Chapter 17

Wherein he beginneth to discourse of the languages, spoken by the Devil; and how much we ought to fly them; and that one of them, is to make a man proud, and so to bring him to great mischief and error▪ and of the means, how to avoid this language of Pride.

THE Languages of the Devil, are as many, as be the kinds of his malice, which are innumerable. For as Christ, is the fountain of all the graces, which are communicated to the souls of such, as by obedience grow subject to him; so is the Devil, the Father of sin, and darkness; who by inciting, and persuading his rotten sheep, induceth them to wickedness, and lies, whereby they may eternally perish. And because his deceits are so many, that the spirit of our Lord alone, is able to discover them, we will only speak a few words, remitting the rest to Christ, who is the true instructor of our souls.

The Devil is called by many names, to declare the mischiefs that are in him. But amongst them all, let us speak of two; That of Dragon; and that of Lyon. A Dragon he is, as saith S. Augustine, because he secretly doth lie in ambush, and lay his snares; A Lion, because he doth openly persecute. The snare which he layeth to deceive us by, is first to puff us up with Vanity, and Falsehood; and afterwards to pull us down, by giving us a real, and a miserable fall. He puffs us up, with thoughts, which incline us to an estimation of ourselves, & so he maketh us fall into pride. And for as much as he knoweth by experience, that this sin is so¹ great, that it sufficed to make himself, of an Angel, a Devil; he labours all he can, to make us partakers with him therein; to the end that we may also partake with him, in the torment, that he is subject to. Full well he knows, how displeasing, Pride is to God; and that it serves the turn to make unprofitable, whatsoever a man hath, how good soever it seem. And he laboureth so hard to sow this vile seed in our soul, that² he will not stick many times to speak truth; and to give good counsel; and feelings of devotion; only to induce us thereby, to pride; making small account of what he looseth, in that, one do some one good work; that so he may gain him to himself, in gross; and others also, who follow him, by the sin of pride. For as a King goeth accompanied with muoh people, so doth pride with many other sins. The scripture saith; The beginning of all wickedness is pride; and he that hath that, shallbe full of maledictions; That is to say, both of sins, and punishments.

We read of a solirary person, to whom the Devil appeared for a long time, in the figure of an Angel of God; and gave him many revelations; and every night, made his cell resplendent, as if there had been some great light or lamp. But at the end of all this, he persuaded with him, to kill his own son; that so he might be equal in merit, to the Patriarch Abraham, Which the solitary person (being deceyued) prepared to put in execution; but that the son, who had suspicion thereof, fled away. To another also, he appeared in figure of an Angel; and for a long time, told him many truths, thereby to gain credit with him; and afterward he told him a great lie, against faith; which the other, being deceyued, did believe. So³ also do we yet read of another, whom (after he had lived fifty years, in very singular abstinence, and with more straight observation of solitude than was observed, by any of the rest in the wilderness) the devil, in form of an Angel did persuade, that he should cast himself into a deep well, that so he might know by experience, That neither that, nor any other thing, could do hurt, to one that had served God, so long, and so well, as he had done. All which he believed, and put the same in execution. And being, with much difficulty taken out of the well, even half dead; and being advised by those other holy old men of the wilderness, that he should repent himself of so great a sin (being suggested by an illusion of the Devil,) he would not believe, or do as they required him. And that which is worse, (although indeed he died the third day after) so deeply had that deceit conveyed itself into his heart, as that (notwithstanding he even saw himself dye, by reason of that fall) he still, nevertheless believed, that it had been a reuclation of an Angel of God.

O⁴ how necessary is it, for such as hau● even profited in virtue, that they live with a holy fear of themselves; as men, who although they may make conjecture, that they are well with God, yet⁵ can they have no certainty thereof. Nor do they know, whether they be worthy of lou● or hate, even at the present time; and much less what they are to be in the rest of the life which they will lead. And especially they ought to be very careful; not to believe themselves. Pride deserveth to be deceived. And if as I have related to you the deceits of men in former times, I should also recount, such as have happened in these days of ours; neither would they be written in a small volume, nor couldst thou read them, without much labour. On the one side, the case standeth thus, according to that which we may judge, That⁶ God doth rain upon the hearts of many, the water of particular mercies; in virtue whereof, they bring forth many fruits, which even to the exterior are good; but the same men, have a kind of interior communication with our Lord, and that so familiar, that it can hardly be believed. On the other side, we have also experience, that by the permission of God, the Devil, doth in these times, use particular diligence, for the deceiving (by false motions, and false speeches, both interior and exterior, and by appearing with false light to the understanding) of such as are proud, and addicted to their own opinion; with conceit that it is the will of God. And so also, doth he suffer the Devil to exercise, by diverse ways, such, as serve him, in humility. And therefore in these times, when it seemeth, that Satan is broken lose (as S. John saith) it is necessary for them that serve God, to use double diligence; that they may not easily believe such things as those; and to procure profound humility, and holy fear, that God may not permit them to be deceived. They must also endeavour with speed, to give account of what they find, and feel in themselves, unto their Prelates, and Superiors, who may instruct them in the truth.

The Prophet saith, That under the tongue of wicked persons is the poison of vipers; & how much more then, will it be, in the language of the Devil. who is the most wicked thing, of all things, that are wicked. And if, he shall puff us up, by occasion of the virtues, that we may have, we are to humble ourselves; and to consider the ill which we daily do; and the sins which we have committed. Which were so many, as that if our Lord, had not been close at hand; and had not come into that way, wherein we did walk, with so much desire to forsake him (as he did to S. Paul) we should have been multiplying our wickedness, to such a proportion, as that, even the torments of hell, would have been too little for our punishment.

O⁷ thou Abyssus, and even bottomless pit of mercy; and what could move thee, to cry out to our hart, even from heaven; and to say, Why dost thou persecute me, with thy ill life? By which words, thou didst pull down our pride; and didst make us profitably fear, and tremble; that with grief, for having offended thee, and with desire of pleasing thee, we might say, O Lord what wilt thou have me do? And it is thy pleasure, O Lord, that we should expect the remedy of these our miseries, from thee; by means of the medicine of thy word, and⁸ of thy sacraments, which the Priests of thy Church dispense. And thou commandest us to repair to them, for the same, as S. Paul did, to thy servant Ananias. Thus do we know full well, that our perdition came from ourselves; and our remedy from thee. And we confess, that it was thy infinite goodness, which made thee call to thyself, such as had turned their backs towards thee; & to remember them that had forgotten thee; and to be showing favours to them, that had deserved torments; taking them to thyself for sons, who had been so wicked slaves; and lodging thine own royal person in them, who formerly had been so stinking, and even the very sinks of uncleanness.

These sins which then we committed, were ours; and if yet, we be any thing less wicked, it is by God, and in God, that we are so. As the Apostle saith, You⁹ once were darkness, but now you are light, in our Lord. It is therefore necessary for us, to remember the miserable state, in which by our fault, we placed ourselves; if we will be secure, in that happy state, wherein now, we are lodged by the mercy of God. Assuring ourselves, as of a most certain truth, That yet, we should do those very things which formerly we did, if the powerful, and pitiful hand of God, did retire itself from us. And if we considered the many dangers, to which we are subject through our frailty, we would not presume to rejoice outright, in the grace which we have at the present, through the fear of those sins, which we may commit, in the future. And we should know, how wholesome a counsel that is, of the holy Scripture, Blessed¹⁰ is the man, who is ever fearful. And again, Work on● your¹¹ salvation with fear, and trembling. And yet again, Let¹² him that stands, take heed, that he do not fall.

A¹³ sin that is committed, will cost sighs before it be pardoned; and a sin that may be committed, must cost fear, that we may be preserved from it; as it is excellently figured, by the fear, which jacob, had of Esau, when he came from Mesopotamia, though God himself had bid him come. A great joy was that, which the children of Israel conceived; and devout songs they were, which they sung then to God, when he wrought so great a miracle with them, as to make them pass through the sea, without once being wetshod. And it seemed to them (since they had not perished, in so great a danger) that nothing could be able to pull them down; nor to impeach their arrival in that Land which God had promised. But the experience fell out to be contrary. For after they had received that great favour from God; certain tentations, and proofs did follow; wherein they, were found weak, and impatient to endure the touch and trial, who had formely been so devout, and cheerful, upon their passage through the sea. And¹⁴ because no soul shall wear the crown which is promised by God, but such as are found to be faithful, in the probations which he is ploased to send; those others, who were not such, could never reach to the Land of Canaan; but instead of the life which was promised, they were punished, in the desert, with death.

Who¹⁵ will therefore now, be so fare, from shooting at the mark, as, whether he behold his life past, or that which yet remains, in spending, to presume to toss up the head, and to take pride in himself; since in that part which is past, he did so miserably fall; and in that which is to come, he is subject to so many fears of doing the like. And¹⁶ if he knew, and did acknowledge this truth, as he ought, That all good things come from God; he would see, that to receive gu●ftes from God, is no reason for making him who hath the same, to take in, the vain snuff of pride; but rather to abase himself as a person who is bound to the performance of more gratitude, and greater service. And when he considereth, that together, with the increase of favours, the account which he is to make for them, doth also increase, as the Gospel saith; he finds, that they are as a heavy burden, which maketh him fetch many a deep sigh, and to be fuller, than he was before, of humility, and care.

And because our levity is so great; and this secret pride, is so conveyed into the very bones of us; that no force of man is sufficient to cleanse us wholly from this sin; we must beg the gift of God; importunately beseeching him, that he will not suffer us to fall into so great a treason; as that we should rob him of the honour, which for all things that are good, is due to him. The pestilencies of the body, are cured by fasting; and of the soul, by prayer. Therefore he, who finds himself subject to this plague of the soul, must pray with all possible diligence, and perseverance; and present himself, in the high presence of God; beseeching him, that he will open his eyes, and make him truly know, what God is, and what himself is; that neither he may impute any thing that is evil to God; nor ascribe any thing that is good, to himself. And so he shallbe fare from harkening to this false Language of the proud Devil; who, by means of proper estimation, would fain beguile us. But harken thou to the truth of God, which saith; The¹⁷ true honour and estimation of a creature, doth not consist in itself, but in receiving favour, and in being esteemed, and loved by the Creator. And because I shall afterward speak more at large of this matter, when I discourse, Of the knowledge of a man's self, I will say no more of it for the present.

Footnotes

1. The power which pride hath to do mischief. ↩

2. Mark the craft of the Devil, and learn to ●●y him. ↩

3. A fearful example. ↩

4. Be not high minded, but fear. ↩

5. We may have great hope, but no certainty of being in the state of grace. ↩

6. See the great reason, that we have, both to love God, and to fear him. ↩

7. An excellent admiration of God's mercy. ↩

8. They be the Sacraments, which convey the blood of our Lord jesus, to our souls; and they are the true Priests of the true Catholic Church, who may minister them. ↩

9. Philip. ↩

10. Psal. 111. ↩

11. Philip. 2. ↩

12. 1. Cor. 10.
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13. Go on in this excellent contemplation, with great attention ↩

14. Note. ↩

15. Note the great reason, which thou hast to be humble, whosoever thou be. ↩

16. An excellent description of a man, who is truly virtuous; for he who is not thus, is but a counters fait. ↩

17. Believe this truth, if thou have a mind to be happy. ↩