Chapter XLV
Profitable Advice
There is no good impulse which does not fall in the heart as a gift from on high. There is no evil deliberation which does not approach the heart in the way of a temptation. A man that has attained the knowledge of his weakness has attained the summit of humility. The conductor of the signs of God's goodness unto man is 322 a heart which is moved by perpetual gratefulness. The conductor of temptations unto the soul is the impulse of rebellion which is constantly stirring in the heart. God suffers every weakness of man; but He does not suffer a man who is constantly murmuring, without chastising him. The soul which is far from any splendour of knowledge, finds itself in these impulses. The mouth which constantly praises, receives a blessing from God; the heart which is constantly grateful, is inhabited by grace. Grace is preceded by humility; chastisement is preceded by presumption. He that is uplifted in his heart on account of knowledge, is tempted by abuse; he that is uplifted on account of his excellent service, is surrounded by fornication. And he that extols himself on account of wisdom becomes entangled in dark traps. The man that is far from any remembrance of God, yet bears in his heart care for his fellow, will be of evil remembrance. He that honours all men by his remembrance of God will find all men his helpers by the hidden decree of God. He that gives an apology in behalf of the oppressed will find an advocate in his creator. He that gives his arm to the help of his fellow, will receive God's arm instead of it. He that accuses his brother on account of his evil deep.s will find God as his accuser. He that directs his brother in his inner apartment, cures his evil; he that accuses him before an assembly makes worse his wounds. He that cures his brother privately gives a proof of the strength of his love, but he who
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exposes him in the presence of his comrades betrays the force of his envy. A friend that vituperates in secret is a wise physician; but 3 23 he that cures in the presence of the public, is really a derider. The token of compassion is forgiveness regarding all sins. The token of an evil mind are varying utterances unto the sinner. He that combines with healing chastisement, chastises with love. He whose demand bears the character of revenge, is destitute of love. God chastises with love, not for the sake of revenge, this is far from Him. He demand,s that His image 1) be healed; His anger does not endure until guidance is no longer possible; for He does not seek personal revenge. This is the intention of love; the chastisement of love aims at guidance; it does not aim at retribution. The righteous who is wise resembles God. He never chastises man in retaliation for his sin, but either in order that he may be guided aright, or that others may be deterred. Other than this is no chastisement. But this 2) is regarded as its image by the Spirit, the thought that was with God from eternity. He that is pleased to think of God as the revenger, thinking that he acknowledges His justice, denounces Him as destitute of bounty. It is far from the fountain of love, the ocean full of bounty, that the idea of retribution should be found with Him. His aim is the guidance of men; and if it were not that we wou1d be bereft of the honour of freedom, perhaps He would even not heal us by vituperation 3). The domain of freedom regarding our deeds is the power with which frankness supplies reason. And also the latter adores the greatness of His bounty, because it is not His will that we rejoice at what is His, but as it were at the merits of our own deeds. And 3 24 though all is His, it is not His pleasure that we should think that we delight in what is His, but rather in what is ours. In accordance with a man's goodness is he illuminated concerning God. According as he stretches himself towards the knowledge of God, does he approach unto freedom of soul. He that tries to excel in beautiful things with a view to future reward, will be easily led to deviation. He that admires
1) man 2) chastisement on account of love 3) but by stronger methods
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the power of his knowledge, when looking at the love which is in God will not be puffed up in mind even if his flesh should be cut off, nor will he deviate from excellence. He whose mind is illuminated concerning the rents for which we are indebted to God, descends unto the depth of humility, body and soul. Before a man approaches unto knowledge, he will go up and down in his discipline. When, however, he has come near to knowledge he will wholly be raised up. Yet, however he be raised up, his advance in knowledge will not be complete, until the world of glory has come and he has received the whole of his treasure. According as a man becomes perfect in his relation to God, will he follow Him closely. In the world of truth, He will show him His face, not however the face of His essence. The more the righteous advance to the vision of Him, the more they see an enigmatic sight, as an image shown in a mirror. There, however, they will see the revelation of truth. Fire feeding upon dead wood is not easily extinguished. If the divine blaze falls in a heart cut off from the world, its flame is not to be extinguished and it will be even quicker than fire. When the power of the wine penetrates into the veins, the mind forgets the particulars of all things; when the 325 remembrance of God has taken hold of the soul, the recollection of visible things vanishes from the heart. The mind that has found spiritual wisdom is like a man that has found on the ocean an equipped ship which, when he has got aboard, brings him from the ocean of this world to the island of the world to be. Just so the apperception of the future things in this world, is like a small island in the ocean. And he that has approached unto it, he will no more be vexed by the storms of temporal phantasies. When the merchant has accomplished his business, he hastens to reach his home. As long as the monk still lives in the period of his service, he has anguish [by the thought] that he shall have to depart the body. As soon however as he is aware that he has redeemed his time l) and that he has taken his pledge, he longs for the world to be. As long as the merchant is on the sea, motion dominates his limbs; a storm may 1\rise and the hope of his labour may sink. As long as the
1) Cf. Eph. 5, 1 6; Col. 4, 5
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monk is in this world, fear dominates his service, lest a hurricane be stirred against him destroying the labour which he has wrought from his youth till his old age. The merchant looks towards land, the monk towards the time of his death. The sailor gazes at the stars as long as he is sailing on the ocean, and he directs his ship by them, that they may show him the harbour. The monk gazes at prayer, which directs his way [showing him] towards which harbour he has to direct his course. At prayer the monk gazes at all times, that it may show him the island where he may anchor his ship free from fear and where he may take on board provisions in order to 326 direct himself towards another island. Such is the course of the solitary as long as he is in this life. He departs from island to island, and from knowledge to knowledge. And as various islands he meets the various [kinds of] knowledge, till he goes ashore and directs his course towards the city of truth the inhabitants of which do no longer traffic, but every one is content with his goods. Blessed he whose course is not disturbed, on this wide ocean. Blessed is whose ship is not wrecked and who reaches that harbour with joy. Naked the swimmer dives into the sea in order to find a pearl. Naked the wise monk will go through the creation in order to find the pearl Jesus Christ Himself. When he has found it, he will not seek to acquire any other thing. A pearl is preserved in a treasury; the solitary's delight is in solitude. A virgin is robbed in a crowd; the mind of a monk in intercourse. The bird fl i es to her nest from any place in order to produce young ones, and the discerning monk hastens to his cell in order to produce in it the fruits of life. When the body of the serpent is crushed, it guards its head cautiously; the wise solitary guards his faith amidst all evils, cautiously, because it is the head of his life. A cloud covers the sun: so much talk covers the soul which has begun to be illuminated by contemplative prayer. The bird which is called l;urba 1) is glad and delights - so 327 the sages say - when she leaves the inhabited places and takes up her abode in the desert. And the soul of the solitary receives heavenly joy when it removes itself from men and takes up its abode in quiet places where it awaits the time
I) In Syriac l)ureba means at the same time desert and stork
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of departure. It is told concerning the bird which is called the siren that whosoever hears her singing is allured by her in his course in the desert, and that by the sweetness of her melodies he forgets his life and falls down dead. This resembles what happens with the soul; when that heavenly sweetness falls into it which comes from the melodies of the words of God [and which is transmitted] by mental apperception, it follows [these sounds] so that it forgets its bodily life and leaves the body on account of its delight and is lifted up from this life unto God. The life of this world is sweet to him that lives in a material way; not, however, so sweet as is departure 'from life unto him that departs from it by perception in God. A tree will not produce new buds until it has put off the old leaves; and the solitary will not produce new buds, through Jesus Christ, until he has shaken from his heart the memory of his past. The wind makes the fruits ripe; and the spirit 1) of God makes ripe the fruits in the soul. The shell in which the pearl is formed receives its full form from the air, as then saying has it still then, it is only mere flesh. And until the heart of the monk receives its heavenly fullness by understanding, its 3zs service is still simple and it has no consolation.within its shell. The fruits of the trees are sour and disagreeable to the taste and are not apt to be eaten till they have become sweet by the sun; and the first labours of repentance are bitter and very unpleasant and without consolation to the solitary, until they are made sweet by the contemplation which withdraws the heart from earthly things so that it forgets itself. The dog which licks the file drinks from his own blood; he does not recognize his hurt on account of the sweet taste; and the solitary who condescends to drink vain glory, sucks from his own life without being aware of his hurt, because of the momentary sweetness. Glory on the part of worldly folk is like a rock hidden in the sea; it is not known to the sailor before his ship is split on it so that its bottom is pierced and it is filled with water. It is said therefore by the Fathers, that by glory all the affections return unto the soul, that once had been vanquished and had departed from it. A" small cloud covers the sphere; but the sun which is
1) wind and spirit are expressed by the same word in Syriac
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behind it, is nevertheless real; and a little dejection covers the soul; yet the gladness which follows it is the more exhilarating. The musician who plays the flute is not fed by the sound of its melodies. And when he ceases his music his stomach is the more hungry. And the sweetness of words without ritual performances does not satisfy; when a man no longer hears them he is the more confused. As it is not possible for a man to drink wine without breathing forth its odour from his mouth, so it is not possible 3 2 9 that a man becomes worthy of spiritual rest in his discipline without the sage's perceiving a change in his state. The heart that has received the heavenly seed is changed in its speech, changed in its mind, changed in its discipline, changed in its senses; and in all that belongs to it, it is different from the other simple men, as a man that was asleep and has awakened from his sleep. Do not approach the mysterious words in the scriptures without prayer and without asking help from God, saying: Lord, grant me to perceive t)le power that is in them. Deem prayer as the key to the insight of truth in scripture. When thou desirest to approach unto God in thy heart, first show Him love in bodily things. Here is the beginning of discipline. For the heart greatly draws near to God by renunciating some special necessary thing and by application to labours. Even our Lord has laid here the foundation of perfection. Account idleness the beginning of psychic darkness; oral intercourse as darkness beyond darkness; and the latter as the cause of the former. Even profitable words without measure cause darkness. The soul is shaken by frequent intercourse even if it is inclined and in a way near to the fear of God. Deem darkness of the soul as being an agent unto confusion. Darkness in the soul comes from disordered behaviour. 3 3o Measure and time in discipline illuminate the mind and keep confusion afar. When the mind is upset by disorder, it becomes dark. And when it has become dark, the soul is troubled. Peace comes from order; light is born from peace in the soul; from peace, joyous air in the mind. According as the.heart approaches to wisdom, it receives the gladness which is in God. The difference between spiritual wisdom and worldly
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wisdom thou perceivest in thy soul. In the former, silence reigns over thy soul; in the latter, it will be a fountain of distraction. When the former is present, thou wilt be greatly filled with humility, and quiet and peace will reign over all thy deliberations, thy limbs being quiet and at peace from turbulence and trouble. When the latter is present, thou wilt possess presumption in thy mind and varying unspeakable thoughts and mental bluntness and thy senses will be turbulent and impudent.