Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/449

Rh LVIII. That those who do not begin any good are to be admonished in one way; in another those who begin it and do not accomplish it well.

In one way are to be admonished those who do not begin any good; in another those who begin it, and do not accomplish it. Those who do not begin any good are not to be taught what they are to do, before they are blamed for what they do; because they will not undertake the unknown that they hear, without hearing previously how mischievous that is which they know; because no man asks another to lift him, if he himself knows not that he knows not that he has fallen; nor also does he who feels not the pain of his wound desire any physician. Therefore they are first to be told how vain and useless the objects of their affections are, and then they are to be told how useful that is that they have relinquished. First they must understand that they are to avoid what they love. Then they will afterwards be able to perceive that they are to love what they formerly avoided. They will undertake the unknown much better, if they perceive with certainty what there is in the known worthy of blame. They learn to seek the true good with full affection, when they perceive with full understanding that that was falsehood and vanity which they formerly held fast. Let them hear that this present good will soon be separated from all pleasure, and yet the sin which they perpetrate through the pleasure will permanently remain with punishment; and that they must now relinquish compulsorily that which they desire, and yet that which they now compulsorily relinquish will be reserved for their future punishment. Often, however, men are very salutarily terrified with those same objects which they formerly unprofitably loved; when the afflicted mind sees the deep perdition of its own fall, and he sees himself led astray into such danger and destruction, he steps back, and retires, and dreads what he formerly loved. He then learns to love what he formerly despised. Therefore it was said to Jeremiah the prophet, when sent to teach: "I have set thee to-day over kingdoms and nations, to pluck out, and destroy, and dissipate, and scatter, and build, and plant them." Because, unless he had previously destroyed the wrong, he could not have profitably constructed the right; because, unless he had previously plucked out of the minds of his subjects