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We have next to treat of rejoicing with respect to
the good things of sense, which is the third kind of
good thing wherein we said that the will may rejoice.
And it is to be noted that by the good things of
sense we here understand everything in this life that
can be apprehended by the senses of sight, hearing,
smell, taste or touch, and by the interior fashioning
of imaginary reflections, all of which things belong
to the bodily senses, interior and exterior.2.
And, in order to darken the will and purge it of
rejoicing with respect to these sensible objects, and
direct it to God by means of them, it is necessary to
assume one truth, which is that, as we have
frequently said, the sense of the lower part of man
which is that whereof we are treating, is not,
neither can be, capable of knowing or understanding
God as God is.
So that the eye cannot see Him, or aught that is
like Him; neither can the ear hear His voice, or any
sound that resembles it; neither can the sense of
smell perceive a perfume so sweet as He; neither can
the taste detect a savour so sublime and delectable;
neither can the touch feel a movement so delicate and
full of delight, nor aught like to it; neither can
His form or any figure that represents Him enter into
the thought or imagination. Even as says Isaias: 'Eye
hath not seen Him, nor hath ear heard Him, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man.'[600]
3. And here it must be noted that the senses may
receive pleasure and delight, either from the spirit,
by means of some communication that it receives from
God interiorly, or from outward things communicated
to them. And, as has been said, neither by way of the
spirit nor by that of sense can the sensual part of
the soul know God. For, since it has no capacity for
attaining to such a point, it receives in the senses
both that which is of the spirit and that which is of
sense, and receives them in no other way.
Wherefore it would be at the least but vanity to
set the rejoicing of the will upon pleasure caused by
any of these apprehensions, and it would be hindering
the power of the will from occupying itself with God
and from setting its rejoicing upon Him alone. This
the soul cannot perfectly accomplish, save by purging
itself and remaining in darkness as to rejoicing of
this kind, as also with respect to other things.
4. I said advisedly that if the rejoicing of the
will were to rest in any of these things it would be
vanity. But, when it does not rest upon them, but, as
soon as the will finds pleasure in that which it
hears, sees and does, soars upward to rejoice in God
-- so that its pleasure acts as a motive and
strengthens it to that end -- this is very good.
In such a case not only need the said motions not
be shunned when they cause this devotion and prayer,
but the soul may profit by them, and indeed should so
profit, to the end that it may accomplish this holy
exercise. For there are souls who are greatly moved
by objects of sense to seek God.
But much circumspection must be observed herein
and the resulting effects must be considered; for
oftentimes many spiritual persons indulge in the
recreations of sense aforementioned under the pretext
of offering prayer and devotion to God; and they do
this in a way which must be described as recreation
rather than prayer, and which gives more pleasure to
themselves than to God. And, although the intention
that they have is toward God, the effect which they
produce is that of recreation of sense, wherein they
find weakness and imperfection, rather than revival
of the will and surrender thereof to God.
5. I wish, therefore, to propose a test whereby it
may be seen when these delights of the senses
aforementioned are profitable and when they are not.
And it is that, whensoever a person hears music and
other things, and sees pleasant things, and is
conscious of sweet perfumes, or tastes things that
are delicious, or feels soft touches, if his thought
and the affection of his will are at once centred
upon God and if that thought of God gives him more
pleasure than the movement of sense which causes it,
and save for that he finds no pleasure in the said
movement, this is a sign that he is receiving benefit
therefrom, and that this thing of sense is a help to
his spirit.
In this way such things may be used, for then such
things of sense subserve the end for which God
created and gave them, which is that He should be the
better loved and known because of them. And it must
be known, furthermore, that one upon whom these
things of sense cause the pure spiritual effect which
I describe has no desire for them, and makes hardly
any account of them, though they cause him great
pleasure when they are offered to him, because of the
pleasure which, as I have said, they cause him in
God. He is not, however, solicitous for them, and
when they are offered to him, as I say, his will
passes from them at once and he abandons it to God
and sets it upon Him.
6. The reason why he cares little for these
motives, although they help him on his journey to
God, is that the spirit which is ready to go by every
means and in every way to God is so completely
nourished and prepared and satisfied by the spirit of
God that it lacks nothing and desires nothing; or, if
it desires anything to that end, the desire at once
passes and is forgotten, and the soul makes no
account of it. But one that feels not this liberty of
spirit in these things and pleasures of sense, but
whose will rests in these pleasures and feeds upon
them, is greatly harmed by them and should withdraw
himself from the use of them.
For, although his reason may desire to employ them
to journey to God, yet, inasmuch as his desire finds
pleasure in them which is according to sense, and
their effect is ever dependent upon the pleasure
which they give, he is certain to find hindrance in
them rather than help, and harm rather than profit.
And, when he sees that the desire for such recreation
reigns in him, he must mortify it; for, the stronger
it becomes, the more imperfection he will have and
the greater will be his weakness.
7. So whatever pleasure coming from sense presents
itself to the spiritual person, and whether it come
to him by chance or by design, he must make use of it
only for God, lifting up to Him the rejoicing of his
soul so that his rejoicing may be useful and
profitable and perfect; realizing that all rejoicing
which implies not renunciation[601] and annihilation
of every other kind of rejoicing, although it be with
respect to something apparently very lofty, is vain
and profits not, but is a hindrance towards the union
of the will in God. |