Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/44

 Holy Scripture  (Gen.  xxviii.  12)  tells  us  that  Jacob  saw  a ladder  reaching  from  earth  to  heaven,  on  the  top  of  which Almighty God  leaned,  and  that  it  was  full  of  angels  ascending and descending  perpetually  without  ever  resting. Now, according to  St.  Bernard,  this  is  to  show  us,  that  in  the  way  of  virtue, there is  no  medium  between  ascending  and  descending,  between advancing and  going  back. But as  when  we  work  at  the  lathe, the wheel  flies  back  when  we  wish  to  stop  it,  even  so,  the  very moment you  cease  to  advance  in  virtue,  you  must  of  necessity go back. Abbot Theodore  explains  the  same  thought  in  these terms related  by  Cassian  (Cas.  Collat.  vi.):  We  must,  says  he, apply ourselves  without  remissness  to  the  study  of  virtue,  and strenuously exert  ourselves  in  the  practice  thereof,  lest  ceasing to grow  better,  we  should  instantly  begin  to  grow  less  perfect; for, as  was  already  said,  our  souls  cannot  remain  long  in  the same state,  so  as  not  to  increase  or  decrease  in  virtue;  but  not to gain  is  to  lose,  and  whoever  feels  not  in  himself  a  desire  of making  progress  is  in  danger  of  falling  instantly.

The same  Cassian  explains  this  by  a  very  just  comparison, which St. Gregory (Greg.  iii.  2.  past.  adm.  51.)  likewise  makes use of. Those who  lead  a  spiritual  life,  says  he,  are  like,  a  man in the  midst  of  a  rapid  river;  if  he  stops  but  for  a  moment,  and strives not  continually  to  bear  up  against  the  stream,  he  will run great  risk  of  being  carried  down. Now the  course  we ought  to  take  is  so  directly  opposite  to  the  current  of  our nature corrupted  by  sin,  that  unless  we  labour  and  force  ourselves to  go  on,  we  shall  certainly  be  hurried  back  by  the  impetuous torrent  of  our  passions.

" The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  to  be  taken  by  storm,  and  it  is only  the  violent  that  carry  it." (Matt. xi.  12.)  And,  as  when you go  against  the  tide,  you  must  always  row  without  ceasing, and when  you  stop  but  for  a  while,  you  find  yourself  drifted  far from the  spot  you  had  rowed  to;  so  here  you  must  still  push forward, and  make  head  against  the  current  of  your  depraved passions, unless  you  be  content  to  see  yourself  quickly  carried far back  from  that  degree  of  perfection  which  you  had  before attained. St. Jerom and  St.  Chrysostom  elucidate  this  truth still more  by  quoting  a  point  of  doctrine  universally  approved of, and  which  is  stated  by  St. Thomas (St.  Th.  ii.  2.  9.  84.  ar. 5.  ad.  2.)  in  the  following  words:  A  religious  life,  says  he,  is  a state  of  perfection:  not  that  a  man  becomes  perfect  as  soon  as he  becomes  a  religious,  but  because  religious  have  a  more  strict