CHAPTER IV
OF THE SETTING OF MAN'S LIFE
So that a man may be righteously directed
to the worship of God and to his own profit and the profit of his neighbour,
four things are to be said.
First: what is it that defiles a man. There are
three sins, or three kinds of sin; that is to say of thought, of mouth and of
work. A man sins in thought when he thinks aught against God. If he occupies
his heart not with the praise and loving of God, but suffers it to be
abstracted or stirred with divers thoughts, and to go void in the world. In
mouth he sins when he lies; when he forswears; when he curses; when he
backbites; when he defends a wrong; when he uses fond speech, or foul speech;
or brings forth vain things or idle. In deed he sins many wise: by lechery;
touching sinfully, or kissing; defiling himself wilfully; or, without great
cause, procuring or sustaining occasions by which he trows he might be defiled;
in robbing; stealing; beguiling; smiting; and other such.
Secondly: which are they that cleanse a man? And
they are three, against the three aforesaid, that is to say: Contrition of
thought and pulling out of desires that belong not to the praise or worship
of God and love of Him. Confession of mouth, that ought to be timely,
bare, and whole. Satisfaction of deed, that has three parts, that is to
say: Fasting because he has sinned against himself; prayer because he has
sinned against God; alms because he has sinned against his neighbour. Yet I say
not he should do alms of other men's goods, but he should restore; for sin is
not forgiven unless that that is withdrawn, be restored.
Third: which things keep cleanness of heart? And
they are three: lively thought of God, that there be no time in which thou
thinkest not of God except in sleep that is common to all; busy keeping of
thine outwards wits, that tasting, savouring, hearing, and seeing they may
wisely be restrained under the bridle of governance. The third is honest
occupation, as reading of holy writ, speaking of God, writing, or some other
good deed doing.
There are three things also that save cleanness
of mouth: avisedness of speech; to eschew mickle speech; and to hate lying.
Also three things keep cleanness of working:
moderation in meat; fleeting ill company; and oft to mind of death.
The fourth: which things are they that allure us
to conform us to God's will? And there are three. First, the example of
creatures, that is had by consideration; the goodliness of God, that is gotten
by meditation and prayer: and mirth, of the heavenly kingdom, that is felt in a
manner by contemplation.
The man of God set to live in this wise shall be
as a tree that is set by running waters--that is the flowing of grace--so that
he shall always be green in virtue and never be dry by sin; and shall give
fruit in time; that is, he shall give good works as an example, and good words
to the worship of God, and these he shall not sell for vainglory. He says `in
time' against them that give example of fasting in time of eating, and the
reverse way also; and against covetous men that give their fruit when it is
rotten; or else they give not until they die.
Therefore he prays wisely who says: Bonitatem
et disciplinam et scientiam doce me, that is to say: `goodliness,
discipline and knowledge teach me.' What is discipline but the setting of, or
correcting, of manners? First therefore we are taught righteousness, and
corrected of ill by discipline; and after that we know what we should do, or
what we should eschew. At the last we savour not fleshly things, but
everlasting heavenly and godly.
And when a man with all busyness has dressed
himself to the will of his Maker and grown in virtue, and has passed another
that peradventure went before, in steadfastness of living and desire of Christ,
he ought not thereof to joy nor give praise to himself, nor trow himself better
than others--although they be low--but rather hold himself as the foulest and
most wretched. He shall deem no man but himself, and all others set before
himself; he shall not desire to be called holy of men, but worthy to be
despised. When he comes amongst men, he should procure to be last in number and
least in opinion; for the greater thou art the more shouldest thou meek thyself
in all things and then thou shalt find grace before God to be made high. For
the might of God is great, and honoured by the meek; therefore it is despised
by the proud, for they seek their own joy not God's worship.
Truly if thou takest with gladness the favour of
the people and the honour of men that is done to thee for thy holiness and good
fame in this life, know it well thou hast received thy meed. And if thou
seemest marvellous in penance and chastity whiles thou joyest more in man's joy
than in angels' in the time to come nought but tormentry shall be for thee.
Therefore thou oughtest perfectly to despise thyself, and entirely to forsake
all joy of this world, and to think nor do nothing but in the sight of God's
love, that all thy life, inward and outward, may cry the praise of God.
In meat and drink be thou scarce and wise. Whiles
thou eatest or drinkest let not the memory of thy God that feeds thee pass from
thy mind; but praise, bless, and glorify Him in ilka morsel, so that thy heart
be more in God's praising than in thy meat, that thy soul be not parted from
God at any hour. Thus doing, before Christ Jesu thou shalt be worthy a crown,
and the temptations of the fiend, that in meat and drink awaits most men and
beguiles them, thou shalt eschew. Either soothly by immoderately taking of food
they are cast down from the height of virtue, or by too mickle abstinence they
break down that virtue.
Many truly there are that always fluctuate in
eating, so that over little or over mickle they always take; and the form of
living they never keep whiles they trow that now this, now that, be better. The
unwise and untaught, which have never felt the sweetness of Christ's love, trow
that unwise abstinence be holiness; and they trow they can not be worthy of
great meed with God unless they be known as singular of all men by scarceness
and unrighteous abstinence.
But truly abstinence by itself is not holiness,
but if it be discreet it helps us to be holy. If it be indiscreet it lets
holiness, because it destroys discipline, without which virtues are turned to
vice. If a man would be singular in abstinence he ought to eschew the sight of
men and their praising, that he be not proud for nought and so lose all: for
men truly ween they be holiest that they see most abstinent, when in truth
ofttimes they are the worst.
He certain that has truly tasted the sweetness of
endless love shall never deem himself to pass any man in abstinence, but the
lower he supposes himself in abstinence with himself, the more he shall be held
marvellous with men. The best thing, and as I suppose pleasing to God, is to
conform thyself in meat and drink to the time and place and estate of them with
whom thou art; so that thou seem not to be wilful nor a feigner of religion.
Know it truly, without doubt, if one or two think
well of him, yet others will call him an hypocrite or a feigner. But there are
some covetous of vainglory that in no wise will be holden as common men; for
either they eat so little that they always draw the speech of men to them, or
they procure other manner of meats to be seen diverse from others: whose
madness and obstinacy be far from me.
Truly it is wholesome counsel that they that fast
little give preference to them of greater abstinence, and since they may not do
so great abstinence be sorry in mind. And they that are of great abstinence
should trow others higher in virtue; whose virtue, in which they surpass, is
hidden to men, whiles their virtue, that is to say abstinence, is praised of
many. But unless it be dight with meekness and charity before Christ, it is
nought.
It behoves him truly to be strong that will
manfully use the love of God. The flesh being enfeebled with great disease
ofttimes a man cannot pray, and then mickle more he cannot lift himself to high
things with hot desire. I would rather therefore that a man failed for the
greatness of love than for too mickle fasting; as the spouse said of herself:
Nunciate dilecto quia amore langueo; that is: `Show thyself to my love,
for I long for love.'
Be thou therefore steadfast in all thy ways and
dress thy life after the rule shown to thee, and if thou may not get that thou
desirest in the beginning mistrust not, but abide; for by long use and time
thou shalt come to perfection.
If thou be a pilgrim and rest by the way,
whatever thou dost in this life to God ever have an eye. Let not thy thought go
from Him; think that time lost in which thou thinkest not of God. In the night
praise Him and desire His love, that sleep may not find thee in any other wise
occupied than praying or thinking of God. See that thou flow not with vain
thoughts, nor give thyself to many charges, but study to get and hold this
steadfastness of mind so that thou dread not the wretchedness of this world nor
desire the goods thereof unmannerly. He that dreads to suffer adversity knows
not yet how it behoves us to despise the world; and he that joys in earthly
things is far from everlasting things.
To the virtue of strength truly belong all
adversities and prosperities; and also to despise death for endless life. And
charity is to desire only heavenly things. A perfect lover forsooth joys to
die, and suffers life meekly. To which perfection if thou ascend by the gift of
Christ, yet shalt thou not be without tribulation and temptation: to show which
our words shall turn.