Letter 70. To a devout Lady
I Beseech our Lord, that you may find yourself as I desire; for it was not said in vain, that love is full of a careful kind of fear. But in fine, I have confidence, that our Lord (as he saith to us by the Prophet jeremy) will regard that love wherewith he espoused himself in those beginnings of his, and will remember how the people followed him, without any high way in the Desert, which was full of affliction to them, and carried a kind of resemblance of death. God is very thankful, to such as serve him with love; and in the time of our weaknesses, and when our strength is even upon the point to fail, then doth he look back, upon the time when formerly we had been in vigour, and to that amorous intention, which we had in former time, relieving our misery, with the abundance of his mercy. Continue therefore with a heart full of courage; and, as S. Paul saith; do not lose your confidence;
for there belongs a great reward to it And this is that, which the Devil would feign, either take away from us, or weaken in us, so to pull us down, who pull him down, and much more, you, being a woman; by whose hand he would esteem it, judges. 9 more dishonour, to be overcome. As Abimelech said to his second, do thou kill me; that so it may not be said, that a woman killed me; for a woman had cast a piece of earth stiffly down upon him from the fortress. Thus must you do, when the Devil shall offer you combat. Cast Christ our lord at him; and so break his head (for Christ our lord being man, is called earth▪ and so the enemy shall dye. And if notwithstanding, it seem to you, that still he must be a live; know yet, that he remains in extreme trouble, and even as dead, to see himself overcome, and to be the occasion that you shall gain crowns, whereas he thought that they would have proved fetters.1
To what greater misery can an enemy be subject, then to see, that he helps him, to be great, in the eyes of God. For if you saw the treasure, which you have gained, by resisting the Devil, so very often; there is no doubt, but that it would sufficiently temper the bitterness of your troubles to consider the beauty and riches of those crowns. Now so many precious stones have you gotten, wherewith to enrich your crown, as you have resisted, times, those counsels of the Devil; and so much have you gained of eternal rest, as you have with patience, endured several times, the sad afflictions, which he hath brought upon you. Be not therefore weary, of getting still new precious stones, though whilst they are thrown at you, they hurt you a little; but then instantly after, they are your own.
And see that you resist that unprofitable sadness, which is the beginning of many mischiefs; & confiding in our lord, and being cheerful in the hope of his love, tread all under foot; and let it seem little to you, as S. Bernard saith, My affliction is hardly to be counted affliction for one half hour, and if it prove any longer I feel it not, through the force of my love. Tread you upon the dragon, and upon the lion, and let him fear you, and not you him. And say you to yourself. Our lord is my helper, and whom them shall I fear? Our Lord takes care of me, what then can arrive, which may afflict me? Our lord governs me, and I am safe Our lord serves himself of me, and I aspire to no other happiness, how much soever it may cost me. And thus, the Devil finding you full of courage, and well armed, shall not be able to pull you down, but rather fear, so much as to assault you. Our lord, who called you, conserve you, and make you such, as I beseech him that you may be. Amen.2
Footnotes
Chapter 25 of 57