C
H A P T E R ~ XXIII
He
who will submit himself to God and be obedient to Him, must be ready to bear
with all Things; to wit, God, himself, and all Creatures, and must be obedient
to them all whether he have to suffer or to do.
THERE be some
who talk of other ways and preparations to this end, and say we must lie still
under God's hand, and be obedient and resigned and submit to Him. This is
true; for all this would be perfected in a man who should attain to the uttermost
that can be reached in this present time. But if a man ought and is willing
to lie still under God's hand, he must and ought also to be still under all
things, whether they come from God himself, or the creatures, nothing excepted.
And he who would be obedient, resigned and submissive to God, must and ought
to be also resigned, obedient and submissive to all things, in a spirit of
yielding, and not of resistance, and take them in silence, resting on the
hidden foundations of his soul, and having a secret inward patience, that
enableth him to take all chances or crosses willingly, and whatever befalleth,
neither to call for nor desire any redress, or deliverance, or resistance,
or revenge, but always in a loving, sincere humility to cry, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do!"
Behold! this
were a good path to that which is Best, and a noble and blessed preparation
for the farthest goal which a man may reach in this present time. This is
the lovely life of Christ, for He walked in the aforesaid paths perfectly
and wholly unto the end of His bodily life on earth. Therefore there is no
other and better way or preparation to the joyful life of Jesus Christ, than
this same course, and to exercise oneself therein, as much as may be. And
of what belongeth thereunto we have already said somewhat; nay, all that we
have here or elsewhere said and written, is but a way or means to that end.
But what the end is, knoweth no man to declare. But let him who would know
it, follow my counsel and take the right path thereunto, which is the humble
life of Jesus Christ; [let him strive after that with unwearied perseverance,
and so, without doubt, he shall come to that end which endureth for ever.
"For he that endureth to the end shall be saved"].
C
H A P T E R ~ XXIV
How
that four Things are needful before a Man can receive divine Truth and be
possessed with the Spirit of God.
MOREOVER there
are yet other ways to the lovely life of Christ, besides those we have spoken
of: to wit, that God and man should be wholly united, so that it can be said
of a truth, that God and man are one. This cometh to Pass on this wise. Where
the Truth always reigneth, so that true perfect God and true perfect man are
at one, and man so giveth place to God, that God Himself is there and yet
the man too, and this same unity worketh continually, and doeth and leaveth
undone without any I, and Me, and Mine, and the like; behold, there is Christ,
and nowhere else. Now, seeing that here there is true perfect manhood, so
there is a perfect perceiving and feeling of pleasure and pain, liking and
disliking, sweetness and bitterness, joy and sorrow, and all that can be perceived
and felt within and without. And seeing that God is here made man, He is also
able to perceive and feel love and hatred, evil and good and the like. As
a man who is not God, feeleth and taketh note of all that giveth him pleasure
and pain, and it pierceth him to the heart, especially what offendeth him;
so is it also when God and man are one, and yet God is the man; there everything
is perceived and felt that is contrary to God and man. And since there man
becometh nought, and God alone is everything, so is it with that which is
contrary to man, and a sorrow to him. And this must hold true of God so long
as a bodily and substantial life endureth.
Furthermore,
mark ye, that the one Being in whom God and man are united, standeth free
of himself and of all things, and whatever is in him is there for God's sake
and not for man's, or the creature's. For it is the property of God to be
without this and that, and without Self and Me, and without equal or fellow;
but it is the nature and property of the creature to seek itself and its own
things, and this and that, here and there; and in all that it doeth and leaveth
undone its desire is to its own advantage and profit. Now where a creature
or a man forsaketh and cometh out of himself and his own things, there God
entereth in with His own, that is, with Himself.
C
H A P T E R ~ XXV
Of
two evil Fruits that do spring up from the Seed of the Evil Spirit, and are
two Sisters who love to dwell together. The one is called spiritual Pride
and Highmindedness, the other is false, lawless Freedom.
NOW, after that
a man hath walked in all the ways that lead him unto the truth, and exercised
himself therein, not sparing his labour; now, as often and as long as he dreameth
that his work is altogether finished, and he is by this time quite dead to
the world, and come out from Self and given up to God alone, behold! the Devil
cometh and soweth his seed in the man's heart. From this seed spring two fruits;
the one is spiritual fulness or pride, the other is false, lawless freedom.
These are two sisters who love to be together. Now, it beginneth on this wise:
the Devil puffeth up the man, till he thinketh himself to have climbed the
topmost pinnacle, and to have come so near to heaven, that he no longer needeth
Scripture, nor teaching, nor this nor that, but is altogether raised above
any need. Whereupon there ariseth a false peace and satisfaction with himself,
and then it followeth that he saith or thinketh: "Yea, now I am above
all other men, and know and understand more than any one in the world; therefore
it is certainly just and reasonable that I should be the lord and commander
of all creatures, and that all creatures, and especially all men, should serve
me and be subject unto me." And then he seeketh and desireth the same,
and taketh it gladly from all creatures, especially men, and thinketh himself
well worthy of all this, and that it is his due, and looketh on men as if
they were the beasts of the field, and thinketh himself worthy of all that
ministereth to his body and life and nature, in profit, or joy, or pleasure,
or even pastime and amusement, and he seeketh and taketh it wherever he findeth
opportunity. And whatever is done or can be done for him, seemeth him all
too little and too poor, for he thinketh himself worthy of still more and
greater honour than can be rendered to him. And of all the men who serve him
and are subject to him, even if they be downright thieves and murderers, he
saith nevertheless, that they have faithful, noble hearts, and have great
love and faithfulness to the truth and to poor men. And such men are praised
by him, and he seeketh them and followeth after them wherever they be. But
he who doth not order himself according to the will of these high-minded men,
nor is subject unto them, is not sought after by them, nay, more likely blamed
and spoken ill of, even though he were as holy as St. Peter himself. And seeing
that this proud and puffed-up spirit thinketh that she needeth neither Scripture,
nor instruction, nor anything of the kind, therefore she giveth no heed to
the admonitions, order, laws and precepts of the holy Christian Church, nor
to the Sacraments, but mocketh at them and at all men who walk according to
these ordinances and hold them in reverence. Hereby we may plainly see that
those two sisters dwell together.
Moreover since
this sheer pride thinketh to know and understand more than all men besides,
therefore she chooseth to prate more than all other men, and would fain have
her opinions and speeches to be alone regarded and listened to, and counteth
all that others think and say to be wrong, and holdeth it in derision as a
folly.
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