The happines of a religious state diuided into three bookes. Written in Latin by Fa. Hierome Platus of the Societie of Iesus. And now translated into English.

Against those that obiect, that some Religious people liue not wel. CHAP. XXV.

SOme haue often in their mouth the faults and sinnes of Religious people, who either correspond not to their dutie in Religion, nor to the sanctitie of the place, wherin they liue, or, which is worse, forsake Religion, & hauing put their hand to the plough, looke back againe, and for this they highly discommend Religious courses.

2. But it is very hard and partial dealing, to impute the fault of a few, to the rest that are faultlesse;* 1.1 and much harder, to lay it vpon the course itself, which doubtlesse is holie, and the work of God's owne hand. And indeed the truth is, that manie of those faults, which are so blazed abroad against Religious people, are false; manie of them maliciously forged against them, the Diuel labouring thereby to impaire the credit of those Seruants of God, who are his greatest ene∣mies.

And what wonder is it (sayth S. Augustin) if men speake il of the seruants of God,* 1.2 and labour to stayne their reputation, when they cannot depraue their life; seing they cease not dayly to blaspheme God our Lord, when, whatsoeuer in his iust and secret iudgement he doth against their wil, pleaseth them not?

* 1.33. Though there be an other reason, why they talk so much of them, to wit, because the beautie and dignitie of the State maketh them easily marke the least blemish in it; as the least stayne is a disgrace to a rich garment, or to a white peece of cloath; wheras in a peece of canuas or sack-cloath no notice is taken of greater spots; not because they are not greater, but because the stuffe in which they are, is so coorse, that that new blemish is not seen in it. For so in a Secular state we let thousands of greater faults passe, and there is not a word made of them, because it is no newes in that State; but in a Religious course the least fault that is, is presently spyed, and yet they leaue not to be of the least.

* 1.44. That which S. Basil sayth to this purpose, is also very true, that Secular people haue a strange conceit of Religious men, as if togeather with their State, they had presently changed their nature, and were not men, but of some other farre different mold;* 1.5 and consequently they wrong the seruants of God, and think sometimes, that they must scarce eate meate, as if they were not made of flesh and bloud; and if they see anie of them attend to the necessities of their bodie, they load them with reproaches and slanders, and turning their calum∣niations from one vpon al the rest, they cal them al gluttons and bellie-guts, and think not how themselues doe dayly feast it, and though they eate often in a day, and cram themselues with a great deale of flesh-meate, and powre downe wine by whole bowle-fuls, yet they gape after meate, as dogs that are let loosse out of their chayne half-starued. Thus speaketh S. Basil in defence of Reli∣gious people.

5. But let vs grant,* 1.6 that Religious men haue sometimes their faults, and that some of them haue fallen, and doe fal from Religion; must we therefore con∣demne Religious courses? or censure the whole State, because some are sloathful and carelesse? S. Augustin speaketh wittily to them, that obiected this against Monks, in these words:

And we also know some such people, but the deuout Confraternitie is not lost, because of some that professe that which they are not. There be as wel false Monks, as false Clerks, and false Christians.

And S. Hierome sayth very truly, that in al states and conditions the bad are mingled with the good; and so much the more, the higher and more perfect and more eminent the State is, for the greater the burden is, the lesse wonder it is to find some in this weaknes of humane nature, that are readie to shake it off, or carrie it faintly; and yet their slacknes ought not to lessen our conceit and esteeme of so eminent a cal∣ling. When the Heretick Heluidius had proclaimed warre against Virginitie, among other things, for which he tooke occasion to calumniate that State, he sayd, that some Virgins were tauerne-hanters.* 1.7 And how doth S. Hierome refute him?

I, sayth S. Hierome, say more; some among them are adulteresses; and, which is more to be wondered at, there be Clergie-men that are hucksters, and Monks dishonest. But who doth not presently vnderstand, that neither a tauerne-hanter can be a Virgin, nor an adulterer a Monk, nor a huckster a Cleargie-man? Is it the fault of Virginitie, if a counterfaiter of Virginitie be in fault?

6. Let vs looke vpon the whole Church of God,* 1.8 and argue in behalf of a member therof, from the whole bodie. For though there be manie in the Catho∣lick Church, that liue deboisht, yet the Church is stil called Holie; and their wic∣ked liues hinder not, but that the whole companie of the Faithful, is truly sayd by the Apostle to be without spot or wrinkle; because we must not regard, how things haue been defaced by most, but what was the first institution in itself, as God or∣dained it.* 1.9 And in like manner we may say of Religious Orders; they leese nothing of their sanctitie, because some among them be not Saints. And if we weigh it wel, the argument is yet much stronger in behalf of Religious Orders; for if the Church be stiled al fayre,* 1.10 and al of it the beloued of God, notwithstanding that there be more bad then good in it, and more that walk the broad and spacious way, then the narrow; how much more reason haue we to giue Religious Orders the like honour, seing there be so manie good among them, and so few that are bad?

7. And besides the holines of their Institute,* 1.11 we may cleere them vpon an other ground; for whatsoeuer blemish may fal vpon them by the faults of some, it is abundantly stricken-out by the vertuous liues & good deeds of others. Doe not (sayth S. Hierome) cast thy eye vpon Iudas denying, but looke vpon Paul con∣fessing. And we haue cause to be much more animated at the sight of so manie Pauls,* 1.12 then to be discōforted with one Iudas. To which purpose S. Gregorie Nyssen also speaketh in his booke of Virginitie, answering those that carped at so holie a life, by occasion of some,* 1.13 that hauing vndertooken it, were afterwards ouercome and vanquished. I doe not deny (sayth he) but that it is hard matter, and beyond the cōmon strayne; neither is it anie wonder, if in so difficult a busines some be ouer∣come with the toyle of it, some by other meanes.

And yet we must not be so discouraged at it, as to forgoe so rare a thing for that feare: but rather con∣fidently venter vpon so profitable a nauigation, in the Ship of Continencie,

with Christ our Pilot,* 1.14 with the sweet gale of the Holie-Ghost. For neither they that go to sea and trade in marchandize, doe abandon that course, because they vnderstand, that sometimes some haue suffered shipwrack. Besides that, it is most absurd and vniust, to condemne one that hath alwayes liued wel, for a wicked man; and to detest the course of life in which he was, for one fault into which perhaps he fel, and on the other side, to think that a man that hath spent his whole life in sinne and wickednes, tooke notwithstanding the best course for himself. For if it be a hain us matter to sinne once, and for that cause thou think it better to abstaine from those more sublime Counsels and purposes; in how farre worse state is he, who hath been alwayes wallowing in the filth of vice?

Thus spake S. Gregorie Nyssen.

8. This is the miserable frayltie of this life, so long as we are strangers and pilgrims from God;* 1.15 and as our Sauiour foretold vs: It is necessarie, that scandals should happen: and he that wondereth at it, seemes not to vnderstand where he liueth,* 1.16 and what himself is made of, seing he admireth it so much in others. Whervpon Cassian, hauing related the memorable patience of Paphnutius, who being accused of theft by an other Monk, voluntarily vnderwent the pu∣nishment that was layd vpon him, though indeed he were innocent, concludeth his narration in these words:

And let vs not wonder, that in the companie of ho∣lie men,* 1.17 there lye lurking some, that are wicked and detestable; because while we are troden and brused in the floare of this world, it is necessarie, that among the choicest wheate, chaffe should be mingled, which is to be cast into euerlasting ••ire. Finally if we cal to mind, that there was a Sathan among the Archangels, a Iudas among the Apostles, a Nicolas (broacher of an abominable heresie) among the chosen Deacons, it can be no wonder, that wicked men should be found mingled among the order of Saints.

And to insist a little more vpon this example of Paph∣nutius,* 1.18 and apply it to our times, if anie man be offended, that in a house of that holines, in an Age so ful of feruour, there was some one found so wickedly mali∣cious against one of his Brethren, as to accuse him falsely in that manner; why should he not be as much edifyed at the humilitie, patience, and charit••e of Paph∣nutius, who to saue the credit of his neighbour, and such a wicked neighbour, res••lued with himself to abide the disgrace of so fowle a fault, and to beare-out with head and shoulders the whole storme of this infamie? Was not the vertue and simplicitie of this Saint much greater, then the malice and enuie of that sin∣ner? Besides that, in the whole Monasterie there was this one wicked man, and he only to be found in so manie yeares continuance; al the rest were good, and l••••d liues worthie of so holie a vocation. What peruersenes therefore is it to be more forward, to take exceptions vpon one man's misbehauiour, then to com∣m••nd and think honourably of the course, vpon the vertue of so manie?

9. At Bona in S. Augustin's Monasterie, there fel a great quarrel betwixt a cou∣ple, one char••ing another with a hainous crime,* 1.19 so that one of them must ne∣c••ss••rily be guiltie, either of an enormous fact, or of a horrible lye. The people, that had ••ot the voyce of it, began much to admire and complaine. Wherupon S. Augustin wrote a notable letter vnto them, first reprehending them, for casting an aspersion vpon al Religious, because of one man's fact, and secondly he sayth, a•• Cass••an a little before,* 1.20 that it is no wonder nor no newes, for some such thing sometimes to happen among such men.

What doe these people (sayth S. Augustin)

striue for, and what doe they ayme at, but whensoeuer a Bishop, or a Cleargie∣man, or a Monk, or a Nunnefalles, to beleeue that al are such, though al can not be conuinced to be such? And yet when a wife is found in adulterie, they neither put away their wiues, nor accuse their owne mothers. But when either a false im∣putatiō is layd vpon thē that professe this holie name, or some true crime of theirs discouered, they vrge, they bestirre thēselues, they glorie to haue it beleeued of al. And a little after: How vigilant soeuer the order of my house be, I am a man, I liue among men,* 1.21 I dare not presume, that my house shal be better then the Arke of Noë, where among eight persons one was a reprobate; or better then the house of Abraham,* 1.22 where it was spoken: Cast out the handmaid and her sonne; or better then the house of Isaac, to whom, of the two twinnes, it was sayd, and done: I loued Iacob,* 1.23 but Esau I hated; or better then the house of Iacob, where the sonne defiled by incest the bed of his father; or better then the house of Dauid, whose sonne lay wth his sister, whose other sonne rebelled against so holie a meeknes of his father; or better then the companie which our Sauiour had, where the eleuen good, tolerated the perfidious theeuing Iudas; or finally better then Hea∣uen, from whence the Angels fel.

And in conclusion, notwithstanding he acknow∣ledgeth that these things cannot be auoyded, he pleadeth strongly for Religion, and main••ayneth the honour and dignitie of it to the ful.

Though we be sorie (say••h he) for some drosse that comes off, we haue comfort of more ornament that remaines, doe not therefore for the scumme that offends your eyes, loathe the oyle-presses, which fil the cellars of our Lord with the fruit of a more bright shining oyle.

He calleth the Church and the Soules of the Faithful, Cellars of our Lord; giuing vs to vnderstand, that both the Church and euerie particular Soule is enlightned with this oyle, that is, by a Religious State, and by the work and example of Religious people.

10. Finally it is not amisse to reflect,* 1.24 that if they were Angels that obiected these things, they might haue some right to doe it, because they liue without flesh and bloud, free from sinne; and it were to be wished, if it were possible, that we might exchange this our life with theirs. But seing they be Secular people that make this busines, and al this comparison is betwixt their life and ours, I know not what they can pretend in al this discourse, seing they cannot be so shamelesse, as to preferre their State before a Religious State, finding, as they doe, in their owne, that they fal so often; that vertue is so scarce among them; that their rewards and deserts are so short in the world to come.* 1.25 To which purpose S. Anselm•• hath this excellent saying in one of his Epistles: Perhaps some bodie wil say, that in the Or∣der of Monks also there is danger. O the man that sayth so!

Why doth he not think what he sayth? O reasonable creature! Is this reasonable counsel, because there is danger euerie where, therefore choose to say where the danger is greater? Finally he that endeauoureth to loue God only, if he keepe his purpose to the end, a sure of saluation But he that wil loue the world, if he doe not forgoe his purpose before the end, either must not expect saluation, or his saluation wil be doubt∣ful, or lesse.

Thus sayth S. Anselme.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hard dea∣ling.
• * 1.2

  S. Augustin Epist. 136.
• * 1.3

  In a coorse cloath, greater spots are not seen.
• * 1.4

  S. Basil Const. Ma. c. 7.
• * 1.5

  Religious m••n are men.
• * 1.6

  False Chri∣stians and false Clerks as wel as Monks.
• * 1.7

  S Hier. con. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.8

  The Church is holie, though some be not holie.
• * 1.9

  Eph. 5.27.
• * 1.10

  Cant. 4.
• * 1.11

  The ver∣tues of most, re∣compense the faults of a few.
• * 1.12

  S. Hier. ep. 34.
• * 1.13

  S. Greg. Nyss l. de Virg. c. vlt.
• * 1.14

  M••rc••ants le••ue not tra••ling, b••c••••se some suffer ship••rack.
• * 1.15

  Matt. 18.7.
• * 1.16

  He that wondereth at 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.17

  C••ss Co••l 14. c. 16
• * 1.18

  The rare charitie of Paphnu¦tius.
• * 1.19

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.20

  S Aug Ep ••••.
• * 1.21

  Gen. 9.
• * 1.22

  Gen. 2••.10.
• * 1.23

  Mal. 1.3. Gen 28 2 R••g 15.
• * 1.24

  They are not Angels that make this obiec∣tion.
• * 1.25

  S. Ansel. Ep. 3.