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ANd thou O religious Man! (in naming thee I mean all those of thy profession) whom I have chosen amongst all nations to be a peculiar People to my self, to adhere unto me alone in all sincerity, to love me with all thy heart, and to serve me with all the pu∣rity, perfection, and fervour imaginable. Wilt thou also be of the number of those un∣grateful Christians that combine with the World to persecute me? hast thou not de∣clar'd
thy self a mortal Enemy to it as well by thy Solemn vows, as by thy Baptismal protestation? The three fatal Armies the World brings into the field to fight poor Souls, and worst them too (if they can) are the concupiscence of the Flesh, concupiscence of the Eyes, and Pride of Life; to these three thou hast declar'd thy self an implacable E∣nemy; by thy vow of Chastity thou hast depress'd, or at least hast sworn to destroy the concupiscence of the flesh; by thy vow of Poverty thou hast utterly renounc'd the concupiscence of the Eyes, and by thy vow of Obedience thou hast made thy self an abso∣lute stranger, and a profess'd Enemy to the Pride of Life; And besides, thou hast so∣lemnly in the presence of God and his An∣gels protested to renounce all proper love, as the only ofspring, and fatal source of all manner of vice. I call proper love that where∣by a rational creature loves himself in him∣self, and another for his own advantage, ho∣nour, and pleasure, without any reference to God, or his last end. This is a monstrous crime, and a Soul-killing sin: but the only way to destroy it, is to love thy self, and all things whatsoever, purely in God, and for God alone; and to love God sincerely for himself more then all; by so doing thou shalt reign with God in his eternal felicity. But if thou dost really aim at so glorious a
conquest of thy self, thou must make use of the means to attain it, which are poverty, fruga∣lity, mortification, pennance, Fasting, and humiliation, thou must joyfully suffer derisi∣on, injurys, tribulation, persecution, Adver∣sity, Infirmitys, Subjection, and all things that are able to debase, and depress thy old deprav'd man. This is the only way to con∣form thy self to me, who have suffer'd all that's here rehears'd, & more too for thy love; this is the way also to destroy thy proper love, and to become a proficient in all sorts of virtue, in humility, patience, meekness, sobriety, and Chastity, in the love of God, and that of thy Neighbour, in pennance, in∣teriour peace, and in all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost. In fine, there's nothing contributes more to the utter destruction of that curs'd and proper love, then the conti∣nual mortification of thy sinful appetite and passions, and the powerful hatred of thy self; for he that hates his life in this World, shall keep it to life Eternal. The perfect ab∣negation of thy self together with the lively and cruciform imitation of me, is a most ex∣quisit and powerful means to expel it entire∣ly from thy heart. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily, and follow me, for the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. If thou wilt but learn to love
thy self thus in God, thou wilt be truly learn'd and wise; but Alas! the folly and perverseness of men is so great that they will not study this holy science, they neglect this heavenly lesson, and trifle away their time in riding, or discoursing of terrene, sordid, and impertinent matters contrary to this good advice of the Wife, think always of those things which God has commanded thee.
O Religious Man! hadst thou imploy'd thy time faithfully in the serious considerati∣on of thy incumbent duty to God, and of thy main obligation to quit thy self intirely of that private and proper love, which prevents thy increase in virtue, and which is also the fatal fource of all disasters and crosses inci∣dent to thee in this World, thou wouldst cer∣tainly enjoy plenty of ease and comfort in thy own mind; and thy Soul would swim in the pleasant waters of my Grace; thou wouldst also secure thy self from the eternal torments of Hell, and purchase a most glori∣ous Crown in Heaven. Moreover thou must know that a Religious life, is a state of per∣fection, and not to go forward therein is to go backward, which is the utter perdition of thy Soul; nay, the Holy Fathers are of opinion that it is the highway to sempiter∣nal damnation. Now lay thy hand to thy breast, and examine what progress thou hast made in this School of virtue; if after so ma∣ny
years in Religion, thou dost find thy self as prone to Pride, to Vanity, to Anger, to impatience, to foolish and idle words. &c. as thou wert before thy entring into it, where's thy glory? where's the fruit of all thy labours? where's the faithful perfor∣mance of thy Vows? Does not iniquity bely it self, thinking thou art a Religious man, when indeed thou art none at all; thou only hast the name of one. Thou appearest to be living, but really thou art dead; Thy heart is divided, and the World has the greater share thereof; but what will follow? thou shalt undoubtedly perish, unless thou dost a∣mend thy life. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot, but because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth: And because thou sayst, I am rich, and increas'd with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, poor, and blind, and naked. Such men do commonly think themselves to be upon very good terms with God, and therfore are cock-sure of heaven; but alas! in the hour of Death they shall find themselves grossly mistaken.
'Tis a crime of the deepest die in a Chri∣stian, but 'tis much more abominable in a Religious Person, to be incessantly prating, and uttering words at random; it's there∣fore
the wise man says; seest thou a man that is hasty in his words, there's no more hope of his correction then of a Fool's, he says in another place, whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps his Soul from troubles. But St. James is more plain in the case, for he says, if any man among you seem to be Religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's Reli∣gion is vain. 'Tis not the habit that makes the monk, neither is it the transporting of thy Body out of the World into a Monaste∣ry, that makes thee Religious, as it is not thy being in the World, that makes thee a world∣ling; 'Tis the heart that does it, if that be fix'd upon God alone, thou art a perfect reli∣gious man, but if thy affections be settled up∣on terrene and transitory objects, thou can'st lay no claim to the title of Religious, nor to the least share of God's glory. Another touchstone whereby thou mayst easily know whether thou art really a Religious Man, or not, is, if thou beest in Charity with all the World, by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to a∣nother: Moreover this is my precept, and it alone, is enough to work thy Salvation, If punctually observ'd, because that all other Precepts are virtually contain'd therein: It's therefore St. Paul says, whoever loves his Neighbour, fulfils the law, and my su∣preme
Vicar on Earth exhorts all mortals to have a mutual love one for th' other, because Charity covers a multitude of Sins, And the same S. Paul after his return from his sweet and mysterious conference with God in the third Heaven, says, be ye therefore followers of God, as dear Children, and walk in love, as Christ also lov'd us, and has given himself for us, an offering, and a Sa∣crifice to God as a sweet smelling Savour; so ye ought to expose your lifes for your Bre∣thren. And St. Jerome in his Monastical Rule, says, that Charity revives a man in God; she alone compleats the Religious man, and the Monk too; without her Monasterys are Hells upon Earth, and th' Inhabitants are Devils, but with her, they are Paradises, and the Dwellers are all Angels.
By the Premises thou mayst see that Fra∣ternal Charity is the fundamental Virtue of a Religious state, ahd of Christianity too; but alas! if I judge of thy Charity, by thy beha∣viour to thy Christian & Religious Brethren, I shall find thee altogether an Alien to it; for 'tis said in Scripture, tho' I speak with the tongues of Men and Angels, and have not Charity, I am become as sounding Brass, or a tinkling Symbal. And tho' I have the gift of Prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and tho' I have all Faith, so as to remove Mountains, and have no Charity,
I am nothing. And tho' I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor, and tho' I give my body to be burnt, and have no Charity, it profits no∣thing. Charity suffers long, and is kind; Charity Envys not; Charity extols not it self, is not puffed up, does not behave it self unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provok'd, thinks not evil, rejoyces not in Iniquity, but rejoyces in the Truth, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is a rule which St. Paul leaves unto all mortals whereby they may easily conceive whether they be in Charity with all men, or not; And St. James says if one fulfils the whole Law, and yet offends in one point, he is guilty of all. This is thy case O man! if thou hast Charity for all, and withdraws it from one Brother, thou hast none either for God, or for thy Neighbour, no, nor for thy self; for thou art void of Charity in all respects; and as it is impossible thou shouldst be grateful to God without Faith, so it is al∣together impossible thou shouldst be pleasing to him whilst thou art not in Charity with thy Christian, or Religious Brother; St. Au∣gustin gives this reason for it; as the Church of God is grounded by Faith, and rais'd by hope; so she receives her perfection, and complement by Charity alone.
Jo. 12.15.
Luc. 11.23.
Mat. 11.12
Eccle. 3.
Non pro∣gredi, re∣gredi est.
Psa. 26.12.
Devisum est cor eo∣rum, nunc interibun∣ti. Osee. 10.
Apocal. 3.15, 16, 17.
Pro. 29.20. Ibid. 21.23.
Jac. 1.26.
Jo. 13.35.
Rom. 13. Pet. 4.
Eph. 5.1, 2.
St. Jerome in his Mo∣nastical Rule.
1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3, 4. &c.
Jacob. 2.10
St. Augu. Ser. 20. de verb Dom.