Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/501

 him, he  may  perish  in  the  depths  of  vice:  and therefore, in  order  to  succeed,  we  need,  above  all other things,  perseverance;  .for  as  the  Apostle  says: ' Not  he  who  has  begun,  but  he  who  perseveres  unto the end,  shall  receive  the  crown.'  When  a  tree first springs  from  the  earth,  it  does  not  immediately grow to  its  full  size;  and  when  it  is  full  grown,  it does  not  on  that  account  immediately  bear  fruit; and when  the  fruit  comes,  not  all  of  it  turns  out useful to  the  owner;  for  much  of  the  fruit  drops  to the  ground  and  decays,  and  is  not  eaten,  except  by the  animals;  but  the  fruit  that  remains  constantly on the  tree,  until  the  end  of  the  season,  is,  for  the most part,  gathered  by  the  owner  thereof."

And again. Brother Giles  said:  "  What  would  it profit  me  to  enjoy  for  a  hundred  years  the  glory  of heaven,  if  I  should  not  persevere,  and  so  should  not make  a  good  end?" And yet  again  he  said:  "I consider  the  two  greatest  gifts  and  graces  of  God, which  can  be  attained  in  this  life,  to  be  loving  perseverance in  the  service  of  God,  and  to  ever  beware lest  one  fall  into  sin."

Brother Giles  said,  speaking  of  himself:  "I would rather  have  a  little  of  the  grace  of  God,  being  a Religious,  than  very  much  of  God's  grace,  being  a secular  and  living  in  the  world;  because,  in  the world  there  are  more  perils  and  obstacles,  and  fewer remedies  and  means  of  sanctity,  than  in  Religion." And again  Brother  Giles  said:  "It  seems  to  me, that  the  sinful  man  fears  his  own  good,  more  than his  own  injury,  and  worst  evil.  For  he  is  afraid  to enter  into  the  Religious  state  and  do  penance,  but he  is  not  afraid  of  offending  God  and  of  losing  his soul  by  remaining  hard-hearted  and  obstinate  in the  world  awaiting  his  final  and  eternal  damnation in  the  filthy  mire  of  his  sins."

A man  of  the  world  once  asked  Brother  Giles: " Father,  which  dost  thou  counsel  me  to  do,  to  enter Religion,  or  to  remain  in  the  world  doing  good works?" And Brother  Giles  answered:  "  My Brother,  most  sure  it  is,  if  a  poor  man  knew  of  a great  treasure  hidden  in  an  open  field,  that  he  would ask  counsel  of  no  one  to  assure  himself  whether  it were  well  to  dig  it  up,  and  to  carry  it  home;  how much  more  should  a  man  endeavor,  with  all  haste and  diligence,  to  dig  for  that  heavenly  treasure, which  is  to  be  found  in  the  holy  state  of  Religion, and  in  spiritual  congregations,  without  asking  so much  advice  of  others!" And the  same  man  hearing this  answer,  immediately  gave  all  he  had  to  the poor, and  thus  deprived  of  all  things,  forthwith  embraced the  Religious  state.

Brother Giles  said  also:  "  Many  enter  the  state of  Religion  and  afterwards  do  not  practice  what  the perfection  of  the  Religious  state  requires;  but  such resemble  the  ploughboy  who  arrayed  himself  in  the armour  of  Orlando,  and  knew  not  how  to  fight  or to  fence  in  it.  Not  every  one  is  able  to  ride  a  restive and  vicious  horse;  and  if,  nevertheless,  he  will ride  him,  he  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  himself  from falling,  when  the  horse  runs  away  with  him  or  becomes restive."

Brother Giles  said  moreover:  "  I  do  not  esteem it  a  great  thing  that  a  man  should  know  how  to retain  any  favor  conferred  upon  him  by  the  king: but  the  great  thing  is,  that  he  should  know  how  to live  and  to  converse  in  the  court  of  the  king,  persevering with  all  discretion  therein.  The  court  of the  great  Heavenly  King  is  the  Religious  state, wherein  it  is  net  hard  to  enter,  and  to  receive  many gifts  and  graces  from  God:  but  the  great  thing  is that  a  man  should  know  how  to  live  and  converse rightly  and  discreetly  therein,  persevering  in  the same,  even  until  death."

And again  Brother  Giles  said:  "  I  would  rather be  in  the  secular  state,  continually  hoping  and  devoutly desiring  to  enter  the  state  of  Religion,  than be  clothed  with  the  holy  habit  of  Religion,  remaining in  idleness  and  negligence  and  without  practicing works  of  virtue.  And  therefore  the  Religious man  should  continually  constrain  himself  to  live well  and  virtuously,  knowing  that  he  cannot  live  in any  other  state  but  that  of  his  profession."

Brother Giles  once  said  also:  "  To  me  it  seems that  the  Order  of  the  Friars  Minor  was  verily  ordained of  God  for  the  great  edification  of  the  people; but  woe  to  us  Friars,  if  we  should  not  be  such  men as  we  ought  to  be!  Most  surely  there  should  not be  found  in  this  life  more  blessed  men  than  we; for  he  is  holy  who  follows  the  holy,  he  is  good  who follows  in  the  way  of  the  good,  and  he  is  rich  who walks  in  the  footsteps  of  the  rich;  and  the  Order  of