feminacy and wanton affections; so He knew no crime was sooner objected, or harder cleared, than that. Of which, because commonly it is acted in privacy, men look for no probation but pregnant circumstances and arguments of suspect: so nothing can wash it off until a man can prove a negative; and if he could, yet he is guilty enough in the estimate of the vulgar for having been accused. But then because nothing is so destructive of the reputation of a governor, so contradictory to the authority and dignity of his person, as the low and baser appetites of uncleanness, and the consequent shame and scorn, (insomuch that David, having fallen into it, prayed God to confirm or establish him spiritu principali,' with the spirit of a prince,' the spirit of lust being uningenuous and slavish,) the holy Jesus, who was to establish a new law in the authority of His person, was highly curious so to demean Himself that He might be a person uncapable of any such suspicions, and of a temper apt not only to answer the calumny, but also to prevent the jealousy. But yet now He had a great design in hand; He meant to reveal to the Samaritans the coming of the Messias, and to this His discourse with the woman was instrumental. And in imitation of our great Master, spiritual persons, and the guides of others, have been very prudent and reserved in their societies and intercourse with women. Heretics have served their ends upon the impotency of the sex; and having "led captive silly women," led them about as triumphs of lust, and knew no scandal greater than the scandal of heresy, and therefore sought not to decline any, but were infamous in their unwary and lustful mixtures. Simon Magus had his Helena partner of his lust and heresy; the author of the sect of the Nicolaitans (if St. Hierom was not misinformed) had whole troops of women; Marcion sent a woman as his emissary to Rome: Apelles had his Philomene; Montanus, Prisca and Maximilla; Donatus was served by Lucilla, Helpidius by Agape, Priscillian by Galla, and Arrius spreads his nets by opportunity of his conversation with the prince's sister, and first he corrupted her, then he seduced the world. 6. But holy persons, preachers of true religion and holy doctrines, although they were careful by public homilies to instruct the female disciples, that they who are heirs together with us of the same hope may be servants in the same discipline and institution; yet they remitted them to "their husbands" and guardians to be "taught at home." And when any personal transactions concerning the needs of their spirit were of necessity to intervene between the priest and a woman, the action was done most commonly under public test; or if in private, yet with much caution and observation of circumstance, which might as well prevent suspicion as preserve their innocence. Conversation, and frequent and familiar address, does too much rifle the ligaments and reverence of spiritual authority, and amongst the y [Ps. 1. 14. (al. li. 12.) ed. vulg.] 1 Cor. xiv. 35. best persons is matter of danger. When the cedars of Libanus have been observed to fall, when David and Solomon have been dishonoured, he is a bold man that will venture farther than he is sent in errand by necessity, or invited by charity, or warranted by prudence. I deny not but some persons have made holy friendships with women; St. Athanasius with a devout and religious virgin, St. Chrysostom with Olympia, St. Hierom with Paula Romana, St. John with the elect lady, St. Peter and St. Paul with Petronillaa and Tecla : and therefore it were a jealousy beyond the suspicion of monks and eunuchs, to think it impossible to have a chaste conversation with a distinct sex. 1. A pure and right intention, 2. an intercourse not extended beyond necessity or holy ends, 3. a short stay, 4. great modesty, 5. and the business of religion, will by God's grace hallow the visit, and preserve the friendship in its being spiritual, that it may not degenerate into carnal affection. And yet these are only advices useful when there is danger in either of the persons, or some scandal incident to the profession, that to some persons, and in the conjunction of many circumstances, are oftentimes not considerable. 7. When Jesus had resolved to reveal Himself to the woman, He first gives her occasion to reveal herself to Him, fairly insinuating an opportunity to confess her sins, that, having purged herself from her impurity, she might be apt to entertain the article of the revelation of the Messias. And indeed a crime in our manners is the greatest indisposition of our understanding to entertain the truth and doctrine of the gospel; especially when the revelation contests against the sin, and professes open hostility to the lust. For faith being the gift of God, and an illumination, the Spirit of God will not give this light to them that prefer their darkness before it; either the will must open the windows, or the light of faith will not shine into the chamber of the soul. "How can ye believe," said our blessed Saviour, "that receive honour one of another?" Ambition and faith, believing God and seeking of ourselves, are incompetent, and totally incompossible. And therefore Serapion, bishop of Thmuis, spake like an angel (saith Socrates), saying, "that the mind which feedeth upon spiritual knowledge, must throughly be cleansed: the irascible faculty must first be cured with brotherly love and charity, and the concupiscible must be suppressed with continency and mortification;" then may the understanding apprehend the mysteriousness of Christianity. For since Christianity is a holy doctrine, if there be any remanent affections to a sin, there is in the soul a party disaffected to the entertainment of the institution, and we usually believe what we have a mind to our understandings, if a crime be lodged in the will, being like icterical eyes, transmitting the species to the soul Quam B. Petri filiam naturalem non fuisse recte probat Baronius. [In A. D. 69. tom. i. p. 669.] b John v. 44. с Hist., lib. iv. cap. 23. [p. 241.] : with prejudice, disaffection, and colours of their own framing. If a preacher should discourse that there ought to be a parity amongst Christians, and that their goods ought to be in common, all men will apprehend that not princes and rich persons, but the poor and the servants, would soonest become disciples, and believe the doctrines, because they are the only persons likely to get by them and it concerns the other not to believe him, the doctrine being destructive of their interests. Just such a persuasion is every persevering love to a vicious habit; it having possessed the understanding with fair opinions of it, and surprised the will with passion and desires, whatsoever doctrine is its enemy will with infinite difficulty be entertained. And we know a great experience of it in the article of the Messias dying on the cross, which though infinitely true, yet because "to the Jews it was a scandal, and to the Greeks, foolishness," it could not be believed, they remaining in that indisposition; that is, unless the will were first set right, and they willing to believe any truth though for it they must disclaim their interest: their understanding was blind, because the heart was hardened, and could not receive the impression of the greatest moral demonstration in the world. 8. The holy Jesus asked water of the woman, unsatisfying water; but promised that Himself to them that ask Him would give waters of life, and satisfaction infinite; so distinguishing the pleasures and appetites of this world from the desires and complacencies spiritual. Here we labour, but receive no benefit; we sow many times, and reap not or reap, and do not gather in; or gather in, and do not possess; or possess, but do not enjoy; or if we enjoy, we are still unsatisfied, it is with anguish of spirit, and circumstances of vexation. A great heap of riches make neither our clothes warm, nor our meat more nutritive, nor our beverage more pleasant; and it feeds the eye, but never fills it, but, like drink to an hydropic person, increases the thirst, and promotes the torment. But the grace of God, though but like a grain of mustard seed, fills the furrows of the heart; and as the capacity increases, itself grows up in equal degrees, and never suffers any emptiness or dissatisfaction, but carries content and fulness all the way; and the degrees of augmentation are not steps and near approaches to satisfaction, but increasings of the capacity; the soul is satisfied all the way, and receives more, not because it wanted any, but that it can now hold more, is more receptive of felicities: and in every minute of sanctification there is so excellent a condition of joy and high satisfaction, that the very calamities, the afflictions, and persecutions of the world, are turned into felicities by the activity of the prevailing ingredient: like a drop of water falling into a tun of wine, it is ascribed into a new family, losing its own nature by a Lurida præterea fiunt quæcunque tuentur Multaque sunt oculis in eorum denique mista, Quæ contage sua palloribus omnia pingunt.-Lucret. [iv. 333.] conversion into the more noble. For now that all passionate desires are dead, and there is nothing remanent that is vexatious, the peace, the serenity, the quiet sleeps, the evenness of spirit, and contempt of things below, remove the soul from all neighbourhood of displeasure, and place it at the foot of the throne, whither when it is ascended it is possessed of felicities eternal. These were the waters which were given to us to drink, when with the rod of God the rock Christ Jesus was smitten: the Spirit of God moves for ever upon these waters; and when the angel of the covenant hath stirred the pool, whoever descends hither shall find health and peace, joys spiritual, and the satisfactions of eternity. THE PRAYER. O holy Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Thou spring of joy and spiritual satisfactions, let the holy stream of blood and water issuing from Thy sacred side cool the thirst, soften the hardness, and refresh the barrenness of my desert soul; that I, thirsting after Thee as the wearied hart after the cool stream, may despise all the vainer complacencies of this world, refuse all societies but such as are safe, pious, and charitable, mortify all sottish appetites, and may desire nothing but Thee, seek none but Thee, and rest in Thee with entire dereliction of my own caitive inclinations: that the desires of nature may pass into desires of grace, and my thirst and my hunger may be spiritual, and my hopes placed in Thee, and the expresses of my charity upon Thy relatives, and all the parts of my life, may speak Thy love, and obedience to Thy commandments: that Thou possessing my soul and all its faculties during my whole life, I may possess Thy glories in the fruition of a blessed eternity; by the light of Thy gospel here, and the streams of Thy grace, being guided to Thee, the fountain of life and glory, there to be inebriated with the waters of paradise, with joy, and love, and contemplation, adoring and admiring the beauties of the Lord for ever and ever. Amen. Considerations upon Christ's first preaching, and the accidents happening about that time. 1. "When John was cast into prison, then began Jesus to preach;" not only because the ministry of John by order of divine designation was to precede the publication of Jesus, but also upon prudent considerations and designs of Providence, lest two great personages at once upon the theatre of Palestine might have been occasion of divided thoughts, and these have determined upon a schism, some professing themselves to be of Christ, some of John. For once an offer was made of a dividing question by the spite of the pharisees, "why do the disciples of John fast often, and Thy disciples fast not?" But when John went off from the scene, then Jesus appeared, like the sun in succession to the morning star, and there were no divided interests upon mistake, or the fond adherences of the followers. And although the holy Jesus would certainly have cured all accidental inconveniences which might have happened in such accidents; yet this may become a precedent to all prelates, to be prudent in avoiding all occasions of a schism, and, rather than divide a people, submit and relinquish an opportunity of preaching to their inferiors, as knowing that God is better served by charity than a homily; and if my modesty made me resign to my inferior, the advantages of honour to God by the cession of humility are of greater consideration than the smaller and accidental advantages of better penned and more accurate discourses. But our blessed Lord, designing to gather disciples, did it in the manner of the more extraordinary persons and doctors of the Jews, and particularly of the Baptist, He initiated them into the institution by the solemnity of a baptism; but yet He was pleased not to minister it in His own person. His apostles were baptized in John's baptism, said Tertulliane; or else, St. Peter only was baptized by his Lord, and he baptized the rest. However, the Lord was pleased to depute the ministry of His servants, that so He might constitute a ministry that He might reserve it to Himself as a specialty to "baptize with the Spirit," as His servants did "with water;" that He might declare that the efficacy of the rite did not depend upon the dignity of the minister, but His own institution, and the holy covenant; and lastly, lest they who were baptized by Him in person might please themselves above their brethren whose needs were served by a lower ministry. 2. The holy Jesus, the great Physician of our souls, now entering upon His cure, and the diocese of Palestine, which was afterwards enlarged to the pale of the catholic church, was curious to observe all advantages of prudence for the benefit of souls, by the choice of place; by quitting the place of His education, which because it had been poor and humble, was apt to procure contempt to His doctrine and despite to His person; by fixing in Capernaum, which had the advantage of popularity, and the opportunity of extending the benefit, yet had not the honour and ambition of Jerusalem; that the ministers of religion might be taught to seek and desire employment in such circumstances which may serve the end of God, but not of ambition; to promote the interest of souls, but not the inordination of lower appetites. Jesus quitted His natural and civil interests when they were less consistent with the end of God and His pro e Lib. de Bapt. [cap. xii. sqq. p. 228 D.] |