The Imitation of Christ

Thomas a Kempis was not a haphazard follower of Jesus. The depth of his masterpiece mirrors the life of a man who did whatever was necessary to imitate his own Savior. A Kempis lived as intentionally as he wrote. We must turn away from the things of this world, we must live sacrificially, we must be inundated with Christ's passionate teaching, and we must pray to be removed from distraction.A classic in every state of the word, The Imitation of Christ places the fruit of one man's single-minded devotion to God's calling on his life within the reach of every reader. May we all commit to be this effective in our emulation of Jesus. Moody ClassicsOf all the factors influencing our spiritual growth and development, pivotal books play a key role. Learning from those who have walked the path and fought the fight brings wisdom and strengthens resolve. And hearing the familiar chords of kingdom living sung by voices from other times can penetrate cultural barriers that limit our allegiance to the King. To this end, Moody Publishers is honored to introduce the first six volumes in what is to be an ongoing series of spiritual classics. Selected for their enduring influence and timeless perspective, these new editions promise to shape the lives of spiritual pilgrims for generations to come.

THOMAS A'KEMPIS (1380-1471) was a Dutch priest, monk, and writer born in Kempen, Germany. He attended a school near Deventer in Holland. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. The most famous of his works, by far, is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature. DR. ROSALIE DE ROSSET is a professor of Literature, English and Homiletics at Moody Bible Institute where she has been for forty-two years. She earned her M.A. in English from Northeastern Illinois University, M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Rhetoric from The University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition to teaching, she regularly appears on Moody Broadcasting Network programs as a guest and co-host, and speaks at conferences and seminars. She lives on the northside of Chicago.

Introduction / 13THE FIRST BOOKAdmonitions Useful for a Spiritual Life1. Of the Imitation of Christ, and Contempt of All the Vanities of the World / 252. Of Thinking Humbly of Ourselves / 283. Of the Doctrine of Truth / 314. Of Wisdom and Forethought in Our Actions / 355. Of the Reading of Holy Scriptures / 376. Of Inordinate Affections / 397. Of Fleeing From Vain Hope and Pride / 418. That Too Much Familiarity Is to Be Shunned / 439. Of Obedience and Subjection / 4510. Of Avoiding Superfluity in Words / 4711. Of the Obtaining of Peace, and Zealous Desire for Progress in Grace / 4912. Of the Profit of Adversity / 5213. Of Resisting Temptation / 5414. Of Avoiding Rash Judgment / 5815. Of Works Done in Charity / 6016. Of Bearing With the Defects of Others / 6217. Of a Retired Life / 6418. Of the Examples of the Holy Fathers / 6619. Of the Exercises of a Good Religious Person / 6920. Of the Love of Solitude and Silence / 7321. Of Compunction of Heart / 7822. Of the Consideration of Human Misery / 8123. Of Meditation on Death / 8624. Of Judgment, and the Punishment of Sinners / 9125. Of the Zealous Amendment of Our Whole Life / 96THE SECOND BOOKAdmonitions Tending to Things Internal1. Of the Inward Life / 1052. Of Humble Submission / 1103. Of a Good Peaceable Man / 1124. Of a Pure Mind, and Simple Intention / 1155. Of the Consideration of One's Self / 1176. Of the Joy of a Good Conscience / 1197. Of the Love of Jesus Above All Things / 1228. Of Familiar Converse With Jesus / 1249. Of the Want of All Comfort / 12810. Of Gratitude for the Grace of God / 13311. How Few Are the Lovers of the Cross of Jesus / 13612. Of the King's Highway of the Holy Cross / 139THE THIRD BOOKOf Internal Consolations1. Of Christ's Speaking Inwardly to the Faithful Soul / 1492. That the Truth Speaketh Inwardly Without Noise of Words / 1513. That the Words of God Are to Be Heard With Humility, and That Many Weigh Them Not / 1534. That We Ought to Live in Truth and Humility Before God / 1575. Of the Wonderful Effect of Divine Love / 1606. Of the Proof of a True Lover of Christ / 1647. Of Concealing Grace Under the Guard of Humility / 1688. Of a Mean Conceit of Ourselves in the Sight of God / 1729. That All Things Are to Be Referred Unto God, as Their Last End / 17410. That to Despise the World and Serve God Is a Sweet Life / 17611. That the Longings and Desires of Our Hearts / 180Are to Be Exam-ined and Moderated12. Of the Growth of Patience in the Soul, and of Striving Against Concupiscence / 18213. Of the Obedience of One in Humble Subjection, After the Example of Jesus Christ / 18514. Of the Duty of Considering the Secret Judgments of God, That So We Be Not Lifted Up for Anything Good in Us / 18715. In Everything Which We Desire, How We Ought / 190to Stand Affected, and What We Ought to Say16. That True Comfort Is to Be Sought in God Alone / 19317. That All Our Anxieties Are to Be Placed on God / 19518. That Temporal Miseries Must Be Borne Patiently, After the Example of Christ / 19719. Of the Endurance of Injuries, and of the Proof of True Patience / 20020. Of the Confession of Our Own Infirmities, and of the Miseries of This Life / 20321. That We Are to Rest in God Above All Things Which Are Good, and Above All His Own Gifts / 20622. Of the Remembrance of God's Manifold Benefits / 21023. Of Four Things That Bring Much Inward Peace / 21324. Of Avoiding Curious Inquiry Into Other Men's Lives / 21725. Wherein Firm Peace of Heart and True Spiritual Progress Consisteth / 21926. Of the Excellence of a Free Mind, Which Is Sooner Gained by Humble Prayer Than by Reading / 22227. That It Is Self-Love Which Most Hindereth From the Chiefest Good / 22428. Against the Tongues of Slanderers / 22729. How We Ought to Call Upon God, and to Bless Him, When Tribulation Is Upon Us / 22830. Of Craving t