A treatise of patience. Written by Father Francis Arias, of the Society of Iesus, in his second part of the Imitatio[n] of Christ our Lord. Translated into English.

THE III. CHAPTER. How Christ our Lord endured the com∣pany of the wicked, and of the ex∣ample of Patience, which he gaue vs thereby.

ONe of the thinges which good men finde most diffi∣culty to endure, in this life, is the society and conuersation of wic∣ked men, whilest they continue in their wickednes. For in regard that they abhorre sinne so much, and haue such feeling of the of∣fences, which are committed a∣gainst God, and of the losse and damnation of soules; for them to see those offences before their eyes, and to obserue their neigh∣bours to lie vnder the wrath of God, condemned and lost, accor∣ding to the state of present iu∣stice,

& yet not feeling their own misery, by reason of the great blindenes and obstinacy, wherein they are; and to see withall, that they can prouide no remedy for this so great mischiefe, nor giue any impediment to these offen∣ces against God, and to this losse of soules; they receiue, I say, her∣by intollerable paine; and carry their hearts euen trāspersed from side to side with the sword of sor∣row; and haue extreame desires to depart out of the society & con∣uersation of such sinners, and to be still remayning farr from thē. And in regard this misery hap∣pens sometimes to good men, be∣cause sometimes the wicked are such persons, as whose company they cannot leaue, because they are either sonnes, or parents, or brothers, or husband, or wife, or their gouernours, or seruaunts of

the same Lord, or subiects of the same Prelate, their paine & grief doth extreamly increase vpō this occasion. Now how vehemēt this torment is, for good men to en∣dure; and how great desire they haue, for as much as may concer∣ne themselues, to depart out of their company, Christ our Lord himself, did ōce declare in waigh∣tie wordes. Matt. 17. Marc 9. When he descēded from the Moūt Tha∣bor, he came to those troopes of people, which were expecting him, and he found his disciples much afflicted and confounded, in that men had brought one to them, who was both a possessed & a lunaticke person, whom they were not able to cure. And by oc∣casion thereof the Scribes and Pharisees, who were present, re∣proached them, as wanting ver∣tue from heauen to send deuills

out, and they affirmed that their Master did it in the power of Bel∣zebub. Saint Marke signifies thus much, by saying that Christ our Lord foūd the Scribes in debate, and argument with his disciples. And then our Lord said to them; O you incredulous and rebellious generation, how long shall I re∣maine, & conuerse amongst you, how long shall I expect you, and endure your obstinacy & malice. By these wordes did Christ our Lord declare the trouble which the wickednes and conuersation with vitious persons, who would not be conuerted and hindered the conuersion of others, did put him to, and that he felt that paine more then death it selfe. So saith Saint Chrisostome. Our Lord sig∣nified by this, that he euen desi∣red death, and that his Passion was not to be troublesom, or grie∣uous

to him; but that the thing whereof he was most sensible, and which afflicted him most, was to conuerse with rebellious sinners, who made resistance to the truth; and vpon whom he sawe, that the fruite both of his life, and death would be lost.

Now as this was an immense torment to Christ our Lord, so is it very grieuous to be endured by vertuous men. But that which they are to doe, for suffering it with that Patience which is fit, and for gathering from thence, that fruite of merits which God desi∣res, is this: To distinguish on the one side, by the vse of reason be∣tween that which is the fault of others, and the losse of soules, and the offence of God; and that on the other side, which is their owne affliction, and paine; and then to be afflicted for those sinnes, for

asmuch as they imply the offence of God, and withal to be sory for the losse, which soules receiue thereby, and to make instant prayer to God for them; and as for the paine and torment, which results thereby vpon them sel∣ues, to accept it at the hands of almighty God, and willingly, to be content to suffer it, during all that time, which God shal thinke fit not to take them out of that company, and conuersation of the wicked. By this meanes, that company of the wicked, will be a diuine Purgatory to them; which may clēse their soules both from sinnes, and the punishments due thereunto; and a way of exerci∣sing chatity and humility, and patience, which ar of so great worth and merit, and so very ac∣ceptable in the sight of God.

And to animate them to suffer

this punishment with this Pa∣tience, they are to consider those exāples of Christ our Lord, wher∣of wee haue spoken; which are, the immense and continuall tor∣mēt which he felt in behoulding all the sinnes of mankinde; and that which he felt in being car∣ryed by the diuell to Ierusalem, and to the Mount; & that which he receiued by his conuersation with the Iewes, who continued rebellious in their infidelity; and that particularly, which he re∣ceiued by keeping Iudas in his company, and in the Colledge of his Apostles. For to this end it was, that he chose that miserable creature for an Apostle; as well knowing how wicked he was to be; and for this, after he was per∣uerted, did he continue him in his owne company; and he tole∣rated him, to the end that by

this example they might serious∣lie endeauour to endure those wicked and peruerse people with Patience, whom they might chaū∣ce to haue in their neighbour∣hood, their house, their family and their society. So doth Saint Augustine aduise vs saying. Christ our Lord had one amongst his Apostles, who was wicked; and he serued himselfe well of that wickednes. First, by complying with that eternall ordination of God concerning his Passion; and secondly to giue an example to the world, of the Patience wher∣with they were to endure wicked men.

Let vs therefore animate our felues, by these exāples of Christ our God and Sauiour, to suffer with a good will, and a constant minde, whatsoeuer troubles, con∣tradictions, and crosses may grow

to vs, by our neighbours, our domesticks, and our familiar freinds. Let vs consider and pon∣der well, what Christ our Lord endured at the hands of sinners, for the loue of vs; and how he hath endured our very selues, dis∣sembling our sinnes, when we de∣serued hell for committing thē; bestowing benefits on vs, when wee committed offences against him; imparting mercies to vs, when wee did him wronges; cry∣inge out, and drawing vs to him, and conuerting vs by his grace, when we had departed from him, and were fled out of his house, and were making warre against his Law. This Patience of Christ our Lord, wherwith as God he en∣dures all sinners, & hath endured our selues; and, as man, endured those wicked people with whom he cōuerst in this world, must in∣duce

and strengthen vs much, in the way of sufferance.

Great (saith Saint Ambrose) is the Patience of God, in not instāt∣lie punishing sinners, but in suf∣fering them for sometime, till they may be conuerted. And in another place; If our Lord, our God, and Sauiour Iesus Christ, who with one single word could haue cast his enemies into the most profound pit of hell, did yet endure them with Patience, why should not miserable men, who are full of sinnes endure thē also with Patience, whē in this life they receiue paine and trouble from other men, by whose meanes they are corrected, and punished by Almighty God for their sinnes? This is the discourse of Saint Am∣brose. Let vs therefore giue this glory to God, that for his loue wee may endure all euills of pu∣nishment;

Let vs yeeld this ho∣nour a d giue this gust to Christ our Sauiour, in that, to imitate him, wee may haue occasion to suffer all the iniuries, and contra∣dictions of men. Let vs bestow this benefit vpon our owne sou∣les in wiping away our sinnes by exercising this vertue of Patience; and let vs fill it full of comforts, and merits. For, as Ecclesiasticus chap. 1. saith, the Patient man suffers onely during a time which is limi∣ted; and afterward, for his hauing suffered, Almighty God giues him true ioy, which springes frō that grace which at the present he receiues, and from that hope of glory, wherewith he is to be in∣dowed afterward.