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There flowed a river out of the place of delights to
water Paradise, and thence it was divided into four
heads.(1) Now, in man there is a place of delights,
whence God makes the river of reason and natural
light stream out to water all the paradise of our
heart, and this river branches out into four heads;
that is, it makes four streams according to the four
regions of the soul.
For 1. Over what is called the practical
understanding, that is to say the part of the
intelligence which discerns the actions we should do
or avoid, natural light spreads prudence, which
inclines our mind wisely to judge of the evil that we
are to avoid and drive away, and of the good we are
to do and pursue.
2. Over our will it makes justice stream out,
which is a continual and firm will to render to every
one his own.
3. Over the concupiscible appetite it makes
temperance flow, moderating the passions which are
therein.
4. Over the irascible appetite or anger it sends
out fortitude, which stays and controls all the
motions of anger.
Now these four rivers, thus separated, afterwards
divide themselves into several others, in order that
all human actions may be duly fashioned to natural
honesty and felicity. But besides all this, God, to
enrich Christians with a special favour, makes spring
up on the very top of the superior part of their
spirit a supernatural fountain which is called grace,
and which comprehends indeed faith and hope, yet
consists in charity.
It purifies the soul from all sins, and then
adorns and embellishes it with a most delightful
beauty; and finally spreads its waters over all the
faculties and operations thereof, to give the
understanding a celestial prudence, the will a holy
justice, the concupiscible appetite a sacred
temperance, and the irascible appetite a devout
fortitude, to the end that man's whole heart may tend
to the supernatural honesty and felicity which
consist in union with God. And if these four streams
and rivers of charity meet with any one of the four
natural virtues in the soul, they bring it to their
obedience, mingling themselves therewith to perfect
it, as perfumed water perfects natural water when
they are mixed together. But if holy charity, spread
out in this manner, find not the natural virtues in
the soul, then it alone does all their operations as
occasion requires.
Thus heavenly love finding certain virtues in S.
Paul, S. Ambrose, S. Denis, S. Pachomius, shed upon
them an agreeable brightness, reducing them all to
its service. But in Magdalen, in S. Mary of Egypt,
the Good Thief, and a hundred other such penitents
who had been great offenders, divine love, finding no
virtue, did the office and work of all the virtues,
making itself patient, gentle, humble, and liberal in
them.
We sow great variety of seeds in gardens, and
cover them, as if burying them, till the sun's
greater heat makes them rise, and, as one would say,
resuscitates them, when they produce their leaves and
their flowers, with new seeds each one in its kind;
so that one sole heat from heaven causes all the
diversity of these productions, by means of the seed
which it finds hidden in the bosom of the earth.
Verily, my Theotimus, God has sown in our hearts the
seeds of all virtues, which, however, are so covered
with our imperfections and weakness that they do not
appear, or appear very slightly, till the vital heat
of holy love comes to quicken and resuscitate them,
producing by them the actions of all virtues.
So that as the manna contained in itself the
variety of the tastes of all meats, and left a relish
thereof in the mouths of the Israelites, even so,
heavenly love comprehends in itself the diversity of
the perfections of all the virtues in so excellent
and sublime a manner, that it produces all their
actions in time and place according to the occasions.
Josue indeed valiantly defeated God's enemies by
his good handling of the armies which were under his
charge; but Samson defeated them yet more gloriously,
references, who by his own hand slew them by
thousands with the jawbone of an ass. Josue by his
command and good order making use of the valour of
his troops did wonders, but Samson by his own force
alone wrought miracles. Josue had the strength of
many soldiers under him, but Samson had it in him,
and could alone perform as much as Josue with many
soldiers.
Holy love is excellent in both these ways, for
finding some virtue in a soul (and ordinarily it
finds at least faith, hope and penitence) it
animates, commands, and happily employs them in God's
service, and for the rest of the virtues which it
finds not, it does their work itself, having more
strength by itself than they have all together.
The great Apostle not only says that Charity gives us
patience, kindness, constancy, simplicity, but he
says that charity is patient, is kind,(2) is
constant: and it is the property of the supreme
virtues amongst angels and men, not only to order the
inferior virtues to work, but also to be able
themselves to do what they command others.
The bishop distributes the charges of all the
ecclesiastical functions: - to open the Church, to
read therein, to exorcise, preach, baptize,
sacrifice, give communion and absolve; and he himself
can do, and does, all this, having in himself an
eminent virtue, which comprehends all the inferior
virtues.
So S. Thomas, on the strength of S. Paul's
assurance that charity is patient, kind, strong,
says: "Charity does and. accomplishes the work of all
the virtues." And S. Ambrose, writing to Demetrias,
calls patience and the rest of the virtues members of
charity. And the great S. Augustine says that the
love of God comprehends all the virtues and does all
their operations in us. These are his words: "What is
said about virtue being divided into four (he means
the four cardinal virtues) is said in my opinion by
reason of the different affections which proceed from
love. So that I do not hesitate to define those four
virtues thus: Temperance is a love which gives itself
entirely unto God; Fortitude is a love which
willingly supports all things for God's sake: Justice
is a love93) which serves God only, and therefore
disposes justly of all that is subject to man:
Prudence is a love that makes choice of things proper
to unite itself unto God, and rejects such things as
are contrary to it."
He therefore that has charity has his soul
invested with a fair wedding garment, which, as that
of Joseph, is wrought with the variety of all the
virtues: or rather he has a perfection which contains
the virtue of all perfections and the perfection of
all virtues. And therefore charity is patient, is
kind;(4) she is not envious but bounteous; she is
guilty of no levities but is prudent; she is not
puffed up with pride, but is humble; she is not
ambitious or disdainful, but amiable and affable; she
is not eager to exact that which belongs unto her,
but free and condescending; she is not irritable but
peaceable; she thinketh no evil but is meek; she doth
not rejoice in evil but in the truth, and with the
truth she beareth all things; she easily believeth
all the good that is said to her without any
obstinacy, contention or distrust; she hopeth all
good things for her neighbour without ever losing the
hope of procuring his salvation; she endureth all
things, expecting without disquiet that which is
promised her; and in conclusion, charity is that pure
fire-tried gold, which our Saviour counselled the
Bishop of Laodicea to buy,(5) which contains the
virtue of all things, which can do all, and which
does all.
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