wouldst not be reviled in this world for the love of Christ, and yet wouldst be with Christ in the world to come; thou wouldst not be persecuted and slandered in this world for Christ's sake, and yet in the other world thou wouldst be blessed and received by Christ; thou wouldst not labor in this world, and yet wouldst have quiet and rest hereafter. I say to thee, my Brother, my Brother, that thou dost greatly deceive thyself; for by the way of dishonor and shame and insult shall a man attain to the true celestial honor; and by enduring patiently derision and insults for the glory of Christ. Therefore, well is it said, in the worldly proverb. He who will not pay the cost, shall not receive what he desires.
"The horse is a noble and useful animal, but although he can run very well alone, he suffers himself to be governed, guided, and driven hither and thither, backwards and forwards, according to the will of his rider; and thus also should the servant of God suffer himself to be governed, guided, turned and bent according to the will of his Superior, and even of everyone, for the love of Christ. If thou wouldst be perfect, study only to be gracious and virtuous, and combat valiantly thy evil inclinations, patiently enduring all adversity for the love of thy Lord, persecuted, afflicted, insulted, scourged, crucified, and dying for the love of thee, and not for sins of His own, or for His own glory, or for His own profit, but solely for thy salvation. And in order to do this, above all things it is needful that thou conquer thyself; for little doth it profit a man to direct and bring souls to God, unless first of all he conquers and governs himself."
On Sloth.
The slothful man loses both this world and the next; for he neither brings forth fruit in himself, nor is of any use to others. It is impossible for one to acquire virtue without solicitude and great labor. Therefore, when thou art able to stand in a secure place, tarry not in a doubtful one. He is secure who strives and labors and toils according to God, and for his Lord's sake, and not for the fear of punishment, or for a reward, but for the love of God. He who shrinks from working and suffering for the love of Christ verily draws back from the glory of Christ; and even as this solicitude is useful so is negligence ever hurtful to us. As sloth is the way to hell, even so is holy solicitude the way to Heaven.
Much should one strive to acquire and to preserve virtue and the grace of God, always co-operating faithfully with this grace and virtue; for the man who does not thus co-operate faithfully often sacrifices the fruit for the leaves, or the grain for the straw, for to some the Lord concedes graciously good fruit with but few leaves; to some others he gives fruit together with the leaves; and there are some others who have neither fruit nor leaves. It seems to me a greater thing to know how to guard well, and in secret to preserve the graces given by God, than to know how to acquire them; because, however well a man knows how to acquire, yet unless he knows well how to store and keep, he will never grow rich; but they who acquire things by little and little will enrich themselves, for they take care of their gains and their treasure.
O what a quantity of water the Tiber would have collected, if it had not escaped by some outlet! Man asks of God gifts without measure and without end; and he will not love God but in measure and degree. He who would be loved of God, and receive from Him infinite merit above reckoning or measure, should also love God without reckoning and without measure, and ever render Him infinite service. Blessed is he who loves God with all his heart, and with all his mind, and always afflicts his body and his mind for the love of God, seeking for no reward under Heaven, but acknowledging himself wholly as God's debtor.
If a man were exceedingly poor and needy, and another were to say to him: " I will lend thee a thing most precious for three days; and know that if thou use it well within this term of three days, thou wilt gain infinite treasure, and mayest be rich for evermore:" it is most sure that the poor man would be very solicitous to make good use of a thing so precious, and much would he study how to gather well the fruit of it. Thus also I say to thee, that our body is that good thing which we hold from the hands of God for three days; for all the years of our time upon earth may be compared unto three days.
Therefore, if thou wilt be rich, and enjoy eternally
