Letter 25. To a Lady
He shows the subtlety of the devil, and how styly he tempts souls with pride.
MADAM, because I conceive that you fight the combatts of Christ our Lord, and do frankly offer yourself to all affliction, so that he may reign in your hart: all encouragement and assistance is due to you, from such, as be the servants of God, who are commanded to advertise the wicked man of the misery, which is growing towards him, that so he may amend, and avoid it; and to encourage such as are good; and to go sounding the trumpet before them, when they see them entering into the battle; that is to say, they are to give hart by the word of God, to such, as they perceive to fight for his honour. For otherwise, as account shall be demanded of them, for the wicked, whom they had not warned, so also for the good, whom they had not encouraged. And so they should be punished both for the evil, which were committed by the one, and for the good, which were omitted by the other.12
Take you therefore hart, in that combat, which the ancient Serpent makes against you, he procuring, to divide you from God, and you resolving to stick close to him: you must be very watchful; for his chief aim, is at the hart. And it troubles him not greatly, that a man serve God, by recollecting his eyes, by keeping silence, by praying, by singing the divine office, and the like; but to the hart doth he convey his poison; which is a certain vain kind of complacence, or proper estimation, and love of ourselves. The foolish virgins, were virgins; but because they had not oil in their lamps, they heard this sad word out of the mouth of our lord In the word of truth I say to you, that I know you not. Now, what is this lamp, but the hart? and what is this oil, but the spirit of truth, which maintains and feeds it with good works if we mean, that they shall indeed be good, in the sight of God? And what is this Spirit of truth, but that, which makes a man displeasing to himself, and to seem ill in his own eyes; and that from his very hart, and soul, he may conceive, that he is all ugly, and abominable, and that he is amazed to consider, how God can suffer him upon the earth?3
This is that truth, where in we must live, and without this, we live in lies. And sometimes, the more virtue we think we have, and the better we esteem ourselves in health, the more sick, and miserable we be, through the want of this. For confiding in ourselves, we think we are somewhat; whereas indeed it is not so, in his sight, who discerns our hearts, and saith:
Thou hast the name of one, who life's, whereas indeed thou art dead. He hath the name of one, that life's: who falls not into public sins, which the world condemns for enormous. But if nevertheless, he fall into other sins, which are condemned in the judgement of Almighty God; for what doth it serve him, to be absolved by the world, when he is censured by that just judge?4
The world, knows not, how to hold that man for wicked, nor to punish him for such, who only hath a good opinion, and complacence in himself with pride, or at least is not displeasing to himself; but in the judgement of God, that man is held for proud, and blind, who doth not, even stink to himself, as if he carried some dead dog, tied to his nose; and who hath not a profound internal shame, in the sight of his Creator; as here men use to have, when they are presented before some judge, having been taken, in the manner, with enormous crimes. And if this pride arrive to be a mortal sin, then doth it wholly square, & agree to him, which was said before, in the person of God; and if it be but venial, this suits with him but in part. Thou hast the face of a harlot, ●ier. 3. and knowest not, what belongs to the having of any shame. Now it is an ill favoured spot in a soul, to be void of shame, as it is even exteriorly, when women want it.
The world condemns not a man's confidence in himself, nor the estimation, which he may have of himself, nor a resolute will, which he may have to procure his own contentmont. But in the sight of God, these and such other things are great offences, and they hinder grace, and our friendship with him, if they be mortal; and if they be but venial, yet they hinder the profit, which we might make of the grace, we have; and it destroys all inward communication with our Lord. The devil knowing this, it troubles him not much, that a soul may be alive, after the large manner, if interiorly, and spiritually it be dead. And many times he procures not, that such a person may fall into apparent, and deformed sins; for if he should commit any such, he would be much confounded thereat. For, observing, that he had done things, which even, in the eyes of the world were so wicked, he would take penance to hart, and would be displeasing to himself, in his very soul; and so would mend. But the devil desires to hold him tied fast up, in a deep interior blindness, and so keeps him safe for himself, without inducing him to commit other sins. For if he fell into them also, he would peradventure give over both the one, and the other, and so escape out of his hand.
You therefore must be sure, to carry your eyes open, upon your own hart; and when you find not there a profound contempt, and confusion of yourself, in the high presence of Almighty God: be you well assured, that you are fare from knowing yourself; and that you have yet, no other eyes, but of flesh and blood; and no true celestial light at all. For this light searches into the most hidden corners, and makes the soul highly ashamed, even of those things, which in the sight of worldly eyes, will seem to have been well done. After this shame, tears of grief and true humility are wont to grow; whereby the soul is wholly, and absolutely made subject to God, & to every creature for his sake. Now, when this is wanting, all things go after another fashion, and the wound is not cured, but only skinned. And in that case, we must call upon our Celestial Physician, & not give over, till, by little and little, we may get some small thread of light, whereby to enter, and see the retraites and dark holes thereof, and find her faults even in those things, which have appearance to be well done.
Our Lord doth not instantly impart this gift; but when himself is best pleased to do it. And in the mean time, let us know, that we must be sure, not to put confidence in our own works; and if yet this virtue be now wanting to us, let us confide in our Lord, that he will bestow it upon us, in his good time.
Matth 7. Mark 11. Luc. 11. For he, that promised That he will not give a stone to him, who shall demand bread; and that our Father of heaven, will give a good spirit to such as ask it. I beseech him to be your light, that so you may know him, to honour him; and that you may know yourself, to despise yourself. And depart you, wholly from yourself, that you may be wholly subject to him. You must also consider, that you must not want some body, even here on earth, who may call you to an account, therefore so you get great store of sanctity against the time, when you shall go into another world. And, in the mean while, be sure, there be nothing in you, for which it may import me to chide you; and for which you may have reason to be ashamed, as having been a cause of pain to us both. Christ our Lord keep you ever, in that side of his, which was pierced by a lance, Amen.
Footnotes
Chapter 10 of 57