Chapter XIII. Of the way to resist the Sensual Impulses, and of the Acts to be performed by the Will, in order to acquire habits of Virtue

WHENEVER the reasonable will is attracted by the will of the flesh on one side, and by the Divine Will on the other, each contending for the mastery, it will be necessary to exercise yourself in many ways, in order that the Divine Will may in all things prevail within you.

First, whenever you are assaulted and buffeted by the impulses of the lower nature, you must resist them manfully, so that the higher will may not consent.

Secondly, when the assaults have ceased, excite them again, so as to have an opportunity of overcoming them with greater force and energy. Then challenge them again a third time, so as to accustom yourself to repulse them with scorn and horror. These two challenges to battle should be made in the case of every unruly appetite, with the exception of temptations of the flesh, of which we will treat in their place.

Lastly, you should make acts contrary to each evil passion you have to resist. You will understand this the better by the following example—

Suppose, then, you are attacked by feelings of impatience. Look well into yourself, and you will discover that the higher will is continually aimed at by these temptations, in order to incline it to consent to them.

At once resort to the first thing which has been recommended; use the higher will repeatedly in opposing these feelings, resist them with all your might, that you may not be drawn to consent to them.

Do not leave off the conflict till the enemy is, as it were, wearied out, dead, and yields himself vanquished.

But, beloved, see the malice of the Devil. When he perceives that we resolutely resist the rising of any passion, he not only refrains from stirring it, but when it is excited he seeks to quiet it for the time, lest, by the practice of resisting it, we should form the habit of the opposite virtue.

And besides this, he would dexterously lead us to believe, that we have as brave soldiers quickly trampled under foot our enemies at one blow, so that he may entrap us with the snares of pride and vain-glory.

Therefore, pass on from a first to a second encounter, by recalling to memory and exciting anew within you those thoughts which led to the temptation of impatience, until you are conscious of the feeling again; then resist with a stronger will than before, and with greater force repress the feelings.

And because, unless we thoroughly hate them, we are still in danger of being overcome by fresh attacks from our enemies—however successful we may have been in resisting them from a sense of duty and a desire to please God—you must face them a third time, and drive them far from you, not only with dislike but with disdain, picturing them to yourself as worthy of hatred and abhorrence.

Lastly, in order that the soul may be adorned and perfected with habits of virtue, you must often make inward acts which shall be directly opposed to your unruly passions.

Thus, if you want to gain perfect patience, when you have received an affront which tempts to impatience, it will not be enough to exercise yourself in the three ways of fighting which I have already described, you must learn further to desire and love the slight you have received, wishing for a repetition of it, and from the same person; awaiting and disposing yourself to suffer still greater insults. These contrary acts are necessary for our perfection in holiness, because the above-named exercises of resistance—many and efficacious as they are—are not sufficient to pluck out the roots of sin.

And therefore (to continue the same instance) although, on receiving an insult we may not consent to the feelings of impatience, but fight against them in the three ways which have been recommended yet, unless we accustom ourselves by many and constant acts of the will to love contempt and rejoice in it, we shall never be free from the vice of impatience, springing as it does from a regard for our own reputation and a dread of contempt.

And if the root of this sin be left alive, it will be sure to spring up afresh again and again, until virtue is weakened, and wholly choked by it; it will keep us in continual danger of a relapse upon every occasion. Therefore, without these contrary acts, the true habit of virtues can never be acquired.

And keep in mind also, that these acts must be so frequently made, as to be sufficient to destroy the sinful habit; for this habit, having been formed by repeated acts of sin, can only be removed by repeated acts of the opposite virtue, and thus a counter-habit of holiness be attained.

Moreover, a greater number of good acts are required to form a habit of virtue than of evil acts to form a vicious habit; in that the former are not in alliance with our nature, which is corrupt, but the latter are always aided by it.

Again, I would add to all that has been said, that, if the virtue you are striving to acquire need it, you must perform the outward acts in conformity with the inward; as, for example, speaking gently and lovingly, and, if possible, rendering services, to those who have in any way vexed and thwarted you.

And although these acts—both inward and outward—are done, or seem to be done, with such weakness of spirit as to make them appear to be a most unwilling service, yet you must on no account fail to do them; because, however weak they may be, they will keep you strong and secure in the battle, and make easy before you the path to victory.

Stand on your guard, and be self-controlled, so as to be ready to resist every assault of the passions, not only such as are hot and violent, but also the slightest and the gentlest movement; for these latter open the way for the former, and thus habits of sin are afterwards generated in us.

It comes to pass, from the little care men take to root out of their hearts lesser desires, that, after having conquered the stronger cravings of the same passion, many, when they least expect it, have been assaulted and vanquished by their old enemies more completely and fatally than at first.

Be mindful, too, sometimes to mortify and check yourself in things which are lawful but not necessary; for, from such a course of discipline, many good results will follow.

You will in this way dispose yourself more and more for victory over self in other things, you will gain strength and skill to struggle against temptations, you will avoid manifold devices of the Devil, and perform a work very pleasing to the Lord.

Beloved, I speak plainly to you; if, in the way which I have taught you, you will go on faithfully and constantly in these holy exercises for reforming and mastering yourself, then, I promise you, that you shall in a short time make much progress, and become really spiritual, and not in name only.

But in no other way, or course of discipline—however such may commend itself to you and be agreeable to your taste, yea, though it may seem to unite you in secret converse with your Lord—can I assure you that you will attain any real virtue or holiness. For this does not consist in (as I told you in the first chapter)—neither does it spring from—exercises which are pleasant to us and which accord with our natural tastes, but it is the fruit of the crucifying of the flesh with all its actions, and the renewing of man by the practice of the virtues of the Gospel, and the uniting him to his Crucified Creator.

Depend upon it, that as habits of sin are produced by many and repeated acts of the higher will, yielding itself to the sensual appetite; so, on the other hand, habits of the virtues of the Gospel are acquired by the performance of frequent and repeated acts of conformity to the Divine Will, as it calls us to the practice of different virtues from time to time.

For as our will can never become vicious or earthly, however fiercely assaulted or allured by the lower nature, unless it inclines towards or consents to the temptations; so, on the other hand, our will, however forcibly drawn and assailed by inspirations and Divine grace, will never become virtuous or be united to God, so long as by inward, and it may be, outward acts, it does not suffer itself to be brought into conformity with His Will.