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Thomas More - Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation

T >> Thomas More >> Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation




And less than thus can no man think, who hath any natural wit and
well useth it. But now a Christian man, cousin, who hath the light
of faith, he cannot fail to think much further in this thing. For
he will think not only upon his bare coming hither and his bare
going hence again, but also the dreadful judgment of God, and upon
the fearful pains of hell and the inestimable joys of heaven. And
in the considering of these things, he will call to remembrance
that peradventure when this beggar and he are both departed hence,
the beggar may be suddenly set up in such royalty that well were
he himself that ever was he born if he might be made his fellow.
And he who well bethinketh him, cousin, upon these things, I
verily think that the arrow of pride flying forth in the day of
worldly wealth shall never so wound his heart that ever it shall
bear him up one foot.

But now, to the intent that he may think on such things the
better, let him use often to resort to confession. And there let
him open his heart and, by the mouth of some virtuous ghostly
father, have such things often renewed in his remembrance. Let him
also choose himself some secret solitary place in his own house,
as far from noise and company as he conveniently can, and thither
let him sometimes secretly resort alone, imagining himself as one
going out of the world even straight unto the giving up his
reckoning unto God of his sinful living. There, before an altar or
some pitiful image of Christ's bitter passion, the beholding of
which may put him in remembrance of the thing and move him to
devout compassion, let him then kneel down or fall prostrate as at
the feet of almighty God, verily believing him to be there
invisibly present, as without any doubt he is. There let him open
his heart to God and confess his faults, such as he can call to
mind, and pray God for forgiveness. Let him call to remembrance
the benefits that God hath given him, either in general among
other men or privately to himself, and give him humble hearty
thanks for them. There let him declare unto God the temptations of
the devil, the suggestions of the flesh, the occasions of the
world--and of his worldly friends, much worse many times in
drawing a man from God than are his most mortal enemies, as our
Saviour witnesseth himself where he saith, "The enemies of a man
are they that are his own familiars." There let him lament and
bewail unto God his own frailty, negligence, and sloth in
resisting and withstanding of temptation; his readiness and
proneness to fall into it. There let him lamentably beseech God,
of his gracious aid and help, to strengthen his infirmity--both to
keep him from falling and, when he by his own fault misfortuneth
to fall, then with the helping hand of his merciful grace to lift
him up and set him on his feet in the state of his grace again.
And let this man not doubt but that God heareth him and granteth
him gladly his boon.

And so, dwelling in the faithful trust of God's help, he shall
well use his prosperity, and persevere in his good profitable
business, and shall have the truth of God so compass him about
with a shield of his heavenly defence that he shall not need to
dread of the devil's arrow flying in the day of worldly wealth.

VINCENT: Forsooth, uncle, I like this good counsel well. And I
should think that those who are in prosperity and take such order
therein, may do much good both to themselves and to other folk.

ANTHONY: I beseech our Lord, cousin, to put this and better in
the mind of every man who needeth it.

And now will I touch one word or twain of the third temptation, of
which the prophet speaketh in these words: "From the business
walking in the darknesses." And then will we call for our dinner,
leaving the last temptation--that is, "from the incursion and the
devil of the midday"--till afternoon. And then shall we with that,
God willing, make an end of all this matter.

VINCENT: Our Lord reward you, good uncle, for your good labour
with me. But, for our Lord's sake, take good heed, uncle, that you
forbear not your dinner over-long.

ANTHONY: Fear not that, cousin, I warrant you, for this piece
will I make you but short.


XVII

The prophet saith in the said psalm, "He that dwelleth in the
faithful hope of God's help, he shall abide in the protection or
safeguard of God in heaven. And thou who art such a one, the truth
of him shall so compass thee about with a shield, that thou shalt
not be afraid of the business walking about in the darknesses."

"_Negotium,_ the business," is here, cousin, the name of the devil
who is ever full of busy-ness in tempting folk to much evil
business. His time of tempting is in the darknesses. For you know
well that beside the full night, which is the deep dark, there are
two times of darkness, the one ere the morning wax light, the
other when the evening waxeth dark. Two times of like darkness are
there also in the soul of man: the one ere the light of grace be
well sprung up in the heart, the other when the light of grace
beginneth out of the heart to walk fast away. In these two
darknesses this devil who is called Business busily walketh about,
and he carrieth about with him such foolish folk as will follow
him and setteth them to work with many a manner of bumbling
business.

He setteth some, I say, to seek the pleasures of the flesh in
eating, drinking, and other filthy delight. And some he setteth
about incessant seeking for these worldly goods. And of such busy
folk whom this devil called Business, walking about in the
darknesses, setteth to work with such business, our Saviour saith
in the gospel, "He that walketh in darknesses knoweth not whither
he goeth." And surely in such a state are they--they neither know
which way they go, nor whither. For verily they walk round about
as it were in a round maze; when they think themselves at an end
of their business, they are but at the beginning again. For is not
the going about the serving of the flesh a business that hath no
end, but evermore from the end cometh to the beginning again? Go
they never so full-fed to bed, yet evermore on the morrow, as new
they are to be fed again as they were the day before. Thus fareth
it by the belly; thus fareth it by those parts that are beneath
the belly. And as for covetousness, it fareth like the fire--the
more wood there cometh to it, the more fervent and the more greedy
it is.

But now hath this maze a centre or middle place, into which these
busy folk are sometimes conveyed suddenly when they think they are
not yet far from the brink. The centre or middle place of this
maze is hell. And into that place are these busy folk who with
this devil of business walk about in this busy maze, in the
darkness, sometimes suddenly conveyed, unaware whither they are
going. And that may be even while they think that they have not
walked far from the beginning, and that they have yet a great way
to walk about before they should come to the end. But of these
fleshly folk walking in this busy pleasant maze the scripture
declareth the end: "They lead their life in pleasure, and at a pop
down they descend into hell."

Of the covetous man saith St. Paul, "They that long to be rich do
fall into temptation and into the snare of the devil, and into
many unprofitable and harmful desires, which drown men into death
and destruction." Lo, here in the middle place of this busy maze,
the snare of the devil, the place of perdition and destruction, in
which they fall and are caught and drowned ere they are aware!

The covetous rich man also that our Saviour speaketh of in the
gospel, who had so great plenty of corn that his barns would not
receive it, but intended to make his barns larger, and said unto
himself that he would make merry many days--he thought, you know,
that he had a great way yet to walk. But God said unto him, "Fool,
this night shall they take thy soul from thee, and then all these
goods that thou hast gathered, whose shall they be?" Here, you
see, he fell suddenly into the deep centre of this busy maze, so
that he was fallen full into it ere ever he had thought he should
have come near to it.

Now this I know very well: Those who are walking about in this
busy maze take not their business for any tribulation. And yet are
there many of them as sore wearied in it, and sore panged and
pained, their pleasures being so short, so little, and so few, and
their displeasures and their griefs so great, so continual, and so
many. It maketh me think on a good worshipful man who, when he
divers times beheld what pain his wife took in tightly binding up
her hair to make her a fair large forehead, and with tightly
bracing in her body to make her middle small (both twain to her
great pain) for the pride of a little foolish praise, he said unto
her, "Forsooth, madam, if God give you not hell, he shall do you a
great wrong. For it must needs be your own very right, for you buy
it very dear and take very great pain therefore!"

Those who now lie in hell for their wretched living here do now
perceive their folly in the more pain that they took here for the
less pleasure. There confess they now their folly, and cry out,
"We have been wearied in the way of wickedness." And yet, while
they were walking in that way, they would not rest themselves, but
ran on still in their weariness, and put themselves still unto
more pain and more, for a little childish pleasure, short and soon
gone. For that they took all that labour and pain, beside the
everlasting pain that followed it for their further advantage
afterward. So help me God, but I verily think many a man buyeth
hell here with so much pain that he might have bought heaven with
less than half!

But yet, as I say, while these fleshly and worldly busy folk are
walking about in this round busy maze of the devil called Business
who walketh about in these two times of darkness, their wits are
so bewitched by the secret enchantment of the devil that they mark
not the great long miserable weariness and pain that the devil
maketh them take and endure about naught. And therefore they take
it for no tribulation, so that they need no comfort. And therefore
it is not for their sakes that I speak of all this, saving that it
may serve them for counsel toward the perceiving of their own
foolish misery, through the help of God's grace, beginning to
shine upon them again. But there are very good folk and virtuous
who are in the daylight of grace, and yet the devil tempteth them
busily to such fleshly delight. And since they see plenty of
worldly substance fall unto them, and feel the devil in like wise
busily tempt them to set their hearts upon it, they are sore
troubled therewith. And they begin to fear thereby that they are
not with God in the light but with this devil that the prophet
calleth _Negotium_--that is to say, Business--walking about in the
two times of darknesses.

Howbeit, as I said before of those good folk and gracious who are
in the worldly wealth of great power and authority and thereby
fear the devil's arrow of pride, so say I now here again of these
who stand in dread of fleshly foul sin and covetousness: they do
well to stand ever in moderate fear, lest with waxing over-bold
and setting the thing over-light, they might peradventure mishap
to fall in thereto. Yet, since they are but tempted with it and
follow it not, to vex and trouble themselves sorely with the fear
of loss of God's favour is without necessity and not always
without peril. For, as I said before, it withdraweth the mind of a
man far from the spiritual consolation of the good hope that he
should have in God's help. And as for those temptations, as long
as he who is tempted followeth them not, the fight against them
serveth him for matter of merit and reward in heaven, if he not
only flee the deed, the consent, and the delectation, but also (so
far as he conveniently can) flee from all occasions of them.

And this point is in those fleshly temptations a thing easy to
perceive and plain enough. But in worldly business pertaining unto
covetousness the thing is somewhat more dark and there is more
difficulty in the perceiving. And very great troublous fear of it
doth often arise in the hearts of very good folk, when the world
falleth fast unto them, because of the sore words and terrible
threats that God in holy scripture speaketh against those who are
rich. As, where St. Paul saith, "They that will be rich fall into
temptation, and into the snare of the devil." And where our
Saviour saith himself, "It is more easy for a camel"--or, as some
say, "for a great cable rope," for "camelus" so signifieth in the
Greek tongue--"to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God."

No marvel, now, if good folk who fear God take occasion of great
dread at so dreadful words, when they see the worldly goods fall
to them. And some stand in doubt whether it be lawful for them to
keep any goods or not. But evermore, in all those places of
scripture, the having of the worldly goods is not the thing that
is rebuked and threatened, but the affection that the haver
unlawfully beareth to them. For where St. Paul saith, "they that
will be made rich," he speaketh not of the having but of the will
and desire and affection to have, and the longing for it. For that
cannot be lightly without sin. For the thing that folk sore long
for, they will make many shifts to get and jeopard themselves for.

And to declare that the having of riches is not forbidden, but the
inordinate affection of the mind sore set upon them, the prophet
saith, "If riches flow unto you, set not your heart thereupon."
And albeit that our Lord, by the said example of the camel or
cable rope to come through the needle's eye, said that it is not
only hard but also impossible for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of heaven, yet he declared that though the rich man cannot
get into heaven of himself, yet God, he said, can get him in well
enough. For unto men he said it was impossible, but not unto God,
for "unto God," he said, "all things are possible." And yet,
beside that, he told of which manner of rich man he meant, who
could not get into the kingdom of heaven, saying, "My babes, how
hard is it for them that put their trust and confidence in their
money, to enter into the kingdom of God!"

VINCENT: This is, I suppose, uncle, very true--and otherwise God
forbid! For otherwise the world would be in a full hard state, if
every rich man were in such danger and peril.

ANTHONY: That would it be, cousin, indeed. And so I suppose it is
yet. For I fear me that to the multitude there are very few who
long not sorely to be rich. And of those who so long to be, there
are also very few reserved who set not their heart very sorely
thereon.

VINCENT: This is, uncle, I fear me, very true, but yet not the
thing that I was about to speak of. But the thing that I would
have said was this: I cannot well perceive (the world being such
as it is, and so many poor people in it) how any man can be rich,
and keep himself rich, without danger of damnation for it.

For all the while he seeth so many poor people who lack, while he
himself hath wherewith to give them. And their necessity he is
bound in such case of duty to relieve, while he hath wherewith to
do so--so far forth that holy St. Ambrose saith that whosoever die
for default, where we might help them, we kill them. I cannot see
but that every rich man hath great cause to stand in great fear of
damnation, nor can I perceive, as I say, how he can be delivered
of that fear as long as he keepeth his riches. And therefore,
though he might keep his riches if there lacked poor men and yet
stand in God's favour therewith, as Abraham did and many another
holy rich man since; yet with such an abundance of poor men as
there is now in every country, any man who keepeth any riches must
needs have an inordinate affection unto it, since he giveth it not
out unto the poor needy persons, as the duty of charity bindeth
and constraineth him to.

And thus, uncle, in this world at this day, meseemeth your comfort
unto good men who are rich, and are troubled with fear of
damnation for the keeping, can very scantly serve.

ANTHONY: Hard is it, cousin, in many manner of things, to bid or
forbid, affirm or deny, reprove or approve, a matter nakedly
proposed and put forth; or precisely to say "This thing is
good," or "This thing is evil," without consideration of the
circumstances.

Holy St. Austine telleth of a physician who gave a man in a certain
disease a medicine that helped him. The selfsame man at another
time in the selfsame disease took the selfsame medicine himself,
and had of it more harm than good. This he told the physician, and
asked him how the harm should have happened. "That medicine," quoth
he, "did thee no good but harm because thou tookest it when I gave
it thee not." This answer St. Austine very well approveth, because,
though the medicine were the same, yet might there be peradventure
in the sickness some such difference as the patient perceived
not--yea, or in the man himself, or in the place, or in the time of
the year. Many things might make the hindrance, for which the
physician would not then have given him the selfsame medicine that
he gave him before.

To peruse every circumstance that might, cousin, in this matter be
touched, and were to be considered and weighed, would indeed make
this part of this devil of Business a very busy piece of work and
a long one! But I shall open a little the point that you speak of,
and shall show you what I think therein, with as few words as I
conveniently can. And then will we go to dinner.

First, cousin, he who is a rich man and keepeth all his goods, he
hath, I think, very good cause to be very afraid indeed. And yet I
fear me that such folk fear the least. For they are very far from
the state of good men, since, if they keep all, they are then very
far from charity, and do, as you know well, either little alms or
none at all.

But now our question, cousin, is not in what case that rich man
standeth who keepeth all, but whether we should suffer men to
stand in a perilous dread and fear for the keeping of any great
part. For if, by the keeping of so much as maketh a rich man
still, they stand in the state of damnation, then are the curates
bound to tell them so plainly, according to the commandment of God
given unto them all in the person of Ezechiel: "If, when I say to
the wicked man, 'Thou shalt die,' thou do not show it unto him,
nor speak unto him that he may be turned from his wicked way and
live, he shall soothly die in his wickedness and his blood shall I
require of thine hand."

But, cousin, though God invited men unto the following of himself
in wilful poverty, by the leaving of everything at once for his
sake--as the thing by which, being out of solicitude of worldly
business and far from the desire of earthly commodities, they may
the more speedily get and attain the state of spiritual
perfection, and the hungry desire and longing for celestial
things--yet doth he not command every man to do so upon the peril
of damnation. For where he saith, "He that forsaketh not all that
ever he hath, cannot be my disciple," he declareth well, by other
words of his own in the selfsame place a little before, what he
meaneth. For there saith he more, "He that cometh to me, and
hateth not his father, and his mother, and his wife, and his
children, and his brethren, and his sisters, yea and his own life
too, cannot be my disciple." Here meaneth our Saviour Christ that
no one can be his disciple unless he love him so far above all his
kin, and above his own life, too, that for the love of him, rather
than forsake him, he shall forsake them all. And so meaneth he by
those other words that whosoever do not so renounce and forsake
all that ever he hath in his own heart and affection, so that he
will lose it all and let it go every whit, rather than deadly to
displease God with the reserving of any one part of it, he cannot
be Christ's disciple. For Christ teacheth us to love God above all
things, and he loveth not God above all things who, contrary to
God's pleasure, keepeth anything that he hath. For he showeth
himself to set more by that thing than by God, since he is better
content to lose God than it. But, as I said, to give away all, or
that no man should be rich or have substance, that find I no
commandment of.

There are, as our Saviour saith, in the house of his father many
mansions. And happy shall he be who shall have the grace to dwell
even in the lowest. It seemeth verily by the gospel that those who
for God's sake patiently suffer penury, shall not only dwell in
heaven above those who live here in plenty in earth, but also that
heaven in some manner of wise more properly belongeth unto them and
is more especially prepared for them than it is for the rich. For
God in the gospel counseleth the rich folk to buy (in a manner)
heaven of them, where he saith unto the rich men, "Make yourselves
friends of the wicked riches, that when you fail here they may
receive you into everlasting tabernacles."

But now, although this be thus, in respect of the riches and the
poverty compared together, yet if a rich man and a poor man be
both good men, there may be some other virtue beside in which the
rich man may peradventure so excel that he may in heaven be far
above that poor man who was here on earth in other virtues far
under him. And the proof appeareth clear in Lazarus and Abraham.

Nor I say not this to the intent to comfort rich men in heaping up
riches, for a little comfort will bend them enough thereto. They
are not so proud-hearted and obstinate but what they would, I
daresay, with right little exhortation be very conformable to that
counsel! But I say this for those good men to whom God giveth
substance, and the mind to dispose it well, and yet not the mind
to give it all away at once, but for good causes to keep some
substance still. Let them not despair of God's favour for not
doing the thing which God hath given them no commandment of, nor
drawn them to by any special calling.

Zachaeus, lo, who climbed up into the tree, for desire that he had
to behold our Saviour: at such a time as Christ called aloud unto
him and said, "Zachaeus, make haste and come down, for this day
must I dwell in thy house," he was glad and touched inwardly with
special grace to the profit of his soul. All the people murmured
much that Christ would call him and be so familiar with him as, of
his own offer, to come unto his house. For they knew him for the
chief of the publicans, who were custom-men or toll-gatherers of
the Emperor's duties, all which whole company were among the
people sore infamous for ravine, extortion, and bribery. And then
Zachaeus not only was the chief of the fellowship but also was
grown greatly rich, whereby the people accounted him in their own
opinion for a man very sinful and wicked. Yet he forthwith, by the
instinct of the spirit of God, in reproach of all such temerarious
bold and blind judgment, given upon a man whose inward mind and
sudden change they cannot see, shortly proved them all deceived.
And he proved that our Lord had, at those few words outwardly
spoken to him, so wrought in his heart within that whatsoever he
was before, he was then, unawares to them all, suddenly waxed
good. For he made haste and came down, and gladly received Christ,
and said, "Lo, Lord, the one half of my goods here I give unto
poor people. And yet, over that, if I have in anything deceived
any man, here am I ready to recompense him fourfold as much."

VINCENT: This was, uncle, a gracious hearing. But yet I marvel me
somewhat, wherefore Zachaeus used his words in that manner of
order. For methinketh he should first have spoken of making
restitution unto those whom he had beguiled, and then spoken of
giving his alms afterward. For restitution is, you know, duty, and
a thing of such necessity that in respect of restitution almsdeed
is but voluntary. Therefore it might seem that to put men in mind
of their duty in making restitution first, and doing their alms
afterward, Zachaeus would have spoken more fittingly if he had
said first that he would make every man restitution whom he had
wronged, and then give half in alms of that which remained
afterward. For only that might he call clearly his own.

ANTHONY: This is true, cousin, where a man hath not enough to
suffice for both. But he who hath, is not bound to leave his alms
ungiven to the poor man who is at hand and peradventure calleth
upon him, till he go seek up all his creditors and all those whom
he hath wronged--who are peradventure so far asunder that, leaving
the one good deed undone the while, he may, before they come
together, change that good intent again and do neither the one nor
the other. It is good always to be doing some good out of hand,
while we think on it; grace shall the better stand with us and
increase also, to go the further in the other afterward.

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