Volume I, Treatise I, Chapter VIII

To Aim at the Highest Things, Is Very Conducive to the Attainment of Perfection

Ir will conduce much to our spiritual advancement, that we propose to ourselves as objects the highest things, and such as are of more exquisite perfection, according to the counsel of the apostle, “Be zealous for the better gifts. And I yet shew to you a more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31) This means is without doubt of very great importance; for our desires must necessarily soar high, if we wish to elevate our actions to that perfection, with which even our indispensable duties should be performed. This may be easily explained by a familiar comparison: when your bow is too feebly bent, you will never be able to hit the mark unless you aim considerably higher; because the looseness of the string gives to the arrow a downward direction. It is precisely so with us. Our nature is so feeble, and we are so relaxed by the evil habits we have contracted, that we must take our aim considerably higher than the mark, if we wish to reach it. Man is become so weak by sin, that to attain an ordinary degree of virtue, his thoughts and desires must soar much higher. But some will say, “All I propose is to avoid mortal sin: this is the only perfection I aspire to.” It is much to be feared, that you will not reach this point you propose to yourself, for the string is slack. Perhaps you would have reached this point, had you directed your thoughts higher; but not having done so, it is probable you will never reach it, and it is very probable you will fall into mortal sin. The religious who intends not only to keep the commandments of God, but likewise endeavours to follow his counsels—the religious who purposes to avoid not only mortal, but also venial sins, and even the least imperfections, as much as he can, adopts a good means of not falling into mortal sin, because he takes his aim considerably higher; and though his frailty should hinder him from attaining the proposed object, yet at most he. will fail only in something of counsel, in an unimportant rule, slight imperfection or venial sin. But he whose object is only not to offend God mortally, will doubtless fall into some mortal sin, if his bow is even in the slightest degree slackened, and if he fails to point at the object. It is thus that seculars fall so | repeatedly into most grievous sins, and good religious are by the mercy of God preserved from them. And certainly were there no other advantage in religion, this alone would suffice to comfort us, and should urge us continually to thank the divine goodness for having called us thereunto. For to conclude, I hope, that, by the grace of God, you will pass your whole life here without mortal sin, whereas if you had lived in the world, perhaps you would pass scarcely one year, month, or week; no, not even one day or hour without falling into it.

Hence you may easily infer what danger the tepid religious is in, who scruples not the breaking of his rules, and who is not solicitous to aspire to perfection. It is very difficult for him to retain these sentiments, without being exposed to the danger of committing some great crime. But if you desire to improve in virtue, propose to yourself, for example, to acquire humility so perfect, that you may be able to receive cuntempts and injuries with joy; and after all this, God grant, you will be able to support them with patience. Resolve with yourself to make an entire submission of your will and understanding to everything ordained by your superiors; and God grant that, even after this resolution, you will not fail in the duty of obedience, and in the exactness it requires. In fine, resolve to be perfectly resigned on occasions the most arduous and extraordinary; and you will do not a little, by manifesting this resignation, When even the most easy and common trials occur.

It was well contrived by Almighty God, says St. Austin (Lib. de Pert. tom. vii.), to place the greatest and most perfect of his commandments at the head of all the rest. ‘‘ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, with thy whole strength, and with thy whole mind.” (Luke 10:27) “This is the greatest and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:38) This is the end for which the rest were given us, according to the words of the apostle: “The end of the precept is charity” (1 Timothy 1:5); and the excellence of this commandment is such, that the fathers and divines are of opinion, it is only in the other life we shall be able to fulfil it perfectly. For to have our hearts and minds wholly taken up with God, to be continually absorbed in him, and to employ all the powers of our soul in only loving and adoring him, is what cannot be well done by us but in heaven. In this life the weakness of our nature, and the necessity of supplying the wants of the body, hinder us from attaining so high a degree of perfection. However, though this commandment is the consummation of all the rest, yet God has vouchsafed to place it at the head of them all, that, at first sight, we may know what we ought to aspire to, and how far we must endeavour to advance. ‘‘ Why,” says St. Austin, “are we commanded to love God with all our heart, which is a command we cannot fully perform in this life? It is because a man never runs well, if he knows not how far he has to go.” (Lib. de Perf. tom. vii.) Almighty God has set immediately before our eyes the greatest of all the commandments, that aiming at an object so sublime, at perfection so complete, we may constantly endeavour to reach it; and if, through weakness, we are unable to reach, the higher we aim, the nearer shall we approach the object. St. Jerom explaining these words of the Psalmist: ‘‘ Blessed is the man, O Lord, whose help is from thee; his heart is always thinking how to raise itself higher and higher” (Ps. Ixxxiii. 6); says, the just man’s heart is always towering aloft, and the sinner’s heart is perpetually sinking. The just man has his eyes continually raised to the things most sublime in virtue; he aspires to increase in perfection; and it is this he perpetually thinks on, according to the saying of the Wise Man: “The thoughts of the strong are always carried to an abundant increase.” (Proverbs 21:5) But no thought is less present to the mind of the sinner than this; he is content to live like the rest of the world; at the utmost he proposes to himself but an ordinary degree of virtue, he grows tepid, his spirits sink, and he attains not his object. This, says Gerson (Gers, 3, p. Tract. de Myst. indust. seu consid. 4), is the language used by many: It is enough for me to live as people in general live; I desire only to be saved; the sovereign degree of perfection and glory I leave to the apostles and martyrs; I do not pretend to soar so high, but am content to walk upon the plain ground. Such is the language of sinners and imperfect men, who, in number, far exceed thejust and perfect: “For many are called,” says our Saviour, ‘‘ but few are chosen.” (Matthew 20:16) “And wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who enter by it. How narrow is the gate and strait is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there are who find it.” (Matthew 7:13) St. Austin, speaking of such as walk on the broad beaten way of, a loose life, says that those are the men whom the prophet calls “beasts of the Seld’’ (in (Psalms 8)), because they always range in a spacious place, and will not be confined by rule or discipline. And Gerson says, that by this kind of language, “It is enough for me to live as others do; ifI be but saved it is sufficient; I aspire to no greater perfection;’’ a man readily manifests the imperfect and bad state of his own interior, since he is not willing to enter by the narrow gate. He adds, moreover, that persons who, through sloth and tepidity, think it sufficient to obtain the lowest seat in heaven, have great reason to fear that they will be condemned with the foolish virgins who fell asleep without having made any provision, or with the negligent servant who buried the talent he had received, and took no pains to improve it. He was cast into exterior darkness, and we read not in the gospel, that he was condemned for anything else, than for having neglected the talent his master had entrusted him with.

But to put the shameful and deplorable state of these men in a still clearer point of view, the same Gerson advances this example. Image to yourself, says he, the father of a family, rich, noble, having many children, each of whom is qualified to promote the interest and honour of the family. All apply with zeal to the performance of their respective duties except one, who, through sloth, leads a loose and shameful life, though, provided he did but apply himself, he is as well qualified as the rest for performing virtuous actions. Still he does nothing worthy his birth and talents, but contents himself, as he says, with a small fortune, and since he has wherewith to live at ease, he will take no pains to increase his property, nor will he trouble his mind with projects of ambition. His father calls upon him, exhorts, entreats him to adopt nobler sentiments, reminds him of his good qualities and noble birth, proposes to him the example of his ancestors and of the rest of his brothers; but when he sees that notwithstanding all he does, he cannot prevail on him to rise out of his sloth, and to lead an active life, he must needs conceive against him a very just indignation. It is the same with God. We are all his children and brothers of Jesus Christ. He would not have us content ourselves with an idle life, but exhorts us to perfection in these words: ‘‘ Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:48) Consider how holy and perfect he is; think on what your birth obliges you to, and endeavour to shew by your actions, that you are the true children of such a father; take examples from your brothers also, and if you will, look upon your eldest brother Jesus Christ, who most freely gave his blood and life to repair the losses felt by all our race, and to restore it to its former splendour. But if so great an example dazzles you, look upon your other brothers who are as feeble as yourself, born in sin as you were, subject to passions, temptations, and evil inclinations as you are. They fought against them constantly; they conquered, and they gained a crown of glory; and our mother the Church proposes these examples to you, and celebrates their feasts in order to encourage you to imitate them. And if you wish to have set before your eyes the example of those still nearer to you, consider your brethren, who were born in the bosom of the same mother you were,?.¢., who were of the same order you are of; look upon St. Ignatius, St. Xaverius, St. Francis of Borgia, the great Edmund Campian, and so many others who flourished in the society. Endeavour all you can to imitate them, and do not be a dishonour to your race and society. He that with all these motives cannot be encouraged to perform extraordinary acts of virtue, but will continue to live in the ordinary way, is it not true that he gives just cause of indignation to his Father, who is God himself, and great occasion of scandal to his brethren, and deserves that his heavenly Father should disown him, and his brothers not acknowledge him?

For this reason, therefore, we say it is necessary for us to direct our thoughts high; to raise our eyes and hearts to sublime things, that if unable, through weakness, to reach them, we may not at. least be kept back at so great a distance from them. Let us act on this occasion like merchants who ask a great deal more than it is worth, tu induce the buyers to give the value of the article; or like referees, who, to bring the parties at variance to a reasonable settlement, demand at first too much, that they may obtain only what is equitable. But what I desire you to demand is not too much; it is just and moderate. Ever keep your eye fixed on it, that you may at least obtain what is absolutely necessary. Propose to yourself the attainment of great treasures, that you may be able to acquire a competency. For if you propose to yourself at first only what is of little value, you will be far from acquiring it.

By this discourse we easily see how important it is, that in our spiritual exhortations we speak of that only which is perfect in a sovereign degree. If we preach, for example, on humility, it must be that humility which is most profound, and which reaches to contempt of one’s self. Ifwe preach on mortification, it must be on that which subjects all our passions to reason; if we preach on conforming our will to God, we must recommend a conformity which leaves us no will but that of the Almighty, which resigns our will entirely to his, and which establishes all its content and joy in the accomplishment of the divine will. In fine, with respect to all the virtues, we must convey of them the noblest idea, and elevate them to the highest point possible. But why, it will be said, recommend the highest degree of virtue to weak persons who are as yet but novices in spiritual matters? If you propose to them things proportionate to their strength, and such as are easily reduced to practice, and within their reach, they will very probably embrace them; but this sublime perfection, you propose, ravishes men to the third heaven, and is proper only for a St. Paul, and for some other few saints whom God has particularly chosen in order to raise them to the highest degree of glory and perfection. But you are exceedingly mistaken in this point; for an exhortation of this nature is better adapted to you than to them, and ought to be addressed to you for the very reason you allege against it: you say you are weak, and that I ought not propose to you such high things as you are not yet able to attain. I answer, because you are weak, I must propose to you the most perfect kind of virtue and devotion, that by your aiming at what is best, you may be able to perform at least what is of strict obligation. For this purpose, it would be much to your advantage to read the lives of saints, and to observe the most distinguished virtues wherein they excelled; for, without doubt, the intention of holy Church in proposing to us. their heroic actions is to invite us by their example to rouse ourselves, and at least to shake off the sloth and stupid lethargy which have seized us, if we have not sufficient courage and resolution to imitate them in their austere and holy life. There is also another advantage derived from reading the lives of saints, which is, that considering their great purity, and how far we come short of it, we may feel confusion, and have just reason for humbling ourselves. This is the opinion of the great St. Gregory, who, explaining those words of Job, “He will look upon other men, and then will say, I have sinned” (Job 33:27), says, that as a poor man is much more sensible of his own poverty, when he considers the immense treasures of rich men; so the soul humbles herself more lowly, acknowledges her own indigence with more reason, when she reflects upon the great examples set us by the saints, and the glorious actions they have performed. St. Jerom reports that St. Anthony went to visit St. Paul the first hermit, and admiring the holiness of his life, at his return, being asked by his disciples where he had been? “Alas,” replied the holy man, “miserable sinner that I am! I have no right to bear the name ofa religious; I have seen an Elias, I have seen a St. John the Baptist in the desert, when I beheld Paul in his solitude.’ We read also of the great St. Macarius, that having seen the sublime perfection of some holy hermits whom he had visited, the blessed man wept, saying to his disciples, ‘I have seen a real and true religious; but as for me, I deserve not the name of a religious.” What these great saints said out of pure humility, we may 3say with a great deal of truth, when we consider the example set by themselves, and by many others who lived before and since their time. Let us then seriously reflect on the great perfection they attained, that we may be encouraged either to make efforts similar to theirs, or if our strength fails, that the confusion and shame we must justly feel for being so tardy, may, in some measure, supply what is defective by reason of our frailty; and thus, at all events, the means I here propose cannot but prove of exceeding great advantage.

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