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The grace  of  God,  and  the  virtues,  are  the  way and the  ladder  to  Heaven;  but  sins  and  vices  are the way  and  the  ladder  to  the  depths  of  hell. Sin and vice  are  a  deadly  poison,  but  virtue  and  good works are  a  good  medicine. One grace  induces  and draws after  it  another;  and  one  vice  draws  another after it  also. Grace does  not  desire  to  be  praised; and vice  cannot  suffer  to  be  blamed. The mind  is at  peace  in  humility  and  rests,  and  patience  is  its daughter. Holy purity  of  heart  sees  God,  but  true devotion tastes  Him. If thou  lovest,  thou  shalt  be loved. If thou  servest,  thou  shalt  be  served. If thou fearest,  thou  shalt-be  feared.

If thou  bear  thyself  kindly  towards  others,  it  is meet  that  others  should  behave  themselves  kindly towards thee. But blessed  is  he  who  loves  truly, and desires  not  to  be  loved  again. Blessed is  he who  serves,  and  desires  not  to  be  served. Blessed is he  who  fears,  and  desires  not  to  be  feared. Blessed is he  who  shows  kindness  to  others,  and  desires  not that others  should  show  kindness  to  him. But because these  things  are  very  high  and  require  great perfection, fools  cannot  know  or  acquire  them.

Three things  are  greatly  to  be  desired,  and  of great  utility;  he  that  acquires  them  will  never  fall. The first  is,  that  thou  sustain  voluntarily,  and  with joy, all  tribulations  that  befall  thee,  for  the  love  of Jesus  Christ. The second,  that  thou  humble  thyself daily  in  all  thou  doest,  and  all  thou  seest. The third is,  that  thou  love  faithfully  with  all  thy  heart that heavenly  and  invisible  treasure,  which  cannot be discerned  by  the  eyes  of  the  body.

Those things  which  are  the  most  despised  and abhorred by  worldly  men,  of  a  truth,  are  the  most acceptable and  well-pleasing  to  God  and  His  Saints; and the  things  which  are  the  most  valued  and  desired by  the  men  of  the  world  and  the  most  pleasing to them,  are  most  hateful  and  contemptible  and  displeasing to  God  and  His  Saints. This unhappy antagonism proceeds  from  the  ignorance  and  malice of human  nature;  inasmuch  as  man,  in  his  misery, loves most  those  things  which  he  should  hate,  and hates that  which  he  should  love.

Brother Giles  once  asked  another  Brother:  "  Tell me,  most  beloved,  is  thy  soul  right  with  God?" To which the  Brother  replied:    "  That  I  know  not." And Brother  Giles  said  to  him:  "  My  Brother,  I would  have  thee  to  know,  that  holy  contrition,  and holy  humility,  and  holy  charity,  and  holy  devotion, and  holy  joy,  are  those  things  which  make  the  soul good  and  blessed."

All those  things  which  can  be  conceived  in  the heart, or  expressed  by  the  tongue,  or  seen  with  the eyes, or  touched  with  the  hands — all  these  are nothing in  respect  of  the  things  which  cannot  be conceived,  or  seen,  or  touched. All that  the  Saints and wise  men  who  have  passed  away,  and  those  who are now  in  this  present  life,  or  will  come  after us, have  written  and  spoken,  or  will  write  or  speak of God,  does  not,  and  never  can,  tell  so  much  of what  might  be  told  of  Him,  as  a  grain  of  millet compared with  all  heaven  and  earth,  nay,  a  thousand times less. All the  Scripture  that  speaks  of  God speaks of  Him  as  it  were  lispingly,  even  as  a  mother does who  lisps  to  her  son  who  would  not  be  able  to understand  her  words  if  she  spoke  in  another fashion.

Brother Giles  once  said  to  a  secular  judge:  "Dost thou  believe  that  the  gifts  of  God  are  great?" The judge answered:  "I  do  believe  it." Then said Brother Giles:  "I  will  show  thee  that  thou  does  not believe  it  in  very  deed;"  and  he  said  to  him:  "  What is  the  value  of  all  thou  dost  possess  in  the  world?" And the  judge  answered  him:  "  It  is  worth  about a  thousand  lire"  ($200). Then said  Brother  Giles again: "Wouldst  thou  part  with  thy  property  for ten  thousand  lire?" The judge  replied,  without  a moment's  hesitation:  "Certainly,  I  would  do  so willingly." And Brother  Giles  said:  "Of  a  surety, all  the  possessions  of  this  world  are  nothing   in