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Let us represent to ourselves, Theotimus, the sweet
Jesus in Pilate's house, where for love of us he was
divested of all his garments one after the other, by
the soldiers, the ministers of death. And not content
with that, they took his skin from him, tearing it
with the blows of rods and whips; then afterwards his
soul was bereft of his body, and his body of life, by
the death which he endured upon the cross.
But three days being run out, his soul, by the
most holy Resurrection, put on again its glorious
body, and his body its immortal skin, wearing sundry
garments, now those of a gardener, now of a pilgrim,
or other guise according as the salvation of man and
the glory of God required.
Love did all this, Theotimus, and it is love also
which, entering into a soul to make it happily die to
itself and live to God, bereaves it of all human
desires, and of self-esteem which is as closely fixed
to the spirit as the skin to the flesh, and strips
her at length of her best beloved affections, such as
those which she had to spiritual consolations,
exercises of piety and the perfection of virtues,
which seemed to be the very life of the soul.
Then, Theotimus, the soul may by good right cry out:
I have put off my garment, how shall I find in my
heart to put it on? I have washed my feet, from all
sorts of affections, how shall I defile them?(1)
Naked came I out of the hand of God, and naked shall
I return thither: God gave me many desires and God
hath taken them away: As it hath pleased the Lord, so
is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.(2)
Yes, Theotimus, the same God who made us desire
virtues in our beginning, and who makes us practise
them on all occurrences, he it is that takes from us
the affection to virtues and all spiritual exercises,
that with more tranquillity, purity and simplicity,
we should care for nothing but the divine Majesty's
good pleasure.
For as the fair and chaste Judith reserved indeed
her costly festal robes in her cabinet, and yet
placed not her affection upon them, nor yet ever wore
them in the time of her widowhood, save only when by
God's inspiration she went to overthrow Holofernes,
so, though we have learnt the practice of virtue and
the exercises of devotion, yet are we not to give our
affection to them nor clothe our heart again with
them, save only as far as we know that such is the
good pleasure of God.
Judith always wore mourning weeds except only on
this occasion when God's will was that she should be
in pomp; so are we peaceably to remain vested with
our misery and abjection amidst our imperfections and
infirmities, till God shall exalt us to the practice
of excellent actions.
We cannot long remain in this nakedness, despoiled
of all sorts of affections. Wherefore, following the
advice of the holy Apostle, as soon as we have put
off the garments of the old Adam, we are to put on
the habits of the new man, that is to say of Jesus
Christ, for having renounced all, - yes, even the
affection to virtues, neither desiring of these nor
of other things a larger portion than God's will
intends, we must put on again divers affections, and
perhaps the very same which we have renounced and
resigned: but we must now put them on again not
because they are agreeable, profitable, honourable to
us, and proper to content the love we have for
ourselves, but because they are agreeable to God,
profitable to his honour, and destined to his glory.
Eliezer carried ear-jewels, bracelets and new
attire for the maid whom God had provided for his
master's son, and in effect he presented them to the
virgin Rebecca, as soon as he knew it was she. New
garments are required for our Saviour's spouse. If
for the love of God she has stript herself of the
ancient affection which she had to parents, country,
home, friends, she must take quite new affections,
loving all this in its order, not now according to
human considerations, but because the heavenly spouse
wills, commands, and intends it so, and has
established this order in charity.
If we have once put off our old affection to
spiritual consolations, to exercises of devotion, to
the practice of virtues, yea to our own advancement
in perfection, we must put on another affection quite
new, by loving all these graces and heavenly favours,
not because they perfect and adorn our spirit, but
because our Saviour's name is sanctified in them, his
kingdom advanced, his good-pleasure glorified.
So did S. Peter vest himself in the prison, not at
his own choice but at the angel's command. He puts on
his girdle, then his sandals, and afterwards the rest
of his garments. And the glorious S. Paul, stripped
in a moment of all affections: Lord, said he, what
wilt thou have me do? that is, what is it thy
pleasure for me to love, now that throwing me to the
ground thou hast made my own will to die? Ah! Lord,
plant thy good-pleasure in the place of it, and,
teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.(3)
Theotimus, he who has forsaken all for God ought
to resume nothing but according to God's
good-pleasure. He feeds not his body but according to
God's ordinance that it may be serviceable to the
spirit; he only engages in studies in order to assist
his neighbour and his own soul, according to the
divine intention; he practises virtues not as being
his own choice, but according to God's desire.
God commanded the prophet Isaias to strip himself
naked; and he did so,(4) going and preaching in this
way, for three days together as some hold, or for
three years as others think, and then, the time
prefixed by God having expired, he resumed his
clothes. Even so are we to strip ourselves of all
affections little and great, as also to make a
frequent examination of our hearts to discover
whether it be willing to divest itself, as Isaias
did, of all its garments: then we must take up again,
at proper times, the affections suitable to the
service of charity, to the end that we may die with
Our Saviour naked upon the cross, and rise again with
him in newness of life.
Love is strong as death(5) to make us quit all, it
is magnificent as the Resurrection, to adorn us with
honour and glory.
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