February 13

How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?—John 5:44.

VAINGLORY is a powerful thing to blind even to very evident truths the minds of those ensnared by it, and to persuade them to dispute against what is allowed by others; nay, it instigates some who know and are persuaded of the truth to pretended ignorance and opposition. As took place in the case of the Jews, for they did not through ignorance deny the Son of God, but that they might obtain honor from the multitude; "they believed," says the Evangelist, but were afraid, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For it can not be that he that is so zealous a slave to the glory of this present world can obtain the glory which is from God. Wherefore he rebuked them, saying, How can ye believe, which receive honor of men, and seek not the honor which cometh from God?

This passion is a sort of deep intoxication, and makes him who is subdued by it hard to recover. And having detached the souls of its captives from heavenly things, it nails them to earth, and lets them not look up to the true light, but persuades them ever to wallow in the mire, giving them masters so powerful, that they have the rule over them without needing to use commands. For the man who is sick of this disease, does of his own accord, and without bidding, all that he thinks will be agreeable to his masters. On their account he clothes himself in rich apparel, and beautifies his face, taking these pains not for himself but for others; and he leads about a train of followers through the market-place, that others may admire him, and all that he does he goes through, merely out of obsequiousness to the rest of the world. Can any state of mind be more wretched than this? That others may admire him, he is ever being precipitated to ruin.

Must not the man who has such a master be more pitiable than any one? And yet strange though it be, it is not strange that worldly men should be eager about these things; but that those who say that they have started away from the world should be sick of this same disease, or rather of one more grievous still, this is the strangest thing of all. For with the first the loss extends only to money, but in the last case the danger reaches to the soul. For when men alter a right faith for reputation's sake, and dishonor God that they may be in high repute themselves, tell me, what excess of stupidity and madness must there not be in what they do? Other passions, even if they are very hurtful, at least bring some pleasure with them, though it be but for a time and fleeting. But those who are taken captives by this passion, live a life continually imbittered and stripped of enjoyment, for they do not obtain what they earnestly desire, glory, I mean, from the many. They think they enjoy it, but do not really, because the thing they aim at is not glory at all. And therefore their state of mind is not called glory, but a something void of glory, vaingloriousness, so have all the ancients named it, and with good reason; inasmuch as it is quite empty, and contains nothing bright or glorious within it, but as players' masks seem to be bright and lovely, but are hollow within—for which cause, though they be more beautiful than natural faces, yet they never draw any love to them—even so, or rather yet more wretchedly has the applause of the multitude tricked out for us this passion dangerous as an antagonist, and cruel as a master. Its countenance alone is bright, but within it is no more like the mask's mere emptiness, but crammed with dishonor and full of savage tyranny. Whence then, it may be asked, has this passion so unreasonable, so devoid of pleasure, its birth? Whence else but from a low, mean soul? It can not be that one who is captivated by love of applause should imagine readily any thing

5 great or noble; he must needs be base, mean, dishonorable, little. He who does nothing for virtue's sake, but to please men worthy of no consideration, and who ever makes account of their mistaken and erring opinions, how can he be worth any thing?

Tell me, will you seek to obtain this vulgar glory? Do not, I beg and entreat you. It turns every thing upside down; it is the mother of avarice, of slander, of false witness, of treacheries: it arms and exasperates those who have received no injury against those who have inflicted none. He who has fallen into this disease neither knows friendship nor remembers old companionship, and knows not how to respect any one at all; he has cast away from his soul all goodness, and is at war with every one, unstable, without natural affection.

Beloved, let us now return to our senses; let us put off this filthy garment, let us rend and cut it off from us, let us at some time or other become free with true freedom, and be sensible of the nobility which has been given to us by God; let us despise vulgar applause. For nothing is so ridiculous and disgraceful as this passion, nothing so full of shame and dishonor. One may in many cases see, that to love honor, is dishonor; and that true honor consists in neglecting honor, in making no account of it, but in saying and doing every thing according to what seems good to God. In this way we shall be able to receive a reward from him who sees exactly all our doings, if we are content to have him only for a spectator. What need we other eyes, when he who shall confer the prize is ever beholding our actions? Is it not a strange thing that, whatever a servant does, he should do to please his master, should seek nothing more than his master's observation, desire not to attract other eyes to his conduct, but aim at one thing only, that his master may observe him; while we who have a Lord so great, seek other spectators who can nothing profit, but rather hurt us by their observation, and make all our labor vain? Not so, I beseech you. Let us call him to applaud and view our actions from whom we shall receive our rewards. Let us have nothing to do with human eyes. For if we should even desire to attain this honor, we shall then attain it, when we seek that which cometh from God alone. For, he saith, Them that honor me, I will honor. And even as we are best supplied with riches when we despise them, and seek only the wealth which cometh from God;—Seek, he saith, the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you;—so it is in the case of honor. When the granting either of riches or honor is no longer attended with danger to us, then God gives them freely; and it is then unattended with danger, when they have not the rule or power over us, do not command us as slaves, but belong to us as masters and free men. Tell me what is brighter than Paul, when he says, We seek not honor of men, neither of you, nor yet of others. If then we desire to obtain honor, let us shun honor, so shall we be enabled after accomplishing the laws of God, to obtain both the good things which are here, and those which are promised, by the grace of Christ, with whom, to the Father, and Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen.