De commendacione uite solitarie et de primis amatoribus eiusdem; et quod amor Dei in feruore canore et dulcore consistit et quod quies est necessaria; et tales ab illusionibus preseruantur et prelaciis non preficiuntur

De commendacione uite solitarie et de primis amatoribus eiusdem; et quod amor Dei in feruore canore et dulcore consistit et quod quies est necessaria; et tales ab illusionibus preseruantur et prelaciis non preficiuntur

Blessed is the one who, taught by the Holy Spirit through trials, embraces the many commendations of the holy hermits, saying: "Who has set the wild donkey free?" First, therefore, grace is commended in freedom, as it says: "Who has released the wild donkey?" Second, he frees you from the bonds of carnal desires, as it is said: and he breaks their chains. Third, in solitary conversation, he adds that he gave him a home in solitude. Fourth, from the desire for eternal happiness, it says: "And His tabernacle is in the land of salt." For the salt marsh does not extinguish the fire, but rather it ignites it even more. So too, those who have tasted something of the sweetness of eternal life grow more eager to grasp and savor it. Moreover, Saint John the Baptist, the first leader of hermits after Christ, chose a solitary life without any distracting affection; and others similarly chose it, like the locust who, as Solomon said, has no leader, king, or teacher; and he goes forth in troops of virtues and gifts. There are, however, bonds of nature and sin that the Lord frees us from, and He strengthens the bonds of love. The house of solitude can provide rest for the heart, because the holy hermits, separated from the tumult and vices of the world, receive the sweetness of a clear conscience from Christ's generosity, and singing of eternal love, they find joy, refreshed in the deepest fervor. And even though they may be pierced by harsh and adverse things in the body, they still retain the melody and fervor in their spirit unshaken. However, there is also a bad solitude, namely pride, when someone either prefers themselves alone to others or attributes to their own free will what they possess. It is said that if one falls alone, they have no one to lift them up. In the beginning of their conversion, hermits (I’m not talking about those who cause scandal among hermits) are often worn out by many and diverse temptations. But after the storm of troubling evils, God pours serenity into the desires of the saints, so that if they strive valiantly in weeping, meditating, and praying solely for the love of Christ, after a little while they will see themselves living more in delight than in tears or in the anxiety of labor. They will have what they loved, what they sought, what they longed for; and then they will rejoice and not mourn. What good is it to rejoice, unless it’s to obtain the beloved good, to think about it, and to rest in it? Indeed, sweet is the joy where true lovers come together, and mutual comfort is found in the touch of beloved ones. The longing of lovers is truly inexplicable, and their mutual vision and conversation is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Jeremiah, commending the solitary life, says: "It is good for a man to bear the yoke of the Lord from his youth." A solitary person will sit in silence and lift themselves above the distractions, for the highest love of Christ consists of three things: fervor, song, and sweetness; and I have experienced that these three cannot last long in the mind without great peace. So if I want to contemplate while standing or walking, or even while lying down, I see that I often fall away from those things and feel almost abandoned. Therefore, compelled by this necessity, I chose to sit and persevere in the highest devotion I could have. I don't know the reason for this, but if a person stands or walks too much, their body gets tired, and in that way, the soul is hindered and, in a sense, weighed down by the burden. And one is not at peace in their highest state of quiet, and consequently not in perfection, because according to the philosopher, by sitting and resting, the soul becomes wise. So, whoever delights more in standing than in sitting in divine matters knows that they are far from the peak of contemplation. When, however, in those three things that are signs of the most perfect love, the highest perfection of Christian religion is found without any ambiguity, I have received them, according to the measure of my capacity, through the grace of Jesus; yet I do not dare to compare myself to the saints who have shone in them, because perhaps they have understood them more perfectly. I will continue to strive with whatever strength I have so that I may love more fervently, sing more sweetly, and experience the sweetness of love more deeply. You're mistaken, brothers, if you think that there are now no saints as holy as the prophets or apostles were. I call it fervor when the mind is truly set ablaze by eternal love, and the heart feels that same love burning not just in a superficial way, but in a real and profound sense. The heart, then, is transformed in the fire of love, providing a sense of the burning of that love. I call forth a song when sweetness of eternal praise is received in the heart, overflowing with fervor, and the thought is transformed into a hymn, while the mind is captivated by a sweet melody. These two are not perceived in idleness, but in deep devotion, from which a third, namely, inestimable sweetness, is present. For fervor and song create a wonderful sweetness in the soul; and also, because of excessive sweetness, they can cause certain things. For there is no deception in this abundance; rather, it is the most perfect fulfillment of all actions. Yet some, who are ignorant of the contemplative life, are misled by a false and fictitious devotion through the midday demon, because they think they are at the heights when they are actually lowly. But the soul in which these three things converge remains completely impervious to the arrows of the enemy, while continually contemplating the beloved, it rises unscathed toward the heavens and stirs itself to love. And don’t be surprised if a soul is ordered in such a way that a melody of love is continually sung, and it receives a comforting song from its beloved. For he lives as if he were not under vanity, lifted up to burn eternally in the uncreated heat, so that he may never fall, since he loves incessantly and ardently, as has been said before, feeling within himself the most blessed fervor and knowing that he is subtly consumed by the fire of eternal love, perceiving his beloved in the desired sweetness; in the song of glory, his meditation is transformed, and his renewed nature is wrapped in delight. For this reason, the Creator granted him the ability to pass through without fear and sadness from a corruptible body, so that he might leave the world without the sorrow of death; for he loved only the life that is the remedy of light and the enemy of darkness. Such people, who are taken up so deeply in love, shouldn't be chosen for external duties or positions, nor should they be called to any secular business. They are like a topaz stone, which is rarely found, and for this reason, it is considered very precious and rare; it has two colors: one is pure like gold, and the other is bright like the sky when it is clear. It surpasses the brilliance of all gems, and there is nothing more beautiful to behold. If someone wants to polish it, it becomes obscured; but if beauty is left to itself, it remains intact. Thus, the holy contemplative men we mentioned are very rare, and that's why they are so precious. They are like gold because of their outstanding fervor of love, and they shine like the clarity of heavenly conversation, surpassing the lives of all the saints; therefore, they are more beautiful and brighter among the gems, namely, the chosen ones, who love and possess this solitary life and are clearer than all other people who either are or have been. But whoever wants to be honored with such dignities is trying to diminish their ardor and obscure their beauty and clarity in some way. But if they seek to gain honor and authority, they will surely become more worthless and of lesser merit. Therefore, they should set aside their studies so that their clarity may be increased.