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Let us purify, then, Theotimus, as far as we can, all
our intentions, and since we are able to spread over
all the acts of the virtues the sacred motive of
divine love, why shall we not do it, rejecting, as
occasion requires, all kinds of vicious motives, such
as vain-glory, and self-interest, and considering all
the good motives which we may have for undertaking
the action which presents itself, in order to choose
that of holy love, which is the most excellent of
all, to pour it over all the rest, or steep them in
it.
For example, if I desire valorously to expose
myself to the hazards of war, I can do it,
considering various motives: For the natural motive
of this action is that of strength and valour, which
moves us reasonably to undertake perilous exploits:
yet besides this I may have divers other motives; as
that of obeying the prince whom I serve, that of love
for the common weal, that of magnanimity, which makes
me rejoice in the greatness of this action. Now,
coming to the action, I enter on the foreseen peril
for all these motives together.
But to raise them all to the rank of divine love,
and perfectly to purify them, I will say in my soul
with all my heart: O eternal God, who art the most
dear love of my affections, if valour, obedience to
my prince, love of my country, and magnanimity, were
not agreeable unto thee, I would never follow the
movements I now feel, but because these virtues
please thee, I embrace this occasion of putting them
in practice, and I will only follow their instinct
and leading, because thou lovest and willest them.
You see plainly, Theotimus, that by this reflection
of the spirit, we perfume all those other motives
with the holy sweetness of love, since we do not
follow them as motives simply virtuous, but as
motives, willed, accepted, loved and cherished by
God. He who steals in order to get drunk, is more a
drunkard than a thief, according to Aristotle; and he
who practises valour, obedience, love of country, and
magnanimity to please God, is rather a divine lover,
than valiant, obedient, patriotic, and magnanimous,
because his whole will in this action comes to
terminate and be absorbed in the love of God, only
using all the other motives to arrive at this end.
We are not wont to say we are going to Lyons but
to Paris, when we only go to Lyons in order to get to
Paris: nor that we are going to sing but that we are
going to serve God, when we only go to sing in order
to serve God.
And if it chance that sometimes we are touched by
some particular motive, as, for example, if we should
love chastity on account of its lovely and delightful
purity, at once we must pour out, over this motive,
that of holy love - in this manner: O most honourable
and most pleasing spotlessness of chastity, how
worthy of love art thou, since thou art so beloved of
the divine goodness! Then, turning towards the
Creator: Ah! Lord, I demand only one thing of thee,
this is what I aim at in chastity, to see and effect
in it thy good pleasure, and to take the delight thou
takest therein.
And when we begin the practice of any virtue, we
should often say with all our heart: Yes, eternal
Father, I will do it, for so hath it seemed good in
thy sight.(1) Thus are we to animate all our actions
with this heavenly good-pleasure, loving the
honourableness and beauty of virtue principally
because they are agreeable to God: for, my dear
Theotimus, there are some men who excessively love
the beauty of certain virtues, not only without
loving charity, but even with contempt of charity.
Origen and Tertullian so loved the purity of
chastity, that for it they violated the great laws of
charity; the one choosing to commit idolatry to
preserve it,(2) the other separating himself from the
most chaste Catholic Church, his mother, to establish
the chastity of his wife more according to his own
fancy.
Who knows not that there were certain "Poor men of
Lyons," who from praising mendicity excessively,
became heretics, and of beggars became lying
vagabonds? Who is ignorant of the folly of the
Enthusiasts, Messalians, Eucbites, who forsook
charity, to exalt prayer? And were there not
heretics, who to exalt charity towards the poor, put
down charity towards God, ascribing man's whole
salvation to almsdeeds, as S. Augustine witnesses;
although the holy Apostle cries out, if I should
distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and have
not charity, it profiteth me nothing?(3)
God has set over me the standard of love,(4) says the
sacred Sulamitess. Love, Theotimus, is the standard
in the army of virtues: they ought all to range
themselves by it; it is the only flag under which our
Saviour, who is the true General of the army, makes
them fight. Let us therefore reduce all the virtues
to the obedience of charity: let us love particular
virtues, but principally because they are agreeable
to God; let us excellently love the more excellent
virtues, not because they are excellent, but because
God loves them more excellently. Thus will holy love
give life to all the virtues, making all of them full
of love, lovable, and lovable above all things.
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