Chap I Of Interior Conversation
1. The kingdom of God is within you, saith the Lord. Luke vii.
Convert thyself with thy whole heart to the Lord: and quit this miserable world, and thy soul shall find rest.
Learn to despise exterior things, and give thyself to the interior, and thou shalt see the kingdom of God will come into thee.
For the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, which is not given to the wicked.
Christ will come to thee, discovering to thee his consolation, if thou wilt prepare him a fit dwelling within thee.
All his glory and beauty is in the interior, and there he pleaseth himself.
Many a visit doth he make to the internal man, sweet is his communication with him, delightful his consolation, much peace, and a familiarity exceedingly to be admired.
2. O faithful soul, prepare thy heart for this thy Spouse, that he may vouchsafe to come to thee, and dwell in thee.
For so he saith: If any man love me, he will keep my word, and we will come to him, and we will make our abode with him. John xiv.
Make room then for Christ within thee, and deny entrance to all others.
When thou hast Christ, thou art rich, and he is sufficient for thee: he will provide for thee, and will be thy faithful Procurator in all things, so that thou needest not trust to men.
For men quickly change, and presently fail: but Christ remainis forever, and stands by us firmly to the end.
3. There is no great confidence to be put in a frail mortal man, though he be profitable and beloved: nor much grief to be taken, if sometimes he be against thee and cross thee.
They that are with thee to-day, maybe against thee to-morrow: and on the other hand often change like the wind.
Place thy whole confidence in God, and let him be thy fear and thy love; he will answer for thee, and do for thee what is for the best.
Thou hast not here a lasting city: and wherever thou art, thou art a stranger and a pilgrim: nor wilt thou ever have rest, unless thou be interiorly united to Christ.
4. Why dost thou stand looking about thee here, since this is not thy resting place?
Thy dwelling must be in heaven: and all things of the earth are only to be looked upon as passing by.
All things pass away, and thou along with them.
See that thou cleave not to them, lest thou be ensnared and lost.
Let thy thought be with the Most High, and thy prayer directed to Christ without intermission.
If thou knowest not how to meditate on high and heavenly things, rest on the passion of Christ, and willingly dwell in his secret wounds.
For if thou fly devoutly to the wounds and precious stigmas of Jesus, thou shalt feel great comfort in tribulation; neither wilt thou much regard the being despised by men, but wilt easily bear up against detracting tongues.
5. Christ was also in this world despised by men: and in his greatest necessity forsaken by his acquaintance and friends in the midst of reproaches.
Christ would suffer and be despised, and dost thou dare to complain of any one?
Christ had adversaries and backbiters, and wouldst thou have all to be thy friends and benefactors?
Whence shall thy patience be crowned, if thou meet with no adversity?
If thou wilt suffer no opposition, how wilt thou be a friend of Christ?
Suffer with Christ and for Christ, if thou desirest to reign with Christ.
6. If thou hadst once perfectly entered into the interior of Jesus, and experienced a little of his burning love, then wouldst thou not care at all for thy own convenience or inconvenience, but wouldst rather rejoice at reproach, because the love of Jesus makes a man despise himself.
A love of Jesus and of truth, and a true internal man, that is free from inordinate affections, can freely turn himself to God, and in spirit elevate himself above himself, and rest in enjoyment.
7. He to whom all things relish as they are, viz. in God, who is the very truth, not as they are said or esteemed to be, he is wise indeed, and taught rather by God than men.
He who knows how to walk internally, and to make little account of external things, is not at a loss for proper places or times for performing devout exercises.
An internal man quickly recollects himself, because he never pours forth his whole self upon outward things.
Exterior labour is no prejudice to him, nor any employment which for a time is necessary; but as things fall out, he so accommodates himself to them.
He that is well disposed and orderly in his interior, heeds not the strange and perverse carriages of men.
As much as a man draws things to himself, so much is he hindered and distracted by them.
8. If thou hadst a right spirit within thee, and wert purified from earthly affections, all things would turn to thy good and to thy profit.
For this reason do many things displease thee, and often trouble thee; because thou art not as yet perfectly dead to thyself, nor separated from all earthly things.
Nothing so defiles and entangles the heart of man, as impure love to created things.
If thou reject exterior comfort, thou wilt be able to contemplate heavenly things, and frequently to feel excessive joy interiorly.