Col. Jethro Y. McSnide
January 14th 08, 09:49 PM
to bring. "I came to send war," He says, "and to
teach them of this war. I came to bring fire and the sword." Before Him the
world lived in this false peace.
499. External works.--There nothing so perilous as what pleases God and man.
For those states, which please God and man, have one property which pleases
God, and another which pleases men; as the greatness of Saint Teresa. What
pleased God was her deep humility in the midst of her revelations; what
pleased men was her light. And so we torment ourselves to imitate her
discourses, thinking to imitate her conditions, and not so much to love what
God loves and to put ourselves in the state which God loves.
It is better not to fast, and be thereby humbled, than to fast and be
self-satisfied therewith. The Pharisee and the Publican.
What use will memory be to me, if it can alike hurt and help me, and all
depends upon the blessing of God, who gives only to things done for Him,
according to His rules and in His ways, the manner being thus as important
as the thing and perhaps more; since God can bring forth good out of evil,
and without God we bring forth evil out of good?
500. The meaning of the words, good and evil.
501. First step: to be blamed for doing evil, and praised for doing good.
Second step: to be neither praised nor blamed.
502. Abraham took nothing for himself, but only for his servants. So the
righteous man takes for himself nothing of the world, nor of the applause of
the world, but only for his passions, which he uses as their master, saying
to the one, "Go," and to another, "Come." Sub te erit appetitus tuus.77 The
passions thus subdued are virtues. Even God attributes to Himself avarice,
jealousy, anger; and these are virtues as well as kindness, pity, constancy,
which are also passions. We must employ them as slaves, and, leaving
teach them of this war. I came to bring fire and the sword." Before Him the
world lived in this false peace.
499. External works.--There nothing so perilous as what pleases God and man.
For those states, which please God and man, have one property which pleases
God, and another which pleases men; as the greatness of Saint Teresa. What
pleased God was her deep humility in the midst of her revelations; what
pleased men was her light. And so we torment ourselves to imitate her
discourses, thinking to imitate her conditions, and not so much to love what
God loves and to put ourselves in the state which God loves.
It is better not to fast, and be thereby humbled, than to fast and be
self-satisfied therewith. The Pharisee and the Publican.
What use will memory be to me, if it can alike hurt and help me, and all
depends upon the blessing of God, who gives only to things done for Him,
according to His rules and in His ways, the manner being thus as important
as the thing and perhaps more; since God can bring forth good out of evil,
and without God we bring forth evil out of good?
500. The meaning of the words, good and evil.
501. First step: to be blamed for doing evil, and praised for doing good.
Second step: to be neither praised nor blamed.
502. Abraham took nothing for himself, but only for his servants. So the
righteous man takes for himself nothing of the world, nor of the applause of
the world, but only for his passions, which he uses as their master, saying
to the one, "Go," and to another, "Come." Sub te erit appetitus tuus.77 The
passions thus subdued are virtues. Even God attributes to Himself avarice,
jealousy, anger; and these are virtues as well as kindness, pity, constancy,
which are also passions. We must employ them as slaves, and, leaving