Meditations vppon the mysteries of our holy faith with the practise of mental praier touching the same composed in Spanish by the R.F. Luys de la Puente ... ; and translated into English by F. Rich. Gibbons ...

The fifth Pointe.

FIfthly, I will consider how our Sauiour Christ containing in himselfe the treasures of the Wisdome, and knowledge of God, and all the graces, and giftes, and Power to doe mi∣racles that before hath beene recounted, yet during all this time of thirty yeares, he would giue a rare example, of Humillitye: couering all this with extraordinary silence, without either preaching, or teaching, or comming to the Dis∣putations, and Assemblyes of the Learned, nor to the Schooles, and Vniuersities; as is collected from what the Iewes sayed of him, * 1.1 How doth this man knowe letters, whereas he hath not learned? From whence it aroze, that some of his Countryemen helde him in their Opinion for an Idiot. And therefore when they sawe that he began to preache, S. Marke noteth that they

would haue layed handes vpon him, saying: Quoniam in furorem versus est. * 1.2 That he was become mad, or frantike, or possessed with some Deuill, not being able to beleeue that such wordes, and workes could proceede from a man whome they had allwayes knowen exercize the base trade of a Carpenter.

By this so rare an example, I may learne silently to couer my giftes, and talents, when there is no neede to publish them for the glorye of God. As also not lightly to beleeue myselfe, in seeking before my time to manifest my owne things to honour myselfe, delighting rather not to be knowne, or to be helde for an ignorant foole, if God shall so permitte it. And finally to laye deepe roote in Humillitye, and Silence, seeing thorough all this my Redeemer was willing to passe, who hauing greate care of the saluation of Soules, repressed this desier, keeping silence for so long a time: for though he might haue preached at fiue, and twenty yeares, or before, yet he would not: for by this example of mortification, and Silence he preached, and taught vs the secure way of Humillitye. * 1.3 And withall he aduiseth vs, that none should begin to be a Preacher, or master, till he come to perfect age, wherein he may haue learned in silence what he ought to manifest by wordes, laying deepe rootes of Humillitye in secret, be∣fore he aduenture to manifest himselfe in pu∣blike. And it is not without a mysterie, this his keeping Silence thirty yeares, to preache only three yeares, which was but the tenth of thirty: that we might vnderstand how much more time we ought to giue to the exercizes of Humil∣litye for our owne proffit, then to those exer∣cizes

that are directed to the commoditye of others, that without hurting ourselues we may doe good vnto others.

O Soueraigne master, * 1.4 whose silence preacheth vnto me no lesse then thy worde, I confesse my Pride to be so greate, that being ignorant, I would be helde to be wise, and that thorough Vanitye, I would make manifest that litle wisdome that I haue: teache me, o Lord, to walke in the waye of Humillitye, following thy footesteps, that humbling myselfe with thee, I may raigne with thee worlde without ende.

AMEN.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ioan. 7.15
• * 1.2

  Mar. 3.21.
• * 1.3

  D. Greg. homil. 2. in Ezech. 1.
• * 1.4

  Colloquie.