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.And thus it is needful that all the facultiesshould receive this infusion, and that, in order to receive it, they should remainpassive, and not interpose their own base acts and vile inclinations.2.It was a happy chance for this soul that on this night God should put tosleep all the domestics in its house that is, all the faculties, passions, affectionsand desires which live in the soul, both sensually and spiritually.For thus it wentforth 'without being observed' that is, without being hindered by these affections,etc., for they were put to sleep and mortified in this night, in the darkness of whichthey were left, that they might not notice or feel anything after their own low andnatural manner, and might thus be unable to hinder the soul from going forth fromitself and from the house of its sensuality.And thus only could the soul attain to thespiritual union of perfect love of God.3.Oh, how happy a chance is this for the soul which can free itself from thehouse of its sensuality! None can understand it, unless, as it seems to me, it be thesoul that has experienced it.For such a soul will see clearly how wretched was theservitude in which it lay and to how many miseries it was subject when it was atthe mercy of its faculties and desires, and will know how the life of the spirit is trueliberty and wealth, bringing with it inestimable blessings.Some of these we shallpoint out, as we proceed, in the following stanzas, wherein it will be seen moreclearly what good reason the soul has to sing of the happy chance of its passagefrom this dreadful night which has been described above.CHAPTER XVSets down the second stanza and its exposition.203Canticles viii, 1.204St.Matthew x, 36. 74In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised oh,happy chance!In darkness and concealment, My house being now at rest.IN this stanza the soul still continues to sing of certain properties of the darkness ofthis night, reiterating how great is the happiness which came to it through them.Itspeaks of them in replying to a certain tacit objection, saying that it is not to besupposed that, because in this night and darkness it has passed through so manytempests of afflictions, doubts, fears and horrors, as has been said, it has for thatreason run any risk of being lost.On the contrary, it says, in the darkness of thisnight it has gained itself.For in the night it has freed itself and escaped subtly fromits enemies, who were continually hindering its progress.For in the darkness of thenight it changed its garments and disguised itself with three liveries and colourswhich we shall describe hereafter; and went forth by a very secret ladder, whichnone in the house knew, the which ladder, as we shall observe likewise in theproper place, is living faith.By this ladder the soul went forth in such completehiding and concealment, in order the better to execute its purpose, that it could notfail to be in great security; above all since in this purgative night the desires,affections and passions of the soul are put to sleep, mortified and quenched, whichare they that, when they were awake and alive, consented not to this.The first line, then, runs thus:205In darkness and secure.CHAPTER XVIExplains how, though in darkness, the soul walks securely.THE darkness which the soul here describes relates, as we have said, to the desiresand faculties, sensual, interior and spiritual, for all these are darkened in this nightas to their natural light, so that, being purged in this respect, they may be illuminedwith respect to the supernatural.For the spiritual and the sensual desires are putto sleep and mortified, so that they can experience206 nothing, either Divine orhuman; the affections of the soul are oppressed and constrained, so that they canneither move nor find support in anything; the imagination is bound and can makeno useful reflection; the memory is gone; the understanding is in darkness, unableto understand anything; and hence the will likewise is arid and constrained and allthe faculties are void and useless; and in addition to all this a thick and heavy cloudis upon the soul, keeping it in affliction, and, as it were, far away from God [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.And thus it is needful that all the facultiesshould receive this infusion, and that, in order to receive it, they should remainpassive, and not interpose their own base acts and vile inclinations.2.It was a happy chance for this soul that on this night God should put tosleep all the domestics in its house that is, all the faculties, passions, affectionsand desires which live in the soul, both sensually and spiritually.For thus it wentforth 'without being observed' that is, without being hindered by these affections,etc., for they were put to sleep and mortified in this night, in the darkness of whichthey were left, that they might not notice or feel anything after their own low andnatural manner, and might thus be unable to hinder the soul from going forth fromitself and from the house of its sensuality.And thus only could the soul attain to thespiritual union of perfect love of God.3.Oh, how happy a chance is this for the soul which can free itself from thehouse of its sensuality! None can understand it, unless, as it seems to me, it be thesoul that has experienced it.For such a soul will see clearly how wretched was theservitude in which it lay and to how many miseries it was subject when it was atthe mercy of its faculties and desires, and will know how the life of the spirit is trueliberty and wealth, bringing with it inestimable blessings.Some of these we shallpoint out, as we proceed, in the following stanzas, wherein it will be seen moreclearly what good reason the soul has to sing of the happy chance of its passagefrom this dreadful night which has been described above.CHAPTER XVSets down the second stanza and its exposition.203Canticles viii, 1.204St.Matthew x, 36. 74In darkness and secure, By the secret ladder, disguised oh,happy chance!In darkness and concealment, My house being now at rest.IN this stanza the soul still continues to sing of certain properties of the darkness ofthis night, reiterating how great is the happiness which came to it through them.Itspeaks of them in replying to a certain tacit objection, saying that it is not to besupposed that, because in this night and darkness it has passed through so manytempests of afflictions, doubts, fears and horrors, as has been said, it has for thatreason run any risk of being lost.On the contrary, it says, in the darkness of thisnight it has gained itself.For in the night it has freed itself and escaped subtly fromits enemies, who were continually hindering its progress.For in the darkness of thenight it changed its garments and disguised itself with three liveries and colourswhich we shall describe hereafter; and went forth by a very secret ladder, whichnone in the house knew, the which ladder, as we shall observe likewise in theproper place, is living faith.By this ladder the soul went forth in such completehiding and concealment, in order the better to execute its purpose, that it could notfail to be in great security; above all since in this purgative night the desires,affections and passions of the soul are put to sleep, mortified and quenched, whichare they that, when they were awake and alive, consented not to this.The first line, then, runs thus:205In darkness and secure.CHAPTER XVIExplains how, though in darkness, the soul walks securely.THE darkness which the soul here describes relates, as we have said, to the desiresand faculties, sensual, interior and spiritual, for all these are darkened in this nightas to their natural light, so that, being purged in this respect, they may be illuminedwith respect to the supernatural.For the spiritual and the sensual desires are putto sleep and mortified, so that they can experience206 nothing, either Divine orhuman; the affections of the soul are oppressed and constrained, so that they canneither move nor find support in anything; the imagination is bound and can makeno useful reflection; the memory is gone; the understanding is in darkness, unableto understand anything; and hence the will likewise is arid and constrained and allthe faculties are void and useless; and in addition to all this a thick and heavy cloudis upon the soul, keeping it in affliction, and, as it were, far away from God [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]