Book IV, Chapter VI

Give all for all ; seek nothing ; require back nothing ; abide purely and with a firm confidence in Me, and thou shalt possess Me

(On these words) — u Give all for all; seek nothing; require back nothing; abide purely and with a firm confidence in Me, and thou shalt possess Me.” B. iii. c. 37. {

Question. — What is it rightly to enjoy and to pos- sess God?!

Answer. — We truly possess God when our mind i and heart are attached to Him. But it is to be ob- ’ served, that we speak not now of full possession, which is reserved for the Saints in Glory, nor of that imperfect possession which is common to all the Just, and which consists simply in being in a state of grace,

I but of another, which is the fruit of the union of the human heart with that of God; a union so close, that I it may be said with truth, that man possesses God, that:

I he is full of God. Yet it is not equal in all who share it. It is excellent in some, as in persons of consummate holiness, who, by virtue of Divine love, and by the illumination of Faith, truly enjoy God, from which they gain marvellous blessings, which we have noticed in many places. In others it is less perfect; but always sufficiently so to give them an exquisite sense of the presence of God, with a high idea of His Majesty; and in this state they live fully contented, entirely free from those disquietudes and fears that are common to other men. They feel the presence of God, and enjoy its infinite sweetness. i

Now God thus communicates Himself in a greater or less degree, according as the soul has more or less i love for Him, and attachment to creatures. Therefore the devout are always trying to secure themselves in the possession of God; they learn to feel; His Presence within them; and the means of which!

AND THOU SHALT POSSESS GOD HERE. 159 they make use for this are prayer, the frequent use of the Sacraments, and other pious exercises. They study principally to practise thoroughly the two things recommended by our Author. The first is, to build on God Alone; the second, to attach themselves to Him constantly and for ever. By these means they attain at length to possess God, in a manner more or less perfect, in proportion to their fervour.

Question. — What is it, then, to build on God alone?

Answer. — It is to regard God with a single eye; to look to Him with an upright intention, without ever turning aside to creatures. But this is not done by those who act on impulse, and who follow the inclinations of nature. When I speak of following the inclinations of nature, and thereby losing the possession of God, I divide mankind into three classes.

1. The first consists of those who are resolved to keep themselves from deadly sin, but who care little for anything else. These fear God, but they have little thought for His Glory, because nothing touches or occupies them but their own salvation.

2. The second sort go much further; for, not content with avoiding deadly sin, they avoid, as far as they can, those slight faults which are committed with reflection and deliberate purpose; yet they are not always watchful over their actions; they are not always careful to do nothing but what pleases God, and thus they fall into many imperfections; much self-love mingles in their conduct, for want of light, and of application to that which is their duty. In truth, when they perceive a thing to be forbidden, they abstain from it, although they think it but a venial sin; but they are deceived in thinking that p 2

160 IN ALL SEEK GLORY OF GOD ONLY, that will suffice to render them perfect. It cannot certainly be denied that by an innocent life we acquire much merit; but this will not bring them to the full possession of God, because though they commit few sins with full consciousness and evil intention, they fall into many through frailty and precipitation and thus they never enter that way that leads to perfect purity, in which men rarely fall even into faults which are committed through inadvertence. I say rarely, for I do not pretend that we can ever subdue self to such a degree as not to sin at all.

Thus there are three distinct degrees of perfection. Those who have attained to the first avoid mortal sins; in the second, they keep themselves from venial sins; in the third, they are exempt even from many slight faults into which men fall without much consideration, and purely through frailty. In the last alone can they obtain that purity of soul which is necessary to possess God. Further, we do not now speak of singular graces and extraordinary gifts, but only of what a man may do by applying himself as he ought to the ordinary exercises of the inward life. For it is evident that, with the assistance of grace, it does not surpass human powers, first, to avoid the greatest crimes; secondly, to abstain from the smallest faults, when we reflect on them, and are not taken by surprise; thirdly, to be so watchful over ourselves, and so careful in ail things, as to guard ourselves against the slightest failures.

Question. — Teach us more particularly how this is to be practised?

Answer. — By being always watchful over themselves, and trying to do nothing on natural impulse, nor by a secret movement of self-love, which it is impossible to discover without careful observation.

AND THOU SHALT POSSESS GOD HERE.

Interior and fervent men are not thus deceived, for they apply themselves most diligently to examine their very smallest actions, to consider what spirit moves them, what motive leads them to act, what is the end at which they aim. What they principally desire is, to make the Glory of God their great end, and to he mortified in all their works, without any mixture of vanity, curiosity, or sensual pleasure.

This is rightly called seeking God in every thing; hut it appears impracticable to those who are not spiritual yet many devout persons find nothing in it but sweetness, tranquillity, and peace.

Those to whom we are now speaking, and whom we wish to instruct, are those who content themj selves with a moderate degree of virtue; who desire good, and abhor evil, but who do not strive sufficiently to arrive at the lofty state proposed to them, or who regard it as imaginary, or cannot do themselves violence enough to approach it, and who con- 1 sequently dispense with this salutary practice recom- [ mended to them in these words, " Attach thyself i solely and continually to Me.”

Not that God will not recompense them for their * good works, as He does in general all the Just: He does not refuse them His consolations; He gives them peace of heart, and that repose which accompanies a good conscience; but He does not communicate Himself much to them, and they possess Him but imperfectly. Those, on the other hand, who carefully follow our Author’s counsel, obtain the true possession of God which is promised to perfect purity of heart. Blessed are the pure in heart, said the Saviour, for they shall see God. Matt. v. 8.

2. The second condition of this holy practice is, that we should apply ourselves to it incessantly, and without intermission. Many are deterred by the difficulties with which they meet for that we may p 3

162 WHAT FITS TO HEAR THE ETERNAL WORD.

be capable of possessing God in the manner of which we speak, to have a share of His Illumination, and be filled with Him, there must he no void in the soul; she must be entirely filled with Him, and so closely attached to Him, that nothing can separate her from Him; and if through frailty she quits Him for a moment, she must return to Him quickly, and beware lest through slothfulness she remain long parted from Him. This is a point of so much consequence, that we may call it the beginning of all spirituality. Without this we can never reach perfection, and with it we shall infallibly attain to it. The reason, then, why there are so few perfect men is, that for want of courage, a thousand pretences are found for dispensing with that holy and salutary practice which the Son of God recommends when He says, Knock, and it shall he opened unto you. Matt. vii. 7.