Page:Thecompleteascet01grimuoft.djvu/109

 He does  not  tell  us  to  catch  the  lions,  or  the  leopards, but the  little  foxes. We tremble  at  the  approach  of  the lion or  of  other  fierce  animals,  and  therefore  we  take care to  guard  against  their  attacks;  but  we  fear  not  little foxes,  and  therefore  through  our  negligence  they by their  excavations  dry  up  the  root  and  destroy  the vine. In like  manner,  frequent  and  voluntary  faults, though small,  dry  up  the  good  desires  of  the  soul,  which are the  roots  of  spiritual  life,  and  thus  produce  decay and ruin.

Habitual and  voluntary  venial  sins  expose  the  soul  to the  danger  of  perdition:  first,  because,  as  we  have  already seen, they  incline  the  will  to  mortal  sin,  and  diminish its strength  to  resist  temptations. Let us  consider besides how  they  deprive  her  of  numberless  helps  from God, which  he  had  prepared  for  her.

To incline  the  will  to  good,  the  understanding  must be  continually  illuminated    by    the  light    of  God;  and to become  pliant  and  obedient  to  the  motions  of  grace, the will  requires  the  constant  assistance  of  God. Besides, to resist  the  powers  of  hell,  we  stand  in  need  of the  continual  protection  of  the  Lord. Without it,  we should  all  yield  to  the  temptations  of  the  devil,  which of ourselves  we  are  utterly  unable  to  overcome. It is God  that  either  enables  us  to  conquer  all  the  powers  of darkness,  or  prevents  the  devil  from  suggesting  temptations to  which  we  would  yield. Hence Jesus  Christ  has taught  us  the   prayer,   and  lead  us  not  into   temptation; that is,  preserve  us  from  those  temptations  to  which  we would  consent. Now, what  are  the  effects  of  venial  sins? They diminish  the  lights,  the  helps,  and  the  protection of God;  so  that  the  soul,  being  darkened,  weak,  and  dry, will lose  all  affection  for  the  things  of  God,  will  become attached to  the  things  of  the  world,  and  thus  exposed to great  danger  of  renouncing  the  grace  of  God  for  the