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We do not always know, nor ever with perfect
certainty (at least with certainty of faith), whether
we have the true love of God which is required for
salvation; still we have many marks of it, amongst
which the most assured and almost infallible appears
when some great love of creatures opposes itself to
the designs of God's love; for then, if divine love
is in the soul, it displays the greatness of the
credit and authority which it has over the will,
showing effectively, not only that it has no master,
but that it has not even a companion, repressing and
overthrowing all opposition, and making its
intentions obeyed.When the unhappy troop of
diabolic spirits, revolting from their Creator,
essayed to draw to their faction the holy company of
the blessed spirits, the glorious S. Michael,
animating his comrades to the fidelity which they
owed to their God, cried with loud voice (but in
angelic sort) through the heavenly Jerusalem: "Who is
like to God?" And by this word he overthrew that
traitor Lucifer with his rout, who would have
equalled themselves with the divine majesty; and
thence, as it is said, the name was given to S.
Michael, since Michael simply means Who is like to
God?
And when the loves of created things would draw
our hearts to their party, to make us disobedient to
the divine majesty, if the great divine love be found
in the soul, it makes head against it, as another S.
Michael, and establishes the powers and forces of the
soul in God's service by this word of steadfastness:
Who is like to God? What goodness is there in
creatures which ought to draw the human heart into
rebellion against the sovereign goodness of its God?
When the holy and noble Joseph perceived that the
love of his mistress tended to the ruin of that which
was due to his master: Ah! said he, be it far from me
that I should violate the respect which I owe to my
master, who reposes so much trust in me? How then can
I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God?(1)
Mark, Theotimus, how there are three loves in the
heart of this admirable Joseph, for he loves his
mistress, his master, and God; but as soon as his
mistress's love rises up against his master's, he
suddenly forsakes it and flies, as he would also have
forsaken his master's, if he had found it contrary to
God's. Amongst all loves, God's is so to be preferred
that we must always stand prepared in mind to forsake
them all for that alone.
Abraham loved Sarai and Agar, and until Agar began
to despise her mistress it could not well have been
discerned which he loved the better. But when these
two loves came into comparison with one another, the
good Abraham made quite clear which was the stronger.
For no sooner had Sarai complained that she was
contemned by Agar, than he told her: Behold thy
handmaid is in thy own hand, use her as it pleaseth
thee.(2) Wherefore Sarai so afflicted the poor Agar
that she was driven to run away.
Divine love is willing for us to have other loves;
nor can we easily discover which is the chief love of
our heart: for this human heart often draws most
affectionately into its complacency the love of
creatures; yea, on many occasions it makes the acts
of its affection for the creature far more numerous
than that of its dilection for its Creator. Yet all
the time sacred dilection ceases not to excel all the
other loves, as the events show when the creature is
opposed to the Creator; for then we take the part of
sacred dilection, submitting unto it all our other
affections.
There is often a difference, among created things,
between greatness and goodness. One of Cleopatra's
pearls was worth more than our highest mountain; but
the latter is much greater: the one has more bulk,
the other more worth. It is made a question whether
the honour which a prince achieves in war by feats of
arms, or that which he merits by justice in time of
peace be greater; and it seems to me that military
glory is grander, and the other better; as, among
instruments, drums and trumpets make more noise,
lutes and virginals more melody; the sound of the one
is stronger, of the other sweeter and more spiritual.
An ounce of balm gives not so strong an odour as a
pound of oil of lavender, but at the same time the
smell of balm is better and more agreeable.
Truly, Theotimus, you will see a mother so busy about
her child that she might seem to have no other love
but that, having eyes only to see it, mouth to kiss
it, breast to give it suck, care to bring it up; and
one would think that her husband was nothing to her,
in respect of her child; but if she had to make
choice which she would lose, then would be plainly
seen that she more values her husband, and that
though the love of her child was more tender, more
pressing and passionate, yet that other was the more
excellent, stronger and better.
So when a heart loves God in respect of his
infinite goodness, with however little a portion of
this excellent love, it will prefer God's will before
all things, and in all the occasions that present
themselves it will forsake everything, to preserve
itself in grace with the sovereign goodness, and
nothing whatever will divert it from this.
So that, though this divine love does not always
so sensibly affect and melt the heart as do the other
loves; yet, on occasions, it performs actions so
noble and excellent, that one of them only is better
than ten millions of the others. Rabbits are
incomparably fertile, elephants never have more than
one calf; but this little elephant alone is of
greater price than all the rabbits in the world.
Our love towards creatures often abounds in the
multitude of productions; but when sacred love acts
its work is so eminent that it surpasses all: for it
causes God to be preferred before all things, without
reserve.
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