The divine life in three treatises

Come home then, O my soul, to God: Converse in Heaven: Turn away thine eyes from beholding vanity: Let not thy affections kindle upon straw or briars, that go out when they have made a flash or noise, and leave thee to thy cold and darkness: But come and dwell upon celestial beauties, and make it thy daily and most diligent work, to kindle thy affections on the infinite everlasting Good; and then they will never be extinguished or decay for want of fuel; but the further they go, and the longer they burn, the greater will be the flame. Though thou find it hard while Love is but a spark to make it burn, and complain that thy cold and backward heart is hardly warmed with the Love of God, yet when the whole pile hath taken fire, and the flame ascendeth, fire will breed fire, Love will cause Love; and all the malice of Hell it self shall never be able to suppress or quench it unto all eternity.

Come home then, O my soul, to God: Converse in Heaven: Turn away thine eyes from beholding vanity: Let not thy affections kindle upon straw or bryars, that go out when they have made a flash or noise, and leave thee to thy cold and darkness: But come and dwell upon celestial beauties, and make it thy daily and most diligent work, to kindle thy affections on the infinite everlasting Good; and then they will never be extinguished or decay for want of fewel; but the further they go, and the longer they burn, the greater will be the flame. Though thou find it hard while Love is but a spark to make it burn, and complain that thy cold and backward heart is hardly warmed with the Love of God, yet when the whole pile hath taken fire, and the flame ascendeth, fire will breed fire, Love will cause Love; and all the malice of Hell it self shall never be able to suppress or quench it unto all eternity.

6. And it is a great encouragement to my converse with God, that no misunderstanding, no malice of enemies, no former sin or present frailty, no nor the infinite distance of the most Holy Glorious God, can hinder my access to him, or turn away his Ear or Love, or interrupt my leave and liberty of converse. If I converse with the poor, their wants afflict me, being greater than I can supply: Their complaints and expectations which I cannot satisfy, are my trouble. If I would converse with Great ones, it is not easy to get access: and less easy to have their favour, unless I would purchase it at too dear a rate: How strangely and contemptuously do they look at their inferiors! Great friends must be made for a word or smile: And if you be not quickly gone, they are aweary of you: And if you seek any thing of them, or would put them to any cost or trouble, you are as welcome to them as so many vermin or noisome creatures. They please them best that drive you away. With how much labour and difficulty must you clime, if you will see the top of one of these mountains? And when you are there, you are but in a place of barrenness, and have nothing to satisfy you for your pains, but a larger prospect and vertiginous despect of the lower grounds which are not your own: it is seldom that