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No less serious is the fifth evil that comes to the
soul from its desire to retain in the memory and
imagination the said forms and images of things that
are supernaturally communicated to it, above all if
it desires to use them as a means to Divine union.
For it is a very easy thing to judge of the Being
and greatness of God less worthily and nobly than
befits His incomprehensible nature; for, although our
reason and judgment may form no express conception
that God is like any one of these things, yet the
very esteeming of these apprehensions, if in fact the
soul esteems them, makes and causes it not to esteem
God, or not to feel concerning Him, as highly as
faith teaches, since faith tells us that He is
incomparable, incomprehensible, and so forth.
For, quite apart from the fact that the soul takes
from God all that it gives to the creature, it is
natural that its esteem of these apprehensible things
should lead it to make a certain inward comparison
between such things and God, which would prevent it
from judging and esteeming God as highly as it ought.
For the creatures, whether terrestrial or
celestial, and all distinct images and kinds of
knowledge, both natural and supernatural, that can be
encompassed by the faculties of the soul, however
lofty they be in this life, have no comparison or
proportion with the Being of God, since God falls
within no genus and no species, whereas the creatures
do, or so the theologians tell us.
And the soul in this life is not capable of
receiving in a clear and distinct manner aught save
that which falls within genus and species. For this
cause Saint John says that no man hath seen God at
any time.[512] And Isaias says it has not entered
into the heart of man what God is like.[513] And God
said to Moses that he could not see Him while he was
in this mortal state.[514]
Wherefore he that encumbers his memory and the
other faculties of the soul with that which they can
comprehend cannot esteem God, neither feel concerning
Him, as he ought.
2. Let us make a comparison on a lower level. It
is clear that the more a man fixes his eyes upon the
servants of a king, and the more notice he takes of
them, the less notice does he take of the king
himself, and the less does he esteem him; for,
although this comparison may not be formally and
distinctly present in the understanding, it is
inherent in the act, since, the more attention the
man gives to the servants, the more he takes from
their lord; and he cannot have a very high opinion of
the king if the servants appear to him to be of any
importance while they are in the presence of the
king, their lord.
Even so does the soul treat its God when it pays
heed to the creatures aforementioned. This
comparison, however, is on a very low level, for, as
we have said, God is of another being than His
creatures in that He is infinitely far from them all.
For this reason they must all be banished from sight,
and the soul must withdraw its gaze from them in all
their forms, that it may yet gaze on God through
faith and hope.
3. Wherefore those who not only pay heed to the
imaginary apprehensions aforementioned, but suppose
God to be like some of them, and think that by means
of them they will be able to attain to union with
God, have already gone far astray and will ever
continue to lose the light of faith in the
understanding, through which this faculty is united
with God; neither will they grow in the loftiness of
hope, by means whereof the memory is united with God
in hope, which must be brought about through disunion
from all that is of the imagination. |