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F. VINCENTIUS M. McNABB, O.P., S.T.L.
F. HUGO POPE, O.P., S.T.L.
Imprimatur
HERBERTUS CARDINALIS YAUGHAN,
Archiepiscopus Westmo)insf.
Die Junii 20, i8gg
BY LEWIS BLOSIU
THE MIRROR FOR MONKS : or, the Looking--
glass to the Soul. 6d. ; wrapper, 4d.
A BENEDICTINE OF THE
CENTURY. [Life of Blosius ] By Georges
DE Blois ; translated by Lady LOVAT.
3s. 6d.
BY THE REV. BERTKAND WILBERFORCE, O.P.
DOMINICAN MARTYRS AND MISSIONS
IN JAPAN. IS. 6d. net.
THE ROAD TO CALVARY : Fourteen Methods
of making the Way of the Cross, is. 6d. net.
A BOOK OF SPIRITUAL
INSTRUCTION ^ INSTITU-
TIO SPIRITUALIS f'ftf By
BLOSIUS ^ Translated from the
Latin by Bertrand A. Wilberforce
J* of tlie Order of Saint Dominic
M
ST LOUIS, MO., U.S.A. : B. HERDER
^ ^ LONDON, ENGLAND : ART AND
BOOK COMPANY ^ ^ ^ J' M.DCCCC
\- ^^
O'^O
In Grateful Memory of
My Alma Mater
St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw
AND OF the late
Right Rev.
MONSIGNOR CHARLES NEWSHAM, D.D.
SOMETIME President
WHO first taught me to love
the spiritual works of
Blosius
AUG 2 0 1S81
PREFACE
The following treatise on the spiritual life,
written by the venerable Abbot Blosius, is called
in the Latin original, "Institutio Spiritualis,"
which I have translated, "Book of Spiritual
Instruction." It was published, as the author
himself says in his letter to Florentius de Monte,
in the year 155 1, when Blosius was forty-five
years old and had been abbot for twenty-one
years. He was, therefore, in the prime of life,
and full of ripe experience in the government of
souls.
The first appendix to the treatise is drawn
from the works of John Tauler, of the Order of
St Dominic, and is a striking testimony to the
high estimation in which Blosius held "the
illuminated doctor," as Tauler used to be called
by his admirers.
The third appendix I have not translated. It
is a defence of Tauler against the attacks of John
Echius, who had falsely attributed to him several
errors that Blosius shows were never advocated
by Tauler. But as the accusations of Echius are
now forgotten, their refutation would not be
interesting.
, "The second appendix consists of " Endologia,"
viii Preface
or interior conversations with our Lord to help
devout souls in mental prayer.
Ludovicus Blosius, or Louis de Blois, was a
Benedictine of great reputation for sanctity and
learning in the sixteenth century. He was born
in October, 1506, and died in 1564 at the early
age of fifty-eight years. His life was, therefore,
passed amidst the troublous times of the great
revolt against the Church, and his controversial
writings show how keenly he felt the miseries of
the age.
This book, though short, is full of heavenly
wisdom and unction. It is a golden treatise.
Its chief excellence seems to me to lie in this,
that Blosius directs the eye of the soul away
from itself, its own miseries and shortcomings to
God, His beauty and perfection. " Oculi mei
semper ad Dominum.* My eyes are ever on the
Lord," might be taken as the motto of the work.
If souls aiming at holiness can only be got to
look at God instead of themselves, the battle is
more than half won, victory becomes certain.
Everything suffers from translation, and I am
only too painfully conscious how the calm,
dignified, lucid sentences of Blosius lose in my
imperfect rendering. Still, those who cannot
read Latin will be able to draw even from the
translation many wholesome draughts of spiritual
wisdom.
* This verse of the twenty-fourth Psalm were the last dying-
words of St Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence, of the Order of
St Dominic.
Preface ix
The object held before the soul is union with
God. For this came we into the world, and
Blosius shows us how we are practically to
aim at this exalted end. His teaching, though
mystical, is eminently practical ; though humilia-
ting, it is encouraging ; and though pointing to
the highest things, the style is simple, plain and
intelligible.
In order to avoid the inconvenience of many
explanatory footnotes in the course of the work
it may be useful to make a few remarks about
mystical theology, and to explain certain ex-
pressions used by Blosius and authors he quotes,
especially in chapter xii and in the appendix.
First, as to the meaning of the phrase
mystical theology.
Theology is the science that deals with God
and divine things ; the truths revealed by God
and all that results from revelation.
The word mystical means secret, hidden,
obscure.
Mystical theology, therefore, is that part of
the general science of theology which treats about
the secret and hidden union of the soul with God.
It is also used, as in the present treatise (chap.
xii), to denote the actual experimental union of
itself with God. •
Taken in this sense, it may be defined as
" The most perfect and exalted contemplation of
God, and the most sweet love of God intimately
possessed and enjoyed." *
* Thomas k Wallgornera, O.P., i, 5.
X Preface
What is contemplation ?
By contemplation is meant the raising up of
the mind to God by intuition^ accompanied by
most ardent love. We mean by intuition a mental
sight or view of the mind, seeing truth without
the intervention of argument, testimony or re-
flections. So our mind sees by intuition that
twice two make four, but a complicated mathe-
matical truth has to be arrived at by much argu-
ment and reflection.
The contemplation of mystical theology must
be accompanied by ardent love, because it is not
a purely speculative and intellectual intuition of
God, but must aflect the will also. It is an ex-
perimental perception of God, not merely specu-
lative : practical as well as theoretical ; it is a
union of will with Him, and not a mere intel-
lectual apprehension.
This contemplation may be ordinary or
extraordinary.
The ordinary contemplation means a close
union with God in intellect and will, which is the
result of faithful correspondence to the grace He
bestows according to the ordinary laws of His
providence, in the supernatural life.
Extraordinary contemplation is a singular
and miraculous union of mind with God by
simple intuition accompanied with most ardent
love, exceeding the ordinary laws of Providence
in the supernatural order.
St Thomas * teaches that the knowledge we
* 2, 2 qu. 97, art. 2, ad 2.
Preface
may have from grace is two-fold. The first kind
is speculative only, in the intellect, as when
certain secret truths are revealed to any one by
God. So far as this knowledge is concerned, it
would not be lawful to doubt, or to desire to test,
whether the will of God is good, or whether God
is sweet. We know both by the teaching of faith.
But there is another knowledge of the divine
will or goodness which is affective and experi-
mental. This results when a soul actually ex-
periences within itself the taste of the divine
sweetness and a delight of love in the divine will.
This last is properly called wisdom, under-
standing the word sapienha (wisdom) to be
sapida scientia (savoury knowledge) ; that is,
knowledge or science accompanied by a savour
or relish in the will : the relish, namely, of love.
Here it may very likely occur to the mind to
ask whether it would be prudent and praise-
worthy for devout souls to desire the gift of con-
templation and to pray for it ?
Extraordinary contemplation, which is a purely
gratuitous gift of God, exceeding the ordinary
laws of His providence in dealing with the souls
of His faithful ones, should certainly not be de-
sired, and therefore no one should ask for such a
favour in prayer. Humility teaches this. We
should no more presume to ask for extraordinary
contemplation than for the gift of miracles or
prophecy.
As to ordinary contemplation the case is
different. This also is a gift, purely gratuitous
•^
xii Preface
on the part of God, but one not above, or forming
an exception to, the ordinary laws of His provi-
dence, in the supernatural order, for the conduct
of souls. Though it cannot be merited, strictly,
by any amount of care or faithfulness to grace, it
may, by profound humility, constant mortifica-
tion and recollection, be merited de congruo ;
that is, we can dispose ourselves for it by the
practice of virtue and by intense longing, not for
God's gifts so much as for God Himself; thus
we may so far remove the obstacles that we may
hope that God, in His goodness, mercy and
liberality, may bestow it on us.
Ordinary contemplation is that interior gift
of prayer, by which God visits the faithful soul,
filling its powers with supernatural light and
embracing it in the spiritual arms of His love.
Prayer, without the gift of contemplation, is the
lifting up of the mind to God, by the help of
grace, and asking God for what we want.
Ordinary contemplation is the visit of God to the
soul, during which He shows Himself to the
soul by a divine light and embraces the soul
in love.
This may manifestly be done by God in many
different degrees. It may be only for a brief
moment, or for a longer time. It may be fre-
quent or seldom, it may be given only a short
time before death.
This visitation of God, a high degree of which
is spoken of in chapter xii, may be desired and
prayed for by a devout soul without presumption,
Preface xiii
if it be done humbly, sincerely, and for God's
glory.
(a) It may be desired. Because in itself it is
good, in fact the highest good, for it is union* of
mind and will with God. Charity, love of God
for His own sake, is the one thing for which we
were created, the one object which we ought to
desire. The gift of contemplation increases
charity, and therefore in itself is lawful to be
desired.
(b) It may be prayed for. St Thomas f
teaches that we may lawfully pray for anything
that we may lawfully desire; in fact, what is
prayer except the expression of our desires to
God, mentally or in words r But this must be
done with certain conditions, in order to be free
from presumption.
(c) The first condition is humility. The soul
must acknowledge how utterly unworthy it is of
so high a grace as even the lowest degree of
ordinary contemplation. It must be asked as a
gratuitous favour : " Bow down Thine ear and
hear me, for I am needy and poor."
(d) The second condition is sincerity. By
this is meant that the soul must show a sincere
and genuine desire for this most excellent union
with God, by the practice of that universal self-
denial and constant recollection spoken of by
Blosius. To pray for it without doing these
* Psalm xxxiii, 9, and xlv, 2, are considered invitations to
desire this union with God.
1 2 Qu. 83, art. 6,
xiv Preface
things is a mere delusion of self-love. If we
only say : " As the hart panteth after the water-
springs, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God," *
and yet neglect the necessary means to approach
Him, the desire is not sincere. The thirsty stag
runs towards the water-springs.
(e) A third condition is that the motive of
the prayer should be, not our own self-interest or
self-exaltation, but God's glory.
The gift of ordinary contemplation is not
necessary for salvation or for holiness. Many
most holy souls never receive it. Many who
have never received it even once for a passing
moment may be far holier than others who have
had the gift. Therefore the prayer must be
conditional, if it would be for God's glory and
according to His will.
It would be safer, therefore, and more in
keeping with the ordinary practice of holy souls,
not to ask in a direct way for contemplation, but
to beg for perfect pardon of sin, pure love of God
for His own sake, and the grace of a holy death,
leaving to God to decide whether the gift of
contemplation would be beneficial for our souls.
It might, good as it is in itself, be hurtful
to us.
Is the contemplation spoken of by Blosius in
chapter xii extraordinary or ordinary ?
So exalted is the union with God described in
this chapter, that at first sight we should sup-
pose it must be the extraordinary gift, beyond
* Psalm 41 .
Preface xv
the ordinary laws of God's providence in the
supernatural order.
But I am inclined to think the opposite. I
venture to think, that high as this union with
God is, it is within the scope of ordinary-
contemplation ; no doubt in a very exalted
degree, but still within the limits of God's
ordinary laws, and not implying a distinct
miracle in the supernatural order.
I am led to this conclusion because Blosius,
so careful and accurate a theologian, heads
chapter xii with these words : " What a spiritual
man may hope for if he perseveres in the prac-
tices laid down in this book."
Now certainly what we may hope for and
desire we may pray to obtain. But extra-
ordinary contemplation it would be wrong and
presumptuous either to pray for, hope for
or desire. Therefore what is described in
chapter xii must be, although extremely high
and uncommon, still within the limits of God's
ordinary laws in the supernatural order.
Many humble, fervent souls no doubt enjoy a
considerable degree of ordinary contemplation
without being aware of it, or adverting con-
sciously to it. It unites their wills easily,
promptly and constantly to the will of God-
It is better for them to have it, and yet not to
know their own happiness.
If any souls, shallow in spiritual life, not
having yet lived for a long time in the practice
of brave self-denial, external and internal, should
xvi Preface
fancy they possess the gift of contemplation even
in a low degree, they may feel sure they are de-
ceived by self-love. They are probably mistaking
the sweetness with which God attracts beginners
and weaklings to His service, for the solid food
of the strong. In all ordinary cases,* for no
absolute rule can be laid down about a gratui-
tous gift of God, the gift of even ordinary
contemplation in the lowest degree is not
bestowed on any soul that has not manfully
"walked through the valley of the shadow of
death " by complete mortification under the
guidance of God's hand. To mistake the first
sweetness of the early spiritual life for the gift of
prayer and contemplation would be like mis-
taking the first glimmer of dawn for the
brightness of noon-day. It would be like the
self-conceit of a boy who were to imagine
himself an accomplished scholar because he
had mastered the Greek alphabet.
Now, St Thomas, and with him the other
holy writers, as, for instance, Blosius, in this
treatise, as well as Dionysius and John Tauler,
quoted by him, are accustomed to call the
mystical union with God in contemplation by
many and various names.
Among these are often found very strong
expressions, such as " transformation," and even
" deification."
They speak of the soul in the union of con-
templation as being " carried away into God,"
* See first paragraph of chapter xii.
Preface xvii
"absorbed in God," "made one with Him,"
"taken up into the divine darkness," "being
born of God."
In all these and many other similar phrases
they are endeavouring, as best they may, to
express what is ineffable, and above our under-
standing. By these strong expressions they
indicate, or rather typify, the marvellous union
of love between God and the soul, which is
incomprehensible to us who have not experienced
the mystical union with God in our own souls.
" Taste and see " — unless you actually taste you
can know indeed by faith that the Lord is sweet,
but you cannot have the experimental knowledge
of love.
But none of these expressions mean, or are
ever intended to mean, that the soul can be so
transformed into God, or deified, as to lose its own
identity and to become God. The soul always,
both in heaven and earth, remains God's creature.
Its own finite nature could not, even by the power
of God, become the divine nature.
This would be the error known as pantheism,
not only heretical but also philosophically absurd.
By these and similar expressions Blosius and
other holy writers only intend to indicate, as
forcibly as they can, the wonderful closeness of
spiritual union between the purified soul and the
infinite majesty of God in mystical contemplation.
St Paul, in describing the miraculous ecstasy
or rapture granted to him, during which he is
actually supposed to have been temporally
xviii Preface
favoured with the beatific vision, declares that
it was impossible for him to convey to us in
human language the wonders he had seen and
heard. These words, he declares, "it is not
granted to man to utter" (2 Cor. xii, 4).
When, therefore, writers of mystical theology
endeavour to describe in human language the in-
effable truths of divine union, they are obliged to
employ words that may appear to imply, or may
be construed to imply, false doctrine, though they
also bear a legitimate and orthodox interpretation.
The same is the case in the Bible. For in-
stance, St Peter says boldly of the precious
promises of God that by them " we may be
made partakers of the divine nature." Now, no
one imagines for a moment that St Peter means
that we are able, by these promises, to become
God. We know that the apostle desires to im-
press upon us by these sublime words the intense
closeness and reality of our union with God by
grace in this world and by glory in the next.
A similar observation can be made concern-
ing the words of our Lord Himself in Apocalypse
iii, 21.
Comparisons also used by holy writers must
not be too far pressed or they may imply error.
As, for instance, when Blosius says in chapter
xii, page 95, that the soul is united to God as
" gold and brass are welded into one mass of
metal," the comparison is only true as to the
reality and closeness of the spiritual union, but no
further. Gold and brass welded together would
Preface xix
form a mass of metal, neither pure gold nor
simple brass, and in this there is no likeness to
the mystical union of contemplation.
Some of the expressions of Blosius and
authors quoted by him (chapter xii, etc.) might
appear at first sight to favour the errors con-
demned by the Church under the name of Quietism.
What is Quietism r
The system of false mysticism known as Quiet-
ism was taught by a Spaniard named Michael
de Molinos, and was condemned by Innocent XI
on November 20, 1687.
This system, as clearly against all common
sense as against the teaching of theology, was
called Quietism because its authors taught that
the soul in union with God by love should be
absolutely quiet, meaning by this that it ought
not in any way to use its own powers, that is, its
memory, understanding and will, but that it
ought to be utterly and entirely passive, only
suffering the action of God but not corresponding
by acts of the will. The soul ought, according to
the Quietist theory, to annihilate its own powers
and to become like a dead body.
Sixty-eight propositions were extracted from
the book written by Molinos, and they were
censured as, some actually heretical, some sus-
pected of heresy, others erroneous, scandalous,
blasphemous, offensive to pious ears and rash.*
Amongst others things Molinos contended
that the "' interior life consists in annihilating
* See Denziger's Enchiridion.
XX Preface
the powers of the soul " ; * that is the memory,
intellect and will. St Thomas, on the contrary,
teaches that they should be employed in God's
service.
From this false principle Molinos proceeded
to draw the following conclusions : That to de-
sire to work in an active way, by interior acts of
faith, hope, charity, contrition, etc., is to offend
God, who wills Himself to be the only one acting ;
that the soul should remain utterly motionless,
like a dead body ; and that to remember anything
however holy, even the words and actions of
Christ and His saints, to reflect on anything
however holy, to examine the conscience, to
make any petitions, to thank God for anything
would be imperfect and would impede union with
God. In proposition 14 he teaches that souls
united to God in contemplation ought not to ask
God for anything, though our Lord said, " Ask " ;
nor ought they to thank God for anything, though
St Paul says, " In all things give thanks, for such
is the will of God, for you all," and, therefore, for
souls leading an internal life of love. " Petition
and thanksgiving," says Molinos, " are both acts
of self-will." He opposed the exercise of medita-
tion, declaring that souls who use it do not adore
God in spirit and in truth (Prop. 18).
Like all false systems this one, which is a
medley of nonsense and impiety, possesses a
certain amount of half truth, which lends it
plausibility. It is mysticism gone mad.
* Prop. I .
Preface xxi
The orthodox spiritual writers use expressions
that at first sight may seem to favour Quietism,
especially those who, like Blosius and Tauler,
wrote before the time of Molinos, but a moment's
consideration will show that they meant by these
expressions a totally different doctrine. For in-
stance, it is true that they speak of the soul
being "passive" under the action of God, but
not in the sense of the Quietists. It is manifest
that, if God deigns to visit a soul, to enlighten it,
speak to it, embrace it in love, the soul
ought not to turn away to remember or to reflect
on other things, however holy, which might
render it inattentive to God. To do so would be
gross impertinence.
If the Pope were to favour us with an audience,
should we, while His Holiness was speaking to
us, refuse to listen and begin to converse with
others ?
In this sense Blosius tells us that "Every
image of perishable things, yea, even a thought
about the angels, or even of the passion of Christ,
or any intellectual reflection " impedes mystical
union.
The Quietists would go on to say that a
spiritual man should never reflect upon these
holy things, but Blosius, on the contrary, declares
that " at other times they are most useful to be
received and entertained."
The Quietists say : " Never think or reflect on
anything however holy, never ask for anything,
never thank God for anything."
xxii Preface
Blosius says : " In the moment in which God
deigns to visit you and speak to you, humbly
listen to Him, and do not rudely interrupt Him
to talk of other things, or even to ask for things
from Him, although at other times you should
certainly make petitions for them."
By being "passive" the Quietists mean that
you should be like an inanimate thing, like a log
without memory, understanding or will.
By being " passive " Blosius means us to
follow the lead of God, not to strike out a
path of our own, to "let His mind be in us"
instead of using our own ideas, to conform our
wills to His, not to try to bend His will to ours.
To illustrate the difference, suppose a man
ascending a dangerous and lofty mountain of
which he is utterly ignorant. Common sense
would tell him to be utterly passive by following
exactly the footsteps of his guide, and being led
by him even against his own judgement. You
would advise him to " forsake" and "annihilate"
his own ideas and wishes, and to put himself en-
tirely into the hands of his guide, to follow him
passively. But you would not mean that he
must not keep his eyes open, must not use his
limbs, must not lift his feet, but must be dragged
along like a dead body or a senseless log. In
this sense he must be most active.
So also the Catholic writers tell us to be passive
by following God; remembering Him and not other
things except for Him ; reflecting on Him, and
not on other things that distract from Him ; de-
Preface xxiii
siring Him and not other things, except for Him
and according to His will. This is to be passive.
But even in the moment of the highest contem-
plation the soul must be in utmost activity,
listening, looking, desiring and uniting its will to
God.
The Catholic writers mean us to follow our
guide passively up the mountain of perfection ;
the Quietists would have us lie motionless and in-
active to be dragged up to the summit.
In accordance with these principles Blosius,
when he says (chap, xii, p. loi,) "Whilst the
powers of the loving soul are silent, or quiet, and
their own activity is stilled to rest, and they are
free from every image, God Himself speaks and
influences the powers of the soul as He pleases,"
does not mean by these words that the powers of
the soul should be annihilated in the sense of
Molinos, but that they should put away their
own remembrances, reflections and desires in
order to listen to God. This is to be in one way
passive, in another active.
In order to dispose the soul for union with
God, by removing impediments, Blosius and all
Catholic writers tell us to try to forget all useless
matters, not to reflect upon idle, unnecessary
thoughts that do not promote union with God,
and to forsake all desires that are not from God,
in God and for God. This they often call " death,"
" annihilation," " being passive," and other simi-
lar things. The Quietists tell us not to remember,
reflect upon or desire anything, even God or
xxiv Preface
things God wills us to think of and desire.
Blosius lays down the sane principle that when
we think of matters that God wills us to reflect
upon, and because He wills it, we are thinking of
God, though indirectly. So if a man's state of
life obliges him to teach mathematics, to cook a
dinner, or to drive a steam engine, if he reflects
on these matters because it is God's will, he is
indirectly thinking of God. He loves God with
his mind, by thinking for His sake of the things
He desires him to reflect upon. When St Paul,
who enjoyed so exalted a state of contemplation,
made tents, he remembered how to make them,
reflected upon it, and in this way indirectly he
was thinking of God, because He was thinking of
those things God willed him to reflect upon.
We cannot in this world be as the angels of God
who ever see the face of the Father. This will be
enough to prevent any possible misconception in
reading the words of Blosius or Tauler.
At the same time the tendency of modern
spirituality, and especially Anglo-Saxon spiritu-
ality, is certainly not in the direction of Quietism.
Sometimes it would undoubtedly be beneficial if
souls who desire union with God would seek a
little more quiet, not only external, but above all
internal, by silencing their own conversation with
themselves and listening more to God.
One more observation. The Quietists declare
that to desire perfection, progress, virtue, etc., is
an act of self-will. This is one of the condemned
propositions : "14. He who has given his free
Preface xxv
will to God ought to have no care about anything,
neither about hell nor heaven ; nor ought he to
have any desire for his own perfection, for virtues,
for holiness, for his own salvation, of the hope of
which he ought to purify himself."
Is there any half or at least quarter truth in
this monstrous proposition ?
As it stands, common sense condemns it as
unmitigated nonsense.
But when a soul has required perfect resigna-
tion and love, it is true that it ought not to care
about anything except what unites it to God. It
is true that we ought to fear hell not merely from
hatred of our own personal suffering, but chiefly
because hell means separation from God and
absence of His love ; that we should desire
heaven not merely because it is a pleasant place
for us to inhabit, but chiefly because it means
union for ever with God.
In like manner we should not desire perfection
in virtue and holiness merely that we may be
perfect, exalted and better than others, but in
order to please God, to do His will and to unite
ourselves to Him.
So also we should not desire a high place in
heaven and great riches there merely for our own
sake that we may be exalted above others, but
we should desire them intensely because they
mean that we shall know God better and love
Him more for all eternity, and because our Lord
has said : " Heap up treasures in heaven."
In fact, so disinterested should even our desire
xxvi Preface
of heaven be that, if only, by God's mercy, we can
attain to that degree of glory it is His will we
should reach, we should earnestly desire all others
to be higher than we ourselves, in order to give
more glory to God, if such were His adorable
will. If then any sentence of Blosius or Tauler
seems to favour any error of the Quietists, we
must understand it in the orthodox Catholic
sense. If any one had asked Blosius whether he
held any of the condemned propositions of Moli-
nos, his repudiation of them would have been
conveyed in words very plain and emphatic.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PAGE
All men should aspire to Divine Union. How it
can be attained . . . . . i
CHAPTER II
Self-denial. The first means to arrive at union with
God ...... 5
1. Denial of self-will in general . . .5
2. Mortification of the senses and tongue . 8
3. Ordinary rules for making our actions interior
in their spirit . . . . .11
4. Intercourse with others ... 14
5. Self-denial is both useful and easy to those of
good-will . . . . .18
CHAPTER III
Introversion or recollection of the mind in God, the
second means of union with God. . . 22
CHAPTER IV
Aspiration, the third instrument to acquire union . 29
CHAPTER V
Through ardent aspirations to God, union may be
quickly gained; it is lamentable to neglect this
union . . . . . • Zli
CHAPTER VI
Meditation on the Life, Passion, Death and the
Wounds of the Lord Jesus, is the foundation of
mystical union . . . . 38
xxviii Contents
CHAPTER VII
PAGE
Of internal desolation, which often happens to con-
templatives . . . . -44
CHAPTER VIII
A collection, or miscellany of injunctions, useful for
a spiritual man .... 48
1. Of the supernatural food of the mind by ^<2^
prayer ; (bj the Word of God, heard or
read ; and (c) the Holy Eucharist . . 48
2. The good pleasure of God must be willingly
accepted ..... 53
3. On the spiritual warfare against temptations
and adversities . . . -58
4. How to purify the soul from daily faults . 64
(i) Contrition for sin . . . .64
(2) Why defects are allowed . . 66
(3) Scrupulous fear to be avoided . . 67
(4) Satisfaction for sin ... 68
(5) Trust in God only . . .68
5. Daily examination of our state . .69
(i) We should advance daily , . 69
(2) Examination of conscience . . 70
(3) Rising in the morning . . • T^
(4) Dreams and visions ... 71
CHAPTER IX
Pure intention . . . . . • 12>
(i) Unite all actions with those of Christ ']t^
(2J This should be done before every action. 'j-^
(3) Also after every action . . 74
(4) Also in all trials . . , -75
(5) The offering of Christ's merits and of His
Body for our own and others' salvation 76
(6) Everything should be asked through
Christ . . . . .76
(7) Even our imperfections should be offered
to Christ, that He may supply . ']']
(8) God, through revelations, has taught us
to unite what we do to the merits of
Christ . . . . .78
Contents xxix
CHAPTER X
PAGE
A daily exercise is explained, by which a man can set
God actually before him ... 79
(i) Sorrow for sin . . . -79
(2) Remembrance of the benefits of Christ,
with thanksgiving ... 80
(3) Self-humiliation, and conformity to the
good pleasure of God . . .80
(4) Petition for those things necessary for
union with God . . . 81
(5) Invocation of the Saints . .81
(6) Prayer for the living and the dead . 81
(7) Praise of the Holy Trinity . . 81
(8) Loving aspirations ... 82
CHAPTER XI
The daily exercise described in the last chapter is
here thrown into a form of prayer, as a speci-
men, by the devout use of which the spiritual
man can advance much in divine union . 82
CHAPTER XII
What a spiritual man, who perseveres in the exercises
laid down in the course of this work, may hope
to obtain. How the mystical, that is hidden,
union is wrought in the souls of the perfect,
and some warnings about it. Of the highest
point of the spirit, the essence or inner
sanctuary of the soul .... 90
1. Mystical union is often vouchsafed to a soul
that is constant in persevering effort . 90
2. Description of mystical union . . 92
3. Necessary warnings about this state . . 99
4. Further details about union in the highest
point of the will and the essence of the soul 105
APPENDIX I
From the Works of John Tauler, O.P.
CHAPTER I
1. Of the pleasant beginning of interior life . 115
2. The temptations and sorrows that follow . 116
3. The wonderful state of union that may be given 1 17
XXX Contents
CHAPTER II
PAGE
Of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mirror and example
of all holiness. .... 128
CHAPTER III
Of preparation for a holy death . . 134
APPENDIX II
I
Certain exercises of prayer drawn out according to
the above instructions . . . 140
II
Interior conversations of the soul :
1. With the most Holy Trinity . . 145
2. Various conversations with Jesus . . 145
3. With the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God 153
4. With the saints and angels . . . 154
LETTER OF BLOSIUS
Abbot of Liessies, to Florentius a Monte, sending
him the Book of Spiritual Instruction*
LEWIS BLOSIUS
SENDETH GREETING TO
FLORENTIUS A MONTE,
A MAN OF REMARKABLE PIETY.
I. At last I send to thee, O Florentius, beloved
in Christ, this Book of Spiritual Instruction,
written for my own use and in an unpolished
and inelegant style. I know you have been
expecting it for a long time. At the end I have
added an appendix, the doctrine of which is
taken from Tauler and other fathers. Lastly I
have written out an exercise of aspirations which
I felt sure would afford thee pleasure. Thou
seest that I can refuse nothing to thy charity.
*****
The Utility of Spiritual Reading
20. A rumour that reached us here, to the
effect that the number of heretics is daily in-
creasing, drove me to dwell at some length on
these matters, and I find I have launched out as
if all the Christian people were listening ! I do
* Unwilling-ly, in order not to increase the size of this book
too much, I have left out the chief part of this letter and
retained only that portion which serves as an introduction to
the " Book of Spiritual Instruction." The rest, interesting as
it is, refers to the heresies and heretics of the sixteenth century,
dnd, therefore, is not strictly to the point in a book of this
nature.
xxxii Letter to
not intend after this to write or publish anything
more, for I ought to prepare myself for a holy
death. The world is already full of books !
But I rejoice very much that thou hast not a
mind to read anything except holy books. The
books of Blessed Trutha, or Gertrude, the virgin,
published under the title of " Insinuationes
divinse Pietatis," or "Thoughts suggestive of
Divine Love," are justly praised by you ; for in
truth they contain an immense treasure. Proud
men and sensual men, who do not perceive and
do not understand those things that are of the
Spirit of God,* condemn these most holy books,
and say that revelations of this sort are only the
dreams of women. For they know not with
what familiarity God joins Himself to a soul that
is humble, clean, loving and free from all im-
pediments. They know not that a mind which
is enlightened by God in an excellent way and is
intimately united to Him learns the truth without
any error. Even if we did not acknowledge
from other sources the certainty and firmness of
the Catholic faith than from the books of those
blessed virgins, Gertrude, Mechtilde, Hildegarde,
Elizabeth Stceglin,t and of Bridget the widow,
what they have written ought to make the
heretics exceedingly ashamed. To these virgins
God has manifested His secrets, and as, accord-
ing to the prophecy of Joel, " He has poured out
His Spirit upon them,"+ they have seen wonder-
ful visions. These critics may gnaw in their
caves as much as they like the dry husks of their
errors ; never will they grow fat with the grace
* I Cor. ii, 14.
t First abbess of the Convent of Mount St Rupert at
Bingen on the Rhine. J Joel ii, 28.
Florentius xxxiii
of God until they enter into the grand house of
God, that is the Catholic Church, It is certainly-
possible that men of this kind may sometimes
feel a certain sweetness and light in their heart
and senses, and thus touched may shed many
tears, but, notwithstanding, God holdeth them in
detestation. For the angel of darkness trans-
forms himself into an angel of light,* fills the
souls of vain and proud men with sweetness and
false consolation, and wraps them up with a kind
of false light, like sackcloth, all of which hardens
them in pride and error,
21. But do thou, in order to be truly en-
lightened by God, and to be nourished by His
grace and to grow more and more in humility
and other virtues, take care to read with willing
mind, not only the canonical scriptures, which
are of all the most worthy of study, but also the
holy writings of the fathers and others that
agree with the inspired word : for instance the
books of St Gertrude, so rightly praised by thee.
Holy reading brings the greatest help to a
man, though true internal prayer is always to be
preferred to reading. Moreover I would have
thee remember that no prayer is better than the
Lord's Prayer and the Angelical Salutation, the
Our Father and Hail Mary. All other holy
forms of prayer value as good pearls, but the
Lord's Prayer and the Angelical Salutation hold
in higher estimation as most precious and in-
comparable means of union.
Blessed is the man who cleaveth to the
highest good with unshaken tenacity of intention,
for his whole life becomes nothing less than a
continual and most pure prayer. For true
* 2 Cor. xi, 14.
xxxiv Letter to
prayer consists in lifting the mind to God, even
if no words are employed.
But, alas, how negligent and slothful we are !
Rivers of water should run down from our eyes
to lament over this misery, that so few now-a-
days care to turn themselves completely to that
most joyful Good, . which is God, and so few
really desire in their hearts to be joined and
united to Him. In former times the number was
far greater.
Rare indeed is it, in this our age, to find
a man who really desireth to deny himself and to
follow Christ with true humility, genuine mortifi-
cation and resignation. For nearly all are
devoted to curiosity and the pleasures of the
senses ; they love vanity, they desire their own
advancement, they follow their own will and the
vicious inclinations of nature. On this account
they turn themselves away with a certain despair
from what they may read or hear of a perfect life,
persuading themselves that it is utterly impossible
they could ever attain to it. And yet the kind
God is ever most ready to help any one of us and
to bring us to that perfection if only we do what
we can.
23. For illumination and afterwards divine
union follows true mortification. The plain fact
is that what keeps us back is our enervating
spiritual languor. If once, with a truly manful
heart, we were to conquer ourselves bravely, and,
dying to all passing things, we were to strive to
prepare for God a pleasing dwelling-place in our
souls, we could not fail at length to obtain very
great things, we could not fail to possess God
within us and to feel His presence.
24. For this reason a certain father has said :
" If only, O man, thou hast in thy heart the
Florentius xxxv
flame of a true desire to arrive at an excellently
holy life ; if only, in order to obtain it, thou dost
continue to pray and labour, be certain that,
because of humble self-denial and persevering
prayer, thou wilt obtain perfection itself before
death if only it is good for thy salvation. And
even if thou dost not arrive at it before thou art
called hence, without doubt thou wilt find it in
God in eternity. Never cease thine efforts, there-
fore ; never faint with fatigue, although thou
dost not at once, as thou wouldst wish, attain to
that which thou dost desire."
May the Lord Jesus, by His powerful grace,
deign to arouse us all to seek Him only with
pure love.
Farewell, my Florentius, and remember me
in thy prayers.
Liessies,* the Ides of September, 1551.
* Liessies was in the province of Hainault in Belg-ium.
That portion of Hainault was annexed by France in 1678, and
now forms part of the department of Nord, but at the time of
Blosius was included in the dominions of Charles V. Liessies
was an ancient abbey dating from the eleventh century.
INTRODUCTION
Explaining certain terms used in Mystical Theology
1. The one rational soul can be considered in three ways,
and thus is called by three names.
2. It is called " Anima," soul, if it is considered as to its
exterior and interior senses, and sensitive appetite or
desire.
3. It is called " Spiritus," spirit, if it is considered in its
rational powers : memory, intellect and will.
4. It is called " Mens," mind, or the apex of the mind, if
looked at in its essence, as it is the image of God and
turned to Him.
5. Often, however, the different names are used
indiscriminately.
6. The expression " interior man " denotes the rational
power of the soul and its essence. "Exterior man "
means the soul looked at in its animal and sensitive
power.
7. Understanding is threefold, and love is also threefold,
namely, sensual, rational and mystical or ecstatic,
which last is also called supereminent or super-
essential.
8. In animal power men are like the lower animals. In
the higher powers men are like the angels.
9. The reason is called lower or inferior when it attends
to temporal things ; higher or superior when it is
occupied by eternal things.
I . As many lovers of piety desire that I should
publish this little book, which I wrote for my
own use, it will be a help to beginners in the
spiritual life if I say a few words by way of
preface concerning the soul and its powers.
All should be aware, therefore, that the
rational soul, which in itself is indivisible, is
xxxviii Introduction
divided by holy writers into three parts. The
lowest retains the name of " soul," the middle
part is called "spirit," the highest is usually
termed the " mind," or '* the apex or highest
point of the spirit."
2. To the lowest of these parts belong the
inferior and sensitive powers which we possess in
common with brute beasts. These inferior
powers are of two kinds.
[a] Five exterior powers, commonly called the
five senses, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste
and touch. These five are called "particular
senses," flowing from that sense which is called
" common," the seat of which is in the brain.
[d) The power of appetite, which is considered
to have its seat in the heart. This force of
appetite is divided into the appetite of desire and
what is termed the "irascible" appetite.* From
these two arise other affections and natural
passions, for instance, desire, indignation, joy,
sorrow, love, hatred, fear, etc.
3. To the middle part, termed the spirit,
belong three higher powers, rational and in-
tellectual, which we possess in common with the
angels, namely, intellect, also called intelligence,
memory and will. These three grand powers
are the spiritual senses of the soul ; for internal
sight is attributed to the intellect, hearing to the
force of memory, while spiritual and internal
smell, taste and touch are attributed to the force
of affection or love, that is, to the will. The
higher, as well as the lower powers of the soul
have been miserably weakened, corrupted and
* The irascible part of the soul does not mean simply the
passion of ang-er, thoug-h that is included, but hatred, aversion
and the energy to surmount obstacles, etc.
Introduction xxxix
disordered by sin, but are restored to their lost
rank and dignity by our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. The third and highest part of the soul,
called the mind or the apex, that is, the highest
summit of the spirit, is the simple and God-like
basis or groundwork of the soul, that is, the
simple essence of the soul sealed with the image
of God. When considered in relation to this
spiritual basis of the soul, life is called super-
essential,* through which both the spiritual and
active life are perfected. From the mind itself
the three higher powers flow, and re-flow again
into it, as rays of light emanate from the sun.
Here, in truth, the likeness of God shines out in
a wonderful way. For as the Father and the
Son and the Holy Ghost are three Persons, but
one God, so the memory, intellect and will are
three powers, but one mind. And just as the
three Persons of God work together in insepar-
able union, so do those three powers of the mind.
The memory recalls nothing without the intellect
and the will ; the intellect does not understand
or know anything without the memory and the
will ; and the will desires nothing without the
intellect and the memory.
5. One consequence of this union is that the
term " mind " is often used to denote the higher
powers as well as the essential basis of the soul.
Also, the term " spirit " is often employed when
both the basis of the soul, as well as its powers,
is meant ; as, for instance, when it is said that
man is composed of spirit, soul and body. In
this phraseology the human soul is divided only
into two parts. Frequently, also, by the term
" spirit " the whole souf is meant.
* Superessential means above the nature or constitution of
a thing-.
xl Introduction
6. When the holy Scripture speaks of the
" interior " and " exterior " man, by the term
" interior " is often meant the basis of the soul
with its superior powers, while by the term
" exterior " is understood the body with the lower
and animal powers, which are united to the body,
as far as their operation is concerned.
7. According- to this threefold division of the
soul man is able to know and desire in three
different ways.
[a] There is, in the first place, knowledge
according to the senses, to which correspond the
sensitive appetite, affection and love.
[b] In the second place there is knowledge
according to reason and intellect, to which
answers rational and intellectual appetite, affec-
tion and love.
[c] Thirdly, there is knowledge proper to the
highest point of the intellect, that is, according
to simple intelligence, to which corresponds
supreme affection and a love in the highest point
of the will, which is called ecstatical. It is called
ecstatical because by it a man is carried by God's
help above his natural powers, and enters into
the inward sanctuary of his own soul and
intimate union with God, going out into God
Himself. Then, indeed, love enters into the
divine nuptial chamber, the intellect remaining
without.
Beasts possess knowledge only according to
sense, they have also only sensitive appetite, that
is concupiscence and anger. They have memory
according to sense, because those things which
they perceive by sight, hearing, smell, taste and
touch, they are able to remember and imagine ;
but man is gifted also with an intellectual
memory. Brute beasts have not a will, but only
Introduction xli
something resembling will. For, as they do not
possess reason and free-will, they are unable
freely to will and not to will, they cannot resist
the motions of sensuality, but are obliged to
follow them.
On the other hand, man, endowed with
reason and free-will, is not compelled to serve
his sensual appetite. In him, therefore, the
higher appetite, guided by reason, ought to
govern, and the lower and sensitive appetite to
submit and obey. Of men who live according to
sensuality, and not according to reason, which
has been joined to sensuality, the Psalmist thus
speaks : " Man, when he was in honour, did not
understand ; he is compared unto senseless beasts,
and is become like unto them" (Ps. xlviii, 13).
g. When reason is occupied about human
and temporal things, it is called " lower reason,"
but " higher reason " when it is intent on eternal
and divine things.
A BOOK OF SPIRITUAL
INSTRUCTION
CHAPTER I
AH men ought properly to aspire after perfection and
union with God. How that perfection may be
attained
1. The soul united to God by love needs not the comfort
of anything created.
2. For in God only is the fulness of delight. All else is
lower than the soul, and cannot satisfy it.
3. The soul united to God is more wonderfully enlightened
and inflamed by God with the light of truth than by
the rules of any human master.
4. A soul in this state is most useful to God's Church.
5. To such a soul God is always present, even in the
midst of external occupations.
6. The short way to attain to this union is the use of self-
denial, introversion and aspirations.
As only God, who is the highest and un-
changeable good, is able to satisfy and quiet the
desires of a rational soul, every man ought,
according to right reason, to aim with ardour
the most earnest after this end, namely, that by
attaining to a perfect life, he may be intimately
united to God Himself in this exile. For if man
attained to this union he would truly find, by
intimate experience within his own soul, Him,
who by His joyful presence would make all
want to vanish clean away, would enrich him
with treasures the most solid in value, and
would fill him with unspeakable joy. From that
2 Spiritual
moment would man be unable to wander forth in
search of spurious delight derived from created
things, for all to him would be insipid and bitter
which was not GOD.
2. In fact, the rational spirit is so noble that
no perishable good is able to satisfy its cravings.
For it cannot be filled and made perfectly happy
by those things which are below itself ; but the
sky, the earth, the sea and everything visible
and sensible is below itself. Therefore, only
with its maker, God, can it be content and
happy, for He is incomparably better and more
worthy than itself. As a wanderer that can find
no rest, and a poor famished beggar without
food, so is man until he perfectly embraces with
the arms of charity Him, the immensity of whose
dignity makes it impossible not to desire Him.
With whatever riches, delights and honours he
may abound, he cannot be truly satisfied unless
he possesses God by the contact of love. But
when once he has found God in the highest part
of his being, namely, in his mind or inmost soul,
he willingly bids adieu to air»created things, and
sings with the psalmist: "It is good for>,me to
hold fast unto my God" (Ps. Ixxii, 28). With
holy Job he says : " I will die in my nest, and as a
palm tree I shall multiply my days" (Job xxix, 18).
He now needs no exterior comfort, for he is in-
wardly joined to Him who is the torrent and
ocean of inestimable delights, and the overflowing
fulness of all things that are beautiful, pleasant,
sweet, excellent and desirable, and that are able
to please the heart of man.
3. When the spirit of man attains to the wis-
dom of mystical theology, that is, to divine
union, he is already illuminated with the light of
eternal truth ; his faith is rendered firm, his hope
Instruction 3
is strengthened, and his charity is inflamed.
Wherefore if all the wise men of the world were
to say to a man experienced in mystical union :
" You are miserably deceived ; your faith is not
true," he would answer at once : " Nay, you are
all deceived, for my faith is most true, and
absolutely certain." Thus he would reply with
the utmost confidence, having in his heart an
infallible foundation, not so much through the
investigation of reason as by the union of love.
For such a man knows the Godhead better than
many learned masters of theology who have
never been admitted into the holy of holies and
the secret chamber of the eternal King, and have
never been illuminated in any extraordinary way
with the light of grace. God unfolds to him the
secret power of the divine scriptures, and gives
him the knowledge of the savour of the gospels.
He, therefore, drawing true wisdom rather from
the influence of the Holy Ghost than from the
reading of many books, understands clearly what
should be done and what left undone by himself
and others.
4. Those, indeed, who are united to God with-
out any medium, and allow Him freely to work
in them, are the most dear friends of God, and in
one little hour are of more advantage to the
Church than others who have not attained to this
union can be in many years. These intimate
friends and children of God rejoice with a happy
and peaceful liberty of mind, raised above cares,
above all disturbance, above the fear of death,
purgatory, hell and of all things that can happen
to the soul in time and in eternity.
5. Neither the society of men nor external
occupations take from these the presence of God,
because in the midst of every kind of multiplicity,
4 Spiritual
that is of various duties, they know how to pre-
serve the unity of the spirit, being gifted with the
constant power of dwelling with God in the inner
sanctuary of the soul. All things that they see
and hear give them an immediate impulse to-
wards God, and for them all things are, in a kind
of way, turned into God, if it is right to say so,
for in all things they seek nothing, in intention
and love, except God Himself, To take an
example from ordinary life, we know that those
who gaze for a time intently on the sun see after-
wards a representation of the g'lobe of the sun on
every object to which they turn their dazzled
eyes. Likewise these souls, since they are
constantly occupied within themselves with
those things that are of God and constantly
adhere closely to God, remain, as to their
external life, blind, although they see ; deaf,
although they hear; and dumb, although they
speak. They lead in fact a supernatural and
angelical life on earth, and on this account
can rightly be called earthly angels.
6. Now, whoever aspires to this state, and
desires to become perfect and to experience the
close embrace of divine union, must strenuously
persevere in self-denial and mortification of him-
self; he must, moreover, diligently cultivate the
habit of holy " introversion " or recollection,
and must ardently aspire to God by prayers of
ejaculation and by holy desires. He must,
moreover, take care that all he does or leaves
undone should be done or left undone for God's
sake, looking in all things to Him and seeking
to please Him only. In this way, and in no
other, can a man come to perfection and to
mystical union with God. Of these things I
propose to treat shortly, as God gives me light.
CHAPTER II
Of entire self'denial and mortification and true
reformation of life, which is the first means
necessary in order to aim at union with God
SECTION I
Denial of Self'will in general
1. The soul must cleave to no created thing and to no
person, however holy, inordinately, or with persistent
affection as to its own property and possession (cum
;perti7iaci j)roprietate).
2. In all things the will of God must be put in place of
self-will, and embraced instead of our own.
3. The soul must be ready to give up willingly all delight
that may flow from spiritual exercises.
I. The spiritual man must learn to leave him-
self and all other things for the love of God. He
must possess nothing with any tenacious affection
of heart. He must hold fast to no visible and
perishable thing, to no passing and created
object. He must not seek the friendship, fa-
miliar intercourse or presence of any one, how-
ever holy, for any mere natural gratification.
He must remember that not only bad things, but
even those that are good can become impedi-
ments if they are loved or sought inordinately, *
just as plates of gold before the eyes prevent
sight as effectually as plates of iron.
2. He must entirely exterminate self-love
* "Inordinate" means "not in proper order." Nothing-,
in proper order, should be loved for its own sake merely, but
for God. God should always be first and be the real end.
-6 Spiritual
from his heart. He must in everything quit his
own self-will, resigning it to God, wholly pouring
it forth into God and making it perfectly one
with God's will. Never, either in words or in
his own heart, must he say these words : " I will
this, I do not will that, I choose this, I reject
that,'' with a view to himself and his own advan-
tage. Neither in time nor in eternity must he
seek anything as his own ; but rejecting all pro-
perty, he must utterly spoil himself of all, and
deprive himself of everything, and die to himself
and all other things as if he had never been
created. In everything he must seek God and
His honour and will, so that to his very prayers
and pious desires he must join a humble self-
denial and resignation of himself, desiring that
not his own, but God's will should be done. All
things that happen to him he must refer to the
divine will, and take them just as they are from
the hand of the Lord, without whose providence
not even one single leaf falls to the ground from
the trees. In prosperity as well as adversity, in
losses, injuries, calumnies, reproaches, scornful
insults or contempt, in pains of body and anxiety
and heaviness of heart, in grief and in interior
desolation and woe ; in fact, in every kind of
affliction he must not only bear patiently and
quietly with what God permits or commands,
but he must also praise God, * believing that He
both can and will advance his salvation by all
these things.
3. Delights both of spirit and nature he must
renounce. When he perceives consolation and
interior sweetness coming from God he must
* In all things he should say, not only may God's will be
done, but " I thank Thee, O God, for doing Thy own will in
Thy own way, because it is Thy will."
Instruction 7
take heed not to abuse it as a means of pleasure,
seeking himself and his own gratification in it,
for this would gravely offend his heavenly
Spouse ; but he must receive it with humility of
soul, and he must remain as free, detached and
disentangled as if he did not feel it. Since, in-
deed, our corrupt nature is wont to fall back in
all things on itself, and even in the gifts of God
to seek itself, the servant of God must not desire
spiritual sweetness immoderately, nor must he
trust in it. He should be none the less ready to
be without it than to have it. For in God only
should he rest, and not in His gifts.
He should acknowledge that he is completely
unworthy of any gifts from God. None of them
should he make use of, or lay claim to, as his
own, but should leave them all to Him to whom
they belong. He should pour back all wholly
into God, glorifying Him, giving Him thanks
and offering His own gifts to Him for His eternal
praise. The servant of God must take heed that
he does not vainly desire to receive any divine
revelations ; and if it should please God to reveal
anything to him, he must not on that account
imagine himself more holy. Gifts which he
may have received from God he must take care
not to talk about imprudently and indiscrimin-
ately to other men without God's internal
permission.
8 Spiritual
SECTION II
Mortification of the Senses and the Tongue
1. The senses must be used, not according to natural
inclination, but in the way the soul sees would be
better pleasing to God.
2. The refreshment of food and drink, and the pleasure
arising from them, must be taken with praise of God
and with sober moderation.
3. Unusual austerity of life should not be sought after,
but discretion is to be chiefly valued.
4. Discipline of the tongue and of speech.
I . The servant of God must keep an exceedingly-
careful watch over his senses. As far as possible
he must take care not to use any of his senses
for mere self-gratification ; that is, not to look at,
to hear, smell, taste, speak or touch anything
merely for the pleasure of doing so ; and when
he has slightly offended in such things, he must
severely reprove himself. He must not desire
to see, hear, smell, taste, speak or touch more or
otherwise than God interiorly permits. For if he
seeks any delight in creatures, he will not be able
to find true delight in God.
2. Therefore, in refreshing the body with food,
drink or sleep, he must not consider pleasure, but
the support of nature. He should take every
morsel of food and every draught of drink with
moderation and self-restraint for the glory of
God ; and while thus refreshing nature, he should,
with a certain holy fear, remember the law of
self-denial. Never should he swallow down much
drink at one draught, but if his thirst is very
Sfreat rather let him drink oftener. It would be
advisable that at dinner, in the middle of the day,
he should refresh his body with nourishment, as
far as the necessity of nature requires ; but at
Instruction 9
supper he should eat sparingly, for quiet sleep
generally follows a moderate supper. And al-
though he should feel some earthly gratification
in eating and drinking, he should not admit it
into his soul, nor should he cleave unto it. It
would be a fault to seek for choice and dainty
food, and when such things are laid before him
he should often leave them untouched, for our
Lord Jesus had gall and vinegar given Him to
drink. * He should prefer to have simple things
rather than costly ones provided for his use, and
far from desiring superfluous things, he should
choose poverty rather than abundance.
3. But on the other hand, let him beware of
adopting rashly an unusual austerity of life,
although he may know that many saints have led
a very rigid life. For they, fully enlightened by
the Holy Spirit, knew that it would please God
that they should so live. It has happened to
many that, following indiscreetly the fervour they
felt at the beginning of their conversion, they
have overburdened their nature in the way ot
external austerities, and have thus rendered
themselves unfit to apply interiorly to God. It is
quite true that haircloth, a hard bed, fasting on
bread and water, the discipline and such-like
things, done purely for the honour of God, do
please our Lord, and are not a little help to tame
the flesh, especially in robust youth ; but the true
love of God unites a man far more closely to God
and far more speedily and eflicaciously restrains
and overcomes the wantonness of the flesh. God
is wont, in the most suitable way possible, to train
and burden those who resign themselves entirely
to Him, and are ready to receive every adversity
humbly from His hands, and to bear them
* Ps. Ixviii, 22. Matt, xxvii, 48. John xix, 29.
10 Spiritual
patiently as long as He pleases. Therefore
should the servant of God take heed not to over-
load his body with too much abstinence, too long
watches and excessive austerities undertaken by
his own will ; while on the other hand he must be
on his guard not to treat nature delicately, but
must follow the moderate law of holy discretion
in all things and guide himself by the wise advice
of others.
4. If any one should seek counsel of him, he
should first acknowledge in his own heart that of
himself he cannot answer anything aright, and
turning to God he should thus pray in his own
mind : " O Lord God, who art in me, deign to
speak through me what will please Thee and
what will best suit Thy honour and the salvation
of souls," and then he should say what has to be
said humbly, guardedly and wisely. If he succeed
in saying anything well, he should attribute it to
God ; if he speak badly, let him ascribe it to him-
self. He should always avoid unseasonable*
bitterness of words. In his speech he should seek
truth, and should avoid all false show or flattery.
He should not be eager to speak of matters that
bring blame upon others. On the other hand,
in praising any one, he should remember to be
moderate lest he should fall into the disgraceful
fault of flattery.
He must take care not to detract any one and
never to give a willing ear to those who indulge in
detraction. He should strive not to hear words
of detraction and other hurtful things, and he
should try prudently to interrupt such things and
to cut them short, after the example of a certain
* The Latin is " intempestuam asperitatem," untimely, un-
seasonable, inopportune or unnecessary bitterness or sharpness
of speech.
Instruction ii
man who, whenever he heard others speaking
badly of some one else, used to say : " We ought
to thank God if we do not commit the same
faults." The servant of God should diligently
restrain his tongue from idle and vain words.
He should not easily allow himself to discuss
high things, and if it is necessary or useful to
speak of such things, he must be careful to
preserve interior and exterior humility. He
should not love much speaking, for it is a great
impediment to an interior and spiritual life ; but,
on the other hand, he should be greatly given to
a moderate silence, which is the mother of much
good. Every unbridled, inconsiderate and hasty
word he should mortify. Oh, how happy is he who
knows how to restrain his tongue, for he delivers
his soul from numberless faults and anxieties.
r
SECTION III
Ordinary Rules for making our Actions interior in their
Spirit
1. Nothing whatever should be done or left undone with-
out leave being first asked of God.
2. Occasions of sin should be avoided by means of
silence, solitude and constant occupation.
3. Gravity of exterior comportment.
4. In all things Christ should be held up before the
mind's eye as the model.
5. A strong bridle must be put on concupiscence and all
passions.
I. The servant of God should keep a diligent
watch over all his actions, interior as well as
exterior, being always careful to maintain purity
of heart. He should neither speak, desire, nor
do anything with inordinate affection or interior
entanglement, but should strive to preserve every-
12 Spiritual
where calmness and liberty of mind. In all
doubtful matters he should seek counsel and
leave from the Lord and sometimes also from
some spiritual man. His one endeavour should
always be to get to know the most gracious will
of God, saying within himself: "O Lord, what
dost Thou will me to do now r Will it please
Thee if I do this or that ?" For the Lord Him-
self speaks through interior inspiration to a man's
soul, saying : " Do this ; leave that undone."
When, therefore, the servant of God feels that
God wills or permits him to do anything, he
should speak in this way : " Lord, deign to do
that in me and through me.'' But if he per-
ceives that this particular thing does not please
the Lord he should immediately deny himself,
and dying to himself, he should leave the thing
undone, however small it may seem, as, for
instance, to look once at some object or to say
some little joking word.
2. He must prudently escape occasions of
faults, and what greatly helps to secure this is to
love solitude and to cultivate it as far as circum-
stances will allow. For if a servant of God takes
delight in unnecessary intercourse with men ; if
he is intolerant of silence; if, without restraint, he
desires to see this or that; if he eagerly inquires
what is said or done and willingly listens to idle
reports and news,* it is useless for him to propose
to himself to rise to even the lowest degree of a
more holy life. He must retire apart, therefore,
and keep silence, in order to be able to progress
in true virtue and to have an opportunity to apply
his soul to divine things. When, however,
* By taking a newspaper we pay for news of every kind to
be brought to us with daily regularity. Blosius lived before
the epoch of the daily paper.
Instruction 13
charity or any other reasonable cause exists he
may converse humbly with men, showing them a
courteous kindness without excess, and keeping
peace with all men as far as is possible,* Sloth-
ful idleness he must always fly from as a most
pestiferous poison, and he must strive to spend
all his time fruitfully for the honour of God.
3. He should abstain from all immoderate
rejoicing, laughter, useless jokes, in fact from
all levity of behaviour. In external actions he
should act in a quiet way : in countenance he
should be calm, in look modest, in his gait grave,
desiring to please God, not the world.
4. Christ Jesus he should ever consider as the
living model of virtue; he should endeavour to
imitate Him, most diligently conforming his own
life exactly to the life of Christ.
5. Pride, vainglory, self-complacency, the
desire of human favour and honour, motions of
impatience, impulses of anger, the concupiscence
of the flesh, the sting of lust, and in a word, all
depraved passions and affections, with the power-
ful aid of the grace of God, he must diligently
destroy and kill.
* Rom. xii, 14, 18.
14 Spiritual
SECTION IV
Intercourse with Others
1. Mortify the judgement, rather yielding to others than
disputing.
2. Those who cause us annoyance should be forgiven,
and the vexation received as coming from God for our
merit.
3. We should love, compassionate and, when necessary,
correct others. We must turn away from no one since
all are members of Christ, the Head.
4. Despise no sinner, however great ; judge no one
rashly.
5. In social life with others, acts of genuine humility
should often be performed.
I . The servant of God should not be obstinate
in his own opinion and his own judgement. He
must take heed not to contradict any one per-
tinaciously, unless indeed truth or justice compels
him to contradict, nor should he wrangle and
dispute about trifles. Let him easily yield to
others and promptly comply with them in those
things that are lawful, preferring the will of
another to his own. He should allow himself to
be reprehended or taught by any one whatever.
Willingly should he accuse himself, willingly
should he acknowledge a fault, while he should
show himself anxious to amend his defects.
2. He should immediately pardon and forgive
an injury, and should show himself a kind friend
to the one who has injured him. Never should
he consider any one as unjustly troublesome to
him, but in every trial he should bear in mind his
own sins and his ingratitude to God, and so
convince himself that he deserves trials more
grievous than any he endures, and that if he had
his deserts all creatures would afllict him and
Instruction 15
trample him under foot as the dirt on the road.
He should turn the eyes of his soul from those
who afflict him to God, who allows him to be
afflicted, and bear his trial with a meek and
humble heart, considering that it comes only
from the hand of the Lord. For when the
knife cuts, it is not the knife, but the hand of the
surgeon directing it that should be considered.
3. All men, without any exception whatever,
he must sincerely love from his heart, as himself;
that is, he must love them spiritually and in
proper order, desiring for them the grace of God
and everlasting happiness. And that he may
find it easier truly to love others, he should look
upon every man capable of divine grace as him-
self.* He should look upon all as brothers and
sisters, called to the same happiness as himself.
He should consider in them, not the usefulness of
their external persons, but the nobility and
beauty of their invisible souls, made after the
image of God. He should sympathize with all
who are in necessity, trial or misfortune. He
should be ready to benefit, help and console all,
without exception, but particularly those who are
opposed to him and persecute him. He must
treat the imperfections of others with kind and
merciful forbearance, healing and correcting any
little bitterness he may feel in his heart, with the
sweetness of holy charity. But, on the other
hand, sins which he ought to correct and reprove
he should not feign not to see, but the correction
and reproof should be mingled with mildness
and a suitable gentleness. Sin must be hated in
a man, but not the man on account of the sin, for
God made the man, but man, not God, did the
* Because the effect of grace is to make us all members of
one body, Christ being the Head,
i6 Spiritual
sin. Vainly will a man flatter himself that he
has God's grace if he should hate any one, and
vainly, too, would a man esteem himself to
be one of God's special friends as long as there
is any one he loves less sincerely and turns away
his mind from with displeasure and bitterness.
Therefore must the servant of God embrace
every one with the sweet arms of charity. He
should grieve over the faults of others, and
rejoice at their virtues, giving thanks to God ;
and this he cannot but do if he looks upon every
one, as said above, as himself. For since the
whole Church is one mystical body, of which
Christ is the Head and we the members, each
member, if he be joined to the body by true
charity, ought to grieve if another member is ill,
and rejoice with any one in health (i Cor. xii,
12, 26, 27).
4. The servant of God should condemn no
one, and despise no one ; neither should he despair
of the conversion of any sinner, as he who is now
the worst may be changed by the grace of God
and become the best, seeing that the bridge of
divine mercy, by which he can pass over to a holy
life, is not yet broken down.
The sayings and doings of others who are
not under his charge the servant of God should
not discuss or judge; but, humbly commending
all to God, he should remain calmly retired within
himself. He must be careful, I repeat, not to
despise a man whom he may see acting wrongly
and sinning, but he should pray for the sinner,
begging God to help and preserve him. He
should get into the habit of interpreting every-
thing he sees or hears in as good a sense as
possible. If some rash judgement or bad
suspicion or contempt of another should obtrude
Instruction 17
itself unbidden into his mind, he should re-
member that if such things are wilfully consented
to they would entirely impede the grace of the
Holy Spirit. What, then, should he do when he
detects them in his mind ? He should im-
mediately prostrate himself in spirit, and, acknow-
ledging his fault before our Lord, he should say
these or similar words : " O Lord, be merciful to
me, a sinner. I kiss the footprints of this Thy
servant ; I prefer him to myself, and I offer my-
self to be trodden underfoot by him and all other
men, acknowledging myself to be unworthy to
remain on the earth."
5. In this way should he always prefer every-
one to himself* He should consider himself to
be the most vile and unworthy of all, and he
should desire to be thus considered by others.
He should acknowledge that if criminals the
most wicked had received as much grace from
God as he has, they would live far better than he
does. Therefore he must not desire to have any
name or reputation, to be praised or to be con-
sidered humble or holy. He should prefer to lie
hidden rather than to be known, to be subject
rather than to be in authority, to be taught rather
than to teach others. The last place should con-
tent him. He should not be ashamed of external
humiliation, neither ought he in his own mind
to make much of his own exercises, preferring
them to those of others. By how much the more
he may feel himself to have advanced, and by
how much the greater are the gifts he has re-
ceived from God, so much the more lowly and
despicable should he become in his own eyes.
For, if he considers himself to be something, he
* Phil, ii, .1.
i8 Spiritual
is still a very long way off from God. Let him
always, therefore, think and acknowledge that of
himself he is nothing, and can do nothing. For
every creature, since it was made from nothing,
of its own nature is nothing ; but man, further-
more, by sin has reduced himself to nothing.
Moreover, as he is created, compared to the
Creator, he is nothing. Therefore, the servant of
God, considering the abyss of his own nothing-
ness, and plunging himself into it, must dwell in
the deepest valley of humility. He should say
to God : " O Lord God, I am poor and weak ; I
am nothing, I can do nothing ; have mercy on
me." On this holy thought and consideration
of his own nothingness all the safety of man
depends.
SECTION V
Self'Denial is both Useful and Easy to a Man of Goodwill
1. Self-denial and resignation to the good pleasure of
God is the short way to all perfection.
2. We must rise speedily after any fall in the exercise of
self-denial, with hatred of the fault, hope of pardon
and resolution of amendment.
3. The art of self-denial is at first difficult, but constant
practice maketh it easy and pleasant.
I. In good truth, without being earnest in con-
stant and diligent self-denial and mortification,
whatever else a man may do, he will never pro-
gress.
For the seed can never spring up into the
comely stalk and ear unless it first die.* Hence
it has been said by a friend of God : " The truest
rule of all perfection is this : Be humble, and
wherever you find yourself leave yourself. And
* John xii, 25.
Instruction 19
again: "True resignation, with profound humility,
is the shortest way to God." In genuine and
entire mortification lies hid true and most joyful
life. By far the most excellent exercise is to
have a mind always dying to things created, and
to keep down and humble oneself below every
creature. For he who always dies to himself is
always beginning a new life in God. The re-
signed and mortified soul is like a bunch of
grapes, ripe, soft and sweet, but an unresigned
soul is like a cluster unripe, hard and sour. No
more pleasing offering can be made to God than
the resignation of our own will, because nothing
is more dear to man than his own will and his
own freedom.
When a man, for God's sake, fights against
and mortifies the indulgence of his own senses
and his own self-will, even in the least things, he
does a thing more pleasing to God than if he
were to recall many dead men to life. Suppose
that two men, walking the same way, both
noticed a beautiful little flower ; if one, though
feeling inclined to pick it, should reflect within
himself, and say : " I will leave it for God's sake "
while the other, without thinking at all about the
matter, simply followed his inclination and
gathered it ; though it is quite true that the one
who picked it committed no sin, yet the other
who left the flower for God's sake would obtain
as much more merit as the heaven is raised above
the earth. Now if, for so small a mortification,
God will give so great a recompense, how im-
mense will be that reward which he will bestow
on those who despise and relinquish all things,
themselves included, for His sake ! The servant
of God should, then, frequently say within him-
self : " For Thy sake, O Lord, I desire not to see
20 Spiritual
such a thing, since it is not necessary that I
should see it; for Thy sake I will not hear that,
or taste that, or say some particular thing-, or
touch that." He cannot find God perfectly in
the secret sanctuary of his soul unless he first
puts to death all that is in any way inordinate.
Idle gratification of every kind, therefore, must
be cut away.
2. When, through want of mortification, he
has fallen into some defect, he should groan
within himself and sigh in spirit, not, however,
with any despondency of mind: no, not even if he
should fall into that same defect a hundred or
even a thousand times in one day. He must call
upon God, and say : " Alas, my Lord God, behold
how wicked a sinner am I, in whom vices still
live so strongly. How weak am I, and liable to
fall. I imagined that all self-indulgence was
already dead and buried within me, but, behold,
again I feel a fierce rebellion ; once more I have
been wounded, once more I have offended. But
I do not despair of Thy mercy, nor, by Thy
grace, will I ever despair. Have mercy on me,
and help me. For the love of Thee I am ready
again to leave myself and all things, and, behold,
I do now leave them." Thus let him pray and
then be of good cheer. Let him not imagine
that he is not pleasing to God because he is not
yet perfect, for he is highly acceptable to God if
only from his heart he desires and with all
diligence strives to become more perfect ; and
happy will he be if, engaged in this kind of com-
bat, he goes out of this life.
3. This constant mortification in the begin-
ning, indeed, is difficult and troublesome. But if
any one will only persevere in it manfully for a
time, it will afterwards become, by the gift of
Instruction 21
Godj truly easy, yea, delightful. For the art of
self-denial, just like any other, if only it be
frequently and diligently practised, becomes a
second nature by the very succession of repeated
acts. This art will be learnt speedily and
thoroughly by him who looks upon all the things
of this world as no more belonging to him than
if his body were already dead, often repeating in
his mind those words of the apostle : " You are
dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God "
(Col. iii, 3).
When, therefore, a man forsakes in all things
his own will and casts away his own private self-
love ; when he renounces all gratifications of
spirit and nature ; when he restrains inordinate
desires ; when he acknowledges that he is nothing
and the most vile of all ; when he promptly obeys
God in his own soul and man in external things ;
when he ceases to entangle himself in unnecessary
things and superfluous cares ; when he allows the
deeds and words of others to pass as they are,
and indulges in no rash judgement ; when he is
unduly moved neither by the praise nor the
blame of men ; when he bears sweetly and calmly
for God's sake any injury, adversity or misery he
may encounter within or without ; when he in-
dulges in not even a slight and passing com-
plaint ; when he entertains a certain common
affection of charity for all men, considering them
as the temples of God ; then, without doubt, dead
to himself and the world, he lives to God. Mor
tuus est, et vita abscondita est cum Christo iji Deo.
He is dead, and his life is hidden with Christ in
God (Coloss. iii, 13).
CHAPTER III
The second means to union with God, which is
Introversion ** and constantly calHng back the
mind to Him
1. The mind must be diligently called back from wander-
ing thoughts to God everywhere present.
2. The instability of our minds can be overcome by the
grace of God and persevering effort.
3. How in all things we can think of God's presence,
which is the chief means of introversion.
4. The presence of God everywhere is to be firmly believed,
and the intention is to be turned to it in every action.
5. Even in conversation and business, after which the
soul must return quickly to fuller introversion.
6. Pure introversion easily follows true and perfect self-
denial.
7. The manhood and Godhead of Christ is the second
matter of introversion and an easy method of the
divine presence.
8. Introversion produces simplicity of soul and detach-
ment of the affections from all created things.
9. Perseverance is necessary that we may obtain it fully.
I . The servant of God should apply himself to
introversion* with unwearying energy. He must
diligently recall his mind from all wanderings
and strive to cultivate his spirit by holy thoughts
and meditations. For never can he be perfectly
joined to God as long as he voluntarily, of set
purpose and with pleasure reflects on vain and
idle things. God not unfrequently permits even
* Introversio from intro, within, and versus, turned towards,
is a word coined for mystical theology. It means that the
mind is turned within to converse with God dwelling- in the
soul.
Spiritual Instruction 23
perfect men to be annoyed by the importunate
inroad of useless and even bad thoughts and
imaginations, in order that by resisting them
they may be profitably exercised in spiritual
warfare. Therefore, the servant of God, although
he may have to attend to many things, must as
far as possible be free in the midst of these
manifold distractions, and must preserve within
his soul unity of spirit. He should conceive an
idea of God in his mind as the, height of majesty
and goodness. He must endeavour everywhere
to attend to His lovely presence, as the royal
prophet described himself as doing : " I will set
the Lord always in my sight" (Ps. xv, 8). He
ought, I repeat, to consider that God is always
present to him in every place, and thus try to
direct his interior eyes to Him, not indeed with
any violent effort, but quietly and simply,
stretching forth his spirit lovingly into the
Godhead.
2. The servant of God must not lose hope on
account of his exceeding instability, which causes
him so quickly to sink down and become dis-
tracted, but persevering with an unconquered
heart in this holy work, he must unceasingly
gather up again his scattered spirit and turn it
back again into God, his highest good. When
once this holy custom has become confirmed
within him he will not find much difficulty in it.
And at length, in fact, the habit becomes part of
a man's nature, and it is then almost as easy to
remain intent on God and divine things as to
breathe and live. For the rest he must ever
bear in mind that of his own strength, without
the grace of God, he can do nothing. But God
will not desert him if, with humility, he does what
he can.
24 spiritual
3. Therefore should he "introvert" himself,
that is, should turn himself into his own soul, and
dwell there in his own heart, for there will he be
able to find God. For God, who indeed is every-
where, dwells in the human mind and in the
simple basis, or inner sanctuary, of the soul in a
very special manner. There He dwells in His
own image, and never departs. But happy is
he to whom God Himself is present, not only by
His essence, for thus we know He must be with
all His creatures, but also by grace. For God is
in the earth, the sea, the air and in all things,
essentially, as He said Himself by His prophet :
" I fill heaven and earth ; "* so that in truth He
is nearer to each creature than that creature is to
itself. Indeed, if this were not so, no creature
could for a moment continue to exist, but would
return to its own nothingness ; for as it was made
from nothing, of itself it is nothing. Whence
God is rightly called the Essence of every
essence, since His essential presence is the
cause of everything continuing to exist. He
is wholly in every created thing, whole and
undivided in every place. In heaven He
manifests His glory, in hell He carries out the
law of His justice. By far the most grievous
punishment suffered by those who are in hell
for ever is that they have God within them,
but to Him they can never attain. In all
things, therefore, God dwells most secretly, and
in the basis of the soul itself He remains hidden
from all our senses and unknown. Hence
Isaias says : " Truly Thou art a hidden God "
(Isa. xlv, 15). Everywhere is He present with
all His being, and nevertheless is untouched by
any uncleanness ; for nothing is filthy in His
* Jeremias xxiii, 24.
Instruction 25
sight except sin, and by that He is no more
defiled than are the bright rays of the sun
when they light up the foul recesses of a drain.
Although He is thus all in all, He is never-
theless far removed above all.
4. The servant of God then must believe
without the slightest doubt that the invisible
God is near him, yea, within him. He should
stand before His eyes like a chaste spouse, with
holy fear, with reverence and humility, saying
with Elias, the prophet : " The Lord liveth, in
whose sight I stand " (3 Kings xvii, i ;
4 Kings iii, 14). Often also should he repeat
such words as these within himself: "The
Lord is here ; the Lord sees me." When he
has been much distracted he may easily bring
himself back to the remembrance of God's
presence by these or such-like words. He
should so direct himself to God, shutting out
the thought of all other things, as if he saw the
very being of God before him, and as if there
never would be any other being than God and
himself. He should shut himself up in God, and
dwell in Him as in a chamber or a heaven.
Greatly should he rejoice and exult that he is
so easily able to find God in himself, and that
he possesses so wonderful a treasure within his
own soul. He finds God in himself now when-
ever he fills his memory with the thought of His
presence, but in a far more excellent way will he
experience His presence when he has found the
way to penetrate to the inner sanctuary of his
own soul.
5. When he is occupied with conversation
and business, if he is unable to attend freely to
God, he must yet beware of entirely leaving the
inner chamber of his heart, thus going away
26 Spiritual
from God Himself, but he must continue to
breathe out some secret affection to Him, so that
directly this outward occupation is over he may-
return to himself, and leaving all that is not God,
may apply his whole soul to Him once more.
For he will not be fit to contemplate eternal light
unless he can free himself within his own soul
from all external things, as if he had never seen
them. Happy indeed will he be when neither
the society of men nor any other impediment is
able to rob him of the sense of God's presence : a
thing which will come to pass when his soul is so
fastened to God and shut up so securely in Him
that it always sees Him more than any other
thing.
6. In fact, the soul that is clothed with true
resignation and interior detachment, and appro-
priates to itself, and uses as its own, none of God's
gifts, even if it were daily to be overwhelmed
with all the business and occupations of the
world, would receive no hurt thereby, if only the
weakness of the body were able to bear so heavy
a burden. Hence a certain father said : " He
who does not cling tenaciously to any external
thing passes through all sensible and temporal
things, allowing them to flow on unheeded, and
leaves those things alone which do not concern
him, saying to himself: "I ought to seek God
alone by my intention and love, and bid farewell
to all other things, allowing them to pass away
unnoticed." A man who never seeks his own
satisfaction or convenience, but looks at God
through all things, adverse as well as prosperous,
in order to tend purely and simply towards God,
is able to perform all his external works with-
out dissipation, and though occupied with many
things, does not lose the unity of his mind which
Instruction 27
seeks God only in all.* On the contrary, he who
does not in all things look purely to God and has
not God impressed intimately on his soul is
easily rendered distracted and disturbed by places,
persons and things. Such a man, wandering far
from God, walks with danger, for he is exposed
to the shafts of the enemy.
7. The servant of God should place before the
eyes of his mind Jesus Christ, the Spouse of his
soul — He who clothed the stars with their bright-
ness— hanging on the cross, naked, despised,
wounded and afflicted with intense pains. Nor
should he think of Him as man only, but as God
and man, the true Light. Let him conceive, I
repeat, a supernatural image of the super-
substantial Lord Jesus. He should adore, praise
and glorify Him. He should consider and salute
His ruddy wounds. He should remember His
kindness, sweetness and immense charity.
8. In this w^ay ought he to free himself from
all inordinate anxiety, from all vain thoughts,
from all imaginations, that is, from forms and
likenesses of lower things ; and from all entangle-
ment and distraction. In this way should he
endeavour to preserve his memory like a bridal-
chamber, clean and neat for the Spouse. For
thus he will very much please God and, at last,
the images of created things falling of their own
accord from his mind, true interior recollection
will be given him.
9. He must by no means abandon his study
of perfection and his endeavour to attain it, on
account of any natural unsuitableness of his
character or on account of the weariness to
* Martha was not reproved for attending to many things,
but for being careful : i.e., anxious and troubled about many
things (Luke x, 41).
28 spiritual Instruction
which he may at first be subject. For those who
are learning some art are accustomed many-
times to do their work unskilfully and imper-
fectly, till at last, by long practice, they acquire
complete skill, and can do their work with ease.
Some, when they see that though they have now
laboured one or two years, and yet have not
obtained what they sought, become discouraged,
and give up their design. But they act not
aright. For they who desire some time or other
to arrive at the goal of perfection must arm
themselves with long-suffering perseverance.*
* The doctrine of this chapter must be compared with that
of chapter v. Blosius does not desire the soul to aim at an
imaginative practice of the presence of God, but at one chiefly in
the will, conversing- with Him present by faith in the centre of
the soul. This is made abundantly evident by the next chapter.
CHAPTER IV
Aspiration is the third means to acquire union with
God
1. Various kinds of aspirations should be stored up in the
mind for use.
2. First, those suited for the purgative way.
3. Secondly, for the illuminative way.
4. Thirdly, for the unitive way.
5. Method of using these different aspirations.
I . In order that the servant of God may be able
to practise holy introversion, he should learn
and commit to memory certain aspirations, sweet
yet burning, which he can dart forth to God, and
by which, wherever he may be, and whether he
be in rest or in action, he may constantly recol-
lect himself in God, and join and unite himself to
Him ; doing this, however, not with immoderate
effort, lest he might sink overburdened with the
exertion, but gently. Some formulas of such
little prayers are here given as specimens.
2. Aspirations suited to the purgative way.
O Lord God, I, a most vile sinner, am not
worthy to live on the earth, Alas, I have
wandered far from Thee, and I dw^ell in a region
far removed from Thee and unlike Thee. Miser-
able am I, and blind. I am nothing, I can do
nothing without Thee. Ah, kind and sweet
Jesus, have mercy on me. Wash me with Thy
precious blood ; cleanse me from all sin ; heal me
perfectly that 1 may please Thee.
3. Aspirations suited to the illuminative way.
30 Spiritual
Oh, when shall I perfectly die to myself and
be free from all creatures ? Oh, would that I
were truly meek of heart and humble ; truly poor
and naked in spirit. Grant, O Lord, that by
perfect self-denial, perfect mortification of my
vices I may arrive at perfect love of Thee.
Thou hast commanded that I should love Thee :
give what Thou dost command, and command
what Thou pleasest. Grant that I may love
Thee with my whole heart, my whole mind ; with
all my powers, with my whole soul. Deign to
heal and to reform the powers of my soul, broken
and corrupted by sin, by the powers of Thy most
holy soul. Free my soul from all distracting
cares ; strip from it the images and forms of
perishable things. Grant me to dwell with Thee
in the sanctuary of my soul ; grant that by stead-
fast thought, clear knowledge and fervent love I
may always be able to flow into Thee.
4. Aspirations suited to the unitive way.
O good Jesus. O my hope and my refuge.
O beloved, beloved, beloved. O most dear of all
loved ones. O my only love. O spouse ever
fresh in beauty ; spouse sweet as honey. O
sweetness of my heart, and life of my soul. O
essence of my being, and joyful rest of my spirit.
O my much desired consolation, and sincere joy
of my soul. O brilliant day of eternity and
serene light of my inmost soul. O bridal
chamber, ever shining with heavenly light, and
most verdant paradise of rest. Oh, Thou art my
most beloved beginning ; Thou art enough for
me, O my God. What do I desire but Thee?
Thou art my true and eternal good. O draw me
after Thee, that joyfully, purely and perseve-
ringly I may run in the odour of Thy life-giving
ointments (Cant, i, 3).
Instruction 31
Prepare for Thyself, () my beloved, an ac-
ceptable and pleasing habitation in me, that
Thou mayest come to me and make Thy dwelling
with me. Mortify in me and cast out from me
everything that displeases Thee. Tear me away
and separate me from everything that is not
Thee. Make me a man according to Thine own
heart ; conform me to the image of Thy human
Nature. Wound the very marrow of my heart
with the dart of Thy love. Inebriate my spirit
with the wine of perfect charity. Unite me inti-
mately to Thyself; transform and change me
into Thee that Thou mayest be able to find Thy
delight in me.
Oh, when shall I please Thee in all things ?
When will everything of my own be cut off and
extinguished in me ? When shall I be all Thine ?
When will nothing but Thy most gracious will,
nothing but Thyself live in me ? When shall
I most ardently love Thee ? When wilt Thou
quite burn me up with the flame of Thy living
fire ? When wilt Thou completely melt me with
Thy powerful sweetness ? When wilt Thou open
the door at which I knock ? When wilt Thou
show me Thy most beautiful kingdom within me,
and which is Thou Thyself with all Thy riches r
When wilt Thou carry me away, absorb me and
hide me in Thyself? When wilt Thou remove
all impediments, and make me one spirit with
Thyself? When wilt Thou destroy every wall
standing between us that I may be inseparably
joined to Thee ? Ah, only love of my heart,
deign to do this quickly, for I desire Thee, I sigh
after Thee, I languish with love of Thee.
5. The spiritual beginner should revolve in
his mind such little prayers as these with pious
and holy affection. Often, very likely, one or
32 Spiritual Instruction
other of these aspirations will serve him for a
whole exercise ; nevertheless, it will be useful, on
another occasion at leisure, to complete them, at
least sometimes, and that in mind only, unless,
perchance, he should find it suit him better to
pronounce them with his lips. Even these words
alone : " O Lord God," if from time to time they
are thought over and repeated with a devout
heart, are able to maintain a man in the presence
of God, or in God, and to shut out from his mind
wandering imaginations and vain thoughts.
CHAPTER V
Ardent aspirations to God the quickest way to per-
fection, the wisdom of mystical theology and
divine union ; and how pitiable is the case of
those who neglect this union
1. Ardent interior aspirations quickly bring the soul into
union with God, which is the perfection of hidden
wisdom.
2. Therefore, we should lament that many, content with
exterior exercises, do not aspire after union, which can
most easily be obtained by men even quite unlearned.
3. Interior exercises are far more perfect than exterior ;
the two should be joined that we may please God
more ; for He desires to communicate Himself to us in
the best way.
4. A soul purified from vices is very easily carried into
God, who is its centre.
5. Hence it is easily seen what souls truly love God.
I . The diligent darting forth of aspirations and
prayers of ejaculation and fervent desires to God,
joined with true mortification and self-denial, is
the most certain as well as the shortest way by
which a soul can easily and quickly come to per-
fection ; that is to the wisdom of mystical theo-
logy. For aspirations of this kind efficaciously
penetrate and surmount all things which are
between God and the soul. Indeed, as often as
any one withdraws himself from all perishable
things and turns his heart wholly to God with
humility and love, so often does God meet him
and pour new grace into his soul.
2. Truly, we should feel much compassion for
3
34 Spiritual
those who, given to things of sense and content
with external exercises only, neglect, all their life,
to enter into the secret sanctuary of their own
soul, and there to cultivate the blessed union they
might have with God. For whilst they care little
for true mortification of themselves, and consume
their life and strength in things not principallv
necessary, they make little or no progress in
spirit, and always stick in the same mire. If
they would not exactly like to say the words,
yet, in reality, in their hearts and by their actions
they do say : " Let him who desires unite himself
to God, but that is a thing we do not concern our-
selves with, for it is not in our line." But, yet,
even ignorant and uneducated people can attain
to the very highest wisdom of mystical theology
and union. For in this matter no unusual
powers of mind are required, but purity and
humility of heart, liberty and detachment of
mind, with fervent love are the only qualities
necessary. Certainly, a humble and ardent
affection will bring men to this union better
than a subtle and critical mind. Yea, more,
however clever and learned a man may be, what-
ever knowledge he may possess, even of the
highest things, if he does not humble himself and
become as a child, if he is not poor and detached
in spirit he cannot attain to the secrets of that
wisdom which God only can teach. Hence, our
Saviour, exulting in spirit, said to the Father :
" I confess to Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because Thou hast hidden these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them to little ones " (Matt, xi, 25).
3. External exercises are good and pleasing
to our Lord ; I mean such things as to sing the
praises of God, to say many vocal prayers, to
Instruction 35
genuflect, to worship God with sensible devotion,
to fast, to watch and suchlike things ; but the in-
ternal exercise by which the soul stretches forth
with ardent desire towards God in order to be
united to Him, not, indeed, by sensible images,
but in a certain supernatural way is incom-
parably better and superior. They who adhere
to external exercises only, with some self-love
and according to their own judgement, and do
not endeavour to mortify themselves and to join
themselves in spirit to God, will, without doubt,
after a life spent in such imperfection, have to
pay in purgatory a penalty, grievous in propor-
tion to the degree in which they sought them-
selves. The merciful God does not reject such
souls, but, desiring to work in them. He waits to
see if, perchance, He may find them fit for His
divine operations and free from impediments.
He leaves to them their own exercises and ideas,
for He never forces any one. But His desire is
to lead all to the knowledge of Himself, and to
unite them to Himself, if only they would remove
the obstacles that stand in the way. It grieves
His divine Spirit to see us content with the lowest
things, when He is ready to bestow on us the
highest, for He desires to give Himself to us in
the most excellent way.
4. The soul, when once free from sin and
all inordinate attachments, naturally tends to
God, its origin, as fire naturally darts up-
wards or a stone falls downwards. For the
natural home of the soul is God, and in Him
alone is the soul able to rest. Just as the visible
sun must necessarily pour its light on a bright
mirror placed opposite to it, and form in the
mirror its own brilliant figure, so the soul, when
once cleansed and free from impediments, is
36 Spiritual
immediately illuminated by the brilliant rays of
the invisible sun and an image of the same
divine sun is most excellently reflected in it.
Alas! how great is our blindness and negligence!
For what have we been made ? We have been
made for one end only, and that is to possess
God, to know the abyss of His goodness, and
even in this exile to be united to Him, and to
have a certain foretaste of our ultimate happi-
ness. To this end has our memory been given
us, that we may remember God ; for this purpose
have we intellect, that by faith and contemplation
we may make progress in the knowledge of God;
for this object have we free-will, that we may
choose God and love Him. Wherefore, then, do
we allow these most excellent powers of our
mind to languish and become so degraded as to
remember, know and love only the lowest things?
Why do we even plunge them into a mass of
stinking mud ? Oh, let us leave, I implore, the
darkness, let us turn in disgust from the filth of
the earth, and eagerly seek light and purity
instead. We should remember our nobility, and
reflect that our souls have been sealed with the
very image of God, and casting off all sluggish-
ness, and flinging aside all impediments, we
should endeavour to hold fast to God by true
love, thus imitating the holy apostles, the holy
martyrs and confessors, and innumerable virgins
who held fast and became united to Him. They,
indeed, truly dead to the world and to them-
selves, have been closely united to the Lord,
amongst whom the most Blessed Mother of God,
the Virgin Mary, was the very first and highest,
after her Son, in all holiness and perfection of life.
5. To attain this end, I repeat, we should
diligently strive, with unwearied endeavour, in
Instruction 37
order that by means of true mortification of self
we may arrive at perfect love of God, For he
loves God truly to whom God Himself is *'the
One who is'': whose taste is for heavenly things,
while earthly things are to him worthless : who
knows how to restrain his exterior senses, and to
free his interior senses from all things, and to
apply his powers to God; who, when he becomes
conscious that he is thinking of vain things and
has withdrawn from internal conversation with
God, bidding immediate farewell to everything,
betakes himself to the essential basis or inner
sanctuary of his soul, and wholly turns himself
to that most simple good, which is God ; to
whom, lastly, all created things are bitter com-
pared to the sweetness of the Creator.
CHAPTER VI
The foundation of hidden contemplation is to
remember and meditate on the Life, Passion
and Wounds of the Lord Jesu.
1. How we should meditate on the manhood of Christ
and often call to mind His wounds.
2. For the passion of Christ is the foundation and first
necessary step to the contemplation of the most high
Godhead.
3. Amongst all the marvels of the passion what we should
most dwell upon is the unspeakable love with which
Christ suffered for us, that we may love Him more and
suffer with Him more sweetly.
4. But chiefly that we may imitate Him, and be con-
formed to His image.
5. We must compassionate Christ, because so many
noble souls, for whom He so lovingly suffered, are lost.
I. The spiritual servant of God should always
have the lovely life and passion of the Lord
Jesus concealed, as the most precious of all
pearls, in the casket of his heart. But, as before
said, he must not regard Christ Himself purely
as man, but as God and man ; for so he will not
in his contemplation be without God. When-
ever he finds it difiicult to occupy himself with
higher meditation, he should willingly go back
to the lowly manhood of our Lord, exercising
himself in the remembrance of those things
which He did and endured for us. But he will
do well to avoid too violent an effort of imagina-
tion, lest the head should be injured. He should
put before his eyes a cross or crucifix, the com-
Spiritual Instruction 39
pendium of the life and passion of Christ. In
the most sweet wounds of the same most merciful
Jesus should he dwell, and take his rest. Whilst
he refreshes his body with food and drink he
should endeavour to dip each morsel, by devout
affection, into the most pure Blood of Jesus, and
drink each draught from His ruby wounds. One
single humble and loving turning of the mind to
the sweet wounds of our Saviour is more pleasing
to our Lord than all harmony of voices and
sweetness of musical sounds. Rightly should
the true friends of God weep even tears of blood
because tiow-a-days, all the world over, these most
excellent wounds of Christ have been forgotten.
No one at all can humbly read or think of
the passion of our Lord, although he should do
so without much sensible affection, without reap-
ing from this exercise fruit most useful for salva-
tion ; just as no one could touch flour or balm,
even with the tips of his fingers, without having
his fingers whitened with flour and perfumed
with the odour of balm. Even if the image
of Jesus crucified be only piously glanced at, the
look will not have been in vain.
2. Therefore should the servant of God im-
press the beautiful image of the crucified man-
hood of Christ on the powers of his soul and the
senses of his body, and betake himself entirely
to it. For this will after a time in a wonderful
way lift him up into the super-essential and
formless image, to the eternal word and wisdom
of the Father, into the most high Godhead of
Christ. The manhood of the most sweet Jesus is
the safe way, the very door itself, by which to
arrive at His Godhead. In vain will the servant
of God aspire to mystical and genuine contem-
plation, if he will not humbly exercise himself in
40 Spiritual
meditation on the passion of our Lord. For
unless he has that as his foundation, the higher
he tries to rise by contemplation the lower wfll
he fall, and the more disastrous will be his fall.
In truth, even if he should be so flooded with the
light of grace as sometimes to be carried out of
himself and absorbed into the riches of God, and
thus happily to lose himself in the light of grace,
still, when he returns to himself it will b6 most
suitable for him to recall the interior eyes of his
heart to Jesus crucified, always holding fast to
this as the foundation of love. " For other
foundation no man can lay, but that which is
laid, which is Christ Jesus."* It will be expedient
for him sometimes to dwell on the thought of the
incomprehensible Godhead, at others on the most
noble manhood of Christ, and to ascend and des-
cend from the one to the other. By this means,
" like a tree planted by the running waters," f he
will experience a wonderful flow of the river of
heavenly grace. So, also, will he happily " go
in and go out, and will find pastures " + most
sweet, both in the manhood and in the Godhead
of the Lord Jesus. This indeed is the most
exalted of all internal exercises when, abstracted
from all things, we willingly embrace God only
in the inner sanctuary of the soul, which is free
from all images of sensible things, and hide our-
selves wholly in the manhood of Christ, and
become conformed to Him. "Those whom He
foreknew He also predestinated to be made con-
formable to the image of His Son. §
3, The servant of God should therefore most
diligently reflect on the ardent love and un-
speakable joy with which the Lord Jesus Himself
* I Cor. iii, 11. t Ps. i, 3. J John x, 9.
§ Rom. viii, 29.
Instruction 41
assumed our human flesh and worked out our
salvation ; how mercifully He thought of us,
holding each one of us before the eyes of His
heart in all that He did and endured. After
immense labours endured for our sakes during
the space of thirty-three years, at length He
willed to shed His Blood and to submit to a most
cruel and ignominious death, that the sins which
we have committed and daily do commit might
be expiated. The servant of God, recalling to
mind this immense mercy and love of the Son of
God, should desire to make Him a return of love,
and should be ready to suffer for His sake, not
only the temporal afflictions of this life, but even
the very pains of hell for eternity.* From his
inmost heart should he compassionate his Lord
God, who suffered for him. And if his heart is
hard let him explain its hardness to our Lord,
and humble himself. Often the desire of com-
passion is more pleasing to God than actual
compassion itself.f
4. The servant of God must beware of imita-
ting those people — and they are many — who
meditate 'on the passion of our Saviour with
great exterior devotion, sweetness and tears, and
yet refuse to mortify their vices and to follow
Him. Not thus should he act, but he should
meditate on the passion of our Lord as a true
Christian, desiring really to imitate His most
* In this holy exaggeration of loving- resignation must
always be understood the reservation, " if such a thing were
possible without any sin against God." Vide S. Tk. Com. in
Ep. ad Roin. ix, 3.
t The reason of this is because, if the desire springs from
vehement and supernatural love, that love may outweigh the
love contained in the compassion actually felt by another,
especially if that compassion were only sensible, which often
and easily happens in sensitive natures.
42 spiritual
holy example of charity, obedience, humility and
resignation. He should desire in all things to
be conformed to the most sacred manhood of
Christ, and as the spirit of our Lord Jesus was
always raised up, burning with love, free from
all impediments, serene, calm and joyful, so
should his spirit be also. For Christ, even when
on the cross He felt and suffered torments the
most grievous, still enjoyed, all the time, in the
essence of His soul, and in its superior powers,
the beatific vision of the Godhead, not less than
He now enjoys it in heaven. Again, as the soul
of Christ was sorrowful, compassionate, modest,
meek, mortified and humble, and as His body
was sober, chaste, pure, virtuous, laborious and
suffering, to these things the spiritual man must
take care to conform his own spirit, soul and
body. He should earnestly beg of Christ to
bestow this grace on him, for nothing is more
necessary, since the highest perfection of life is
found in this likeness to Christ. This is implied
by the desire expressed by the blessed apostle,
St Paul, for all the faithful, where he says : " May
the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all
things, that your whole spirit and soul and body
may be preserved blameless in the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ." *
5. The soul of the true Christian ought in-
deed to be sad and sorrowful, after the example
of the soul of Christ Himself, when he considers
that many not only do not piously worship God,
but even impiously despise Him, and spoil the
beauty of their souls and lose them utterly by
sin. How indeed could he who is really a
Christian not be filled with grief when he sees
creatures so beautiful and so noble perishing ?
* I Thess. V, 23.
Instruction 43
For every rational soul, since it is sealed with
the image of the most high Trinity, is in-
comparably superior to the heavens and the
earth. It has such a likeness to God, from
whom it has come, that no merely created
intelligence, not even that of our Lady, the
Virgin Mother of God, the most excellent of all
created intelligences, is able completely to com-
prehend it. The soul of the lowest beggar is
not, according to the dignity of its creation,
inferior to that of the most honoured prince.
CHAPTER VII
Internal desolation and suffering often afflict con'
templative souls. Perfection does not consist in
the wealth of spiritual comforts
1. Desolation in exercises of the spirit must be patiently
endured ; nor must the exercises be then forsaken, for
to persevere in them then especially pleases God.
2. For true perfection does not consist in the sweetness of
spiritual comfort, but in true resignation and cleaving
to God.
3. A beginner may indeed ask God for sensible comfort,
but there is imperfection in the petition.
4. Therefore those souls must not be troubled from whom
God has taken consolation.
I. When the servant of God finds himself de-
prived of the comfort and sensible inflow of
divine grace ; but, on the contrary, experiences
internal coldness, hardness of heart, darkness,
distraction of mind and other miseries of this
kind, he must take the utmost care not to give
up his pious exercises, to become impatient, to
seek to escape from his internal suffering, to
abandon his earnest effort after interior conversa-
tion with God and to seek comfort by the gratifi-
cation of his senses, idle talk, hearing news or
any other waste of time ; but faithful to God,
and committing and resigning himself com-
pletely to the will and appointment of God, he
should bear his trouble calmly, compel himself
to persevere in fruitful exercises or help himself
on according to circumstances by some external
Spiritual Instruction 45
work for God. At such times he must humbly
pray, and should be glad to serve God with
labour at his own cost ; and he should aspire to
Him, if not sweetly, at least diligently. For
those good things which he does during this
time of desolation, although by no means
pleasant to him, will, if only he does what he
can, rise up to God with a sweet savour, and will
be most pleasing to Him. He should say, then,
to God : " O Lord, if by Thine appointment I had
to remain all the days of my life, and even to the
last day of judgement, without any consolation
whatever, I would desire to be ever most willing
to bear all things, however grievous, for the love
of Thee." Those err very much who imagine
that their works and exercises are pleasing to
God only when they are visited and made joyful
by a sensible grace from Him.
2. True perfection, therefore, it should clearly
be understood, does not consist in feeling much
sweetness, nor in the enjoyment of abundant
consolation ; but it is attained by a man when he
gives up himself and all things whatsoever for
the love of God ; when he truly denies and
mortifies himself; and when, after completely
pouring out his own will into the will of God, he
remains free and calm in all that happens to him,
and holds fast to God, being made one spirit
with Him. Therefore a man arrives at true per-
fection by entire resignation and mortification,
which no one can flatter himself to possess as
long as there remains in him so much as one
drop of blood that has not been entirely subdued
by a sharp, manifold and daily fight against his
vices, and that has not been consumed and com-
pletely burnt up with the fire of divine love. It
is a common error to imagine all is lost when we
I
46 Spiritual
are deprived of sensible consolation, and to
fancy ourselves once more holy and acceptable
to God when it returns ; but, as already said, in
this we are deceived. Oftentimes God is the
most nearly present by grace where He is felt
the least, and often dryness of heart is better for
a man than the most copious abundance of sweet-
ness. For in dryness and barrenness a man
more clearly realizes that of himself he can do
nothing. Moreover that sweet sensation is
sometimes granted even to those who are living
very evil lives and are far from God. It is, there-
fore, by no means an undoubted sign of sanctity,
but by it God manifests His goodness. A true
sign of sanctity and devotion is that equable
promptitude of soul by which a man is prepared
to serve God no less fervently in adversity than
in prosperity.
3. We are not, indeed, forbidden to ask God
with humility to grant us consolation and
sensible grace, especially in the beginning of
a better life, in order that, helped on by a taste
of the sweetness of God's grace, we may more
quickly and more completely die to all our vices,
and more firmly hold fast to God, our highest
good ; but still, a certain imperfection lies
hidden in this petition, which lacks something of
genuine self-denial. The gifts and the consola-
tion breathed forth from God are not God Him-
self, so that we must not rest in them. They
who rest in these things even a little, and they
who receive the sacrament of the Eucharist in
the least degree for their own self-satisfaction,
impede themselves from being able to arrive at
their origin, God. * We ought to leave God the
* It mig-ht be asked, how can the Blessed Sacrament be in
any way an impediment to union, being the presence of God
Instruction 47
fullest liberty to work in us and give us what-
soever He pleases, when He wills and as He
wills ; we ought to allow Him to lead us through
the shadow of death and the darkness of hell.
4. We must not, therefore, be anxious if
sensible devotion, sensible love — which is often
not purely for God — and exterior tears are want-
ing to us ; but let every one take the greatest
care that he be always united to God by rational,
that is, intellectual love, or, in other words, by
good will, and that his best comfort be that God
is well pleased. It would be very absurd to say
daily in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done,"
and then to be disturbed and indignant when
it is done !
Himself, a pledge of eternal life, given to help us on to union ?
The author speaks here of not resting in any sensible
pleasure merely ; in the quiet and pleasure arising from the
mere sacramental reception, in which we must not remain lest
it impede our spiritual union. It is a subtle abuse of the holy
sacrament which the author blames. A person who rests in
this for its own sake would probably omit Holy Communion in
time of aridity, because it no longer gives pleasure to self.
CHAPTER VIII
A collection of various instructions important to be
remembered by a spiritual man
SECTION I
Of the spiritual food of the mind — prayer, the word of God
heard or read, and the Holy Eucharist.
1. How prayer is to be begun and attention secured.
2. Involuntary distraction does not deprive prayer of its
merit. The difference between external and internal
prayer.
3. Invocation and imitation of saints.
4. The word of God should be heard with reverence and
humility, and without vain curiosity.
5. The intention, method and matter of spiritual reading,
which should always be joined to prayer.
6. Sacramental or at least spiritual communion every
day. Its excellence and wonderful fruit.
I . Before prayer and during prayer the servant
of God should free his mind, as far as he can,
from all cares, and from images of other things ;
and thus attending calmly, reverently, simply
and lovingly to God present within him, and
putting himself present before God, he should
pray to Him and adore Him in spirit and in
truth. And in order that He may learn how to
attend, he should consider with quiet application,
while singing psalms, what words are addressed
to God and what are said by Him ; and these he
should say or hear with religious and grateful
mind. And if he finds that he is not as yet able
to be suf&ciently steadfast in heart, he should not
on that account be disturbed, but resigned ; and
Spiritual Instruction 49
1 that perfection which his worship lacks he should
III supply by true humility, good will and holy de-
sire. When he has arrived at a state of union,
so that God shall be in him and he in God, and
this intimate union has been firmly and com-
I pletely established in the soul ; when the servant
I of God has succeeded in setting his mind free
from all that may distract it from God, and has
entered the inner sanctuary of his soul, purified
from the images of created things, where the
pure fountain of the Godhead is, then he will offer
an unwandering and steadfast prayer to God.
2 . God, we must remember, well knowing the
weakness of man, does not reject pious prayers,
even when offered with a distracted mind, pro-
vided that he who prays does so with diligence,
is distracted unwillingly and does not turn away
his will from God. Exterior prayer, which is
said by the mouth only, is like chaff; but in-
terior prayer, which is poured forth from the
mind, is the grain ; and that in which heart and
mouth combine is very pleasing to God, The
Canonical Hours and other prayers to which
a, man is bound by vow, or the command of the
Church or his order, ought by all means to be
recited with the mouth. There is no prayer
more excellent than that by which a man begs
that the most acceptable will of God should be
done in himself and in all others.
3. If the servant of God should invoke any
saint now glorified in heaven, let him not doubt
that the saint can hear his prayer, even if he has
employed no vocal prayer. The saint should be
regarded as present in God, to whom he is united.
Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, and all the
saints are indeed pleased when we piously pray
and sing hymns in their honour; but no homage
50 Spiritual
is more acceptable to them, no honour we can
pay them is greater than imitation of their
virtues; by being poor in spirit, attending to the
presence of God everywhere and diligently be-
taking ourselves to the inner sanctuary of our
souls. True poverty of spirit means real hu-
mility of heart, by which a man casts himself
down beneath every creature, and is free and
detached from all perishable things ; by which
also he renounces the satisfaction of interior
consolations, and when afflicted, distressed,
abandoned, laughed to scorn and despised,
keeps himself patient for the love of God, not
seeking to deliver himself from these trials.
4. The servant of God should listen to the
word of God with a ready mind, thirsting for
spiritual light ; and this disposition he should
have without reference to whom it may be that
is preaching, or to the simple nature of the
things he may utter. In this way he will secure
lasting fruit from what he hears, even if he
should forget the actual things that were said.
And if he has felt weary in listening to pious
things, it would be better humbly to blame him-
self rather than the preacher. Nor should he
much care if he perceive certain defects in the
preacher's style, provided the truth be spoken.
The attention should be concentrated on the
truth, looking on it as coming from its origin and
fountain, God, without curiously discussing the
nature of the channel through which it has run
its course. The mind should be ready to put
into practice all useful advice that may be heard
or read, as far as is practicable.
5. When he occupies himself with sacred
reading he should seek purely the honour and
glory of God, not his own satisfaction ; nor
festfuction 51
should he read to gratify any mere empty
[curiosity, or for the idle pleasure of knowing
ia number of things. It is well not to read too
much at one time, lest the mind may thus lose
its calm serenity and the spirit be overladen,
, Spiritual things should be read with a quiet dili-
gence of mind and with a mental appetite, not
Inegligently and with disgust. Good and salu-
jtary things, though often heard or read before,
jthe spiritual man should always consider new"
and welcome, without feeling weary. And, in-
deed, if he only reads such things humbly, piously,
simply, diligently and reverently, he will derive
immense benefit from them, even if he does not
[thoroughly understand them. After reading he
I should give thanks to God, and those things
iwhich he has heard or read he should offer to the
leternal praise of God in union with the divine
jlove He bears Himself. He should reflect on
the things he has read, as far as he has an
opportunity, and he should beseech God to
lenable him to guide his life by the things he has
read, and through them to improve in the love
of God. For prayer renders reading wonderfully
fruitful. Certainly, for those who desire to attain
to intimate union with God, and thus at length
to read the highest things written in the lovely
book of life and to contemplate truths unutterable
by human language in the incorruptible mirror
of the Godhead, it is more necessary to recollect
the passion of the Lord, to pray, to aspire to God
and to become familiar with the inner sanctuary
of their own souls by living within themselves
than to be continually occupied in reading books'
written by the hand of man.
6. The servant of God should be anxious to
receive the venerable sacrament of the Lord's
52 spiritual
Body. For by the humble, frequent and devout
reception of the Eucharist he will progress more
speedily in divine union and san(Sty of life than
by any other exercise. If he does not receive
sacramentally every day, he should at least re-
ceive spiritually by pious desire and true prepa-
ration. In this way, not once only, but often
in the day, he may receive our Lord with un-
speakable fruit. O most worthy and most sweet
sacrament, in which, under the species of bread
and wine, we receive the whole Christ, namely,
the Body, the Blood, the Soul and the Godhead
of Christ ; we recive the whole Trinity, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. For the
three persons of one Godhead and essence
cannot be separated from one another. The whole
Trinity, therefore, dwells in the Body of Christ,
because the whole Godhead is in It. The fruits,
therefore, of the most Blessed Sacrament are
many and precious.
(i) He who receives the Lord's Body with
due devotion is cleansed from all sins, even from
those mortal sins of which he is not conscious or
does not remember to have committed, provided
only that he is in the disposition of mind to con-
fess and do penance for them if he did know that
he had fallen into them.
(2) He is made partaker of all those good
things which Christ has merited for us in His
life, passion and death.
(3) Yea, also, he becomes a sharer in all the
good things that have been done since the time of
Adam, and will be done until the end of the world.
(4) Lastly, he is united to Christ and incor-
porated with Him, and therefore receives force and
power to resist vice and to persevere in good
works ; and now, adorned with a more pure and
instruction 53
excellent life, he is transformed and changed*
into God, and filled with all the grace of the
most glorious Trinity.
r
! SECTION II
i!
f^A.11 that is according to the good pleasure of God must be
1 lovingly embraced. The judgements of God and the
mysteries of faith must be reverently received and not
examined into with curiosity.
_. For God's sake self-will must ever be put to death,
and nothing preferred to obedience.
2. Inspirations of God must be most diligently noticed.
A method by which they can be easily recognized.
3. All things are to be referred to God, as the Fountain
of all, and in what sense all things were in God from
eternity,
4. God's judgements should not be inquired into, nor the
mysteries of faith examined with curiosity.
I. The more a thing is opposed to self-will,
self-love and sensuality, with the greater alacrity
: should it be embraced and done by the servant
ilof God. When any one asks a thing of him that
is not unlawful, he should immediately deny
I himself, leave himself, and be prepared to do
jl the will of another according to the rules of true
;j discretion.
He should never prefer anything to holy
obedience. In fact it would be better to gather
ijUp leaves and fallen twigs of trees through
1 obedience than to be occupied in great works
and sublime exercises of our own choosing. The
* Transformatur atque transmutatur in Deum. These
strong- expressions must not, of course, be misunderstood to
1 imply that the soul becomes God, which would be absurd.
They indicate the intimate and mystical union of love.
2 Peter i, 4.
54 Spiritual
servant of God must obey promptly for God's
sake, even if the superior to whom he owes
obedience be very imperfect. Acknowledging
him as the vicar of God he should regard him
with sincere honour and love. So valuable is
obedience that the fathers do not hesitate to say
that a man who would willingly fast for the
honour of God, but by command of his superior ,^
or by the rule of his order, ate, even meat,
soberly and moderately, would merit more than
another who, content with bread and water,
fasted for his own devotion. He cannot arrive
at perfection who will not desert his own will
and promptly obey. i
2. The servant of God should diligently;
attend to the inspirations of divine grace within]
him, hearing what the Lord speaks in his soul,j
and if he be not entangled, distracted andl
unquiet in mind he will clearly perceive the
interior inspirations and touches of God's spirit.
He should ever put himself into God's hands as
a living instrument most ready to fulfil His good
pleasure, saying with St Paul : " Lord, what wilt
Thou have me to do ?" (Acts ix, 6.)
In no one thing, in no exercise should he
oppose the divine will. No method or custom
of his own, however holy, should he hold fast to
with affection. He should do nothing with
attachment to his own will and ideas, but should
be ever ready to embrace those methods and
exercises to which he is more powerfully invited
and drawn in his own soul by God's grace, by
which he finds that the love of God is more
vehemently excited, and by which he is more
intimately united to God. The way to God is
essentially one and uniform, but the exercises
are various. In case of doubt whether an interior
Instruction 55
drawing is from God, he should reflect whether
he is completely ready to follow God's will, if
he clearly knew it. For if such is really his
disposition and he prays to God to illuminate
and teach him, he may safely judge that to be
from God to which he is more frequently
attracted in his own soul, provided there is
nothing in it at variance with the teachings of
Holy Scripture and the Church. But in matters
of serious moment he would do well to consult
experienced people and humbly to follow their
advice, in order to protect himself against the
crafty wiles of the devil, who sometimes trans-
forms himself into an angel of light.
3. The servant of God should refer any beauty
he may see, any sweetness he may feel, any
perfection he may notice in created things
entirely to the glory and praise of God, who is
the fountain and origin of all things. Ascending
in mind above all weak and perishable things he
should embrace God with sincere love. If he
possesses Him, he has all. For God has and
contains in Himself, in the most overflowing
abundance, everything that delights or can give
pleasure. Every kind of perfection found divided
among different created things, in Him is found
united, and He, as He is the archetype, or
original type, and exemplar, or eminent model,
of all, is Himself all.* In Him all things
have their uncreated being. He has certainly in
His eternal knowledge the divine models and
ideas of those things He has created, and what-
ever has been made by Him was always known
by Him, always lived and always will live in His
mind. Hence the Gospel says : " Whatever was
* Ecclus xliii, 29. "We shall say much, and yet shall
want words ; but the sum of our words is, ' He is AH,' "
56 Spiritual
made was life in Him" (John i, 3, 4). We
ourselves, therefore, were always in God ideally ;
in Him, I repeat, we were and are uncreated, in
whom, that is, in whose knowledge, all things
live for ever, and are life. In the essence, there-
fore, of God are the exemplars of all things, and
that one divine essence is the one exemplar of all
things and the one idea. For every kind of
multiplicity is reduced, in the perfectly simple
and superessential essence of God, to unity ; and
all things in God are one. In God, therefore,
are the most true and perfect patterns or models
of things, and these remain incorrupt for ever.
But in this sensible world the things which we
see are only certain symbols or tokens and signs
of true things, and perish and pass away with
time. The beauty, elegance, sweetness, riches,
dignity and perfection of all creatures, compared
to the beauty, elegance, sweetness, riches, dignity
and perfection of the Creator, are nothing ; just
as one little drop of water compared to the whole
ocean is scarcely anything. And in good truth,
if the heavens, the earth and all God has created,
together with all He could create — for He could,
if He so pleased, create many other worlds more
wonderful than this — if, I say, we were to com-
pare all these things to God they would be found
such nothings, that they would be less than the
point of one needle compared to the vast extent
of the sky.* He, our supreme Creator and God,
as He is without beginning and without end, so
also is He without alteration or variation, un-
changeable, remaining always the same.
4. The servant of God must not inquire,
unless he wishes to fall into error, why God
* Between the Infinite and the finite there can be no com-
parison or proportion, but always an infinite distance,
Instruction 57
leaves some in darkness and error and not
others ; but leaving to God His own judgements,
which are an impenetrable abyss, he must
believe for certain that He does nothing and
allows nothing unjustly. Nor must he rashly
investigate, nor discuss with curiosity the mystery
of the most high and incomprehensible Trinity,
but simply hold fast, with true and unshaken
faith, the mystery of One God in Three Persons,
remembering that it is as impossible for any one
to explain the Trinity as to stand on earth and
touch the heavens with a finger. For what
human intellect can understand how the Father,
looking at Himself and seeing with a most clear
knowledge the abyss of His eternal essence,
brings forth, by reason of the abundance of His
dfelights. His own divine Word, or generates His
Son, for that knowledge of Himself is the eternal
generation of His Son ? Who can understand
how the Holy Ghost proceeds and comes forth
from the Father and the Son ? Who can com-
prehend how the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost are truly one in essence, though there is a
great distinction in persons, and that each
person has the other two within Himself ? It is
certainly easier to have some inward knowledge
of this by divine union than to attempt to explain
such incomprehensible mysteries. Those who
are illuminated in a wonderful manner by God
and arrive at mystical union with Him know
with greater certainty those things which belong
to the Catholic faith and hidden truth, than we
know those things that are placed before the
eyes of our body. Finally, let not the servant of
God endeavour to discover how the true, living
and immortal Body of Christ is in the Sacrament
of the altar, but rather let him remember that
58 Spiritual
nothing is impossible with God,* and preserve a
pure and inviolate faith in those things which
cannot be comprehended by intellect or reason.
r
SECTION III
On the spiritual combat in the time of temptation and trial.
1. Temptations and evil inclinations are allowed even in
perfect men that they may fight and win the crown.
They are overcome by resignation, the use of the
sacraments, and confidence in the mercy of God.
2. Patience in trials for God's sake is rightly considered
one of the very best signs and tokens of God's election.
I. The servant of God must by no means be cast
down in mind on account of the temptations he
may encounter, for the perfection of virtue is
purchased by strenuous fighting. God leaves
bad inclinations in us for our advantage.! His
object is that we may hereafter be gloriously
crowned in heaven for having now manfully
resisted,^ and "lawfully striven." § It is not
fitting that all should arrive quickly at the goal of
perfection without undergoing the attacks of
temptation. For in nature we find that wheat
does not bring forth an abundant harvest unless
it has borne the sharpness of winter. It is
certain that those who by nature are much
inclined to vice because they have strong
passions, and who, therefore, at first experience
great difficulty in freeing their minds from the
evil imaginations which are, as it were, painted
there, will make much more distinguished
soldiers of God, if only they take diligent care to
mortify themselves and to strip their unclean
* "With God all things are possible " (Mark x, 27).
t Rom. viii, 26. X Ps. xxvi, 14, and xx, 35. § 2 Tim. ii, 6,
Instruction 59
garments from their souls, than those who, not
having such strong passions, have more easily-
obtained freedom from bad and distracting
imaginations. Do we not value more highly the
figure of a great man, sculptured by dint of long
and anxious labour, in stone, than a like figure
easily impressed in soft wax ?
Moreover, supposing a man who has a
dif&cult nature to conquer and is bravely fighting
with himself should depart this life still im-
perfect, and have to be detained some time in
purgatory ; after his purification is finished he
will obtain a far higher place in heaven than
another who had an easy nature, and, therefore,
was not so stout a soldier and less earnest in
self-conquest, although perhaps he was able to
go straight to God without any punishment in
purgatory.
Sometimes even perfect men feel the attacks
of unruly motions in their lower and animal
natures, which their reason and will contend
against. In such cases, though a storm rages in
the outer man, perfect peace reigns in the inner
man. The servant of God, therefore, must not
imagine that he forfeits God's grace by what he
may suffer against his will in the lower powers
of his soul; for God is often accustomed to
advance the salvation of His chosen ones by
those very things which they imagine are
entirely contrary to their salvation. In this way
he oftentimes allows temptations to present
themselves of the most foul, horrible, yea,
infernal nature.
In such straits what must the servant of God
do?
(i) He must abandon himself utterly to God,
remaining calm and recollected in his soul.
6o Spiritual
(2) He must on this account by no means fail
to receive Holy Communion or to do his
accustomed good works. For nothing that he
feels can do him any spiritual hurt as long as his
free will does not deliberately consent.
(3) He should trouble himself no more about
the blasphemous and other absurd imaginations
suggested by the devil than he would about
a number of flies buzzing round his head. He
should at once turn quietly from them.
(4) At times, when the temptation is more
than usually violent and persistent, he should
arm himself with the sign of the cross and cry
out to God in some such words as these :
" O Lord, keep me unspotted in Thy presence.
Far rather would I die a thousand times over
than give way to this wicked suggestion."
(5) He should then take refuge beneath the
cross and think of the passion of his Lord.
(6) Even if sometimes he may feel utterly
deserted, and it may seem to him as it God were
saying : " Depart from Me, I know you not, you
please Me not," let him not on that account lose
heart, but full of faith, let him say with holy
Job : " ' Although He should kill me, yet will
I trust in Him.' * ' Even if the deep should
swallow me up,' t He will deliver me." Then,
turning to God, he should add : " What I have
to bear is a heavy load upon me, O Lord ; and
to me it seems of no advantage or use ; but
Thou, who canst not allow anything without
a good reason, knowest why these things happen
to me. Therefore, throwing myself into the arms
of Thy goodness, I resign myself utterly to Thee."
The servant of God must firmly believe that
* Job xiii, 15. t Ps. Ixviii, 16.
Instruction 61
he cannot be deserted by God unless he has first
wilfully deserted God. He, well knowing the
weakness of man's nature, most carefully mode-
rates the temptations that afflict His chosen
ones, lest they might become more than they
can bear.* In this He acts like a tender mother,
who, warming her babe at the fire, takes care to
hold her hand between the little one and the fire,
lest the heat might be too much for it.
2. The servant of God who bears in mind the
sufferings of our Lord, and moreover does not
forget his own sins, will easily bear even joyfully
any trouble of mind and anguish of heart that
may afflict him. From whatever source these
pains may arise, he will always receive them
from the hands of his Lord, and this even if they
should come from his own vicious habits and by
his own fault.
He should be ready, if so God willed, to live
in sorrows and affliction of spirit, even till the
last day of judgement. For the truth is that
nothing more useful can happen to a man than to
suffer tribulation, whether from without or within.
(i) No more certain sign is there that a man
is one of the elect of God than tribulation
humbly and patiently borne for the love of God.
(2) This we may call the ring, adorned with
a glittering stone of priceless worth, by which
God espouses the soul to Himself.
(3) To suffer for God invests the soul with
such honour that a man ought sincerely to
esteem himself unworthy of so high a distinction.
(4) In fact, one small trouble calmly borne
for God is of incomparably more value than
many and great good works.
* I Cor. X, 13.
62 Spiritual
(5) Every tribulation bears a certain re-
semblance to the most excellent passion of our
Lord Jesus Christ ; and, by patiently enduring,
a man merits a perfect participation in the same
divine passion.
(6) Through tribulations a man obtains gifts
from God, and those he already possesses are
securely preserved.
(7) Whatever we now suffer God has foreseen
from all eternity, and has known the exact
nature and degree of our trials. Never would
He allow the slightest adversity, within or
without, to afflict his elect, nor the least un-
favourable wind to blow on them, unless He saw
that this was profitable for their salvation. Cold,
heat, hunger, thirst, illness and all other kinds
of affliction not only purify, but also wonderfully
ornament our souls. God acts like a skilful
artist, who delights in touching up his picture,
putting in lines here and there and adding or
changing colour ; thus also does God to the soul.
Or again, to vary the comparison, as some noble
maiden, about to become the bride of a prince,
is decorated with gold and jewels and other
ornaments, so does God adorn the soul by allow-
ing it to suffer for Him.
God, indeed, says to such as He has chosen
for high gifts of holiness, and has in a special
way separated for Himself : " He that toucheth
you toucheth the apple of my eye,"* This is
true ; but nevertheless, rather than suffer these
beloved souls to lack the advantage of tribula-
tions, and the purity and beauty they bestow on
the soul, He would allow devils and men, yea,
also the elements and any other creature, to
harass them with trials.
* Zach. ii, 8.
Instruction 63
(8) Therefore every kind of affliction and
trial, however bitter, must be patiently borne,
in place of the pains of hell and purgatory
which we have deserved. For a soul truly
purified and resigned, the very moment it leaves
the body flies to a mansion of the heavenly
kingdom.
(9) One of the friends of God has written thus
about sufferings :
" When any one, feeling affliction and pain,
resigns himself humbly and perseveringly to
God, this resignation becomes before the Lord
like a well-sounding harp, on the cords of which
the Holy Spirit, sweetly breathing, delights the
ears of the heavenly Father with a hidden and
spiritual melody. On this spiritual harp the
thicker strings, that is, the powers of the outer
man, full of affliction, give forth low and
mournful notes ; but the more delicate chords,
that is, the spiritual part of the soul, which re-
mains full of devotion in willing and patient
resignation, gives out higher and joyful tones.
Sensitive nature, being in agony, groans ; but
the higher and rational nature remains calm.
Indeed, at length the soul becomes the beloved
spouse of the eternal Bridegroom, and a majestic
queen, through the burning fire of trials that
aff^ect even the very marrow of the bones. The
burning heat of these afflictions prepares the
soul as fire prepares wax to take the form desired
by the artist. And it is manifest that if the
supreme Artificer desires to impress on the soul
a noble image of His own everlasting essence, it
is necessary that the soul should be divested of
her old form, and should be supernaturally
changed and transformed. For one thing can-
not put on the form of another, unless it first put
64 Spiritual
off and lose its own. * For this happy change
and transformation the almighty God prepares
the soul by the most intense sufferings. When
He has determined to transform a soul in a
sublime manner, and to adorn it with the highest
gifts, He no longer washes it with gentle touch,
but plunges it entirely into a deep sea of
bitterness." ^
SECTION IV
The wa-y to purity the soul from daily sins and imperfections,
1. Sin should be grieved over as an offence against God,
and by loving conversion to Him.
2. Daily defects are allowed in order to preserve true
humility.
3. Scruples and anxieties of mind about sin, past, present
or' future, should be calmed.
4. Diligent and loving satisfaction should be offered
for sin.
5. We must put all our trust in God, and not in His gifts
or in our own strength.
I. When the servant of God sins, he should
impute his sin to himself only, and should lament
and grieve more that he has offended God, his
most faithful and sweet Father, than that he has
richly deserved severe and even eternal punish-
ment. The pain of the bitter reproaches, by
which his soul is then made contrite by God, he
must by no means seek to escape, but he must
humbly bear it as a most salutary antidote to the
poison of sin. He may exaggerate his offences,
l)ut at the same time he must guard against
despair. If from his fall he becomes more
humble and cautious, the matter will not after
all end so badly. Therefore, after he has fallen
into some sin he should not inquire too scrupu-
* Rom. xiii, 14.
Instruction 65
lously how the evil happened,* nor should he
reflect too long on his sin in his own mind,
flying, as it were, away from God ; but he should
quickly recollect himself in God, and turning to
Christ with a contrite and loving heart, even if
he does not experience any sensible feeling of
sorrow, he should address our Lord in some such
words as these : " O Lord, to Thee do I fly : I
acknowledge my sin ; be merciful to me, a sinner.
I cast my iniquities and negligences into the
abyss of Thy mercies. I renounce all that dis-
pleases Thee, and I forsake whatever is not
Thee. I firmly resolve, through Thy grace, to
amend. Wash me with Thy Precious Blood.
In Thee do I hope, O my Saviour most merciful,
and with love I kiss Thy right hand, which ever
receiveth me after a fall."
Above all is it profitable, immediately after a
sin has been committed, to go straight back at
once to God, instead of spending a long time in
thinking of the sin itself and troubling the mind
about it. The sin has disturbed the image of
God in the soul, and nowhere can this be put
right and this likeness be more quickly restored
than in God Himself. In fact, God, since He is
a fountain of immense mercy, is unable not to
succour, is unable not to forgive him who calls
upon Him humbly and with confidence, even if
he had committed all the sins of the world a
thousand times over. A shred of linen cast into
an intense fire is not so quickly burnt up and
consumed as God is ready to pardon a man truly
repenting of all his sins. Between the goodness
of God and a repentant sinner nothing whatever
stands. But the best repentance and the most
* He should look at once at God, and not at self. " My eyes
are ever on the Lord" (Ps. xxiv, 15).
5
66 Spiritual
noble contrition is to have a humble mind and a
will turned away from all sin and from every-
thing which could stand in the way of the love
of God, and fully converted to God Himself.
Oh, how truly should the Lord our God grow
sweet to our hearts, since He loves us so much
more than we love Him ! Most liberally does He
show Himself to us, approach and offer Himself
to us, while we all the time, on account of our
malice and ingratitude, are most unworthy of
Him. He oftentimes makes our hearts joyful
with the comfort of His grace, though He knows
that after a short hour we shall sin again.
2. As to those defects and imperfections which
he finds he can in no way correct, the servant of
God should not allow himself to be disturbed.
He should resign himself to God, and look on
these things as the manure scattered over the
field of his soul in order to produce a better crop.
For God is accustomed generally to leave
certain imperfections and spiritual defects, and
some little matters for which they can be blamed,
in the souls of even His most beloved ones.
These defects are often faults of anger or quick-
ness of temper ; or He allows them for a long
time to be wearied by feeling the attacks of first
motions that are involuntary. The good God
acts thus in order that the humility of His
servants may be increased by these defects when
known to themselves and others. Thus the
graces He bestows on them, hidden under these
defects, like fire under ashes, may be better pre-
served. It often, in fact, happens that those who
are still unresigned and great in their own eyes
have more strength to control first motions, and
are stronger in enduring certain external ad-
versities than humble and truly resigned friends
Instruction 67
of God. For these latter, though they remain
calm inwardly during their trials, are often
disturbed in their lower nature, and feel a great
shrinking from their suffermgs. Therefore should
the servant of God beseech Christ that He would
supply all his imperfections. If only he remains
patient, at length he will merit to hear Christ
say within him : " I thank thee, My son, for
bearing thy defects patiently to the end, for thus
hast thou borne My cross with Me."
3. The servant of God should avoid carefully,
as serious obstacles to progress, inordinate faint-
heartedness and sadness, vain scruples of
conscience, disquieting cares and uneasy doubts.
He should cast all his cares and troubles into
God with humble and entire confidence. For in
this way God will provide for him in all matters,
external and internal, better than all creatures
could provide.
Those indeed who entangle themselves too
much with external cares and business, and
either will not or do not care to trust God, are
sometimes allowed to fall into want and misery
to make them acknowledge how little their own
anxious industry is able to effect. A servant of
God devoted to a contemplative life should only
allow himself moderate external business suited
to his state.
He should not anxiously resolve within him-
self whether it will be necessary, after this life is
ended, to expiate his sins in purgatory, and for
how long, but he should promptly resign himself
in all things to God, feeling safe in His hands.
He should thank God for all that He may be
pleased to do in time or in eternity. He should
hope with entire confidence that the most merci-
ful God will lovingly forgive him his sins, but he
68 Spiritual
should not ask, or even desire not to be punished
for them. As he loves the divine mercy, so also
should he equally love the divine justice, so that
he should be ready to suffer even the torments of
hell for his sins,* if the glory of the divine justice
demanded it and God willed it. By this resigna-
tion will he be able to obtain a complete remis-
sion and be absolved from both guilt and penalty,
4. He should always acknowledge that all
labours and trials are too little to make adequate
satisfaction for his innumerable iniquities and
sins. All the good he is able to accomplish and
all the adversities he may undergo, according
to the good pleasure of God, whom he has
offended, he should offer that he may please God
and become His friend. In these things he
always should look, not at himself, but at the
honour of God, the love of God, and the will of
God. In satisfaction for his sins he should offer
to God the merits, labours, works, sorrows and
wounds of Christ, for these without doubt will
avail as full satisfaction for all his sins.
5. The servant of God must not be so rash as
to trust to his own good will, nor to his own
resolution, however firm, nor in his own good
habits, however long they have lasted, nor in his
own industry, virtue and diligence, nor even in
the gifts he has received from God, but in God
Himself only, in His mercy only, and he must
hope only and entirely in the help of grace. For
without Him we can in no way begin what is
good, nor persevere in good.
Therefore, putting no trust in self, we must
• This must be understood only of the sensible pains of hell,
for the eternal separation from God could not be without mortal
sin, and it would be a delusion to try to be resigned to that, as
God could not will us to be in mortal sin.
i
Instruction 69
trust all to Him who can do all. Nothing what-
- ever that we are able to do, to think or to speak,
that is in any way good, must we attribute to self
as if it belonged to us, but all such things must
be acknowledged as coming from God. We
■ must live ever in the abyss of our own nothing-
ness, and we must esteem even those who live
the worst lives as better than ourselves. In
truth, whatever good there may be in any one
comes from God and not from himself. For of
ourselves we are inclined to all evil, and if God's
grace did not keep us back we should commit in-
numerable and abominable sins. Right and just,
therefore, is that sentence of our Lord : " When
you have done all that is commanded, say, we
are unprofitable servants."
r
SECTION V
Watchfulness and Daily Examination of Conscience
1. We should advance daily.
2. Examination of conscience.
3. The morning rising and preparation for the day.
4. Of dreams and visions.
I. However far the servant of God may have
advanced, he must never lay aside the desire of
further progress. For, during our time of exile
in this world, there is no union with God so deep
or exalted that it may not every moment become
more sublime and more profound. However far,
therefore, a man may have advanced, he must be
as careful as on the first day of his spiritual com-
bat to humble himself, considering all he does as
of little worth and to persevere in diligent labour
and self-conquest. As long as a man lives in
70 Spiritual
this world he will always find something in him-
self to mortify.
Even if he be so far advanced that the sight
of no created thing disturbs his soul, even if he
would only feel weariness and disgust* at the
beauty, however great, of a hundred fair women,
let him still be careful to watch over himself.
Till death has closed his eyes to all the passing
things of this world a spiritual man should dili-
gently watch over himself.
Yea, even if he may have attained such com-
mand over himself that, in all places, however
distracting, and in whatsoever society he may
be, he can remember the presence of God and
can remain in union with God, still it is right for
him to seek solitude and quiet as much as he
can, and thus try to avoid all occasions of im-
perfection.
2. In the evening, when about to retire to
rest, he should observe the following rules :
(a) Those occupations not suited to this hour
should be avoided,
(5) He should examine what he has that day
done badly, in what he has failed, how negligent
and ungrateful he may have been.
fc) He should acknowledge these faults to
God, with the purpose of confessing them after-
wards to the priest.
fd) AVith this should be united a firm pur-
pose of amending his life by the help of God's
grace.
(e) Lastly, he should compose himself in bed
with all modesty, and fall asleep amid holy
thoughts and pious desires, so that with the
* By the word " disgust " is not meant anything- unchari-
table, but only the conviction that mere human beauty is vain
and of little worth, as ever tending to corruption.
Instruction 71
spouse in the Canticle he may say : " I sleep, but
my heart watcheth " (Cant. v).
3. In the morning he should begin the day in
a fervent manner.
(i) The spiritual man should accustom him-
self to turn his first waking thought, his first
intention and his senses to God with a loving
joy, in order that he may be capable of the visita-
tion of God's grace.
(2) He should offer himself to the eternal
praise of God.
(3) If, however, on waking he should feel
heavy and weighed down with fatigue so that he
cannot easily raise his mind to God, he must not
be cast down, but bear this inconvenience with
humility and patience. For God will measure
his devotion, not by that first confusion and
heaviness that weighs down his soul, but by the
good will he shows in his pious works afterwards..
(4) Even if he should have been afflicted by
anything in sleep, that in waking hours he would
have detested, let him not be disturbed, but,
turning his thoughts to God in the first moment
of returning reason, trust in His grace.
4. Dreams and visions should not be in-
cautiously believed. For the devil easily de-
ceives those who lean upon them, seek them, and
think much of them. It may even be that after
many true visions the wicked spirit, under the
guise of an angel of light, may at last, perhaps
only once, mix himself in them, and overturn an
imprudent man. Visions must be examined
carefully according to the teaching of Holy
Scripture and the writings of the saints, and if
they perfectly tally they may be received, but if
not they must at once be rejected.
It is, moreover, necessary to observe carefully
72 Spiritual Instruction
whether the person who has the vision is truly
humble. For a divine revelation makes a man
poor in spirit, resigned and docile, while, on the
contrary, a diabolical illusion renders him proud,
attached to his own ideas and obstinate.
Many of God's special and perfect friends do
indeed have favours from Him.
(a) Sometimes they are rapt in ecstasy and
see wonderful visions.
(d) They hear words spoken to them, or see
with their eyes visions shown them in corporeal
form.
(c) At other times the visions are intellectual,
being spiritual impressions made on their souls
to teach them some truth necessary for themselves
or others ; or prophecies of future things.
Those things, indeed, that can be explained
in words are not very much, but those things
which perfect men experience, when they are en-
tirely absorbed in God and intimately united to
Him, are not able to be expressed in words, or
even comprehended in the mind.*
The truly perfect rest in none of the gifts of
God. But imperfect men occasionally have some
kind of trance or dream, or, rapt out of them-
selves, they may see wonderful things in imagi-
nary forms, but, being imperfect, easily abuse
the gifts of God, either making them a cause of
vainglory or resting in them for their own
pleasure and satisfaction.
* 2 CcM- xii, 4.
CHAPTER IX
How we should unite oui* works with those of Christ j
and how our defects can be supplied.
1. We ought to unite all we do, by a pure intention, to the
merits of Christ.
2. This should be done before every action.
3. Also after the action is completed.
4. Also in all trials.
5. The offering of Christ's merits and of His Body for our
own and others' salvation.
6. Everything should be asked through Christ.
7. Even our imperfections should be offered to Christ,
that He may supply.
8. God, through revelations, has taught us to join what
we do to the merits of Christ.
I. The servant of God should form the holy-
custom of offering all his works by a pure inten-
tion for the honour of God. He should be careful
to join and unite all he does and all he suffers to
the actions and sufferings of Christ, through
prayer or desire. In this way the works and
trials that are in themselves, and when looked at
as belonging to the servant of God himself, vile,
worthless and imperfect, will become noble, of
the highest value, and most pleasing to God.
They receive an unspeakable dignity from the
merits of Christ, to which they are united, as a
drop of water poured into a vessel full of wine is
entirely absorbed by the wine, and receives the
full flavour and colour of the wine. The good
works of those who piously practise this union
with Christ's actions incomparably excel the
good works of those who forget it.
2. Therefore the servant of God before each
74 Spiritual
of his actions should offer it to God. He can do
this without words, by simply seeking and desir-
ing the pure honour of God in what he does, by
the internal intention of his mind. But if he
would prefer to express this intention, he may
use words of this kind to God the Father : " O
holy Father, I commend myself and all my
actions to Thee, in union with the love of Thy
well-beloved Son, and I beseech Thee to deign
to receive whatever I do, for the eternal praise of
Thy name, and for the salvation of all men."
Or he may speak thus to Christ : " O Lord
Jesus Christ, who art within me by Thy divine
nature, deign to do this action through me, in a
way pleasing to Thee and useful to the salvation
of all."
Before eating or sleeping it would be well to
say : " O Lord Jesus, grant that I may take this food
soberly for the honour and glory of Thy name " ;
or : " May I take this sleep in a modest way, in
union with that sweet piety with which Thou,
O God, didst take on earth Thy bodily food
and sleep."
Some souls find spiritual savour in devout
meditation, while eating, on words like these
" May the virtue of Thy divine love, O my be-
loved Jesus, incorporate and intimately unite me
to Thee." Or while drinking : " May the sweet-
ness of Thy divine charity, O most loving Jesus,
flow into my soul, and penetrate my whole being
to Thy eternal praise."
Those who live in monasteries, or in any
religious congregation where there is holy read-
ing during meals, should attend to what is read
if they can understand it.
3. The servant of God ought moreover to
commend his works and exercises to the kind
Instruction 75
Heart, sweeter than honey itself, of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that He may amend and perfect
them. For the Heart of Jesus is inseparably
united to the Heart of the Godhead, and all good
flows continually from It. He should offer his
works and exercises in some such manner as
this : " O good Jesus, I offer this work, these my
exercises, to Thy divine Heart, to be amended
and made perfect. To Thee do I offer them for
Thy eternal praise and for the profit of the whole
Church, in union with that most sweet love with
which Thou, our God, didst will to become Man
and die for us." Or, more shortly : " I offer
these actions and exercises in union with Thy
most perfect ones."
Likewise should he offer his prayers in union
with the prayers of our Lord, and his fasts in
union with the fasting of Christ. His meals and
sleep he should join with that wondrous love
which made Christ, the incarnate God, con-
descend to take bodily food and sleep while on
earth. Moreover, also, his words should the
servant of God offer in union with the most holy
words of Jesus Christ, and the tears he may shed
at any time, with the most pure tears of the
Saviour of the world. If this oblation is made
to God the Father, the following words, or others
like them, may be said : " O holy Father, I offer
to Thee these my actions, prayers, words, etc.,
through Thine only-begotten Son, in the power
of the Holy Ghost, to the eternal praise of Thy
name and for the salvation of all men."
4. His trials and afflictions, whether great or
small, external or internal, the servant of God
should offer in some such manner as this :
"Most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, I offer to
Thee, in union with Thy venerable passion, this
'™l
76 spiritual ,,
trial, temptation, grief, calamity, and I unite this,)
sorrow to all that Thou didst endure for me ; I|
offer all for the eternal praise of Thy name and'i
for the salvation of all Thy Church."
Or, speaking to the eternal Father : " Holy
Father, I offer all that afflicts me to Thee, in
union with the most sacred passion of Thy well-
beloved Son, in eternal praise of Thy name, and
for the salvation of all."
5. As a full reparation, expiation and satis-
faction for your own sins and negligences, and
for the sins, as well as for the salvation of others,
both living and dead, offer to God the Father the
merits of Christ. Offer His incarnation, His
birth. His daily life on earth, His passion, death,
resurrection and ascension.
Or again, more in detail, offer His humility,
to make amends for your pride ; His patience, to
atone for your impatience ; His chastity, for your
want of purity ; for your malice offer His
innocence.
Or at another time thus address Christ : " I
implore Thee, O my Lord, answer for me, and
deign to satisfy for my sins, offering to Thy
Father the merits of Thy most holy manhood."
In like manner should we offer for our own
sins and those of others the sacred Host, that is,
the Body of the Lord under the sacramental veils.
Here may also be added as a useful admonition
that the same holy Host can be offered for the
increase of the joy and glory of any saint already
in the glory of heaven.
So also the most sweet Heart of Jesus, the
treasure-house of all beatitude, can be presented
to the saints for the increase of their glory, that
is their accidental glory.
6. If the spiritual man should ask for pardon
Instruction 77
of sin, or any other grace, in the name of the
Son, most easily will he obtain what he asks.
ISo he may say to God the Father : " O Father
most merciful, have mercy on me ; be merciful to
me, a sinner ; forgive my offences and negli-
gences, through Thy only-begotten Son." For
:when we ask anything piously, or make any
'offering through the Son, it is not possible that
i this petition or oblation should be anything but
pleasing to God the Father ; as a thing seen
[through a transparent gem, or even glass of a
golden or purple hue, cannot but appear of a
golden or purple colour. For neither in heaven
I nor on earth hath the Father anything more dear
to Him than His only-begotten Son. Whence
also our Mother, the Church, is wont to end her
petitions thus : " Through Jesus Christ our Lord."
7. In the following, or some kindred method,
can the spiritual man beg of Christ to supply his
imperfections. " O good Jesus ! far too imper-
fectly do I serve Thee and praise Thee. My
desire of Thee is much too weak, and my love of
Thee too cold. Far, alas, too far am I from
true self-denial, mortification and humility; from
meekness, patience, charity and purity; there-
fore I beg of Thee to supply Thyself what is
wanting in me, and to offer to Thy Father Thine
own divine Heart."
Or, again, thus : " I commend to Thy divine
Heart the office which I have said, and the
praises of Thy name, my lukewarm and dis-
tracted service, asking Thee to amend and
perfect it. I offer it to the glory of Thy name
and for the welfare of Thy Church, in union with
that love with which Thou didst pray on earth to
Thy Father and praise Him. I beg of Thee to
praise Him most perfectly."
jS Spiritual Instruction
When such things are said with true humility
of heart, Christ Jesus most undoubtedly supplies
what is wanting to human weakness. We must
believe this, and without doubt it will be done.
For it is an unquestionable truth that we shall
obtain from God all things really useful for us, if
only, with humble and unshaken confidence, we
hope to receive them. To what may we liken
him who has not this humble trust, but in asking
Christ to satisfy for him, to supply for him, and
to adorn him with his merits, remains still dis-
couraged and cast down with doubt and fear, full
of distrust ? Verily, he is like a man who, having
exchanged his own vile and filthy garments for
royal robes, knoweth not how to behave in a
way becoming the dress that has been given
him, but acts like a rude unmannerly person in
the royal presence, walking in a boorish, shame-
faced way, instead of advancing with courtly
manners.
8. All these things has God been pleased to
reveal to His most familiar friends. By follow-
ing this method we can render our works most
noble. In this way we can enrich our poverty
from the inexhaustible treasure of the merits of
Christ, and adorn our souls with the beauty of
these same merits. In this way also can we
most easily satisfy for our sins.
Note. —Many of the practices and prayers recommended
in this chapter by Blosius were revealed by our Lord Himself
to St Gertrude.
CHAPTER X
A most pious daily exercise explained, by which a man
can set God actually before him.
1. First act of interior recollection, sorrow for sin.
2. Second act, remembrance of the benefits of Christ,
with thanksgiving.
3. Self-humiliation and conformity to the good pleasure
of God.
4. Petition for those things necessary for union with God.
5. Invocation of the saints.
6. Prayer for the living and the dead.
7. Praise of the Holy Trinity.
8. Loving aspirations.
I. First interior act, sorrow for sin. He who
beginneth a spiritual course of life ought always,
as far as human weakness will allow, to endea-
vour to be recollected and to dwell in the secret
chamber of his own soul with God. But over
and above this constant habit of recollection, *
he ought every day, without fail, unless hindered
by some insuperable impediment, to seek a
special audience with the heavenly Spouse of the
soul, and strive to unite himself to God, whether
he may feel any sensible sweetness of devotion
or not. For this exercise a suitable hour should
be appointed.
The exercise of various aspirations set down
in chapter IV helps not a little to unite the soul
to God in prayer ; but another is here given,
which the holy fathers consider to be most useful,
* Qen. xvii, i.
8o Spiritual
and therefore the spiritual beginner must not
undervalue it.
First, therefore, with much recollection of
the powers of the soul and senses of the body,
throw yourself in spirit at the feet of the Lord
Jesus, and deplore your sins humbly, yet calmly
and sweetly. Cast them all into the abyss of
the mercies of God, that, utterly absorbed, they
may be consumed and reduced to nothing by the
fire of God's love. Most earnestly wish that
you had never offended God. Purpose with all
the force of your will, by the help of His grace,
never to displease Him wilfully again. Ask for
pardon through the merits of Christ's manhood,
through the merits of the Blessed Mary, and of
all the saints of God. Beg the favour of being
washed by the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus
Himself, and so to become perfectly healed and
made holy. Then trust with full confidence that
now you have received full remission and pardon
of sin.
2. Then, rising, call to mind briefly the life
and sufferings of Christ, and give thanks to
Him, your Redeemer.
3. After this, prostrate yourself in spirit be-
neath every creature. Prefer all men, by a
deliberate act, to yourself. Embrace all men
by the arms of charity. Renounce all that
is not God. Resign yourself fully to the good
pleasure of God, and offer yourself into His
hands, as ready to bear every trial and adversity
for Him.
These acts of humility, resignation and
abandonment should be made sincerely and with
full acceptance of the will. If, however, you feel
that you cannot yet make them with full sin-
cerity of heart and will, yet offer them to God
Instruction 81
with all the sincerity you can, and the Lord will
[be pleased. If you cannot yet be entirely re-
' signed, at least desire so to be.
4. The next act should be an earnest petition
to the Lord for those things which are necessary
for you, and especially that you may arrive one
day at perfect union with Him.
5. Then proceed to invoke the most glori-
ous Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and
the other blessed citizens of heaven, in order
that the graces you desire to obtain may be
yours.
6. Moreover, you should pray for all, for
whom Jesus our Lord deigned to offer Himself as
a living Victim to the Father. Pray, not only
\ for all Christians, but for all infidels over the
whole face of the globe. Think with compassion
the most tender of all those unhappy ones who
I: by sin deface the beautiful image of God im-
' pressed on their souls, and banish themselves
from eternal happiness and the heavenly king-
: dom. Also look with compassion at the many
|j souls of the faithful departed still detained in the
I pains of purgatory. Thus you will take a
charitable interest in the whole family of your
Lord, and you will desire with your whole heart
the salvation of all. This charity for others
will speedily draw down the mercy of God on
yourself.
7. After this, direct your prayer to the most
!| Holy Trinity, and offer the praises of your heart.
Have an ardent desire to praise God more than
you do and more than you can. For God looks
at the will, the desire ; and He considers a man
to have done well all that the will really desires.
j He takes the will for the deed, although the man
i cannot really perform and execute what he sin-
6
82 Spiritual Instruction
cerely desires. Our desires are, in fact, as great
before God as we truly and sincerely wish
them to be.
8. Lastly, the spiritual man will take care
lovingly to aspire unto God, and with inflamed
desire of will to ask for a blessed union with Him.
CHAPTER XI
The daily exercise described in the last cha.pter is here
thrown into a form of prayer, as a specimen, by
the devout use of which the spiritual man can
advance much in divine union,
1. Acknowledgement of sin with sorrow.
2. Thanksgiving for the benefits of Christ.
3. Humility and resignation of self to God's good
pleasure.
4. Petition for those things necessary for union.
5. Invocation of the Blessed Virgin and the saints.
6. Prayer for the Church and for all men.
7. Praise and glory to the most Holy Trinity.
8. Loving aspirations.
Here I will throw the daily exercise I have re-
commended into a form of prayer, in order that,
by this specimen of what he should aim at, I may
please and instruct the beginner in a spiritual
course.*
I. Acknowledgment of sin and contrition,
O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, what shall I say
to Thee r I bow the knees of my heart, and
I acknowledge to Thee my sins. Indeed I have
sinned, and done evil before Thee. Against Thee
have I sinned, my most kind Maker. I have
sinned against Thee, my most sweet Redeemer.
I have sinned against Thee, my most loving
* This form is not meant by Blosius to be followed rig-idly,
but to serve as an example, and to be used freely, enlarg-ed or
abridged, as each one pleases, and is led by the interior grace
of God.
84 Spiritual
Benefactor. Alas ! exceedingly ungrateful and
unfaithful have I been to Thee.
Most vile am I — dust and ashes, nothing.
Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy on me.
All my iniquities, negligences and all that has
been against Thy will, and such things are in-
numerable and most grievous, I put into Thy
most beloved wounds ; all of them I cast into the
immense fire of Thy love, I bury them in the
infinite abyss of Thy mercies. Would that I had'
never offended Thee. Would that I had
never hindered the work of Thy grace in me.
Would that I had always pleased Thee, and had
always obeyed in all things Thine inspirations
and Thy will. I propose henceforth, through
Thy grace, to avoid whatever displeaseth Thee.
I am ready rather to die than wilfully to
offend thee.
O loving Jesus, be merciful to me, and forgive
me through the merits of Thy human nature ;
through the merits of Thy most blessed Mother
and of all Thine elect. Wash me with Thy
Precious Blood ; cleanse me perfectly ; heal me,
and make me holy.
2. Remembrance of the benefits of
Christ, with thanksgiving.
I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I glorify Thee,
I bless and thank Thee, O Lord Jesus, for all Thy
mercies and benefits. I give Thee thanks, O Son of
the living God, because by Thy exceeding charity,
by which Thou didst love me. Thou didst deign
to become man. For my sake Thou didst will to
be born in a stable ; to be wrapt in swaddling
clothes ; to be laid in a manger; to be nourished
by the Virgin Mother with a little milk ; to
endure poverty and want ; to be wearied during
thirty-three years with many labours and trials.
[Instruction 85
For me and for my sins Thou didst will to
fall into an agony and to be bathed in a sweat of
blood ; to be ignominiously taken captive ;
disgracefully bound ; unjustly condemned ; to be
! defiled with spittle ; to be struck by blows and
s buffeted ; to be clothed in a white garment as a
jfool.
For my sake Thou didst will to be cruelly
scourged and crowned with painful thorns, with
' nails to be fixed to the cross, to have gall and
' vinegar for Thy bitter drink.
Thou, who dost clothe the stars with glory,
didst will to hang for me on the cross, naked,
I despised, wounded and racked with intense
' pains. For me Thou didst pour forth Thy most
Precious Blood. For me Thou didst die.
O sweet Jesus, my only salvation, grant that
I may love Thee with most fervent love, and
I compassionate Thee from my inmost heart.
' With the arms of my heart's love I embrace Thy
venerable cross, and I kiss it in order to show
honour and love to Thee. I salute the spiritual
I roses of Thy wounds which drop sweetness,
i those wounds Thou didst undergo for me, and in
\ which Thou hast engraved me. All hail, O life-
!! giving wounds of my Lord and my Lover,
bringing me salvation !
3. Humility and conformity to the good
pleasure of god.
Behold, O worshipful Saviour, I, an abomin-
able sinner, put myself willingly below all
created things, in the very lowest place, for I am
unworthy to be on the earth, I prefer all
men to myself.* I subject myself to all, and I
am willing to make myself the servant of all.
I desire to embrace all in sincere charity, and
* Phil, ii, 3. '
86 Spiritual 11
. — — ^ ^
especially those who are disagreeable to me or ij
those who have injured me. 1
I renounce for Thy love all iniquity and
vanity, all delight that is not for Thee, all self-
will and unmortified desire. I abandon and
reject all that is below Thee ; and Thee, before
all, I choose. I resign myself entirely to Thee.
I desire and pray that Thy most gracious will
may be done in me and by me in time and
eternity. I offer myself to Thee and abandon
myself into Thy hands, ready, by Thy grace and
for the glory of Thy name, to bear any disgrace
and injury, any contempt and reproach, any trial
and pain. I am ready to forego all sensible
comfort. I do not refuse to live, if it is Thy will, j
in the same poverty and affliction in which Thou i'
didst live.
4. Prayer for those things necessary
for union with god.
O most sweet Jesus, mortify in me whatever
displeases Thee. Adorn me with Thy merits and
virtues. Give me true humility, obedience,
meekness, patience and charity. Give me a ,
perfect control over my tongue and over all my if
members and senses. Grant me cleanness of
heart, detachment of spirit, interior liberty and
true recollection of soul with Thee. Conform my
spirit to the Spirit of Thy blessed human ,
nature, my soul to Thy holy Soul, and my body ' |
to Thy unspotted Body. By the light of Thy
Godhead calm and enlighten my inmost soul.
I believe that Thou art within me according to
Thy Godhead; deign, therefore, to see by my
eyes, to hear by my ears, to speak by my tongue,
and to use all my members and powers as
pleaseth Thee. Free me from all those things
that prevent perfect union with Thee. Through
if Instruction 87
Thy most venerable wounds I beseech Thee to
draw me into the centre of my soul, purified from
all imperfection, that I may dwell there trans-
formed in Thee, my God and my origin. Grant
to my soul " a fountain of water springing up
into life everlasting," * in order that I may know
Thee clearly, may love Thee ardently, adhere to
Thee by intimate union, and rest in Thee by
quiet possession for the praise of Thy name.
Hear me, O my God, not according to my
will, but according to Thy good pleasure. Hear
me in the way best fitting for Thy honour and
my salvation.
5. Invocation of the Blessed Virgin and
the saints.
O Mary, most sweet Mother of God, O most
glorious Queen of heaven, take pity on me.
Intercede for me, O white lily of the bright and
ever unchanging Trinity, that through thee I
may be fast bound by perfect love to thy Son,
Jesus Christ, and be a man according to His
Heart.
O all ye saints of God, and all ye, O blessed
angels, help me. Pray for me, O ye unfading
flowers of the heavenly country, that I may ever
please the most high King, the sweet con-
templation of whom, face to face, is your ever-
lasting joy.
6. O most merciful Jesus, have mercy on Thy
Church, have mercy on all for whom Thou hast
shed Thy sacred Blood. Convert all miserable
sinners. Recall heretics and schismatics. En-
lighten infidels who know Thee not. Help all
who are in any necessity and trial. Be with all
who have asked or who desire my prayers ; with
my parents, kinsfolk and benefactors. Make all
* John iv, 14.
88 Spiritual
pleasing to Thee. Grant to the living pardon
and grace, to the faithful departed eternal rest
and light. For all, I offer to Thee Thy Precious
Blood, all that Thou hast willed to do and to
suffer for our salvation. I offer all the merits of
Thy life on earth.
7. O most high, most kind, most merciful
Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, one God,
teach, direct and help me, who hope in Thee.
Eternal Father, through Thine infinite power,
take to Thyself my memory, and fill it with holy
and godlike thoughts. O everlasting Son,
through Thine eternal wisdom, enlighten my
intellect, and enrich it with the knowledge of the
supreme truth and of my own nothingness.
O holy Spirit, who art the love of the Father
and the Son, through Thine incomprehensible
goodness draw my will to Thyself, and light up
within it the unquenchable fire of Thy charity.
O adorable Trinity, would that I could love and
praise Thee as perfectly as the angels and saints
love and praise Thee !
Behold, Lord, as far as my power goes, I
magnify Thy wisdom and Thy merciful omni-
potence ; I bless Thy almighty and merciful
wisdom ; I glorify Thy wise and almighty mercy.
But since I cannot praise Thee as I ought,
with any praise worthy of Thee, do Thou Thy-
self deign most perfectly to praise Thyself in me.
Had I the love of all creatures most willingly
would I pour it out on Thee alone.
8. O Lord God, most dear to me, as my first
beginning. O divine nature, perfect in most
simple unity ; absolutely unchanging in Thy
calm serenity ; worthy of infinite love. Pro-
found abyss, most sweet, most desirable, full of
exquisite delight. O light, pleasant to the eye
Instruction 89
of the soul and sweetness to the spirit. O torrent
of inestimable delights. Sea of unspeakable joys.
Boundless fulness of all good. My God and
my all ! Thou perfectly satisfiest my desires.
What do I want, save only Thee r Thou art my
only and unchangeable good. Thee only ought
I to seek ; Thee only do I seek and desire. Oh,
draw me after Thee. Burn me up in the fire of
Thy consuming love.
Look down with pity on my desolate state of
poverty, ignorance and blindness. Behold, I
knock ; open to me. Open the door for me, an
orphan crying out to Thee. Plunge me deep
down into the abyss of Thy divinity ; absorb me
entirely, and make me one spirit with Thee, that
Thou mayest be able to find delight in me.
Those who find this exercise too long can
divide it into different parts, or compress it into
few words, or use it without words.
CHAPTER XII
"What a spiritual Man may hope fof, if he perseveres
in the course laid down in this work. How the
hidden or mystical Union is wrought in the Soul
of the perfect, and some Warnings or Admoni'
tions regarding it. Of the highest point of the
Spirit; the Essence or inner Sanctuary of the
Soul,
SECTION I
Mystical Union is often vouchsafed to the Soul that is
constant in Perseverance.
1. God does not vouchsafe to give mystical union, except
to a soul that has persevered humbly, faithfully and
patiently in the holy exercises already indicated.
2. A formula to assist the soul in sighing after union
through holy aspirations.
I . If the spiritual beginner is careful to exercise
his soul daily in the manner laid down, and thus
to unite himself to God ; if, through internal con-
versations and loving desires, he strives without
ceasing to join himself to God ; if he takes care
to persevere constantly in self-denial and mortifi-
cation and never gives up his holy purpose, either
on account of his frequent falls or because he be-
comes discouraged by the innumerable distrac-
tions of his mind, he will certainly arrive at per-
fection and mystical union, if not in this life at
least in death. And even if he should not arrive
at it then, most certainly will he arrive at it after
the death of the body.
spiritual Instruction 91
For in eternity he will enjoy that perfect
union in greater or less degree, according to the
greater or less intensity of the desire with which
he sought it here below. God will bestow upon
us an eternal reward for our good desires, even
though in this pilgrimage we never attain to
what we desire.
Therefore deal manfully. Ask, seek, knock
with perseverance, and patiently wait. Call to
mind the faithful promise of the Lord Jesus :
" Every one who asketh, receiveth ; and he that
seeketh, findeth ; and to him that knocketh, it
shall be opened" (Luke xi, 10).
Believe, without doubt, that not even the
least little prayer nor the least sigh breathed
forth to God can go without its fruit.
The perfection you desire, and have not yet
attained, love in others, who are God's special
friends. Rejoice, and thank God for the gifts
which the Lord confers on them. Thus, far
removed from all envy, you can make the good
things bestowed on others your own, by charity
and sincere rejoicing with them.
2. The spiritual man will find much fruit
from frequently considering in his mind such
words as these : " O Lord God, Thou art always
present with me, dwelling in the inmost sanctuary
of my soul. O most simple and most joyful
good, when shall I find Thee, when shall I ad-
here closely to Thee ? O my beginning, from
whom I am, most desirable in Thyself, when
shall I return to Thee and be supernaturally
transformed after laying aside the old form r O
God, my Lord, have mercy on me, a poor exile;
have mercy on me, a vile sinner. Wash and
sanctify my heart ; raise up and enlighten my
mind.
92 Spiritual
Make my soul pure, simple, free and detached.
Make me a man after Thine own Heart. Kindle
within me the fire of Thy love, and entirely con-
sume me in it, that my soul, utterly melted, may
flow into Thee, may be united to Thee without
any medium, face to face, to the praise of Thy
name, O living Son of God, Jesus Christ, make
me conformed to Thy sacred human nature.
SECTION II
Description of mystical Theology or Union, How this
wonderful Union is celebrated in the perfect Soul.
1. A description, sweet, yet sublime, of that hidden union,
which is called mystical theology, by which the soul is,
in a certain sense, deified, or transformed into God.
2. The same union described in the words of Dionysius
the Areopagite, who was the first to give to that act, or
union, the name of mystical theology.
3. How happy the state is of a holy soul that has been
brought to this union.
I . Happy indeed is that soul which is filled con-
stantly with an earnest desire for purity of heart
and holy introversion, or recollection of spirit,
and entirely renounces all self-love, self-will and
self-seeking. For such a soul merits to approach
nearer and nearer to God.
At last, when its higher powers have been
raised up, enlightened and adorned by divine
grace, the spirit will attain to a simple unity, and
will arrive at pure love without images in the
imagination, and at a simple knowledge of the
mind without reflections. In this state, since it
is now capable of receiving from God a grace of
unspeakable excellence, it is brought to that
living fountain which floweth forth from eternity
Instruction 93
and with exceeding abundance refresheth the
minds of the saints.
Now the powers of the soul shine like stars,
and the soul itself is fit to contemplate the abyss
of the Godhead with a calm, simple and joyful
intuition, without any imagination and without
any reflections in the intellect.
When, therefore, the soul, in this purified
state, turns itself entirely to God with love, an in-
comprehensible light shining in its depths, the
eye of the reason and intellect is obscured by the
dazzling light, but the simple eye of the soul it-
self remains open and not dazed by the light.
This eye is a pure, simple, uniform thought, raised
above all reflections of the intellect.
Moreover, as the natural light of the intellect
is darkened by such excess of light, the soul sees
nothing in time, but raised above time and place
takes to itself, as it were, a certain characteristic
of eternity.
For, losing the sight of all images and the
distinction and consideration of created things,
it learns now by experience that God far tran-
scends all bodily, spiritual and divine images, as
well as all the mind can understand about Him,
whatever can be said or written about Him and
whatever name can be given Him.*
The soul clearly perceives that all these
things are infinitely distant from the real truth of
the divine essence, and that the essence of God is
above all names. The soul does not see the
essence of God, whom it feels.
Hence, with an intuitive knowledge of God,
without any exercise of thought, it rests quiet in
* This taring's to our mind Ecclesiasticus xliii, 29 : " We ■
shall say much, yet shall want words : but the sum of our words
is : He is all." See also to the end of the chapter.
94 Spiritual
the love of God, pure, simple and yet unknown,
because above all comprehension. For, in truth,
the divine light, on account of its exceeding-
brightness, is inaccessible, whence also it is
called darkness.*
Here the soul receives the hidden word which
God speaks in the inward silence and in the
secret depths of the soul. This hidden word it
receives, and experiences the happy embrace of
mystical union. t
For when, through love, the soul goes beyond
all work of the intellect and all images in the
the mind, and is rapt above itself (a favour
God only can bestow), utterly leaving itself, it
flows into God : then is God its peace and
fulness. In this peace of mind the soul can
rightly sing : " In pace, in idipsum, dormiam et
requiescam " — " In peace, in the self-same, I will
sleep and I will rest."J
The loving soul, as I have said, flows out of
itself, and completely swoons away; and as if
brought to nothing, it sinks down into the abyss
of divine Love, where, dead to itself, it lives in
God, knowing nothing, feeling nothing, save only
the love that it tastes. §
It loses itself in the infinite solitude and
darkness of the Godhead ; but so to lose itself is
rather to find itself. ||
Then, putting off" whatever is human and
putting on what is divine, it is, as it were, trans-
formed and changed into God, as iron placed in
fire receives the form of fire, and is changed into
* "Clouds and darkness are round about Him " (Ps. xcvi, 2).
" He that is a searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed by
glory " (Proverbs xxv, 27). See also Ecclesiasticus iii, 22-25.
f Apoc. ii, 17. J Psalm iv, 9.
§ Col. iii, 3. By " knowing- nothing-," is meant nothing
that distracts the soul from God. || John xii, 25.
Instruction Q5
fire. Just as the iron thus glowing with fire
does not cease to be iron, so the soul, as it were,
deified, does not change its nature and still
remains itself.*
The soul, therefore, remains itself; but
whereas it before was cold, now it burns; whereas
it before was darlc, now it shines with light ;
whereas it before was hard, now it has become
soft.
The essence of God has so flowed into its
essence, that we may say the soul has, as it were,
the same tint or colour.f
Enkindled with the fire of divine Love, and
entirely liquefied, the soul passes into God, + is
united to Him without any medium, and becomes
with Him one spirit, even as gold and brass are
welded into one mass of metal. §
Among the souls who are thus carried out of
themselves and rapt into God, there are different
degrees of the divine favour, for they are more
deeply and sublimely absorbed into God in pro-
portion to the efficacious and ardent way in
which their love turns to Him, and in proportion
to the perfection of their self-d'enial and freedom
from all self-seeking.
2. How St Dionysius the Areopagite
DESCRIBES THIS MYSTICAL OR HIDDEN UNION. ||
Dionysius the Areopagite, in the book he
* 2 Peter i, 4.
t " Plane tota Deicolor est ; quia essentia ejus essentia
Dei perfusa est." J Cant, v, 6.
§ By this comparison the closeness of the union is shown ;
but it g-oes no further. The union of gold and brass results in
somethingf neither pure gold nor pure brass.* In this there is no
likeness in divine union.
II The books here quoted are not now believed to be the.
work of St Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts xvii, 34), but to be
written under his name. The author is unknown, but they
were written in Greek, not earlier than the end of the third, and
96 Spiritual
wrote on mystical theology, exhorts Timothy, to
whom the book is addressed, to labour for this
union, in the following terms :
" Do thou, O beloved Timothy, in order to
come by intense exercise to the knowledge of
mystical truth, leave the senses and intellectual
operations, and all sensible and intellectual
things, yea, all things which are actual or
possible. Having left all things stretch thyself
forth with all thy strength, through a certain
ignorance, to a union with Him who is above
all substance and all science. For, indeed, when
thou hast gone out freely, absolutely and purely
from thyself and from all other things, then, all
things being removed, and thou thyself being
free from all things, thou wilt fly up to the super-
substantial ray of the divine Darkness."
After some other words he thus proceeds :
" The soul in the state of contemplation, leaving
visible and intellectual things, enters the mys-
tical cloud of ignorance, in which, having done
with all the helps of science and knowledge, it
is absorbed entirely in Him who utterly eludes
all touch and sight, and transcends all things."
And further on : " Let us pray to be admitted
into this clear and lucid cloud, that, through loss
of natural sight and knowledge, we may see and
know Him who transcends all sight and know-
ledge ; for thus not to see and not to know is to
see and to know in very truth."
The same Dionysius, writing to Dorotheus,
the deacon, speaks of this divine cloud in the
following words :
more probably during- the course of the fourth, century
Thoug-h not written by the disciple of St Paul, they are works
of deep theological learning and marvellous spiritual insight,
and have ever been held in high estimation in the Church.
Instruction 97
" The divine cloud is that inaccessible light
in which God is said to dwell.* This cloud, on
account of its wondrous and surpassing bright-
ness, is invisible ; and, on account of the
immense abundance of the supernatural light
flowing from it, is inaccessible ?
" To this he attains, and into it he is absorbed,
who has merited to know and to see God ; for, by
the very fact that he neither sees nor knows Him,
he is more intimately united to Him who sur-
passes all sight and knowledge, knowing Him to
be above all which is the object of sense or
intellect, and declaring with the prophet : ' Thy
knowledge is become wonderful to me : it is
high, and I cannot reach it.' f In this way that
wonderful man, St Paul, writes that he knew
God, at the same time that he knew Him to be
above all knowledge and comprehension, and
therefore cried out : ' O the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God !
How incomprehensible are His judgements and
how unsearchable His ways ! ' % He also
testifies that the graces of God are unspeakable
and that His peace surpasses all understand-
ing. For Him had he found, who is above
all, and Him did he know in a way exceeding
all human understanding. He, who is the
maker of all, in His own nature surpasses all
things."
3. Oh, how holy is that soul, which, visited
in a wonderful way by God, and exalted by Him
above all created things, and even above all
working of its own, has been purified in the
memory from all images, and experiences perfect
purity and simplicity! In the intellect it per-
* " He dwelleth in light inaccessible " i Tim. vi, i6.
Ecclus. xliii, 29, etc. t Ps. cxxxviii, 6. % Rom. xi, 33.
7
98 Spiritual
ceives the exceeding bright illuminations of the
Sun of Justice, and apprehends the divine truth ;
and in the will experiences a certain heat of calm
love, the spiritual contact of the Holy Ghost, as
of a living fountain,* flowing with streams of
eternal sweetness, and thus is invited and intro-
duced into union with God, the most excellent of
all goods. Oh, happy is that hour !
For then, indeed, the soul enjoys a super-
natural festival of intense gladness and refreshing
joy within itself, and in some sort has a foretaste
of the future happiness.
Oh, how happy is he to whom that most
fragrant spring and most lovely summer arises,
and to whom it is vouchsafed to feel, if only for a
moment, the touch divine ! For he is then
brought to that which neither reason nor intellect
can take in, nor tongue of man express, f
Through wise ignorance and through the inward
touch of love he knows God better than his
outward eyes know the visible sun. To that
degree is he established in God, that he feels
God more nearly united to his soul than he is to
himself.
As the effect of this union he now leads a
godlike life, raised above all things ; he becomes
conformed to Christ in spirit, mind and body.
Whether he eats or drinks, whether he watches
or sleeps, God ever works in him, and in a most
sublime way lives in him.
To such a soul God Himself teaches all
things, and opens his spiritual and hidden
senses. Very often, yea, almost continually,
doth He deign to visit him, to draw him to Him-
*Ps. xlv, 5.
t God can never be comprehended by the human mind,
though He can be partially known. Summa I, qu. xii, art. 7.
Instruction 99
self, to imprint upon him the kiss of love,* to
illuminate, enkindle, penetrate and fill his soul.
For since his soul is now a bright mirror,
without the slightest tarnish, and in a position to
catch easily the rays of the divine Sun, that
divine Sun of Justice cannot but pour forth upon
it continually streams of grace, rays of wisdom
and bright flashes of charity.
In a most sublime and wonderful way, indeed,
doth God sometimes reveal and manifest Him-
self to a perfect soul, though still He doth not
show Himself as He is, face to face, in His un-
speakable glory, but only as far as in this life He
is able to be seen.
f
SECTION III
Certain Admonitions that must be faithfully observed about
this state of union.
1. What things chiefly promote and what impede this
state of union.
2. The greatest moderation and discretion are needed in
the endeavour after high contemplation.
3. Divine visitations are to be received humbly and with
much wisdom.
4. Union must not be abused by seeking in it our own
delight ; nor on account of it must the soul neglect the
duties of its calling in life.
I. Observe well, it cannot be that a soul can
arrive at this intimate union with God unless it
hath become entirely pure and simple, and thus
hath a likeness to God.
In order therefore that it may deserve to be
united to God, it must preserve itself as far as
is possible from all sin, from all pleasure indulged
for its own sake, and become free in heart and
*Cant. i, I.
lOO spiritual
mind from everything created. The soul should
therefore earnestly beg of God to make it as pure
and free from disorderly affection as on the day
on which it was born again in the waters of
holy baptism, for then can God freely flow into
the soul.
By true and deep humility the soul must
always acknowledge itself to be most vile and
unworthy, must always subject itself absolutely to
the will of God, and keep itself raised up to
Him.
Grave sins and much immortification of self-
will render us utterly unlike God, and are like
thick walls separating us from Him.* Yea, even
a slight love and a weak affection which causes
the soul to adhere somewhat to a mortal and
created thing, a little idle word, or a morsel of
food taken otherwise than it ought, and other
minute offences and deordinations of this kind
prevent God, who is purity itself, from being able
to unite Himself intimately to the soul till they
have been expiated by repentance.
Lastly, every image and thought of perishable
things, yea, even a thought about the angels,
or even of the passion of Christ, f and any
intellectual reflection impedes a man in this
mortal life when he desires to rise to mystical
union with God, who is above all substance and
all intellect.
At the moment therefore when God deigns to
raise a soul to union with Himself, holy thoughts
and images of any kind, though at other times
most useful to be received and entertained, are to
be avoided and left, because they in some degree
stand between the soul and God.
* Isa. lix, 2.
t Compare the doctrine in chapter vi.
Instruction loi
Wherefore, the spiritual man who desires to
attain to this union, directly he feels himself
vehemently inflamed and drawn upwards by the
love of God, should cast out all images from the
mind, and should betake himself to the Holy of
Holies, and to that internal silence in which
there is no longer human, but only divine work-
ing ; for then God acts, and man is passive.*
For, whilst the powers of the loving soul are
silent and their own activity is stilled to rest and
they are free from every image, God himself
speaks, and influences the powers of the soul as
He pleases, and accomplishes a most noble work
in the soul.
When, moreover, the spiritual man feels this
wonderful working of God no more, then should
he quietly resume his own work and continue his
spiritual exercises.
2. Besides this the spiritual man should
notice that in his internal exercises of intro-
version and of turning to God, he should not
make too violent a mental eflbrt, lest if he were
to attempt too high a flight he might err from
want of simplicity, and be involved in interior
darkness, from which usually arise intolerable
miseries and anxieties.
He should therefore practise introversion with
much simplicity, keeping down and blinding the
eye of the intellect calmly but with diligence.
He should also prudently avoid a violent
effort and strain of the mind, lest he should
weigh down his natural powers and weaken
himself too much.
* To avoid any siiggfestion of " Quietism " we must under-
stand that, though the intellect is passive in the sense of not
using- the lower faculties, in not reasoning-, it is in the fullest
activity in its highest act, viz., contemplating the truth.
102 Spiritual
If, however, he cannot always escape some
internal trial and affliction, he must take heed
not to be troubled, nor to let his soul despond;
but he must bear this kind of tribulation with
humility and patience, receiving it. from the hand
of the Lord, and offering it to Him for His
eternal praise.
If he acts in this way, and perseveres with
constancy in the exercise of inward prayer, at
length he will be abundantly refreshed with
heavenly manna, and sometimes will be com-
pletely satiated with it.
Some souls who exercise themselves in fervent
aspirations to God feel often a great interior tor-
ture, until by the gift of God and by constant
habit they attain to the knowledge of how to
exercise themselves with simplicity and ease.
Many there are also who cannot bear even a
slight sensible compunction without injury to
themselves.
The spiritual man must earnestly avoid any-
thing whatever that tends to destroy the peace
and calm of his soul, but those impediments and
hindrances that he cannot escape he should offer
to God, as it has been already said, to His
eternal praise.
3. When the soul receives some consolation
from God, and is visited in an extraordinary way
by Him, and, filled with the light of grace, is
carried beyond its natural light, care must be
taken not to wonder too much at that which is
experienced, and extravagant gestures should be
restrained. Let the soul beware of searching too
much into what God is or in what way He is.*
Neither should a man allow himself to speculate
* " He that is a searcher of majesty shall be overwhelmed
by glory " (Prov. xxv, 27). Compare Eccles. iii, 22.
Instruction 103
as to the nature of the light shining and radia-
ting within his soul, but taking these things
for what they are, without any curious investi-
gation of the reason, he should repose on
God alone, the unknown and the incom-
prehensible.
But lest he may feel any misgivings, he must
know, when he rejoices in the abundance of
internal light and consolation, that that light
which illuminates him in the essential base of
the soul, and by means of which a man is led to
acknowledge his own vileness and God's good-
ness, and thus to advance in true humility, is
poured into him by God, not by the wicked spirit.
That angel of darkness is indeed able to deceive
vain and proud men by casting upon them a
counterfeit light, and by exciting a false sweet-
ness in their blood or heart ; but, on the other
hand, God only can enter into the mind or the
essence of the soul.
4. The spiritual man must be careful not to
seek in the true gifts of God his own pleasure,
but the praise of God. He must not abuse God's
gifts to indulge himself in delight, for unworthy
indeed would it be to mingle the unclean filth of
his own pleasure with the precious balm of
divine grace ; but, dead to all gifts, this only
must he desire, that God should be able to find
in him delight, joy and peace, and should be
able to take possession of him by the effect of
His most gracious will. Ever should he be
ready to be deprived of the consolations with
which God refreshes him.
On the other hand he should not try to fight
against or to impede the gifts of God, but re-
ceiving them with a humble and grateful soul,
he should be lost in admiration in considering
104 Spiritual
the goodness of God in giving such things to
one so unworthy.
In very truth it is a thing most excellent and
joyful to rest with God in unity of spirit within
the soul, but other good works are not to be
abandoned on this account.* For the bee, as
long as it rests on the flowers, makes neither
honey nor wax. And what advantage is it,
through the consolation of the divine visitation,
to conceive in the spirit, unless it is followed by
the birth of good works ?
The truth is, that what is most pleasing to
God and most useful to man is persevering
resignation in languor, barrenness, darkness and
poverty of spirit.
It is further to be remarked that some people
can better engage themselves with God and
more easily remain in contemplation sitting
than standing or kneeling.
If it should happen sometimes that the
spiritual man, while deep in interior prayer,
should be called away, or should be obliged to
go away through obedience, he should not allow
himself to be disturbed, but with prompt and
cheerful obedience he should so do his external
duties as not to leave his interior ones. For he
ought always to deny himself, always to remain
resigned, and to be ever ready for the will of God
and the just desire of others and the needs of his
neighbour, to leave his accustomed exercises.
He must also take care, lest, by devoting
himself, according to his own ideas, to the im-
* What a lesson we learn from the fact that, directly "the
Word was made Flesh," our Blessed Lady, instead of remain-
ing- in her cell, in the delig-ht of contemplation, immediately
rose up and went a long- journey of charity to visit her cousin,
St Elizabeth, and to minister unto her !
Instruction 105
iji moderate maceration and chastisement of his
own body, he should raise an impediment to the
grace and spiritual operation of God in himself.
SECTION IV
A further Explanation of this mystical Union in the highest
point of the Will, the apex of the Mind, and in the essential
base of the Soul, and ho-w few come to the Knowledge of it.
1. Of the admirable operation of the Trinity in the essence
of the soul so united to Him, and the liberty and beauty
that come to the soul by this union.
2. The state of those souls who have truly arrived at this
union through a kind of foretaste of everlasting happi-
ness.
3. Few believe in, and fewer still have any experimental
knowledge of this essence, or essential base or inner
sanctuary of the soul.
4. What a benefit it is to know it, and in it to labour with
all earnestness after union with God till that union be
accomplished.
I. Concerning this divine union, which is ac-
complished in the apex or highest point of the
mind, some Fathers speak in the following terms.
When the highest point of the will or the
highest affection is kindled with love, and
the highest point of the intellect or the simple
intelligence is illuminated from above, then the
Blessed Trinity manifests Himself; the Father
in the memory, by the simple light of thought ;
the Son in the intellect, by clear knowledge ; the
Holy Ghost in the will by ardent love.
Hence the soul which contemplates that bright
cloud or that dark light, leaving itself and flow-
ing into God, is made one spirit with Him in the
inward essence of the soul and, generated * with
* This does not, of course, mean that the soul becomes the
eternal Word, but shares the sonship by being made the
adopted son of God. See i John iii, i.
1
io6 Spiritual
the eternal Word of God, whom the heavenly-
Father there shows or brings forth, is renewed in
a wonderful manner, and is rendered fit for every
good work and exercise.
Therefore God the Father Himself says of this
soul : " This is My beloved daughter, in whom I
am well pleased."
Rightly, therefore, doth one of the friends of
God exhort the rational soul in the following
words :
" O generous soul, keep thyself pure and free,
for liberty is a precious treasure. Take care not
to rove abroad to the multitudinous objects of
the senses, but with restrained senses dwell with-
in. Betake thyself into the most secret recess of
thy soul and, turned to God with ardent love,
plunge thyself into the very abyss of the God-
head a thousand times a day. For there, with-
out doubt, wilt thou attain to the knowledge of
uncreated beatitude. There wilt thou receive joy
which will indeed be very great, though not yet
perfect, for perfect joy, which will never be inter-
rupted, will be given thee only in that heavenly
country, where without ceasing thou shalt see
God as He is."
Thus writeth that servant of God.
2, In very truth the soul immersed in God
and absorbed into Him swims, as it were, to and
fro in the Godhead, and abounds with unspeak-
able joy which even overflows plenteously into
the body. Now does the soul itself, even in this
exile, enjoy a foretaste of eternal lila.
[a] For it has its thoughts fixed on God, and,
firmly bent on Him ; it goes ever deeper into its
origin, remaining constantly before God. It
possesses a certain supernatural unity of spirit in
which it dwells as in its own tabernacle, and in-
Instruction 107
clines itself into the Divine Essence, even to that
supreme unity, where the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, in the simplicity of the divine essence it-
self, are one.
The conversation, therefore, of this soul is in
heaven,* that is in the three Persons of the one
Godhead. And when it is thus united to God
in this excellent way, nothing is now to it as past
or future, but it holds the eternal, and in
that unchanging eternity, which is God, it hath
all things, and it experienceth freedom from the
order and distinction of images and forms. Thus
the soul, raised above the intellect, flies back to
its beginning and first principle, God, and there
is made light in light.
Then, indeed, all lights that are merely natural
or infused are quenched and rendered dark, for
they have always shone below this light, in the
same way as all the light of the stars is darkened
and fails before the brightness of the blazing
sun. For when the uncreated light arises created
light vanishes. Therefore the created light of
the soul is changed into the light of eternity.
[b] The state of these souls as to the mortifica-
tion of their lower powers.
Those who are in this state of mystical union
and have conquered and mortified their nature
and sensuality by the grace of God, have their
soul now spiritually transformed; it has passed
from temporal to spiritual life, and, after this,
they are not moved in any inordinate way, either
by prosperity or adversity, but enjoy a certain
essential peace. For neither hope nor fear,
neither joy nor sorrow, neither hatred nor love,
that has in it anything sensual or inordinate, nor
anything else that is in the least degree dis-
* Phil, iii, 20.
io8 Spiritual
turbing, is able to remain in them. For these
loving souls are illuminated in full measure with
divine light, in which they know clearly what they
should do and what leave undone.
[c) The state of those in mystical union in re-
lation to other men.
For God's sake they willingly submit them-
selves to other men, they gladly obey all for
God, with all their heart they choose the lowest
place. They are not puffed up on account of the
many excellent gifts which they have received,
since they plunge most deeply into their own
nothingness. They think nothing whatever of
themselves, knowing well that it is God who
works all the good they do. Constantly do they
remain fixed in true humility and filial fear, and
acknowledge that they are unprofitable servants.
[d) Their state of conscience.
All sin, not only serious but even the least,
they most carefully avoid as far as is possible in
this life. But those faults and negligences which
come from human weakness they ever blot out
and expiate by the Blood of Christ and by His
passion and merits.
[e) What they do as to ordinary exercises.
Their own employments and customs, which
formerly they had undertaken, they now abandon,
because they know not how to retain any exercise
of their own will, since they are not their own
but belong to Christ.
Moreover, they remain hidden from the world ;
nor, for the most part, doth any one easily notice
or perceive how truly Christian their simple and
heavenly conversation is, unless, perhaps, those
who have received the same grace of union ; for
they are not accustomed to adopt any singular or
strange ways that can be noticed by strangers.
Instruction 109
They are gentle and kind in daily life, and
show an affable and sociable manner to all so
long as no sin is involved. They appear not
very severe ; but are kind, and show to all an
aifectionate compassion. Whence it seems as if
they could not be separated from God unless,
perchance, they fail in humility, which God forbid.
(f) What others think of them.
The hidden children of God, because they use
\ humble words of themselves and behave as if
I they were of no account, are often looked down
upon by those who exteriorly have some appear-
( ance of sanctity. Moreover, they are also often
I despised by those who are very rigid and trust
! chiefly in the external austerity of their life,
j practised according to their own will. Such men
despise the hidden servants of God because they
allow themselves some rest and other necessary
things in a reasonable way, for the honour of
God, in order that the body may be better able to
serve the spirit.
But God takes more pleasure in one such soul
than in many other men who are not intimately
united to Himself.
2. Few men rise above their own natural
powers, and no one certainly by his own effort is
able to do so, for God only can lift a man,
persevering in humble prayer and doing what in
him lies, above himself.
Few, indeed, ever come to any experimental
knowledge of the highest affection and simple
intelligence, the highest point of the spirit and
the hidden essence of the soul.
Not only so, but it is almost impossible to
persuade many men to believe that this hidden
essence of the soul exists in us at all. For it is
far more interior as well as more sublime than
no spiritual
the three higher powers, the memory, intellect
and will, for it is the origin of these powers.
It is entirely simple, essential and one in
itself. Therefore, in it there is no multiplicity
but unity, and the three higher powers are here
united in one.
Here there is perfect rest, complete silence,
because no image is able to penetrate into this
sanctuary.
We ourselves, in this inner sanctuary of the
soul, in which the divine image lies hid, are like
unto God. This same hidden essence of the
soul, which tends or stretches out to a certain
abyss, is called " the heaven of the spirit" ; for in
it is the kingdom of God, according to the words
of our Lord : " The kingdom of God is within
you." *
But the kingdom of God is God Himself with
all His riches.
This detached essence of the soul, there
fore, free from all images, is lifted up above
all created things, and above all the senses
and powers ; it is above place and time, remain-
ing constant in cleaving to God, its begin-
ning. It is, therefore, essentially within us,
because it is the abyss of the soul and its
intimate essence.
This deep and hidden essence of the soul,
upon which the uncreated light continually shines,
when it begins to open itself to the knowledge of
a man and to let its light be seen by him, ex-
ceedingly moves and attracts him.
4. O noble essence of the soul, the divine
temple from which God never departs ! O most
excellent sanctuary in which the holy Trinity
abides and in which eternity itself is tasted !
* Luke xvii, 21.
Instruction iii
One perfect turning to this secret essence of
the soul and to God Himself is of more value
than many other different exercises and works,
and is able to make up for the lost opportunities
of ten or many more years.
For without doubt the fountain of water,*
springing up into life everlasting, gushes forth
plentifully in this secret essence of the soul,
which water is of such efficacy and sweetness
that it can easily cast out all the bitterness of
vice, and can without difficulty conquer and over-
come all the rebellion of nature. For as soon as
it has been drunk it flows through every part of
the soul and body, giving a wonderful purity
and a marvellous fecundity to both.
We ought not, therefore, to cease from prayer
until we are found worthy to drink of the waters
of this fountain. For if we can taste but one
little drop of it, we shall no longer thirst for vain
things and failing creatures, but for God only,
only for the love of God. The more we grow in
this love, the more shall we increase in divine
union ; and the more perfectly we become united
to God and the deeper we are immersed in Him,
the more clearly shall we know Him in Himself
and through Himself ; while, again, the more
clearly we know Him, the more ardently shall we
love Him.
Some souls later, some earlier arrive at that
fountain of living water, and are in an excel-
lent manner illuminated by supernatural light.
Certain chosen souls God brings very quickly to
perfection, and these He often, by a sudden
grace, draws so strongly to Himself that they
cannot resist.
* " The water that I will give him shall become in him a
fountain of water spring-ing- up into life everlasting." John iv, 14.
112 Spiritual Instruction
Blessed is he who, even after many years of
continual labour and constant digging, at last
deserves to find the spring of living waters in
the secret essence of his soul.
Surely it is no wonder if a man must keep a
long watch outside the presence chamber of the
eternal King ; he cannot complain if he has to
knock often and wait long before he can be
admitted within.
May God, the uncreated abyss, deign to call
to Himself our spirit, the created abyss, and to
unite it to Himself, in order that our soul, ab-
sorbed into the most deep sea of the Godhead,
may happily lose itself in the Spirit of God. In
this union the object and end of all spiritual
exercises, of all the sacred writings, and of all
instructions will be reached and obtained.
This little book being now finished we sub-
mit all we have written to the judgement of Holy
Mother Church and of the orthodox fathers, in
the faith of which Church we desire to live and
die for the glory of God, who is blessed for ever-
more. Amen.
TWO APPENDICES
To the ** Book of Spiritual Instruction **
of Louis Blosius
Taken from the Works of Doctor John Tauter, O.P.,
and other Fathers
f
With the appendix to the '* Book of Spiritual Instruc-
tion " Blosius wrote the following letter to his friend,
Florentius :
" The love I bear you, my dear Florentius, made it
possible for you to extort from me that Book of Spiritual
Instruction, which I had gathered for my own use from the
holy fathers; and God, as I hope, willed that I should send
it to you. Now, both you and I ought to strive to improve
every day in spiritual and interior life, and to draw nearer
and nearer to the Lord. For myself I am indeed
ashamed that I am still so far distant from perfect self-
denial and mortification, and from the perfect love of
God. May the most merciful Jesus deign to help my
resolution and my endeavour.
"However I am comforted by the words of a certain
friend of God, speaking thus to our Lord Himself:
' I will love Thee, O Lord, according to Thy gift and
my measure. If I cannot love Thee as I ought, I
cannot after all love Thee beyond my power. But
I shall be able to love Thee better when Thou shalt
deign to bestow more love upon me, though never shall
I be able to love Thee as Thou dost deserve to be
loved. Thine eyes have seen my imperfect being ; *
* Ps. cxxxviii, i6.
114 Spiritual Instruction
nevertheless " In Thy Book all shall be written," who do
what they can, though they cannot do what they ought.'
"These words, I repeat, bring some comfort to my
tepid soul dragged down to earth amid so many defects.
Most earnestly do I hope that every one who may read
that instruction with a pious mind, if, indeed, others
besides you will ever read it, may draw from it the fruit
of salvation, and by their prayers may help my dull and
unprofitable soul before God. The appendix, added to
the same ' Book of Instruction,' I have drawn almost
entirely from different places in the works of Doctor
John Tauler. I have not always quoted his exact words,
but I have taken care to give the sense of what he writes.
" Before I had compiled the ' Book of Spiritual
Instruction ' I wrote a short defence of Tauler against
the injurious attacks of Eckius. I send it to you ; you
can add it to my little book.
" Farewell in Jesus, our Lord.
" Liessies, the day before the Nones of October, 1551."
THE FIRST APPENDIX
CHAPTER I
The joyful Beginning of internal Life. — The Tempta-
tions and Afflictions that follow* — Ultimate
Perfection and admirable Union
1. An incredible pleasure followeth the perfect renouncing
of all things, at the first entrance into a spiritual course.
2. This joy often breaks forth from the inmost heart, and
shows itself in words and actions and in ecstasy.
3. But to this joyful beginning desolations often succeed,
in which resignation is necessary.
4. If these crosses should be patiently borne, union of
soul with God follows ; in which union the soul does not
seek its own delight, but the good pleasure of God.
5. For only in the Will of God is there solid consolation ;
and the most secure way to perfection is to resign our-
selves truly to that Will ; atruth illustrated by examples.
The renowned and sublimely illuminated theologian,
Doctor John Tauler, of the Order of St Dominic, speak-
ing in many places of his works about a soul that follows
the interior life, thus says in substance :
I. He who feels an ardent desire to lead an interior
hfe must examine himself diligently in order to pare and
cut away everything, whether in conversation, love,
intention, words, works, clothes, ornaments, friends,
comforts, pleasures, customs, that he may find an impedi-
ment, preventing God from living and working in him ;
anything, in a word, of which God is not the true cause.
After having broken down all these obstacles and cast
them entirely away, he will probably experience a mar-
ii6 Spiritual
vellous internal sweetness and pleasure in his soul. This
joyous and most delicious fulness of spirit and of internal
consolation surpasses and exceeds every joy the world
can give.
2. Some who have thus delivered themselves from
all that stood between them and God, when they care-
fully consider the sweet signs of that surpassing love
which God so wonderfully manifests to us, both in
heaven above and on earth below, and when they re-
member the innumerable benefits which He bestows upon
all His creatures, are filled with the utmost joy of soul.
When they reflect that all things derive their life from
God, flourish in Him, and are filled with Him,* and
that the incomprehensible goodness of God pours forth
the richest gifts on His creatures ; when they consider
how long God has borne with them, sought them, invited
them, admonished, and waited for them ; when they call
to mind how He became man for us and suffered so
much for our sakes, and offered His own most sacred
life and soul as a sacrifice for us ; when they consider
how unspeakably intimate is that union with Himself to
which God calls us, and that the ever-blessed Trinity
desires us to enjoy for ever the possession of the God-
head itself, and for this very reason has waited for us
with such long-suffering ; when they contemplate with
love these marvellous — yea, stupendous — works of God,
the unspeakable gifts He has bestowed, and the out-
pourings of His secret goodness, they experience such
intense joy of mind, and are filled with such exultation
of soul that the weak body is not able to bear it.
Whence it often comes to pass that this joy breaks
forth in words or certain external gestures, and if they
had not this vent, blood, as has often happened, might
break forth from the mouth, and they might run a risk
of serious injury.
In this way, indeed, they are inundated in their
inmost souls with plenteous sweetness from God, are
joined to Him by the internal embrace of love in
* Jer. xxiii, 24.
Instruction 1 1 7
sensible union, and receive from Him most sweet
spiritual embraces of love.
No one ought to be allowed to interfere with them
when they thus give external signs of the internal fire of
love ; they must be kindly borne with, and it is even
sometimes prudent to give them the holy Eucharist in
a private place, if it can be managed, lest people, ignorant
of their state, might be offended at their unusual gestures.
On the other hand, those who enjoy the special gifts
of God, and are compelled thus to exhibit their inward
exultation by words and gestures, ought to aspire to
higher things, and to control these exterior signs as
much as possible.
These souls sometimes also suffer a certain stupor or
ecstasy of mind on account of the overwhelming grace
that they feel, and they see wonderful things in visions
and images.
All this, however good, is not the best. For that
sensible union which is effected in their nature, with
some medium between them and God, is good indeed ;
but incomparably better is that true union which perfect
men experience within the essence of their souls, without
any sensible medium between themselves and God.
3. After a soul has become really detached from all
things, has ceased to be a child in the spiritual life and
has been abundantly strengthened by the refreshments
of the divine sweetness, then God begins to provide
a more solid food, treating the soul as a grown man
who has come of age in the spiritual life.
As a full-grown man it is certainly fitting that he
should no longer have milk to drink, * but solid food
suited to the robust. It is necessary that he should be
taught to abandon the trifles of childhood, t to work,
and to gain his living by the sweat of his brow, and to
bear the full force of heaven's storms.
God, therefore, proposes to him to walk along a wild,
dark and desert path, \ and deprives him of all the gifts
he before enjoyed, or at least hides them from his sight.
* Compare l Cor. iii, i. 1 1 Cor. xiii, ii. JPs. Ixii, 3 ; xxii, 4.
ii8 Spiritual
In this state the soul seems entirely left to itself, so that
it feels as if no knowledge of God remained. All spiritual
exercises, all that is done or left undone, are alike utterly
without savour, and the soul itself "slumbers through
weariness."* So wandering is the mind that it can
scarcely remain for one moment attentive to a pious
and holy thought. If the soul recollects itself and turns
to God, it seems at once repelled and cast off. Time
seems utterly lost ; and in everything, however good in
itself, the soul seems in its own sight to displease its
heavenly Spouse, and fears that in everything it is only
laying up for itself terrible punishment for the life to come.
In the beginning of his conversion God, desiring to
attract his affection to Himself, frequently visited him
with illuminations of grace. As a bird-catcher baits
a trap to entice the bird he desires to capture, so does
God allure the soul to Himself by often kindling within
it the gentle flame of His love, and giving it a taste of
His sweetness, at the same time drawing the will so
strongly that whatever God wills the soul also wills.
But now God adopts a completely different treat-
ment, puts on an austere and strict appearance, and
leads the soul by difficult and rough ways.
Thus left to itself and deprived of all comfort,
though not really of love and grace, the soul experiences
in itself a terrible rebellion, and feels weighed down so
completely that it knows not whether it ever was, or is
now, in the grace of God at all. It is hemmed in with
such bitter grief that the wide world seems too narrow.
It feels not God, it knows not God, and yet nothing else
can delight it or give it any pleasure. It seems, there-
fore, to be hanging between two dead walls, and on
neither hand can it find any rest. In these straits it
knows not whither to turn or what to do, except only to
sit down and say : *' Hail bitterness most intense, full
of every grace ! "
Certainly, if hell were in this life possible, it would
seem to be more grievous than hell itself, thus to love
* Ps. cxviii, 28, 82, 83.
Instruction 119
God intensely and yet to feel as if entirely separated
from the Beloved.
But this is not all, for at the same time most foul and
bitter thoughts fill the mind ; vices that before appeared
conquered assume new strength, and this in a way more
troublesome than formerly, when the soul was under
their yoke.
Moreover, this trial is greater at the more sacred
times and on more solemn festivals ; and on those days
when the soul would fain feel more devout, it is so
weighed down that it cannot recite one " Our Father "
or " Hail Mary " without distraction.
At the same time God may allow the whole life and
conversation of this afflicted soul to be ridiculed by
many as a mere vain delusion, in order that the man
may be despised and looked down upon by those even who
are good and have an appearance of exterior holiness.
O thou, whoever thou mayest be, who thus may
suffer, do not, I beseech thee, turn aside to vain com-
forts, but be faithful to thy heavenly Spouse. " Do ye
manfully, and let your heart be strengthened." * Behave
aright, for most certainly thy God is very near to thee.
Only lean strongly on the support of lively faith.
Most undoubtedly it will soon be better with thee. All
will turn out well.
But why do I speak thus ? For in this state of deso-
lation and misery it is impossible to persuade a man, so
long as he remains in this lamentable state of affliction,
in the valley of the shadow of death, that this intolerable
obscurity and internal darkness can ever change into light.
But it is absolutely necessary, if he desires to enjoy
true peace, to be resigned in this state of desolation,
weighed down to the earth under the cross in utter
poverty of spirit, and to keep his soul free and detached
from all internal delights.
He must therefore prostrate himself completely in
spirit before the most gracious will of God, ready to bear
this suffering as long as God sees fit.
* Ps. XXX, 25.
1 20 Spiritual
Whatever he may feel, the truth is that he has God
present with him much more truly and usefully during
this severe spiritual winter, than he ever had before in
all the summer of joyful consolation. He ought to
prefer this exercise of tribulation to all the delightful
blandishments of divine grace which he before enjoyed.
It is important to observe that, during this time in
which the Lord is trying him by these afflictions, he
ought to eat and drink enough to strengthen his bodily
powers to endure the cross.
This trying state may be traced to various causes :
sometimes it is the result of some natural indisposition ;
sometimes it is due to the weather ; sometimes it is the
action of the evil spirit ; but whatever may be the source
he must take it from the hand of God, by whose per-
mission it happens.
If a man is not resigned when he is thus chastised
with severe strokes by the hand of God, he will think
that all is lost, and in a horrible state of grief and despair
he will exclaim : " All is over with me ! I have lost all
light ! All grace has been taken away from me ! "
On the other hand, he who wishes to enjoy essential
truth within himself ought to strive to arrive at such
a degree of resignation that, with a calm spirit, he can
suffer the loss of the sensible feeling of God, of himself
and of all created things, remaining all the time in true
peace within his soul.
Blessed indeed is he who, afflicted by grievous pains,
does not stop to inquire whence they come, but is ready
to bear them to the end and to the utmost degree, not
desiring to come down from the cross until God shall
free him and take him down with His own hands,
Happy, in good truth, is he who so plunges into the
abyss of the divine good pleasure, and so resigns himself
to the terrible and hidden judgements of God that he
would be ready to remain in these pains and trials, not
only for a week or a month, but even to the last day of
judgement, or even for ever; not refusing to undergo
the torments of hell itself, if this were the will of God,
Instruction 1 2 1
This resignation, indeed, far exceeds all other acts of
resignation. Compared to this it would be nothing to
be willing to lose a thousand worlds. Even to give up
life itself for God, as the holy martyrs did, is little, com-
pared to this act of resignation. For the martyrs,
overflowing with divine consolation, considered all their
pains as mere child's play, and most gladly welcomed
death. But to lack all sense of God within the soul
incomparably exceeds all pains.*
4. The object God has in view in thus trying a
man is to prepare his soul abundantly, by many
crosses, for the reception of grace of a high order.
For the truth is that these painful trials prepare the
* Blosius often speaks in his works of this most excellent
degree of resignation for time and eternity, going so far even
as to include the torments of the lost in the fires of hell. The
words of St Paul, " I wished myself to be an anathema from
Christ for my brethren " (Rom. ix, 3), are thus explained by
St Thomas with the usual clearness of the great doctor.
" I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my
brethren." " We should first understand," says St Thomas (in
loco), " what the word anathema means. It comes from two
Greek words, ava (above) and ^ecrts (position) ; and so anathema
means hung up or placed above. For instance, if a thing
taken in battle was not to be used but kept as a trophy, it was
hung up in a temple. And so the custom arose of calling those
things separated from the use of men ' anathema '"(Jos. vi, 17).
St Paul says, therefore, " I desired to be an anathema from
Christ, for my brethren," that is separated from Him, which can
be understood in two senses. In one sense the words would
mean separated from Him by sin, by which a man is separated
from the love of Christ through not keeping I lis command-
ments : " If you love Me keep My commandments " (John xiv).
Now, in this sense the apostle could not possibly desire to be
separated from Christ for any reason whatsoever. This would
be against the right order of charity, by which a man is bound
to love God above all things, and to desire his own salvation
more than the salvation of others.
The second way in which a man may be separated from
Christ is not to enjoy the " fruition " of Christ (that is the
delight that flows from the sight and possession of Christ) in
glory. In this sense was the apostle willing to be separated
from Christ for the salvation of the Gentiles, as well as for the
conversion of the Jews (Phil. i).
See also Summa 2, 2, qu. 27, art, 8, and 2, 2, qu. 182, art. 2.
122 Spiritual
soul for the more excellent graces better than any other
exercises.
At length God, seeing that His servant behaves in
a worthy manner under these difficulties, bearing his
afflictions and desolations patiently, comes Himself to
him, and pours Himself into the inner sanctuary of his ''.
soul, which nothing below God can satisfy, and unites I
Himself to his soul without any medium, filling him
abundantly with the superessential good, which is Him- ;
self. From the secret base or sanctuary of the soul '
He flows over all its faculties.
In this way God bestows Himself most abundantly
on the human soul, and this gift utterly exceeds any-
thing that man could possibly have desired, and the soul,
melting with love, flows in turn into its origin, God.
The soul is carried away into the loving and infinite
abyss of the Godhead, into the cloud of the divine
solitude which surpasses all understanding and all
reason. Entering into a state of simple contemplation,
above all images formed in the mind, leaving himself
and the working of his own intellect, his mind is now
free from all distracting images, and is so far become
one with God that it is not so much he that acts, as God
who acts in him.
In fact, so completely is he carried above his nature
that what God is essentially, by His own nature, that he
becomes by grace. For although he does not cease to
be a creature, he is made quite divine and godHke.*
Entirely consumed by the fire of love, he dies, but
when thus dead and reduced to nothing, the Father is
made manifest to him with the Word and the Holy
Ghost.
In this union a man perceives that he has lost him-
self, and never acknowledges, finds or feels himself, for
he knows nothing save only the one most simple Essence,
which is God.
For in this union the created spirit is liquefied, and
is immersed in the uncreated Spirit, and entirely
* 2 Peter i, 4.
Instruction 123
absorbed by Him. * Now, therefore, he finds nothing
I there except the pure Godhead and essential unity.
In this union, again, God dehvers the afflicted man
I from all his anxieties and straits, and wonderfully
illuminates him, there having fallen from the interior
I eyes of his soul, as it were, scales, f
' In this intimate union is given to the soul a most
clear knowledge of its own nothingness ; all its debts
and sins are forgiven ; true peace, true joy and true
steadfastness in prayer are bestowed upon it.
In the soul of that man who has thus been made one
with God, God himself works without ceasing, and for
this reason his works are more valuable than the works
of any others who are not united in the same way to
God, since they are the works of God, who is better
than all.
When God therefore sees a desolate soul overwhelmed
with trials He does what we read of King Assuerus
doing. For of Assuerus v/e read (Esther xv, lo) that
" when he lifted up his countenance .... the queen
sank down, and her colour turned pale, and she rested
her weary head on her handmaid ; " he stretched out his
sceptre to her, " and in all haste and in fear he leaped
from his throne, and holding her up in his arms till she
came to herself, he kissed her, and promised he would
give her whatsoever she should ask, even if it were the
half of his kingdom."
Assuerus presents us with a type of the heavenly
Father, who, when He sees a beloved soul, with a pale
countenance — detached, that is, from every created
comfort, fainting in spirit, and bowing down — extends
towards her the golden rod or sceptre ; and rising, so to
speak, from His throne, receives that soul to the divine
embrace of love, and lifts it up above all weakness ; and
in the divine arms such and so great things come to the
human spirit that they cannot be expressed in words.
By the stretching forth of the sceptre is understood
the gift made by God the Father of His only Son ; by
* Without, however, losing his own identity, t Acts ix, i8.
124 Spiritual
the kiss is signified the pouring in of the supreme and i
incomprehensible sweetness of the Holy Ghost.
He also divideth His kingdom with the soul thus^!
united to Him, for He giveth such a soul the fullest
power over heaven and earth, yea, even over Himself,!
so that He maketh her mistress over all those things of)l
which He is the Lord.
But in none of these things doth the soul rest, seeking','
in them her own satisfaction, for so perfect is her mortifi
cation that in nothing doth she seek her own convenience"
or interest, but in all things the good pleasure, praise and
honour of God.
So pure is now the intention that, although the souldj
may realize the fulness of God's gifts to her, the will iss!
just as ready to lose them as to enjoy them.
And in fact God does sometimes actually take away, ■,
as before described, His excellent gifts from those whom ij
He has brought to perfection, and has united closely,!,
without any medium, to Himself, and leaves them in I
such poverty that you would think they had never
received anything at all from Him. They are then like
one hanging between heaven and earth, or between,
time and eternity, for they despise the earth and yet-
cannot attain unto heaven.
Besides this, God allows them to be afflicted with
numberless temptations, and to be despised by many,
while they are at the same time harrassed by persecu-
tions ; but in all these troubles they remain humble and
resigned, thinking themselves worthy of all contempt
and oppression.
5. Various examples :
(i) An example to show that consolation must not be
sought from angels, or any other creatures, but from God
only. God revealed to a certain friend of His, by internal
illumination, the meanings of all the holy Scriptures, and
showed him how men were living at that time, and how
the works of some that appeared great before men were
nothing in the sight of God, and that, on the other hand,
the works of others that were considered by men as of
Instruction 125
no value, were great in the sight of God. Other
wonderful things also did almighty God make
manifest from time to time to His servant.
But on his part, the holy man thus prayed to his
Lord, saying : " O most kind God, I desire none of
these favours ; take them from me, I beseech Thee,
for they torment me much."
God therefore took away from him all these wonder-
ful favours, and for the space of five years left him
without any consolation, in great temptations, anxieties
and calamities. Now it came to pass that, while he was
once weeping abundantly in the anguish of his heart,
two angels desired to comfort him, but he said to the
Lord : * " O Lord, my God, I ask for no consolation.
This alone entirely satisfies me, if Thou wilt grant me
grace to keep that place in my soul in which Thou
dwellest, so that none other may enter, or even appear
there." After these words light unspeakable shone
around him, and the voice of the Lord spoke to him,
saying : " I will show thee all good." f Most happily
was he then immersed in the abyss of the Godhead.
(2) An example showing that resignation to the good
pleasure of God is the fountain of true comfort,
A certain holy virgin on one occasion was over-
whelmed with such inexpressible weight of affliction that ,
she seemed to herself to feel the very torments of hell. '
She turned with her whole heart to God, and said ; ;
"O most sweet Lord, my God, remember, I beseech |
Thee, and mercifully consider that I am Thy poor!
creature, but Thou, the everlasting God, art my Lordj
and my Creator. Behold, I cast myself into the depths
of Thy most equitable judgement, and resign myself to
Thy most gracious will, in time and eternity, and I am
ready to suffer this torment that I feel, like to hell itself,
for ever, if it so please Thee. Whatever Thou, my
heavenly Father, desirest to do in me and with me, do
* Thus also did St Mary Mag-dalen refuse the consolations
of angels when seeking Christ (John xx, 12).
t Exod. xxxiii, 19.
126 Spiritual
Thou ; for I offer and give myself utterly, with all the
humility I can, to all things Thou wiliest, in time and
eternity."
After this act of resignation that virgin was presently
rapt above all created things, and was immersed and
absorbed into the loving abyss of the Godhead.
O thrice happy absorption ! From that time forth
was she every day carried away in spirit into that same
divine abyss.
(3) An example showing that to endure the bitterest
trials for God is the most certain way to the perfection i|
of divine union.
Another virgin, who had attained to a wonderful
degree of holiness, when she was asked by what
exercises she had come to perfection, humbly answered'!
thus: " However much I have been overwhelmed with h
sorrows and trials, I have always desired to bear greater ;t
for the love of God, judging myself unworthy of such h
singular gifts of God. I have dwelt among angels and J
saints, who are as familiar to me as his own family is to 3
a man. As often as I betake myself to the inner
sanctuary of my own spirit, I find in myself the Image of f
the most high Trinity, in which I find myself and all 1
creatures, one with God."
(4) Example showing the best method of bearing trials.
Again, another virgin of very holy life answered one s
who asked about trials as follows : " I have always s
received every adversity calmly from the hand of the i
Lord. If any one did me any ill turn I have always 5
taken care to repay him by some special benefit, which 1
I should not have conferred upon him unless I had I
received the injury. To no one have I ever complained
of trials, except only to God, and therefore from the
beginning have I received from the same Lord consola-
tion and strength. I give thanks to Him who in His
mercy has been pleased to lift me above all created
things, and to admit me to the peaceful enjoyment of
Himself and to an unspeakable union with Him."
(5) In like manner a poor mendicant of perfect life,
Instruction 127
asked by a theologian how he had reached such per-
fection, repHed in some such words as these :
" I determined to cleave to the divine Will alone, into
which I have so fully poured forth my own will that
whatever God wills, that I also will. When I suffer
hunger and thirst I praise God ; whether the weather be
fine, wet or stormy again I praise God. Whatever He
gives me, or allows to come to me, whether it be
prosperous or the contrary, whether sweet or bitter,
I joyfully receive it from Him as the best thing that
could happen to me, resigning myself utterly to Him
with humility. In nothing less than God am I able to
rest, and now I have found my God, in whom I have
everlasting rest and peace."
CHAPTER II
Of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, the mirror
and example of all Holiness
1. The Blessed Virgin loved God with the most perfect
love, dwelt with Him always in her own soul, and in
everything was conformed to Him.
2. Her contemplation was the highest in degree.
3. Her exterior works in no way disturbed her inward
union with God, for she was in the state of innocence,
without original sin.
4. She heard the word of God most humbly, and with the
most ardent desire.
5. She resigned herself entirely to every cross, in order to
be conformed to her Son.
6. Her prayer was most pure ; her conversation holy and
full of prudence ; the purity of her whole life angelical.
Tauler wrote many remarkable things about the Mother
of God, the Virgin Mary, a few of which are here
produced :
" The most blessed Mother of God," he says, " the
Virgin Mary, was full of every grace and of all virtues,
the mirror and example of all holiness. For as long as
she remained in this life she had such a perfect love for
God, and entered and dwelt so entirely in the inner
sanctuary of her soul, that she loved absolutely no
created thing apart from, or except in, God. Nor did any
image ever enter her heart which brought any kind of
impediment to the purity of her love to God. Her love
of Him was entire and undivided, and in Him she loved
all created things.
She habitually, therefore, retreated, with all her
powers, into the inner sanctuary of her soul, in which the
divine Image lay hid ; and there she abode, drawing all
spiritual Instruction 129
her powers into it, and obliging them to remain there, and
adoring there the one only God in spirit and in truth.
She knew and confessed that she was not able to
praise God worthily, and, therefore, she begged Him to
praise and magnify Himself in her. The interior
essence of her soul and all her powers, memory,
intellect and will, were all godlike, so that if any one
had seen her soul, he would have seen there God in
all His brightness and the very procession of the Son
and the Holy Ghost.
Never once did her heart turn aside from God, even
for one single brief moment. In perfect poverty of
spirit she resigned herself completely to the most
gracious Will of God, with love presenting herself to Him
as a most fitting instrument to do all He pleased.
Moreover, she offered herself to God constantly, with
profound humility and contempt of herself, completely
free from any tincture of self-seeking in desire, will or
action. In fact, there was no more self-seeking in her
soul than there was before she was created, and, there-
fore, God had always a perfectly free entrance into
her soul.
2. When, therefore, she directed her mind to
eternity, her soul was at once carried away into divine
contemplation above all understanding, and this con-
templation in the inmost essence of her soul was
manifested by all her powers. For her memory, drawn
into simple light, was firmly established in unity of
spirit above all mere passing things of sense.' Her
intellect was penetrated by a most brilliant heavenly
light, by which she easily learnt, knew and understood
distinctly all virtues, all kinds of spiritual exercises, and
all the hidden meanings of Scripture. Her will burnt
with a most devout flame of calm love, by which she was
rapt above all created things.
In this wonderful elevation of mind, raised above all
images and reasoning, she perceived in silence the
gentle whispering voice of God and all His inspirations,
and her spirit, completely raised above any action of her
1 30 Spiritual
own, was filled to the full from the eternal fountain of
uncreated wisdom.
Thus she always reposed entirely in God, and lost
herself through the embrace of immense love in the
infinite solitude and darkness of the Godhead, was
united most intimately with God, without any medium,
and was made one spirit with Him — a union, the
excellence of which surpassed all other created gifts,
graces and lights.
In this divine union, by means of the supernatural
light which shone without ceasing in the inner sanctuary
of her soul and in the highest point of her spirit, she
saw that spiritual brightness, which is God, by intuition,
and at the same time all created things by one simple
act of the mind.
Made one with Light itself, she saw light in light ; *
she experienced a foretaste of the future beatitude, and
loved God with eternal and inseparable love. In this
kind of contemplation all created gifts, virtues and
exercises were necessarily kept in subjection, for she
was transfigured by the divine light above all reasoning
and intellect.
And who can tell how many revelations of heavenly
secrets the illustrious Virgin, so wonderfully rapt above
all things of place and time, received from God ? She
saw with unspeakable joy and delight the shining
brightness of God and the ideas of all things as they are
beheld in eternity. In fact, if all the joys of the world,
* " In Thy light we shall see light " (Ps. xxxv, 10). Tauler,
in thus describing the fullness of grace bestowed on the
soul of God's blessed mother, must not be understood to
imply that she, like her Son, enjoyed during her mortal life the
beatific vision, at least habitually. This was the unique
privilege of the soul of Jesus Christ, who alone was at once
a " Comprehensor," that is a soul seeing God face to face by
the light of glory, and a " Viator," that is a pilgrim on the way
to the glory of heaven, but who has not yet arrived at that
blessed state. But it may be that our Blessed Lady had on
earth, by a miraculous action of God's grace, at times, the
sight of the divine Essence. See Sumina i, qu. 12, art. 11, ad 2,
and 2, 2, qu. 175, art. 3.
Instruction 1 3 1
all peace, all delights and pleasures were gathered into
one, they would appear mere bitterness compared with
the least joy that the Blessed Virgin possessed.
3. Besides all this the most excellent Virgin had
another peculiar grace. Although so highly gifted with
divine contemplation, she was, more than any other holy
person, able to see all the things of this world, and to
keep in order and govern her whole outer life with
holy actions and conduct, without its being any hindrance
to the perfection of her interior life of union with God.
For the highest powers of her soul were habitually
turned completely to God, their origin, and were united
to Him, while the lower powers were entirely subjected
to the higher, as was the case with Adam before he lost
his first justice and innocence. This singular spiritual
adornment came from the fact that she was entirely free
from original sin, from which her Son preserved her.
Never, for one instant of time, was she a child of wrath
or a foul vessel of the devil, subject to his dominion, as
was the case with us. For this the eternal Wisdom
prevented, not being willing to allow His own temple,
chosen before all others, to be stained by the least defect.
Therefore, even when rapt in highest possible con-
templation of the Godhead, she always attended to the
outward praises of God and all that belonged to the
divine worship, with the utmost zeal, immense devotion
and profound humility of heart.
4. She always listened with the greatest devotion to
the word of God, though announced in the simplest
manner, and, although she herself understood God's
teaching so much better and more perfectly than those
who spoke, she pondered on what was said in her
virginal heart, desiring intensely to carry into practice the
least things as well as the highest.
5. When she reflected how the Son of God and her
own Son, Jesus Christ, always exposed to contempt and
suffering, ordered and directed His whole life with a view
to afflictions and self-humiliations, she so offered herself
for these same thin2;s that she never desired to shorten
132 spiritual
or lessen them. She endured even the bitterest trial
with such loving subjection that she was prepared to
remain in tribulations and sorrows for ever if God had so
willed. Knowing that her Son bore His bitter passion
with absolute patience, not only without complaint,
but with joy of spirit, on account of His burning love
for us, she also gladly endured whatever she had to
suffer with an ardent desire of love.
6. In her prayers she offered herself and all she had
to God, and commended all into His loving hands,
praying only that He would do His most gracious Will in
her. Never did she cleave to any gift of God with self-
love, nor did she ever use the divine graces for the
delight of her own spirit, but only for the praise of God.
Never did she inordinately desire any wisdom or know-
ledge ; nor did she, in the practice of virtue, ever seek
any self-gratification, any more than she sought any
pleasure in eating or drinking.
So pure was her soul that she was never affected by
anything created in any way the least inordinate ; never
did she feel the slightest inclination to any vice, and in
this way her purity shone with the brightness of the
angels. Therefore, although the most beautiful of the
children of men, she inspired all with none but the
holiest thoughts, on account of her own angelical purity.
All her actions, even the least, she did with wonder-
ful devotion to the honour of the almighty God. The
beginning and end of everything she did or omitted was
God Himself, for her intention in everything was so
purely for God that it might be called divine.
Before she allowed herself to speak she used to enter
into herself and consider whether the words were
necessary, whether they would be without offence, and
whether they would promote the glory of God. After
this consideration she said humbly, gently and brieiy
what was necessary.
When she rested in sleep troops of angels encamped
about her sacred couch,* that no evil spirit might dare
* Ps. xxxiii, 8.
Instruction 133
to approach ; therefore she was never troubled by any
vain phantasm or dream, and no imagination came,*
except what was the result of the light shining from God,
for the most blessed Trinity always and everywhere
protected her.
Nor did the most pure Virgin ever compose herself to
rest without offering her sleep, with ardent desires of
love, to the honour of God.
* God was "her sun and her shield." — Ps. Ixxxiii, 12 (Hebrew
text) ; in the Vulgate, " God loveth mercy and truth."
CHAPTER III
Preparation for a holy Death, to be followed by eternal
Happiness
1. Mortification of concupiscence and resignation of our
own will form the best preparation for death.
2. He who is near to death should first ask the help of
the saints ; then he should unite himself to the merits
of the passion of Christ ; and lastly, he should resign
himself to bear everything, however bitter it may be,
to please God.
3. How easily even great sinners can obtain for themselves
the grace of God, provided that they do not trust
presumptuously in God's mercy.
4. A happy death and eternal beatitude follow a good life.
I. It is right that all should learn how to die, and by
killing their sins should die again and again. To
secure a holy death it is, above all, necessary to be
diligent in putting to death our own will and concupi-
scences, or evil desires, during life. Such a death is
a life-giving death. He who thus dies safely meets the
death of the body, and welcomes it with joy, as the
beginning of life.
No exercise can be more useful in our last hour than
to resign ourselves utterly to the Will of God, and to
seek nothing of our own, but only the Will of God, in
time and for eternity.
For it is certain that any one who goes" out of this
world in this state of pure and perfect resignation, will
fly immediately to the kingdom of heaven. As no kind
of pain and no burning of the fire of purgatory can
affect God, so neither can it affect a man who is per-
fectly united to God in conformity of will and love.
Spiritual Instruction 135
2. When a man feels the approach of death he
should prepare himself in the following way :
(i) He should have recourse earnestly and devoutly
to the kind Mother of mercy, the glorious Queen of
heaven, the Virgin Mary, and should call upon her and
all the host of heaven.
(2) With firm and simple zeal should he adhere to
the faith of the holy Catholic Church.
(3) He should trust in the merits of our Saviour,
Jesus Christ, rather than in any merit of his own. In
order to do this he should place before his soul the
bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, and he should
call to mind that unspeakable charity which urged our
Lord to suffer so many indignities for his sake, and he
should take care to unite his spirit, his soul and his body
to the Spirit, Soul and Body of the Lord Jesus Himself.
He should cast himself with all his sins and neghgences
into those open Wounds, and immerse them all in the
profound ocean of His immense mercy.
(4) To the supreme glory of God he should offer
himself to the Lord Himself, as a living victim, ready
to bear patiently, according to His acceptable Will and
from true love, all the bitterness of languor and of death
itself, and every pain which our Lord may will to send
him in time and in eternity.
This, if he can really do it ; if, I say, he shall offer
himself from pure love, with perfect resignation of him-
self, to suffer every pain in honour of the divine justice,
with a tranquil and willing mind ; in this disposition he
will not undergo the pains either of hell or of purgatory,
no, not even if he himself had committed all the sins
of the whole world.
(5) In this disposition of mind did that righteous
man, who had been a thief, die on the cross. He did
not ask health of body from our Lord, nor did he pray to
be delivered from the pains of hell or of purgatory, nor
did he beg for the kingdom of heaven ; but accepting
his death willingly for the glory of God, in punishment
for his sins, he resigned himself entirely to the Will of
136 spiritual
God, offering himself wholly to Christ, that He might do
with him whatsoever He willed. He asked for nothing
except mercy and grace, saying : " Remember me,
0 Lord, when Thou shall come into Thy kingdom."
(6) The following words, said in the hearing of the
dying, are of great profit : " O Lord God, I am that
miserable one, whom Thou, in Thy fatherly love, didst
create, and through the most ignominious death of
Thine only-begotten Son didst redeem from the power of
the enemy. Thou only hast power and dominion over
me, and canst save me according to Thy immense mercy."
God Himself has deigned to reveal to His friends
that these words, suggested to the faithful when dying, or
piously said by word, or in the mind, by those who are
dying, are of wonderful efficacy ; so much so that no one
who has the Catholic faith can perish, if, in his last
moments, with a truly sincere heart, he humbly says
these words to God, or devoutly accepts them in his
own mind.
3. A certain friend of God was once asked what he
would do if he had lived for a long time in grievous sins.
He replied : " If I had done all prescribed to me by
a prudent and wise confessor, and had given up my sins
as I ought, I should wish never again to think of them,
nor to stain my heart with the remembrance of them ;
but I would strive from that time to live so piously that
God might forget all my sins. For when we neither
desire nor commit sin, but turn clean away from it, then
God also forgets it. *
" Yea, even if I had lived for the space of forty years
in sins, and now the hour of my death had come, if
1 had sincerely confessed my sins, if I could, with perfect
* This advice is meant to guide the timid and scrupulous,
whoj after confession, ought to abstain from an anxious re-
membrance of particular sins, especially of blasphemy, impurity
and such like, which, once confessed, are far better forgotten,
on account of the danger of despair and of relapse, and also to
avoid trouble of mind and depression. But this does not
exclude the penitent disposition of mind and humility for past
sin in general. *' My sin is ever before me " (Ps. 1, 5).
Instruction 137
love, from the depth of my heart, even for the space of
one ' Hail Mary,' turn myself to God and betake myself
to Him, in order that I might turn utterly away from sin
and entirely to God, then I might go from this world as
a pure and innocent man. But if, on the other hand,
I had committed only one sin, and I went hence in
sorrow, contrition and grief of heart, then, indeed, I
should die as a penitent sinner."
On the other hand, many people who have not the
true fear of God are miserably deceived by flattering
themselves with the idea of God's immense mercy, while
at the same time they do not correct their evil life. Such
men think Httle of daily venial offences; yea, even
grievous sins do not much trouble them. They say to
themselves : " Directly we have sighed a little and
groaned over our iniquities, the inexhaustible mercy of
God will forgive them all, and we shall go hence by
a happy death."
But this is a delusion ; for we must remember that
God, in the same way that He is infinitely merciful, is
also infinitely just. He is not merciful without justice
nor just without mercy, as the psalm says : " The Lord
loveth mercy and judgement." * And again : " Mercy
and judgement will I sing to Thee, O Lord." f
Wherefore he who desires to be saved ought to
embrace and to kiss both of our Lord's feet ; that is, the
foot of His mercy and the foot of His justice. He ought
so to trust in the infinite mercy of God as not to perse-
vere in sin ; but, turning to God with His whole heart, he
ought to strive to live a righteous and godly life. Thus
living, will he die at last a holy death.
Exceeding foolish are they who, in false security, live
on willingly in their vices and negligences ; for afterwards
they will have to endure grave torments even for lighter
sins not expiated in this world. For God will require
an exact account for all time spent uselessly, for all fri-
volities, vanities, idle gratifications and unruly affections.
And for this reason He has Himself warned us in the
* Ps. xxxii, 5. t Ps. c, I.
138 Spiritual
Gospel that " Every idle word that men speak they shall
render an account for it in the day of judgement." *
He will not leave one fault, however small, without
punishment, if it has not been expiated by penance
in this world.
As an example, it is said that the sister of SS. Cosmas
and Damian suffered for the space of fifteen days in
purgatory because she had indulged in idle pleasure in
watching people dancing in the street.
And of another virgin consecrated to God it is related
that because, in her last illness, she had taken food and
other external comforts with a certain natural pleasure, it
was necessary for her to be still further purified before
she could enter the kingdom of heaven.
Moreover, we read that blessed Severinus felt the
pains of purgatory, because, when much occupied with
various affairs in the royal court, he had often said his
office negligently.
It is wise, therefore, to fear the hidden judgements
of God, and to humble ourselves most profoundly before
the Lord, looking forward to the dissolution of our
bodies and the hour of death.
4. The only safe way is to begin now, while we are
in health, to do that good which we shall wish to have
done in our last moments, for to put it off till death is
dangerous and foolish in the highest degree. A holy
death follows a holy life, and eternal happiness follows
a holy death.
When we shall have obtained eternal life we shall
see God face to face, we shall see Him as He is. We
shall know the unspeakable mystery of the glorious
Trinity ; we shall contemplate with unutterable gladness
the glorified Manhood of Jesus Christ. We shall be
united to God perfectly, and we shall taste with the
utmost joy and for ever the sweetness of divine peace.
Never shall we be able to be separated from the
sight, love and embrace of the Lord God Himself.
* Matt, xii, 36.
Instruction 139
Without labour and without fatigue we shall praise Him
for ever.
We shall enjoy for ever the society of Mary, the
Mother of God, most beautiful, most sweet, most kind,
most lovable, of the holy angels and the other citizens
of heaven, and we shall know them all right well as our
friends.
Truly, that blessed heavenly country is our only
fatherland ; where an everlasting day always shineth
forth, better far than a thousand days here below.
That fatherland should we desire for a pure motive ;
seeking it, that is, more for the praise of God, than for
our own advantage.
May we be brought there by the mercy of the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost ; to whom be praise, honour and
glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
APPENDIX II
Certain Exercises according to the above Instructions
I. Some who suffer from weakness of head, and some
also who are very busy, often desire exercises that are
short and not too wordy. This collection of prayers is,
therefore, added to help them. In these prayers will be
found collected together the aspirations and the internal
petitions that should be made daily, and which have
been treated more at length in the above "Book of
Spiritual Instruction."
A beginner in the way of the spirit, who might find
longer exercises a burden, may perhaps find delight in
these shorter ones.
Aspirations for the Purgative Way
O GOOD Jesus, good Jesus, good Jesus ! O my hope,
my refuge, my salvation, have mercy on me.
Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy !
I am poor and needy : I am nothing : I can do
nothing.
Alas, how exceeding is my ingratitude ! I am a most
vile sinner. For I have sinned, I have sinned, I have
sinned, and I have done evil in Thy sight. Forgive me.
I cast all my iniquities and negligences into the abyss
of Thy mercy and Thy merits. Oh, would that I had
never offended Thee ! Would that I had never hindered
Thy grace within me !
I am resolved, by Thy help, to amend. O Lord, be
merciful to me ; blot out all my sins. Wash me with
Thy Precious Blood. Heal me with Thy sacred
Wounds. Make me holy by Thy passion and death.
Spiritual Instruction 141
Wash me, oh, wash me from all sin. Give me back that
innocence I had in baptism, that I may be really pleasing
to Thee.
Aspirations suggesting Self'denial and Resignation
Behold, O Lord, here I am ; behold, I put myself in
the lowest place before Thee, below every created thing.
I am unworthy to be on the earth. I submit and
subject myself to all men. I embrace all, yea, all with
the most sincere love.
I abandon all passing things for the love of Thee.
I reject whatever is not Thee.
I renounce all sensual pleasure. I renounce all
vanity and impurity. I renounce all self-seeking.
I resign myself to Thee ; to Thee do I resign my-
self, yea, entirely to Thee. I unite my will completely
to Thine. Let Thy Will, O Lord, be done in me and
with me. May Thy Will be done, in time and in eternity.
I offer myself to Thee, ready to bear, with the help of
Thy grace, whatever may please Thee.
Aspirations for the Illuminative Way
Ah, most sweet Jesus, mortify within me all that is bad;
make it die. Put to death in me all that is vicious and
unruly. Kill whatever displeases Thee. Mortify within
me all that is my own.
Give me true humility, true patience and true charity.
Grant me the perfect control of my tongue, my senses and
all my members. Adorn me with Thy merits and virtues.
Prepare for Thyself, for Thyself only, a pleasing
tabernacle, a delightful dwelling for Thyself within me.
Renew my spirit, my soul and my body with Thy
grace. Conform me to Thy sacred Manhood. Reform
the faculties of my soul through the most holy faculties
of Thy Soul. Make me a man according to Thine
own Heart.
Oh, free my mind, with Thine own freedom, from all
slavery to sin and created things. Give me true simpli-
city of soul, that I may seek Thee only. Enlighten my
142 Spiritual
mind. Grant me grace to unite myself to Thee in my
soul without let or hindrance from created things.
Kindle within me the fire of Thy love. Consume
me in Thy fire. Transform me, that nothing may live
within me, save only Thee.
Aspirations of Union
O my beloved, my beloved, my beloved !
O dearest of all friends, O my one love !
O spouse of my soul, flower of love ! Spouse of
my soul, sweeter than honey in the honeycomb ! Ah,
sweetness, sweetness, sweetness of my heart, life of my
soul ! O calm light of my inmost soul ! O Lord, my
God!
0 most holy Trinity, one God, brighter than light,
giving all deUght, feed me, feed me ; feed my soul with
Thy inflowing grace.
1 adore Thee ; I praise Thee ; I glorify Thee ; for
praise and honour are Thy due for ever and ever.
O my God and my all ! O abyss most sweet,
most worthy of love ! O good, most simple and most
joyful, my true and unchangeable good, fill me with
Thyself.
O my tenderly beloved, draw me into the most secret
sanctuary of my soul, that I may find Thee there, and
dwell with Thee, my Creator; that Thou mayest find
Thy delight in me.
Oh, when, when will the happy day come, in which
I shall perfectly find Thee ? ^Vhen shall I love Thee
with ardent affection ? When shall I be closely
united to Thee ? Oh when, when wilt Thou carry me
away utterly into Thyself? When wilt Thou completely
absorb me into Thyself? When wilt Thou unite me to
Thyself in intimate union, without any medium between
me and Thee ?
Remove, I beseech Thee, all hindrances, and make
me one spirit with Thee, for the glory of Thy name.
Hear me, O Lord ; hear me ; hear my prayer, not to
gratify my will, but for Thy own good pleasure.
Teach me, I beseech Thee ; enlighten, direct and
Instruction 143
help me in all things, that I may do nothing, speak
nothing, think nothing, will nothing, except what will
be pleasing in Thine eyes.
Aspirations to the Blessed Vifgin and the Saints
O Mary, Mary, Mary, Virgin most sweet ! O Mother
of God ; Queen of heaven ; Lily of the Trinity ; have
mercy on me, a poor forlorn exile.
I salute thee, I salute thee, I salute and venerate
thee. Obtain for me by thy prayers, I beseech thee,
perfect self-denial and mortification. Obtain for me
purity, a simple intention of pleasing God, detachment
and internal liberty of spirit.* Obtain for me the grace
to dwell ever with God in my inmost soul, that I may be
a man according to the Heart of thy Son.
O all ye Saints of God, and ye blessed Angels, pray
for me. I salute you ; I salute you ; I salute and
venerate you. Oh, obtain for me, by your prayers, full
forgiveness of my sins, grace and union with God.
Aspirations foi* the Church and for the whole World
O Jesus, most kind and merciful, have mercy on Thy
Church. Have mercy on all for whom Thou hast shed
Thy most sacred Blood. Convert, oh, convert, con-
vert all miserable sinners. Give to the living pardon
and grace ; grant to the faithful departed rest and light
everlasting. Amen.
This is written for the humble, the little ones of
Christ :—
If any one, wise with the wisdom of this world, should
happen to read these things, he may perchance ridicule,
scorn and despise them ; but they have been written for
the humble, and the little ones of Christ.f The reason
of the repetition of many of these simple aspirations is
that the affections of the soul may be more excited, and
* Liberty of spirit means that freedom from self-love that
makes the soul prompt in doing- God's will in the least thing,
t Matt, xi, 25 ; xviii, 3 ; Luke x, 2i»
144 Spiritual
the attention more easily maintained. Any of them
can be repeated over and over again, according to the
taste of each soul.
The usefulness of Aspif ations of this kind, and
of Moderation in them
A FERVENT young servant of God, who desired ardently
to progress in His love, used very often to revolve in his
mind these few simple words :
" O good Jesus, good Jesus, good Jesus ! O Beloved,
Beloved, Beloved ! O my only Love ! O my sweet
Jesus ! Have mercy ; have mercy ; have mercy on me.
Make me pleasing to Thee. Make me one spirit with
Thee."
Or these : " O Lord God 1 O beloved beginning !
O abyss of love ! O God, most simple and joyful,
give Thyself to me, and flow into my soul. Free
me; free me, I beseech Thee, free me from all
things. Draw me into Thyself. Absorb me utterly
into Thyself."
The beginner in the way of the spirit should learn
loving aspirations of this kind, and should diligently
ruminate upon them in his own mind ; knocking
thus with holy importunity at the door of the
divine mercy, for thus at length will he attain to
perfection of life.
But at the same time he must take care to be prudent,
and not, by immoderate eff'ort or too intense application
in repeating words, to weigh down and exhaust nature,
and injure his brain.
He should learn also how to attend lovingly to the
presence of God, without saying any words with his lips,
but by practising himself in holy desires and internal
affections.
He can also reflect upon the life and passion of our
Lord Jesus, according to the method described in the
eleventh chapter of the above instruction, or by any
other method that suits him better, for the glory of God,
who is blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
Instruction 145
First Exefcise of Internal Prayer with the
Most Holy Trinity*
I ADORE Thee, O glorious, bright and ever-tranquil
Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God ; my
hope, my light, my rest, my joy, my life and all my good.
I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, who didst create me
after I'hine own image, and hast mercifully borne with
me up to this time ; I thank Thee for having delivered
me from many dangers, and bestowed on me numberless
benefits.
O loving Father, I offer to Thee the most holy
Incarnation, Birth, Conversation, Passion, Death, Resurrec-
tion and Ascension of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
as a fully cleansing expiation and satisfaction for all my
sins and negligences, and for the sins of all men. I offer
the labours, hardships, heaviness, scorn, blows, wounds
and griefs with which He was afflicted. I offer the most
Precious Blood which He shed. I offer His humility,
patience, charity and innocence.
O Father, O Son, O Holy Ghost ! My God, who art
within me, grant that I may not be able to think anything,
to will anything, to speak anything, or to do anything
except what pleases Thee. Grant that I and all men
may ever do Thy Will. Make us all pleasing to Thee,
and one with Thee, that Thou mayest be able to find
Thy delight in us. I ought, and I desire to praise Thee,
0 Lord ; but as I cannot do so as I ought, I pray Thee
to praise Thyself perfectly in me. Sanctify every breath
that I draw, watching or sleeping, and most graciously
receive them all as praise to Thee. Glory be to the
Father, etc.
Second Interior Conversation
with Jesus
1 ADORE, praise and glorify Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ;
* Our progress in holiness consists, in great measure, in
changing the conversation we are constantly carrying on with
ourselves, into conversation with God. These interior
conversations within our souls are intended to help us to form
this habit of interior conversation with God. They are not
meant merely as pious vocal prayers.
10
146 spiritual
I bless and thank Thee, Son of the living God, who, by
the Will of the Father, through the co-operation of the
Holy Ghost, wast conceived in the most chaste womb of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, and didst will to become, for my
sake, Man, capable of suffering.
0 good Jesus, with what immense and incomprehen-
sible charity Thou hast loved me ! For Thou, the Lord of
highest Majesty, hast emptied Thyself, and taken the
form of a servant. Thou, my God, hast become my
Brother. What return can I make to Thee for this
loving kindness and mercy ? Behold I offer my soul
and body to Thine eternal praise.
1 thank Thee for Thy most sacred Birth ; I thank
Thee for being born of the Virgin Mary in a stable, in
the midst of the winter cold, as a tender little Infant.
Hail ! Child most sweet. Hail ! King of glory, Light of
nations. Saviour desired by all, who for me wast wrapped
in swaddling clothes, laid on straw in the manger, and
fed with milk by the Virgin Mother.
I thank Thee for Thy painful Circumcision, for the
appearance of the star to the wise men, for Thy Presen-
tation in the temple, for Thy Flight into Egypt, and for
all the wants and pains which in Thy most sacred
Infancy, Boyhood and Youth Thou hast endured.
I thank Thee for Thy venerable Baptism, which
Thou, the Creator of heaven and earth, humbly received
from Thy servant, St John ; for Thy fast of forty days
and forty nights in the desert ; and for the temptations
with which Thou didst not refuse to be assailed by
the devil.
I thank Thee for Thy salutary teaching; for Thy
miracles and other benefits; for Thy journeys, labours
and hardships ; for Thy hunger and thirst ; for the cold
and heat Thou didst suffer, and the persecutions Thou
didst endure for my salvation for three and thirty years.
I offer Thee thanks for that wondrous act of sub-
mission, when Thou, the lowly Master, kneeling on the
ground, didst so graciously wash the feet of Thy
disciples and wipe them with a towel.
Instruction 147
I give Thee thanks for the institution of the venerable
Sacrament of the Eucharist, in which, with marvellous
liberality and unspeakable charity, Thou didst give
Thyself to us and didst leave Thyself with us.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Third Interior Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE, praise and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus Christ ;
I bless Thee and give Thee thanks, Son of the living
God, for the fear and sorrow, for the sweat of Blood and
the agony with which Thou wast afflicted for my sake in
the garden.
I give Thee thanks for the most perfect self-denial
with which Thou didst fully resign Thyself to Thy
Father, when, kneeling and falling flat with Thy face on
the ground, and praying in an agony, Thou didst say :
" Father, not My will, but Thine be done."
I give Thee thanks for that intense desire of suffering
with which Thou didst burn, when Thou didst ofl^er Thy-
self to Thine enemies to be taken prisoner and bound.
I give Thee thanks for enduring for me all the
pushes and blows, all the reproaches, insults and
blasphemies with which Thou wert laden, when " Thou
didst give Thy Body to the strikers and Thy cheeks to
them that plucked them," * and didst allow Thyself to
be led, bound as a robber, to the house of Annas and
Caiphas.
I thank Thee for allowing that most terrible blow
which was most wickedly given Thee, the King of
kings and Lord of lords, by the servant of the high priest.
I give Thee thanks for Thy most gentle patience
during the night of Thy passion ; for Thine unjust con-
demnation to death ; for " not turning away Thy face
from them that rebuked Thee and spit upon Thy royal
countenance " ; for Thy humility in allowing them " to
blindfold Thee and smite Thee on the face " ; f for all
the buffets, mockeries and other injuries and afflictions
Thou didst endure for me.
* Isaias 1, 6. t Luke xxii, 64.
148 Spiritual
I give Thee thanks for Thy love in suffering that
depth of ignominy, when, bound as a malefactor. Thou
wast led in the morning to Pilate ; from Pilate to
Herod ; and again from Herod to Pilate. O sweet
Saviour, how graciously didst Thou bear all the
inhuman cruelty of Thine enemies !
I give Thee thanks for that example of holy silence
with which Thou didst meet all the false accusations
and numberless acts of contempt before Pilate and
Herod. As a meek lamb Thou didst not open Thy
mouth.*
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Fourth Interioi* Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE, praise and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus Christ ; I
bless Thee and give Thee thanks. Son of the living God,
for allowing Thyself to be treated with contempt and
derision, when " Herod with his army set Thee at
nought, and mocked Thee, putting on Thee a white
garment, and sent Thee back to Pilate." f
I give Thee thanks for enduring for us that bitter
pain, when, in the hall, the soldiers stripped Thee, J
bound Thee to the pillar and cruelly scourged Thee,
tearing Thy delicate and virginal flesh with lashes.
I give Thee thanks for " being wounded for our
iniquities and bruised for our sins," § and for allowing
Thy sacred Blood to fiow in streams to the ground.
I give Thee thanks for the profound patience Thou
didst display, when " stripping Thee, they put a scarlet
cloak about Thee ; and platting a crown of thorns they:i
put it upon Thy head and a reed in Thy right handj-;
and bowing the knee before Thee, they mocked Thee,
saying : * Hail, King of the Jews 1 ' and spitting upon ;
Thee, they took the reed and struck Thy head." || In
all these and other insults and torments never once
didst Thou show the least sign of indignation or
impatience, but most meekly didst Thou bear all for me
* Isaias liii, 7. t Luke xxiii, 11. X Matt, xxvii, 28.
§ Isaias liii, 5. || Matt, xxvii, 28-30.
Instruction 149
I offer Thee thanks for the ignominy Thou didst
suffer for me, when " coming forth, bearing the crown
of thorns and the purple garment," and Pilate " said to
them : ' Behold the Man,' " * and when unjustly con-
demned by Pilate to die upon the cross.
I give Thee thanks for the heavy burden and the
fatigue Thou didst suffer for me, when Pilate " delivered
Thee to them to be crucified ; when they took Thee and
led Thee forth ; when bearing Thine own cross Thou
didst go forth to that place which is called Calvary." f
I give Thee thanks for Thine example, when " they
gave Thee wine to drink mingled with gair';| for
tasting its bitterness, though Thou wouldst not relieve
Thy weakness by drinking it.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Fifth Interior Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE Thee, praise Thee and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus
Christ ; I bless and thank Thee, Son of the living God,
for enduring for me those bitter pains, when Thy wounds
were renewed by the stripping of Thy garments, and
when Thy delicate hands and holy feet were pierced
with nails ; when " they dug Thy hands and Thy feet,
and numbered all Thy bones." §
I give Thee thanks for the outpouring of Thy most
Precious Blood, which Thou didst shed abundantly from
Thy wounds, as " fountains of the Saviour." || To Thee
be praise, honour and glory for ever and ever, for each
rosy drop of Thy Blood.
I give Thee thanks for that unspeakable meekness
and charity with which Thou didst patiently bear the
mocking insults and blasphemies, when " they that
passed by blasphemed Thee, wagging their heads and
saying : * Vah, Thou that destroyest the temple of God,
and in three days buildest it up again, save Thyself,
coming down from the cross ' " ; ^ and when Thou
didst pray for those that crucified and derided Thee,
♦ John xix, 5. t John xix, i6, 17. J Matt, xxvii, 34. § Psalm
xxi, 17. II Isaias xii, 3. H Mark xv, 29.
1 50 spiritual
saying : " Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do.''
I give Thee thanks for the love with which Thou
didst endure those torments, beyond all understanding,
when, with hands and feet nailed to the cross, Thou
didst hang between two thieves ; and when Thou didst
see Thy most sweet Mother, her heart pierced with the
sword of compassion and melting with love, standing by
the cross.
I offer Thee thanks for suffering that most vehement
thirst, when, before Thy death, " one running and filling
a sponge with vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave
Thee to drink." *
I give Thee thanks for that loving kindness and
mercy with which Thou, who givest life to all, bowing
Thy venerable head, didst deign to die for me. May
everlasting glory be to Thee for the separation of Thy
most excellent Soul from Thine immaculate Body.
I give Thee thanks for that sacred Blood and saving •
water, which flowed from Thy sacred Heart, when " one
of the soldiers with a spear opened Thy side, and
immediately there came forth blood and water." |
I give Thee thanks for the burial of Thy most pure
Body, and for Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension,
and for sending the Holy Ghost.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Sixth Interior Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE, praise and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus Christ
I bless Thee and give Thee thanks, Son of the living
God ; because Thou didst will that Thy most holy Body
should be grievously afflicted for my sake. I salute the
suffering members of Thy Body for Thy honour and
love.
Hail, immaculate Feet of my Lord, for my sake so
often weary, and for my salvation pierced with nails.
Hail, most venerable Knees, for my sake so often
bent in prayer and worn with fatigue.
* Mark xv, 36. t John xix, 34.
Instruction 1 5 1
Hail, beauteous Breast, for my sake disfigured with
bruises and wounds.
Hail, most sacred Side, for me opened by the lance.
Hail, Heart most loving, gracious and full of sweet-
ness, wounded for love of me.
Hail, incomparable Treasury of all good and of all
happiness. Be to me, I beseech Thee, a protecting
shade in death, and after death an eternal abode.
Hail, most holy Back, for my sake torn with scourges
and made red with Blood.
Hail, Arms most sweet and beloved, for me stretched
out upon the Cross.
Hail, Hands most delicate, for me pierced through
with nails.
Hail, most lovely Shoulders, for my sake bowed
down and wounded under the heavy cross.
Hail, most pure Neck, for me wounded with cruel
blows.
Hail, most sweet Mouth, that took for me the bitter
draught of gall and vinegar.
Hail, most gracious Face, for my sake defiled with
spittle and bruised with hard blows.
Hail, most sacred Ears, ever bowed down with mercy
to hear, and for me assailed with foul and abusive words.
Hail, most blessed Eyes, for my sake flowing with
tears.
Hail, venerable Head, for me crowned with thorns,
wounded and struck with the reed.
I salute, most merciful Jesus, Thy whole Body, for
my sake scourged, torn, crucified, dead and buried.
I salute Thy most Precious Blood, shed to the last
drop for me.
I salute Thy most noble Soul, for my sake filled
with sorrow and straitened with heavy grief.
Jesus, most worthy of love, sanctify, I beseech Thee,
all my members, by Thy most holy Members, and blot
out the stains of my sins, which I have contracted by
abusing my members.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
152 Spiritual
Seventh Interior Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE, praise and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus Christ;
I bless Thee and give Thee thanks, Son of the living
God, for all Thy wounds, and especially for those five
adorable wounds which, as the splendid seals of my
redemption and of my reconciliation to Thee, Thou
didst retain in Thy risen Body.
I salute Thee, my Beloved, and with all devotion
I kiss the roseate wound of Thy right Foot ; and I beg
of Thee, through it, to give me full pardon of all my sins.
I salute Thee, my most merciful Saviour, and with
all devotion I kiss the lovely wouhd of Thy left Foot ;
and I beg of Thee, through it, to restore all the ruins of
my wasted life.
I salute Thee, O the Desired of my heart, and with
all devotion I kiss the roseate wound of Thy right
Hand ; and I pray Thee, through it, to mortify in me
whatever displeases Thee.
I salute Thee, my Beloved, and with all devotion
I kiss the dear wound of Thy left Hand ; and I pray
Thee to give me, through it, every interior adornment
that may please Thee.
I salute Thee, Lord most sweet, and with all de-
votion I kiss the loving wound of Thy most holy Side ;
and I pray Thee that, through it. Thou wouldst deign so
to draw me and carry me away into Thyself, that I may
be entirely joined to Thee, and made one spirit with Thee.
Do Thou, O Lord, hide me in Thy blessed wounds,
and grant that I may draw from them Thy true love
and everlasting salvation. Imprint Thy wounds on my
heart, with Thy most Precious Blood, that I may read in
them Thy sorrow, and at the same time Thy love. May
the memory of them always remain in the inmost
sanctuary of my heart, that it may arouse within me
sorrow of compassion for Thee, and that the flame of
love may be kindled within me.
May I find in Thy wounds at all times, but especially
at the hour of my death, secure refuge and safe protection.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Instruction 153
Eighth Interior Conversation
with Jesus
I ADORE and glorify Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, who dost
deign to unite to Thyself the souls of those who perfectly
love Thee. O Son of the living God, I, abounding in
sins, empty of merit, am unworthy to draw nigh to Thee ;
but behold, I offer to Thee, for all the offences I have
committed, and for all good that is wanting in me, what-
ever Thou hast willed to do, speak and bear for me.
I offer to Thee whatever has pleased Thee in Thy
most glorious Mother, the Virgin Mary, and the other
Saints.
Wrap up, I beseech Thee, my whole life, all un-
worthy and unclean as it is, in the winding-sheet of
Thine innocence and of Thy merits ; adorn me with the
most perfect virtues 6i Thy sAcred Manhood, and thus
adorned, unite me inseparably to Thyself.
O life-giving gem of divine excellence, unfading
flower of human dignity, Jesus, wounded for me, wound,
I beseech Thee, and pierce my inmost heart with the
dart of Thy love, so that it may be able to contain
nothing earthly, but may be contained only by the
power of Thy Godhead.
Grant, my Beloved, that I may aspire to Thee with
all my heart, with full desire, and with a soul thirsting
for Thee, and that so I may be refreshed by Thy
sweetness.
Grant that my whole spirit and all within me may
always sigh after Thee, who art the true beatitude.
May I be totally consumed with the most ardent charity.
Grant that I may be intimately united to Thee and
transformed into Thee, in order that Thou in me, and
I in Thee, may have joy in one another, now in time,
and hereafter in eternity.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
Ninth Interior Conversation
with Mary, the Virgin Mother o£ God
Hail, white lily of the bright and ever tranquil Trinity !
Hail, red rose of everlasting beauty ! Hail, illustrious
154 Spiritual
Queen of heaven, flowing with unspeakable delights,
0 Virgin Mary !
Of thee, O blessed one, it was that the King of
heaven, Jesus Christ, the brightness of His Father's
glory,* willed to be born, and by thy milk to be fed.
Thou didst wrap Him in swaddling bands ; in thine arms
thou didst carry Him ; thou didst cherish Him in thy
bosom ; thou didst cover Him with embraces and
kisses. May He deign, by thy intercession, to feed my
mind with His inflowing graces.
0 my singular advocate, turn thy merciful eyes upon
me. Obtain for me by thy prayers the full remission of
all my sins, perfect self-denial and mortification. Obtain
for me a heart pure, humble, full of loving kindness for
others, and wounded by the love of thy most sweet
Son. Obtain for me true freedom and detachment of
spirit, that my Lord Jesus Christ Himself may find in
me peace and joy.
1 venerate thee ; I invoke thee ; I offer to thee, to
increase thy joy, the Heart of thine only Son, and I beg
of Thee lovingly to help and comfort me during the
whole time of my exile here below, and especially at the
hour of my death. Amen.
Tenth Interiof Conversation
with all the Saints and Angels of God
Hail, ye men and women. Saints of God, who, having
received eternal happiness, praise the Lord with con-
tinual joy. Hail, ye angelical Spirits, who always see
with jubilee the lovely face of God. Hail, holy Angel,
my most faithful guardian, to whose care I have been
given by the Lord.
You are the lovely flowers of heaven, wonderfully
adorning the Jerusalem that is above. I venerate you ;
1 invoke you, and I offer to you, for the increase of your
joy and glory, that treasure-house of all good, the Heart
of Jesus Christ, sweeter than honey.
I give thanks to our Lord God Himself, who has
*Heb. i, 3.
Instruction 155
chosen you and prevented you by His blessings.
I thank Him for all the good things He has bestowed
upon you.
O blessed friends of God, obtain for me by your
prayers full pardon of my sins, perfect self-denial and
mortification. Obtain for me true detachment and
liberty of spirit and burning love for God, that the Lord
Himself may be able to find His delight in me.
Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, that,
helped by your prayers, I may at length glorify the
Holy Trinity with you in that most sweet Fatherland,
where one day is better than a thousand, where God
Himself is all that the loving mind can desire. Amen.
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