great Humility and Patience which the Saint would exercise in this wracke thē the Mercy which he would haue exercised if the goods had not bene lost And so without all faile the profit which the Saint drew from thēce was admirably great he receiuing it with a good will and giuing God harty thankes for the same and humbling himselfe much by the knowledge of his sinnes in regard whereof he confessed that God had sent him that losse to clense him more perfectly from those sinnes Saint Chrisostome teaches vs this truth and confirmes it by the example of holy Iob saying thus Nor onely the doing of good but the suffering of ill obtaines a high reward in the sight of God and Iob seemes to haue profited more in vertue by the afflictions which he endured then by the good deeds which he performed For really it was not so illustrious so high an act in him whē with the wooll of his sheepe he clad the naked set his house open to the destitute that they might take parte of the goods he had as when hearing that the fier had consumed his stocke and that his house was fallen and his fortune ouerthrowen he accepted of that losse at the hands of God and thanked him for it And a greater victory did he obtaine of the enemy and he confounded him more in giuing thankes to God vpō the losse of his goods then in bestowing thē vpō poore people For certeinly it is an act of greater vertue to endure the losse of goods with a generous gratefull minde to God then to bestow almes vpō the poore Nor is it a thing to be admired for a man to giue God hearty thankes when he is in good estate when things succeed prosperously with him but vpon the arriuall of mischances and in the losse of temporall goods to giue harty thāks to God and to esteeme such contradictions for benefits is a very admirable thing and giues a very excellent testimony of great vertue This is the discourse of Saint Chrisostome Let vs therefore serue our selues of these examples and testimonies of Christ our Lord and of his Saints to make vs suffer all losse of temporall goods with Patience Let vs so much esteeme of of the spiritual health of our soules that whatsoeuer may be profitable to vs for them wee may value as a great mercy and gift of God And since the losse of tēporall goods giues vs matter and occasion for the exercise of Charity towards God by louing it because he loues it and for the exercise of Patience by enduring it and accepting it willingly because God sends it and because therby we discerne the loue which God carries towards vs and the care he hath of our saluation since he giues vs helpes and ministers vs occasions whereby wee may serue him the better and so profit more let vs esteeme of euery temporall losse for a very great benefit and mercy of God and as for such let vs thanke and praise him saying with holy Iob. chap. 1. It is God who gaue mee this temporall blessing and it is he who hath taken it away as himselfe was pleased so hath he proceeded with mee Most iust and holy was his will both in giuing it and in taking it and his holy will the blessed for euer THE VII CHAPTER Of the Patience Wherewith wee are to endure corporall infirmities and of the example which Christ our Lord hath giuen vs herein ANother euill of punishmēt and very vsuall and common in the life of man is corporall infirmities and feauers and seueral other paines torments and wounds which he suffers by reason whereof he is in great need of Patience we must fetch it also in this kinde from the example of Christ our Lord. And though our most blessed Lord had no naturall infirmities at all nor was it fit that he should haue any because these are wont to proceed from some defect of cōplexion or natural faculty of the body or from some disorder in life yet all the paines and torments of his most sacred Passion may serue for a most efficacious motiue to make vs support all kinde of those infirmities with Patience which may happen to vs in this life and particularly the paine torment of thirst which he suffered vpō the Crosse the being so forsaken abandoned as then he was For that which mē are much troubled with in their sicknesse in their sicknesse is the paine and torment which sicknesse put them to and the want of that assistance seruice which is necessary for the cure or ease at least of the infirmity al this was found extreāly in that thirst which Christ our Lord endured vpon the Crosse The thirst which Christ our Lord suffered was most vehemēt First by reason of the incomparable labours vexations which he had suffered all that day and the night before and secondly because by the hurts and wounds which they had giuen him he had shed either all or in a manner all the blood out of his veines and by the waie as he went and by the vexation and labour to which he was put he had sweat away all the humour of his sacred body which then was growen all consumed and dry And to this it must be added that from the supper of the night before and in all that day following he had not drūke so much as one drop of water Now if any one of these thinges be wont to cause great thirst as wee see in men who are wounded and haue shed much blood and in them who haue laboured and sweat much and in them also who haue not drunke of a long time before what kinde of thirst shall that haue bene which was endured by Christ our Lord Infallibly it was most extreame the torment which it caused was grieuous beyond any thing which we are able to expresse And now declaring the paine and torment which he felt thereby he said thus I thirst and the remedy and comfort which he obtained for the ease thereof was that one of the soldiers tooke a spunge and wetting it in wine which was spoyled and growen vineger and mingled with gall he tyed it to a long cane and so applied it to his sacred mouth and our Lord tooke thereof not to drinke it downe because it was not fit that he should drinke of so deadly a thing but he tooke it to haue a taste thereof he tooke as much as might serue to afflict torment his taste so to suffer the more for vs. So doth the deuout Lanspergius declare saying Our Lord vnderstanding well how bitter that drinke was which they gaue him did yet take therof through his great loue to vs not so swallow it downe but onely to afflict his tongue and taste with bitternes that so he might take torment in that parte of him from which sinne grew in vs. For Eue committed her sinne by tasting of the forbidden fruite and by
to heare his diuine word He was pleased to feed fiue thousand mē with fiue loaues of bread and before he would allow them this Regalo he made them stay till towards might when his disciples sayd Lord the houre of eating is come and gone let these troupes diuide thēselues amongst these neighbouring villages that so they may haue meanes to eate When already they had exercised their Patience by suffering hunger he vouchsaffed to shew them so great a mercy as it was to refresh them with a plentifull and sweet food whereby their bodies were sustained and he also made faith and confidence encrease in their soules So saith Saint Chrysostome Those troupes of people declared their faith by suffering hunger and expecting till the euening In this sorte doth God impart illustrious fauours to such as cōserue and exercise Patience in their aduersities and troubles to whom he is pleased to vouchsaffe particular fauours mercies he sends crosses and tribulations that so exercising Patiēce therein they may grow more capable and be more worthy of the especiall gifts and graces which he will impart So saith Saint Isidorus Then are the eyes of our Lord behoulding iust persons with greater piety and mercy when they are afflicted and persecuted by the wicked and then doth he prouide greater blessings for them and more eminent rewards of glory when once they are tried by some tribulation which they suffer with Patience Let not therefore any man cōceiue that when he is afflicted he is forgotten by Almighty God nor that he hath lost the vertue and grace he had when he is abased and persecuted by men Let him not permit the diuell to deceiue him who would faine perswade him to this errour but let him be very confident that God hath then a more particular care of him and loues him more and comunicates more gifts more singular fauours to him and that then he growes vp more in vertue augments his merits both of grace and glory Thus saith Saint Chrysostome Let vs not conceiue it to be a signe as if God did forsake or forget or esteem vs little because he sends vs aduersities or troubles but rather let vs hould it for a most certaine tokē that he hath particular care of vs and that then he is to shew vs greater mercies when he afflicts and tries vs. For if we haue committed many and very grieuous sinnes wee may free our selues from them by Patience and thanksgiuing in tribulatiō which grows from a contrite heart And supposing that we should not be liable to those many grieuous sinnes yet by suffering tribulation with a thankefull minde we shall obtaine most abundant grace at the hand of God For so good he is so liberall in doing vs good that when he sends vs any aduersity he giues vs matter to exercise more vertue that he may shew vs more mercy This is deliuered to vs by Saint Chrysostome And this so excellent and admirable effect of Patience which is exercised in tribulations Christ our Lord declared when he said Io. 15. I am the true vine For as much as concernes the nature of man which I haue taken I resemble some very fruitfull and perfect vine which yeelds most excellent fruite My celestiall father is the husband man it is he who planted this vine of my humanity and who cultiuates the same he it is who made mee man and who placed in mee the immense fullnes of grace and glory which I haue he who workes all that fruite in mee which either I doe or shall herafter yeeld Euery brāch that is euery man who being vnited to me by faith shall not yet yeeld the fruite of a good life my father will cut off from me either whilest he is to liue by letting him fall into errours whereby he will loose his faith or els when he comes to dy by despoyling him of those supernaturall giftes through which he was once vnited to mee and also of power to doe penance and so to be saued And euery branch that is to say euery true faithfull man who is vnited to mee through faith quickened by charity who shall produce the fruit of good works my father will purge by celestial doctrine and by inspirations and interiour gifts and by aduersities also and tribulations that suffering them with Patience and charity he may yeeld both faire and most abundant fruite of holy actions most pleasing to God and full of profit to soules which shall deserue most pretious gifts of grace be crowned with that most sublime reward of eternall glory THE XIIII CHAPTER Of the meanes whereby the vertue of Patience may be obtained which is that wee be watchfull to consider the fruite thereof and the examples whereby wee haue been taught it by Christ our Lord. NOt only did Christ our Lord instruct vs by his example concerning the necessity which wee haue of Patience and the effects and merits thereof but he also taught vs the meanes wherby wee are to obtaine it and of this wee are going now to speake And because wee treated thereof abundantly in another booke we will heer content our selues to declare briefly some examples whereby Christ our Lord hath instructed vs. The first meanes towardes the receiuing and suffering with Patience all the euills of punishmēt which may happen to vs in this life is that we be prepared and armed with the particular knowledge and consideration thereof It would not faile to be matter of most grieuous affliction paine to the disciples of Christ our Lord euen the greatest which they euer felt in this world that their Master must suffer such a death therfore our most blessed Lord did arme them for it long before announcing his Passion to them many times At the first he tould them of it thus in couert termes Io. 2 dissolus this Temple and I will build it againe in three dayes and Io. 3. As Moyses lifted vp the serpent in the the desere so must the sonne of man be raised up on high After this he spake of it in a more distinct and cleer manner saying once Matt. 16. I must goe to Ierusalem to suffer and dy and another time Matt. 20. Luc. 18. Behould wee ascend to Ierusalem and the sonne of man is to be deliuered ouer to the Gentiles and he is to be scorned and scourged and spit vpon and crucified In this manner did he giue them notice of his Passion a long time before that so they might be prouided and prepared to endure it and that when it should be present to them they might not be scandalized nor troubled nor dismaied thereby but might endure it with Patience So saith Saint Hierome Our Lord spake often of his Passiō to his disciples prouiding them against the temptation to the end that they might not be scandalized when the persecutiō should arriue and should see the ignominy of the Crosse He also aduertised them a long time before Matt. 23.
grieuous to be endured by vertuous men But that which they are to doe for suffering it with that Patience which is fit and for gathering from thence that fruite of merits which God desires is this To distinguish on the one side by the vse of reason between that which is the fault of others and the losse of soules and the offence of God and that on the other side which is their owne affliction and paine and then to be afflicted for those sinnes for asmuch as they imply the offence of God and withal to be sory for the losse which soules receiue thereby and to make instant prayer to God for them and as for the paine and torment which results thereby vpon them selues to accept it at the hands of almighty God and willingly to be content to suffer it during all that time which God shal thinke fit not to take them out of that company and conuersation of the wicked By this meanes that company of the wicked will be a diuine Purgatory to them which may clēse their soules both from sinnes and the punishments due thereunto and a way of exercising chatity and humility and patience which ar of so great worth and merit and so very acceptable in the sight of God And to animate them to suffer this punishment with this Patience they are to consider those exāples of Christ our Lord wherof wee haue spoken which are the immense and continuall tormēt which he felt in behoulding all the sinnes of mankinde and that which he felt in being carryed by the diuell to Ierusalem and to the Mount that which he receiued by his conuersation with the Iewes who continued rebellious in their infidelity and that particularly which he receiued by keeping Iudas in his company and in the Colledge of his Apostles For to this end it was that he chose that miserable creature for an Apostle as well knowing how wicked he was to be and for this after he was peruerted did he continue him in his owne company and he tolerated him to the end that by this example they might seriouslie endeauour to endure those wicked and peruerse people with Patience whom they might chaūce to haue in their neighbourhood their house their family and their society So doth Saint Augustine aduise vs saying Christ our Lord had one amongst his Apostles who was wicked and he serued himselfe well of that wickednes First by complying with that eternall ordination of God concerning his Passion and secondly to giue an example to the world of the Patience wherwith they were to endure wicked men Let vs therefore animate our felues by these exāples of Christ our God and Sauiour to suffer with a good will and a constant minde whatsoeuer troubles contradictions and crosses may grow to vs by our neighbours our domesticks and our familiar freinds Let vs consider and ponder well what Christ our Lord endured at the hands of sinners for the loue of vs and how he hath endured our very selues dissembling our sinnes when we deserued hell for committing thē bestowing benefits on vs when wee committed offences against him imparting mercies to vs when wee did him wronges cryinge out and drawing vs to him and conuerting vs by his grace when we had departed from him and were fled out of his house and were making warre against his Law This Patience of Christ our Lord wherwith as God he endures all sinners hath endured our selues and as man endured those wicked people with whom he cōuerst in this world must induce and strengthen vs much in the way of sufferance Great saith Saint Ambrose is the Patience of God in not instātlie punishing sinners but in suffering them for sometime till they may be conuerted And in another place If our Lord our God and Sauiour Iesus Christ who with one single word could haue cast his enemies into the most profound pit of hell did yet endure them with Patience why should not miserable men who are full of sinnes endure thē also with Patience whē in this life they receiue paine and trouble from other men by whose meanes they are corrected and punished by Almighty God for their sinnes This is the discourse of Saint Ambrose Let vs therefore giue this glory to God that for his loue wee may endure all euills of punishment Let vs yeeld this honour a d giue this gust to Christ our Sauiour in that to imitate him wee may haue occasion to suffer all the iniuries and contradictions of men Let vs bestow this benefit vpon our owne soules in wiping away our sinnes by exercising this vertue of Patience and let vs fill it full of comforts and merits For as Ecclesiasticus chap. 1. saith the Patient man suffers onely during a time which is limited and afterward for his hauing suffered Almighty God giues him true ioy which springes frō that grace which at the present he receiues and from that hope of glory wherewith he is to be indowed afterward THE IV. CHAPTER Of the euils of paine which Christ our Lord suffered in his Passion and of the example of Patience which he gaue vs by suffering them with so great good will THe chief examples of Patience which Christ our Lord gaue vs were of his most sacred Passion by reason of the many and various kindes of sorrowes and tormentes which he suffered therein with vnspeakeable Patience and wee will declare these torments and the Patience wherwith he suffered them for the edification of our soules and particularly that wee may learne to suffer all the miseries of this life with Patience When they apprehended our Lord he giuing them leaue to put the malice and fury of their wrathed harts in execution the torments were many and very grieuous which they gaue him with their hands and feet by cudgells and irons and other instruments which they had and vsed throughout that whole way till they came to the house of Annas For if after they had imployed vpon his person so many and most cruell kindes of torment through all that night and so much of the next day till they nailed him fast to the crosse they yet were not satisfied at all but after they had crucified him they did yet cōtinue to persecute him with their viperous tongues and after they had fetched all the blood out of his vaines together with his life they would needes open his side and fetch the blood forth from his very heart what is to be thought that they would doe in that furious onset when first they began to exercise their cruelty vpon him and to streame out their deadly poison against him which had lyen for so long time horded vp in their malitious heartes In the house of Caiphas the High Priest whē Christ our Lord had confessed who he was and when all the Iudges had condemned him as a blasphemous persō and worthy death the soldiers Ministers of iustice together with the seruāts of the Priests in whose power he was
and this is most vsuall this is performed by Christ our Lord in the sicknesse of his seruants by his giuing them great and efficacious fauours succours wherby they are made able to carry their infirmities with rare Patiēce with admirable contentment And so whilest they are sicke they performe high acts and of great seruice to God by meanes wherof thee awake and prouoke all men to praise and glorify Christ our Lord for working such wonders in his seruants This so pretious fruite of sicknesse is excellently described by that diuine Diadocus in these wordes As for the making of a good impression by any seale vpon waxe it is necessary first to soften that waxe with the fingars or with fier so to the end that the seale of diuine vertue may be imprinted vpon the soule that it may encrease and growe perfect in vertue and in the gifts of God it is necessary that it be exercised and refined by infirmities and many other tribulations and troubles whereby is may be disposed and softened for receiuing the impression of this diuine seale And iust as in the primitiue Church God wrought this glorious effect in his seruants out of the persetion of Tyrants and through the tormēts wherwith they afflicted and martyred Christians so now doth God produce the same effect in the soules of his seruants by meanes of temptations and interiour assaults of the diuell as also of exteriour and corporall sicknesse and paine I say that in place of persecutions which are ceased God sends them the affliction of tēptations in their soule and of sicknesse in their body to the end that the image of diuine beauty may be made perfect in their hearts It doth therefore much import that wee receiue with great contentment the tēptations and sicknesses which God sends vs and that wee giue him thankes for them for by this meanes they will growe to be a kinde of martyrdome to vs. This wee are taught by Saint Diadocus Let vs therefore be much animated to receiue any infirmities or tribulatiōs which God may send vs with a good will and let vs be content to suffer them as long as it shall please God not limiting him either in the degree or quality of the Crosse nor yet in the time that it is to last For it is God who knowes what is conuenient for vs to endure and therfore wee must remit our selues to his will and resigne our selues wholly into his hands For if as Saint Ephrem saith mē who haue beasts vpō which they cause their burdens to be laid and carryed from one place to another doe well know what waight or burdē euery one of thē is able to beare and that very burden doe they impose and no greater and if the potter who makes vesselles of clay and puts them into the furnace of fier doth well know how long they are to be kept there to the end that when they are taken forth they may be well conditioned and tempered and profitable to the vse of man and not remaine therein more time then is conuenient least so they growe to be burnt vp or broken nor yet lesse time then is necessary least so they be taken forth too soft and be subiect to loose the forme they haue how much more doth God who is of infinit wisedome and goodnes and mainteines a most exact prouidence ouer all his creatures and especially ouer mankinde know that iust burden of sicknes or other afflictiō which euery one is able to vndergoe beare by meanes of that helpe which himselfe is pleased to affoard as also the time during which it is fir that he beare it Nor will he impose more waight then a man can carry nor let it continue longer time then it is fit for him to beare it to the end that he may growe a faithfull true seruant of his and may be capable of that glory which from all eternity he had prouided for him A most certaine truth it is that God of whom the holy Scripture saith that he made all thinges in waight number and measure and gouernes them all with so great suauity and who well knowes the quality and degree of that infirmity or other affliction which euery one is able to beare either by that naturall or supernaturall strength which he hath receiued of him as also how long he is able to beare it will not impose a sicknes or other Crosse nor permit that it continue any longer time then he can suffer it with Patience or then is fit for the good of his soule So saith Saint Augustine Be not troubled about thy bodily health but desire thou of God that he will giue thee that which is most conuenient for thee and so if he know that thy health will be good for thee he will be sure to giue it thee and if he giue it not be thou well assured that it would not haue bene good for thee Wee see many who being sicke conserue themselues cleane from sinne who if they had bene in health would haue comitted many and many men being in health deliuer themselues vp to great wickednes who if they had bene sicke would haue auoided the same God doth well know what is fit for euery one In this let vs place our chief care that our soules may be and continue whole This is deliuered to vs by Saint Augustine Let vs therfore herein be very faithfull and true to God and very obedient to his diuine will let vs so desire health or any other conueniency of this life and so let vs beg it of God as that wee may yet be ready still to receiue any sicknes or other contradiction at his holy hand whēsoeuer he shall be pleased to send it since our suffering these things with Patience serues so greatly to the glory of God to the good of our soules And not onely whē the inconuenience which happēs to vs is very great let vs esteem it for a great mercy and blessing of God and full of profit to our soules but also wee must thinke highly of it value it as a great benefit and of much profit and merit euen when the sicknesse is not great For as the diuine Rusbrochius saith whatsoeuer euill of punishment how light soeuer it may be we suffer to the honour and glory of Almighty God will be of greater benefit to vs then if he had giuen vs the Empire dominiō of the whole world For whatsoeuer euill wee suffer with Patience for the glory of God how light soeuer it may be God doth giue vs for the same no lesse thing then himselfe For giuing vs his grace he giues vs himselfe with it and so possessing the gift we come to possesse therewithall that Lord himselfe of infinite goodnes who giues it Our Lord will not permit that wee should suffer aduersities for his loue without much profit and great reward and so by meanes of that which wee suffer he communicates all