On Receiving/Accepting

1. God receives the loving man by means of love,

and receives <both> the righteous man and the sinner by means of judgement,

and he receives the sinner by means of mercy and forgiveness.

 

2. From the virtuous (lit. “good”) man God receives all that the former wishes to give Him,

but from the man who wishes to give to Him by sinning

He refuses to accept anything.

 

3. Since God does not receive anything from anybody should love,

freedom, truth or worth be lacking therein,

He refuses to accept the gifts that sinners wish to give Him.

 

4. He who, as a consequence of his love, wishes to receive God

by means of justice, charity and hope,

causes God to accept all that he wishes to give Him.

 

5. Man can receive as much love from God as he wishes,

since God cannot resist virtuous (lit. “good”) love:

<so> let us receive a great deal thereof by loving, understanding and remembering.

 

6. It is better to receive proper remembrance from God

than it is to receive any pleasurable sensation

or any of the honours that can be bestowed by people.

 

7. He who is imprisoned by love

<and> by truth, justice and fear, is free;

yet the contrary befalls a sinful man.

 

8. To be held within the prison of evil and sin

is <to be incarcerated> within a terrible prison without any freedom,

<but> from such a prison does God protect us by means of His compassion.

 

9. To be imprisoned on a trifling pretext,

yet to entertain hope of mercy and forgiveness,

constitutes imprisonment that does not inflict great suffering.

 

10. To be in a prison, wherein one’s intellect understands

that it shall never attain any good, but rather shall harbour every imperfection,

constitutes imprisonment <that inspires> great ire and horror.