Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/198

 180 THE CLASSICAL HERITAGE [chap. cism barred or sternly held in check the love spring- ing from ties of blood, the father's love, the mother's, the son's, the daughter's, the brother's, the sister's. There was no sensual lust in these ; yet any one of them might distract the soul. Gluttony was also evil in itself and conducive to still more evil lust. It should be checked by sparing diet and set fasts. An- ger was likewise evil. There could be no place in the monk's heart for this passion having ill as its desire. Nor might the monk be covetous, a base and selfish feeling, involving lust for the vainglories of this life, manifestly distracting from devotion to God's glory, — indeed, a passion fastening the monk to earth. Top- ping all other sins was pride, the swelling vanity of self-reliance and self-love, an obstacle to any right attitude of the Christian soul. These vices might be suppressed and yet the soul be barren if it were rest- less and despondent over the lost vanities of life and the tardy coming of the love of God. This was failure in devotion, emptiness, when the soul should be filled with love of God. The soul pure from fleshly lusts, nor distracted by affections leading aside from God ; the soul which knows not anger, and does not desire the glittering vanities of life, which is not puffed up in conceit, and yet has all devotion's energy, — this soul is a fit recep- tacle for the holy spirit and the grace of God. Ener- getic, yet not trusting in itself, devoted, yet unto nothing save what comes from God and leads to Him, hopeful and proud in Him alone, this soul is strong in faith, obedience, and humility. The spirits of these virtues unite in love of their great end and aim and