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 XXIII. Meditation of Enuie. * 1.1

The first Pointe

ENuy is a disordinate sadnesse for the goods of our neighbour when it excelleth and obscu∣reth ours. It springeth from pride, and is accompa∣ned with wrathe: so that the actes of these two vices doe accompanie it. The most ordinary are to abhorre my neighbour because his Prosperitie maketh mee sad: to reioyce at his fall, to grieue at his exalting: to heare his praise with paine, and his dispraise with delight: to murmur at him and his affaires, procuring to drowne, and vnder-value them, and vsing meanes to attaine to this ende.

1. Enuy feedeth itselfe in all kindes both of good and euill: from whence wee may collect foure sortes of Enuy. The first, and grossest Enuy is, to see others surpasse mee in temporall goods of wealthe, honour, dignitie, fauour with princes, beautie of body, and other such like excellecies. This is proper to world∣lings, and springeth from that pride which in the eighth meditation wee call worldely pride.

2 Another greater Enuy is fedde vpon letters, scien∣ces, habilities, and artes, and in those excellen∣cies which touche the vnderstanding. This Enuie assaileth those that professe studie, and it is mixed with obstinacye, and contentions, and with other vnlawfull meanes for a man to exalt his owne ho∣nour, and to abase, and vngilde another mans.

3. An other Enuy much greater feedeth vpon spiritu, all vertues, and goods, beeing sad that any others should haue any excellencie therein, or should bee honoured, and praised as holy men. This proceedeth from that pride which wee call spiritual, and setteth vpon those that conuerse with vertue: & it is most familiar, to principiants, and hipocrites.

4. Finally when this augmenteth it arriueth to the supremest degree, * 1.2 which is called Enuie of gra∣ce, and brotherly charitye; and it is one of those sinnes which are against the holy Ghoste, beeing sad, and heauy that our neighbour should bee vertuous, and should haue the graces, and giftes of the holy spirit, wishing that hee had them not: from whence proceedeth the most grieuous sinne of scandal; which is, to saie, or doe something to cause our neighbour to loose grace, and charitie. Such was the enuie of the diuell against man, by the which (saieth the wi∣seman) deathe entred into the worlde, * 1.3 whome all they imitate that are of his faction. This might suf∣fice to abhorre this so abominable vice, which ma∣keth mee an imitatour of sathan. And so confoun∣ding

myselfe for the sinne which in this matter I haue committed, I will saye to myselfe: seeing thou wast called to imitate Christ, imitate not his enemie, for if thou imitatest him inenuie, thou shallt bee partaker of the deathe that entred thereby.

The seconde Pointe.

SEcondly, I will consider the innumerable euills of sinne, and paine that spring from enuie, by Gods iust punishement, that itselfe might bee the most cruell tormentour of him that is subiected vnto it, aswell in this life, as in the other. First, enuie is a∣venemous breathe of the infernall serpent, by the which hee casteth out all his poison togither, sedu∣cing to most grieuous sinnes, obscuring reason, in∣raging the soule, corrupting the bodie, and rotting the bones, and much more destroying the strong ver∣tues of the hearte. And on the other side, * 1.4 it is like a disease incurable, or very difficult to bee cured: for as it is a vice infamous, and proper onely to base mindes, wee are ashamed to manifest it to the spiri∣tuall phisition; and with what successe soeuer it bee, though it bee contrary, prosperous, or aduerse, it is baited, and augmented. All which may be pondered by certaine examples of holy scripture, in all estates of persons, according to the degrees of enuie that wee spake of. Cain thorough enuie, * 1.5 that God ac∣cepted the sacrifice of his brother Abel, killed him by deceite, and cruellty: yea hee would haue coue∣red his sinne from God, and hee dispaired of mercye, and remedy. The bretheren of Ioseph thorough enuie, put him in a well, and solde him for a slaue; * 1.6 and though hee humbled himselfe vnto them, they were not appeased. Core, Dathan, and Abyron, en∣uing Aaron, and Moyses, * 1.7 would haue vsurped their dignitie, and haue put the people in a tumult: for the wich the earthe opened, and swallowed them

aliue. Saul thoroughe Enuie persecuted Dauid with such obstinacy, that hee liued as if hee had beene possessed with a diuell, and killed himselfe, like a man in despaire. Finally the Ievves, for the Enuy they bore against our Sauiour Christe, commited the grea∣test sinnnes, and suffred the greatest punishments, that haue happened in the worlde.

3. From hence I will passe to consider the punish∣ments of hell, where the Enious with incredible ra∣ge shall turne against themselues, biting their owne fleshe, and that cruell worme that gnaweth their consciences shal whet their teete with Enuy, remem∣bring what goods they lost, and others obtained: specially when after the day of Iudgement, they shall see the glorie of the righteous, whome here they despised.

4 Finaly, Enuy is so euill, and cruell that it con∣uerteth al things to its owne hurt. * 1.8 From other mens good, it draweth a spirit of heauinesse that dryeth vp the bones. And from other mens harmes, it dra∣weth such a manner of ioy, that with the sinne it maketh it selfe partaker of them. And therefor in hell the good, & euill of others, shall bee the proper tormēts of the enuious. Now this being so why doe not I trēble at this cruell Beaste? How dare I dwell with this basiliske that with his eye killeth, & tor∣menteth mee? * 1.9 O how truely may I apply to myselfe that of the Apostle: VVoe to mee that vvickedely haue follovved the vvaies of Cain, persecuting for enuy my bretheren: & like Balaam haue giuen them euill counsell to ouerthrovve them in sinne: & like Core haue preten∣ted to exalt myselfe, by debasing of them. I haue deser∣ued, o my God, that the earthe should svvallovve mee as it did Core: that I should perishe miserably like Balaam: and that thou shouldst caste mee for euer out of thy presence like Cain, imiating in paine those vvhome I imitated in sinne. But heerein by thy grace I differ from

Cain, confessing that thy mercy is greater then my vvickednesse, and therefore I hope to obtaine intire pardon therof.

The third Pointe.

THirdly, I will consider the greate benefits which are included in the perfect mortificatiō of Enuy, & in embracing brotherly Charitye. Pondering First, the actes of this charitie, as they are contrarye to en∣uie. The first is, to resiste euill motions, * 1.10 in such sorte, that though I feele myselfe to bee assailed with heauienesse for the prosperitie of my neighbour, that yet I giue not consent thereunto. Another, and better is, to reioice at his good, as if it were myne owne, and to giue him, the much good may it doe him. The third, and most perfect is, to wishe that many had the same excellencies that I haue, yea, and greater, if God shall bee so pleased, reioicing the reat for this cause, as if they were mine owne. To moue mee to so excellent actes I am to ponder, that it is the generositie of a christian minde, to seeke more Gods pleasure, then mine owne; and the glorie of God much more then mine owne: and that it may bee spread amongst many, and in many things. And if it bee Gods will, and for his glorie, that others should haue greater naturall, or supernaturall giftes then I, it is iust, that my will should condescende thereunto. I must not bee like Iosue the seruant of Moyses, who was enuious that others should prophe∣cie, but like Moyses himselfe, who saide: * 1.11 I would I might vnderstand that all did prophecie, that all were wise, prudent, and holy: and that all did serue, and glorifie God. I must not bee like the disci∣ples of Iohn Baptist, * 1.12 who were enuious that Christe should baptize, and that all should followe after him; but rather as the Baptist himselfe, who saide:

It behoueth that Christe encrease, and I diminishe: I reioice that my neighbour is axalted, & I humbled: and so it is meete when God will haue it so. Besides this, brotherly charitie, contrarily to enuie draweth out of all things good to itselfe: for reioicing at the good of my neighbour, I make it myne owne: and grieuing at his euill, I shall free miselfe there∣from: for by such actes I dispose myselfe, that God may giue mee the one, and deliuer mee from the o∣ther, in such sorte as shall bee most conuenient for mee. Finally, with this charitie, whose fruite is pe∣ace, and ioie in the holy ghoste, I shall beginne euen from earthe to taste what is in heauen, where all the blessed are contented, and the least are parta∣kers of their glorie, that haue most, thorough the ioie they receiue thereby. And so I shallbee parta∣ker of the prosperitie, and ioie of all my neighbours, hauing so many motiues of allacritie, as I shall see good fortunes happen vnto them. * 1.13 O my soule, begin foortvvith to exercize vpon earthe, the life that thou hopest to enioye in heauen. If thou vvilt needes haue enuye, let it bee a holy enuye of the good, imitating them in that vvhich is good, endeuoring to excell all, not to bee more honoured, but that in thee God may bee more glorifyed vvorlde vvithout ende. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  D. Tho. 2.2. q. 36.
• * 1.2

  D. Th. 2.2. q. 36. ar. 4 ad 2. & q. 14. ar. 2.
• * 1.3

  Sapient. 2.24.
• * 1.4

  Prouer. 14 30.
• * 1.5

  Genes. 4.8.
• * 1.6

  Genes. 37.24.
• * 1.7

  Num. 16 31.
• * 1.8

  Prou. 17.22.
• * 1.9

  Iudas Aposto∣lus in sua ca∣nonica. 11. Colloquie
• * 1.10

  Ex D. Bern. serm. 49. in cant.
• * 1.11

  Num. 11.27. & 29.
• * 1.12

  Ioan. 3.26.
• * 1.13

  Colloquie Ad Gal. 4.18.