Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/17

 maxims and  truths  of  Christianity,  will  find  suitable  subjects  for the mind  to  dwell  on. Here those  on  whom  the  impulse  of tender  and  affecting  devotion  makes  deep  impression  will  meet whatsoever tends  to  inflame  still  more  the  heart  of  a  Christian already touched  with  the  love  of  God. Here, in  fine,  those whom God  wishes  to  attract  to  himself  by  a  happy  simplicity of spirit,  will  find  instructions  and  examples  proportionate  to their  capacity  and  peculiar  vocation.

Now to  say  something  of  the  author  himself,  and  thereby  to give  an  idea  of  the  value  we  ought  to  set  on  his  work,  I  will here set  down  in  a  few  words  what  the  historians  of  his  order have written  of  him : — He  was  born  at  Valladolid  in  the  year 1526, and  in  the  20th  year  of  his  age  he  renounced  the  world  to consecrate  himself  to  God,  in  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  Salamanca. After having  been  engaged  about  thirteen  years  in teaching  moral  divinity  at  Monterey,  he  was  sent  to  Montille, in the  province  of  Andalusia,  to  be  there  master  of  novices  ;"and to  deliver  such  spiritual  exhortations,  as  are  delivered  weekly in  all  the  houses  of  the  Society.  In  these  two  employments he  acquitted  himself  for  thirty  years  together,  with  all  possible zeal  and  ability,  and  hereby  evinced  how  skilled  he  was  in  the science  of  saints,  and  in  the  direction  of  souls.  Being  afterwards chosen  to  go  to  Rome,  to  the  Fifth  General  Congregation, he  there  also  gave  marks  of  exemplary  virtue,  and  consummate prudence.  At  his  return  he  was  sent  to  Corduba,  where  for twelve  years  he  had  the  direction  of  spiritual  things,  that  is  to say,  the  care  of  taking  an  account  of  the  interior  state  of  all  the religious  in  the  house,  and  to  help  them  to  overcome  and  root out  of  their  souls  whatsoever  opposed  their  advancement  in  perfection. As at  Montille  so  at  Corduba,  his  office  was  to  make  the weekly exhortations :  and  it  was  towards  the  end  of  the  twelve years he  remained  here,  that  collecting  together  what  he  had written upon  different  subjects,  he  compiled  these  three  volumes of the  Practice  op  Christian  Perfection. He did  not, however, publish  them  till  a  long  time  after,  when  he  went  to the  Provincial  Congregation  held  at  Seville  in  the  year  1606, where he  was  ordered  to  stay  to  take  care  of  the  novices ;  and at the  same  time  to  publish  this  his  work. After having  applied himself for  eight  years  together,  without  any  relaxation,  to  the discharge of  both  these  duties,  he  became  so  infirm,  that  he  had neither force  to  exercise  any  longer  the  painful  function  of master  of  novices,  nor  even%  to  celebrate  the  holy  sacrifice  of