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To three kinds of evil and inconvenience the
spiritual man is subject when he persists in desiring
to make use of all natural knowledge and reflections
of the memory in order to journey toward God, or for
any other purpose: two of these are positive and one
is privative. The first comes from things of the
world; the second, from the devil; the third, which
is privative, is the impediment and hindrance to
Divine union caused and effected in the soul.2.
The first evil, which comes from the world, consists
in the subjection of the soul, through knowledge and
reflection, to many kinds of harm, such as
falsehoods, imperfections, desires, opinions, loss of
time, and many other things which breed many kinds of
impurity in the soul. And it is clear that the soul
must of necessity fall into many perils of falsehood,
when it admits knowledge and reasoning; for
oftentimes that which is true must appear false, and
that which is certain, doubtful; and contrariwise;
for there is scarcely a single truth of which we can
have complete knowledge. From all these things the
soul is free if the memory enters into darkness with
respect to every kind of reflection and knowledge.
3. Imperfections meet the soul at every step if it
sets its memory upon that which it has heard, seen,
touched, smelt and tasted; for there must then
perforce cling to it some affection, whether this be
of pain, of fear, of hatred, of vain hope, vain
enjoyment, vainglory, etc.; for all these are, at the
least, imperfections, and at times are downright[489]
venial sins; and they leave much impurity most subtly
in the soul, even though the reflections and the
knowledge have relation to God.
And it is also clear that they engender desires
within the soul, for these arise naturally from the
knowledge and reflections aforementioned, and if one
wishes only to have this knowledge and these
reflections, even that is a desire. And it is clearly
seen that many occasions of judging others will come
likewise; for, in using its memory, the soul cannot
fail to come upon that which is good and bad in
others, and, in such a case, that which is evil
oftentimes seems good, and that which is good, evil.
I believe there is none who can completely free
himself from all these kinds of evil, save by
blinding his memory and leading it into darkness with
regard to all these things.
4. And if you tell me that a man is well able to
conquer all these things when they come to him, I
reply that, if he sets store by knowledge, this is
simply and utterly impossible; for countless
imperfections and follies insinuate themselves into
such knowledge, some of which are so subtle and
minute that, without the soul's realization thereof,
they cling to it of their own accord, even as pitch
clings to the man that touches it; so that it is
better to conquer once for all by denying the memory
completely.
You will say likewise that by so doing the soul
deprives itself of many good thoughts and meditations
upon God, which are of great profit to it and whereby
God grants it favours. I reply that to this end
purity of soul is of the greatest profit, which means
that there clings to the soul no creature affection,
or temporal affection, or effective advertence; which
I believe cannot but cling to the soul because of the
imperfection which the faculties have in their own
operations.
Wherefore it is best to learn to silence the
faculties and to cause them to be still, so that God
may speak. For, as we have said, in order to attain
to this state the natural operations must be
completely disregarded, and this happens, as the
Prophet says, when the soul comes into solitude,
according to these its faculties, and God speaks to
its heart.[490]
5. And if you again reply, saying that the soul
will have no blessing unless it meditates upon God
and allows its memory to reflect upon Him, and that
many distractions and negligences will continually
enter it, I say that it is impossible, if the memory
be recollected with regard both to things of the next
life and to things here below, that evils or
distractions should enter it, nor any other follies
or vices (the which things always enter when the
memory wanders), since there is no exit or entrance
for them.
This would come to pass if, when we had shut the
door upon considerations and reflections concerning
things above, we opened it to things below; but in
this state we shut the door to all things whence
distraction may come,[491] causing the memory to be
still and dumb, and the ear of the spirit to be
attentive, in silence, to God alone, saying with the
Prophet: 'Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.'[492]
It was thus that the Spouse in the Songs said that
his Bride should be, in these words: 'My sister is a
garden enclosed and a fountain sealed up'[493] --
that is to say, enclosed and sealed up against all
things that may enter.
6. Let the soul, then, remain 'enclosed,' without
anxieties and troubles, and He that entered in bodily
form to His disciples when the doors were shut, and
gave them peace,[494] though they neither knew nor
thought that this was possible nor knew how it was
possible, will enter spiritually into the soul,
without its knowing how He does so, when the doors of
its faculties -- memory, understanding and will --
are enclosed against all apprehensions.
And He will fill them with peace, coming down upon
the soul, as the prophet says, like a river of
peace,[495] and taking it from all the misgivings and
suspicions, disturbances and darknesses which caused
it to fear that it was lost or was on the way to
being so.
Let it not grow careless about prayer, and let it
wait in detachment and emptiness, for its blessings
will not tarry. |