Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| The Christian Life.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter
LXII.—The Christian Life.
But Peter said: “Who is he that is
earnest toward instruction, and that studiously inquires into every
particular, except him who loves his own soul to salvation, and
renounces all the affairs of this world, that he may have leisure to
attend to the word of God only? Such is he whom alone the true
Prophet deems wise, even he who sells all that he has and buys the one
true pearl,708
who understands
what is the difference between temporal things and eternal, small and
great, men and God. For he understands what is the eternal hope
in presence of the true and good God. But who is he that loves
God, save him who knows His wisdom? And how can any one obtain
knowledge of God’s wisdom, unless he be constant in hearing His
word? Whence it comes, that he conceives a love for Him, and
venerates Him with worthy honour, pouring out hymns and prayers to Him,
and most pleasantly resting in these, accounteth it his greatest damage
if at any time he speak or do aught else even for a moment of time;
because, in reality, the soul which is filled with the love of God can
neither look upon anything except what pertains to God, nor, by reason
of love of Him, can be satisfied with meditating upon those things
which it knows to be pleasing to Him. But those who have not
conceived affection for Him, nor bear His love lighted up in their
mind, are as it were placed in darkness and cannot see light; and
therefore, even before they begin to learn anything of God, they
immediately faint as though worn out by labour; and filled with
weariness, they are straightway hurried by their own peculiar habits to
those words with which they are pleased. For it is wearisome and
annoying to such persons to hear anything about God; and that for the
reason I have stated, because their mind has received no sweetness of
divine love.”
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
