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There were three courts in Solomon's temple. One was
for the Gentiles and strangers who, wishing to have
recourse to God, went to adore in Jerusalem; the
second for the Israelites, men and women (the
separation of men from women not being made by
Solomon); the third for the priests and Levites; and
in fine, besides all this, there was the sanctuary or
sacred house, which was open to the high priest only,
and that but once a year.
Our reason, or, to speak better, our soul in so
far as it is reasonable, is the true temple of the
great God, who there takes up his chief residence. "I
sought thee," says S. Augustine, "outside myself, but
I found thee not, because thou art within me." In
this mystical temple there are also three courts,
which are three different degrees of reason; in the
first we reason according to the experience of sense,
in the second according to human sciences, in the
third according to faith: and in fine, beyond this,
there is a certain eminence or supreme point of the
reason and spiritual faculty, which is not guided by
the light of argument or reasoning, but by a simple
view of the understanding and a simple movement of
the will, by which the spirit bends and submits to
the truth and the will of God.
Now this extremity and summit of our soul, this
highest point of our spirit, is very naturally
represented by the sanctuary or holy place. For,
first, in the sanctuary there were no windows to give
light: in this degree of the soul there is no
reasoning which illuminates.
Secondly, all the light entered by the door; in
this degree of the soul nothing enters but by faith,
which produces, like rays, the sight and the
sentiment of the beauty and goodness of the good
pleasure of God.
Thirdly, none entered the sanctuary save the high
priest; in this apex of the soul reasoning enters
not, but only the high, universal and sovereign
feeling that the divine will ought sovereignly to be
loved, approved and embraced, not only in some
particular things but in general for all things, nor
generally in all things only, but also particularly
in each thing.
Fourthly, the high priest entering into the
sanctuary obscured even that light which came by the
door, putting many perfumes into his thurible, the
smoke whereof drove back the rays of light to which
the open door gave entrance: and all the light which
is in the supreme part of the soul is in some sort
obscured and veiled by the renunciations and
resignations which the soul makes, not desiring so
much to behold and see the goodness of the truth and
the truth of the goodness presented to her, as to
embrace and adore the same, so that the soul would
almost wish to shut her eyes as soon as she begins to
see the dignity of God's will, to the end that not
occupying herself further in considering it, she may
more powerfully and perfectly accept it, and by an
absolute complacency perfectly unite and submit
herself thereto.
Fifthly, to conclude, in the sanctuary was kept
the ark of alliance, and in that, or at least
adjoining to it, the tables of the law, manna in a
golden vessel, and Aaron's rod which in one night
bore flowers and fruit: and in this highest point of
the soul are found:
- The light of faith, figured by the manna hidden
in its vessel, by which we acquiesce in the truths
of the mysteries which we do not understand.
- The utility of hope, represented by Aaron's
flowering and fruitful rod, by which we acquiesce
in the promises of the goods which we see not.
- The sweetness of holy charity, represented by
God's commandments which charity contains, by which
we acquiesce in the union of our spirit with God's,
which we scarcely perceive.
For although faith, hope and charity spread out
their divine movements into almost all the faculties
of the soul as well reasonable as sensitive, reducing
and holily subjecting them to their just authority,
yet their special residence, their true and natural
dwelling, is in this supreme region of the soul from
whence as from a happy source of living water, they
run out by divers conduits and brooks upon the
inferior parts and faculties.
So that, Theotimus, in the superior part of reason
there are two degrees of reason. In the one those
discourses are made which depend on faith and
supernatural light, in the other the simple
acquiescings of faith, hope and charity. Saint Paul's
soul found itself pressed by two different desires,
the one to be delivered from his body, so as to go to
heaven with Jesus Christ, the other to remain in this
world to labour in the conversion of souls; both
these desires were without doubt in the superior
part, for they both proceeded from charity, but his
resolution to follow the latter proceeded not from
reasoning but from a simple sight, seeing and loving
his master's will, in which the superior point alone
of the spirit acquiesced, putting on one side all
that reasoning might conclude.
But if faith, hope and charity be formed by this
holy acquiescence in the point of the spirit, how can
reasonings which depend on the light of faith be made
in the inferior part of the soul?
As, Theotimus, we see that barristers dispute with
many arguments on the acts and rights of parties to a
suit, and that the high parliament or senate settles
all the strife by a positive sentence, though even
after this is pronounced the advocates and auditors
do not give up discoursing among themselves the
motives parliament may have had: - even so, after
reasoning, and above all the grace of God have
persuaded the point and highest part of the spirit to
acquiesce, and make the act of faith after the manner
of a sentence or judgment, the understanding does not
at once cease discoursing upon that same act of faith
already conceived, to consider the motives and
reasons thereof. But always the arguments of theology
are stated at the pleading place and bar of the
superior portion of the soul, but the acquiescence is
given above, on the bench and tribunal of the point
of the spirit.
Now, because the knowledge of these four degrees
of the reason is much required for understanding all
treatises on spiritual things, I have thought well to
explain it rather fully.
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