CHAPTER XI.

Begins the explanation of the second line of the first, and shows how a vehement passion of divine love is the fruit of these sharp afflictions of the soul.
With anxious love inflamed .
In this line the soul speaks of the fire of love of which we have spoken,* and which, in the night of painful contemplation, seizes upon it as material fire on the fuel it burns. This burning, though in a certain way resembling that which, as we explained before, t takes place in the sensual part of the soul, is still, in one sense, as different from this, of which I am now speaking, as the soul is from the body, the spiritual from the sensual. For this is a certain fire of love in the spirit whereby the soul, amidst these dark trials, feels itself wounded to the quick by this strong love divine with a certain sense and foretaste of God, though it understands nothing distinctly, because, as I have said,J the understanding is in darkness.
♦ Ch. x. t Bk. i, ch. viii. § i. } Ch. ix. § 3.
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2. The spirit is now conscious of deep love, for this spiritual burning produces the passion of it And inasmuch as this love is infused in a special way, the soul corresponds only passively with it, and thus a strong passion of love is begotten within it. This love has in it something of the most perfect union with God, and thus partakes in some measure of its properties, which are more especially actions of God received in the soul rather than of the soul, consenting unto them in simplicity and love.
3. But this warmth and force and temper and passion of love, or burning, as the soul calls it, are solely the work of God Who is entering into union with it. The more the desires are restrained, subdued, and disabled for the enjoyment of the things of heaven and earth, the more room does this love find in the soul, and better the dispositions for its reception, so that it may unite itself with that soul, and wound it. This takes place, as has been said before,* during the dark purgation in a wonderful way, for God has so weaned the faculties, and they are now so recollected in Him, that they are unable to take pleasure as they like in anything whatever.
4. All this is the work of God ; wrought with a view to withdraw the faculties of the soul from all objects whatever, and to concentrate them upon Himself, that the soul may acquire greater strength and fitness for the
* Bk. 1, ch. i., § 2.
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strong union of love of God which He is communicating in the purgative way ; and in which the soul must love Him with all its strength and desire of sense and spirit, which it could never do if the faculties thereof were dissipated by other satisfactions. The Psalmist, there- fore, that he might be able to receive this strong love of the union with God, said unto Him, 4 1 will keep my strength for Thee ; ’* that is, all my capacity and desires, the strength of my faculties, neither will I suffer them to do or rejoice in anything but Thee.
5. Here we may perceive, in some degree, how great and how vehement is this burning of love in the spirit when God gathers and collects together all the strength* faculties, and desires of the soul, both spiritual and sensual, so that all this unison may use all its energies and all its forces in this love, and so come to satisfy truly, and in perfection, the first commandment, which, neglecting nothing that belongs to man, and shutting out nothing that is his from this love, saith, namely, 4 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength/f
6. When all the desires and energies of the soul are thus recollected in this burning of love, and the soul itself touched, wounded, and set on fire with love, in them all, what must the movements and affections of
* Ps. lviii. 10. t Deut. vi. 5.
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these desires and energies be when they are thus wounded and burning in this strong love, when that love does not satiate them, when they are in darkness and doubt about it, and suffering also, beyond all question, a more grievous hunger, in proportion to the past experience of God ? For the touch of this love and of the divine fire so dries up the spirit, and enkindles its longing to satisfy its thirst, that it turns upon itself a thousand times, and longs for God in a thousand ways, as David did when he said, ‘For Thee my soul hath thirsted, for Thee my flesh, O how many ways ; '* that is, in desire. Another version reads, 4 My soul thirsteth after Thee, my soul is dying for Thee/
7. This is the reason why the soul says, ‘With anxious love inflamed/ In all its works and thoughts, in all its employments and on every occasion, the soul loves and longs in many ways, and this longing also is manifold in its forms, always and everywhere present ; the soul has no rest, feeling itself to be wounded, and on fire with anxious love; its state is thus described by holy Job : ‘ As a servant desireth the shadow, as the hired man tarrieth for the end of his work, so I also have had vain months, and have numbered to myself laborious nights. If I sleep, I shall say, ‘ When shall I arise ? and again I shall expect the evening, and shall be replenished with sorrows even until dark-
♦ Ps. lxii. 2.
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ness/* The soul is discontented with itself, with heaven and with earth, being replenished with sorrows even until the darkness of which Job is here speaking. That darkness, speaking in a spiritual sense, and according to the matter which I am discussing, is distress and suffering without the comfort of any certain hope of any light and spiritual good.
8. The anxieties and sufferings of the soul while thus on fire with love are the greater, because of their twofold origin : the spiritual darkness which envelops it is one, and that afflicts it with doubts and misgivings. The love of God which sets it on fire is the other, which stirs it with the wound of love and makes it burn marvellously. These two kinds of suffering are thus referred to by Isaias, being in a like condition : ‘ My soul hath desired Thee in the night ; ' that is, in misery. This is one kind of pain which proceeds from the dark night, ‘Yea, and with my spirit in my heart I will watch to Thee in the moming/f This is the other kind of suffering in desire and anxiety, which pro- ceeds from love, in the bowels of the spirit; that is, the spiritual affections. The soul, however, amidst these gloomy and loving pains, is conscious of a certain companionship and inward strength which attends upon it and so invigorates it that if the burden of this oppressive darkness be removed, it ♦ Job vii. 2-4. f Is. xxvi. 9.
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oftentimes feels itself desolate, empty, and weak. The reason is that the force and courage communicated to the soul flow passively from the dark fire of love which assails it, and so, when that fire ceases to assail it, the darkness, the strength, and fire of love at the same time cease in the soul.