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Show i J2 " n : ' " Stomas QIKejipb.: . BOOK 2 CHAPTER VI. Of the Joy of a Good Conscience. The good man's glory is the testimony of a good conscience. Have a good conscience, and thou shalt alwnys have joy. A good co.:saenee can bear very much, and is very joyful in the midst of adversity. An evil Lonscience is always fearful and unquiet; sweetly shalt thou rest, , if thv heart upbraid thee not. Never lejoice except when thou hast done well. The wuked never have true joy, nor feel interior peace, for "there is no peace to the wicked," saith the Lord. And if they say: We are in peace, and there shall no evil come upon us, j and who is there shall dare to harm me: I Believe them not, for suddenly the I anger of God shall rise and bring their 1 deec.s to naught, and their thoughts j shall perish. i To glory in tribulation is not hard . "to him that love;; for so to glory is to i glory in the cress of the Lord. I Short-lived is the ;;lory that is given j and received by men. i Sadness ever accomnanieth the glory J of th:.' world. The ;?l iy t,f the good is in their own consci. n.-ed, and not in the moutn of; men. ! The joy of the just is from God and ' :,i Cod, and their rejoicing is in the that lons:eth after true and everlasting ever-lasting glory tareth not for temporal. And he that seeketh temporal glory, or doth not front hi.s soul despise it, shows himself to have little love for that which a iieavenly. Great tranquility of heart hath he who careth neither for praise nor blame. 3. Easily will lie be content and at peace whose conscience is undefiled. Thou art not more holy for being praised, nor the worse for being blamed. What thou art that thou art; not canst thou be e-aid to be greater than God seeth thee tc be. If thou attend diligently to what thou art interiorly, thou wilt not regard what men say of thee. Man iooketh cn the face, but God seeth into the heirt. Man cons.deretii the actions, but God weigheth the intentions. Always to do well, and to esteem oneself one-self of small account, is the mark of an humble soul. To refuse consolation from any crea- ture is the sign of great purity and of an interior confidence. 4. He that peeketh no outward testimony testi-mony for himself showeth nla'n'y that : he hath whol.y committed himself to God. "For not he that commendeth himself." him-self." saith -blessed Paul, "is approved, but he whom God commendeth." To walk with God within, and to be bound by no aTection from without, is the state of the man of interior bfe. CHAPTER VII. i Of the Love of Jesus Above All , Things. Blecsed is he who understandeth ! what it is to love Jesue, and to despise himself fo.- the sake of Je-us. AVe muct leave what a beloved for the isake of the beloved; for Jchus will be loved alone and above all things. The love of things created ic deceitful deceit-ful and inconstant; the love of Jesus is faithful and enduring. He that clir.geth to the creature shall fall with its Jailing. lie that embraceth Jesuifl cshall be firmlv looted lorever. Love h:m and keep him for thy friend who, whe.i all ior-sake, will not b-ave thee, nor suffer thee to perish finady. Sooner or later thou mu.it be separated separ-ated from all. whether thou wilt or no. In life and in death keep thyself near to Jesus, ar.d .ntrust thyself to his fidelity, fidel-ity, who alone can help thee when all others fail The nature of thy Beloved is sucn that He will not admit of a rival; but , He will have thy heart for Himself alone, and sit as king upon His own throne. If thou couldst empty thy heart Oi. every creature, Jesue would wdangly make His dwelling with thee. "Whatsoever thou reposest in men. out of Jc-suj, ,thou wilt And to be well mgn lost. Trust not. nor lean upon a reed tun of wind. "For all .flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof shall fade ike the flower of crass." j Thou wilt soon be deceived, if thou regard only the external appearance of men- . , .i. Indeed, if thou seek in others thy comfort and thy profit, thou wilt more often meet with Ices. If in all things thou eeekest Jesus, j truly thou shalt find Jesus; but if thou seek thyself, thou shalt find thyself also, but to thy own ruin. |