THE CHRISTIAN MAN'S GUIDE.  
WHEREIN Are contained two Treatises.  
THE ONE Showing us the perfection of our ordinary Works.  
THE OTHER The purity of Intention we ought to have in all our Actions.  
Both composed in Spanish by the R. F. ALFONSUS RODRIGVEZ of the Society of JESUS.  
Translated into English.  
Permissu Superiorum, M.DC.XXX.   

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.  
GENTLE Reader, I present thee here with two excellent Treatises, writt●● by the R. F. Alfonsus Rodriguez of the Society of jesus, that is to say, his second and third Treatise of his first part of Christian Perfection. The one teacheth us, how by performing our Ordinary Actions with due diligence, we may become perfect in a short tyme. The other, how we ought to have our Intention Right and Pure in all our Actions, & how necessary and profitable this care is. Both Treatises will sufficiently commend themselves if they be read with attention, and an earnest desire to profit in the way of virtue. My mind was to have added hereunto the first Treatise of the same Author: but because it is not yet ready, I differre it till a longer day, and in the mean time I present this to thy use and benefit.   

A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS CONTAINED In these two Treatises.  

Of our ordinary Actions.  
Chap. 1. HOw all our spiritual profit and perfection consists in the well doing of our works. pag. 1.  
Chap. 2. How it ought greatly to encourage us, to the attaining of perfection, that God hath constituted it in the performance of easy things. pag. 10.  
Chap. 3. Wherein the goodness & perfection of our works consists: and some means to perform them well. pag. 15.  
Chap. 4. Of an other means to do our Actions well, which is so to perform them, as if we had nothing else beside to do. pag. 25.  
Chap. 5. An other means to do our Actions well, which is so to perform each one, as if it were the last thing we were to do. pag. 31.  
Chap. 6. Of an other means to do our Actions well, which is to take care only for the present. pag. 44.  
Chap. 7. Of another means which is to accustom ourselves to do our Actions well. pag. 51.  
Chap. 8. Of how great importance it is, that Religious men do not grow remiss & slack in the way of virtue. pag. 59  
Chap. 9 How much it imports Novices to bestow the time of their Noviciate well, and to accustom themselves then to do their Actions well. pag. 66.   

Of the right and pure Intention.  
Chap. 1. THat we ought principally to shun all vain glory in our Actions. pag. 75.  
Chap. 2. Wherein the hurt and mischief of vain Glory doth consist. pag. 81.  
Chap. 3. Of the hurt & damage which vain Glory brings a long with it. pag. 85.  
Chap. 4. That the tentation of vain Glory doth not only assault those who are new beginners, but also such who make progress in Virtue. pag. 93.  
Chap. 5. Of the particular care which they ought to have of vain glory, who are to employ themselves to assist and help their Neighbour. pag. 99  
Chap. 6. Of certain other remedies against Vain Glory. pag. 105.  
Chap. 7. Of the good end and intention, which we ought to have in all our Actions. pag. 117.  
Chap. 8. How we may do our actions with great rectitude and purity of Intention. pag. 121.  
Chap. 9 How we are not so much to lay the fault of those distractions & spiritual hindrances which we find in ourselves sometimes, on our exterior occupations, as on our not performing them as we ought. pag. 125.  
Chap. 10. How good and profitable it is, to do our Actions in the foresaid manner. pag. 131.  
Chap. 11. A more express declaration of the uprightness, and purity of intention with which we are to do our Actions. pag. 139.  
Chap. 12. Of some signs by which we may know, whether we do our actions purely for the love of God, or seek ourselves in them. pag. 150.  
Chap. 13. How we are to increase & go forwards, in uprightness and purity of intention. pag. 158.  
Chap. 14. Three degrees of perfection, by which we may ascend and arrive unto great purity of intention, and to a high and perfect love of God. pag. 171.    

A TREATISE OF THE PERFECTION of our ordinary Actions.  

How all our spiritual profit and perfections consists in the well doing of our works. CHAP. 1.  
JUSTE quod iustum est persequeris, 
Deuter. 16.10.  saith our Lord unto his people, Do that well & justly which is good and just. Our profit & perfection consists not in the simple doing of the things, but in the well doing them: like as it is nothing to be a Religious man, but to be a good one indeed is that to which we must all aspire. S. Hierome writing to Paulinus saith: Non Hierosalymis fuisse, sed Hierosolymis bene vixisse laudandum est. Paulinus had a great opinion of S. Hierome, because he resided in those holy places, where our Saviour had wrought the mysteries of our redemption; and S. Hierome that he might pay no esteemation to the place, which was not due unto the person, said: Not to live in Jerusalem, but to live well in Jerusalem, is worthy to be praised, which Apophthegma is ordinarily brought to admonish Religious, that it is not enough for them to live only in Religion; seeing, as it is not the habit which makes a Religious man, so is it not the place, but a good and holy life. In such manner as the difficulty consists not in being Religious, but in being a good Religious, nor in doing the exercises of Religion, but in doing them well, & according as we ought. When that which was said of our Saviour in the Gospel: Bene omnia fecit, He hath done all things well, 
Marc. 7.37.  doth come to be verified in us, than we may truly be said to be Religious men. It is most certain that all our good and ill consists in the well or ill doing of our works, for such as our works are, such shall we likewise be; they speak and declare what each one is: the Tree is known by its fruit. S. Augustine says; That man is the tree, and his works the fruit he bears, and consequently by the fruit of the works we do arrive to knowledge of the man. And therefore our Saviour speaking of the Hypocrites & false Prophets said: 
Matth. 7.16.  A fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos. And on the contrary, speaking of himself: The works, which I do in the name of my Father, 
joan. 10.15.  do bear witness of me; and if you will not believe me, believe my works, which witness what I am. Neither do the works in this life only, declare what each one is, but also what in the other life is to become of them: for such shall we be for ever in the other life as our works have been in this; seeing our Saviour will reward each one, according to their works, as the holy Scripture testifyes so often, in both the old and new Testament. Quia tu reddes unicuique iuxta opera sua. 
Psal. 61.13.  And the Apostle Paul saith, that which a man hath sowed in this life, he shall reap in the other. 
Rom. 2.6.  Quae seminauerit homo, haec & metet.  
But let us now descend further unto particulars, and see what works they are, in which doth consist all our good, our progress, and perfection: which are no other than those which we do ordinarily every day, to wit, to make our daily prayer well, our Examen of conscience, to hear Mass, and celebrate it with all decency, to say our hours and prayers with reverence and attention, to be in perpetual exercise of penance & mortification, to perform our office well, and that charge which obedience doth impose upon us: in these consists our profit & perfection, if we do these actions with perfection; we shall be likewise perfect, and if imperfectly imperfect. And this is all, and only that which makes such mighty difference, betwixt a good & perfect Religious man, and on who is imperfect and negligent. For the difference doth not consist in that the one doth more, or else such things, which the other doth not do; but that the one doth those things, which they are to do, better and with more perfection, than the other: and hence it is, that this is a good Religious man because he doth his ordinary actions well; the other on the contrary an imperfect one, because he doth them with tepidity & negligence. And in conformity to this which hath been said, the more perfectly or imperfectly one doth do his works, the more perfect or imperfect he is.  
In the Parable of the Sour, who went out to sow his seeds, the sacred text of the Gospel says, 
Math. 13.8.  That even the good seed itself, & that which was sown in good ground, did in some places bring forth a hundred fold, in others sixty, and but thirty in others. In which place, the holy Doctors say, are disciphred three sorts of people, who serve God Almighty. The Beginners, the Proficient, and the Perfect; all of us of the same Religious institute sow but on kind of seed; since that the works we do are all the same, & the rule the same which we observe: we have all one time of prayer & examen; & the same holy obedience from morning unto night doth employ us all, and yet for all this Homini homo quid prestat? How much, how fare doth one man excel an other? What difference is there betwixt one Religious man & an other? The Actions which the one sows every day, brings forth an hundred fold, because they do their Actions with spirit and perfection, and these are the perfect: others grow up likewise with increase, though not so great, as bringing only sixty fold; and these are the Proficient: in an other quarter, the seed which is sown brings forth only thirty fold; and these are they who yet are but beginning to serve God Almighty. And now let every one of us consider with himself, of which of these three sorts he is, & whether he be not only of those, who barely bring forth thirty fold, and God grant that there be none such among us, as the Apostle speak of, 
1. Cor. 3.12  who on the foundation of their faith do raise up buildings of wood, hay, and stubble, to serve for fuel in that general day; look that you do not your Actions out of vain glory, for humane respects & to please and delight men & to be esteemed by them: since, this is no other than to build with wood, and hay, and stubble, to make the fire at least in Purgatory, but endeavour to perform all your Actions with perfection, which is to build with gold, silver, and precious stones.  
That all our profit and perfection doth consist herein, may be understood by this reason: all our profit and perfection consists in two things; to do that which God would have us do; & to do it in such manner as he would have us do it: and more than this I do not see what can be expected from us. Now touching the first, which is to do that which God would have us do, we have by the grace of God performed it already, who live in Religion, & do that which is assigned us by our institute, which is one of the greatest goods and perfectest consolations, which we have who live under obedience; to wit, that we are assured that all which we do, and in which we employ ourselves, by order from obedience, is that only which God would have us do: & this is in a manner the first principal in Religion, drawn forth of the Gospel, and the doctrine of the Holy Father, as we will prove when we come to treat of Obedience, Qui vos audit me audit, 
Luc. 10.16.  in obeying our Superiors, we obey God, and accomplish his divine will, which is no other than that we should do these things, in which we are then employed.  
We read in the Chronicles of the Cistercians, that as the Religious were one morning at Matins, S. Bernard with his Monks saw diverse Angels noting and writing down the actions, of the Religious in the qui●e, and their manner of behaviour there; & they observed that they writ down the comportments of some in golden letters, of others in silver, of some with ink, & others only with water, conformable to the spirit, attention & devotion, with which each one of them did pray and sing & of others they writ down nothing at all, they being such, as although they were personally present, were yet in hart fare from thence, transported by distraction and extravagant thoughts. And in particular whilst Te Deum was sung, they observed the Angels with great diligence going up & down among them, to incite them be sing it with devotion: in so much as from the mouths of these who began to sing, their devout words came out of their enkindled breasts like flames of fire. Let us consider with ourselves whether in like manner whilst we pray, our hearts do sand up such fiery words unto our mouths, or rather whether we do not languish in devotion, and yawn again through lazines & tepidity. Mark whether you be there in body only whilst in spirit you are in your studies, in your offices, in deep consideration of your affairs, or with your thoughts bestowed one any such impertinent thing.   

How it ought greatly to encourage us, to the attaining of perfection, that God hath constituted it in the performance of easy things. CHAP. II.  
R. F. Hierome Natalis a man of happy memory in our Society for his eminent virtue & learning, in his visit of the Provinces of Spain, did in a most particular manner, among many other things commend, and often inculcate this verity, that all their profit & perfection did consist in the well doing of those particular & ordinary employments, in which they were daily exercised; seeing that our spiritual progress, and amendment of life doth nor consist in the addition of other extraordinary actions unto those we do, not in performance of more high & specious things; but in the doing with perfection those ordinary things which we have to do, and those offices, in the discharge of which obedience doth employ us, although they be of themselves the vilest and most abject in the world, seeing they are those which God doth require of us, and to the performance of which we must confere all our regard and care, if we would be pleasing to his Divine Majesty and attain unto perfection; which being so let us seriously consider with how little expense & cost we may be perfect if we will ourselves, since it requires no more, than the bare performance of those ordinary things, in the which every one is exercised and employed.  
This aught to be of great consolation to us, and a great encouragement to the attaining of perfection. For if unto the end you might be perfect there were exacted of you any unwonted, extraordinary things, as rapts, ecstasies, or profound & high meditation, you might have some pretention and excuse by saying you neither could, nor durst venture so high a flight; or if there were proposed unto you the making disciplines every day to blood, to fast with bread and water, to go barefoot, & wear and rough hair  continually; you might answer, that you doubted whether you had forces enough for to sustain so much; but this is neither required of you, neither doth perfection consist in this, but only in the doing those ordinary things you do (provided that you do them well) with only doing these you may be perfect, the reckoning is already paid, you need be at no more charges, there are required no other works to be added to them. This being so, who will not take hart and courage to be perfect: when the perfection is in our own powers, so easy and facile, so conversant and so familiar with us? God Almighty said to his people to encourage them, to serve him and fulfil his law: 
Deut. 30.11.  The commandment which I prescribe unto you to day is not above your reach, nor fare off from you, neither placed in heaven, in so much as you might say, who is there of us, who can climb up to heaven, for to fetch it down unto us, that we may hear it, & put it in execution; neither is it put beyond the Seas, whereby you might excuse yourselves and say, who is there of us, that can swim over the sea, and bring it hither unto us, that we may hear it and do that which is commanded? but that which I say is hard-by you, and very conversant in your mouth and your hart, that you may fulfil it, and the like may we say of that perfection whereof we speak.  
S. Anthony made use of this motive to incite and stir up his disciples to perfection. Graeci studia transmarina sectantur, regnum autem coelorum intra vos est. The Grecians (said he) do cross the Seas in quest of learning & knowledge, they do penetrate strange lands, endure much weariness, & expose themselues to sundry dangers; but we to attain to perfection which is the truest wisdom, have neither need to expose ourselves to dangers, nor undertake long journeys, neither so much as stir out of our own Cells for it, seeing we may find it in our Oratories; nay (what is more) even within ourselves, Regnum Dei intra vos est, perfection consists in those daily and ordinary works which you are to do.  
It is ordinarily demanded in spiritual conferences, when any great feast draws nigh, as Lent, Advent, Easter, Whitsontid, or at renovation of our vows, what is the best devotion to prepare ourselves unto this renovation, or that fasting, to receive the Holy Ghost, or the infant jesus newly borne, and there uses to be assigned many both good and laudable, but the most principal one, and that upon which we ought chief to insist, is this whereof we speak, to wit, to perfect ourselves in doing of our ordinary and daily actions; free yourselves of those faults and imperfections, which you commit in doing your ordinary works, and endeavour every day to do them better, and with less imperfection; and this will be an excellent preparation, if not the best, for to obtain your wishes and desires, have an eye principally unto this; here fix all your thoughts; unto this direct all your consideration, and make all your spiritual exercises, means to arrive unto this end, so important, and with all so easy and familiar.   

Wherein the goodness and perfection of our works consists: and some means to perform them well. CHAP. III.  
LET us now see wherein consists the well doing of our Actions, that we may have recours unto those means, which may serve us to the well performance of them. This (for to be brief) consists in two things; the first and chiefest is to do them purly for God Almighty, S. Ambrose demands the reason, why God in the Creation of the world, when he created the corporal things said that they were good: when he had created the plants and trees, it presently, added, Et vidit Deus, 
Genes. 1.  quod esset bonum, and God save that it was good: he had no sooner created the beasts of the earth, the birds of the air and fishes of the sea but strait ways it is added, and God saw that it was good, he created the heavens, that stars, the Sun and Moon, and instantly is added, and God saw that it was good: he praised & commended all things as soon as he had created them; only coming to create man he seems to pass him over in silence without praising him, or adjoining thus unto the making of him, & vidit Deus quod esset bonum as he had done, to all the other created things besides. what is the mystery of this saith he? Wherein the difference? because the beauty & excellency of all other creatures, & created things, consists only in the exterior, and the outward show; they have no other perfection than that which appears without and is discovered by the eye, and therefore they were praised as soon as made: but the goodness and perfection of man consists not in the exterior nor the outward show, but in the interior, out of all reach of eyes, Omnis gloria eius filiae regis ab intus all the glory of man who is the son of God, 
Psal. 44.14.  is coming from the interior, as also all that which is in him pleasing to the eyes of God, Man seethe that which appears without (saith God to Samuel) but God beholds the hart, 
1. Reg. 16  the end, & the intention with which each or doth do his works: and therefore he did not praise man presently after he had created him, as he did all other Creatures; The intention is the root and foundation of all the good & perfection which is in our Actions. We cannot see those great massy stones, which are thrown into the earth to raise great buildings on; but notwithstanding they are the stay and foundation of all the edifice, and such unto us is our intention.  
The second thing which is required to the perfection of our works, is to confer all our care and diligence unto the doing of them well and perfectly: for it is not enough only to have a good intention, nor to say you do them all for God Almighty's sake; but it is requisite that you perform your actions with all possible diligence, to render them more acceptable to God. Let this then be the first means of doing our actions well, to do them purely for the love of God; whereby we shall arrive to do them perfectly, and with our utmost endeavour (as doing them for God Almighty) although neither our Superior nor any one else do look on & take account of our performance of them. Our B. F. Ignatius asked a certain brother once, who was a little negligent in his office, wherefore he did those things? the brother answered for the love of God: whereupon our B. Father told him, that if he did his things so negligently again, he would give him a good penance for his pains. For said he, if you did them for any men, the fault would not be so great to perform them with so much neglect and carelessness; but to do them in such a manner, for so great a master, is a negligence not to be borne with all.  
The second means, which the Holy Saints do commend unto us, & which indeed is the most effications of all is continually to walk in the presence of God Almighty. Seneca although Heathen was wont to say that a man who was desirous to become virtuous, and to do all his Actions well & laudably, could arrive unto it by no speedyer way, then to imagine himself when he did or said any thing, in the presence of some grave honourable person, unto whom he bore respect & reverence, Sic viue tanquam subalicuius boni viri, ac semper presentis oculis. Now if the bare imagining one's self in presence of another man, hath power sufficient to make him do his Actions well, what a more efficatious means ought it to be, to consider ourselves always in the sight of God, to frame an imagination of him ever present, to persuade ourselves that he sees all whatsoever we do; especially seeing it is no feigned imaginary thing, like that other of Seneca's, but really true as the Holy Scripture often testifyes The eyes of the Lord are clearer than the sun overseeing all the ways of men, 
Eccl. 13.18.  and the deepest of the Abyss and beholding the hearts of men, in the most secret parts and corners of them.  
But of this exercise of walking in the presence of God Almighty we shall treat more amply & particularly here after, and declare how excellent and profitable it is, and with all how much praised and recommended by the Holy Saints, and therefore for the present we will only (for as much as concerns our present Argument) declare in passing how much it confers, unto the well performing of our ordinary Actions, which is of such consequence, that (as we shall in its place declare) we are not only to insist upon that verity, that we are in the presence of God, but we are to serve ourselves of it to do our works the better and perfecter; in such sort notwithstanding, as should we reflecting on the presence of God, remain doing our actions imperfectly and negligently, it would not be a good devotion, but rather an illusion and deceit. And some add yet further & say that that presence of God Almighty which we should procure to have, and which the holy Scripture and Blessed Saints so much recommend unto us, is this well and perfect performance of our works, in such manner, as they may wortihly appear before the face of God, and have nothing in them to displease his holy eyes: in brief that they may be such as may become us to do in the presence of so high a Majesty. And it seems that S. john in his Apocalyps would have us understand so much from the description, 
Apoc. 4.8.  which he makes of the proprieties of those holy Spirits, which he saw standing before the Throne of God, readily awaiting what he should command them; of whom he says, that they were full of eyes, without, within, and round about them, having eyes in their feet, hands, ears, and lips, and in their eyes themselves; to represent unto us that those who desire to serve God perfectly, & to appear worthy of his presence, must have especial regard in, & about every thing, that they do nothing which may not beseem so divine a presence. They are to be full of eyes both within, & without, to be watchful over every action, to see how they go, to consider how they speak, to mark how they hear, to look how they see, and how they think, how they will and desire any thing, unto the end that among all their works, there may not be found one, which may be offensive to the eyes of God, in whose sacred presence we are continually.  
This is an excellent manner of walking in the presence of God Almighty, and so Ecclesiastes, 
Gen. 5.24. Eccl. 44.16. Heb. 11. ●.  and S. Paul the Apostle in place of that which is said of Enoch in Genesis: And he hath walked with God (which is the same as) before God, and he hath not appeared, because God hath taken him away; do say, Enoch pleased God and was translated into Paradise, declaring expressly unto us, that to walk with God, before God, and to please God, are but three forms of speech of one signification, by their explicating the one by the other. And S. Augustine and Origen after this manner expound that place of Exodus, where it is said, that when jethro came to see his kinsman Moses, Aaron & the Elders assembled themselues to eat with him before God, 
Exod. 18.12.  ut comederent panem cum eo coram Deo, saying that it is not meant that they were assembled to eat before the Tabernacle or the Ark, for as then there was none; but that they met to feast, to eat and drink, and rejoice with him, with so much sanctity, piety, and so religiously composed, as if they had been to eat before God, being exceeding wary not to do any thing in his divine presence, which might beget offence. In this manner do just and perfect men walk before the eyes of God, in the performance of all their actions, even in those which are indifferent and necessary for the sustaining of their lives, as eating, drinking, sleeping, and the like: Let the just feast (saith the Prophet David) and exult in the sight of God, 
Psal. 67.4.  and be delighted in joy and gladness; but all this in the sight of God, and so as his holy eyes may without offence look on & nothing may be less beseeming his divine presence.  
The Holy Fathers say, that in this manner we fulfil that which our Saviour in the Gospel doth counsel us, 
Luc. 15.1 1. Thessal. 5.17.  We ought to pray always without ceasing. And S. Paul to the Thessalonians: Pray without intermission, and many of them are of opinion that he prays always, who doth always well, as S. Augustine on these words of the Psalm: Tota die laudem tuam. Would you know, saith he, how to praise God all day? Do that which you are about well, and you have praised God. S. Hilarion also says the same: For by this (saith he) we come to pray without intermission, when by works pleasing to God, and always performed unto his glory, the whole life of a Saintlike man, is no other than a prayer, and so by living both day and night according to the law, our whole life shall be a nightly and daily meditation: and S. Hierome on this verse of the Psalm; Praise him ye Sun and Moon, praise him all the Stars and light, demands how the Sun and Moon the stars and light can praise God; and answers, that in so much as they cease not to do their office and perform that service for the which they are created, the service which they do, is that which praiseth God. And so in like manner, he who doth those ordinary and daily exercises of his Order well, is always praising God, and in a continual act of prayer: which may be yet further confirmed by this sentence of the Holy Ghost in Ecclesiastes. 
Eccles. 35. ●  He who keeps the law, doth multiply oblation: it is a saving sacrifice, to attend to the commandments, and departed from all iniquity. And from hence may we understand, what great perfection it is to do our ordinary Actions well, since it is a multiplication of oblation, and prayer, a continual meditation, a perpetual remaining in the presence of God & lastly a Holocaust of salvation, & of all things the most pleasing unto God Almighty.   

Of an other means to do our Actions well, which is so to perform them, as if we had nothing else beside to do. CHAP. FOUR  
THE third means which may help us to do our actions well is to perform each thing, as if we had nothing else beside to do; so to make our prayer; so to celebrat holy Mass; so to recite our office, and say our beads; & lastly so to do all our other things, as if we were wholly to be employed therein: for what calls us away? What makes us so hasty to dispatch these things? We can assign no reason, and therefore are to procure to do all things without confusion, and so, as on thing may not be hindrance or disturbance to an other, but that we be always attended unto that which exacts of us for the present. Whilst you are in prayer, think neither upon your study, nor your office, nor affairs; for it serves to no other end, then to hinder your prayer, and to the occasion that you shall neither do that one, nor the other well. You have all the rest of the day to attend freely unto your other employments, and to bestow upon your studies Omnia tempus habent all things have their time, 
Eccl. 3.1.  and every day hath enough to do, 
Matth. 6.34.  with its own malice, It is but a small thing which is required of you, & so conformable to reason, that even the heathens themselves, who wanted the light of faith, did yet require thus much in the sacrifices of their God, whence it became a Proverb among them; aderaturi sedeant let those sit who are to adore the Gods: that is; let them do it with great quiet and attention, and not rashly and only for fashion sake. Plutarch treating of that great reverence and respect with which their Flamens approached unto the Altars of their Gods, says that all the time that the Priest sacrificed there was a Crier, whose office it was to admonish him aloud continually in these words, Hoc age, hoc age, Attend to that which you do, be present to yourself and your actions, and let no distraction carry your thoughts away. And in this manner must we endeavour to bestow ourselves wholly upon that which we have in hand, & do it with that maturity and reflection, as if we had nothing else to do beside. Hoc age do that which you do, bend all the forces of your mind, and use all your diligence to perform that well, cast away all thought of other things, and so you shall arrive for to do all things well, Quod nunc instat agamus. A certain Philosopher, to prove that we ought only to be attended unto that which we have in hand, without occupying our thoughts with care or solicitude of any other thing, doth give this reason, that only the present is that which is in our power, and neither the time to come, nor yet the passed, seeing the one is already gone, and so consequently we can dispose nothing of it; and for the future we are not certain, whether we shall ever live to see it or no. Oh how happy were he, who could but win that mastery of himself, to keep his thoughts and imaginations in such awe, as they should never dare to bestow themselves otherwise, then on the present thing, in which we are employed! But on the one side the instability of our hart is so great, & on the other the craft and malice of the enemy, that the Devil makes his use of it, by casting into it, thoughts of what we are afterwards to do, to hinder us in that which we ought to be doing for the present. This is an ordinary tentation of the enemy, and a most hurtful and pernicious one to us, since the Devil's end is hereby to hinder us from ever doing any thing perfectly & well, & therefore in time of prayer, he will be suggesting unto us, the thought of of our affairs, studies, and offices, & how we may do this or that thing best, that he may hinder us from making that prayer well, which we are then in hand withal, and therefore he is not wanting to put you in the head with a thousand ways to compass & bring about such or such a business, since he knows it the thing, which then you are not to attend unto, whereas when you come opportunly to employ yourself in that other businese, which at another time he was so busy to inform you of, he will find so many tricks & devices to divert you, that you shall do it as imperfectly and with as little profit as the former. And so he continues haunting of us still, to the end he may bring us to do nothing well: Non eius ignoramus cogitationes eius, 
2. Cor. ● 1●.  we are not ignorant of his way of proceeding.  
Let us therefore lay all care of future thing aside, and trouble not ourselves with thought of them; for how ever the actions truly done be good, yet the unseasonable thought of them is always bad. And when this tentation under the colour, that you shall not remember that so well afterward, which is then presented unto you, shall set upon you, even from thence may you perceive that they are not thoughts proceeding from God, but from the enemy: seeing that God is no friend of disorder and confusion, but of peace, quietness, and order, and therefore consequently all such thoughts, as bereave you of your quiet, and peace, and put you in disorder, come not from God Almighty, but from the Devil who is author of such disquietness and confusion. Chase therefore all such tentations from your thoughts, and have a firm hope and confidence on God Almighty, that he (so long as you behave yourself as you ought) will not be wanting in due time & place, to lend you all necessary aid (& that with advantage) to the performance of your other affairs; & how ever there may present themselves unto you, at such time, some circumstance or other, with never so fair pretensions, some forcible argument, some witty answer, yet cast all quietly out of your mind, and assure yourself you shall rather gain, then lose any thing thereby, Scientia quae pro virtute despicitur, per virtutem postmodum melius invenitur, saith Saint Bonaventure, Knowledge which for virtue is neglected, is aftewardes by virtue better obtained And M. Auila saith, when the care of any business doth come into your mind at any unreasonable time, you are to say unto it, My Lord hath given me no commission to treat, or think of this matter for the present, and therefore you must excuse me; when he shall be pleased that I shall deal about it, there shall want no diligence of mine.   

An other means to do our Actions well, which it so to perform each on, as if it were the last thing we were to do. CHAP. V.  
THE fourth means, which the Holy Fathers teach us, to do our Actions well is, so do every particular thing, as if it were to be the last Action that ever we should do in this life S. Bernard prescribing unto Religious men, in what manner they are to do their Actions, says Let him demand of himself in every work he doth: if you were presently to die; would you do this or no? And S. Basill says: Have always the last day of your life before your eyes: when you rise in the morning, doubt whether you shall live till the evening, or no: and when you do compose yourself at night to rest, do not confide to see the sun's light any more: and this to the end that you may the better refrain yourself from falling into sin. And with how much reason may we always await for death ourselves, whom we see always so conversant with our neighbours. This dies with sickness; an other is drowned at sea; one is killed by thiefs upon the way; an other by murderers in the City; many by Pirates are made away: in all places, at all times, and of all ages, and condition: death spars no man, what a thing is this (saith an other holy man) what a thing is this? men see nothing more frequently than death, & yet there is nothing which they less remember. Seeing therefore death lays wait for us at every time, we ought likewise in all places, at all times, and in all occasions to be ready for it: & this would be an efficatious means to make us perform all our Actions well, and is that of which S. Anthony made particular use, to stir up his Disciples unto the study of virtue and perfection. What shall we say of that Heathen, whose sentence this is You will not be able to spend this day well unless you imagine it to be the last of your life? and that of the Poet Horace.  Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum. Think every day thou seest to be thy last? 
If we did but inform all our actions with this same thought of death, we should do them which more fervour & perfection then now we do. With what devotion should I say Mass now, if I knew for certain, it were the last Mass which I should ever say, & that I should have no time beyond this to do any thing or merit more? With how much fervour & attension should I pray, if I knew it were the last prayer I should make, & that I should never have that commodity again to beg pardon of God Almighty for my sins, and implore his saving Mercy? Therefore it is become a Proverb; If you would learn to pray, go to sea: when we have death before our eyes we pray with othergueses fervour, than now we do. We read of a certain Religious man, a great servant of God Almighty, that he was accustomed to confess himself every day, before he went to celebrat Holy Mass; this holy man once falling sick, his Superior perceaving his sickness to be mortal, told him in order to his duty, how the case stood with him, and therefore wished him to prepare himself by a good confession, unto whom the Blessed man (lifting up his hands towards heaven & blessing & praying God Almighty) answered; for these thirty years and more I have confessed myself every day, as if I were presently afterwards to die which is the cause that for the present I have only need to reconcile myself, as if I were only to go to Mass; It was most wisely done of him, and an example worthy all imitation, so ought we to go to holy confession and communion as if we were presently to die: and doing all our Actions in conformity to this, we shall come to make our confession at the hour of death; not with the anxiety of men now in dying, but with that sweetness and comfort of men now going to the holy Communion: this pace if we always kept, death should neither over take us before we were ware, nor take us untimely out of this mortal life. And this is the best prayer, the exquisitest devotion, to provide ourselves so, that death may never come untimly to us. 
Math. 2 ● 46.  Blessed is that servant (saith our Saviour Christ) whom his master when he comes shall find so doing, so watchful, so prepared for to die. 
job. 14.14.  This was the life of holy job. Every day of this warfar of mine (saith he) I do expect when the change of me will come. I make account that every day, is the last of my life, do thou call me, and I will answer the, O Blessed Lord call me away when you please; behold me here prepared and ready for to answer and appear before you, at all times, at all hours when you shall summon.  
One of the best signs which one hath to know, whether all stand right or no betwixt God and himself, is if he be always prepared and ready, to answer in all times and occasions when God shall call him. I speak not of any infallible assurance, since there is non such in this life without some extraordinary revelation, but of probable and moral conjectures & such as ordinarily we have; among the which there is none more assured than this, when we are resigned & content, that death, if God's blessed will were such, should seize upon us in this time, this Article, this work we are a doing. Consider whether you be ready or prepared or no to answer, if God should call you at this instant like unto holy job: put yourself often to this proof; examine yourself frequently upon this interrogation: Would you be content if you were presently to die? and if upon this examination and trial you find yourself well content to be taken by death from that Action you do, and that moment in which you make this reflection on it, you have good reason to think that all goes right & well with you, & to be much comforted therewith; but if one the contrary, you do not find yourself resigned immediately to die, neither to answer to the voice of God, if he should call you away, in those circumstances, those actions and that time, but that you could willingly require a further day, to end some business which you have yet in design & doth import you much; it is no good sign but rather a manifest proof, that you proceed with great negligence, & not with that care of your spiritual profit which becomes a good Religious man.  (as that holy man says) if you had a good conscience you would have no fear of death: and consequently fearing it so much as you do, it is a sign that the reckoning of your conscience goeth not well, & that it will be troubled to make a good account. We should rather fear sin then death. That Steward who hath his accounts ready, and faithfully made, desires and wishes for to give them up; whereas he who hath them perplexed, and intricat, fears nothing more, than the time when he is to render them up, and seeks all possible excuses to differ and put it of.  
B. Father Borgia was wont to say that it was a good exercise for a Religious, to dispose himself to dye well, one at least every four and twenty hours, & that so he should come to have good success in all his actions, when he should say unto himself every day, quotidie morior, I die every day, Let us in like manner enter every day into ourselves, and often exact an account of ourselves according to this reckoning when if we find ourselves nithat present moment and circumstance not well disposed to die, let us begin then at least for to prepare ourselves against its coming, and that article of time upon which a whole eternity depends; and imagine that God Almighty upon our humble petition hath granted us unto this end a longer term of life, which we are therefore carefully to spend & in such manner as if with every Action we were to conclude our life, Oh how happy is he who so life's as he would be content to be found, when he comes to dye!  
It is on of the profitablest things, which we can commend in our sermons unto secular people, that they should live in such manner, as they desire to be found at the hour of their death & that they should not differ their conversion and doing penance, 
Thom. de Kempts. Greg. ho●. 12. ● Euangel●●.  seeing to morrow is uncertain, and who knows whether he shall live unto it or no? He who hath promited pardon to the penitent hath not promised to morrow to them, when they sin saith S. Gregory upon the occasion of that Example of Chrysaorius which he recounts, who surprised by death which he had dallied with, and forsaken by the Angels whom he had contemned, encompassed with Devils whom he had followed and humoured and rolling his eyes fearfully about, cried out with a horrible voice, inducias usque manè; inducias usque manè, have truce with me but till to morrow; have truce which me but till to morrow: but all in vain, for before the next days light was he hurried from the night of this world unto that more terrible darkness of Hell, and from this life wherein he had so much time for to do penance, unto an eternity of torments worse than death itself, there to bewail for ever that precious time which he had so vainly spent. It is a common saying that there is nothing more certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than the hour of it, 
Luc. 12.14.  and our Saviour says yet more in the Euangell, Be ready and prepared, since the son of man shall come in an hour when you look not for him: where although he speak of the day of judgement, we may notwithstanding understand him as speaking of the hour of death, since that presently upon that, all shall receive their particular judgement, which sentence is the same as shall be confirmed by the General one, without any mitigation or alteration at all. Moreover our Saviour doth not only say that this hour is uncertain, & that we know not when it shall arrive, but also that it shall come when we least think on it, and perhaps likewise when we are least prepared, which is that which S. Paul says: 
1. ad Tit. 5.2. Apoc. 3.13.  It shall come like a thief in the night. And S. john in his Apocalyps: I will come to thee like a thief, and thou knowest not the hour when I shall come to thee. When a thief intends to go to rob any place, he watches his time, until there is no suspicion of any such matters, when they are all otherwise busyed or a sleep: and so our Saviour Christ doth teach us by this similitude with what watchfulness we ought always to attend the hour of death, unto the end it find us not unproved when it comes. For be sure of this (saith he) that if the Master of the house knew what hover the thief would come: he would certaintly watch & not suffer him to break into his house; but because he doth not know what hour he will come, whether at evening, at midnight, or before day break, or else in the morning, therefore he stands always upon his guard that his house may not be broken open, 
August. in Psal. 144. super illa verba, Misericors & miserator Dominus.  & his goods stolen away & so ought we to be always ready, since death comes when we least think of it.  
The Holy Doctors do consider from hence the great Mercy of God Almighty towards us, in keeping us still in suspense and uncertain expectation of the hour of death, to the end, 
Greg. h● 13. super Eu. & lib. 12. moral cap. 20.  that we may put ourselves always in a readiness against its coming: for otherwise if men knew for certain how long they were to live, it would be the occasion of the great negligence & grievous offence of many. 
Bonau. de profect. religios. lib. 1. cap. 17.  For they who can live thus negligently, and carls of their souls good, when they are not certain of one hours' life, what would they do if they were assured for to live some years? S. Bonaventure saith that God hath left us the hour of our death uncertain, that we may learn to contemn all these temporal things and not count them worthy of our care, which in every moment we are in danger to lose. As our Saviour said to that rich Miser in the Gospel of S. Luke: fool this night they will demand they soul of thee, and then whose shall all that wealth be, which those hast gathered together? Let us therefore provide ourselves of such riches as can never be taken from us.  
We ought with good reason to do that ourselves which we preach and commend to others, according to that of S. Paul thou therefore who teachest others dost not teach thyself, 
Rom. 8.21.  it is one of the frequentest tentations, which the Devil uses, in deceiving man, to deprive them of their eye sight in such manner as not to see this verity and truth, by bringing them into a dead forgetfulness, and making them believe that they have time enough for to do this or that, and that afterwards they may have opportunity enough, for to amend their lives and to prepare for death. And this tentation even extends unto Religious men, making them differre their advancement in virtue and spiritual profit, with cold purposes that after they have ended their studies, or are discharged of this office or have acquitted them of that affair, that then they will begin to live better and more holily, and to fall in good earnest to penance and mortyfiing themselves. Miserable as you are, if you should chance to die before you have ended your study, unto what end would all your learning serve you, (for the attaining of which you have neglected your profit in virtues) then to make fuel, and as the Apostle saith, hay & stubble to burn you in the other world withal. 
1. Cor. 3.12. Lut. 4.23  Let us then make our profit of that which we preach to others; Medice cura teipsum, & cure ourselves (seeing our need is so great) with the same remedies which we apply to others.   

Of another means to do our Actions well, which is to take care only for the present. CHAP. VI  
THE fifth means which will help and encourage us much to do our Actions well, and with perfection, is only to take thought for the present. And although the practice of this seems to be all one with the former, yet there is not a little difference betwixt them, as we shall declare in that which we are now to say. One of the things which doth fright very many, & makes them go on but faintly in the way of virtue, & which indeed is a tentation of which the Devil makes gainful use, is; to propose unto them, that it is impossible they should continue their whole lives in such wariness, and recolection. What? shall it say, is it possible that you should live so many years, with so much reservation and circumspection? With such prudence and exactness in every thing? do you think that you shall always keep the rules & discipline of the house, wherein you live always? be mortifiing yourself and never do any thing as you desire? These are commonly the apprehensions, in which the Devil appears unto us in such fearful manner, making all things seem more terrible than they are, and religious life a kind of Matyrdome & perpetual dying. And so we read that when our B. F. S. Ignatius retired himself to Mauresa for to do penance, 
Lib. 1. cap 6. vitae P. Ignati●.  one of the tentations with which the Devil assaulted him was this, saying unto him: how is it possible that you should lead such an austere life, for threescore years together, as you have now begun? Now this remedy whereof we speak doth answer in diameter unto this same tentation, which is neither to make account of diverse years, nor days, but only to have a care to pass the present well. This means hath good proportion to our humane frailty; it will not suffer us to attempt any great matter; & there is none who only for a day, at least would not strain himself for his own good and spiritual profit to live well; this is the same which our B. Father prescribes unto us in the particular examine, where he counsels us from on half day to an other, to renew our good desires & purposes of being modest, keeping silence, or bearing all things patiently and the like: and in this manner, that which perhaps would seem intolerable and even impossible, if it were enterprised and apprehended in gross and altogether, 
Tract. 7. cap. 7.  as; I will never speak out of the appointed time, nor never go but modestly and composed; becomes to be easy and familiar to us.  

In vita Patruum.  This was the remedy, which that good Religious man, applied unto the curing of himself, who (as we read in the lives of the Father) was so fiercely tempted, as his appetit, which was up every morning as soon as he, did make him believe, that it was impossible for him to do any thing, unless that should be first satisfied; the holy man not to break the ordinary fast of the Religious, which was to eat nothing until the third hour for any importunity of his hunger, did find this stratagem out for to delude it, In the morning he would reason with his appetit in this manner; Although your hunger be neven so great, yet you may fast well until the third hour, and then you may freely eat: and when the third hour was come he would say again, nay certainly I must needs overcome myself so fare as to abstain until the sixth hour now; & I see no reason but I may do it as well, as I have abstained hitherto: and so he would entertain himself with some other thing the while: and when the sixth hour or noon was come, then would he steep his bread in water and say, we must needs tarry now until the bread be soaked; for since we have had patience hitherto without doubt we will not break the order of the other Religious to eat before the ninth hour now: and so at last when the ninth hour was come, after he had said the accustomed prayers, he took his refection. In this manner he continued for some days together overcoming himself; when once about the time of refection lifting up the lid of the basket where he kept his bread, he saw black smoke arising from thence which vanished out of the window of his cell, which (as the effect shown) was no other than that spirit of Gluttony which had tempted him, for after that time he was never more troubled with those pangs of hunger, and counterfeited languish, with which he was formerly vexed and molested, in so much as from thence forwards he could without any difficulty, abstain two days together from taking any food, our Saviour rewarding him with this particular grace, for that combat which he had so courageously sustained in overcoming his gluttonous appetit.  
We said (and not without good reason) that this means is the most proportionable to our weakness, since it goes by little and little sustaining & encouraging us to the attempt of that, by little and little, which all at once we should not dare to undertake, how ever if we were but fervent and courageous indeed & truly inflamed with the love of God, there would be no need to entice us on by such baited ways as these, where all the labour and difficulty is hid. For a true servant indeed of God Almighty, neither thinks upon the length of time, or number of years, but rather all time seems too short unto him, to serve God in, all labour little, and all difficulty delightful, and therefore there would be no fear to let such an one know unto the full, the utmost difficulty of every thing he did, which S. Bernard excellent well declares. 
Bernar. ep. 253. ad Gar.  He doth not (saith he) give himself unto the service of God, for a year, or for a certain time, like a Mercenary, but for eternity without any prefixed end, or reservation, with an inflamed will and affection. Hear the voice of the Just, saying: 
Psal. 118.93. v. 112  I will never forget your iustifications, seeing you have animated me with them, I have inclined my hart to do your justifications for all eternity, to do your will, to fulfil your counsels & commaundments: and so for having taken a resolution and offered himself to serve God, in an absolute manner without any limit or restriction, and prefix no certain time unto it, nor entered on the account of any years, therefore shall his reward likewise know no bounds, but be extended unto eternity, that eternal hunger of the just, is deserving an eternal refection. 
Bern. ubi supra. Sap. 4.15  In which sense S. Bernard explicats that of the Wiseman, consumatus in brevi explevit tempora multa, a good and just man, lives in the short space of time, or a few days, the life of many years, since his desire is so great out of the ardour of his love of God to serve him, that should he live a hundred, or if it were possible a thousand years, he should never be weaary of serving him, nor ever think his service great enough. And so by force of this desire, he comes to the merits of so many years, since God rewards each one  to his good desire. These are men indeed, these have truly masculine spirits, these may well be compared to jacob, who for the great love he bore to Rachel, thought it a thing of nothing to serve seven years for her, and afterwards seven more, Videbantur illi pauci dies, 
Gen. 29.20.  pre amoris magnitudine.   

Of another means, which is to accustom ourselves to do our Actions well. CHAP. VII.  
THAT ancient & great Philosopher Pythagoras, 
Pythagoras.  counselled his friends & disciples (unto the end that they might both become virtuous. & that virtue might be delightful to them) to make choice of some good course of life, and go forward with it without staying at any apprehension of difficulty or labour, which might present itself in the beginning for to discourage them, seeing with a little use & exercise the difficulty would pass away, & the practice of virtue become easy & pleasant to them. This means is of much importance, & aught to be put in practice by us, not so much because it is commended by this Philosopher, as because indeed it is derived from the holy Scripture (as we shall presently declare,) & also very efficatious for that which we pretend. We have made choice already of a perfect manner of life; or rather, God of his great goodness hath elected us unto it, Non vos me elegistis, 
joan. 15.16.  sed ego elegi vos: for the which grace and favour he is to be blessed for all eternity. But in this state of life, unto which our Lord hath called us, we may have more or less of perfection, and be perfect or imperfect Religious men, according as we shall do our actions, perfectly or imperfectly. Therefore if you mean to make any profit in Religion, and to arrive unto perfection, you must accustom yourself to do all the Actions, and exercises of that Religion with perfection: accustom yourself to make your meditation well, & all the rest of your spiritual exercises, to be exact in point of obedience, to observe your rules precisely, & to make esteem of every little thing. Accustom yourself to recollection, and mortification, to penance modesty, silence and the like; & be not any whit dismayed, if in the beginning you find difficulty, seeing with a little continuance and use, that difficulty will not only pass away, but there will succeed to it, a great contentment and satisfaction, and you will not know how to make an end of rendering thankes to God, for giving you perseverance so fare as to arrive to so much contentment and felicity. The holy Ghost hath taught us this doctrine in diverse passages of the holy Scripture, as in the Proverbes, 
Proverb. 4 11.  Viam sapientiae demonstrabo tibi. I will show you the way of wisdom, and learn you to find gust & savour in the knowledge of God. For Sapientia or wisdom, saith S. Bernard, is quasi sapida scientia a savorous and delightful knowledge of God Almighty, and he professeth to teach us the way, to come unto the taste the knowledge and the love of God: I will lead thee (saith he) by the paths of equity, into which when thou shalt once be entered thy ways shall not be straightened, and when thou runest thou shalt have no hindrance. Now the reason why this way of virtue is called a path, is because, at the first entrance of it, (by reason of our ill inclinations) it seems narrow and not to be passed without much difficulty, but being but once a little entered, we find it so delightfully enlarged as we go on cheerfully, & run securely without any fear of let or hindrance. And by this Metaphor the holy Ghost with divine elegance hath taught us, how upon the appearance of any difficulty in the entrance of the way of virtue & perfection, we are no ways to lose courage and be dishartened, but to go on with this assurance, that we shall be shorthly past all that is hard and difficile, and arrive to all happiness and delight, because I have laboured a little, and I have found for myself much rest, 
Eccl. 5.35  which is again reiterated in the 61. 
Eccl. 6.20  Chapter of Ecclesiasticus, there is a little labour in the work, & presently thou shalt eat of its fruit, 
Heb. 12.21.  and the Apostle S. Paul doth likewise teach us the same: All discipline (saith he) for the present seems not to be pleasant but (rather) irksome & tedious, but afterwards it renders by the exercise of it a most peaceable fruit of the accomplished justice, neither will it become only facile & easy, but also pleasant and delightful to us. The same we find by experience in all other Arts & Sciences: for what is there more difficile in the beginning then learning & study? with what force & constraint are children brought unto it? in so much as it is become a Proverb that knowledge comes with blood and violence: & yet after a little practice, when they come to make some profit, & have some understanding and taste of what they learn, they have no greater recreation then to be always at their books, and it is the like with those, who go in the way of virtue and perfection.  
S. Bernard explicats this excellent well, upon those words of job. 
Bern. l. 1. de consid. ad Hu. job. 6.7.  That which a little before my soul would not touch is now through necessity become my food, would you know (saith he) how much custom and exercise can do, & how fare in time it wins upon us? first a thing shall seem intolerable to you; in process of time, if you accustom yourself unto it, you will not imagine it so hard; a little after you will even feel it light; shortly after not so much as feel it at all; and after that be even delighted with it: in so much as you may well say with holy job, that which at first my soul could not look upon without horror and detestation, is now become the savouryest food and nourishment I have, & when soever you find any difficulty, to observe your Additions, and those Instructions which are given you for the well making of our prayers & examines, be assured that it is only for want of use and practise, as also when you have so much a do to recollect your thoughts over night, in such manner as to have them in your power when you wake, to make offer of them unto Almighty God in prayer. For the reason of this difficulty is, because at other times you take little or no care of the custody of your thoughts, & of keeping them only attended unto that Mystery which you are to meditat. Hence also is it, that silence and recollection seems such a tedious melancholy thing unto you, since you never in earnest apply yourself unto it, Your cell (saith Tho. a Kempis) becomes sweet unto you, if you continue in it, and begets tediousness if you seldom tarry in it, frequent your chamber often and but accustom yourself to keep with in, and you will come to be delighted with its solitude. This is the reason why secular persons find so much difficulty in fasting and meditation, for they have never used themselves unto it. 
1. Reg. 17 38.  King Saul armed David with his own Arms, when he was to fight against the Philistim, but David because he had been never used unto them, was forced to put them of again; notwithstanding we see how afterwards with use, he came to pass over whole months in arms, & proved a famous soldier. And that which we say of good and virtue, is likewise to be understood of vice & all defects, unto which if we give but any way in the beginning, or incur any ill habit through our own negligence, it will continue daily strengthening itself, & winning so much upon us, as afterwards it will be very difficile, to find out remedies forcible enough to free us from it, but we shall incur the danger of always being subject to the ill habits of it: Vnlueri venusto & neglecto callus obducitur, & eo insanabile quo insensibile fit, old rankled wounds do, if we neglect them, close upon the out sid, and so become the more incurable, the less sensible we are of them, If you had but accustomed yourself from the beginning, to have done every particular action well, what a rich treasure of merit should you have gotten together by this time? & what contentment should you have found by experiencing the facility & sweetness, which is in every virtuous action? do but see what a pleasant life he leads, who having had once a custom of swearing, hath habituated himself again it, & overcome it; with how much facility and delight doth he avoid the committing of so many mortal sins? Let us therefore from this time forewards begin (for it is better late than never) to accustom ourselves to do all our ordinary works and daily actions well, since they are of so much consequence, applying unto that end (if need should be) our particular Examine, which should be one of the best & profitablest examines, which we could make; and so we should arrive unto that happiness to do all things well with great facility.   

Of how great importance it is that Religious men do not grow remiss and slack in the way of virtue. CHAP. VIII.  
FROM that which we have said it may be easily gathered how much it imports a Religious man, to conserve himself in fervour & devotion, and to make perpetual progress in the well doing of his Actions, and how wary he is to be not to do them negligently and with tepidity, lest he should get such an ill habit, as he should scarcely or never be freed of afterwards. God can effect so much as to bring you after a great negligence unto the fervent exercise of a holy and perfect life, 
Bernard. epist. 96.  but this would be a wonder & miracle. S. Bernard handles this point excellently well writing unto one Richard Abbot of Fontaines & his Religious, where God had wrought a miracle of this kind, diverse of the Religious having lived long time in great neglect of religious discipline, being afterwards drawn to a life more fervent and devout: at which the holy Saint much astonished, and yet more rejoicing, congratulating their happiness saith: This is the finger of God, who shall effect so much that I may like another Moses, go and see this great vision? seeing it is not less wondrous than that which Moses saw in the bush which burned, & yet was not consumed: It is a rare thing upon earth, to see any one in Religion, get never so little higher (in perfection) than that degree, to which he arrived first; and you shall with more ease find diverse secular persons who do wholly convert themselves to good, than any one among Religious men, pass forwardly to a better state of life; and the reason is, because secular people have not those many helps, nor continual means to advance themselves in virtue as Religious have, and therefore when they hear an excellent sermon, when they behold the sudden & disastrous death of any acquaintance or friend of theirs, the novelty of it startels and amazeth them, and excits them to alter and amend their lives; but if a Religious, who hath all these helps in such abundant manner, who frequents the holy Sacraments so often, who hears so many spiritual exhortations, who meditates so often, who speaks so frequently of death, of judgement, hell, & the beatitude of heaven; If he I say, notwithstanding all this, pass his days in negligence and tepidity, what hope of any remedy to make him amend himself? Since their ears are so accustomed to the hearing of these things discoursed of, as that which commonly suffices, and is enough to move & incite others to better life, passeth only lightly by their ears, and makes no motion or impression at all.  
And this is the right understanding of that so celebrated sentence of S. Augustine, where he saith: 
Aug. Epis. ad plebem Hiponens●  From that time in which I begun to serve God Almighty, as I have rarely found any better men than those who have gone forwards in monastical discipline, so have I never met with worse than those who have fallen and decayed in Monasteries. S. Bernard doth also testify, that rarely any of those Religious men, who decay in spirit, and fall from their first fervour, do ever get up again & recover that degree, from whence they fell; but that rather they are still falling from worse to worse: which is that (saith S. Bernard) which the Prophet Hieremy deplores, 
Bern. ser. 3. infesto Apo. Pet. & Pauli.  How is the gold obscured? How is that best of colours changed? How is this prime beauty decayed, and withered? They who were nourished in scarlat (who were graced by God Almighty with all the favours he could even bestow upon them in prayer, 
Hierem. 4 1. v. 5.  & all the blessings he could send them down from heaven) have embraced filth & taken delight in all shameful foulness and misery.  
And therefore commonly speaking, there is but little hope of those, who begin to decay and lose spirit in Religion, which is a thing we ought to have a lively feeling, and a great horror of: and the reason of it is that, which we have touched upon before, because they grow worsewith frequent use of the remedies, and become more sick when those medicines are applied unto them, which ordinarily bring health to other folks; & what remedy can there be found out for such as these? They hold with good reason his health for desperate, who grows not better, but rather worse, with the medicines which should cure him: and this is the reason which makes us have such an apprehension and horror of the fall of a Religious man, whereas we are not much moved, with the impairing of seculars. When a Physician sees a sick man very faint and languishing, or finds him by his pulse brought low and weak, it seems no extraordinary thing unto him; but when he observes the same symptoms, or ill dispositions in a man that is strong and lusty, he holds it for a very dangerous sign, since such an effect cannot proceed from any thing else, then from some peccant humour predominating in the body, which is the forerunner of some great sickness, or inevitable death. And so is it in this, for if a secular man chance to fall into any sin, it is no new thing, nor strange for one who passeth his life in so great negligence, confessing but once a year, & living among such frequent occasions of falling into sin: but if a Religious man, who is sustained with so much frequency of Sacraments, so many prayers, and such a number of holy exercises, if he I say come once to fall, it is a sign of a decayed virtue, of a long rooted weakness, and of approaching ruin, and therefore with good reason is it to be feared so much.  

Bernard. uhi supra.  But I say not this (saith S. Bernard) to discourage you; especially if, being fallen, you desire presently to arise again, knowing that the longer you differre your amendment, you render it to effect the more hard & difficille, but only to refrain you from sinning, from falling, and from decaying in spirit. Notwithstanding if any one should through frailty chance to fall or stumble, we have a good Advocate, our Saviour Christ to plead our cause with his eternal Father, who can do that, which to us is impossible. Dear children (saith S. john) I writ this unto you, 
joan. 2.1.  to the end you may not sin, but if any one shall chance to sin: we have an Advocate with the Father, jesus Christ, and therefore no man is to despair, seeing that if he heartily con●●●t himself to God, there is no doubt of his obtaining mercy. If the Apostle S. Peter after so long a discipline in the school of Christ, and so many graces and favours received of him, did notwithstanding come to fall so grossly and from so low a fall, as the denying of his Lord and Master come again to rise unto so high and excellent estate; who shall despair hereafter, being once fallen, for to get up again? Have you sinned Whilst you were in the world? (saith S. Bernard) could your sin be more grievous then S. Paul's? Have you sinned since your coming to Religion? Can it be more enormous than Saint Peter? Seeing then these holy Saints by hearty sorrow & penance have not only obtained pardon of their sins, but merited to arrive unto so high and eminent perfection as we know; do you but imitate their sorrow and their penance, and you shall not only recover that state in which you were, but also proceed unto a higher and more excellent perfection.   

How much it imports Novices to bestow the time of their Noviciat well, and to accustom themselves then to do their Actions well. CHAP. IX.  
WE may gather from that which hath been said, how much it imports Novices to make good use of their time of Noviciate, & to accustom themselues from that their beginning to do all the exercises of Religion exactly, and with great diligence. The first rule of the Master of the Novices in the Society declars this clearly unto us, & in a brief manner; which is not directed only unto us, but also to all other Religious persons in general. 
Re. 1. Magistra Novitiorum.  He shall understand (says the Rule) that there is a thing of great moment commited unto him. For the proving of which, two weighty reasons are alleged to make the Master of the Novices more vigilant over his charge, and more sensible of the importance of the thing committed to his care; the first is; because on the first institution of the Novices, for the most part depends their (ensuing) profit; & the other, Because the hope of the Society in our Lord doth likewise consist therein. And to declare these two reasons more in particular, I say first of all, that on this first education and habit of virtue, which the Novices first put on, depends morally speaking all their advancement or detriment in spirit, all their fervour or remissness, as we have said in the precedent chapter. For of one who passeth over his Noviciat tepidly & with negligence, there is scarcely any reason we can have to hope that he will become more fervent or observant hereafter, but on the contrary there are many presumptions & pregnant reasons to doubt the contrary.  
But to explicat more clearly this verity, let us enter into more particular discourse with the Novice and well weighing the reasons, convince him by force of them. Now whilst you are in your Noviciat you have as much time and leisure, as you can desire, to attend unto your interior & your progress in spirit: unto which end you have all requisite helps & comodities, since your Superiors employ you in nothing else beside, neither require of you any other thing: this is their end and aught likewise to be yours. You have for the present the frequent examples of your fellow Novices, who aspire unto nothing else, but to perfection; which is a motive which ought much to animate you, & to stir you up, when you converse with no others but such as those: neither do I see how you can remain negligent and remiss among so many who make such great profit in virtue. You are now free from all solicitude & cares, and have your hart freely left to the pursuit of virtue: there is no impediment which may divert you from it, and the examples of many do invite you to it. If therefore now, when you have nothing else to attend unto, and every thing to further you, you make no profit, nor provide you of no stock of virtue for the future; what will become of you, when your hart shall be divided, and you employed among a thousand businesses? If at this present with so many aids, so precious and forcible, you make not your Prayer well, you do not your duty in your Examen, you are negligent in your Additions, and have no care to perform your other spiritual exercises well; how will you do, when you shall have your studies to exact your attention; and when afterwards you come to be employed in hearing confessions, teaching, preaching and the like? If now with so many conferences and spiritual exhortations, with so many examples, solicitations, & even, in a sweet manner, addition of violence, you make no spiritual profit; what will you do when you shall be as it were besieged round with occasions of lets and hindrances, to divert you from it? If now in the beginning of your conversion, when even the novelty of the things were sufficient to stir you up to fervour and devotion to them, you go forwards with so much languor & tepidity; what will become of you, when your ears shall be frequently accustomed to hear those things, which may divert & carry you away? And what is yet more, if for the present when your passions do but begin yet to sprout forth, and your inclinations are but (as it were) in their infancy, & wanting force, you have not force, nor resolution to resist them, for fear of labour and difficulty; how will you make head against them and overcome them hereafter, when they shall have taken deep root, and be grown so strong, and natural to you by length of time and custom, as the departing from them would be a divorce unto you, not much less violent than that of your soul and body?  
S. Dorotheus declares this by an example borrowed of one of those ancient Fathers, 
Doroth. doctr. 11.  who sitting once with his disciples in a grove of Cypress trees, where some were great, others grafts and others of middle growth, the Father commanded one of his Disciples to pluck one of them up by the roots, which he did presently, it being but a graft; afterwards he pointed unto one which was of a bigger sort, and bid him likewise pluck up that which he did, though not without much violence & applying both his hands unto it; then he set him unto another which was yet greater, which he could not pluck up, without an others help; & lastly appointing one of the best rooted of them to be plucked up, all the Religious together could not once stir it from the place: where upon the grave Father took occasion to discourse in this manner unto them. Behold (said he) it is just so with the passions of our mind: it is easy for us in the beginning when they have not yet taken root, to overcome them with the least diligence, but after you have suffered them to take root a while, they will gather so much strength from your indulgence to them, as it will cost you pain enough and require a strong resolution for to root them out; if notwithstanding you can effect it with all your industry.  
From hence may we see the greatness of that tentation and deceit by which we are won to differ our amendment and spiritual profit from day to day, and to make account afterwards to mortify and overcome ourselves, which for the present we dare not take in hand, because of the difficulty and tediousness thereof. If you cannot overcome the difficulty when it is not much; how will you be able to resist it when this grown strong & mighty? if now when your passions are (as it were but whelps) you trembled for fear of them; how will you dare to with stand them, when they shall grow to be Lions in strength and fury? therefore assure yourself, that if you do your actions now with so much coldness, negligence & imperfection, you will be far more tepid and negligent hereafter. If now you are no good Novice, hereafter you will be no good Religious man, nor Operarius: if now you are negligent in observing your rules, you will be much more negligent hearafter. Lastly if now you have but little care to do your exercises devoutly, and with perfection, all that you shall do hereafter will be nothing worth. All the difficulty in the batch is to lay the leaven well, 
Bonau. in spec. discip.  & S. Bonaventure saith that the impression or mould which one receaus in the beginning, he hardly leaves of afterwards, and he who neglects discipline in the beginning of his new conversion, shall with much difficulty be afterwards brought unto it; & man shall hardly apply himself unto that in his age, which he neglected when he was a youth. It is a proverb, 
Prou. 22.6.  and a proverb of the holy Ghost a youth according to his own way, will hardly departed from it even when he grows old, 
Clymac. de inanis vitae fuga gradu 1. Threnor. 3.27.  and therefore S. john Clymachus says that it is a dangerous & fearful thing to begin tepidly: since (saith he) it is the manifest sign of an ensuing fall, and therefore is it of so much importance to accustom ourselves from the beginning unto virtue and to do our ordinary exercises well. The holy Ghost by the Prophet Hieremy admonisheth us of this, where he says, it is good for a man, 
Eccl. 25.5.  when he bears the yoke from his youth: for such as then he shall have been, such shall he remain always thereafter, & those virtues & good habits by use and exercise will become light unto him, which otherwise would have seemed intolerable, that which you have not gathered together in your youth, how shall you find it when you come to be old?  
From this first reason proceeds the second, seeing if the progress of the Religious consists in their first beginnings and education, the good of the Religion doth likewise depend thereon. For it is not the walls of the cloister, or college which makes the Religion: but the persons who are congregated in them; and those who are now in the Noviciat, are they who are afterwards to be the body of the Religion, and for this reason the Society thinks it not enough to erect Seminaries & Colleges where youth should be educated in virtue and learning together, but it also designs peculiar houses for virtue only, where the Novices attend unto nothing else then to the abnegation and mortification of themselves, and to the exercise of true and solid virtue as a foundation of far more importance & necessity, then that of any learning or liberal science. Unto this end the Noviciats are erected, 
Pater Borgia. in ep. ad Societ.  which are (as B. F. Borgia says) like Bethleems for the Novices, which is interpreted the house of bread, here they provide them of Biscuit & provision for so long a voyage, and so many dangers which do threaten them. This is our harvest, and our fruitful season; this those plentiful years, during the which we must lay up store, with joseph for those years of famine and sterility to come. If the Inhabitants of Egypt, could but have appehended the necessity, of making best use of that same plenteous time, they would not have so lightly exhausted their granaries, of that provision, 
Genes. 41 48.  which joseph did so carefully buy up. If you could but imagine how much it imports you to go out of the Noviciat well furnished & stored with spiritual provision without doubt you would be fare from being joyful when you were to go from thence, but rather you would be sad and much afflicted, at the necessity of sending you away, when you considered what small provision of virtue and mortification you went away with al. And so B. F. Borgia was wont to say, that those who desired or were glade to have made an end of their Noviciat, did well show that they had little understanding of spiritual things, and did not know the necessity which they had, considering the danger & difficulty of their voyage to go out well furnished with provision for it: of how rich, and well provided of all virtue did our B. Father imagine that we should departed out of the Noviciat, 
4. P. consti. cap. 4.2.  as he declares in the Constitutions? he ordayns two years of probation & experiment, where the Novices are to look upon no other book, nor attend to other study, then that of their greater abnegation, mortification and progress in all virtue and perfection, from whence he supposeth they will come out so fervent and spiritual, such great friends of mortification & recolection, so addicted to prayer, and to spiritual things, that there would be more need of the bridle than the spur: therefore he exhorts them when they come to Colleges, to moderate their fervour during the time of their studies, and in no wise to follow its dictamen for as much as concerneth prayer and mortification, as thinking that they are come out of the Noviciat with such interior light and illustration, with such a knowledge of God and spiritual things joined with the contempt & hatred of the world, with such a tenderness of devotion, and such exterior & interior composition that ti was need to go by way of prevention, to meet with that fervour which they were to bring from the Noviciat with them, the fruit of two complete years of probation. Let us then procure to departed from the Noviciat with an answerable fervour to this expectation of us; let us make due use of that so precious time, seeing so long as we live, we shall never have the like time again to make our profit of, and to gain & store ourselves with spiritual treasure; let us be wonderful wary of mispending it, and letting the least moment of it be lost, 
Eccl. 14 14.  Non defrauderis à die bono, & particula boni doni non te pretereat.  
One of the greatest graces & favours which our Saviour doth to those whom he calls in their youth unto Religion, & for which they are to render him infinite thankes, is; that it is very easy for them then to apply themselves to virtue & Religious discipline. The tree, whilst it is yet in its first growth & but a limber plant, may be bowed which way you please, and fashioned & disposed to an excellent growth, but after you have suffered it once to grow knotted and awry, it will be easier to break it, then to straighten it, but it will remain always as it is, Adeo à teneris assuscere multum est it imports so much to be accustomed from the beginning. And this which is said of plants, is likewise found by experience in men, who when they are young may easily be framed and fashioned to good, and they come to have a great facility in that, unto which they are trained & brought up from their tender age, and consequently lightly to persevere in it. as the wool which being died, before it be wrought, doth never come there after to lose its colour. Who shall restore the wool which is once died scarlet, to its native whiteness again saith S. Hierome? and the Poet Horace.  
S. Hier.  Quo semel est imbuta recens seruabit odorem. 
Testa diu— old vessels will taste of that liquor, which they first did fill into them, when they were new.  

2. Paras. 1 34.3.  King josias is praised the holy Scripture, for beginning from his youth to serve God, Cum adhuc esset puer, coepit quarere Deum patris sui David.  
Humbertus a right venerable person, and Master General in his life time of the Order of S. Dominicke, doth recount how that one of the Religious being dead, appeared some night after unto an other Religious man of the same Order, in great brightness and glory, and leading him out of his cell, he shown him a vision of diverse persons in white & resplendent habits, who carrying fair crosses on their shoulders, did in that manner march in procession towards heaven; presently after he saw an other company, but far more delightful & shining with greater light than the former, who bore each on a fair rich cross in their hands, and not one their shoulders, as the other procession had done, who went before; shortly after he perceived an other band of them, shining with more admirable light without comparison than those who went before, whose crosses were likewise far more rich and resplendent than any of the other, which crosses they did not bear on their shoulders, nor in their hands, as the two other companies had done, but each one of their crosses, was borne by a several Angel, who lead them on, whilst they in joyful manner followed after them. At which vision the Religious man much wondering, and desiring to be instructed in the mystery; that blessed soul deceased told him, that the first whom he had seen, bearing their crosses upon their shoulders were such as entered Religion, when they were well in years; the second sort, who bore them in their hands, were such as came into Religion in the flower of their youth; & the last who went so cheerfully and so lightly on, whilst their crosses were borne in the hands of Angels, were such as had entered Religion in their tender years, and had sooner forsaken & left the world, than known it.   
FINIS. Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.   

THE THIRD TREATISE OF THE RIGHT AND PURE INTENTION, WITH WHICH we ought to do our Actions.  
Composed in Spanish by the R. F. ALFONSUS RODRIGVEZ of the Society of JESUS.  
Translated into English.  
Permissu Superiorum, M.DC.XXX.   

THE THIRD TREATISE OF THE RIGHT AND PURE INTENTION, With which we ought to do our Actions.  

That we ought principally to shun all vain glory in our Actions. CHAP. I.  
THERE is nothing in our Rules, & Constitutions, so often repeated, or more recommended to us, then that we should endeavour to have a right Intention in all our actions, & therefore almost in every leaf and rule, are these words repeated: To the greater glory of God. Or these other (in effect the same) having always regard unto God's greater service. Our Blessed Father Saint Ignatius, had this desire of the greater honour and glory of God, so deeply rooted in his heart, and was so accustomed to direct all his actions unto this end; that he repeated these words (for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh) most frequently on all occasions. 
Math. 12.34. & Luc 6.45.  This hath been ever as the Device, the soul & life of all his actions, as is amply declared in the History of his life, and therefore with good reason are these words, 
Lib. 1. c. 3. vita P. Ignatij.  Ad maiorem Dei gloriam subscribed unto his picture. This is his Arms, this his Device, and Motto; in this short sentence is his whole life and all his actions in such manner comprehended, as we cannot entitle him to more praise and honour, than these few words make him inheritor of. This must likewise be our Scutcheon, Motto, and Device, to the end that like dutiful and legitimate children, we may be in all things like unto our Father. Neither is it without cause, that he commends this so much unto us, 
Tract. 2. cap. 1.  seeing that all our progress & perfection consists in those works which we are to do; for according as they shall be good and perfect, so likewise shall we be better & perfecter, & the more right and pure our intentions are, the more sublime and perfect shall be their end; for this is that which gives soul and being to our aactions, according to that of our Saviour in the Gospel: 
Math. 6.22. & 23.  The lamp of your body is your eye, if that your eye be pure & simple, your whole body shall be enlightened, but if your eye be naught, your whole body shall be obscure. 
Greg. l. 38 Moral. c. 3  The Holy Doctors commonly understand in this place by the eye, the intentton, as that which before hand, marks & considers what it is to do, & by the Body, the operation, which presently follows the intention, as the whole body follows the direction of the eyes. Moreover Christ our Lord says, that our works and operations, receive all their light & lustre from the intention which we have in doing them, & that the work is good or bad, according as the intention is good or bad, with which we do it, & so likewise sublime & perfect, as the end shall be sublime & perfect for which it is done. Which the Apostle S. Paul gives to understand, where he says: 
Rom. 11.16.  Si radix sancta & rami. The tree & its fruit take well or ill, according to the root; for what else can we expect from a tree which hath an ill root, but wormeaten and unpleasant fruit? Whereas on the contrary if its root be good and sound, both the tree shall be good, and the fruit proceeding from it. S. Gregory writing on these words of job, 
job. 38.6. Greg. l. 18. Moral. c. 28.  Super quo bases illius solidatae sunt, saith, that like as the edifice of some substantial building, useth to be sustained by rues of Pillars, and that those pillars are supported by their basses and foundations, so also our spiritual life is sustained by virtues, and these virtues depend upon a right and good intention.  
But that we may proceed herein with order, we will first treat of that vicious end, which we are to avoid, & fly from in our actions, that they may not be done out of vain glory or any other humane respect; and after proceed to set down that good & perfect end and intention, with which we ought to do, and to perform them; for first we must fly evil, and then do good, according to that of the Prophet Diverte à malo & fac bonum. 
Psal. 33.15.  All the holy Doctors do principally advice us to take heed of vain glory; for that it is (according to their saying) a sly and crafty thief, which sets upon us at unawars, and spoils (or to speak more properly) robs us of our good works and penetrates so secretly and insensibly into our souls, that it oftentimes hath ransacked and bereft us of all, before we took any heed or notice of it. Saint Gregory says, 
Greg. cap. vlt. mora. & l. 9 c. 13.  that it is like a thief disguised, who puts its self into our company as we travail, making show as if it went the same way with us, until at length when we are least ware of it, it sets upon us & bereaves us both of life and goods together. I confess (saith that holy Pope) that it seemed to me, when I first examined my intention, in the writing of this work, that I had no other in the undertaking of it, but only to please Almighty God, and nevertheless in the process of it, I have discovered a certain desire of delighting men, and a kind of vain complacence so subtly crept in, that although I know not how, nor in what manner it got entrance yet this I find, that the further I go in it, the less free it is from the dross of vanity: he saith moreover that it happeneth with this, as it doth with eating; for we begin most commonly to eat, out of pure hunger & necessity, but afterwards there creeps in Gluttony and complacence so subtly withal, that we proceed to do that out of mere delight and gust, which we begun out of necessity to satisfy our nature & sustain our life. Even in this manner we begin well oftentimes our spiritual functions of preaching, and the like, with intention only to apply them to the help of souls, but by little & little afterwards it turns to vanity, and we fall to seek, to please and comply with others, and be esteemed ourselves; and when we find any of this wanting to our expectations, presently we begin to do our functions after a languishing manner, and more out of necessity, than any will or application to them.   

Wherein the hurt and mischief of vain Glory doth consist. CHAP. II.  
THE hurt which proceeds from this vice, is principally this, that it makes a man vain gloriously seek to exalt himself with that honour & glory which only appertains to God: 
1. Tim. 17  Deo soli sit honour & gloria, & that which he reserveth only to himself, 
Isa. 42.8. etc. 48.11  and will have given to no created thing (Glorian meam alteri non dabo) wherefore S. Augustine in his Solitoquiums directs his speech in this manner unto God Almighty: Whosoever, 
Augu c. 5 Solioq.  Lord from thy good ●●ckes glory 〈◊〉 himself, and not to thee, is 〈◊〉 thief and a robbery; and like unto the Devil who went above to steal thy glory from thee. In all God's works, two things are to be considered; first their profit and utility; next the glory and honour which proceedeth from them, and aught to redound unto their Author and Original, the fruit and utility of his actions, God doth freely bestow in this life upon men, but the glory he doth wholly reserve unto himself. 
Prou. 16. ●. D●ut. 16.19.  God hath made all for himself and the Lord hath created all people to his praise, name, and glory. Whence it is that all his creatures do preach, and teach unto us his wisdom, 
Psal. 18.2.  goodness, and his providence; hence also it is that heaven and earth are said to be full of his glory. 
Isa. 6.3.  Whosoever then in those good works which he doth, shall seek the praise and the esteems of men, doth wholly pervert God's ordination in them, and is apparently injurious unto his divine Majesty, by seeking that men (who ought wholly to be occupied in glorifying God, should neglect and turn themselves from God, to have regard to his esteem and praise; and also desiring, that their hearts which God hath created to the end they should be vessels of his honour and glory, should be filled with their honour and esteemation. What is this is this but to steal the hearts of men from God Almighty, and turn him out (as we may say) of his own house and habitation? Can there be greater malice & wickedness, then to seek, to rob God of his glory, and the hearts of men? Or to ●●y with their mouths, that God Almighty is only to be our object, whilst in their hearts they desire to derive the eyes of men, from God unto themselves? He who is truly humble desires not to dwell in the hart of any creature but in God alone, neither that any should be mindful of him, but that they should convert all their thoughts to God, neither lastly to be so much as spoken of by men, but that God alone should be in the mouths of every one, that they should have him only in their hearts, and there conserve him to eternity.  
We may the better perceive the soulnes and enormity of this vice, by considering what injury that woman should do unto her husband, who should trim up, & adorn herself, more to please another's eyes then his, for even so doth he, who doth his good works (which are our souls peculiar ornaments) more to please men, than God Almighty, who is the spouse and Bridegroom of our souls. Think likewise how unworthily it would show in any Nobleman, to boast some sleight service he had done his Prince, who for him had formerly exposed himself to some great danger and ignominy, without regard either of life or fame, especially if he should seek to commend himself by those his small services, (which yet he had not done, without the assistance of his Prince) unto the dishonouring of his Prince, who without any help of his, had done for him a thousand times as much; it were a disloyalty to be detested by every grateful mind, and yet these is none of us, but may well apply ●ll this unto ourselves, and have just cause to be ashamed, aswell for that we proudly esteem ourselves to have done any thing, as chief for that we boast ourselves, & glory unto others when we do any thing, whereas we might have just cause to be so confounded for having done so little, if we would but compare that which we are obliged for God's sake to do, with that which God only for our sakes hath done.  
The evil of this vice doth yet more clearly appear, in that the Divines & holy men do reckon it among the seven deadly Sins, 
Clim. de vana● gloria,  which are called the heads and originals of all other sins, and some there are who reckon eight, and say that the first is Pride, the second vain Glory, but the common opinion of the holy Fathers, which is received and followed by the holy Church, 
D. Thom. 2.2. quest. 132. art. 4  is that there are seven capital Sins, under which S. Thomas saith Vain glory is the first, but that Pride is the fountain, original, and root of all the seven, 
Eccl. 10.15.  following this sentence of Ecclesiastes, the beginning of all sin is Pride.   

Of the hurt and damage which vain Glory brings along with it. CHAP. III.  
OUR Saviour in the Gospel doth apparently declare, what detriment this sin of vain Glory doth bring along with it, where he says: book that you do not your actions before 〈◊〉 for to be seen of them, 
Matth. 6.  otherwise you shall have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Do not imitate the Hypocritical pharisees, who did all their works with design to be seen, esteemed, and praised for them by men; for so shall you lose all the fruit of them: Amen I say unto you, they have received their reward. 
Math. 6.5  Your desire was to be esteemed of men, and out of this desire, you have done all your actions, and therefore you have your reward already, Quia ventum seminabunt, & turbinem metent. And miserable as you are, have nothing lest, you may pretend in the other life. Holy job saith: The hope of an Hypocrite shall vanish, 
job. 8.13.  to wit, of such a one, 
Greg lib. Moral cap ●●.  who doth all his actions to be esteemed and praised; which S. Gregory excellently declares, where he says, that all the praise, and the esteem of men, for which they sought & laboured, with the breath of life vanishes away, and then, Non ei place bit record●● sua, his folly and madness will be displeasing to him. O how much (saith this Saint) shall you find yourselves abused, when (having the eyes of your understanding opened) you shall see, that with those works by which you might have purchased Heaven, you have gained no more than the vain praise of men, and the empty words of, O how well hath he said this! How excellently done that! He who desires the favours of men for those good works he doth, sets a vile price upon a precious thing, and asks only the base come of transitory words, for that with which he might have purchased Heaven. What greater folly or madness can be imagined, then that a man should do diverse good works with much sweat and labour, and deprive himself of all recompense in the end? Which is that which the Prophet Aggeus saith: Put your hearts upon your ways: 
Agg. 1.5. & 6.  you have sowed much, and reaped but little: you have eaten and are not satiate: drunken and are not inebriat: you have clothed yourselves, and are not warm, and he who gathered up his byre and wages, hath put it into a sack full of holes, or (according to another translation) into a pierced or leaking Vessel, into which to 〈◊〉 any liquid matter, is no other than to spill it. In the like manner to do our works with vain glory, is but utterly to lose them, for the loss accompanieth inseparably the gain. Wherefore (then) appenditis argentum non in panibus, 
Isa. 55.2.  & laborem vestrum non in saturitate? As you do many things, toil much, and labour much, perform them all in such manner, as they may profit you, and not to lose your labour and recompense.  
S. Basil observes three losses and detriments which vain Glory brings us. 
Basil. con Monast. c. 11.  The first is, that it makes us labour & weary out ourselves in exercise of works which in themselves are good. The second, that it deprives us of them as soon as we have done them, by bereaving us of all their recompense; this mischievous vice (saith this Saint) doth not bring us not to work at all (for that were not altogether so grievous, to have no reward, when we had not laboured for it) but it lies in wait until we have laboured and wearied out ourselves, with doing many good works, & then it dispoiles us of them by bereaving us of their reward. 
Chrys. ho. 3. in verb. Isaiae. Vidi Dominum  It may properly be compared (saith he) unto a Pirate, who lies a loof upon the Sea, until he sees a ship well fraught come out of the Haven, & then he makes to it, and lays it aboard. The Pirates use not to set upon ships when they put first to sea empty of loading, but lay for it, when it hath made its voyage & comes home richly fraught; in like manner, this thief of our vain glory, waits until we are full loaden with good works, and then it surpriseth us, & forcibly deprives us of them, and what is yet more, it doth not only deprive us of their reward, but (which is the third loss and most material) it makes us worthy of punishment, by changing our good into ill, & virtue into vice, through that vicious & corrupt end for which we did our actions. And so we come to reap ill fruit from good seed, and to deserve punishment & torment for that which might have purchased us the joys of heaven, and all this it doth with such sleights & allurements, that men do not only receive a loss so important as that of all the good works which they have done, but even they take pleasure and are delighted with it: In so much that although you clearly demonstrate unto them, and they acknowledge it, that they do merit nothing by all the works they do, notwitstanding they are so set on fire, with this desire of the esteem of men, that they seem to be bewitched with it, & to have no thought or care of any thing beside.  

In Const. Monast. c. 11.  Wherefore S. Basil calls Vain glory, A sweet thief of spiritual treasure, and a delightful enemy of the souls of men, it is a fawning traitor, a sugared enemy and a sweet impoverishing, whence it is, saith he, that so many are enticed by this dangerous vice, into its nets & snares. The glory of this world, saith he, seems sweet unto the ignorant, and with its outward appearance coosens and deceives them. And S. Bernard says: 
Bern. serm 6. super Psal. Qui habitat.  Take heed of the arrow, it flies lightly, and enters lightly in: but I say unto you, it makes no light wound, but brings death presently, and this arrow is vain glory. It is but a poor and little grain of Sand, but it flies high. 
Surius in vita S. Pachomij  Surius recounts how that whilst S. Pachomius was once sitting with some other grave Fathers in a certain place of the Monastery, one of his Monks came, bringing with him two mats, and laid them by his Cell, just against the place where S. Pachomius sat, hoping that he would take notice of them, and praise his diligence for having plaited those two mats that day, whereas the other Religious according to their rules, had only made their one a piece: But the holy man perceaving his vanity, sighing and turning him unto the other Fathers with great sorrow and feeling, said: Behold this Brother here who hath been labouring from morning unto night, to offer up all his works unto the Devil, and hath had more respect unto the praise of men, then to God's glory. Whereupon calling the Monk unto him, after a sharp reprehension he gave him for penance, to go with the mats upon his shoulders, as the Brothers should be assembled to prayer, & there to cry out with a loud voice, Dear Fathers and Brothers, I beseech you pray unto God for me poor sinner, that he would have mercy on me, who have made more account of these two mats, then of the kingdom of heaven. Moreover the Holy Abbot commanded that whilst the rest of the Religious took their refection, he in like manner with the mats on his shoulders should sit in the middle of the Refectory; neither yet did this penance seem enough unto him, but he caused him to be locked up into a Cell, where none should have access unto him, and there to remain for five months together without any other sustenance then only dry bread, salt, and water, with a task imposed upon him, to plat every day two mats. there in secret before he eat. Whence unto our profit we may gather how great pennances those ancient Fathers did impose upon ordinary faults, and with how great humility and patience their Religious received them, making their profit of them.   

That the tentation of vain Glory doth not only assault those who are new beginners, but also such who make progress in Virtue. CHAP. FOUR  
S. CYPRIAN treating of the tentation with which the Devil assaulted our Saviour the second time, (when having carried him up unto the Pinnacle of the Temple, he said: 
Math. 4.6  If you be the son of God cast yourself down) falls into this exclamation, O detestable malice of the enemy, the malign spirit, made account to overcome him. with vain glory, whom with Gluttony he could not win! And therefore he endeavoured to persuade him, to make himself by flying in the air, the spectacle and wonder of the people. The Devil thought he should find the like success with tempting our Saviour, as he had with others, and knew by experience, confirmed by often trial, that even those whom by no other tentations he could overcome, he had often by vain glory and Pride. won & subjected to him. Wherefore after he had tempted them with Gluttony, he sets upon him with this, as the more forcible and difficile to resist. For it is no small matter (saith the Saint) for one not to be delighted with the praise of men, and as there are not many to whom it is grateful to hear themselves ill spoken of by others: so are there as few, who are not well pleased when others speak in commendations of them. From whence we may perceive that this of vain glory is not only a tentation of Novices, and new beginners, but even of those of longest experience & practise in Religion, yea rather it is more properly the tentation of such who go forwards in perfection.  
The holy Abbot Nilus (who was disciple of S. john Chrisostome) relates how the old experienced Fathers, 
Nilus de inte, emp. Patruum qui erant in Sina, adfert Surius 14. januar.  did instruct & bring up the Novices, after another, and fare different manner than they did those who had been long in Religion: they taught the Novices always to have a care of abstinence & temperance, since those who suffered themselves to be overcome with the vice of Gluttony, would easily (they said) be subdued by the concupiscence of the flesh (for how shall he be able to overcome a mighty enemy, who cannot resist a weak and feeble one? But they admonished those who had made a longer progress in Religion, to have an eye chief to the resisting of vain Glory & Pride (like as those who sail by sea, are then most careful to take heed of shelves and rocks, when they are not fare from the Haven; for as there are many who having made a prosperous voyage by sea, do perish & suffer shipwreck near the Haven? So likewise are there diverse, who have happily passed over almost the whole course of their lives, overcoming all tentations on their way, who in the end, when they were even in entrance of the port, by trusting too much to their passed victories, and growing proud and negligent with the conceit that they were out of danger, have made a most lamentable wrack of all. And like a ship which with many voyages to sea was never hurt, comes las●ly to perish in the Haven, so fare is it with vain glory, and therefore many holy men call this vice, A tempest in the Haven. Others compare it by a Merchant, who having his ship richly loaden with all commodities, doth spring leaks in it himself, and drown it, yea the ancient Philosophers destitute of the light of Faith, yet have arrived to the knowledge of this verity, as namely Plato, where he saith, that this vain Glory is the last garment which our soul puts off, meaning that it is easier to leave off all other imperfections than this one.  
The reason why those ancient Fathers did not exhort their Novices to take heed of this vice of vain Glory▪ was, because they knew there was no great fear of vain glory in those, who having newly left the world, had yet the wounds of their sins open and freshly bleeding, from whence they should find matter enough of humility and shame, and therefore it was more need for them to be exercised in abstinence, penance, and mortifying themselues, but those more ancient in Religion, who had already washed away their sins with their repentant tears who had undergone hard penance, & were well entered on the way of virtue, had need of these admonitions, for the other who were yet full of passions, empty of solid virtue, who had not yet made an end of weeping for their sins, and the forgetfulness of God Almighty into which they were so deeply plunged, had no cause at all, to grow vaynglorious, but much, to give way unto their shame and their just cause of grief.  
Wherefore they ought to be greatly confounded, who having diverse motives for to humble themselves pass them blindly over, and become proud by looking only upon something more than ordinary, which they seem unto themselves to have done. In which they are most shamefully abused, for any the least ill which may be found in us, aught to be sufficient for to humble us, seeing to the end a thing be good, it is required that there be nothing defective in it; whereas any on circumstance is enough to make it bad. But we on the contrary side, cannot humble ourselves with all our faults and imperfections, whereas if there be any one thing in us which seems but good, we presently grow proud of it, and desire to be esteemed & respected for it. In which we may clearly perceive the malicious craft of this vice of vain glory, since it spares none of any condition, and sets upon all without any ground or reason, S. Bernard says likewise of it, 
Bernard. de o●dinibus vitae & morum institutib. Aug. in Psal. 115.  that it is the first in the sin and the last in the combat, the first which sets upon us to overthrew us, and the last which we must fight against to overcome. Therefore dear Brothers saith S. Austin, let us all arm ourselves and prepare us to fight against this vice, in such manner as we read of the Prophet David, where he says. 
Psal. 148.37.  Avert mine eyes that they may not look upon vanity, O how happy are those who in the hour of death can say that which S. Catherine of Sienna answered the Devil suggesting vain glory unto her when she was a dying: get hence said she I never gave any way unto it, but have done all my actions unto the glory of my God.   

Of the particular care which they ought to have of vain glory, who are to employ themselves to assist and help their Neighbour. CHAP. V.  
ALTHOUGH (as we have said) all men in general aught to take heed of this vice of vain glory, nevertheless we (who according to our institute are to attend unto the salvation of souls) have particular need, to proceed herein with great warynes & circumspection, seeing that our functions are very sublime, and perspicuous, as being exposed unto public sight, and therefore the more spiritual and eminent they are, the greater danger is there in them, and the fouler should our faults be, if we should seek ourselves in doing them, and desire the praise and the esteem of men. For this should be to glorify ourselves, 
Ber. serm. 45. super cantica.  in that which God makes most account of, which is his graces and his spiritual gifts. Whereupon S. Bernard says. Woe be to them to whom it hath been given to think and speak well of God Almighty if they esteem gain, piety, if they convert that to vain glory, which they have received to lay out for to gain souls to God, if feeding and tasting of high things, they have not well relished but neglected the humble, Woe I say unto them unto whom it is given to apprehend and speak feelingly of spiritual things, to understand the Holy Scriptures, and preach with great applause unto the people, if they once should wholly employ those talents in seeking of themselves and humane praise, which God bestowed upon them, for to win souls to him, and spread abroad his honour & his glory, let such fear & tremble at those words of God spoken by the Prophet Oseus I have given them silver, 
Ezeae. 28.  I ●aue multiplied their gold, with which they have made (their Idol) Baal, they have made use of my gifts, to build unto themselves an Idol of glory.  

Greg. lib. 22. mor. cap. 17. 2. Cor. 2.17.  S. Gregory brings unto this purpose that saying of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. We are not like unto many, adulterating the word of God, but out of sincerity, but like as from God we speak before God in Christ, on which place he makes two expositions, saying, that the word of God may be adulterated in two kinds. The first is when one understands & expounds the holy Scripture, contrary to its literal sense, making out of their own fancies new comments on it, contrary to the legitimate sense which the holy Ghost, the author of it, hath delivered unto his spouse the Catholic Church, by the holy Doctors and interpreters of it. The second sort of corrupting and falsifying the word of God is that which makes more immediately to our purpose. For there is this difference betwixt the lawful husband & an Adulterer that the one's end is to beget children from the lawful bed, the others only to satisfy his lustful appetit. In like manner, he who by the word of God and his spiritual functions, seeks not to beget spiritual children to God Almighty, which is proposed unto him, according to that of S. Paul. Per Euangelium ego vos genui, 
1. Cor. 4.15.  but seeks his own satisfaction, and the praise of others, is an Adulterer of the word of God. And for this reason the holy Doctors call vain glory a spiritual Adultery, since the pleasure thereof is as much greater than that of the other, as the soul surpasseth the body. Let us not therefore like Adulterers corrupt the word of God nor seek any thing in our functions, besides the honour and glory of his divine majesty, conformable to that saying of our Saviour Christ, Ego autem non quaero gloriam meam, I search nor mine own honour & glory but the glory of my Father which is in heaven. 
joan. 8.50.  Origin well compared our good works, which are the works of God, to the male children of the Hebrews in the land of Egypt, and says that we should be as careful not to show them for ostentation, as they were not to have their children seen by the Egyptians, lest it happen to us, as it did to Moses, who being perceived when he was an infant, and taken up, was throne into the river of Nilus. If you would appear to be any thing, let it be in the eyes of God Almighty.  
The Holy Scripture relats an exploit of joab the General of David's Army, most worthy of our imitation, to wit, that he with his Army besieging Rabat, the capital City of the Amonits, where the King was, with diverse of his chief Nobility, 
2. Reg. 12.29.  & had so weakened it, that he doubted not to take it by the next assault, dispatched a Post to David presently, to let him know upon what terms it stood, and withal to beseech him to come unto the Army & be present in person at the taking it, giving him this reason, that when he destroyed the City, 
1. Reg. 12.19.  the victory might not be ascribed to him, This his fidelity ought we to imitate towards God in all our Actions with desire that the fruit & conversion of souls with the good and prosperous success of our affairs, be attributed to God, and not to us. Non nobit Domine non nobis, 
Psal. 113.9.  sed nomini tuo da gloriam. All honour belongs unto God who is in heaven, as the song of the Angels doth teach us, Gloria in altissimis Deo.  
We read of S. Thomas of Aquin in the History of his life, 
Luc. 2.14.  that in his whole life he never had so much vain glory, as might arrive unto a venial sin, never the more delighted with himself, for his great knowledge and Angelical wit, nor those great gifts and graces which God had bestowed upon him. We read also of our B. F. S. Ignatius, 
L. 5. c. 3. vitae B. P. lgn.  that for diverse years before his death, he was so entirely freed, from this tentation of vain glory, (he being arrived to such knowledge & contempt of himself by the illustration of heavenly light) that he was used to say he feared no vice less. Behold here the pattern after which we ought to frame ourselves, and which may make us heartily ashamed, to let ourselves be carried so away with the breath of vain glory, for every slight & paltry thing we do. What should we do, if we were eminent in learning, famous for preaching, if we made great profit in the gain of souls, and were for these things esteemed by Princes, Prelates, and by all the world? It behoves us even in little things to accustom ourselves to neglect the praises of men, & seek the honour and glory of God Almighty, to the end that we may do the like, when occasion of greater shall present itself.   

Of certain other remedies against Vain Glory. CHAP. VII.  
S. Bernard upon these words of the Psalmist, 
Bern. in b. 14 super ps● Qui habitat. psal. 90.11.  You shall walk upon the Asp and Basilisk & tread the Lion & Dragon under your feet, saith, that of these beasts some there are who wound with their teeth, others infect with beholding, others with their claws, and others with their hissing do affright: so the Devil in as many kinds doth invisibly endommage men, and goeth on applying the properties of these beasts, to diverse sorts of sins & tentations, with which the Devil makes war upon us, until coming to the Basilisk, he tells of a monstrous thing which is reported of it, to wit, that with its only sight, it poisons men to death. Which the Saint applies unto vain Glory, according to those words of our Saviour in the Euangell: 
Mat. 6.1.  See that you do not your justice before men for to be seen by them, as if he would say, take heed of the Basilisks eyes. But we are also to consider, that as some say, the Basilisk only doth poison those whom it sees first, whereas if you first look upon the Basilisk you are not only not hurt by it yourself, but also are the death of it: so saith he, vain glory hurts none but the negligent and blind, who set themselves forth for to be seen of it, and never mark before, what a vain, abject, & ugly thing it is, whereas if you would but prevent it, by looking on it first, it could not hurt you, but you on the contrary, would be the death and ruin of it, by converting all its threats & flames into contempt & smoke.  
This is then the first remedy against vain glory, to wit, that we endeavour to prevent this Basilisk by looking on it first, attentively examining and considering, that the opinion & the esteem, of men, is but a little wind and vanity, by which we neither win or lose, the praises & opinions of men making us not better, neither their slanders nor persecutions worse; which Saint Chrysostome excellently declares upon these words of the fiftenth Psalm. 
Psal. 5.13.  For thou shalt bless the Just, saying, that these words of the Psalm are of great comfort unto righteous men when they are persecuted and injured, encouraging them to the neglect of it, for you (saith he) you o Lord are he who blesses the just; which being so, what harm can all the contempt & scorn of men do him, who hath the King of Angels for to bless and praise him? And on the other side, if God reject him and do cast him off, all the esteem & praise of men, will nothing help him. Which he confirms with the example of holy job, who whilst he sat on the dunghill full of loathsome sores and ulcers, crawling with worms, afflicted and reviled by his foes and friends, & (what is yet more grievous) by his own wife, was yet more happy than them all, because that God did bless him, 
job. 2.3.  and howsoever men did injure him, yet God was well pleased with him, which he confirmed by this great testimony of him, that he was simple, and upright, one fearing God, declining evil, and yet remaining in his innocence, and this was it which made him a great man indeed: the scorn of men, and the worlds disesteem, making him in nothing lesser than before, And from hence this Holy Saint concludes, that we ought only to bend all our endeavours to render ourselves grateful and pleasing unto God alone, seeing the praises and esteem of men can neither hinder us, nor further us: 
Cor. 4.3.  & therefore is to be neglected. To me it is a thing of least account to be judged of you, or of man's day, that is, by men, I do not study to please men but God, who is the judge of me, qui autem iudicat me Dominus est.  

Bonaven. opusc. de in format. noviciorun.  S. Bonaventure adds hereunto an other point, saying: be not offended with those who speak evil of you, seeing that which they say, is either true or false: if it be true, it is no marvel they do dare to say that which you have dared to do: If false, it cannot hurt you. And although you should be moved to some impatience by it, yet sustain it courageously, like those who endure the cautering Iron, and as that red hot Iron cures the wound, so shall you be delivered by this calumny, from some secret pride, which perhaps lay in your heart, you never knew of.  
The second means which will help us much herein, 
Basil. ser. de exercit. monast.  is that which is so much recommended to us, by the Saints, Basil, Gregory, Bernard, and generally all; which is to abstain from uttering any word, which may tend unto our own commendations & esteem. 
Bern. in formul. honesta vitae.  Never speak any thing of yourself (saith S. Bernard) which may import your praise, how ever familiar he may be with whom you speak. Yea be more careful to conceal your virtues then your vices, It is reported of Mr. Auila, that he was very careful & circumspect in this, in so much, that when upon any occasion for the profit & edification of others, he thought fit to speak of any spiritual thing, which he himself had experienced, he would by speaking in the third person, so hide his own praises, 
Ferdinand, Epis. 4.  that none could perceive it was himself he sp●ke of. And a certain Prelate in Spain who had formerly known our B. Father at Paris, was wont to recount unto us, that he once was discoursing of prayer, and teaching the use of it. Being demanded how his prayer succeeded with him, answered, they should pardon him, for he would not tell them that, but as much concerning prayer, as should be necessary for them to know, Charity and the needs of others obliging him to this last, whereas to speak of the other were but vanity. We read also that Saint Francis was so reserved in this, that he was not only afraid to make known to others those great favours and graces which God was pleased to bestow upon him, but also when he rose from prayer, he carried himself, so covertly & with so much moderation, in his words & his exterior, that none could guess by his outward comportement at any thing which passed in his heart.  
Thirdly we are not to think it sufficient, not to say any thing which may tend unto our praise, but we must pass yet further, & procure as much as may be, to keep those good works secret which we do. According to this admonition of our B. Saviour in the Euangell, 
Mat. 6.6.  when you pray enter into your chamber, & shutting the door, pray unto your Father in secret, and your Father who in secret sees you, will reward you; And as you give alms, do it so, as your left hand may not know, of that your right hand doth; which is as much as to say, that if it were possible yourself should not know thereof. And when you fast, 
Math. 6.17.  anoint your head, and wash your face, that you may not seem to men to fast. That is, carry yourself as if it were a time of feasting, for in the province of Palestine (where our Saviour was when he spoke these words) it was the manner (as S. Hierome writs) to anoint and perfume their heads on Festival days: and because the subtlety of this vice is so great therefore hath our Saviour Christ given us the greater charge for to take heed of it, and fly it, by doing our good works in secret, that we may not lose them, and that this thief vain glory may not steal them from us. For so saith S. Gregory, do travaillers hide their money, lest if they should let it be seen, it would entice thiefs to take it from them. And on this occasion he tells what happened to King Ezechias, who by showing the treasure of his palace to the Ambassadors, 
4. Reg. 20.17.  of the King of Babylon, was the cause that it was all taken from him and transported to Babylon. They bring likewise that common example of the hen, who looseth its egg, by kakleing when it lays it, to show that it is just so with those, who desire that others should see their good works when they do them, and perhaps rather than fail do tell of them themselves.  

Greg. lib. 22. mor c, 9  But a faithful servant of God Almighty saith Saint Gregory, is so fare from this, that he is not content to tarry there & do nothing else, but that which may come for to be seen of others, for so he esteems himself in a manner to have received reward for them, but he labours further, to add an overplus of such other Heroical acts, as may never come unto the knowledge of men. S. Hierome writes of S. Hilarion, that he seeing such a world of people following him, & all men honouring him for the multitude and greatness of his miracles, was very sad, and did nothing else but weep, and when his Disciples demanded of him the reason of his tears, & that unwonted sadness? he answered, it seems to me (Dear brothers) that God is rewarding in this life, those slender services, which I have done him, since he permits me so to be honoured of men, & this is another reason, & a very fit one which we may make use of against vain glory. Look that you have no desire to be esteemed of men, for fear lest God pay you in this money for your good works, if perhaps you have done any; and after this life answer you with the rich Glutton. Remember son how you have received good in your life tyme. 
Luc. 16.25.  This is one of the reasons why the Saints counsel us to shun all extremes & singularities, since those actions which are above the ordinary strain use to be observed, weighed, & spoken of by others, Qui facit quod nemo mirantur omnes, 
Gerson. & Guiel. Paris●ens.  and commonly serve unto no other end, then to beget in us a spirit of Pride and vain Glory, from whence proceedeth our contempt of others.  
But seeing that it is not always in our powers to hide our good works, whose vocation it is, to help our neighbours by them, the fift remedy is, to rectify our intentions, elevating our hearts to God, and offering and directing unto him all our thoughts, our words, & actions as we shall presently declare, and then if perchance vain Glory shall seek for entrance, 
Magister Auila tom 2. epist. f. 59  we may say with Master Auila: You come too late, I have offered up all my works already to God Almighty, or answer it very profitably, 
In vita S Bern.  as S. Bernard did, who when his thoughts once suggested to him (as he preached) Oh, how well you say, answered. I neither begun for your sake, neither for your sake, will I make an end. We ought also to be very wary, that we leave not off our works begun, out of fear of vain glory, for that were too too palpable a folly; but we must stop our ears, and pass over the praises of men as if we heard them not. In which (S. Chrisostome) saith, 
Chrys. l. 5. de Sacerd.  that we are to carry ourselves with the world, as Fathers to their little children, who if the child praise him doth not much esteem it, if he dispraise him, doth but laugh at him, since he considers him as a child, that knows no reason for the one or the other. And so must we be have us with the world, & consider it both when it speaketh the best, or worst of us, but as a child which knows not what it says. 
P. Xaver. lib. 6. cap. 15.  S. Francis Xaverius that great Apostle of the East Indieses, says yet more: that if we would but seriously consider our sins and imperfections, and what we are truly in the eyes of God, we should believe that men in praising us, did no other than deride and mock us, and take their commendations for our injuries.  
The last means (with which we will conclude this chapter) is the knowledge of ourselves, which is the only counterpoise, to all vain Glory: for should we but throughly search and dive into that which in truth we are, we should understand what small foundation we have for to build Pride upon, and how much cause to humble ourselves, and be ashamed of so many sins and imperfections. And that not only by considering that which is ill in us, but even by attentively marking those works of ours which seem to us the best and perfectest, wherein we should find so much amiss, as it were sufficient for to humble us: which S. Gregory says and repeats often. 
Lpeg. lib. 9 moral. cap. 11.  All human justice (saith he) if it be strictly weighed is convinced to be injustice, and if setting aside God's goodness, we should be examined, we should find those works of ours worthy of punishment, for which we awaited to reyceave reward. And S. job testifies that he therefore feared in all the works he did, knowing the multitude of those defects which use to mix themselves with their actions who have not a wary eye upon themselves, 
job. 9.28.  verebar omnia opera mea. Which being so, what cause or reason have we to be proud? When if we examine ourselves but with attention, and call but to count at night the Actions of the day, we shall find nothing but a multitude of miseries, sins, & imperfections crept into all our thoughts, and words, and deeds; we shall perceive nothing but many good works omitted, and lastly (if with God's assistance we have done any good) we shall commonly see it, so deformed with pride, vain glory, negligence, and many other defects which we do know, and far more which we may presume are unknown unto us, that we may have just cause to be ashamed of it, let us therefore enter into ourselves, & have recourse unto the knowledge of our being nothing, let us I say look upon our feet, which is the foulness and deformity of our works, and it will presently make us let fall the feathers of that vanity, pride, which was lifted up within our hearts.   

Of the good end & intention, which we ought to have in all our Actions. CHAP. VII.  
WE have hitherto showed how we are to fly vain glory, and human respects in doing of our works, & now will we treat of the end and intention, which we ought to have in them. which is God's greater honour and glory. S. Ambrose to this purpose brings that example of the Eagle, who for to try, 
Ambr. l. 5. Hexam cap. 18 & lib. de Salome. cap. 2  whither her young ones, are truly bread or no, bears them in her Talents up into the air, and there exposing them to the full shine of the sun, if she perceives that they wink, and are not able to abide its beams, she lets them fall and holds them for none of hers, but if with their eyes fixed, they can abide its brightness, she bears them back unto the eyery again and cherishes them with all tenderness. In the like manner, shall it appear whither we be true children of God or no, if we do look steadfastly on God the true son of justice, by so directing all that we do to him, that the only But and End of all our works, may be only to please his sacred Majesty, and accomplish in them, his holy will and pleasure; which agrees well with that which Christ our Saviour hath said in the evangel 
Math. 2.15.  Whosoever, shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, he is my brother, sister, and my mother.  
One of those ancient Ermits was want always before he begun any work to stand still a while, 
In vitis Patrum.  and being demanded why he did so, answered: these works are worth nothing of themselves, unless they be accompanied with a good Intention & End, & therefore as a good Archer, takes his aim at leisure before he shutes, that he may hit the white the better, so I before I begin any work do use to direct my intention to God, who is the mark at which I aim at in all my actions; & that is the reason why I stand still at the beginning of every work. Behold that which we must imitate. 
Cant. 8.6  Pone me ut signaculum super cortuum, and as good men mark, (that they may the better recollect their sight,) do use to shut their left eye, and take their aim only with the right, so ought we to shut up the left eye of human respects, and only keep open the right eye of a pure and good intention, & so shall we come infallibly to hit the mark, 
Caat. 49.  and penetrate the heart of God. Thou hast wounded my hart with one of thine eyes.  
But to speak more clearly, and to descend unto particulars, I say we must endeavour to direct all our works actually to God Almighty, which may be done in diverse manners. And first in the morning when we rise, we ought to offer up to God, all our thoughts words and works, of the following day, humbly craving of him, that they may be all directed to his honour and glory, unto the end that if vain glory should afterwards present itself to have any part in them, we may truly answer, you come too late, they are all bestowed already. Moreover we are not to think it sufficient to have offered up in this manner, to God Almighty every morning all which we shall do that day, but we must procure to accustom ourselves to begin no action, without first having offered it up unto Gods greater glory. And like as Masons use to do, who go forwards with their building, so by rule and level, that they lay not one stone, but they measure it with their plummet whether it be right or no, so must we measure all our actions, by that rule of the good pleasure, and the glory of God. And as the workman is not content only to make use of his rule and line in the beginning of his work, but applies almost to every particular stone, so we ought not only in the beginning of every action, to offer it up to God Almighty, but also in the progress of it, we are to make an often tender of it unto him by saying, O Lord it is for your sake I do this, because it is your command, because it is your good pleasure.   

How we may do our actions with great rectitude and purity of Intention CHAP. VIII.  
THE masters of spiritual life, for to declare how we are to do our actions with greater perfection, do use an excellent comparison, saying: That as Mathematicians abstracting from the matter, only regard the quantity, and figure of the thing, not caring whether it be good silver or any other mettle, as a thing nothing appertaining to them, so the true servant of God Almighty, aught in the doing of his works, only to have regard unto the will of God: and abstracting from the matter of them, not to care whether they be gold or clay, that is, to be indifferent, to be employed either in honourable, or base & painful things, since our gain and perfection consists not in the quality of our employments, but in accomplishing the will of God, & in seeking his greater glory in all we do. 
Basil. de inglwie & ebriet. ora. 16.  The which the glorious S. Basil doth excellently teach us, according to the doctrine of S. Paul, where he saith: The life of a Christian man, aught to propose unto its self this only But & End, 
1. Cor. 3.  to wit, the glory of God: so that whether we eat or drink, or do aught else beside we are to do all unto the glory of God saith S. Paul preaching in the Lord.  
Our Saviour Christ (weary & tired with his long journey) talking with the Samaritan Woman, whilst his disciples went unto the adjoining village to buy them food, it being after dinner, and they returned offering him to eat, 
joan. 4.31  saying: Rabbi manduca. Answered, I have food to eat which you know not of. Whereupon they said among themselues: Hath any one brought him any thing to eat? To whom he answered: My food is to do the will of him who sent me. This must likewise be our food in all we do, whilst we study, hear confessions, or teach, or preach, our food ought not to be the delight and satisfaction which we take in teaching, Preaching, studying, or the like (for this wear to change gold into Clay). but all our food, delight and satisfaction, aught to be in doing the will of God, which is, that you should be then employed in those works, you ought likewise to have no other food in doing the ordinary offices of the house, so that being or Porter, or Infirmation, you ear and far a like, with him who is Preacher or Divinity Master, & consequently you are to be as well pleased with your office, as he with his, as having the same cause of true contentment, common with you and them, which is, the accomplishing of the will of God. For like a good spiritual Mathematician you are not to reflect upon the material work, but on the will of God, which you perform in doing it, And therefore must we always have these words both in our hearts and mouth. O Lord it is for you that I do this, it is to your glory, & to fulfil your pleasure; neither are we ever to intermit this exercise, until we do arrive unto that perfection, 
Ephes. 6 7  to do our actions as serving God and not men, as S. Paul says, & to perform them in such manner that they may be, as so many continued acts of the love of God, & that it may be our only felicity, to do Gods will, in the execution of them, so that coming to do any work or action, we may rather appear to love then work.  
Reverend M. Auila declares this by a familiar and good similitude, saying: That when a Mother washes the feet of her husband or her son, coming from abroad, it is in her a mixed action, of service and of love: she loving the service she doth them, and serving them for love. Oh that we could but do our actions in this manner, that we could but find the hidden mine of this treasure in the field; one the one side so apparent and manifest, 
Tract. 6. cap. 4. & tract. 8.14  on the other so hidden and concealed! Oh how rich should we be in spirit and recollection! Behold here, the true Alchemy which changeth brass and Iron into gold, for howsoever ignominious the work be in its self, yet by this it is made honourable and of great esteem, let us therefore hereafter enforce ourselves so to do all our actions, as they may become pure gold by our performance of them, this is in our power to do, and easily. 
3 Reg. 6.19.22.  In the Sancta Sanctorum & salomon's Temple, all was pure gold, or convered over with gold, so likewise all that we do, aught to be the love of God, or for the Love of God performed and done.   

How we are not so much to lay the fault of those distractions and spiritual hindrances which we find in ourselves sometimes, on our exterior occupations, as on our not performing them as we ought. CHAP. IX.  
ONe may well conceive from that which we have now said, that the cause of that small progress, and troublesome distraction, which we sometimes find in ourselves, when we are busyed about external things, ought not to be attributed, unto those occupations, but unto ourselves, who know not how to make our profit of them, neither to perform them as we ought, and therefore no man is to lay the fault on his affairs, but on his own want of knowledge to make his benefit of them. Crack the nut, it is not the shell, but the kernel which must be eaten. If you only insist upon the exterior action, and this same outward rind and shell of things, you shall but break your forces, and lose spirit, the nut and inward kernel that it with which is no other than the will of God. must be that which we must feed upon, crack therefore with the teeth of your consideration, this outward shell, and without regarding it pass forwards to the kernel and the pith, like Ezechiels' great Eagle, 
Ezech. 17 3.  which Flew. to Labanus, and took away the inward pith of the Cedar, without tarrying at the outward bark, Holocausta medullata offeram tibi, 
Psal. 62.15.  this is that upon which you must insist, this is that which you must present to God, and so your devotion will increase and profit you. Martha and Mary are sisters, the one is not to be hindrance to the other, but to maintain mutual assistance, prayer, helps to perform our actions well, and our good works do mainly assist our prayers, and if at any time you find yourself troubled & disquiteed in your actions, it is because that Mary (which is contemplation) helps you not Martha, 
Luc. 10.40.41.  Martha, solicita es, & turbaris erga plurima, Martha was disquieted, because she was not accompanied with her sister Mary, Dic ergo illi ut me adiwet, Do but procure that Mary may assist you and you shall presently see all this trouble will be appeased. Those Holy & mystical beasts which Ezechiel writes of, held their hand under their wings, 
Ezech. 1.8.  to signify, that spiritual persons apply their hands to work, but under the wings of contemplation, not separating the one from the other, but whilst they work they contemplate, and contemplating they work.  
And this is that which Cassian recounts of his Monks in Egypt, who although they laboured with their hands, yet seized they not withal to meditate, and whilst their hands were doing Marthaes' offices, their hearts were busyed in mary's exercises, which S. Bernard excellently in these words declares, Those who make profession of spiritual exercises, 
Bern. serm ad solit.  must have a special care that they so employ themselves in exterior things, as they do not extinguish the spirit of devotion, and so although externally through the exercises of good works, they are wearied in their bodies internally, nevertheless in their souls they are recreated and refreshed Whence it comes that the external occupations do so little hinder the internal devotion and recollection, that they rather further it, for they no ways hinder the understanding, but leave it at liberty and free to think on God Almighty. Wherefore Father Hierome Natalis, one of our first Fathers, and a very spiritual man was wont to say, that he envied two sorts of people in Religion, the one was Novices who studied nothing else but their spiritual progress in virtue; the other, the lay Brothers, who had always their understandings free, and left unto themselves, to entertain them all day in prayer and devotion.  
S. john Clymachus tells of a certain Cook in the Monastery where he was, 
Clym. cap. 44.  who having much business, by reason the number of Religious was very great (amounting o two hundred and thirty, besides the strangers and guests which daily came) was notwithstanding in the middle of so many affairs, highly recollected within himself and united with Almighty God, having moreover the plenteous gift of tears, at which S. john Clymachus being much astonished, was very importune with him to know how he came to obtain so high perfection, among so great and continual a press of businesses. The Brother in the end overcome with his importunity, answered him. I never imagined that I served men, but God. I have always thought myself unworthy of any rest or quiet, & the sight of this material fire makes me weep through a lively apprehension of the intolerable pains of the eternal fire. It is also related of S. Catherine of Sienna in her life, 
In vita S. Catharinae Senens.  that her parents did greatly persecute her, & exceedingly importun her to marry, yea they proceeded so far as to forbid her all privacy, and the commodity of any place where she might retire herself to pray, and not content with this, they employed her in the drudgeries of the house, taking a servant which they had from the Kitchen that she might supply her place, to the end that by this means they might leave her no commodity nor time to pray, or attend unto her other spiritual exercises. But she (as the History of her life says) instructed by the holy Ghost did build unto herself in her dear hart a spiritual and most retired Cell, with intention never to go out of it, which she performed afterwards in such manner, that (whereas she was enforced sometimes in her other retirements for to come abroad) out of this spiritual Cell of hers, she never went, her parents could deprive her of the first, but she was so surely possessed of this other, that no living creature could drive her out of it. And by imagining with herself, that her Father was jesus Christ, her mother our B. Lady, and her Brothers and the rest of the family, the Apostles and Disciples of our Lord, she came to do her works with exceeding diligence and cheerfulness, having her thoughts in the midst of all the drudgeries of the Kitchen, only upon jesus Christ her spouse, 
Hier. super illud Isaiae cap. 38.10 Ego dixi in annidio.  enjoying his presence always, and being continually in his company within that holy of Holyes in her soul. And so would she frequently afterwards when her Ghostly Father had any journey in hand, or were otherwise much pressed with business, 
Greg. l. 35 mor. c. 35. super illud job. 42. Mortuus est Senex & plenus dierum.  give him the like counsel, saying: Father build a cell within yourself, & never go out of it. Let us also do the like, and we shall not find ourselves distracted with exterior functions, but they will rather help us to be ever in prayer and Meditation.   

How good and profitable it is, to do our Actions in the foresaid manner. CHAP. X.  
SUCH works (as we have spoken of) are called full and perfect works, and those who live in such manner (according to S. Hierome, & S Gregory) are said by the Holy Scripture to be full of days, although they have lived but a little time, and die in their young years; 
Sap. 4.13.  following this sentence of the Wiseman: Having finished in a short space, he hath fulfilled a long tyme. But how can a man in a short space live many years? Would you know how? By doing full and complete works, and living whole days: Et dies pieni invenientur in eyes. 
Psal. 24.17.  This second place doth explicate the first, and a good Religious man, and faithful servant of God Almighty, from morning until night, & from the evening to the next morning, life's a complete day of four & twenty hours, since that he employs all that time in the fullfilling of the will of God; and he even passes upon the account of God Almighty, his times of eating, recreation, and taking his natural rest, since he doth them not, but only as they are the will of God, & directs them all unto his greater glory. He doth not eat for any gust or pleasure which he takes in it, as the beasts do, neither seeks he his own satisfaction and content, in those other things, but would willingly be without them if it were Gods blessed will. O Lord, that men could but live without eating, drinking, and passing sometime in decent recreation? That they might always love thee, without need of having recourse unto these miseries of the body? De necessitatibus meis erue me. 
Psal. ibid.  O Lord deliver me from these necessities and miseries, that I may be wholly employed in loving thee, that I may bestow myself upon thee alone.  
But I see well, that this is not to be hoped for in this life, and that the just man, aught to bear patiently, though with grief the condition of this calamitous state of ours. Let us demand of some such holy persons, as job, & David were, how they did carry themselves in like occasions, and then one will answer us: I sighed before I eat, 
job. 3 24.  and mingled my drink with tears. The other: I will wash my bed every night, 
Psal. 100.10. Psal. 6.7.  and will water my couch with tears. And in this manner must we weep when we go to rest, and say: O dear Lord, must I be here so long without being mindful of thee? Heu mihi quia incolatus meus prolongatus est. Alas that my captivity is yet prolonged. When will you recall me from this banishment? 
Psal. 119.5.  When will you set me free from this Captivity. Erue de custodia aenimam meam. 
Psal. 141.  O my God, when will you lead me out of the prison of this body, that I may wholly bestow myself upon you? Oh when shall this be? Alas, why doth this hour differre to come? 
Greg. l. 35 moral. c. 15  Behold here those full days, and complete works we spoke of; in this manner a just man in a little time life's long, and makes of a few days of life, many years of merit. Whereas he who hath lived ill, and misspent the days of his life, dies void and empty of days, although otherwise he were aged, 
job. 7.3.  and had lived long tyme. Habui menses vacuos, & this because he had spent unprofitably his years and days; 
Gen. 47.9  and therefore may say with good reason: The days of my years are few, and nothing worth. S. Hierome upon these words of King Ezechias (when he was delivered from his sickness by the Prophet Isaias, 
Isa 38.10 ) I have said in the midst of my days. I will go to the gates of hell, observes, that the Saints and holy men always accomplish their days as Abraham, 
Gen. 25.8  of whom the holy Scripture says, That he died in a good old age, and full of days, but that the wicked die always in the midst of their days, yea they do not arrive so fare, 
Psalm. 54.24.  according to that saying of the Prophet. Bloody & deceitful men shall not live the one half of their days, because they have passed over their years unprofitably. And so the holy Scripture calls a sinner of a hundred years: Puer centum annorum, 
Isa. 65.20  a child of a hundred years, and adds that such an one shall be accursed: Because a child of a hundred years shall die, and a sinner of a hundred years shall be accursed. Since he hath not lived like a man, but as a child. Whence it comes, that death always cuts off the wicked, untimly, as it were before they are ripe, and so, such at the arrival of death, do ordinarily say: Oh that I had at least but one year more to live, for to do penance in, and so likewise it happens with tepid & negligent Religious men, who although it be many years since they have worn the habit, have yet but lived a few days in Religion. 
3. part. l. 8 cap. 27. Hist. Min. de F. Gerardo.   
We read in the Chronicles of S. Francis Order, of one of those holy Religious who being demanded of another, how long he had been Religious, answered not one minute, and the other being much amazed to hear it, not understanding what he meant by it, he told him, I know that I have worn the habit of a Miny-brother this threescore & five years, but for as much as concerns the works of one, I do not know whether I have been a minute. God grant that but too too many of us may not say with truth, what this good holy man said out of humility. We must not make account of our long being in religion, but our well living in it: divers (saith Thomas of Kempis) count the years of their conversion, but often times there is but little amendment, a few days of a good life are more worth, than many years of an ill and negligent. For before God there is no reckoning made of the years of our life, but of the goodness of it, neither of the long time, which we have been in Religion, but of that which we have spent well in Religion, of which the Holy Scripture affords us a remarkable example. It is said in the first book of Kings that Saul reigned two years over Israel, 
1. Reg. 13.2.  Saul was a child of one year, old when he began to reign, and reigned two years over Israel, where as it is certain that he was King forty years, for so Saint Paul says in the Acts of the Apostles: 
Act. 13.21  Afterwards they demanded a King, & God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the Tribe of Benjamin for forty years. How comes it then, that in the Chronicles of the Kings he is said to have reigned but two years? the reason is, because in the Annals and records of God Almighty, there is no reckoning made, but of only those years which we have lived well, and so he is said only to have reigned two years, because only in those he governed as a good & righteous Prince, & we read in the Euangell, 
Matt. 20.8.  that those who came to work in the vineyard at the eleventh hour, were for one hour's work, preferred to those who had laboured all the day, since in that one hour they had done as much of true labour, as those who had wrought from morning unto night. Let us then cast up our accounts according to this reckoning, and see by our good works how long we have been in Religion.  
This is excellently declared by Eusebius Emissenus, 
Eusech. ho. 9 ad Mon.  who from a Senator, was afterwards Bishop of Lions. We use to count (saith he) Our years, and the space of time which we do live, be not deceived (who soever thou art (with the number of those days which you have passed over since in body you have left the world, make account that you have only lived that day, in the which you have denied your own will, in which you have resisted your ill affections, and which you have passed over, without any transgression or breach of your rule, make account that you have lived that day which hath b●n enlightened with the beans of purity, and holy meditation with such days as these make up (if you can) your computation of years, and by those measure the time of your being Religious, and fear otherwise lest that should be said unto you, which was reproached to the Bishop of the Church of Sardis in the Apocalips. Angelo Ecclesiae Sardis scribe, 
Apoc. 3.1.  scio opera tua, quia nomen habes quod vivas, & mortuus es, esto vigilans, non enim invenio opera tua plena coram Deo meo, I know thy works (saith God) although they are unknown to men, 
Apoc. 5.2.  you have the name to live and you are dead, you bear the name of a Christian, the habit of a Religious man, but your works fit neither of them, for they are not full before my God: but empty, empty of God, and of yourself, too full, for you do no other than seek yourself in them your own commodity, your honour and esteem. Let us therefore be watchful and make it all our labour, to do full works, and live full days to the end that in a little time, we may live long, and merit much in the sight of God Almighty.   

A MORE EXPRESS DECLARATION of the uprightness, and purity of intention with which we are to do our Actions. CHAP. XI.  
THEY give commonly a good advice to those who converse with their neighbours, touching the manner of their carriage, in those functions which they exercise & actions which they perform, by the which it may be gathered how pure our intention ought to be, how free and desingaged ourselves, and how sincerely we are to seek God in all occasions. And it is the Doctrine of the Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church, S. Hierome, S. Gregory, & S. Chrysostome as we shall see afterwards; They say that when we undertake any action to the end our neighbour from thence may reap any general or particular profit, we are not to reflect upon the fruit and good success of it, but only to fulfil the will of God in doing it, in such manner that when we hear confessions, or when we preach or teach, we ought not much to regard whither those you converse with all be converted, amended, or profited, but only one our parts to do the will of God, and please him, in doing the b●st we can, and for the success of our actions, as whither such an one be converted, or profits by our sermons, or becomes learned by hearing of our lessons, that belongs not unto us, 
1. Cor. 3.6  but only unto God, Ego plantavi, Apollo rigavit, sed Deus incrementum dedit, for us (says the Apostle,) all that which we can do, is but to plant, and water, like as that jardiner doth, but for to make the plants grow, and the trees bring forth fruit, belongs not to the Gardener but to God the fruit of souls, which is, that they depart from their sins, that they convert themselves to God, and that they go forward in virtue & perfection, doth only appertain to God, and the value and perfection of our Actions, doth not depend upon it. This then is that purity of intention which we are to endeavour to have in all our Actions, that by this means we may attain unto a great purity in our intentions, & enjoy a delitghful peace of mind, for those who do their Actions in this manner, are never troubled, when the success of their affairs comes by any chance to be thwarted, or fails of execution, or produceth, not the fruits, they hoped for; for they proposed not this end unto themselves neither have they placed their contentment in it, but only for to do the will of God & perform all to please him, unto their utmost Power, for if when you preach, hear confessions, or do any other function for to help your neighbour, you propose unto yourself beforehand to make great profit of it, & let this be your principal end in the performance of them when any chance crosseth your design in this, you become troubled and disquieted. And not only lose your peace of mind, but even sometimes all patience, if you proceed not further.  
Our B. Father S. Ignatius, declares this with an excellent example or similitude, 
Lib. 5. c. 2 vitae B. P. Ignat.  do you know said he, how we are to carry ourselves, in those our functions, wherein we employ ourselves unto the help of our neighbour? Just so as the Angel Guardians do with those, who are committed unto their charge by God Almighty, who never cease with all possible care to counsel, defend, and govern them, to illuminate, excite, & help them in all good, but if through misuse of that freewill they have, they obey not to their good inspirations, the Holy Angels are never troubled at it, nor disquieted, not so much as to lose the least particle of their felicity, which they possess in enjoying the sight of God, but they say and repeat that, which is written in the Prophet Hieremy We have salved Babylon and it is not cured, let us go and leave it; 
Hiere. 51.9.  In the like manner, we ought to use all possible remedies, so well to free and retire our neighbour from sin, as to advance him in the way of virtue, but if notwithstanding all our endeavours, he remains still in his infirmity, & will not suffer himself for to be cured by us, we ought not therefore to afflict ourselves, but are to remain with great quiet and tranquillity of mind.  
As the Disciples of our Lord returned from preaching, with much joy, for having done Miracles, and cast out Devils from possessed persons, our Saviour said unto them, 
Luc. 10.20.  Do not rejoice therefore, but because your names are registered in heaven, our joy ought not to depend upon the event of things, although it might be as happy as that of theirs, but we are only to have care to do those works, by the which we may merit to have our names enroled in heaven. Let us look that we in our duties in our offices and charge, and place our joy and felicities therein, but for the happy success of them, for strange conversions, & such like wondrous things, we are not so much as to make reckoning of them. And the reward & glory, which we shall have, shall not be proportioned to these, but answerable unto our pain and labour, whether any have been converted by us or no, which may be more clearly perceived by the contrary. For should you reap such abundant fruit, by your sermons, writings, and conversation as to convert a world, & in the mean time should neglect yourself, all which you had done, would nothing profit you, according as our Saviour says in the Gospel, and on the contrary, 
Matth. 16 26.  if after having done your duty, not so much as one person be converted by you, your recompense shall be never a whit the less. The glorious Apostle S. james had certainly had but a poor reward, if the recompense of his labour had depended on the event, and if he had been to have placed his contentment and felicity therein, who (as it is written of him) converted in all Spain, no more than six or seven: but his merit therefore was never a whit the less, neither his labour less acceptable to God Almighty, then that of the other Apostles.  
Moreover we have in this a great cause of consolation, for from hence it follows, that God doth not only not exact an account of us of the great fruit and profit we have done, but also he will not so much as question us, whither we have made fine sermons, or learned lessons or no. God doth not command us that, and consequently our merit depends not on it. That which God would have and requireth of us, is for my part, to perform as much as we can, according to the talon we have received, if little, little, if much, much. A gain & this being done God requires no more of us: 
Luc. 12.48.  Much is required of him to whom much hath been given, and but a little of him who hath received but a little. 
Chrys●hom 41. super Genes.  Which S. Chrysostome explicates rarely well, where treating of the parable of that Talon: he demands, why that servant who had gained but two Talents was equally honoured with him who had gained five? When the Lord came to take an account of the Talents which he had distributed among his servants, the sacred Scripture says, that he came who had received five, & said: Lord you gave me five talents, and here I have gained other five unto them, unto whom his Lord said: It is well done thou good and faithful servant, 
Matth. 25 21.  because thou hast been faithful over a little, I will constitute thee over much, enter into the joy of thy Lord. Afterwards he presented himself, who had received two Talents, and said: Lord you have given me two Talents, behold other two which I have gained to them, and his Lord answered him with the same words and promised him the same reward as he had done to the other who had gained five. What is the reason of this, saith this holy Doctor? It is most just, saith he; for the ones negligence, or the others diligence was not it, which made the ones gain greater than the others, but the quantity of the talents committed to their charge; for in their diligence they were both equal, and so their rewards and dignities were both ●lik. This is a point of great profit and singular consolation, seeing it may be applied to all offices & employments; for if one be as careful & diligent to perform those offices, which he hath in charge, as another is in the discharge of his, he may without doubt merit as much as he, although his work be nothing near so much. For example, if I take as much pains as you for to prepare myself to preach, although I should preach with never so ill a grace, whereas you one the contrary should carry away your audience with excellent gesture, choice matter, good delivery, it may hap nevertheless, that I may merit as much, if not more than you. It is the like in matter of study, where although one be but a simple scholar, & you on the contrary have an excellent wit, he knows but little, and you are deeply learned, notwithstanding he may merit more with that little which he hath, than you with all your knowledge and your learning. So also in point of office & employment, although my office be more abject than yours, and that my forces and talents reach not to the discharge of those high functions, yet I may merit more in the same little abject thing I do, than you by all your great & high employments. And this may greatly help on the one side for to resist vain glory; and on the other, to give heart and courage; to be the one's spur, and to others a briddle. S. Hierome on the same parable teacheth the like doctrine, saying: The Lord received into the same degree of joy and honour, as well that servant who had made four talents of two, as that other, who made up his five Talents ten, as not regarding the greatness of the gain, but the affection of the will, and the charity and diligence with which their works were done. Saluianus saith: 
Saluian. l. 1. ad Ecclesiast. Cathol. to. 3. Bibl. SS. Patrum.  Oblata Deo non pretio, sed affectu placent. which is the same with that of S. Gregory: God doth not regard how much, but out of how much; it is the heart more than the gift and present he esteems. And so one may please God more with doing a little, than another who performs far more than he, if he perform that little with more love than the other. Wherein the greatness of God Almighty doth more clearly and manifestly appear, before whom no services of ours (however great) do appear so, unless that love be great with which they are done, he being one who hath no need of any good of ours, and whose riches, and all things else, are so abundant, as they can never be made greater: If thou dost (well and) justly (saith job) what shall thou give him? 
job. 35.7.  Or what shall he receive from thy hands? That which he desires and esteems, is to be beloved, and that we on our parts do as much as we are able, which may appear by those two Mites, which the poor Widow in the Gospel offered, 
Marc. 12.43. ●● Luc. 21.34.  our Saviour sat hard by the Box in the Temple, where the jews used to cast in their alms, and saw the pharisees, and the richer sort some casting in silver, others gold perhaps, among the rest came a poor Widow and offered two mites only, when our Saviour turning to his Disciples said: Amen I say unto you, this poor Widow hath put in more than all the rest; for the rest have given out of their abundance, 
Chrysost. bo●. 3. ad Cor.  but this out of her need hath given all that she had, all her sustenance. On which place S. Chrysostome says: Quod in Vidua fecit, idem in docentibus operabitur. God will deal the like with those who preach, study, labour, and do all other functions, and ministeries, not so much regarding what they do, as the will, love, and diligence with which their works are done.   

Of some signs by which we may know, whether we do our actions purely for the love of God, or seek ourselves in them. CHAP. XII.  
S. Gregory teacheth us a way to make a right conjecture, 
Greg. l. 22 mor. c. 24.  whether in those functions which regard our neighbour, we seek purely the glory of God, or else ourselves. Observe, saith he when another preaches well, is greatly followed, and reaps much fruit from the good of souls, whether you are as greatly rejoiced at it, as if yourself had done it, since if it be not so grateful to you, but you do feel out some certain grudging, envying & repining at it, it is an evident sign you do not seek God's glory purely, and as you ought. And to this purpose he citeth this passage of S. james: 
jacob. 3.14 & 15.  If you have zeal of souls, and have contentions in your heart, it is not a wisdom descending from above, but an earthly, brutish, and devilish one. It is no zeal of the glory and honour of God, but a zeal of your own self, a zeal to be honoured, and a desire to be as much honoured and cheriched as that other is; for if you sought only the glory of God and not your own, you would be glad that God had store of such servants, and rejoice that others could perform that in which you are defective, and wanting. Like as the Holy Scripture witnesses of Moses, who when joshua opposed himself unto some who prophesied, answered in an offended manner: 
Num. 11.29.  Why are you emulous for me? Who shall do so much that all the people may prophecy, & that God may bestow upon all of them his spirit? And so a true servant of God Almighty aught to say, I would to God that every one were an excellent preacher, and that God would bestow his spirit plentifully upon them, that by this means the honour and glory of God may be the more dilated and spread abroad, that he may be the better known, and his holy name sanctified through every place and province of the world.  
We have a remarkable example of this in Doctor Auila, who (as it is reported of him) when he saw that God by the means of our B. Father Saint Ignatius, 
Lib. vitae S. Ignat. cap. 27.  had begun this least Society of jesus, and had heard relation of his institute, said it was that very thing, which for so many years together, he had been labouring to effect with so much solicitude, and could never bring to pass, adding that it was fortuned to him, as to a little child, who being at the foot of some great mountain, desirous to roll some heavy burden up unto the top, finds it above its forces to effect; when a strong and mighty Giant coming, takes up that burden which the child could not lift, and with ease carries it there where the child desires to have it. Understanding by this comparison, himself the child, and esteeming S. Ignatius a Giant unto him. But that which makes to our purpose, is that he was as glad and well contented in himself when he heard of it, as if our Society had been instituted by him, because he had no other end in the desiring such a thing should be, but only God's glory, & the salvation of souls. Such as these are God Almighties good and faithful servants, 
Ad Phil. 2.2.  who as S. Paul says) seek not after any thing of their own, but that which is of jesus Christ. A true servant of God Almighty aught in such manner, to desire the glory of God, and the salvation and profit of others souls, as when God is pleased to serve himself therein, by means of any other, he is to be as glad and well content, as if God had used him for his instrument. And therefore it were a good manner of proceeding which we find practised by diverse great servants or God Almighty, who when they perceive themselves urged strongly on with the desire and zeal of gaining souls, humbly beg it of God by saying: O Lord that such or such a soul might but once come to know you, that such a person might be acquired to you, that his fruit may be done, that profit, this perfectioned, and all this by such means as you shall please, for me I pretend not to any part of it. Such as these walk rightly, and in great purity, & like unto these are we sincerely to carry ourselves in the service of God, as not to seek any proper honour & esteem but only the greater honour and glory of God.  
We may say the like also, as well in that which concerns our own spiritual progress, of our brethren, for he who is discomfited when he sees his brother make progress in virtue, whilst himself remains behind doth not seek purly the greater glory of God; for although it be true that a good servant of God, aught to have a great resentment and feeling, for that he serves not God so perfectly as he ought, nevertheless it follows not that he should therefore be troubled and disquieted, when he sees another perfecter than he, but on the contrary he is to be glad of it, and to give this comfort to his grieved soul, for serving God Almighty with so great negligence that how ever he through his slothfulness be wanting in his duty, yet there do not want those who do supply in effect, yielding in giving praise & glory unto God, what he in wishes only proposeth to himself. That sadness & repining which some are troubled with, proceedeth from no other cause, then from a certain envy and secret pride: for should one but desire truly and in good earnest the greater glory of God, it is most certain, he should have a great joy and contentment to see that others did increase in virtue and perfection, howsoeur on the other side he were sorry & ashamed for not serving God so fervently himself.  
The second sign is, when a Religious man doth his office and those things which are commanded him, in such manner, as not to care more whether he be employed in this, or that, whether he have that office, or else be put to this, and is in one, and to the other content alike; for it is a most evident sign, that we do our things only for the love of God, and therefore do we carry ourselves with such equality of mind and indifference unto all, seeking nothing but to fulfil the will of God in every thing, and never troubling ourselves with the exterior of the thing we do: whereas if we do not undertake those offices which are humble & laborious with as good a will, as the easy and honourable, it is a sign that we do not perform them purely for God Almighty, but that we seek ourselves, our gust and proper commodities in them. Wherefore that holy man says well: 
Thomas à Kempis.  If God were the occasion of your desire, you would be glad, in what manner soever he should dispose of things.  
Thirdly it is a sign that we do not things purely for love of God, but out of humane respects, when we desire to approve unto our superior all we do, and that he should take notice of our pains, and publicly commend us, or at least by some exterior signs express himself well pleased and satisfied with us, in so far as to become disheartened and troubled when we are not so dealt withal. If you did your Actions purly for love of God, you would never regard such trifles nor seek after them, but one the contrary would blush & be ashamed, when the Superior should express himself in any such manner towards you, as knowing it done because of your weakness and imperfection, & bewailing your own infirmity would say. Alas how wretched and miserable am I, to be so weak and wanting in all virtue as to stand in need to be animated and incited one with such poor things as these?  
Abbot joannes the younger, 
In prato spirit.  Disciple of Abbot Amon served twelve years together, one of those ancient Fathers in his sickness, which said Father although he saw him with all faithfulness and diligence labouring for so long time together did never yet afford him any good or friendly word but used him always with great harshness and severity, this Father at last drawing towards his end diverse holy Hermits came to visit him, when he before them all, calling his humble and patiented Disciple to him, took him by the hand & said thrice unto him, Farewell, farewell, farewell, afterwards commending him unto those other holy Hermits, and delivering him over unto their fatherly care, he said: Behold here an Angel and not a man, since having served me in my sickness for twelve years together, and never receiving one comfortable word of me, he hath notwithstanding for so long time served me both readily & cheerfully.   

HOW WE ARE TO INCREASE AND go forwards, in uprightness and purity of intention. CHAP. XIII.  
OUR B. Father S. Ignatius declares unto us in a particular manner, how we ought to go perfecting ourselves, 
In Constit. con. 17.  in this rectitude and purity of intention. Let every one (saith he) endeavour to have a right intention, 
26. Reg. 17.  not only in that which concerns the state of their lives, but also in all particular things, seeking in them always to serve and please the divine goodness, for itself and for the charity & singular benefits wherewith it hath prevented us, rather than for fear of pain or hope of reward, though they ought also to help themselues with these. There are many ways of seeking & serving God, for to serve God for fear of punishment, is to seek God, and is good and laudable; for servile fear is good, and a gift of God & so the Prophet did desire it of God, when he said: 
Psal 118.120.  Confige timore tuo carnes meas. But if any one should have this mind and thought within his heart, if there were no hell, and that I stood not in fear of punishment, I would not care to offend God Almighty. The Divines say, that it were nothing worth, and absolute sin, since it declare the malice of his mind: but to make use of the fear of torments, of the apprehension of death, and the horror of judgement, to serve God the better, and make us more fearful of offending him, is right and good, and so the holy scripture doth often put these things before our eyes, and threaten us with them, the better to keep us from falling in sin.  
Secondly to serve God for recompense, for the reward we hope for, & the glory we await, is also to seek God, and is laudibly good, and better than the former. It is better to do our actions out of hope of reward & glory, then for fear of hell, and punishment, and this motive Moses had as S. Paul affirms, saying: Moses grown great in faith, denied himself to be the son of Pharaoe, choosing rather to be afflicted with the people of God, then to have the pleasure and delight of temporal sin, esteeming the ignominy of Christ greater riches than the treasure of Egypt, 
Ad Heb. 12.24.  for he had regard unto his recompense, 
Psal. 118.112.  and the Royal Prophet David says of himself I have inclined my heart to do thy iustifications eternally, because of the reward which thou hast promised me.  
All these ways of seeking God are good, and we must likewise make our use of them. But our B. Father will have us proceed yet further, & lift up our hearts higher, seeking things more elevated and sublime Aemulat and seek after the best gifts that are, 
1. Cor. 12.3.  & I show you yet a way more excellent, he is not content that we should serve God, in what manner soever, but he shows us yet a way more excellent and high, and would have us seek and serve God only for God alone, purly for the love of him, and for his infinite goodness, & because that God is, what he is; which is the highest and sublimest of all his titles.  
The glorious Fathers of the church, 
Basil in reg fusius disputatis in praemio. Chrys●hom 2 s● per epist. ad Roman Greg. l. 8. mora. c. 30  S Basile, S. Chrysostome, and S. Gregory treat of this matter excellently well, and compare those who serve God, out of hope of recompense to Simon Cyreneeus who was hired at a set price to bear the Cross of Christ, for so do those who would not follow our Saviour, nor bear his cross, unless there were the reward of heaven proposed, & they add, that we are not to be solicitous for our recompense, nor always thinking upon what we gain: Like unto ungrateful servants who (exact their wages &) keep a strict account which is more the part of a hyrling then a grateful servant: we ought not to serve God in such unworthy manner, but as children purely out of love; there is great difference (say they) betwixt the services of a slave, a household, and a child; the slave serves his Lord for fear of stripes and punishment; the servant for his wages, and if his diligence be mor● then ordinary, it is but to commend hi● services unto his Lord, out of greater hope of profit and advancement: but the child, serves his father, only for love and tenderness, and is most careful of offending him, not so much for fear of chastisement (for he is liable unto none, supposing he is passed his infancy) neither for hope of his inheritance, but only out of love and dear affection. And so a wise, good and virtuous child doth serve, respect, and honour his parent out of that only motive that he is his Father, although otherwise he be poor and able to leave him nothing: so say these holy Saints, we ought to serve God, neither for fear of chastisement like slaves, neither as servants with our eyes and affection fastened upon our gain and interest, but like true children, since God hath been so good and gra●●●s to us to make us such: 
joan. c. 3.  Behold (saith S. john the Evangelist) what love the Father hath bestowed upon us for to be styled & (really) to be the sons of God. We are not only called the sons of God, but are such truly and really, and withal right call God our Father, and the son of God our Brother. If we be therefore sons of God, let us love and serve him like true children; let us honour him as a Father, and as so great a father, with truly loving him as well because he is delighted with it, as that he is worthy of it, in being what he is, and for his infinite goodness, which merits an infinity of hearts and bodies, continually to be employed in loving and serving him.  
S. Chrysostome saith admirably well: If by the grace of God you should be made worthy to please his divine Majesty & should desire any other reward beyond this of being mad worthy for to please him, 
Chrsost. l. 2. de compunct.  you were certainly ignorant how great a good it were for to please God, and if you could once but apprehend it, you would never desire other extrin secall reward or benefit. And truly what greater good can we pretend or wish for, then to content & please Almighty God? 
Eph. 5.1.2.  Be imitators of God (faith S. Paul) like to his dearest children, & walk in love and dilection, as Christ hath loved us. 
Bonau. to. 2. opusc in fascic c. 8.  And S. Bonaventure says: Consider that God your benefactor hath so bestowed his benefits upon you, as to ask none of them back again, who hath ●o need of you, or any other creature. Yea he doth not only receive no profit from us, nor commodity for all those favours he bestows upon us, but he affords them us, at so great expense and charges of his own, as is his own dear life and blood, which he laid down & shed for our redemption. In this manner purely and without all mixture of proper interest, are we to serve and love almighty God neither (which is more) are we so much as to desire any vertus and supernatural gifts for our own pleasure and commodity, but only for God, and for his greater glory, and to the end to store ourselves with somewhat, that may be pleasing to his divine Majesty, yea and in this manner we are to desire glory, in so much as when we set before the eyes of our soul (to give it heart and courage to perform its actions well) the greatness of the reward which is annexed to every good it doth, it ought in no ways to have this its aim & end, in undertaking any thing, but only the pure desire, of further pleasing and glorifying God, in that the more glory we shall have, the more shall God be honoured and glorified.  
This is the true love of charity, the true and perfect love of God, and this is purely to seek God, and his greater glory, and all beside is but to seek & love ourselves; which will the better appear if we consider the difference which Philosophers and Divines do make betwixt that perfect love which they call the love of amity, & the love of concupiscence. The first love's his friend, for his friends good, and out of virtue, without regarding his own interest or gain: but the love of concupiscence, is when one love's another not so much for himself as for the profit and commodity which he hopes for from him, as when one serves & love's a rich man, because he hopes for advamcement and assistance from him. We see apparently, that this is no perfect love, but wholly compounded of self love and interest, since you love not your friend so much, as your own self and proper commodity. So we say, that we love bread and wine with the love of concupiscence, because we love neither the one nor the other for its self, but only for ourselves and particular ends. And in this manner do they love God, who serve him out of fear of punishment, or hope of recompense, it being no other than to love God with a love compounded and wholly consisting of self love, & private ends, not seeking of him purely, nor with a liberal mind, which our Saviour hath given us to understand by S. john, who after he had wrought that great miraracle of feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, being followed (saith the Evangelist) by a world of people, 
joan. 6.26.27.  said unto them: You seek me not, because you have seen wonders, but because you have eaten of the loaves and are satiated. Not because you believe me to be God, but because you seek your own comodities. Work (and seek) not that food which perisheth, but which remaineth in eternal life, which is Christ, and to do purely the will of God. That holy servant of God Almighty shown a right, 
M. Gerso  pure intention in his answer, who living a wondrous, and austere life, and giving himself wholly unto prayer, the Devil envying so great a virtue, and seeking to withdraw him from his virtuous course of life, by bringing him into doubt of his predestination, told him that he laboured and wearied out himself in vain, for he should never be saved, nor come to enjoy the beatitude of heaven, to whom the holy man answered: I serve not God Almighty for his glory, but only because he is that which he is, whereupon the Devil departed confounded, and ashamed. S. Bernard requires yet more of us, 
Bern. ser. sup. Cant. 63.  and would that we should be so fare from seeking our own comodityes & ends in those good works we do, as he is not content that we should serve God only with a filial love, but would bring us yet to higher perfection: Children (saith he) love, but they do think on their inheritance withal, which whilst they stand in a kind of fear for to lose, or hope to have improved, they reverence him more, and love him less, from whom they expect it; I hold that love suspected, which seems to have dependence upon any hope of gain, it is but weak, since if its hope do fail, it is either wholly extinguished or made less it is no pure one, since it hath a secondary end; pure love is not mercenary, pure love borrows no forces from any hope, neither is it diminished with distrust, that is, whosoever purly love's indeed, needs no incitment of any rich hope, to make him serve, labour, & suffer for God Almighty, yea should he know for certain that for all his pains he should have no reward, yet it would not make him to diminish in the least thing, the greatest labour he had undertaken, as having not begun it out of any hope of his commodity, but for pure love of God. But what love may this be so high and perfect as may exceed the love of children? Sponsae hic Amor est, says the holy Saint, It is the love of a Spouse unto her Bridegroom, for true and perfect love hath its content within its self, hath its reward and proemium, which is no other than that which it doth love; to love the beloved here is all his recompense, the Bride's love is such that it hath no other pretention then to love, & such is the Bridgroms' as he desires nothing but to be beloved: Nec is aliud quaerit, nec illa aliud habet. He seeks nothing else, and she hath nothing else. And in this manner (saith S. Bernard) ought we to love God the Bridegroom of our souls, this is the love to which we should arrive, loving him, because he is what he is, and placing all our felicity therein; This love is of itself sufficient, in its self delightful, and for its self is to its self both merit and reward, it seeks no other cause besides its self, no other fruit, the fruit is the act of loving. I love because I love, I love to be beloved.  
On this occasion S. Chrysostome adds that we are not to conceive, 
Chrys. hom 5. supper epist. ad Rom. circae finem.  that our reward shall be the less, because we look for none, but that the less we do expect, the more we do obtain, as being most certain that the less the work shall have of proper interest, the more it shall have of purity and perfection (it being free from all mixture of self love) and consequently shallbe more meritorious: Atque tibi maior merces est, si modo citra mercedis spem feceris. Your reward (for your works) saith this Saint, shall be greater, if now you do them without hope of any, the further you are from the spirit & condition of a hyrling, the greater shall be your recompense. Since than God will not pay you as a hired servant; but reward you as a son with the inheritance of his Father's riches: If we be sons and heirs we are heirs of God, 
Rom. 8.17  and coheyres with Christ. We shall enter with him into possession of our heritage, succeeding and enjoying the treasures of our heavenly Father. 
Exod. 28.9.  Pharaos' daughter hired Moses' mother, for to nourish & bring up her own child, but she did not nurse him for the hire, but only out of love and tenderness.   

Three degrees of perfection, by which we may ascend and arrive unto great purity of intention, and to a high and perfect love of God. CHAP. XIIII.  
OUT of the doctrine of the holy Fathers, and of the glorious S. Bernard in particular, we may gather three degree of perfection, by which we may ascend unto a high degree of purity of intention, and to a great and excellent love of God. The first is to seek only the glory of God, in such manner as in the performance of every thing, we may have no contentment but in God, and in the fulfilling of his holy will, casting into forgetfulness all other worldly businesses. 
Bern. trac. de interiori demo c. 69  S. Bernard says if you would know whether your love of God be great, and you go perfecting of it or no, consider with yourself whether there be any thing besides God, which might comfort and delight you, and from thence you shall come to know how much you are profited and advanced in the love of God. For truly (saith he) as long as I can receive any pleasure and consolation from any thing beside, I dare not say, that our beloved doth possess the inwardest bosom of my most ardent love which expresses that other sentence of S. Augustine. 
Aug. l. 10 Confess. c. 29.  He love's thee imperfectly who love's any thing together with thee which he love not for thy sake, such a love would come far short of the love of that holy Queen, who in the midst of all the pomps & vanities of the court could say, O Lord thou knowest that thy Handmaid hath never rejoiced in any thing since she hath been transferred hither, 
Esth. 14.18.  until this very day, but only in thee Lord God of Abraham. You know O Lord said she that I take no pleasure in the Royal crown, nor in the Majesty nor glittering show of things. I am not delighted with the luxurius banquets of King Assuerus, neither in any fading thing beside but only in you my God & Lord behold here a love perfect and excellents.  

Greg. l. 4. moral. cap. 28.  S. Gregory upon this passage of holy Io●. Who build solitudes unto themselves, sais, that he builds himself a solitude & Hermitage, who so wholly casts of & as it were strips himself, of all creatures, and the love and affection of all earthly things, as to remain in a manner solitary, although he were in the midst of all the sports and pleasures of the world by taking no pleasure, nor contentment in them. Such an one builds a solitude unto himself, by having placed all his felicity in God, whence it proceeds that no company is grateful, no pleasure delightful unto him, out of his holy love. Wihch we see by experience, of one who hath some friend in whom he hath placed all his affection, who although he be in the company of many other persons worthy of esteem, yet seems to be in a solitary desert, as long as that friend he love's so dearly is not in his sight. Just so he who hath bestowed his heart one God, and banished from him all affection of creatures, although he should be encompassed with the world, & in the middle of all its pleasures and delights, would yet still continue in an inward quiet & solitude, as taking no pleasure in any of those things, nor so much as regarding them, having his heart ravished and drowned in contemplation of his beloved; They, saith S. Gregory, who are arrived to this, do enjoy a great repose & tranquillity in their souls nothing being forcible enough to molest or disquiet them, no adversity can make their quiet less, nor any prosperity their joy greater; vain glory, no humane excellence can bring them acquainted with: but as they are affectioned unto no earthly thing, so are they not troubled nor entangled with the succese of any, but reckon them as thing which do concern them nothing. Would you know (saith this Saints) who hath arrived to this perfection, & built himself this Hermitage & solitude? The holy Prophet David, where he says. 
Psal. 26.4  I have demanded one thing of our Lord, this I shall beseech, that I may inhabit in the house of our Lord all the days of my life. There is nothing else in heaven, and earth that I desire beside yourself, O God. And now what is my expectation, 
Psal. 38.8  is it not our Lord? The Blessed Abbot Silvanus was arrived to this, to whom when he came from prayer, all the world seemed such a wretched thing, as lifting up his hands through admiration, & shutting his holy eyes, he would say with great disdain: Close up yourselves mine eyes, close up yourselves, and do not vouchsafe to look abroad upon the creatures, & those worldly things, since in all the world, there is nothing worthy the beholding. 
Lib. 1. c. 2 vitae S. Ignat.  We read also of our B. F. S. Ignatius, that when he elevated his mind to God, and his eyes to heaven, he used to say: Oh how foul and ugly the earth doth seem to me, when I do but look on Heaven.  
The second degree may be that, 
Bern. trac. de dilig. Deo cap. 6 & 7.  which S. Bernard proposes in his treatise of the love of God, which is, when we do not only wholly forget all exterior things, but also ourselves, loving ourselves no otherwise, then in God, by God, and for God: and we ought so wholly to be plunged in this forgetfulness of ourselves, to be so free from all particular interest of our own, and to love God with a love so pure & perfect, that we are to rejoice, & be no otherwise taken with those graces which we receive from his all giving hand, neither with that heavenly glory which we hope for, then so fare as his will and pleasure appeareth in them, without regarding our own profit in them. In this manner the Blessed in heaven rejoice in their felicity, not because they are exalted to such height of glory, but because it is God's pleasure that they should be so; and they seek God with a love so refined and pure, & are so straictly united and transformed into his blessed will that they desire not so much the glory which they possess, nor their felicity, for their own joy and happiness, nor for the wondrous content which they do take therein, as because it is the pleasure, and the will of God. We ought saith S. Bernard so to love God, as that holy Prophet did, who said: Let us confess unto our Lord because he is good, he said not because he is good to me, but only, because he is good. He did not praise, nor love God only because he was good to him, 
Psal. 117.1.  as this other did of whom it is written: He will confess to thee when thou shalt have done well unto him, but he love's and glorifyes God, because he is good in himself, because he is what he is, because his goodness is infinite.  
S. Bernard says, that the third and the last degree of the perfection of the love of God, is, When one now doth come to do his actions, not so much to please God, as because God delighteth him, or because that which he doth is pleasing and acceptable unto God. Whereby a man becomes to have no other solicitude or thought, but only how to delight and please Almighty God, without thinking any more upon himself, then if there were not, or ever had been such a creature in the world, and this is a most pure & perfect love of God. This love (saith the Saint) is a mountain, and a high mountain of God, a rich & fertile mountain full of all exquisite perfection. By a mountain of God, is signified nothing else then a height and abstract of all greatness and excellence: Who shall ascend into the mountain of God; who shall give me wings like a Dove, 
Psal. 231.3. Psal. 54.7.  and I will fly away, and go to rest? Ah miserable as I am (saith this glorious Saint) that I cannot wholly forget myself during this banishment! 
Rom. 7.24  Oh me unhappy man, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! 
Isa. 38.14  Oh Lord I suffer violence answer for me, Blessed Lord, when shall I wholly die unto myself, and only live to thee! Oh, woe is me for that my pilgrimage is prolonged, 
Psal. 119.5. & 41.3  when shall I come & appear before the face of God Oh when shall I be delivered from this woeful banishment? When shall I be wholly united, and through love transformed into you O Lord? When shall I be entirely free and quit of all remembrance of myself, by being made one spirit, one thing with you? So as I may not hereafter love any thing in me, from me, or for me, but that all which may have any part of my affection, may be in you, by you, & for you only to lose thyself in a certain manner, 
Bern. de diligendo Deum. c. 7  as if thou wert not at all, to have no sense, no feeling of thyself, so wholly to departed from all thou art, as for to leave no memory that thou ever wert, this would have more of heavenly conversation, than any human affection. Such perfection is rather heavenly then of earth, and savours more of our own country then of this dungeon of our banishment. 
Psal. 70.10.  The Prophet likewise says, I will enter into the mightiness, of my Lord, O Lord I will remember only thy justice.. When the good and faithful servant shall be so ravished & drowned in the joy of his Lord, and inebriated with the abundance of his love, than he shall be so absorbed and transformed into God, to have no remembrance of himself. When he appears we shall be like unto him, 
joan. 3.2.  because we shall see him as he is: we shall be then like unto God, and the Creature shall have a kind of proportion with his Creator, for (as the holy Scripture says) even as God hath created all things for himself & to his glory, so we shall then love God withal purity, not loving ourselves, nor any thing else, but only in him. He shall truly rejoice, 
Matth. 25 21.  not so much for being above all necessity, nor for enjoying all felicity, as for to see his holy will in us, and of us fulfiled, all our joy shall not consist in our joy, but in the joy of God, and his delight: Intra in gaudium Domini tui. This is to enter into the joy of God.  

Bern. de dilig. Deum. cap. 7.  S. Bernard breaks forth into an excellent exclamation, saying: O holy, o chaste love, o sweet o sugared affection, of pure, o refined intention of the will, the more pure and refined, the less mixture it hath of aught that is its own, the more sweet, more sugared, the more it partakes of that which is all divine: Sic affici, deificari est. It is a deifying to be so affected, like as S. john says, than we shall be like to God. S. Bernard to explicate the manner of this deification & transformation into God, brings three similitudes. Like as (saith he) a drop of water, let fall into a whole ton of Wine, presently looseth all its qualities and properties, and becomes perfect wine both in colour & in taste; like as the Iron when it is through hot & glowing in the forge, appears not to be Iron, but all fire; and as the Air when it is fully enlightened with the rays of the Sun, is so transformed into brightness, that it seems to be but one light with the Sun, so saith he, in that eternal felicity, we lose all humane faculties, and become deified and transformed in God. All that we shall love there, will be only for God, and that is only God, for otherwise how shall he be all to all, 
1. Cor. 15.28.  if any thing shall remain in man of man There shallbe nothing there which is our own, since all our delight and glory shall be no other, than the pleasure and glory of God: 
Psal. 3.4.  Thou art my glory and the lifter up of my head. than we shall not care to repose, nor sustain ourselves with our own happiness, since all our felicity and rest shallbe in God. But although whilst we are in this valley here, we cannot arrive unto the sight of this, yet are we at least to bend our eyes that ways, since the nearer we shall come to the sight of it, the more perfect & united shall we be with God. 
Bern. l. 2. de amore Dei cap. 4.  And so this blessed Saint concludes: This is (o heavenly Father) the will of thy Blessed Son in us, this is his prayer for us to thee his Father and God, I will that like as I and you are one, so that they should be one in us; and we with him through the union of perfect love, to wit, that they may love thee for thyself, & not themselves but only in thee, this is the end, this is the consummation, this the perfection, this the peace, this the joy of our Lord, this is the joy in the Holy Ghost, this is the silence which is in heaven. This is the utmost aim of all our thoughts, the end of our Pilgrimage, and the last degree of perfection to which we may attain,   
FINIS.