Purpose of the Work, Necessary to Be Read

Some desired from me a book of Considerations on the Eternal Maxims, for souls who wish to better establish themselves and advance in the spiritual life. Others asked me for a collection of preachable material for Missions and Spiritual Exercises. In order not to multiply books, labors, and expenses, I thought it best to compose the present Work, in the manner here seen, so that it might serve both purposes. So that it may benefit the laity for meditation, I have written these Considerations divided into three points. Each point will serve for one meditation; and therefore after each point I have added the Affections and Prayers. And I beg my readers not to grow weary if in these prayers they will always find petitions for the graces of perseverance and love of God; for these are the two graces most necessary for us to attain eternal salvation.

The grace of divine love is that grace, says St. Francis de Sales, which contains in itself all graces, because the virtue of charity toward God brings with it all other virtues: "Venerunt autem mihi omnia bona pariter cum illa" (Wis. 7:11). He who loves God is humble, is chaste, is obedient, is mortified — in short, he possesses all the virtues. "Ama, et fac quod vis," said St. Augustine. Love God and do what you will; yes, because he who loves God will seek to avoid every displeasure to Him, and will seek nothing else but to please Him in all things.

The other grace, that of perseverance, is the one that obtains the eternal crown. St. Bernard says that paradise is promised to those who begin the good life, but is given only to those who persevere: "Inchoantibus praemium promittitur, perseveranti autem datur" (St. Bernard, Serm. 6 de modo bene viv.). But this perseverance, as the Holy Fathers teach, is given only to those who ask for it. Hence St. Thomas wrote that to enter heaven a continual prayer is needed: "Post baptismum autem necessaria est homini iugis oratio, ad hoc quod coelum introeat" (III, q. 39, a. 5). And before him our Savior said: "Oportet semper orare, et non deficere" (Luke 18:1). And this is the reason why many miserable sinners, though pardoned, do not then persist in the grace of God; they receive forgiveness, but because they then neglect to ask God for perseverance, especially in times of temptation, they fall again. On the other hand, although the grace of perseverance is entirely gratuitous and cannot be merited by our works, nevertheless Fr. Suarez says that through prayer it is infallibly obtained; St. Augustine having already said that this gift of perseverance can be merited by prayer: "Hoc Dei donum suppliciter emereri potest, id est supplicando impetrari potest" (De dono persev., ch. 6).

This necessity of prayer we shall demonstrate at length in another small work, entitled The Great Means of Prayer: a work which, although brief and therefore of little expense, has nonetheless cost me much labor, and which I consider of the highest usefulness to every kind of person; indeed I say with assurance that among all spiritual treatises there is not, nor can there be, a treatise more useful and more necessary than this one on prayer for obtaining eternal salvation.

So that the present Considerations might also serve for preaching to priests who have few books, or have no time to read them, I have furnished them with texts of Scripture and passages from the Holy Fathers, though brief, yet spirited, just as they should be for sermons. Note that each Consideration together with all three points forms one sermon. To this end I have endeavored to gather from many authors the most vivid thoughts that seemed to me most apt to move hearts; and I have set down several of them in brief, so that the reader may choose those that please him most, and then develop them at his pleasure.

All be to the glory of God.

Long live Jesus our love, and Mary our hope.