Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/86

 or silver,  can  hardly  be  perceived  upon  that  of  a  coarser  kind;  in like  manner  the  stain  of  a  venial  sin,  nay  many  times  even  that of a  mortal  sin,  is  scarce  taken  notice  of  amongst  seculars,  or  it  is looked  upon  only  as  a  trifle,  there  being  so  great  and  general  a corruption  in  the  world. But in  religious,  who  are  the  dearly beloved of  God,  the  least  imperfection  is  very  considerable — the least immodesty,  the  least  murmuring,  the  least  impatient  or hasty  word  is  a  very  great  offence,  and  gives  great  occasion  of scandal  amongst  us. But amongst  seculars,  there  is  so  little  account made  of  such  things,  that  oftentimes  they  never  reflect  on, nor take  any  notice  of  them. To have  dust  on  our  feet  troubles us not,  but  the  least  particle  that  gets  into  the  apple  of  the  eye puts us  to  very  great  pain. Men in  the  world  are  like  the  feet of the  mystical  body  of  the  Church,  and  religious  resemble  the eyes of  the  same  body;  so  that  the  least  fault  in  a  religious  is  of very  great  and  very  bad  consequence,  because  it  works  a  far worse effect  in  him  than  it  can  do  in  a  secular;  and  for  this  reason a religious  lies  under  a  greater  obligation  of  watching,  and taking care  of  all  his  actions  than  others  do.

Another means  already  stated  in  one  of  the  preceding chapters, which  will  serve  to  encourage  us  still  more,  is,  that  we should  always  imagine  we  have  a  great  way  to  go,  and  that  as yet  we  have  advanced  but  very  little. Our blessed  Saviour  also insinuates the  adoption  of  this  means  by  these  words,  "  Be  ye perfect  as  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect." For what,  think  you, does our  Saviour  mean  by  saying  so? Can it  be,  that  we should  ever  be  able  to  come  near  the  perfection  of  our  heavenly Father? "Can any  man  be  just  in  comparison  of  God?" (Job, iv. 17.)  No,  certainly. Whatever degree  of  perfection  we  can possibly arrive  at,  there  will  still  remain  an  infinite  distance  between his  perfection  and  ours. And yet  our  Saviour  says  to  us, "Be perfect  as  our  heavenly  Father  is  perfect." To let  us understand  that  in  the  career  of  virtue  there  are  no  bounds,  and therefore we  should  never  be  satisfied  with  what  we  have  already done, but  should  labour  continually  to  acquire  what  we  still want. It is  a  usual  saying  with  holy  men,  and  with  a  great  deal of reason,  that  a  most  certain  sign  of  a  person's  being  far  from perfection is  that  he  thinks  himself  arrived  at  it. For on  the road of  a  spiritual  life,  the  more  a  man  travels,  the  more  plainly he sees  that  he  has  advanced  but  little. St. Bonaventure  says, " That  the  more  a  man  ascends  a  hill,  the  more  extensive  will be  his  prospect;  in  like  manner,  the  nearer  we  come  to  the  top