Volume III, Treatise I, Chapter XVIII

That We Ought not to be Discouraged, Though We Perceive We Produce Very Little or No Fruit in Souls,

“Wo be to me”, says the prophet Micheas, complaining of the little fruit he wrought amongst the people of Israel; “I am become like a man who goes to gather grapes after the vintage is made, and finds not so much as one bunch to eat”, The prophet Isaias makes a similar complaint. “The city”, says he, “will become a frightful solitude; desolation will cast down her gates; because the same shall happen in the midst of the earth, and in the midst of the people, which happens when they shake down the few olives that are left upon the tree after the others have been gathered; and when they gather together the few bunches of grapes which were left upon the vines after the vintage” (Isaias 24:12) Lastly, one of the things that most discourages those that labour for the salvation of souls, is to see how little fruit they produce by all their sermons, and to see, notwithstanding all their other efforts, how few are converted; how few give themselves to virtue, and how few persevere in it. As then this is a complaint so general, and so productive of evil, I will here apply a remedy to it, and perhaps what I shall say will serve to encourage us in the offices of charity..

St. Austin treats this matter perfectly well. He replies to this complaint by citing the example of our Saviour. Perhaps, says he, the Son of God preached only to his disciples and to those that were to believein him. But do we not see that he preached also to his enemies, and to those who endeavoured to take him by surprise, and to destroy him? Or perhaps he preached not, but when there was a great crowd of people to hear him. But do we not see that he preached to one single woman of Samaria, and that he discussed with her the famous question, whether they ought to adore only in Jerusalem, or whether they might also adore in other places? But you will say, our Saviour knew she would believe in him, and improve by all he should say to her. It is true, answers the father, he knew it very well; but what will you say of his sermons to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and those others who would not only not believe in him, but would even put him to death? Sometimes he asked them questions that he might convince them by their own answers; and sometimes he answers their questions, which they proposed only to tempt him; “‘and yet we do not read that any of them was converted by the force of his doctrine”. He knew, however, very well what would happen; and though he knew that his sermons, so far from canverting them, would, on the contrary, serve to confirm them in their hardness of heart, yet he neglected not to preach to them, in order that we who are ignorant whether any will be converted or not by our means, should learn by his example never to relent. in our functions, and. never to be discouraged at the little fruit we think we have produced. Perhaps there is one of his elect whose salvation he designed should be wrought by your sermons; perhaps he will touch his heart the very moment you speak; or if this conversion be not then wrought, perhaps he will work it afterwards, and the seed of the word of God, which you cast into his heart, will then produce the fruits of justice and salvation. Hence, let what will happen, we ought never neglect anything for the help of souls that depends upon us.

Gerson, in a treatise he composed on the mode of attracting children to Jesus Christ, speaks very severely against those that refuse to hear the confessions of certain sinners, because they quickly relapse into the same sins, and because all they do to convert them is but to labour in vain, and as it were, to cast water into a sieve. In the same place he exhorts confessors to apply themselves to hear the confessions of children, from whom he says there may be great fruit expected, because they are between two roads, and disposed to follow that to which they shall be directed. They will be for him, says he, who wins their heart. If it is won for the Devil, they will be for the Devil; if it is won for Jesus, they will be for Jesus. So that it is of great consequence to lead them betimes into the way of virtue, and to conduct them to it at first, because ordinarily they remain in that in which they are first placed. Afterwards he answers the objections made by some confessors, who say, it is but lost time to confess children, because they have not as yet a capacity to profit of what is said to them, and therefore after confession they return to the same things from which they came to it, and begin again to play, to quarrel with their companions, and even to fight with them, as if nothing had been said to them. But, says Gerson, if because they return presently to their bad habits you will not confess them, you ought not for the same reason confess those that are advanced in years; for they too return to their vomit as soon as they go from confession, and their sins are far greater than those of children, which ordinarily are only venial. It would, without doubt, be a very strange thing should we send away our penitents, or refuse to confess them, because they quickly relapse into the same sins. Hence, adds he, we ought not refuse to hear the confessions of the one or of the other, so long as they make a true resolution of amendment; and to this subject he applies comparisons that agree very well with it. ‘Whilst a ship leaks, do they cease to pump, because there enters as much water in as the pump takes out?” And do we forbear washing our hands because they daily grow dirty? We must keep our hand continually to the pump, though we perceive there enters as much water as we take out, because otherwise the vessel would sink, which this prevents. “We must oftentimes wash our hands, though they presently grow dirty again; because the dirt at least sticks not so fast, nor have we so much trouble in making them clean. Let us not neglect, then, to confess such as are penitent, and help them to get up again, though they presently fall, for otherwise they will utterly destroy themselves, and this at least hinders them from entirely abandoning themselves to their disorders; and after all, there is always ground to hope for their salvation.

The example of our holy founder may serve us for a rule on this occasion. We read of him, that amongst other works of charity, which he continually practised, he employed all his power to withdraw bad women from their debaucheries: for this end he obtained the establishment of a house at Rome for such of them as would quit their disorders. For though there was at that time at Rome a monastery of penitents, yet they received none but such as took the veil; and many of these ‘women, how great a desire soever they had to get out of this their unhappy state, either would not embrace a religious life because they found themselves not called thereunto, or could not because of their engagement in marriage. In order, then, that the one and the other might find a place of retreat, he caused a house to be built for them, under the name of the monastery of St. Martha. And because nobody would begin so holy a work, though several offered to contribute to it, he was the first that led the way, giving for this end a hundred ducats, which he got for some jewels that were sold by his order, and which were given him at a time when the society was in distress. His office of general hindered him not from taking this affair so to heart, that when there were any courtezans that quitted their bad life, he himself accompanied them through the streets of Rome, and conducted them to this monastery of St. Martha, or to some other proper house to which they retired. Some people took upon them to tell him that he lost his time in labouring to convert such creatures as these, whose long and vicious habits would easily draw them back into their former disorders. He answered them, that if he could only obtain that any one of them should pass one day without offending God, he thought he had employed his time and care very well,.though he should even be assured that presently after she would lead the same life as before. And hence, though we should know that a penitent would not fail to relapse quickly into the same sin, we ought to think our time well employed though he should remain only one hour without offending God, or should commit but one mortal sin less; and this is to have a true zeal for the honour and glory of God. He that digs for a treasure, takes a great-deal of pains to dig a long time, and to take out a great deal of earth before he can find anything; and for the little gold he afterwards finds, he thinks all his pains amply recompensed.

But let us go still farther, and put the case that no one be converted, nor even that we be able to obtain that any one for an hour only should abstain from: offending God. I say that notwithstanding all this we ought not to cease preaching, or doing whatsoever depends upon us for the help of souls. St. Bernard treats this matter very well in a letter he writes to Pope Eugenius, who had been both his disciple and one of his religious. He exhorts him to reform the people and court of Rome; and having long insisted on it, he starts ‘this objection to himself: but per-_ haps you are not of my opinion, and you will tell me it is to no purpose to undertake to reform the Romans, who are a proud kind of people, untractable, seditious, incapable of living in peace, or of submitting to their duty but only when they want power to resist, and in fine, from whom nothing is to be expected, and therefore it would be to labourin vain. “Notwithstanding, do not diffide”, continues the saint, “you will not perhaps cure them, but you will labour to do so”, by applying proper remedies to their indisposition, and this is what God requires of you. “You have been established their governor”, says the wise man, “take care of them” (Ecclesiasticus 32:1); and take notice that he says not, “cure them”, for he who is put to govern others is not obliged to cure all their defects, because that is not in his power, and God requires no more of us than we are able todo. And hence it has been justly said, that “it is not always in the physician’s power to give help to the sick”; and in effect, it is not in this that the duty of his profession consists, but that he does everything in his power to cure them. But setting apart these authorities which I have alleged, I will propose another, that is more formalfand more express, Listen to the apostle, who says, ‘¢T have laboured more than all the rest”—I. Cor., xv. 10. He says not, “I made more progress, and produced more fruit in souls than all the rest”. For being instructed by God himself, ‘he knew very well that every one should one day receive his recompense according to his labours”—I. Cor., iii. 8, —and not according to the success he had in them, and therefore he ought glory in his labours. Imitate him by labouring on your part, in doing what you are able; plant, water, cultivate the vineyard of our Lord, and hereby you will perform the duty of your charge; the increase and fruit belong not to you. It is God who is to take care of this, which he will do when he thinks fit; but though he should not do it, you will never lose anything thereby, because the holy Scripture assures us, that “he renders to the just the recompense of their labours” (Wisdom 10:17),—and measures them not according to the success. ‘O secure labours, whose recompense depends not upon the success!” Though no one should be converted, though no one should amend himself, yet your recompense will be as great as if you had produced great fruit, and as if you had been the cause of many conversions. I must, however, tell you, adds the saint, without pretending to give bounds to the bounty and omnipotence of God, that should the people of Rome be more hardened than they are, and though they should have hearts of stone, “God can of these stones raise children to Abraham”—Mat., iii. 9; “and who knows but that our Lord may permit himself to be overcome, and pardon them, and pour also his blessings upon them?” (Joel 2:14) But we do not here examine what God will do, for it belongs not to us to penetrate his judgments: all that I propose to myself is to show those whose duty it is to labour for the salvation of souls, that the consideration of the little fruit they produce ought not to cause them to relent, because the merit as well as the recompense depends not upon the success, but only upon the manner wherein they acquit themselves of their duty.

There is one thing more, which is, that even though we should know we should be able to produce no fruit at all in souls, yet we ought not neglect to persevere always in our functions, as if we made great progress therein, and this for two reasons: the one is taken from its conducing to the greatness of God’s mercy, and the other to that of his justice. Fountains continue to run without ceasing, says St. Chrysostom, though no one goes to draw water; and it is conducive to the beauty and grandeur of a city to have water in it in great abundance, in order to flow and lose itself in divers places thereof. The same thing ought to be in preachers, by whom as channels the water of evangelical doctrine communicates itself to the whole world; they ought never cease pouring forth these wholesome waters of the word of God, whether few or many drink of them. It is in this that the magnificence of God’s mercy is more displayed, that he should vouchsafe to let his waters run continually without ceasing for those that were thirsty and had a desire to drink. ‘“Come to these waters, ye that are thirsty; and ye that have no money, make haste, buy and eat; come and buy wine and milk without money and without giving anything in exchange for it’”—Jsat., lv. 1. Secondly, this conduct is conformable to the justice of God; because in case so many advertisements and sermons are not -able to convert men, they will serve at least “‘that God may be justified in his words, and that he gain his cause when they go to judge him” (Psalms 50:6) God wishes to justify his conduct to sinners, and let them see that it was their own fault if they were not saved; in order that, considering the means which he had given them, they might know that they had no excuse left, and that they had no reason to complain of any but themselves, ‘ What was there that I ought to do for my vineyard which I have not done?”—Zsat., v. 4,—says our Saviour, by the prophet Isaias, in order to prove his kind conduct towards his people. ‘I have planted it, I have hedged it about, I have built a tower, and put a wine-press in the midst of it; and I expected that it should bring forth good grapes, and it has brought forth sour ones fit only for verjuice: wherefore judge now, people of Jerusalem ‘and Judea, between me and my vineyard” (Isaias 5:2,3),—and see who is to blame, that it produced not what it should have done. Now it is not a small matter, that at least you may be able to defend God’s cause at the day of judgment against sinners; for these sermons, these admonitions, of which they make at present so little profit, will convict and reduce them to such a nonplus, that they will not know what to answer. So that on which side soever the matter is taken, we must always employ ourselves with all our power in the help of souls, whether we succeed or not in our endeavours.

St. Austin, explaining the parable of those who, being invited to the marriage feast, would not go, and speaking of the servants whom the master had sent to invite them, do you believe, says he, that these servants ought to be accused of negligence, because those that they invited to the wedding came not to it? By no means. They shall, on the contrary, be looked upon as careful and faithful servants, because they did what was commanded them. They invited those that they were charged to invite; they did what they were able to oblige them to come to the feast. The guests that would not come to it shall be punished; but as-to the servants, they shall have the same recompense as if those they invited had come, because it was none of their fault that they did not. The account that God will require of us at the day of judgment is, whether we have done all that we are able, and that we ought to do for the help of souls. For though they should not be converted, and though their conversion be certainly a good, we ought to desire and to rejoice at extremely when it happens, as we read that our Saviour rejoiced in spirit for the fruit that his disciples had brought forth in their mission; yet after all we shall not be accountable for it, but they only to whom we have preached the word of God. So that as each one ought to give an account of what regards himself, so we shall only be accountable whether or not we have acquitted ourselves well of our functions, and they, whether they have profited by the instructions they have received from us. Neither our merit, then, nor the goodness and perfection of our actions, depend upon the effect they produce in others; on the contrary, I may here add one thing that cannot but comfort us when we do not succeed in our endeavours. It is, that our recompense and merit are so far from depending upon what we do, that in some measure we merit more when we produce no fruit than when we produce a great deal; as we merit more by persevering im prayer, notwithstanding all distractions and dryness, than when we persevere amidst sweetness and consolations. For, as St. Gregory justly observes, it ought. to give a preacher a great deal of satisfaction, courage, and force, to see himself followed by crowds, and to know that he produces great fruit by his sermons; and, on the contrary, it is of itself sorrowful and afflicting not to see himself followed, nor to produce any fruit. So that not to be dejected by this, but still to continue to preach the word of God as if we were numerously followed, and as if we made great progress in souls, this is to have great purity of zeal, and is a true mark that we labour purely for God.

It is with this purity of zeal, and this disengagement from ourselves, we ought to exercise our functions, proposing for our chief end and aim not to produce fruit, but faithfully to acquit ourselves, and to accomplish the will of God, for this is precisely what he requires of us. And thus neither the pains we take will check us, nor our ill success discourage us or deprive us of peace of mind, to which those are strangers who aim at success alone.

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