Letter 32. To John of God
I Have received your letter, and I will not have you say, that I acknowledge you not for my son. For if you say that because you are wicked, you deserve it not; for the same reason, I deserve not to be your father, and therefore I may ill despise you, who am myself more worthy to be despised. But since our lord holds us all for his, though we be so miserably weak, it is but reasonable that we learn to be merciful one towards another; & that we support one another with Charity, as he doth.
I have my good brother a great desire that you should be able to give a good account, of that which our lord hath recommended to you. For the good and faithful servant must look to gain five other talents, to the five which were given him at the first. That so, he may hear from the mouth of our lord. Rejoice thou good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful in the few things which I have recommended to thee, and I will place thee over many.1
You must take care of that which is recommended to you concerning others, in such sort, as that you forget not your own soul. But yet know that the man, who of all others is most recommended to you, is yourself. For it will profit you but little though you should draw all the world, out of the dirt; if, the while, yourself remain therein. And therefore, I once again encharge you, that still you seek out some fit oftyme, wherein you may dispatch your own devotions, and that daily you hear Mass, and upon every sunday, the sermon. And especially, take heed, that you converse not much, with women. For you cannot be ignorant, that they be that snare, which the devil sets, for the fall of such as serve God. You know how David sinned, 2. kings 11. by looking upon one of them; and Solomon, his Son, sinned with many, and he walked so fare out of his wits, as to place Idols in the temple of our Lord. And since we are so much more weak than they, let us be afraid to fall, and take warning by the misfortunes of others. Deceive not yourself with saying, I desire to do them good. For under the mantle of these good desires, do those dangers lurk, when prudence accompanies not the same. And God is fare from desiring, that I should procure the good of another, with the Spiri●●●ll hurt of myself.2
Concerning those temporal necessities to which you are subject; I have already written to you, that there is every where such abundance of wants, as that when we ask any relief, they say that they have enough more near at hand, whom they are to remedy. And I thought that my Lord the Duke of Sessa had sent you that, which might serve the turn, because they told me, you had solicited him for some relief. If he have not done it, desire it of him a second time, for he will send it. He love's you much, for the care you have of the poor, and if he do not, our Lord will provide, though he make you stay a while.
I have rejoiced much in the charity which you have found, in that other house, whereof you speak. Return my salutations to him, who sent them by you to me. And because I am now in my journey, I writ no more at this time; but only that you must remain all fixed in Jesus Christ our Lord, who will protect and favour you. And that you look well to yourself, and that the devil may have no cause to rejoice by having induced you to sin, but that God may take delight in your penance for that which is past, & in your amendment for that which is to come; And so the holy ghost be with you. Amen.
Footnotes
Chapter 14 of 57