Letter, Sala Balust no. 149. To a dear friend of his
He shows how great blindness it is to lose eternal bliss for temporal delights.
THE peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be ever with you. I received a letter of yours some days past, written in Seville; whereof though I were very glad, yet should I have rejoiced much more, to be there to enjoy your conversation, which I have so long desired. I beseech Christ, that we may see one another in heaven; where all our desires will be at an end; possessing him who is the true fulfilling of them all.
Sir I would extremely desire, that the smo●ke of these temporal things, did not blind our hearts, and hinder us from the sight of such as are eternal. What an ill exchange doth he make, who Loses that which may be interiorly possessed, and which indeed is the true fruit; for that which is exterior, and which is no better than the shell, or crust. Woe be to that man, who hath more care of his goods, then of his conscience; and who puts the soul in hazard, to secure the life of his body. Not so, o you men, not so, but rather as joseph did; who to secure his chastity, left his uper garment in the hands of her, who would have rob him of that treasure. It is the sentence of Christ our Lord, that if our right eye be an occasion to us of sin, we must pluck it out and cast it from us. The right eye, is the love which we carry towards goods, or honour, or life, or friends; which, if by the inordinate abundance thereof, it be an occasion to us of sin, we are to estrange ourselves from it, and to cut it of, lest otherwise we be estranged from God.12
We must love nothing so well, as that we may not tread it under foot, if it hinder us from being well with God. There is no such thing, as holding friendship with that sovereign king, but only such a man as will confess, that heaven is had very cheap, though it should chance to cost him his life. They who will think to comply both with their own proper affections, and with the love also of our Lord, are mightily deceived. For these men love not God, but so as they also love many other things, whereas God will be loved, above them all.
O error of the sons of men; and who hath thus deceived them, and who shall be able to unbeguile them? who hath plucked out their eyes to lead them blindefould, in a ring like another Samson, judges. 16. living according to the suggestion of vice, and in the displeasure of our Lord? Who shall be able to make them understand that they are strangely deceived in seeking riches in the first place, and virtue, in a second. Yea and if it so fall out, that both of them cannot be kept, men are content to be without virtue, so that they may not be without money. And thus put they light, into the place of darkness; and darkness into that of light. O that our Lord would open the eyes of these men! and how bitterly would they weep, seeing how bad exchangers they had been? Is not perhaps the friendship of God, which is obtained by the exercise of virtue, of more value, than all the rest of things, which can be wished? Are not perhaps the commandments of God more worthy to be desired then thousands of gold and silver? where shall we find a true pair of scales to weigh every thing out, for just as much as it is; that so we may not thus for ever live in lies.
Men fly as fare as they cann from being deceived, in their temporal states. But why fly they not with greater diligence from being deceived in some what else, which imports them more? They complain if they be cozened in half the worth of any thing, which they are to buy; yea and there is no means to appease them, but they will needs be seeking a remedy against that abuse. And yet they are very ready, to lose their souls for a little gain, or for an act of murmuring, or some other sin. And we cannot so much as prevail with them, to the end that they may have some feeling of it, and say I am deceived, let so great a wrong as this, be removed.
That soul, O men which you are losing, is more worth than all that which can be given you, in exchange thereof; what do you get by gaining it all, if you lose yourselves alone? what doth it profit you to see every body good, if withal yourselves be wicked? what doth it profit you, to gain and grow great in point of fortune, with prejudice to your souls? and to be mighty in the sight of men, but not to be acknowledged in the sight of God?
The day will come, infallibly it will come, when God will destroy all them who work iniquity; and for what then will that serve, to which they have most pretended here? O day of giving account for all the days of our lives, how little art thou considered, and therefore how little art thou feared. And men, in the mean time run with the bridle lose, and in their teeth, for the gathering of this little miserable flower which so quickly Fades, and they see with their very eyes, that it is even slipping from between their fingers; and yet, there is never want of some body, who hath a mind to hold fast this world, whilst still it is flying speedily from them.
Sir our true repose, and our kingdom, is not to be had in this world. What is this life, but a way from our own houses reaching to the place, where thiefs desire to cut our throats; since every day we walk on more and more, and it is no whether else, but towards death. Now who would be so absurdly inconsiderate, as that when he were to be conducted to execution, and that much haste were used to dispatch him, the delinquent should yet, fall into great affliction, because lie were not sumptuously clad; or who in such a case, would attend to busy himself about hearing some relation of the lives of others, or would delight himself, with looking upon some public entertainment and pastime? Or would put himself to study what the reason might be, why men put not of their hats to him, with a good graces And yet how many do we see (through our sins) deprived of all sense, who (going, as we all do, to that resting place of their graves; yea and running faster thither, than any arrow flies out of a bow,) do yet detain themselves foolishly, some upon fine ; others, upon a certain paltry smoke of honour, and others, who grow angry at the hart, because just that which they desire, is not done. And yet those very things which they desire, are neither such as help them to obtain true felicity, not hinder them from falling into eternal misery.
What in the name of God, is this which hath so blinded us, as that we should make Time of Eternity, and Eternity of Time? For so have men despised that eternal bliss, which God hath prepared for them in heaven, as if it were but temporal; and so have they lodged all their love upon this transitory world, as if this were the thing which is eternal. How few are there on earth, who pass through it, like strangers, as S. Peter saith we must;
and who fasten their hearts upon the Future, as upon their City, and true place of rest? Let the tongue say what it will, but our works proclaim us to be Citizens of this world, since we extremely desire, to be accommodated, and exalted here, and so take no care though we should be but as strangers in the next world. Perhaps we are grown to be of opinion, that the kingdom of heaven may be obtained without any great labour, or care. But the truth is, that even they who take most pains, will find that still they have enough to do, & that still they must continue in doubt, whether it will serve the turn, or no; and what then will become of the reckless person, but that he will be sure to lose it?3
Our life is a very match of wrestling, and he who wrestles as the Apostle saith, must wholly untie, and disentangle himself that he may gain his crown.
We are running for a wager, and the Prize, is no less than the kingdom of heaven. Yet not all they, who run, are to have this Prize, but they only, who run best. What a mad man were he, who should shackle his feet, and then think that he were to carry the Prize, which must be given to that man who runs a pace. And it is not a less absurd strange thing, that a man should ensnare his soul, with the heavy aflictions of flesh and blood, which permit him not to fly up, towards God.4
God commands that to him who should strike thee, upon one of thy cheeks, thou shouldest turn the other, Ma●● 5. ● which is as much as to say; that not only thou must not revenge thyself, for the injury received, but that thou art to keep thy hart prepared, to endure an other, if it be given, and still if another blow be offered to turn the other cheek; that is, to prepare thyself for enduring injuries, more and more, in such sort, that the other may be sooner weary of doing ill, than thou of suffering it, for thy goodness is to be greater, than his malice. But how then shall he be able, to make a speedy course in this way, who is fettered in the chains of worldly Honour which requires that we revenge the injuries which are done us. For as S. Gregory saith, No man feels the weight of dishonour, but he who love's his own honour. And therefore if this love be not laid a side; how shall we be ever able to run.
If God command that we must rather dye then commit a mortal sin, how shall we be able to comply with his will herein, if we cast not of the chains of that inordinate love which we carry to this life. Covetousness is a Chain, which permitts us not to live in good neighbourhood with others. Envy is a Chain, Anger is a Chain, and the love of ourselves is a Chain, and root of all the rest. What a sottish thing is it therefore, for a man to think that he, who affects those things which his own will suggests, is able to run that career, wherein the servants of God must run, and who because he contents himself, thinks that God will also be contented with it, and who living after his own fashion, will yet conceive, that he may live so with God.
Away, away, let us awake at last, for the love of God let us awake, before hellfire awake us. And let us know, that the kingdom of God is a hidden treasure; and that he who finds it must bestow all that he hath, upon the purchase thereof, esteeming himself more happy and rich in this alone, then in all things else. A man who hath a mind to gain this kingdom, is not bound to become bankrupt, or to be a beggar, but that which he needs is, that for the love of this kingdom, he cut of all occasion of inordinate love which he may carry to riches, and to honour, and to a delicate and delightful life, and in fine to his own proper will. Christ our lord will have us all naked, that so we may run on apace to him, who died naked for us. That man is naked, who holds his life, and his honour, laid under, and in subjection to the will of Christ our Lord, doing what Christ will, and not that, which is suggested by pleasure, or honour; and who makes as light account of these things, as if he had them not; and is ready to cast them all into a light fire, rather than to go against the friendship of our Lord God, by committing so much as one sin. And though perhaps a man may attend to the improvement of his estate; it must not be for the love, which he carries to it; but because God commands it. If he live, it must not be because he love's life, as making that the end of his care; but he must keep it, for the service of God; and sooner throw it away, then offend him. If he be to aparell himself, he must not take counsel with vanity how he may be esteemed for his ; but with the word of our Lord which commands that we use them not with superfluity, but for the supply of just necessity. And so this kind of man, doth not hold himself to be his own, but as one who belongs wholly to God. He cares not, for what himself desires, but for that which God commands. He lays all things, and himself withal, to be trodden upon, under foot; for so he may hold God above his head. God commands and he obeys; God directs and he submitts; and as the shadow follows the body, so he follows the will of God.
These are true sons of Obedience, to whom it is promised, that they shall sit at the table of God; And that, as the true son suffered by Obedience, and entered so into his kingdom, so the adopted sons must also enter in, by the same means. There is no colour of reason why a man, for having obeyed the orders of the great Turk, should go to ask a reward of the Christian Emperor; and yet if he should it would be easy to make him this answer, Let him pay you, whom you have served And so will God answer them, who lived here in obedience to their own appetites when they shall ask him that reward of glory.
Great thankes do we owe to Christ our Lord, for having warned us of this so long before, that so if we will think thereon, we may not find ourselves deceived by him, who so dearly loved us. His advertissement is this. Not every one who saith to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he shall enter in who doth the will of my Father, who is in heaven. What need have we of any more, since the word of Christ our Lord can never fail? And who is that man, who will not awake with this. For the question is not now, concerning any earthly kingdom, but the kingdom of heaven; since no man enters thither but he who shall have done the will of God. Let this therefore, be our study, let this be our discourse, let us counsel men to this, and let us in fine observe vigilantly, if we do any thing which carries not true conformity, with the will of our Lord. And because our own watchfulness will not suffice, let us call upon our Lord, that he may assist us. Let us acknowledge our own misery, and let us cordyally implore his mercy. Our lord who must help us is no such person, as that he can deny himself to such as seek him, with their hearts. And if we did indeed knock & call upon him, infallibly he would anfweare & open to us. And he knocks indeed; who knocks both by prayer, & by the practice of virtue. And he shall be heard when he calls, who was content to hearken to his neighbour, when he was called upon by him; and who assisted him in his necessities, and who pardoned his errors, and who neither did ill to him, nor refused patiently to suffer ill from him.
This is the generation of them who seek our Lord, and they shall find him. Let us therefore go, and run this career. For happy are those labours, which are endured for the obtaining of this Crown. And they shall soon pass away, but their reward is to last for ever. Let us lay up our treasure there. It will be highly enough for us, to possess God; and let us not lose our time, for it was not given us to be lost. But let us live, to the end that we may ever live; and so we shall pass on, from contumely to glory, from poverty to plenty, from banishment to our own country, which we shall possess through the eternities of all eternities. Amen.5
Footnotes
Chapter 49 of 57