Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter XXIV

The Preceding Doctrine Confirmed by Some Examples

Peter of Cluny tells us of a Carthusian, who having led a holy life, and always so chaste a one, that God had kept him even from the very illusion of impure dreams, was attacked by a disease of which he died. As his death was approaching, and all the religious of the house were around his bed, the prior commanded him to tell in what things he believed he had most pleased Almighty God. The Carthusian answered; what you ask, reverend father, I feel great difficulty in answering; and I would never do it, were I not obliged thereunto by obedience. From my infancy, continued he, the devil still pursued and persecuted me, but in proportion to his afflicting me, the Blessed Virgin still comforted me; and as I found myself one day tormented with stronger and more than usual temptations, she appeared to me, and chased away the devil by her presence; and after giving me comfort and encouragement to persevere in virtue, she said, That [ may point out an easy way, and discover something of the immense treasures of my Son, I will teach you three exercises of humility, which if you practise well, will render you acceptable in the sight of God, and give you victory over your enemy. You are therefore to humble yourself in three things; your diet, your clothing, and your employment; so that in your eating, you must desire and seek always ordinary fare; in your clothing the coarsest habit; and in your employment, those functions which are the lowest and most humbling. The Blessed Virgin hereupon disappeared—but the virtue and efficacy of these holy words, made then such an impression upon my heart as to make me practise ever after what she had taught, and I received thereby great help and advantage towards my spiritual advancement.

Cassian relates, that a holy old man called Pinuphius, wishing to shun the respect and honour which were given him in the monastery where he presided, resolved to go away, and retire to some place, where he might live neglected and without being at all taken notice of. To this end he privately left his own convent, and knowing that in the part where St. Pacomius lived, which was a great way off, discipline and zeal did then most flourish, he in a secular habit went thither, so that not being known there, he might be treated as a novice, and no regard had of him. Several days he staid there at the gate, asking with all humility the habit, and prostrating himself at the feet of the monks; who on purpose shewed a contempt of him, reproaching him, that after being glutted with the world, he came to give himself to God in his old age; and that it was more out of necessity, and to be sure of a livelihood, than to serve God by his own choice and inclination, that he begged admission. He was nevertheless at last received, and made under-gardener to another brother, whom he was to obey in all things. And he not only did his duty herein, with great exactness and humility, but he endeavoured moreover to do the most troublesome work of all the house, and that to which others had the greatest aversion. In the night he rose privately, as if he had not worked enough in the day, and put every thing he could in order without ‘being perceived; so that the religious who knew not how, nor by whom, all that was done, were hereby every morning in a very great surprise. Three years he remained in that condition, very ‘well content with the opportunity he had to work, and render him- ‘self contemptible, which was the thing he so much desired. His own religious, much troubled in the meantime at his absence, inquired after him in several places, and at the end of three years, when they despaired of finding him, one of them passing by a monastery of St. Pacomius, little thinking of meeting him there ‘whom he sought after, found him spreading dung on the ground; so that knowing him very well, he threw himself presently at his feet, to the great wonder of all present; but when they learned who he was, their wonder increased, for they knew him well enough by fame, and begged his pardon for using him as they had done for so long a time. The good old man, bewailing his misfortune of being thus discovered by the envy of the devil, and losing thereby the treasure he had found in the obscurity of a private life, was forced to return to his own monastery, where being received with very great joy by all the religious, they took great care that he should not get away from them any more. But their precaution was however to no purpose, for he had still so great a desire of becoming very contemptible, and was so taken with the pleasure he found during the three years he had passed in an humble and private way of living, that having taken measures privately to get on board a ship, which was bound for Palestine, he found means to steal away once more from his monastery, and embarked. But God, who takes care of exalting the humble, permitted him, being arrived at the monastery where Cassian was, to be known by some of the religious who went thither to visit the Holy Land, and thus what he did to render himself contemptible, served only to make him the more esteemed and respected.

We read in the lives of the fathers of the desert, that a certain hermit having lived a long time in the continual exercise of penance and prayer, and imagining himself to be already in a high degree of perfection, prayed one day, that God would let him know if he wanted anything whereby he might become more perfect. God intending to humble him, caused him to hear a voice which commanded him to go and find out a man who kept hogs hard by, and then to do what he should bid him. He immediately obeyed, found him out, saluted him, and prayed him to tell him what he was to do to please God. He knowing, it seems by revelation, what he was to answer; will you do, quoth he, what I shall bid you? The hermit answering, that he would; take the whip then, replied the other, and go and keep the hogs. The holy man desiring ardently to serve God, and to make himself agreeable and more perfect in his sight, went immediately to do what the hog-herd bade him.—Now as the fame of his sanctity was spread all over that country, those who knew and saw him so employed, said to one another: have you observed, that that good old man of whom so many wonderful things have been related, is turned fool, and gone to keep: hogs; his continual fastings and great austerities have turned his head. The holy man, who heard all this, took it patiently, and went on yet some days in the same employment till Almighty God seeing his humility, and the spirit with which he bore affronts and injuries, commanded him to return to his own hermitage.

It is related in the ‘ Spiritual Meadow,” that a holy bishop having left his bishopric, where he was much esteemed and honoured by every body, went his way to Jerusalem, where he was not known, and having put on poor clothes, he took upon him to serve a mason, It happened in the meantime, that a good man called Ephraim, who was superintendent. of all the public buildings, went to oversee them twice or thrice, when the workmen reposed; and having all these times beheld upon the head of the holy man, who slept upon the ground, a pillar of fire, which seemed to reach up to heaven, he was the more surprised, because he saw the old man in a v miserable condition and employment. To inform himself further thereupon, he made him be called, and asked him who he was? The saint answered, that he was a poor man who got his livelihood by his labour. Ephraim was not satisfied with this answer, but, by a secret inspiration of God, who permitted it should be thus, the more to honour the humility of his servant, pressed him anew with such earnestness, to tell him who he was, that the holy man, unable to deny him any longer, replied; I will tell you, upon condition that you will never speak of it to any body whilst I am alive, nor ask my name. The superintendent consented, and hereupon gave him his word. The saint then owned that he was a bishop, and that to shun the esteem and honour of the world he had quitted his. bishopric.

St. John Climachus tells us that a man of quality, who lived at Alexandria, went to request admission into a certain monastery. The abbot thereof believing by his looks and other outward marks that he was a vaingloriqus man, and one who was yet puffed up with the pride and vanity of the world, wished to put him into the sure path of humility, and therefore told him, that if he was resolved to carry in good earnest the yoke of Jesus Christ, he must oblige himself to exercise obedience. J am, father, very willing, said the gentleman; and I put myself into your hands to do with me, just as the smith does with the iron, which he forges into what shape he pleases. Since it is so, replied the abbot, I will have you stand at the monastery gate as under-porter, still prostrating yourself at the feet of all who come in or go out, and begging of them to pray te God for you, because you are a great sinner. The gentleman obeyed most punctually, and after he had lived seven years in this exercise, and had acquired a great fund of humility, they were willing to receive him into the monastery, and admit him even to holy orders; but having got several persons, and among the rest St. John Climachus, to intercede that he might finish the course he had begun, in the station where he was, he obtained what he desired, and seemed in asking that favour, to have had some foresight of his approaching death; for in ten days after, it happened, that God called him to himself; and seven days after him, the porter of the monastery died also; whom the gentleman, when he was alive, had promised, that if he should have any interest in heaven after his death, he would make use of it, that he might be quickly his companion in glory. This was the reward of his continual humiliations, which had made him so humble, that when the forementioned St. Climachus asked him, what he still thought of, whilst he practised those acts of humility? He answered, that he was always thinking how unworthy he was of the conversation, and even of the sight of the religions; and that he deserved not so much as to behold them.

It is stated in the lives of the ancient fathers, that an abbot, whose name was John, told a story one day how, a certain philosopher having a scholar, who had committed a fault, told him he would not pardon it, till he had for the space of three years suffered patiently, whatsoever bad language should be given him. The scholar consented to it, and at the end of three years came to him to have his pardon.” The master told him he would not yet pardon. him, unless that during three years more, he would hire people to give him ill language; the scholar again consented to this second trial; and after having completed that time also, his master told him that he pardoned him, and that now he might go and learn wisdom at Athens. He went accordingly; and hearing there another philosopher, who still was wont to give bad language to his. new auditors to try their patience, upon his entrance, he fell laughing at what he also gave him. How now, quoth the philosopher, I give you bad language, and do you laugh? And ought I not to do 80, replied the other; since I have given money these three years to hire people to give me such language, and now I find one that gives it me for nothing, would you not have me rejoice at this? Come in, replied the philosopher, you are fit for the study we here make profession of. So that the abbot concluded from this example, that patience was the gate of wisdom.

In the life of St. Ignatius, father Maffeus says, that, the saint going one day in pilgrimage from Venice to Padua with father James Lainez, and both of them having nothing but old patched clothes on, they met in the way a young country boy, who seeing them thus dressed, came close up to them, to view them nearer; and then fell jeering and laughing at them; sometimes at one, and sometimes at the other. St. Ignatius, being overjoyed at what had thus happened, stood still, and. when his companion asked him why he did not go on, and rid himself of that rude and idle lad—-Why would you, replied the saint, deprive the poor youth of the diversion he has met with? Wherefore he staid in that posture, till the boy was weary of staring and laughing at him; and he himself received these scoffs with far greater satisfaction than the people of the world do the honours and respects which are shewn them.

We read also in the life of St. Francis of. Borgia, that he and father Bustimantius, travelling together, arrived at a very poor inn, where they found nothing to lie upon but a truss or two of straw in a little dirty corner. Father Bustimantius, who was very old, and had an attack on his lungs, did nothing but cough and spit all night long; but when he thought still to spit upon the wall, he spat upon St. Francis’s face, who notwithstanding said not & word, nor so much as turned aside. When it was day, and the good father perceiving what he had done in the dark, he was so concerned and confounded, that he was not to be comforted; but the saint being as joyful as the other was ashamed and troubled,: said, pray, father, be not in pain, for I assure you, that there was nothing in the room deserved more to be spit upon than myself.

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