some sensual affection towards them, which so dims and darkens our understanding, that they are rendered incapable to judge of those objects rightly and impartially as they should, and as they truly deserve.*

3. By keep

from fixing

6. Wherefore give an attentive care, O dearly beloved, to what I shall now tell thee, for it will TEXT. much further thee to fight successfully. The ing the will means to know the true nature and properties of its love until all things which occur in thy daily transactions, standing is by taking special care to keep thy will pure the object.

the under

and free from all motion of love and affection which look not directly upon God Himself, or upon the means leading unto Him. To the end that thy understanding may rightly distinguish good from evil, it must first consider the object before thy will hath made its election or rejection of it. Because when once the will hath fastened its affection upon an object, the understanding is hindered from a true knowledge thereof, by reason of the consent of the will intervening, and leaving it so involved and obscured, that it appears far fairer to the understanding than it is in itself. Hence it happens that the object being thus falsely represented to the will, it becomes too passionately beloved and embraced, without the due inquiry as to its real goodness; and by how much the desire or love of the will is more vehement, by so much. the understanding is more grossly clouded in its judgment, and being so deceived, invites the will to an increase of affection towards it. So that these two chief

See Spiritual Conquest, treat. v. Doubt xiv. § 8, and the note.

powers of man's soul, miserably deceived and misled, walk continually as in a circle, from this darkness into others, and fall from one great error into others more grievous.

same cau

cessary even

in spiritual

things.

7. Take heed, therefore, of fastening thy affection And the upon anything whatsoever, before it be well tion is ne- weighed and examined by the understanding; and recommend it to God in prayer, that so thou mayest truly discern whether it be good or evil. And to this I exhort thee, not only in all indifferent things, but even in those also which are good and holy. For though they are evidently good in themselves, yet they may prove otherwise to thee by reason of some circumstance of time, place, measure, or obedience.* Whence it often happens that many have endangered themselves in their most laudable and holiest exercises.

standing is

weaned

from curio

8. Thou must also warily refrain thy understanding The under- from curiosity, lest it draw that into the soul to be also which may retard it in its intended purchase sity. of victory. For a curious inquiry after earthly things which are impertinent to thy spiritual purpose, though it may be sometimes permitted, yet is generally the poison of the spirit.

simple and

9. Restrain, therefore, thy understanding to thy and made utmost, and strive to make it simple and foolish as to child-like. As for the changes and chances things. in the world, whether they be great or small, if they concern thee not, consider them not. And when thou needs must hear or behold them, let

worldly

* See Spiritual Conquest, Ambush ii., and the accompanying notes.

thy will always contradict them. Yea, even in the knowledge of heavenly things, be sober and humble, and content thyself in the only desire to know thy crucified Saviour, and His blessed life and death. Abandon all other things; for so thou shalt yield to thy Lord a most grateful service, Who puts those into the list of His best friends who desire no more knowledge than what is sufficient to inflame their hearts in the love of His goodness and hatred of their own wickedness; for in the search of all other knowledge, nothing but self-love and a certain pernicious pride lies secretly lurking.

highly this

to perfec

10. If thou thus weanest thy understanding from these curiosities, thou shalt happily escape How many ambushes of thy enemies. For the wicked conduceth spirit, marking the unchangeable will and reso- tion. lution of those travellers tending to spiritual perfection not to yield their consent to sin, lays his crafty plots first against their understanding, that so he may, by little and little, get the mastery over it, and then against the will together.

11. To this end, he suggests to the learned and sharp-witted sublime and subtle conceits, that And how

the devil plots by sug

to gesting to

the under

thoughts of

conceit,

they may think themselves already united the Divinity, and so forget themselves, and give standing over the correction of their own consciences, the pride and resignation of their wills, and study of their own nothingAnd thus they are inflamed with pride, and make to themselves a certain idol of their own wisdom

ness.

in their understanding, and are so highly puffed up and perplexed in their vain thoughts, that they now persuade themselves that they stand in no further need of others' counsel and direction.

12. O, the danger that these souls are in! and how

which is far

gerous, and

cured less

easily than

will.

more dan hardly are they cured, by reason that the pride less of the understanding is far more perilous than that of the that of the will. For he that is proud only in will omits not all obedience, but submits his judgment sometimes to others, which he prefers before his own and believes to be better. But he that is puffed up with the pride of his understanding, and assuredly believes his own opinion to be better than that of others -ah! what hope is there of his cure? How shall he be brought to submit to others' judgment, since he thinks himself the wiser man? For when the understanding which is the soul's eye, and should both see and correct its secret pride-is itself blind and blown out with presumption; when light itself is become darkness, and the very rule crooked, thou easily conceivest what follows, and what the end of those things is like to be which depend upon such principles. Wherefore, take timely care to prevent this pride before it pierce thee to the marrow. Yield not up the reins to thy understanding, but subject it to counsel, and submit thine own sense to others' judgment.* Become

Our holy Father St. Benedict understood well the wisdom of submitting our own sense to others' judgment, and has a chapter of his holy Rule' On taking counsel of the Brethren.' 'Whenever any important matter,' he says, 'has to be transacted in the monastery, let

a fool in thy own conceit for the love of thy Lord, and by this means thou shalt be wiser than Solomon.

CHAPTER V.

OF THE WILL; AND THE END TO WHICH WE ARE TO DIRECT ALL OUR

ACTIONS.

1. IF thou desirest, O dearly beloved, to become one spirit with thy Lord God, it is not enough to

A will to do well sufficeth

our actions

formed only

have a pious and prompt will to do good works, not; but but even that good thou doest must, by His must be perdivine help and motion, be totally referred to to please God's honour, and to please Him only.* In this thou

God.

the abbot call together all the brethren, and lay before them the subject upon which they have to give their advice. And having heard their opinions, let him weigh the matter attentively in his own mind, and then do what he shall judge most expedient. We have said, let him call every one of the brethren to the council, and for this reason, that God frequently reveals what is wisest to the youngest. . . . If, however, any matter of minor importance has to be considered, let him seek counsel only of the elder brethren, as it is written: Do thou nothing without counsel, and thou shalt not repent when thou hast done.' Regula S. Bened. ch. iii.

* Spiritual writers draw a distinction between a pure and a right intention. A pure intention is when the beginning, prosecution, and consummation of an action is performed solely for the glory of God, without the alloy of any human motives, so that the action is altogether supernatural, and becomes as it were divine. Perfect purity of intention is of the utmost rarity, and is found only in perfect souls. F. Baker declares that the smallest act of love and service to God performed with a perfect self-abnegation is more acceptable and precious in His eyes than the working of a thousand miracles, or the conversion of nations, if in these there are mixed interests of Nature' (Sancta Sophia, vol. i. p. 320). A right intention is found where the main substance of an action and its chief aim are directed indeed to God, yet not so perfectly as to exclude the entrance of human or selfish motives, which detract from the supernatural merit of the good action, and render it proportionately impure and unpleasing to God.