we had been lice or fleas, and frogs, and all the vermin of the world. Now then
CHAPTER 3: The Meek Those Who Hunger for Righteousness and the Merciful
we had been lice or fleas, and frogs, and all the vermin of the world. Now then that all our good and all our salvation is based on the sole mercy of God: what a joy does he promise us, by saying that he will show us pity and compassion when we thus bring to him our miseries with which we are full, having, however, compassion for our neighbors: and that this will be to move him to gather us to himself, instead of us being worthy of being dismissed as abominable, that this, says, induces him to show mercy to us? When then we have this promise, is it not necessary? not that we are brute beasts, devoid of sense and of all reason, if this does not move us to show mercy? This then is what we have here to remember. But still let us not doubt that God will give us some taste of what is here celebrated to us by his Son, who is his true witness, and who came out of his bosom (as it is spoken of in the first chapter of the Gospel according to John) to certify us of his will. Let us not doubt therefore when we have been pitiful, that we will find pity and mercy, even among men: and however clever and ungrateful they may be, if God will still pursue them so far that when we are in some need, we will be helped, even without them thinking of serving God in doing so, or being moved by charity: but he will take it from them as he does. formerly to the Egyptians, who although they were enemies of the people of God, were forced to put into their hands the most precious things they had.
So, what. be that as it may, let us look higher. It is to know that we have to account for our life, and that if we have been pitiful in this world, we will know God to be such also towards us. Moreover, mercy does not lie only in this compassion that I have said, when someone is hungry and thirsty, when he is sick, when he is tormented by whatever injury and oppression is done to him: but also in supporting the infirmities and vices of those who, for their part, deserve to be remitted. It is true that we must here take the measure that the Scripture shows us. For we must be so merciful to those who have failed, that it is not to feed them with flattery, nor to hide the evil so that it grows, and increases more and more. We must therefore be pitiful, when we see our neighbors still being subjected to many infirmities, and we support them in this: not to be like them, but to be human towards them by showing them their faults, instead of being very happy: as there are many who only laugh and complain, if they see some bad thing having happened: that instead of that, we groan, to say, Alas, this poor man has offended God. Let us be displeased, because we see a soul perishing which was so dearly purchased by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we see the justice of God violated, that we see his glory diminished: may these things move us with compassion. This then