Of the Imitation of Christ/Book III/Chapter XLIX
CHAPTER XLIX.
OF THE DESIRE OF EVERLASTING LIFE, AND HOW GREAT REWARDS ARE PROMISED TO THOSE THAL STRIVE RESOLUTELY.
Y son, when thou feelest the desire of
eternal bliss to be given thee from
above, and longest to depart out of
the tabernacle of this body, that
thou mayest contemplate My brightness
without shadow of turning; open thy heart wide, and
receive with thy whole desire this holy inspiration.
Give greatest thanks to the heavenly goodness, which treateth thee with such condescension, visiting thee mercifully, stirring thee up fervently, powerfully sustaining thee, lest through thine own weight thou sink to earthly things.
For thou dost not obtain this by thine own thought or endeavour, but by the mere condescension of heavenly grace and divine favour; to the end that thou mayest make progress in all virtue, and obtain greater humility, preparing thyself for future conflicts, and endeavour to cleave unto Me with the whole affection of thy heart, and to serve Me with fervent willingness.
2. My son, oftentimes the fire burneth, but the flame ascendeth not up without smoke.
So likewise the desires of some men burn towards heavenly things, and yet they are not free from the temptation of carnal affection.
And therefore it is not altogether purely for the honour of God, that they make such earnest requests to Him.
Such also oftentimes are thy desires, which thou hast pretended to be so serious and earnest.
For those desires are not pure and perfect, which are tainted with love of thyself.
3. Ask not for that which is delightful and profitable to thee, but for that which is acceptable to Me, and which tendeth to My honour; for if thou judgest aright, thou oughtest to prefer and follow My appointment, rather than thine own desire, or any thing whatever that is to be desired.
I know thy desire, and have heard thy groanings.
Thou longest now to enjoy the glorious liberty of the sons of God; now thou dost delight in the everlasting habitation, thy heavenly home full of joy; but that hour is not yet come; there still remaineth another time, and that a time of war, a time of labour and of trial.
Thou desiredst to be filled with the chiefest good, but thou canst not yet attain it.
I am He: wait thou for Me, saith the Lord, until the kingdom of God shall come.
4. Thou art still to be tried upon earth, and to be exercised in many things.
Comfort shall be sometimes given thee, but the abundant fulness thereof shall not be granted.
Take courage, therefore, and be valiant, as well in doing as in suffering things contrary to nature.
It is thy duty to put on the new man, and to be changed into another.
It is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty to leave undone what thou wouldst do.
That which pleaseth others shall go well forward; that which pleaseth thee shall not speed.
That which others say shall be heard; what thou sayest shall be accounted nothing; others shall ask and shall receive; thou shalt ask but shalt not obtain.
5. Others shall be great in the praise of men, but about thee there shall no word be.
To others this or that shall be committed, but thou shalt be accounted of no use.
At this nature will sometimes be troubled, and it is a great thing if thou bear it with silence.
In these and many such like things, the faithful servant of the Lord is wont to be tried, how far he can deny and break his will in all things.
There is scarcely any thing wherein thou hast such need to die to thyself, as in seeing and suffering those things that are contrary to thy will; especially when that is commanded to be done, which seemeth unto thee inconvenient, or useless.
And because thou being under authority darest not resist the higher power, therefore it seems hard to thee to walk at another's beck, and to give up all thine own will.
6. But consider, My son, the fruit of these labours, the end near at hand, and the reward exceeding great; and thou wilt not grudge to bear them: rather thou wilt have the strongest comfort of thy patience.
For instead of that little of thy will, which now thou so readily forsakest, thou shalt always have thy will in heaven.
There thou shalt find all that thou canst wish, all that thou shalt be able to desire.
There thou shalt have within thy reach all good, without fear of losing it.
There shall thy will be ever one with Me; it shall not covet any outward or selfish thing.
There none shall withstand thee, no man shall complain of thee, no man hinder thee, nothing come in thy way; but all things thou canst desire shall be there together present, and shall refresh thy whole affection, and fill it up to the brim.
There I will give thee glory for the reproach which thou sufferedst here, the garment of praise for heaviness, for the lowest place a kingly throne for ever.
There shall the fruit of obedience appear, the labour of repentance shall rejoice, and humble subjection shall be gloriously crowned.
7. At present then bend thyself humbly under all, and care not who said this or commanded it.
But take especial care, that whether thy superior, or thine inferior, or thine equal, require any thing of thee, or do but insinuate their desire, thou take it all in good part, and with a sincere will endeavour to fulfil it.
Let one seek this, another that: let this man glory in this, the other in that, and be praised a thousand, thousand times; but do thou rejoice neither in this, nor in that, but in the contempt of thyself, and in the good pleasure and honour of Me alone.
This is what thou art to wish, that, whether it be by life or by death, God may be always glorified in thee.