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.

A discours of Charity, and of what the Prophet meant when he said, that all his friendes did deceaue him.

THE XXIV. CHAPTER.

CHarity is the principall of all the vertues: happy is he that fee∣leth not in himselfe any disgust of the thinges which he ought alwayes to desire. Brother Giles put this question to a Religious with whome he was very familier: doe you beleeue that I loue you? the Religious answeared he did. Wel then, said the holy Father, beleeue it no more: for a creature ought not sincerely to loue but the Creatour, who is pure and infinite. An other Religious said to the holy Father: I beseech you Father, make me vnderstād how that must be interpreted which the Prophet saith: Euery friend deceiueth. Wherto he answeared: I deceiue* 1.1 you, in that I doe not search your good as I doe mine owne. For the more I repute your good to be mine owne, the lesse shall I deceaue you, & the more a man reioyceth att his neighbours good, the more doth himselfe participate therin: & therfore if you desire to participate therof, striue to reioyce therat, & to procure Charity is the truest & most sure way of saluation, sith that therby one doth not only reioyce att the good of his neighbour, but is also grieued att his crosses: he beleeueth and iudgeth well of others, and euill of himselfe: he honoureth others, and mis∣priseth himselfe. He that will not honour an other, shall not be honou∣red,

and he that knoweth not himselfe shall not be knowne: he that will not weary himselfe, shall not repose: also the greatest of all labours and the most meritorious, is to labour in piety and benignity: he that doeth a good worck without loue and charity, is not gratefull to God nor to his sainctes: but he that for the loue of God maketh himselfe poore of temporall substance, shalbe rich of such as are celestial. A man then ought to choose and loue diuine thinges and misprise particuler thinges, for what can be greater then to know how to prayse the bene∣fitts of God, and to check himselfe for his proper malice? I would I had bin taught in this schoole from the beginning of the world, and there would study to the end therof, if I were so long to liue, there to contemplate the prayse dew to the benefites of God, and the reprehen∣sion and chasticement due to my euill worckes. True it is that if I must committ an errour, I had rather it were in the consideration of my wic∣kednes, then in the acknowledgement of the benefites receaued of God. For if we see many that for some litle seruice done them retourne many prayses and thanckes, how much more are we obliged in that kind of ac∣knowledgemēt vnto almighty God? And in deed a man ought neuer to make any comparison with this loue towardes him that hath a will to deliuer vs from all miseryes and to conduct vs to the fruition of al good, and that would euen dye to procure vs to liue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ierem. 9.