Chapter III. The care we ought to take to preserve purity of heart in action

ARTICLE I. We must perform our actions truth a pure intention.

We ought to take the strictest care to perform all our actions with a pure intention. An action which in itself is good, becomes altogether bad when it is preceded or accompanied by an intention which is not pure ; and it is partly good and partly bad when, though preceded by a pure intention, it is afterwards accompanied by one that is impure ; as, for example, by vainglory, which insinuates itself insensibly.

The principal enemies with which purity of intention has to contend are vanity, pleasure, self-interest, and aversion. This is why, at the conmien cement of our actions, as on going to table, or to recreation, we must overcome our repugnances and renounce our own gratification, so as in nowise to act from any of these impure motives, being ever disposed to do what we are about to do with the aim of pleasing God, even when we do not find our own pleasure or profit therein. And in the progress of our actions we ought to use great circumspection to keep them clear from every defilement that may mingle with them, whether it be external, such as want of modesty ; or internal, such as private self-seeking.

Article II

We ought to act on aupemaMi/ral principles.

Our heart is unceasingly attracted towards good ; but it is always some natural good, unless the Holy Spirit gives it a higher aim. We ought, then, to watch all the movements of our heart, in order to follow only those which come from the Holy Spirit.

The holy Angels never performed those actions which we call purely natural ; they renounced for ever their self-love from the pure motive of the love of God j and whilst they were in a state of probation, they performed only acts of faith, hope, charity, and other supernatural virtues. Thus it is that they merited the possession of God, and were rendered eternally blessed.

We ought to imitate this fidelity of the Angels, acting always on supernatural principles. But we are wholly immersed in our own nature, and most of our actions are either merely natural, or proceed partly from grace, and partly from nature. Scarcely any are wholly of grace and perfectly supernatural.