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The second positive evil that may come to the soul by
means of the knowledge of the memory proceeds from
the devil, who by this means obtains great influence
over it.
For he can continually bring it new forms, kinds
of knowledge and reflections, by means whereof he can
taint the soul with pride, avarice, wrath, envy,
etc., and cause it unjust hatred, or vain love, and
deceive it in many ways. And besides this, he is wont
to leave impressions,[496] and to implant them in the
fancy, in such wise that those that are false appear
true, and those that are true, false. And finally all
the worst deceptions which are caused by the devil,
and the evils that he brings to the soul, enter by
way of knowledge and reflections of the memory.
Thus if the memory enter into darkness with
respect to them all, and be annihilated in its
oblivion to them, it shuts the door altogether upon
this evil which proceeds from the devil, and frees
itself from all these things, which is a great
blessing. For the devil has no power over the soul
unless it be through the operations of its faculties,
principally by means of knowledge, whereupon depend
almost all the other operations of the other
faculties. Wherefore, if the memory be annihilated
with respect to them, the devil can do naught; for he
finds no foothold, and without a foothold he is
powerless.[497]
2. I would that spiritual persons might clearly
see how many kinds of harm are wrought by evil
spirits in their souls by means of the memory, when
they devote themselves frequently to making use of
it, and how many kinds of sadness and affliction and
vain and evil joys they have, both with respect to
their thoughts about God, and also with respect to
the things of the world; and how many impurities are
left rooted in their spirits; and likewise how
greatly they are distracted from the highest
recollection, which consists in the fixing of the
whole soul, according to its faculties, upon the one
incomprehensible Good, and in withdrawing it from all
things that can be apprehended, since these are not
incomprehensible Good.
This is a great good (although less good results
from this emptiness than from the soul's fixing
itself upon God), simply because it is the cause
whereby the soul frees itself from any griefs and
afflictions and sorrows, over and above the
imperfections and sins from which it is freed. |