31. Concerning the Gift of Understanding

THE sixth gift of the Holy Spirit splendidly adorning the soul is Understanding. For when anyone has perceived the inward touch of the Father, and has been illumined according to the reason by the Son, and has been enkindled with the impatience of love by the Holy Spirit, then indeed he has obtained the perfect likeness of God ; but none the less is he able to grow continually in virtues and* a greater likeness. For not only is he able to merit so that God can endow him far more liberally, nor can he be so clear and enlightened in intellect but that he can be made more enlightened by God ; nor finally can he be so endowed with love but that God can pour a greater into him. Yet as we have said, by the inward touch of God and the enlightened reason and the ardour of love, he is perfectly like God.

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Moreover, since according to his soul he-was created out of nothing, because God nowhere has accepted that very nothingness which is nowhere, a man following on, has flowed apart from his own self to such an extent that he has lost himself, and that by immersion in the simple essence of God as if in his own proper constitution, and is dead in God. For to die in the Lord is to be blessed ; but in this way are each blessed in proportion to their own dignity or excellence each one of which is unlike as possible as in grace so in glory. And their blessedness is to comprehend God and to be comprehended of God in the fruitful unity of the divine Persons, and by this very unity to have flowed into the superessence of God. Now when this unity, in accordance with introversion and inward emanation is fruitful, and in accordance with extroversion or exterior flowing forth, is fertile, therefore the source itself of unity flows whilst the Father begets the Son, the Eternal Truth, who is the Father's image, in which He recognises Himself and all things. And the same image is the life and cause of all things, since in it by some divine mode all things live. And by this image all things are perfectly created, and by the same exemplar all things are wisely ordered ; and by reason of this image all things are fitted and joined to their end, as far indeed as it pertains to God. For to each reasonable creature what soever enough has been offered so that it should be able to obtain beatitude. For the reasonable creature itself, since it is a creature which has issued forth from God, is not that image of the Father, seeing that it flows forth as a creature, and therefore the knowledge and love of Him has its measure both in the light of grace as of glory. For not anyone actively possesses the divine nature in a divine manner, but only the divine Persons. For no creature is able to work in a boundless manner ; for if its action should be boundless assuredly it would be God and not a creature, for by His own image God made reasonable creatures in accordance with nature, like Himself ; but those who have turned themselves to Him He has made more like Himself above their nature in the light of grace or glory, each in accordance with his capacity, condition and dignity.

For as many soever as feel within the divine touch have their reason illuminated, and are endowed with the impatience of love, and to whom the boundless essence of divinity was manifested, — all these are introverted fruit fully in the superessence of God. And God Himself cleaves to His own fruitful essence, and contemplates that same essence which He enjoys. The divine light in fruition continually passes away in its own boundless essence ; but in strong contemplation the vision does not fail nor pass off, for we shall always be contemplating that which we are enjoying. But those who without intermission are wanting in that very light, are those who in the vastest solitude of divinity repose fruitfully, where God fruitfully possesses Himself. There, I say, the light fails in the repose and the boundless essence of God ; and in this loftiest essence God is His own throne ; and howsoever many occupy this rank in grace and glory are the thrones and tabernacles of God, and are dead in God, and enjoy eternal repose. Out of this death issues forth the superessential life, which is the contemplative life, and here begins the gift of Understanding. Therefore when God ceaselessly contemplates the same essence which He enjoys, He bestows, as it were, an impatience of love, whilst He makes them like Himself ; thus He supplies rest and fruition to those whom He conjoins and unites to Himself. Moreover, immersed and absorbed into that essence, they know neither giving nor receiving. And God assigns likewise, as it were, an illumined reason, whilst He bestows likeness to Him self : thus He offers an immense clearness when He admits to union with Himself. And this immense clearness is the image of the Father, in which image we have been created, and we are able to be united to Him more surpassingly and supremely than even the Thrones themselves, if notwithstanding we contemplate (beyond the defect of which we have spoken), the glorious face of the Father, that is, the loftiest nature of divinity. Moreover that immense and boundless clearness is bestowed in common on all minds enjoying it in grace and glory ; and this, like light or solar clearness.

communicates itself, or flows in common to all ; but not all who receive it are equally illuminated. But as the sun's rays penetrate glass more brilliantly than stone, and crystal than glass, and as single gems in the sun's brilliance manifest their own worth, excellence, nobility and colour, so by this clearness of God each one is illuminated in proportion to the dignity or excellence of his own capacity, both in grace as in glory. But nevertheless he who is greatest and chief of all in grace has been less illuminated than the least in the light of glory, although the light of glory may not be the medium between the soul and this boundless clearness. But our state and condition, • and in like manner, time and change, are a hindrance to us ; and therefore we indeed merit it least of all, but only those who are in glory. Besides that sublime clearness there is the simple contemplation of God the Father, as of all those who fruitfully contemplate and bend the sharpness of the mind in the one and together with the one self-same incomprehensible light, — each one indeed is accordingly illuminated — since that unexhausted and infinite light shines without intermission in all minds ; but he who even now leads this temporal life is often besprinkled with similitudes, and thus does not always actually contemplate intently by this light the superessential substance of God. Nevertheless he obtains it in accordance with his state, for each one has followed up this gift of understanding, and when he desires he can be free to attend to contemplation of this kind, as far as is possible in this life. However when this light by which we contemplate is boundless, and that which we contemplate is a certain indeterminate and infinite abyss, for this reason they cannot ever be appre hended in turn by themselves ; but fixed contemplation is always most sublimely occupied in the boundless essence of divinity, and in the fruitful countenance of Majesty, where the Father Himself by His own wisdom and unexhausted and infinite essence con templates by this method.

Moreover as many as wisdom has over flowed and illuminated are called Cherubim, because they belong to the order* of angelical spirits of that name, and to this end they are i66 free for all eternity, nevertheless each one in accordance with his own excellence and dignity ; for all are not equally illuminated. However they never attain as far as a similitude, nor do they fall from the virtues, nor do they desert any creature, and so they bend their sharpness of mind beyond this similitude without cessation into the simple essence of divinity. And Al mighty God Himself, Who is the Author and Controller of this contemplation, con templates and acts without any cessation. For Christ in accordance with His own Humanity and created Soul, both was and is the highest contemplative of all that have ever been ; since He was one with the Eternal Wisdom — nay, He was and is the Wisdom through which contemplation is made. But none the less He Himself ever satisfied by ministering outward duties and actions of charity to all mortals, and without interruption beholds the Father's face ; and this is the excellence and dignity of this gift, that is to be active and to contemplate, and ever to remain free from all impediment, as far indeed as can be done.

And to those who are of this character the words of Christ belong, in which He says :— " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." For when they are be sprinkled by no shadows and similitudes, and neglect bodily things, and estimate pleasures lightly, and have obtained that likeness of God which is in accordance with the virtues and justice, and also openly contemplate without limit the essence of God, deservedly they are called blessed, since \this is divine or deifying contemplation. Quite rightly even can they be com pared to the middle heaven, which is called the crystalline ; seeing that as this crystalline heaven is illumined by the highest heaven, so they, by the Father's eternal truth, are illumined and irradiated through and through. That indeed as we have said, is the contemplative, superessential life where the introverted. intelligence is adorned by the gift of understanding, both by God Himself, and by the very Eternal Wisdom Itself.