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04 - The Imitation of Christ - Thomas Kempis · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: The Second Book Admonitions concerning thee Inner Life. Chapter one
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  Speaker 1: of the Inward Life. The Kingdom of God is within
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  Speaker 1: Ye saith the Lord Luke seventeen, verse twenty one. Turn
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  Speaker 1: THEE with all thine heart to the Lord, and forsake
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  Speaker 1: this miserable world, and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul.
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  Speaker 1: Learn to despise outward things, and to give thyself to
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  Speaker 1: things inward, and thou shalt see the Kingdom of God.
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  Speaker 1: Come within THEE. For the Kingdom of God is peace
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  Speaker 1: and joy in the Holy Ghost, and it is not
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  Speaker 1: given to the wicked. Christ will come to THEE and
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  Speaker 1: show THEE his consolation. If thou prepare a worthy mansion
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  Speaker 1: for him within THEE. All his glory and beauty is
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  Speaker 1: from within, and there it pleaseth him to dwell. He
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  Speaker 1: often visiteth the inward Man and holdeth with him sweet discourse,
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  Speaker 1: giving him soothing consolation, much peace, friendship exceeding wonderful. Go
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  Speaker 1: to faithful soul. Prepare thy heart for this bridegroom, that
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  Speaker 1: he may vouchsafe to come to THEE and dwell within THEE.
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  Speaker 1: For so he saith. If any man loveth me, he
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  Speaker 1: will keep my words, and my father will love him,
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  Speaker 1: and we will come unto him and make our abode
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  Speaker 1: with him. John fourteen, verse twenty three. Give therefore place
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  Speaker 1: to Christ, and refuse entrance to all others. When thou
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  Speaker 1: hast Christ, thou art rich and hast sufficient. He shall
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  Speaker 1: be thy provider and faithful watch man in all things,
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  Speaker 1: so that thou hast no need to trust in men,
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  Speaker 1: For men soon change and swiftly pass away. But Christ
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  Speaker 1: remaineth forever and standeth by us firmly even to the end.
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  Speaker 1: There is no great trust to be placed in a
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  Speaker 1: frail and mortal man, even though he be useful and
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  Speaker 1: dear to us. Neither should much sorrow arise within us
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  Speaker 1: if sometimes he oppose and contradict us. They who are
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  Speaker 1: by thy side to day may tomorrow be against THEE,
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  Speaker 1: And often are they turned around like the wind. Put
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  Speaker 1: thy whole trust in God, and let him be thy
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  Speaker 1: fear and thy love. He will answer for THEE himself,
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  Speaker 1: and will do for THEE what is best. Here hast
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  Speaker 1: thou no continuing city Hebrews thirteen, verse fourteen. And whereesoever
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  Speaker 1: thou art, Thou art a stranger and a pilgrim and
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  Speaker 1: thou shalt never have rest unless thou art closely united
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  Speaker 1: to Christ within thee. Why dost thou cast thine eyes
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  Speaker 1: hither and thither, since this is not the place of
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  Speaker 1: thy rest in Heaven. Ought thy habitation to be and
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  Speaker 1: all earthly things should be looked upon as it were
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  Speaker 1: in the passing by all things pass away, and thou
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  Speaker 1: equally with them. Look that thou cleave not to them,
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  Speaker 1: lest thou be taken with them and perish. Let thy
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  Speaker 1: contemplation be on the most high, and let thy supplication
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  Speaker 1: be directed unto Christ without ceasing. If thou canst not
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  Speaker 1: behold high and heavenly things, rest thou in the passion
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  Speaker 1: of Christ, and dwell willingly in his sacred wounds. For
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  Speaker 1: if thou devoutly fly to the wounds of Christ and
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  Speaker 1: the precious marks of the nails and the spear, thou
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  Speaker 1: shalt find great comfort in tribulation. Nor will the slights
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  Speaker 1: of men trouble thee much, and thou wilt easily bear
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  Speaker 1: their unkind words. Christ also, when he was in the world,
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  Speaker 1: was despised and rejected of men, and in his greatest necessity,
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  Speaker 1: was left by his acquaintance and friends to bear these reproaches.
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  Speaker 1: Christ was willing to suffer and be despised. And dareest
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  Speaker 1: thou complain of any Christ had adversaries and gainsayers, And
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  Speaker 1: dost thou wish to have all men thy friends and
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  Speaker 1: bear factors? Whence shall thy patience attain her crown? If
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  Speaker 1: no adversity befall Thee. If thou art unwilling to suffer
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  Speaker 1: any adversity, how shalt thou be the friend of Christ?
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  Speaker 1: Sustain thyself with Christ and for Christ. If thou wilt
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  Speaker 1: reign with Christ. If thou hadst once entered into the
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  Speaker 1: mind of Jesus, and hadst tasted yea even a little
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  Speaker 1: of his tender love, then wouldst thou care nought for
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  Speaker 1: thine own convenience or inconvenience, But wouldst rather rejoice that
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  Speaker 1: trouble brought upon thee? Because the love of Jesus maketh
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  Speaker 1: a man to despise himself. He who loveth Jesus and
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  Speaker 1: is inwardly true and free from inordinate affections, is able
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  Speaker 1: to turn himself readily unto God, and to rise above
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  Speaker 1: himself in spirit, and to enjoy fruitful peace. He who
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  Speaker 1: knoweth things as they are, and not as they are
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  Speaker 1: said or seem to be. He truly is wise and
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  Speaker 1: is taught of God more than of men. He who
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  Speaker 1: knoweth how to walk from within, and to set little
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  Speaker 1: value upon outward things, requireth not places, nor waiteth for
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  Speaker 1: seasons for holding his intercourse with God. The inward man
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  Speaker 1: quickly recollecteth himself, because he is never entirely given up
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  Speaker 1: to outward things. No outward labor, and no necessary occupations
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  Speaker 1: stand in his way. But as events fall out, so
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  Speaker 1: doth he fit himself to them. He who is rightly
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  Speaker 1: disposed and ordered within, careth not for the strange and
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  Speaker 1: perverse conduct of men. A man is hindered and distracted
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  Speaker 1: in so far as he is moved by outward things.
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  Speaker 1: If it were well with THEE, and thou wert purified
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  Speaker 1: from evil, all things would work together for thy good
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  Speaker 1: and profiting for this cause. Do many things displease THEE
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  Speaker 1: and often trouble THEE. That thou art not yet perfectly
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  Speaker 1: dead to thyself, nor separated from all earthly things. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: so defileth and entangleth the heart of man as impure
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  Speaker 1: love towards created things. If thou rejectest outward comfort, thou
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  Speaker 1: wilt be able to contemplate heavenly things, and frequently to
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  Speaker 1: be joyful inwardly Chapter two of Lowly Submission. May no
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  Speaker 1: great account who is for thee or against thee. But
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  Speaker 1: mind only the present duty, and take care that God
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  Speaker 1: be with THEE. In whatsoever thou doest have a good conscience,
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  Speaker 1: and God will defend THEE. For he whom God will help,
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  Speaker 1: no man's perverseness shall be able to hurt. If thou
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  Speaker 1: knowest how to hold thy peace and to suffer without doubt,
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  Speaker 1: thou shalt see the help of the Lord. He knoweth
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  Speaker 1: the time and the way to deliver thee. Therefore, must
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  Speaker 1: thou resign thyself to Him. To God, it belongeth to
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  Speaker 1: help and to deliver from all confusion. Oftentimes it is
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  Speaker 1: very profitable for keeping us in greater humility that others
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  Speaker 1: know and rebuke our faults. When a man humbleth him
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  Speaker 1: lf for his defects, he then easily pacifieth others and
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  Speaker 1: quickly satisfieth those that are angered against him. God protecteth
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  Speaker 1: and delivereth the humble man. He loveth and comforteth the
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  Speaker 1: humble man. To the humble man, he inclineth himself. On
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  Speaker 1: the humble man, he bestoweth great grace, and when he
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  Speaker 1: is cast down, he raiseth him to glory. To the
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  Speaker 1: humble he revealeth his secrets, and sweetly draweth and inviteth
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  Speaker 1: him to himself. The humble man, having received reproach, is
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  Speaker 1: yet in sufficient peace, because he resteth on God and
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  Speaker 1: not on the world. Reckon not thyself to have profited
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  Speaker 1: in any wise, unless thou feel thyself to be inferior
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  Speaker 1: to all Chapter three of the Good Peaceable Man. First
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  Speaker 1: keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able
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  Speaker 1: to be a peace maker towards others. A peaceable man
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  Speaker 1: doth more good than a well learned. A passionate man
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  Speaker 1: turneth even good into evil, and easily believeth evil. A
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  Speaker 1: good peaceable man converteth all things into good. He who
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  Speaker 1: dwelleth in peace is suspicious of none. But he who
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  Speaker 1: is discontented and restless is tossed with many suspicions, and
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  Speaker 1: is neither quiet himself nor suffereth others to be quiet.
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  Speaker 1: He often saith what he ought not to say, and
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  Speaker 1: omitteth what it were more expedient for him to do.
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  Speaker 1: He considereth to what duties others are bound, and neglecteth
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  Speaker 1: those to which he is bound himself. Therefore, be zealous
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  Speaker 1: first over thyself, and then mayst thou righteously be zealous
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  Speaker 1: concerning thy neighbor. Thou knowest well how to excuse and
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  Speaker 1: to color thine own deeds, but thou wilt not accept
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  Speaker 1: the excuses of others. It would be more just to
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  Speaker 1: accuse thyself and excuse thy brother. If thou wilt that
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  Speaker 1: others bear with thee, bear thou with others. Behold, how
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  Speaker 1: far thou art as yet from the true charity and humility,
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  Speaker 1: which knows not how to be angry or indignant against
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  Speaker 1: any save self alone. It is no great thing to
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  Speaker 1: mingle with the good and the me, for this is
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  Speaker 1: naturally pleasing to all, and every one of us willingly
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  Speaker 1: enjoyeth peace and liketh best those who think with us.
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  Speaker 1: But to be able to live peaceably with the hard
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  Speaker 1: and perverse, or with the disorderly, or those who oppose us,
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  Speaker 1: this is a great grace and a thing much to
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  Speaker 1: be commended, and most worthy of a man. There are
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  Speaker 1: who keep themselves in peace, and keep peace also with others,
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  Speaker 1: And there are who neither have peace nor suffer others
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  Speaker 1: to have peace. They are troublesome to others, but always
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  Speaker 1: more troublesome to themselves. And there are who hold themselves
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  Speaker 1: in peace and study to bring others unto peace. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: all our peace in this sad life lieth in humble suffering,
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  Speaker 1: rather than in not feeling adversities. He who best knoweth
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  Speaker 1: how to suffer, shall possess the most peace. That man
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  Speaker 1: is conqueror of himself and Lord of the world, the
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  Speaker 1: friend of Christ and the inheritor of Heaven. Chapter four
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  Speaker 1: of a pure mind and simple intention by two wings
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  Speaker 1: is man lifted above earthly things, even by simplicity and purity.
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  Speaker 1: Simplicity ought to be in the intention, purity, in the affection.
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  Speaker 1: Simplicity reacheth towards God. Purity apprehendeth Him and tasteth Him.
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  Speaker 1: No good action will be distasteful to thee. If thou
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  Speaker 1: be free within from inordinate affection. If thou reachest after
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  Speaker 1: and seekest nothing but the will of God and the
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  Speaker 1: benefit of thy neighbour, thou wilt entirely enjoy inward liberty.
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  Speaker 1: If thine heart were right, then should every creature be
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  Speaker 1: a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine.
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  Speaker 1: There is no creature so small and vile, but that
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  Speaker 1: it showeth us the goodness of God. If thou wert
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  Speaker 1: good and pure within, then wouldst thou look upon all
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  Speaker 1: things without hurt and understand them right. A pure heart
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  Speaker 1: seeth the very depths of heaven and hell, such as
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  Speaker 1: each one is inwardly, So judgeth he outwardly. If there
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  Speaker 1: is any joy in the world, surely the man of
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  Speaker 1: pure heart possesseth it. And if there is anywhere tribulation
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  Speaker 1: and anguish, the evil conscience knoweth it best. As iron
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  Speaker 1: cast into fire loseth rust and is made altogether glowing.
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  Speaker 1: So the man who turneth himself altogether unto God is
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  Speaker 1: freed from slothfulness and changed into a new man. When
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  Speaker 1: a man beginneth to grow lukewarm, then he feareth a
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  Speaker 1: little labour and willingly accepteth outward consolation. But when he
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  Speaker 1: beginneth perfectly to conquer himself and to walk manfully in
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  Speaker 1: the way of God, then he counteth as nothing those
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  Speaker 1: things which aforetime seemed to be so grievous unto him.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter five of self esteem. We cannot place too little
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  Speaker 1: confidence in ourselves, because grace and understanding are often lacking
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  Speaker 1: to us. Little light is there within us, and what
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  Speaker 1: we have we quickly lose by negligence. Oftentimes we perceive
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  Speaker 1: not how great is our inward blindness. We often do
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  Speaker 1: ill and excuse it worse. Sometimes we are moved by
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  Speaker 1: passion and count it zeal We blame little faults in
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  Speaker 1: others and pass over great faults in ourselves quickly enough.
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  Speaker 1: We feel and reckon up what we bear at the
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  Speaker 1: hands of others, but we reflect not how much others
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  Speaker 1: are bearing from us. He who would weigh well and
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  Speaker 1: rightly his own doings would not be the man to
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  Speaker 1: judge severely of another. The spiritually minded man putteth care
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  Speaker 1: of himself before all cares, And he who diligently attendeth
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  Speaker 1: to himself easily keepeth silence concerning others. Thou wilt never
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  Speaker 1: be spiritually minded and godly unless thou art silent concerning
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  Speaker 1: other men's matters, and take full heed to thyself. If
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  Speaker 1: thou think wholly upon thyself and upon God, what thou
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  Speaker 1: seest out of doors shall move thee little where art
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  Speaker 1: thou when thou art not present to thyself. And when
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  Speaker 1: thou hast overrun all things, what hath it profited THEE
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  Speaker 1: thyself being neglected. If thou wouldst have peace and true unity,
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  Speaker 1: thou must put aside all other things and gaze only
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  Speaker 1: upon thyself. Then thou shalt make good way progress. If
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  Speaker 1: thy keep thyself free from all temporal care, thou shalt
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  Speaker 1: lamentably fall away. If thou set a value upon any
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  Speaker 1: worldly thing, Let nothing be great, nothing high, nothing pleasing,
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  Speaker 1: nothing acceptable unto THEE, save God himself or the things
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  Speaker 1: of God. Reckon as altogether vain. Whatsoever consolation comes to
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  Speaker 1: THEE from a creature. The soul that loveth God looketh
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  Speaker 1: not to anything that is beneath God. God alone is
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  Speaker 1: eternal and incomprehensible, filling all things, the solace of the
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  Speaker 1: soul and the true joy of the heart. Chapter six
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  Speaker 1: of the Joy of a good conscience. The testimony of
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  Speaker 1: a good conscience is the glory of a good man.
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  Speaker 1: Have a good conscience, and thou shalt ever have joy.
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  Speaker 1: A good conscience is able to bear exceeding much, and
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  Speaker 1: is exceeding joyful in the midst of adversities. An evil
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  Speaker 1: conscience is ever fearful and unquiet. Thou shalt rest sweetly,
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  Speaker 1: if thy heart condemn thee not never rejoice unless thou
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  Speaker 1: hast done well. The wicked have never true joy nor
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  Speaker 1: feel internal peace. For there is no peace. Saith my
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  Speaker 1: God to the wicked Isaiah sixty two, verse twenty one.
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  Speaker 1: And if they say we are in peace, there shall
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  Speaker 1: be no harm happen unto us. And who shall dare
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  Speaker 1: to do us hurt? Believe them not, for suddenly shall
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  Speaker 1: the wrath of God raise up against them, and their
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  Speaker 1: deeds shall be brought to naught, and their thoughts shall perish.
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  Speaker 1: To glory in tribulation is not grievous to him who loveth,
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  Speaker 1: For such glorying is glorying in the Cross of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Brief is the glory which is given and received of men.
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  Speaker 1: Sadness always goeth hand in hand with the glory of
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  Speaker 1: the world. The glory of the good is in their conscience,
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  Speaker 1: and not in the report of men. The joy of
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  Speaker 1: the opright is from God and in God. And their
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  Speaker 1: joy is in the truth. He who desireth truth and
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  Speaker 1: eternal glory careth not for that which is temporal. And
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  Speaker 1: he who seeketh temporal glory, or who despiseth it from
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  Speaker 1: his heart is proved to bear little love for that
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  Speaker 1: which is heavenly. He who careth for neither praises nor reproaches,
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  Speaker 1: hath great tranquility of heart. He will easily be contented
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  Speaker 1: and filled with peace. Whose conscience is pure. Thou art
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  Speaker 1: none the holier if thou art praised, nor the vila
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  Speaker 1: if thou art reproached, Thou art what thou art, And
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  Speaker 1: thou canst not be better than God pronounceth thee to be.
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  Speaker 1: If thou considerest well what thou art inwardly, thou wilt
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  Speaker 1: not care what men will say to thee. Man looketh
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  Speaker 1: on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
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  Speaker 1: heart one Samuel sixteen, verse seven. Man looketh on the deed,
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  Speaker 1: but God considereth the intent. It is the token of
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  Speaker 1: a humble spirit. Always to do well and to set
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  Speaker 1: little by oneself, not to look for consolation from any
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  Speaker 1: created thing, is a sign of great purity and inward faithfulness.
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  Speaker 1: He that seeketh no outward witness on his own behalf
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  Speaker 1: showeth plainly that he hath committed himself wholly to God.
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  Speaker 1: For not he that commendeth himself is approved as Saint
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  Speaker 1: Paul Saith. But whom the Lord commendeth to Corinthians ten,
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  Speaker 1: verse eighteen, to walk inwardly with God and not to
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  Speaker 1: be held by any outer affections is the state of
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  Speaker 1: a spiritual man. Chapter seven of Loving Jesus above all things.
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  Speaker 1: Blessed is he who understandeth what it is to love
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  Speaker 1: Jesus and to despise himself for jesus sake. He must
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  Speaker 1: give up all that he loveth for his beloved, for
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  Speaker 1: Jesus will be loved alone above all things. The love
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  Speaker 1: of created things is deceiving and unstable, but the love
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus is faithful and lasting. He who cleaveth to
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  Speaker 1: created things will fall with their slipperiness. But he who
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  Speaker 1: embraceth Jesus will stand upright forever, love him and hold
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  Speaker 1: him for thy friend. For he will not forsake Thee
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  Speaker 1: when all depart from THEE, or will he suffer THEE
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  Speaker 1: to perish. At the last. Thou must one day be
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  Speaker 1: separated from all, whether thou wilt or wilt not, cleave
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  Speaker 1: thou to Jesus in life and death, and commit thyself
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  Speaker 1: unto his faithfulness who when all men fail, THEE is
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  Speaker 1: alone able to help. THEE, thy beloved is such by
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  Speaker 1: nature that he will suffer no rival, but alone will
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  Speaker 1: possess thy heart, and as a king, will sit upon
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  Speaker 1: his own throne. If thou wouldst learn to put away
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  Speaker 1: from Thee every created thing, Jesus would freely take up
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  Speaker 1: his abode with THEE. Thou wilt find all trust little
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  Speaker 1: better than lost, which thou hast placed in men, but
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  Speaker 1: not in Jesus. Trust not nor lean upon a reed
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  Speaker 1: shaken with the wind, because all flesh is grass, and
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  Speaker 1: the goodliness thereof falleth as the flower of the field
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  Speaker 1: Isiah forty verse six. Thou wilt be quickly deceived if
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  Speaker 1: thou lookest only upon the outward appearance of men. For
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  Speaker 1: if thou seekest thy comfort and prophet in others, thou
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  Speaker 1: shalt too often experience loss. If thou seekest Jesus in
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  Speaker 1: all things, thou shalt verily find Jesus. But if thou
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  Speaker 1: seekest thyself, thou shalt also find thyself, but to thine
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  Speaker 1: own hurt. For if a man seeketh not Jesus, he
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  Speaker 1: is more hurtful to himself than all the world, And
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  Speaker 1: all his adversaries, Chapter eight of the Intimate Love of Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: When Jesus is present, all is well, and nothing seemeth hard.
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  Speaker 1: But when Jesus is not present, everything is hard. When
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  Speaker 1: Jesus speaketh not within our comfort is nothing worth. But
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  Speaker 1: if Jesus speaketh but a single word, great is the
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  Speaker 1: comfort we experience. Did not Mary Magdalene rise up quickly
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  Speaker 1: from the place where she wept when Martha said to her,
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  Speaker 1: the Master is come, and calleth for thee. John eleven,
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  Speaker 1: verse twenty eight. Happy hour when Jesus calleth THEE from
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  Speaker 1: tears to the joy of the spirit. How dry and
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  Speaker 1: hard art thou without Jesus, How senseless? And if thou
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  Speaker 1: desirest aught beyond Jesus, is not this greater loss than
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  Speaker 1: if thou shouldst lose the whole world? What can the
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  Speaker 1: world profit THEE without Jesus. To be without Jesus is
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  Speaker 1: the never most hell, and to be with Jesus is
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  Speaker 1: sweet paradise. If Jesus were with THEE, no enemy could
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  Speaker 1: hurt THEE. He who findeth Jesus findeth a good treasure,
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  Speaker 1: yea good above all good. And he who loseth Jesus loseth,
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  Speaker 1: exceeding much, yeay more than the whole world. Most poor
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  Speaker 1: is he who liveth without Jesus, and most rich is
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: he who is much with Jesus. It is great skill
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: to know how to live with Jesus, and to know
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: how to hold Jesus is great wisdom. Be thou humble
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: and peaceable, and Jesus shall be with THEE. Be godly
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: and quiet, and Jesus will remain with THEE. Thou canst
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: quickly drive away Jesus and lose his favor, if thou
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: wilt turn away to the outer things, And if thou
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: hast put him to flight and lost him, to whom
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: wilt thou flee, And whom then wilt thou seek for
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: a friend? Without a friend, thou canst not live long.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: And if Jesus be not thy friend above all, thou
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: shalt be very sad and desolate madly. Therefore doest thou
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: if thou trustest or findest joy in any other. It
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: is preferable to have the whole world against THEE than
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: Jesus offended with THEE. Therefore, of all that are dear
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: to THEE, let Jesus be especially loved Let all be
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: loved for jesus sake, but Jesus for his own. Jesus
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: Christ alone is to be specially loved, for he alone
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: is found good and faithful above all friends. For his
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: sake and in him. Let both enemies and friends be
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: dear to THEE, and pray for them all, that they
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: may all know and love him. Never desire to be
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: especially praised or loved, because this belongeth to God alone,
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: who hath none like unto himself. Nor wish thou that
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: any one set his heart on THEE, nor do thou
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: give thyself up to the love of any But let
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus be in THEE and in every good man. Be
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: pure and free within thyself, and be not entangled by
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: any created thing. Thou oughtest to bring a bear and
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: clean heart to God. If thou desirest to be ready
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: to see how gracious the Lord is, and in truth,
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: unless thou be prevented and drawn on by His grace,
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: thou wilt not attain to this, that, having cast out
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: and dismissed all else, thou alone art united to God.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: For when the grace of God cometh to a man,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: then he becometh able to do all things, and when
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: it departeth, then he will be poor and weak and
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: given up unto troubles. In these thou art not to
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: be cast down, nor to despair, but to rest with
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: calm mind on the will of God, and to bear
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: all things which come upon thee unto the praise of
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. For after winter cometh summer, after night returneth
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: day after the tempest a great calm. Chapter nine, of
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: the lack of all comfort. It is no hard thing
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: to despise human comfort when divine is present. It is
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: a great thing, yea very great to be able to
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: bear the loss both of human and divine comfort, and
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: for the love of God willingly to bear exile of heart,
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: and in nought to seek oneself, nor to look to
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: one's own merit. What great matter is it if thou
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: be cheerful of heart and devout when favor cometh to thee.
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: That is an hour wherein all rejoice pleasantly enough doth
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: he ride, whom the grace of God carrieth. And what
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: marvel if he feeleth no burden, who is carried by
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: the Almighty and is led onwards by the Guide from
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: on high we are willing to accept anything for comfort,
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: and it is difficult for a man to be freed
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: from himself. The holy martyr Lawrence overcame the love of
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: the world and even of his priestly master, because he
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: despised everything in the world which seemed to be pleasant.
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: And for the love of Christ he calmly suffered even
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: God's chief priest, sixt Us, whom he dearly loved, to
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: be taken from him. Thus, by the love of the
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: crew Creator, he overcame the love of man, and instead
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: of human comfort, he chose rather God's good pleasure. So
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: also learn thou to resign any near and beloved friend
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: for the love of God, nor take it amiss when
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: thou hast been deserted by a friend, knowing that we
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: must all be parted from one another at last. Mightily
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: and long must a man strive within himself before he
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: learn altogether to overcome himself and to draw his whole
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: affection towards God. When a man resteth upon himself, he
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: easily slippeth away onto human comforts. But a true lover
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: of Christ and a diligent seeker after virtue, faleth not
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: back upon those comforts, nor seeketh such sweetness as may
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: be tasted and handled, but desireth rather hard exercises and
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: to undertake severe labours for Christ. When therefore spiritual comfort
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: is given by God, receive it with giving of thanks,
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: and know that it is the gift of God. Not
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: thy desert, be not lifted up. Rejoice not over much,
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: nor foolishly presume, but rather be more humble for the gift,
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: more wary, and more careful in all thy doings. For
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: that hour will pass away, and temptation will follow. When
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: comfort is taken from thee. Do not straightway despair, but
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: wait for the heavenly visitation with humility and patience, for
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: God is able to give thee back gw favor and consolation.
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: This is not new nor strange to those who have
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: made trial of the way of God. For with the
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: great saints and the ancient prophets, there was often this
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: manner of change. Wherefore one said, when the favor of
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: God was present with him, I said, in my prosperity,
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: I shall never be moved Psalm thirty verse six. But
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: he goeth on to say what he felt within himself
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: when the favor departed, Thou didst turn thy face from me,
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: and I was troubled in spite. Whereof he in no
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: wise despareth, but the more instantly entreateth God and saith
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: unto thee O Lord, will I cry and will pray
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: unto God. And then he receiveth the fruit of his prayer.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: And testifieth, how he hath been heard saying, the Lord
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: heard me and had mercy upon me. The Lord was
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: my helper. But wherein thou hast turned my heaviness into joy,
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: If it was thus with the great saints, we who
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: are poor and needy, ought not to despair, if we
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: are sometimes in the warmth and sometimes in the cold.
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: For the Spirit cometh and goeth according to the good
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: pleasure of His will. Wherefore, Holy job saith, thou dost
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: visit him in the morning, and suddenly thou dost prove
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: him job seven verse eighteen. Whereupon then can I hope,
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: or wherein may I trust, save only in the great
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: mercy of God and the hope of heavenly grace. For
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: whether good men are with me, godly brethren or faithful friends,
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: whether holy books or beautiful discourses, whether sweet hymns and songs.
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: All these help but little, and have but little savour.
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: When I am deserted by God's favour and left to
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: mine own poverty. There is no better remedy then than
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: patience and denial of self, and an abiding in the
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: will of God. I have never found any man so
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: religious and godly, but that he felt sometimes a withdrawal
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: of the divine favor and lack of fervor. No saint
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: was ever so filled with rapture, so enlightened, but that
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: sooner or later he was tempted. For he is not
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: worthy of the great vision of God, who, for God's
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: sake hath not been exercised by some temptation. For temptation
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: is wont to go before as a sign of the
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: comfort which shall follow. And heavenly comfort is promised to
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: those who are proved by temptation, as it is written
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: to him that overcometh I give to eat of the
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: tree of life Revelation two, verse seven. Divine comfort is
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: given that a man may be stronger to bear adversities
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: and temptation followeth, lest he be lifted up because of
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: the benefit. The devil sleepeth not thy flesh is not
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: yet dead. Therefore, cease thou not to make thyself ready
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: unto the battle. For enemies stand on thy right hand
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: and on thy left, and they are never at rest.
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: Chapter ten. Or of gratitude for the grace of God.
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: Why seekest thou rest when thou art born to labor.
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: Prepare thyself for patience more than for comforts, and forbearing
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: the cross more than for joy. For who among the
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: men of this world would not gladly receive consolation and
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: spiritual joy if he might always have it? For spiritual
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: comforts exceed all the delights of the world and all
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: the pleasures of the flesh. For all worldly delights are
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: either empty or unclean, whilst spiritual delights alone are pleasant
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: and honorable, the offspring of virtue and poured forth by
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: God into pure minds. But no man can always enjoy
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: these divine comforts at his own will, because the season
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: of temptation ceaseth not for long. Great is the difference
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: between a visitation from above and false liberty of spirit
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: and great confidence in self. God doeth well in giving
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: us the grace of comfort, but man doeth ill in
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: not immediately giving God thanks thereof, And thus the gifts
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: of grace are not able to flow onto us because
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: we are ungrateful to the author of them, and return
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: them not wholly to the fountain. Whence they flow for grace,
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: ever becometh the portion of him who is grateful, and
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: that is taken away from the proud, which is wont
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: to be given to the humble. I desire no consolation
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: which taketh me away from compunction. I love no contemplation
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: which leadeth to pride. For all that is high is
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: not holy, nor is everything that is sweet good. Every
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: desire is not pure, nor is everything that is dear
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: to us pleasing unto God. Willingly do I accept that grace,
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: whereby I am made humbler and more wary, and more
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: ready to renounce myself. He who is made learned by
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: the gift of grace and taught wisdom by the stroke
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: of the withdrawal thereof, will not dare to claim any
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: good thing for himself, but will rather confess that he
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: is poor and needy. Give unto God the thing which
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: is God's Matthew twenty two, verse twenty one, and ascribe
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: to thyself that which is thine, that is give thanks
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: unto God for his grace, and for thyself alone. Confess
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: thy fault, and that thy punishment is deserved for thy fault.
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: Sit thou down always in the lowest room, and thou
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: shalt be given the highest place. Luke fourteen, verse ten.
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: For the highest cannot be without the lowest. For the
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: highest saints of God are least in their own sight,
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: and the more glorious they are, so much the lowlier
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: are they in themselves full of grace and heavenly glory.
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: They are not desirous of all vainlory. Resting on God
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: and strong in His might, they cannot be lifted up
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: in any wise. And they who ascribe unto God all
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: the good which they have received, seek not glory of
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: one another, but the glory which cometh from God only.
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: And they desire that God shall be praised in himself
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: and in all his saints, above all things, and they
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: are always striving for this very thing. Be thankful therefore
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: for the least benefit, and thou shalt be worthy to
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: receive greater. Let the least be unto thee even as
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: the greatest, and let that which is of little account
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: be unto THEE as a special gift. If the majesty
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: of the giver be considered, nothing that is given shall
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: seem so safe and of no worth, For that is
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: not a small thing which is given by the most
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: High God. Yea, though he gave punishment and stripes, we
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: ought to be thankful, because he ever doth for our profit,
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: whatever he suffereth to come upon us. He who seeketh
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: to retain the favor of God, let him be thankful
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: for the favor which is given, and patient in respect
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: of that which is taken away. Let him pray that
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: it may return. Let him be wary and humble that
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: he lose it not end of Chapter ten.