The Practice of the Presence of God the Best Rule of a Holy Life by Herman Nicholas
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page 8 of 42 (19%)
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adoration.
That in his trouble of mind, he had consulted nobody, but knowing only by the light of faith that GOD was present, he contented himself with directing all his actions to Him, _i.e._, doing them with a desire to please Him, let what would come of it. That useless thoughts spoil all: that the mischief began there; but that we ought to reject them, as soon as we perceived their impertinence to the matter in hand, or our salvation; and return to our communion with GOD. That at the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer, in rejecting wandering thoughts, and falling back into them. That he could never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do. That nevertheless, at first he had _meditated_ for some time, but afterwards that went off, in a manner he could give no account of. That all bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless, except as they serve to arrive at the union with GOD by love; that he had well considered this, and found it the shortest way to go straight to Him by a continual exercise of love, and doing all things for His sake. That we ought to make a great difference between the acts of the _understanding_ and those of the _will_: that the first were comparatively of little value, and the others, all. That our only business was to love and delight ourselves in GOD. That all possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the |
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