they may come to a pious and probable assurance that they do truly love God above all things and by consequence that their hearts are free from the pestilent and dangerous Vice of self-Self-love To satisfie whose desires I think it necessary to add a word or two further upon that Subject First In the general I say that to proceed securely in this matter it behoves us exactly and without all partiality to consider what the course of our lives hath been and is whither bend our affections inclinations desires what is the intent and design of all our actions for if these either wholly or at least principally tend unto and be directed to Gods Honour to the health of our Souls and to the gaining of a good Eternity all 's well we walk safely and may promise our selves good from God As on the contrary If we find our lives to be dissolute and careless and our mind more set upon Vanity and the things of the World than upon God we must fear the worst yea know for certain that as to our Spiritual Estate things go not well with us The predominant affections that are in us will easily shew what we are and to whom we belong Amongst Men of the World we see that for the most part in every one of them some passion or other one or more predominates over all the rest and makes such persons to be accordingly esteem'd some avaritious some ambitious some voluptuous and given wholly to pleasures others extravagant and humorous and as much over-born with fancy finally others too much re-senting and apt to revenge all which are so denominated and judged from their principal Love and the Affection which they do principally bear and shew either towards Riches or Honours Worldly Greatness Pleasures and the like the whole conduct of mens lives being as it were tinctur'd or rather tainted with that principal Affection which reigns in them This shews us our selves for in the same manner it is with us No man hath reason to think himself free from Self-love or that he loveth God above all things which is necessary to Salvation if examining his life his actions his employments desires and pretensions he do not find the principal bent frame and design of them to be towards God and that his Honour and our eternal good are the things chiefly look't at by us The love which we bare to God must be a Love not of bear Words not vain transitory Thoughts which perish and come to nothing but it must be a Love of Effects a Love that produceth good Actions and good Works It must not be an idle Love nor a talking nor a vaunting but a working Love a diligent and industrious Love a Love that loves to be doing to be always busie and imployed in the works of love And therefore we must take heed that we do not deceive our selves in taking the acts of our Understanding for the acts of Love or Divine Affection There is not a mortal man living that hath the use of reason whose understanding does not tell him that he ought to love God more than himself yea there is not a true man who hath not some inclination of Will though weak faint and uneffectual to love God more than himself and yet for all that want the true Grace of God for as much as we must know that the Love of God doth not consist in that act of the Understanding nor in those inclinations of Will but it consists altogether in putting the said acts or judgments of the Understanding and inclinations of Will in practice and by consequence if we want those things which are the proper effects and fruits of Divine Love and Friendship how can we think our selves to be Gods true Lovers or Friends and if the true Love of God dwells not in us 't is certain that Self-love and Self-interest doth By this therefore we may judge whether we have the true love of God or not or whether we be not still under the domiâ—ion of Self-love For the acts and proper effects of Divine Love as all Divines teach are to be united in our affections to God and in all things to look at him as our chief and only good If it be thus with us we love God if otherwise we love our selves This is one Rule and I think the principal whereby to know what our condition is in order to God and whether we be free from Self-love Yet I think it not amiss to mention some others that I observe to be re-commended by pious and learned Men. According to F. Cressy the property of true Divine Love is to unite all our affections to God and to make them all one in him as in our Chief and Soveraign Good and that out of this love we are to take joy in his Divine Perfections and Excellencies and that he is upon the account of them so adored and glorified in heaven by the Angels and by all Saints Besides this we are according to the same good Author
you Chap. 7. v. 5. Induta est caro mea putredine sordibus pulveris My flesh saith he is cloathed with rottenness and filth of dust my skin is dried and shrunk up What is Man according to his Soul Alas if he be destitute of Grace and true Charity he is Gods enemy he is the heir of Hell and of eternal damnation he is a friend to all sorts of vanities a worker of Iniquity Gods Dishonour apt and ready to all Evil but slow to all that is good Infine he is a poor creature beset on all sides with evil blind in Counsel extravagant in his passions and proceedings vain-glorious and boasting in his words and in his deeds deficient and falling short of the good he pretends to in his appetites dishonest and in all things little save only in his own applause and esteem wherein he is beyond measure great for all which upon due consideration he ought rather to have a great aversion and dislike of himself than to be puffed up and swelled with Self-love so much to Gods dishonour and his own prejudice Sect. 3. The second means to over-come Self-love is by the knowledge of the Excellencies and Perfections of God It cannot be denied but there are several causes which do oblige us greatly to overcome Self-love as also induce us towards a perfect and true love of Almighty God who is the Creator of all both Heaven and Earth and all things therein contained Genes 1. v. 1. who is our Maker having made us of nothing to his own Image and Likeness according as we read Ecclus 17. v. 1. who is our redeemer having given himself a redemption for all as the Apostle witnesseth 1 Tim. 2. v. 6. who is our Heavenly Father so witnesseth Christ himself Matth. 6. 32. Your Father that is in Heaven knoweth that ye have need of these things And Joan. 20. 17. I ascend to your Father and to my Father to your God and to my God These are all of them just reasons and titles of right which God hath to our love these are all prerogatives and properties of such high perfection that in consideration of them we ought to suppress all motions of Self-love and Self-esteem and to entertain no thoughts of our proper excellency dignity merit c. But besides these there are divers other very well deserving to be taken notice of by us of which we must therefore speak I shall reduce them under two general heads To wit Those which concerns the intrinsecal perfections and unparalled excellencies of Gods Nature in himself and those which concern his outward works towards us that is to say the many and great benefits which we daily receive in this world from his infinite goodness and mercy and which we expect to receive in the world to come As concerning the first sort we are to know that whatsoever is amiable of it self or beloved it deserves to be so loved according to reason or for some reason or motive of love that is seen in it As for example when we love any reasonable or humane creature if the love be as the object is reasonable and not meerly passionate we love it upon the account of some particular quality or perfection that we see in it and according to the measure or degree of that lovely quality in the object which we apprehend and are affected with all is our love more or less great towards the subject wherein it is After this manner is all reasonable and vertuous love begotten â— it arises always from the consideration of something in the party loved that justly deserves love and where there is no such thing seen or lookt at in our loving there is no reasonable or honest love Now upon this account what and how great reason have we to love God above all Creatures seeing that in him not only one or some few but all the reasons of Love all the Perfections all the good Qualities or Properties that are fit to deserve and gain Love are found All Goodness all Vertue all Wisdom all Power all Beauty all Majesty all Glory They are in him and superabundantly flow issue and proceed from him as from an eternal fountain of Good All the little rayes and resemblances of God which are seen in Creatures are darted from the Sun he imparts them all He makes Men wise vertuous good he furnishes them with all due feature of body and gifts of mind according as the Apostle S. James assures us saying Jac. 1. v. 17. Omne datum optimum omne donum perfectum de sur sum est Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights If therefore we love any person for his wisdom God is infinitely more wise or for his nobility power wealth God is infinitely more noble mighty rich In fine whatsoever quality or perfection can be observ'd in Creatures as a Motive or reason of love the same with infinite advantages is to be found in God How much more therefore are we to love God than Creatures God I say who surpasseth all Creatures not only in the perfections already mention'd but in all others whatsoever without any exception As for his wisdom S. Paul telleth us that the depth of it is unsearchable and past finding out Rom. 11 33. O altitudo divitiarum Sapientiae Scientiae Dei c. O the height O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how in comprehensible are his judgments and his ways investigable There is none like unto him Quis poterit scrutari sapientiam ejus saith Elihu in Job Chap. 36. v. 23. Who can or will ever be able to search and know his wisdom As for his Nobility and the Titles of his due honour he surpasseth all Nabuchodonosor though his Enemy at that time and a wicked King yet acknowledged this to the Prophet Daniel saying Dan. 2. v. 47. Vere Deus vester Deus Deorum est c. In very deed your God is the God of all Gods and the Supream Lord of all Kings He is according to S. John Apoc. 19. v. 16. Rex Regum Dominus Dominantium King of Kings and Lord of Lords As for his Power Authority and Might he shall reign for ever and ever Luc. 1. v. 33. Et Regni ejus non erit finis Of his Kingdom there shall be no end Yea his power is such that nothing can be done without him by reason whereof it is said Rom. 11. 36. that of him and through him and to him are all things and Colos 1. v. 17. that by him all things consist As for his Beauty his comely and excellent features fair complexion take it which way you will whether of body or mind they are unparallell'd So the Espouse professeth Cant. 1. v. 16. Ecce tu pulcher es dilecte mi Ecce tu pulcher es decorus Behold you are fair my beloved behold you are fair and comely
And Chap. 5. 10. Dilectus meus candidus rubicundus c. My beloved is white and ruddy the choisest amongst ten thousand and according to the Royal Prophet Psalm 44. v. 3. Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum among the Sons of men none so goodly none so beautiful as he being most perfectly accomplisht and excelling in all internal and external endowments As for his great Goodness it likewise excels infinitely beyond all comparison the goodness of all men and of all creatures for according to the testimony of the Evangelist Luc. 18. v. 19. Nemo bonus nisi solus Deus None is good but God alone Tast ye therefore the sweetness of his exceeding goodness and say with the Prophet David Psalm 85. v. 5. Quoniam tu Domine suavis mitis c. Thou O God art good sweet and gentle and of much mercy to all those that call upon thee God of his own nature is good and benign ready to bestow benefits meek to remit offences and merciful to mitigate the punishments of those that love him No doubt therefore can be made but that as God is our Father most good most noble most wise most pleasant and agreeable most beautiful and fair most powerful mighty able and ready to help so he is more worthy of our love than any thing can be imagined in Mankind or in the whole race and order of Creatures Nunquid Deo potest comparari homo Job 22. v. 2. is there any thing in man that shall be compared to God no sure Divine Excellencies and Divine Perfections are such that man cannot reach the least shadow of them His goodness and mercy is such that he readily forgives all injuries all offences committed against him by sinners upon their true repentance how greatly soever and how often soever he be offended Si impius egerit poenitentiam c. saith the Prophet Ezechiel in Gods name If the impious will but do penance for his sins which be hath wrought and observe my Commandments to do them living he shall live and shall not die In conclusion he is as the Espouse in the Canticles speaks him Cant. 5. v. 16. Totus desiderabilis wholly and in all respects to be desired and to be loved There is nothing in him but what commands love in all that rightly look upon him David said of Jonathan that he was amabilis super amorem mulierum lovely beyond all the amiableness of Women How much more true is this of God the least of whose Beauties duly considered is able to ravish all hearts with the purer flames of Divine Charity Who would therefore having a perfect knowledge of these Divine Excellencies but subdue his heart to the love of them Who would not use all means and all endeavours in his power to conquer his own passion of Self-love and withdrawing his sensual affections from all worldly Creatures to fix a pure holy and perfect love on God alone and on his Neighbour for Gods sake Sect. 4. The third means and motive to overcome Self-love is by knowledge of the benefits we have received and are to receive from God As to the third motive which obligeth and induceth us to love God above our selves and all other Creatures it is grounded not only upon the benefits he confers upon us every moment which are infinite and continual according to the Sacred Text Acts 17. v. 28. In ipso vivimus movemur sumus in him we live move and have our being but also upon those that are still expected from him Either of these benefits are a sufficient motive to oblige us to love God above all and our selves only for his sake If we consider those of the first sort what greater reason of love can be imagined than to reflect that of our selves alone without his consent and permission yea without his special favour and assistance in the best things and those of greatest concernment to us we can do nothing without his leave and concurring help we are not able to lift up our foot from the ground or move a hand By his Creation we had our Being first given us and by his Conservation and continual Protection it is preserved to us with all our Powers and Faculties In him we live and without him we cannot live in him we move act and do such things as are agreeable or profitable to us but without him we neither move nor stir any more than a dead Corps so that it is of his mercy and free goodness that we do not every moment sink into our first and Primitive nothing as we should infallibly do if he were not pleased by the hand of his Providence and good will continually to hold us up This thing alone being well considered not to speak or mention as yet our Redemption or Salvation will make it more than sufficiently to appear that God is more worthy to be loved than we or the whole race of mankind are able to love For to say the truth neither the Angels nor the Archangels neither Cherubins nor Seraphins nor all the Holy Spirits of the Celestial Court of Paradice are able to do this their most united and unanimous affections in this kind their greatest and purest slames of love could not reach or come up to the merit or worthiness that is in God to be beloved Wherefore in this he condescends to our infirmity and requires us to love him above all other Objects not so much as he deserves to be loved but as we are able to love laying no other obligation upon us It behoves us therefore in all reason seeing God is so easily satisfied and requires of us no service but what is most reasonable that we give him our whole love and our whole hearts and serve worship and adore him with all our might and with all the power and vertue and strength of good will that possibly we can use This we may do if we will and it is all that he requires of us to do Fili praebi mihi cor tuum saith the spirit of God in the Proverbs Chap. 23. v. 26. My Son give me thy heart Shall we not give it him when he asks it so kindly of us Ah! if we be Sons if we be Loving Dutiful and Obedient Children and not stubborn Rebels we will give it him we will bestow it wholly upon him forsaking not only our selves but all other creatures to adhere closely unto him loving him with all our Hearts with all our Understanding with all our Will and in a word with all our Soul and our Spirit not suffering any thing to rest or have possession in our hearts that is contrary to his love nor minding ought but what may further us in his service never forgetting the merits of his great goodness towards us never tainting nor growing slothful in doing of his Commandments We will love him above all things as our Creator and Maker as our Saviour and Redeemer as our Everlasting Joy and Happiness
desire a greater conquest than to subdue the world and to trample all the deceitful glories and vanities thereof under your feet Can you think any victory more advantageous than that which of Captives makes you Kings for freedom and true liberty and of Slaves to Self-love and sin the Sons of God and Heirs with Christ of Eternal Glory A greater Conquest you cannot reasonably desire than to subdue all your enemies nor Dominion than to be master of your self and this is done by the way I have shewed you Happy therefore I say are those that conquer and overcome their passions yea much more happy are they than those that conquer Kingdoms and Countries but cannot conquer themselves Happy are those that can rule and govern their sensual love concupiscences and appetites so as not to transgress in them or by them Such a one is Lord of a great Empire Lord of this World and Heir of Heaven To be truly humble is a great Trophy and the right way to Jesus Christ is to subdue your own proper will to suffer injuries and other evils not seeking overmuch after any temporal interests or things concerning the Body Be content to suffer with Christ and for Christ and be sure that if you thus suffer you shall also reign with Christ For a little adversity you will enjoy a perpetuaâ— felicity therefore do not think iâ— a troublesome thing nor grieve thaâ— it is requir'd of you to fight with and to overcome your self for how bitter soever it may seem in the beginning the end of it will be sweet and God will fight for you and help you to get the victory only remembring this not to attribute the glory of â—he conquest to your own strength â—ut only to the Divine Majesty whose Grace gains you the Victory and â—et you must do your endeavour too â—or that Gods Grace helps none that â—ill not help themselves as well as â—hey can and you may observe that â—f those who only cry Lord Lord â—nd do nothing else it is said They â—hall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven None shall be crowned but â—hose that fight well and with couâ—age persevere to the end If two Men come to fight being both of â—qual strength courage and skill and â—oth alike arm'd naturally speaking â—t is certain that he that gets help or â— second to joyn with him will get â—he victory In the same manner it â—s between the Body and the Soul continually fighting supposing both equal and alike in strength if we favour and help the Body by idleness over much eating and drinking and will not deny it ought of its sensual desires be sure it will get the victory over the Soul and subdue her to its lure and appetite and so on the contrary if we favour and help the Soul by fervent Prayers to God if we support and uphold her by the practice of Vertues and arm her Cap-a-pe from Head to Foot with the whole Armour of Righteousness Faith Hope Charity Patience Zeal and other good Graces of the Spirit it is not to be doubted but she will have a glorious victory over the Body vanquish all the Vanities of the World and find a saving cure for all her languishings and distempers occasion'd by Self-love SECTION VII How to love God and our Neighbour Sect. 1. How we are to love God 2. How we are to love our Neighbour 3. How we are to love our Enemies 4. In what manner of love we are to love our Neighbour and our Enemies 5. How we may know our selves free from Self-love in loving God and our Neighbour Sect. 1. How we are to love God I must confess that all we have hitherto said or written serves in part to declare how we are to love God namely above all things with all our hearts with all our mind with all our soul and with all our strength This hath been often inculcated by us But such is the thing that whether we consider the difficulty and hardness or the utility and benefit of it it can never be insisted upon too much We cannot be too often called upon or too often put in mind of this duty and therefore I will in short speak a word or two more to that effect that if you desire to attain the Perfection of that Grace to wit of Divine Love I may by the mercy of God be a little helpful to you in order thereto Verily it standeth with great reason that we should love God in the manner above-said both Justice and Natural Reason dictating and commanding with all urgency that we should wholly give and dedicate our selves by love unto God and by lovinâ— him from whom we wholly possess and enjoy our selves to re-pay in some sort our Duty and Obligation Now for the better performance of this my advice is that you follow the counsel of the seraphical and subtle Doctor Scotus who says That we are to love God sweetly prudently and valiantly or with good courage Sweetly that you be not by any bitterness or amarulency that sometimes happens therein averted from loving him Prudently that you be not by the guil of your Ghostly enemy ensnared nor catch'd in any ambuscado of his Valiantly and with good courage that when you come to suffer injuries oppressions affronts for loving him you be not in any manner of wayes drawn or driven enticed or forced from his Divine Love either by the pomp and glory of the world together with the voluptuous Allurements of the Flesh or by the sterner violence of Persecution and Troubles threatned for loving him and being resolv'd for your part thus to proceed towards the Love of God there are Three Things more chiefly required of you The first is You must extirpate out of your heart all Sensual Love all Love that proceeds from Concupiscences all inordinate love of the World and purge your selves of all sorts of Self-love Inordinate Appetites and Passions and of all the sins that proceed from them It is the admonition of Saint Paul Ephe. 4. 22. Deponere vos secundum pristinam conversationem c. That you put off concerning the former conversation the Old Man which is totally corrupt through deceitful and erroneous lusts and be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind putting on the New Man which according to God is created in Justice and True Holiness And again Rom. 13. v. 12. Cast off saith he the works of darkness which are Self-love and Sin and putting on the armor of light which is the practice of Divine Love let us walk honestly as in the day not in Banquetting and Drunkenness not in Chamberings and Impudicities not in Strife and Emulation in a word nor in making any provision for the Flesh in Concupiscences or to satisfie the lusts thereof consonant unto which is that of Salomon Sap. 1. v. 4. In malevolam animam non introibit sapientia c. Divine Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul nor dwell in a Body that is
c. It was not so much by your design as by the will of God that I was sent hither Therefore Load your Beasts and go up to my Father into the Land of Canaan and bring him and all your Kindred from thence and I will give you of all the good things in Egypt and you shall eat the marrow of the Land Thus did the good Joseph requite the unkind wickedness and ill-will of his Brethren with love But what shall we say of the Royal Prophet King David how much was he hated by Saul and how often persecuted by him to so great extremity that he was in imminent danger of his life thereby yet he never hated Saul upon that account but did him all the good Offices he could saving him several times when he was in his power and that David might at once have ridded himself of a cruel Enemy and gained both Crown Scepter and Kingdom to which he had right sufficient being by Gods special appointment anointed King over Israel to succeed after Saul The good King found his Enemy fast asleep his Spear fixed in the ground at his head and Abner with all the rest of his people sleeping about him yet would he not hurt him And when Abisai one of the Captains of King David offer'd himself to dispatch Saul at one blow alledging some shew of reason for it Because God had now deliver'd his Enemy into his hands and he ought not to neglect the opportunity which Providence gave him of securing himself David would by no means listen to the motion but forbad him doing any such thing in these express words 1 Reg. 26. 9 10 11. Kill him not For who can extend his hand against the anointed of our Lord and be innocent Vivit Dominus quia nisi Dominus percusserit eum c. As our Lord liveth unless God shall strike him he shall not be stricken by me or that his day come to die or that descending into a Battle he perish so God be merciful to me I will not lift up my hand against our Lords Anointed The New Testament wants not innumerable other Examples of this kind namely the Examples of all the holy Martyrs both of ancient and late Times who following the Example of Christ our Saviour have ever prayed for their Enemies and Persecutors with such fervent Devotion and ardent Charity that very often their Enemies and Persecutors have been converted by that means and become great Saints and Martyrs themselves Look but into the Acts of the Apostles there you presently meet with the Blessed Martyr Saint Stephen in the midst of his Sufferings praying for his Enemies in these words Acts 7. v. 60. Domine ne statuas illis hoc peccatum Lord lay not this sin to their charge The effect of which Prayer was besides other not mentioned the present Conversion of Saint Paul one of his greatest Persecutors For behold while he was in his greatest fury against Christians and posting in all haste to Damascus with Commission and Design to make havock of the poor Church there as we read Acts 9. 4 17. Christ appeared to him saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me As if he had said I should have lost thee standing so much against me and my name But my Servant and Martyr Stephen praying for thee for his sake you are a chosen Vessel unto me and shall bear my name before the Gentiles and Kings and Children of Israel In the same manner and for like reason it is reported by Saint Chrysostom of Saint James the Apostle that he who lead him to the Execution of his Martyrdom was so much moved with the great zeal and constancy of this holy Apostle that he ask'd him forgiveness for what he was to have done which the blessed Apostle most willingly gave him embracing him and saying to him Pax tibi sit Frater Peace be with thee my Broter At which Salutation the poor man was so animated and encouraged that he forthwith publickly professed himself to be a Christian and was upon that Confession made a Martyr having his head likewise cut off Let these few Examples suffise to give you strength and courage to do the same whensoever occasion shall require it of you At all times let us be prompt and willing to forgive our enemies seeing God is so ready at all times to forgive us having penitent recourse unto him Be not of the number of those who when duty requires of them to follow the example of Christ and to forgive and love their enemies make their excuse and say Christ was God and most Divinely perfect and consummate in all goodness but they are weak men and cannot reach so high perfection as to forgive and love enemies persecutors c. But in vain it is for them to use such speech it will not serve their turn it will be no just apology for them at the latter day And verily it is to be admired how such persons can say their Pater Noster or how they can address themselves to God to be forgiven in the terms they do For they say Dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittâ—mus debitoribus nostris Forgive us our debts as we forgive our Debtors As we forgive others so let us be forgiven What iâ— this but to pronounce Sentence againsâ— our selves if we do not forgive others Delay not therefore to make good your promise and to discharge your obligation Forgive your enemies as you would be forgiven of God Love your enemies as you desire that God should love you For otherwise I do let you all know that who so hates his Neighbour or Enemy it matters not which all 's one in this case renders himself uncapable of begging forgiveness from God he is so far from obtaining his request that he cannot without most grievous sin and entangling his Soul with further guilt make such a request unless we do first lay aside all hatred by loving pardoning and forgiving our enemies in heart 't is in vain for us to expect any mercy from God It is against all reason that God should love him who is not in true Charity with all Those that wish harm to others and will not forgive injuries received it is evident they do not love they are not â—n true Charity and consequently not in God according to the Doctrine of the holy Apostle 1 Joan. 4. v. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love Sect. 4. In what manner of Love we are to love our Neighbors and our Enemies According to what we have said in the two precedent Paragaphs we must not only love our Neighbors and our Enemies but we must also forgive them yea though they should be obstinate and not repent for what they have offended us but should rather continue and encrease their enmity towards us than seem to desire reconciliation For we are not to reflect upon their obstinacy or disaffections but to perform what is requir'd on our
5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind This is the greatest and the First Commandment and the second to it is Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum Matth. 22. 39. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self From which precepts we may absolutely say That Love is the onely end of our salvation and that God doth therefore save us that we may be perfected in love Nevertheless give me leave to tell you that this love must be to the utmost regulated that is performed with all due exactness both towards God our Neighbour and our selves for fear least otherwise in stead of making us agreeable to God and being advantageous to us it prove much prejudicial to our souls and render us difforme to him Since then we are bound so strictly to use and exercise Love in a right manner it behoveth us to hear what â—s said of the same that we may proceed in it accordingly The Master of the Sentences lib. 3. Distinct 28. doth not only confirm that we ought to love God above all things without exception but saith also that we are to love our selves that is to say the health of our souls and our neighbours as for my part I take his meaning to be and must confess that I never yet observed that God doth any where positively or in express terms command that Man should love himself as being naturally inclin'd and fully enough affected to do that as well in what is good or pleasing to his nature as also iâ— what is evil and prejudicial to his soul Therefore to know how far we may lawfully love our selves and our neighbours without being intangled with that Vice which is properly called Self-love will be the whole subject and matter for us to enquire of in this present Treatise SECT 2. Three several sorts of Love To the end that every man may know and likewise have strength and courage to perform all things well in order to please Almighty God in returning love for his love as also the better to with-draw himself from all sorts of Self-love that are evil I would have him consider and observe the Saying of a most learned Divine to wit the R. F. Bernardin de Siena who in one of his Sermons De Amore proprio privato telleth us That there are three several sorts of Loves the first whereof is lawful the second to be rejected but the third totally to be abhorred as being cause of the general destruction and ruin of Mankind Wherefore that every one may discern the one from the other and discover which are the most pernicious and to be avoided I will in few words declare and speak of them one by one In the first place there is a Love which is natural and reasonable This is lawful to be observed by every one This love appeareth when a person seeketh and desireth only that which is lawful good profitable and meet for him without prejudice to any other For seeing according to reason no man should have in hatred his own nature substance or being it is therefore lawful for him to procure all such things as are good and convenient for him and to dispose of them to his best advantage for the good of his soul We are also to love our Neighbour because the Law of Nature obligeth and commandeth us to do unto others that which we would desire should be done to our selves in like case Yet nevertheless we are to be vigilant and consider well how we do love our Neighbour to the end we may love him well and so as may be both for hiâ— and for our spiritual profit and that our love to God suffer no prejudice by it Now to declare the love we owe unto God there are many things requisite and to be observed since we are to love him above all things with all our understanding that is without any error contrary to what he hath revealed for our Belief with all our will that is without any opposition or contradiction to what he requireth of us with all our mind and memory that is without any oblivion or forgetfulness of him or of our duty towards him lastly with all our endeavour and power that is without all sloth or negligence in performing his holy Service Commandements Divine Counsels and Inspirations The second sort of Love before-mentioned which is to berejected may be said to be Venial Sin to wit when as we have said before the passion of Love over-reacheth the Rule of Reason as also when the order to be observed in the exercise and performance of Love is not punctually exactly kept and fulfilled As for example according to reason and the great obligation we have to Almighty God we are to love him above all things and we are onely to love our selves and our neighbours purely for the love of him and not for any other respect Yet sometimes yea very often experience shews that Self-love and proper will such is our frailty and weakness do exceed their limits and become more or less extravagant being carried with a desire not so sutable to reason and our obligation as it ought to be And although considering Divine Clemency it may well enough be thought that such extravagant or inordinate desires affections actions do not alwayes come to such a height as to be mortal sin and consequently may remain though not perfectly with Charity yet for this reason that is because they do render our Charity or Love to God less perfect then it should be all the Ancient Fathers and Doctors of the Church do unanimously counsel and advise that all such Loves be rejected and totally avoided by all in general but more especially by those who tend to perfection and in order thereto have by Vow entred the state of a Religious Life And the reason hereof is because if men will voluntarily give way and suffer themselves to take pleasure in such inordinate desires affections loves of what kind soever they be they expose themselves and their souls to danger of falling most deeply and desperately into such spiritual Disease seeing the soul thereby grows every day more and more weak and faint in the love of God and inordinate Self-love grows so strong that in the end it becomes mortal and hardly capable of Cure As concerning the third and last sort of Love which we are to declare and speak of more at large in this present Treatise it is that which Divines call Mortal Self-love and Mortal Sin a thing even noisome and of the highest offence to God and more than all other evils whatsoever beside such as it self is hurtful and prejudicial to man For this Self-love is so immoderate and inordinate that it causeth men so to forget themselves that they undervalue even Almighty God and by consequence their own salvation Of this Self-love Saint Augustine telleth us that Satan hath built his great City of Babylon lib. 1.
Self-love being a Self-seeker â—â— all things never rests never cease troubling and intaingling it self anâ— others in all sorts of inconvenienceâ— dangers and evils being the Oâ— man which reigneth in mankind and causeth so great disorders anâ— confusions amongst men and so mâ—ny spiritual diseases in Christianity that even St. Paul himself Doctor â—â— the Gentiles could not restrain froâ— crying out desiring to be freed froâ— it Infaelix Ego homo quis me liberâ— bit de corpore mortis hujus Rom. 7. â—â— Vnhappy man that I am who shâ—â—â— deliver me from the body of this deaâ—â— This Self-love therefore may be saâ—â— to be as a wioked Monster in us thâ— totally ruins and destroys mankind in another place I shall further declaâ—â— and at present though it be impâ—sible to unfold and discover the wiâ—â—edness of this pernicious Monster â—â— the full I will endeavour in part â—â— make it appear how horrid and frigâ—â—ful he is by the opposition which â—â— hath against the Charity or Love of God Saint Paul doth much encourage â—e to this design having so incomâ—arably well demonstrated and declaâ—ed the excellencies of Charity or Divine Love so lively so fair so loveâ—y and so agreeable that nothing â—an be desir'd nor wish'd more perâ—ect and accomplish'd in these expresâ—ions Charitas patiens est benigna â—st Charitas non aemulatur c. 1 Cor. â— 3. 4. Charity or the Love of God â—s patient is benigne gentle kind Charity envieth not dealeth not perâ—â—ersly is not puffed up is not ambiâ—ious seeketh not her own provokâ—th not to anger thinketh no evil â—ejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoycâ—th in the truth Charity suffereth all â—hings believeth all things and â—eareth all things In a word Chaâ—ity abideth all wayes free constant â—ively simple or sincere without â—ny doubleness or disguizement causâ—ng no deceit nor using any dissimulation for having God only for hâ— last end in that respect she totalâ—â— resteth and sweetly reposeth in him But Self-love proveth quite contrâ—ry both within and without beiâ—â— alwayes deceitful and disguized â—â— all her proceedings blaming thâ—â— which should be praised and praisiâ—â— that which deserves blame esteeâ—ing her self better than all others yâ—â— sometimes feignedly undervaluinâ— and speaking meanly of her self â—â— the intent she may be the more praiâ—ed and exalted by others If sâ—â— speaks well of her neighbour 't is only â—â— bring him upon discourse or make hiâ— talkt of that afterwards she may fiâ—â— occasion to traduce and slander him â— for Self-love is subtle and seldom â—â— at any time wants ground true â—â— false to maintain or excuse to paâ—liate or hide the naughtiness of heâ— proceedings being like to a Squinâ—ey'd man who being bidden to looâ— on one side looks on the other â—â— wicked and deceitful self-Self-love tâ— whom it must be said what the Proâ—het Ahias said to the Wife of Jeroâ—oam that came to see him disguized â—xor Jeroboam curte aliam esse siâ—ulas 3 Reg. 14. 8. Jeroboams â—ife why doest feign thy self to be â—nother woman Secondly Charity or the Love of â—od makes a man value nothing â—or esteem any thing in this world â—ut vertue for which reason he lovâ—th all perfections and vertues in â—eneral but in a singular manner the â—ertue of Humility by which he alâ—ayes submitteth despiseth and unâ—ervalueth himself suffereth injuries â—pprobrious and abusive speeches conâ—â—sions and beareth all mortificatiâ—ns for Jesus Christs sake patiently â—nd meekly without commotion or â—esentment attributes no good actiâ—ns to himself but to God alone and â—nstead of praising commending â—nd thinking better of himself for doâ—ng well he humbleth himself flies â—onour declines and refuses the praises and applaudings of men whaâ— possible he can not seeking riches nor worldly pleasures or perferments but desiring rather to be commanded than to command or to have any power authority or dominion over others and in sine so contentâ— himself to live in all due submissioâ— under God and men that for ouâ— Lords sake he is alwayes ready to obey every humane creature that haâ— authority to command But on the contrary Self-love by wayes quite opposite to these causes a man to affect greatness honourâ— riches and plenty of all things to glorify himself in his Extraction Nobility Friends Estate Power anâ— Dominion over others to delighâ— much in the society and acquaintancâ— of great men and to take his pleasurâ— in all sensual vanities so as verâ— often to offend God through frailty anâ— undue complacence with the world Self-love causeth men to be proud so that they love to be praised considered honoured and respected makes â—hem desire to be imployed in great Offices and in things of great concern â—t makes one to equalize himself to great Persons and oft times to prefer himself before his Superiours and Betters and to despise all he thinks under him or inferiour to him This makes him glory in what he possesses and of what he can do but sad and dejected and full of melancholly when he falls into any want or necessity This makes us angry and full of fury when our conceits and discourses are not well taken or not approved and finally through Self-love it is that we are so easily and so much troubled in mind at every small thing that happens contrary to our desire and expectation Thirdly Charity or the Love of God causeth a man not to regard so much his proper utility and conveniencies as those that concern the common and publique good or are profitable to many for which cause he doth not take so much pains and labour for his own interest as he will do for others he is in a sorâ— common to all and upon that accounâ— loveth a common life abhoring alâ— singularities at all times being contented with little and giving willingly of what he has But on the contrary Self-love causeth men to be chiefly solicitous in what they undertake that it may be for their own conveniency interest and proper utility makes them unwilling and slow to do any thing gratis or for nothing They will be rewarded to the full and whether it be in praise favour or goods they alwayes pretend to a full value of recompence Those who are led by Self-love love to be praised in all their actions be they either good or bad such men love Singularities and desire in all things to be treated better then others and applauded above the rest envying their equals above measure more especially if honour place employments or charges be given to â—â—em for then they grow discontentâ—d grudge murmur and complain â—retending that themselves had been â—ore fit for such a great place and â—ore deserved to have had such a â—reat Office Honour or Dignity conâ—erred on them yea sometimes pleadâ—â—g not only their greater Merits greatâ—r Parts and Sufficiency but rather then â—il even greater need and want â—f it then others Behold here but â—ne of the least parcels of the evil â—ffects which proceed from Self-love â—ehold a glimpse of
and if â—â— happens that the objects of any of these branches or several kinds of inordinate Self-love be very predominant and prevailing in our affections it must of necessity be because the Love of God is proportionably weak and at a very low ebb in us and consequently it either puts us into or shews us to be in a most dangerous and sickly condition of soul even in the state of habitual mortal sin being withal deprived of Gods Grace for so long time as we remain in such estate so that we do not only languish but perish being destitute both of the Remedy and Physicians and although peradventure many notwithstanding their being in this bad condition through habitual Self-love do either by reason of their natural inclination or through the power of some other worldly interest forbear to commit those gross and palpable sins which Self-love and vicious affections do usually draw other men unto yet this will not excuse them nor put them in a good state towards so long as they â—re guilty and their hearts infectâ—d with self-Self-love But what shall we say now of â—hose who are so much subject and â—iven up to this vice that they set â—heir thoughts and endeavours wholâ— upon honours vanities pleasures â—â— as feasting and gaming or otherwise â—ngage themselves in Contentions or â—â— its at Law or siding with Factions â—n State so as that they seem to place â—heir whole delight in such things â—or although the particular actions of â—hese men considered singly may â—eem only to be venial yet let me â—ell them the whole number with â—nnumerable other aggravating cirâ—umstances renders them damnable â—nd that with great reason because â—t shews that through the vehemency â—f Self-love their affections are placed â—nd fixed in those objects as in their â—ast end which is to transgress the Hoâ—y Commandments of God in the highâ—st and most grievous manner besides the scandal they give We judge of their inward affections by their outward actions Wherefore if these worldly objects of Honours Vanities Pleasures and the like take up their whole employment or the greatest part of their time 't is evident that they are predominant over their affections and that God is not so much the object of their minds and thoughtâ— as he should be namely to reign iâ— them by Holy Love and to be the principal and chiefest end they aim at So that being destitute of Gods Grace and giving so great scandal by their life and manners they must needs be in a dangerous condition Certainly they do grosly deceive themselves in imagining that they love God above all things or that the Love of him is the most cordial of all their loves when as reflecting well upon themselves they would find that all their Love-actions and all the designs of their heart were so wholly bent and set upon worldly things that the service of God and salvation of their Souls were the least â—n all their thoughts least spoken of and least attended unto For the love by which they are bound to prefer God above themselves doth not consist in discourse and meerly talking of â—t but in doing what we are commanded and in doing it with real â—nd hearty affection therefore if they â—ntend to be cured of this dangerous Disease this languishing and Soul-â—estroying distemper of Self-love it must be as the Christian Doctrine â—oth teach and advise us to do nameâ—y that our Love of God be the most absolute the most affectionate â—nd cordial the most general and â—redominant of all other loves and â—hat it reign in us above and more â—han all other passions We must love God more then our own selves and â—ur own lives we must love him generally and in all things without â—xception that he commands us to â—ove desiring to please him more than to please our selves And besidâ— this we must be truly and sincere disposed to lose all things even thoâ— which are most dear unto us and â— suffer the greatest indignities if â—â—casion require rather than to forsaâ—â— him or lose his grace and favour aâ— consequently we must be ready â— embrace all persecutions sufferance yea death it self rather than to coâ—mit one mortal sin And this degâ—â—â— of Divine Love is the only cure the Languishing Disease and Disteâ—per of Self-love and is absolutely â—â—quisite for the Salvation of our Soâ—â— SECT 3. A Description of the same The Wise Hippocrates accordiâ—â— as 't is reported of him deplored his time very much the evil effects â—â— Avarice saying The Life of Mâ—â— is rendred miserable by the same â— may say the like with Father Caussâ—â— of Self-love since it is the most fatal plague amongst all the passions It is not a simple malady but a complex a malady composed of all the evils in the World it hath the shivering and heats of Feavors the ach and prickings of the Meagrim the rage of Tooth-ache the stupefaction of a Vertigo the furies of Phrenzy or Madness the black vapours of the Hypochondry the disturbances of the Waking and Fits of the Falling-sickness it hath the stupidities of the Lethargy the heaviness of Hearts-greif the pangs of the Collick the infections of the Leprosie the venome of Ulcers the malignity of the Plague the putrefaction of the Gangreen and whatsoever else is horrible in Nature Since therefore Self-love is such a strange and pestilent Disease in Morality that there is none like it in Nature nor more hurtful to Mankind I will dilate my self more at large with the same Father upon the Disasters that are daily in the sight â—â— the World caused by it Alas theâ—â— are millions of Men who would bâ— most fortunate and flourishing if the knew how to avoid the mischievoâ—â— power of this passion but using â—â— consideration nor endeavour to thâ— end they abandon their Bodies â—â— dishonour their Reputation to infâ—my their Estates to waste and miâ— spending and their whole lives to aâ— infinity of disturbances and torment For from hence it comes as we daâ—ly see the experience that Virgins â—â— Noble Blood and Families are stoln â—way Families dishonoured and dâ—solated and grieved parents precipitated into untimely Tombs by ingrateful Children From the same it follows that sâ— many Young Widows make shipwracâ— of their Honour in the World anâ— suffer themselves to be corrupted by incontinency that so many miserable Creatures that otherwise with the grace of God might have lived and died honourably after they have serâ—ed for a matter of talk to a City for time by reason of their evil and â—â—fortunate courses very often at last â—e in an Hospital Hence also it â—â—mes that so many Innocents are â—ade away by a death which preâ—ented their birth and many of them â—urthered and destroyed after their â—rth as it appears more or less at â—l Assizes and Sessions to the great â—ame of Christianity Besides all these how many poor â—fants are brought into this Life as â—recks at Sea are thrown upon the â—ocks or
sinful complacency as most commonly it is yet Self-love and Vanitâ— is for certain the principal motive aâ— cause of such pretensions to wit because the party is exteriourly fair amiable delightsome discreet â—â—vise affable and of good humour â—s they call it good company a â—ood disposition or that some other â—ke quality commends her to our fanâ—y all which are but the repasts of Self-love and do render all the Acts â—f Humane or seeming Moral Vertue â—xercised upon such occasions meer Vanities and Imperfections in no sort meritorious because they have not God but Self-love for their aim and object Whence it follows That be the Actions or Works which we do never so good in their own Nature never so Just never so Chast Temperate and never so commendable in the sight of the World yet proceeding or beâ—ng done only upon the account of Self-love Self-interest Self-complacency and not for the Love of God more than all instead of being valued or accounted perfect Vertue Meritorious Works c. they will rather be discommended and condemn'd for sin as the holy Scripture shews clearly in the Example of those Hypocrites who fasting for exteriour shew only exterminant vultus suos disfigure their Faces that they may appear to the World for to fast For what saith our Saviour of them Amen dico vobis quia receperunt mercedem suam Matth. 6. v. 16. Of a truth I say unto you they have received their reward As much is to be said of those that give Alms to the Poor as many of the Pharisees used to do in their Synagogues and in the Streets Markets and open Places having a Trumpet blown before them to shew what they were going to do they doing all this to be seen of men and that they might be honoured of men for their Charity Holiness and good Works all that they did was nothing worth Their doom is the same with the other Receperunt mercedem suam They sought their reward in Self-love in Vain Glory and Proper Will and therein they shall find it The condition therefore which such Men do expose themselves unto cannot â—ut be very dangerous which I shall â—onfirm by one further Example Supâ—ose one be really a covetous Man â—hat is inordinately greedy and desiâ—ous of worldly wealth and to heap â—p Riches yet for fear of the Temâ—oral Laws or being unwilling to lose his reputation by being a known noâ—ed Usurer or for some worldly respects he forbears that particular sin he does not put out his Money to use nor rob his neighbour in that particuâ—ar way and kind of robbery but yet his heart is as much set upon Riches and his mind as wholly occupied and taken up in getting and gathering worldly wealth he is as pinching sparing and close-handed towards the poor gives as little Almes as he that is a professed Usurer Will it serve this Mans turn think you will it save him from the Snares of his Ghostly Enemy that he does not put out his Money to use No verily If he hoards up without measure or end if he refuses to lend freely and to give liberally when just occasion and the necessity of his poor neighbour requires it of him being able he sins and it s much to be feared will be found one day in the number of those whom Saint Paul Ephes 5. 5. declares to be excluded the Kingdom of Heaven For though he doth not commit usury nor rob outwardly yet he is covetous in heart and that 's enough to work his ruine witness those words of the Apostle Neque fures neque avari c. Neither Thieves nor Covetous Persons shall inherit the Kingdom of God SECTION III. Of the fatal Ruin of Mankind by self-Self-love SECT 1. By taking more Pleasure and putting more Confidence in Worldly things than in God 2. By taking Delight in all manner of Sensualities of the Flesh 3. By their Glorying and Boasting themselves in Malice and Iniquities SECT 1. By taking more Pleasure and putting more Confidence in Worldly things than in God SAint Paul the Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles writing to Timothy saith That the time will come That Men shall be Lovers of them selves and having said that subjoynes a List of innumerable sinnes to wit of Covetousness Pride Blasphemy against God Disobedienâ— to Parents Ingratitudes Incontinency Impieties and what not all issuinâ— from the root of Self-love he foâ—gets not to put into this Black Roâ—â— that Saint-seeming Vice or deadâ— sin of Hypocrisy telling us thâ— notwithstanding Men should be reallâ— guilty of so many and great Vices yet they will make much professioâ— of Vertue though there be no trâ—â— fear of God in their Hearts yet thâ— will pretend to Piety having a Foâ— of Godliness but denying the Powâ—â— thereof 2 Tim. 3. 2 3 4 5 c. â— if he had said they are so maâ— Wolves in Lamb-skins they will seeâ— outwardly Holy and Vertuous bâ— in their interiour are meer Hypocritâ— and great enemies of Vertue whâ— it will stand with their private Inâ—â—rests and Self-love to be so inâ—â—much that I cannot but remember â—here what our Saviour saith in the Gospel Joan. 12. v. 25. Qui amat â—animam suam perdet eam qui oâ—dit animam suam in hoc mundo in vitam aeternam custodit eam He that loveth his Soul shall lose it and he that loseth or hateth his Soul in this world doth keep it to life eternal His meaning is that whosoever loveth his Soul inordinately and otherwise then he should and not in due order to God shall surely lose it to all eternity Take heed therefore how you Love your selves and blame not me for telling you plainly the truth which is that the eternal Ruine of Mankind consists and is caused chiefly through these disorderly affections that is because we do neither place our Love where we ought nor exercise it as we ought which for the most part happens to us three manner of wayes The First is When a man does as â—t were Cast and drown himself in the Delights and Pleasures of the World and puts more confidence in his Riches and Worldly Pelf then he does iâ— God The Second is When he ruâ— head-long into all manner of Carnâ—â— Concupiscences permitting himseâ—â— to sink in the deepest abyss of sin iâ— that kind The Third is When Meâ— Glory and Boast of their Sinnes aâ— Iniquities As to the first of these to wit that a Man exposes himseâ—â— to great danger and commits a grievous oversight in suffering himself â—â— be so carried away with the vaâ—â— things of this World whetheâ— Riches Honours Pleasures and Fruition of them nay so much as to foâ—get himself and his own condition â— his own nature and excellency reâ—dring himself thereby like unto thâ— Bruit Beasts who have no reason and exercise no Understanding Diâ—cretion Prudence in the pursuit â—â— what they love and finally in having more confidence in Creature than in God the onely Creator Anâ— that which
so as to make them see the truest effects of the Love of God which are absolutely contrary to the effects of Self-love For why the effects of Divine Love are all of them good yea they are all the good that can or ever will be desired but contrariwise the effects of Self-love are all of them evil and are all the evils that men can possible think imagine or fear Since then there be two sorts of Love namely the Love of God and thâ— Love of our selves and that all trâ—â— good and happiness is to be attributed to the Love of God as on the contrary all wickedness and all evils to self-Self-love we are now to maâ—â— our choice we must go either to thâ— right hand or to the left we muâ—â— practice either what is Divine oâ— else self-Self-love Consider the mattâ—â— therefore well and proceed as yoâ— see cause by what hath been hitherto said you cannot but have observ'â— and know that all the actions of those that exercise Self-love tend wholly to their own praise and commendation and to exalt themselves and if at any time they applaud Vertue it is only to praise themselves the more upon a precarious and false supposition that they are such For though they applaud it they never practice it Their practice is only what the Poet Ovid describes Laudamus veteres sed nostris utimur annis â—n conclusion where Self-love reigns â—l Vertue all Justice all acts of â—harity all good Discipline are sent â—â—to exile are banished and on the â—ontrary Cruelties Commotions â—ars Lusts Adulteries Murthers â—esolations and Tumults Furies and â—yranny Persecutions and Robbeâ—es Pride and Ambition yea all â—ices without exception which can â—e named are in such vogue that â—othing can withstand them and in â—uch credit and practice that it is in â—ain to speak against them By Self-love every one is prejudiâ—ed By means of Self-love poor Orphans lose their right and poor Wiâ—ows sustain wrong none consideâ—ing their cause none regarding or giving ear to their just complaint Through Self-love the poor perish or live miserably few or none takeing pitty or having any compassioâ— of their hard condition In fine aâ— sorts of men suffer more or less â—â— some respects or other through thâ— prevalency of this passion Froâ— hence from this cursed root Treasons are contriv'd and spring Felonies are committed Perfidiousneâ—â— and Deceits practiced Churches aâ— robbed Matrons and Virgins defiled Religion and all Fear of God laid aside and forgotten insomuch that hereby the Proverb comes to be verified Mala etiam non quaerentibus obtiâ—gunt bona vix accedunt etiam quâ—rentibus Evils though not sought after will be found and take place but God though never so much sought after will scarce be found This was the answer of that famous Diogenes the Philosopher when one asked him what his Opinion was touching Mens Estate and Condition in this World And truly in my judgement the answer was to purpose for so much as generally speaking Vice is much more rife in the World than â—ertue and consequently men are â—ore apt and are better furnish't to â—rocure Evil than to procure Good â—oth to themselves and their neighâ—ours Sect. 3. By Self-love we seek all sorts of vanities therefore it is prejudical to our selves Having so largely declared in the â—wo precedent Paragraphs how Self-â—ove is most prejudical to God and our Neighbour tending to Gods dishonour and our Neighbours harm it hence of necessity follows that the same Self-love is also most prejudicial to our selves for if God be offended by our Self-love as we have plainly demonstrated that he is the very same transgression committed against him by self-Self-love doth wound our own poor Souls to a spiritual death and if withal our Neighbour be prejudiced or harm'd by it as 't is certain he is it doth also include that we our selves are prejudiced and receive hurt thereby no less than ouâ— Neighbour seeing we cannot unjustly harm our Neighbour but we offend God and by offending God we hurt our selves so that there needâ— not much to be spoken to prove this verity to wit that Self-love is prejudicial to our selves as well as to others nevertheless to keep a deceâ—um in our proceedings since I have not been sparing or restrain'd my self in shewing the evils and mischievous effects of Self-love in relation to God and our Neighbour it seems but requisite that something should more particularly be proposed to shew the like effects which it has upon our selves and how much we our selves are prejudic'd by indulging to the passion of Self-love First you are not ignorant that Self-love according to the Ancient Fathers doth blind the eyes of Mankind dulling the Spirits and weakning their Understanding insoâ—uch that being to make choice of â—y thing for the most part they â—use for the worse and more espeâ—â—ally when the matter concerns â—â—eir spiritual estate or good As for â—xample there is nothing in this â—orld that a man loveth better than â—is Life his Soul his Ease his proâ—er Will his Pleasures his Sensualiâ—â—es his Vanities and the like and â—et 't is certain and well donsidering â—e would easily see it that all these â—ven the best of them Life and Soul â— inordinately loved are extreamly â—ontrary and prejudicial to his true â—ood For in this sense according to â—he Evangelist Joan. 12. 25. Qâ—i â—mat animam suam perdet eam c. He that loveth his life shall lose it â—nd he that hates his life in this World that is loves it not nor makes any reckoning of it in compaâ—ison of his love and duty to God shall keep it to life everlasting The â—ame is to be said of the soul according to Saint Matth. ch 10. 39. As for the rest ease proper will pleasures c. they are meer Vanities not worth the wishing for aâ— witnesseth the wise Solomon in those words Eccles 1. v. 14. Vidi cuncta quae fiunt sub sole ecce Vniversâ— Vanitas I have seen saith he and considered all things that are done under the Sun and behold they are all vanity and affliction of Spirit which is to say they are things wherein no full satisfactinn of raind no perfect content is to be found and that therefore men do vainly and to their own prejudice to set their minds their love and affections so much upon them Yet will not men be perswaded their minds are still set upon the things under the Sun and not on those above it they still mind the world and worldly things worldly riches worldly honours worldly pleasures worldly power c. and with such an eagerness of appetite do they hunt after these things as if â—â—ey were the chiefest good and â—â—at all happiness consisted in them â—eglecting the care of their Souls for â—e love of them quite contrary to â—e advice and exhortation of the â—lessed Evangelist Saint John who â—howing the harm that comes to men â—y setting their minds and affections â— much upon worldly
When we have done this and that the love of God begins to be well rooted in our hearts we are in the next place to do our endeavour that the same may increase and grow in us daily more and more which is best done by the continual practice and exercise of vertue and all manner of good works incident to our state and calling together with fervent prayers and observing such Rules of good life as by the Providence of God and the labours of pious men the Christian World as to that part is plentifully supplied with Let us have made never so great advancement in the love of God yet we are still to go on and not to make a stand in our Progress much less to think or perswade our selves that we have already attained such a perfect measure of loving God with all our hearts and all our souls as that we need not to add any more to it by Piety and Holy Living For such a degree of Divine Love is not to be pretended unto in this life until we come into the Heavenly Court of Paradise So long therefore as we live in this state of Mortality we are to go constantly forward in the exercises of Piety and Vertue For in this case it is rightly said Non progredi est regredi Not to go forward in the study and endeavour of Christian Perfection is to go backward and not to advance in the love of God is to fall back and come short more or less in point of duty and love to him and so they would find by experience in a short time whosoever should indulge to such a pernicious fancy to wit as to think they had done enough and that they loved God so well as that they needed not take any care of loving him better or with a more intense diligent exact and affectionate love Whereas the only measure of loving God is as S. Bernard often and excellently teacheth to love him without measure and never to think that we love him enough In consequence to what has been said it follows that all our endeavour must be imployed towards this end viz. of growing still more and more in the love of God and less and less in the love of this world of our selves and of all things that hinder or withdraw us from God whereto as Father Cressy rightly teacheth We must be guided by a divine light and assisted by divine grace The first for the removing such impediments as either corrupt nature or the Ghostly Enemy lays in our way to deceive us and make us give over the pursuit of vertues The second to help us forward in our journey and to bring us more near unto God till at length we be joyned to him by an immediate Union to which we ought to aspire as the end of our Creation and the ultimate perfection of our nature We must renounce as we have said before and fly from our selves that we may draw nigh unto God we must destroy Self-love in our souls that so the Divine Love may be raised up and increased in us we must give our selves to the exercise and practice of all vertues as well those which regard our selves and our Neighbour as those which concern God always remembring that those which concern our selves and our Neighbour usually called Moral Vertues are then only to be esteemed worthy of that name or to be stiled Vertues when they are exercised for the love of God and do effectually help to the mortification of our natural or corrupt passions affections lusts Those which properly and immediately concern God are called Theological Vertues and being these three to wit Faith Hope and Charity are conveniently put in practice all of them in the one exercise or duty of Prayer which includes all duties directly pertaining to God as namely of loving him with all our hearts and souls of trusting or putting confidence in him of believing his holy Word adoring his Divine Majesty obeying his Commandments submitting and resigning our selves to his Divine Will and Pleasure Follow therefore herein the good counsel of Father Grenadus who bids us not to suffer our minds to be intangled with over-much love of corporal objects or visible and worldly things whether they be Honours Lands Riches or other goods of this world Children Kinsfolks Parents Friends c. Forasmuch as this kind of love is a great occasion of all sorts of sins of cares vexations vain phantasies passions temptations and all kind of evil disturbance unquiet and disorder that is to be found in the world This Love according to S. Augustin is the poyse of the Soul and which way soever this Love draweth that way the Soul inclineth So that if this Love de set for Heaven then the Soul is drawn towards Heaven but if this Love be set upon Earth then is the Soul also bent towards Earthly things This being so it concerns us to walk warily never suffering our heart to fix upon or to cleave unto the love of visible things but rather to esteem them as things of small account as frail and uncertain and such as pass away in a moment Remove therefore your hearts from them and fix them wholly upon that which is their chiefest and most proper object viz. true felicity Sect. 2. By humbling and undervaluing our selves Deponentes omne pondus circumstans nos peccatum saith S. Paul Hebr. 12. v. 1. Laying aside all weight and sin that besets us as it were and incompasses us round about let us run with patience the Race that is set before us looking unto the Author and Finisher of our Faith Jesus who for the joy that was set before him indured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of God The reason of his Exhortation is by the example of Christ humbling himself for us unto death yea the painful and shameful death of the Cross to move us to humility and patience for his sake who endured so much in our behalf both living and dying Christ disdained not for our sakes being God to descend from his high Throne of Majesty in Heaven and to be made Man taking our humane and vile Nature upon him yea and to be vilified contemned and undervalued by men and that in such a measure of inhumanity and malice as is beyond all expression and therefore if we will be his true Disciples and live after his example we must not disdain to humble our selves as he did nor to be ill treated by men as he was The Servant must not expect to be above his Master nor the Disciple above his Teacher If Christ were so humbled for us we ought to humble our selves for him and where his honour and service requires it not to think much to be undervalued abused despised and persecuted even to death If we will be worthy followers of Christ we ought with S. Paul continually to bear about with us the mortifications of our Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 4.
10. daily dying as to this world in all our inordinate passions and affectations of humane praise honour favour and contrariwise chusing and desiring rather to be undervalued by all to the intent that for the present the power of Self-love may be broken and abated in us and that afterward for this undervaluing and dispising our selves we may be honoured and exalted by our Lord Jesus Christ according to his promise Luc. 18. 14. Qui se humiliat exaltibitur Who so humbleth himself shall be exalted He that undervalues himself easily undervalues all other things and if you will possess all the only way is to forsake all But alas How far short are we of Perfection in this kind How few are there amongst us that forsake either the world or themselves as they ought Few there are that go by this narrow way Many are called many are exhorted and incited to it but few elected or chosen to walk and finish their lives in it Few there are that love to be vilified or desire to be humbled for Christ and yet it is that we must submit unto we must come to that perfection or miss and fall short of our reward eternal happiness If we would desire this Perfection from our heart we should obtain it seeing our Saviour hath promised us that whatsoever we shall ask in his name that shall be for his honour and our good it shall be granted Joan. 14. v. 13 14. And therefore if God do not send us afflictions and adversities requisite to this purpose viz. to humble us and mortifie our corrupt passions it is by reason he sees us unfit for them We are not strong enough nor so well mortified in mind and spirit as to bear them God on his part is always ready to do us good and to treat us so as may be best for us both as to this life and that to come and consequently to send tribulations crosses and afflictions to those that are truly mortified and so resign'd to his Divine Will as that he sees they will receive good and not harm by them that they will be humbled by them and patient under them and consequently encrease their own merits upon that account if not unto temporal yet at least which is far better unto eternal reward Observe from hence that all the things which men desire or can wish for if they tend not to the true abnegation to the true submission and humiliation of our selves for the love of God they are tainted with corrupt nature Interest and Self-love and though men sometimes are apt to think that they have clearly avoided and freed themselves from this paspassion yet it is only in appearance and they have driven it from them as it were on the one side but it returns slily and secretly upon them some other way and sticks fast on their Souls which appears by this that men seldome or never wish for or desire any great adversity any sharp afflictions tribulations or crosses nor desire much that any thing should go contrary to their mind and yet only these and such like things can shew how they are humbled how mortified and free of Self-love The reason hereof is no other but that vertue is imperfect in us We are yet faint-hearted and ready to fail in small matters Men are not as yet come to a true undervaluing of themselves they love themselves esteem themselves and still seek themselves too much almost in every thing Self-love is a subtile and deceitful vice it deceives others it deceives our selves using much dissimulation with every one Happy is the man that is free of it that is dead to himself that is to say who is dead in all his sensual passions and appetites and in all inordinate affections towards visible objects and dead in his own Self-love desiring to be vilified and undervalued of all according to the example of Jesus Christ who in his own person gave us a marvellous instance of most perfect mortification when being upon the Cross he cryed out in these words Matth. 27. v. 46. Deus meus Deus meus ut quid dereliquisti me My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why am I thus left destitute to the will of my enemies without any aid or comfort from you God our Saviour and Redeemer hanging thus on the Cross was for certain deprived of all spiritual and sensible consolation yet did he suffer most willingly and not in the least lose his courage Ah he did it for our example it was to let us know that when God deprives us at any time of our wonted Consolations whether Spiritual or Temporal and brings adversity and affliction upon us it is that we should suffer them patiently and willingly for his loves sake and that we should with a perfect resignation submit our selves to his Divine Will Perfection does not consist so much in the gifts of a sensible Love and sensible Consolations but in that which may be more real and essential though less sensible to wit in a well-ordered and well-grounded affection of resolution of mind for God and for the performonce of his Holy Will and Commandments in all things The servant of Christ should not seek nor place Perfection in any sensible things whatsoever whether Corporal or Spiritual not in any sensible Devotion in time of Prayer nor in the frequency of Internal Consolations but in perfect Conformity to the Will and Commandments of God in perfect mortification of all sinful lusts and appetites and in perfect abnegation of our selves as to every thing that is offensive to him and contrary to our duty Perfection consists in being throughly clear of all affection to sin and constantly inclin'd and well disposed to whatsoever is good Happy is he who is so humble as to acknowledge himself a great sinner and with the Publican to confess that he is not worthy to lift up his eyes to Heaven for the great multitude of his sins Happy is he who is so well disposed and mortified as to be ready to endure all pains yea even those of Hell it self if it could be for the love of God though being himself in the state of Grace Happy is he who is as well prepared and as well pleased in being deprived of all sensible graces devotions love as to have or receive such gifts from God Happy is he who is so well inflamed with the Essential love of God as to desire at all times of his life to be freed from corporal love to any Creature Happy is he who desireth to imitate or be like unto Jesus Christ upon the Cross abandoned of all good spiritual and corporal rejected and vilified by men forsaken by God and left destitute to all want pain and misery But alas How few are there of this perfect disposition where is the man that is thus mortified in his passions humbled in his mind resigned in his will Where is the man to be found who being depriv'd of his wonted Consolations
subject to sin Wherefore it is very true and in this case necessary to be observ'd what Father Granada says Such as desire to love Almighty God should endeavour to sequester themselves and depart from the practice of all sins As to the second thing required you must know that before you can obtain the grace of loving God above all Creatures it is necessary that you be very serious in your thoughts and apprehensions of God and that you delight your self to consider and meditate in your mind both the truth of his Existence and also how important a thing it is for you and all men rightly to believe and conceive of him and worthily to serve him To which end it shall not be amiss to call to mind and reflect upon the Motives which I have already in part alledged in the Fifth Section Sect. 3. for the exciting and stirring up mens hearts to Divine Love that is to say some of those Attributes Perfections and Proper Excellencies which are to be contemplated in the Divine Nature and do worthily move us to a due esteem and love of him and particularly that we do often and devoutly think upon the Perfections and Excellencies of our Lord Jesus Christ who is God Incarnate or God made Man for us and to procure our salvation in whom the Fulness of the Divinity doth inhabit corporally and in whom are hidden all the hidden Treasures of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God Colos 2. 3. and in whom all the good Properties Perfections and Excellencies whether pertaining to the Divine Nature or Humane to God or Man that can merit Love Reverence Honour and Esteem from us are found to admiration and excess he is Splendor Gloriae figura Dei Patris The Brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image or Figure of Gods Substance as to this purpose the Apostle speaketh Heb. 1. v. 3. Cum in forma Dei esset c. saith the same Apostle again Phil. 2. v. 6. making or confessing him to be the Form that is the most true internal and perfect resemblance of his Fathers Nature The Vapour or Breath of the Power of God and a bright streaming or Emanation of Glory from the Almighty He is the Brightness of Eternal Light the Vnspotted Mirror or Glass of Divine Majesty and Image of his Goodness Sap. 7. 25 26. In fine he is God of God True God of true God and consequently perfect and absolute in all the Properties of Divine Majesty and Glory and the Fountain of Perfection and of all Good in his Creatures which thing well considered I cannot doubt but they will make us see how just and reasonable it is that he alone should be lov'd and honoured by us above all Creatures as containing in himself all the Causes Motives and Reasons of Love and Honour As to the third thing requisite for the obtaining of Divine Love it is to recal often to mind the Graces and Benefits the Gifts and Favors which we have received and do daily receive at Gods hand as well those receiv'd before Baptism as since the benefit of our Creation whereby we have our Being the benefit of his Providence whereby we are preserved in our being defended from all Evil and supplied with all necessary Good The benefit of our Redemption and the great kindness which God therein hath shewed towards his Creatures to wit in sending his only Son our Lord Jesus Christ to take humane Flesh upon him in the Womb of the most pure and immaculate Virgin his Mother and in the same Flesh to die and redeem us from the slavery of our Ghostly Enemy and from everlasting Damnation By which means being already in right of Creation and Providence our loving Father through the Mystery of Incarnation he became our Brother our Saviour and in a more special manner our Lord our King our God our Governour and our last end Yea by reason of this Union and Communion of Nature with us he becomes through Grace the Heavenly Spouse of every one of our Souls being married to him in Faith and Charity And therefore as our Spouse so loving so good so rich so great so beautiful so provident so tender-hearted he deserves to be requited and repayed by us with the same that is with a most intense most cordial most affectionate sincere and if it could be an infinite love and as he is our last end he is to be supreamly look'd at aim'd at regarded and intended by us in every thing of moment that we do or take in hind Considering therefore that we have such motives and reasons to love God above all and especially our Blessed Saviour God Incarnate let us use no delay let us shew no backwardness to return him love for love and to to render him our most humble and daily thanks for all his benefits and mercies remembring that of Solomon Sap. 16. v. 28. Quoniam oportet praevenire Solem ad Benedictionem tuam c. That we ought to prevent the Sun to give thanks to God and the Morning-light to adore and make prayers to him and that if we do it not but remain unthankful for his Benefits it shall befall us as is said in the same place v. 29. Ingrati spes tanquam hybernalis glacies tabescet c. The hope of the Vngrateful shall melt away as a Winter-Ice and shall perish as unprofitable Water Sect. 2. How we are to love our Neighbours None can be so ignorant as not to know that it is part of our Duty to God to love our Neighbour since that God himself doth so positively and precisely require it of us by the Evangelist Matth. 22. v. 39. Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self The same Commandment is repeated in diverse other places as namely Luc. 10. v. 27. Rom. 13. v. 9. Galat. 5. v. 14. Jam. 2. v. 8. Yea it was a Law in force unto the Jews as well as Christians according as we read Levitle 19. 18. The just and honest love of our Neighbour is so united annex't and as it were chained with the Love of God that for the same loves sake whereby we love God we are commanded to love our Neighbour yea Saint John the Evangelist argues that through want of loving our Neighbour we cannot love God and calls him Lyer that pretends the contrary to wit that we may love God truly and acceptably without loving our Neighbour Siquis dixerit c If a man saith he shall say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a lyer giving this reason For he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 Joan. 4. 20. and making his reason good with this final assertion viz. And this Commandment have we from God that he who loveth God loveth his Brother also These two loves proceed and come forth from the same Root and have the same Original Cause to wit
to desire and occasion being given to endeavour so much as in us lies that all Creatures acording to their several capacities may serve love and adore him That the Infidels Heretiques and all Sinners may be converted to him and truly repent of their disobedience and rebellion against him that so by love he may reign in all hearts and all hearts be sad for the offences of their own or others committed against him In pure love to him we are to determine faithfully to serve him and to take joy in all things that please him Moreover with indifferency we are to accept all things from his hands and to take them in good part as well things displeasing and offensive to Nature as pleasing It is required of us all to be heartily sorry for all things that are done or happen contrary to his Divine Will and Pleasure to love all things that are grateful to him and pertaining to his Honour his Service and his Glory and that meerly for his sake we should love all men yea even our Enemies and Persecutors doing our endeavour also where we judge it convenient to express some effects of love to them more than to others as being special Instruments to procure us greater good from God than those Friends who do all they can to please us and to foment and flatter us in vain things It is expected from us that we do all the honour we can to Almighty God and all the service and good offices in our power to our Neighbour for his Sake in nothing seeking our own commodities further then his Goodness allows but in all things his good pleasure We must imitate and follow his holy Examples in all kind of Vertues and Perfections to our utmost possibility and particularly it should be our Design to love others with the like Freeness of love wherewith he loved us without looking to our own profit or interest in loving He loved us meerly for our good not for his own so should we love our Neighbour pretending nothing but to do him good by our love and not our selves We must resolve never to accept any contentment but in him nor other happiness but in himself alone We must not set bounds to the measure of our love but still endeavour to love him more and better We are to be resigned and willing to suffer for him in this State of Mortality being contented for the present only with the hope of Fruition afterward that is in Heaven We are to hate our selves our corrupt and vicious Nature our bad Inclinations our Unsensibleness of his great Mercy and Goodness towards us c. with a most perfect hatred never being weary of persecuting and mortifying our selves We are bound to love him equally in his Commandements as his Rewards and to rejoyce or take contentment in any act of Temporal Severity exercised by him upon us We are never to cease praying that God would shew us the defectousness of our love and that he would daily give us his grace more and more to encrease both in the degrees of Fervour and Purity These are the Marks the Signs the Fruits and real Effects of the True Love of God and by them we may perceive when and whether or no we be free from the pest of Self-love Self-esteem Self-seeking and Self-pleasing This little which hath been said will serve to shew our state if we consider it well But alass where shall we find a Soul that can shew all these or the most part of these Rules exactly observ'd and practised by her However our duty is to aspire to all Perfection and to the Practice of all these good Rules and Helps thereto as much as may be yet as to the measure of our Perfection submitting our selves and being resigned therein to the Will of God of whose grace it is that we attain to any measure or degree of perfection For so is his holy pleasure The End of the First Part. THE SECOND PART OF THE Languishing Diseases OF CHRISTIANS Proceeding from SELF-PRIDE DRUNKENNESS And CARNAL CONCUPISCENCE CURED 4 ESDR 8. 31. We and our Fathers languish with such Diseases but thou for Sinners shalt be called Merciful LONDON Printed 1677. The First Treatise OF THE SECOND PART OF THE LANGUISHING DISEASES OF CHRISTIANS Proceeding from Self-Pride SECTION 1. Pride a General Disease amongst Christians SECT 1. Heaven and Earth was infected with it 2. Self-Pride of the Nobility and Gentry 3. Self-Pride of great Ladies 4. Self-Pride of other Women Sect. 1. How Heaven and Earth was infected by Pride THE Pestilent Fevor of Self-Love as Saint Ambrose very well observeth is usually attended with Two Symptoms or ill Signs as bad as it self which are Pride and Ambition Febris enim nostra ambitio est c. saith that Father The Feavor that troubles and agitates our Souls not suffering them to rest in any thing tha 's good is Ambition which according as Saint Augustine Saint Bonaventure Isidore Hugo and many others have described it is the inordinate love and appâ—tite of our own commendation and a desire to excel or to be thought to excel others in our actions which if they be publick and concerning the Common-wealth is then most properly termed Ambition but if the actions be private and concern only our Domestick Conversation and Behaviour it is called Pride being but one and the same feavorish Distemper of Self-love more or less extending and shewing it self A Feavor or Spirituall Distemper this is so malignant that it causeth many other Diseases and Dangerous Symptoms of Soul to Mankind as for example many Vain-gloryings many and much Vain-boasting and Vaunting of ons Self much Flattering of others much Wantonness much Hypocricy and Dissembling innumerable Impertinencies and Curiosities of like nature frequent Ingratiudes frequent Disobediencies to those in lawful Authority frequent Seditions and Commotions publique frequent Contentions and Contests more private frequent Disrespects to Superiours and Despisings of Equals and those beneath us together with many other such like Distempers and Disorders under which and by means whereof not only private persons but Kingdomes and Common-wealths languish daily and endure all the mischiefs of Devastation and Misery not to be ended but with utter ruin unless care be taken to apply fit remedy in due time and season not to menton the harm that is done to the Soul by means of them The first that ever was troubled with these Distempers to wit of Pride and Ambition was Lucifer that reprobate Angel together with all his wicked Crew who through the excess of Pride and the inordinate Love and conceit of his own excellency extolled himself to such a height as to pretend to be equal to God according to the relation which is given of him by the Prophet Isaias Chap. 14. v. 14. where the wicked Angel saith thus in his heart In Coelum conscendam super astra Dei exaltabo solium meum c. I will climb up into Heaven above the Stars of
be innumerable and too many to rehearse therefore omitting them I will only take notice of this That whensoever he thought good to appear in his Royal State and Dignity he had for that purpose always ready to attend him Forty thousand Horses in the Stables and Cbariots and Horsemen Twelve thousand But alas to what end comes all this Worldly Pomp Splendor and Magnificence if they escape the judgment which this Great and Wise King doth himself threaten to the Proud and High-minded Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty mind before a fall yet they shall never avoid what the Prophet Isa 14. 11. shews to be the end of all Worldly Glory Subter te sternetur tinea operimentum tuum erant vermes The Moth is spred under thee and Worms are become thy covering That is if they fall not by some special and sudden judgment of God that puts an end to their Pride before they be aware of it yet most certain and unavoidably they must at length yield to that which is the end of all Flesh to wit Corruption The Pomp and Splendor of this World will not always endure Moses Numb 15. v. 30. seems to fore-warn this to the People of Israel telling them peremptorily that the Soul which offends through Pride shall in no sort scape unpunished He that sinnes through ignorance errour or weakness the Priest shall make an Atonement for him Anima vero quae per Superbiam aliquid commiserit c. He that sins out of Pride or with an high hand he must bear his iniquity whoever he be native or stranger he must be cut off from his People Behold therefore here and consider the unhappy end of Pride it is for the most part but the fore-runner of Destruction which the Scripture further confirms by the example of that Proud Man Haman who was hang'd upon the same Gibbet which he in the pride and inselency of his haughty mind had prepared for the humble Mordocheus Esther 7. 10. The like end happened to the proud Holofernes who having conquered so many Provinces and subdued so much People only to satisfie his own and his Masters Pride was at last with the help of his own Sword beheaded by a Woman Jud. 13. 8. I might observe as much of the great Philisthin Golias who though himself invincible and out of that Pride defied the whole Host of the Living God a Shepherds Sling and a Stone out of the Brook taught him to be more humble in laying him Dead on the Ground Finally Nabuchadonosor that great King who in the pride of his heart said thus to himself Nonne est haec Babylon magna quam aedificavi c. Is not this great Babylon that I have bulit for the House of the Kingdom by the might of my Power and for the honour of my Majesty Dan. 4. v. 30 c. the word was scarce out of his mouth but according to the Decree of God he was suddenly driven from his Kingdom and the company of Men becoming a meer Beast wandering in the Wilderness and eaâ—ing Grass as Oxen for the space of seven years till repentance and the mercy of God brought him both to himself and his Kingdom again Sect. 3. Self-pride of great Ladies Great Women are no less subject to this Vice than great Men great Ladies think themselves priviledg'd herein by the presidents which their great Lords give them 'T is true Saint Augustin honour'd Woman-kind so much perhaps for his Mothers sake Saint Monica and in admiration of her Piety as to call them the Devout Sex neither do I doubt but there are amongst them many I might say innumerable most pious most pure and most perfect Souls but alas 't is too evident that many of them are not so the multitude falls short of that Elogium being apparently no less than Men addicted to all manner of Vice that their Sex permits them to be capable of To pass by other of their infirmities I shall at present instance only in this which we have in hand the Sin of Pride and inordinate Love esteem valuing and admiring of themselves Can any thing be more rife than this Vice amongst the great ones of that Sex Do we not see the Ladies of this time how they make use of all the Arts Skill and cunning Practices possible to adorn and set out themselves to the height of Pride Do we not see what new and costly fashions are daily devised to foment and help forward their vain inordinate affections in this kind Do we not see what emulations there are what pleasure they take and how much they strive the one to exceed the other in vanities and gallanteries as they are accounted sparing neither pains nor labours cost nor time to satisfie their Pride and to fulfil the ambitious appetites and desires of their mind To please their proud fancy to the full what charges are regarded what means not used and yet in other respects what thing is there whereof they are more presently sensible than matter of charges and cost as is quickly seen whensoever Piety towards God or Charity towards their poor Neighbour requires charges of them Every little cost in such cases makes them shrink and either with Nabal to make a churlish refusal or which is worse to frame a feigned and false excuse saying they cannot or they have not Truly it is a most sad thing to consider how much it redounds to the shame and confusion of Christianity and to the prejudice of true Piety the general spreading of this evil over all parts of Christendom and more especially in Princes Courts and great Cities most Ladies seeming to thing they were born for nothing else but to take their ease appear in bravery and be courted Oh how high do the desires of exorbitant nature mount especially when great fortune supports them No sooner are they out of their Bed but instead of offering the first fruits of â—he day to God in humble Prayers â—nd thankful Address to him for his Mercies and Benefits as well past as to come their mind and their thoughts are wholly taken up how they shall spend the day enquiring not where they may hear Mass or a good Sermon but what Play is to be Acted what Gallants are expected what Company is to come and what Sports are to be seen and according to the answer that is given them they cause themselves to be attired and cloathed like an Idol upon some great day by two or three Servants who attend upon them and spend the greatest part of their time in being serviceable to Vanity and Pride the Waiting Women finding it labour enough and no time to spare to dress themselves first and then to wait upon their Ladies and do them the like service wsth the greatest exactness and diligence that may be and all to preserve and give lustre to a fading Jewel which they pretend to have and are infatuated for namely Beauty Oh this Beauty this
brought in to drink the Health of Friends Kindred and Relations as also perchance of the King Queen and Royal Progeny with more Ceremony and Solemnity But Alas for the folly of such Men to think that any true Love Friendship or Loyalty can consist in Drunkenness or that Men should so much disorder the health of their Bodies and Souls only to wish them health in a Drunken Frollique If they would see their folly and learn how they are to Love how to shew their Good-will and how to prove themselves to be Friends good Subjects and Loyal to their Princes Saint Paul will teach them 1 Tim. 2. v. 1 c. Obsecro igitur primum omnium c. I desire saith he above all things that Supplications Prayers Intercessions and Thanksgiving be made for all Men for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life not in Drinking and Fudling but in all Piety Sobriety and Chastity Thus ought we to shew our Love to our Friends and above all to our greatest and best Friend the King our Soveraign Lord. Sect. 4. Drunkenness of the Poorer sort of People This beastly Vice Drunkenness oppresseth all sorts of Men but none more generally and frequently than the poor amongst which there are a great many that by their good wills would scarce ever be seen sober had they Money to satisfie their insatiable desire of Drinking they would be always tipled you should never meet them but more than half drunk Amongst Tradesmen and such as converse much in the World by occasion of Buying and Selling there 's no Bargain made nothing of any considerable nature Bought or Sold without a Cup of good Liquor over which they consult and agree about the Price and without it scarce ever conclude any thing Yea some are so accustomed thereto that they spare not to profess they can make no good Bargain but in Drink and that things never succeed better to them than when their Brains are well warm'd with the Spirits of good Liquor so that they are oft-times seen to trapan and lie upon the catch with each other upon this score to wit the Buyer with the Seller and the Seller with the Buyer each pretending in their private Thoughts to deceive or over-reach the other by the help of good Ale Labourers and Journey-men will undertake nothing willingly without a certain sum of Money for to Drink cast into the Bargain which being freely allowed they will do anything So that it is plain nothing is to be done nothing Bought or Sold but good Drink Seals up the Bargain and that Ale-houses are the chiefest Markets and Fairs for these Poorer sort of People as Taverns are for the Rich where they dispatch all matters of Bargain and Buy and Sell all sorts of Merchandize and Commodities Verily it is a thing to be pittied in this poorer sort of People to see how diligently and industriously they take all opportunities and occasions they can to meet with to Drink which if it chance to be of free cost they run to it with such greediness as if they were but so many Bruit Beasts in the shape of Men and so overload their Stomachs with it that in fine they seem and do worse than Beasts being forc'd to vomit and cast up what they have so much beyond measure and so intemperately taken in and having a little eas'd themselves O the shameful insatiableness of a wicked Appetite they fall to their Drink again and again to their Vomit Add hereunto that when they are thus elevated as they call it and overcome with Drink if they be capable to speak nothing comes out of their Mouth but what is seconded with Oaths one upon another or with some other cursed filthy and blasphemous Speech without end singing and roaring in such manner as if they were already in Hell making up an horrid Consort with the Damned Souls who roar day and night as these also do through the extremity and misery of their perpetual Torments Sect. 5. The Drunkenness of Youth What shall we say of the Debauch and ill-manners of the Youth of this present age Verily we must say it is corrupted in the highest degree almost that can be expressed and that if God ever had just occasion to drown all Mankind for the Sin of Carnal Concupisence he hath it now in such manner and to such a height of provocation as it is to be admir'd how his merciful goodness can forbear a second deluge the Youth of this present age being not only deeep-sunk in the filthy mire of Concupiscence and wallowing in all manner of carnal Lusts but extreamly also over-gone with this horrid sinful Vice of Debauch and Drunkenness The great want of good Education contributes much to this evil which is such that youth have no sooner attained the use of Reason and Discretion but they are ready to follow the Broad-way of Sensuality and Sin falling into lewd company and from them learning the practice and getting the ill custom of Intemperate Drinking How prone this age of Man viz. Youth is to sins of intemperance appears sufficiently in the Parable of the Prodigal Son mention'd in Saint Luk's Gospel Chap. 15. v. 12. This young Sot wanting wherewithal to satisfy his Carnal Sensuality in Drinking and Whoring 't is the case of too many in this our unhappy age becomes discontent therewith and impatient of delay never leaves importtuning his too indulgent Father that he would forthwith give him his portion and let him use it as himself thought good The Father consents to his desire and divides betwixt him and his Elder Brother his whole Substance The young Prodigal over-joyed at this and little fore-seeing the sad miseries that were to befal him nor those Quagmires of Dangers and Distress which his Sins and his Folly would ere long bring him into makes no delay but taking his whole portion with him leaves his Fathers House and departs into a far Countrey where being at full liberty to unbridle his Carnal Appetite he falls into all manner of Excess and Wickedness so that in a short time he had spent and wasted all his Substance with riotous living Upon which there being also a great Famine in that Land he presently fell into want and was forced to make himself Servant to a certain man of that Country who set him to keep his Swine In which condition his hunger was so great and his misery so extream that he would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the Swine did eat but could not Behold here in this Young Prodigal the sad issue which riot and intemperance brings young men unto Behold I say and Beware Hitherto we have seen his misery What the final event was and what succeeded to him when he came to himself and saw his errour we shall have some fitter occasion to shew hereafter SECTION II. The Motives to with-draw all Christians from the Excesses of Meat and Drink