After Hope, followeth Charity, whose due praises can not be uttered in few words. For Charity is the most excellent virtue of all virtues, as well Theological, as Cardinal.
Charity is the life and soul of them all: and charity is also the accomplishment of all the law. For as the Apostle saith: He that loveth (that is, he that is in perfect charity) hath fulfilled the law. This is the virtue that maketh the yoke of God Sweet, and his burden light. This is the measure whereby the portion of glory that shall be given unto us in the life to come must be measured. This is that virtue that is liking and acceptable unto almighty God, and for whose sake all such things are very acceptable unto him, as be indeed acceptable unto him. For truly without charity neither faith, nor prophecy, nor martyrdom be of any value in the sight of God. To conclude, Charity is the fountain and original of all other virtues, by reason of the preeminency and sovereignty it hath to command them, and to make them to do their offices. As the same Apostle confirmeth, saying: Charity is patient, and benign: Charity is not envious, it doth no hurt to any man, it is not proud, nor ambitious, neither doth it seek her own commodity: Charity is not angry, it thinketh no evil, it rejoiceth not at wickedness, and it is very glad of the truth: Charity suffereth all things, it believeth all things, trusteth all things, and beareth all things.
Now although it be true, that all virtues and good works do help us towards the obtaining of this most excellent and precious jewel: yet of all others consideration helpeth us most specially. For certain it is, that our will is a blind power, that can not step one foot, unless the understanding do go before, and illuminate, and teach it, what thing it ought to desire, and withal how much it ought to will and desire the same. It is also certain (as Aristotle saith) that each good thing is amiable in itself, and that every thing doth naturally love his own proper weal. And therefore that our will may be inclined to love almighty God, it is requisite that the understanding do go before it, to examine, and try, and so consequently to declare unto the will, how amiable almighty God is, both in respect of himself: (to wit, in regard of his divine perfections,) as also in respect of us, (to wit, in regard of his wonderful love and mercies shewed towards us,) that is: the understanding must weigh the greatness and excellence of his bounty, and goodness, of his benignity, of his mercy, of his beauty, of his sweetness, of his meekness, of his liberality, of his nobleness, and of all other his perfections, which are innumerable. Besides this, the understanding hath to consider, how loving and merciful almighty God hath been towards us: how much he hath loved us: how much he hath done and suffered for our sakes, even from the manger until his very death upon the cross: how many great blessings and benefits he hath prepared for us for the time to come: how many he doth presently bestow upon us: from how many great evils and miseries he hath delivered us: with how great patience he hath suffered us: and how gently and lovingly he hath dealt with us: with all his other benefits, which be also innumerable. And thus by considering, and pondering very much in the consideration of these things, our heart shall by little and little be enkindled, and inflamed in the love of such a merciful and bountiful loving Lord. For if the very wild and savage beasts do love their well willers, and benefactors, and if gifts (as it is commonly said) do break the hard and stony rocks, and if that a man that findeth benefits, findeth withal (as the Philosopher saith) Chains whereby to take and bind mens hearts: what heart is there then so stony hard, or savage, that considering the passing bountiful goodness and greatness of all these inestimable benefits, is not enkindled and inflamed in the love of our most loving and merciful Lord, that hath bestowed them upon us?
Add also hereunto, that when a man considereth these things attentively with himself, and endeavoreth with the grace of God to do so much as he is able to do for his part, almighty God will then also do that, that appertaineth unto him: that is, almighty God will move him, that moveth himself, and help him, that helpeth himself, by helping our consideration with the light of the holy Ghost, and with the gift of understanding: the which the more it penetrateth and understandeth all these reasons that induce us to the love of God, the more doth it enkindle, and inflame us in the same love of him. For like as that everlasting light and word of the father is not a barren word, but a fruitful word, which together with the father produceth the holy Ghost, which is a love consubstantial: even so doth this light and word of God work in our hearts, by enkindling, and inspiring this love of God in them.
This may yet be confirmed and declared more plainly by another reason. For it is manifest, that although this virtue of charity do grow and increase (as we have said) with the acts of all other virtues, being done in the state of grace: yet doth it chiefly increase with her own proper acts, when such acts be vehement, according as St. Thomas affirmeth. For like as by writing well, and with an earnest care, and diligence, a man attaineth to be a good writer: by painting, a painter: and by the exercise of singing, a musician: even so likewise by loving, he may become a lover. I mean hereby, that like as the use of writing well, causeth a man to be a good writer, and of painting well, a good painter and even so likewise the use, exercise, and continuance of loving much almighty God, maketh a man at length to become a great lover of God. For albeit this heavenly hability, and virtue be the gift of God, and a thing which he infuseth, powereth, and worketh in our souls, yet nevertheless he worketh this by this mean: I mean hereby, that as well the virtues infused into our souls by almighty God, as the virtues acquisite (to wit, the virtues that be obtained by our own labor, and industry,) do both of them grow and increase with the exercise of their own acts, although in a different manner. Whereupon we may infer thus much, that the more a man shall multiply the acts of the love of God, and the more he shall exercise himself in this virtue of charity, and the longer he shall endure and persevere in this work of love, the more shall this heavenly gift of charity be rooted and fortified in him. But now how can this be done without the exercise of consideration? How can the will be occupied in loving of almighty God, unless the understanding be exercised in blowing, enkindling, and discovering unto it the causes of the love of God? For like as when two horses draw in a chariot, the one can not go forwards without the other: even so these two powers (to wit the will, and understanding) be in such sort linked together, that ordinarily the one can not go forwards without the other: (at the least the will can not move without the understanding.) Thou seest now good Christian reader how inwardly and entirely the exercise of consideration is annexed to the love of God. Forsomuch as a man can never (or very hardly) set himself to love, unless he do also consider, or have before considered such things as may move him unto this love. And it is very needful for us to use some exercise of consideration, not only for the increasing of this virtue of charity, but also for the preservation of the same: that is to say, consideration is necessary, not only that charity may increase, but also that it may not fail, and decrease, among so many contradictions, and stumbling blocks, as it hath in this frail and miserable life. We see that a fish being out of the water dieth forthwith: and a drop of water being out of the sea is quickly dried up: and the fire being out of his natural region is incontinently consumed, unless there be some care and diligence used to feed and maintain it, by putting often times wood unto it wherewith to preserve it. Now the very like need hath the fire of charity also to preserve it in this life, where it is as it were a stranger, and pilgrim. And the wood wherewith it must be preserved, is the consideration of the benefits of almighty God, and of his perfections. For each one of these things being well considered, is as it were a fagot, or firebrand, that enkindleth and inflameth this fire of the love of God in our hearts. Wherefore it behooveth us to nourish and maintain this fire of charity often times with the wood of consideration, that this divine flame may never fail in us. According as almighty God hath signified in the law, when he said: Upon my Altar (which is the heart of the just man) there shall be always fire. And therefore let good diligence and care be taken every day in the morning, to maintain this fire of charity with wood, (to wit, with the Consideration of all these things,) that by this mean it may be always preserved. And so it is said in the Psalm: Through my meditation there is enkindled a fire: to wit, the fire of charity.
This necessity of Consideration may be proved by an other reason also. For we see by experience in all habilities, and graces, both such as are natural, as those also that are acquisite, (I mean, gotten by our own travail, and industry,) that like as they increase by use, and exercise, even so are they also forgotten, if we leave to exercise them. And this we see plainly verified even in such things as be very natural, and customably used. For what thing is more usual than the tongue, and language, which a man in enured, and acquainted withal even from his mothers paps, and yet may it be forgotten in time, if it be not used, and exercised. But what speak I of the tongue, seeing it happeneth sometimes, that when a man hath lyen sick in his bed, but only four or five months, he can scarcely afterwards frame himself to go again when he riseth, notwithstanding that going is a thing so natural, and so customably used. Now if the habilities which be so natural, and so much exercised, do so much decay when they be not used: what will the supernatural habilities do, which are but as it were certain props and stays adjoined unto us, to supply the defects of nature? And if charity with all other virtues infused be in like manner to be reckoned in this accompt, in what case then shall we be, if we do but very seldom or never exercise ourselves in them? For if that thing that is even natural will be lost for want of exercise, how much more will that be lost that is supernatural? And if that thing may be lost that is fastriveted even in our very bowels, what shall that do, that is but as it were only fastened unto us with little pins?
Again, if it be true, that all amity, and friendship, is both preserved, and increased by means of familiarity, and communication: and by the want thereof is utterly quenched, and lost, (according as Aristotle affirmeth:) what shall then become of those persons, that have no manner of communication with almighty God at all? And what can we hope of them, not so much as think, consider, or treat of any heavenly matter? Thou seest then (dear Christian brother) of how great importance the exercise of consideration, and communication with almighty God is unto us, for the preservation of this virtue of charity.
OF PRAYER AND MEDITATION 