Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/70

 St. Basil  prescribes  another  means,  which,  he  says,  will  in  a short  time  contribute  very  much  to  our  advancement  in  perfection. This is  never  to  stop  in  the  pursuit  of  virtue. There are men, who  are  sometimes  seized  with  certain  fits  of  zeal  and devotion, but  stop  short  on  a  sudden,  and  go  no  farther. Be sure not  to  imitate  these,  but  advance  constantly  on  your  way, and remember  that,  in  your  spiritual  career,  you  will  become more weary  by  halting  than  if  you  continue  your  journey. It is not  the  same  in  spiritual  as  in  corporal  exercises:  the  body  is weakened  and  exhausted  by  continual  labour;  but  the  more  the soul acts,  the  more  strong  and  vigorous  she  becomes,  according to the  Latin  proverb:  "  The  bow  is  broken  by being  too  much bent,  and  the  mind  is  corrupted  by  too  much  relaxation." (Arcum frangit  intensio,  animnm  remissio.)

St. Ambrose  says,  that  as  it  is  far  easier  to  preserve  our  innocence, than  to  repent  truly:  so  it  is  easier  to  persevere  in  the fervour of  devotion,  than  to  recover  it  after  a  short  discontinuance. When a  smith  has  taken  a  bar  of  iron  from  the  fire,  to forge  it  to  the  shape  he  desires,  he  never  permits  it  to  grow  quite cold, but  puts  it  into  the  fire  again  as  soon  as  possible,  that  it may  grow  hot  and  fit  for  the  hammer  to  work  upon  as  before. In like  manner  ought  we  to  be  cautious  never  to  suffer  the  fire of our  devotion  to  be  extinguished:  for  if  the  heart  once  grows cold, and  begins  to  harden,  we  shall  find  it  extremely  difficult  to warm  and  soften  it  again. We find  by  experience,  that  though men be  very  far  advanced  in  virtue,  if  they  once  begin  to  grow remiss, and  discontinue  their  exercises  of  piety,  they  lose,  in  a few  days,  what  they  had  been  a  long  time  acquiring;  and  when they endeavour  to  recover  it  again,  they  find  so  many  difficulties and contradictions  in  the  attempt,  that  they  can  seldom  rise  to that  degree  of  perfection  from  which  they  had  fallen. They, on the  contrary,  who  persevere  with  fervour  in  their  devotions  and spiritual exercises,  not  only  remain  with  ease  in  that  degree  of perfection  they  had  already  attained,  but  in  a  little  time  ascend much higher. Thus they  never  lose  time,  nor  diminish  what they have  once  acquired. They are  not  like  the  tepid  and  negligent, who  spend  their  whole  life  in  alternate  fits,  of  tepidity  and devotion, destroying  by  their  negligence  what  they  have acquired by  their  fervour,  doing  and  undoing,  building  up  and putting down,  without  ever  bringing  any  of  their  projects  to perfection. But the  fervent  labour  incessantly  without  repose; and acquiring  new  strength  by  continual  exercise,  they  perform