Volume II, Treatise VII, Chapter VIII

Of the Imitation of Jesus Christ, Which Is the Chief Advantage We Ought to Derive from the Meditation of His Life and Passion

TuHE imitation of the virtues of Jesus Christ, is, finally, what we ought to propose to ourselves, in the meditations of his passion, and the fruit we are to endeavour to reap from thence. The Son of God, says the saint, came into the world principally for two reasons; first, to redeem us by his death and his sufferings; and secondly, to give us a perfect model of all his virtues; and by his own example, to induce us to practise them. It was on this account that at the last supper, after he had lowered himself to such excess of humility, as to cast himself upon his knees before his disciples, and to wash their feet, he presently said to them, “I have given you an example, that you do, as I have done to you.” (John 13:15) But what he then said and proposed to us, to do in imitation of him, ought to extend itself to all other actions. It is this, St. Peter teaches us, when he says, “Jesus Christ suffered for us;

leaviig you an example that you may follow his footsteps.” (1 Peter 2:21) And this was what made St. Austin say, that the “cross of Christ was not only the bed upon which he died, but was the pulpit also from which he taught us, that we ought to imitate his example.”—(Orat. 119.) For though his whole life was a perfect model of all virtues, which he seemed to teach us both by _his words and actions, yet he vouchsafed to collect them all together ia his passion, and make them shine there in a sovereign degree; 80 that what we ought to endeavour to draw from the meditation on his sufferings, is an ardent desire of imitating his virtues. For this end, we must apply ourselves to examine at leisure each virtue separately; and exercise ourselves in framing a very great desire in our hearts, and in making a firm and constant resolution to practise it; and also to conceive a holy aversion and horror for the opposite vice. In considering then, for example, the humility of Jesus Christ, who being God voluntarily submitted himself to the contempts and injuries of men, we ought to fill ourselves with a contempt of ourselves; and to desire with our whole heart never to receive from men any mark of honour, esteem, or preference whatsoever; but on the contrary, to propose to ourselves to suffer with all submission all sorts of affronts and injuries, and even to look upon them with joy, and as an occasion given us, to resemble in some degree Jesus Christ. In the same manner, in considering the patience of the Son of God, we ought to frame a resolution to receive joyfully all misfortunes that may happen to us, to desire that such occasions should frequently present themselves, and even to beg them of God; that we may become thereby true followers of his Son. ‘I desire not, O Lord,” says St. Bonaventure, “to live without pain or wound, because I see you all covered with wounds.” In short, we must run over, in the same manner, all the virtues, as obedience, charity, meekness, chastity, poverty, abstinence, and the rest; because in the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ, all virtues shine forth; and we must then exercise ourselves in framing in our hearts, a true desire of imitating and practising them.

There remains still one thing here to be observed, which I have touched on elsewhere, which is, that in each virtue we meditate on we must descend to the particulars of those occasions, that may offer themselves to us of exercising them; and in our minds embrace them with joy for the love of God. If, for example, your meditation be on humility, you must represent to yourself the different accidents that may happen to you, of being contemned; first those of less moment, and afterwards such as you shall think will be most sensible to you; and hereupon frame your acts of humility and submission, as if those accidents or occasions were actually present. You must also practise the same thing in regard of patience, mortification, indifference to all things, conformity to the will of God, and all other virtues; for by this means, the virtue upon which your meditation is made, sinks by little and little more into your mind, and there takes deeper root, and the contrary vice loses its force; and all things will become upon occasion easier to practise, when we are prepared after this manner; it is, therefore, chiefly to gaining this facility, that all the desires and resolutions we make in our meditation ought to tend.

Behold what abundance of matter we have here for meditating on the passion of the Son of God, and the mysteries of his life; and no one can reasonably complain, that he knows not how to make this meditation, nor how to entertain himself therein; because I have set down so many affections, which may be excited and dwelled on. I must here also add, in order to stir up and inflame our minds and hearts the more, that it is good in every mystery on which we meditate, and in every affection arising therefrom, to consider the following particulars. First, who it is that suffers; secondly, what it is he suffers; thirdly, after what manner he suffers; that is to say, with what patience, humility, sweetness, and charity, he does it; fourthly, for whom; fifthly, from whom; and lastly, with what view and intention he suffers. These six points, which the saints ordinarily propose to us, may give us sufficient matter to meditate on; and to entertain ourselves with, for a long time, very profitably. But if we should have nothing else, to exercise ourselves in, than the imitation of the Son of God, we should therein find matter enough for our whole life, for those two reasons. First, because here we have all virtues in view; and as there are none, which we stand not in need of,. we may reflect on them all. Secondly, if in each virtue, we enter upon a detail of the different occasions which may offer; and if -we do not cease, till we have surmounted these occasions so far, as to behold them not only with submission but with joy; I say, if we come to this, we shall in every virtue that can possibly be imagined, have always sufficient matter to employ ourselves in. We may also add, that though these several sentiments of affection, of which I have spoken, are very considerable and very necessary, yet that which regards the imitation of the Son of God, is far more profitable than the others, because it contains them all; and also, because it is an act of the love of God, which comprises in itself all other acts of virtue. So that this imitation is not to be understood, as only one of the affections which I have spoken of in this treatise; it is rather an abridgement of all those pious affections in which the perfection of a Christian life consists. It is for this reason therefore that in meditating on the life and passion of Jesus Christ, the imitation of him ought to be our chief entertainment, and the chief fruit we are to endeavour to reap from it. But to do this, each one is very much to insist upon the imitation of the virtue he finds himself to stand most in need of; dwelling upon it; diving more profoundly into it, and framing frequent acts of it, till it has taken deep root in his heart, and till he finds the contrary passion to be very much weakened. So that after this we may pass to another virtue, and from thence to a third; and without doubt it is far better and more profitable to observe this method, than to embrace many things together in prayer, and to pass but slightly over them all.

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