Imitation 2 1259 verses
1That seemeth a hard saying to many, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Me.” But it will be much harder to hear that last sentence, “Depart from me, ye wicked, into eternal fire.” For they who now willingly hear the word of the Cross and follow it, shall not then fear the hearing of eternal damnation.
2This sign of the Cross shall be in heaven when cometh to Judgment.
3Then all servants of the Cross, who in life have conformed themselves to the Crucified, shall draw nigh unto the Judge with great boldness.
4Why fearest thou then to take up the cross which leadeth to a kingdom?
5In the Cross is health, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection from enemies, in the Cross is heavenly sweetness, in the Cross strength of mind, in the Cross joy of the spirit, in the Cross the height of virtue, in the Cross perfection of holiness.
6There is no health of the soul, no hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.
7Take up therefore, thy cross and follow and thou shalt go into eternal life.
8He went before thee bearing His Cross and died for thee upon the Cross, that thou also mayest bear thy cross and mayest love to be crucified upon it.
9For if thou be dead with Him, thou shalt also live with Him, and if thou be a partaker of His sufferings thou shalt be also of His glory.
10Behold everything dependeth upon the Cross, and everything lieth in dying; and there is none other way unto life and to true inward peace, except the way of the Holy Cross and of daily mortification.
11Go where thou wilt, seek whatsoever thou wilt, and thou shalt find no higher way above nor safer way below, than the way of the Holy Cross.
12Dispose and order all things according to thine own will and judgment, and thou shalt ever find something to suffer either willingly or unwillingly, and thus thou shalt ever find thy cross.
13For thou shalt either feel pain of body, or tribulation of spirit within thy soul.
14Sometimes thou wilt be forsaken of God, sometimes thou wilt be tried by thy neighbour, and which is more, thou wilt often be wearisome to thyself.
15And still thou canst not be delivered nor eased by any remedy or consolation, but must bear so long as God will.
16For God will have thee learn to suffer tribulation without consolation, and to submit thyself fully to it, and by tribulation be made more humble.
17No man understandeth the Passion of in his heart so well as he who hath had somewhat of the like suffering himself.
18The Cross therefore is always ready, and everywhere waiteth for thee.
19Thou canst not flee from it whithersoever thou hurriest, for whithersoever thou comest, thou bearest thyself with thee, and shalt ever find thyself.
20Turn thee above, turn thee below, turn thee without, turn thee within, and in them all thou shalt find the Cross; and needful is it that thou everywhere possess patience if thou wilt have internal peace and gain the everlasting crown.
21If thou willingly bear the Cross, it will bear thee, and will bring thee to the end which thou seekest, even where there shall be the end of suffering; though it shall not be here.
22If thou bear it unwillingly, thou makest a burden for thyself and greatly increaseth thy load, and yet thou must bear it.
23If thou cast away one cross, without doubt thou shalt find another and perchance a heavier.
24Thinketh thou to escape what no mortal hath been able to avoid?
25Which of the saints in the world hath been without the cross and tribulation?
26For not even our Lord was one hour without the anguish of His Passion, so long as He lived.
27“It behooved,” He said, “ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory.” And how dost thou seek another way than this royal way, which is the way of the Holy Cross?
28The whole life of was a cross and martyrdom, and dost thou seek for thyself rest and joy?
29Thou art wrong, thou art wrong, if thou seekest aught but to suffer tribulations, for this whole mortal life is full of miseries, and set round with crosses.
30And the higher a man hath advanced in the spirit, the heavier crosses he will often find, because the sorrow of his banishment increaseth with the strength of his love.
31But yet the man who is thus in so many wise afflicted, is not without refreshment of consolation, because he feeleth abundant fruit to be growing within him out of the bearing of his cross.
32For whilst he willingly submitteth himself to it, every burden of tribulation is turned into an assurance of divine comfort, and the more the flesh is wasted by affliction, the more is the spirit strengthened mightily by inward grace.
33And ofttimes so greatly is he comforted by the desire for tribulation and adversity, through love of conformity to the Cross of , that he would not be without sorrow and tribulation; for he believeth that he shall be the more acceptable to God, the more and the heavier burdens he is able to bear for His sake.
34This is not the virtue of man, but the grace of which hath such power and energy in the weak flesh, that what it naturally hateth and fleeth from, this it draweth to and loveth through fervour of spirit.
35It is not in the nature of man to bear the cross, to love the cross, to keep under the body and to bring it into subjection, to fly from honours, to bear reproaches meekly, to despise self and desire to be despised, to bear all adversities and losses, and to desire no prosperity in this world.
36If thou lookest to thyself, thou wilt of thyself be able to do none of this; but if thou trustest in , endurance shall be given thee from heaven, and the world and the flesh shall be made subject to thy command.
37Yea, thou shalt not even fear thine adversary the devil, if thou be armed with faith and signed with the Cross of .
38Set thyself, therefore, like a good and faithful servant of , to the manful bearing of the Cross of thy Lord, who out of love was crucified for thee.
39Prepare thyself for the bearing many adversities and manifold troubles in this wretched life; because so it shall be with thee wheresoever thou art, and so in very deed thou shalt find it, wherever thou hide thyself.
40This it must be; and there is no means of escaping from tribulation and sorrow, except to bear them patiently.
41Drink thou lovingly thy Lord’s cup if thou desirest to be His friend and to have thy lot with Him.
42Leave consolations to God, let Him do as seemeth best to Him concerning them.
43But do thou set thyself to endure tribulations, and reckon them the best consolations; for “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us,” nor would they be even if thou wert to endure them all.
44When thou hast come to this, that tribulation is sweet and pleasant to thee for ’s sake, then reckon that it is well with thee, because thou hast found paradise on earth.
45So long as it is hard to thee to suffer and thou desirest to escape, so long it will not be well with thee, and tribulations will follow thee everywhere.
46If thou settest thyself to that thou oughtest, namely, to suffer and to die, it shall soon go better with thee, and thou shalt find peace.
47Though thou shouldest be caught up with Paul unto the third heaven, thou art not on that account secure from suffering evil.
48“I will show him,” saith , “what great things he must suffer for My Name’s sake.” It remaineth, therefore, to thee to suffer, if thou wilt love and serve Him continually.
49Oh that thou wert worthy to suffer something for the name of , how great glory should await thee, what rejoicing among all the saints of God, what bright example also to thy neighbour!
50For all men commend patience, although few be willing to practise it.
51Thou oughtest surely to suffer a little for when many suffer heavier things for the world.
52Know thou of a surety that thou oughtest to lead the life of a dying man.
53And the more a man dieth to himself, the more he beginneth to live towards God.
54None is fit for the understanding of heavenly things, unless he hath submitted himself to bearing adversities for .
55Nothing more acceptable to God, nothing more healthful for thyself in this world, than to suffer willingly for .
56And if it were thine to choose, thou oughtest rather to wish to suffer adversities for , than to be refreshed with manifold consolations, for thou wouldest be more like and more conformed to all saints.
57For our worthiness and growth in grace lieth not in many delights and consolations, but rather in bearing many troubles and adversities.
58If indeed there had been anything better and more profitable to the health of men than to suffer, would surely have shown it by word and example.
59For both the disciples who followed Him, and all who desire to follow Him, He plainly exhorteth to bear their cross, and saith, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me.” So now that we have thoroughly read and studied all things, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
