Of the Imitation of Christ/Book II/Chapter I
CHAPTER I.
OF THE INWARD LIFE.
HE kingdom of God is within you, saith the Lord. Turn thee with thy whole heart unto the Lord, and forsake this wretched world, and thy soul shall find rest.
Learn to despise outward things, and to give thyself to things inward, and thou shalt perceive the kingdom of God to be come in thee.
"For the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost," which is not given to the unholy.
Christ will come unto thee, and show thee His own consolation, if thou prepare for Him a worthy mansion within thee.
For all His glory and beauty are from within, and there He delighteth Himself.
The inward man He often visiteth; and hath with him sweet discourses, pleasant solace, much peace, familiarity exceeding wonderful.
2. O faithful soul, make ready thy heart for this Bridegroom, that He may vouchsafe to come unto thee, and to dwell with thee.
For He said, "If any man love Me, he will keep My words, and We will come unto him, and will make our abode with him."
Give therefore admittance unto Christ, and deny entrance to all others.
When thou hast Christ thou hast enough, and art rich. He will be thy helper in all things, so that thou shalt not need to trust in men.
For men quickly change and fail; but Christ remaineth for ever, and standeth by us firmly unto the end.
3. There is no trust to be put in a frail and mortal man, even though he be dear unto us: neither ought we to be grieved, if sometimes he cross and contradict us.
They that to-day take thy part, to-morrow may be against thee; and like the wind men often turn.
Put all thy trust in God, let Him be thy fear, and thy love: He shall answer for thee, and will do all things well and as is best for thee.
Thou hast no abiding city here; and wheresoever thou mayest be, thou art a stranger and pilgrim; neither shalt thou ever have rest, unless thou be inwardly united unto Christ.
4. Why dost thou here gaze about, since this is not the place of thy rest? In heaven ought to be thy home, and all earthly things are to be looked upon as it were by the way.
All things pass away, and thou with them.
Beware thou cleave not unto them, lest thou be caught and perish. Let thy thoughts be on the Most High, and thy prayers for mercy directed without ceasing unto Christ.
If thou canst not contemplate high and heavenly things, rest thyself in the passion of Christ, and dwell willingly on His sacred wounds.
For if thou fly devoutly unto the wounds and precious marks of the Lord Jesus, thou shalt feel great comfort in tribulation: neither wilt thou much care for the slights of men, and will easily bear the words of those that reproach thee.
5. Christ was also in the world, despised of men, and in His greatest necessity forsaken by His acquaintance and friends, in the midst of reproaches.
Christ was willing to suffer and be despised; and darest thou complain of any thing?
Christ had adversaries and backbiters; and dost thou wish to have all men thy friends and benefactors?
Whence shall thy patience attain her crown, if no adversity befall thee?
If thou art willing to suffer no contradiction, how wilt thou be the friend of Christ?
Suffer with Christ, and for Christ, if thou desire to reign with Christ.
6. If thou but once hadst perfectly entered into the secrets of the Lord Jesus, and tasted a little of His ardent love; then wouldst thou not regard thine own inconvenience, but wouldst rather rejoice in reproaches, if they should be cast upon thee; for the love of Jesus maketh a man to despise himself.
A lover of Jesus and of the truth, and a true Christian, and one free from inordinate affections, can freely turn himself unto God, and lift himself above himself in spirit, and rest in full enjoyment.
7. He that judgeth of all things as they are, and not as they are esteemed to be, is truly wise, and taught of God rather than of man. He that knoweth how to live inwardly, and to make little of things without, neither requireth places, nor awaiteth times for performing religious exercises.
A spiritual man quickly recollecteth himself, because he never wholly poureth out himself to outward things.
He is not hindered by outward labour or business, which may be necessary for the time: but as things fall out, so he suits himself to them.
He that is well ordered and disposed within himself, careth not for the strange and perverse behaviour of men.
A man is hindered and distracted, in proportion as he draweth outward things unto himself.
8. If it were well with thee, and thou wert throughly purified from sin, all things would fall out to thee for good, and to thy progress.
But many things often trouble and displease thee, because thou art not yet dead unto thyself, nor separated from earthly things.
Nothing so defileth the heart of man, as the impure love of things created.
If thou refuse outward comfort, thou wilt be able to contemplate the things of Heaven, and often to receive internal joy.