Page 7 of 18
Chapter 4:
Maxims on Purity of Intention
Maxim 4:1
Have God alone before your eyes,
God's good pleasure,
God's glory, and
make no account of anything else.
Maxim 4:2
Seek no praise or recompense in this life
for your good works, and you will receive
a greater reward in eternity.
O how greatly
does empty praise and reward
for our actions in this life
lessen their merit in the next.
Maxim 4:3
Let your good works be hidden in time,
that they may appear only in eternity
or be known by God alone and
never by others
if this is God's will.
If you act in the spirit of this Maxim,
your love will be more pleasing in God's sight
and your intention more pure and detached.
This is what you should seek.
Maxim 4:4
Rejoice that God is glorified
no matter who promotes his glory.
It is the mistake of some zealous persons
to want to do everything themselves
or through their associates, and
to be unable to tolerate that others succeed
in their undertakings and in the care they take
to make God known and loved.
Maxim 4:5
Take care in all your undertakings
that God is the beginning and the end,
and that in carrying them out
you never go against God's will.
As to the results,
be completely indifferent as to whether you succeed or not
and desire only that God's will be accomplished in all things.
You must recognize and love this will of God
just as much when your praiseworthy projects
are frustrated or fail as when they advance and succeed.
Maxim 4:6
In all your works, be on your guard
against seeking the satisfaction and consolation
that accompanies the efforts of those who work
for the advancement of God's glory
and the salvation of the neighbour.
Desire only that God be glorified
and that others be instructed
and brought to salvation and perfection.
Do not stop to look for the satisfaction and pleasure
that comes from seeing one's work succeed.
Maxim 4:7
In everything you do,
seek only to please God,
and make no account of anything else.
In practising this Maxim, remember
in times of sickness, desolation,
persecution, and similar trials throughout life,
to desire only what is pleasing to God
and not to be concerned about your own interests.
I conclude these instructions
about purity of intention
by recommending that you be nothing to yourself
but entirely given to God and to others,
entirely for God and according to God.
If you always act
in the spirit of these sentiments,
they will render all your intentions perfectly pure.
Maxims on Purity of Intention
Maxim 4:1
Have God alone before your eyes,
God's good pleasure,
God's glory, and
make no account of anything else.
Maxim 4:2
Seek no praise or recompense in this life
for your good works, and you will receive
a greater reward in eternity.
O how greatly
does empty praise and reward
for our actions in this life
lessen their merit in the next.
Maxim 4:3
Let your good works be hidden in time,
that they may appear only in eternity
or be known by God alone and
never by others
if this is God's will.
If you act in the spirit of this Maxim,
your love will be more pleasing in God's sight
and your intention more pure and detached.
This is what you should seek.
Maxim 4:4
Rejoice that God is glorified
no matter who promotes his glory.
It is the mistake of some zealous persons
to want to do everything themselves
or through their associates, and
to be unable to tolerate that others succeed
in their undertakings and in the care they take
to make God known and loved.
Maxim 4:5
Take care in all your undertakings
that God is the beginning and the end,
and that in carrying them out
you never go against God's will.
As to the results,
be completely indifferent as to whether you succeed or not
and desire only that God's will be accomplished in all things.
You must recognize and love this will of God
just as much when your praiseworthy projects
are frustrated or fail as when they advance and succeed.
Maxim 4:6
In all your works, be on your guard
against seeking the satisfaction and consolation
that accompanies the efforts of those who work
for the advancement of God's glory
and the salvation of the neighbour.
Desire only that God be glorified
and that others be instructed
and brought to salvation and perfection.
Do not stop to look for the satisfaction and pleasure
that comes from seeing one's work succeed.
Maxim 4:7
In everything you do,
seek only to please God,
and make no account of anything else.
In practising this Maxim, remember
in times of sickness, desolation,
persecution, and similar trials throughout life,
to desire only what is pleasing to God
and not to be concerned about your own interests.
I conclude these instructions
about purity of intention
by recommending that you be nothing to yourself
but entirely given to God and to others,
entirely for God and according to God.
If you always act
in the spirit of these sentiments,
they will render all your intentions perfectly pure.