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Of the ioy, which Religious people take in the good of their Neighbours soules. CHAP. XII.
MOst Religious men haue yet another comfort, which goeth beyond al carnal and earthlie comforts: when hauing had occasion to labour in cultiuating of numbers of Soules, they see them for∣sake their vicious courses, and take to vertues, or in sanctitie of life dayly to aduance themselues, and encrease in the seruice of God. Who can expresse the ioy, which this doth breed? or the teares, which it oftimes draweth from our eyes? For if, as the Prophet sayth, Conquerours exult, when they haue taken a prey,* 1.1 what greater exultation can there be, then in such a conquest, & such a prey? For in other victories the prosperous successe of one partie, is losse to the other; heer the benefit, which comes to vs, is beneficial also to our neigh∣bour; and the good of our neighbour, the encrease of our ioy. Witnes the labour, the sollicit••••e, the care, which most commonly this fruit doth cost vs; wherof the Apostle writeth thus to certain Disciples of his: My little children, whom I tra∣uail withal againe, vntil CHRIST be formed in you; comparing himself to a woman with child,* 1.2 to expresse the time, and labour, and payne also, which often accompanieth this charitable busines. And consequently there can be no doubt, but that, which our Sauiour sayth in the Ghospel, agreeth also to this child-birth: A woman, when she breedeth, hath sorrow; but when she hath brought forth, now she remembreth not the pressure,* 1.3 by reason of the ioy, because a man is come into the world. But heer the ioy is farre greater, because man is not borne into the world, but in verie deed into heauen. For the life of the bodie is short, but the life of the Soule, eternal. And what ioy, think you, should we conceaue of this euerlasting fruit, seing we find a Heathen Philosopher reioycing at the temporal progresse of his Disciples,* 1.4 and esteeming it a very iust and reasonable cause of ioy?
If a tree, sayth he, when it is come so farre as to bring forth fruit, reioyceth the husbandman; if a shepheard take pleasure to see the fruit of his flock; if euerie man beholding the child, which he nurseth, delights in the growth of his child, as in his owne; how dost thou think it fares with them, that haue nursed vp wits, when knowing the tender beginnings of them, they behold them suddenly flourish?Thus spake this Heathen Philosopher of the brickle, & ••••ort, & momentarie fruit, which he could arriue to know. The fruit of our lab••••••s is spiritual & immortal; so that if, as our Sauior testifyeth, there be ioy in heauen vpon one sinner doing pennance, is there not the like cause of reioycing on earth, when we see a man either cōuerted to do pennance for his sinnes, or established in vertue, and taking great strides to perfec∣tion? Doubtlesse there is. For certainly in this one, we haue manie causes of ioy & cōfort, the glorie of God, the saluation of our neighbour, whom we are cōmanded to loue as ourselues; a ioyful & most admirable representation of the Diuine good∣nes, & clemēcie, & patiēce, not only in bearing with the lost sheep, but in bringing