II. In these and other difficulties by which the devil

may seek to ensnare us, it would be best, when you are
doubtful as to what course to pursue, for you to consult
some learned person, as the nuns are permitted to do,®
to make your confession to him, and to follow his advice
in the case, lest some great mistake should be made in
remedying the evil. How many people go astray in the
world for want of seeking guidance, especially in what
affects their neighbours’ interests ! Some redress must
be sought, for when the devil starts such works, unless
he is stopped at once, the matter will become serious,
, ® Castle, M. vi. ch. viii. lo, ii. Found, ch. xix. i.

CHAP. IV.] WORLDLY CONFESSORS. 33

therefore my advice about changing confessors is the
best, and I trust in God that you will be able to
do so.

12. Be convinced of the importance of this : the thing
is dangerous, a hell in itself, and injurious to every one.
Do not wait until much harm has come of it, but stop
the matter at once in every feasible way : this may be
done with a clear conscience. I trust, however, that
God will prevent those vowed to a life of prayer from
becoming attached to any one who does not serve God
fervently, as He certainly will, unless they omit to practise
prayer and to strive after perfection, as we profess to do
in this house. If the nuns see that the confessor does
not understand their language nor cares to speak of
God, they cannot like him, for he differs from them.
If he is of such a character, he will have extremely
few chances of doing any harm here, and unless he
is very foolish he will neither trouble himself about
the servants of God, nor disturb those who have few
pleasures and little or no opportunity of following their
own way.

13. Since I have begun speaking on this subject, I may
say that this is the only harm, or at any rate the greatest
harm, that the devil can do within enclosed convents.
It takes long to discover, so that great damage may have
been wrought to perfection without any one knowing
how, for if the confessor is worldly himself, he will treat

3

The way oe perfection.

34

[chap. V.

the defect lightly in others. Deliver us, O Lord, for
Thine own sake, from such misfortunes !

It is enough to unsettle all the nuns if their conscience
tells them one thing and their confessor another. Where
they are allowed no other director I do not know what
to do, nor how to quiet their minds, for he who ought
to bring them peace and counsel is the very author of
the evil. There must be a great deal of trouble, resulting
in much harm, in some places from these misplaced
partialities, as I have seen in certain convents to my
great sorrow, therefore you need not be surprised at
the pains I have taken to make you understand the
danger.