Other souls, it is true, may draw therefrom much profit if they testify humble gratitude to God for being permitted to share the feast of one of His privileged children. But if the privileged one were to grow vain of her spiritual riches, if her prayer resembled that of the Pharisee, she herself would become like to a person starving to death before a well-served table while all her guests take from it abundant nourishment, and cast perhaps a look of envy on the possessor of so much wealth. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. X THE Well-Beloved has no need of our glorious deeds nor of our fine thoughts. If He desire sublime conceptions has He not His Angels, whose knowledge surpasses infinitely that of the world's greatest geniuses? It is not then either intellect or talent that He looks for here below . . . He has called Himself _the Flower of the Field_ [8] to show us how much He cherishes simplicity. XIV LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE [8] Cant., ii, 1. TO keep the word of Jesus, this is the sole condition of our happiness, the proof of our love for Him; and this _word_--it seems to me that it is Himself, since He is called the Uncreated _Word_ of the Father. XVIII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE JESUS needs neither books nor Doctors of Divinity in order to instruct souls; He, the Doctor of Doctors, He teaches without noise of words. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VIII AT Sext there is a verse which I utter unwillingly each day. It is this: "_Inclinavi cor meum ad faciendas justificationes tuas in æternum, propter retributionem_." (I have inclined my heart to do Thy justifications for ever, because of the reward.) [9] Interiorly, I hasten to say: "O my Jesus, Thou knowest well that it is not for the reward I serve Thee, but solely because I love Thee, and for the sake of saving souls." COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES [9] Ps., cxviii, 112. IN Heaven only shall we see the absolute truth concerning all things. On earth, even in the Holy Scripture, there is a certain obscurity: it grieves me to see differences in the translations; had I been a Priest I would have learned Hebrew, so that I might be able to read the Word of God in that human language in which He deigned to express it. COUNSELS AND REMINISCENCES WE are not yet in our Fatherland, and temptation must purify us as gold is purified by the action of fire. XVIII LETTER TO HER SISTER CÉLINE IT is best not to expose oneself to the combat when defeat is certain. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX GOD is often satisfied with our desire of labouring for His glory. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. IX A SOUL in the state of grace has nothing to fear from the demons, who are cowards, capable of flight before the gaze of a child. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. I _TO the pure all is pure,_ [10] the simple and upright soul sees not evil in anything, since evil exists in impure hearts only and not in material objects. HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. VI [10] Titus, i, 15.