The mirrour of religious perfection deuided into foure bookes. Written in Italian by the R. F. Lucas Pinelli, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by a Father of the same Society.

How it is conuenient, that a Religious man be studious of Obedience.

CHAP. XXIIII.

SONNE, if thou be resolued with thy else to imitate me, necessary it is, that thou haue an earnest desire to imbrace the vertue of Obedience, and make thy selfe fit for the performing of perfect obedience. Remember that I assumed, & tooke vpon me the forme of a seruant, that I might sub∣iect my selfe to men, and obey them for thy soules good. Neither did I propose alone, and openly professe, that I was come not to do myne owne will, but the will of my Father who sent me; but I began also very tymely to obey the precepts of his law, whereunto I was not yet bound, neither might I be drawn from the obseruation of thē either by shame or confusion, or for any daunger of life. And as my disciple and E∣uangelist

Iohn wrote, I called Obedience, my Meate. And not without cause, sith there was not any thing in this life, where∣in I tooke so great a pleasure, as in doing of my heauenly Fathers will, in so much as whatsoeuer hapned bitter or sower, became to me sweet thereby. For this cause the Chalice of my passion, which was to my humanity most bitter, was most readily ac∣cepted of my spirit, as a most sweet cup, because it was offered me with the band of Obedience by my Father. What Religious man then can with reason refuse obedience which was meate to me? It is an ill signe when the Lords & Maisters meate cannot content the seruant.

2. But what can it be, Sonne, that plea∣seth thee not in Obedience? It is, because thou seest thy selfe in subiection to a man? or that thou art ashamed to be commaun∣ded by another? I am the Lord of this vni∣uerse, I am the wisedome of my heauenly father, and yet was I in subiection to men; neither that, by the way alone, or for a few tymes, but euen from the tyme of my com∣ming into the world, vntill my most i∣gnominious death vpon the Crosse. Nei∣ther obayed I the good and iust alone, as my Mother, and Ioseph my fosterfather, but the

vniust and wicked Iudges also, as Annas, Caiphas, Herode, and Pilate, who though they knew me to be vniustly accused, nor that any thing of that which they wicked∣ly obiected, could be proued against me, did neuerthelesse condemne me to be crowned with thornes, to be whipped, and to the Crosse it selfe; all which I tolerated with patience, without making of any appeale, or vsing any Apology for my selfe: & more then that without speaking any word at al. I also obeyed their peruerse seruants, who did without cause buffet me, spit vpon my face, and most ignominiously dragged me vp and downe through the publike streets. And of all this I complayned not, & though I might haue reuenged my selfe, and might most iustly haue punished thē for the most extreme iniury that was done vnto me, yet I did forbeare, and did readily do all that they commaunded me. Tell me now, whe∣ther it be yet any hard and painefull mat∣ter for thee to obey? Thou art not for Obe∣dience bound fast to a piller, & there whipt as I was. Thou standest not with thy hands bound at thy backe, and with a rope put a∣bout thy necke, drawne and haled through the streets of the Citty, as I did, and was.

3. Can it be possible, that thou shouldst

be ashamed to obey in good things, that re∣dound to thy glory and merit, when as thy Lord obeyed in ill things, that made to his reproach, torments, and ignominy? Reason now, and consider with thy selfe, whether it be more conuenient promptly to obey the commaund•• of Superiours, or to refuse, if any thing be commaunded little pleasing thyne owne appetite. And though it be an easy matter to do, yet the enemy will cause it to seeme hard and paynefull, that thou mayst either not obey at all, or that thou loose the merit of Obedience. Thy parents Adam and Eue may be produced for an ex∣ample, to whom when as God had giuen a cōmaundmēt to abstaine from the fruit but of one tree only in paradise, which was not any sore or hard commaundment, sith there were many other fruite-bearing trees in place, the crafty enemy of mākind wrought so in their minds, as it might seeme an ouer hard commaundement, and thereby the more easily draw them to transgresse it. It ought not to seeme hard vnto the seruant to go on that way, which his Lord & Mai∣ster went before him with much more dif∣ficulty and daunger: and though the way should be dangerous, so it be not impossible to passe, yet meet it is, that he go through.

4. Sonne, as long as the bird is loose, and vpon her winges in the fields, she doth what she list, but when she is caught, and put in a cage, she doth as it pleaseth the ow∣ner. When thou wert in the world, thou liuedst, as thou listedst, thou didst eate at pleasure, thou didst whatsoeuer pleased thee, because thou wert thyne owne supe∣riour, which was then conuenient for thee, sith in the world all make profession to do and gouerne themselues as they please, and after their owne manner. But when thou renouncedst the world, thou didst choose to thy selfe another Superiour, who might supply my place, and thou madest professiō of directing thy life, not after thyne owne will and iudgment, but after anothers. He therefore, who beeing in religion continu∣eth to liue after his owne manner, as he did in the world, declareth that he is not yet gone out of the world to religion, or shew∣eth himselfe to be a Religious man indeed in outward habit, who inwardly is a man of the world, or rather neither the one nor the other. Where Obedience is not, there neither Religion can vse it owne name, be∣cause they cannot long continue subiects, sith they be not conioyned with the head.

5. The chiefest bulwarke and defence

of a Citty, is the concord, and vnion of the cittizens: so the vnion and coniunction of the subiects with the Superiour their head, which obedience causeth, is the safety of religion. Where Obedience is, there is con∣sent, and consent conserueth and strength∣neth euery congregation, though there be many in it. My Apostles were in number few, abiect, and contemptible in sight of the world, yet did they great matters, because they were concordant, and so obse∣quious to me their Superiour, as that they might not forgoe their Obedience, they chose to loose their liues. Therfore he that neglecteth to obey euen in small matters, knoweth not the worth of obiedience, as the Apostles, and their Maister did, who were more ready to loose life, then to leaue Obedienc••.

6. In the warfare of the world, the Obedience of the souldiers towards their Generalls and Captaynes is so strict, and so straitely obserued, as they be hanged for the very least disobedience; and yet those that serue in the wars, make no Vow of Obediēce at al, but only promise vpon their oath to fight against the enemy, and to de∣fend, and maintayne the Citty, or strong hold against him. If then the temporall

warrefare requireth so exact Obedience, neither permitteth any the least disobedi∣ence in tryfling matters to passe vnpuni∣shed; how great, vpon iust cause, should the spirituall and Religious warfare exact, whereinto none is admitted, vnles he bind himselfe vnto Obedience by a sollemne Vow? And how may any disobedience be tolerated in it, sith it is so proper in this warfare to obey the Superiors, as if obedi∣ence be wanting, the spirituall warrefare must needs come to decay.

7. There be some who indeed refuse not a Superiour, but they would not haue any thing commaunded them by him, es∣pecially if it be hard, and troublesome. This is not the desire of a good, and true Religi∣ous man, labouring to perfection; but only to be willing to seeme Religious in name, and not indeed, and to wish that the Supe∣riour were a Statua or Image, & not a liuing man. Others would haue a Superiour in∣dustrious and diligent in procuring neces∣saryes, appertayning to meate, drinke, cloa∣thing, and like commodityes, and in all euents to take a special care in patronizing defending, and helping them: but they wis•• him not to be so vigilant in obseruation o•• Religious discipline, which dependeth o••

Obedience. And this desire is much worse then the former: for to wish this, is nothing els then to haue a will and desire, tha•• the Superiour make his subiects, not good Re∣ligious, but idle and slouthfull, who may haue care of their bodyes, and neglect to di∣rect their soules in the way of spirit; who may be a good companion, and a bad Supe∣riour. The subiect who hath a desire, that his Superiour should not performe the office of a good Superiour, doth manifestly de∣clare, that he carryeth himselfe not for a good subiect vnder him.