Epitome of all our Obligations And were it necessary it were easy to demonstrate that as God is therefore infinitely Perfecter than all his Creatures because He really contains in his own Essence all Perfections whatsoever so our Obligation to Love him is incomparably greater than all other obligations because it eminently comprehends them all together This is enough to give us a confus'd Idea of our Duty at a distance If we draw the prospect nigher we shall find an infinite variety of pressing motives which enforce our Obligation Every single Excellency of the Object we adore is all Divine No shadow there of any Blemish to obscure those Charms which challenge our Affection Nothing in our God but what is infinitely amiable deserving infinitely more than All the Love that we are able to return Since therefore All and every one of his innumerable Excellencies are unlimited boundless since they All every one deserve a suitable Esteem since they command our Love as much as they deserve it hence it follows clearly that our Duty is as boundless as their Merit that as S. Bernard says There is no other Measure of our Love than Loving without Measure Amongst the numberless variety of those divine Perfections which the Eye has not seen 1. Cor. 2.9 nor the Ear heard nor have enter'd into the Heart of any man there is One which we are more acquainted with there 's One which in a manner makes the rest our own which of all is the most apt to make a sensible impression in a Generous Heart I mean that of a True Friend We read in Ecclesiasticus 6.15 that There is nothing comparable to a True Faithfull Friend and that in the ballance of the Wise He weighs much more than all the Gold Silver in the world As there is nothing Better upon Earth than a True Friend so there is nothing more pretended to And as the world deceives us most where we expect it least so there is hardly any thing in which it more deceives us than in this Of all that read these lines perhaps there is not one who has not been already very much mistaken in a Friend and 't is no wonder if we always 〈◊〉 so till we raise our hearts above this World fix them there where we are sure to find a True Faithfull One who Loves us gratis Always Lov'd us Lov'd us even when we were his Enemies and will for all Eternity continue the same Love unless we prove Vngratefull refuse to Love Him above all things as He very well deserves He Loves us gratis Not for any Good He gains by it or any litle Service we can do him He cannot stand in need of any of those Goods which every moment He bestows upon us 16.2 Thou art my God says the Psalmist My Goodness extends not to Thee When we have done all we can Luke 17.10 we are unprofitable Servants We have done our selves the greatest good we can imagine but our God is not a jot the better for 't Lib. 10. de Civ The Fountain says S. Austin is not better for our drinking at the Stream nor the Sun the better for our walking by his Light If I may use S. Paul's expression 2. Cor. 12.14 He seeks not what is Ours but Vs He seeks for nothing but our Love even this Command he lays upon us meerly for our Good Deut. 10.12.13 And Now says He what dos thy Lord thy God require of thee but to Love Him with all thy Heart vvhich I command thee this Day for thy Good Behold dear Christians a True Faithfull Friend and see how you can answer it to your Good Nature if you do not Love Him He always Lov'd us always thought of us not only all of us in generall but every one of us Lov'd us with a Love Eternall as Himself He says in the Prophet Jeremy 13.3 I have Lov'd Thee with an Eternall Love therefore with loving Kindness have I drawn Thee And what more powerfull Attractive can there be to draw us to Him than that Loving Kindness which from all Eternity took care of our Concerns contriv'd our future Happyness drew a Scheme of all the necessary means to bring us to it Except himself He hardly thought of any thing but Us Our first Creation our Redemption our Salvation were always in his Eye they were the Eternall Entertainment of his mind they were the Great Design which gave occasion to the first Production of this World which we ungratefully preferr before Him though He made it for us Never forsake your Old Friend Eccli 9.14 your New one will never be like Him Alas who can help it if we will be so ungratefull forsake so ancient a Friend we may be sure it is impossible to find a New one comparable to him He Lov'd us even when we were his Enemies T is true The first Production of the Universe was Proof enough no man can deny but that so Great a Gift bestowd upon us for our Use aboundantly sets forth the Greatness of his Love But yet the whole Creation of the World is nothing to the constant Conservation of it for our sakes who have so long so much abus'd it If the first bestowing of a more than ordinary favour without any previous merit on our side be such an argument of more than ordinary Love What is the constant repetition continuation of the Same so long a time although the longer we enjoy it we demerit more more are as obstinate in our Ingratitude as He is constant in his Kindness Was there ever any true hearty Love like this S. Paul expresses some ressemblance of it in a second Letter which he writes to the Corinthians declares his readyness to serve them though says he the more aboundantly I love you 1. Cor. 12.15 the lesse I am lov'd We read it in the 12. chapter which relates his Rapture into the third Heaven and without all doubt this Love of his was copyed there from the divine Originall If one small Spark of this celestial Love had such a wonderfull effect in the Apostle's breast What can we say or think of that immense boundless Fire of Everlasting Love which no Ingratitude of Man was ever able to extinguish Though our God foresaw how much it was in vain to court our Love although He was not ignorant that his Affection for so base so unworthy Creatures would be more despis'd the more he labour'd to endear us to him though He knew before hand the unparallelld Ingratitude of Man Nevertheless He sent his only Son to save us He could not hold his Hand He could not deny himself the Satisfaction of being infinitely Kind Be astonisht Jerem. 2.12 O ye Heavens at this S. John discoursing of this Love takes notice of no other motive of it than our Gratitude our indispensable
in Us. Love is as Strong as Death Cant. 8.6 T is this Victorious Love which frees us from the Tyranny of all those Passions which divide the Kingdom of our Heart Math. 12.25.26 a Kingdom brought to Desolation where Satan casts out Satan How can this Kingdom stand How is there any true Content and Satisfaction to be found in it A Man who places all his Happyness in Humouring his Passions can never please himself till he has pleas'd them All And since it is impossible to please two Masters how is' t possible for any Man to please so many I might here appeal to each Man 's private Conscience for a farther Testimony of this Truth But if a Sullen Conscience even when it is upon the Wrack refuses to Confess We have the Word of God the best clearest Evidence we can desire The VVicked Isai 57.20 21. says He are like the troubled Sea when it cannot Rest whose VVaters cast up Mire Dirt There is no PEACE says my God to the VVicked On the other side when once the Love of God has full possession of our Heart when Christ Gouverns it by Faith the Holy Ghost by Charity Gen. 1.2 Math. 8.26 when the Spirit of God begins to moue upon the face of the VVaters it presently Commands the VVinds the Sea there succeeds a Great Calm In a word As much as Liberty is more agreable than Slavery As much as Unity is better than Division As much as Peace Content Ease are more Delightfull than perpetuall Disturbance Discontent Pain so much the Pleasure which attends the Love of God is Greater than the Pleasures of this VVorld Had it been possible for our Creator to oblige us All to Love Him gratis we might then have had more Colour for our Crime And yet it would have been no more than what He very well deserves He Lov'd us gratis without any possibility of Recompence He humbled himself to repair our Honour He quitted Heaven to promote our Interest He sufferd torments to procure our Ease And it would only be a Suitable Return if we preferr'd his Honour Interest Pleasure far before our own But as our Kind Gracious God has order'd it to our advantage we are All oblig'd to seek our Own True Honour Interest Pleasure despise the False Appearances of Honourable Profitable Delightfull which the World endeavours to delude us with When we have made the most we can of such an Obligation 't will amount to neither more nor lesse than What we dayly see before our Eyes Consider how the Ambitious the Covetous the Voluptuous love their Honours Riches Pleasures Is it not plain They Love them above all things And why should not we Love God as well as Worldlings Love the VVorld They Love it with all their Heart They desire nothing else but to enjoy it with all their Soul They have no passion for any thing else with all their Mind They think of nothing else but how to make a Figure in it Has God less charms than the VVorld Or is a Flattering Friend well known to be our Greatest Enemy more amiable than the Best of Friends most True most Ancient most Constant who has always Lov'd us better than we Love our selves Is it a Greater Honour for a Man to be the Divel's Slave than be a Favourite of God Is it a Greater Profit to be cheated in the End than be Eternally Rewarded Or are those Pleasures which are always mixt with intervalls of discontent anxiety pain greater than those Delights which are unchangeable immortall divine which even in this Vale of Misery begin our Heaven upon Earth Ah Christians We have litle reason to dispute the terms of such an Obligation where the whole Advantage is entirely on our Side So great Advantage that we cannot truly Love our selves Math. 22.38 unless we Love our Lord our GOD with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind This is not only our Greatest Duty but our Greatest Good SECT IV. That the Love of God is the chief Grace of the Holy Ghost I Am come Luke 12.22 says our Saviour to Send Fire on the Earth what do I desire but that it may be Kindled This He desires for This He came and This we pray for in the Service of the Church Come Holy Spirit Fill the Hearts of thy Faithfull Kindle in them the Fire of thy Love The Holy Ghost came visibly at first prov'd his Presence by the Miracles He did But yet a Spirit is not naturally sensible when He comes invisibly He comes more like Himself nor have we any reason when He dwells within us to suspect that He is lesse at home because He lesse Appears abroad Although we do not see the Fire descend rest upon our Heads yet if the Love of God enflame us if it burn within our Hearts if it appear in our Devotion in our Conversation in our Actions 't is enough we then may hope we have receiv'd the Holy Ghost that our Saviour verifies in us his Promise which He made us when He said He shall be IN YOU Jo. 14. v. 17. He did not come in to the World to visit the Apostles only and abandon their Posterity Our Saviour did not send him to us that he might immediately forsake us but that He might remain with us for ever to the End of the World Jo. 14. v. 16. I will pray my Father says He that He may abide with you for ever The Spirit of God shall be in Vs T is a solemn Promise of our Saviour himself we cannot doubt of it although we cannot but admire it with profound astonishment Kings 3.8.27 like that of Solomon VVill God dwell with us on the Earth will the Spirit of God not only dwell here with us but within us If Heaven says he and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain Thee How much lesse this House which I have builded If we find that Salomon was thus transported when he lookt upon his Temple compar'd it with the Majesty of God to whom he built it may not we admire much more the living Temple of the Holy Ghost If the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain the Spirit of God How much lesse this litle House of clay Can we imagine that this litle Heart of ours is more capacious than Heaven Or can our Heart contain our God if Heaven cannot Oh no our God is infinite He cannot be contain'd in either yet He dwells in both Hear the Psalmist 122.1 To Thee I lift up my Eyes O Thou that Dwellest in the Heavens Hear S. Paul 1. Cor. 3.16 You are the Temple of God the Spirit of God Dwells in You. Compare both Testaments the Old and New if you seriously beleeve them both conclude we have the same assurance that God dwells in Virtuous Souls as that He dwells in
A CONTRITE AND HUMBLE HEART WITH Motives Considerations to prepare it PARIS M.DC.XCII Permissâ—… Superiorum PSALM L. A Contrite Humble Heart O God Thou wilt not despise I. SAM VII Prepare your Hearts to God Serve Him onely TO THE READER THe Subject which I treat of is the Best of Hearts a Contrite an Humble One. A Heart which is the Price of Heaven An inestimable Jewel which deserves our selling all we have to purchase it What disadvantages it may have sufferd in my hand who have prepar'd fashion'd it according to my Fancy I pretend not to excuse As rough as unpolisht as it is the Jewel is entire the interiour Value of it is the same within it self And that 's aboundantly sufficient to attone for all Besides Contrition and Humility affect not the advantage of a Modish Outside Plain Sincerity becomes them infinitely more An humble Penitent who has an angry God to please trembles under his Almighty Hand has something else to think of When a Magdalen once comes with penitentiall Tears to bathe her Saviour's feet she quite forgets her Looking-glass comes without consulting it She brings her precious Ointments with her But these are only for her Lord They are not either to adorn her self or please the Company The Method I have followd may perhaps seem arbitrary require a line or two to justifie it I begin with the Love of God 1. Because it is the First the Greatest indeed the Whole Duty of Man 2. Because although the Practise of Repentance commonly begins with Fear goes on with Hope ends in Love yet where our Practise ends our Theory begins and what is last perform'd is generally first design'd and principally aim'd at 3. Because there is no ground for either Hope or Fear before we Know our Duty When we know it and consider well how little we observe it Then it is that we begin to tremble at the thought of our Appearance at the Bar The Terrour of a Living God awakens us and makes us sensible how fearfull a thing it is Hebr. 10.31 to fall in to his hands For this reason in the second place I shew the generall Motives of our Fear Which to prevent Despair I counterballance with the Motives of our Hope And after all because Presumption is the greater danger of the two our Pride inclining us to think Repentance easy our Self-Love dayly tempting to Differr it therefore I have taken care to shew the Danger of Delay These Preparations I thought proper for a Contrite an Humble Heart When I describe Contrition I enlarge much more upon the Resolutions of Amendment than the Sorrow due to Sin because these Resolutions are commonly the more neglected of the two A little Melancholy or a little Tenderness of nature with no more than meerly Self-Love in the Case may oftentimes produce a sensible concern and even Tears when we reflect upon the danger we are in Though all this while our Darling Humours our beloved Sins are every jot as dear to us as ever Some slight Thoughts we have in generall of doing so no more But these are only superficiall They produce not a sincere hearty Detestation of our Crimes They are to God what our Compliments are to our Neighbours These are Words of course Those are Thoughts of course Both signifie just nothing These two Sections of Contrition * 91. have been printed apart by One who sign'd the Paper as his Act Deed inviting others to take pen in hand Intro Par. 1. ch 21. do the same I sign it not with my Hand but only wish my Reader my self may sign it with our Hearts In the first four Sections of Humility I offer little or nothing of my own It would not have become me to pretend to much acquaintance with so rare a Virtue And besides in such a Matter so extremely disagreable to our Corrupted nature there was need of more Authority than mine I conclude with the Character of a Good Christian Having describ'd his Heart I thought it would not be amiss to finish the remainder of his Character In this also I advance not a word of my own Should I presume to draw a Christian to the life 't would be in me as great a Vanity as if my Reader should pretend to sit for the Picture I produce the Scripture chiefly the Fathers now and then a Modern Author Any helping Hand was welcome in so difficult a Piece No matter Who I am I am a Son of the Church Submitt my self entirely to Her * S. Pacian B. of Barcelone My Name is CHRISTIAN my Surname CATHOLICK the rest I have leave to conceal God's Honour my Neighbour's Good is All I aim at And as to either of these Designs I have no other Name but what is altogether useless Advertisement I Have yet something more to say which I had almost quite forgotten It relates not either to the generall Design of this little Tract or to any considerable Part of it but only to some few pages in the last Section of Humility Having there proposed one generall Motive of that Virtue by setting forth the great Enormity of Sin I proceed to severall aggravating Circumstances of it and amongst many others I undertake to prove that there never was nor ever can be upon Earth any Impiety Disloyalty or Treachery equall to that of a Sinner This could not be perform'd without answering the Objections of some people who seem to be of another Mind And my present Business is only to put my Reader in a way of observing who it is that speaks that he may not confound my Adversaries words with mine I have heard of a Man who opening the first Volume of S. Thomas of Aquine lighting by chance upon the third article Utrum Deus sit He no sooner cast his eye upon the following words Videtur quod non but immediately he shutt it again laid it by as a book pernicious not fit to be read T is a grosse mistake to imagine that every thing which is said in an Author is said by him In Scripture it self there is many a thing said which the Scripture dos not say For example T is said in Scripture that There is no God Ps 14. v. 1. and yet the Scripture dos not say so t is the Fool that says so in his Heart And this is my Case in the three Articles above mention'd There are severall things said in them which I do not say There are Things alluding to some Transactions which I had no inclination to speak of but being Objected by Others I could not avoid Answering As to the Matter of the Objections I say nothing my self but only Argue against Those who are inclin'd to say too much T is commonly said that Losers have leave to talk Nor is it altogether without reason VVhy should they not have it They pay
or a VVise Pilot a Wise Statesman or a Wise Generall because he may be Prudent in the choice of Proper Means well fitted to the Purpose Design of such Employments But 't is impossible to be a VVise Man without being VVise in order to the Proper End of MAN the great Design of his Creation which is nothing but the Knowledg the Love of God A Magistrate who is created meerly for the Publick Peace whatever he may be in other things if he be not VVise in order to that End He is not a VVise Magistrate And since All Mankind was created to be happy in an Everlasting Union with God Whatever a Person may be in other Affairs if he be not Wise in order to this End He may be a Wise VVhat you please but he is not a VVise MAN As for Justice I would gladly know how any Man is thoroughly truly Just who is perpetually Guilty of the most notorious injustice we can think of Such is the Man whoêre he be that dos not Love his Maker as he ought T is true He only is injust to God He only wrongs Himself he never wrong'd his Neighbour may be all his Life But what would you say of a Steward who only cheats his Master Would you think him a Just Man because he never cheats his Fellow-Servants As for Power I Confess it may be Great in some particular respects but never can be Absolute without the Love of God I may say the same of Power that S. Thomas says of Wisdom A Man without this Love may be a Powerfull Prince a Powerfull VVarriour or the like because without it He may have all Power necessary for the main Design of Gouvernment or VVar c. But since without this Love he neither can Command his Passions nor Himself 't is evident He has not all the Power necessary to attain the proper End of Man's Creation in a word He is no Powerfull MAN who is not Master of Himself Thus you may plainly see how these three Characters of VVise Just Powerfull which are the most esteem'd Honour'd in the World are only Shadows imperfect Semblances if separated from the Love of God You plainly see that it not only is the Greatest Excellence of Man most Honourable most Deserving our Esteem but that without it there is hardly any Thing which truly is so 2. As it is our Greatest Honour so it is our Greatest Profit S. Paul was so sensible of this that though the Fervour of his Zeal appears in all his Writings yet he never speaks with greater Emphasis than when he has a fair occasion to discourse upon this subject Though I speak 1. Cor. 13. says he with the Tongues of Men Angels have not CHARITY I am become like sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal And though I have the Gift of Prophecy understand all Mysteries all Knowledg and though I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains have no Charity I am Nothing And though I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor though I give my Body to be burn'd have not Charity it PROFITS me nothing He has reckon'd up the greatest Gifts best Advantages that he could call to mind yet he says They All are Nothing to our Purpose without Love On the other side the same Apostle teaches us that All things else are Profitable with it though they never can be so without it VVeknow Rom. 8.28 says he that All things work together for GOOD to those who LOVE God The Secret of changing all things in to Gold has in vain long time been sought for but the mystery of changing all the meanest of our Actions in to more than Gold is much more easy to be found 1. Cor. 10.31 VVhatever ye do says S. Paul Do all to the Glory of God every thing you do will have more value in his sight than all the Gold Silver in the World The least Degree of Love the coldest Act of Charity Math. 10.42 even the Giving a Cup of cold water for the Love of God our Saviour tells us shall in no wise loose its Reward So true is that of S. Austin All things else are Profitable with it Nothing else is truly so without it 3. As it is our Greatest Profit so it is our Greatest Pleasure There is Nothing so Delightfull even in this World as to Love God with all our Heart with all our Soul with all our Mind T is hard enough I know to make the World beleeve it Because although the Truth be in it self as clear bright as the Meridian Sun Our Passions raise a cloudy Mist before our Eyes which intercepts the Sight of it All Persons whose Affections are fixt upon the Pleasures of this World can hardly ever be persuaded but that the Love of God is the Dullest the most Insipid Thing imaginable They easily conceive that Nothing is so Honourable as to be a Saint And that it is but very litle Profit for a Man to gain the VVorld Math. 16.26 loose his Soul The Honour the Profit are agreed upon But where 's the Pleasure All that can be said upon this subject They are unacquainted with They understand it not He preaches in an unknown Tongue who preaches the Love of God to those who never Lov'd Him The Language of Love says S. Bernard is Barbarous to those who Love not As soon as ever they begin to turn their back upon these rotten Pleasures look towards Heaven presently these Darlings of their Heart begin as it were Conf. lib. 8. to pull them by the sleeve as Saint Austin words it whisper in their Ear Do you Forsake Vs And from this moment shall we have your Company no more FOR EVER Shall we NEVER see you more Thus they sollicite Thus they importune tempt them to differr the time of their Conversion Do you think it possible to Live without the Pleasures of this World Ah Christians T is not only possible it is the Greatest Pleasure in the World to Live without them T is true The very Thoughts of Separation are like Thoughts of Death But then we ought to reflect that as we feel no pain when we are Dead but all our pain is only whilst we are in Dying So we feel the pain of leaving worldly Pleasures whilst we are Deliberating what to Do But we are Dead We feel no pain at all when once we are Resolv'd upon 't You are Dead 3.3 says S. Paul to the Colossians and your Life is hidden with Christ in God I am Dead 2.19.20 says the same Apostle to the Galatians the Life which I now live in the Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who Lov'd me See the powerfull Effects of Love It makes us as insensible to all the Pleasures of this World as if our Inclinations were already Dead quite Extinguisht
away the difficulty Whatsoever the Occasions are Ibid. He roundly answers that our Charity begins at home that if it inclines us to desire our Neighbour's spirituall good with much more reason it inclines us to desire our Own that if our Reputation may be usefull to our neighbour our Disgraces Humiliations incurr'd without our fault may prove more beneficiall to our selves If when I preach says he or when I practise any virtue which is edifying I am pleas'd with praises which endanger my Salvation because their good Opinion of me helps them to improve by my instruction example How much reason have I for my own sake to rejoyce a great deal more when having done my best I still am undervalued despis'd because by this means I my self am more acceptable to God and more secure of my Eternall Happyness Our Saviour himself See R. ch 29. whose Charity inclin'd him to descend from heaven to sacrifice his life for Sinners knew that many unbelieving Souls were lost by undervaluing despising him He knew that many millions of them would have been converted if they had admir'd honour'd him as he deserv'd yet He never sought for wordly Honour as a means to save them but although though their Souls were dear to Him his honour was not Jo. 6.38 As He came from heaven not to do his own will but the will of him that sent him So He came to seek the Honour of his Father not his own I honour my Father Jo. 8.49.50 says He I seek not my own glory T is enough that whilst I only seek his Honour He takes care of mine that although I never seek my own v. 50. yet there is One that always seeks judges it always will be sure to do me justice Let us follow the Example of our Saviour Let us make it the cheif Business of our life to do the will of him that sent us not our own Let us honour our Father in Heaven Let his Honour only be the Object of our care never let us mind our own but rest content that He himself takes care of it Let no appearance of our Neighbour's Profit cheat us into an Ambition of being popular but let us faithfully in all things do our Duty for the Love Honour of our God as for mens opinion of us let us leave it to his Providence His Honour here below is left as I may say to our discretion He committs it to our care He forces not our Liberty but only offers the assistance of his Grace lets us Honour him serve him as we please Shall God thus trust his honour in so bad a hand as ours shall not we be satisfied to trust our honour in so good a hand as His SECT V. Third Degree of Humility THe Third Rodr. ch 30. Last Degree is the Humility of Saints who are most humble in the sight of God when they are most esteem'd celebrated by the World When a Person full of faults imperfections has a mean opinion of himself esteems himself no better than he is is content to be reputed such as he esteems himself We may commend him says S. Bernard but have little reason to admire him Who admires to see a poor man have a mean opinion of his riches think himself no richer than he is rest content that others think so too but if a Rich man rank himself amongst the poor treat them with respect as if he were the least considerable of them all This very well deserves our admiration By this description of the third Degree we plainly see that the Humility of Saints the Humility of Sinners is the same in Substance though they differ in Perfection T is true we wonder not to see a man stand steddy upon even ground But when we see the same man stand as firm upon a lofty pinnacle we gaze wonder at him All this while the Man 's the same though we admire him more because the place is higher the difficulty greater So 't is in our present case Humility is either of the Judgment or the Heart The third Degree is comprehended in the First Second But however we admire much more an humble Saint because his eminent degree of Sanctity is higher the difficulty of his being humble therefore seems much greater I say seems greater because I am not apt to think it is so upon second thoughts My reason in short is This. Humility of judgment of heart are chiefly grounded in the Knowledg of our selves Love of God The First induces us to have a mean opinion of our selves the more we know our selves the more we think our selves contemptible the more we judge that we deserve to be despis'd by all the World The Second makes us glad to be neglected desire to be contemn'd And as the Love of God encreases in our hearts the more we have scorn the transitory honour of this world the more we love to follow the Example of an humble God the more we heartily desire to be agreable to none but him as being every day more sensible of this great Truth He only is approv'd 2. Cor. 10.18 whom God commends Let us only lay these notions right together 1. The Knowledg of our selves Love of God is that which makes men Saints No Person ever was a Saint without them No man ever was a Sinner with them And the more this Knowledg and this Love encrease the Greater is the Sanctity 2. This Knowledg this Love is that which makes men Humble Knowledg helps them to be humble in their Judgments Love assists them to be humble in their Hearts The more they Know Love the greater is the assistance of God's Grace which is the only means of making all things easy to us Why then may we not conclude Whoever is a Saint the greater Saint he is the easyer 't is for him to be humble Sinners indeed have much more matter for Humility to work upon Their Weakness their Corruption the Misery of their deplorable condition are incomparably worse But which is worst of all they are so miserably blind as not to know their misery A Beggar in his drink imagines he 's a Prince is as proud as if he were T is true he 's miserably poor but since he knows it not what signifies it He 's as proud as if he were the richest man alive T is so with Sinners They are drunk with Self-love Pride Vanity They little know much less think how Poor how Miserable how Contemptible they are And we may very well apply to them those words of the Apocalypse Because Thou sayst Ch. 3.17.18 I am rich have need of nothing knowst not that thou art wretched miserable poor blind naked Therefore I counsell thee to annoint thy eyes that thou mayst See This is
Sp. ch 27. He may be in the State of Grace but whether so or not He cannot tell And which is worse although he knew it He has no assurance of Persevering one single moment He who Stands may Fall He who is a Saint may prove a Sinner Nothing but God's Grace is able to support him to the End and the Continuance of this Grace requires so faithfull so punctuall a Cooperation with it that a very small Omission oftentimes suffices to deprive him of it His Perseverance is as it were a Chain of Graces linkt together continued to the utmost period of his life S. Tho. 1.2 q. 114.9 this is more than He can Merit All that he can do is to be always vigilant faithfull in the Vse of every single Grace God offers him One Grace well us'd draws on another This a third That a fourth but if he trip the least in his Fidelity the Chain immediatly breaks And this is that great Diligence which the Apostle recommends so earnestly to all good Christians 2. Pet. 1.10 Vse Diligence says he to make your Calling Election sure For IF YOU DO you shall never fall I must confess this Saying is extremely comfortable if we do But if we do not what becomes of us If all our life we Vse such Diligence the Apostle tells us we shall never fall But if we do not what remains but that the greatest Saint amongst us will be sure to fall Consider this Tremble Whosoêre you are Assure your self the more you are a Saint the more you 'l tremble the more you 'l see how terrible a truth This is which is one Reason why the greatest Saints who are the most convinc't of it are always the most Humble SECT VII Second Reason why the greatest Saints are the most humble I Have said enough of Saints who have preserv'd their Innocence The Second Reason only has regard to Saints who by their Crimes have lost it heretofore now are truly Penitent If They who Know Themselves the best are therefore the most Humble because they Doubt the most of their Perseverance Surely These who Know most clearly the Enormity of Sin which they are guilty of have much more Reason to be Humble because they Doubt much more of their obtaining Pardon There is a great deal of difference says S. Jerome Epist ad Salv. betwixt a Man whose Vessel is entire richly laden when he sails into the Port of Bliss Him who after Shipwrack after Swimming for his life rides naked on a Plank after being dasht a hundred times against the rocks at length is cast upon the Sands half-dead almost bruis'd to pieces If a man who sails in a sound Vessel never is secure from Storms which may arise but always doubts of his arrival at the Port we may be sure his Case is much more doubtfull more terrible who has already sufferd Shipwrack has nothing left him but a Single Plank to bear him up T is true it happens now then 't is a comfortable Observation of a Holy Man Abbé Jean Entretien 7. whose Name is famous in our present Age it happens now then that He Math. 8.27 to whom the winds sea obey is pleas'd to make them for a time so calm quiet that a Man who swims upon his plank with industry courage meets at length by Providence another Vessel better than his own sails with much more Comfort much more Joy into the Haven than he would have done if he had never sufferd Shipwrack in a Storm S. John Climacus in his 15. Degree inquires which of the two is Greater in the sight of God he who died by sin rose again to life by Grace Or he who never died the spirituall death of Sin And answers that whoever Thinks the Innocent more happy of the two is much mistaken The Reason is because All Sanctity is founded in Humility Charity Whoever Loves God best is most Humble is the Greatest Saint It happens oftentimes that He to whom a little is forgiven Luc. 7.47 Loves but little it happens now then that He Loves best who is most mercifully pardon'd v. 43. forgiven most We read in Scripture severall examples of this nature Zachary as soon as he had done sufficient Pennance for his incredulity immediatly had his Speech restor'd him not only that but he was also honour'd with the Gift of Prophecying which we do not read he had before The Prodigall receiv'd much greater favours and caresses from his Father than he ever had experienc't before he left him Lazarus himself who was the Figure of great Sinners never had the honour to be entertain'd at Table with the Son of God before he was by miracle rais'd from the Grave S. Peter had not confidence before he sinn'd to ask our Saviour Who he was that would betray him But when he had washt away his sins with Tears he was permitted to be more familiar with his Master and was made the Souvereign Pastor of his Church From whence t is easy to conclude that Sinners may sometimes by Pennance grow more Perfect than those Saints who having kept their Innocence Love God less fervently serve him with more coldness indifference Behold says Saint Ambrose the great Goodness of our God! How liberall generous He is to whom He pleases to be mercifull He 's not contented to restore what they have lost He grants them over above such Graces such Favours as they never dirst have hop'd for Thus as the Apostle says Rom. 5.20 where Sin abounded Grace abounds much more because the more Sin Humbles them the more they are Exalted When a Penitent whom Sin had blinded once begins to See to discover clearly the Enormity of his offences he has much more reason to be humble all his life than if he had been always innocent He looks upon himself no better than a Criminall repriev'd who is upon his good behaviour for his pardon persuades himself that he can never give sufficient proof of his Fidelity the Sincerity of his Repentance All his Exercises of continuall Pennance never make him Vain but only serve to humble him the more because he looks upon them only as the Remedies of his Diseases such Remedies as he must use till Death which is the only End he hopes to see of his Distempers The Employment of his Thoughts is the Consideration of his grievous Sins which he perpetually laments Where êre he goes he never leaves the dolefull Memory behind him Micah 6.14 His humiliation is always in the midst of him Since therefore He who hates the Proud 1. Pet. 5.5 gives Graces to the Humble is' t not lawfull to inferr that Sinners may sometimes arrive to a more eminent Degree of Sanctity than many of those Saints who never fell quite down but
the clear full Idea He had of it was proportion'd to his Beatifick Vision of God's Essence by consequence the perfectest that ever was His clearest Sight ardent Love of God were in a manner infinite So were his Knowledge his Hatred of all Mortall Sin And the Impression this Idea made upon him was the chief if not the only Reason why our Saviour could not hold from telling his Disciples My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull Math. 26.38 even unto Death His Soul was overwhelm'd with such a Deluge of Affliction that his Grief not being able to contain it self within the Bounds of Nature violently forc'd it self through all his Pores in Tears of Bloud Ah my dear Jesus when shall I be able to make such a perfect Act of true Contrition for my Sins as Thou hast made for mine When shall I be able to say My Soul is exceeding Sorrowfull even unto Death When shall I lament my grievous Sins in Tears of Bloud Give me at least Jerem. 9.1 water to my Head Fountains to my Eyes No Contrite Heart but Thine bleeds otherwise than at the Fyes and 't is I hope enough for me if I can be so sorry for my Sins as to lament them all the days I have to live rather Die than ever Sin again VII The Saints Idea of Sin How much it humbles Them THere 's Nothing but the Grace of Jesus Christ can make us Saints There 's Nothing else can make us clearly See and heartily Detest the Malice of our Sins The greater share we have of this great Grace the more we see it detest it so much more we fear and tremble at the very thought of it as our Grace encreases we grow every day more humble by remembring it To make this out I need not write the lives of all the Saints A Pattern is enough to judge of all the Piece especially such a one as S. Deg. 5. John Climacus an ancient Father of the Church has left behind him He assures us Ar. 20. his Relation is no Fable He affirms that what he says Art 2. He saw with his own eyes that He was a whole month in their Company Ar. 27. Draw near says he all You who have provok't the wrath of God by your Offences Come Hear the Wonders He was pleas'd to let me See for my Edification Be attentive to my words all You who have a mind to reconcile your selves to God by a sincere Conversion When I was says he in the Monastery of Penitents I saw Men so extremely humbled with the grievous weight of their Offences that their cries prayers to God would even move the stones themselves With heads bow'd down eyes upon the ground I heard them say we confess O Lord we confess that we deserve to suffer all chastisements afflictions because our Sins are such that should we Summon all the Vniverse to weep for us the Tears of all the world would never make sufficient Satisfaction There remains one only thing we ask one only thing we pray for that Thou never mayst correct us in thy Anger Ps 6.1 nor chastise us in thy great displeasure but a little spare us through thy infinite Mercy T is enough O Lord that Thou deliver us from those inexplicable Torments hidden in the Center of the Earth VVe dare not ask a full perfect Pardon we who have not kept the holy Laws of our Profession but have broken them again when Thou hadst given us the most endearing Marks of Love Mercy in forgiving of our Sins Who ever saw them Laugh Who ever heard amongst them any idle Talk Who ever could observe that any Passion transported them Or any Anger mov'd them Alas they hardly knew what Anger was their great Affliction and continuall Grief had now extinguisht in them all Emotions of Resentment There was never known the least appearance of Dispute the least lashing out in Discourse the least Sign of Vainglory There was no Jollity of Feasting no Concern for the body no Love of ease pleasure no Thought of Wine no Use of fruits no Care for delicacies pleasing to the palate The Desire of all such things was quite extinct And after all there was not to be found the least Censoriousness or least appearance of an Inclination to Judge their neighbours Some of them now then would knock their breasts and as if they were already at the Gate of Heaven Open us said they O Judge of Mankind Open us the Gate of Happyness which we have shat by Sin Others would say Luke 1.79 Give light to us O Lord who sitt in Darkness in the Shades of Death guide our steps into the way of Peace Others again will the Almighty look upon as any more Is' t possible to pay our Debts satisfy for our Offences will our God once more afford us any Comfort we are laid in chains of Sin And shall we one day hear him say Come forth They always had their Hour of Death before their eyes sometimes they would say to one another what will then become of us what Sentence will our God pronounce upon us what will be our End shall we be then call'd home from Banishment to which we have been hitherto condemn'd for our Offences Shall such Criminalls as we find any favour then Such Sinners as we are Such miserable wretches coverd with Confusion Darkness Have our Prayers mounted to the Throne of God Or have they been rejected as they well deserve If well receiv'd how far have they prevail'd Have they obtaind a full Discharge or only Part Alas they could not have much force proceeding from such mouths so sinfull so impure as Ours At other times They thus discourst their fears doubts what think you Brethren Do you think that we advance Do you think that we obtain the effect of our Demands Do you think that God will once again receive us Do you think He 'l open us the Gates of Heaven VVho can tell said the Ninivites who knows but God may change the Sentence which He has pronounc't against us Though perhaps He will not free us from the rigorous Chastisements which we have deserv'd However Let us labour all we can Do whatever we are able If He open us the Gate of Heaven we are Happy if He dos not He is Just therefore never let us cease to bless Him Doubtfull as we are of what may be our Destiny we must continue all our life still knocking at the Door Perhaps our Importunity our Constancy our Perseverance may find Admittance in the End Behold the Language of the Saints Consider how their Fear Trembling humbles them in Presence of their angry God Consider the Idea which They have of Sin how different it is from what we generally have Consider the Impression which it makes upon them compare it with our Stupidness our Hardness our Insensibility