Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/37

 in  the  Apocalypse  (Apoc.  xii.  4,)  that  he  saw  a  woman  in labour,  and  that  there  lay  near  her  a  horrible  dragon,  watching till she  should  be  delivered,  that  he  might  devour  the  child. It is this  the  devil,  with  all  his  power,  endeavours  to  do  to  us, whenever the  soul  has  conceived  a  good  design. We ought, therefore, be  very  careful  to  proceed,,  as  soon  as  we  can,  to  the execution of  any  good  resolution  we  have  formed. St. Bernard says, that  the  prophet  Isaiah  meant  the  same  thing,  by  the short and  pithy  sentence,  "If  you  seek,  seek"  (Isa.  xxi.  12); i.e., be  not  weary  of  desiring,  be  not  weary  of  seeking,  for true desires  require  fervour  and  perseverance:  they  must  be fervent,  they  must  be  efficacious,  they  must,  in  fine,  be  such  as, according to  the  prophet  Micheas,  may  excite  in  us  a  continual care always  to  please  God  more  and  more:  u  I  will  shew  you, O man,"  says  he,    what  it  is  which  is  good,  and  what  our  Lord requires  of  you.    It  is  to  do  justice,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  be careful  to  walk  always  with  your  God." (Mk. vi.  8.)  Behold these are  the  desires  he  expects  on  our  part,  in  order  to  bestow on us  his  graces  and  treasures. Happy are  the  souls  that  feel this hunger  and  thirst  to  be,  of  all  things,  the  most  urgent; for they  shall  be  satiated  and  shall  have  all  their  desires  most fully accomplished. We read  in  the  Life  of  St.  Gertrude,  that our Saviour  appearing  one  day  to  her,  told  her,  that  he  had given to  every  good  soul  a  golden  tube,  that  through  it  they may imbibe  from  his  sacred  side  as  much  grace  as  they  could desire: and  that  golden  tube,  as  he  afterwards  declared,  was no other  than  a  holy  and  upright  will,  whereby  we  draw  down on ourselves  all  sorts  of  blessings  from  God.

"They that  eat  me  shall  yet  hunger,  and  they  that  drink  me shall  yet  thirst"  (Ecclus.  xxiv.  29),  says  the  Holy  Ghost, speaking of  wisdom. St. Gregory  says,  there  is  this  difference between the  pleasures  of  the  body,  and  the  pleasures  of  the  soul, that we  desire  the  former  with  great  impatience,  when  we  have them not,  and  when  we  have  possessed  them,  we  set  but  little value on  them. For example,  in  the  world  every  man,  accord