Of hiding our grace under the guard of humility1
“My Son, it is better and safer for thee to hide the grace of devotion, and not to lift thyself up on high, nor to speak much thereof, nor to value it greatly; but rather to despise thyself, and to fear as though this grace were given to one unworthy thereof. Nor must thou depend too much upon this feeling, for it can very quickly be turned into its opposite. Think when thou art in a state of grace how miserable2 and poor thou art wont3 to be without grace. Nor is there advance in spiritual life in this alone, that thou hast the grace of consolation4, but that thou humbly5 and unselfishly and patiently takest the withdrawal6 thereof; so that thou cease not from the exercise of prayer, nor suffer thy other common duties to be in anywise neglected; rather do thy task more readily, as though thou hadst gained more strength and knowledge; and do not altogether neglect thyself because of the dearth7 and anxiety of spirit which thou feelest.
2. “For there are many who, when things have not gone prosperous with them, become forthwith impatient or slothful. For the way of a man is not in himself,1 but it is God’s to give and to console, when He will, and as much as He will, and whom He will, as it shall please Him, and no further. Some who were presumptuous8 because of the grace of devotion within them, have destroyed themselves, because they would do more than they were able, not considering the measure of their own littleness, but rather following the impulse of the heart than the judgment9 of the reason. And because they presumed beyond what was well-pleasing unto God, therefore they quickly lost grace. They became poor and were left vile10, who had built for themselves their nest in heaven; so that being humbled12 and stricken with poverty, they might learn not to fly with their own wings, but to put their trust under My feathers. They who are as yet new and unskilled in the way of the Lord, unless they rule themselves after the counsel of the wise, may easily be deceived and led away.
3. “But if they wish to follow their own fancies rather than trust the experience of others, the result will be very dangerous to them if they still refuse to be drawn13 away from their own notion. Those who are wise in their own conceits14, seldom patiently endure to be ruled by others. It is better to have a small portion of wisdom with humility, and a slender understanding, than great treasures of sciences with vain self-esteem. It is better for thee to have less than much of what may make thee proud. He doeth not very discreetly15 who giveth up himself entirely16 to joy, forgetting his former helplessness and the chaste17 fear of the Lord, which feareth to lose the grace offered. Nor is he very wise, after a manly18 sort, who in time of adversity, or any trouble whatsoever19, beareth himself too despairingly, and feeleth concerning Me less trustfully than he ought.
4. “He who in time of peace willeth to be oversecure shall be often found in time of war overdispirited and full of fears. If thou knewest always how to continue humble11 and moderate in thyself, and to guide and rule thine own spirit well, thou wouldest not so quickly fall into danger and mischief20. It is good counsel that when fervour of spirit is kindled21, thou shouldest meditate22 how it will be with thee when the light is taken away. Which when it doth happen, remember that still the light may return again, which I have taken away for a time for a warning to thee, and also for mine own glory. Such a trial is often more useful than if thou hadst always things prosperous according to thine own will.
5. “For merits are not to be reckoned by this, that a man hath many visions or consolations23, or that he is skilled in the Scriptures24, or that he is placed in a high situation; but that he is grounded upon true humility and filled with divine charity, that he always purely25 and uprightly seeketh the honour of God, that he setteth not by himself, but unfeignedly despiseth himself, and even rejoiceth to be despised and humbled by others more than to be honoured.”
1 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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2 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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3 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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4 consolation | |
n.安慰,慰问 | |
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5 humbly | |
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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6 withdrawal | |
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销 | |
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7 dearth | |
n.缺乏,粮食不足,饥谨 | |
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8 presumptuous | |
adj.胆大妄为的,放肆的,冒昧的,冒失的 | |
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9 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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10 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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11 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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12 humbled | |
adj. 卑下的,谦逊的,粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下,贬低 | |
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13 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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14 conceits | |
高傲( conceit的名词复数 ); 自以为; 巧妙的词语; 别出心裁的比喻 | |
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15 discreetly | |
ad.(言行)审慎地,慎重地 | |
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16 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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17 chaste | |
adj.贞洁的;有道德的;善良的;简朴的 | |
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18 manly | |
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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19 whatsoever | |
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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20 mischief | |
n.损害,伤害,危害;恶作剧,捣蛋,胡闹 | |
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21 kindled | |
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光 | |
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22 meditate | |
v.想,考虑,(尤指宗教上的)沉思,冥想 | |
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23 consolations | |
n.安慰,慰问( consolation的名词复数 );起安慰作用的人(或事物) | |
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24 scriptures | |
经文,圣典( scripture的名词复数 ); 经典 | |
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25 purely | |
adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
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