John, Ascent Carmel 3 26

CHAPTER XXVI


Of the benefits that come to the soul from self-denial in rejoicing as tothings of sense, which benefits are spiritual and temporal.

1 MARVELLOUS are the benefits that the soul derives from self- denial in thisrejoicing: some of these are spiritual and some temporal.

2. The first isthat the soul, by restraining its rejoicing as to things of sense, is restoredfrom the distraction into which it has fallen through excessive use of thesenses, and is recollected in God. The spirituality and the virtues thatit has acquired are preserved; nay, they are increased and increasecontinually.(604)

3. The second spiritual benefit which comes from self-denialin rejoicing as to things of sense is exceeding great. We may say with truththat that which was sensual becomes spiritual, and that which was animalbecomes rational; and even that the soul is journeying from a human lifeto a portion which is angelical; and that, instead of being temporal andhuman, it becomes celestial and divine. For, even as a man who seeks thepleasure of things of sense and sets his rejoicing upon them neither meritsnor deserves any other name than those which we have given him -- that is,sensual, animal, temporal, etc. -- even so, when he exalts his rejoicingabove these things of sense, he merits all those other names -- to wit,spiritual, celestial, etc.

4. And it is clear that this is true; for, althoughthe use of the senses and the power of sensuality are contrary, as the Apostlesays, to the power and the exercises of spirituality,(605) it follows that,when the one kind of power is diminished and brought to an end, the othercontrary kinds, the growth of which was hindered by the first kinds, areincreased. And thus, when the spirit is perfected (which is the higher partof the soul and the part that has relations with God and receives Hiscommunications), it merits all these attributes aforementioned, since itis perfected in the heavenly and spiritual gifts and blessings of God. Boththese things are proved by Saint Paul, who calls the sensual man (namely,the man that directs the exercise of his will solely to sense) the animalman, who perceives not the things of God. But this other man, who lifts uphis will to God, he calls the spiritual man, saying that this man penetratesand judges all things, even the deep things of God.(606) Therefore the soulgains herein the marvellous benefit of a disposition well able to receivethe blessings and spiritual gifts of God.

5. The third benefit is that thepleasures and the rejoicing of the will in temporal matters are very greatlyincreased; for, as the Saviour says, they shall receive an hundredfold inthis life.(607) So that, if thou deniest thyself one joy, the Lord will givethee an hundredfold in this life, both spiritually and temporally; and likewise,for one joy that thou hast in these things of sense, thou shalt have anhundredfold of affliction and misery. For, through the eye that is purgedfrom the joys of sight, there comes to the soul a spiritual joy, directedto God in all things that are seen, whether Divine or profane. Through theear that is purged from the joy of hearing, there comes to the soul joy mostspiritual an hundredfold, directed to God in all that it hears, whether Divineor profane. Even so is it with the other senses when they are purged. For,even as in the state of innocence all that our first parents saw and saidand ate in Paradise furnished them with greater sweetness of contemplation,so that the sensual part of their nature might be duly subjected to, andordered by, reason; even so the man whose senses are purged from all thingsof sense and made subject to the spirit receives, in their very first motion,the delight of delectable knowledge and contemplation of God.

6. Wherefore, to him that is pure, all things, whether high or low, are an occasion ofgreater good and further purity; even as the man that is impure is apt toderive evil from things both high and low, because of his impurity. But hethat conquers not the joy of desire will not enjoy the serenity of habitualrejoicing in God through His creatures and works. In the man that lives nomore according to sense, all the operations of the senses and faculties aredirected to Divine contemplation. For, as it is true in good philosophy thateach thing operates according to its being, and to the life that it lives,so it is clear, beyond contradiction, that, if the soul lives a spirituallife, the animal life being mortified, it must be journeying straight toGod, since all its spiritual actions and motions pertain to the life of thespirit. Hence it follows that such a man, being pure in heart, finds in allthings a knowledge of God which is joyful and pleasant, chaste, pure, spiritual,glad and loving.

7. From what has been said I deduce the following doctrine-- namely that, until a man has succeeded in so habituating his senses tothe purgation of the joys of sense that from their first motion he is gainingthe benefit aforementioned of directing all his powers to God, he must needsdeny himself joy and pleasure with respect to these powers, so that he maywithdraw his soul from the life of sense. He must fear that since he is notyet spiritual, he may perchance derive from the practice of these thingsa pleasure and an energy which is of sense rather than of spirit; that theenergy which is of sense may predominate in all his actions; and that thismay lead to an increase of sensuality and may sustain and nurture it. For,as Our Saviour says, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that whichis born of the spirit is spirit.(608) Let this be closely considered, forit is the truth. And let not him that has not yet mortified his pleasurein things of sense dare to make great use of the power and operation of sensewith respect to them, thinking that they will help him to become more spiritual;for the powers of the soul will increase the more without the interventionof these things of sense -- that is, if it quench the joy and desire forthem rather than indulge its pleasure in them.

8. There is no need to speak of the blessings of glory that, in the life to come, result from the renunciationof these joys. For, apart from the fact that the bodily gifts of the lifeof glory, such as agility and clarity, will be much more excellent than inthose souls who have not denied themselves, there will be an increase inthe essential glory of the soul corresponding to its love of God, for Whosesake it has renounced the things of sense aforementioned. For every momentary,fleeting joy that has been renounced, as Saint Paul says, there shall belaid up an exceeding weight of glory eternally.(609) And I will not hererecount the other benefits, whether moral, temporal or spiritual, which resultfrom this night of rejoicing; for they all are those that have already beendescribed, and to a more eminent degree; since these joys that are renouncedare more closely linked to the natural man, and therefore he that renouncesthem acquires thereby a more intimate purity.


CHAPTER XXVII


Which begins to treat of the fourth kind of good -- namely, the moral. Describeswherein this consists, and in what manner joy of the will therein is lawful.

1 THE fourth kind of good wherein the will may rejoice is moral. By this wehere understand the virtues, and the habits of the virtues, in so far asthese are moral, and the practice of any virtue, and the practice of worksof mercy, the keeping of the law of God, and of that of the commonweal,(610)and the putting into practice of all good intentions and inclinations.

2. These kinds of moral good, when they are possessed and practised, deserveperhaps more than any of the other kinds aforementioned that the will shouldrejoice in them. For a man may rejoice in his own affairs for one of tworeasons, or for both reasons together -- namely, for that which they arein themselves, or for the good which they imply and bring with them as ameans and instrument. We shall find that the possession of the three kindsof good already mentioned merits no rejoicing of the will. For of themselves,as has been said, they do no good to man, nor in themselves have they anygood, since they are so f leeting and frail; rather, as we have likewisesaid, they cause and bring him trouble and grief and affliction of spirit.Now, although they might merit that man should rejoice in them for the secondreason -- which is that he may profit by them for journeying to God -- thisis so uncertain that, as we commonly see, they more often harm man than bringhim profit. But good things of a moral kind merit a certain degree of rejoicingin him that possesses them, and this for the first reason -- namely, fortheir intrinsic nature and worth. For they bring with them peace andtranquillity, and a right and ordered use of the reason and actions thatare consistent therewith, so that a man cannot, humanly speaking, have anythingbetter in this life.

3. Thus, since these virtues deserve to be loved andesteemed, humanly speaking, for their own sakes, a man may well rejoice inthe possession of them, and may practise them for that which they are inthemselves, and for the blessing which they bring to man in human and temporalform. In this way and for this reason philosophers and wise men and princesof old esteemed and praised them, and endeavoured to possess and practisethem; and, although they were heathen, and regarded them only in a temporalmanner, merely considering the blessings which they knew would result fromthem -- temporal, corporeal and natural -- they not only obtained by meansof them the temporal renown and benefits which they sought, but, apart fromthis, God, Who loves all that is good (even in barbarians and heathen) and,as the Wise Man says, hinders the doing of naught that is good,(611) gavethem longer life, greater honour, dominion and peace (as He did for exampleto the Romans), because they made just laws; for He subjected nearly thewhole world to them, and gave rewards of a temporal kind for their good customsto those who because of their unbelief were incapable of eternal reward.For God loves moral good so much that, merely because Solomon asked wisdomof Him that he might teach his people, govern them justly and bring themup in good customs, God Himself was greatly pleased with him, and told himthat, because he had asked for wisdom to that end, this should be given him,and there should also be given him that which he had not asked, namely, richesand honour, so that no king, either in the past or in the future, shouldbe like him.(612)

4. But, although the Christian should rejoice in this firstway in the moral good that he possesses and in the good works of a temporalkind which he does, since they lead to the temporal blessings which we havedescribed, he must not allow his joy to stop at this first stage (as we havesaid the heathen did, because their spiritual sight extended not beyond thethings of this mortal life); but, since he has the light of faith, whereinhe hopes for eternal life, without which nothing that belongs to this lifeand the next will be of any value to him, he must rejoice principally andsolely in the possession and employment of this moral good after the secondmanner -- namely, in that by doing these works for the love of God he willgain eternal life. And thus he should set his eyes and his rejoicing solelyon serving and honouring God with his good customs and virtues. For withoutthis intention the virtues are of no worth in the sight of God, as is seenin the ten virgins of the Gospel, who had all kept their virginity and donegood works; and yet, because the joy of five of them was not of the secondkind (that is, because they had not directed their joy to God), but was ratherafter the first and vain kind, for they rejoiced in the possession of theirgood works, they were cast out from Heaven with no acknowledgement or rewardfrom the Bridegroom. And likewise many persons of old had many virtues andpractised good works, and many Christians have them nowadays and accomplishgreat acts, which will profit them nothing for eternal life, because theyhave not sought in them the glory and honour which belong to God alone. TheChristian, then, must rejoice, not in the performing of good works and thefollowing of good customs, but in doing them for the love of God alone, withoutrespect too aught else soever. For, inasmuch as good works that are doneto serve God alone will have the greater reward in glory, the greater willbe the confusion in the presence of God of those who have done them for otherreasons.

5. The Christian, then, if he will direct his rejoicing to God withregard to moral good, must realize that the value of his good works, fasts,alms, penances, etc., is based, not upon the number or the quality of them,but upon the love of God which inspires him to do them; and that they arethe more excellent when they are performed with a purer and sincerer loveof God, and when there is less in them of self-interest, joy, pleasure,consolation and praise, whether with reference to this world or to the next.Wherefore the heart must not be set upon pleasure, consolation and delight,and the other interests which good works and practices commonly bring withthem, but it must concentrate its rejoicing upon God. It must desire to serveHim in its good works, and purge itself from this other rejoicing, remainingin darkness with respect to it and desiring that God alone shall have joyin its good works and shall take secret pleasure therein, without any otherintention and delight than those relating to the honour and glory of God.And thus, with respect to this moral good, the soul will concentrate allthe strength of its will upon God.


CHAPTER XXVIII


Of seven evils into which a man may fall if he set the rejoicing of his willupon moral good.

1 THE principal evils into which a man may fall through vain rejoicing in hisgood works and habits I find to be seven; and they are very hurtful becausethey are spiritual.

2. The first evil is vanity, pride, vainglory andpresumption; for a man cannot rejoice in his works without esteeming them.And hence arise boasting and like things, as is said of the Pharisee in theGospel, who prayed and congratulated himself before God,(613) boasting thathe fasted and did other good works.

3. The second evil is usually linkedwith this: it is our judging others, by comparison with ourselves, as wickedand imperfect, when it seems to us that their acts and good works are inferiorto our own; we esteem them the less highly in our hearts, and at times alsoin our speech. This evil was likewise that of the Pharisee, for in his prayerhe said: 'I thank Thee that I am not as other men are: robbers, unjust andadulterers.'(614) So that by one single act he fell into these two evils,esteeming himself and despising others, as do many nowadays, saying: I amnot like such a man, nor do I do this and that, as does such or such a man.And many of these are even worse than the Pharisee. He, it is true, not onlydespised others, but also pointed to an individual, saying: 'Nor am I likethis publican.' But they, not satisfied with either of these things, go sofar as to be angry and envious when they see that others are praised, ordo more, or are of greater use, than themselves.

4. The third evil is that,as they look for pleasure in their good works, they usually perform themonly when they see that some pleasure and praise will result from them. Andthus, as Christ says, they do everything ut videantur ab hominibus,(615)and work not for the love of God alone.

5. The fourth evil follows from this.It is that they will have no reward from God, since they have desired inthis life to have joy or consolation or honour or some other kind of interestas a result of their good works: of such the Saviour says that herein theyhave received their reward.(616) And thus they have had naught but the labourof their work and are confounded, and receive no reward. There is so muchmisery among the sons of men which has to do with this evil that I myselfbelieve that the greater number of good works which they perform in publicare either vicious or will be of no value to them, or are imperfect in thesight of God, because they are not detached from these human intentions andinterests. For what other judgment can be formed of some of the actions whichcertain men perform, and of the memorials which they set up, when they willnot perform these actions at all unless they are surrounded by human respectand honour, which are the vanity of life, or unless they can perpetuate inthese memorials their name, lineage or authority, even setting up their emblemsand escutcheons in the very churches, as if they wished to set themselves,in the stead of images, in places where all bend the knee? In these goodworks which some men perform, may it not be said that they are worshipping(617)themselves more than God? This is certainly true if they perform them forthe reason described and otherwise would not perform them at all. But leavingaside these, which are the worst cases, how many are there who fall intothese evils in their good works in many ways? Some wish to be praised, othersto be thanked, others enumerate their good works and desire that this personand that shall know of them, and indeed the whole world; and sometimes theywish an intermediary to present their alms, or to perform other of theircharitable deeds,(618) so that more may be known of them; and some desireall these things. This is the sounding of the trumpet, which, says the Saviourin the Gospel, vain men do, for which reason they shall have no reward fortheir works from God.(619)

6. In order to flee from this evil, such personsmust hide their good works so that God alone may see them, and must not desireanyone to take notice of them. And they must hide them, not only from others,but even from themselves. That is to say, they must find no satisfactionin them, nor esteem them as if they were of some worth, nor derive pleasurefrom them at all. It is this that is spiritually indicated in t hose wordsof Our Lord: 'Let not thy left hand know what they right hand doeth.(620)Which is as much to say: Esteem not with thy carnal and temporal eye thework that thou doest spiritually. And in this way the strength of the willis concentrated upon God, and a good deed bears fruit in His sight; so thatnot only will it not be lost, but it will be of great merit. And in thissense must be understood that passage from Job: 'If I have kissed my handwith my mouth, which is a great sin and iniquity, and my heart hath rejoicedin secret.'(621) Here by the hand is understood good works, and by the mouthis understood the will which finds satisfaction in them. And since this is,as we say, finding satisfaction in oneself, he says: If my heart hath rejoicedin secret, which is a great iniquity against God and a denial of Him. Andthis is as though he were to say that he had no satisfaction, neither didhis heart rejoice in secret.

7. The fifth of these evils is that such personsmake no progress on the road of perfection. For, since they are attachedto the pleasure and consolation which they find in their good works, it followsthat, when they find no such pleasure and consolation in their good worksand exercises, which ordinarily happens when God desires to lead them on,by giving them the dry bread of the perfect and taking from them the milkof babes, in order to prove their strength and to purge their delicate appetitesso that they may be able to enjoy the food of grown men, they commonly faintand cease to persevere, because their good works give them no pleasure. Inthis way may be spiritually understood these words of the Wise Man: 'Dyingflies spoil the sweetness of ointment.'(622) For, when any mortificationcomes to these persons, they die to their good works and cease to practisethem; and thus they lose their perseverance, wherein are found sweetnessof spirit and interior consolation.

8. The sixth of these evils is that suchpersons commonly deceive themselves, thinking that the things and good workswhich give them pleasure must be better than those that give them none. Theypraise and esteem the one kind and depreciate the other; yet as a rule thoseworks whereby a man is most greatly mortified (especially when he is notproficient in perfection) are more acceptable and precious in the sight ofGod, by reason of the self-denial which a man must observe in performingthem, than are those wherein he finds consolation and which may very easilybe an occasion of self-seeking. And in this connection Micheas says of them:Malum manuum suarum dicunt bonum.(623) That is: That which is bad in theirworks they call good. This comes to them because of the pleasure which theytake in their good works, instead of thinking only of giving pleasure toGod. The extent to which this evil predominates, whether in spiritual menor in ordinary persons, would take too long to describe, for hardly anyonecan be found who is moved to do such works simply for God's sake, withoutthe attraction of some advantage of consolation or pleasure, or some otherconsideration.

9. The seventh evil is that, in so far as a man stifles notvain rejoicing in moral works, he is to that extent incapable of receivingreasonable counsel and instruction with regard to good works that he shouldperform. For he is lettered by the habit of weakness that he has acquiredthrough performing good works with attachment to vain rejoicing; so thathe cannot consider the counsel of others as best, or, even if he considersit to be so, he cannot follow it, through not having the necessary strengthof mind. Such persons as this are greatly weakened in charity toward Godand their neighbour; for the self-love with respect to their good works inwhich they indulge causes their charity to grow cold.


CHAPTER XXIX


Of the benefits which come to the soul through the withdrawal of its rejoicingfrom moral good.

1 VERY great are the benefits which come to the soul when it desires not toset the vain rejoicing of its will on this kind of good. For, in the firstplace, it is freed from falling into many temptations and deceits of thedevil, which are involved in rejoicing in these good works, as we may understandby that which is said in Job, namely: 'He sleepeth under the shadow, in thecovert of the reed and in moist places.'(624) This he applies to the devil,who deceives the soul in the moisture of rejoicing and in the vanity of thereed -- that is, in vain works. And it is no wonder if the soul is secretlydeceived by the devil in this rejoicing; for, apart altogether from hissuggestions, vain rejoicing is itself deception. This is especially truewhen there is any boasting of heart concerning these good works, as Jeremiaswell says in these words: Arrogantia tua decepit te.(625) For what greaterdeception is there than boasting? And from this the soul that purges itselffrom this rejoicing is freed.

2. The second benefit is that the soul performsits good works with greater deliberation and perfection than it can if therebe in them the passion of joy and pleasure. For, because of this passionof joy, the passions of wrath and concupiscence are so strong that they willnot submit to reason,(626) but ordinarily cause a man to be inconsistentin his actions and purposes, so that he abandons some and takes up others,and begins a thing only to abandon it without completing any part of it.For, since he acts under the influence of pleasure, and since pleasure isvariable, being much stronger in some natures than in others, it followsthat, when this pleasure ceases, both the action and its purpose cease, importantthough they may be. To such persons the joy which they have in their workis the soul and the strength thereof; and, when the joy is quenched, thework ceases and perishes, and they persevere therein no longer. It is ofsuch persons that Christ says: 'They receive the word with joy, and thenthe devil taketh it away from them, lest they should persevere.'(627) Andthis is because they have no strength and no roots save in the joyaforementioned. To take and to withdraw their will, therefore, from thisrejoicing is the cause of their perseverance and success. This benefit, then,is a great one, even as the contrary evil is great likewise. The wise mansets his eyes upon the substance and benefit of his work, not upon the pleasureand delight which it gives him; and so he is not beating the air, but derivesfrom his work a stable joy, without any meed of bitterness.

3. The third benefit is divine. It is that, when vain joy in these good works is quenched,the soul becomes poor in spirit, which is one of the blessings spoken ofby the Son of God when He says: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirsis the Kingdom of Heaven.'(628)

4. The fourth benefit is that he that denieshimself this joy will be meek, humble and prudent in his actions. For hewill not act impetuously and rapidly, through being impelled by the wrathand concupiscence which belong to joy; neither presumptuously, through beingaffected by the esteem of his own work which he cherishes because of thejoy that he has in it; neither incautiously, through being blinded by joy.

5. The fifth benefit is that he becomes pleasing to God and man, and is freedfrom spiritual sloth, gluttony and avarice, and from spiritual envy and froma thousand other vices.


CHAPTER XXX


Which begins to treat of the fifth kind of good wherein the will may rejoice,which is the supernatural. Describes the nature of these supernatural goodthings, and how they are distinguished from the spiritual, and how joy inthem is to be directed to God.

1 IT now behoves us to treat of the fifth kind of good thing wherein the soulmay rejoice, which is the supernatural. By this term we here understand allthe gifts and graces given by God which transcend natural virtue and capacityand are called gratis datae. Such as these are the gifts of wisdom and knowledgewhich God gave to Solomon, and the graces whereof Saint Paul speaks(629)-- namely, faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, knowledgeand discernment of spirits, interpretation of words and likewise the giftof tongues.

2. These good things, it is true, are also spiritual, like thoseof the same kind of which we have to speak presently; yet, since the twoare so different, I have thought well to make a distinction between them.The practice of these has an intimate relation with the profit of man, andit is with a view to this profit and to this end that God gives them. AsSaint Paul says: 'The spirit is given to none save for the profit of therest;'(630) this is to be understood of these graces. But the use and practiceof spiritual graces has to do with the soul and God alone, and with God andthe soul, in the communion of understanding and will, etc., as we shall sayhereafter. And thus there is a difference in their object, since spiritualgraces have to do only with the Creator and the soul; whereas supernaturalgraces have to do with the creature, and furthermore differ in substance,and therefore in their operation, and thus of necessity the instruction whichwe give concerning them differs also.

3. Speaking now of supernatural gracesand gifts as we here understand them, I say that, in order to purge ourselvesof vain joy in them, it is well here to notice two benefits which are comprisedin this kind of gift -- namely, temporal and spiritual. The temporal benefitsare the healing of infirmities, the receiving of their sight by the blind,the raising of the dead, the casting out of devils, prophesying concerningthe future so that men may take heed to themselves, and other things of thekind. The spiritual and eternal benefit is that God is known and served throughthese good works by him that performs them, or by those in whom and in whosepresence they are performed.

4. With respect to the first kind o f benefit-- namely, the temporal -- supernatural works and miracles merit little orno rejoicing on the part of the soul; for, without the second kind of benefit,they are of little or no importance to man, since they are not in themselvesa means for uniting the soul with God, as charity is. And these supernaturalworks and graces may be performed by those who are not in a state of graceand charity, whether they truly give thanks and attribute their gifts toGod,(631) as did the wicked prophet Balaam, and Solomon, or whether theyperform them falsely, through the agency of the devil, as did Simon Magus,or by means of other secrets of nature. These works and marvels, if any ofthem were to be of any profit to him that worked them, would be true worksgiven by God. And Saint Paul teaches us what these are worth without thesecond kind of benefit, saying: 'Though I speak with the tongues of men andof angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding bell or metal.And though I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; andthough I have all faith, even as much as may remove(632) mountains, and havenot charity, I am nothing, etc.'(633) Wherefore Christ will refuse the requestsof many who have esteemed their good works in this way, when they beg Himfor glory because of them, saying: Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy nameand worked many miracles? Then Christ will say to them: 'Depart from Me,workers of iniquity.'(634)

5. A man, then, should rejoice, not when he hassuch graces and makes use of them, but when he reaps from them the secondspiritual fruit, namely that of serving God in them with true charity, forherein is the fruit of eternal life. For this cause Our Saviour reprovedthe disciples who were rejoicing because they cast out devils, saying: 'Desirenot to rejoice in this, that devils are subject to you, but rather becauseyour names are written in the book of life.'(635) This, according to goodtheology, is as much as to say: Rejoice if your names are written in thebook of life. By this it is understood that a man should not rejoice savewhen he is walking in the way of life, which he may do by performing goodworks in charity; for where is the profit and what is the worth in the sightof God of aught that is not love of God? And this love is not perfect ifit be not strong and discreet in purging the will of joy in all things, andif it be not set upon doing the will of God alone. And in this manner thewill is united with God through these good things which are supernatural.


CHAPTER XXXI


Of the evils which come to the soul when it sets the rejoicing of the willupon this kind of good.

1 THEE principal evils, it seems to me, may come to the soul when it sets itsrejoicing upon supernatural good. These are: that it may deceive and be deceived;that it may fall away from the faith; and that it may indulge in vaingloryor some other such vanity.

2. As to the first of these, it is a very easything to deceive others, and to deceive oneself, by rejoicing in this kindof operation. And the reason is that, in order to know which of these operationsare false and which are true, and how and at what time they should be practised,much counsel and much light from God are needful, both of which are greatlyimpeded by joy in these operations and esteem for them. And this for tworeasons: first, because joy blunts and obscures the judgment; second, because,when a man has joy in these things, not only does he the more quickly becomeeager for them, but he is also the more impelled to practise them out ofthe proper season. And even supposing the virtues and operations which arepractised to be genuine, these two defects suffice for us to be frequentlydeceived in them, either through not understanding them as they should beunderstood, or through not profiting by them and not using them at the timesand in the ways that are most meet. For, although it is true that, when Godgives these gifts and graces, He gives light by which to see them, and theimpulse whereby a man may know at what times and in what ways to use them;yet these souls, through the attachment and imperfection which they may havewith regard to them, may greatly err, by not using them with the perfectionthat God desires of them therein, and in the way and at the time that Hewills. We read that Balaam desired to do this, when, against the will ofGod, he determined to go and curse the people of Israel, for which reasonGod was wroth and purposed to slay him.(636) And Saint James and Saint Johndesired to call down fire from Heaven upon the Samaritans because they gavenot lodging to Our Saviour, and for this He reproved them.(637)

3. Here it is evident that these persons were led to determine to perform these works,when it was not meet for them to do so, by a certain imperfect passion, whichwas inherent in their joy in them and esteem for them. For, when no suchimperfection exists, the soul is moved and determined to perform these virtuesonly in the manner wherein God so moves it, and at His time, and until thenit is not right that they should be performed. It was for this reason thatGod complained of certain prophets, through Jeremias, saying: 'I sent notthe prophets, and they ran; I spake not to them, and they prophesied.'(638)And later He says: 'They deceived My people by their lying and their miracles,when I had not commanded them, neither had I sent them.'(639) And in thatplace He says of them likewise: 'They see the visions of their heart, andspeak of them'(640); which would not happen if they had not this abominableattachment to these works.

4. From these passages it is to be understoodthat the evil of this rejoicing not only leads men to make wicked and perverseuse of these graces given by God, as did Balaam and those of whom the prophethere says that they worked miracles whereby they deceived the people, butit even leads them to use these graces without having been given them byGod, like those who prophesied their own fancies and published the visionswhich they invented or which the devil represented to them. For, when thedevil sees them affectioned to these things, he opens a wide field to them,gives them abundant material and interferes with them in many ways; whereuponthey spread their sails and become shamelessly audacious in the freedom wherewiththey work these marvels.

5. Nor does the evil stop here. To such a pointdoes their joy in these works and their eagerness for them extend that, ifbefore they had a secret compact with the devil (and many of them do in factperform these works by such secret compacts), it now makes them bold enoughto work with him by an explicit and manifest compact, submitting themselvesto him, by agreement, as his disciples and allies. Hence we have wizards,enchanters, magicians, soothsayers and sorcerers. And so far does the joyof these persons in their works carry them that, not only do they seek topurchase gifts and graces with money, as did Simon Magus, in order to servethe devil, but they even strive to obtain sacred things, and (which cannotbe said without trembling) Divine things, for even the very Body(641) ofour Lord Jesus Christ has been seen to be usurped for the use of their wickeddeeds and abominations. May God here extend and show to them His great mercy!


6. Everyone will clearly understand how pernicious are such persons to themselvesand how prejudicial to Christianity. It may be noted here that all thosemagicians and soothsayers who lived among the children of Israel, whom Sauldestroyed out of the land, because they desired to imitate the true prophetsof God, had fallen into such abominations and deceits.

7. He, then, that has supernatural gifts and graces ought to refrain from desiring to practisethem, and from rejoicing in so doing, nor ought he to care to exercise them;for God, Who gives Himself to such persons, by supernatural means, for theprofit of His Church and of its members, will move them likewise supernaturallyin such a manner and at such time as He desires. As He commanded His faithfulones to take no thought as to what they were to say, or as to how they wereto say it, since this is the supernatural business of faith, it will likewisebe His will (as these operations are no less a supernatural matter) thata man should wait and allow God to work by moving his heart, since it isin the virtue of this working that there will be wrought all virtue. Thedisciples (so we read in the Acts of the Apostles), although these gracesand gifts had been infused within them, prayed to God, beseeching Him tobe pleased to stretch forth His hand in making signs and performing worksof healing through them, that they might introduce the faith of our LordJesus Christ into men's hearts.(642)

8. From this first evil may proceed the second, which is a falling away from the faith; this can come to passafter two manners. The first has respect to others; for, when a man setsout, unseasonably and needlessly, to perform a marvel or a mighty work, apartfrom the fact that this is tempting God, which is a great sin, it may bethat he will not succeed, and will engender in the hearts of men discreditand contempt for the faith. For, although at times such persons may succeedbecause for other reasons and purposes God so wills it, as in the case ofSaul's witch(643) (if it be true that it was indeed Samuel who appeared onthat occasion), they will not always so succeed; and, when they do so, theygo astray none the less and are blameworthy for having used these graceswhen it was not fitting. The second manner in which we may fall away is inourselves and has respect to the merit of faith; for, if a man make muchaccount of these miracles, he ceases to lean upon the substantial practiceof faith, which is an obscure habit; and thus, where signs and witnessesabound, there is less merit in believing. In this way Saint Gregory saysthat faith h as no merit when human reason provides experience.(644) Andthus these marvels are never worked by God save when they are really necessaryfor belief. Therefore, to the end that His disciples should not be withoutmerit, though they had experience of His resurrection, He did many thingsbefore He showed Himself to them, so that they should believe Him withoutseeing Him. To Mary Magdalene, first of all, He showed the empty tomb, andafterwards bade the angels speak to her(645) (for, as Saint Paul says, faithcomes by hearing);(646) so that, having heard, she should believe beforeshe saw. And, although she saw Him, it was as an ordinary man,(647) that,by the warmth of His presence, He might completely instruct her in the beliefwhich she lacked. And He first sent to tell His disciples, with the women,and afterwards they went to see the tomb. And, as to those who went to Emmaus,He first of all enkindled their hearts in faith so that they might see Him,dissembling with them as He walked.(648) And finally He reproved them allbecause they had not believed those who had announced to them Hisresurrection.(649) And He reproved Saint Thomas because he desired to havethe witness of His wounds, by telling him that they who saw Him not and yetbelieved Him were blessed.(650)

9. And thus it is not the will of God thatmiracles should be wrought: when He works them, He does so, as it were, becauseHe cannot do otherwise. And for this cause He reproved the Pharisees becausethey believed not save through signs, saying: 'Unless ye see marvels andsigns, ye believe not.'(651) Those, then, who love to rejoice in thesesupernatural works lose much in the matter of faith. 10. The third evil isthat, because of their joy in these works, men commonly fall into vaingloryor some other vanity. For even their joy in these wonders, when it is not,as we have said, purely in God and for God, is vanity; which is evident inthe reproof given by Our Lord to the disciples because they had rejoicedthat devils were subject to them;(652) for which joy, if it had not beenvain, He would not have reproved them.


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