Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter XI

Some Other Advantages Which Accompany Self-knowledge

On of the chief things which we can do on our part to oblige God to communicate his favours, and to shower his graces more abundantly upon us, is to humble ourselves at the sight of our weakness and misery. The apostle, therefore, says, ‘1 will glory willingly in my infirmities, that the power of Jesus Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And St. Ambrose, writing upon the words of the same apostle, ‘I take pleasure in my infirmities,” says, that if a Christian ought to glory, he ought not to do it but in humility, whereby he becomes greater in the sight of God. St. Austin also applies to the same subject these words of the royal prophet: “Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.” (Psalms 17:10) When do you believe, says he, that God will pour down upon his. inheritance, which is the soul, the plentiful showers of his grace? When it shall become weak, or weary, that is, when it shall be sensible of its weakness and infirmity; then God shall strengthen it, and shall heap his gifts and favours upon it. As the more a poor man exposes his sores and misery, the more he moves compassion and charity; even so, the more a Christian humbles himself before God by the acknowledgment of his infirmity and weakness, the more he moves the mercy of God to have pity on him, and to communicate to him abundantly the inexhaustible treasures of grace. ‘‘Itis he who giveth power to the weary, and he increaseth strength and might to them that are not.” (Psalms 40:29)

To comprehend in a few words all the advantages and profit which may be drawn from this exercise—I say, that self-knowledge is an universal remedy for every thing; so that to the greatest part of the questions which are asked us in our spiritual conferences, as whence proceed such and such a disorder, and what remedy may be applied to it? We may always answer, that it proceeds only from the want of self-knowledge, for if you attend well to the knowledge of yourself; it will be business enough for you to consider and deplore your own misery, without being curious in examining that of others. If you ask me, whence comes it that you are satirical in your discourse? I must make you the same answer—for if you knew yourself well, so as to reckon yourself the least of all, and every one else your superior, you would not have presumption to speak to them in that manner. If you ask me whence arise bad excuses, and those complaints and murmurings which are so ordinary—as, why have not I such or such a thing? Why am I treated so ill? It is certain that all proceeds from the same cause. If you would know whence comes the trouble and excessive oppression you feel, when tormented with certain temptations, and that discouragement you lie under when you see how often you relapse into the same faults? The answer will always be, because you know not yourself. For if you had but humility, and knew well the deceitfulness of your own heart, you would not be uneasy, or lose courage. But, on the contrary, you would wonder that there happens no worse to you, and that you fall not oftener; and you would not cease praising and blessing God who upholds you with his hand, and saves you from the disorders you would infallibly fall into without him. For, from a common sewer of all sorts of vices what can come but vice? What can be expected from a dunghill, but noisome exhalations; and from so cursed a tree what can we promise ourselves, but cursed fruit? What wonder is it, that the wind carries away the dust, says St. Anselm, speaking on that passage of the prophet, ‘“‘ he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalms 102:14) If therefore you seek means to become charitable towards your brethren, to be meek, submissive, patient, and mortified in everything, you will find a remedy for all your maladies in the knowledge of yourself.

We read of St. Francis of Borgia, that being one day on a journey he was met by one of his friends, a man of quality, who seeing him destitute of all the conveniences which he enjoyed before in the world, and feeling for him, begged of him to take a little more care of himself. The saint answered with a cheerfol countenance and holy dissimulation thus; Let not the condition in which you see me in the least trouble you; I am not so unprovided of all things as you think; for I always send a harbinger, who takes care to have everything ready before me. The person asking who was that harbinger? It is, replied the saint, the knowledge of myself, and the consideration of the pains of hell which I have deserved for my sins, and with this self-knowledge wherever I arrive, and whatever bad lodging I find, I always think I am better treated than I deserve..

The Chronicles of the order of St. Dominick tell us, that one of their religious, a great servant of God, conversing one day with St. Margaret, who was of the same order, told her among other things, that he had often begged of God to shew him the way which the ancient fathers had walked, in order to make themselves amiable in his eyes, and to obtain all the favours they had received; and that one night he dreamed, that a book written in golden letters was set before him, and that a voice awoke him, saying, “arise, and read.” Then rising immediately, he read in that book these divine words; the perfection of the ancient fathers consisted in loving God, in despising themselves, and in neither judging or contemning any body. And so the vision forthwith disappeared.

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