{ "meta": { "schema_version": "1.1", "endpoint": "/api/sources/rhineland-mystics/suso/vol-1-38-chapter-xliil.json" }, "work": { "slug": "suso", "name": "Heinrich Suso" }, "parents": [ { "slug": "rhineland-mystics", "name": "Rhineland Mystics", "url": "/sources/rhineland-mystics/" } ], "chapter": { "num": 39, "slug": "vol-1-38-chapter-xliil", "title": "Chapter XLIIL", "of": 51, "words": 2493, "text": "## Chapter XLIIL\n\nHow he drew certain hearts from earthly love to the \nlove of God. \n\nWhile the Servitor was occupied in drawing \nsouls from earthly love to God, he remarked that \nin certain monasteries there were persons who, \nthough they wore the religious habit, had worldly \nhearts beneath it. Among others there was one \nwho had steadfastly fixed her heart upon a pe- \nrishable affection, of a kind which goes by the \nname of \" sponsiren,\" and is a very poison to all \nhappiness in religion. The Servitor told her that \nif she wished to lead a godly and quiet life, she \n\n\nHE WINS SOULS TO GOD. 223 \n\nmust renounce this practice, and in place of her \nearthly lover take the Eternal Wisdom for her \nbeloved. This was a hard thing for her to do ; \nfor she was in the bloom of youth, and completely \nentangled in this kind of company. Neverthe- \nless, he brought her thus far, that she formed the \ngood resolution to do it. \"When, however, she \nbroke this good resolution again, through the in- \nfluence of her friends, he said to her: — Daughter, \nleave off this practice ; for I tell thee that if thou \nwilt not do it cheerfully, thou wilt have to do it \nsorrowfully. As she would not be converted by \nhis friendly counsels, he prayed to God very ear- \nnestly to withdraw her from this affection, cost \nher what it might. One day he went up into \nthe pulpit under the crucifix, as his wont was, \nand he took a severe discipline on his bare back, \nso that the blood streamed from it, and he be- \nsought God for her that she might be tamed. \nAnd so it came to pass ; for immediately upon \nher return home there grew an ill-shaped hump \nupon her back, which made her look hideous, \nand thus necessity obliged her to give up what \nshe had refused to renounce for God. \n\nIn the same unenclosed monastery, there \nwas a young, beautiful, and noble maiden, who \nhaving been caught in the same devil's net, had \n\n\n224 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nbeen for many years wearing away her heart \nand her time in frivolous light-mindedness with \nall kinds of persons ; and she had become so \ninfatuated in these practices, that she always \nfled like a wild animal from the Servitor of the \nEternal Wisdom, because she feared that he \nwould order her to give up the kind of life \nwhich she was leading. Now the sister of this \nmaiden besought the Servitor to try his luck \nwith her, and see whether he could not bring \nher back from her ruinous courses to the ever- \nlasting God. This seemed to him an impossible \nrequest, and he made answer that, in his opinion, \nit would be more possible for the sky to fall \nthan for her to give up this practice ; and that \nonly death could take it from her. The sister, \nhowever, was very urgent with him in her \nentreaties, saying that it was her firm belief \nthat whatever he asked of the everlasting God \nwith earnestness, God never refused to him. \nAt length she overcame him by her impor- \ntunities, and he promised her to undertake it. \n\nAs the maiden always fled from him, so that \nhe could never come to words with her, he took \nnote one day, about the time of St. Margaret's \nfeast, that she had gone out with the other \nyoung sisters into a field to pick flax. He stole \n\n\nHE WINS SOULS TO GOD. 22 5 \n\nafter them, and went round the field, and in this \nway managed to come gently up to her. \n\nWhen she perceived that he was drawing \nnear to her, she turned her back upon him very \ninsolently, and, with her face all on fire with \nanger, cried out passionately to him : — Sir monk, \nwhat mean you by coming out here to me ? keep \nto your own road, I advise you ; for you have \nnothing to do with me. I tell you that I would \nrather have my head cut off than confess to you, \nand I would sooner be buried alive than obey \nyou and give up my practices (sponsiren). \n\nHer playmate, who stood next her, tried to \nquiet her; and reproved her, saying that the \nServitor had only done it out of kindness. But \nshe, tossing up her head in fury, answered : — \nSee, I will not deceive him; I wall show him by \nmy words and ways what I have in my heart. \nThe Servitor was so horror-struck by these \ninsolent words and unseemly gestures, that he \nblushed with shame and kept silence ; for he \ncould not speak. The other sisters, who heard \nher outcries against him, were grieved at it, and \nchid her sharply. He soon withdrew on one \nside and left her; and then looking upwards, \nhe began to sigh deeply, and would have given \nup the attempt ; only that there still remained \nQ \n\n\n226 LIFE OF BLESSED HENKY SUSO. \n\nin him a kind of interior impulse from God, \nreminding him that he who wishes to accom- \nplish any thing either for God or for the world \nmust not give up so soon. This took place after \nmidday. \n\nOn the evening of that same day, after sup- \nper, the sisters went in a body into the court- \nyard to pill the flax which they had gathered, \nand the afore-mentioned sister went with them. \nNow they were obliged to pass by the guest- \nquarters, in which the Servitor was staying. \nHe, therefore, besought one of the maiden's play- \nmates to contrive to bring her to him, and then \nto leave the room again herself. This was man- \naged, though with difficulty. \n\nAs soon as she came into the room where the \nbrother was, and had seated herself near him \nunder the window, he fetched a deep sigh from \nhis full heart, and said:— Ah! beautiful and \ngentle maiden, God's chosen one! how long \nwill you abandon your beautiful lovely body \nand your tender heart to the vile and wicked \ndevil ! And yet you are so richly adorned by \nthe everlasting God with every grace, that it is \nindeed an evil tale that such a well-formed, \nnoble, and angelic maiden should be the be- \nloved of any other save the All-adorable One \n\n\nHE WINS SOULS TO GOD. 227 \n\nalone. Who lias a greater right to pluck the \nfair and tender rose than He whose own it is f \nNo, dear lovely maiden, open your bright fal- \ncon-eyes, and think of that beautiful chosen \nlove, which begins here and lasts for ever and \never. Think, too, what sorrow and unfaithful- \nness, what pain and suffering in body and \ngoods, in soul and honour, they must needs \nendure, willingly or unwillingly, who pursue \nearthly love; only they are so blinded by the \nhoneyed poison that they forget the great hurt \nwhich thence results to them in time and in \neternity. Come, then, thou angelic form, thou \nloving noble heart, and turn thy nature's high \nnobility to Him who is noble from eternity, \nand cease from this. I promise thee, by my \ntroth, that God will take thee for His darling, \nand will be altogether true to thee, and love \nthee right well, here and hereafter, everlast- \ningly. \n\nThe moment was propitious. These fiery \nwords shot, as it were, through her heart, and \nsoftened her so exceedingly, that, at once lifting \nup her eyes and sighing very deeply, she said \nto him these determined and courageous words : \n— Ah, sir, my father ! I surrender myself this \nday to God and you ; and from this hour I will \n\n\n228 LIFE OF BLESSED HEXRY SUSO. \n\nhave done with my wild unbridled life, and, by \nyour counsel and help, I will give myself to the \nloving God, to be His own, and will serve Him \nonly until my death. He answered: — This is \nan hour of gladness. Praised be the kind Lord, \nwho is ready to receive back again with joy all \nthose who return to Him. \n\nWhile the two were thus conversing toge- \nther in private about God, her playmates whom \nshe had left stood outside the door, and they \nwere vexed at the length of the discourse, for \nthey feared lest she should abandon their light- \nminded society. So they called out to her to \nfinish with him. Upon this she rose up, and \nwent away with them, saying : — My playmates, \nGod bless you! I bid you now farewell — you \nand all our comrades, with whom, alas, I have \nwasted my time so frivolously ; for henceforth I \nwill have no one but the faithful God, and all \nelse I will let go. \n\nFrom that time the maiden began to avoid \nall hurtful company, and to keep herself re- \ntired; and though in after times the attempt \nwas often made to bring her back to her old \nlife, nothing ever came of it ; and her conduct \ncontinued such, that, in the enjoyment of an \nhonourable reputation and the practice of every \n\n\nHE WINS SOULS TO GOD. 229 \n\nvirtue, she remained firmly and steadfastly at- \ntached to God until her death. \n\nOnce, later on, the Servitor set forth from \nhome to visit his new daughter, that he might \nconfirm her in a good and holy life, and console \nher lovingly, if she were in any sorrow ; and he \nput himself to much suffering by undertaking \nthe journey at a time when he was ill. As he \nwalked along in this state through the deep \nmire, and climbed over lofty mountains, he often \nlifted up his eyes to the living God, and said : — \nMerciful God, be mindful of the painful steps \nwhich Thou didst take for man's salvation, and \nkeep safe my child. His companion, on whom \nhe leant from time to time, said to him in pity : \n« — It well beseems God's goodness that many \nsouls should be kept safe through you. \n\nWhen he had gone on until he could go no \nfurther, but was quite exhausted, his companion \nsaid to him once more: — Ah, father! God \nshould have considered how very ill you are, \nand He should have sent you a horse to ride \nupon, until you come to where people are. He \nanswered : — Well, if we both ask God for it, I \nhave confidence that He will let me have the \nbenefit of thy virtue, and that it will come to \npa ss. \n\n\n230 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nThen the Servitor looked round about him, \nand he saw there on the right hand, coming \nforth out of a wood, a handsome horse, properly \nbridled and saddled, and it was coming along \nalone. His companion joyfully exclaimed: — ■ \nSee, dear father, how God will not forsake you ! \nHe answered: — Son, look round about on all \nsides of this broad plain, and observe whether \nthere is any one to whom it can belong. He \nlooked far and near, and could see no one, but \nonly the horse trotting up to them. Then he \nsaid:— Of a truth, father, God has sent it to \nyou; sit upon it and ride. He answered: — \nWell, comrade, if the horse stops still when it \ncomes to us, I trust in God that He has sent it \nhither for our necessity. The horse came up \nquietly, and stood still before him. He said : — \nSo be it, in God's name. Then his companion \nhelped him on the horse and made him ride \nupon it, and walked by his side for some dis- \ntance, until he was well rested. When they \ncame near a village the Servitor got off, and \nlaying the reins upon the horse's neck, let it go \nits way to the place from which it came. But \nwhence it came, or whose it was, he never could \ndiscover afterwards. \n\nWhen the Servitor had arrived at his jour- \n\n\nHE WINS SOULS TO GOD. 231 \n\nney's encl? it happened one evening that he was \nsitting with his spiritual children speaking to \nthem in disparagement of perishable love, while \nat the same time he praised and celebrated to \nthem the excellence of eternal love. When they \nleft him, his heart was greatly inflamed with Di- \nvine love through the ardour of his discourse; for \nit seemed to him that his Beloved, whom he both \nloved himself and advised others to love, was in- \nfinitely better than all earthly objects of love. \nWhile he meditated on this, his senses were \nstilled in ecstasy, and it appeared to him in a \nvision that he was carried to a beautiful green \nheath, and that by his side there went a heavenly \nyouth of comely form and noble bearing, who \nled him by the hand. Then the youth began \nto sing in the brother's soul a song which rang \nforth so joyously that all his senses took to flight \nbefore the mighty power of that sweet melody, \nand it seemed to him that his heart became so \nexceeding full of burning love and longing after \nGod that it began to leap and rage within his \nbody, as if it were on the point of breaking, \nfrom the intense strain that was upon it; and \nhe was forced to lay his right hand upon his \nheart as a relief, and his eyes became so full that \nthe tears ran down his cheeks. \n\n\n232 LIFE OF BLESSED HENRY SUSO. \n\nWhen the song was ended, a picture was \nplaced before him, with the intent to teach him \nthis song in such a way that he might not forget \nit. He looked, and saw there our Lady pressing \nher Child, the Eternal Wisdom, to her maternal \nheart. Over the Child's head the beginning of \nthe song was written in beautiful and well-formed \nletters, and yet the writing was so concealed \nthat it was not every one could read it. Only \nthose who had gained the knowledge of it by \nexperience and spiritual exercises read it well ; \nand the writing was, \" Heart's darling.\" \n\nThe Servitor read the writing rapidly ; and \nthen the Babe looked up and gazed at him with \nlove; upon which he felt in his inmost soul how \ntrue it is that the Divine Babe alone is our \nheart's darling — the sole object of all our joy and \nsorrow. Then he pressed the Babe to the very \ncentre of his heart, and began to sing with the \nyouth this song from end to end. In these \nburning sentiments of heartfelt love he came to \nhimself again, and he found his right hand lying \nupon his heart, just as he had placed it there \nas a relief, when his heart was agitated so vio- \nlently. \n\n\nDRINK MULTIPLIED. 233", "project_translation": false, "text_trust": "verbatim", "quote_safe": true, "license": null, "methodology_url": null } }