Volume III, Treatise I, Chapter XV

Another Means to Produce Fruit in Souls Is, not to Confide in Ourselves, but to Put Our Whole Confidence in God

“Por confidence in God with your whole heart, and rely not upon your own prudence” (Proverbs 3:5) Another means that may exceedingly help and assist us in obtaining what we aim at, is that proposed here to us by the wise man, and which is also proposed to us both by our holy founder and by the bull of our institution, in these few but expressive words: “Diffiding in his own strength, and relying upon the word of God”. Would you know how you may produce very much fruit in souls? It is by diffiding in yourself, in your own strength, in your own knowledge, in your own abilities, and in fine, in all surts of human means, and in placing all your confidence in God. To know that of ourselves we are fit for nothing, and to put all our confidence m God alone, is the best means we can take to advance the work of God in souls, and the best disposition that the workmen of our Saviour can have to execute great things. For it is ordinarily such as are of these sentiments he chooses to be instruments of the wonders he designs to work, and it is this the apostle takes notice of when he tells us: “But we have this confidence in God by means of Jesus Christ, not that we are able of ourselves even to think what is good, but all our sufficiency comes from God, who has rendered us capable of being ministers of the New Testament”—II. Cor., ii. 4.

St. Austin upon these words of our Saviour in favour of Nathaniel, “‘ behold a true Israelite in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47),— it seems, says he, that a man of whom the Son of God had given so advantageous a testimony, ought to have been the first that was called to the apostleship, and yet he was not called at all.to it. Would you, says this father, know why? It was because Nathaniel was a very learned man, and deeply versed in the law, and that our Saviour would not choose learned and able men for the preaching of the gospel and for the conversion of the world,! but only poor fishermen, simple and ignorant people, who had no knowledge at all.

St..Gregory applies to: our subject what the holy Scripture relates of David, when he defeated the Amalecites, who having burnt Siceleg, led all the inhabitants into captivity. One of the Amalecites who retreated with the rest, had left behind him upon the way an Egyptian servant, who was not able to follow because he was sick. David met him when he was already half dead, because he had been there three days and three nights without eating or drinking anything. He made him eat something, recovered him from his weakness, and taking him afterwards for _ his guide, he pursues the Amalecites and takes them by surprise. For imagining that no one pursued them, they thought of nothing but of making good cheer and recreating themselves. He cut them in pieces, and recovered all the prisoners and booty they had taken. Behold here, says St. Gregory, what the Son of God does, who is the true David. He makes choice of those that the world forsakes, and fortifying them with the food of his word, he afterwards makes them his guides against the Amalecites; that is to say, he makes of them preachers of his gospel against the people of the world, who give themselves up to mirth and pleasures. But how comes it to pass that God selects such weak instruments for a ministry so elevated? Would you, says he, know why? It is to take from man all ground of confiding in himself, and all occasions of attributing any thing whatsoever to himself, and it is to teach him to place all his confidence in God, and to ascribe the glory of allto him alone. And moreover this sentiment is so pleasing to God, that the better to imprint it in our hearts, he would have us see by an infinity of examples, that he pleases himself in choosing weak instruments to execute the greatest projects. Jt is this proves that it is God, not man, who does all; “it is thus that he makes appear the riches of his glory’ (Romans 9:23),—and herein the greatness of his omnipotence is displayed. When God led his people out of Egypt, he wrought many miracles by means of Moses, but there was none of these that made s0 great an impression upon the Egyptians as when Moses, striking dust with his rod, changed it into sciniphs, with which all their country was filled in an instant. For at the same time the magicians of Pharao having recurred in vain to all sorts of charms and enchantments to do the like, were constrained to acknowledge that Moses acted by the power of God, and to say, “the finger of God is here”— (Exodus 8:19) We read in ecclesiastical history (Theod., in Hist. Eccl., p. ii. 1. iii. c. 6) that Sapores, king of Persia, having declared war against the Romans, and besieging Nisabis, a city of Mesopotamia, with a powerful army, the inhabitants, who had no other hope but in God’s assistance, begged of the bishop to curse the enemy’s army; and for this end they caused him to go up into a high tower where he might have the whole under his view. But all the malediction that this holy man gave to the infidels, and all the prayer he offered to God agaist them, was to beg that he would be pleased to send so great a number of fleas and gnats amongst them, that they should be constrained to raise the siege, and to acknowledge that this plague came from God. His prayer was scarce ended, when there fell — upon the army of the Persians a cloud of fleas and gnats, which

so filled the trunks of the elephants, and the ears and nostrils of the horses and other beasts in the camp, that, unable to bear their biting, they ran about in such fury that they cast down those that were upon them, trampled under foot those that endeavoured to stop them, and broke the ranks and files of all their troops. At last the disorder they caused was so great, that Sapores knowing that it was an effect of God’s power, and of the care he takes of his servants, was constrained to raise the siege and shamefully to return into his own country. God is able to make war against all the princes of the world with fleas and gnats, and is pleased thus to make use of such weak instruments as these in the execution of the greatest projects, in order to show that it is he only who acts, and to draw greater glory to himself. Now, it is for the same reason that he also very often makes choice of weak instruments to work the greatest conversions. Ecclesiastical history furnishes illustrious proofs of this; for we there find that an infinite number of famous sinners, heretics, and infidels, have been convinced and converted.by simple and ignorant persons, after having a long time resisted the eloquence and doctrine of many learned men, and even the authority of general councils, wherein the greatest men of the whole Church were assembled.

Now we ought to receive three instructions from this. The first is, not to be discouraged at the sight of our weakness, and of the slender talents we have for so sublime an end and so elevated an employment as our institution calls us to. So far from this, we ought rather derive new courage, and place greater confidence in God, who is usually pleased to make use of weak instruments to execute his greatest designs. This is conformable to the answer made by St. Francis to his ordinary companion, brother Macius, who, knowing very well how pleased the saint was to receive any humiliation, and being desirous to make trial of his humility, went to him one day and proposed these questions to him. How comes it to pass, says he, that the world runs after you; that they wish to see you, to hear you, and to follow you, though you have not birth, nor engaging countenance, not learning, nor eloquence? How comes it then to pass that they come from all parts to you? Would you know, dear brother, answers the saint, with his accustomed humility, whence this comes? It is from the infinite bounty of God, who has vouchsafed to cast his eyes upon me, though I be the greatest sinner and the most contemptible creature in the world. “For God has chosen‘ the weakest and most simple to confound the strong and great ones, that no creature may have subject to glory in himself; but he that would glory, let him glory in our Lord, to whom be honour and glory world without end”—I. Cor., i. 20, etc. This is a most holy answer, and ought to give us a deal of comfort and confidence.

The second instruction we ought to derive from this is, that what fruit soever God works in souls by our means, how great conversions soever he works by us, and if he should make use of us even to work miracles, this ought not be to us any subject of pride, but on the contrary ought always to confirm us in the knowledge of our baseness and nothingness, and confirm us in this truth, that we have done nothing at all; because in effect we do nothing of ourselves, and are only instruments that God is pleased to make use of. 0 how perfect a knowledge had the Royal Prophét of this truth, and how his sentiments and words were conformable to his knowledge! “Lord”, says he, “we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us, what thou didst in their times, and in those times long before them. Thou didst disperse the nations before them, and didst establish them in their place; thou didst afflict the people, whose land thou wouldst give to them, casting them out of it. For it was not by their weapons that they conquered them, nor was it their own hands that saved them; it was thy hand and arm, O Lord, and the brightness of thy countenance, that preserved them, because thou wert pleased with them” (Psalms 42:1), etc. Their merits had no share therein, it was a pure effect of thy bounty and mercy.

When God therefore performs great things by means of us, we have no reason at all to become proud; but on the contrary, the more things he works by us, and the greater they are, the more humble we ought to be, and the more we ought to debase ourselves, seeing that he makes choice of such weak and miserable instruments for the working of so great wonders as he is pleased to work by us. We must do on this occasion as St. Peter did when our Saviour caused him to catch the great quantity of fish which is mentioned in the gospel. The Son of God having ordered him to cast out his nets to fish, St. Peter answered him: ‘ Master, we have laboured all night, and have caught nothing; notwithstanding, in obedience to thy command, I will again cast out my nets”~ (Luke 5:5) And afterwards he. caught so great a quantity of fish that the net broke, and they were obliged to call their companions, who were in another little boat, to come and assist them to draw it out. At last they filled both their boats with only one draught of the net; and then St. Peter, seeing the boat so very full that it was ready to sink, “cast himself at the feet of Jesus, and said to him: Retire from me, O Lord, because I am a sinner. For he was seized with a great astonishment, and not he alone, but all that were with him, to see the quantity of fish they had taken”—ibid. St. Peter was surprised to see that after he had laboured all night in vain, he caught so great a quantity of fish as soon as he cast out his net in the name of Jesus Christ; and hence he took occasion to humble and debase himself. Let us enter with him into these ‘sentiments of astonishment and humility, and into the knowledge of our own baseness, whenever it shall please God by our means to execute any great thing. See how far St. Peter was from applauding himself for having taken such a number of fish. Do you also take care not to permit yourself to be carried away with vanity, when God shall have made use of you for the execution of anything; and know that it is a work purely his own, and entirely above your strength; and by this means you will come at length to expect nothing from yourself, but all from God; to attribute nothing to yourself but that weakness and misery which belong _ to you, and to God that praise and glory which is due to him. Consider what St. Peter did, when in his own name he cast out his nets, and you will see herein what you can do of yourself, and what help you may expect from your own ability, care, and labour; and, then consider what he did when he cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ, and you will know what you are able to do by grace and God’s assistance. The sight of the one will teach you to have no confidence at all in yourself, and the sight of the other will give you all confidence in God, making you expect all from him. And by this means neither the consideration of those great things which it shall please God to execute by your help, will inspire any vanity into you, nor the consideration of your own weakness will at all diminish your courage.

St. Jerom proposes a question to our purpose, and says, let us see a little which of the two did better—either Moses, who alleged his incapacity, when God desired to send him to lead his people out of Egypt, and who begged of God rather to send a more fit person, or Isaias, who, without being called, offered himself: to announce the word of God, and said: ‘ Behold here I am, send me”—Jsaz., vi. 8. To which the doctor answers, that what he has to say is, that it is a very good thing to have humility, and such knowledge of ourselves as shows us we are good for nothing, and that it is also a very good thing to have a prompt disposition of mind to serve our neighbour. But if we would apply ourselves, adds the doctor, to that which is best for us, we must learn of Moses humility by considering our own weakness, and learn zeal and fervour of Isaias by putting our confidence in God, who, to reward him for his good will, purified his lips, and rendered him capable of the ministry to which he had offered himself. Humility is no enemy to confidence, nor any obstacle to it, but on the contrary it helps and fortifies it, because it causes us to place our whole confidence in God, in whom we are assured we can do all things. ‘

The third lesson we are to learn from hence is, that though it is very true that we ought not to confide in ourselves, nor to rely upon our own strength, we must, however, do everything in our power for the salvation of our neighbour; otherwise, to pretend that God should do all without our doing anything, is to desire and expect miracles, and even totempt God: He will help us in the conversion of souls, and it is upon this account that St. Paul calls us “assistants and ministers of God”—I. Cor., iii. 9,—and that our Saviour commanded St. Peter to cast his nets, for he would not have bestowed upon him so plentiful a fishing without his having himself contributed something thereunto; and would hereby also teach us that we ought not with folded arms to stand idle. In order, however, that on the other hand we should not attribute the good success of the conversion of souls to our own care and industry, he permitted that St. Peter should work all night unprofitably, and cast his nets without being able to catch anything. So that we ought on the one hand to employ all our care, endeavours, and whatsoever else depends upon us, ae if these were sufficient to effect the affairs we have in hand; and on the other, we ought to have no more confidence therein than if we had done nothing, nor expect anything but from God alone. It is this Christ himself teaches us in his own words, “when you have done all that is commanded you, say that you are unprofitable servants, we have done only what we were obliged to do” (Luke 17:10) Take notice that he says not “when you have done what you were commanded to do, but when you have done ALL that you were commanded to do”, to make us comprehend that whatever we are able to do, we ought never rely on what we do, but ought to put our whole confidence in God, and attribute to him the glory of all; and this, in the opinion of holy men, is the supreme and highest degree of humility.

When St. Peter and St. John cured the lame man who begged alms at the gate of the temple, St. Peter perceiving that all the world -were astonished at the miracle, and looked upon them with admiration, he cried ont to them, “You men of Israel, why do you look upon us as if by our own virtue and power we had made this man to walk? The God of our fathers has glorified his Son Jesus, whom you indeed betrayed and denied before Pilate’s face, he judging it fit to dismiss him; this man whom you see and know, has confirmed the name and faith of Jesus who has fortified him, and it is this faith which he had in him that has thus in the presence of you all entirely cured him”—A cs, iii. 12, etc. St. Paul and St. Barnabas perceiving the people of

‘ Lystria ready to adore them upon the like miracle, and that they had already prepared crowns and victims to sacrifice to them as gods, rent their clothes in pieces, crying out, “You men, what is this you are about todo? We are mortals -as you are, and men like yourselves” (Acts 14:14) It is not we that act in this we do, it is God that acts by us, and it is to him alone that the glory of all is to be given. Thus we see that these great saints, after they had wrought many miracles, remained in as profound humility as if they had done nothing. It is in this manner we must conduct ourselves. When we have done all we can for the salvation of souls, we must keep ourselves in humility and in the knowledge of our own baseness.

About ReligiousBookshelf.com · A Supernerd Media project