Imitation 2 139 verses
1“The kingdom of God is within you,” saith .
2Turn thee with all thine heart to and forsake this miserable world, and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul.
3Learn to despise outward things and to give thyself to things inward, and thou shalt see the kingdom of God come within thee.
4For the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and it is not given to the wicked.
5 will come to thee, and show thee His consolation, if thou prepare a worthy mansion for Him within thee.
6All His glory and beauty is from within, and there it pleaseth Him to dwell.
7He often visiteth the inward man and holdeth with him sweet discourse, giving him soothing consolation, much peace, friendship exceeding wonderful.
8Go to, faithful soul, prepare thy heart for this bridegroom that he may vouchsafe to come to thee and dwell within thee, for so He saith, “if any man loveth me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Give, therefore, place to and refuse entrance to all others.
9When thou hast , thou art rich, and hast sufficient.
10He shall be thy provider and faithful watchman in all things, so that thou hast no need to trust in men, for men soon change and swiftly pass away, but remaineth forever and standeth by us firmly even to the end.
11There is no great trust to be placed in a frail and mortal man, even though he be useful and dear to us, neither should much sorrow arise within us if sometimes he oppose and contradict us.
12They who are on thy side today, may tomorrow be against thee, and often are they turned round like the wind.
13Put thy whole trust in God and let Him be thy fear and thy love, He will answer for thee Himself, and will do for thee what is best.
14“Here hast thou no continuing city,” and wheresoever thou art, thou art a stranger and a pilgrim, and thou shalt never have rest unless thou art closely united to within thee.
15Why dost thou cast thine eyes hither and thither, since this is not the place of thy rest?
16In heaven ought thy habitation to be, and all earthly things should be looked upon as it were in the passing by.
17All things pass away and thou equally with them.
18Look that thou cleave not to them lest thou be taken with them and perish.
19Let thy contemplation be on the Most High, and let thy supplication be directed unto without ceasing.
20If thou canst not behold high and heavenly things, rest thou in the passion of and dwell willingly in His sacred wounds.
21For if thou devoutly fly to the wounds of , and the precious marks of the nails and the spear, thou shalt find great comfort in tribulation, nor will the slights of men trouble thee much, and thou wilt easily bear their unkind words.
22 also, when He was in the world, was despised and rejected of men, and in His greatest necessity was left by His acquaintance and friends to bear these reproaches.
23 was willing to suffer and be despised, and darest thou complain of any?
24 had adversaries and gainsayers, and dost thou wish to have all men thy friends and benefactors?
25Whence shall thy patience attain her crown if no adversity befall thee?
26If thou art unwilling to suffer any adversity, how shalt thou be the friend of ?
27Sustain thyself with and for if thou wilt reign with .
28If thou hadst once entered into the mind of , and hadst tasted yea even a little of his tender love, then wouldst thou care nought for thine own convenience or inconvenience, but wouldst rather rejoice at trouble brought upon thee, because the love of maketh a man to despise himself.
29He who loveth , and is inwardly true and free from inordinate affections, is able to turn himself readily unto God, and to rise above himself in spirit, and to enjoy fruitful peace.
30He who knoweth things as they are and not as they are said or seem to be, he truly is wise, and is taught of God more than of men.
31He who knoweth how to walk from within, and to set little value upon outward things, requireth not places nor waiteth for seasons, for holding his intercourse with God.
32The inward man quickly recollecteth himself, because he is never entirely given up to outward things.
33No outward labour and no necessary occupations stand in his way, but as events fall out, so doth he fit himself to them.
34He who is rightly disposed and ordered within careth not for the strange and perverse conduct of men.
35A man is hindered and distracted in so far as he is moved by outward things.
36If it were well with thee, and thou wert purified from evil, all things would work together for thy good and profiting.
37For this cause do many things displease thee and often trouble thee, that thou art not yet perfectly dead to thyself nor separated from all earthly things.
38Nothing so defileth and entangleth the heart of man as impure love towards created things.
39If thou rejectest outward comfort thou wilt be able to contemplate heavenly things and frequently to be joyful inwardly.
