{"id": "card_n_bada37c33a85", "kind": "note", "title": "Imitation of Christ §imit_01_15: For no worldly good whatsoever, and for the love of no man, must anything be ...", "body": "For no worldly good whatsoever, and for the love of no man, must anything be done which is evil, but for the help of the suffering a good work must sometimes be postponed, or be changed for a better; for herein a good work is not destroyed, but improved. Without charity no work profiteth, but whatsoever is done in charity, however small and of no reputation it be, bringeth forth good fruit; for God verily considereth what a man is able to do, more than the greatness of what he doth. 2. He doth much who loveth much. He doth much who doth well. He doth well who ministereth to the public good rather than to his own. Oftentimes that seemeth to be charity which is rather carnality, because it springeth from natural inclination, self-will, hope of repayment, desire of gain. 3. He who hath true and perfect charity, in no wise seeketh his own good, but desireth that God alone be altogether glorified. He envieth none, because he longeth for no selfish joy; nor doth he desire to rejoice in himself, but longeth to be blessed in God as the highest good. He ascribeth good to none save to God only, the Fountain whence all good proceedeth, and the End, the Peace, the joy of all Saints. Oh, he who hath but a spark of true charity, hath verily learned that all worldly things are full of vanity.", "source": {"label": "Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (c. 1418-1427)", "url": "", "ref": "imit_01_15", "authority_tier": "father"}, "shelf": "classics", "box": "imitation_of_christ", "bands": ["imitation_christ", "a_kempis", "devotional"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_bb2dfec3dc13", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_n_b652be011ed1", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_spine_classics", "relationship": "member_of", "evidence": "a member of the classics shelf in the keeping"}], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-05-19T13:20:58.643289+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-19T19:57:55.755521+00:00", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 4, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "source_hash": "5396a3011dddfc3409fb9a5cb2c364c5f15dd031c8a47c1823fab8e273283b65", "witnesses": [{"class": "manuscript_tradition", "label": "Brussels Royal Library MS 5855-61 — autograph", "ref": "Brussels-5855"}, {"class": "critical_edition", "label": "Pohl edition (1902-1922) — Opera Omnia", "ref": "Pohl-OO"}, {"class": "translation", "label": "Whitford translation (1530) — earliest English", "ref": "Whitford-1530"}, {"class": "translation", "label": "Knox-Oakley translation (1959)", "ref": "Knox-Oakley"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "Project Gutenberg — Imitation of Christ", "url": "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1653", "ref": "PG-1653"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "Christian Classics Ethereal Library", "url": "https://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.html", "ref": "CCEL-Kempis"}], "witness_status": "passed", "witness_status_reason": "6 witnesses across 4 independence classes: ['critical_edition', 'manuscript_tradition', 'republication', 'translation']", "surface": "witness", "presentation": {"glyph": "•", "kind_label": "imitation of christ", "by": "Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (c. 1418-1427)", "authority": "father", "posted": "", "standing": ""}, "neighbors": [{"id": "card_n_bb2dfec3dc13", "title": "Imitation of Christ §imit_01_21: If thou wilt make any progress keep thyself in the fear of God, and long not ...", "relationship": "same section", "why": "", "href": "/card/card_n_bb2dfec3dc13", "resolved": true}, {"id": "card_n_b652be011ed1", "title": "Imitation of Christ §imit_02_02: Make no great account who is for thee or against thee, but mind only the pres...", "relationship": "same section", "why": "", "href": "/card/card_n_b652be011ed1", "resolved": true}, {"id": "card_spine_classics", "title": "The classics — the great books, kept whole", "relationship": "on the shelf of", "why": "a member of the classics shelf in the keeping", "href": "/card/card_spine_classics", "resolved": true}]}