Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/47

 wished to teach  us,  that  we  must  never  think  we  are  just  enough, but must  always  aspire  to  greater  justice,  as  St  John  recommends in  the  above  passage. To this  effect,  St.  Paul  proposes to us  an  excellent  means,  he  himself  had  made  use  of. "Brethren," says  he,  "  I  do  not  count  myself  to  have  apprehended. But  one  thing  I  do;  forgetting  the  things  that  are behind,  and  stretching  forth  myself  to  those  that  are  before,  I pursue  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  supernal  vocation of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." (Phil. iii.  13.)  If,  then,  the  apostle of the  Gentiles,  the  vessel  of  election,  does  not  believe  himself perfect, who  will  dare  think  himself  so? He believes  not  that he has  attained  perfection,  but  endeavours  all  he  possibly  can,  to acquire  it  For  this  purpose,  he  forgets  all  he  has  done,  and only looks  to  what  he  is  deficient  in,  and  it  is  to  obtain  this, that he  excites  and  encourages  himself  with  all  his  might  All the saints  have  very  much  extolled  and  earnestly  recommended this means  as  having  been  prescribed  and  recommended  by  the apostle. Hence St. Basil and  St.  Jerom  teach,  that  whoever wishes to  be  a  saint,  must  forget  what  he  has  done,  and  constantly think  on  what  he  has  still  to  do,  and  that  he  is  truly happy who  advances  daily,  and  who  never  thinks  on  what  he  did yesterday, but  what  he  has  to  do  to-day  in  order  to  make  new progress.

But St. Gregory and  St.  Bernard  descend  more  to  particulars, and say,  that  this  means  prescribed  by  St.  Paul  consists  of  two principal parts. The first  is  to  forget  the  good  we  have  done, and never  to  look  back  at  it  Certainly  we  stand  much  in need  of  this  warning  in  particular  4  for  it  is  very  natural  in  us to  cast  our  eyes  on  what  is  pleasing,  and  to  turn  them  away from what  may  be  displeasing. Hence taking  pleasure  in  looking at  our  improvement,  and  the  good  we  fancy  we  have  done; and on  the  contrary,  feeling  it  painful  to  think  on  our  spiritual wants and  poverty,  we  are  inclined  to  dwell  rather  on  the  former, than on  the  latter. St. Gregory  says,  that  as  a  sick  man  in  a burning  fever,  is  always  searching  for  the  coolest  and  softest part of  his  bed  to  find  a  little  ease,  even  so  human  weakness ordinarily fixes  its  eye  on  the  good  it  has  done. But St.  Bernard says, that  there  is  extreme  danger  in  this. For if  you  look  only to the  good  works  you  have  done,  you  will  readily  yield  to  vain glory, preferring  yourself  to  others;  you  will  not  endeavour  to ascend,  believing  yourself  already  arrived  at  a  high  degree  of perfection. In a  word,  you  will  begin  to  grow  tepid,  and  from