His own eternal Godhead. This is the image of God in the mind, which
is itself eternal. But many men turn away from this dignity of their
nature, befouling the bright image of God in themselves, and turning
to the bodily pleasures of this world. They pursue them greedily and
devote themselves to them, till death unexpectedly stops them. But
he who is wise, turns himself and elevates himself, with the help of
the Divine spark in his soul, to that which is stable and eternal,
whence he had his own origin: he says farewell to all the fleeting
creatures, and clings to the eternal truth alone.

Attend also to what I say about the order in which the spirit ought
to return to God. First of all, we should disentangle ourselves
absolutely from the pleasures of the world, manfully turning our
backs upon all vices; we should turn to God by continual prayers, by
seclusion, and holy exercise, that the flesh may thus be subdued to
the spirit. Next, we must offer ourselves willingly to endure all
the troubles which may come upon us, from God, or from the
creatures. Thirdly, we must impress upon ourselves the Passion of
Christ crucified; we must fix upon our minds His sweet teaching, His
most gentle conversation, His most pure life, which He gave us for
our example, and so we must penetrate deeper and advance further in
our imitation of Him. Fourthly, we must divest ourselves of external
occupations, and establish ourselves in a tranquil stillness of soul
by an energetic resignation, as if we were dead to self, and thought
only of the honour of Christ and His heavenly Father. Lastly, we
should be humble towards all men, whether friends or foes. . . . But
all these images, with their interpretations, are as unlike the
formless truth as a black Ethiopian is to the bright sun.

Soon after this holy maiden died, and passed away happy from earth,