Chapter 04. How we must walk in truth and humility before God (Book 3. On Inward Consolation as a Gift of God) (The Imitation of Christ) (a-Kempis, Thomas)

1. "My Son! walk before Me in truth, and in the simplicity of your heart seek Me continually. He who walks before Me in the truth shall be safe from evil assaults, and the truth shall deliver him from the wiles and slanders of the wicked. If the truth shall make you free, you will be free indeed, and will not care for the vain words of men."

2. Lord, it is true as You say; let it, I pray You, be so with me; let Your truth teach me, let it keep me and preserve me safe to the end. Let it free me from all evil and inordinate affection, and I will walk before You in great freedom of heart.

3. "I will teach you," says the Truth, "the things which are right and pleasing before Me. Think upon your sins with great displeasure and sorrow, and never think yourself anything because of your good works. Verily you are a sinner, liable to many passions, yea, tied and bound with them. Of yourself you always tend to nothing, you will quickly fall, quickly be conquered, quickly disturbed, quickly undone. You have nought whereof to glory, but many reasons why you should reckon yourself vile, for you are far weaker than you are able to comprehend.

4. "Let, therefore, nothing which you do seem to you great; let nothing be grand, nothing of value or beauty, nothing worthy of honour, nothing lofty, nothing praiseworthy or desirable, save what is eternal. Let the eternal truth please you above all things, let your own great vileness displease you continually. Fear, denounce, flee nothing so much as your own faults and sins, which ought to be more displeasing to you than any loss whatsoever of goods. There are some who walk not sincerely before me, but being led by curiosity and pride, they desire to know my secret things and to understand the deep things of God, whilst they neglect themselves and their salvation. These often fall into great temptations and sins because of their pride and curiosity, for I am against them.

5. "Fear you the judgments of God, fear greatly the wrath of the Almighty. Shrink from debating upon the works of the Most High, but search narrowly your own iniquities into what great sins you have fallen, and how many good things you have neglected. There are some who carry their devotion only in books, some in pictures, some in outward signs and figures; some have Me in their mouths, but little in their hearts. Others there are who, being enlightened in their understanding and purged in their affections, continually long after eternal things, hear of earthly things with unwillingness, obey the necessities of nature with sorrow. And these understand what the Spirit of truth speaks in them; for He teaches them to despise earthly things and to love heavenly; to neglect the world and to desire heaven all the day and night."