Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/60

 truth we  have  great  reason  to  wonder,  and  to  tremble  at  the same time,  when  we  consider  that  the  ruin  of  many,  who  have fallen into  this  precipice,  had  its  origin  from  small  and  trifling occasions. All this  happens  by  the  wile  and  craft  of  the  devil, who dares  not  attack  those  that  serve  God,  by  tempting  them in the  beginning  to  omit  things  very  essential,  but  begins  by those  that  seem  to  be  of  little  consequence,  and  always  insensibly gaining  some  slight  advantage,  he  succeeds  better  in  this manner, than  if  he  had  acted  otherwise. For if  at  first  he should  propose  and  tempt  us  to  mortal  Sin,  he  would  be  quickly discovered and  repulsed;  but  insinuating  himself  by  little  and little, he  through  our  slight  omissions  and  small  faults  gets  into our souls  before  we  are  aware  it. It is  for  this  reason  St. Gregory  says,  "that  small  faults  are  in  some  manner  more dangerous  than  great  ones"  (Greg.  3,  past.  adm.  34),  because great faults,  as  soon  as  we  reflect  on  them,  carry  such  horror along with  them,  as  obliges  us  to  endeavour  to  arise  speedily after we  have  fallen,  and  to  be  very  circumspect  in  avoiding them for  the  future. But the  less  we  perceive  small  faults, the less  we  avoid  them,  and  making  no  account  of  them,  we  fall so often,  that  in  time  we  acquire  such  a  habit  of  them,  as  we seldom  or  never  are  able  to  eradicate;  so  that  the  evil  which  at first  seemed  nothing  becomes,  by  our  neglect  and  frequent  relapses, almost  incurable. St. Chrysostom  confirms  the  same, when treating  of  this  subject:  "I  dare,"  says  he,  "advance  a proposition  which  will  appear  strange  and  unheard  of.  It  seems to  me  that  men  ought  to  be  less  vigilant  in  flying  from  great sins,  than  in  avoiding  small  faults;  for  the  enormity  of  great sins  naturally  excites  in  us  a  horror  of  them,  but  we  are  easily induced  to  commit  little  faults,  because  we  fancy  them  not  to  be considerable,  and  the  little  account  we  make  of  them,  preventing us  from  endeavouring  to  correct  them,  they  become  at  last  so great  by  our  negligence,  that  we  are  no  longer  able  generously to  resist  and  put  a  stop  to  them." (Chrys. horn.  87.  sup.  Mat.)

It is  for  this  reason  that  the  devil  chiefly  makes  use  of  this  means to assault  religious,  and  those  that  serve  God,  because  he  knows  it will  be  afterwards  more  easy  for  him  to  make  them  fail  in  greater and more  essential  duties. " It  makes  no  matter,"  says  St.  Austin, u whether  a  ship  be  sent  to  the  bottom  by  one  great  wave,  or whether  the  water  entering  gradually  by  the  chinks,  and  being  neglected to  be  pumped,  at  length  sinks  the  vessel."  (Aug.  Ep.  118. ad  Seleu.)  The  devil,  in  like  manner,  cares  not  whether  he  enters