Be not foolish, O my soul, nor become deaf
in the ear of thine heart with the tumult of thy folly. Hearken
thou too. The Word itself calleth thee to return: and there is
the place of rest imperturbable, where love is not forsaken, if
itself forsaketh not. Behold, these things pass away, that others
may replace them, and so this lower universe be completed by all
his parts. But do I depart any whither? saith the Word of God.
There fix thy dwelling, trust there whatsoever thou hast thence,
O my soul, at least now thou art tired out with vanities. Entrust
Truth, whatsoever thou hast from the Truth, and thou shalt lose
nothing; and thy decay shall bloom again, and all thy diseases
be healed, and thy mortal parts be reformed and renewed, and bound
around thee: nor shall they lay thee whither themselves descend;
but they shall stand fast with thee, and abide for ever before
God, who abideth and standeth fast for ever.
Why then be perverted and follow thy flesh? Be it converted and
follow thee. Whatever by her thou hast sense of, is in part; and
the whole, whereof these are parts, thou knowest not; and yet
they delight thee. But had the sense of thy flesh a capacity for
comprehending the whole, and not itself also, for thy punishment,
been justly restricted to a part of the whole, thou wouldest,
that whatsoever existeth at this present, should pass away, that
so the whole might better please thee. For what we speak also,
by the same sense of the flesh thou hearest; yet wouldest not
thou have the syllables stay, but fly away, that others may come,
and thou hear the whole. And so ever, when any one thing is made
up of many, all of which do not exist together, all collectively
would please more than they do severally, could all be perceived
collectively. But far better than these is He who made all; and
He is our God, nor doth He pass away, for neither doth aught succeed
Him.
If bodies please thee, praise God on occasion of them, and turn
back thy love upon their Maker; lest in these things which please
thee, thou displease. If souls please thee, be they loved in God:
for they too are mutable, but in Him are they firmly stablished;
else would they pass, and pass away. In Him then be they beloved;
and carry unto Him along with thee what souls thou canst, and
say to them, "Him let us love, Him let us love: He made these,
nor is He far off. For He did not make them, and so depart, but
they are of Him, and in Him. See there He is, where truth is loved.
He is within the very heart, yet hath the heart strayed from Him.
Go back into your heart, ye transgressors, and cleave fast to
Him that made you. Stand with Him, and ye shall stand fast. Rest
in Him, and ye shall be at rest. Whither go ye in rough ways?
Whither go ye? The good that you love is from Him; but it is good
and pleasant through reference to Him, and justly shall it be
embittered, because unjustly is any thing loved which is from
Him, if He be forsaken for it. To what end then would ye still
and still walk these difficult and toilsome ways? There is no
rest, where ye seek it. Seek what ye seek; but it is not there
where ye seek. Ye seek a blessed life in the land of death; it
is not there. For how should there be a blessed life where life
itself is not?
"But our true Life came down hither, and bore our death,
and slew him, out of the abundance of His own life: and He thundered,
calling aloud to us to return hence to Him into that secret place,
whence He came forth to us, first into the Virgin's womb, wherein
He espoused the human creation, our mortal flesh, that it might
not be for ever mortal, and thence like a bridegroom coming out
of his chamber, rejoicing as a giant to run his course. For He
lingered not, but ran, calling aloud by words, deeds, death, life,
descent, ascension; crying aloud to us to return unto Him. And
He departed from our eyes, that we might return into our heart,
and there find Him. For He departed, and lo, He is here. He would
not be long with us, yet left us not; for He departed thither,
whence He never parted, because the world was made by Him. And
in this world He was, and into this world He came to save sinners,
unto whom my soul confesseth, and He healeth it, for it hath sinned
against Him. O ye sons of men, how long so slow of heart? Even
now, after the descent of Life to you, will ye not ascend and
live? But whither ascend ye, when ye are on high, and set your
mouth against the heavens? Descend, that ye may ascend, and ascend
to God. For ye have fallen, by ascending against Him." Tell
them this, that they may weep in the valley of tears, and so carry
them up with thee unto God; because out of His Spirit thou speakest
thus unto them, if thou speakest, burning with the fire of charity.