Divine considerations treating of those things which are most profitable, most necessary and most perfect in our Christian profession by John Valdesso.

CONSID. XCII.

In what manner Mortification is the proper signe, by which we know our selves the Sonnes of God.

HAving oft-times said, that the proper signe, whereby a man may know himself to be the Sonne of God, being dead on the Crosse with Christ, and being risen with Christ, is morti∣fication, by means whereof he hates the world, and himself: And understanding that the Devil being crafty & subtill, might from hence take oc∣casion to disquiet the Sonnes of God, giving them to understand that they are not such, since they do not know in themselves so much hatred of the world, and of themselves, that they have not oft-times pleasure to content the world, & to sa∣tisfie themselves; I come to declare my self in this manner; I understanding by experience, that sud∣denly when a man is called by God to the grace of the Gospel, & enters into it, & is incorporated in Christ, and is therefore dead with Christ, and

risen with Christ, he feels, and finds himself inwardly much changed in his designes, and purposes; in such manner that he hates that which he loved before, and loves that which he hated before: I am of this opinion, that Mor∣tification, and the hatred of the world, and of himself. is the proper signe, whereby a Christi∣an knows himself to be the sonne of God, and therefore the heir of eternall life. But I do not understand, that this mortification, nor this ha∣tred are at an instant, or at one throw perfect and entire in the mind, and in the body of a man, who becomes the Sonne of God by ac∣ceptation of the Gospel, and by incorporation in Christ: Nor that they are perfect and en∣tire, no not in the mind: But I understand, that the incorporation in Christ works this ef∣fect in a man who accepts the grace of the Go∣spel. For as before he accepted it, he delighted himself, and rejoyced with his mind, and with his body, in the honours, and in the dignities of the world, seeking them and procuring them, and keeping his intent principally on them, neither tasting, nor rejoycing in the principall and divine things, nor having any intent unto them, and therefore neither seeking, nor procu∣ring them; so after that he hath accepted it, he hates in his mind that which he formerly pro∣cured and sought, and loves that which before he despised and fled; changing altogether his intent.

And albeit his body repugnes and contradicts, being not as yet altogether mortified, it sufficeth that his mind stands changed as much as con∣cerns the intent conformable to his knowledge. That which I say of men and dignities of the world, I say also of the delights and plea∣sures of the world, understanding, that as the man that accepts the grace of the Gospel, be∣fore he do accept it, is intent to seek and pro∣cure his pleasures and his contents, delighting his sensuality, and would if it were possible have as many other corporall senses for to content, and satisfie himself sensually in the use of the creatures; and is grieved, and resents himself, when any of his corporall senses fail him, or are in any kind marred; so after he hath acce∣pted the grace, he doth not onely not attend to that which he formerly attended, but on the contrary he is altogether intent to deprive him∣self of all that which may give content and sa∣tisfaction to his sensuality, and is grieved that he is necessitated to satisfie it in any thing, for the sustentation of his life; and therefore would be content (if it so pleased God) to be deprived of his senses, and rejoyceth when he finds him∣self deprived of any of them, or finds himself with any defect in any of them. All this I say in some degree a man begins to feel in himself suddenly after he accepts the grace of the Go∣spel, becoming the sonne of God. And I say

further, that as a man goes on growing in the incorporation in Christ, so he goes growing in his mortification, and in his hatred, in quality and in quantity; in quality, hating every day more that which he hath begun to hate, because he knew it estranged from Christ, and unwor∣thy of a Christian person incorporated in Christ; hating it likewise with his body aswell as with his mind, outwardly and inwardly, as are the things which in themselves are foule and unclean, (which things also men will hate, who with naturall light pretend to be just, and holy) and in quantity, hating much more those things which he hath begun to hate. For he begins the spirituall light being more clear in him, to go on to know more distinctly the things which appertains to a Christian man, and those things which do not appertain to him, he goes on ha∣ting them more and more; first hating them with his mind, and reducing himself by little and little to hate them also with his body, and labouring that his hatred as well of the mind, as of the body, may go on increasing in him. And this is properly the exercise of a Christian man, for the whole time of his life.

From all this discourse this may well be ga∣thered, that the signe whereby I know that I am the son of God, and that I am dead on the crosse with Christ, is not the totall mortification, nor the totall hatred of the world and of my self,

with my mind and with my body in all things; but the beginning of this mortification, and of these hatings, and that in some principall things, especially when it is come without being pro∣cured or sought with humane industry; and when it continues in the mind, albeit the flesh, and the sensuality will seek and procure the con∣trary; yea and albeit in that which is offered to it, it rejoyceth, and delighteth it self; the mind standing free from that rejoycing, and from that delight, feeling displeasure and trouble in those things, of which it is forced through the frailty of the flesh, to take more then is sufficient to supply its corporall necessities; in such manner as the body receives those things, and not the mind, a man feeling together with the satisfacti∣on of his body, affliction of the mind. And in this, that is, for a man not to take more of the creatures then that which sufficeth to serve to his corporall necessities, I understand consisteth that hatred, which Christ will, that they who would be his members, should bear to their pro∣per life. And I understand that S. Paul stan∣ding in this combate of his mind, would not that his body should take more of the created things, then that which sufficeth to maintain him alive; and his body would take more of them to satisfie and delight its sensuality: he felt that which he wrote to the Romanes, chap. 7. And since that went so with Saint Paul, which

hee himself in that place saith and confesseth, no Christian is to esteem himself an alien from Christ, nor from the Christian Sonneship, be∣cause he feels a livelinesse in his flesh, and be∣cause he feels not in every thing and altogether, the hatred of the world and of himself, which it behooves him to have, that he may be perfect; but feeling part of this mortification, and of these hatreds, as hath been said, he hath good cause to hold himself for the Son of God in∣corporated in Christ, and dead on the Crosse with Christ, and to attend in such manner to mortification, that it may so much grow, that he may become like to Jesus Christ our Lord, who as S. Paul saith, pleased not himself: to him be glory for ever, Amen.