OCR Text |
Show ttl900t,OMllt,lal,alll,a,a,,,otiig)lllM f iMia . if IMITATION" OF CHRIST. BOOK 3, ' CHAPTER I. Of the internal discourse of Christ to a faithful soul. I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me. Happy is the soul which heareth tho Lord speaking within- her, and reeeiveth from his mouth the word of comfort. Happy ears which receive the breath- 1 ings of the divine whisper, and take no notice of tho whisperings of this world. Happy ears, indeed, which hearken not to the voice that soundeth without, but to the truth itsejlf teaching -within. Happy eyes which are shut to outward out-ward things, but intent on things; internal. in-ternal. Happy they who penetrate intoi internal in-ternal thing's and endeavor to prepare themselves more and more by diaily exercises! ex-ercises! for the receiving of heavenly secrets. Happy they who rejoice to be wholly j Intent on God, and who shake off every wordly impediment. Consider these things, O. my soul, and close up the doors of my sensual desires; that thou mayst hear what the Lord thy God speaketh within thee. 2. Thus saith thy beloved;. I am thy salvation, thy peace and1 thy life. Keep thyself with me and thou shalt find peace. Let go all transitory things: seek the eternal. !Vhat are all things temporal but seductive snares? and what avail all created things, if thou be forsaken by the creator? Cast off, then, all earthly things, and make thyself thy-self pleasing to thy creator, and faithful faith-ful to him, that so thou mayst lay hold on true happiness. CHAPTER II. That truth speaketh within us with- out noise of words. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. 1 1 am thy servant: give me understanding, understand-ing, that 1 may know thy testimonies. Incline my heart to the words of thy mouth; let thy speech distill asi the dew. Heretofore) the children of Israel said to Moses: Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die. It is not thus, O Lord, it is not thus, I pray, but rather, with the prophet Samuel, I humbly and earnest- ly entreat: Speak, Lord, for thy servant ser-vant heareth. Let not Moses, nor any of the prophets, pro-phets, speak to me; but speak thou rather, O Lord God, the inspirer and enlightener of all the prophets; for thou alone, without them canst perfectly per-fectly instruct me; but they, without thee, will avail me nothing. 2. They may indeed sound forth worrls, but they give not the spirit. Moat beautifully do they speak; but if thou be silent, they inflame not the heart. They give the letter, but thou disclosest the sense. They publish the mysteries but thou unlockest the meaning of the things signified. They declare the commandments, command-ments, but thou enablest us to fulfill them. They show the way, but thou givest strength to walk in it. What they can do is only from without, with-out, but thou instruetest and enlight-enest enlight-enest the heart. They water outwardly, but thou givest the increase. They cry aloud in words, but thou impartest understanding to the hearing. 3. Let not, then, Moses speak to me, but thou, O Lord, my God, the eternal I truth, lest I die and prove fruitless, if I be admonished only outwardly, and not inflamed within. Lest it be to my condemnation that the word be heard and not fulfilled, known and not loved, believed and not observed. Speak, then. O Lord, for the servant heareth: for thou hast the words of eternal life. Speak to me that it may be some comfort com-fort to my soul, and the amendment of my whole life, and also to thy praise, and glory, and everlasting honor. |