CHAPTER XLIV
How nothing is contrary to God but Self-will and how he who seeketh
his own Good for his own sake, findeth it not; and how a Man of himself neither
knoweth nor can do any good Thing.
Now, it may be asked; is there aught which is contrary to God and the true
Good? I say, No. Likewise, there is nothing without God, except to will
otherwise than is willed by the Eternal Will; that is, contrary to the Eternal
Will. Now the Eternal Will willeth that nothing be willed or loved but the
Eternal Goodness. And where it is otherwise, there is something contrary to
Him, and in this sense it is true that he who is without God is contrary to
God; but in truth there is no Being contrary to God or the true Good.
We must understand it as though God said: "He
who willeth without Me, or willeth not what I will, or otherwise than as I
will, he willeth contrary to Me, for My will is that no one should will
otherwise than I, and that there should be no will without Me, and without My
will; even as without Me, there is neither Substance, nor Life, nor this, nor
that, so also there should be no Will apart from Me, and without My will." And
even as in truth all beings are one in substance in the Perfect Being, and all
good is one in the One Being, and so forth, and cannot exist without that One,
so shall all wills be one in the One Perfect Will, and there shall be no will
apart from that One. And whatever is otherwise is wrong, and contrary to God
and His will, and therefore it is sin. Therefore all will apart from God's will
(that is, all self-will) is sin, and so is all that is done from self-will. So
long as a man seeketh his own will and his own highest Good, because it is His
and for his own sake, he will never find it; for so long as he doeth this, he
is not seeking his own highest Good, and how then should he find it? For so
long as he doeth this, he seeketh himself, and dreameth that he is himself the
highest Good; and seeing that he is not the highest Good, he seeketh not the
highest Good, so long as he seeketh himself. But whosoever seeketh, loveth, and
pursueth Goodness as Goodness and for the sake of Goodness, and maketh that his
end, for nothing but the love of Goodness, not for love of the I, Me, Mine,
Self, and the like, he will find the highest Good, for he seeketh it aright,
and they who seek it otherwise do err. And truly it is on this wise that the
true and Perfect Goodness seeketh and loveth and pursueth itself, and therefore
it findeth itself.
It is a great folly when a man, or any creature,
dreameth that he knoweth or can accomplish aught of himself, and above all when
he dreameth that he knoweth or can fulfil any good thing, whereby he may
deserve much at God's hands, and prevail with Him. If he understood rightly, he
would see that this is to put a great affront upon God. But the True and
Perfect Goodness hath compassion on the foolish simple man who knoweth no
better, and ordereth things for the best for him, and giveth him as much of the
good things of God as he is able to receive. But as we have said afore, he
findeth and receiveth not the True Good so long as he remaineth unchanged; for
unless Self and Me depart, he will never find or receive it.