Wherein is described the manner and way which the soul must
follow in order to enter this night of sense.
IT now remains for me to give certain counsels whereby the
soul may know how to enter this night of sense and may be able so
to do. To this end it must be known that the soul habitually
enters this night of sense in two ways: the one is active; the
other passive. The active way consists in that which the soul can
do, and does, of itself, in order to enter therein, whereof we
shall now treat in the counsels which follow. The passive way is
that wherein the soul does nothing, and God works in it, and it
remains, as it were, patient. Of this we shall treat in the fourth
book, where we shall be treating of beginners. And because there,
with the Divine favour, we shall give many counsels to beginners,
according to the many imperfections which they are apt to have
while on this road, I shall not spend time in giving many here.
And this, too, because it belongs not to this place to give them,
as at present we are treating only of the reasons for which this
journey is called a night, and of what kind it is, and how many
parts it has. But, as it seems that it would be incomplete, and
less profitable than it should be, if we gave no help or counsel
here for walking in this night of desires, I have thought well to
set down briefly here the way which is to be followed: and I shall
do the same at the end of each of the next two parts, or causes,
of this night, whereof, with the help of the Lord, I have to
treat.
2. These counsels for the conquering of the desires, which
now follow, albeit brief and few, I believe to be as profitable
and efficacious as they are concise; so that one who sincerely
desires to practice them will need no others, but will find them
all included in these.
3. First, let him have an habitual desire[195] to imitate
Christ in everything that he does, conforming himself to His life;
upon which life he must meditate so that he may know how to
imitate it, and to behave in all things as Christ would behave.
4. Secondly, in order that he may be able to do this well,
every pleasure that presents itself to the senses, if it be not
purely for the honour and glory of God, must be renounced and
completely rejected for the love of Jesus Christ, Who in this life
had no other pleasure, neither desired any, than to do the will of
His Father, which He called His meat and food.[196] I take this
example. If there present itself to a man the pleasure of
listening to things that tend not to the service and honour of
God, let him not desire that pleasure, nor desire to listen to
them; and if there present itself the pleasure of looking at
things that help him not Godward, let him not desire the pleasure
or look at these things; and if in conversation or in aught else
soever such pleasure present itself, let him act likewise. And
similarly with respect to all the senses, in so far as he can
fairly avoid the pleasure in question; if he cannot, it suffices
that, although these things may be present to his senses, he
desires not to have this pleasure. And in this wise he will be
able to mortify and void his senses of such pleasure, as though
they were in darkness. If he takes care to do this, he will soon
reap great profit.
5. For the mortifying and calming of the four natural
passions, which are joy, hope, fear and grief, from the concord
and pacification whereof come these and other blessings, the
counsels here following are of the greatest help, and of great
merit, and the source of great virtues.
6. Strive always to prefer, not that which is easiest, but
that which is most difficult;
- Not that which is most delectable, but that which is most
unpleasing;
- Not that which gives most pleasure, but rather that which
gives least;
- Not that which is restful, but that which is wearisome;
- Not that which is consolation, but rather that which is
disconsolateness;
- Not that which is greatest, but that which is least;
- Not that which is loftiest and most precious, but that which
is lowest and most despised;
- Not that which is[197] a desire for anything, but that which is
a desire for nothing;
- Strive to go about seeking not the best of temporal things,
but the worst.
- Strive thus to desire to enter into complete detachment and
emptiness and poverty, with respect to everything that is in the
world, for Christ's sake.
7. And it is meet that the soul embrace these acts with all
its heart and strive to subdue its will thereto. For, if it
perform them with its heart, it will very quickly come to find in
them great delight and consolation, and to act with order and
discretion.
8. These things that have been said, if they be faithfully
put into practice, are quite sufficient for entrance into the
night of sense; but, for greater completeness, we shall describe
another kind of exercise which teaches us to mortify the
concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes, and
the pride of life, which, says Saint John,[198] are the things that
reign in the world, from which all the other desires proceed.
9. First, let the soul strive to work in its own despite, and
desire all to do so. Secondly, let it strive to speak in its own
despite and desire all to do so. Third, let it strive to think
humbly of itself, in its own despite, and desire all to do so.
10. To conclude these counsels and rules, it will be fitting
to set down here those lines which are written in the Ascent of
the Mount, which is the figure that is at the beginning of this
book; the which lines are instructions for ascending to it, and
thus reaching the summit of union. For, although it is true that
that which is there spoken of is spiritual and interior, there is
reference likewise to the spirit of imperfection according to
sensual and exterior things, as may be seen by the two roads which
are on either side of the path of perfection. It is in this way
and according to this sense that we shall understand them here;
that is to say, according to that which is sensual. Afterwards, in
the second part of this night, they will be understood according
to that which is spiritual.[199]
11. The lines are these:
- In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything,
Desire to have pleasure in nothing.
- In order to arrive at possessing everything,
Desire to possess nothing.
- In order to arrive at being everything,
Desire to be nothing.
- In order to arrive at knowing everything,
Desire to know nothing.[200]
- In order to arrive at that wherein thou hast no pleasure,
Thou must go by a way wherein thou hast no pleasure.
- In order to arrive at that which thou knowest not,
Thou must go by a way that thou knowest not.
- In order to arrive at that which thou possessest not,
Thou must go by a way that thou possessest not.
- In order to arrive at that which thou art not,
Thou must go through that which thou art not.
12. When thy mind dwells upon anything,
Thou art ceasing to cast thyself upon the All.
For, in order to pass from the all to the All,
Thou hast to deny thyself wholly[201] in all.
And, when thou comest to possess it wholly,
Thou must possess it without desiring anything.
For, if thou wilt have anything in having all,[202]
Thou hast not thy treasure purely in God.
13. In this detachment the spiritual soul finds its quiet and
repose; for, since it covets nothing, nothing wearies it when it
is lifted up, and nothing oppresses it when it is cast down,
because it is in the centre of its humility; but when it covets
anything, at that very moment it becomes wearied.
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