The sinner's guide...

Book II. The Doctrine Of Virtue

WITH

NECESSARY INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE FOR MAKING A MAN VIRTUOUS.

BY THE REV. F. LEV^^IS,

OF GRANADA, PROVrNCLAL OF THE ORDER OF ST. DOMINICK, IN THE KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL.

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The " Sinner's Guide," by Father Lewis, of Granada, is a work highly celebrated for its great practical usefulness to all who seek to persevere in virtue, and is recommended as such to the Catholics of this diocess.

Preface

SAY to the just man, that it is well ; Isa. iii. 10. This is a message from God, delivered by the prophet Isaias, to all the just ; it is the shortest in words, and the most copious in bounty, that could have been sent. Men are usually free in promising, but slow in performing ; God, on the contrary, is so hberal and magnificent in performing, that all the expressions of his promises are infinitely short of his actions. For what could be expressed shorter than the aforesaid sentence. Say to the just man, that it is well? Yet how comprehensive is this word well ! which I conceive was, therefore, not enlarged upon or distinguished, that men might be sensible no words were sufficient fully to express it, nor any distinction requisite to declare what sort of blessings were compre- u t^ hended under this w^ord well, which includes all that can be imagined. ' ' So that, as when Moses asked of God w^hat name he had, the answer was. He that is, without adding any other word, to show that his being was not limited and bounded, but that it comprehended every being and perfection which belongs to the said Being, without mixture of imperfection ; so here he delivered this short word well, Avithout explaining it, to signify that all the blessings the heart of man is capable of desiring, are contained under this promise God makes to the just man in reward of his virtue, expressed by the single monosyllable well.

2. This is the main subject I design, by the help of God, to treat of in this book, adding such rules and instructions as are proper to make a man virtuous. Accordingly, it shall be divided into two principal parts. The first will show how much it is our duty to follow virtue, and the inestimable benefits and advantages we reap by so doing ; the second shall treat of a virtuous life, and prescribe a method and directions for attaining it. For there are two things requisite towards making a man virtuous ; the one is, that he really desire to be such ; the other, that he know how to compass it. The first book shall answer the end of the former of these two points ; the second, the latter ; since, as Plutarch very well observes, " those who excite us to virtue, and teach us not the way to it, are like those that fight a lamp, but put in no oil to feed the flame."

3. Though this second part be so necessary, yet the first is much

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more absolutely so, for the light and law of nature, born with us, teach us how to distinguish between good and evil ; but there are great contradictions and impediments proceeding from sin, both within and without man, which obstruct his loving the one, and hating the other. For man being composed of spirit and flesh, and each of these naturally inclining to its likeness, the flesh seeks carnal things, in which the vice is predominant, and the spirit spiritual things, in which virtue prevails. Thus the spirit suffers much contradiction from the flesh, which regards nothing but what is dehghtful, and whose desires and appetites are violent, since the guilt of original sin broke the reins of original justice, which served to curb them. Nor is it the flesh alone that opposes the spirit, but the world, which, as St. John says, is armed on all sides with vice; as also the devil, the mortal enemy of virtue ; and the ill custom of habit, become a second nature, at least in those that have been long in it ; and, therefore, it cannot be denied to be a matter of great difficulty, and which requires some assistance, to break through all these obstacles and contradictions, and to desire, sincerely and heartily, to be virtuous, in spite of the flesh and all its confederates.

4. The design of the first of these two books is to give some assistance in this point ; w^herein I have used my utmost endeavors to bring all the arguments this work would admit of in behalf of virtue, showing the great advantages that attend it, both in this life and in the next ; as also how much we are obliged to pursue it, because God requires it of us, to whom our duty is so great, as well in regard to what he is in himself, as what he is towards us.

5. The motive I had to treat this subject was, that I saw most men extol virtue and follow vice, and conceived that, among many other causes which produced this evil, one was, that such persons did not understand the nature and properties of virtue, looking upon it as harsh, barren and dull : and, therefore, believing vice to be more delightful, they give themselves wholly up to it, utterly casting off virtue, which they suppose to be distasteful. Being, therefore, concerned to see mankind thus deluded, I resolved to take the pains here to describe the inestimable worth, amiableness, dignity and beauty of this heavenly spouse, and to make appear how little she is known, that this might undeceive and induce them to fall in love with what so well deserves it. For if it be true, that virtue is one of the most excellent things in heaven or on earth, and which best merits love and esteem, it is a great misfortune that man should so little know, and keep at such a distance from this great good ; and, therefore, he does the public signal service who endeavors to restore this lady to her honor, and seat her on her royal throne, since she is sovereign queen and mistress of all things.

6. Before I enter on it, I will show by an example with what

PREFACE. 6

attention this work is to be read. The heathens write of their renowned Hercules, that, being grown up to those years when men use to choose what course of life they will follow, he retired to a solitary place to consider seriously upon this matter, where there occurred to him two distinct methods of living, the one of virtue, the other of pleasure ; and after weighing both of them maturely, he at last resolved to follow the way of virtue, and forsake that of delight. If any thing in this world requires good advice, and a steady resolution, it is the same: for if we so often make reflection on those things which are for the benefit of life, how much more application ought we to make for the business of life itself, especially since in the world there are many guides and ways of living.

7. This it is, Christian reader, I would have you do, and what I invite you to, viz. that laying aside for a short time, all the cares and business of the world, you withdraw yourself into this spiritual solitude, and diligently consider what course of life you had best to steer. Remember that, among all worldly concerns, there is none requires more solicitude, and a longer study, than the choice of what life we are to follow : for, if tliis be rightly instituted, all other things will go right ; and, on the contrary, if this be mistaken, every thing else will go wrong. So that to be right or wrong, in other cases, concerns only particulars ; this alone is universal and comprehends all. For what can be built upon an ill foundation ? What will all other prosperities, and prudential acts signify, if life itself be disorderly ? Or what harm can all adversities and mistakes do, if life be duly formed ? What is a man advantaged (says our Saviour) if he gain the whole world and lose himself, and cast away himself? Luke ix. 25. So that there is not, under the sun, any business of more moment to be treated than this ; nor is there any that more nearly concerns man ; for it is not his honor or fortune that lies at stake here, but the life of his soul, and everlasting bliss. Do not, therefore, read this cursorily, as you do other things, turning over many leaves, and hastening to the end, but sit down like a judge on the tribunal of your heart, and give ear to these words vdth silence and attention. This is no business to be done with precipitation, but requires much sedateness, as treating of the whole business of life, and all that depends on it. Consider how nice you are in examining worldly affairs, since you will not stand to the judgment of one bench, but appeal to higher courts and judges, that they may not miscarry. And since the matter you have in hand does not concern earth but heaven, not the things belonging to you, but your own soul ; remember this is not to be treated negligently, as if you were half asleep, but with much apphcation. If hitherto you have been in the wrong, reckon yourself now new born in the world ; let us now call ourselves to an account, let us wipe off all past miscarriages, and turn over a new

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PREFACE.

leaf. that you would now believe me, listen to me attentively, and, like an upright judge, give sentence according to what shall be alleged and made out : How happy would your choice be ! How fortunate my labor !

8. I am sensible my wish is very great, and no pen is able to bring it to pass ; for which reason, I here, in the beginning, beseech him who is the virtue and wisdom of his Father, and who has the keys of David, to open and shut to whom he pleases, that he will be present with, and instil himself into these words, and give them spirit and life, to move such as shall read them. Yet, if I reap no other fruit of my labor, but the satisfying my own desire, in abundantly extolling so commendable a thing as virtue is, which I have long coveted, I shall look upon this alone as a sufficient reward for all my labors. I have endeavoured in this, as in all my other works, to suit myself to all persons, either spiritual or carnal, that, since the necessity and cause is universal, my writing may be so too. For good men, by reading this book, will be more confirmed in the love of virtue, and take deeper root in it ; and those who are not so will, perhaps, discover how great losers they are in deviating from it. According to this doctrine, good parents may educate their children from their infancy, that from those tender years it may become habitual for them to honor, worship and follow virtue, for a virtuous child is one of the greatest blessings a father can have.

9. This work may be also of great use to those whose duty it is to instruct the people, and preach up virtue ; because the principal motives and inducements to oblige us to embrace it are here orderly set down, and whatsoever has been written upon this subject, may be reduced to them as to common places. And as we here speak of the present advantages of grace promised to virtue, specifying twelve singular privileges it enjoys, and that it is most certain all these riches and blessings were conferred on us through Jesus Christ, therefore, this doctrine is very beneficial for the better understanding those books of Holy Writ, which particularly treat of the mysteries of Christ, and the inestimable benefit of our redemption, such as the prophet Isaias, the Canticles, and the like.

THE ARGUMENT.

1. This first book, Christian reader, contains an ample exhortation to virtue, that is, to the keeping of God's commandments, wherein true virtue consists. It is divided into three principal parts. The first is, a persuasive to virtue ; to this purpose, making use of all those arguments holy authors, for the most part, have brought upon this subject, which are our infinite obligations to Almighty God, as well in regard of what he is himself, as what he is to us, on account of his inestimable benefits, as also of what great consequence virtue itself is to us, which is sufficiently expressed by the four last things relating to the end of man, death, judgment, hell and heaven, which is the subject of this first part.

2. The second is, to persuade the same thing, but by other arguments, viz., the advantages of grace promised to virtue in this life : and here are set down twelve singular privileges belonging to it, every one of which is particularly discoursed of. Though holy authors sometimes briefly hint at these privileges, speaking of the peace, inward light, true liberty, comfort of a good conscience, and consolation of the Holy Ghost, enjoyed by the just, and the usual concomitants of virtue, yet I have not met with one that has handled this subject at large, and in due order. This has caused me more laborious research, in selecting and putting together all these matters out of several parts of the Holy Scriptures, giving them their proper names, placing them in order, and expounding and supporting them with several other texts of Scripture, and of the writings of the holy fathers : which method was very requisite to be used, to the end, that those who are not excited to the love of virtue by the hope of blessings to come, as believing them too remote, may at least be moved by the inestimable value of the advantages which at present attend it.

. 3. But because it is not sufficient to adduce those arguments that make for a cause, without confuting those that may be alleged against it, therefore, we have formed the third part of this book, in which all the excuses vicious men plead for avoiding virtue are answered and confuted.

4. Now, that the reader may not be confounded, he is to understand, that this first book answers to the first of The Memorial of a Christian Life, which, as well as this, contains an exhortation to

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virtue ; but that there it is short, as became a memorial, but is here very large, solidly handling this necessary and noble subject, which is supported by all that has been piously wrote in the world. The .second book answers to the short Rule of Christian Life we gave there, which is here much dilated upon ; and because virtue is the object of those books, the reader may observe, that by this word we do not only express the habit of virtue, but the acts and duties, to which this noble habit tends ; but it is no new thing to call the effect by the name of the cause, and the cause by that of the effect.

THE

SINNER^S GUIDE.

BOOK I.

A POWERFUL EXHORTATION TO VIRTUE, AND THE KEEPING OF GOD'S COMMANDMENTS.

Chapter I

Of the first Motive that obliges us to Virtue mid the Service of God, which is his Being, considered in itself; and of the Excellency of his Divine Perfections,

1. Two things, Christian reader, particularly dispose the will of man to the undertaking of any commendable action. The consideration of duty and justice is the one ; the other, the benefit and advantage we may reap by it. All wise men, therefore, agree, that justice and profit are the two most powerful inducements to inchne our will to whatsoever it ought to undertake. Now, though profit be more generally sought after, yet justice is, in itself, the more prevalent of the two ; for, as Aristotle teaches, no worldly advantage can be equivalent to the excellence of virtue, nor any loss so great, as that a prudent man should not embrace it rather than incline to vice. The design of this book being to allure and incline men to embrace the beauty of virtue, it wdll be proper to begin with the principal part, showing how far we are obliged to it, on account of the duty we owe to God, who, being goodness itself, neither commands, requires or asks any thing in this world, but that we be virtuous. Let us see, in the first place, and seriously consider, on what grounds, and for what reasons, Almighty God claims this duty of us.

2. But since these are innumerable, we shall here touch upon only six of the chief of them, on account of every one of which, man owes all he is or can do. The first, greatest and most inexphcable of them, is the very being of God, which comprehends the greatness of his infinite majesty and of all his perfections ; that is, the incomprehensible immensity of his goodness and

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mercy, of his justice, his wisdom, his omnipotence, his excellence, his beauty, his fidelity, his sweetness, his truth, his felicity, with the rest of those inexhaustible riches and perfections that are contained in his divine essence. All which are so great and wonderful, that, according to St. Augustine, if the whole world were full of books, and each particular creature employed to write in them, and all the sea turned into ink, the books would be sooner filled, the writers sooner tired, and the sea sooner drained, than any one of his perfections could be fully expressed. The same doctor says further, that should God create a new man, with a heart as large and as capacious as the hearts of all men together, and he, by the assistance and favor of an extraordinary light, come to the knowledge of any one of his inconceivable attributes, the pleasure and delight this must cause in him would quite overwhelm and make him burst with joy, unless God were to support and strengthen him in a very particular manner.

3. This, therefore, is the first and chief reason, that obliges us to the love and the service of God. It is a point so universally agreed upon, that the very Epicureans, who, by their denying of a Divine Providence, and the immortality of the soul, have ruined all philosophy, never went so far as to cut off all religion, which is nothing else but the worship and adoration w^e owe to God. For one of those philosophers, discoursing upon this matter (Cic. de Nat. Deorum), brings very strong and undeniable arguments, to prove, that there is a God ; that this God is infinite in all his perfections, and deserves, therefore, to be reverenced and adored ; and that this duty would be incumbent on us, though God had no other title to it. If a king, even out of his ovm dominions, purely only for the dignity of his person, is treated with respect and honor, when we have no expectation of any favor from him ; with how much more justice are we to pay the same duties to this King and Lord, who, as St. John says, has these words written upon his garment, and upon his thighs. King of kings and Lord of lords ! This is he, who with three fingers holds up the frame of the earth. It is he that disposes the causes of all things ; it is he that gives motion to the celestial orbs, that changes the seasons, and that alters the elements. He it is that divides the waters, produces the winds, and creates all things. It is from him that the planets receive their force and influences. It is he, in fine, that, as King and Lord of the universe, gives every creature its life and nourishment.

And, besides all this, the kingdom he is in possession of, neither came to him by succession, nor by election or inheritance, but by nature. And as man is naturally above an ant, so this noble Being is, in such an eminent degree, above all created things whatsoever, that they, and all the world together, are scarce any more, in regard of him, than one of these insects. If philosophers, so ill principled as the Epicureans were, have acknowledged this truth, what ought we to do, who are brought up in the Christian rehgion ? — a reUgion, which teaches us, that, notwithstanding the infinite obhgations we have to God, we are more indebted to him upon this account than upon any other ; so that, if a man had a thousand hearts and bodies, this reason alone should be enough to make him offer them all to his honor and service. This is a point which all the saints, who have had a sincere and disinterested love for him, have faithfully complied with. And, therefore, St. Bernard, upon this subject, says, " True love is neither increased by hope, nor lessened by distrust;" Serm. 83, in Cantic. Hereby giving us to understand, that it is not the reward he expects, that makes him serve God : but that he would go on still wdth the same fervor, though he were sure he should never have any thing for it ; because he is not influenced by interest, nor wrought upon by any other consideration, but that of the pure love which is due to his infinite goodness.

4. But though this, of all obligations, is the greatest, yet it is that which, least of all, moves those who are not perfect. Because the greater power self-love has over them, the more they are carried on by their own interest ; and, being as yet but rude and ignorant, they are unable to conceive the beauty and excellence of this supreme goodness. Whereas, were they but a little more enlightened, the very brightness of this divine glory would charm them into a love of it above all other things. For which reason, it will be very proper to instruct them upon this matter, that they may acquire a more perfect knowledge of the majesty of God. All I intend to make use of, for the effecting of this, shall be taken out of St. Denis, who wrote his treatise of Mystical Divinity with no other design, but to let us know how infinitely different God Almighty's excellences and perfections are, from those of creatures : that, by seeing this, we may learn, if we have a mind to know what God is, the necessity of shutting our eyes to the beauties we observe in creatures, for fear of deceiving ourselves, whilst we judge of God by those things that bear no proportion at all with his greatness. We are to look upon them as mean and base, and raise up our souls to the contemplation of a Being that exceeds all beings; of a Substance, above all other substances ; of a Light, that eclipses all other lights ; and of a Beauty, which is so far beyond all beauties imaginable, that the greatest of them, and the most complete, is but ugliness and deformity when set by this. This is what we are told by the cloud Moses entered into to discourse with God, which removed every thing but God from him, that he might, by that means, have a better knowledge of God ; Exod. xxiv. 16, 18. And EUas's covering his face with his cloak, when he saw the glory of God passing before him, is a lively expression of the same thing; 3 Kings, xix. 13. It is certain, then, that a man, to contemplate the perfections and beauty of God, should turn away his eyes from all the things of this world, as too base and mean to be regarded at the same time with him.

5. We shall understand this much better, if we consider the vast difference between this uncreated Being and all that are created; that is to say, between the Creator and his creatures. For all these we see had a beginning, and may have an end ; but he is without a beginning, and can have no end. They all acknowledge a superror, and depend upon another ; but he knows nothing above himself, and, therefore, is independent. The creatures are variable and inconstant, but the Creator is always the same, and cannot change. The creatures are composed of different matters, but the Creator is a most pure Being, and free from all those mixtures which bodies are made up of; for, should he consist of several parts, there must, of necessity, have been some being above and before him, to have ordered these parts, a thing altogether impossible. The creatures can never come to such a degree of perfection as not to admit of a further increase ; they may receive more than they have already, and know what they are at present ignorant of; but God can never be better than he is now, because he contains within himself the perfections of all other beings : nor is it possible that he, who is the Source of all riches, should ever be richer. Nor can he know more than he does already, because his wisdom is infinite, and his eternity, which has all things present to it, suffers nothing to be concealed from his knowledge. Aristotle, the chief of all the heathen philosophers, not ignorant of this truth, calls him a pure act; which is a complete and absolute perfection, incapable of any further addition, there being nothing imaginable above it ; nor can we think of any thing it stands in need of.

There is no creature in the world free from motion and change ; and it is this that helps them in the finding of what they want, for they are all of them poor and needy. God, on the contrary, is fixed and immovable ; because he is never exposed to any kind of necessity, but is present in all places. There is, in all created things, some difference or other, by which one creature is to be easily known and distinguished from another ; but the purity of God^s essence allows of no difference or distinction. So that his being is his essence, his essence is his power, his power is his will, his will is his understanding, his understanding is his being, his being is his wisdom, his wisdom is his justice, his justice is his mercy. And though the effects of the one are contrary to those of the other, because the duty of mercy is to pardon, and that of justice to punish ; they are, notwithstanding, so perfectly one and the same thing in him, that his mercy is his justice, and his justice is his mercy. So that to appearance, there are contrary perfections and qualities in God ; but yet, as St. Augustine observes, there is no such thing in effect (Medit. c. 19 and 20), because he is very remote and yet very present, very beautiful and very strong, constant and inconceivable, confined to no place and in all places, seen by none, and yet seeing all, who changes every thing, whilst he himself can never change. He it is, who is always in action, and yet always enjoys an eternal rest: it is he that fills all things, but cannot himself be circumscribed : who provides for all without the least solicitude : who is great without quantity, and consequently immense ; who is good without quality, and, therefore, truly and sovereignly good; nay, what is yet more, he only is good ; Matt. xix. 17.

In fine, not to lose ourselves in this abyss, w^e may venture to say, that as all things are tied up to the bounds of a limited being, so they have a limited power, beyond which they can never pass. The works they are employed about are limited, the places they live in have their bounds, they have names to distinguish them by, and definitions by which we may know them, and are reducible to their particular kinds. But as for this supreme Substance, it is as infinite in its power, and in all its other attributes, as it is in its being. It is not known by any definition, nor comprehended under any kind, nor confined to any place, nor distinguished by any name. On the contrary, according to St. Denis, it has all names, though it has no name, because it contains within itself all those perfections which are signified by names. We may, therefore, say, that all creatures, as they are limited, are to be comprehended ; whilst this divine essence, inasmuch as it is infinite, is far above the reach of any created understanding. For, as Aristotle says, since that which is infinite has no end, it is not to be comprehended but by him alone who comprehends all things. What else could be the meaning of those two seraphims Isaias saw near the majesty of God, seated upon a high throne, each of w^hich had six wings ; with two of them they covered his face, and with two his feet ; Isa. vi. 12. Was it not to teach us, that these, which possess the chief places in heaven, and are seated the nearest to God, are not capable of knowing perfectly w^hat he is, though they have the favor to see him clearly, in his very essence and in all his beauty ? For as a man, standing on the shore, sees the sea itself yet cannot discover its depth or extent, so these blessed spirits, with all the saints in heaven, see God truly and really, but can neither fathom the abyss of his greatness, nor measure the duration of his eternity. For this reason God is said to he seated upon the chervbims : and, though they are filled with treasures of wisdom, nevertheless, to show how short they come of conceiving his majesty, or of imderstanding his essence, it is said, that he sits upon them.