Written in the Year 1500 by Abbot Garcia Jimenez De Cisneros, O.S.B. Engl. modified from the translation from the original Spanish by E. Allison Peers, Monastery of Montserrat, 1929

PART THREE

CHAPTER 26

Of the Unitive and Perfective Way, showing what it is, and the qualifications necessary in the exercitant who would attain thereto.

SINCE we have spoken of the Illuminative Way, which gives light to the understanding, and how by means thereof the exercitant may come by meditation to his desired goal, which is the union of the soul with God, it behoves us now to speak of the Unitive and Perfective Way, the which unites the soul with God and makes it perfect. And this, according to the saints, is the goal of true wisdom.

        First of all, the Unitive Way, according to Saint Dionysius, is that whereby the exercitant who is al-ready purged and enlightened is united in love to his Creator, and rejoices in His perfections, desiring to please Him alone, both readily and joyously. Now he magnifies Him, now he praises Him, now he marvels at His greatness, and languishes in love for Him, so that he can say, with the author of the Song of Songs: Anima mea liquefacta est, ut dilectus locutus est mihi. Which is to say : My soul melted when my Beloved spoke to me. And likewise the words which say : Fulcite me floribus, stipate me malls, nunciate dilecto quia amore langueo. Which signifies : Adorn me with flowers, surround me with apples, and say to my Beloved that I languish with love for Him. ^[p.140]

        And this love wherewith you seek your Beloved must be most pure, — that is to say, it should be chiefly given on account of God ‘s goodness. For with the Psalmist we must say: Quid enim mihi est in coelo: et a to quid volui super terram? Which signifies: I love you purely, O Lord, -- not for the gifts of Heaven, neither for the gifts of earth, but for Your sovereign goodness and for Yourself; and I love you above all things that are in Heaven and in earth.

        Therefore you must know that in the Unitive Way the exercitant lifts up his heart with great love to God, withdrawing himself from all vanities and all things created, taking his affection from creature love and turning it to love of the Creator, having ever before him the words which are written in Ecclesiastes : Vidi cuncta quae erant sub sole : et ecce universa vanitas. Which is to say : I saw all things that were beneath the sun, and I saw that all were vanity. Wherefore, brother, do you as the bird that soars on high, which if it meets with flies on its way, heeds them not; and these flies are vain cogitations whereof you shouldst take no account, but soar ever higher with the wings of love, saying : “ My path is towards the sun, “ — that is to say, towards Christ our Redeemer, Who is the true Sun of Righteousness, Who alone is holy, alone the Lord, alone the Most High, — “wherefore I will not allow my heart to be occupied with the vanities which are of earth D. ^[p.141]

        Further you must note that this Way is reached by inward recollection of yourself from outward things to things which are within ; from things which are low to things which are high; from things of time to things of eternity.

        Wherefore it is needful for the attainment thereof that the exercitant be rooted in virtues by habit as well as by grace, that he have no delight in vain-glorious appetite, in the lust of riches, nor in the lust of the eyes, nor in gluttony.

        Secondly, he needs the silence that is within, so that he be tranquil amidst the noise of all outward things, giving no heed to that which he hears or sees, nor taking any more account thereof than if it had come to him in a dream.

        Thirdly, he needs to be in loving union with God, so that with great reverence he may embrace all the judgments of God, all His deeds and all His instructions.

        Fourthly, he must seek for nothing, but must know that God His Well-Beloved is wholly sufficient for him; exalting g God and giving g Him supremacy , in ‘t his heart, loving Him above all that can be seen, 1 heard, thought or even imagined; for He is altogether to be loved, altogether to be desired, and altogether faithful.

And you must know that He Whom you desire perfectly to love can neither be seen nor heard, neither can He be reached by the senses of taste, smell, touch or feeling; yet none the less He is altogether to be desired. Further, you must consider that He Whom you seek in love has no limit, no shape, no measure, no circumscription ; neither can He ever change, nor be imagined in any way soever; yet is He altogether to be desired. Consider furthermore that He Whom you love cannot be demonstrated, defined, comprehended, examined or understood; yet is He altogether to be desired.

        Fifthly, call you oft-times the perfections of God to memory, and rejoice you inwardly because of them with exceeding joy. And although His perfections are infinite, yet are there three which are most commonly remembered, and concerning which you shouldst awaken your affection in this manner, saying as follows :

        “O my Lord and my Beloved, I rejoice because you are most mighty, not for the good that comes to me therefrom, as though I sought my own ad-vantage, but because You have this perfection, and fearest none, neither have need of any. For none can overcome you, none can resist you, whether the devil or any other adversary. And herein, first of all, do I greatly rejoice.

        Secondly, I rejoice, O Lord, because you are most wise, knowing in Yourself, with a knowledge most clear and transparent, all things, both good and evil, past, present and to come; for you seest things that change without Yourself changing, and things that ^[p.143]

are uncertain without uncertainty; and all this is of Your sovereign perfection. And because nothing is hidden from you, therefore can nothing deceive you.

        “Thirdly, I rejoice greatly because you are supremely good, — that is to say, of sovereign perfection. For you are ever good and changest not, — better are you than aught else, and nobler than aught that can be imagined.

        Finally, it is of great advantage to a beginner to have some short words and exclamations, whereby he may express his loving desires by speaking to the Lord in prayer, according as we said at the end of the section on the Illuminative Way. Concerning this we will speak further in the next chapter.

CHAPTER 27

Of things whereon the exercitant may meditate throughout the week, at the beginning of his prayer, after Matins, according as pertains to this Way, which is called Unitive and Perfective, to the end that he may mount the six steps which lead to the union of the soul with God.

WHEN you have come, my brother, to the place of your prayer, signed yourself with the holy Cross, and recollected your spirit, take you upon yourself the person of a son, or of a spouse, with affection of love; make you your meditation concerning the perfections and praises of God ; and learn you to taste therein how gracious the Lord is, after the manner which follows.

        On Monday, consider how He is the beginning and the end of all things. On Tuesday, how He is the beauty of the universe. On Wednesday, how He is the glory of the world. On Thursday, how He is wholly love. On Friday, how He is the Ruler of all things. On Saturday, how He is our most tranquil Governor. On Sunday, how He is the all-sufficient Giver.

        On Monday, consider you with loving thoughts how God is the Maker of all being, — that is, the beginning and end of all things — upon Whose will depend all creatures both mortal and immortal.

        Consider you that He gives all things their being;  ^{[p.144]  [p.145]} that it is He Who makes and restores, and both creates and governs that which He has created; in Whom to will and to do are both as one.

        Consider how you canst not imagine Him as not existing; for, if He existed not, nothing else could exist; nor has He His being of any other, but all things that are have their being of Him.

        Consider likewise how there is nothing that so communicates its goodness as He, and that the more widely spread His goodness, the more perfect it is. How none is so quickly appeased as He, nor so greatly to be desired, enjoyed and loved. How He is the one universal cause of all things created ; for even heathen philosophers knew Him as the first cause by the exercise of their reason.

        Consider that it is from Him and in Him and through Him that all things have their being; that He fills Heaven and earth; that in His virtue all creatures are sustained; that every place is in Him; that all things have been made by Him ; and that without Him has nothing been made at all. How He cannot be felt or seen but yet sees all, feels all and knows all; and that He never dies.

        When in the depths of your heart you have considered these things with great joy concerning the sovereign goodness of your Beloved, then do you make your prayer, lifting up your heart to God, speaking to Him lovingly -within yourself with enkindled desires and sighs, and saying : ^[p.146]

        “ O Lord, you are my love, my honour, my hope, my refuge, my life and my end. My love, my happiness, my guardian, my joy, the director of my steps, the teacher of my heart and my exceeding joy. I seek not, Lord, neither do I desire that aught shall be spoken to me save of Yourself, nor that any other should be offered me; for you are wholly sufficient for me. You, O Lord, are my Father, my Brother, my Creator, my Governor and my Guardian. you are wholly to be loved and desired : you are wholly faithful.

        Who is there so liberal that he will give his very self? Who so loving that he will die for the vilest of sinners ? Who so humble that he will so greatly humiliate his majesty ?

        “O Lord, Who despisest none, abhorrest none, and forsakest none that seeks you, but rather do go before them and come out to receive them when they seek you, Your delights are indeed to dwell with the sons of men.

        “ What is it, O Lord, that You have found in me, save the filth of sin? Yet you do promise to be with me even unto the end of the world. Was it not enough, O Lord, that you didst die for me? That You have given me so many sacraments and angels to guard me? Can it be that despite my in-gratitude for all these things you desire to be ever with me? O most loving Father, so good are you that you deniest Yourself to none. Let us therefore make an exchange : as you think upon ^[p.147] me, so will I ever think upon you. Do with me even as you wilt and as you knowest to be best, for I am your and I desire to belong to none other. Grant me grace, O Lord, that I may think upon you alone, that I may love you alone and that I may ever be aflame with love for you. May I covet nothing but Yourself, offer myself to you wholly, and, when You have accepted me, never withdraw from you more.

        “ O fire, that enkindlest me! O love, that inflamest me! O light, that enlightenest me! O my rest, my refreshment, my hope, my treasure, my life ! O love, that ever burnest and are never quenched!

        “ O Jesus Christ, my King and my Lord, enkindle me with the fire of Your love, of desire for you, of charity which comes from you, of joy in you, of peace in you, of Your mercy and of Your meekness, that, being filled with the sweetness of Your love and made mighty with the flame of Your charity, I may love you, most sweet and gracious Lord, with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength, with all my intention, with great contrition and compunction, with all reverence, trembling and fear, having you ever in my heart, before my eyes, and everywhere ; in such manner that no other and no private love may find entrance into my soul, but rather that I may be wholly transformed in Your love, and merit by this transformation to become one spirit with you. “

        After you have exercised yourself for some time in this manner by the grace of God, and have attained to the love of Him, and have mounted the six steps which we shall describe herewith; then, without any preceding meditation or labour of the understanding, you may lift up your heart to God an hundred times in the day with great love.

        And if anyone by reason of his simplicity cannot exercise himself in this way aforesaid, let him ground himself at the least in the virtue of faith, have sorrow for his sins wherewith he has oflended God, and if he cannot meditate upon the Divine Scripture let him strive to love God in his prayers with all his heart, repeating often such words as these with sighs for Divine love : “ O Lord, when shall I be able to em-brace you, with sure and undivided love ? O most ardent Lover, when shall I love you with the love of a son ? “

        And if he do this, howsoever simple he be, through sorrow for his sins ; and kiss, as it were, the feet of the Beloved; and then be mindful of His benefits, kissing, as it were, the Beloved’s hands, he shall rise to kiss Him upon the mouth, that is, in the desire of the Divine love; even as Solomon says in the Song of Songs in the person of the Spouse that is joined with her Redeemer; Osculetur me osculo oris sui. Which is to say : “ Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth. “ And such a man shall not be held proud or presumptuous in desiring this kiss of the mouth, since he will have accustomed and exercised himself in the kiss of the feet, which is sorrow for sin, and in the kiss of the hands, through mindfulness of the benefits of God, even as we said above in the nineteenth chapter, speaking of the Purgative Way. Let this, then, be the exercise for Monday. And you shouldst note that this exercise consists wholly in sighs and longing desires for your Beloved.

        On Tuesday, when you have come to the place of prayer, and have signed yourself with the holy Cross, take you upon yourself the person of a son, and, with loving heart, make your meditation in this way :

     Consider first how this your Beloved is the beauty of the universe, and has made all creatures beautiful. How both sun and moon do marvel at His beauty, and the angels desire to look upon Him.

     Consider how from this your Beloved all things created have their beauty, -the stars, the trees, and the plants, roses, lilies and all flowers beside.

     How from Him the birds learn their songs of sweetest melody, - the nightingales, the larks and every other kind of bird whence all music that is made of man takes its source.

     How from Him all things that are sweet to the taste have their sweetness — whether honey, wine, fruits, and the diversity of all kinds of spices.

     How He has adorned the heavens with stars, has peopled the air with birds, has given the earth to animals and the waters to fish of kinds innumerable.

     How it is He that sustains all things, and how, if He ceased to sustain and preserve them, they would return to their nothingness every one.

     How He is the spring of wisdom, whence flow all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, for He is Wisdom eternal which is from everlasting to everlasting and with great power ; yet He disposes all things with sweetness.

     How within Himself He has the throne of the heavens; looks into the deep abyss, weighs the mountains with a balance, and encloses the earth within the palm of His hand, giving a law to the waters that they go not beyond their shores.

        When you have meditated upon these things, in the depth of your heart, with great joy for the beauty and power of your Beloved and with deepest love, so that you are enkindled therewith, do you mane your --prayer in the same manner as we described for Monday.

        On Wednesday, when you have come to the place of prayer, signed yourself with the holy Cross, and so forth, take you upon yourself the person of a spouse, and with deepest love make you your meditation in this way : Think how He Whom you seekest with great love is the glory of the world; for angels adore Him, archangels praise Him, the powers of Heaven tremble before Him, and all things serve Him.

     Consider how all creatures praise Him, as is right, and how He is our hope, our salvation, our honour, our glory, and our final goal.

     How He is most bounteous and ever abounds; for His are the earth and the fulness thereof, and glory and riches are in His dwelling. Think, then, if a man who has gold is called wealthy, and ac-counted worthy of much honour, how much more so must He be Who made all gold and precious stones and all things that are in the universe?

     How this your Beloved exhausts all comprehension, and how it is said of Him : “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness has no end.

     How His excellence is so great and so lofty that none may comprehend it,-neither men nor angels, nor any creature. For all things created are finite and your Beloved is infinite; and in no way whatsoever can the finite be compared with the infinite.

        When you have meditated upon these things with great joy at the glory and bounteousnes of your Beloved, and with abundance of yearning love, make you your prayer after the same manner as we described for Monday.

        On Thursday when you have come to the place of prayer and signed yourself with the holy Cross,  ^[p.152]  take upon yourself the person of a spouse, as we have said above, and make you your meditation with deepest love, in this way :

     Consider how He Whom you lowest is all love, and how he that abides in Him abides in charity, and God abides in him. Consider you likewise how the nature of fire is to burn, kindle and give heat, and how in like manner the property of His love is to nourish and sustain to shed its graces over all, far and wide, to inflame human love and enkindle it, to save, redeem, preserve, set free and enlighten.

     Consider how this your Beloved can by no place be circumscribed, — that is to say, no place, neither any space, can surround Him, but He is in all places everywhere. For if you descend into Hell, you wilt find Him there, and if you ascend into Heaven, He is there likewise. For, as Saint Bernard says, God reigns everywhere, and in. every place has dominion, and His majesty likewise is everywhere, and fills all things; and in Hell He works the works of His justice; wherefore to say that there is aught that can be done in His absence is to be wanting in faith.

     Consider how this your Beloved is the reward of the saints, the joy of the angels, the mirror of all the elect, the hope of the patriarchs, the corner-stone of the prophets, the consolation of the apostles, the crown of martyrs, the light of confessors and the brightness of virgins.

When you have meditated upon these things ^[p.153] with great joy- for the love of your Beloved and the reward which He brings to His own, with enkindled affection of love, make you your prayer in the manner aforesaid, saying : “ O Lord, you are my love, etc.”

        On Friday, when you have come to the place of prayer and signed yourself with the holy Cross, take you yet again upon yourself the person of a spouse, with deepest love, and make your meditation in this way:

     Consider how He Whom you desire so greatly to love is the rule and exemplar of all things, and that the nearer a thing is to Him, the nobler must it be.

     Consider how some things have being without life, others both life and being, and these latter are nobler than the former. How others have being, life and faculty of discernment, and how these, according to nature, are nobler than those before mentioned. How others, beside all this, have purity of being and virtue of knowledge, even as have the angels; and these are nearer to your Beloved than any other creatures.

     Consider how by virtue of His unsullied goodness all the qualities of an exemplar are in Him, with the quality of virtue itself and the quality of imparting itself to others.

     How this your Beloved is the ordainer of the universe, and is Himself its order; for He allots each thing to its place, according to its condition and deserts, setting some on high, and others below them, even as the prudent painter assorts his colours, giving to this part colour, to that blackness, to another blueness, and so forth, that his work may be beautiful as a whole.

     How He Whom you seekest in love is perfection itself without defect soever, having need of nothing and being in Himself wholly sufficient for everything. For there is nothing better, nor worthier, nor nobler, nor more perfect than He, neither can any such thing be imagined.

     How whatsoever the creature has of perfection, and whatsoever can be praised in it in a positive degree, — that is, in the lowest degree of all, — all this your Beloved has in the superlative degree, which is the highest of all.

        When you have considered these things, enkindled with deepest love, and have had great joy at the exemplariness, order and perfection of your Beloved, make you your prayer after the same manner as we described for Monday.

        On Saturday, when you have come to the place of your prayer and signed yourself with the holy Cross, take you again the person of a spouse, as aforesaid, with deepest love, and make your meditation in this way-:

     Think first how He Whom you lovest is tranquillity, and governs the whole world perpetually and unchangingly by His decree, and is the Creator of Heaven and earth.

     How He commands time, so that from the be-ginning of the world it has remained stable, and, remaining thus, makes all things to move.

     How He is the beginning, the ruler, the guide, the way and the end of all things.

     How He is the goal of the devout and their most peaceful rest ; and likewise is immovable and unchangeable, since He is everywhere ; for we say that a thing moves when it goes to a certain place from another where before it was not; and He is there-fore immovable, because He is in every place and there is no place whither He can go.

     How it is He that gives rest and refreshment to all things. For He has said : “ Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest “. How the soul that is firmly rooted in its Beloved, as in its centre, finds rest and tranquillity; and how that which is not thus rooted is wearied with many vain fancies.

        When you have meditated upon these things, and considered them well within your heart, till you have found pleasure therein, then make you your prayer, with deepest love, and with great joy in the tranquillity of your Beloved and in the rest and refreshment which He gives, saying as aforesaid : “ O Lord, you are my love, etc. ^[p.156]

        On Sunday, when you have come to the place of prayer, and signed yourself with the holy Cross, do you take the person either of a son or of a spouse, as we said above, and, with deepest love, make you your meditation in this way following :

     Think first of all how He Whom you desire most lovingly is complete sufficiency; how he that possesses Him has all things that he needs ; and how he that possesses Him not is a beggar and poor. For all that is not your Beloved satisfies not; or if it satisfies, suffices not long; and if for some time it suffices, it satisfies not continually, for it leaves much to be sought elsewhere. But he that has Him is fully satisfied, for in Him he has the goal of his desire, and there is nothing that remains for him to seek.

     Consider how this your Beloved is excellent above all things that can be seen, heard, tasted, smelt, touched or felt.

     How He is loftier than all of these, for He is excellent above all things that have limit, shape, or measure, or that are subject to change, or that can be circumscribed, comprehended or imagined.

     How He is supremely lofty, being excellent above all things that can be demonstrated, defined, thought, examined, esteemed or understood. Nevertheless He is greatly to be loved, and greatly to be praised and to be desired above all things.

     How this your Beloved is your most faithful ^[p.157] treasure ; and where your treasure is there is your heart also. How that, whatsoever be taken away from you, you have enough and to spare for so long as He is with you ; for it is He Himself Who, as He said to Martha, is the one thing needful. How in Him we have our highest satisfaction; and how if the whole world abhors us and He approves us it suffices; for He is our desire and our sufficiency.

     How He is the life whence all things live. For in Him we live and move; and of Him it is said: “Of Him and through Him and in Him are all things”.

     How this your Beloved is called Christ, —that is to say, the Anointed. For He is that unction and balm which will give sweetness to anything in the world whereon it is placed. the damned the savour of justice and avenger iniquity

     How in the elect He is the savour of grace, in of

        How this your Beloved is the Creator, Ruler, Redeemer, Justifier, Rewarder and Glorifier.

        When you have meditated on these perfections of your Beloved, joyed therein and given thanks for them, let your soul melt with, love, and sleep you and take your rest in the peace thereof, saying: Waken not the bride until she desires to be awa kened, and then shall I burst forth in His praises; and if I cannot worthily praise Him, yet will I not be silent, since He is a savour that is very precious to me; and whosoever tastes of Him is overcome by His sweetness and enabled to die for His love, since he loves Him alone in the beauty of his sole Beloved. Where, O Lord, wilt you make Your dwelling ? Where wilt you that I seek you, Who are altogether sweetness and savour? O sweet Guest of the soul, be you my guest, and let me be with you for ever “.

        When you have meditated upon these things with great joy at the sufficiency of this your faithful treasure and the life and they unction which is in your Beloved, with deepest love and longing sighs and desires for Him, make you then your prayer, according as we said for Monday.

CHAPTER 28

How our tought is lifted up to God through quick and fervent love, without knowledge of the understanding, or of any other thing soever.    ““

WE have described above how the understanding is lifted up to God by meditation upon His perfections and praises, and how through the prayer of words and that of enkindled desires it is itself enkindled in love of Him. We shall now describe how the spirit, which for some time has been exercised in the manner aforesaid, is lifted up to God without any labour of the understanding or of aught else soever, and is united with Him, the which union is called by the saints true wisdom. As Saint Dionysius says, this wisdom is known by means of our ignorance; for no reasoning or understanding or human knowledge  can raise the exercitant to a union in this way, such union and such feelings being the work of God alone, Who wills to give Himself to such a spirit as this without labour of understanding on its part, but Himself aiding the affections. Wherefore it seems that our soul at this stage is receptive rather than active with regard to the understanding, and that the affection of love alone reigns within .it, and neither sense nor understanding has any part therein. This is the wisdom whereof Saint James says that every perfect gift descends from above, — that is to say, from God. This wisdom is likewise that which is so greatly exalted in the Book of Wisdom. It is not, like knowledge of every kind, born within us, being begotten by the understanding, but it arises from the exercises of our inward affections, whereof the prophet David speaks, saying : Renuit consolari anima mea : memor fui Dei et delectatus sum et defecit spiritus meas. That is to say that the soul which has cast away all human and fleshly delight, and is touched by this Divine wisdom, is made to rejoice by the touch of God, and lifted up on high, so that it faints away; for it suffices not to declare after any manner that which here it feels concerning its most sovereign and beloved Lord.

        This wisdom has never been understood by philosophers, nor by any such as fix their understanding on bodily or fantastic objects. It is greater than all the gifts that are infused within us, with respect to the manner wherein the loftiest part of the soul is raised to God, through love; for it finds no rest in aught that is lower than God, nor yet in God Him-self in that which concerns its own delight or profit, but only in the love of Him Who alone is supremely to be loved. Him it seeks and desires and loves because it feels Him to be the supreme good, and not alone supreme in goodness, but likewise far withdrawn from all defect and misery.

        The blessed Saint Dionysius says in the seventh ^[161] Book of his Divinis Nominibus that this wisdom attains to God, its Beloved, through love, that it wearies not itself in speculations concerning Him, or in thinking of Him in any lofty speculative way whatsoever, unless this awakens love; as, for example, speculation upon the Holy Trinity, the generation of the Son, or the creation of the world, in all of which things the power of God is displayed, but there is no incitement therein to love. The soul is moved to love only by such meditations as raise it on high and enkindle it in love to its Creator and Lord, being conscious of Him without corporal similitudes whatsoever, and understanding Him after a manner that cannot be explained, so that, against the usual course of nature, He is beloved before He is known. And the manner wherein He is loved and known can be felt, but no tongue can describe it, for all this is the work of pure spirit, and nothing that is corporal aids it. For our Lord God works here through Himself alone, and in this manner any person, however simple, whether a peasant or a simple old woman, may through this lofty wisdom be quickly changed into a learned disciple, if it please God to give him thereof in great quantity or in small. And this last will depend upon the preparation which a man has made, for if he prepares not himself, nor does that which in him lies, he will never attain to this manner of wisdom. ^[p.162]

CHAPTER 29

That the exercitant feels and loves more than he understands or sees.

THIS fact is confirmed by the prophet David, when he says : Gustate et videte quoniasn suavis est Dominus. By these words he shows that the true exercitant and devout man tastes of God in the first place through very love, and after this understands that whereof his heart has tasted by experience.

        A second proof of this is that there are many devout and contemplative men whose love is greater than their knowledge, and than their understanding, so that the ignorant may be more devout than great ecclesiastics. Such as these have more love than understanding, and their love extends more widely; wherefore there is within them love that comes not through understanding neither by previous knowledge.

        Nevertheless such love requires the light of faith, and the presence of the grace of charity. For as Saint Dionysius says at the beginning of his book on Mystical Theology: “ This lofty wisdom whereof we speak is the wisdom which belongs only to one who is a true Christian and a friend of God”.

        You must note that although this holy love is granted by God to pious men without their requiring any previous knowledge, (for it takes root in the ^[163] soul only through the knowledge that we have of God by faith) yet, since this grace is not given to all in a high degree, beginners in contemplation who have not reached a lofty stage therein, need first of all, before they are enkindled in this love wherein all contemplation has its term and end, to think on the creatures and works of God, even as one that would mount on high needs a ladder. This is signified by that saying of the prophet : In meditation mea exardescet ignis. That is to say that, before the soul is set on fire with the love of God, some consideration of the creatures and works of God must precede aught else, so that the soul may mount thereby as one\zounts a ladder. Nevertheless, with true contemplatives and tried exercitants, the highest part of the soul soars upwards immediately, through fervour of love, without any labour of the under-standing or speculative or practical knowledge of aught beside the love of God, and even without any speculative thought of God soever.

        Now it may be said that Saint Augustine has these words : 1nvisa amare possumus : incognita vero numquam. That is to say, we can love that which we have not seen, but we can in no wise love that which we know not. To this I reply that according to other holy men Saint Augustine’s meaning is that some kind of knowledge is needful for any contemplation, and this is true; but in the matter whereof we now speak they say that this lofty love, which is wholly in God by virtue of His goodness, is an especial gift of God Himself; in this wise, that after no other manner can it be obtained, nor can any other give it save God alone. And this love presupposes and requires the knowledge of God which comes to us through the light of the Holy Catholic Faith, and by no other way, knowledge, labour or are of man, nor like any other common love which is enkindled and engendered after the course of nature through the natural inclination which our soul has toward the object of its love.

        And here let it be observed that as it is possible for one who approaches the fire to feel the warmth thereof before its light, even so, in this matter, may the devout man who soars on high in his devotion feel the Divine love before he knows what it is that he feels. At the least this is so in this present life. In Paradise it will not be so, for there our souls will be inseparably united with that eternal and glorious light which is God. To this love he that oft-times sighs and groans within himself mounts most easily, saying, even as we said on this matter in the meditation and prayer for Monday: “O Lord, when shall I love you, when shall I possess you, when shall I embrace you, when shall I see you within myself? “, etc. Such a man will ,soar aloft in his desire and love for the Lord, and is more surely enkindled within himself than if he were to think of all the deep secrets of eternal duration, the Divine generation or the Divine procession ; for he who harbours within himself such speculations profits little unless he harbour them that he may have the greater love for God; for love is the end of all the meditations of a man whose life is rightly ordered. And since the great philosophers have not done this, nor do present-day theologians practise it, therefore, while we deny not that they be great in speculation, we assert that they are oft-times very far from God and from all devotion and from all love and fear of Him, and like\ise are great sinners.

        To this most lofty and glorious wisdom refer the words of Saint Paul when he speaks of the nature of this wisdom : Quam nullus sapientium scilicet graecorum intelligere potuit. And of this likewise he says to the Corinthians: Spiritus noster Spiritui divino unitus sentit quae sunt ejus; et haec est sapientia quam loquimur inter perfectos. Even so spake our Redeemer to the Apostles ere He ascended into Heaven : Induinaini virtute ex alto. And this is likewise signified by the vestments which the priest puts on before the altar. He begins from the head, and puts on first the amice, next the alb and lastly the chasuble; for all this holy wisdom comes from above, neither does any suffice to give it save God alone. ^[p.166]

CHAPTER 30

Of the works and degrees of this holy, unitive and perfective love in the soul of the devout exercitant.

THE works of this holy love and spirit of sublime contemplation in the spirit of the devout man are, according to holy men, of these six degrees : Illumination, Enkindled Love, Sweetness, Desire, Fulness and Rapture. These six degrees are symbolized by the six steps whereby the great king Solomon ascended to his lofty throne. For even so, by them, Jesus Christ ascends to the loftiest part of our soul, which is called apex mends, and here He makes His abode when He has possession of it in perfect peace.

[1] The first degree and work of this sovereign love in the soul of the contemplative is called Illumination; for when a soul has been enkindled by this holy flame, there is left in it an experimental know-ledge of God. Herein the soul knows our Lord God to be the fount of all goodness, nobility and beauty, and worthy of all glory, honour, reverence and praise; and in comparison it knows itself to be the most miserable thing, the most contemptible and worthless, foul and vile, that any tongue can describe. And making this comparison between God and itself, it considers likewise how great is His sweetness and clemency, for He wills to set His treasures which ^[p.167] are beyond all price in places as vile as an oft-defiled conscience and a sinful soul.

[2] The second degree and work of this holy, unitive and perfective love, which is the loftiest part of contemplation in this life, is called Enkindled Love ; for the soul that is enlightened, and has experience of the grace, loftiness and nobility of our Lord God, is enkindled so greatly in love of Him that it neither thinks of aught else nor finds pleasure therein ; neither does it desire to think or speak of aught else; and it abhors completely all carnal delight, from whithersoever it may come.

[3] The third degree and work of this holy love and contemplation is Sweetness and Delight; for after the soul has received illumination from on high, and has likewise become enkindled by our glorious Lord, there is born within it an inestimable delight which is greater far than all other delights of the world, even as the sweetness of honey exceeds the sharpness and the bitterness of gall. So much is this so that the smallest particle of that sweetness is of more worth and delight to the soul than all delights that have ever been or shall be in this miserable life of the flesh.

[4] The fourth degree is called Desire; for after the soul of the contemplative has been illumined, enkindled and led to delight in God, as has been said, it desires most fervently to be united with Him in continual love and affection, so that it would rather ^[p.168] suffer any kind of torment, other than sin, than be withdrawn for a single hour from that supreme delight which it has found in its Beloved.

[5] Wherefore all other delight is death in comparison hereof, and the soul remains continually in that fervour and ardent desire to possess and never to lose that which it has experienced of its most beloved Father and Lord.

[6] The fifth degree is called Fulness; and here the soul enjoys such satisfaction from that which it knows of the Lord that it neither seeks nor desires aught beside, but rather finds all else to be death, nor wills to possess aught else soever. Then do all other desires, joys and appetites cease, and it seems to possess God, in the possession of Whom it possesses all things, so that without Him there exists nothing, and the soul that possesses Him is sovereign queen over all things that are or can be.

[6] From all these five degrees aforementioned, which are begotten by unitive love in the heart of the devout exercitant, proceeds the sixth, which is called Rapture of the spirit, or the soaring of a soul above itself; not that such rapture requires that a man see visions or indeed aught else with his bodily eyes, but rather that he be illumined and enkindled and refreshed and raised on high through the love which he has for his Creator. And this comes to pass in such wise that no man can tell the nature of that which he sees and feels by considering its loftiness, ^[p.169] goodness, beauty and nobility; the reason of this being that this Rapture is a gift of the grace of God, Who in His goodness desires to raise the devout spirit on high, and nothing else suffices so to do, for it is beyond all our faculties and powers. And since this Rapture is a spiritual experience, therefore our understanding, being burdened by the flesh, cannot for a long time remain securely therein, but is scarcely raised aloft when it falls again to the ground as though it were chained to the earth. Or it is as the eye which looks upon the sun, and cannot gaze thereon fixedly, but after a single glance is forced to close itself, then looks again and forthwith closes once more : even so is it with the understanding. Or, again, it is like an arrow shot upwards, which falls quickly to the ground by reason of its own weight, or like the fish which leaps out of the water, and falls back into it immediately. Even so, as we understand it, is this degree of love.

To this sixth step or degree learned men add the two following :

[7] The first of these is called Security; for as the soul sees itself to be so greatly beloved by its Spouse Jesus Christ, and by Him enlightened, enkindled with love and led on to delight and rapture, it conceives of Him and in Him a tranquillity so secure that there is no torment nor bodily hurt nor death in all the world which it would hesitate to suffer for love of Him ; nor has it any longer fear of aught soever.

And so great is its trust in that eternal goodness which it has tasted and experienced in the Lord, that it has no fear of separation from Him any more; but rather it has a certain trust that it will be with Him eternally in glory. O how great is the joy which dwells in that soul for all time, when it sees and experiences a foretaste of the happiness whereof it has most certain expectation !

[8] The second degree and step of these two which are added by holy men is called Perfection of Repose ; for the soul in this state can be affrighted by no tribulation neither by bodily hurt or fear, and its peace and tranquillity are therefore perfect, and so great, that no tongue can describe them. Upon this Richard of Saint Victor, in his Contemplations, writes as follows : a O Christian soul, since you may ascend to this paradise and dwell therein while yet you are in this life, sell all that you have and all your knowledge, that you may buy this glorious possession. And think it not dearly bought, for he that sells it is Christ, and He offers to sell it to all such as will buy “.

        It must be noted here that in this life we can never have full perfection in any of the three ways aforesaid whereof we have written, — namely, the Purgative Way, the Illuminative Way and the Unitive Way. But, by exercising ourselves therein, we rise to perfect purity of heart and charity so far as can be attained in this life.

        In the exercise of the first Way, which is called Purgative, we seek God, but although we indeed find Him, we find Him not after the manner of fervent love. In the second Way, which is the Illuminative, we offer victims and sacrifices of praise and great desire, with hope and yearning for happiness. In the third Way, which is the Unitive, we find Him Whom our soul loves and desires.

        So that in the first Way we forsake the lusts of the world; in the second, the spirit is enlightened and raised on high; in the third, it has tranquillity and rest in God.

        Yet do not think that in this present life you canst purify yourself of all concupiscence, for this even the blessed Saint Paul could not do, — that is to say, we cannot attain to that perfection which is wholly free from lust, even as Saint Augustine says, and the author of the treatise Beatus Vir. Neither can we raise our affections wholly on high, while we still live here below, so that no part of us dwells upon the earth ; for this our mortal habitation weighs down the understanding so that it thinks upon many things which are of the earth. Much less can we be pure and meet in heart to live in continual union with God. For while we are yet in this body we are pilgrims and live far from God.

        Up to this point we have spoken of the practice of the three Ways aforementioned ; and since by meditation and prayer you may come in due course and order to the term of the soul’s desire, which is union with God, therefore we shall cease now to speak of this Unitive Way and enquire briefly of what manner your contemplation must be that you may come thereby to the goal of union. ^[p.173]

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