A treatise of adhering to God; written by Albert the Great, Bishop of Ratisbon. Put into English by Sir Kenelme Digby, Kt. Also a conference with a lady about choyce of religion.

CHAP. XV. How the contempt of ones selfe may be caused in a man, and how profitable that is.

IT is most certaine that the better a man is acquainted with his owne unworthy∣nesse, and basenesse, and the deeper con∣ceit he frameth thereof; the further and the clearer he looketh into the Majesty of God; and the meaner a man appeareth in his owne eyes through the valew he putteth upon God, upon truth, and upon justice; the more worthy and pretious he is in the eyes of God. Let us therefore continually busy our thoughts upon those considerations that may beget in us a con∣tempt of our selves, and a beliefe that we are unworthy of receiving any good turne. Let us mortifie and displease our selves, and seeke to please God onely. And let us be content to be reputed (as we are) most unworthy and vile wretches.

When any tribulations, afflictions, or in∣juries do come upon us, let us not be mov∣ed at them, nor entertaine any unquiet thoughts, or indignation, or animosity against those that bring them upon us: but with meeknesse and gentlenesse of spirit, let us conclude within our selves, that we deserve all the injuries, scornes and mischiefs, with abandonments that can arrive unto us. For certainly he who is truly penitent, and whose heart is full of compunctions, abhorreth being honoured and loved by men, and is content to be hated, despised, and trodden upon, to the very last; that so he may attaine to true humility, and to a sincere, firme adhesion unto God alone, with a pure heart. Which adhesion to God onely, and loving of him onely, together with the hating of our selves, and thinking worse of ones selfe then of all creatures else, and the deeming himselfe despisable, and desiring to be de∣spised and scorned by all men else, requir∣eth no outward labour, or strength of body; but rather, the solitude and retirement of the body, whilst the heart laboureth by affections, and the mind is quiet from all worldly affaires: to the end that setting your heart upon the right object, and ban∣ishing

the distracting multiplicity of creatures out of our mind, and ritiring our senses from all conversation with mean intertainments; our soule may then raise it selfe up to a familiarity with hea∣venly and divine things, whiles our body is sequestred by solitude from earthly ones. By doeing thus, we shall change our selves after a sort into God. To attaine unto the perfection of this State, we must be alwaies upon our guard to passe no judgement or censure upon our neighbour, much lesse to contemne or despise him. And we must hartily desire to be account∣ed by all men as the drosse of the earth, and the reproach of human nature, and to be abhorred by them like dirt and noy∣somenesse, rather then to abound with any delights whatsoever, or to be honoured or advanced by men, or to enjoy any cor∣poreall satisfaction, or transitory conveni∣ency. And we must wish for no more of the advantages, or continuance of this life, then meerly what is necessary for us to bewaile and lament without intermissi∣on our transgressions and sinns, and to grow up dayly in the disestimation, con∣tempt, hatred, and annihilation of our selves in our owne eyes; that so we may

become more pleasing in Gods. And lastly we must have no regard or sollicitude for any thing in the world besides God alone, but settle all our love and affections upon him, and cleave inseparably to him, and have no object in our hearts, but our lord and saviour Jesus Christ; by whose power all things subsist, and by whose providence all things are governed. The consolations of this life are the most dan∣gerous enemies, that can be encountered with to hinder one in such a happy course. Remember then that this is not a place for you to receive delights or contentments in; but to weep and lament in from the bottome of your heart. If then your soule be so dry that you cannot weep, the very consideration of that, will afford you a∣bundant matter of teares. But if you doe weep, you will have reason to increase your lamentation, by considering that through your grievous offences and sinns, you have drawn upon your own head this dolefull cause of sorrow; which whiles it lyeth so heavy upon you, what madnesse were it in you to let your thoughts range astray after any other affaìre that you are not concerned in? The delinquent at the barre, that standeth there pleading for his

life, and feareth the sentence of condem∣nation, from a severe judge, little regard∣eth what is done abroad in the market place, or how the sheriffe marshalleth and disposeth his guards for the security of the prisoners. So he that hath considered rightly the condition that his soule is in; and upon that consideration entertaineth such a deep sorrow as belongeth to him; will have no relish of any of the delights of this world, nor will his heart afford any roome for anger, vain-glory, indigna∣tion, or any other passion whatsoever to harbour in it. And if at any time you chance to cast your eyes upon the con∣tented and cheerfull state of other happy persons, that swimme in the delights of pure love, which banisheth all sorrow; do not presently flatter your selfe that it be∣longeth also to you, who are composed of like parts as they, to have a mansion a∣mong them. For as there are prisons and dungeons for malefactors, whiles the well disposed citizens live at ease in their owne houses; so there are different exercises and formes of living for those whose past sinns oblige them to penance and mourning, & for those that have preserved themselves with greater purity and innocence. Other∣wise,

these latter would have no advantage of the former; and injustice would have more freedome then innocence. We may then conclude, that we must abandon all creatures; wee must despise them all; and wee must repudiate and fly from all the delights of this world; that so with entire faith, wee may lay a solid foundation of repentance and mourning. And if once we attaine to love Jesus Christ in truth, and to sigh after him from the bottome of our hearts, and to beare him continually there, & to conform all our actions to the example hee hath given us; and to have a real griefe for our sinns, and to have a lively apprehension of the next world, & to have the considerati∣on of the last judgement, and of the eter∣nall torments of hell, all waies before our eyes; and to be continually apprehensive and sollicitous of the state we shall be in when we leave this world; we shall then most assuredly be delivered from all af∣fections to created things, and be concern∣ed with nothing that is of a fleeting and transitory nature: and we shall arrive to such an impassibillity, as not onely to be contented with pressures and encroach∣ments upon us, and with injuries done us;

but even to be afflicted, and so think that day lost wherein we receive not some scorne, or malediction, or ill intreatment for Gods sake. The perfection of which impassibillity consisteth, in being free from all vices and passions, and in having a pure and cleane heart; and in having our soule adorned and replenished with ver∣tues. Which to attaine unto, it will much availe us, to beleive our selves already out of the world; and since we are sure that one day we must necessarily dye; let us make account we are already dead. But because through the frailty of our nature, and the cunning and malice of our enemy (who endeavoreth to slide into our best actions, and so corrupt them) these inferi∣our and abstracted exercises may be lyable to miscarriage, as all humane actions are, let this bee the touchstone to try all our thoughts, words, and deeds by; whether they be according to God or no: namely, whether we become more humble, more disaffected with the world, more recol∣lected within our selves, and more atten∣tive and strong in the pursuite of God. For if we should find it otherwise with us, we might with reason suspect that what we did, were not according to God;

nor pleasing to him, nor profitable to our selves.