Chap. XXXIV That He That Loves God Relishes Him Above All Things, and in All Things
1. Behold my God, and my All, What would I have more, and what can I desire more happy?
O savoury and sweet word! but to him that loves the Word, not the world, nor the things that are in the world.
My God, and All! Enough is said to him that understands; and it is delightful to him that loves to repeat it often.
For when thou art present all things yield delight; but when thou art absent, all things are loathsome.
Thou givest tranquillity to the heart, and great peace, and pleasant joy.
Thou makest to think well of all, and praise thee in all things; nor can any thing without thee afford any lasting pleasure: but to make it agreeable and relishing, thy grace must be present; and it must be seasoned with the seasoning of thy wisdom.
2. He that has a relish of thee will find all things savoury.
And to him that relishes thee not, what can ever yield any true delight?
But the wise of this world, and the admirers of the flesh, are far from the relish of thy wisdom; because in the world is much vanity, and the following of the flesh leads to death.
But they that follow thee, by despising the things of this world, and mortifying the flesh, are found to be wise indeed: for they are translated from vanity to truth, from the flesh to the spirit.
Such as these have a relish of God; and what good soever is found in creatures, they refer it all to the praise of their Maker.
But great, yea very great, is the difference between the relish of the Creator and the creature; of eternity and of time; of light increated, and of light enlightened.
3. O Light eternal, transcending all created lights, dart forth thy lightning from above, which may penetrate all the most inward parts of my heart.
Cleanse, cherish, enlighten, and enliven my spirit with its powers, that it may be absorpt in thee with ecstasies of joy.
Oh! when will this blessed and desirable hour come, that thou shalt fill me with thy presence, and become to me All in All?
As long as this is not granted me, my joy will not be full.
Alas! the old man is still living in me; he is not wholly crucified; he is not perfectly dead:
He still lusts strongly against the spirit; he wages war within me, and suffers not the kingdom of my soul to be quiet.
4. But, O Lord, who rulest over the power of the sea, and assuagest the motion of its waves, (Psalms lxxxviii.) arise and help me.
[USCCB: Psalms lxxxix. 10.]
Dissipate the people that desire war. Psalms lxvii. Crush them by thy power.
Shew forth, I beseech thee, thy wonderful works; and let thy right-hand be glorified: for there is no other help nor refuge for me, but in thee, O Lord, my God.