Volume II, Treatise III, Chapter VII

The Consideration of Our Sins Is Very Proper to Make Us Know Ourselves and Acquire Humility

Ler us go on with our inquiry, and, as it were, dig deeper still into the knowledge of ourselves; but what, or where can we now dig? Is there any thing beyond nothing? Yes doubtless, there is something—there is sin which you have added thereunto. And what an abyss is that? It ismuch greater than theabyssof nothing, because sin is worse than nothing. Jesus Christ, speaking of Judas, who designed to betray him, says, “it would have been better for him, that he had never been born.”—(Mat. xxvi. 24.) There is nothing so vile and despicable in the eyes of God, within the whole extent of existence and of nothingas a man, in mortal sin, who is banished from heaven, the declared enemy of God, and condemned totheeternal pains of hell. Let us always have this consideration in our mind, even when we do not find our conscience charged with any mortal sin; and as for the better knowing of our nothingness, we have represented to ourselves the time when we were nothing, so for the further knowledge of our meanness and misery, let us call to mind the time when we were in sin. Think what a miserable condition you were in when having yourself disagreeable in the eyes of God, by the enormity of your sins, he looked upon you as his enemy, as a child of wrath, and as a criminal destined to everlasting flames. After that, cover yourself with confusion, and prostrate yourself as low as you can; for you ought to believe, that put yourself in ever so low a situation, you can never render yourself so contemptible as he deserves to be who has offended the sovereign good, which isGod. This meditation is an infinite abyss. For till we can see m heaver how great the. bounty of God is, it is impossible for us fully to comprehend how enormous sin is which makes us rebels to him, and what punishment. ’ ke deserves who offends him.

Now, did we but think well of this, and search thoroughly into our sins and miseries, how humble should we be? How little: should we esteem ourselves, and with what joy should we receive contempt: and reproach? What ought not he who has been unfaithful to God suffer for the love of him, after he is restored te his favour? And he who has left God to follow his passions, who has offended his Creator and Master for a transient pleasure, and who has deserved thereupon eternal punishment, to what injuries and affronts ought he not heartily submit in atonement for the sins which he committed against the majesty of God? “I went astray,” says David (addressing himself to God) “before I was humbled by afflictions, but now have I kept thy commands.”—( (Psalms 118:67)) It is that makes me hold my peace, and not dare to complain, for what I suffer is nothing in comparison to what my sins deserved. Thou hast. not punished me, O Lord, according to my deserts, and whatever we can suffer in this life is nothing in proportion to what one sin deserves. Is it not just that the sinner who has despised God should be despised—that there should be little esteem made of him who has made so little of his master, and that the man who had the will and insolence to offend his Creator, should be punished in not being able ever to da anything that he has the least mind to do?,

But on this point we are still farther to reflect, that though the confidence we ought to have in God’s mercy may give us grounds, to hope that he has forgiven us our sins; yet nevertheless we have no certainty thereof. ‘ Man,” says Soloman, “knows not whether he deserves love or hatred.’’—(Hccl. ix. 1.) And.the apostle, speaking in the same sense—“I am conscious of nothing,” says he, “but I am not thereby justified.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) Now if unfortunately I am not. justified, what shall I gain by having embraced a religious life, and converted souls to God? ‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; and though [have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, J am nothing; and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and give my body to he burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) Wo be to thee, then, if thou hast not charity, if thou art not in the grace of God, for without that thou art nothing, nay, thou art less than nothing. Not to know whether or not we are in the state of grace, is a great means to keep us always humble, and to make us have a low opinion of ourselves. We know most certainly that we have offended God, but we have no certainty that God has pardoned us. Now who dares look up, who will not be covered with confusion, who will not sink even to the centre of the earth, whilst he is in this incertitude? It is this made St. Gregory say that it has pleased God we should not be certain of his grace, to the end that we should always have one grace certain, which is that of humility. And indeed how grievous soever the fear and incertitude he has left us in seems unto us, his conduct therein is full of mercy and bounty; it is a fear which is profitable to us for the acquiring of humility, for the preservation thereof, and which hinders us from despising our neighbour, whatever sins he may have committed. The thought that God has perhaps received him into grace, and that we know not whether we are in his grace or not, is indeed a powerful motive to excite us always to do good, without ever being weary, and to make us still walk with fear and humility before God. Wherefore the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of the wise man says—“Happy is the man that is always in fear” (Proverbs 28:14); and he admonishes us in another place, “not to reckon ourselves too sure as to the remission of our sins.”—(Kccl. v. 5.) Hence the sight of our sins is very useful to keep us in humility and in a contempt of ourselves, Oh! what a subject of enquiry do they not furnish us with.

Moreover, the misfortunes and wounds inflicted on us by original sin, will supply sufficient matter to humble us, if we reflect how much nature has been corrupted in us by sin. For, as a stone is drawn downward by its own weight, so are we carried by the corruption of original sin to whatever regards our flesh, our vanity, and our interest. We have a most lively relish for earthly things, little or no relish for heavenly ones.. What should obey in us, commands; and in fine we are so miserable, that though we are men and born for heaven, we have the inclinations of beasts, and hearts that tend only to the earth. “The heart of man is deceitful above all things; who can no know it, says Jeremias?” so (Jeremias 17:9) It is that wall of the vision of Ezechiel; the more you dig there, the more abominations you will discover.

But if we will cast our eyes next upon our faults, which spring from our own stock or fund; how many subjects of confusion shall we find there? Whither does not intemperance of tongue carry us? how negligent are we not in guarding our hearts? How inconstant are we in our good designs; how great lovers of our interest and convenience? How eager to do what pleases us? How full of self-love; how wedded to our own will and opinion? How violent in our passions; how steady in our ill habits, and how prone to gratify our corrupt inclinations? St. Gregory, writing upon these words of Job, “wilt thou shew thy power against a leaf, which is carried to and fro by the wind,” (Job 13:25), says, it is with reason that man is compared to a leaf, because just as a leaf moves at the least breath; so man lets himself easily be tossed up and down by all the winds of passions and temptations. One while he lets himself be transported with anger; another while he abandons himself to vain joy; to-day avarice and ambition torment him; to-morrow pleasure and sensuality carry him away; sometimes pride elevates him, and sometimes fear and trouble deject and cast him down.. Wherefore the prophet Isaias says very well that, “we are all fallen like the leaves, and our iniquities like the wind have carried us away.”—(Isa. Ixiv. 16.) The least wind of temptation throws us down, and carries us away; we have no steadiness in virtue and good resolutions; so that here is enough in this matter, wherewith to humble and confound ourselves. But they are not only our sins and faults which should humble us, even our good should actions produce that effect; if we examine them carefully and see with how many faults and imperfections they are ordinarily mingled according to the words of the same prophet, “we are all become as unclean, and all our good works as filthy rags.”—(Isa. lxiv. 6.) But we have already spoken of that elsewhere, so that there is no need to enlarge on it here.

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