A TREATISE OF PATIENCE.  
WRITTEN BY FATHER FRANCIS ARIAS, OF THE Society of jesus, in his second part of the Imitation of Christ our Lord.  
Translated into English.  In patientiâ vestrâ possidebitis animas vestras. In your Patience you shall possess your souls.  christogram 
IHS  
With permission of Superiors, Anno 1630.   

THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. To the right honourable and most noble Lady, the Lady B. A.  
MADAM  
In the translating of this Treatise of Patience, I have had no cause to exercise Patience, for I dispatched it with a great deal of gust, in regard that I was commanded therein by your Ladyship; the expression of whose will gives ever occasion of much joy to me. Now therefore, since, upon the matter, it came from your Ladyship, it is but reason that it return again; though it must not be without the interest of my humblest thankes for your ministering me so fair an occasion, whereby I may have seen more clearly what in myself I ought to be; and consequently what I am not: To the end that hereafter, if I grow not more patiented, yet at least I may grow more humble, through the too certain knowledge of my great defects.  
Your Ladyship, I assure myself, will be pleased to look upon it with attention; especially in regard of what it is in itself; though partly also, because it is a poor present of mine And I shall pray our good God, with whole my heart, that you also may be much the better by it, in thanking his divine Majesty, for that which you shall perceive him to have given you, and in praying him hard, to enrich you, with whatsoever you may yet find yourself in this virtue to want. And if his holy name may be glorified hereby, and your soul and mine assisted to do him the better service, it is that very reward, which most willingly I would bestow upon myself for this little labour, though I had all power in mine own hands: yours Ladyships, I most humbly kiss, and do you reverence, with the hart of  
A most obliged and most humble servant ever. T. M.   

A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS.  

THE I. CHAPTER. IN what the virtue of Patience consists; and how the supernatural favours of God are necessary for our suffering the miseries of this life with true Patience  
Chap. 2. Of the evils, or inconveniences of pain which Christ our Lord began to suffer even from his Conception, and Birth; and of the example of Patience, which he gave us therein.  
Chap. 3. How Christ our Lord endured the company of the wicked, and of the example of Patience, which he gave us thereby.  
Chap. 4. Of the evils of pain, which Christ our Lord suffered in his Passion; and of the example of Patience, which he gave us, by suffering them with so great good will  
Chap. 5. Of the Patience, desire, and love, wherewith Christ our Lord endured all those torments, for the example and edification of our souls.  
Chap. 6. Of the Patience wherewith we ought to suffer the loss of temporal goods, and of the example which Christ our Lord gave us herein.  
Chap. 7. Of the Patience, wherewith we are to endure corporal infirmities; and of the example, which Christ our Lord hath given us herein.  
Chap. 8. Of the other great benefits, which are drawn from corporal infirmities, when they are borne with Patience.  
Chap. 9 Wherein it is confirmed, by the example of Saints, how great the fruit of sickness, and other tribulation is; and how this is an effect of God's mercy, which he shows towards his friends.  
Chap. 10. Of the fruit of the increase of Faith, and Patience, which we must gather from the Patience, which the Saints have showed in suffering their infirmities and pains.  
Chap. 11. Of the Patience wherewith discomforts, and spiritual desolations, are to be endured; and of the example which Christ our Lord gave hereof.  
Chap. 12. Of the necessity, and fruit of Patience; and how it is a sign of the election and predestination of God.  
Chap. 13. How pleasing the virtue of Patience is to God, and of the great favours which he affords them, who suffer with Patience.  
Chap. 14. Of the means, whereby the virtue of Patience may be obtained; which is, that we be watchful to consider the fruit thereof, and the examples whereby we have been taught it by Christ our Lord.  
Chap. 15. Of other means whereby we are to obtain, and conserve the virtue of Patience, namely to consider our sins, and to resort to Almighty God, for the remedy thereof.    

A prayer for obtaining Patience of Almighty God.  
WHy do I complain, o Lord, when I am wronged, or afflicted unjustly; if I call to mind how grievously I have offended thee; how often I have deserved Hell; how great thy mercy is, appointing me to suffer light temporal punishment in this life, whereas I have deserved most grievous and everlasting torments, in the next? For it is not fitting that there should be delicate members under a thorny head, and which hath been most cruelly used for them. Why should I complain, if I do but remember, that for suffering patiently for a time these present labours, thy mercy will comfort me, and with thine own hand thou wilt wipe the tears from mine eyes, and wilt give rest to my broken and afflicted bones; and that thy comfort and reward will be according to the measure of my Patience and suffering. Let therefore whatsoever adversities rhene down upon me for thy sake, o Lord; so that thou give me strength and spirit to endure them: because that, without the help of thy grace, the weakness of my nature would fail. Make me, o Lord, to bear all false judgements, vain suspicious, slanders, all injuries courageously, without repining, without complaining, without excuses, without any interior feeling of them, and without any exterior sign: and let my soul be so much the more joyed and delighted within itself; by how much the more innocent it findeth itself, and free from the fault, where with it is charged Strengthen my soul, o Lord, with the knowledge and love of thy most sacred Passion, that I may not only bear present adversities with joy, but also wish them when they are absent: and that I may account it a kind of cross, to live and die without a cross.   
A SHORT TREATISE OF PATIENCE WRITTEN BY Father Francis Arrias in the second part of his book of the imitation of Christ our Lord.  

THE I. CHAPTER. In What the virtue of Patience consists; and how the supernatural favours of God are necessary for our suffering the miseries of this life with true Patience.  
IT belongs to the virtue of true Patience, to suffer all those things, which are adverse, and serve for the punishment of man in this mortal life, with a heart so firm, and constant, that to avoid and fly from them, he do nothing which is faulty, and contrary to the will of Almighty God. It belongs also to Patience, that the sorrow which naturally is raised in the soul of man, by the approach and presence of miseries, be moderated and subdued in such sort, as that it may do no harm to the same soul, by putting it into disorder and by making it swerve from the right line of reason. This is that Patience which is necessary for us, and to which we are bound by express commandment; whereby a man is secured from committing either mortal or venial sin in such occasions. But other degrees of Patience there are of greater perfection, which belong to Counsel, and not to commandment, whereof we shall speak afterward.  
Saint Gregory the Great, describes this Patience, which is necessary for us, after this manner. Patience consists in suffering those evils of punishment, which happen to us by the will of others, with a moderate and equal mind; and in that a man dispose not himself to hurt that other man, from whom it comes; and that receiving the scourges of pain and sorrow, and other tribulations at the hand of God, he complain not, & murmur not against him. And declaring elsewhere, how it is not necessary for this Patience, to which we are bound by precept, to quench entirely that sorrow and grief, which a mind receives through the evils of punishment, but to moderate it in such sort, as that it may not be inordinate and hurtful, he saith thus; Some think that true constancy and wisdom, consists in not feeling those scourges, and contradictions, which come to us in this life from the hand of God; and others have too excessive sense thereof, and are too much afflicted and dismayed thereby; but the true virtue of Patience, and true wisdom teaches us to hold the mean between those two Extremes. In such sort, as that a Christian must neither be of a stupid heart (because this necessary virtue of Patience consists not, in that a man feel no sorrow for his adversity) nor yet that on the other side he should feel so much dismay & grief as to make him pass beyond the bounds of reason. For if he exceed therein, he offends against the virtue of Patience. And because it happenes sometimes, that some, when a cross arrives, or when a wrong is offered, do by the help of God bear it well at that time; and yet remembering it afterward, fall either into sorrow, or into rage, with impatience against him who offended them, the same Saint pronounces thus. He is the possessor of true Patience, who at the time when he receives the hurt, doth bear it without inordinate grief; and when afterward he happenes to remember it, rejoices and is glad that he endured it. And the end which a faithful Christian is to hold, in the sufferance of these punishments, and in using this moderation, and in putting this restraint upon grief, must be to conform himself to the good pleasure of God; and to will that, which God wills. For the will of God is, that a man should under go that evil of punishment, by whatsoever way it come to him; whether it be by means of devils, or men, or other creatures. For by whatsoever means it comes, God is the first Author, & the first cause from whence it proceeds; and so his pleasure is, that men suffer, and accept well thereof, as growing to them from his hand. This is Saint Paul's advice, Heb. 10. when he speaks thus to his faithful children. Because you are encountered with so many crosses, which assault the strength of your hearts, you have need of Patience, whereby you may in all things, perform the will of God, and yield entire obedience to his comaundments. And complying after this manner with his heavenly will, you shall obtain those most high and eternal benedictions, which the Divine Majesty hath promised to such as keep his law.  
Now by reason that man's weakness, after the fall of Adam, is so great, it is a matter of much difficulty for him to suffer all those evils of punishment, which happen to him in this life, with such strength of mind, as that he transgress not the bounds of reason, and the law of God. And if we consider man in his natural force, not only is this hard for him, but wholly impossible. For though as Saint Thomas saith well, a man, for the enjoying of temporal blessings, endure even by the strength of nature many grievous things, because the natural love, which he carries to himself, helps him on; and with the greater natural love, he over comes another love which is less; yet to obtain spiritual and eternal blessings, wherein consists our salvation, which is the true end of virtue, he is not able to endure them. For a natural love, is not able to produce this effect: but a love supernatural, and grace from heaven is necessary for the enduring thereof. And so we see, that the Philosophers and wise men of the world, who by the straining upon the force of nature, did profess to obtain the true virtue of Patience, were able indeed to reach but to the shadow and appearance thereof, as Saint Cyprian notes in these words. I find not, O my brethren, that amongst all the ways of spirit which are taught us by our holy Religion, any one of them is more useful, towards the obtaining of the Kingdom of heaven, than this of perfect Patience. This was professed by the Philosophers; but as the wisdom which they professed was for the most part not solid, and true; so neither was their Patience; because no man can be truly wise, or patiented, who knows not the wisdom and Patience of God by way of faith. This is the discourse of S. Cyprian.  
Now therefore, since the weakness of man is so great, in suffering crosses with Patience, and that he is in so great necessity thereof, for living well in this world, and for the obreyning of heaven in the next; it pleased Christ our Lord, to provide us with two very principal and efficacious remedies, for the strengthening of our weakness, and for the exalting of our nature; in such sort, as that it might obtain this divine virtue, and the perfection thereof, with much facility. One of these means, is the example of his most holy life, & passion, whereby we may be animated to bear crosses with Patience; and the other are those supernatural helps, and succours of grace, which he deserved for us, by his sufferings. Let us therefore go declaring the chief examples of his life, whereby he moves, and persuades us, to suffer all the adversities, pains, torments & contradictions which may happen to us in this world, with true Patience. To the end that considering them at good leisure, and with true feeling and spirit, we may stir ourselves up to an effectual purpose, and desire to bear Crosses. And so also, by a lively faith of those so holy and blessed Mysteries, & by the the means of humble and devont prayer, we shall obtain all those succours of grace, which are needful for the bearing them with perfect Patience.   

THE II. CHAPTER. Of the evils or inconveniences of pain which Christ our Lord began to suffer even from his Conception, and Birth; and of the example of Patience, which he gave us therein.  
THe son of God, as soon as he was borne into the world, did instantly suffer pain and sorrow. He instantly felt the pain of cold, for he was born in winter, and in an open undefended place. And for as much as the body of the infant jesus, was extremely tender, & delicate, in regard that he was of a most perfect pure complexion, he felt the injuries and incommodities of the season, more than ever any other infant did, how delicate soever he might be. Upon the arrival of the seaventh day, he felt the grief and torment of Circumcision, which was extreme. For if they, who were grown men, did feel it much, because the pain in itself was great, as also for that they had reason wherewith to understand it; how much more must the infant jesus feel that pain; who, with being of so delicate constitution, had also the use of reason in perfection. And this pain of his was increased in him, because the Virgin, who was present there, and saw the blood and tears which the infant shed, did all melt with grief; and, having her heart full of a most dolorous compassion, would be sure to sigh, and shed mournful tears. And her most blessed son, observing the sorrow of his most sacred mother, whom he incomparably loved, and of whose sorrow he well knew how great it was, had much pity of her; and that pity caused a greater wound of sorrow in his soul, than the knife had made in his body.  
This sorrow for the Circumcision, was followed, at the end of little more than thirty days, by his banishment, into Egypt; whither the way was very long, and very painful: and took up the toil of many days, and the banishment lasted many years.  
Another immense sorrow, ●hich Christ our Lord endured, and which began in him from the instant of his Conception, and continued till his expiring upon the Cross, was that which was caused in him, by all the sins of the whole world, for they all were present to him; both those which had been committed from the beginning of the world till that time, and those which then were in committing; and those also which would be committed eventill the very end of the world. Now the man who love's God and his neighbours in great measure, is much afflicted by offences committed against God, and by the loss of souls: and so much more as a man love's God, and his neighbours, so much more is the offence of God, and the loss of souls, intolerable to him. So saith Saint Peter. ●. ep. 2. c. that the sins of the Inhabitants of Sodom, did grievously torment the soul of holy Lot, day and night. Since therefore Christ our Lord, did supremely love the glory of the eternal Father, and the salvation of souls; he having always present to him, so many sins, whereby the eternal Father was affronted, and souls destroyed and condemned; that most sacred soul became a very sea of immense sorrow, which tormented it ever day & night without either cessation, or moderation.  
Another most grievous torment which Christ our Lord was pleased to suffer for us, was to be tempted by the devil in the desert. For to be tempted, is to be provoked, and solicited to sin; which is a thing most ugly and to be abhorred. And this was not only a vast affront to him, by means whereof he exercised Humility (as we have declared elsewhere;) but it was also an excessive grief to him, by occasion whereof he exercised Patience. For if some most chaste virgin who were a great lover of purity, and a great detester of all dishonesty, being seen alone by some filthy person, & being solicited by his speech to commit uncleanness, would feel more offence, and pain thereby, then if they should beat her with cudgels, or drag her by the hair, through the streets; much more would Christ our Lord, who did supremely love the will, and glory of his eternal Father, and who deeply detested all kind of sin, find it for an incomparable kind of torment, and feel it more than many of the torments of his very Passion, to see himself solicited, and provoked by the devil, to affront his Father, and to commit so wicked, and so abominable a thing, as sin is.  
This torment was accompanied by another, which was to be carried by the devil from the desert to the pinnacle of the Temple; and from thence to the top of the mountain. Which, whether it were, that he were taken up, & carried in the air, as some of the Saints understand it: or that the devil guided him, like one who would lead another by the hand, as other holy writers have conceived, the devil being so wicked, and so deformed a creature, and Christ our Lord seeing so clearly that malice and deformity of his, and yet to be so long so near him, and to be touched or carried by him, must needs be of so excessive pain to him, as to equal many torments of his Passion. And so doth Saint Gregory compare it saying; when we hear them tell, that Christ our Lord, being true God and man, was carried by the devil to the City of jerusalem, it causeth horror and amazement in such as hear it. But yet it is no wonder, that he should suffer himself to be carried by the devil, who is the head of wickedness; since he was pleased to be crucified by the members of the same devil. This is the saying of S. Gregory; whereby he signifies, that the torment to have been carried by that infernal beast the devil, imports a kind of a resemblance to that other torment, of his having been crucified by sinners; and so doubtless it was a most grievous affliction to the soul of Christ our Lord.  
All those crosses and contradictions, which Christ our Lord suffered, through the whole course of his preaching; the injury of ill words; the deeds of persecution which were cast upon him; the slanders, false testimonies, the attempt to break his neck down the hill in Nazareth, and to stone him many times in jerusalem, belong to the virtue of Humility, in as much as they carried disgrace and contempt with them; but for him to have made choice, and to have embraced them, in regard that they were painful, and dolorous to his heart; and to endure them as such, belongs to the virtue of Patience. And Christ our Lord endured them with so extreme Patience, that whereas he might most justly have taken vengeance of his enemies, for every one of those pains in particular; and might instantly have delivered them over to the fury of hell, there to suffer that torment, which they deserved; or else might have annihilated them, by taking off his hand of protection and preservation from them; yet he would not do them any hurt at all, not gave he to them by way of answer, any word, which might be so severe or sharp, as might occasion the least disgust to them; but he conserved them in being and life, and he gave them holy inspirations; and all the actions, which he performed, and all the words, which he uttered, were ordained to make them do penance, & that they might not be lost and damned, but become saved souls in heaven.  
At that time did he endure the society, and the sins of that miserable judas, with unspeakable Patience. Our Lord perceived well, the malice and ingratitude of his hart; the thefts which he committed upon the alms, which was delivered to his care; & that treachery, wherewith he knew he would sell him over to his enemies; and yet did he not cast him out of his company, nor did he deprive him of the dignity and authority of his Apostolate, whereof he had made himself so unworthy; nor spoke he any word of affront to him, nor shown him any offended or untoward countenance, but he afforded him all those common benefits and favours, which be imparted to the rest of his Apostles.  
By these examples of Patience, which our Lord gave us in the time of his life, and course of his preaching, he taught and persuaded us to have Patience; whereby we are to suffer all the crosses and contradictions of this life; and all the persecutions, oppressions, and injuries of men; not giving place, nor so much as entry into our hearts, to ill will, or hatred against any man; nor for complaints or murmuring either against God, or man; nor yet to any inordinate grief: but suffering them with a moderate, firm & constant mind, which swerves not from the rectitude and rule of virtue; and is desirous, that in all things the will of God may be fulfilled. So saith Saint Cyprian, most excellently describing the example of the Patience of Christ our Lord, by these words.  
What glory is so great, as that a man may become like God, in the exercise of Patience, enduring the inconveniences of this life, and the injuries of men, as God doth long endure the offences which sinners commit against him. Which Patience, jesus-christ our Lord did teach us, as he was man; not only by word, but by deed also. For he said, he came into the world to work the will of his father. And amongst those other admirable virtues, whereby he discovered to us the power of his divinity; one was, the Patience whereby he imitated his eternal Father; and so all those things which he did, from the time when he was borne with mortal flesh into this world, did carry the seal and stamp of Patience upon them. For he took on him, as hath been said, the weight of all the sins of men, that he might pay by suffering for them. He was tempted by the enemy; and yet he did him no hurt for it: but was only content to overcome him. He endured the horrible wickedness of judas, with a Patience so large, as lasted till the end of his life. He endured the jews who were incredulous, ungrateful, proud, rebellious, and contrary both to his doctrine, and to his example. And he endured them in such sort, as to heap benefits upon them; and to treat them with meekness, and to receive such of them to his favour and friendship, as would be converted to him. What greater Patience, and what greater clemency can be conceived, then by means of shedding his blood to purchase, and to impart a life of grace and glory to them, who through hatred, and by most wicked means, took a course to spill that very blood? And since we are the members and disciples of Christ our Lord, who is the way of salvation and life itself, it will become us to follow his example. These are the words of Saint Cyprian.   

THE III. CHAPTER. How Christ our Lord endured the company of the wicked, and of the example of Patience, which he gave us thereby.  
ONe of the things which good men find most difficulty to endure, in this life, is the society and conversation of wicked men, whilst they continue in their wickedness. For in regard that they abhor sin so much, and have such feeling of the offences, which are committed against God, and of the loss and damnation of souls; for them to see those offences before their eyes, and to observe their neighbours to lie under the wrath of God, condemned and lost, according to the state of present justice, & yet not feeling their own misery, by reason of the great blindness and obstinacy, wherein they are; and to see withal, that they can provide no remedy for this so great mischief, nor give any impediment to these offences against God, and to this loss of souls; they receive, I say, hereby intolerable pain; and carry their hearts even transpersed from side to side with the sword of sorrow; and have extreme desires to departed out of the society & conversation of such sinners, and to be still remaining far from them. And in regard this misery happens sometimes to good men, because sometimes the wicked are such persons, as whose company they cannot leave, because they are either sons, or parents, or brothers, or husband, or wife, or their governors, or servants of the same Lord, or subjects of the same Prelate, their pain & grief doth extremely increase upon this occasion. Now how vehement this torment is, for good men to endure; and how great desire they have, for as much as may concern themselves, to departed out of their company, Christ our Lord himself, did once declare in weighty words. Matt. 17. Marc 9 When he descended from the Mount Thabor, he came to those troops of people, which were expecting him, and he found his disciples much afflicted and confounded, in that men had brought one to them, who was both a possessed & a lunatic person, whom they were not able to cure. And by occasion thereof the Scribes and Pharisees, who were present, reproached them, as wanting virtue from heaven to send devils out, and they affirmed that their Master did it in the power of Belzebub. Saint Mark signifies thus much, by saying that Christ our Lord found the Scribes in debate, and argument with his disciples. And then our Lord said to them; O you incredulous and rebellious generation, how long shall I remain, & converse amongst you, how long shall I expect you, and endure your obstinacy & malice. By these words did Christ our Lord declare the trouble which the wickedness and conversation with vicious persons, who would not be converted and hindered the conversion of others, did put him to, and that he felt that pain more than death itself. So saith Saint Chrisostome. Our Lord signified by this, that he even desired death, and that his Passion was not to be troublesome, or grievous to him; but that the thing whereof he was most sensible, and which afflicted him most, was to converse with rebellious sinners, who made resistance to the truth; and upon whom he saw, that the fruit both of his life, and death would be lost.  
Now as this was an immense torment to Christ our Lord, so is it very grievous to be endured by virtuous men. But that which they are to do, for suffering it with that Patience which is fit, and for gathering from thence, that fruit of merits which God desires, is this: To distinguish on the one side, by the use of reason between that which is the fault of others, and the loss of souls, and the offence of God; and that on the other side, which is their own affliction, and pain; and then to be afflicted for those sins, for as much as they imply the offence of God, and withal to be sorry for the loss, which souls receive thereby, and to make instant prayer to God for them; and as for the pain and torment, which results thereby upon them selves, to accept it at the hands of almighty God, and willingly, to be content to suffer it, during all that time, which God shall think fit not to take them out of that company, and conversation of the wicked. By this means, that company of the wicked, will be a divine Purgatory to them; which may cleanse their souls both from sins, and the punishments due thereunto; and a way of exercising chatity and humility, and patience, which are of so great worth and merit, and so very acceptable in the sight of God.  
And to animate them to suffer this punishment with this Patience, they are to consider those examples of Christ our Lord, whereof we have spoken; which are, the immense and continual torment which he felt in beholding all the sins of mankind; and that which he felt in being carried by the devil to jerusalem, and to the Mount; & that which he received by his conversation with the jews, who continued rebellious in their infidelity; and that particularly, which he received by keeping judas in his company, and in the College of his Apostles. For to this end it was, that he chose that miserable creature for an Apostle; as well knowing how wicked he was to be; and for this, after he was perverted, did he continue him in his own company; and he tolerated him, to the end that by this example they might seriously endeavour to endure those wicked and perverse people with Patience, whom they might chance to have in their neighbourhood, their house, their family and their society. So doth Saint Augustine advice us saying. Christ our Lord had one amongst his Apostles, who was wicked; and he served himself well of that wickedness. First, by complying with that eternal ordination of God concerning his Passion; and secondly to give an example to the world, of the Patience wherewith they were to endure wicked men.  
Let us therefore animate our selves, by these examples of Christ our God and Saviour, to suffer with a good will, and a constant mind, whatsoever troubles, contradictions, and crosses may grow to us, by our neighbours, our domestics, and our familiar friends. Let us consider and ponder well, what Christ our Lord endured at the hands of sinners, for the love of us; and how he hath endured our very selves, dissembling our sins, when we deserved hell for committing them; bestowing benefits on us, when we committed offences against him; imparting mercies to us, when we did him wrongs; crying out, and drawing us to him, and converting us by his grace, when we had departed from him, and were fled out of his house, and were making war against his Law. This Patience of Christ our Lord, wherewith as God he endures all sinners, & hath endured ourselves; and, as man, endured those wicked people with whom he conversed in this world, must induce and strengthen us much, in the way of sufferance.  
Great (saith Saint Ambrose) is the Patience of God, in not instantly punishing sinners, but in suffering them for sometime, till they may be converted. And in another place; If our Lord, our God, and Saviour jesus Christ, who with one single word could have cast his enemies into the most profound pit of hell, did yet endure them with Patience, why should not miserable men, who are full of sins endure them also with Patience, when in this life they receive pain and trouble from other men, by whose means they are corrected, and punished by Almighty God for their sins? This is the discourse of Saint Ambrose. Let us therefore give this glory to God, that for his love we may endure all evils of punishment; Let us yield this honour a d give this gust to Christ our Saviour, in that, to imitate him, we may have occasion to suffer all the injuries, and contradictions of men. Let us bestow this benefit upon our own souls in wiping away our sins by exercising this virtue of Patience; and let us fill it full of comforts, and merits. For, as Ecclesiasticus chap. 1. saith, the Patiented man suffers only during a time which is limited; and afterward, for his having suffered, Almighty God gives him true joy, which springs from that grace which at the present he receives, and from that hope of glory, wherewith he is to be endowed afterward.   

THE iv CHAPTER. Of the evils of pain, which Christ our Lord suffered in his Passion; and of the example of Patience, which he gave us, by suffering them with so great good will.  
THe chief examples of Patience, which Christ our Lord gave us, were of his most sacred Passion, by reason of the many, and various kinds of sorrows, and torments which he suffered therein, with unspeakable Patience: and we will declare these torments, and the Patience wherewith he suffered them; for the edification of our souls; and particularly that we may learn to suffer all the miseries of this life with Patience.  
When they apprehended our Lord (he giving them leave to put the malice and fury of their wrathed hearts in execution) the torments were many, and very grievous which they gave him, with their hands, and feet, by cudgels, and irons, and other instruments, which they had, and used throughout that whole way, till they came to the house of Annas. For if, after they had employed upon his person, so many and most cruel kinds of torment, through all that night, and so much of the next day, till they nailed him fast to the cross, they yet were not satisfied at all; but after they had crucified him, they did yet continued to persecute him, with their viperous tongues; and after they had fetched all the blood out of his veins, together with his life, they would needs open his side, and fetch the blood forth from his very heart; what is to be thought, that they would do in that furious onset, when first they began to exercise their cruelty upon him, and to stream out their deadly poison against him, which had lain for so long time hoarded up in their malicious hearts?  
In the house of Caiphas, the High Priest, when Christ our Lord had confessed who he was, and when all the judges had condemned him as a blasphemous person, and worthy death; the soldiers & Ministers of justice, together with the servants of the Priests in whose power he was, rushed in upon him with extreme cruelty, and most grievously tormented him, with buffers, blows, and spitting on him; and they went continuing, and augmenting those torments, throughout that whole night, with many inventions, all full of cruelty & hellish fury. And some holy men, to whom God hath revealed many secrets of his life & death, have said, that in that night, our most blessed Lord was strooken four hundred times, with hard buffets, and cruel blows, upon his face and neck, and all the rest of the parts of his most blessed body.  
This passed in the house of the High Priest; and now let us see, what torments he suffered in the house of Pilate. The first was, to be bound to a pillar, and there to be most cruelly scourged. What extreme pain must it be, for him to be tied so forcibly to a pillar, that the cords and ropes would be entering so deep into his delicate flesh, as to make the blood even break forth? What torment, nay what flood of torments, would it be, for him to be scourged after that manner. For the whips; wherewith they did it, were most cruel, consisting of sharp rods, and biting cords, which (as many affirm) had hooks and spurs of iron at the ends thereof. The executioners were strong, fierce & many; who yet changed by turns; and all were full of mortal hate and spite against our Lord. His sacred flesh was most tender, and most delicate, and all framed of the blood of that most pure Virgin. The imaginative part of Christ our Lord did perceive every one of those scourges, which they gave him, after a most distinct and perfect manner. In other men, the feeling of a deeper pain or grief doth astonish the imagination; & so they have no feeling of other lesser pains: and therefore it happens, that some man may have his very skull parted, and his body thrust through, and yet not feel the pain; by having his imagination so much employed, and discomposed by his inward Passion and rage. But in Christ our Lord it was not so: for he had his imagination, and the apprehension of his soul so perfectly bend upon every particular pain, which he felt, as if he had only felt that single pain; & the sense and apprehension of one pain, did not hinder his feeling of any other. And this proceeded from the great perfection which he had in all the powers and senses, both of his sacred body, and soul. Those scourges being so cruel, and those executioners being so able and strong, and his sense of the pain so perfect, there was beside, so great multitude of strokes, and blows, which he received, that some holy men affirm, that those which were inflicted upon him at the pillar, did pass the number of five thousand. And not only did they scourge his back, but after they had dressed that in such a fashion, that there was nothing to be seen but wounds and blood, they untied him first, and then tied him again, with his back turned towards the pillar; and scourged him the second time, with the same cruelty, upon the belly, breast, face, & all the other parts, which were discovered; in such sort, as that the whole most holy body of Christ our Lord, was flayed, and ploughed over, into such furrows, as discovered the very bones. And he who had been the most beautiful of all those men whom God ever made, remained so disfigured, and deformed, that it was even a horror to behold him. So saith Saint Augustine. The force of those cruel scourges being renewed so many times, did break the skin, and discovered the very flesh of the most blessed body of Christ our Lord.  
That torment of his scourging was followed by that other torment of the crown of thorns. For those Pagan soldiers, to please the chief of the jews, and (as Saint Chrisostome saith) for the interest of that money, which was given them to the end that they might be the more cruel towards him, took our Lord into their power, who was already wounded, and as it were even all opened by those scourges; and then they placed him all trembling with cold, in the Court of pilate's house; and in that public Theatre, in the sight of all that people, they stripped him again of his own ; and they put an old purple vest upon him for scorn; and upon his head a crown of thorns.  
This act of theirs, besides that it was of extreme affront (as we have already showed,) was also most painful to him: for the thorns, whereof the crown was woven, were extreme heard and sharp; and they environed his whole head, and temples; and they passed and penetrated them, even to the veins, nerves and bones; & made his sacred blood, stream down over his face, his neck and his hair. The sacred head of Christ our Lord had in all that day, & the night before, received innumerable blows, & wounds; sometimes with cudgels, other times with irons, sometimes with swords, other times with gauntlets, and often with the fists; and by this means it was so battered, that whatsoever touched it, caused excess of pain being then such already, and then instantly placing a crown of thorns upon it, so cruel as this, whereof we have spoken; what excessive pain, or rather torment, would it be sure to cause? And to this it may be added; that the pain and torment which the crown of thorns caused; had no intermission like those others, which either were soon ended or much diminished, but it still continued, and lasted even till his very death. For he ever had it on, and the thorns served to nail it to his head; and if at any time they took it off, either to , or strip him, they instantly put it on again. And not only did these sorrows last till his death, but they increased much. For, every time when they struck his head, either with the cane, or any other instrument of pain; and every time when the crown did by chance stir of itself, that pain renewed, and increased.  
Another principal torment, which followed upon this, was to lay the Cross upon his back, that so he might carry it to the place, where he was to be crucified. This torment, was extremely grievous; for that the Cross was very heavy, and contained, as holy men observe, fifteen feet in length. Our Lord was all worn, and wounded, even to his bowels; his strength was utterly consumed; and his shoulders upon which the weight was laid, were flayed. And now, if the only touching of such a part, with the hand, doth put a man to great grief and pain, what pain and grief would it cause to our Lord to lay so heavy a weight upon a body so wearied, and so wounded? And for as much as the Cross was long, and would be dragging upon the ground, by meeting with stones in the way and stirring by that means upon his shoulders his pain and grief would be increased.  
In this sort went our Lord, with great sorrow and pain, all that long way from pilate's house to Mount Caluary, which consisted of one thousand eight hundred and seaventy two paces. And because our Lord would work no miracle, in carrying the weight of that Cross; but give leave that nature might suffer as much, as possibly it could; therefore, when he had dispatched a good part of the way, he grew to faint, and fall down under the burden. And the prime men of the jews, conceiving that there might be danger, lest he should die amongst them in the way, gave him Simon Cyrenaeus for a companion, who might help him to bear the Cross: & so the assistence, which they afforded him, grew not from clemency in them, but from a desire to impose greater torments upon him, by his dying, not there in the way, but on the Cross itself.  
The sorrows and torments of that way being past, and he being then arrived at Mount Caluary, they began to give him new torments. One was; that they stripped him, by taking his own  away, so to put him naked upon the Cross. Now this was a most painful thing to our Lord; because his  stuck fast to his wounds, by the means of baked and congealed blood; and whensoever they took them off with violence, they still opened the wounds again, they flayed his body, and renewed all his former pains. To this was added that other torment, which the cold air caused: for that penetrated into his body, upon the opening of his flesh, & made him all quake and tremble, through the much cold he felt; and this torment lasted till he expired.  
The other torments which followed upon his nakedness were these. The soldiers took that most holy body, with extreme fury, and spread it forcibly upon the Cross; & applying his back to the wood, and extending his arms and feet at length, they began to nail one of his hands; and the nail being great, and not very sharp, it carried before it through the hole, both of the skin and of the flesh. Then took they the other hand, and because the body and the nerves were shrunke up together, through the cold, they were fain to draw out the hand with violence, to make it reach that hole, which they had already made. They also took his sacred feet, and they furiously stretched them forth to nail them. And there be holy men, who deliver, that for the nailing of his hands, they gave six & twenty strokes with the hammer; and for the nailing of his feet, six & thirty; & that through the violence wherewith they drew his hands and feet to nail them down, the joints of his sacred body were dissolved, & the bones displaced, in such sort, as that they might be numbered, one by one. O how great & sharp, were these torments, to that most delicate body? how did they even part his bowels, and even pierce his heart? Our Lord did very literally perform that which the Psalm 21. had said, They have boared through my hands and feet, and they have fastened them with nails to the Cross; and by reason that the parts of my body were so extended one from another, and all the substantial humour thereof so consumed, all my bones might be numbered.  
As soon as his most sacred body was nailed, they raised the Cross up on high; and they suffered it to fall with great force, (together with his most sacred body which was fastened to it) upon a hole made in a stone, which was there provided for that purpose. This was another incomparable torment; for then all the parts of his body did even open their joints; and his bowels did all quiver; and the holes of his hands and feet, did spread abroad, and began to stream forth blood, like so many springs. It is past expression, to show the greatness of the torments, which those blessed arms endured, being nailed and so strictly extended; and those sacred feet, which sustained the weight of his whole body; & that divine head, which now had no resting place but upon thorns; and the pains which all those parts of his body felt, every one of them being out of the true place; and those finally which were felt by that blessed soul of his, which carried upon it, the immense weight of all those torments together, continuing after that manner, that soul being grown a very sea of woe, for the space of three hours; till expiring, he laid it in the hands of his eternal father.   

THE V CHAPTER. Of the Patience, desire, and love, wherewith Christ our Lord endured all those torments, for the example and edification of our souls.  
ALL these immense sorrows and torments did Christ our Lord endure with a Patience, which was unspeakable, and indeed only worthy of himself. He complained not of his enemies, who treated him with so extreme cruelty; nay he defended not himself against them, nor was he angry with them, nor did he show them any countenance of disgust, nor did he speak any one word, which might do them any affront, or offer them any threat, or put them to any pain. Nor did he so much as wish them any hurt, but did both wish and speak benignly & mildly to them. And he conserved in his most dear heart, a great love towards them all, wherewith (for as much as they would be capable thereof) he loved them; giving them holy inspirations, and offering them divine succours, and praying for them, & wishing that they would profit thereby, and cooperate with them, and be converted to him, and so be saved. And he was ever ready to pardon them, and to receive them to his grace, & glory, if they would be converted to him.  
In this manner did Christ our Lord carry himself towards those enemies of his, who tormented him; and with this love, and with this Patience, did he treat them. And he suffered those pains and torments in such sort, as that he did greatly desire and delight in them; and he embraced them with the extreme gust of his hart; & rejoiced in the interior part of of his soul with unspeakable gladness & joy, that he had them to suffer. And so when they laid the Cross upon his back, and when they nailed him to it, he entertained it with so much appetite and gust, as cannot be expressed. Great is the contentment and affection, wherewith a mother embraces a most beloved son, when she finds him delivered out of a long and dangerous captivity; and sees him return safe and sound into her house. But incomparably much greater was the contentment and gust, wherewith Christ our Lord embraced the Cross. For already there were passed, three and thirty years, since he had begun to desire, and love it, with an immense desire and love; that so he might work the salvation of the world thereupon: and then perceiving, that his so long and vehement desire was to be satisfied, it cannot be expressed, how great gust he had; when they laid and stretched him upon that Cross. And therefore, embracing it with those bowels of his most tender love, he would say to it in this manner, in the interior part of his hart. O most happy Cross, how long is it since I have loved & desired thee? it is now three and thirty years since I live enamoured of thee, and I all enkindled with the flames of this desire and love, to see myself conjoined to thee. O thou most precious wood, whereupon the just price for sin shall be paid, and the divine justice shall remain fully satisfied, and my Father shall be perfectly glorified, and man shall be saved, & freed from sin and death, and eternal damnation; & shall make his entry into the Kingdom of heaven: O with how good a will I suffer myself to be nailed to thee, and will so continue upon thee, till I leave to live!  
And because the affection and desire which Christ our Lord had to suffer, was the cause of that unspeakable Patience, wherewith he endured all the sorrows and torments of the Cross, let us consider the testimonies of the Gospel wherein he declared the frank will & desire which he had to suffer; and wherewith he offered himself to his Passion and death. He discovered this his pleasure, in that he manifested and declared many times, and in particular manner to his disciples, how he was to suffer in jerusalem; and the torments & kind of death which he was to suffer. Once he said thus to them. Matt. 16. It is fit that I go to jerusalem, and that I suffer many torments, at the hands of the Scribes and Pharisees, and chief Priests; and that I be put to death by them. And Saint Peter persuading him, not to endure it, he reproved him in sharp manner, for seeking to hinder his Passion. It is clear, that since he knew so long before, what he was to suffer, he might have avoided it, and fled from it, if he would: and since he did not so, it is plain he had an affection and desire to suffer it.  
Another time going up to jerusalem, some few days before that Easter, when he suffered, he said thus to them. Matt. 20. Behold we are going up to jerusalem, and the son of man is to be delivered up to the Princes of the Priests, & to the Scribes, who will condemn him to death; and will deliver him over to the Gentiles, to the end that he may be scorned, scourged, and crucified by them. As if he had said; Behold, how without being carried, or compelled, we go, in a most voluntary manner to jerusalem, where those things which concern my Passion and death are to be accomplished; to the end that you may understand, how willingly I offer myself to that Passion and death, whereby I am to save the world:  
He also discovered the great affection, and desire which he had to suffer, by his going to that garden, which was so notorious a place, and where he knew his enemies would seek, and find him out; as also, in that being there, and knowing that his enemies came to apprehend him; he went not thence to some other place, where they might not find him; but he went by that very way where they were coming towards him; & he went to meet them, and animated his disciples to go with him, saying. Matt. 26. Rise up and let us go; for he who will betray me, is near at hand. So saith Saint Jerome, when he declares these words. Our Lord went to encounter his persecutors, without any fear at all of his Passion; and he voluntarily delivered himself to them, that they might deprive him of his life, and he said to his disciples, Rise up, and let us go: as if he had said; let not our enemies find us here like fearful men; but let us go with good courage to receive them; and let them see, the confidence and cheerfulness, wherewith we offer ourselves to death.  
Being gone forth to meet his enemies, and already standing before them; and they having many lights whereby they looked upon him; & he being well known to them, and especially to judas: yet was it not in their power to know him then, because he gave them not that power, not concurred with that faculty of their mind, whereby they were to have known him; till such time, as he discovered himself to them by saying, It is I: declaring thereby, how truly it was in his own hand not to be taken, or so much as touched by them, unless he would himself. So saith Saint chrysostom. Our Lord standing in the midst of his enemies, did blind their eyes; & this he did, to make them know, that not only they could not have apprehended him, but not so much as have seen him, if himself had not given them power to do it. He also declared thus much, by making them return and fall backward to the ground, like dead men, and that with one only word; discovering clearly thereby, how easy a thing it had been, for him to defend himself from them, & to take away both their strength and life, if he had been pleased. He had formerly been in fear in the garden; to declare the weakness of man's nature; and by the immense love which he bore to man, he overcame all that natural fear; and he being overcome by that very love, and by the extreme desire which he had to suffer for the salvation of mankind, went forth to receive his enemies, as if they had been his most beloved friends. And first having made it plain, that they could not once have touched him, nor so much as have known him, if he had not been so pleased; he than gave them leave and power to do what they would to him. And this he declared, by saying. This is your hour, and the power of darkness. This is that hour, wherein liberty is given you, to the end that you and the Princes of darkness, by your means, may execute both his power, & his cruel will, upon my person.  
This affection, wherewith Christ our Lord offered himself to the torments of death, and this invincible Patience wherewith he endured them, had been prophesied by Esai 53. chap. in these words, He offered himself to death, because he would. The same Prophet had said, The eternal Father had laid all our sins upon Christ our Lord, to the end that he might satisfy for them all; and all those sins might be destroyed, & consumed by the virtue of his Passion. And instantly he declares the manner how he laid them upon him, which was not by forcing, or constraining him to suffer; but by infusing an immense charity into him, and by inspiring, & moving his heart thereby to the end that voluntarily and freely, & with extreme readiness and gladness he might offer himself to death. And declaring the Patience, wherewith he suffered that death, he saith; As a sheep he opened not his mouth. So great was the Patience, the desire and love, wherewith he endured the torments, which he took upon him, for the discharge of our sins, that he opened not his mouth, either to defend himself, or complain of others. Like a quiet sheep, which bleyes not, when his throat is cut; so went he in sufferance and silence, as he was carried to death: and as an innocent and still lamb, which is silent & quiet whilst they shear him, so our most blessed Lord, did in quiet silence and repose endure that fierce outrage, wherewith his enemies tormented him, and that most cruel fury wherewith they put him to death. By these and other testimonies, did Christ our Lord declare the immense love and most ardent desire, which he had to suffer the torments and death, which he endured for man, yea & yet to endure greater torments, & to suffer more deaths, if his enemies had power to give him more; wheereupon we may infer, the unspeakable Patience and joy, wherewith he suffered them.  
We must ponder, and continually meditate, with a very profound and deep consideration, upon these examples of Patience, which shine in the life and Passion of Christ our Lord; and thereby we must be animated to suffer & endure with true Patience, all those evils of punishment, which may hap to us in this life, how great or tedious soever they may be. For therefore (saith Saint Efrem) the afflictions and tribulations of this life, seem grievous and intolerable to us, because we consider not the Passion and death of Christ our Lord. Let us therefore always carry before our eyes & imprint in our hearts this death and Passion of his; and all those examples, which he gave us therein of Patience: and let us imitate him, by suffering all the contradictions and penalties of this life with a good will. And since it becomes a soldier to follow his captain, with much labour and with offering himself to troubles, and wounds, and dangers of death; though he be but a mortal man, who cannot give him strength wherewith to fight; nor can raise him from death if he should by in the combat; nor can give him, who conquers any other reward then some temporal thing of small value; how much more is it reasonable, that we follow and imitate Christ our Lord, & Saviour, by suffering with Patience? Since he gives strength to them, who follow him wherewith to suffer, and comforts wherewith to do it cheerfully; and delivers them who imitate him from eternal death, and and bestows the most excellent reward upon them of eternal life. For, as the Apostle saith, it is a word most faithful, true, & worthy of all estimation, that, if we die with Christ our Lord, that is to say, if we die to our sins, and ill desires, abhorring and mortifying them, as Christ our Lord died to his corporal life; we shall lead a most glorious and blessed life together with him; And if we suffer the sad and painful things of this world, and even death itself with Patience, for the love of Christ our Lord, and in imitation of him, we shall reign with him for ever in his celestial Kingdom.   

THE VI CHAPTER. Of the Patience wherewith we ought to suffer the loss of temporal goods, and of the example which Christ our Lord gave us herein.  
THough any one of the pains & torments, which were suffered by Christ our Lord, may serve for a sufficient motive, to animate us to endure all the afflictions and tribulations of this life with Patience; yet that kind of pain endured by him, which carries most resemblance to the Cross, which most usually is to be suffered by us, doth use to comfort & induce us best to suffer it: and for this reason we will treat of some particular Crosses, for which we may find particular examples of Patience, in the Passion of Christ our Lord. One of the ills of punishment, which happens ordinarily to men, is the loss of their estate, & temporal goods, which befalls them sometimes because they are rob; sometimes they lose them by means of fire, and shipwracks; sometimes by unjust suits in law; sometimes they are coosened of them; & sometimes they are put to prejudice by the intemperate seasons of the year. By what way or means soever we grow to lose our temporal goods, we must eudure it with Patience, accepting it at the hand of God, and conforming ourselves to his holy will.  
The particular example which must comfort us in this affliction, and give us heart to bear it with Patience, is to see that Christ our Lord was unjustly stripped of all his  in his most sacred Passion, by those most base soldiers, who crucified him. He lived poor in this world; and because he loved and extremely delighted in poverty, he possessed no temporal goods at all. Those things which he received by way of alms to sustain his Apostles, & to divide amongst the poor, he had already bestowed. There remained no more to him, but his , and of those they stripped him, and left him naked: & that nakedness was accompanied with great cold, and great shame, which he suffered, by remaining in that sort till he died. From others who are executed, men take not their  till they be dead; but from our most blessed Lord, they took his, whilst yet he was alive; and he was pleased to endure this being despoiled of his , and this pain and shame in remaining naked, that he might suffer for us, and withal might give us an example of Patience.  
Let us therefore animate ourselves by this example of Christ our Lord, to suffer any want, or loss of temporal goods: and let us say thus in our own hearts. Since Christ the King of glory, and the universal Lord of the whole world, would needs, for love of me, and for my salvation, endure poverty and the want of temporal goods; & was content that they should strip him of all his , and expose him naked to the air, and put him to the shame of appearing so to the whole people; most just it is, that I, for love of him, and for the salvation of mine own soul, should endure this want of means, and this loss, or wrong, whereby I am deprived of the temporal goods which once I had. And let us consider for the better exercise of our Patience, that whatsoever prejudice or temporal loss we have, doth come to us from the hand of God, and for the good of our souls.  
This did Christ our Lord discover to us, by another example, and testimony of the holy Gospel. Matt. 8. Luc. 5. Mar. 8. He went into the country of the Gerasens, where he found two men tormented with devils. He cast the devils out, and so cured the men by the power of his word. The devils besought him, that since he had cast them out of those men, he would give them leave to enter into a great heard of swine, which was feeding in those fields hard by, and which belonged to the inhabitants of that City. Our Lord gave them leave to do it, and instantly they possessed those swine, which might arrive to the number of two thousand, & they carried them with extreme fury into the sea, where they were drowned. Hereby we are taught, that the devils could do no hurt to the swine, unless our Lord had given them leave: as neither the devil, nor any other creature, can do us any hurt at all, unless God give than power to that purpose, and unless he work by means of the devil, or that other creature, which doth us hurt, whatsoever it be. For though God be not the cause of any fault or sin; yet is he the cause of the punishment, which is brought on by reason of the sin or fault, & is received by means thereof. So saith Saint Athanasius. Since the devils have not so much as power over swine, which are but the goods of men, it is clear that they have no power over men, who are made according to the image of God; and so we have no cause to fear the devils, but only God. And the same did he declare concerning the hurt which might grow to us from any other creature, that it also proceeds from the hand of God, saying, Matt. 10. Two sparrows are of so little value, that they are sold for a toy, and yet God hath so particular care and providence over every one of them, that not one can fall dead to the ground, or be taken in a snare, without his disposition & will. And then how much more will he take care of men; and not consent that any creature should so much as touch them, either in soul or body, or so much as in their goods, without his leave? In this manner did Christ our Lord declare, that all ills of punishment, proceed to us from the hand of God.  
He also showed, how he ordains them all, to the good of souls; that is, to the end that sinners may be converted, and just persons saved; because he desires not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live; & particularly he procures this, when he takes their goods from them, as Saint Augustine notes, saying thus. When God visits his servants with the want of things necessary for this life, and makes them suffer hunger, or thirst, as he proceeded with the Apostles, he fails not thereby of the promise which he made them, that nothing should be wanting to them. For these temporal goods, are helps and kinds of Physic to the soul; and God is the Physician, who best knows, when to minister them, and when to remove them; and so when they are wanting to us, as they are many times, we must know that God Almighty is the cause thereof, for the exercise of our virtue, and for the good of our souls. And speaking in particular, of that which Christ our Lord did with the Gerasins, in depriving them of their goods, when he gave the devils leave to drown their swine, Saint Jerome saith; Christ our Lord gave them not that liberty, by way of granting their desire, or to perform their will; but to the end that the loss of their goods might be profitable to the owners for their souls, & be an occasion of their salvation. And the spiritual profit, which came to them hereupon, as Saint Chrisostome observes, was that they might know the power, which devils had to do men hurt, if God did not hinder them, and so they might be thankful to him for defending them by his divine providence; as also to the end that they might fear, and fly from sin, by means whereof, men grew subject to the power of devils, to be vexed by them in this life with temporal pains, and in the next with eternal torments.  
These are the motives & reasons, which a faithful Christian must consider, to the end that he may bear the loss of temporal goods with Patience; namely, the example of Christ our Lord; & that it comes from the hand of God; and for the good of his soul. And thus the loss of temporal goods, will be of greater profit to him, than the increase thereof would have been. For, that little temporal loss, will be the occasion of a great spiritual gain: The Saints of God, have confessed & experimented this truth. Whilst the blessed Laurentius justinianus (he who afterward was Patriarch of Venice) was one day out of his Monastery, the house fell on fire; and that part thereof was burnt, where he kept the provisions of food, which he had laid up for the whole year. When the Saint came home from abroad, the Religious men told him what had passed, and they were afflicted by occasion of so great a loss. But the Saint, considering how it came ordained by the providence of God, who so dear love's us, and who in all things procures the good of souls, and especially of such as serve him, received this loss with much contentment; though not for the loss itself, but because the will, and ordination of Almighty God, was accomplished thereby. And so with a cheerful countenance he said to his Religious; What hurt is there, my children, in this which hath happened to us? It is no ill, but good; it is no loss but gain; since by means thereof, we shall better execute our good desires, in practising poverty, and Patience.  
It is a great benefit to the servant of God, and of much merit and value, when he may distribute his goods to the poor, and employ them upon the works of mercy: but if he chance to lose his goods, if they be stolen from him, if gotten away by injustice, or lost by any other accident, and if he accept of that loss with much Patience and with much contentment, for the love of God, and to conform himself with his divine will, who so ordained; he ordinarily doth advantage his soul more, and it doth merit more, and please God more by this course, then by the other. For this Act of the virtue of Patience & resignation is more pure & free from self love, & thereby a man doth more deny and mortify his own will, & doth more exercise Faith and hope in God, as also the love of his, and the estimation of his holy will. And so we see, that our Lord hath taken away these goods by some sinister accident from many Saints, which they would have given away in alms; to afford them means of greater merit thereby; and for the exercise of that rare Patience, wherewith they accepted and loved their adversity, and had gust therein, as proceeding from the will of God. Saint john the Patriarch of Alexandria, a man of rare mercy towards miserable men, and even a very miracle of mercy, sent from Alexandria, to the Adriaticke sea thirteen ships full loaden with merchandise, and things of value, which he had raised out of the Revenues of his Church, that so they might be sold in diverse parts remote, and the whole price be given by him to poor people in the way of alms, as his custom was. Now it pleased Almighty God, that upon the rising of a great tempest at Sea, all the goods were cast away, and the ships returned empty to Alexandria. And God did thus ordain, because he more esteemed the great Humility, and Patience, which the Saint would exercise in this wrack, them the Mercy which he would have exercised, if the goods had not been lost. And so without all fail the profit, which the Saint drew from thence, was admirably great; he receiving it with a good will, and giving God hearty thankes for the same; and humbling himself much, by the knowledge of his sins; in regard whereof he confessed, that God had sent him that loss, to cleanse him more perfectly from those sins.  
Saint Chrisostome teaches us this truth, and confirms it by the example of holy job, saying thus; Nor only the doing of good, but the suffering of ill, obtains a high reward, in the sight of God: and job seems to have profited more in virtue, by the afflictions which he endured, then by the good deeds which he performed. For really, it was not so illustrious, & so high an act in him, when with the wool of his sheep, he clad the naked, & set his house open to the destitute, that they might take part of the goods he had; as when, hearing that the fire had consumed his stock, and that his house was fallen, and his fortune overthrown, he accepted of that loss, at the hands of God, and thanked him for it. And a greater victory did he obtain of the enemy, and he confounded him more, in giving thankes to God upon the loss of his goods, then in bestowing them upon poor people. For certainly it is an act of greater virtue, to endure the loss of goods with a generous & grateful mind to God, then to bestow alms upon the poor. Nor is it a thing to be admired, for a man to give God hearty thankes when he is in good estate, & when things succeed prosperously with him; but upon the arrival of mischances, and in the loss of temporal goods to give hearty thanks to God, and to esteem such contradictions for benefits, is a very admirable thing; and gives a very excellent testimony of great virtue. This is the discourse of Saint Chrisostome.  
Let us therefore serve our selves of these examples, and testimonies of Christ our Lord and of his Saints, to make us suffer all loss of temporal goods, with Patience. Let us so much esteem of of the spiritual health of our souls, that whatsoever may be profitable to us for them, we may value as a great mercy, and gift of God. And since the loss of temporal goods, gives us matter and occasion for the exercise of Charity towards God, by loving it because he love's it; and for the exercise of Patience, by enduring it and accepting it willingly because God sends it; and because thereby we discern the love which God carries towards us, and the care he hath of our salvation (since he gives us helps, and ministers us occasions whereby we may serve him the better and so profit more;) let us esteem of every temporal loss for a very great benefit, and mercy of God; and as for such let us thank and praise him saying, with holy job. chap. 1. It is God who gave me this temporal blessing, and it is he who hath taken it away; as himself was pleased so hath he proceeded with me. Most just and holy was his will, both in giving it and in taking it, and his holy will the blessed for ever.   

THE VII. CHAPTER. Of the Patience, Wherewith we are to endure corporal infirmities; and of the example, which Christ our Lord hath given us herein.  
ANother evil of punishment, and very usual and common in the life of man, is corporal infirmities and fevers, and several other pains & torments, and wounds, which he suffers; by reason whereof, he is in great need of Patience: & we must fetch it also in this kind, from the example of Christ our Lord. And though our most blessed Lord had no natural infirmities at all; nor was it fit that he should have any, because these are wont to proceed, from some defect of complexion, or natural faculty of the body, or from some disorder in life; yet all the pains, and torments of his most sacred Passion, may serve for a most efficacious motive, to make us support all kind of those infirmities with Patience, which may happen to us in this life; and particularly the pain, & torment of thirst, which he suffered upon the Cross, & the being so forsaken & abandoned, as than he was. For that which men are much troubled with, in their sickness in their sickness is the pain and torment which sickness put them to; and the want of that assistance & service, which is necessary for the cure, or ease at least, of the infirmity; & all this was found extreanly in that thirst, which Christ our Lord endured upon the Cross.  
The thirst, which Christ our Lord suffered, was most vehement; First by reason of the incomparable labours & vexations, which he had suffered all that day and the night before; and secondly, because by the hurts and wounds, which they had given him, he had shed either all, or in a manner all the blood out of his veins; and by the way as he went, and by the vexation and labour to which he was put he had sweat away all the humour of his sacred body, which then was grown all consumed, and dry. And to this it must be added, that from the supper of the night before, and in all that day following, he had not drunke, so much as one drop of water. Now if any one of these things be wont to cause great thirst, as we see in men who are wounded, and have shed much blood, and in them who have laboured, and sweat much, and in them also who have not drunk of a long time before: what kind of thirst shall that have been, which was endured by Christ our Lord? Infallibly it was most extreme; & the torment, which it caused, was grievous, beyond any thing which we are able to express. And now declaring the pain and torment, which he felt thereby, he said thus, I thirst; and the remedy and comfort, which he obtained for the ease thereof, was, that one of the soldiers took a sponge, and wetting it in wine, which was spoilt and grown vinegar, and mingled with gall, he tied it to a long cane, and so applied it to his sacred mouth; and our Lord took thereof, not to drink it down (because it was not fit that he should drink of so deadly a thing) but he took it to have a taste thereof; he took as much as might serve to afflict, & torment his taste; so to suffer the more for us. So doth the devout Lanspergius declare, saying; Our Lord, understanding well, how bitter that drink was, which they gave him, did yet take thereof, through his great love to us; not so swallow it down, but only to afflict his tongue and taste with bitterness: that so he might take torment in that part of him, from which sin grew in us. For Eve committed her sin by tasting of the forbidden fruit, and by means of her sin, did Adam sin; and so have we all done after him.  
Such a kind of refreshing was allowed to Christ our Lord against his pain, and torment of thirst, which was to increase the same pain, and torment. So saith Saint Cyrill; In stead of some wholesome drink, which might refresh him, they gave him a bitter and hurtful drink; and that courtesy, which they would seem to use in giving him somewhat to take, was converted into cruelty, by giving him so vile a thing. And this did Saint Luke chap. 23. signify, saying; that the soldiers, putting a scorn upon our Lord, did offer him vinegar. The Psalm recounts the injury and affliction, which hereby they put upon Christ our Lord, amongst the rest of his torments saying. Psal. 68 They gave me gall in steed of meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. That is to say: they were so fare from having compassion of me in my miseries; & so great was the cruelty which they used towards me, that when I came with my Cross upon my back to the place of torment, in steed of some aromatical wine (such as they used to give dying men for their comfort) they gave me wine corrupted, and mingled with gall, and myrrh; which being so very thick was become as a most bitter, and most hurtful meat. And being afterward nailed upon the very Cross, having my blood exhausted, and I being totmented with thirst, and declaring the thirst I had, they gave me vinegar mingled with gall to drink.  
This was the torment of thirst, which Christ our Lord suffered upon this Cross, and thus was he content to be abandoned; and by means of this, and the rest, which he endured there, all faithful Christians are to comfort themselues in their corporal infirmities, and must be animated to endure them, with Patience; to imitate our Lord thereby, and conform themselves to his holy wil So saith Saint Gregory; To the end that sick persons may conserve the virtue of Patience in their sicknesses, they must continually consider the pains which our God and our Redeemer did suffer at the hands of his own creatures, & how many affronts, how many buffets, how many spittings, how many scourges, and how many thorns he endured for our salvation; and particularly how, to bestow the sweetness of heaven upon us, he took, when he was most thirsty, the bitterness of gall for himself. This is the saying of Saint Gregory.  
Besides this, Christ our Lord declared by many examples, and testimonies of the holy Gospel, how great blessings are contained in corporal infirmities; and how great fruits are gathered from thence by such as endure them with Patience. By this means of sickness, he drew many to his Faith, and to his grace, and to the obedience of his Gospel; and he cured them so, of many sins. For when they found themselves sick, they went in search after health of the body; and then believing, and doing penance for their sins, they obtained also health for their souls. So doth the holy Evangelists inform us often. For speaking of those women, who with great devotion & faith followed Christ our Lord, Saint Luke saith. chap. 8. Our Lord going to preach amongst those Cities, and towns, diverse women followed him, whom he had delivered from impure spirits, & cured of their infirmities.  
Some of these, were Marie Magdalen, and joanna the wife of Chusa, a lawyer of Herod's, and Susanna, and many others. And they following our Lord, did supply him out of their means, with necessaries for the sustentation of his life. By these words, the holy Evangelist gives us to understand, that their having been sick, and cured by our Lord, was the way to make them believe in him, & to follow him; both in body and soul. And of the woman, who was sick of a bloody flux, Matth. 9 Marc. 5. and had found no remedy by her Physicians. S. Matthew declares the same; and that her infirmity had made her look for remedy in Christ our Lord; & to be believe and confide in him, with so lively faith, that she obtained health both in body, and soul. And the same thing happened to the paralitike, Mat. 9 Mar. 2. for whom the roof of the house was taken of, that he might be brought before our Lord: for his infirmity was the cause why he made himself be carried, & presented to him; and that he would believe in him, with sorrow for his sins, and so obtain pardon thereof. The same also happened to innumerable other sick persons, whose sicknesses were the cause, why they sought out Christ our Lord, and gave ear to his word, and believed in him, and amended their lives, and obtained true cure of their souls.  
A great blessing of God, is this kind of corporal infirmity, since it is the root, and occasion of so high a good, as it is for man to know his sins, and to be sorry for them, and to obtain a clean and healthful soul, and eternal happiness afterward. Saint Gregory advices sick persons, to consider this well; that so they may understand the great benefit of sickness, and thus he saith. Let sick persons consider how profitable the sickness of the body is for the health of the soul, & how great a gift of God it is. For it makes a man enter into himself, and know his weakness, and his sins, and the miseries to which he is subject. It makes him fear God, and reform his life, that so by means of penance, he may be made clean from his former sins, and may be bridled and fortified towards the not committing others afterward. Saint Gregory Nazianzen relates how being one day present with Eudoxius, a holy man, who was sick; and interpreting, at the request of the sick man, the seaventy second Psalm, wherein the holy Ghost declares, how God is wont to visit his servants in this life, with the scourges of sicknesses, and other afflictions; that holy man (whom some conceive to have been Saint Basill) lift up his eyes to heaven, and exclaimed saying, I give thee thankes o celestial Father, and Creator of mankind, for that thou dost us good against our wills; that is, thou sendest us infirmities, & other miseries, which we would not have; whereby yet thou dost good to our souls; & by exercising this exterior man, which is the body, thou clensest the interior man, which is the mind; and thou carriest us on towards eternal happiness, by adversities, and contradictions to our gust. And Saint Gregory adds further, that the Saint spoke those words, as rejoicing and delighting in his sickness.  
This divine effect of sickness, is thus declared in holy scripture by the mouth of the wise man. Prou. 20. The sign of the hurt, and the secret wounds of the belly, do cure men's evils. His meaning is, that both the exterior hurts of the body, which are not very grievous; and those also which are deep and dangerous, and do pierce even into the most inward part of the bowels, do cleanse the soul from sin. An admirable mercy of God i● this, and a most singular testimony of his love, and of the most ardent desire which he hath of our salvation. For man being forgetful of himself, and careless of his salvation, and in stead of virtue loving vice, & not walking on towards heaven, but towards hell; Almighty God is pleased to visit him with sickness, and tribulation against his will; whereby he makes him enter into himself, and to abhor the sin which he loved before; and to forsake the way of hell, wherein he was going; and to pursue the way of heaven, which he had left; and to fly from many sins, into which formerly he had fallen. This is that mercy of God, which Saint Isidorus ponders saying. Almighty God, seeing that many men will not reform themselves upon the motion, and at the instance of their own will, sends them adversities; that being troubled, & afflicted, they may be amended, and so grow to love those things which formerly they loved not. And finding that some are so inclined, and prompt to sin, he scourges them with infirmities of the body, to the end that they may give it over; and he leaves them sick, because it is better for them to be broken by sickness, and pain, and so to obtain the eternal salvation of their souls; then to live full of health, and full of sin; and so to walk on towards hell. This is the saying of Saint Isidorus.  
And because sickness doth not produce so excellent, and divine effects in all Christians, to take away their former sins, and to hinder such as are future; but only in some, who when they are sick, do enter seriously into their own hearts, and have contrition for their sins, and change their lives; it is therefore necessary for all men, upon observing that they are sick, to open the eyes of their soul, & to examine their consciences well, and to consider seriously of all those things, which may give impediment to their salvation; and confessing their sins with sorrow, give a faithful account of all to their ghostly Father; & instantly put all things in order, with great diligence, which concern the amendment and reformation of their lives; lest otherwise that sickness which God did send a man with love and mercy, and to the end he might be cleansed from sin, and so be saved; do not grow to serve but as a preface and beginning of those endless torments, which are to be suffeby him, in the next life; as it will be to all them, who will not profit by the sicknesses which God sends. So saith the same Saint. The scourge of adversity and tribulation, doth then cleanse the soul from sin, when the man changes his manner of life; for unless he change his life, his sins remain where they were. So that, upon the whole matter, every scourge & adversity, which God sends a man in this life, is either to be as a spiritual Purgatory for his sins committed, and of the penalty to which he is subject for the same; or else it will serve for a beginning of that other pain, which he is to suffer afterward. For certainly, the pains and torments which are eternally to be suffered by some, in the life to come, are begun to be suffered some of them, even in this life.  
The truth which this holy Doctor hath drawn out of holy scripture, carries great force with it: and the Holy Ghost therein doth teach us, and confirm by the example of many sinners, that God did scourge them with great infirmities; and because they profited not thereby, they passed on from temporal pain and death, to eternal. And this aught to move us much, to receive any sickness, as a most precious gift of God, and to give him great thankes for it, and to profit by it; making a change of our life to the better; to the end that, being clear both of guilt and pain, we may make a short and certain entry into eternal life. And so, that may be fulfilled in us, which Ecclesiasticus chap. 3 saith. A great infirmity of the body makes a man's mind sober; that is, it clears it from sin, and doth moderate and justify it in all things.   

THE VIII. CHAPTER. Of other great benefits, which are drawn from corporal infirmities, when they are borne with Patience.  
BEsides this so excellent effect of cleansing and freeing the soul from sin, infirmity of the body uses to produce diverse others, which are very high, & of incomparable benefit. Which dispose the soul, to the end that it may receive gifts from God, & that it may better and perfect itself more in virtue, and increase in merit; and that it may praise and glorify almighty God more, and that a man may so, become a particular instrument of the glory of God, which shines in him, either by his freeing him from that sickness with particular providence, and love; or by giving him admirable virtue and strength, whereby to endure it with so great Patience, that it may be seen how it is God, who helps him to endure so much, and with so good a will, in contemplation of eternal life.  
Those blind men to whom Christ our Lord gave their sight at his entry and issue out of the City of lericho. Luc. 18 Mat. 20. had neither seen his miracles, nor heard his doctrine; but had only met with the fame of the wonderful things which he did; and of the mercy which he used towards all; and thereby they grew to believe in him, with so great faith, and devotion, that, before all those troops, which followed him, they did with great cries, confess him to be the true Messiah, and the Saviour of the world, saying, jesus thou son of David have mercy on us. And after, when they received their sight, they followed our Lord, praising and glorifying God. Many of the children of Israel, and of the wise and prudent men of the people, had heard the doctrine of Christ our Lord, and seen his miracles, with their own eyes, & yet they had not embraced his faith, nor had they been moved by his works, to glorify Almighty God; whilst yet these blind men, by the only fame of the works of Christ our Lord, which had come to their ears, received his faith, and glorified and confessed our Lord. And the cause thereof was, in regard that the blindness and poverty of these men, made them more capable, and better disposed to consent to those divine inspirations, wherewith Christ our Lord touched their hearts, and called them, to receive the light of faith which Christ our Lord offered them; as also to the end that the fire of divine love, might more easily inflame their souls with true devotion, and move them to glorify the divine Majesty.  
The Gospel expresses not, that Christ our Lord did pardon their sins; or that he bade them sin no more, as he had done to other sick persons; but that he gave them light, both in body and soul, to the end that they might see and believe in him; & devotion, wherewith to confess praise & follow him. Upon which we may infer, that they were already good men, and in the favour of God: and so this is proved to be that effect of sickness, which we are now declaring; Namely that it disposes such as are good, to receive new gifts from God, and to better them, and perfect them, by their growing in virtue, and by making them increase in merits, both of grace and glory.  
The blessed Euagrius Bishop of Antioch, and disciple of Saint Macharius, relates that; going one day in company of other servants of God to visit that most holy man john a Monk of Egypt, and a great Prophet, and much reverenced by the Emperor Theodosius, as being one of the greatest Saints of that time; one of those consorts of his fell sick of a violent burning fever; and besought the Saint to cure him. But the Saint made him answer in these words. Thou desirest to drive that from thee which it imports thee for the good of thy soul to keep. For know, that as bodies are washed, and cleansed with salt-peter, and other things of that nature, and do so become more beautiful, and more pleasing to the eye; so are souls more cleansed by corporal sickness, & made more beautiful, and acceptable to the eyes of God. Thus said this Saint. And this is the effect, which is produced by sickness, in good men; Namely that the soul grows thereby in purity, and grace, and in all those virtues, whereby they are to please and serve God. And let us now cast our eyes upon some other examples, which may declare to us, how sickness makes men become instruments of the glory of God, that so his power and goodness may shine more in them.  
When Christ our Lord was curing the man who was borne blind, his disciples asked him, 10.9. what sin it was, which had caused blindness in that man, whether it were of him, or of his parents. Christ our Lord made them, this answer; That it was neither for his, nor his parent's sin; but to the end that the works of God might be manifested in him. His meaning was, that neither the actual sin of him, nor of his parents, was the cause of his being borne blind: nor was that blindness imposed on him in punishment of any sin, which either his parents or himself had committed; but he was borne blind by the good will of God, to the end that by giving him sight, the world might grow to see those works, which were proper to the divinity; namely the working of Miracles, by his proper virtue, which might testify and declare, that he who wrought them, was true God. By these words, did Christ our Lord discover his unspeakable goodness, and liberality, and most sweet providence, which sometimes permits small inconveniences to arrive to the body; thereby to bestow great benedictions upon the soul; and to honour his servants, after an extraordinary manner; making them admirable instruments of his glory: as he proceeded with this blind man, whom he made blind, to the end that, delivering him by this miracle, it might grow public, that himself was the true God and Saviour of the world; and that as such, he might be believed, and obeyed, and glorified, both by that blind man, who received the benefit, and by all those others also, who would profit by the notice thereof. And so by imparting a great blessing to the soul of that blind man, by the light of faith, & grace which he gave, he declared the glory of his divinity. Let us produce another example of the same nature. When Lazarus was fallen sick, his sisters sent a messenger to our Lord; 10.11. who said, look here O Lord, for he whom thou lovest is sick. Now, in that Lazarus was sick, being so good a man, and so much beloved by Christ our Lord, we are taught that sickness is a great gift, which God not only bestows upon sinners for their conversion, but also upon just and holy men, for the bettering of their souls, and for their increase in grace, and merit; and therefore when God sends sickness, it should be received with a right good will. Saint Augustine saith, he who love's God, love's that which God love's; and therefore it is, that he love's corporal sickness, which is the work and gift of God. O how full it is of all reason, that a man who is the servant of God, should receive that sickness which God sends him, with a great good will, and a cheerful heart! If a man being sick, God should give him health, he would receive it very readily, and with much joy and thanksgiving; and yet certainly ought he to receive that sickness, wherewith God visits him: with greater affection, and thanksgiving: as being a most profitable gift of God. This is delivered by Saint Augustine. And although it be true, that for the point of not sinning through impatience, it suffices to endure, and bear the infirmity, without desiring to be quit of it, by unlawful means, (as we declared before;) yet to gain and merit much more thereby, and to obtain greater gifts, and graces from God, a man, as Saint Augustine faith, must receive it with much contentment, and with a very affectuous manner of thanksgiving. And it is fit that we proceed after this manner, in regard that sickness is of much greater profit to many servants of God, than health would be; and it is a great gift of God towards all; & gives them means of much spiritual good; and for this reason doth God give it to whom he love's, as he did to Lazarus, whom he loved much.  
Our Lord having received this message from the two fisters, said to them who brought it; This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God; and to the end that the son of God may be glorified by occasion thereof. His meaning was, that that infirmity was not to end in death; because, though the man were to die, yet he was not to continue dead; but shortly to return to this present life; and so it was not ordained for his death, but for the glory of God. And the particular glory of God, to which it was ordained, was, that the son of God, might be glorified by occasion of that sickness, & death which followed thereupon; he giving life to the dead man, & perfect health to him who at that time was sick: & so he was known by means of that work with faith and obedience, to be the true God and Saviour of the world.  
By these examples did Christ our Lord discover to us, how the sickness of his servants, might turn to his glory; which happens sometimes by his freeing them from their infirmities, and from the dangers & pains thereof, of, by such particular and extraordinary means of his divine providence, as greatly serve to manifest the love and care, which he hath of them; and invite all such as know thereof to praise, and love, & confide in his goodness more and more. At other times (and this is most usual) this is performed by Christ our Lord in the sickness of his servants, by his giving them great and efficacious favours, & succours; whereby they are made able to carry their infirmities with rare Patience, & with admirable contentment. And so, whilst they are sick, they perform high acts, and of great service to God; by means whereof, thee awake, and provoke all men to praise and glorify Christ our Lord, for working such wonders in his servants. This so precious fruit of sickness, is excellently described, by that divine Diadocus, in these words. As, for the making of a good impression, by any seal upon wax, it is necessary first, to soften that wax, with the fingers, or with fire; so, to the end that the seal of divine virtue, may be imprinted upon the soul, & that it may increase, and grow perfect in virtue, and in the gifts of God, it is necessary that it be exercised, and refined by infirmities, and many other tribulations, and troubles; whereby is may be disposed, and softened, for receiving the impression of this divine seal. And just, as in the primitive Church, God wrought this glorious effect, in his servants, out of the persetion of Tyrants, and through the torments, wherewith they afflicted, and martyred Christians; so now doth God produce the same effect, in the souls of his servants, by means of temptations, and interior assaults of the devil; as also of exterior and corporal sickness, and pain. I say, that in place of persecutions, which are ceased, God sends them the affliction of temptations in their soul, and of sickness in their body; to the end that the image of divine beauty may be made perfect in their hearts. It doth therefore much import, that we receive with great contentment the temptations and sicknesses, which God sends us; and that we give him thankes for them: for by this means they will grow to be a kind of martyrdom to us. This we are taught by Saint Diadocus. Let us therefore be much animated, to receive any infirmities or tribulations, which God may send us, with a good will and let us be content to suffer them as long as it shall please God; not limiting him, either in the degree, or quality of the Cross; nor yet in the time, that it is to last. For it is God who knows, what is convenient for us to endure; and therefore we must remit ourselves to his will, and resign ourselves wholly, into his hands. For if (as Saint Ephrem saith) men, who have beasts, upon which they cause their burdens to be laid and carried from one place to another, do well know, what weight or burden every one of them is able to bear, and that very burden do they impose, and no greater: and if the potter, who makes vessels of clay, and puts them into the furnace of fire, doth well know how long they are to be kept there, to the end that, when they are taken forth, they may be well conditioned, and tempered, and profitable to the use of man; and not remain therein more time, then is convenient, lest so they grow to be burnt up, or broken; nor yet less time than is necessary, lest so, they be taken forth too soft, and be subject to lose the form they have: how much more doth God, who is of infinite wisdom and goodness, and maintains a most exact providence over all his creatures, and especially over mankind, know that just burden of sickness, or other affliction which every one is able to undergo, & bear, by means of that help which himself is pleased to afford; as also the time, during which it is fir, that he bear it? Nor will he impose more weight, than a man can carry, nor let it continue longer time, than it is fit for him to bear it; to the end that he may grow a faithful & true servant of his, and may be capable of that glory, which from all eternity, he had provided for him.  
A most certain truth it is, that God, of whom the holy Scripture saith, that he made all things, in weight number, and measure, and governs them all with so great suavity, and who well knows the quality and degree of that infirmity, or other affliction which every one is able to bear, either by that natural or supernatural strength, which he hath received of him, as also how long he is able to bear it; will not impose a sickness, or other Cross, nor permit that it continue any longer time than he can suffer it with Patience; or then is fit for the good of his soul. So saith Saint Augustine. Be not troubled about thy bodily health; but desire thou of God, that he will give thee that which is most convenient for thee: and so if he know, that thy health will be good for thee, he will be sure to give it thee; and if he give it not, be thou well assured, that it would not have been good for thee. We see many, who being sick, conserve themselves clean from sin; who if they had been in health, would have commited many: and many men being in health, deliver themselves up to great wickedness; who if they had been sick, would have avoided the same. God doth well know what is fit for every one. In this let us place our chief care, that our souls may be, and continue whole. This is delivered to us, by Saint Augustine.  
Let us therefore herein, be very faithful and true to God, and very obedient to his divine will: & let us so desire health, or any other conveniency of this life, and so let us beg it of God, as that we may yet be ready still, to receive any sickness, or other contradiction, at his holy hand, whensoever he shall be pleased to send it; since our suffering these things with Patience, serves so greatly to the glory of God, & to the good of our souls. And not only, when the inconvenience which happens to us, is very great, let us esteem it for a great mercy, and blessing of God, and full of profit to our souls; but also we must think highly of it, & value it as a great benefit, and of much profit and merit, even when the sickness is not great. For, as the divine Rusbrochius saith; whatsoever evil of punishment, (how light soever it may be) we suffer to the honour and glory of Almighty God, will be of greater benefit to us, then if he had given us the Empire & dominion of the whole world. For whatsoever evil we suffer with Patience, for the glory of God (how light soever it may be) God doth give us for the same, no less thing, than himself: For giving us his grace, he gives us himself with it; and so possessing the gift, we come to possess therewithal, that Lord himself of infinite goodness, who gives it. Our Lord will not permit, that we should suffer adversities for his love, without much profit and great reward: and so, by means of that which we suffer, he communicates all that chief fruit of his most sacred Passion, which are those spiritual and celestial blessings, through which we possess God here by grace, & afterward by eternal glory. And therefore doth God give us afflictions, and pains in this life; not because our affliction or pain is pleasing to him; but for that incomparable benefit, which he knows that we are to obtain by means hereof; and which he ordained, from all eternity to bestow upon us, in reward of that Patience, wherewith we bear it. This is said by Rusbrochius.  
And now by this consideration must we faithful Christians, be greatly moved, and encouraged to suffer corporal sickness and all other evils of punishment, with great contentment. For, if the devil (as Saint john chrysostom saith) when he propounds to the heart of man, some temporary, and even momentary delight, (the fruit and punishment whereof, are most grievous and eternal torments) doth induce and overcome him so fare, as to win him to expose himself to so great a misery, for so flender a delight; how much more is it reason, that we, who are the faithful servants of jesus Christ, when he proposes to our hearts, those immense and eternal joys of heaven, be moved and persuaded to receive a sickness, or some other light and short trouble and to endure it with Patience, which brings forth such fruit, and reward after it, as is eternal life, and an everlasting kingdom of glory: and (above all) which produces the fruit of pleasing, and glorifying Almighty God, which is incomparably the greatest reward and fruit, which can be conceived.   

THE IX. CHAPTER. Wherein it is confirmed, by the example of Saints, how great the fruit of sickness, and other tribulation is; and how this is an effect of God's mercy, which he she was towards his friends.  
BEcause it is of so great importance to have an understanding, & feeling of this truth; namely that it is a work of unspeakable love in God to send us sicknesses and other afflictions, which he expresses toward his greatest friends, and he proves and perfects them thereby; and makes them worthy of most beautiful and most precious crowns of glory, we will confirm it by the example of some very eminent Saints. Timothy, that holy Bishop, and the disciple of Saint Paul, was sick of a pain in his stomach, 1. Tim. 5. which is a grievous and irksome disease, and had also many other infirmities. And Saint Paul, loving him much, and very tenderly, and well knowing the great need he had of health, that so he might with gust, undergo all those difficulties, which the office of a Bishop exacted at his hands; did not yet take away this sickness, nor desire of Almighty God that it be taken away. He cured other sick persons, Act. 9 and that with so great facility, that it cost him no more them to put of his girdle, or to take out some handkerchief, which had wiped of his sweat, & then to give it, that it might be laid upon those sick persons, and instantly the men were cured. And he obtained so very easily that which he used to ask of God, as that begging once the lives of two hundred seaventy and six persons, who were going with him to Rome, and were in danger of perishing by the way, God did grant the suit, and freed them from death at his request: and yet to this disciple of his, whom he loved so much, he neither gave health by miracle, nor did he beg the cure of God; but permitted him to continue sick as he was. And for some ease in those infirmities which he had, he gave no other than that ordinary remedy, which any vulgar friend, would have prescribed, saying: do not still drink water alone, but take a little wine, for that pain of stomach, which you endure; and for the many other infirmities which you suffer. But why then did not Saint Paul free his disciple Timothy from these sicknesses? Because he knew, that they were great testimonies of the love which God bore him; and that they were profitable to his soul, by occasioning him to grow in Patience and humility and favour in the sight of God.  
Saint Gregory Nazianzen had many and grievous sicknesses; & in his age they were both greater, & grew in effect to be continual. Amongst the rest, he had the gout, which tormented him much; and so, as that he could not stir, but carried. And thus, howsoever he were of strong constitution, his many acts of penance, and continual infirmities, consumed him at last; and he came to die, at the age of 65. years as Caesar Baronius collects by the writings of the Saint. Notwithstanding that he was still so sick, he yet laboured much; and by those labours he greatly benefited the Church; and by his infirmities, he greatly benefited himself, for he carried them with Patience, & had much comfort therein.  
Saint Basil was tormented with most grievous sicknesses; and sometimes they brought him to the very doors of death. Yea they were so continual, that the pain he suffered, when he was best in health, might pass for grievous sickness in another. Himself in his Epistles, speaks thereof; and in one of them he saith; I have had many sicknesses, and one of then hath succeeded another; and now I am also sick, and there is scarce an hour of my life, wherein I expect not my death. And in another letter of his, he saith; If when I am best, (according to the appearance, I have of health) they account me amongst them who are given over; from thence it may be understood, what kind of thing I am, when I am fallen into an express disease. And it was matter of great admiration, that under the weight of so many, & so great sicknesses, he could labour so hard, by writing, disputing, preaching, governing, and going, as it were, in pilgrimage, to preach the Gospel in diverse parts of the world; & that being so wasted with such pains of body and distempers of blood, he should not slack one whit in the care, and solicitude which he carried, in effect, to all the Churches of the East; which were mightly persecuted by heretics. And by means of these infirmities, that most holy Doctor, did mightily augment the merits of his most pure life.  
Saint Gregory the Pope, was exercised by Almighty God, with extraordinary infirmities, and most sharp pains, which continued a long time with him. He had certain seasons of the gout, so long and tedious, and which gave him so excessive pain that in one pang thereof it continued with him, no less than two years. He saith thus, in one of his Epistles, I have such torment by the gout, that my life is grievous to me. I daily faint under my pain, and I expect the remedy of death. He had also in his body, an interior ardour of heat, which did, as it were even broil, and dry up his very bowels. And in all these infirmities, and torments, his heart was in such conformity to the will of God, & he so greatly did desire to suffer them, that he sought not for comfort and ease of his miseries in this life, but only desired it for the next. And he esteemed them for singular blessings, and gift of God and was thankful for them as being such; as he declared in an Epistle which he wrote to Saint Leander, Archbishop of Seville, (who had written a letter to him, wherein amongst other things he told him, that he had been much tormented by the gout) and Saint Gregory answered him, after this manner. You tell me that you are tormented by the gout; and myself am also vehemently tormented by the continual pain of the same disease; but it will be easy for us to find comfort in these miseries, if we call our sins to mind, and consider that we are purged from them, by these infirmities; and that so they are not mere scourges of God, but blessings also, whereby his divine Majesty doth us so much good. With such Patience as this, did Saint Gregory bear his sicknesses; and so they were of great help to him, for the obtaining of that most eminent sanctity, and most profound humility, and of that most plentiful light, which shined in his most holy soul. Of the insufferable infirmities, of Saint john Chrysostom, and of the invincible Patience, and constancy wherewith he suffered them, and loved them; and of the great merits, which he acquired by them, it would be a long business to write, and therefore we will remit ourselves to his history; and to his letters, where he speaks of them.  
Almighty God gave also to the holy Saint Bernard, many grievous, and dangerous sicknesses for the increase of his virtue, & for the greater purifying of his life. And yet, to give more increase to the pain of his sickness, and of his sanctity thereby, God ordained, so that such remedies as were given him for the ease of his pain, should prove to be of greater torment to him. For a certain holy Bishop, a friend of his, (through the fear he had, lest the Saint would not there be cured well, by reason of the rigour, which he was wont to use against himself, took him out from the Monastery, wherein then he was, and delivered him to an Infirmarian; who through ignorance chanced to treat him so ill, and gave him things so hurtful to eat, and so painful to take; that even men, who had been healthy and hungry, would have had difficulty therein. And if the Saint asked for one thing, the Infirmarian gave him an other, very contrary to that whereof he had need. Now the Saint endured these sicknesses, and this ill treating with so great Patience, that he never complained, nor uttered so much as any one word of disgust; but obeyed that rude fellow, in all things, as any very obedient subject would do his superior.  
Saint Hugh, the Bishop of Lincoln, had extreme pains in his side, which to any other man, would have been of great impediment, in the exercise of the Episcopal function; but he suffered them with so great Patience, and strength of mind, that he laboured with that afflicted body of his, as if he had been perfectly in health; and indeed it was a kind of miraculous thing, how he could have strength and courage to do so much.  
Saint Dominicke had many infirmities, and extreme pains in his stomach, and yet through the great desire which he had to suffer, and well decerning, that those were particular gifts of God, he had much joy therein. And though whilst he was sick, they did diverse things of much contradiction & trouble to him; he never complained, nor shown that he was offended thereby, but gave God thankes for all.  
Saint Francis, besides the sickness he had, wherein he was converted to God, had after eight and twenty years, for the space of twenty other years of his life, many grievous sicknesses; and he suffered extreme pain in them. He had a soreness of eyes, which put him to extreme trouble; and once, through the pain thereof, he was fain to be shut up fifty days, without being once able to behold any light at all, either by day or night; and the torment was so great, that he could take no rest at all. He had extreme aches in his head, in his side, and in his spleen, & he had also great burning fevers. His sicknesses and torments were such, that he had not a part of his body, which was not tormented with excessive pains; & his flesh was so wasted, that his skin did even cleave to his bones. And besides all the rest of his infirmities, he had a kind of dropsy in his feet, which gave him much affliction. So that his very diseases were so painful, that they may be accounted to have brought him a tedious martyrdom full of torment. Now this Saint, endured these infirmities with so admirable Patience, that he never complained of them; nor, so much as shown to be troubled at them; but he loved them, and rejoiced in them; and through the great love which he bore to them, he called then his sisters; and he was wont to say, I give thee thankes, o Lord for these pains; and I beseech thee, that if it be pleasing to thee, thou give me a hundred times as much; & this shall be of great gust to me. For the gust of my heart, consists in this, that thy will may be accomplished in me. Saint Thomas of Aquine had great sicknesses. He suffered grievous pains in his stomach; and he had a Fistula in one of his legs; and he endured these infirmities with so great love of God, and desire to suffer, that he mortified himself, by forbearing to take such things as might have given him gust, and ease. Being one day wholly without appetite, & thinking upon a certain fish, whereof he might well have eaten; they brought it: but he, to mortify his sense, did then refuse it; and God accepted this act of abnegation at his hands, and remedied his necessity by other means.  
The blessed Laurentius justinianus, had grievous and dangerous diseases. Once they thrust a hot iron through his neck, another time they opened a part of his throat, with a razor. These pains were extreme, and the Saint endured them with so great Patience, that neither did he complain, nor sigh, nor made any show that he was in torment; but remained immoveable, as if it had not been he, whom they burned and wounded, but some other man. That which happened to those Saints whom we have mentioned her, hath happened also to innumerable others; namely to be exercised by almighty God with most grievous sicknesses, to endure them with admirable Patience, & to gather inestimable fruit from thence.   

THE X. CHAPTER. Of the fruit of the increase of Faith, and Patience, which we must gather from the Patience, which the Saints have showed in suffering their infirmities and pains.  
FIrst we may draw from hence a very great and clear testimony, of the in fallible truth of the most holy Religion of Christ our Lord, which was professed by all those Saints. For to suffer so grievous sicknesses, and so bitter pains, so many years, with so invincible Patience, for the obtaining of spiritual & invisible benedictions, doth incomparably exceed all the natural power, and strength of man. And so we see by experience, that men, who are void of the Faith of Christ our Lord, can not bear such sicknesses and pains with true Patience; but they faint and fail of courage therein; and they fall into great sorrows, and other disorders against reason: and some go so fare as to despair.  
Silicius Italicus a most worthy man amongst the Gentiles, and of great wisdom and authority who had been Proconsul in Asia, and Consul in Rome, had a grievous sickness, and was subject therein to much pain; and not being able to endure it, and being seaventy and five years old, he killed himself. And as Cato Vticensis, (who went for so wise a man) not being able to endure the affront of being held to be overcome by Caesar, killed himself, to be free from that affront: So did Silius Italicus, kill himself to be freed from the pain of his sickness, which he was not able to endure. The Gentiles, who through their own fault, were not assisted by supernatural favours from God for the suffering of such pains with Patience, were subject to this great weakness, and impuissance in suffering them. And even amongst Christians, they who are not in the grace of Christ, suffer sicknesses and pains with great difficulty: and when they chance to be very great, men do by occasion thereof, commit many sins, and fall into much disorder against the virtue of Patience. Whereas we see, that Saints and the servants of Christ our Lord, endure most grievous sicknesses, and intolerable & most tedious pains, with so great Patience, that they love them, and rejoice in them, and thank God for them. And all the power of the sickness, and the fierceness of the pain, can not make them commit any little error against virtue; as we have proved by so many examples. It is therefore a most clear, and certain truth, that these men are greatly assisted, and strengthened by Almighty God, as true faithful souls, and servants of his; and that they are exalted by supernatural favours, both to do and suffer those things, which all the power and strength of humane nature, can by no means do, or suffer. For certainly Patience, when a man is in some great adversity, is a gift of God, as the Psalmist saith, Psal. 61. Patience comes to me from our Lord. And S. Augustine thus declares the reason, and root of this truth. Amongst wicked people so much more courageous is any of them towards the enduring the inconveniences of this life, as there abounds in him more covetousness and concupiscence and love of the world, in regard whereof he endures them: & amongst just persons, so much the more courageous is any such man to suffer pains and torments, as he hath the greater charity and love of God in him, for whose sake he suffers them. The love of the world hath his root in free will, being assisted & carried on by the gust and delight, which men take in things of the world; and the charity, and love of God is infused by God himself: and so the Patience of just men, is a gift given by God, which was communicated to them by charity, whereby they exercise true Patience.  
The second fruit, which we must gather from hence, is a great courage and heart for the enduring of any sickness, or afflictions, which it may please God to send us; as also a firm confidence, that we shall be able to endure them by God's grace, with true Patience, and to the great benefit of our souls. We know well indeed, that we are not able to endure them by the only strength of man's nature, but by the favour and help of God: and that God is ready to impart those helps and favours in great abundance, & with much liberality; and that, in fine, he will bestow them upon us, as he hath done to all his Saints and true servants. For so the eternal God (who is truth itself) hath promised, and so hath Christ our Lord merited for us. And as the truth of God cannot fail, nor the merits of Christ our Lord be diminished; so it is certain, that succour cannot be wanting to us, on the part of God, if we be disposed to profit by it. Because (as S. Paul saith) 1. Cor. 10. God is faithful, and true in the accomplishment of his promises: and will not permit us to be tempted with any affliction, or temptation which may be too heavy for us to bear, and master being assisted with that grace, and favour from heaven, which he is ready to give us for that purpose. But rather he will take care, that in the time of the temptation or tribulation, things shall succeed in such sort, either by increasing our strength, or by diminishing our Cross, as that we may be able to endure it; yea and to overcome it at good ease, and reap much fruit, and merit by it. This is delivered by Saint Paul. And since, after the example of Christ our Lord, and of his Saints, we are resolved to make the right use of these helps from God, and to serve ourselves of these favours, and to do on our part, what we can; we may be confident & assured (if we still rely upon that succour from heaven) that we shall endure sicknesses and all other Crosses with Patience. And that those things, which it is impossible, or at least very hard for our natural weakness to endure, will be made easy and sweet to us by these helps from heaven; namely by the gifts of grace, and those divine consolations, which God will impart to us; to the end that we may suffer them not only with Patience, but even with joy also, as the Saints did.  
Not only must this hope encourage us to suffer, but it must greatly comfort us therein. Saint Saint Basil declared it by these words. In the time of our tribulation we must not seek for help at the hands of our own strength, or power, or riches, or authority, or humane glory; but at the hands of God, who gives it to all such, as seek it. And with this confidence in God be glad if thou be sick; for whom God love's, he corrects and betters by sickness: and if thou be poor, be glad; for God hath prepared eternal blessings for thee: and if thou suffer any affront for Christ our Lord, esteem thyself happy therein; for that affront will be changed into that glory, which the Angels enjoy. Let us therefore resolve our selves, not to make our first recourse in our tribulations to humane help; and let us not rely thereon, but have recourse to God with prayers, sighs, and tears. Let us place our confidence in him, and expect that from him: for he it is, who can save us. This is the saying of Saint Basil. And by this very reason of hope, doth Saint Peter comfort us saying. 1. Pet. 4. Do you greatly rejoice, since you communicate with Christ our Lord in his afflictions and pains, by suffering in imitation of him, to the end that when after this life the glory of Christ our Lord shall be manifested in heaven, you may also be made partakers thereof, and may exult in that supreme and everlasting joy, becoming like him in glory, as you have been in pain.   

THE XI. CHAPTER. Of the Patience wherewith discomforts and spiritual desolations, are to be endured; and of the example which Christ our Lord gave hereof.  
THese ordinary evils of pain, of the remedy, whereof we have already spoken (such as are loss of goods, and sicknesses) are common both to the good and bad; but there is another evil of pain, which usually doth only happen to such as are good; and for the enduring whereof, they stand in great necessity to learn Patience from the example of Christ our Lord. This evil, are those discomforts, and drynesses, and spiritual afflictions, which God is wont sometimes, to impose upon the souls of such, as do most cordially serve him; to the end, that by the exercise of Patience, and humility, they may grow up in virtue, and serve him better. When a servant of God, who love's him much, doth treat and converse with him by means of Prayer and Meditation and contemplation, and gusteth much in that familiar communication & commerce with God, he finds by experience the unspeakable dear sweetness of his love; he enjoys a most lively feeling of his presence, his goodness; and his mercy; & he possesses a most evident and joyful hope, and very entire promptitude of devotion. Now it happens sometimes, that this man, remaining in this spiritual paradise, and passing there a great part of his pilgrimage in this life, God doth so ordain concerning him, not only sometimes but very often, and long together, that enabling him still to maintain and hold the substantial part of his love, which consists in loving that which he love's above all things, and in taking contentment therein, and in yielding obedience to his commaundments, and in carrying a hatred against all sins; and in using diligence to avoid them, & in being watchful and attentive in the performing of all good works; enabling a man (I say) to do all this, God yet deprives him of the experimental knowledge & gust, which he had of him, and of his goodness, and of the sweet feeling of his presence, and of the facility and ease which he was wont to find in treating and communicating with him, and the readiness of his devotion, and the joy which he was wont to take in his hope. And though that soul remain still in grace, and friendship with God; and with a firm determination ever to serve him, and never to offend him; yet is it dry withal, and sad and uncomfortable, and full of fears, and assaulted by dismays, & doubts. And though it be true, that this soul hath lost nothing in point of virtue, or of the merit which it had, or of the love wherewith it loved God and was beloved by him; yet in finding itself so altered, it fears least it should be hated and abandoned by Almighty God. This is the greatest tribulation and affliction, to which good men are subject in this life; & that which they apprehend most: and Christ our Lord discovered both the inconvenience, and the remedy in the holy Gospel.  
The Apostles were full of comfort in the society of Christ our Lord, Matt. 14. Maro. 6. enjoying the suavity, & regalo of the sight of his presence, of the hearing his doctrine, and of the favour & privilege of his Miracles. And our Lord having once wrought that Miracle of the five loaves of bread, whereby he had so particularly given them comfort, and done them honour, he separated them from himself; commanding them to embark themselves without him, and that so they should transport themselves, to the other side of that sea. The Apostles found this to be a very untoward, and unpleasing business; and notwithstanding that they obeyed, yet they did it with great repugnance, the thing being much against their mind. This was noted by the Evangelist saying. He compelled and constrained his disciples that they should enter upon the ship, without him; which is as much as to say, he made them enter perforce, and much against their will. And the reasons of this repugnance in them was first, because they would fain not have wanted that sweet presence of Christ our Lord, which they did so deatly love. For so saith Saint Chrisostome. Our Lord constrained his disciples, in regard it was a thing so very hard for them to departed from him. Which grew, without doubt, from that great ardour of affection which they carried towards him. Another reason thereof might be the fear they had, least wanting his presence and favour, some trouble or danger might happen to them at sea. And thus also saith Saint Hierome. The disciples had reason to departed unwillingly, & with much repugnance from our Lord, for fear least in his absence they might sustain some hurt, or incur some hazard by sea.  
The disciples being departed from our Lord, and being embarked and already under sail, there rose a stiff and contrary wind, which made them a high Sea, and brought a great storm upon them. The disciples rowed hard, but could not advance their back a whit; and so passed the rest of that day, and all the night following in great labour and hazard; till at length, toward the morning, our Lord did visit and comfort them, & make the tempest cease. By this difficulty the disciples knew their own weakness, & the great need which they had of our Lord; and so they desired his presence much the more. And when he had visited them, & freed them from that danger, they grew more in faith, & hope, and love of him; and so casting themselves all prostrate at his feet, they cried thus out, with a more fervorous faith, and with more entire devotion; Thou art certainly the son of God.  
By the departure which Christ our Lord caused his disciples to make from him against their will, he taught us, how sometimes he would part his faithful & great friends, who serve him, and love him, and have much gust in his presence, from that dear company of his. Not, for as much as concerns the friendship, which he bears them, nor for as much as concerns the state of grace wherein they live; but only concerning the sweet comunication which they had with him, and the joy and comfort which they felt by his presence. And this he doth very much against their will: but howsoever, he doth it yet for their good; to the end that they may grow to understand their weakness better, and what poor things they would be without God; & may become more humble, and distrustful of themselves, and exercise themselves more in Patience, and have a greater desire and make a greater estimation of the gifts of God; and that when afterward, he shall visit them, & restore them to the gift of his delightful and dear presence, they may grow up in faith, and hope and love of him. Thus saith Saint chrysostom. Our Lord suffered his disciples to labour all night, by rowing, and to let their ship be tossed from one side to the other; that so they might desire his presence so much the more; and that the fear, and danger of shipwreck being passed over, they might confide the more in him, and carry him the more deeply impressed in their memory, and their heart.  
An other time Christ our Lord took his Apostles with him, and he put himself with them, upon the Sea; and laid himself down to sleep, in the pup of the ship; and whilst he was sleeping, there rose so fierce a tempest, that it put them in danger of perishing. And they, conceiving that because our Lord was sleeping, he saw not the peril wherein they were, came towards him, and awaked him saying; Save us Lord, for we perish. Our Lord then rose up; and having reproved them for their little faith, he made the tempest cease.  
By this did our Lord discover to us the same mystery, although in other terms. In that, when Christ our Lord was on shipboard with his disciples, a tempest rose; we are taught, that whilst he is present by grace with his servants, who are just, and holy men; the tribulation, & temptation, & the seeming to be abandoned by Almighty God rises up against them. And though our Lord do well discern the affliction wherein they are, and hath great care of them, and will be sure, not to let them perish; yet to their thinking, he hath little better than forgotten them; and it seems to them, as if they were forsaken, and abandoned by him, and that they are in great danger of perishing. Now our Lord proceeds thus with them, for their greater good, to the end that they may the better know themselves; and understand by experience of how little strength they are in time of tribulation; and that, being freed from it by our Lord, upon whom they call, they might the better judge of the assistance and favour which he affords them; and that they may confide more in him, and more admire his goodness and power and divine providence, and become more perfectly subject to his heavenly will. So saith Saint Cyrill. Our Lord permitted, that a tempest should rise, for the exercising of the Apostles in virtue; and that knowing and confessing the danger, wherein they were, they might frame the higher conceit of the power of the power of the same Lord; & might resort to him, and place all their confidence in him. And although they were in so great fear of perishing, yet in very deed they were safe; nor was it possible that they should be lost, having that omnipotent Lord so present with them as they had. This is delivered by Saint Cyrill.  
But that example of Christ our Lord, which is most proper to comfort his servants in this kind of tribulation, and to animate us to suffer it with Patience, is that abandoning by the eternal Father, which Christ our Lord endured upon the Cross; which he declared when he said thus, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The eternal Father had not forsaken him, for as much as concerned the grace and glory of his soul; nor for as much as concerned the union of the humane and divine natures in him; but he abandoned him (according to what we have already declared) for as much as concerned the sensible ease and comfort, which might flow from the superior part of his soul, to the inferior part of the same soul, and to the sensitive part of the body, which he suspended, and detained, to the end that it might not redound upon it, nor be communicated to it; that so the pain of his Passion, might be the more pure, more grievous, and more hard to be endured.  
By this abandoning, & discomfort of Christ our Lord, all the servants of God are to be heartened, and comforted in this kind of affliction of dryness and desolation; considering, and discoursing with great weight of reason after this manner. Since the eternal Father, did abandon his Son in his Passion, whom he infinitely loved; depriving him of all sensible ease and comfort: and since the Son himself, would also have it so, to the end that he might suffer so much the more for the love of man; most just it is, and most reasonable, that the men of God who are members of the same Christ, be also deprived at some time of sensible comforts; and that they may be afflicted, and forsaken, to the end that they may resemble Christ himself; and that the parts of the body may be like the head. Yea it is most reasonable that they should suffer this discomfort and desolation even gladly and with gust, for the love of the same Lord. Let them also consider, that as Christ our Lord (though he were abandoned by his Father) departed not as he was man, from the union which he had with him by love; nor from the union, which he had with the divinity; nor did he lose one jot of the infinite grace, and immense glory, which he had in his most holy soul: so also his servants (though they want those spiritual feelings, and sensible comforts, & though they be molested and afflicted) are not therefore departed from the amity & union with God; nor have they lost any part at all of his grace and love; but they continue still his friends, and still are pleasing in his sight; but by this exercise of humility, and Patience, they grow up in all virtue, and merit, both of grace and glory.  
Most excellently doth justus Lanspergius thus describe these afflicted servants of God, of whom he had known many by experience. We find many friends of God in this world, who want all that sensible comfort in all the spiritual exercises of devotion, which they were wont to enjoy; so fare, as that sometimes they can hardly once raise their spirit up to God; and by a secret dispensation of God's providence, they seem to be (as it were) oppressed, with a great obscurity of heart. And, notwithstanding all this, for as much as concerns the substance of virtue, they have it, with a great fear to offend God; & they fly from all kind of sin, whether it be great or small, with much care; and they watch very attentively, and keep strait ward upon their hearts, for maintaining the purity of their conscience; complying exactly in all those things, which they understand to concern the will of God; and they are truly mortified, and humble. Such persons as these, although they have not those feelings of love, and sensible devotion, have yet a true and lively faith, whereby they live, and direct their course; & they are certainly great friends of God, though themselves do not understand it so. This is said by Lanspergius.  
Let therefore the servants of God, be comforted in this kind of tribulation, and be encouraged to bear it, with Patience; resolving to take it at the hand of God; and resigning themselves to his divine will; to the end that he may do, and dispose of them, as shall be most pleasing to himself. And let them remain firmly persuaded in their very hearts, that so long as they conserve a hatred against sin, and a firm resolution to comply with the commaundments of God, (and that chief for the love of him, and through an effectual desire and will to please God in those things which he hath ordained) although they be much afflicted withal, and love without any comfort or sensible feeling of devotion, yet in truth they are the friends of God; they are in the state of grace; they walk on towards salvation, & eternal life; they are pleasing to God by their good works; and he will never abandon or forsake them. For thus hath he promised, to such as with love persever in his service, saying to every one of them as he said joshua 1. and Heb. 13. I will not forsake thee, nor take my hand off, from thy defence.   

THE XII. CHAPTER. Of the necessity, and fruit of Patience; and how it is a sign of the elect and predestinated of God.  
BY many ways did Christ our Lord declare the great fruits and merits of Patience, in his holy Gospel; First by having ordained, that tribulations and adversities should be the way to heaven; which cannot be well borne, and without disaduamtage to the soul, but by the virtue of Patience. This ordination of his did he discover to us, in that himself being come into this world to save it, and to restore man to the grace, & glory of the eternal Father, which man had lost by sin, he was pleased, that his most holy life should be assaulted and exercised (from the first instant of his birth, to the last when he expired upon the cross) by many persecutions, & adversities of many kinds. And this is that, which was signified by Simeon, Luc. 2. when taking the infant jesus into his arms, he said to the Virgin; This infant shall be set up for a sign, which shall be contradicted. Christ our Lord was the sign of man's reconciliation to God, and of the pardon of sin, and of eternal life: for Christ our Lord wrought all this. And as a cause is a sign of the effect, so Christ our Lord, was the sign of all the good, which came to man; and of that mercy and love, which God shown him: but yet withal, he was a sign contradicted, by the devil, and by the world. A sign he was, against which all the lovers of the world, and all malign spirits did, by their means, dart forth the arrows of persecutions, of injuries, of torments, and contradictions, both in word & deed.  
This is that way, which Christ our Lord chose for himself in this world: and since all the elect, and predestinated of God, are to be like Christ our Lord (as Saint Paul. Ro. 8. declareth saying, They whom God elected and approved from all eternity, he ordained that they should be like his son, who is the perfect image of the eternal Father) it followeth, that they all must walk in the way of tribulations and adversities, as Christ our Lord did; to the end that being partakers of his Passion, they may also partake the honour of the sons of God, & the glory of being kings in heaven. This is explicated by Saint Gregory, in these words. He asketh what is the reason, why God afflicts and abases them in this life, imposing contempt, and pain upon them, whom he hath elected from all eternity, to become so very high and glorious in the Kingdom of heaven. And he answers his own question thus; Because God sees that he is to recompense, and reward men with such immense and eternal benedictions in heaven, for this very cause doth he afflict them, concerning these inferior things of the earth; depriving them of things of small value, and inflicting pains upon them, which last not long. Since therefore it is so certainly true, that a man can not bear the adversities of this life to the profit of his soul, and with the fruit of virtue, and the merit of eternal glory, but by fortifying his heart through the the virtue of Patience; it follows, that Patience is that thing, which carries men on with security, and certainty, through the right way to heaven, which is that of tribulations; and that consequently, the same Patience is the mark of such as are elected, and predestinated by Almighty God. For all men both good, and bad, have adversities & tribulations in this l●…, though some more, than others; and therefore the only having them, is no sign of predestination; but the suffering them with Patience, that indeed is the sign, which distinguishes them, who are elected and predestinated, from such others as are not so.  
This did holy judith lib. jud. c. ●. confess saying, that all they who have been pleasing to God, have passed faithfully through many tribulations. He saith not that they only had tribulations, but that they persevered, faithful therein to God, and obedient to his divine will; which signifies, that they exercised true Patience, in their tribulations. This very ordination did our Lord discover also, in that being able to cast all those damned spirits into the bottomless abyss of hell, and to keep them shut up there till the end of the world, without giving then power to go once out from thence; yet he doth not so, but allows them liberty to go forth, & to remain in the air amongst men; though yet withal, (for as much as concerns themselves) they carry the very pain of hell about them. Of this we have a testimony in the Gospel. For Christ our Lord being in the company of the Gerasens, Luc. 8. and having cast a legion of devils out of a certain man; they besought him, not to cast them into hell, which he granted, & so he gave them liberty to possess a heard of swine, which they drowned. And that liberty, which our Lord gave to those devils, to remain here amongst men, he allows to innumerable others; & he doth it, to the end that they may assault men with several temptations; that so they may exercise Patience, and humility, by suffering their attempts; and by overcoming the persecution of the devils. So saith Saint chrysostom. The devils desired of Christ our Lord, that he would not cast them down into that bottom, that is, out of the world into that darkness and Abyss of Hell, as the devils had deserved; and our Lord forbore to cast them down, and suffered them to remain in this world, to the end that virtuous men might not lose those crowns of glory, which they were to gain, by resisting those devils, and by fight with them, and overcoming their temptations.  
Since therefore for the suffering of the persecutions, & vexations of devils, & resisting their temptations, and continuing in combat against them, the virtue of Patience is so necessary; it follows that it is the fruit and effect of Patience, to conserve the soul in such sort, as that it may receive no hurt from temptations, and assaults of the devil; and to increase their merits in heaven, by the victory over those temptations; and thereby to manifest by an experimental way, who are truly just, and elect of God. So doth the holy scripture declare to us in many places. It saith in Ecclesiasticus, c. 27. As the furnace of fire, tries the pots of the potter, so doth temptation and tribulation try just men. The meaning is, that as the hot burning furnace doth examine and declare which vessels are good and fitly tempered, and which indeed are they, which being cast into the fire, are not cracht or broken thereby, but remain hard and whole, and fit for the use of man; and as it doth also show, which other of them are ill made, for they crack, and break, in the hot furnace; so doth temptation and tribulation, whether it be offered by devils or by men, declare and show who are just, and holy. And these are they, who through the evils and temptations which they endure, are not broken or overcome by impatience, or other sins; but through the virtue of Patience, persever firm and constant, in the practice of virtue, and the keeping of the law of God.   

THE XIII. CHAPTER. How pleasing the virtue of Patience is to God, and of the great favours which he affords them, who suffer with Patience.  
ANother way, whereby Christ our Lord declared the fruit, and merit of Patience, is, the particular favours & extraordinary benefits, which he vouchsafed to to men, who suffered adversity, with Patience. Christ our Lord came to the Piscina of Jerusalem, and amongst so many sick persons as he found there, he imparted only to one of them, who had remained there sick eight & thirty years, so great a favour, and so illustrious a benefit, as it was, both to cure his body, and to justify his soul. And the cause, why our Lord bestowed this blessing, rather upon him, than any of the rest, was because he endured his sickness, with more Patience than others. As is plain, in that he, having been sick so many years, made no complaint, but answered so meekly to what was asked. Saint chrysostom observes this, and saith; Christ our Lord, Io. 5. did not ask the sick man if he had any desire to be cured, as if he had doubted of his will; but only for the manifesting of his Patience, who having been eight and thirty years, and daily hoping for health, which he could not find, did yet nevertheless continue without going away, and despaired not being there; & to teach us also, that the reason why he cured rather him than others, was his great Patience. Let us declare another example to the same purpose.  
Christ our Lord Io. 9 cured a man, who was borne blind; and for the constancy, where with he confessed the same Lord, and defended his truth, the Pharisees did persecute, and affront him, both by word and deed; and they cast him, as an excommunicate person, out of the Synagogue. The good man obeyed this unjust comandment, & endured that wrong with Patience; and Christ our Lord, who knew it all, seeing the affliction wherein his faithful servant was, & the Patience wherewith he bore it, sought him out of set purpose, and spoke to him after this manner, with great affability & love. Dost thou believe in the son of God? which was as much as to say; Wilt thou believe, that he who cured thee, is the true son of God? And even as he was speaking these words, he did withal infuse a most excellent clear light into the most inward part of his soul, to make him know and believe, that he who had cured him, was not only a Prophet, and a Saint (as already he had confessed him to be) but also the true, and natural son of God; for the question did import so much. And so he believed, and asked; Who is he O Lord? And that Lord answered him thus. It is even he who is speaking with thee. Then instantly he fell prostrate, & adored him.  
This so admirable favour, to seek him, and comfort him, and honour him, and communicate so great light of faith & grace to him, did God vouchsaffe to this man, for his having been so faithful in confessing him, and so patiented in suffering that wrong, which they had done him in regard of Christ our Lord. So saith Saint chrysostom they who with Patience suffer the injuries which are imposed on them, for maintaining the truth of Christ our Lord, these men are greatly favoured, and honoured by him; as we see by the example of the blind man, whom the jews cast out of the Temple: for the Lord of the very temple sought him out, & he received him with great love; and, as a soldier who had fought valiantly, he crowned him with a crown of inestimable worth and beauty; such as was the eminent grace, & pawn of heaven, which he bestowed upon him. So great account as this doth Christ our Lord make of a faithful, and patiented man; and so much doth he esteem him, that omitting many others, he seeks him out with care, he comforts him by his words, he joys his heart by his presence, he honours him by his favours, and he advances him by his gifts. This doth Saint Thomas observe in these words. The Evangelist, by relating, that Christ our Lord sought out the blind man, whom he had cured, gives us to understand, that he was diligent in harkening him out, because he found more faith and virtue in him, then in others; whereby we may infer, that he more esteems one just person, than ten thousand sinners. This we are told by S. Thomas. And though it be no exaggeration at all, to say that God doth more love one just man, than the whole world of sinners put together (since absolutely speaking he only love's such as are just, with the love of grace;) yet considering how greatly God esteems the salvation even of sinners, and the care he hath to convert them, to say that God more love's to save & favour one just man then many thousand of sinners, is no sleight expression, but doth greatly discover the particular providence and care, which God carries towards just persons; and it gives matter also of much confidence to them who serve him, that through his goodness they are to be greatly favoured, and assisted by him towards their salvation  
Christ our Lord did also discover the value, and fruit of Patience in this, that when he would vouchsafe any great unusual benefits to any, he first disposed and prepared them, by the exercise of Patience. He was pleased Matt. 15. to feed four thousand men with seven loaves of bread; and before he would impart this benefit to them, he made them stay three days, in the patiented sufferance of hunger, & the pains of being in a desert; and continuing to hear his divine word. He was pleased to feed five thousand men with five loaves of bread; and before he would allow them this Regalo, he made them stay till towards might; when his disciples said, Lord the hour of eating is come, and gone; let these troops divide themselues amongst these neighbouring villages, that so they may have means to eat. When already they had exercised their Patience, by suffering hunger, he vouchsaffed to show them so great a mercy as it was, to refresh them with a plentiful and sweet food; whereby their bodies were sustained; and he also made faith and confidence increase in their souls. So saith Saint chrysostom. Those troops of people declared their faith by suffering hunger, and expecting till the evening.  
In this sort doth God impart illustrious favours, to such as conserve, and exercise Patience, in their adversities and troubles: & to whom he is pleased to vouchsafe particular favours & mercies, he sends crosses and tribulations, that so exercising Patience therein, they may grow more capable, and be more worthy of the especial gifts and graces, which he will impart. So saith Saint Isidorus. Then are the eyes of our Lord beholding just persons with greater piety and mercy, when they are afflicted, and persecuted by the wicked; and then doth he provide greater blessings for them and more eminent rewards of glory, when once they are tried by some tribulation which they suffer with Patience.  
Let not therefore any man conceive, that when he is afflicted, he is forgotten by Almighty God; nor that he hath lost the virtue, and grace he had, when he is abased, and persecuted by men. Let him not permit the devil to deceive him, who would fain persuade him to this error: but let him be very confident, that God hath then a more particular care of him; and love's him more, and comunicates more gifts, & more singular favours to him; and that then he grows up more in virtue, & augments his merits both of grace and glory. Thus saith Saint chrysostom. Let us not conceive it to be a sign, as if God did forsake, or forget, or esteem us little, because he sends us adversities, or troubles; but rather let us hold it for a most certain token, that he hath particular care of us; and that then he is to show us greater mercies, when he afflicts and tries us. For if we have committed many and very grievous sins; we may free our selves from them by Patience, and thanksgiving in tribulation which grows from a contrite heart. And supposing, that we should not be liable to those many grievous sins; yet by suffering tribulation with a thankful mind, we shall obtain most abundant grace at the hand of God. For so good he is, & so liberal in doing us good, that when he sends us any adversity, he gives us matter to exercise more virtue; that he may show us more mercy. This is delivered to us by Saint chrysostom.  
And this so excellent, and admirable effect of Patience, which is exercised in tribulations, Christ our Lord declared, when he said, Io. 15. I am the true vine. For as much as concerns the nature of man, which I have taken, I resemble some very fruitful and perfect vine, which yields most excellent fruit. My celestial father is the husband man; it is he who planted this vine of my humanity, and who cultivates the same; he it is who made me man, and who placed in me the immense fullness of grace and glory, which I have; & he who works all that fruit in me, which either I do, or shall hereafter yield. Every branch; that is every man, who being united to me by faith, shall not yet yield the fruit of a good life, my father will cut off from me; either whilst he is to live, by letting him fall into errors, whereby he will lose his faith; or else when he comes to die, by despoiling him of those supernatural gifts (through which he was once united to me) and also of power to do penance, and so to be saved. And every branch; that is to say every true faithful man, who is united to me through faith quickened by charity, who shall produce the fruit of good works, my father will purge by celestial doctrine, and by inspirations, and interior gifts, and by adversities also and tribulations; that suffering them with Patience, and charity, he may yield both fair, and most abundant fruit of holy actions, & most pleasing to God, and full of profit to souls; which shall deserve most precious gifts of grace, & be crowned with that most sublime reward of eternal glory.   

THE XIIII. CHAPTER. Of the means, whereby the virtue of Patience may be obtained; which is, that we be watchful to consider the fruit thereof, and the examples whereby we have been taught it by Christ our Lord.  
NOt only did Christ our Lord instruct us by his example, concerning the necessity, which we have of Patience, and the effects and merits thereof; but he also taught us the means, whereby we are to obtain it; and of this we are going now to speak. And because we treated thereof abundantly in another book, we will here content ourselves, to declare briefly some examples, whereby Christ our Lord hath instructed us.  
The first means towards the receiving and suffering with Patience, all the evils of punishment, which may happen to us in this life, is that we be prepared and armed with the particular knowledge and consideration thereof: It would not fail to be matter of most grievous affliction & pain to the disciples of Christ our Lord, & (even the greatest which they ever felt in this world) that their Master must suffer such a death; & therefore our most blessed Lord did arm them for it long before, announcing his Passion to them many times. At the first, he told them of it thus, in covert terms; Io. 2 dissolus this Temple, and I will build it again in three days and Io. 3. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the the desere, so must the son of man be raised up on high. After this he spoke of it in a more distinct and clear manner saying once, Matt. 16. I must go to jerusalem to suffer and die; and another time, Matt. 20. Luc. 18. Behold we ascend to jerusalem, and the son of man is to be delivered over to the Gentiles, and he is to be scorned, and scourged, and spit upon, and crucified. In this manner did he give them notice of his Passion, a long time before, that so they might be provided, and prepared to endure it; and that, when it should be present to them, they might not be scandalised, nor troubled, nor dismayed thereby; but might endure it with Patience. So saith Saint Hierome. Our Lord spoke often of his Passion to his disciples; providing them against the temptation, to the end that they might not be scandalised, when the persecution should arrive, and should see the ignominy of the Cross.  
He also advertised them a long time before, Matt. 23. Luc. 21. of the pain and persecutions, and torments, and death, which themselves were to suffer in their own persons, for preaching that Gospel, which they were to carry, throughout the world. For thus he said. You shall be persecuted, and vexed, and brought before judges; who in respect of me, will torment, and sake your lives from you. Having prepared them with the notice of these miseries, which were to grow upon them, he made them know, that Patience was the remedy which they must procure, to the end that by those crosses, they might receive no hurt, but rather incomparable benefit. And he said thus to them. One hair of your heads shall not perish; and in Patience you shall possess your souls Which was as if he had said; Although you may have many enemies, and powerful opposites; yet shall you be so assisted & defended by Almighty God, who takes most particular care of you, that you shall not receive the least hurt thereby; and by the Patience which you shall have in your tribulations, (whereby in expectation of celestial benedictions, you shall remain firm and constant in my service, to the very end) you shall conserve and securely possess the safety, and spiritual life of your souls; till you carry them to the glory of heaven.  
This is the first remedy, which must be used, for suffering the miseries of this life with Patience; namely that every man in his own heart revolve, and consider with attention, what miseries and adversities may happen to him in this life; whether they be sickness, poverty, injuries offered by men, temptations of devils; or else troubles and difficulties in any bodies particular office, or state. And let him persuade himself, that if they come upon him, they shall come ordained by Almighty God, and for the good of his soul; yea and that it is greatly fit for his salvation, that they come upon him. For they are means, where by Almighty God doth address, and order his predestination. And let him accept of them from that instant, for that very time when they may chance to come; and let him dispose himself with courage to receive them willingly, and with thanksgiving, when they shall be sent. For a man being thus provided and prepared, will, receive and suffer them with more Patience, and advantage of his soul. So saith Saint chrysostom. The adversity which comes upon men suddenly, and unexpected; is wont to be very grievous, and much felt; but that which is considered before it comes, and for which we are ready and prepared, is more easily endured, when it arrives.  
Another means for suffering tribulation with Patience, is seriously to consider and ponder the most happy success which they have, and the conclusion which they make, when they carry themselves well therein; to the glory of God, & their own greatest good. Christ our Lord gave this remedy to his disciples, for when he told them things which troubled them, he instantly also told them of that comfort and glory, which was to follow upon that pain. When he told them sometimes, that the son of man was to suffer, Matt. 16. and 20. and be crucified in Jerusalem, he instantly also added that most glorious end of his Passion, and death, by saying; And the third day, he shall rise again. And when he said thus in the garden, Mat. 26. you all shall suffer scandal this night, upon my occasion, he added immediately after, But when I shall be risen from the dead, I will go to Galilee before you. As if he should have said, neither will I remain in death, nor shall you perish in that scandal; for I will rise from the dead, & you being free from all danger shall follow me. And Matt. 13. Luc 21. having announced the extreme persecutions, & tribulations, which they were to suffer for preaching the Gospel, he tells them withal, of the admirable fruit which was to grow to them thereby, namely the very preaching itself of the Gospel, over the whole earth; and that it should be believed, and received by all the nations of the world. It would seem, that from such impediments of persecution, and death of the preachers themselves, it might follow that they should not be able to preach the Gospel, nor persuade any body to embrace it; and yet we see, he saith, that so great fruit would follow, that it should be preached, and received over the whole world; and that all nations were to be saved by their faith in it, & their obedience to it.  
This is that which we are to consider, and ponder in our tribulation, namely the admirable fruit, and glorious end, to which we arrive thereby, and in contemplation hereof, we must animate ourselves to suffer, not only with Patience, but even with joy. So saith the blessed Saint Mark the Ermite. When you shall be vexed, and shall have received some temporal loss, or some affront, and dishonour, do not look only upon the present ill, but cast also your eye upon those divine favours of grace, and glory, which hereafter you are to receive for that ill; & you will certainly find that you shall gather abundant fruit from tribulation; and that he who persecutes you, will prove the Author of great benedictions to you both in this life & the next. This also is advised by Ecclesiasticus c. u. saying. In the days of thy prosperity, remember thy misery; and in those of thy misery, call thy prosperity to mind; for an easy thing it is, for God to give every one his payment, & reward, according to his works, in the hour of his death. His meaning is this, as Saint Gregory declares; In the time when thou hast either temporal or spiritual prosperity, remember the afflictions which may hap to thee, either in body or soul: that so thy prosperity may not make thee proud, but that thou mayest be conserved in humility. And so also, in the time of thy adversity, whether it be spiritual or temporal, remember the blessings of grace, and divine consolations, which thou hast enjoyed at other times; and those also which afterward thou mayest receive: that so thou be not dismayed, nor overcome with sorrow, but mayest suffer all kind of affliction, with Patience, and courage.  
By this consideration, doth S. Paul animate us, to endure all the tribulations, and adversities of this life, with contentment and strength of mind; saying thus; 1. Cor. 4. All the trouble and tribulation of this life, how long soever it may be accounted to last, doth yet pass away even in a moment; and is but light how heavy soever it may seem; and (as a meritorious cause, which is grounded and rises from the grace of Christ our Lord,) it works in us an inestimable and most sublime weight of glory, beyond all that which can be expressed, or even conceived; and which is not to be temporal, but eternal.   

THE XV. CHAPTER. Of other means whereby we are to obtain, and conserve the virtue of Patience, namely to consider our sins, and to resort to Almighty God, for the remedy thereof.  
ANother, means which we must use for the conserving of Patience in adversity, is to consider the many sins which we have committed in this life; and how justly we deserve the adversity, which we suffer for the same, and indeed all these, which may possibly come upon us in this world; and to move ourselves to compunction for the same, and even to a desire, that we may be punished for them by Almighty God, with mercy in this life. Christ our Lord himself, admonished us of this means, in the holy Gospel. There fell a Tower near the Pool of Siloe, by the City of jerusalem, which killed eighteen persons; Luc. 13. and again after this, some of the Galileans, being in oblation of the Sacrifice of certain beasts, Pilate sent out a squadron of soldiers who killed them, and so mingled their blood with the blood of the beasts which they had sacrificed. Now when they related this accident to Christ our Lord, he said thus to them. Do not conceive, that those Galileans were the greatest sinners of all the Galileans, in regard that this adversity of suddene death came thus upon them; for it is not so: but I say to you, that if you do not penance, you all shall perish. And so also do not think that those eighteen men upon whom the tower of Siloe fell, were the wickedest men who d'welt in jerusalem; for it is not so, but I declare to you, that if you do not penance you all shall perish.  
By these divine speeches, Christ our Lord taught us two things. The one, that those sad accidents, and deaths, which men call disastrous; do many time come, in the way of punishment for sin; but yet, that God doth not always punish sinners in this life, with such calamities as these; but he doth often, either reserve them for their punishment in the other world, or else expect that they should voluntarily do penance, and so inflict some punishment upon themselves in this life. And secondly, he lets us know, that when such afflictions and tribulations happen to others, we must be sure to enter into our own souls, and to consider the sins which we have committed, and how justly we merit all kind of punishment for them; & we must conceive in our hearts, a great repentance and grief, for having committed them; & in penance, and satisfaction for the same, we must punish and mortify our bodies, with penal works; and be willing to accept whatsoever troubles or tribulations, it may please God to send us.  
A most certain truth it is, that God sends adversity to his true, and faithful servants (who yet have sinned in this life) to the end that suffering them with Patience, they may discharge, and satisfy for those sins, which they have committed. As that holy Virgin Sara confessed, saying, job. 3. Blessed be thou o God of our fathers; for that when thou art offended with us, and dost send us troubles and afflictions, it is then, that thou showest great mercy towards us; For in the time of tribulation, whereby thou punishest, thou pardonest the sins of them who invoke thy name with a true heart. Thus doth God proceed with man, by means of tribulation. Some who are in sin, he induces by this means to do penance, whereby they grow to be free from the offences, into which they had fallen; and such as are in the state of grace, he occasions to exercise Patience, whereby he delivers them from those penalties, which they had incurred for their former sins. And so great care hath God, to show this mercy to this elect, that he permits other men, either through ignorance, or malice, to afflict and trouble them; and by occasion, and under the title of faults which they have not committed, in the sight of God. Just as the brethren of joseph, Exod. 1. who finding themselves to be afflicted, and punished in Egypt, for the supposed offence of being spies, which they had not committed; came to know that indeed God sent them that punishment, for the sin which they had committed, in selling their brother. And so they confessed it saying. This punishment is justly inflicted on us; for we have sinned against our brother; and this trouble is come upon us for that sin. Saint Esrem relateth of himself that being a boy and going into the fields to play, he hunted a calf of another man's so hard; and threw so many stones at it, as that he killed it at length. And walking about a month after, through that field again, he fell out to take him rest amongst some shepherds, who were looking to their flocks; a part of which flock was wanting that night, for it had been scattered by some ravenous beasts. The Lords of the flock, thought they had been thiefs, who did that hurt, & that Efrem was some Comrade of theirs. They accuse him, and take him for a thief. And whilst he was in prison and much afflicted, an Angel appeared to him in his sleep, demanding the cause of his being there. He answered, that he had been taken, without any fault of his. Then the Angel said; I know well that thou art free from any fault in this; but remember that thou madest a fault not long ago, in killing the calf of that poor man; and so thou wilt see, that now thou art justly taken & made prisoner in the part of God; and that his judgements are very just. He also told him of others, who were there imprisoned, for offences which indeed they had not committed; but they had committed other sins, in regard whereof God sent them that punishment, which they had justly deserved. The Angel vanished; & Efrem speaking after with those prisoners, found that to be true which the Angel had told him; and they were executed for offences which they had not committed; and satisfied thus for others, which had been committed by them.  
These are the just judgements of God, whereby he governs the world, and addresses his elect to the end of eternal happiness, for which he chose them. And from hence we must learn, to think holily of God, in all those tribulations, and adversities, which he may send us in this life: confessing and acknowledging that he proceeds most justly with us; because for our sins we deserve those punishments which he sends us, yea and others which are incomparably greater. And we must know & confess moreover, that herein he shows us an unspeakable kind of mercy; for as much as by the light, and short punishments of this life, he not only delivers us from those fierce pains of Purgatory, but also from the eternal torments of Hell.  
Thus did that holy Tobias proceed in the tribulations, which God sent him; for he received them willingly for his sins; and acknowledged that the punishment was very just, & that he deserved both that, & a fare greater. And he acknowledged that God shown him a sovereign kind of mercy, for as much as he punished him that so he might deliver him both from the faults, and from the penalties, also which he had incurred thereby; so to save him in the end. This doth he confess by saying thus, Tob. 3. Just art thou, o Lord, and all thy judgements are very just; for if we have been delivered into the hands of our enemies, to be made captives and to be destroyed and killed by them, and to become the very scorn of all nations, it is because we have sinned against thee, in not keeping thy comaundments, nor conversing with a pure hart in thy presence. And further, confessing the great mercy wherewith God punished them for their sins, he saith, Tob. 13. Our Lord punishes us for our sins, and the same Lord shall save us for his mercy's sake. After this manner, by the knowledge of our sins, and of the punishment which we deserve for the same, we are to embrace all those adversities which God may send us in this life, with much Patience, yea and we must praise, and thank him for them.  
Another, and a very efficacious means, whereby we must help ourselves to suffer all tribulation with Patience, is instantly to resort to Almighty God in any affliction of ours, whether it be great or small; beseeching him, with our whole hearts, that he will give us strength to bear it well; and to conform ourselves entirely to his most holy will. And although it be lawful to desire of God, that he will take the tribulation from us, (so that yet we still resign ourselves to his good pleasure, that so he may do that which shall most import our salvation:) yet this is not necessary; but our better suit is to be, that he will help us to endure it, and overcome it.  
When Saint Peter, with the leave of Christ our Lord, begun to walk upon the water, Matt. 14. and when he found, that a stiff wind was risen, he grew troubled, and distrustful; and began to sink; and our Lord to deliver him out of that great danger of drowing, did not cause the wind to cease (as Saint john chrysostom observes) but stretched forth his hand, and laid hold on him therewith; and made him walk upon the water, till he brought him back to the ship. Now this must we beg of God in our troubles, namely that he will take us by the hand, and that he will vouchsafe us his help and favour; that so our afflictions may do us no hurt; but that suffering them with Patience, they may yield great fruit to our souls, and be of much glory to Almighty God. This is that which David Psal 117. begged of God in his tribulations; and that which he desired and begged, he also obtained, as himself affirmed saying. In my tribulation I called upon my Lord and my God, and cried out to him in the most internal part of my heart: and he, of his infinite mercy, heard my voice from that holy temple of his, which is heaven: and he accepted my prayer, and imparted that favour which I desired.  
Besides these means, there is yet another, which is very effectual, towards the obtaining of Patience, and it is to ponder profoundly well, how all the contradictions and punishments which happen to us in this life, be ordained by the providence of God, and are sent us by his holy hand, for our good. And (besides those other testimonies, whereby we have proved this truth elsewhere) Christ our Lord declared it in his holy Gospel saying thus. Matt. 10. Fear not, for all the hairs of your heads are numbered. The meaning is, that God hath so particular care, and providence over you, that he hath counted even all the hairs of your heads, and knows the number of them all; and there is nothing done, even concerning any of them, which he ordains not, for the good of that man, who puts his confidence in him. Now if Almighty God conserve the memory and care of so light and trivial things, as are the hairs of our head (which serve but for the ornament of men, and which although they be cut off, do not put the parties to any pain,) and this so fa●…e, as that even one of them must not be cut, or lost, without his pleasure; how much more tender care will he take of the life, and salvation of that man, who puts his trust in him; and of all those principal things, which belong to him, that he may conserve, and cherish, and ordain them for the good of his soul; and not permit that he be put to the least prejudice without his pleasure; and that whatsoever happens to him, in order to his temporal affairs, may prove to the good and remedy of his soul; and for the doing all that which is fit for the carrying him on, to the end of eternal felicity, for which he was created.  
This is the nature of Patience, whereof we have spoken; and these are the most excellent effects, and fruits thereof. These are the means, whereby it is to be obtained, and these are the examples, whereby we have been taught it by Christ our Lord. Let us therefore procure to obtain it, and moreover to exercise it towards the whole world; complying with that which the Apostle saith thus to Timothy: ep. 1. c. 6. Embrace, and exercise Patience diligently. And that also, which he saith to the Thessaly. ep. 1. c. 5. be patiented, and suffer at the hands of all men. By this most precious virtue of Patience, we shall obtain, and conserve all the gifts of God, and become superiors to all our enemies. For Patience will fortify us in the confession of our Faith, against tyrants; giving us strength to endure all their torments▪ Patience conserves the supernatural love of God, and of our neighbour; for it gives us courage to resist all those things which are contrary to charity. Patience conserves and gives perfection to wisdom; taking away those impediments of anger, and sorrow, which obscure the soul. Patience builds up abstinence, and temperance; enabling a man to suffer hunger, and thirst, and to bring sensual appetites into subjection. Patience defends justice, increases humility, conserves peace, and purity of heart; and gives perseverance in all virtue. And so it fulfilles that, whereof Saint james chap. 1. saith, that it makes the work perfect; because it gives perfection, and completenes to all the virtues.  
O blessed Patience; happy are they who possess thee. For thou art the virtue, which givest perseverance in all good things; and which openest the way to heaven, where we may see with perfect charity, & delight with supreme love, in that infinite beauty of God; and possess for ever those gifts of glory, which he hath provided for them who continue in his service, according to that which our Lord promised saying; He who persevers to the end, shall be saved.   
FINIS.