Of self-consideration
Chapter
look to yourself
As iron cast into the fire loses its rust and becomes all white with the heat, so the man that turns himself wholly to God is divested of all sloth and changed into a new man.
3. When a man begins to grow lukewarm, then he is afraid of a Uttle labour, and willingly receives outward consolation.
But when he begins perfectly to overcome himself, and to walk manfully in the way of God, then he makes little account of things that formerly seemed to him grievous.
CHAPTER 5
OF SELF-CONSIDERATION
We must not trust too much to ourselves; for grace and understanding are often wanting to us. There is in us but little light, and this we soon lose by negligence.
Often too we are quite unconscious how inwardly blind we are.
We often do amiss, and then do worse by excusing ourselves.
Sometimes we are moved by passion, and think it zeal.
We blame Uttle things in others, and overlook great things in ourselves.
We are quick enough in perceiving and weighing what we bear from others; but we give little thought to what others have to bear from us.
He that should well and justly weigh his own doings would find little cause to judge harshly of another.
2. The truly inward man puts the care of himself before all other cares; and he that looks diligently to himself finds it easy to be silent about others.
You will never be spiritual and devout, unless you pass over in silence other men's concerns and look especially to yourself.
If you attend wholly to yourself and to God, what you see abroad will affect you but little.
Where are you when you are not present to yourself?
And when you have surveyed the whole world, what good has it done you if you have neglected yourself?
If you would have true peace and perfect union, you must cast all things else aside and keep your eyes upon yourself alone.
3. Then will you make great progress, when you keep yourself free from every temporal anxiety.
You will fall back exceedingly, if you make account of anything temporal.