24. In What Ways This Fortitude May Be Obtained, and What Things Hinder It, and What Things Wholly Destroy Btrt If Anyone Desire Thus to Ensure and Possess These Things, He Mus^ Study That He Burn with Desire — All Unnecessary Occu Pations Set Aside, and That He May Be at Liberty for Beholding Divine Goodness, and the Richest Benevolence and Liberality. He Is to Look Also with the Greatest Pity Upon Rational Creatures Given Up to and Cleaving to This World : for Assuredly It Is Altogether Pitiable and an Immense Unhappiness That They Should Not Praise and Worship God with All Their Ability ; Since They Ever Remain Without Knowledge of These De Lights Which Are the Meat and Drink of the Friends of God, Bringing to Them the Sweetest Inebriation. Let Him Therefore Pray God That He May Be Merciful to Those Unhappy Persons, and in Accordance with His Clemency, He May Allow the Streams of His Own Benevolence to Flow Upon Them, That Converted to Him by the Manifestation of Praise and Honour They May Flow Again Into Unity. for Truly .as Manias We Have Said, Hunger After Justice, These Have Obtained Full Health. Those Who Discover These Things Now Mentioned in Themselves Ought Not to Doubt But That They Shall Climb Up to the Highest Step of Spiritual Fortitude. But There Are Four Certain Things Which Not Uncommonly Hinder a Man from Obtaining This Gift of Fortitude. Namely, Not Devoutly to Consider the Goodness of God, and the Evil or Wicked Works and Deeds of Men Is Great Folly and Ingratitude. Whoso with Sorrow Does Not See Them So Sadly Going Astray, and That God Remains Hid and Concealed from Them, Has Too Little Pity. Thus Those Who from Their Heart Do Not Desire and Seek to Be Recovered and Converted to the Praise and Honour of God, — Their Devotion Is Cool and Slack. Indeed Those, Whoever They Be, That Burn with a Moderate Desire Have Ii2 How Fortitude Obtained in No Wise Risen to Any Height, a Thing Which Can Be Thence Perceived — Inasmuch as Their Hunger Is Small. There Are Four Other Things Which However Great the Virtue Be, Not Only Hinder, But Even in a Certain Way Pluck It Forth and Drive It Away. Neither to Care for God or Men Belongs to Great Impiety, Great Shame and Excessive Blindness. Who Soever Grieves Not That Such Do Not Join and Apply Themselves to God, Whence the Streams of Grace Are Flowing, Is Ignorant of Pity. It Belongs to Hatred and Envy That He Should Not Turn Himself to Praise God, Nor to Seek Nor Desire It from Anyone. in Those in Whom There Is No Hunger to Satisfy Justice, Whatever That Demands, It Is Clear That They Least of All Have Risen in Spiritual Fortitude