A memoriall of a Christian life Wherin are treated al such things, as appertaine vnto a Christian to do from the beginning of his co[n]uersion, vntil the end of his perfection. Deuided into seauen treatises: the particulars whereof are noted in the page following. Written first in the Spanish tongue, by the famous religious father, F. Lewis de Granada, Prouinciall of the holy order of preachers, in the prouince of Portugall.

How a man ought to behaue him felfe, to∣wardes God, towardes him selfe, and towardes hts neighbours. THE III. CHAPTER.

HAVING now spoken of the vertues in general, we will adioyne an other Chapter wherin we mind to treat of them

more particularly, applying all that hath beene saied hitherto, vnto the three principall bounden duties, wherunto eue∣rie Christian is bound: which be, his du∣tie towardes God, towardes himselfe, & towards his neighbour. The which duties are those three partes of iustice, wherein the Prophet Micheas did include the sum of al vertues, when he saied. I will declare vnto thee, O man, wherein goodnes consisteth, and what our Lord requireth of thee, to wit, to doe iudgement, to loue mercie, and to walke carefully with thy God. Of the which things, the first, to wit to doe iudgement, is towards him selfe: the second which is, to loue mercie, is to∣wardes our neighbour: the third, which is, to walke carefullie with God, appertei∣neth vnto the Seruice, Honour, and reuerence of God.

§. 1.

TO beginne then with the greatest of these bounden duties, it is dili∣gently to be noted, that, like as among precious stones, there are some, which euen of their owne nature, and kinde, are more excellent than others, as the ru∣bies, diamondes, emeralds, and such other: euen so, among vertues, there are some,

which of their own nature and kinde doe incomparably excede all others. And these be such vertues, as haue their eye and regard vnto God, and be therefore called Theologicall vertues: vnto the which we maie also adioyne the feare, and reuerence of God: and withall Religion: whose office consisteth in the honouring of GOD, with all that belongeth vnto the seruice, & worshippe of God. These are the most principall among al vertues: and not onlie the most principall, but also the stirrers, & prouokers of them. For which cause they be compared with the other vertues, as the heauens with all the other inferiour creatures, which doe depend of their mo∣uing. Wherefore he that desireth to at∣teine vnto the perfection of a Christiā life, although he be bound to trauaile vniuer∣sally in all vertues, (for like as it is meete, that al the stringes of a lute be first accor∣ded and tuned, before it be plaied vppon: euen so is it likewise requisit to haue al the vertues for the better ordering, and fram∣ing of a good life) yet ought he especially to labor to increase, & profit in these fore∣saied vertues. For the more he shall profit in them, the greater shall his perfection be. And for this cause I beleeue, that many of

those holy Patriarkes were so notable in vertue, as Dauid, Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, & such like: forsomuch as, although they were maried and rich men, and had great affaires, and dutifull cares, for theyr pro∣uisions to attend vnto, yet all that not∣withstanding they were most holy men, because they had these most excellent vertues: as it appeared in the Faith, and Obedience of Abraham, and in the loue, submission, deuotion, and confidence, which Dauid had in almighty God, in that he had such recourse vnto him in all hys necessities, and did put such trust in him, as a childe doth in his father, yea, & much more, saying: My father and my mother, haue forsaken me: hut our Lord is carefull for me.

Now to obtaine these so noble ver∣tues, there is none other meane more conuenient for our purpose, than to per∣swade our selues, and to fixe in our minds with all the hope, that is possible, that Al∣mighty God is our true father, and more than a father: forsomuch as neyther in the hart of a father, nor in the prouidence of a father, neyther yet in the loue of a fa∣ther, there is any comparable vnto him: for none hath created vs, but he: none de∣sireth more our profit than hee. This be∣ing

once settled in our harts, let vs endeuour alwaies to behold him with such eyes, and with such a hart, as a childe doth his Fa∣ther: that is, with a louing hart, with a ten∣der hart, with an humble & reuerent hart, with a hart subiect, and obedient to hys holy will, & with a hart full of confidence in all troubles and aduersities, and couch∣ed vnder the winges of his fatherly proui∣dence.

With such eyes and hart ought a man to behold Almighty God, as oftentimes, as he shall call him to minde. The which he ought to doe, as often in the day, and night as he may: to the end, that so he may proceede forward by little and little vvith the help and fauour of God, in procuring, and nourishing this manner of hart in hys soule: according as that holy Prophet did, who sayed. Thy name O Lord, and the remembrance thereof, is all the desire of my soule. My soule desireth thee in the night, and in the morning with my spirit, and vvith my bowels I will watch vnto thee.

This kind of affection and hart towards Almighty God cannot be expressed with wordes, nor obtained with our forces one∣ly, and therefore he only knoweth it, that

hath proued, and tasted it, and hee onely possesseth it, that hath receaued it: where∣fore a man ought continually to desire of God this hart towardes him And hee ought to haue a good hope, that hee shall obtaine it, putting his trust in the Prince∣ly words of that Lord, that sayeth: If you being naught doe yet know, how to giue good gifts vnto your Children: how much more will your Father which is in heauen, giue a good spirit vnto them that shal aske him. And this is that spirit, of the vvhich the Apostle sayeth: ye haue not receaued againe the spirit of seruitude in feare: but yee haue receaued the spirit of adoption of the sons of God, the which spirit causeth vs to cry vnto Almighty God with all our hart, and to call him vvith open mouth Abba, Father: which is, to haue towardes him this most perfect hart of Sonnes to∣wards their Father, by louing him, reue∣rencing him, obeying him, and by hauing a recourse vnto him in all our necessities, and reposing our trust in him, as in our true father This hart our Lord promiseth vs by the Prophet Ezechiel, saying: I will giue you a new hart, and will put a new spirit in the middest of you, and will take away from you your stony hart, and will giue you a fleshie hart, &

will put my spirit in the middest among you, and will prouide, that ye shall walke in my Commaun∣dementes, and keepe my iudgmentes, and put them in practise. And not only this Prophet, but all the other Prophets also with one voice doe promise no one thing more often, thā this spirit of sonnes: which should be giuen vnto vs, through the merites of that onlie Sonne of Almightie God. And this spirit he gaue vnto vs especially vpō the daie of Pentecost.

And to speake more particularly, the blessed Holy Father S. Vincentius saieth thus. A man ought to haue seauen sorts of affections, and vertues in his hart towards God: to wit, a most feruent loue, a verie great feare, an humble reuerence, a most constāt zeale, a giuing of thanks, a mouth full of praises, a ready obedience, & a taste of diuine sweetnes. To obtaine these ver∣tues he must alwaies make his continuall prayers vnto almighty God, saying.

O good Iesu, graunt that I may with all my bowels and hart, & with all my strength, most f r∣vently loue thee, & that I may chiefly feare & reuerence thee, and that I may procure, and be zealous of the glory of thy holie name, in such wise, that whatsoeuer iniury bee done vnto thee,

may burne & rent my hart. Graunt me also, that I may humbly acknowledge all thy benefites, and that I may with great thankefulnes of mind ren∣der vnto thee alwaies thankes for them. Graunt likewise, that I may praise thee euermore both day, and night, saying from the bottome of my hart with the Prophet. I wil praise our Lord at al times and his praises shall alwaies be in my mouth. Graunt me also grace, that I obeying thee perfect∣ly in all thinges, may enioy thy vnspeakeable sweetnes, and delight, that thereby I may in∣crease more and more in thy loue, and in obseruing & keeping of thy holy Commaundementes.

§. 2.

HE ought also to haue towardes him∣selfe (saieth the same Holy Father) seuen other affections, and vertues. A∣mong which the first must be, that he bee confounded and ashamed for the sinnes, which he hath committed. The second, that he doe bewayle his sinnes, and bee grieued at the very hart, for that by them he hath so greatly offended Al∣mightie GOD, and hurte his owne [ 3] soule. The third that in this respect hee haue a desire to be despised, neglected, and shunned of all men, as vnworthie of all honour and fauour of men. The

fourth, that he labour to make leane, and [ 4] chastice his body with all seuerity and ri∣gour, as one that hath bin the prouoker & mouer of all those sins, and as a most filthy & abhominable sinke. The fift, that hee [ 5] doe conceaue an irreconciliable anger & hatred against all his vices, and against all the inclinations, and rootes of the same, labouring alwaies to cut off, not onlie the bowes, but euen the very roots also of thē. The sixt, that he be alwaies very vigilant [ 6] and attent, to gouerne and direct all his workes, and wordes, and all the senses, and passions of his soule, that nothing do with∣draw him from the iustice & law o•• God. The seauenth, that he haue a most perfect [ 7] modesty and discretion in keeping, and obseruing a temperance, and measure: which is requisite in all thinges, but espe∣cially to discerne betweene little & much, and betweene lesse and more: to the end, that there be nothing in him either super∣fluous, o•• too little, and that hee neyther exceede in superfluity, nor yet haue anie want of things that be necessary.

§. 3.

HEE ought also to haue (as the same Saint saieth afterwardes) seauen o∣ther

speciall affections and vertues to∣wardes his neighbour. First, hee ought to haue an inward harty compassion of other mens miseries, wherewith he ought to be grieued, as if they were his owne. Second∣ly, he ought to haue a charitable gladnes wherewith he must reioyce at the prospe∣rity, and felicity of others, as he would doe [ 3] in case it were his owne. Thirdly, he ought to haue a quiet, and setled patience, wil∣lingly contenting himself to suffer all vex∣ations, troubles and iniuries, that shall be done vnto him, and ready to forgiue them [ 4] with all his hart. Fourthly, hee ought to haue a gentle benigne behauiour and af∣fability towards all men, vsing himselfe in conuersation among them with all curte∣sie, mildenesse, and gentlenesse, & wish∣ing them all vvell, and making demon∣stration thereof after this sort in all hys [ 5] wordes, and deedes. Fiftly, hee ought to haue an humble reuerence towardes all men, accounting them for hys betters, & submitting himselfe vvith all hys hart vn∣to all men, as if they were hys very Lords [ 6] and Maisters. Sixtly, he must haue a per∣fect agreement, and concorde vvith all men, to the end, that (so much as in him lieth, and so farre foorth, as it shall please

God to graunt him,) hee may say one selfe same thing, and agree in opinion with all men, and be perswaded, that all men are euen himselfe, and that hee is all men, and so account the contentation, & desire of all others for his own. Seauenth∣ly, [ 7] following the example of our Sauiour Christ, hee ought to haue a ready minde to offer himselfe for all men: that is, hee ought to be prepared to bestow his life for the saluation of all men, and to praie both day and night vnto Almighty God for them, and to endeuour, that they all may be one in Christ, and Christ in them. Howbeit, let him not therefore thinke, that vve binde him here not to auoide the company of naughty persons: but rather let him vnderstand, that when there be a∣ny such, whose company might be occa∣sion vnto him of sinne, or any hinderance of his spirituall exercises, or diminishing of the feruour of Charity, he ought to se∣perate himselfe from all such companie, as from Serpentes: for there is no cole so glowing hoate, but that being cast into the vvater vvill be quenched: neyther yet so quenched, but that being cast a∣gaine among many other burning coales it may be set on fire: but setting this oc∣casion

aside, the seruant of God ought to be simple in his conuersation with hys neighbours, and eyther to winke at theyr defects, or els, if he must needes see them, then to beare them with patience, or to admonish them charitably, when there is hope of redresse thereby.

But because the roote and foundation of all thes•• vertues, is Charity, and Mercy towards our neighbours. This is the ver∣tue, wherein he that desireth to please al∣mighty God, ought most to leane vnto, and to exercise himselfe: forsomuch as Charity, and mercy towardes our neigh∣bours is that vertue, which he commend∣eth most earnestly vnto vs in all the Holy Scrip••ures: for in the seauenth Chapter of the Prophet Zachary, when the Iewes de∣maunded of almighty God, whether they should fast vpon such, and such dayes, to please him, and to fulfill his law. Our Lord answered and declared vnto them, vvith what kinde of workes they should please him, saying: H••ue yee an eye vnto true Iustice, and mercy, and be yee mercifull euery one of you with his brother. Offend not the widow, orphane, straunger, and poore man. Let no man thinke any euill in hys hart towardes his brother. And doing

thus ye shall please me, and fulfill my lawe. This matter is in this place verie much commended. But our Lord doth much more extoll it by his prophet Esay, where he saieth. This is my consolation, that ye comfort & refresh the afflicted. For this see∣meth to be the chiefest commendation, that might be giuen to this matter, consi∣dering that our Lord accounteth himselfe in the place of the poore, and taketh that for his owne refreshing, and consolation, which is giuen for his sake to the wearied, and afflicted.

But aboue al this, I meruaile very much at that, which I read in the sixtenth chap∣ter of Ezechiel: where our Lord rehersing the sinnes, for which that infamous Citie of Sodoma fell into such extremitie of great miseries, abbridgeth them vnto fiue sins, saying. This was the iniquity of thy sister Sodo∣ma, pride, satietie of bread, aboundance, Idlenes, & that they would not stretch out their handes to succour the poore and needie persons. Now what greater infamy wouldest thou heare of this vice of vnmercifulnesse towardes our neighbours, than to haue Almightie God to place it for the verie last steppe of the ladder, whereby those wretch∣ed men ascended vpp to the extremitie

of so great miseries? In what case now are they that do heape vp duckets, vpon duc∣kets, & angels vpō angels, & pounds vpon pounds, and yet all this notwithstanding doe account themselues secure, hauing for theyr companions in this theyr vice the vvicked inhabitantes of Sodoma? These things & other the like doe the Prophets tell vs. But as touching the Gospell, which is the law of loue, what doth it say? What might be saide more in the fauour of this vertue, of being mercifull towardes our neighbours, than for our Lord to lay all the reason, & foundation of his final Sen∣tence at the last day of Iudgement vpon this very point: to wit, whether they haue exercised the works of mercy or no? What might be saied more than that, which followeth afterwards in the same text: to wit, that, which ye did to one of these my least brethren, yee did it to me? What might be said more, than to put in these two Commandements on∣ly, of the loue of God, and of our neigh∣bour, the summe of the law, & of the Pro∣phets? Againe, in that last Sermon of hys Supper, vvhat other thing commended our Lord more vnto vs, than the Charity & beneuolence towards our neighbours? This is (saith he) my Commaundement, that yee

loue one another, as I haue loued you. And in an∣other place: In this (saith hee) shall all men know, that ye are my Disciples, if yee loue one an∣other. And as though it had not bin enough to recommend this point vnto them in such vehement manner, he maketh forth∣with a prayer to his Father for the obser∣uation of this law, saying. I beseech thee O Father, that they may be one, as thou, and I be one: to the end, that the vvorlde may know, that thou haste sent mee. By which wordes our Sauiour giueth vs to vnderstand, that the Charity, and loue a∣mong Christians ought to be so great, and so farre exceeding all that, which may be looked for of flesh and blood, that it may serue for an argument euen to conuince the vnderstandings of men, and to cause them to beleeue, that it is not possible, but that they must needes be Heauenly men, among whom such charitable loue is. All this is to declare vnto vs, how great the Charity and Mercy should be, vvhich we are bound to vse towardes our neigh∣bours: and how we should releeue & suc∣cour them in theyr necessities, according as we haue declared before, when we trea∣ted of Charity.

For the better obseruation of all these

thinges aboue mentioned, it is necessarie for a man to haue alwaies his hart carefull, and attent, with a continuall feare and di∣ligence, that he faile not in any one point of this, that hath bin sayed. The which feare ought to be so earnest, so profound, and so continuall, that it neuer suffer a mā to forgett, what hee ought to doe: but i•• ought to be a perpetuall stirrer, & prouo∣ker vnto him, to put him euer in mind, for the exercise of all vertues. This careful∣nes, and continuall thought, ought a man to haue alwaies with him in the middest of all his affaires: which is that third part, which the Prophet commended vnto vs, when hee required vs to walke carefullie with God.

These be then, my good Christian bro∣ther, the principall vertues of this heauē∣ly life. These are the flowers of this Para∣dise, these are the starres of this Heauen, and these are that image, which we sayed to be reformed, and renued after the like∣nes of Christ: for the life of a Christian ought to be such, that it may be an exam∣ple of holines, a silent Preacher, a light of the world, an argument and testimony of Faith, & a glasse wherein the glory of Al∣mighty God shineth much brighter, than

in other creatures: as the Prophet Esaie signified, when he saied. The mighty and iust shalbe called plants, which Almighty God hath planted to be glorified in them.

Notes

• Micheas. 6.8.
• Theological vertues
• Psa. 26.10
• Esay. 26.8.9.
• Mat. 7.11.
• Rom. 8.15.
• Ezech. 36.26.27.
• Acts. 1.4.
• Saint Vin∣centius.
• Seauē sortes of affecti∣ons towards God.
• A Praier.
• Psal. 33.1.
• Seuen aff∣ections, which a mā ought to haue to∣wardes him selfe.
• Seauen af∣fecti ns. which a mā ought to haue to∣wards his ne••ghbour.
• When com∣pany is to be auoyded.
• Charity is the roote of all vertues.
• Iohn. 13.34 35. 1. Iohn. 3.16.17.18. 1. Iohn. 4. 1. Iobn. 4.12.20.21.
• Zach. 7.9.
• Esai. 28.12.
• Ezech. 16.49.
• The sinnes of Sodoma.
• Let rich mē note well this point.
• Math. 25.35.36.40.41.42.43.44.45. Mat. 25.40
• M••t. 22.40 Marke. 12.31.32.33.
• Iohn. 15.12
• Iohn. 13.35
• Iohn. 17.21
• What singu∣lar Charitie and loue ought to be among Chri¦stians.
• Micheas. 6.8.
• What the life of a Christian ought to be. Esa••. 61.3. Et vocabū∣tur in ea for¦tes iustitiae, plantatio Domini ad glorifican∣dum.