A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [46]
their end, and use just
so much and so many of them as may advance thee to it. Behold, thus wilt
thou attain to the loftiest pitch of perfection, that not one person in a
thousand comprehends, because, with their end in view, they all continue in
other exercises, and so go astray the long years.
The Servant.--Lord, who can exist in the unswerving gaze of Thy divine
vision at all times?
Eternal Wisdom.--No one who lives here below in this temporal scene.
This has been said to thee only that thou mightest know at what thou
shouldst aim, after what thou shouldst strive, to what thou shouldst turn
thy heart and mind. And if ever thou losest sight of it, let it be to thee
as if thy eternal salvation were taken away from thee; and do thou speedily
turn to it again, so that thou mayest again obtain possession of it; and
then must thou look carefully to thyself, for, if it escape from thee, thou
art like a sailor from whose grasp the oars in a strong swell have slipped,
and who does not know whither he shall direct his course. But if thou mayest
not as yet have a constant abiding place in divine contemplation, let the
perpetually repeated collecting of thy wandering thoughts, and the assiduous
withdrawing of thyself to engage in it, procure thee constancy so far as it
is possible. Listen, listen, My child, to the faithful instructions of thy
faithful Father. O give heed to them! Shut them up in the bottom of thy
heart; think Who it is that teaches thee all this, and how very much in
earnest He is. Dost thou wish to become ever more and more faithful? Then
set My precepts before thy eyes. Wherever thou sittest, standest, or
walkest, think that I am present to thee, and that I either admonish or
converse with thee. O, My child, keep within thyself keep thyself pure,
disengaged, and retired. See, in this way wilt thou become conscious of My
words; that good, too, will be made known to thee which, as yet, is greatly
hidden from thee.
The Servant.--O, Eternal Wisdom, praised be Thou for ever! Ah, my Lord
and most faithful friend, if I would not do it otherwise, Thou wouldst yet
force me to do it with Thy sweet words and Thy gentle teaching. Lord, I
ought and will do my very best towards it.
CHAPTER XXIII. How We Ought Lovingly To Receive God
The Servant.--Eternal Wisdom, if my soul could only penetrate the
heavenly shrine of Thy divine mysteries, I would question Thee further about
love. And this would be my question: Lord, Thou hast so entirely poured out
the abyss of Thy divine love in Thy Passion, that I wonder if Thou canst
show any more signs of Thy love?
Eternal Wisdom.--Yes. Even as the stars of heaven are countless, so the
love-tokens of My unfathomable love are uncounted.
The Servant.--Ah, sweet Love of mine! ah, tender Lord elect! how my
soul languishes for Thy love! Turn Thy mild countenance towards me, outcast
creature that I am; see how everything vanishes and passes away in me except
only the one treasure of Thy ardent love, and therefore tell me something
further of this rich and hidden treasure. Lord, Thou knowest well that it is
love's right never to be satisfied with what concerns the Beloved; that the
more it has the more it desires, how unworthy soever it may acknowledge
itself to be, for such is the effect of the omnipotent power of love. O,
beautiful Wisdom, now tell me the greatest and dearest mark of Thy love that
in Thy adopted human nature Thou didst ever manifest, without taking into
account the unfathomable love-token of Thy bitter death.
Eternal Wisdom.--Answer Me now a question. What is that of all lovely
things which is most agreeable to a loving heart?
The Servant.--Lord, to my understanding nothing is so agreeable to a
loving heart as the beloved Himself and His sweet presence.
Eternal Wisdom.--Even so. See, and on this account, that nothing which
belongs to true love might be wanting to those who love Me, did My
unfathomable love, as soon as I had resolved to depart by death out of
so much and so many of them as may advance thee to it. Behold, thus wilt
thou attain to the loftiest pitch of perfection, that not one person in a
thousand comprehends, because, with their end in view, they all continue in
other exercises, and so go astray the long years.
The Servant.--Lord, who can exist in the unswerving gaze of Thy divine
vision at all times?
Eternal Wisdom.--No one who lives here below in this temporal scene.
This has been said to thee only that thou mightest know at what thou
shouldst aim, after what thou shouldst strive, to what thou shouldst turn
thy heart and mind. And if ever thou losest sight of it, let it be to thee
as if thy eternal salvation were taken away from thee; and do thou speedily
turn to it again, so that thou mayest again obtain possession of it; and
then must thou look carefully to thyself, for, if it escape from thee, thou
art like a sailor from whose grasp the oars in a strong swell have slipped,
and who does not know whither he shall direct his course. But if thou mayest
not as yet have a constant abiding place in divine contemplation, let the
perpetually repeated collecting of thy wandering thoughts, and the assiduous
withdrawing of thyself to engage in it, procure thee constancy so far as it
is possible. Listen, listen, My child, to the faithful instructions of thy
faithful Father. O give heed to them! Shut them up in the bottom of thy
heart; think Who it is that teaches thee all this, and how very much in
earnest He is. Dost thou wish to become ever more and more faithful? Then
set My precepts before thy eyes. Wherever thou sittest, standest, or
walkest, think that I am present to thee, and that I either admonish or
converse with thee. O, My child, keep within thyself keep thyself pure,
disengaged, and retired. See, in this way wilt thou become conscious of My
words; that good, too, will be made known to thee which, as yet, is greatly
hidden from thee.
The Servant.--O, Eternal Wisdom, praised be Thou for ever! Ah, my Lord
and most faithful friend, if I would not do it otherwise, Thou wouldst yet
force me to do it with Thy sweet words and Thy gentle teaching. Lord, I
ought and will do my very best towards it.
CHAPTER XXIII. How We Ought Lovingly To Receive God
The Servant.--Eternal Wisdom, if my soul could only penetrate the
heavenly shrine of Thy divine mysteries, I would question Thee further about
love. And this would be my question: Lord, Thou hast so entirely poured out
the abyss of Thy divine love in Thy Passion, that I wonder if Thou canst
show any more signs of Thy love?
Eternal Wisdom.--Yes. Even as the stars of heaven are countless, so the
love-tokens of My unfathomable love are uncounted.
The Servant.--Ah, sweet Love of mine! ah, tender Lord elect! how my
soul languishes for Thy love! Turn Thy mild countenance towards me, outcast
creature that I am; see how everything vanishes and passes away in me except
only the one treasure of Thy ardent love, and therefore tell me something
further of this rich and hidden treasure. Lord, Thou knowest well that it is
love's right never to be satisfied with what concerns the Beloved; that the
more it has the more it desires, how unworthy soever it may acknowledge
itself to be, for such is the effect of the omnipotent power of love. O,
beautiful Wisdom, now tell me the greatest and dearest mark of Thy love that
in Thy adopted human nature Thou didst ever manifest, without taking into
account the unfathomable love-token of Thy bitter death.
Eternal Wisdom.--Answer Me now a question. What is that of all lovely
things which is most agreeable to a loving heart?
The Servant.--Lord, to my understanding nothing is so agreeable to a
loving heart as the beloved Himself and His sweet presence.
Eternal Wisdom.--Even so. See, and on this account, that nothing which
belongs to true love might be wanting to those who love Me, did My
unfathomable love, as soon as I had resolved to depart by death out of