Which treats of the third kind of good thing whereon the will
may set the affection of rejoicing, which kind pertains to sense.
Indicates what these good things are and of how many kinds, and
how the will has to be directed to God and purged of this
rejoicing.
WE have next to treat of rejoicing with respect to the good
things of sense, which is the third kind of good thing wherein we
said that the will may rejoice. And it is to be noted that by the
good things of sense we here understand everything in this life
that can be apprehended by the senses of sight, hearing, smell,
taste or touch, and by the interior fashioning of imaginary
reflections, all of which things belong to the bodily senses,
interior and exterior.
2. And, in order to darken the will and purge it of rejoicing
with respect to these sensible objects, and direct it to God by
means of them, it is necessary to assume one truth, which is that,
as we have frequently said, the sense of the lower part of man
which is that whereof we are treating, is not, neither can be,
capable of knowing or understanding God as God is. So that the eye
cannot see Him, or aught that is like Him; neither can the ear
hear His voice, or any sound that resembles it; neither can the
sense of smell perceive a perfume so sweet as He; neither can the
taste detect a savour so sublime and delectable; neither can the
touch feel a movement so delicate and full of delight, nor aught
like to it; neither can His form or any figure that represents Him
enter into the thought or imagination. Even as says Isaias: 'Eye
hath not seen Him, nor hath ear heard Him, neither hath it entered
into the heart of man.'[600]
3. And here it must be noted that the senses may receive
pleasure and delight, either from the spirit, by means of some
communication that it receives from God interiorly, or from
outward things communicated to them. And, as has been said,
neither by way of the spirit nor by that of sense can the sensual
part of the soul know God. For, since it has no capacity for
attaining to such a point, it receives in the senses both that
which is of the spirit and that which is of sense, and receives
them in no other way. Wherefore it would be at the least but
vanity to set the rejoicing of the will upon pleasure caused by
any of these apprehensions, and it would be hindering the power of
the will from occupying itself with God and from setting its
rejoicing upon Him alone. This the soul cannot perfectly
accomplish, save by purging itself and remaining in darkness as to
rejoicing of this kind, as also with respect to other things.
4. I said advisedly that if the rejoicing of the will were to
rest in any of these things it would be vanity. But, when it does
not rest upon them, but, as soon as the will finds pleasure in
that which it hears, sees and does, soars upward to rejoice in God
-- so that its pleasure acts as a motive and strengthens it to
that end -- this is very good. In such a case not only need the
said motions not be shunned when they cause this devotion and
prayer, but the soul may profit by them, and indeed should so
profit, to the end that it may accomplish this holy exercise. For
there are souls who are greatly moved by objects of sense to seek
God. But much circumspection must be observed herein and the
resulting effects must be considered; for oftentimes many
spiritual persons indulge in the recreations of sense
aforementioned under the pretext of offering prayer and devotion
to God; and they do this in a way which must be described as
recreation rather than prayer, and which gives more pleasure to
themselves than to God. And, although the intention that they have
is toward God, the effect which they produce is that of recreation
of sense, wherein they find weakness and imperfection, rather than
revival of the will and surrender thereof to God.
5. I wish, therefore, to propose a test whereby it may be
seen when these delights of the senses aforementioned are
profitable and when they are not. And it is that, whensoever a
person hears music and other things, and sees pleasant things, and
is conscious of sweet perfumes, or tastes things that are
delicious, or feels soft touches, if his thought and the affection
of his will are at once centred upon God and if that thought of
God gives him more pleasure than the movement of sense which
causes it, and save for that he finds no pleasure in the said
movement, this is a sign that he is receiving benefit therefrom,
and that this thing of sense is a help to his spirit. In this way
such things may be used, for then such things of sense subserve
the end for which God created and gave them, which is that He
should be the better loved and known because of them. And it must
be known, furthermore, that one upon whom these things of sense
cause the pure spiritual effect which I describe has no desire for
them, and makes hardly any account of them, though they cause him
great pleasure when they are offered to him, because of the
pleasure which, as I have said, they cause him in God. He is not,
however, solicitous for them, and when they are offered to him, as
I say, his will passes from them at once and he abandons it to God
and sets it upon Him.
6. The reason why he cares little for these motives, although
they help him on his journey to God, is that the spirit which is
ready to go by every means and in every way to God is so
completely nourished and prepared and satisfied by the spirit of
God that it lacks nothing and desires nothing; or, if it desires
anything to that end, the desire at once passes and is forgotten,
and the soul makes no account of it. But one that feels not this
liberty of spirit in these things and pleasures of sense, but
whose will rests in these pleasures and feeds upon them, is
greatly harmed by them and should withdraw himself from the use of
them. For, although his reason may desire to employ them to
journey to God, yet, inasmuch as his desire finds pleasure in them
which is according to sense, and their effect is ever dependent
upon the pleasure which they give, he is certain to find hindrance
in them rather than help, and harm rather than profit. And, when
he sees that the desire for such recreation reigns in him, he must
mortify it; for, the stronger it becomes, the more imperfection he
will have and the greater will be his weakness.
7. So whatever pleasure coming from sense presents itself to
the spiritual person, and whether it come to him by chance or by
design, he must make use of it only for God, lifting up to Him the
rejoicing of his soul so that his rejoicing may be useful and
profitable and perfect; realizing that all rejoicing which implies
not renunciation[601] and annihilation of every other kind of
rejoicing, although it be with respect to something apparently
very lofty, is vain and profits not, but is a hindrance towards
the union of the will in God.