Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/495

 run counter  to  grace,  inasmuch,  as  the  more  a  man is in  the  grace  of  God,  so  much  the  more  violently is he  assaulted  by  the  devils. Therefore one  should never cease  fighting,  if  he  would  follow  the  grace he has  received  from  God;  because,  as  the  battle  is fiercest,  the  crown  will  be  the  more  precious,  if  he overcome  in  the  fight.

But we  have  not  many  battles,  or  many  impediments, or  temptations,  because  we  are  not  such  as we  should  be  in  the  spiritual  life. Yet most  true it is,  that  if  a  man  will  walk  well  and  discreetly  in God's  way,  he  shall  have  neither  toil  nor  weariness in his  journey;  whilst  the  man  who  goes  the  way of this  world,  can  never  escape  much,  toil  and  tediousness,  and  anguish  and  tribulation  and  sorrow, until the  day  of  his  death.

One of  the  Brothers  said  to  Brother  Giles:  "  My Father,  it  seems  to  me  that  thou  sayest  two  things, one  contrary  to  the  other:  for  first  thou  sayest;  the more  virtuous  a  man  is,  and  the  more  in  God's favor,  the  more  contradictions  and  battles  he  has in  the  spiritual  life;  and  then  thou  sayest  the  opposite;  namely,  that  the  man  who  walks  well  and discreetly  in  the  way  of  God,  shall  know  neither toil  nor  tediousness  on  his  journey."

To which,  Brother  Giles,  explaining  the  contradiction between  these  two  sayings  of  his,  replied thus: "  My  Brother,  it  is  certain  that  the  devils wage  the  war  of  temptations  more  fiercely  against those  who  have  a  good  will,  than  against  those  who have  not.  But  what  trouble,  or  weariness,  or  injury, can  all  the  devils  and  all  the  adversities  in  the world  cause  to  him  who  walks  well  and  discreetly in  the  way  of  God,  knowing  and  seeing,  as  he  does, that  the  tempter  sells  his  wares  at  a  price  a  thousand times  greater  than  they  are  worth?  For  I  tell thee  of  a  truth,  that  he  who  is  enflamed  with  Divine love,  holds  vice  in  greater  abomination  the  more  he is  attacked  by  it.

" Most  of  the  devils  usually  hasten  to  tempt  a man  when  he  is  in  any  sickness,  or  weakness  of body,  or  when  he  is  in  any  anxiety,  or  in  much distress,  or  cold,  or  hungry,  or  thirsty,  or  when  he has  received  some  injury  or  slight,  or  any  hurt, whether  temporal  or  spiritual,  because,  in  their malice,  they  know  that  at  such  moments  and  in such   circumstances  a  man  is  more  liable  to  succumb to  temptations.  But  I  say  to  thee,  that  by every  temptation,  and  every  vice  which  thou  shalt overcome,  thou  shalt  acquire  fresh  virtue;  and through  that  very  vice  by  which  thou  wert  assaulted, if  thou  overcome,  thou  shalt  receive  so  much  the greater  grace,  and  the  brighter  crown."

A Brother  once  came  to  ask  counsel  of  Brother Giles, saying:  "  Father,  I  am  often  assaulted  by  a most  grievous  temptation,  and  many  a  time  I  have prayed  God  to  deliver  me  from  it,  and  yet  the  Lord has  not  taken  it  away;  counsel  me.  Father,  what to  do." To whom  Brother  Giles  replied:  "  My Brother,  the  better  a  king  arms  his  soldiers  with strong  and  knightly  armor,  the  more  ardently  he will  have  them  fight  against  his  enemies,  for  love of  him."

A Brother  once  asked  Brother  Giles:  "  Father, what  remedy  shall  I  use,  that  I  may  go  to  prayer more  willingly,  and  with  greater  desire  and  fervor? for  when  I  go  to  my  prayers,  I  am  slothful,  tepid and  indevout."

Brother Giles  answered:  "A  king  has  two  servants, and  one  has  arms,  that  he  may  fight,  and  the other  has  no  armor  for  the  combat;  and  both  of them  would  enter  into  the  battle,  and  fight  against the  enemies  of  the  king.  The  one  who  is  armed will  go  into  battle  and  fight  valiantly;  but  the other  who  is  unarmed,  will  say  thus  to  his  master: '  My  lord,  thou  seest  that  I  am  naked  and  without arms;  but  for  thy  love,  I  will  willingly  go  into  the battle,  and  fight  thus  unarmed.'  And  then  the good  king,  seeing  the  love  of  his  faithful  servant, will  say  to  his  ministers:  '  Go  to  my  servant,  and arm  him  with  all  that  is  needful  for  the  combat, that  he  may  securely  enter  into  battle;  and  seal  all his  arms  with  my  royal  seal,  that  all  may  know him  as  my  faithful  knight.'

"And thus  it  often  happens,  that  when  one  goes to  prayer,  he  finds  himself  naked,  indevout,  slothful, and  hard  of  heart;  but  if  he  force  himself,  for the  love  of  his  Lord,  to  enter  into  the  battle  of prayer,  then  our  merciful  King  and  Lord,  seeing the  effort  of  His  servant,  will  give  him,  by  the hands  of  His  ministering  angels,  the  fervor  of  devotion and  of  a  good  will.  It  happens  sometimes, that  a  man  begins  some  great  work  with  much  toil, so  as  to  clear  and  cultivate  the  ground,  and  plant