As I've been reading The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis I've begun to run across passages that very much reflect the pre-Reformation era that the book was written in. There are large sections on the goodness of monasticism. For example, Book 1, Chapter 20 says the following:
He therefore that intendeth to attain to the more inward and spiritual things of religion, must with Jesus depart from the multitude.
and again:
The greatest Saints avoided, when they could, the society of men, and did rather choose to live to God, in secret.
Okay, so I'll admit that there is some appeal in these statements to me because I'm a big introvert and I would almost always rather be by myself than with a crowd and I would definitely always rather be by myself than with people I don't know; but I see that as a weakness rather than, as à Kempis would see it, a strength, since it greatly hinders any capability I have to obey the New Testament's clear call to evangelism. Honestly, what kind of evangelist can you be when you are by yourself all the time?
That said, there are still many wonderful things about this book. A marvelous quote I came across the other day is this one:
The devil sleepeth not, neither is the flesh as yet dead; therefore cease not to prepare thyself to the battle; for on they right hand and on thy left are enemies who never rest.
Yes, temptation and the devil and battle, we don't hear much about those lately, do we? But of course they are real. The Bible is full of admonitions to vigilance that we ignore to our own peril:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. (Luke 21:34)
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:11-14)
The practical applications here have to permeate our entire lives. That said, I think we have some help, but that is what I want to talk about in Part 2 of this (there is a To Be Continued here because I want to go somewhere else with this but I'm not ready quite yet, not because I'm smart enough to have planned it out this way).
