Chapter XLVI
Other Considerations
Do not think that a man who is tied to bodily things will approach to freedom of speech in prayer before God. An avaricious soul is destitute of wisdom; and the one which is compassionate, is made wise by the spirit. As oil feeds the flame of the torch, so compassion feeds knowledge in the soul. The key of divine gifts unto the heart is given through love of the neighbour. 33 1 According as the heart is freed from the bonds of the body, to the same extent is opened before it the gate unto knowledge. Deem the transition of the soul from world to world to happen by the reception of insight. Laudable and excellent is the love of the neighbour, but only if the thought of it does not turn us from the love of God. Delightful is intercourse with our spiritual brethren, but only if it be possible that we preserve along with it intercourse with our Lord. Beautiful, therefore, it is to trouble one self with these, in so far as it is ordered by duty, namely in so far as through it we do not fall short of the hidden service and constant intercourse with God. To disturb divine intercourse, means to erect human intercourse. The mind is not capacious enough for both kinds of intercourse. The sight of worldly people troubles the soul that once has renunciated what is theirs, for the sake of the service of God. To these belongs constant intercourse, to this even the avoidance of sight.
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Bodily labours are not impeded by impressions of the senses. He that on the ground of mental peace wishes to embrace gladness in hidden service will be disturbed in the quiet of his heart, even by voices without sight. Inner deadness cannot exist except by the annihilation of the senses. Bodily discipline requires keenness of the senses; psychic discipline keenness of the heart. As the soul is more excellent in its nature than the body, so the service of the soul is more excellent than the discipline of the body. And as the body is anterior in existence to the soul, so are bodily duties anterior to the service of the soul. Great is the power of a little discipline, if it is combined 332 with constancy. The soft drop on account of its constancy makes a hole even in hard rocks. When the spiritual man is near to being quickened in thee, death to all things will come to thee, and thy soul will become hot with gladness which has no equal amongst created beings, and thy deliberations will be concentrated within thee, on account of the sweetness in thy heart. But when the world is quickened in thee, distraction of mind will increase in thee, and lack of courage without constancy. World I call the affections conceived by distraction. When they are born and have become fullgrown they become sin and kill man. As men are not born without a mother, so affections are not born without distraction of mind, nor does sin become fullgrown without intercourse with the affections. When patience increases in our soul, this is a sign thereof that it has secretly received the gift of consolation. Stronger is the power of patience than the emotions of gladness which stir in the heart. Life in God is the fall of the senses. When the heart lives, the senses fall. The resurrection of the senses is the death of the heart. When the senses are quickened this is a sign thereof that the heart is dead regarding God. The heart does not derive guidance from the virtues which are performed among men. Virtues which a man shows unto others, cannot purify the soul. Still they are taken into account with God, in view of wages and reward. But that excellence which a man performs unto himself, accomplishes the two: it is taken into account for reward, and it causes purification. Therefore desist from the former and cling to the latter. Without
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application to the latter, to desist from the former means to 3 33 forsake God openly. The latter, however, fills also the place of the former without its being performed. Be dead in life in order that thou mayest be free through thy being dead. Be dead to the world in order that thou mayest be free from laws. For none of those who walk in them can perfectly fulfill them in this life. Who is dead in his life, is free while alive, and alive while dead. Painstaking regarding graceful words is understood by simplicity of heart coming from God. The soul that perceives a life above bodily life, does not adorn · itself for the world. If man has not found the former, he is scarcely able to despise the latter; to despise it utterly is absolutely impossible to him. And he that would try to do so compulsorily, would stir up in himself a great struggle. But if he has found the former kind of life, he can renunciate the latter without a struggle. Comfort and laziness are the destruction of souls. They are able to harm even more than the demons. Where the soul dwelling in light resides, in laudable labours of virtue, there the demons are not able to work. But the soul which is dark becomes thereby a guide even for the demons, so that they can accomplish all kinds of evil things. When a weak body is forced to accomplish too many labours, it will accumulate darkness upon darkness in the soul and conduct it more and more unto perturbation and obscurity. If the dense body, namely that of sound constitution, comes to laziness and takes its place in comfort, it accomplishes all kinds of evil in the soul which dwells in it. Even if the soul greatly rejoices in good, still, after a short time the body will bereave it of thoughts that rejoice in the good. 33 4 When, however, the soul is drunk with gladness because of its hope, and with the joy in God, the body will be without apperception of troubles, even if it be brought low. For it will bear a double load without becoming weary as is the case with the body that has become heavy; and the body will share in the delight of the soul, even though it be brought low, when the soul enters into spiritual gladness. If thou guardest thy tongue, my brother, a gift will be given to thee from God, affectibility of the heart so as to see thyself in it; and thereby thou wilt enter into spiritual gladness.
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If, however, thy tongue vanquish thee, believe what I say: thou wilt never save thyself from darkness. If thou possessest not a pure heart, have at least a pure mouth. As the blessed John says: When thou wilt admonish a man 1,1unto beautiful things, first draw him near to bodily rest and honour him by a word full of love. There is nothing which makes a man so modest and persuades him to inter· change evil things with good ones, as bodily comfort and honour which is shown to him by some one. The second means of persuasion is a man's effort to be a laudable example. He that has gained possession of his self by prayer and watchfulness will easily draw his neighbour unto life, even without wearying words and apperceptible admonition. Baseness, on the contrary, and relaxation do not only harm those who possess them, but also those who see them. As to the fact that a man by bestowing care upon himself can spur his fellows on to beautiful things and by the mere sight of him make those who are relaxed ashamed, no words are sufficient to tell 3 3 5 how blessed such a man is. The silent deed has a greater power to direct others than careful words which are contradicted by laxity of behaviour. When however thou directest thyself, thy neighbour will gain no small help. The more a man enters into the struggle for the sake of God, the more he will approach unto the heart's freedom of speech in its prayer. And according as he is distracted by many people is he bereaved of help. The soul that has rest from the stings of the body, will have peace in its emotions. Be a free man as to the body, in order that thou mayest be deemed worthy of spiritual freedom. Walk in the yoke of thy freedom, lest thou be tied to the yoke of bondage to thy enem1es. If once thou hast shown in thy person an example of dissolution from temporal life, then through abandonment of the affairs of life thou wilt become wholly dead, as an example of the future dissolution, as the care of all things will be taken from thee by death. Be not angry at the blows of the body, which death will wholly take from thee. Be not afraid of death, for God will elevate thee above it.
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