Volume I, Treatise III, Chapter VI

Of Several Remedies Against Vainglory

St. BERNARD, explaining these words of the Psalmist: “‘ You shall walk upon the asp and basilisk, and trample under your feet the lion and the dragon” (Psal. xc. 13), says, that of these beasts some kill by their ‘looks and breath; others tear in pieces with their teeth and claws, and frighten by their roaring; and that the devil insensibly inflicts all ‘these evils on man after the same manner. Afterwards comparing the different properties of these animals to the various temptations and vices made use of by the devil to attack us, he speaks of the basilisk; and after having said what naturalists report of it, viz., that it kills by its very looks, he applies this to the vice of vainglory;; and citing the words of Jesus Christ: “Take care you perform not your good actions before men with design they should behold them” (Mat. vi. 1):—have a care, says he, of the eyes of the basilisk; but know, at the same time, that it only kills those it sees first; and that if you see it before it perceives you, it will not only do you no hurt, but will presently die itself. It is after this manner, says the saint, that vainglory kills only the inconsiderate and negligent, who expose themselves to be seen by it, and who use no endeavour to see it first and to examine its weakness. For if you behold it first, you shall not only be free from all fear that this basilisk can do you any harm, but you will destroy it, and make it vanish into smoke.

Behold here the greatest remedy against vainglory, which is, that we take care to see the basilisk first, and to consider with attention that the good opinion of men is but mere wind and smoke; because it neither gives nor takes away anything from us; and all they can say of us, whether good or bad, neither makes us anything better or worse. St. Chrysostom upon these words of the Royal Prophet: “Because you will bless the just (Psal. v. 14), treats this matter perfectly well, and says, that the prophet hereby encourages the just to contemn the persecutions and calumnies of men. For what harm can the injuries and affronts which they receive do them, if God blesses and praises them? And on the contrary, what good can the praise or applause of men do us, if we have not God’s blessing? | He afterwards quotes upon this subject the example of Job, who sitting upon the dunghill, covered all over with leprosy, ulcers, and worms, persecuted and scoffed by his friends, by his own wife, and even by the whole world, was notwithstanding very happy in this state, because God blessed him, and gave him this. testimony: “That he was a sincere and upright man, fearing God, avoiding evil, and persevering in his innocence.” (Job 2:3) It is this that rendered him truly happy, and truly great, nor could the contempt of men diminish or lessen in the least his merit. St. Chrysostom adds, that what we ought with all zeal and care to procure, is to be esteemed by God: and since the esteem or contempt of men can neither give nor take anything from us, we have no reason to trouble ourselves about what opinion they entertain of us. “I am not in pain,” says the apostle, “what judgment you and the rest of mankind make of me, for my true Judge is our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 4:3) Let us add to this a consideration of St. Bonaventure:—Be not angry, says he, with those that speak ill of you; for either what they say is true or false: if it is true, you must not wonder they dare say, what you durst do; if it is false, their detraction can do you no harm. But if, notwithstanding, any motion of anger should arise, repress it, and suffer all with patience, as one suffers the fire, when applied to a wound; for as the fire heals the wound, even so the detraction you suffer will perhaps cure you of some secret pride, which for some time you have entertained and taken pleasure in.

The second means, that will help us very much to attain this end, is what St. Basil, St. Gregory, St. Bernard, and generally all the saints recommend to us; which is to take very great care never to use any expression in praise of ourselves. ‘ Never say anything of yourself that may redound to your praise,” says St. Bernard, ‘‘ though the person you speak to should be one of your most familiar friends; but on the contrary endeavour to hide all your virtues, with more care than you take to hide your vices and imperfections.” (Ber. in formula honeste vite.) Father Avila used so great circumspection in this matter, that when it seemed necessary for the instruction of his neighbours, to say something of edification that had happened to himself, he related itas of a third person; so that they could not conceive that what he had said was of himself. St. Ignatius practised the same; and we have been informed, by a Spanish bishop who knew him at Paris, that this saint one day discoursing of prayer, and the bishop having asked him how, and in what disposition he felt himself at the time of prayer? he made this answer:

“Of that I will say nothing; it suffices that I entertain you with what is fit and proper for yourself—charity and duty oblige me to this; but in what you desire of me, there would be a great deal of vanity should I do it.” We read in like manner of St. Francis, that he was so reserved in this matter, that he not only never discovered to others the favoursand particular graces God had communicated to him in prayer, but when he went from it, he endeavoured so to compose himself in his words and comportment, that none should be able to perceive the joy and interior satisfaction with which his mind was replenished.

In the third place, we ought not content ourselves with abstaining from what may tend to our praise; but we must yet go farther, and even hide and conceal, as much as possible we can, the good actions we perform, according to the precept of Jesus Christ in the gospel: “When you would pray, enter into your closet, shut the door upon you, and pray to your Father in secret: he who penetrates the most secret and hidden places, will give you a reward for it.” (Mat. vi. 6.) ‘ When you shall give alms,” says he in the same place, “let not your left hand know what your right hand does” (Mat. vi. 3); as if he would say, you ought yourself, if it were possible, to be ignorant of the good you do; “and when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, to the end that none may perceive that you fast.” (Mat. vi. 17.) | Vainglory isa crafty and dexterous enemy, who beholds all our good actions; and it is for this reason that the Saviour of the world recommends to us so great diligence in hiding them, lest vainglory should rob us of their merit. It is after this manner, says St. Gregory, that travellers hide their money with a great deal of care, lest they should be robbed of it; and hereupon he relates a passage in the life of King Ezechias, who for having shewn his treasures to the ambassadors of the King of Babylon, gave occasion to the Assyrians very soon after to besiege Jerusalem, and take them away. See here an example of what happens to those who perform their good works, through a spirit of pride. The intention with which they perform them makes them lose their merit. Some have compared them to hens, who make a cackling after they have layed an egg, whereby they cause it to be discovered and lose it in consequence. It is after this manner, says he, that we lose our good actions, when we ourselves speak of them, or when we endeavour to manifest them to others.

“The true servant of God,” says St. Gregory, “is so far from acting after this manner, that he esteems the good he does as nothing; and what he cannot hide from the eyes of men, he believes he has already received a kind of reward for, if he adds not other good works, which cannot come to their knowledge.” (Greg. lib. xxii. Mor. c. 9.) St. Jerom relates of St. Hilarion, that perceiving the concourse of people that followed him, and the reputation his miracles had attracted, he was much afflicted, and wept every day very bitterly: and his disciples asking him what was the occasion of his sadness and tears? ‘ Methinks,” says he, “seeing the esteem that men have of me, that God pays me in this life for the service which I endeavour to render’ him.” This is a very profitable consideration, on which we ought to set a great value, as being a means well calculated to free us from the danger of vainglory. Do not therefore aspire to the esteem of men, for fear that God should make them to be the extent of all the recompense of those good actions you were able to perform. For it is after this manner he is used to treat those that do so, and he himself tells us the same, by the words of Abraham to the rich glutton. “Remember, son, that you have received your share of rewards whilst you lived.” (Luke 16:15) It is also for the same reason that the saints counsel us to avoid all sorts of singularity in devotion; because singular and unusual actions are most remarked, and most spoken of. ‘‘ And he.who does what others do not, draws the eye of all the world upon him” (Gers. et Guli. Par.); whence arises the spirit of pride and vainglory, which makes us look upon others with contempt.

But, because we cannot always hide our actions, this being impossible for those who are obliged to contribute by their example to the edification of their neighbour; the first means of defence against vainglory is to rectify in the beginning our intention, and to elevate our heart to God, and offer to him all our thoughts, words, and actions; to the end, that when vainglory comes to claim a part in them, we may say to it, according to the advice of Father Avila, ‘“You come too late, all is already given to God.” It will also be very good to make use of the answer St. Bernard made to a thought of vainglory, that came to his mind whilst he preached: “I neither began,” says he, “for your sake, nor will I leave off for it.” (Bern. in vita ipsius.) For we ought not to permit, that the fear of vainglory should make us desist from our good undertakings; we must only stop our ears, and thereby render ourselves deaf to the praises of men. St. Chrysostom says, we ought to behave to the world, as a father behaves to his son whilst he is yet in his infancy; for whether the son be fond of him, or shews himself peevish to him, it is all the same thing—he laughs as well at the one as at the other; because he looks upon him as an infant, who knows not what he says, nor what he does. Let us look upon the world in the same manner, and believe it is an infant, and as though it had not the sense to know what it says, or what it does. St.

Francis Xaverius went still farther, and said, if we attentively considered our faults and sins, and what we truly are in God’s

sight, we should look upon and receive the praises of men but as so many railleries and injuries.

Let us hence conclude, that the knowledge of ourselves is the most proper remedy against vainglory—it is also the last means we propose to protect us from it. If we enter a little into ourselves, and take an account of what we are, we shall see nothing we can be proud of, but rather many things to humble and confound us. For we are full of defects, not only in regard of our sins, but even in regard of those actions that appear the most just and perfect; for if we examine them well, we shall find occasion enough of humiliation and confusion. It is for this reason St. Gregory frequently repeats this sentence: “All human justice is convicted as guilty of injustice, if we judge to the rigour; for if mercy takes not place in the examination of our actions, those for which we expect the greatest reward will even deserve punishment.” (Greg. lib. ix. Mor. c. 11, &c.) And hence Job said, “That he feared all his actions” (Job 9:28); that is, he had an extreme mistrust of himself, because of the many imperfections and defects which easily intermix with all we do; especially, when we stand not upon our guard, and keep not a diligent watch over ourselves; hence it is that the ignorance of our imperfections is the foundation of our pride, and the source of that vainglory which so puffs up our mind. For if we come to examine ourselves with attention, and at night if we take an exact account of what we have done during the day, shall we not find in ourselves an abyss of miseries, a thousand imperfections, and a thousand faults we have committed in our thoughts, words, and actions, and a thousand omissions we were guilty of? And if it happens, that we have done anything that is good, we often find we have corrupted it, and destroyed its merit, either by our vanity or negligence—or in fine, by several other defects we perceive therein; or by an infinity of others we are ignorant of; in which notwithstanding we ought always to believe ourselves guilty. Let us then enter into ourselves—let us have recourse to the knowledge of our nothingness—and let us, like the peacock, look upon our feet, that is, let us take notice of that wherein our actions are defective; and under God, we shall put down that pride and vanity which self-complacency had before raised in our hearts.

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