The chronicle and institution of the Order of the seraphicall father S. Francis conteyning his life, his death, and his miracles, and of all his holie disciples and companions / set foorth first in the Portugall, next in the Spanish, then in the Italian, lastlie in the French, and now in the English tongue.

Of the second degree, to arriue to perfection, called Desire.

THE III. CHAPTER.

* 1.1 THe second degree is desire, for as sainct Gregoire, saith, diuine thinges being tasted are desired, and not tasted, seeme without sauour: in worldly matters it is contrary, for the desire therof is alwayes best. There groweth in the soule so extreme a hungar, and a such a thirst after this tast, and after a triall of this diuine sweetnes, that no creature or temporall conso∣lation can satisfie her but God alone, whome she loueth: And be∣cause she neither can, nor doth yet deserue to obtaine the food of the great, knowing her owne infirmitie and litle meritt, she re∣mayneth greedilie hungrie after temporall thinges, and beggeth the mites of the table of God, seeking them on earth, meditating on his life and conuersation, worckes and examples, yea she seeketh them in his creatures where his steppes, markes and tra∣ces are represented vnto her, and in his Sainctes where she fin∣deth most euident testimonyes of her God, and often times she heareth his voice and seeth his presence, and this estate is like to that, wherof the espouse speaketh in the Canticles: I adiure you, if* 1.2 you finde my beloued, to tell him that I languish and loose my

selfe for his loue. It is also expedient in this estate to make simplicityes in worckes and wordes, for the great excesse of new desires, as new spi∣rituall wine: of these desires, when thy are reall, doth grow, the imita∣tion of the life of IESVS CHRIST, and of his humility, as much as may be, that he may be found and possessed: In that respect doth our Lord call himselfe the path and way, for we must walke by him, and his steppes are, as himselfe affirmeth, humility, meeknes, patience cha∣rity, prayers, and finally his crosse and passion; for the seruant is not* 1.3 greater then his Lord, nor the disciple aboue his master. This is the som∣me of whatsoeuer may be said or written. It is the light of the diuine will, wherin consisteth the rule and lesson of true wisdome. It is the shortest and securest way that we can walke, which openeth and dis∣couereth vnto vs the most eminent master of truth, wherin walking, he taught men what way they should vndertake. Lett no man thinck that there is an other way more direct, to obtaine of God true charity, then that of labours and the exercises of vertues. This exercise consisteth in three pointes: the first, with a sincere hart to demaund of God the know∣ledge of ones offences mortall, and veniall; together with an interiour sorrow for them, and a shunning of all occasions of mortall sinnes, and distraction of spiritt: the second, to desire the good of our neigh∣bour, as our owne, for whome God hath so much endured, and to assist him corporally and spiritually in our prayers, praying for our freindes, and ennemies, and for all those whome God will haue prayed for: the third, is to desire with a firme resolution to imitate the life of IESVS CHRIST in his conuersation, as well in body as spiritt, and to demaund of God that he will vnite him to his sonne, and that nothing may be found in his bowels but IESVS CHRIST crucified, demaunding also the vertues that may in anysort make vs like vnto IESVS CHRIST, as pouerty, humility, and simplicity, for in this manner exercising our selues in these vertues, we attaine a true and feruent desire, and a true thirst of the loue of our Saulour IESVS CHRIST, and it wilbe no paine or trouble vnto vs to be exercised in them, therbie to obtaine the good which wee desire.

The glorious Father S. Francis, ascended to this degree, when with a feruent and perseuerant desire, demaunding and finding his deare and beloued Lord, the Euangelicall perfection, and the Apostolicall life were reuealed vnto him, and as if he had thenceforward began, he couered himselfe with one only garment shaped in forme of a crosse, desiring no other thing then IESVS CHRIST crucified, esteeming himselfe ne∣uer satisfied with pouerty, humility, and misprise, to imitate his Sauiour I. ••. He would not seeme humble and holy, but a sinner and wretched, he then exceedinglie reioy••ed, when he was conte••••ed and litle estee∣med

and was much displeased, when he was honoured: as other men accustome to hate their ennemyes, and to persecute them, so one the contrarie, he loued with all his hart those that did persecute him, and hated himselfe as his owne capitall ennemye, and not others, well kno∣wing that the world and the deuill as our principall ennemies make warre against vs with our owne weapons, and not with other instru∣mentes. Therfore ouercomming our selues, we shall triumph ouer all our potent ennemies: he endeauoured by examples of euery kind of ver∣tue and with zeale of the saluation of soules, for which I. C. suffered, to draw them to the estate of Euangelicall perfection, he did not exer∣cise his disciples, but in the imitation of the pouertie humilitie and pa∣tience of IESVS CHRIST, and the meditation of his passion: for he wel knew that the more vertues we possesse, the greater progresse doe we make in prayer, and without the same none att all, such were his ce∣remonies and mortifications, such the edifices and exercises of his first order, to finde I. C. in continuall labour, abstinences, and prayers, and to carry the woundes of our Lord I. C. in his body, with the difficul∣ty of strict pouerty, and with this innocencie, purity and Christian sim∣plicity, he surpassed those that are cloathed only with the exteriour leaues of ceremonies, to vndertake the way of perfection: and checked those that cloathed themselues exteriourly with the said ceremonies, only to couer their imperfections.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hom. 30. vpon the Gospels.
• * 1.2

  Cant. 50.
• * 1.3

  Ioan. 14. & 15.