Chapter 100

Wherein he beginneth to declare that other word, And forget the house of thy Father. And how much it importeth us, to fly from our own will, in imitation of Christ our Lord; ●or the avoiding of those inconveniences which grow from thence.

THERE followeth here, another word, which saith, And forget the house of thy Father. This Father is the¹ Devil; for as S. John saith, He that committeth sin, is of the Devil; for the Devil did sin from the beginning. Not that he did create, or beget wicked men; but because they imitate his works; and he, according to the holy Gospel, is said to be another's Son, who imitates the works of that other. This wretched Father, liveth in the world; that is, in wicked men, as it is written in² job, He sleepeth in the shadow, and in the hollow part of a reed, and in moist places. A³ shadow, are the riches of this world. For they give not that rest which they promise; but pricking the hart which cares, like so many thorns; the owners of them do find by experience, that they are not true riches, but they are a mere shadow of riches; and they are, true poverty; and nothing less, then that which their name doth pretend.

A⁴ cane or reed, is the glory of this world; and how much the fairer and bigger it appears exteriorly, so much the more hollowness doth it hold. Yea, and even that very exterior, is so very subject to change, that with reason it may be called a reed which declines, at the commandment of every wind.

Moist⁵ places, are those souls which are dissolved by carnal pleasures, after which they run, without any bridle. Just contrary to them, of whom the holy gospel saith, That⁶ the unclean spirit, departing out of that man, whom he had formerly inhabited, goes seeking where he may be, and he walks his round, through dry places, desiring entertainment but findeth none. For in souls, which keep a loof from these carnal appetites, the devil cannot find a lodging; but his place of abode, is in covetousness, ambition, and sensuality. Therefore is it, that he is called the Prince of this world; the ruler and the Lord thereof; not still, in any respect of his having created it; but because wicked men, who are of God by creation, will needs be of the Devil by imitation. Conforming themselves to his will, that so, with justice, they may also be made conform with him, in the torments of hell; as, at the latter day, it will be sadly, and plainly said to them, by the mouth of Christ; Go⁷ you cursed, into everlasting fire; prepared for the Devil, and for his Angels. And if we consider well, what kind of thing this house of the Devil is, we shall find, that it is, the lewd will, of wicked men; wherein⁸ the devil takes up his seat, as he would do, in a chair, commanding from thence, the whole man.

To forget therefore, thy Father's house, is no other thing, but to forget, and to forsake thine own will; wherein thou mayest have sometimes given entertainment to this wicked Father; and to embrace, instead thereof, the will of God, with an entire, and faithful hart, saying to him, Thy will O Lord, and not mine, be done. This admonition, is one of the most profitable, that can be given us. For by casting away our will, we shall put away our sins, as⁹ branches, are cut off from the root. This¹⁰ S. Paul doth note, when recounting the multitude of sins, which¹¹ in the latter day, would be committed; he saith, That men would be lovers of themselves. Giving us thereby to understand, as the commentary declareth; That the inordinate love of a man's self, is the head, and root of all sins; and that upon the taking away thereof, a man grows to be in subjection to God, from whom, all his good proceedeth.

Again,¹² the cause of all our disgustes, our melancholies, and our affliction, is no other thing, than our own will, which we would fain have to be accomplished; and when it is not, we are in pain; but this being taken away, what is there that can trouble us? For¹³ as much as, sadness doth not necessarily rise, from the very coming of any troublesome thing, towards us; but from our unwillingness, that it should come. Nor is the pain alone of this world, put away, by the putting away of our will, but of the other also. For, as S. Bernard saith, Let the will of man cease to do ill, and there willbe no more use of hell. But as it is the most profitable of all things, to deny a man's own will; so¹⁴ is it also, the hardest of the whole world. Yea, and how much soever we may labour, we shall never arrive to the obtaining of it; if that Lord, who commanded the grave-stone of the dead, and buried Lazarus, to be removed, do not also remove this hardness, (which oppresseth such as it lieth upon) and unless he kill this strong Goliath, whom none can conquer, but only he, who is invincible.

But though we are not able, of ourselves, to retire our necks from under these massy chains; yet¹⁵ must we not fail to use our best endeavour; according unto that proportion of strength, which our Lord shall give us. Whom also with our hearts we must invoke for his assistance; and withal consider, the mischief that we fall into, by following it; and the blessings that we obtain by flying it. Consider also, the sublime example of Christ our Lord, who saith thus of himself; I¹⁶ came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but his that sent me. And this he did not, in matters only, of small importance, as some do; but in cases of great affront, which might even arrive to the very soul. Such was Christ's enduring of the Passion for us; but therein he conformed himself, to the will of his Father, casting away the inclination of flesh, and blood, which might have been, not to suffer. To give us an example hereby, that nothing ought to be so beloved by us, which if God do so command, we will not be ready to cast away; and that nothing also may be so painful, which we may not for love of him, embrace.

Footnotes

1. How the devil may be called the Father of sinful men, & why. ↩

2. job. 4. ↩

3. A place of holy Scripture excellently pondered. ↩

4. The vanity of transitory honour & glory. ↩

5. The baseness & weakness of men, given over to worldly pleasures. ↩

6. Matt. 11. ↩

7. Matt. 25. ↩

8. How the Devil is seated, in a sinful will. ↩

9. The will is the root; and the sin is the branch. ↩

10. 2. Tim. 3.
    ↩

11. These days of ours. ↩

12. A most profitable consideration. ↩

13. Note. ↩

14. There is no taming of the will, but by the hand of God. ↩

15. Our own endeavour must not be wanting. ↩

16. joan. 6. ↩