CHAPTER XXV
Of two evil Fruits that do spring up from the Seed of the Evil
Spirit, and are two Sisters who love to dwell together. The one is called
spiritual Pride and Highmindedness, the other is false, lawless Freedom.
Now, after that a man hath walked in all the ways that lead him unto the truth,
and exercised himself therein, not sparing his labour; now, as often and as
long as he dreameth that his work is altogether finished, and he is by this
time quite dead to the world, and come out from Self and given up to God alone,
behold! the Devil cometh and soweth his seed in the man's heart. From this seed
spring two fruits; the one is spiritual fulness or pride, the other is false,
lawless freedom. These are two sisters who love to be together. Now, it
beginneth on this wise: the Devil puffeth up the man, till he thinketh himself
to have climbed the topmost pinnacle, and to have come so near to heaven, that
he no longer needeth Scripture, nor teaching, nor this nor that, but is
altogether raised above any need. Whereupon there ariseth a false peace and
satisfaction with himself, and then it followeth that he saith or thinketh:
"Yea, now I am above all other men, and know and understand more than any one
in the world; therefore it is certainly just and reasonable that I should be
the lord and commander of all creatures, and that all creatures, and especially
all men, should serve me and be subject unto me." And then he seeketh and
desireth the same, and taketh it gladly from all creatures, especially men, and
thinketh himself well worthy of all this, and that it is his due, and looketh
on men as if they were the beasts of the field, and thinketh himself worthy of
all that ministereth to his body and life and nature, in profit, or joy, or
pleasure, or even pastime and amusement, and he seeketh and taketh it wherever
he findeth opportunity. And whatever is done or can be done for him, seemeth
him all too little and too poor, for he thinketh himself worthy of still more
and greater honour than can be rendered to him. And of all the men who serve
him and are subject to him, even if they be downright thieves and murderers, he
saith nevertheless, that they have faithful, noble hearts, and have great love
and faithfulness to the truth and to poor men. And such men are praised by him,
and he seeketh them and followeth after them wherever they be. But he who doth
not order himself according to the will of these high-minded men, nor is
subject unto them, is not sought after by them, nay, more likely blamed and
spoken ill of, even though he were as holy as St. Peter himself. And seeing
that this proud and puffed-up spirit thinketh that she needeth neither
Scripture, nor instruction, nor anything of the kind, therefore she giveth no
heed to the admonitions, order, laws and precepts of the holy Christian Church,
nor to the Sacraments, but mocketh at them and at all men who walk according to
these ordinances and hold them in reverence. Hereby we may plainly see that
those two sisters dwell together.
Moreover since this sheer pride thinketh to
know and understand more than all men besides, therefore she chooseth to prate
more than all other men, and would fain have her opinions and speeches to be
alone regarded and listened to, and counteth all that others think and say to
be wrong, and holdeth it in derision as a folly.