A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom [53]
earth, the
universe and the abyss, wood and grove, mountain and valley, lo! they one
and all fill my ears with a rich canticle of Thy unfathomable praise. Then,
when I mark with what infinite beauty and harmony Thou orderest all things,
both evil and good, I am dumb and speechless. But, Lord, when I remember
that Thou Thyself art this praiseworthy good which my soul has chosen out
solely for herself, as her one only and undivided love, my heart, for
praise, is like to burst within me, and to cease its throbbings. Oh, tender
Lord, have regard, therefore, for the great and ardent desire of my heart
and soul, and teach me how to praise Thee worthily, and how to serve Thee
acceptably before I depart hence, for this is what my soul thirsts after in
my body.
Eternal Wisdom.--Wouldst thou then gladly praise Me?
The Servant.--Alas! Lord, why dost Thou provoke me? Thou knowest all
hearts, Thou knowest that my heart is ready to turn round in my body from
the true desire of Thy praise, which from my childhood's day till now I have
had.
Eternal Wisdom.--Praise becometh the upright.[14]
The Servant.--Alas! my Lord all my uprightness lies in Thy boundless
compassion. Beloved Lord, the frogs praise Thee in the pool, and if they
cannot speak, yet do they croak. Full well do I know who I am. Lord, I know
that rather than praise Thee, I ought to lament and beg pardon for my sins.
And yet, O unfathomable good, scorn not the desire I have to praise Thee,
miserable worm that I am. Lord, though the cherubim and seraphim, and the
countless number of all exalted spirits, praise Thee according to their
utmost powers, yet what can they do more as regards Thy infinite dignity,
far removed above all praise than the very least of Thy creatures? Lord,
Thou standest in need of no creature's praise; but Thy infinite goodness is
made all the more manifest the more Thou givest Thyself to the praise of
those who are without desert.
Eternal Wisdom.--Whoever thinks he can praise Me to the fullness of My
worth, acts like him who chases the wind and trys to grasp a shadow. And yet
it is permitted to thee and all creatures to praise Me according to your
ability; for there never was a creature so little, nor so great, nor so
good, nor so wicked, neither will there be one, but it either praises Me or
testifies to My praise; and the more it is united with Me, the more
praiseworthy it finds Me; and the more thy praise is like the praise of
eternal glory, the more praiseworthy it is to Me; and the more this praise
of thine is abstracted in imagination from all creatures and united in true
devotion to Me, the more it is like the praise of eternal glory. A fervent
contemplating sounds better in My ears than merely a praising with words,
and a heartfelt sighing sounds better than a lofty appeal. A total
subjection of one's self under God and all mankind, in the wish to be as
nothing in their sight, is a sound for Me above all sweet sounds. I Myself
never appeared on earth so worthy of praise before My Father as when I hung
in mortal agony on the cross. Some persons praise Me with fair words, but
their hearts are far from Me, and of such praise I make no account. So
likewise, some persons praise Me when things go according to their desires,
but when things begin to go wrong with them, their praise ceases, and such
praise is disagreeable to Me. But that praise is good and precious in My
divine eyes when, with thy heart, thy words and works, thou dost praise me
as fervently in sorrow as in joy, in utter adversity as in full prosperity;
for then thou thinkest of Me and not of thyself.
The Servant.--Lord, I desire not sufferings from Thee, neither will I
give cause for such things; but I will give myself up wholly and entirely,
according to the desire of my heart, to Thy eternal praise, whereas, before,
I never could truly forsake and utterly forget myself. Lord, if Thou wert to
permit me to become the most despised person the whole earth could produce,
Lord, even this I would suffer for
universe and the abyss, wood and grove, mountain and valley, lo! they one
and all fill my ears with a rich canticle of Thy unfathomable praise. Then,
when I mark with what infinite beauty and harmony Thou orderest all things,
both evil and good, I am dumb and speechless. But, Lord, when I remember
that Thou Thyself art this praiseworthy good which my soul has chosen out
solely for herself, as her one only and undivided love, my heart, for
praise, is like to burst within me, and to cease its throbbings. Oh, tender
Lord, have regard, therefore, for the great and ardent desire of my heart
and soul, and teach me how to praise Thee worthily, and how to serve Thee
acceptably before I depart hence, for this is what my soul thirsts after in
my body.
Eternal Wisdom.--Wouldst thou then gladly praise Me?
The Servant.--Alas! Lord, why dost Thou provoke me? Thou knowest all
hearts, Thou knowest that my heart is ready to turn round in my body from
the true desire of Thy praise, which from my childhood's day till now I have
had.
Eternal Wisdom.--Praise becometh the upright.[14]
The Servant.--Alas! my Lord all my uprightness lies in Thy boundless
compassion. Beloved Lord, the frogs praise Thee in the pool, and if they
cannot speak, yet do they croak. Full well do I know who I am. Lord, I know
that rather than praise Thee, I ought to lament and beg pardon for my sins.
And yet, O unfathomable good, scorn not the desire I have to praise Thee,
miserable worm that I am. Lord, though the cherubim and seraphim, and the
countless number of all exalted spirits, praise Thee according to their
utmost powers, yet what can they do more as regards Thy infinite dignity,
far removed above all praise than the very least of Thy creatures? Lord,
Thou standest in need of no creature's praise; but Thy infinite goodness is
made all the more manifest the more Thou givest Thyself to the praise of
those who are without desert.
Eternal Wisdom.--Whoever thinks he can praise Me to the fullness of My
worth, acts like him who chases the wind and trys to grasp a shadow. And yet
it is permitted to thee and all creatures to praise Me according to your
ability; for there never was a creature so little, nor so great, nor so
good, nor so wicked, neither will there be one, but it either praises Me or
testifies to My praise; and the more it is united with Me, the more
praiseworthy it finds Me; and the more thy praise is like the praise of
eternal glory, the more praiseworthy it is to Me; and the more this praise
of thine is abstracted in imagination from all creatures and united in true
devotion to Me, the more it is like the praise of eternal glory. A fervent
contemplating sounds better in My ears than merely a praising with words,
and a heartfelt sighing sounds better than a lofty appeal. A total
subjection of one's self under God and all mankind, in the wish to be as
nothing in their sight, is a sound for Me above all sweet sounds. I Myself
never appeared on earth so worthy of praise before My Father as when I hung
in mortal agony on the cross. Some persons praise Me with fair words, but
their hearts are far from Me, and of such praise I make no account. So
likewise, some persons praise Me when things go according to their desires,
but when things begin to go wrong with them, their praise ceases, and such
praise is disagreeable to Me. But that praise is good and precious in My
divine eyes when, with thy heart, thy words and works, thou dost praise me
as fervently in sorrow as in joy, in utter adversity as in full prosperity;
for then thou thinkest of Me and not of thyself.
The Servant.--Lord, I desire not sufferings from Thee, neither will I
give cause for such things; but I will give myself up wholly and entirely,
according to the desire of my heart, to Thy eternal praise, whereas, before,
I never could truly forsake and utterly forget myself. Lord, if Thou wert to
permit me to become the most despised person the whole earth could produce,
Lord, even this I would suffer for