Chap. XXXII Of the Denying Ourselves, and Renouncing All Cupidity
1. Son, thou canst not possess perfect liberty, unless thou wholly deny thyself.
All self-seekers and self-lovers are bound in fetters, full of desires, full of cares, unsettled, and seeking always their own ease, and not the things of Jesus Christ, but oftentimes devising and framing that which shall not stand;
For all shall come to nothing that proceeds not from God.
Take this short and perfect word, Forsake all and thou shall find all, leave thy desires and thou shall find rest.
Consider this well, and when thou shalt put it in practice thou shalt understand all things.
2. Lord, this is not the work of one day, nor children’s sport; yea, in this short sentence is included the whole perfection of the religious.
Son, thou must not be turned back, nor presently cast down, when thou hearest what the way of the perfect is, but rather be incited thereby to undertake great things, or at least to sigh after them with an earnest desire.
I would it were so with thee, and that thou wert come so far that thou wert no longer a lover of thyself, but didst stand wholly at my beck, and at his whom I have appointed father over thee; then wouldst thou exceedingly please me, and all thy life would pass in joy and peace.
Thou hast yet many things to forsake, which unless thou give up to me without reserve, thou shalt not attain to that which thou demandest.
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest become rich. Apoc. iii.
That is heavenly wisdom, which treads under foot all things below.
Set aside the wisdom of the earth, i.e. seeking to please the world and thyself.
3. I have said that thou shouldst give the things that are high and of great esteem with men, to purchase those which are esteemed contemptible;
For true heavenly wisdom seems very mean and contemptible, and is scarce thought of by men; that wisdom which teaches to think meanly of one’s self, and not to seek to become great upon earth, which many praise; in words, but in their life they are far from it; yet this same is that precious, pearl, which is hidden from many. Matthew xiii.