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Meditation considers in detail, and as it were piece
by piece, the objects calculated to move us, but
contemplation takes a very simple and collected view
of the object which it loves, and the consideration
thus brought to a point causes a more lively and
strong movement.One may behold the beauty of a
rich crown two ways; either by looking upon all its
ornaments, and all the precious stones of which it is
composed, one after the other; or again, having
considered all the particular parts, by beholding all
the work of it together in one single and simple
view.
The first kind resembles meditation, in which, for
example, we consider the effects of God's mercy to
excite us to his love; but the second is like to
contemplation, in which we consider with one single
steady regard of our mind, all the variety of the
same effects as a single beauty, composed of all
these pieces, making up a single splendid brilliant.
In meditating, we as it were count the divine
perfections which we find in a mystery, but in
contemplating we sum up their total. The companions
of the sacred spouse had asked her what manner of one
was her wellbeloved, and she makes answer in an
admirable description of all the parts of his perfect
beauty: My beloved is white and ruddy, his head is as
the finest gold, his locks as branches of palm trees,
black as a raven, his eyes as doves, his cheeks are
as beds of aromatical spices, set by the perfumers,
his lips are as lilies dropping choice myrrh, his
hands are turned and as of gold full of hyacinths,
his legs as pillars of marble. Thus she goes on,
meditating this sovereign beauty in detail, till at
length she concludes by way of contemplation, putting
all the beauties into one: His throat is most sweet,
and he is all lovely: such is my beloved, and he is
my friend.(1)
Meditation reminds of one who smells a pink, a rose,
rosemary, thyme, jessamine, orange-flower, separately
one after the other; but contemplation is like to one
smelling the perfumed water distilled from all those
flowers: for the latter in one, smell receives all
the scents together, which the other had smelt
divided and separated; and there is no doubt that
this one scent alone, arising from the mingling
together of all these scents, is more sweet and
precious by itself than the scents of which it is
composed, smelt separately one after another.
Hence it is that the heavenly lover so prizes the
being seen by his well-beloved with one of her eyes,
and that her hair is so well plaited that it seems to
be but one hair; for what is this beholding the
spouse with one eye only, except the beholding him
with a single attentive view without multiplying
looks?
And what is it to have her hair thus plaited
together, except the not scattering her thoughts in
the multiplicity of considerations. Oh! how happy are
they who, having run over the multitude of motives
which they have to love God, reducing all their looks
to one only look, and all their thoughts to one
conclusion, stay their mind in the unity of
contemplation; after the example of S. Augustine or
S. Bruno, pronouncing secretly in their soul in a
permanent admiration: "O Goodness! Goodness!
Goodness, ever old and ever new!" or after the
example of the great S. Francis, who, kneeling in
prayer passed the whole night in these words: "O God,
thou art my God and my All!" repeating the same
continually, as the Blessed Brother Bernard of
Quintaval relates who had heard it with his own ears.
Look at S. Bernard, Theotimus: he had meditated all
the passion point by point; then of all the principal
points put together he made a nosegay of loving
grief, and putting it upon his breast to change his
meditation into contemplation, he cried out: A bundle
of myrrh is my beloved to me.(2)
But again look with still greater devotion at the
Creator of the world, how in the creation he first
meditated the goodness of his works severally, one by
one, as he saw them produced. He saw, says the
Scripture, that the light was good, that the heavens
and the earth were good, and so the herbs and plants,
the sun, moon and stars, the living beasts, and in
fine all the rest of creatures as he created them one
after another: till at length, all the universe being
accomplished, the divine meditation is changed as it
were into contemplation: for viewing all the goodness
that was in his works with one only look -- He saw,
says Moses, all the things that he had made, and they
were very good.(3)
The different parts considered severally by manner
of meditation were good, but beheld in one only
regard all together in form of contemplation, they
were found very good: as many little brooks running
together make a river, which carries greater freights
than the multitude of the same brooks separately
could do.
After we have excited a great many different pious
affections by the multitude of considerations of
which meditation is composed, we in the end gather
together the virtue of all these affections, from
which, by the pouring together and mixture of their
forces, springs a certain quintessence of affection,
and of affection more active and powerful than all
the affections whence it proceeds, because, though it
be but one, yet it contains the virtue and property
of all the others, and is called contemplative
affection.
So it is an opinion amongst divines that the angels
who are higher in glory have a knowledge of God and
creatures much more simple than the inferior have,
and that the species or ideas by which they see are
more universal, so that what the less perfect angels
see by various species and various regards, the more
perfect see by fewer species and fewer acts of
regard. And the great S. Augustine, followed by S.
Thomas, says that in heaven we shall not have these
vicissitudes, varieties, changes and returns of
thoughts and cogitations, which come and go, from
object to object and from one thing to another, but
with one sole thought we shall be able to attend to
the diversity of many things, and receive the
knowledge of them.
The further water runs from its source, the more
does it divide itself, and waste its waters, unless
it is kept in with a great care; and perfections
separate and divide themselves according as they are
more remote from God their source; but approaching
near him they are united, until they are lost in the
abyss of that sole sovereign perfection, which is the
necessary unity and the better part, which Magdalen
chose and which shall not be taken away from her.
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