Which treats of the purgation of the active night of the
memory and will. Gives instruction how the soul is to behave with
respect to the apprehensions of these two faculties, that it may
come to union with God, according to the two faculties
aforementioned, in perfect hope and charity.
THE first faculty of the soul, which is the understanding,
has now been instructed, through all its apprehensions, in the
first theological virtue, which is faith, to the end that,
according to this faculty, the soul may be united with God by
means of the purity of faith. It now remains to do likewise with
respect to the other two faculties of the soul, which are memory
and will, and to purify them likewise with respect to their
apprehensions, to the end that, according to these two faculties
also, the soul may come to union with God in perfect hope and
charity. This will briefly be effected in this third book. We have
now concluded our treatment of the understanding, which is the
receptacle of all other objects according to its mode of
operation; and in treating of this we have gone a great part of
the whole way. It is therefore unnecessary for us to write at
equal length with respect to these faculties; for it is not
possible that, if the spiritual man instructs his understanding in
faith according to the doctrine which has been given him, he
should not, in so doing, instruct the other two faculties in the
other two virtues likewise; for the operations of each faculty
depend upon the others.
2. But since, in order to follow our manner of procedure, and
in order, too, that we may be the better understood, we must
necessarily speak of the proper and determinate matter, we shall
here be obliged to set down the apprehensions proper to each
faculty, and first, those of the memory, making here such
distinction between them as suffices for our purpose. This we
shall be able to deduce from the distinction between their
objects, which are three: natural, imaginary and spiritual;
according to which there are likewise three kinds of knowledge
which come from the memory, namely: natural and supernatural,[480]
imaginary and spiritual.
3. All these, by the Divine favour, we shall treat here in
due course, beginning with natural knowledge, which pertains to
the most exterior objects. And we shall then treat of the
affections of the will, wherewith we shall conclude this third
book of the active spiritual night.
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