ternal. our heart by many vicious acts, must be thence well as inextracted by many acts of the contrary nature, that this desired virtuous habit may be let in and implanted. Yea, I moreover warn you that more good acts are required to obtain a habit of virtue than vicious habits to get a habit of vice, because the former are not assisted, as the latter are, by nature corrupted with sin. I add to all this, that if the virtue which you practise requires it, you are to make outward acts conformable to the inward; as, in the aforesaid example, you must use words of love and sweetness, and strive to find out and lay hold of some occasion of serving him whom you take for your opponent and enemy. Which, painful, are 10. And although these practices are full of pain, and are so coldly performed by thee that thou TEXT. perceivest them to go against the grain, yet though omit them not in any case; for if they are profitable. painful they are also profitable, making thee valiant and bold to fight these holy battles, and preparing thy way to the victory. gence must against evil 11. Thou art, moreover, to be advertised, that not only these great and grievous temptations and This dili manifest wickednesses are to be stoutly resisted, be used also but even the least and lightest passions and dis- motions; ordered motions; for these are but forerunners of the greater, opening the door for them to steal in upon us and oppress us unawares, and so to precipitate us into all vices. And it oftentimes falls out with them who slight these petty temptations, and care not to use dili gence in resisting them, that when they afterwards least suspect it, much more grievous suggestions do suddenly, violently, and dangerously invade them. yea, and against lawful af fections, 12. Lastly, thou must also resolve to skirmish with thy lawful affections,* and deny thyself even in thy honest desires when they appear not to be when not necessary. This will render thee an experienced necessary. soldier in this spiritual warfare, and a most grateful servant to thy Lord and Saviour. absolutely way to be spiritual, 13. And now I tell thee plainly, my dearly beloved, This is the if thou wilt try and train up thyself in the come truly spiritual conflict according to this prescribed method, thou shalt soon feel, God's grace assisting thee, a happy and total change into spirituality. But if thou wilt needs follow other exercises, though seeming most excellent, and performed with such present gust and sweetness as if thou hadst the full and familiar conference and companionship of thy Crucified Jesus, never persuade thyself that such delicious ways are the direct path to perfection. 14. For as our vices spring from this fountain, that because vice our superior will or reason submits herself to springs *A monk, by virtue of his religious profession, is obliged to aim, without ceasing, at perfection. Now, since perfection, as St. Thomas teaches (2. 2. qu. 184, a. i.), consists in perfect charity, or in the love of God above all things and in all things, and since we come to this perfect love in proportion as we cast out of our hearts all human loves and in their place implant the divine charity of God, so it behoves those who are striving after perfection to mortify and destroy not merely such affections as are dangerous and pernicious, but even those that are lawful and honest, and this for no other end than to obtain greater purity of heart and a closer union with God. the from yield ing to sen souls suality, vir tue from our will to God's. the inferior feelings of sensuality, so, on contrary, virtues are generated in our by due submission of this will to the Divine submitting Will. And as our will can never be truly good and grateful to God-though it receive from Him never so holy and heavenly inspirations, and be driven by the impulse of His Will to all its works and omissionsunless it consent to the Divine operations working within it, so neither can it be termed bad and separated from God, though never so much tempted and troubled by sensuality, except by its consenting unto evil. CHAPTER VIII. WHAT HE MUST DO WHO FEELS HIS SUPERIOR WILL OR REASON OVERCOME BY HIS INFERIOR WILL OR SENSUALITY. thy reason not, fear 1. IF thou sometimes find, O dearly beloved, that thou prevailest nothing at all in the fight of the As long as reason against sense, because thou feelest not cousents an efficacious ardour to root out ill affections, not, be not troubled, but stand fast, and still pursue thy fight with courage and constancy; for as long as thy reason keeps herself from consenting to these motions of sensuality, so long hast thou the ascendency in this battle and art master of the field. 2. Nor is it necessary that all thy affections and motions of sensuality do entirely submit to the for victory empire of thy reason; neither doth our victory not feeling does not consist in temptations, but in not yield ing; consist in feeling no perverse passions in our sensuality; but it sufficeth that our will and reason-though sensuality storm never so much-can always act or omit, do or not do, will or desire, when, how, where, and as she pleaseth, and even so that the devil himself and the whole world together can never alter this our resolution. 3. And if it sometimes happen that thy enemies If thy enemies reason, re time and suddenly and violently rush in upon thee, and surprise thy so surprise thy reason as to give it no respite to treat to gain have recourse to such wonted ways of devotion strength. whereby it might suppress these motions, then briefly make use of the tongue in thy defence, and say: 'No, no! I believe thee not. I will none of thee. I will never consent unto thee.' And so behave thyself in this exigency against thy inward foes as one would do being oppressed unawares with outward enemies; for his sword proving useless in his defence, he strives to step backwards, that so he may get ground and time both to draw his sword and also to drive his enemy away therewith. And do thou in like sort, O spiritual champion, first retreat, thereby to gain time to think upon thy nothingness, and that of thyself thou canst never conquer thy cruel enemies, and then, buckling up thyself with hope and confidence in thy God, Who can do all things, make a gallant assault upon thy enemy, saying: 'Lord, help me. O my God, give succour to Thy servant. O Jesus! O Mary, the most worthy Mother of my Redeemer, deliver me from this danger.' hast oppor tunity, con 4. But if thou hast time, then thou mayest support thy will from consenting and yielding by the And if thou help of thy understanding, fetching strength sider?" from the consideration of those means which may help her against her enemies, as, for example, if a great and grievous impatience hath laid hold of thee, by reason of some accident or affliction, insomuch that it seems more than thou wilt or canst do to bear or dissemble it any longer, help thyself presently with these following thoughts: 1. Hast served this 5. First, whether or no thou hast in any way deserved or given just occasion that this adversity thou deshould befall thee. If so, rest contented: be no affliction. longer troubled, for it is most just and equitable that thou patiently bear the blow given to thyself by thine own hands. But if not, then turn thine eyes to thy other sins, for which neither thy loving Lord hath yet chastised thee as thou deservest, nor thou afflicted thyself as thou oughtest; and thence conclude, 6. Secondly, that thy meek and merciful Maker hath exchanged either the eternal pain which 2. That it thou shouldst have endured in hell-fire, or else future pun will lessen ishment. the temporal punishment due to thee in purgatory, into this easy and fatherly correction. And what, then, is more reasonable than that thou embrace it, not only with a willing mind, but also with a grateful acknowledgment for so boundless a benefit? 7. Thirdly, but if thou thinkest, which God forbid thou shouldst, that thou hast done sufficient 3. That suf fering is the |