Chapter 99

Of the vanity of being nobly borne; and that such persons must not brag thereof, as desire to be of the kindred of Christ.

I would not have thee blinded, by that vanity, which blindeth many, whilst they presume upon the extraction of their blood. And therefore I will tell thee, what S. Hierome saith, to a certain virgin: I will not (saith he) have thee behold those Virgins, who are Virgins of the world, & not of Christ. And who, not remembering their good purpose begun, do take joy in pleasure; and do please themselves in vanity; and glory in corporal things; and in the antiquity of their descent. Who if¹ they did, indeed, hold themselves for the Children of God, they would never, after they had been borne divinely of him, make any estimation of this temporal nobility. And if they felt, that God were become their Father, they would not value the nobility of other parents. Why dost thou glory in such nobility of descent? God, made one man, and one woman, in the beginning of the world; from whom the multitude of mankind, descendeth. This² Nobility of lineage, is not given by nature, which is alike to all, but by the appetite of ambition. Nor ought there to be any difference³ between them, who are begotten, according to this second spiritual birth, whereby as well the poor, as the rich, the slave, as the free man, may be accounted to be of noble lineage; and without which, they are never made the sons of God. The descent of flesh and blood, is wholly obscured by the brightness of this heavenly honour; and appeareth not to be any thing at all; now that they who, before were unequal, in respect of worldly honour, are equally apparelled, with the Nobility of that ot●●er honour, which is spiritual, and divine. No place is there left for this vain kind of lineage; & none of them can be thought, to be without Nobility, who are beautified by the height of a heavenly birth. And if that former be esteemed, it is but in the mind of them who value temporal things, more than eternal. Which temporal advantage although the● have, how vainly do they proceed, who esteem themselves more for less things; then they esteem others, whom they know to be equal to themselves in greater things; and who esteem others, as men creeping upon the ground and far inferior unto themselves, whom yet they believe to be their equals, in celestial things. But whatsoever thou be of birth, O Virgin, (thou who art of Christ, and not of the world) fly away from all glory of this present life, that thou mayst obtain all that, which is promised in the life to come. All this is said by S. Hierome.

Hereby thou mayst see, how necessary it is, for thee, To forget thy people, and the house of thy Father; remembering well, that the privilege which thy parents gave thee, was to be conceived in sin, and filled full of many miseries; and to be borne in the wrath of God, by the first sin of Adam, which we inherit by our conception. A⁴ body they bestowed upon us, which was begotten in such a loathsome manner, that it would cost a man shame to speak of it, and makes him loath, to think of it. Into which, the soul being infused, after the creation thereof, doth grow to be spotted with original sin; which yet by the hand of God, was created without it. Our body is beside, full of a thousand necessities; and subject to sicknesses, and death; and made fit to do penance by suffering it. Such a body it is, that⁵ if thou shouldst take of, but the first thin skin, that covers it, the most beautiful creature, would be abominable. A body, which if thou observe to be exteriorly white, & yet consider the trash which is shut up within; thou wilt say, it is some dunghill, over cast with snow. A body whereof I would to God, the worst condition were, to be full of pain, and shame; but this is the least matter, of all the rest. That⁶ which importeth, is, that it is the greatest enemy which we have, and the greatest traitor it is, which was ever seen; who goeth up and down in pursuit, how to plunge that⁷ thing into death, and death eternal, which gives it bread to eat, and whatsoever else is necessary for a body. And which, for the enjoying of a little pleasure, doth set, at nothing the giving of any offence to God, and the casting of the soul into hell fire. A body; which is as slothful as an ass; and as malicious as a mule. And if thou believe not me, let it but go a while, without a bridle, and do thou but neglect a little, to keep it in order; and thou shalt see, whether it be a wicked thing or no.

O Vanity, which deserves to be despised, in them, that presume upon their descent; whereas all the souls of men, are created immediately by God; and we have not them, by inheritance. And as for the flesh, which is inherited; it ought to serve us, but for matter of shame, and fear. Let such give ear, to that which God hath said by⁸ Isaias. Cry out; and what shall I cry out upon, saith the Prophet. Our Lord made this answer, That all flesh, is but withered grass; and all the glory thereof, as the fading flower, of the field. God commanded his Prophet, to cry out; but yet deaf men did not hear him, who resolved to⁹ glory more, in that filth which they drew from their flesh; then in that height of dignity, which by the holy ghost was granted to them.

Be not thou blind, be not unthankful, O thou spouse of Christ. The estimation which God maketh of thee, is not for thy birth of blood, but for thy being a Christian: not because thou wert borne in that sumptuous Chamber; but because thou wert borne again, by holy Baptisime. The former of these births, was of dishonour; the later was of honour; the former of baseness, the later of nobility; The first of sin, the second of justification from sin; The first of flesh, which kills, the second of spirit, which quickens. B● the first, we are made the sons of men; by the second, the sons of God; By the first as we be out Father's heirs to their estates; we are also there heirs in being made sinners by them, and full of many other miseries; but by the second, we are made the brethren of Christ, and jointly the heirs of heaven, with him. For the present, we receive the holy ghost; but we hope hereafter, to see God face to face.

Well¹⁰ then; and what dost thou think that God will say to that person, who shall prise himself more, as being borne of men, whereby he became a sinful and miserable creature; then for the being borne again of God, whereby he presently becometh just, and may, afterwards, be happy These¹¹ men are like to some one who being begotten by a King, upon the body of some most ugly slave, should prise himself, for being her son, and should talk much thereof; and should never consider, or remember himself, to be the son of the King, Forget therefore thy people; that so thou mayst be of the people of God. The wicked people is thine own, and therefore it is said, Forget thy people; for of thyself thou art a sinner, and a very vile one. But if thou wil● shake of, that which is thine, our Lord will receive thee into that, which is his; into his nobility: into his justification; into his love; but as long as thou wilt cleave to thyself, thou shall not be enriched by him. Christ will have thee all naked; for he meaneth to give thee a dowry; and he hath where withal Of thyself thou hast nothing but to be full of debts. Forget¹² thy people; That is, forget to be a sinner; and grow a stranger, to thy ancient faults Forget thy people, and set not so high a price upon Nobility of blood. Forget thy people, by casting all kind of tumult out of thy hart; and make account, that thou art in some desert, hand to hand with Almighty God. Forget, in fine, thy people, since there are so many, & reasons, why thou shouldst forget it.

Footnotes

1. The extreme value of temporal nobility, showeth that men understand not the true value of that nobility which is spiritual. ↩

2. In nature there is no difference of nobility. ↩

3. That in spiritual nobility, there is also no difference between one and another. ↩

4. The baseness of the body. ↩

5. Consider seriously of this. ↩

6. The enmity of a sinful body to a soul. ↩

7. The soul. ↩

8. Isa. 4. ↩

9. A preposterous & absurd kind of pride. ↩

10. An ignorant & most inexcusable error. ↩

11. Note this comparison. ↩

12. We must forget our people, more ways than one. ↩