II. While we do not know for what more we could

ask, His Majesty never wearies of giving us fresh
favours. Not contented with having united such a
soul to Himself, He begins to caress it, and reveals His
secrets to it. He is pleased at its understanding what it
has gained, and that it knows something of what He
has in store for it. He deprives such a person of her
exterior senses, lest they should disturb her. This
produces what is called “ rapture.'’ His friendship with
her becomes so intimate, that not only does He restore
her will to her, but He gives her His own as well. For,
having made a close friend of her, God is pleased to take
the command with her “ by turns,” as we may say,
and, just as she obeys His commands, so He, in return,
does what she asks of Him,^® only in a far more com-
plete manner, for, being almighty. He can do what He
wills and He always wills to do this, while the poor soul
cannot carry out all His wishes, however strong its
desire may be. Neither has it power to do anything,
unless the grace is first given it, and yet it grows richer,
although the more it serves God the heavier grows its
debt. It often becomes weary of being subject to so many

Castle, M. vi. ch. iv. 17. Rel. viii. 8. Life, xx. 23, 29.
Concep. ch. vi.

^ Rel. ix. 25.

CHAP. XXXII.] HUMILITY. 217

drawbacks, obstacles, and bonds while imprisoned in
the flesh, for it longs to pay God something of what it
owes Him. This is very foolish, for, when we have done
all we can, what repayment can we make Him, since He
has given us all we possess, except self-knowledge ?
The one thing, which by the grace of God we can do,
is to utterly resign our will to His.

12. All else only hinders the soul that He has raised
to this state : humility alone can help us here, and that
not a humility won by means of our intellect, but one
gained by a pure intuition of the truth, by which we
perceive, in an instant, our own nothingness and the
greatness of God with greater clearness than we could
have learnt in many years by the use of our reason.
But as I have already explained in another book what
contemplation is and how the soul should conduct itself
in that state, and have described in detail the spirit’s
experiences and the knowledge it gains of the Divinity,
I will only allude to it here, so that you may learn how
to recite the Pater Noster. One piece of advice I will
give you, however — do not fancy that any efforts or
actions of your own will raise you to contemplation,
for you would be mistaken ; they would only cool any
devotion you already felt — but with the simplicity and
humility which obtain all things, you must simply say :
** Thy will be done.”

Life, ch. xviii, sqq. Rel. viii. 8,

2I8

THE WAY OF PERFECTION. [CHAP. XXXIII.