Chapter
Two:
Whether or No It Can Be That One Should Never be Sad, and Whether
this State
Is to be Brought About in the Same Way in Which We Conform Our Will to
the Divine
SOLOMON,
a
very ocean and prodigy of human wisdom, fearlessly declared,-----"Whatsoever
shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad." (Prov. XII. 21.)
That wisest of kings is speaking of casual things which befall a person
of upright mind contrary to his will, just as if he said,-----"Voluntary
evils, such as sins and injuries, make a man anxious, however good he
may be, and afflict him with grief; but those freaks of fortune, such
as loss of wealth or honour, failure of health, and death of those who
are dear, do not so much afflict and torment an upright man, as to
prevent him from very often reckoning such things to be benefits, and
not consider them evils, but believe them to be for the exercise of his
patience, and give God thanks for them, as is right. For to an upright
mind every calamity is an occasion of virtue."
And that a
just man may receive external evils of
any kind with steadfast and cheerful mind S. Paul gives the most
abundant testimony:-----"I
am filled with comfort, I exceedingly abound with joy in all our
tribulation." (2 Cor. VII. 4.) Not merely in hunger or thirst, not only
in bonds or stripes, but in all troubles and difficulties,-----"In ALL
our tribulation." Nor am I
affected with merely a passing joy, he would say, but-----"I
am filled with comfort, I exceedingly abound
with joy!" even when I am beaten with rods, when I am stoned, when I
suffer shipwreck. S. Martin, Bishop of Tours, was never seen, during a
period of many years, by Severus Sulpicius either to be angry or
sorrowful, but always calm and self-possessed. And thus in truth
"whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad." S.
Chrysostom (In 2 Cor. Hom. I)
entirely confirms this when he says,-----"There
is nothing miserable, save the offending against God; but this apart,
neither afflictions, nor conspiracies, nor any other thing has power to
grieve the right-minded soul; but like as a little spark, if you cast
it into a mighty deep you presently put it out, so does even a total
and excessive sorrow, if it light on a good conscience, easily die away
and disappear." And the same Doctor of the Golden-mouth, in order to
bring the matter more clearly before our eyes, compares the mind to the
sky, and says,-----"The sky is higher than showers and
storms. It is obscured, indeed, with clouds, and is thought to suffer,
but it suffers nothing at all. And in the same way we too, even though
we are thought to suffer, suffer nothing; that is to say, we are
thought to be obscured with sadness, as if with clouds, but we are not
made sad." S. Ambrose (D.. Off. III. 5) also says,-----"Granted,
that in such things, that is to say, in labours, there is some degree
of bitterness. Yet what grief does not virtue hide? For I should not
deny that the sea is deep, because its shore is shallow; nor that the
sky is bright, because it is sometimes covered with clouds; nor that
the earth is fruitful, because in some places there is only barren
gravel; nor that crops are abundant, because they occasionally have
wild oats intermingled with them. And in the same way believe that the
harvest of a good conscience is sometimes interrupted by a bitter
grief; but yet if any adversity or sorrow befall the sheaves of a
blessed life, it is hidden, like the wild oats; or like the bitterness
of the darnel is overcome by the sweetness of the good corn." Therefore
"whatsoever shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad." He
will feel sadness, but will
not yield
to it. The sky will be covered with clouds, but will not be disturbed
in its serenity. Darnel will mingle with the wheat, but will not harm
it. To be insensible to one's
own evils is not the part of any man; to be unable to bear them is not
the part
of a good man.
1. But it is
not only Christian wisdom that
receives this, for even to the ancients such vigour of soul was not
unknown. Truly enough did the Bard of Venusium sing (HOR. Carm. III.
Ode 3):-----"A
man who is just and firm of purpose neither the frenzy of citizens
inciting him to wrong, nor the look of a threatening tyrant, shakes
from his steadfast resolution. If the crumbling world totters to its
fall, the ruins will beat against a fearless man." Yes, let all things
be thrown into utter confusion, let the sky itself fall, and beneath
this crumbling mass the heart which trusts in God will not fear. And
most abundant are the promises which may fortify such a heart
beforehand. "Touch ye not My anointed" (Ps. CIV. 15), exclaims God,
those, that is to say, whom I have anointed with the oil of My Grace.
And truly is it said,-----"The
souls of the just are in the Hand of God, the torment of death shall
not touch them." (Wisd. III. 1) And again,-----"He
that toucheth you toucheth the apple of My eye." (Zach. 11.8.) And S.
John bears record (1 Ep. V. 18),-----"We
know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not (that is to say, not
violating charity by deadly sin); but the generation of God preserveth
him, and the wicked one toucheth him not," with such power, that is to
say, as to be able to overcome him.
Sennacherib,
King of Assyria, besieged all the
cities of Juda, but he was not able to take Jerusalem; nay, he did not
even lay siege to it, or see it. Isaias distinctly declares:-----"Thus
saith the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians, He shall not come
into this city, nor shoot an arrow into it, nor come before it with
shield, nor cast a trench about it." (Isaias XXXVII. 33) And so the
just man, whose law is the Will of God, is perfectly impregnable:-----"Whatsoever
shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad." Even though pain
racks all his limbs, although poverty pinches him, although a thousand
troubles press upon him, yet with erect and lofty soul he binds himself
closely to God, and even then conforms himself entirely to the Divine
Will. And why should he not be able to do this? He has the arms of love
free-----arms
which can never be bound by any fetters, if he wills that they should
oot be bound, arms which will cleave to the Divine Will with an eternal
embrace, if he only desires it.
It is related
of a man of great learning and piety, that, when he was in the utmost
difficulties, he was accustomed to say------"Hail,
thou most bitter sorrow! Hail, thou that art full of grace and blessing
!" And what is tRis but with Socrates the philosopher to drink the
hemlock even with a smile? Or let me rather say, what is it but with
the Apostle Andrew to embrace the cross, saluting it even at a
distance? In this way, in truth, we salute the hedge (as the saying is)
on account of the garden; and for the sake of the fruit we love thetree
also.
2. But you may
object that this is the way we talk
in the schools, but that we live differently at home. Hunger, you say,
disgrace, loss of goods, and painful diseases please no one, since they
assail him so fiercely; and the man must be made of iron whose
cheerfulness such battering-rams as these do not break down.
But if you
will allow me to say so, you seem to be akin to the friends of Job, to
whose faces he said,-----"You
are all troublesome comforters; my eye poureth out tears to God." (Job
XVI. 2. 21) It pours out tears; I deny it not; and this is not
pleasure: but it pours them out to God; and this is solid joy. "God
will not cast away the simple nor reach out His hand to the
evildoer: until thy mouth be filled with laughter, and thy lips with
rejoicing." (Job VIII. 20, 21) "Have pity on me, have pity on me, at
least you my friends, because the Hand of the Lord hath touched me."
(Job XIX. 21) To be smitten by this Hand is more blessed than to be
caressed by any other. This Hand of the Lord works a thorough cure,
even by the touch alone. When it smites it brings not disease, but
health, not death, but life. This was Job's reply to his friends, and
this is what I say to you. Why do we not, then, award to God at least
the same amount of praise which we bestow on a surgeon, when he has
skilfully opened a tumour with the knife, and we say,-----"Well
done, my good sir, from this wound which you have made I look for
health." We praise a physician also when, with most beneficial effect,
he mixes a viper with his antidote to snake's poison. And why do we
find fault with God if He mingles with His medicines human mischieJ and
injuries? Let us be assured that He has a reason for what He does; even
though there is no evidence of it to us. But meanwhile, we who are so
full of complaints, murmur secretly against God,-----"O
Lord, how sharply does thy Hand strike me! Thy Arms are too strong to
beat me I" But do not charge God, my Christian friend, that He is too
strong to chastise you. It is you who are too delicate to endure
punishment. Only if it pleases you, must the wind be bitter; if anyone
approaches you to let out some putrid matter, you immediately think
that you are going to be killed. "The just is as an everlasting
foundation. The just shall never be moved." (Prov. x. 2.5, 30) He
stands at length in that place whence nothing can drive him away, and
where nothing can alarm him:-----"Whatsoever
shall befall the just man, it shall not make him sad."
3. Let the
soul, then, carry itself high over all
difficulties to God; resting on the Divine Will' in such a way as that
things which casually happen neither elevate nor crush it, and so that
its true pleasure may be the contempt of pleasure. And the soul which
is thus I unfettered, which is fearless and firm, which is independent
of ignoble fear, blind lust, or foul desires, to which God and the
Divine Will is its one good, and its one evil declension from God and
the Divine Will, such a soul as this, I say, shall not be made sad.
When it is thus firmly fixed there must of necessity follow, whether it
wills or not, perpetual cheerfulness, and a joy which itself is deep,
and which springs from the deep. Other kinds of joy are either base or
insecure, and altogether independent of man. And those with which the
multitude are beguiled have but a slight and! superficial pleasure.
Whatever joy is of foreign growth wants solid foundation. But far
otherwise is it with the joy of a just man, for that springs from
himself, and is trustworthy and sure, and is contin"' I ually
increasing, and remains even to the end, observe,-----remains
even to the end. And this is evident even to reason itself, for virtue
alone bestows joy, which is PERPETUAL and unshaken; since even if any
difficulty arises it only comes in its way like clouds, which are borne
rapidly along beneath, and never entirely hide the daylight. It may be
said with truth that the soul which is firmly fixed on the Divine Will
resembles the condition of the Universe beyond the moon-----"Broken
in its perpetual calm by no cloud" (LUCAN), since that higher and
serener part of creation is neither swept by clouds, nor driven to
tempest, nor lashed into whirlwinds, but is free from every disturbing
element. And in the same way the soul which is constantly fixed on the
Divine Will is tranquil, and from being placed in a calm retreat, is
equable and composed; nothing that happens will sadden it. Not,
however, that the just man will be perpetually in the excitement of
Society, or the distractions of the world; his joy is calm and secret,
and is joined with gravity, and even with severity: for it consists in
nothing but internal repose, and peace, and concord of soul, and
greatness of mind combined with meekness. But such qualities as these
are wanting to the wicked and to fools; for with them their very lusts
rage and fight together; and in their souls there always are whole
legions and encampments, as it were, of foul and bitter thoughts.
4. Thus, then,
although the just man feels
afflictions (for no amount of virtue deprives a man of the sense of
feeling), yet he does not dread them, but looks down from a lofty
height upon his sorrows, being altogether unconquered by them. The
Roman philosopher (SENECA, de Prov.
2) says most truthfully,-----"No evil can happen to a
good man;"-----just
as if he were an swering an objector;-adversity, I grant you, may
befall him, but evil never. Here, therefore, you are mistaken. For just
as so many rivers which flow into the sea do not alter the taste of its
water, nor indeed make any sensible change in it, so the violent
assault of adversity does not affect the mind of a brave man. He
remains firmly fixed in his position, and, happen what will, he colours
it according to his taste; for he is beyond the control of all external
things: nay, more than this, he is not even conscious of their power,
but masters them,
and raises himself up so as quietly and calmly, to meet the
difficulties which advance in his path. All adverse things he regards
as discipline. And such a man in truth was Job; such was King David.
"For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death," he
says, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." (Ps. XXII. 4.) "If
God be for us, who is against us?" (Rom. VIII. 31) "If God is for me,"
Paulinus used to say, "then even a spider's web will be to me like a
triple wall; but if He is against me, then this same web, so slender as
it is, will be able to restrain me better than any wall." Of a truth,-----"The
just cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all
their troubles." (Ps. XXXIII. 18) David proclaimed to the world:-----"I
sought the Lord, and He heard me: and He delivered me from all my
troubles." (Ps. XXXIII. 5) Therefore,-----"Blessed
be God, Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we also may be
able to comfort them who are in all distress, by the exhortation
wherewith we also are exhorted by God." (2 Cor. I. 3, 4) Whatever, in
fine, happens, it will not make the just sad. For as no one could touch
the apple of Christ's eye, but he by whom Christ willed that it should
be touched, so it is a most certain truth, that not so much as a hair
can be taken away from the , just man unless God so wills it. But if he
knows what is pleasing to God, he immediately exclaims,-----"
'Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven!' Whatever befalls me
according to the Divine Will will not make me sad." And therefore
Isaias the prophet sends out messengers, as it were, to all men of
upright mind, and bids them say to them,-----"Say to the
just man that it is well." (Isaias III. 10) But tell me, I pray you, O
prophet, suppose that this man's beloved wife has died; nevertheless,
he replies, say to him, "it is well." But suppose his house is burnt
down; still say, "it is well." But he has lost his office and all his
interest: "it is well." Or he has experienced a great falling away of
honour: "it is well." He has already witnessed the death of all his
children: still say to him, "it is well." Or he has lost an immense sum
of money: "it is well," -----for
he himself would have been lost if his money had not been lost before
him.
Jacob slept in
the open air; the earth was his
couch, and a stone his pillow. It was a rugged sleep, I ween. But he
saw Angels ascending and descending, and the Lord Himself standing
above the ladder. (Gen. XXVIII. 10-13) And so to many people all things
seem stony enough; but they know that Angels, who never slumber, are
watching around them, and they behold God the constant spectator of
their afflictions, so thatnothing which happens to them makes them sad:
-----"The
just are bold as a lion." (Prov. XXVIII. 1) Alphonsus, the celebrated
King of Naples and Aragon, when he was quite an old man, used to read
Livy and Caesar every day, and translated the Epistles of Seneca into
the Spanish tongue, and (lest you should think, good reader, that he
was versed in profane writers alone) also read the whole Bible, Old and
New Testament, together with commentaries on it, fourteen times, and
this not in a hurried way either, but line by line. This king, I say,
so justly famed for his piety and learning, has left the following
Divine memorial to posterity, among many other sayings. Once upon a
time he was asked whom he should call happy in this world, and he
replied,-----"I
judge that man to be perfectly happy in this life who commits himself
with entire devotion and affection to the Lord his God, and approves
and receives whatever befalls him in no other way than as what is done
by God." And may we not say that this is an oracle, and that it is a
voice which comes to us from Heaven? An Angel could not have spoken
more truly or devoutly.
5. Heraclides
of Alexandria (Paradisus,
I.) relates that he went to see S. Dorotheus, who, for sixty years, had
lived a life of the greatest sanctity in a cave. Having been sent by
him to a fountain to draw some water, he saw an aspic swimming in the
pool, and instantly returned with the pitcher empty. Dorotheus smiled,
and after looking at him for some time, said, as he gently shook his
head,-----"If
God were to allow the devil to throw aspics into every well, would you,
then, abstain altogether from drink ?" Presently he came out of his
cave and went to the fountain, where he drew some water, and having
made the sign of the Cross over it, he said, while drinking the health
of Heraclides,-----"Where
the Cross is, there the devices of Satan are powerless." The just is
bold as a lion, and will be free from terror. "Whatsoever shall befall
the just man, it shall not make him sad."
But in order
that what is here related in words may be exemplified in act, S.
Chrysostom (Hom. v. ad. Pop.)
furnishes us with two pieces of advice. First of all,-----"When
pains of different kinds are experienced in the body, it generally
happens that one is less acutely felt than the other. For example, if a
person has a finger which has been injured and is festering, and at the
same time is suffering violent pain in his stomach or head, he says
nothing about his finger, but complains of the pain he feels in his
stomach or head. And in the same way," says S. Chrysostom, "if loss of
money or of honour and reputation, or any other calamity, encourages
you to grieve, then excite in yourself contrition for your sins, and
begin to mourn over them. Meditate upon the unspeakable insults and
pains under- gone by Christ when scourged at the pillar, dragged along
through the streets, and fastened on the Cross, and then recognize the
punishment due to your sins. This sorrow will prevent the other from
being felt, or will certainly mitigate it if it is felt." And so Christ
says,-----"Fear
ye not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear Him That can destroy both body and soul into Hell." (Matt.
X. 28.) Our Lord desires that fear should be vanquished by fear, and
that the one should be consumed by the other, so that "whatsoever shall
befall the just man, it shall not make him sad."
Secondly, a
plaster must be applied to a part
which is injured and not to a sound limb, nor to a part for which it is
not adapted. Eye-salve is good for the eyes, but not. for the arms. A
pill is meant to be swallowed, and not to be used as a bandage for the
foot. A cataplasm is to be applied to a sore, and not to the sound
flesh near it. And precisely in the same way sorrow does not cure loss
of money, or honour, or disease, or any ill of this kind. Wear yourself
out, if you choose, with grief, do nothing but weep, and you will not
be one whit the better; you will not bring back your money, or honour,
or health by weeping, but you will increase your loss and pain. And the
reason is this. Sorrow is the proper remedy for sin. By this antidote
is that plague to be cured. Apply this cataplasm to that sore. Grieve
that you have sinned, not that you have lost your money. And with great
wisdom does S. Chrysostom (Hom. v.
ad. Pop.) admonish us of this when he says,-----"Has
anyone lost his money? He is overpowered with grief, but has not
thereby repaired his loss. Has another lost his child? He has mourned,
but has not brought the dead to life again. Has another been scourged?
He has grieved, but has not done away with the disgrace. Has another
been attacked with a most painful disease? He has lamented, and yet has
not removed the disease, but has only made it the harder to cure. Do
you perceive that sorrow profits none of these? But has anyone sinned?
He has grieved, and has blotted out his sin, and has discharged his
debt." Most plainly does S. Paul say,-----"You
were made sorrowful according to God, that you might suffer damage by
us in nothing. For the sorrow that is according to God worketh penance
steadfast unto salvation; but the sorrow of the world worketh death."
(2 Cor. VII. 9, 10) Sorrow, therefore, is both a medicine and a poison,
according to the way in which you use it. Ten thousand times, then, do
I repeat,-----"Whatsoever shall befall the just man,
it shall not make him sad."
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