A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [18]
ones are encompassed by My love, and are absorbed into the One Thing
alone without imaged love and without spoken words, and are taken and
infused into that good out of which they flowed. My love can also relieve
regenerate hearts from the heavy load of sin, and can give a free, pure, and
gentle heart, and create a clean conscience. Tell Me, what is there in all
this world able to outweigh this one thing? For he who gives his heart
wholly to Me lives joyfully, dies securely, and obtains the kingdom of
heaven here as well as hereafter.
Now, observe, I have assuredly given thee many words, and yet My beauty
has been as little touched by them as the firmament by thy little finger,
because no eye has ever seen My beauty, nor ear heard it, neither has it
ever entered any heart. Still let what I have said to thee be as a device to
show thee the difference between My sweet love and false, perishable love.
The Servant.--Ah! Thou tender, delicious, wild flower, Thou delight of
the heart in the embracing arms of the pure loving soul, how familiar is all
this to him who has even once really felt Thee; but how strange is it to
that man who knows Thee not, whose heart and mind are still in the body! O,
Thou most heart-felt incomprehensible good this is a precious hour, this is
a sweet moment, in which I must open to Thee a secret wound which my heart
still bears from Thy sweet love. Lord, plurality in love is like water in
the fire. Lord, Thou knowest that real fervent love cannot bear duality.
Alas! Thou only Lord of my heart and soul, my heart desires that Thou
shouldst have a particular love for me, and that I should be particularly
pleasing to Thy divine eyes. O Lord, Thou hast so many hearts that ardently
love Thee, and are of much account with Thee. Alas! my sweet and tender
Lord, how stands it with me in this matter?
Eternal Wisdom.--My love is of that sort which is not diminished in
unity, nor confounded in multiplicity. I am as entirely concerned and
occupied with thee alone, with the thought how I may at all times love thee
alone, and fulfill everything that appertains to thee, as though I were
wholly disengaged from all other things.
The Servant.--O rare! O wonderful! whither am I borne, how am I gone
astray! how is my soul utterly dissolved by the sweet friendly words of my
beloved! Oh, turn away Thy bright eyes from me, for they have overcome
me.[4] Wherever was there a heart so hard, a soul so lukewarm, so cold as,
when it heard Thy sweet living words, so exceedingly fiery as they are, was
not fain to melt and kindle in Thy sweet love! O wonder of wonders! that he
who thus sees Thee with the eyes of his soul, should not feel his very heart
dissolve in love. How right blessed is he who bears the name of Thy Spouse,
and is so! What sweet consolations and secret tokens of Thy love must not he
eternally receive from Thee! O thou sweet virgin St. Agnes, thou fair wooer
of Eternal Wisdom! how well couldst thou console thyself with thy dear
Bridegroom, when thou didst say, "His blood has adorned my cheeks as with
roses." O gentle Lord, that my soul were but worthy to be called Thy wooer!
And were it indeed possible that all delights, all joy and love, that this
world can afford, might be found united in one man, how gladly would I
renounce him for the sake of that name! How blessed is that man, that ever
he was born into the world who is named Thy friend, and is so! Oh, if a man
had even a thousand lives, he ought to stake them at once for the sake of
acquiring Thy love. Oh, all ye friends of God, all ye heavenly host, and
thou dear virgin St. Agnes, help me to pray to Him: for never did I rightly
know what His love was. Alas! thou heart of mine, lay aside, put away all
sloth, and see if, before thy death, thou mayest advance so far as to feel
His sweet love. O thou tender beautiful Wisdom! O my elected One! What a
truly right gracious love Thou canst be above all loves else in the world!
How very different is Thy love and the love of creatures! How false
alone without imaged love and without spoken words, and are taken and
infused into that good out of which they flowed. My love can also relieve
regenerate hearts from the heavy load of sin, and can give a free, pure, and
gentle heart, and create a clean conscience. Tell Me, what is there in all
this world able to outweigh this one thing? For he who gives his heart
wholly to Me lives joyfully, dies securely, and obtains the kingdom of
heaven here as well as hereafter.
Now, observe, I have assuredly given thee many words, and yet My beauty
has been as little touched by them as the firmament by thy little finger,
because no eye has ever seen My beauty, nor ear heard it, neither has it
ever entered any heart. Still let what I have said to thee be as a device to
show thee the difference between My sweet love and false, perishable love.
The Servant.--Ah! Thou tender, delicious, wild flower, Thou delight of
the heart in the embracing arms of the pure loving soul, how familiar is all
this to him who has even once really felt Thee; but how strange is it to
that man who knows Thee not, whose heart and mind are still in the body! O,
Thou most heart-felt incomprehensible good this is a precious hour, this is
a sweet moment, in which I must open to Thee a secret wound which my heart
still bears from Thy sweet love. Lord, plurality in love is like water in
the fire. Lord, Thou knowest that real fervent love cannot bear duality.
Alas! Thou only Lord of my heart and soul, my heart desires that Thou
shouldst have a particular love for me, and that I should be particularly
pleasing to Thy divine eyes. O Lord, Thou hast so many hearts that ardently
love Thee, and are of much account with Thee. Alas! my sweet and tender
Lord, how stands it with me in this matter?
Eternal Wisdom.--My love is of that sort which is not diminished in
unity, nor confounded in multiplicity. I am as entirely concerned and
occupied with thee alone, with the thought how I may at all times love thee
alone, and fulfill everything that appertains to thee, as though I were
wholly disengaged from all other things.
The Servant.--O rare! O wonderful! whither am I borne, how am I gone
astray! how is my soul utterly dissolved by the sweet friendly words of my
beloved! Oh, turn away Thy bright eyes from me, for they have overcome
me.[4] Wherever was there a heart so hard, a soul so lukewarm, so cold as,
when it heard Thy sweet living words, so exceedingly fiery as they are, was
not fain to melt and kindle in Thy sweet love! O wonder of wonders! that he
who thus sees Thee with the eyes of his soul, should not feel his very heart
dissolve in love. How right blessed is he who bears the name of Thy Spouse,
and is so! What sweet consolations and secret tokens of Thy love must not he
eternally receive from Thee! O thou sweet virgin St. Agnes, thou fair wooer
of Eternal Wisdom! how well couldst thou console thyself with thy dear
Bridegroom, when thou didst say, "His blood has adorned my cheeks as with
roses." O gentle Lord, that my soul were but worthy to be called Thy wooer!
And were it indeed possible that all delights, all joy and love, that this
world can afford, might be found united in one man, how gladly would I
renounce him for the sake of that name! How blessed is that man, that ever
he was born into the world who is named Thy friend, and is so! Oh, if a man
had even a thousand lives, he ought to stake them at once for the sake of
acquiring Thy love. Oh, all ye friends of God, all ye heavenly host, and
thou dear virgin St. Agnes, help me to pray to Him: for never did I rightly
know what His love was. Alas! thou heart of mine, lay aside, put away all
sloth, and see if, before thy death, thou mayest advance so far as to feel
His sweet love. O thou tender beautiful Wisdom! O my elected One! What a
truly right gracious love Thou canst be above all loves else in the world!
How very different is Thy love and the love of creatures! How false