After a While some of the Religious began to sigh most lamentably for the Flesh-pots of Egypt which they had left behind, and ignobly to seek what with noble Heart they had abandoned. They fretted at having to walk in the Ways of God’s Commandments, and followed His Injunctions with a barren Heart. They grew faint under their Burden, and for Want of the Spirit could scarcely breathe. Compunction they rarely felt, and never Contrition; at Obedience they murmured; their Thoughts were Earthy, their Joy carnal, paltry their Sorrow and their Speech imprudent, their Laughter easily provoked. Mirthful of Visage, their Carriage full of Vanity, their Garments soft and delicate, carefully cut, and still more carefully fashioned, they slept inordinately, ate overmuch, and drank intemperately. Their talk was full of Jests, and Railleries, and Idle Words. They engaged in Story-telling, changed the Rule, disposed of Patronage, and were busily occupied about the Affairs of the World. Of Spiritual Exercises there was no Care or Thought; but rarely Exhortations to save the Soul; they had become lukewarm in Celestial Things. In the Hardness of their Hearts they began to envy one another, to provoke one another, to domineer over one another, one Brother eagerly bringing the vilest Accusations against another. They shunned Gravity, and sought false Sources of Joy, seeing that they could not have the true. Nevertheless they kept up some show of Sanctity, so that they might not be utterly despised, and by holy Talk they sought to hide their wretched way of Life from the Simple. But so great was the Ruin of the Interior Man, that, unable to contain themselves, their evil Life burst forth in exterior Manifestations. In short they began to fawn upon the World, striking bargains with Worldlings that they might empty their Purses, and they enlarged their Buildings and multiplied those Things which they had forever renounced. They bartered their Words to the Rich, and their Courtesies to Noble Ladies. They eagerly frequented the Courts of Kings and Princes, that they might join House to House ♦Isa. v. 8.♦ and lay field to field. And now they have become great ♦Jer. v. 27.♦ and rich, and have waxed strong, because they have ♦Jer. ix. 3.♦ proceeded from Evil to Evil and have not known God. They were cast down when ♦Ps. lxxii. 18.♦ they were lifted up; they fell to the Earth before their Birth, and yet they say unto me: We are thy Friends.
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HOW THE LADY POVERTY SORROWED OVER CERTAIN RELIGIOUS WHO WERE POOR IN THE WORLD, AND YET MORE PRONE THAN OTHERS TO SELF-INDULGENCE IN RELIGION
In my Sorrow I sorrowed all the more over certain Religious who had been poor and contemptible in the World, and yet grew rich after they had come to me. And when they had waxed fat and gross ♦Deut. xxxii. 15.♦ beyond the rest, they spurned and derided me. They in the World were thought unworthy of Life, being destitute through Need and Hunger. Once they ate Grass and the Bark ♦Job xxx. 4.♦ of trees, they were disfigured ♦Job xxx. 31.♦ by their Calamity and Misery, and now they are not content with the Community Life, but separate themselves without shame, eating of special Meats. Their Example in this is hurtful to the rest, and, moreover, they aspire to Honour among the Disciples of Christ, who in this World were held most worthy of Contempt. They who often wanted for Barley-bread and Water, and were glad to lie under the Hedges, were the Sons of the Ignorant and Mean and Unknown, on a level with my own Wretchedness. Now they hate me and fly far from me, and are not ashamed to spit in my face. I have suffered Contumely and Terrors at their Hands, ♦Jer. xx. 10.♦ and those who were my Friends and stood by my side have insulted me. They grew ashamed of me, and cast me off all the more that they knew they had been enriched by my Favours, so much so that they even scorned to hear my Name.
♦Jer. iii. 22.♦ In my Sorrow I sorrowed and said unto them: Return, ye rebellious Children, and I will heal your Backslidings. ♦Luke xii. 15, and Ephes. v. 5.♦ Take heed and beware of Avarice, which is the Service of Idols, for the Avaricious Man shall not be satisfied with ♦Eccl. v. 9.♦ Silver. Call to Mind your former Days in which, being ♦Heb. x. 32.♦ illuminated, you endured a great Fight of Afflictions. Do not be of them who draw ♦Heb. x. 39.♦ back unto Perdition, but of them that believe to the Saving of the Soul. He who made void the Law of Moses died ♦Heb. x. 28.♦ without Mercy under two or three Witnesses. How much ♦Heb. x. 29.♦ more, think you, doth he deserve sorer Punishment, who hath trodden under Foot the Son of God, and hath accounted the Blood of the Covenant, by which he was sanctified, an unclean thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace? Return, then, ye Transgressors, ♦Isa. xlvi. 8.♦ search your Hearts, for a Man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of Things which he possesseth.
♦Job xix. 21, 22.♦ But they were angered, and said: Go to, depart from us, thou miserable thing. We desire not the knowledge of thy Ways. And I answered and said unto them: Have ♦Luke xii. 15.♦ pity upon me, have pity upon me, at least, O ye, my Friends. Why do you persecute me without a Cause? Did I not tell you that your Ways and mine would not agree? It repenteth me that I have ever seen you.
♦Cant. vi. 12.♦ And the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee. These are the Children of Wrath; they will not hear thee, because they will not hear Me. Their Hearts have become stubborn and unbelieving; they have departed and gone away, but they have not rejected thee without rejecting Me. For thou hast ♦Jer. xiii. 21.♦ taught them against thee, and instructed them against thine own Head, for if they had never received thee, they would never have been made rich. They pretended to love thee, so that having received thy Benefits, they might depart from thee. Wherefore under adverse Temptation they have turned away, and having laid ♦Jer. viii. 5.♦ hold on Lying, they would not return. Do not again believe those that speak thee fair, for they despise thee and seek thy Life. Do not offer Prayers or Hymns for them, for I will not hear thee: I have cast them off because they have despised Me.
XX
HOW THE LADY POVERTY SHOWED THE BLESSED FRANCIS THE PERFECT WALK IN THE RELIGIOUS LIFE.