OF THE LOVE OF JESUS AND SELF-DENIAL.pdf

(11 KB) Pobierz

OF THE LOVE OF JESUS AND SELF-DENIAL

HE that loveth his life: shall lose it. These words speaketh the most loving Jesus: desirous to part thee

from the cares and pleasures of the world. Lo, love and loss. The eternal Word of the Father declares

it: He does not deceive thee, but He looks to thy salvation. The love of the world is the loss: the love

of Jesus, the redemption of the soul. The love of the flesh is folly: the love of Jesus, wisdom. The love

of the creature lessens the love of the Creator: the love of the Creator gives leave to all creatures to

go their way. For they do not savour the same: nor rightly agree. Self-love is full of fear and anguish:

self-denial, ineffable freedom. Self-love is an interior malady: which is seldom cured, unless God be

loved perfectly. Self-contempt is a sign of salvation; and he who commences with self-contempt: will

be made perfect in the love of Jesus. Self-love darkens the heart, begets strife, and destroys progress.

But who denies himself for the sake of. Jesus: he is free and at peace. The love of Jesus is safe and

strong: it knows not the soft and self-seekers. The love of Jesus gives all that it is and has: nor seeks

save what it knows to be pleasing to God. If thou wilt be fully cleansed and enlightened in spirit:

despise thyselfand all things for Jesus' sake. Let every great thing in the world be nothing to thee, every

pleasant thing bitter: that God alone and sweet Jesus may be sweet to thee above all things. What is

in truth the love of Jesus, if not contempt of thyself and all things for the sake of His love? And this it

is that finds itself, and every good in God. Thou wilt save thy soul: despise now the present life. If now

thou wilt hold on to the rough way: thou shalt go into eternal life. The word of denial, and of the loss

of the present life seems hard to the carnal and worldly; but to the lovers of Christ it savours sweeter

than the honey and the honeycomb: because true self-denial for God's sake makes ready an everlasting

kingdom. The love of Jesus can bear present evils: and is strong to break from temporal ease. It fears

not to be held in small esteem: and desires not honours. It can hold its peace in face of insults: nor

thinks of returning the like to them that injure it. The love of Jesus possesses an invisible consolation:

it awaits a fruit that will never wither. "I," Hesaith, "have chosen you from the world, calling

by My grace: that you should go out from yourselves, abandoning your own will: and bring forth the

fruit of charity, loving Me above all things: and that your fruit should remain, reigning with Me in

eternal blessedness." But the fruit of the flesh is death: which the worm that dieth not follows and

everlasting fire. From which may He protect us, Who has taught us to despise the world, and overcome

the flesh: Christ Jesus, our love and our redemption. Amen.