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 and other  good  works  they  have  expiated  their  guilt. The more  frequently  the  soul  displeases  God,  the  more will he  retire  from  her. By repeated  faults  her  weakness and  her  inclination  to  evil  are  increased,  while  the graces of  God  are  diminished,  and  then  she  will  easily fall into  eternal  ruin.

Every Christian  who,  because  he  desires  to  do  only what is  necessary  for  salvation,  commits  habitually  deliberate venial  sins,  is,  as  we  have  seen,  exposed  to  the danger of  being  lost. How much  more  perilous  must be the  state  of  a  religious  who,  with  full  knowledge,  and without any  thought  or  effort  of  amendment,  commits light faults,  saying,  For  me  it  is  sufficient  to  be  saved. The spouse of  Jesus  being  called  to  religion,  is  called  not only to  be  saved,  but  also  to  be  a  saint. Now St.  Gregory says that  he  who  is  called  to  sublime  sanctity  will  not  be saved  without  it. Jesus Christ  said  one  day  to  Blessed Angela of  Foligno:  "  They  who,  after  being  enlightened by  me  to  walk  in  the  way  of  perfection,  will  only  tread  in the  ordinary  path,  shall  be  abandoned  by  me." It is  certain that  every  religious  is  called  and  commanded  to  walk in the  way  of  perfection. It is  to  enable  her  to  become a saint  that  God  has  bestowed  upon  her  so  many  special lights  and  graces. Now if  she  lead  a  life  of  habitual negligence and  continual  defects,  without  ever  seeking to correct  them,  she  will  justly  forfeit  all  claim  to  the helps necessary  for  the  fulfilment  of  her  obligations,  and thus she  will  neither  become  a  saint  nor  be  saved. St. Augustine says  that  God  ordinarily  abandons  tepid souls who,  reckless  of  the  consequences,  wilfully  neglect their duties  and  disregard  their  defects. "God is  accustomed to  desert  the  negligent."