Volume I, Treatise I, Chapter XIII

Of Three Other Means Which Conduce Very Much to Our Further Advancement in Virtue

Sr. Basrz, and many other holy men say, that in order to acquire perfection, it is very advantageous to consider attentively the lives of the most perfect, und propose them to ourselves as models for our imitation. St. Anthony also says, that as the bee settles upon, and extracts from every flower its most pure and exquisite substance to make honey; so a religious ought to observe every man in his community, and learn from one modesty, from another silence, from a third fervour, from a fourth obedience and resignation; in fine he ought to imitate what he finds most commendable in each, and endeavour to conform in all things to the proposed model. It was thus St. _Anthony himself acted, and by this means became so great a saint. Good example is one of the greatest advantages we have in religion. When St. Jerom advised men to live in community rather than in solitude, “it was,” as he said, “to the end that they NO LONGER THE PROPERTY OF o/th•S REal BRANCH might learn humility from one, and patrence from another; that one should teach us silence, and another meekness and docility.“citizens live without strife or seditión, and strive with emulation who shall become most virtuous.” We are all assembled in religion under a happy form of government, which differs from, and far excels all other governments in the world., In the governments of the world, men are eagerly employed in procuring wealth, honours, dignities, and preferment, and scarce make any efforts to acquire virtue. But’ in religion all their study is to deny their own will; all their application is to discover the means whereby to become more perfect; every man lives in peace and charity, without contention, without murmuring, without complaint; their only emulation is to excel each other in obedience, bumility, and virtue. Certainly God has conferred on us no small favour, in calling us to a state where virtue alone is esteemed: where neither doctor nor preacher is valued for extensive knowledge or profound eloquence, but for humility and mortification; where every man endeavours to advance in virtue, and where, in fine, by mutual good example, they encourage each other to live well. Let us then embrace so favourable an opportunity of becoming perfect; and muking good use of the examples we daily receive from our brethren, let us consider that we also are obliged to edity them by our example. This is the second means, which I shall propose in this chapter, as conducive to your spiritual advancement. In order to know its utility and importance, we need only consider in what manner our Saviour speaks of it in the gospel. “Let your light,” says he, “so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Every one sufficiently knows the force of good example. A pertect religious does more good in a community by his example, than the most eloquent sermons or pathetic exhortations. Men are much more affected by what they see, than by what they hear; and being easily convinced that the thing is practicable, when they see another perform it, they are strong’y encouraged to undertake it. That fluttering of wings, of which the prophet Ezechiel speaks when he says, that “he heard the wings of living creatures striking one against the other” (Ezechiel 3:13), is, properly speaking, the good example by which you touch your brother’s heart, move it to piety and NO LONGER THE PROPERTY OF p/th,STREET: BRANCH compunction, and raspire: him. with an ardent desire of per fection. St. Bernard • declares,, that. at „first when he entered into religion, thè very sight of some religious who were full of zeal and charity, ’nay, ’even the remembrance of them when they were absent or dead, imparted so much comfort and joy to him, and so deeply impressed him with sentiments of tenderness for God, that oftentimes tears fell from his eyes in great abundance. “The memory of Josias,” says holy Scripture, “is like the composition of a sweet smell made by the art of a perfumer.” (Ecclesiasticus 49:1) Such were the good religious of whom St. Bernard speaks, and such ought we endeavour to become, according to the words of the apostle: “We are the good odour of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:15) Let us then be in effect like unto a box of perfumes, which freely communicates its odour, and delights and fortifies all who touch it. Above all, let us be exceedingly careful never to give occasion of scandal, or bad example to any of our brethren. A religious of an exemplary life does a great deal of good in a community. He may edify the rest and induce them to copy his virtues. But a bad religious is the author of incalculable mischief; he alone is capable of destroying an entire community, and will the more easily plunge it into disorder, because our inclinations being much more prone to vice than to virtue, example urges us more forcibly to evil, than to good. We read in Deuteronomy, that when the people of Israel were drawn up in order of battle, Almighty God commanded the captains to have it proclaimed throughout the whole army, “that whosoever was fearful or faint-hearted should depart and return home, lest he make the heart of his brethren to fear as he himself was possessed of fear:” (Deu. xx. 8.) The example of a tepid and slothful religious produces similar bad effects in religion. He communicates his negligence. to fore very justly remarked by Eusebius, to live in a community either does good to a great many by sanctity, or injures them by his laxity of manners.“To those already mentioned, we can add & third means which is very conducive to our spiritual advancement. This is the obligation we lie under of giving good example not only to our brethren with whom we daily converse, but likewise to all others in general, lest through the scandal given by an individual the whole order should lose its reputation. For people in the world form a judgment of all the religious from the actions of the individual, and as if his fault were an original sin, or a kind of community-property, they readily impute to the whole order, the irregularity of the particular member. It is therefore the bounden duty of each individual religious to be extremely careful to edify his neighbour, that by this means the reputation of _ the whole order may be preserved and enhanced. For this purpose we must imagine that the eyes of the whole world are upon us; “That we are made a spectacle to angels and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9), and that although it is unreasenable to censure a whole order for the faults of one man, yet it is certain, that the whole body consists of members, and consequently that the growth or decay of that body depends upon the good or bad conduct of each particular member. Let every one therefore remain firm at his post, like a good soldier; let him take care that through his fault a battalion so strong and so well formed be not broken. Let him take heed that religious discipline be not relaxed through his irregularity. In fine, let him imagine that in religion his mother addresses him in the language, wherein the mother of the Machabees addressed her youngest son, encouraging him to suffer and to die courageously for the observance of the law. ‘ My son,” said she, “have pity upon me that bore thee nine months in my womb, and gave thee suck three years, and nourished thee and brought thee up unto this age.” (2 Machabees 7:27) The only return I ask is that you do not ruin yourself and me, and that you do not employ against yourself and me those arms which J put in your hands for your own defence and for that of your neighbour. In fine, I request that what should render you more grateful, more humble, and more virtuous, may not render you more ungrateful, more proud, and more irregular.

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