Of loving Jesus above all things

Blessed is he who understandeth what it is to love Jesus, and to

despise himself for Jesus' sake. He must give up all that he

loveth for his Beloved, for Jesus will be loved alone above all

things. The love of created things is deceiving and unstable,

but the love of Jesus is faithful and lasting. He who cleaveth

to created things will fall with their slipperiness; but he who

embraceth Jesus will stand upright for ever. Love Him and hold

Him for thy friend, for He will not forsake thee when all depart

from thee, nor will he suffer thee to perish at the last. Thou

must one day be separated from all, whether thou wilt or wilt

not.

2. Cleave thou to Jesus in life and death, and commit thyself

unto His faithfulness, who, when all men fail thee, is alone able

to help thee. Thy Beloved is such, by nature, that He will

suffer no rival, but alone will possess thy heart, and as a king

will sit upon His own throne. If thou wouldst learn to put away

from thee every created thing, Jesus would freely take up His

abode with thee. Thou wilt find all trust little better than

lost which thou has placed in men, and not in Jesus. Trust not

nor lean upon a reed shaken with the wind, because all flesh is

grass, and the goodliness thereof falleth as the flower of the

field.(1)

3. Thou wilt be quickly deceived if thou lookest only upon the

outward appearance of men, for if thou seekest thy comfort and

profit in others, thou shalt too often experience loss. If thou

seekest Jesus in all things thou shalt verily find Jesus, but if

thou seekest thyself thou shalt also find thyself, but to thine

own hurt. For if a man seeketh not Jesus he is more hurtful to

himself than all the world and all his adversaries.

(1) Isaiah xl. 6.

(Taken from "The Imitation of Christ," Bk. 2, Ch. 7, by Kempis.) Project Gutenberg Version. www.promo.net/pg/