Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/41

 very great  consolation  to  us,  is  that  there  can  be  no  mark  more certain than  this  of  God's  dwelling  in  a  soul,  and  of  the  good state it  is  in. St. Bernard  says,  that  there  is  no  more  certain mark of  God  being  present  in  a  man's  heart,  than  the  desire  of still  increasing  in  grace,  and  he  proves  it  by  the  saying  of  the Wise Man,  already  quoted, "  Those  that  eat  me  shall  still  hunger, and  those  that  drink  me  shall  still  thirst." If then  you  hunger and thirst  for  heavenly  things,  rejoice,  since  it  is  an  evident  sign that God  dwells  in  your  soul. It is  he  who  excites  in  you this hunger  and  thirst;  and  you  have  certainly  found  the  true vein of  this  precious  mine,  because  you  constantly  adhere  so closely  to  it. As the  terrier,  whilst  he  meets  nothing,  beats  the field without  spirit,  but  on  finding  the  scent,  pursues  eagerly,  and stops not  till  he  runs  down  the  game;  in  like  manner  whoever tastes the  sweetness  of  the  divine  odour  runs  after  it  without ceasing, and  cries  out  with  the  spouse  in  the  Canticles,  "  Draw me  after  thee,  we  will  run  in  the  odour  of  thy  divine  perfumes." (Cant. i.  3.)  It  is  God  who  is  within  you  that  draws  you  thus after him. But if  you  feel  not  this  kind  of  hunger  and  thirst, you may  justly  fear  that  God  dwells  not  in  your  heart;  for,  as we  have  already  said  after  St.  Gregory,  ft  is  peculiar  to  spiritual things, that  when  we  do  not  possess  them,  we  love  them  not,  and are no  ways  concerned  about  them.

St. Bernard  said  he  trembled,  and  his  hair  stood  of  an  end,  as often  as  he  reflected  on  these  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  uttered bjr the  mouth  of  the  Wise  Man,  "  Man  knows  not  whether  he deserves  love  or  hatred." (Eccles. ix.  1 .)  This  passage  is  terrible, says this  great  saint,  and  I  shook  with  horror  as  often  as  I  thought on it;  never  without  trembling  repeating  that  sentence,  "  Who knows  whether  he  deserves  love  or  hatred?" (Serm. 23  on  the Cant.)  If  then  this  reflection  made  a  great  saint  tremble,  who was, as  it  were,  a  living  pillar  of  the  Church,  what  effect  ought it to  have  on  us,  who,  on  account  of  our  sins,  have  so  many  causes of fear,  "who  carry  within  us  the  answer  of  death  "? (2 Cor.  i.  9.) I am  certain  I  have  offended  God,  but  am  ignorant  whether  or not  he  has  forgiven  me;  who  would  not  tremble  on  making  this reflection? But if  we  could  possibly  be  assured  that  our  sins  were remitted, and  that  we  are  in  God's  grace;  if  we  could  find  a certainty  of  this,  what  value  ought  we  not  set  on  it? For though without a  particular  revelation  from  God,  we  cannot  have  in  this life an  infallible  certainty  that  we  are  in  the  state  of  grace,  yet there are  signs  that  give  a  moral  probability  of  it,  and  the  surest