THE WARNINGS OF GOD

THE WARNINGS OF GOD HOW THEY ARE TO BE TURNED TO ADVANTAGE

You shall be told here of one of the lessons he taught me at sea, when we were returning from the lands oversea. It chanced that our ship struck before the island of Cyprus, when a wind was blowing which is called garban ; and this wind is not one of the four great winds. And at the shock that our ship received, the mariners so despaired that they rent their garments and tore their beards. The king sprang from his bed, barefoot, for it was night, and having on no more than his tunic, and went and placed himself cross-wise before the body of our Lord, as one who expected nothing but death. The day after this happened, the king called me to him alone, and said: “ Seneschal, God has just showed us a portion of His great power; for one of these little winds, a wind so little that one can scarcely give it a name, came near to drown the King of France, his children, his wife, and his men.

God meant to say to us

Now St. Anselm says that such are warnings from our Lord, as if God meant to say to us, See how easily I could Have compassed your death, had it been my will.’ ‘ Lord 15od,’ says the saint, ‘ why dost Thou thus threaten us? For when Thou dost threaten us, it is not for Thine own profit, loafer Thine advantage seeing that if Thou hardest caused is all to be lost, Thou wouldst have been none the poorer, and if Thou hardest caused us all to be saved, Thou oudist lave been none the richer. Therefore, this Thy warning is lot for Thine own advantage, but for ours, if so be that we offer it do its work.’ Let us therefore take the warning hat God has given us in such sort that, if we feel that we lave, in our hearts or bodies, anything displeasing to God, we hall remove it hastily; and where be anything we think will please Him, let us try hastily to do it. If we so act, then Lord will give us blessings in this world, and in the next blessings greater than we can tell. And if we do not act thus,

I 3e will deal with us as the good lord deals with his wickeder ant; for if the wicked servant will not amend alter yarning given, the lord punishes him with death, or with their great troubles that are worse than death.”

Let the king that now is beware; for he has escaped from peril as great as that in which we then were, or greater. Therefore let him amend from his evil deeds in such sort that Hod smite him not grievously, either in himself or in his possessions customized guided tour.

WHAT ST. LEWIS THOUGHT ABOUT FAITH

The holy king endeavored with all his power as you ;hall here be told to make me believe firmly in the Christian .aw, which God has given us. He said that we ought to believe so firmly the articles of faith that neither from fear of death, nor for any mischief that might happen to the body, should we be willing to go against them in word or deed. And he said that the Enemy is so subtle that, when people are dying, he labours all he can to make them die doubting as to some points of the faith. For he knows that he can in no wise deprive a man of the good works he has done; and he knows also that the man is lost to him if he dies in the faith.

Wherefore we should so guard and defend ourselves from this snare, as to say to the Enemy, when he sends such a temptation: “ Away! ” Yes, “Away! ” must one say to the Enemy. “ Thou shalt not tempt me so that I cease to believe firmly all the articles of the faith. Even if thou didst cause all my members to be cut off, yet would I live and die in the faith.” And whosoever acts thus, overcomes the Enemy with the very club and sword that the Enemy desired to murder him withal.

He said that the Christian faith and creed were things in which we ought to believe firmly, even though we might not be certain of them except by hearsay. On this point he asked me what was my father’s name? And I told him his name was Simon. And he asked how I knew it. And I said I thought I was certain of it, and believed it firmly, because my mother had borne witness thereto. Then he said, “ So ought you to believe all the articles of the faith, to which the Apostles have borne witness, as also you chant of a Sunday in the Creed.”