Our Lord said: “he that follows us walks not in darkness.”
These are the words of Christ in which we are taught to imitate his life and manners, if we would be truly enlightened and freed from all blindness of heart.
Therefore let our chief study be – the study of the life of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Christ are greater than those of all saints and holy men; and he that has the true spirit of Christ within himself, will find there heavenly food.
Unfortunately many, no matter how often they hear the gospel, are not inspired; for they do not have the true spirit of Christ.
For whoever will fully understand the words of Christ, and their meaning, must endeavor to make his life a true imitation of Christ’s life.
What will you gain if you reason profoundly about God, but lack humility and thereby displease God.
For great words do not make a man holy and righteous. A virtuous life makes a man beloved by God.
I would rather know repentance than its definition.
What good would it do to know the entire bible and the sayings of all the philosophers by heart, if you were without charity and humility?
All things in the world, except only to love God and to serve him, are vanity of vanities and all is vanity.
Man’s greatest wisdom is to despise the world and strive for the kingdom of Heaven. When a man seeks for and trusts in riches, it is vanity.
It is also vanity for a man to desire honors and to seek to elevate himself. It is also vanity to follow the desires of the flesh and to strive for those things that bring their own punishment.
It is also vanity to desire a long life rather than to live a good life.
It is also vanity to think only of this present life and neglect the life that is to come.
It is also vanity to love those things that pass by quickly and not to hurry to the joy of everlasting life.
Think of the proverb, the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear content with hearing.
Therefore, take your heart away from the love of visible things and turn it to the love of the invisible.
For they that live according to their earthly desires blacken their consciences and lose the grace of God.