The divine life in three treatises

10. Did you improve your friends while you had them? or did you only Love them, while you made but little use of them for your souls? If you used them not, it was just with God for all your Love to take them from you. They were given you as your candle, not only to Love it, but to work by the Light of it: And as your garments; not only to Love them, but to wear them; and as your meat, not only to Love it, but to feed upon it. Did you receive their counsel, and hearken to their reproofs, and pray with them, and confer with them upon those holy truths that tended to elevate your minds to ⟨p. 331⟩God, and to inflame your breasts, with sacred Love? If not, be it now known to you, that God gave you not such helps and mercies only to talk of, or look upon and Love, but also to improve for the benefit of your souls.

10. Did you improve your friends while you had them? or did you only Love them, while you made but little use of them for your souls? If you used them not, it was just with God for all your Love to take them from you. They were given you as your candle, not only to Love it, but to work by the Light of it: And as your garments; not only to Love them, but to wear them; and as your meat, not only to Love it, but to feed upon it. Did you receive their counsel, and hearken to their reproofs, and pray with them, and conser with them upon those holy truths that tended to elevate your minds to ⟨p. 331⟩God, and to inflame your brests, with sacred Love? If not, be it now known to you, that God gave you not such helps and mercies only to talk of, or look upon and Love, but also to improve for the benefit of your souls.

11. Do you not seem to forget both where you are your selves, and where you must shortly and for ever live? Where would you have your friends, but where you must be your selves? Do you mourn that they are taken hence? Why, if they had staid here a thousand years, how little of that time should you have had their company? when you are almost leaving the world your selves, would you not send your treasure before you to the place where you must abide? How quickly will you pass from hence to God, where you shall find your friends that you lamented as if they had been lost, and there shall dwell with them for ever! O foolish mourners! would you not have your friends at home! at their home and your home, with their Father and your Father; their God and your God! Shall you not there enjoy them long enough! Can you so much miss them for one day, that must live with them to all eternity? And is not eternity long enough for you to enjoy your friends in?