Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/490

 is he  who  bears  meekly  the  yoke  of  obedience,  and submits to  the  guidance  of  another,  as  the  holy Apostles did,  both  before  and  after  they  received  the Holy Spirit!"

And again. Brother Giles  said:  "He  who  would acquire  and  possess  perfect  peace  and  quiet,  must consider  every  man  his  superior,  and  himself  subject and  inferior  to  all.  Blessed  is  the  man  who desires  not  to  be  seen  or  known,  either  in  his  deeds or  words,  save  in  the  pure  disposition  and  the  simple adornment  to  which  he  has  been  disposed,  and  by which  he  has  been  adorned  of  God!  Blessed  is  the man  who  can  keep  and  conceal  the  Divine  revelations and  consolations:  for  there  is  nothing  so  secret that  God  will  not  reveal  it  when  it  pleases  Him.  If a  man  were  the  most  perfect  and  the  most  holy  upon earth,  and  he  should  consider  and  believe  himself  to be  the  most  miserable  sinner,  and  the  vilest  man  in the  world,  herein  would  be  true  humility.  Holy  humility knows  not  how  to  converse,  and  the  blessed fear of  God  knows  not  how  to  speak."

Brother Giles  said  also:  "  To  me  it  seems  that humility  is  like  the  thunderbolt,  for  as  the  bolt causes  a  terrible  concussion,  breaking,  rending,  and burning  whatever  it  strikes,  and  yet  afterwards  there is  nothing  of  it  to  be  found,  thus  also  humility  explodes, and  dissipates,  and  consumes  all  malice,  all vice  and  all  sin,  and  afterwards  it  seems  to  be  nothing at  all  in  itself  The  man  who  possesses  humility, shall  through  humility  find  grace  with  God, and  perfect  peace  with  his  neighbor."

He who  fears  not,  shows  that  he  has  nothing  to lose. The holy  fear  of  God  orders,  governs  and rules the  soul,  and  brings  it  into  a  state  of  grace. If a  man  possess  any  grace  or  divine  virtue,  holy fear will  preserve  it  for  him  to  the  end. And he who  has  not  yet  acquired  either  virtue  or  grace,  will be enabled,  through  holy  fear,  to  acquire  them. The holy  fear  of  God  is  a  channel  of  Divine  grace, for it  causes  the  soul  in  which  it  dwells  to  obtain these graces  and  all  holy  virtue  without  delay. All who have  fallen  into  sin  would  never  have  succumbed, had  they  possessed  the  holy  fear  of  God. But this  holy  gift  of  fear  is  given  only  to  the  perfect, for the  more  perfect  a  man  is,  the  more  he  fears  and humbles himself. Blessed is  the  man  who  knows himself to  be  in  prison  in  this  world,  and  ever  remembers how  grievously  he  has  offended  his  Lord,

A man  should  always  greatly  fear  pride,  lest  it cause  him  to  stumble  and  fall  from  that  state  of grace  in  which  he  is,  for  one  can  never  stand  secure in the  midst  of  enemies;  and  our  enemies  are  the lusts of  this  miserable  world  and  of  our  own  flesh, which, along  with  the  devils,  are  ever  at  war  against our souls. One must  have  still  greater  fear  lest  his own malice  deceive  and  overcome  him,  than  of  all other enemies. It is  impossible  for  a  man  to  ascend to any  grace  or  Divine  virtue,  or  persevere  therein, without holy  fear. He who  has  not  the  fear  of  God is in  danger  of  being  lost  altogether. The fear  of God  makes  a  man  humbly  obey,  and  incline  his head under  the  yoke  of  obedience;  and  the  more fear a  man  possesses,  the  more  fervently  will  he worship  God.

It is  not  a  little  matter  to  have  the  gift  of  prayer, and to  him  that  feareth  it  shall  be  given. The virtuous actions  of  men,  however  much  we  may esteem them,  are  not,  therefore,  reckoned  and  rewarded according  to  our  estimation,  but  according to the  estimation  and  the  good  pleasure  of  God;  for God looks  not  at  the  amount  of  labor,  but  at  the amount of  love  and  humility:  and,  therefore,  the safest par.;  to  choose  is  to  love  and  fear  always with humility,  and  never  to  trust  in  ourselves  for any good,  but  to  distrust  the  thoughts  which  arise in our  minds  under  the  appearance  of  good.

He, who  with  firm  patience  and  humility  suffers tribulation for  the  love  of  God,  will  quickly  attain to great  graces  and  virtue;  he  shall  be  lord  of  this world, and  possess  a  pledge  of  the  glorious  world to come. Everything which  a  man  does,  whether of good  or  evil,  unto  himself  he  does  it. And, therefore, be  not  scandalized  by  him  who  does  thee an injury;  but  rather  have  humble  patience,  and grieve only  for  his  sin,  having  compassion  and praying fervently  to  God  for  him. The stronger  a man  is  to  bear  and  to  suffer  injuries  and  tribulations patiently  for  the  love  of  God,  so  much  the nearer is  he  to  God,  and  no  more:  the  weaker  a man  is  to  sustain  sorrows  and  adversities  for  the