love of God, so much is he removed from God. If any man praise thee, and speak well of thee, render the praise solely to God: and if any speak evil of thee, or revile thee, do thou help him therein, speaking yet worse of thyself.
If thou wouldst do thy part well, study to make it seem bad, and that of thy companion good, ever accusing thyself, and ever praising and sincerely excusing thy neighbor. When any one would contend or dispute with thee, if thou wouldst be the winner, lose, and thou shalt win; for if thou wilt contend in order to overcome, even when thou shalt think thyself the winner, thou shalt find that thou hast lost greatly. And, therefore, my brother, believe me that the direct way to save thyself is to lose thyself; for if we cannot bear well our tribulations, neither can we follow after heavenly consolations.
There is much greater consolation, and much greater merit in suffering injuries and insults patiently for the love of God, and without murmuring, than in feeding a hundred poor, or fasting continually every day. For what profiteth a man, or what availeth it him, to despise himself, and to afflict his body with much fasting, vigil, and discipline, if he cannot bear a little injury from his neighbor? For this cause shall a man receive much greater reward, and greater merit, than for all the afflictions he can impose on himself of his own will; since to endure insults and injuries from our neighbor, in humble patience, purifies from sin much more quickly than a fountain of msny tears. Blessed is the man who keeps ever before his mind the memory of his sins, and of the benefits of God; for he will bear patiently every tribulation and adversity, expecting from them the greatest consolations.
A man who is truly humble expects from God neither merit nor reward; but only studies continually how he can offer satisfaction in all things, knowing himself to be God's debtor; and any good thing that he has he acknowledges that he has it solely through the goodness of God, and not through any merit of his own; and any adversity that befalls him he acknowledges truly that he receives it for his own sins.
A Brother once asked Brother Giles: "Father, if in our time some great adversity or tribulation should befall, what ought we to do under this visitation?" To which Brother Giles replied . " My Brother, I would have thee to know that if the Lord should cause it to rain stones and thunderbolts from heaven, they could not do us any harm whatever, if we were such as we ought to be, because if only a man were what he ought to be, all evil and all tribulations would be turned to his good, for we know that, as the Apostle has said: ' All things work together for good to them that love God;' and so likewise to the man of bad will all good things turn into evil, and into chastisement. If thou wouldst be saved, and attain celestial glory, thou needest not desire any vengeance or any justification at any time from any creature; for the heritage of the Saints is ever to do good, and ever to receive evil. If thou knewest of a truth how much and how greatly thou hast offended thy Creator, thou would perceive that it is meet and just that all creatures should persecute thee, and bring thee pain and tribulation, for thus they would but avenge the offences which thou hast committed against their Creator.
"It requires great virtue to overcome one's self, for he who overcometh himself shall overcome all his enemies, and attain all good. Much greater virtue would it be, if a man should suffer himself to be overcome of every one; for he should be lord over all his enemies, that is to say, his vices, the devils, the world, and his own flesh. If thou wouldst Lc saved, renounce and forsake all consolations which all the things in the world, or any human creature, could give thee; because greater and more frequent are the falls which come from prosperity and earthly consolations, than from adversities and tribulations."
On one occasion, a Religious murmured against his Superior, in the presence of Brother Giles, on account of a hard command which had been given him by obedience; to whom Brother Giles said: " Most beloved, the more thou murmurest the greater will be thy burden and the more heavy to bear, but the more humbly and devoutly thou bendest thy head under the yoke of holy obedience the easier and the sweeter to thee will it be to bear that obedience. But it seems to me that thou
