Chapter I. Of perfection in general

Article I

Motives that eoccite its to perfection.

We must go on to perfection. The motives which excite us thereto are : 1. The great advantages it brings with it ; peace of soul, perfect liberty of mind, the delights of the love of God, the abundance of the riches of grace. 2. The assurance of our salvation, which is not to be had save in the way of perfection ; whereas in the practice of it salvation is morally certain.

There is great wisdom in making haste to acquire perfection, because then we are at rest for our whole life, and enjoy a solid satisfaction, that interior joy which the world knows not, nor can take away from those who possess it.

Article II

Wherein perfection consists, cmd what dispositions we oiLght to bring thereto.

Perfection consist* in the operations produced by interior grace, which proceeds from God alone ; and as God is ever ready to operate in the soul according to His designs, all that he has to do who would become perfect, is to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of the Divine operation.

We remove them by cleansing the interior of the soul and those sentiments by which we seek God, that we may do so purely, to the exclusion of all the interests of the creature, convinced that nothing is worthy of consideration but God alone, nothing of importance but the accomplishment .of His will, from whence His glory comes, and that all else is nothingness.

In order to be in a state to form acts of such perfection, it is necessary to clear away all the impurities of the soul, render the will pliant to the movements of the Spirit of God, and cut off all desires of our own ease and natural gratification.

There are three principal kinds of impurity : the love of earthly things ; the desire of being in favour with men ; and the pleasures of the body, whether illicit or excessive.

In order to acquire holiness, three things are requisite. 1. To have a high idea of it and a great desire for it. 2. To use great diligence in the pursuit of it, which diligence, again, must have three characteristics ; it must be not only fervent and persevering, but exclusive. 3. To be courageous in resisting the opposition we shall meet with in the prosecution of our design.

The foundation of the spiritual life consists in conceiving a great idea of God and of divine things, and a very low idea of all created things, and then regulating our life according to these two ideas.

Three sorts of dispositions are necessary in one who aspires after perfection. 1. Great watchfulness and close application in all things, keeping the eyes ever open for every opportunity of personal advancement. 2. Great courage in surmounting all difficulties and conquering himself whenever there is need. 3. Great perseverance in the study of perfection, so as never to relax his endeavours, never to grow weary, never to cease from watching and toiling to the end.

Article III

Of the practice of perfection.

The whole practice of the spiritual life consists in two things : first, in watching continually over ourselves, on the one hand, in order to do good, and on the other, in order to avoid evil ; secondly, in having the courage and strength both to do all the good and avoid all the evil we have a knowledge of Watching over ourselves includes three things. 1. The thinking almost continually of God, in order to prevent unprofitable thoughts. 2. The avoiding every kind of sin, and every thing that can stain the souL 3. The mortifying ourselves interiorly by resisting all our inclinations.

The order of the spiritual life demands that we should commence with the purification of our interior, correcting whatever is disordered therein. This is so necessary, that if we devote ourselves to the practice of virtue without having first done this, we shall mix therewith a thousand effects of self-love ; we shall be always seeking ourselves in the holiest practices ; and the good we may receive from God we shall appropriate in a spirit of ownership, and shall thus remain always novices.

There are four things of high excellence which it is necessary to practise in the spiritual life. 1. To purify our soul by continual examination and detestation of its vices. 2. To take no satisfaction save in God alone. 3. To live in the practice of great fidelity, not doing the least thing which may displease God. 4. To exercise ourselves continually in the presence of God and the love of our Lord, meditating without ceasing on His perfections and His mysteries.

Every one who enters on the spiritual life must take pains to become filled with a threefold spirit, that of compunction, mortification, and prayer.

Compunction includes four or five excellent things : a serious and grave spirit, continual sorrow and inward moanings, profound humility, and devout solitude of heart.

Compunction has for its object three things in particular. 1. The vanity or miserable condition of man in this life, and the folly of the generality of Christians. 2. Our own sins and those of our neighbour. 3. The bloody passion of our Lord. These are the three motives which constrain devout souls, like gentle turtle-doves, to fly the vain joys of the world and the frivolities of life, that they may pass their days in continual plaints.