Of the fifth evil that may come to the soul in supernatural
imaginary forms and apprehensions, which is a low and unseemly
judgment or God.
NO less serious is the fifth evil that comes to the soul from
its desire to retain in the memory and imagination the said forms
and images of things that are supernaturally communicated to it,
above all if it desires to use them as a means to Divine union.
For it is a very easy thing to judge of the Being and greatness of
God less worthily and nobly than befits His incomprehensible
nature; for, although our reason and judgment may form no express
conception that God is like any one of these things, yet the very
esteeming of these apprehensions, if in fact the soul esteems
them, makes and causes it not to esteem God, or not to feel
concerning Him, as highly as faith teaches, since faith tells us
that He is incomparable, incomprehensible, and so forth. For,
quite apart from the fact that the soul takes from God all that it
gives to the creature, it is natural that its esteem of these
apprehensible things should lead it to make a certain inward
comparison between such things and God, which would prevent it
from judging and esteeming God as highly as it ought. For the
creatures, whether terrestrial or celestial, and all distinct
images and kinds of knowledge, both natural and supernatural, that
can be encompassed by the faculties of the soul, however lofty
they be in this life, have no comparison or proportion with the
Being of God, since God falls within no genus and no species,
whereas the creatures do, or so the theologians tell us. And the
soul in this life is not capable of receiving in a clear and
distinct manner aught save that which falls within genus and
species. For this cause Saint John says that no man hath seen God
at any time.[512] And Isaias says it has not entered into the heart
of man what God is like.[513] And God said to Moses that he could
not see Him while he was in this mortal state.[514] Wherefore he
that encumbers his memory and the other faculties of the soul with
that which they can comprehend cannot esteem God, neither feel
concerning Him, as he ought.
2. Let us make a comparison on a lower level. It is clear
that the more a man fixes his eyes upon the servants of a king,
and the more notice he takes of them, the less notice does he take
of the king himself, and the less does he esteem him; for,
although this comparison may not be formally and distinctly
present in the understanding, it is inherent in the act, since,
the more attention the man gives to the servants, the more he
takes from their lord; and he cannot have a very high opinion of
the king if the servants appear to him to be of any importance
while they are in the presence of the king, their lord. Even so
does the soul treat its God when it pays heed to the creatures
aforementioned. This comparison, however, is on a very low level,
for, as we have said, God is of another being than His creatures
in that He is infinitely far from them all. For this reason they
must all be banished from sight, and the soul must withdraw its
gaze from them in all their forms, that it may yet gaze on God
through faith and hope.
3. Wherefore those who not only pay heed to the imaginary
apprehensions aforementioned, but suppose God to be like some of
them, and think that by means of them they will be able to attain
to union with God, have already gone far astray and will ever
continue to lose the light of faith in the understanding, through
which this faculty is united with God; neither will they grow in
the loftiness of hope, by means whereof the memory is united with
God in hope, which must be brought about through disunion from all
that is of the imagination.