Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter XL

A Confirmation of the Foregoing Doctrine by Some Examples

Severus Sutricius and Surius tells us that a holy man, who had received of God the gift of healing the sick, driving out devils, and performing several other miracles; finding, that the great crowds of people, who flocked from all parts to see him, and to touch his clothes, and to receive his blessing, excited some thoughts of vanity in his heart; and not being able to banish them, nor to hinder the concourse of people from coming to him, he begged of God, that to free him from the temptation which tormented him, and to keep him humble, he would for some time deliver him up, to be possessed with the devil. God heard his prayer, permitted the devil to enter into him; and it was a strange sight to see him, to whom the possessed were usually brought to be cured, dragged along like a madman, to be exorcised according to the practice of the church. He was five months in this condition, at the end of which time, God delivered him not only from the evil spirit that had taken possession of his body, but from all the thoughts of pride and presumption, which had stolen into his mind.

The same Surius gives us another example almost like this, which is, that St. Severinus having in his monastery three religious, who were very much puffed up with pride and vanity, and seeing that all his admonitions to them were of no avail; such was his zeal for their reformation, that it moved him one day to beseech God with tears, that he would be pleased to inflict some punishment upon them, which might serve to humble and make them better. He had not finished his prayer, when God, by a chastisement proportionable to their fault, gave up their bodies to three devils, that cruelly tormented them for forty days. After which time it pleased the divine goodness to deliver them at the prayer of the saint; and the cure of their bodies was followed by that of their souls, the punishment having wholly allayed in them the vapours of pride and vanity.

Cesarius relates, that one possessed with a devil, being brought toa monastery of the Cistercian monks to be cured, the prior, who was to exorcise him, took with him a young religious, who was in great reputation for his virtue, and who had always kept himself pure and chaste; and having asked the evil spirit, whether, if that religious person commanded him to be’ gone, he durst still stay? Yes, answered he, for by reason of his pride, I fear him not.

We read in St. John Climachus, that a great servant of God purposing to walk in the path of humility; the devils, jealous of the progress he had made therein, wished ‘to divert him from it, by sowing seeds of vain glory in his heart; but by a divine inspiration, he found out an easy remedy against their malice. He wrote upon the wall of his cell the names of some of the chief virtues, according to the most excellent idea that could be framed of them, as “perfect charity, most profound humility, angelical chastity, continual fervour of prayer;” and so of the rest. And when he found himself attacked by vain thoughts: Let us come to the trial, said he, to the devils; and falling to read the inscriptions and titles, he had written, as, “most profound humility:’? Iam not, said he, come yet so far. I should think myself happy to come near it, but so far am I from being arrived at the last degree of humility, that I am not, it may be, even got to the first. ‘ Perfect charity:” It is true J find that I have charity; but it is far from being perfect; for 1 speak sometimes very roughly to my brethren. “Angelical chastity:’’ It is not a thing I can flatter myself with, since I am subject to so many thoughts and motions contrary to purity. ‘Continual fervour in prayer:” I am far from having it, for therein I am very often either distracted, or drowsy. Speaking afterwards to himself, he added— when thou shalt have acquired all these virtues; thou oughtest yet to say, that thou art but an unprofitable servant, and must look upon thyself as such, according to those words of our Saviour— “When you shall have done all that is commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants.” (Luke 17:10) And if it is so, what thoughts at present oughtest not thou to have of thyself, since thou art still so far from perfection?

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