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 discourse of Patience.

THE XXVII. CHAPTER.

HE that for the loue of God could support with patience all af∣flictions, should in short time obtaine abondance of graces, and should be Lord of this world, and haue one foot in the other. All thee good and euill which a man doeth, he doth it of himselfe: ther∣fore thou shouldest not be scandalized if one doe thee iniury, but shoul∣dest rather haue compassion of him. Support iniuryes patiently for the loue thou owest to thy neighbour: how much a man is prepared for the loue of God to endure abuses and affrontes, so great is he before his diuine maiesty, and no more: and how much he is feeble and weakely prepared to support the same thinges, so much lesse is he in the presence of God, and doth not know what God is. If thou heare any one speake ill of thee, assist him; if he speake well of thee, referre that to God. If thou wilt make thy part the better, make it ill, and that of an other, good: I meane thou must praise the worckes and good wordes of others, and blame thine owne. If thou wilt gaine, loose: for in the end when thou shalt thinck to haue gained, thou shalt find that thou hast lost, be∣cause this way is such, that though it seeme to lead to saluation, it ten∣deth to perdition. We doe not orderly support afflictions, and therfore

are not fitt to receaue and support spirituall consolations.

Doe not wrong or iniury to any, and if it be offred to thee, support it patiently for the loue of God, and in remission of thy sinnes: for it is more meritorious to suupport a great iniury for the loue of IESVS* 1.1 CHRIST without murmure, then to feed euery day an hundred poo∣re people, and to fast much and austerely. What doth it profitt a man to misprise himselfe, to afflict his body by fastinge, to pray, to watch and to vse discipline, if after all that, he cannot support an iniury done by his neighbour, for which he should receaue a greater recompence, then for whatsoeuer he could endure by his owne election? To support tribula∣tions and afflictions without murmure doth exceedingly purge the sin∣nes of a man, yea more then doeth a great effusion of teares: and ther∣fore happy is he that supporteth all these afflictions patiently, in regard that he shall reape therby a great fruit of consolation. Happy is he that neither hath, nor desireth any consolation from whatsoeuer creature vn∣der heauen. He doth not hope for any recompence from God, that is humble and peaceable, only, when althinges succed according to his will.

* 1.2 He that hath alwayes his sinnes before his eyes, will not faile to ma∣ke his profitt of all the afflictions that befall him. Thou must acknow∣ledge all the good thou hast to proceed from God, and all the euill from thy sinnes: for if one man had done all the good deedes that all the men in the world haue done, doe, or shall doe, withall that, if he duely cōsider himselfe, he shall find himselfe meerly aduerse to his owne good. This holy Father being demaūded by a Religious what one should doe, if those great tribulations forespoaken by our Sauiour to arriue att the day of the generall iudgement, should come to passe in our time, he answeared: If the heauens should raine sharpe stones and flintes, they could not hurt vs, if we were such as we should be. Know brother, if a man persist in his duety, all the euill that he can endure, will turne to his good: for as to him that hath a disordered will, the good doth tour∣ne into euill, so to him that hath a pure will, the euill doth tourne into good. And all good is interiour in man, so that it cannot be seene. The grieuous infirmities, great labours, and molestfull offences which we endure, cause the euill spirittes which are about vs to fly. If thou wilt* 1.3 be saued, neuer seeke to haue iustice don thee against any creature what∣soeuer, because holy and vertuous personnes thinck only how to doe well, and to endure euill. If thou acknowledge to haue offended God the Creatour of althinges, acknowledge also thy desert to be persecu∣ted by all creatures, which reuenge the iniuryes thou hast don to their Creatour. Therfore oughtest thou with much patience to support to be crossed & afflicted by all creatures, thou hauing no reason to alleadge a∣gainst

them, in regard that thou deseruest to be corrected by them. The vertue of a man that conquereth himselfe is in deed great, for therby he surmounteth all his ennemies, and maketh purchace of all good. It were a great vertue for a man to content himselfe to be ouercome of all the men of the world, for so he should become truely lord of all the world. If thou wilt be saued, labour to remoue from thee all hope and cogitatation of whatsoeuer consolation may arriue vnto thee by any mortall creature, because the falles proceeding of conso∣lations, are greater and more ordinary, then those of afflictions. The nature of a horse is then esteemed noble, though he fly with great fu∣ry and dexterity, when he permitteth himselfe to be guided and gouer∣ned by the discretion of the rider that stoppeth him att his pleasure, and maketh him goe whither he list. So when a man feeleth himselfe spur∣red by anger, must he doe, and permitt himselfe to be gouerned and di∣rected by some one that is to correct him: yea he should desire to giue as a recompence for the loue of God all that he hath, to haue giuen him spurnes with the feet, bastonades, buffettes, and to haue his beard torne off, haire by haire.

A Religious one day in presence of Br. Giles did murmure att a rigo∣rous obedience enioyned him: to whome this holy Father said. Brother the more you murmure, the more you burden your selfe: and with the more deuotion and humility you submitt your neck vnder the yoke of obedience, the more easy and light shall you find it: you will not be in∣iuryed in this world, and yet wilbe honoured in the other: you will not heare a displeasing word, and wilbe one of the Blessed: you will not la∣bour, and desire to repose: But you deceaue your selfe, for honour is pur∣chaced by reproach, benediction by malediction, and repose by labour: the prouerb being true: Troutes are not taken with dry handes: and therfore lett it not trouble thee if thy neighbour sometime offend thee,* 1.4 for euen Martha, that was so holy, would prouoke our lord against her sister Magdalen, not without reason complayning of her: and neuerthe∣les Mary was more sparing of her membres then Martha in the vse of them, but she laboured more then she in contemplation, though with∣out Martha, Mary had lost her speech, sight, hearing and tast. Endea∣uour then to be vertuous and gratefull to our lord IESVS CHRIST, and sight couragiously against vices, support patiently afflictions, consi∣dering that there is nothing in this world of greater meritt, then to con∣quer ones selfe, and that it is most difficult for a man to conduct his soule to God, without this victory.

Notes

• * 1.1

  To suffer iniuries freely is of excee∣ding me∣ritt.
• * 1.2

  A meane to get patience.
• * 1.3

  The exer∣cise of the vertuous is to doe good, and to suffer euill.
• * 1.4

  Troutes are not taken without wetting the han∣des. Luc. 10.