I. Give us, O our good Master, some safeguard against

surprise in this most dangerous warfare. The weapons
® Way of Perf. ch. xvii.

^ Valladolid edition, ch. xlii. ; Escorial, ch. Ixix.

[chap. XL.

272 THE WAY OF PERFECTION.

which we may use, daughters, and which His Majesty
has given us, are love and fear. Take this advice :
it is not mine, but your Teacher’s. Try to keep them
by you on your journey. Love will quicken your foot-
steps, and fear will make you look where you set your foot
down, lest you should tiip against the many stumbling-
blocks on that road by which all men must pass in this
life. Thus armed, you will be secure from pitfalls.

2. You will ask me : “ Can I tell whether I possess
these two very, very, great virtues ? ” You are right,
for there can be no absolutely certain proof of this ;
if we weie sure we possessed charity, we should be sure
we were in a state of grace. But, sisters, there are some
signs which are at once apparent, and which, as they
say, the blind can see. There is no secret about them ;
although you may not wish to hear them, they cry aloud,
for few souls have these virtues in perfection : therefore
they call the more for notice. The love and fear of
God need not advertise themselves ! They are two
strong fortresses, from whence war is waged on the
world and the devils. The soul that truly loves God
loves all good, seeks all good, protects all good, praises
all good, joins itself to good men, helps and defends them,
and embraces all the virtues : it only loves what is true
and worth loving. Do you think it possible that any
one who loves God, cares, or can care, for vanities, or
riches, or worldly things, or pleasures and honours ?

dHAP. XL.j LOVE AND FEAR. 2^3

Neither can such a soul quarrel nor feel envy, for it aims
at nothing save pleasing its Beloved. It dies with
longing for His love and gives its life in striving how to
please Him better. But a hidden love indeed ! as if
a real love for God could possibly be hidden ! Look
at St. Paul or the Magdalen — in three days he found
he was sick with love,^ but she knew it the first day.
And how sure they were of it ! A love for God may be
great or small : and it shows itself according to its
strength. If it is weak, it is little seen, and if it is strong
it appears more clearly ; but small or great, love for God
can never be concealed.

3. The illusions and temptations the devil plots
against contemplatives are numerous.’ Such souls love
fervently, or they would not be contemplatives, and
this is plainly shown in many ways, for a large fire throws
a bright and clear flame. If they are wanting in love,
let them be apprehensive and think they have good
cause for fear : they should try to find out what is amiss
and pray fervently. They must be very humble and
must ask God not to lead them into temptation, into
which I fear they will fall if they have not this token.
But if they are lowly and try to find out the truth
— if they submit to their confessor and are frank and
outspoken with him,^ then — God is faithful. Let them

2 Acts ix. 19, 20. ^ Castle, M. iv. ch. iii. 10.

^ Castle, M. vi. ch. ix. 10.

18

274 the WAV' OF PERFECTION. [CHAP. XL.

feel assured that, if there is neither malice nor pride
in them, the devil will gain them life by the means
whereby he sought to kill them. There is no need for
fear while they keep to the guidance of the Church ; but
Satan’s bug-bears and deceits will soon be found out.

4. But if you feel the love for God I have described,
besides the fear of which I am about to speak, you may
feel happy and at peace. In order to disturb the soul
and to prevent it from enjoying these great graces, the
evil one will himself suggest, and will make other people
arouse in you a thousand false fears, ^ for if he cannot
win you for himself at least he will try to snatch some-
thing from you and to cause some loss to souls who might
have benefited greatly by believing that the favours
shown to such a miserable wretch came from God : he
will also suggest that it is impossible for such things to
be, for nowadays we sometimes seem to forget His
mercies in the past.®

5. Do you fancy that the devil wins but little through
these fears ? No indeed, he gains immensely. He thus
harms us in two well-known manners as well as in many
other ways. First, he frightens those who listen to
him from practising prayer, by making them dread
deception : secondly, he deters many others from
devoting themselves to God as they were inclined to

® Castle, M, vi. ch. ix. 8.

^ Escorial edition, ch. Ixx. Treats of the love of God.

CHAP. XL.]

SIGNS OF LOVE.

275

do when witnessing the immense goodness which leads
Him to communicate Himself so fully to sinners. Such
souls think He would console them in the same way
and long that He should. They are right in this : I
know certain persons, who, thus encouraged, have given
themselves to prayer and, in a short time, have become
thorough contemplatives, receiving great graces from
God. Thank Him warmly when you see any one among
you favoured in this way, knowing that she feels this
fervent love for Him. But you must not imagine that
she is safe : rather, you must aid her the more with
your prayers, for no one can be free from danger while
living involved in the perils of this tempestuous sea.

6. You will be sure to discover this love immediately,
indeed I do not know how it could be concealed. They
say it is impossible to hide a human love for some poor
foolish man or woman, but that the more we strive to
conceal it, the more clearly it is seen — although a thing
so base, felt for a mere worm, undeserving of any regard,
does not merit the name of love, being founded upon
nothingness : indeed I loathe to make the comparison.
Then, could a love so strong, so just, ever growing while
it lives, which never discovers any cause why it should
cease, but finds so many reasons for its being, as does
the love of God, built as it is on the firm foundation of
a love which is returned — can such a love as this be
hidden ? And that it is returned we cannot doubt,

276 THE WAY OF PERFECTION. [CHAP. XL.

for the bitter sorrows, the trials and blood-shedding
which cost our Lord His life, were known to men, and
prove His love beyond all question. In short, a love
for God is real love and merits its name, and the vanities
of this world should be looked upon as thieves that
would steal it from us.

7. O God ! what a vast contrast between the one
love and the other must be felt by the soul that has
tried them both ! May His Majesty give us grace to
prove it before He takes us from this life ! What a boon
it will be, at the hour of death, when we are going we
know not where, to think that we are to be judged by
Him Whom we have loved above all things,'^ with an
ardour that has crushed self-love. We may feel safe
concerning the acquittal of our debts : we shall not be
going into a foreign country but into our father-land,
for it belongs to Him Whom we love so dearly, and Who
loves us in return. For this affection excels all earthly
fondness, because if we love Him, we are assured of His
love for us.

8. Oh, my daughters, think of what we gain by this
love ! what, then, do we lose for the want of it which
delivers us into the hands of the tempter — into hands
so cruel — hands which are the foes of all good and the
friends of every evil thing ! What will become of the
poor soul which has just passed through the pains and

’ Excl. iii. 4 ; x. 5-8.

CHAP. XL.]

CONTRASTS.

277

anguish of death, when it falls at once into the clutches
of Satan ? What a frightful fate ! How it is torn and
lacerated as it falls to hell ! what a brood of different
kinds of serpents swarm around it ! How appalling is
the place and what a miserable reception ! A self-in-
dulgent person, such as are most of those of the lost,
can hardly bear to pass the night in a bad inn, yet here
he will lodge for ever, for ever, to endless ages ! What
do you suppose will be the feelings of this unhappy
soul ? Let us not look for luxuries, daughters : we are
well enough off here — it is only one night in a bad inn —
thank God ! Let us force ourselves to do penance in
this life. How sweet death will be to her who has
expiated all her sins and who needs no purgatory !
She may begin to enjoy glory even in this world, and
will fear nothing, but will be in perfect peace. Al-
though we should not attain to this, sisters, let us beg
God, that if we must suffer pain after death, it may
be where it may be endured willingly, with the hopes
of deliverance, and where we shall forfeit neither His
friendship nor His grace ; and may He grant them us
in this life, so that we may not fall into temptation un-
knowingly. Let us praise the Lord, and persevere in
begging Him to keep us and all sinners in His hands,
and not to lead us into these hidden temptations.

278

THE WAY OF PERFECTION. [CHAP. XLI.