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Show suit o o 00 oa9oiiiuooocioi o o : 1 AflJP3S--P? - I IMITATIONS OF CHRIST. Bcok 2, Chanter 12. Cf the Royal Road of the Holy Cross. To many this eeemeth a hard saying: "Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Jesus." But it will be much harder to heareth at last word: "Depart "De-part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting everlast-ing fire," for they who now love to hear and follow the word of the cross shall not then fear the sentence of eternal condemnation. This sign of the crocs shall be in heaven when the Lord shall come to jud:re. TlK-n all the servants, of the cross, who in their lifetime have conformed themselves to Him that was crucified shall come to Christ, their judge, with great confidence. 2. Why, then, art thou afraid to take up thy cross, which leadeth to the kingdom? In the cross is salvation; in the cross is life; in the croa is protection from enemies. In the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the cross is strength of mind; in the cross is joy of spirit. In the cross is height of virtue; in the cross is perfection of sanctity.' There is no health of soul, nor hope of eternal life but in the crces. Take up. therefore, thy cross and follow Jesus, and thou shalt go into life everlasting. He is gone before thee, carrying His cross, and He died for thee upon the cross, that thou mayest also bear thy cross and love to die on the cross. Because if thou die with Him, thou shalt also live with Him: and if thou art Hie companion in suffering, thou shalt also be His companion in glory. 3. Behold in the- cross all doth consist, con-sist, and all lieth in our dying; and there is no other way to life and to true interior peace but the way of the ohly cross, and of daily mortification. Go where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, and thou shalt not find a higher way above, nor a safer way below, than the way of the holy cross. Dispose and order all things according accord-ing as thou wilt, and as seems best to thee, and thou wilt still find something j to suffer, either willingly or unwillingly, unwilling-ly, and so thou shalt always find the cross. Foor either thou shalt feel pain in the body or sustain in thy soul tribulatioa of spirit. 4. Sometimes thou -shalt be deserted by God; at other times thou shalt be afflicted by thy neighbor; and what is more, thou shalt often be a trouble to thyself. Neither canst thou be delivered or eased by any remedy or comfort, but as long as it shall please God thou must bear it. For God willeth that thou learn to suffer tribulation with comfort, and wholly submit thyself to Him, and become be-come more humble by tribulation. No man hath so heartfelt a sense of the passion of Christ as he whose lot it hath been to suffer like things. The crcas. therefore, is always ready, and everywhere awaiteth thee. Thou canst not escape it withersoever witherso-ever thou runnest; for wheresoever thou goest thou carirest thyself with thee, and shalt always find thyself. Turn thyself upwards or turn thyself downwards; turn thyself inward or turn thyself outward; everywhere thou ehalt find the cross. And everywhere thou must of necessity neces-sity hold fast patience, if thou desirest inward peace, and wouldst merit an eternal crown. , 5. If thou carry the cross willingly it will carry thee and bring thee to thy desired end, namely, to that peace where there will be an end of suffering, though here there will be no end. If thou carry it unwillingly, thou makest it a burden to thee, and loadest thyself the more, and nevertheless thou must bear it. If thou flinng away .one cross, without with-out doubt thou wilt find another, and perhaps a heavier. 6. Dost thou think to escape that which no mortal ever could avoid? What Saint ever was in the world without with-out his cross and tribulations? Prepare thyself to suffer many adversities, ad-versities, and divers evils, in this miserable mis-erable life; for so it will be with thee wherever thou art. and so indeed wilt thou find it wheresoever thou hide thyself. thy-self. It must be so, and there is no remedy against tribulation and sorrow, but to bear them patiently. Drink of the chalice of thy Lord lovingly, lov-ingly, if thou desirest to be His friend and to have part with Him. Leave consolations to God, to do with them as best pleaseth Him. But be ready on thy part to bear tribulations, and account them the greatest consolations, for the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared com-pared with the glory to come, although thou alone coudat suffer them all. 7. When thou shalt arrive thus far, that tribulation shall be sweet to thee, and thou shalt relish it for the love of Christ, then think that it is well with thee, for thou hast found a paradise upon earth. As long as suffering is grievous to thee, and thou seekest to fly from it, as long shall it be ill with thee, and Ihe (desire of) flying from tribulation shall pursue thee everywhere. 8. If thou set thyself to what thou I oughtest, that is to suffer and to die, it will, quickly be better with thee, and thou shalt find peace. Although thou fhouldst have been rapt to the heaven with St. Paul, thou art not thereby secured se-cured that thou shalt suffer no adversity: ad-versity: "I," said Jesus, "will show him how great things he must suffer for My name." To suffer, therefore, is what awaits thee, if thou art resolved to love Jesu3 and constantly to serve Him. 9. Would to God thou wert worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus! Je-sus! how great joy would it be to all the Saints of God: and how great edification edifi-cation to thy neighbor! All recommend patience, but, aas, how few are there that desire to' suffer! With good reason oughtest thou willingly will-ingly to suffer for Christ, since .niany suffer greater things for the world. 10. Know for certain that thou must lead a dying life! and the more a man dieth to himself the more doth he begin to live unto God. No man is fit to comprehend heaven ly things who hath not resigned himself him-self to suffer adversities for Christ. Nothing ia more acceptable to God, nothing more salutary for thee In this world than to suffer willingly for Christ. And if thou couldst make choice, thou oughtpet to prefer to suffer suf-fer adversities for Christ than to be delighted de-lighted with much consolation, because thus thou wouldst more resemble Christ and be more likened to all the Saints. For our merit, and the advancement of our state, consists) not in having many sweetnesses and consolations, but rather in bearing great afflictions and tribulations. If, indeed, there had been anything better and more beneficial to man's salvation sal-vation than suffering, Christ certainly would have showed it by word and example. ex-ample. For he manifestly exhorts both His disciples that followed Him and all that desire to follow Him to bear the cross, saying: "If any one will come after Mr. let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." so that when we have read and searched all. let thig be the final conclusion, that "through manv tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God." . |