my Beloved, on high; let my soul spend itself in Thy praise, rejoicing through love.
Let me love Thee more than myself, and love myself only for Thee; and in Thee all that truly love Thee, as the law of love commandeth, shining out from Thyself.
7. Love is active, sincere, affectionate, pleasant, and amiable; courageous, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, manly, and never seeking itself.
For in whatever instance a person seeketh himself, there he falleth from love.
Love is circumspect, humble, and upright; not yielding to softness, or to levity, nor attending to vain things; it is sober, chaste, steady, quiet, and guarded in all the senses.
Love is subject, and obedient to its superiors; unto itself mean and despised, unto God devout and thankful, trusting and hoping always in Him, even then when God imparteth no relish of sweetness unto it; for without sorrow none liveth in love.
8. He that is not prepared to suffer all things, and to stand to the will of his Beloved, is not worthy to be called a lover of God.
A lover ought to embrace willingly all that is hard and distasteful for the sake of his Beloved: and not to turn away from Him for any contradictions.
