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Although, however, the lady we spoke of will not
leave her needle in her work after it is finished,
yet as long as there remains anything to be done in
it, if any other occurrence make her stop, she will
leave the needle sticking in the pink, the rose, or
the pansy which she is embroidering, so as to have it
more ready when she returns to her work.
In like manner, Theotimus, while the Divine
Providence is about the embroidery of virtues and the
work of divine love in our souls, there is always a
mercenary or servile fear left in them, till charity,
being come to perfection, takes out this pricking
needle and puts it back, as it were, in its cushion.
In this life, therefore, wherein our charity will
never come to such perfection that it shall be exempt
from peril, fear is always necessary, and even while
we thrill with joy by love, we must tremble with
apprehension by fear. Serve ye the Lord with fear,
and rejoice unto him with trembling.(1)
Our great father Abraham sent his servant Eliezer
to choose a wife for his only son Isaac: Eliezer
went, and by Divine inspiration made choice of the
fair and chaste Rebecca, whom he took back with him.
But this wise maiden quitted Eliezer as soon as she
met Isaac; and being introduced into the tent of
Sara, she remained his spouse for ever.
God often sends servile fear as another Eliezer
(and Eliezer is interpreted, help of God) to arrange
the marriage between the soul and sacred love. But
though the soul comes under the conduct of fear, she
does not mean to espouse it; for, in fact, as soon as
the soul meets with love, she unites herself unto it,
and quits fear.
Yet as Eliezer after his return remained in the
house, in the service of Isaac and Rebecca, so fear,
having led us to holy love, remains still with us, to
serve both love and the loving soul as occasion
requires. For though the soul be just, yet is she oft
set upon by extreme temptations, and love, all
courageous as it is, has enough to do to sustain the
assault, by reason of the disadvantage of the place
wherein it is, which is the heart of man, changeable
and subject to the mutiny of the passions.
In that case, therefore, Theotimus, love employs
fear in the fight, making use of it to repulse the
enemy. The brave prince Jonathan, when going to
attack the Philistines amidst the obscurity of the
night, would have his armour-bearer with him, and
those that he killed not, his armour-bearer
killed.(2) So love wishing to carry out some bold
enterprise, uses not only its own motives, but also
the motives of servile and mercenary fear; and the
temptations which love does not strike down are
overthrown by the fear of being damned.
If a temptation to pride, avarice, or some
voluptuous pleasure attack me: - Ah! I will say,
shall it be possible, that for things so vain, my
soul would quit the grace of her well-beloved? But if
this will not serve, love will call fear to its aid:
- Ah! dost thou not see, miserable heart, that if
thou give way to this temptation the horrible flames
of hell await thee, and that thou losest the eternal
inheritance of heaven? A man makes use of anything in
extreme necessities, as the same Jonathan did, when
passing the sharp rocks, which were between him and
the Philistines, he not only used his feet, but went
scrambling and creeping on hands and feet as best he
could.
Even therefore as mariners who sail out with a fair
wind and in fair weather, do yet never forget the
cables, anchors, and the other things required in
time of hazard and tempest, in like manner the
servant of God, though he enjoy the sweet repose of
holy love, must never be unprovided with the fear of
God's judgments, to help himself therewith amidst the
storms and assadlts of temptation.
Or, again, as the skin of an apple, which in
itself is of small esteem, is yet very useful for
preserving the apple which it covers; so servile
fear, which of its own nature is of little worth in
comparison with love, is yet very serviceable for
preserving it during the dangers of this mortal life.
And as he who gives a pomegranate gives it indeed for
the seeds and juice which are contained in its but
yet gives also the skin as a necessary accompaniment
of it; so, although the Holy Ghost amongst his sacred
gifts bestows a loving fear upon the souls which are
his, that they may fear God in piety as their father
and their spouse, yet does he not fail to add
mercenary and servile fear, as an accessary to the
other which is more excellent. So Joseph sending to
his father many loads of all the riches of Egypt,
gave him not only the treasures, but withal the asses
that bore them.
Now although mercenary and servile fear is very
necessary for this mortal life, yet is it unworthy to
have any part in the immortal, where there will be an
assurance void of fear, a peace without apprehension,
a repose free from anxiety. Yet the services which
this servile and mercenary fear shall have done to
love will be there rewarded; so that though these
fears, as another Moses and another Aaron, enter not
into the land of promise, yet shall their posterity
and works enter: and as to the fear of children and
the fear of spouses, they will hold their rank and
place, not to cause any distrust or trouble in the
soul, but to make her admire and reverence with
submission the incomprehensible Majesty of this
omnipotent Father, and this Spouse of Glory. The law
of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls . . . .
The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and
ever.(3)
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