CHAPTER II
OF THE DESPISING OF THE WORLD
To despise this world is to pass through
this life without the love of all temporal and passing things; to seek nothing
in this world but God; for all vainglory and solace not to care; scarcely to
take thy necessaries, and if they sometimes want, to bear it goodly. This is
the despising of this world. Have this in mind if thou wilt not be slain
through love of it. Thus is the world despised and not loved.
All soothly that we love, we worship; it is also
foul to worship dirt, that is to love earthly things. Therefore these rich
niggards bind themselves thrall in most foul filth and stink, and joy to be
called lords of men, though they be servants of sin. If a man be lord of men,
that is not of nature but of fortune. That man is subject to vice is from a
froward will. Put away therefore thy wicked will, and thou shalt be free from
the fiend and from sin and made the servant of righteousness that teaches thee
not to love earthly things.
Covetousness of the world and the love of God
truly are contrary, and rest not together in one soul. The place is so strait,
that one falls out. The more soothly thou castest out covetousness the more
thou tastest God's love. The more covetousness, the less charity.
O wretched soul, what seekest thou in this world
where thou seest that all things re deceitful and passing? They soonest beguile
thee that most flatter thee. Why busiest thou thyself for mortal things? Why
yearnest thou with great desire for the things that shall perish? Seest thou
not that they perish sooner than they are gotten? `But I wot where thou
dwellest, where Satan's seat is; that has blinded thine eyes and by his
falsehoods has scorned thee: so that thou shouldest desire fleeting things, and
love hateful things, and despise abiding things, and be drawn to things
vanishing. And so thou settest thyself on a false ground, and when thou weenest
to stand thou fallest into the fire.
The dwellers in temporal plenty are beguiled by
five things that they love: by riches; by dignity; by will; by power; and by
honours. These bind them in sin, and constrain them in defaults; with these
lusts they are overcome, and never are loosed but by death; but their loosing
is too late when there is no more save endless pain. This lets them from
despising the world; from God's love; from knowledge of themselves; from the
desire for the heavenly kingdom. No man may be saved unless he cease to love
the world with all that is therein. Cease therefore whiles heat is in the body
and the fair age of youth yet abides.
What things shall delight him that disposes
himself to love Christ? He will despise youth and will keep his strength for
God; riches he counts for nought; he will take heed that this fairness is vain,
and grace deceitful. Whereto shall I run on one by one? He shall perfectly
despise all things that in this world pass as a shadow.
O lover of the flesh, what findest thou in thy
flesh wherefore thou so delightest in it? Does the form or shape please thee,
or hast thou now thy joy in a skin? Why takest thou not heed what is hid under
the skin? Or knowest thou not that fleshly fairness is the covering of filth,
and the dregs of corruption, and oft the cause of damnation? Therefore be it
enough for thee, all other things being despised, to love God; to praise God;
with God to be; in God to joy; and from Him not to part; but to cleave to Him
with unslakened desire.
The world itself compels us to despise the world
that is so full of wretchedness; in which is abiding malice, destroying
persecution, swelling wrath, fretting lust, false blaming for sin, and
bitterness of slander; where all things are confused and withouten order; where
neither righteousness is loved nor truth approved; where faithfulness is
unfaithful, and friendship cruel, that stands in prosperity and falls in
adversity.
There are yet other things that should move us to
the despising of the world: the changeableness of time; shortness of this life;
death sicker; the chance of death unsicker; the stableness of everlastingness
and the vanity of things present; the truth of the joys to come.
Choose what thou wilt. If thou love the world,
with it thou shalt perish; if thou love Christ, with Him thou shalt reign.