Volume I, Treatise VI, Chapter V

How Different This Mode of Walking in the Presence of God Ts from Other Modes that Are Practised, and the Advantages that This Has Above All Others

To shew more clearly how perfect and advantageous this manner of walking in God’s presence is, and to explain it more fully, T shall point out in what this manner excels all others. First, in most of those other ways, it seems that all is reduced to a simple act of the understanding, and ends only in imagining that God is present; but this pre-supposes this act of the understanding, and of faith also, touching the presence of God, and wholly employs itself in making acts of the love of God; and consequently there is no doubt, but that it is the most excellent and most profitable of all others. For, as in prayer, we must not content ourselves with forming acts of the understanding only, which consist in the meditation and reflections we make upon things, but must proceed also to make acts of our will, which are affectionate motions and inclinations to virtue, and vehement desires to imitate Jesus Christ—and it is upon these last acts the fruit of prayer depends—so likewise all the fruit of the exercise of the presence of God is contained in the acts of the will, and, therefore, it is upon these we must more particularly insist.

In the second place, this practice is more easy and pleasant than the others; because in the others the understanding and imagination must take a great deal of pains to represent things, which exceedingly engages the brain; but in this, there is no want of the assistance of the imagination; nothing but the affectionate motions of the will are required, which are produced without any pain or difficulty at all. For though it is very true, that the presence of God, upon which this exercise is grounded, cannot be conceived but by an act of the understanding, yet even when we are before the blessed sacrament we content ourselves, supposing by faith that Jesus Christ is there present, and we reduce all our attention to adore him, to love him, and to beg those graces of him we stand most in need of. So in the exercise of the presence of God, we must also regard this presence, as a thing supposed by faith, and without insisting upon acts of the understanding, we must pass to those of the will. But as these are easy to produce, so we may persevere a long time ia them; and hence it is that when sick persons are able to make no other kind of prayer, they are advised often to elevate their hearts to God by acts of the will, because it is a thing easily done at all times. So that if there were no other advantage in the practice we have proposed than this, to be able to persevere longer in it than in others, this alone were sufficient to make us prefer it before them; because this as far surpasses all others, as real and essential things surpass imaginary.

But that which is most of all considerable, and which we must very particularly take notice of, is, that when we put ourselves in the presence of God, it is not to remain or rest there; but that this presence may serve as a means or help to perform all ouractions. For if we content ourselves with barely attending to the presence of God, and so become negligent in our actions, and commit thereby several] faults in them, this attention would be no profitable devotion, but a very hurtful illusion. Whilst, therefore, we have one eye engaged in contemplating God, we must engage the other in seeing how to do all things well for his love; so that the consideration uf our being in his presence may be a means to oblige us to do all our actions better. And it is for this reason, that the method we speak of is far more proper than all others; for in the others the understanding is taken up, either in forming sensible images of those things it would represent to itself, or in deriving from those images some good thoughts comformable to them; so that the soul giving all her attention to this, and retaining none for other things, she conse~ quently produces only imperfect and defective actions. But here, the imagination having nothing to do, there is nuthing to prevent that application, which is so necessary for the due performance of our actions. But, on the contrary, we here find great help and succour to perform them as we should; because by thinking that we do them for God, and in the presence of God, we endeavour to perform them in such a manner, that they may be worthy to appear before his Divine majesty; and I have spoken in another place of an excellent means to walk always before God; but since I have sufficiently explained it there, I shall not repeat here what I have before said of it.

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