dost thou then pretend to follow thy own? Whenever you find that any ordinary effects of poverty molest you, encourage yourself in these terms: Art thou come hither to seek thy own ease and convenience, and not to suffer the least want of anything? Dost thou not remember that thou earnest to religion to be poor, and to suffer the want of -many things, as one truly poor? Wherefore then dost thou complain? When you imagine that others have not a sufficient regard and esteem for you, console yourself by often saying: Hast thou entered into religion to be respected, or rather hast thou not entered it to be neglected and forgotten by all men, not at all regarding nor valuing the opinion and esteem of the world? Why dost thou now refuse that which thou earnest hither to seek? Wherefore wilt thou run after that which thou hast once quitted? Thou earnest not to do thy own will, but to be truly poor, to live in want of all sorts of conveniences, and to desire to be neglected, and scorned by men; this is to be a true religious, this is to be dead to the world, and to live wholly to God.
Let us then often call to mind, that it is for this end we entered into religion, and that it will not at all profit us to be in religion, unless we perform what we came for. It is not the place, but our good lives, that must make us saints. The great St. Austin treats this point excellently well in a sermon, wherein he addresses himself to those religious, who live in the desert. "Behold," says he, " we are got into solitude, we are got into the desert: yet, it is not the place, but our good works that can make us saints; it is these will sanctify the place, and us too. Do not then trust to the holiness of the place; we may sin in all places, and may everywhere meet with our damnation. For the angels sinned in heaven, Adam in paradise; and you know there was no place could be more holy than these. It is not then the place that makes the saints; for if the place could sanctify those that live in it, neither man nor angels could ever have fallen from their dignities." (Ser. xxvii. ad frat. in Erm.) I say the same to you: do not imagine that all the work is done, and that you are already out of all danger, because you are become a religious; for it will avail you nothing to be a religious, unless you do those things, for which you have entered into religion; for you are not come thither, to be a man of great learning, nor to become a great preacher, but solely and purely to become a true and good religious, and to aspire continually after perfection. It imports but little whether you are more or
