CHAPTER IV.

What are the instruments of good works.

First of all, to love the Lord God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength.³⁶³⁶Deut. vi. 5.

2. Then our neighbour as ourself.³⁷³⁷Luc. x. 27.

3. Then not to kill.³⁸³⁸Luc. xviii. 20.

4. Not to commit adultery.³⁹³⁹Matth. xix. 18.

5. Not to steal.⁴⁰⁴⁰Exod. xx. 15.

6. Not to covet.⁴¹⁴¹Deut. vi. 21.

7. Not to bear false witness.⁴²⁴²Marc. x. 19.

8. To honour all men.⁴³⁴³I. Petr. ii. 17.

9. Not to do to another what we would not have done to ourselves.⁴⁴⁴⁴Tob. iv. 16.

10. To deny ourselves, in order to follow Christ.⁴⁵⁴⁵Luc. ix. 23.

11. To chastise the body.⁴⁶⁴⁶I Cor. ix. 27.

12. Not seek after delights.⁴⁷⁴⁷II. Petr. ii. 13.

13. To love fasting.⁴⁸⁴⁸Joel i. 14; ii, 12, 15.

14. To relieve the poor.⁴⁹⁴⁹Tob. iv. 7..

15. To clothe the naked.⁵⁰⁵⁰Is. lviii. 7.

16. To visit the sick.⁵¹⁵¹Matth. xxv. 36.

17. To bury the dead.⁵²⁵²Tob. i. 21, ii. 4, 7–9.

18. To help those that are in tribulation.⁵³⁵³Is. i. 17.

19. To comfort the sad.⁵⁴⁵⁴I. Thes. v. 14.

20. To withdraw ourselves from worldly ways.⁵⁵⁵⁵Jac. i. 27.

21. To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.⁵⁶⁵⁶Matth. x. 37, 38.

22. Not to give way to anger.⁵⁷⁵⁷Matth. v. 22.

23. Not to harbour revenge in our mind.⁵⁸⁵⁸Ephes. iv. 26.

24. Not to foster guile or deceit in our heart.⁵⁹⁵⁹Ps. xiv. 3.

25. Not to make a feigned peace.⁶⁰⁶⁰Rom. xii. 18.

26. Not to forsake charity.⁶¹⁶¹I. Petr. iv. 8.

27. Not to swear at all, lest we forswear ourselves.⁶²⁶²Matth. v. 33–37.

28. To speak the truth with heart and mouth.⁶³⁶³Ps. xiv. 3.

29. Not to render evil for evil.⁶⁴⁶⁴I. Thes. v. 15.

30. Not to do any injury; yea, and patiently to bear an injury done to us.⁶⁵⁶⁵I. Cor. vi. 7.

31. To love our enemies.⁶⁶⁶⁶Luc. vi. 27–35.

32. Not to speak ill of such as speak ill of us, but rather to speak well of them.⁶⁷⁶⁷I. Petr. iii. 9.

33. To suffer persecution for justice sake.⁶⁸⁶⁸Matth. v. 10.

34. Not to be proud.⁶⁹⁶⁹Tob. iv. 14.

35. Not given to wine.⁷⁰⁷⁰I. Tim. iii. 3.

36. Not a great eater.⁷¹⁷¹Eccli. xxxi. 17.

37. Not drowsy.⁷²⁷²Prov. xx. 13.

38. Not slothful.⁷³⁷³Rom. xii. 11.

39. Not a murmurer.⁷⁴⁷⁴I Cor. x. 10.

40. Not a detractor.⁷⁵⁷⁵Sap. i. 11.

41. To put our trust in God.⁷⁶⁷⁶Ps. lxxii. 28.

42. When we see any good in ourselves let us attribute it to God and not to ourselves.⁷⁷⁷⁷I Cor. iv. 7.

43. But let us always know that evil is done by ourselves, therefore let us attribute it to ourselves.⁷⁸⁷⁸Ose. xii. 9.

44. To fear the day of judgment.⁷⁹⁷⁹Job. xxxi. 14.

45. To be afraid of hell.⁸⁰⁸⁰Matth. x. 28.

46. To desire life everlasting with spiritual thirst.⁸¹⁸¹Phil. i. 23.

47. To have death always before our eyes.⁸²⁸²Matth. xxiv. 42 et seq..

48. To observe at every hour the actions of our life.⁸³⁸³Deut. iv. 9.

49. To know for certain that God beholdeth us in every place.⁸⁴⁸⁴Prov. v. 21.

50. To dash at once against Christ the evil thoughts that rise in the mind.⁸⁵⁸⁵Ps. cxxxvi. 9.

51. To reveal all such to our spiritual Father.⁸⁶⁸⁶Eccli. viii. ii.

52. To keep our mouth from evil and wicked words.⁸⁷⁸⁷Ps. xxxiii. 13, 14.

53. Not to love much talking.⁸⁸⁸⁸Prov. x. 19.

54. Not to speak vain words, nor such as move to laughter.⁸⁹⁸⁹Matth. xii. 35.

55. Not to love much and boisterous laughter.⁹⁰⁹⁰Eccli. xxi. 23.

56. Willingly to hear holy readings.⁹¹⁹¹Luc. xi. 28.

57. To pray often devoutly.⁹²⁹²Col. iv. 2.

58. With tears and sighs, daily to confess our past evils to God in prayer and to amend them for the time to come.⁹³⁹³Ps. vi. 7.

59. Not to fulfil the desires of the flesh, and to hate self-will.⁹⁴⁹⁴Gal. v. 16.

60. To obey in all things the commands of the Abbot, though he himself (which God forbid) should do otherwise, being mindful of that precept of our Lord: “What they say, do ye; but what they do, do ye not.”⁹⁵⁹⁵Eccli. xviii. 30.

61. Not to desire to be called holy, before we be so, and first to be holy, that we may truly be called so.⁹⁶⁹⁶Matth. xxiii. 3.

62. Daily to fulfil in deeds the commandments of God.⁹⁷⁹⁷Matth. vi. i.

63. To love chastity.⁹⁸⁹⁸Eccli. vi. 37.

64. To hate no man.⁹⁹⁹⁹I. Tim. v. 22.

65. To flee envy and emulation.¹⁰⁰¹⁰⁰Levit. xix. 17.

66. Not to love contention.¹⁰¹¹⁰¹Jacob. iii. 14, 16.

67. To flee Haughtiness.¹⁰²¹⁰²II. Tim. ii. 24.

68. To reverence the Elders.¹⁰³¹⁰³Ps. cxxx. 1.

69. To love inferiors.¹⁰⁴¹⁰⁴Levit. xix. 32.

70. For Christ’s sake to pray for our enemies.¹⁰⁵¹⁰⁵I Tim. v. i..

71. To make peace with adversaries before the setting of the sun.¹⁰⁶¹⁰⁶Matth. v. 44.

72. Never to despair of God’s mercy.¹⁰⁷¹⁰⁷Ephes. iv. 26.

Behold these are the tools or instruments of our spiritual profession: if we constantly employ them day and night, and have them signed with approval in the day of judgment, that reward shall be given us by our Lord as a recompense “Which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for those that love Him.”¹⁰⁸¹⁰⁸Ps. li. 10. The workshop where all these things are to be done is the cloister of the monastery, and steadfast abiding in the Congregation.