Letter 86. To a disciple of his
He shows that exterior afflictions must be desired for the service and love of God.
RIght Reverend Father, I have received your letter, which hath wrought in me the same effect, with those others which formerly I had from you; Namely rendering of thankes to our lord, for the gifts which he hath bestowed upon you, according to the testimony which your words give, of that which dwells in your heart. It wrought also great confusion in me, to see you call me the Master, and Father, of him, to whom I should think it a great favour of our lord, if I could deserve to be a Son, and a Disciple. And especially I was confounded, yea and put to pain, to hear you say in the end of your letter, that you would have written me many, if it had not been for the Decorum, which you thought yourself bound to keep, of an Auditor, and a Scholar. This is not a course wherein you must proceed with me; for there is no reason that you should put me to loss, only because I desire, to serve and profit you. And if you treat me in this manner, you will make me hear, and hold my peace.
I know not, if I wrote not to you the other day, of an error, which I have discovered in some, who yet hold themselves to be spiritual. And it is, that they despise, the corporal afflictions, and troubles, which are undertaken, for the love of our lord. If I wrote to you thereof, there willbe nothing lost, though I say it over again; and if not, it is necessary, that I writ it.
Since, that light of our eyes, Christ our lord, lived in this world, under so many afflictions, and died with so many torments, his servants remain so hungry, of suffering somewhat, that it exceeds the appetite wherewith men of this world, run after ease. And not only are they content to suffer affliction, when it comes upon them, (and much more that kind of affliction, which may be necessary to them for the avoiding of sin) but they seek it out, by all the ways they can, and so they make proof thereby, of the love they bear to Christ our lord, considering how he was in so much pain by the afflictions which he endured, for the love of us.
For, as the faint and tepid kind of man, would of himself be glad to suffer no afflictions, but yet he bears them with patience when they come, lest otherwise he may offend our lord; so the fervent lover of Jesus Christ, would fain take no ease at all; and if perforce he must take any, he endures it, but with patience, because so Christ our lord, doth command. In such sort that as he who is but slack, in the service of God, hath delight and ease in his desire, and takes affliction but with patience, so the true Christian is but patiented to see himself at ease, and hath affliction, in his desire.
This grows from the spirit of Christ our lord; and when this is perfect in a soul, it works that, which it wrought in him: which was a love of affliction for us, the better to show us his love. And thereupon it also follows, that when men would comfort one who is but slack and negligent, upon the arrival of any affliction, they must do it just so, as they would comfort a good Christian, when he happens to be in repose and ease. For the one of them suffers ease which he love's not, and just so, is affliction suffered by the other. Now this is part of that, which Christ our lord delivered, when he commanded us, to take up the Cross, if we meant to be his disciples. I say it is a part thereof: for the other, and chief part whereof this Cross consists, is the mortification, and death of ourselves conceit, and will; and of our passions and powers.
This is that old man, who must die, as Christ our lord died upon the Cross, what is this old man? the body, which is passable and mortal; and that other inward man, whereof I have spoken before, must be also dead in us.
But although this be the chief part of carrying the Cross, we must not put away that other part, howsoever it be less principal than this. And though S. Paul say, Timoth Exercitatio corporis ad modicum utilis est, yet the servant of Christ our lord, will not leave to please him, even in the least things which can be thought. And lest we should fall into error, the same Apostle saith elsewhere.
Castigo corpus meum & in seruitutem redigo I conceive not that he said this, because he was tempted with the flesh, as some understand the difficulty whereof he complains; but that he would punish and so cure himself, by way of preservative, using this exercise of his body, lest his mind might otherwise grow sick. And elsewhere he saith, when he recountes the afflictions which he endured.1
Semper mortificationem jesu Christi in corpore nostro circumferentes, where he calls that the mortification of Christ: which is the very Cross of corporal afflictions. In another place he saith also, Qui Christi sunt, carnem suam crucifixerunt. And if he had meant this only, of crucifing the affections, it had sufficed to say, Cum vitiis & concupiscentiis, but by saying carnem, it proves, that he meant afflictions of the body.23
This he explicates very well, in his Epistle to the Corinthians where, amongst other things, wherein men were to exercise themselves, he reckons up corporal afflictions, namely fasting and watching, so that the whole man, must undergo the Cross, since Christ our lord, died upon it. Our soul must dye, by the compassion and memory of Christ crucified, and by the mortification of the old man, as hath been said: and the body also must dye, upon the Cross of corporal afflictions, that so the whole man, may be conform to Christ our lord, as he is in pain, and misery; since hereafter, he is to be conform to him, as he is in glory.4
I have said thus much, that you may take a scantling, of those forces, which God hath given you, and that so you may employ them, upon doing, and suffering, all you can. And this, not only considering that it may be addressed to some other good intention, but even though it be for no other reason, let it be done, to the end that you may be in conformity with Christ our lord as he was afflicted; and not upon necessity, but for love. And though neither the haircloth, nor hard bed, nor such things as these, howsoever they be used for the love of Christ our lord, should save us, (sola enim Crux Christ's, est saluifica) yet at least let us use them in imitation of that extreme poverty, and sharp affliction which Christ our lord endured, in being crucified, which consideration, will not be lightly esteemed by us, if we be not wholly void of the love, we own him. Gloria enim magna est sequi dominum. And thus much of this matter.
There were two other points, of which I thought to have written, but there is no time for them now. I will note them down, lest I should forget them: upon condition that you writ me word, what there is to be amended in this letter.
Footnotes
Chapter 34 of 57