The Ascent of Mount CarmelChapter XXIX. The fifth kind of goods, in which the will has joy; the supernatural. Their nature, and the difference between them and spiritual goods. How joy in them is to be directed unto

God. I HAVE now to speak of the fifth kind of goods in which the soul rejoices, and which I call supernatural. By these I mean all those gifts and graces of God, which surpass our natural powers and capacities, called by theologians gratiae datae—such as the gifts of ‘wisdom and understanding ’¹ given to Solomon, and those mentioned by St. Paul, namely ‘faith, the grace of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, the knowledge and discerning of Spirits, the interpretation of words, and also the gift of tongues.’ f Though these are really also spiritual gifts, like those of which I am about to speak, still, owing to the great difference between them, I make this ‘distinction. These gifts, in the use of them, have an immediate reference to the edification of men, and are given by God for that special end, as the Apostle saith, speaking of these graces: ‘The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit.² But as to the spiritual graces, the use and practice of them is solely between the soul and God, between God and the soul through the understanding and the will, as I shall show later on. There is therefore a difference between them if considered with respect to their object. The spiritual gifts are concerned with God and the soul, but the other supernatural gifts, with which I have now to do, are intended for the edification of others; they differ, too, in their nature, and consequently in their operations, and the doctrine concerning them is therefore of necessity different also.

2. As to the supernatural gifts and graces, in this sense, it is well to observe, with reference to self-denial in the matter of empty joy in them, that there are two great blessings in this kind of good, namely, temporal and Spiritual. The temporal blessings are the healing of the sick, giving sight to the blind, the raising of the dead to life, the casting out of devils, foretelling of future events to make men careful, and others of this kind. The spiritual and eternal blessings are, that God is known and served through these works by him who doeth them, and by those for whom and before whom they are wrought.

3. Now as to the first blessing, namely, the temporal: these supernatural acts and wonders merit little or no rejoicing on the part of the soul, for without the spiritual benefit they are of little or no profit to men, because of themselves, they are not means of union with God, but charity is. Moreover, they may be wrought by persons not in a state of grace and of charity; for they may be either really the work of God, as in Balaam, the impious prophet, or the deceitful operations of the devil, as in Simon Magus, or the effects of mere natural but secret causes. These marvellous works, if any of them profit him who works them, are true, and the gifts of God. * 4, St. Paul tells us what the value of these works is, when they are not accompanied by the second blessing, saying. ‘If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.⁴ Many men who have thought much of their own good works, when asking to be admitted unto His glory, will say, ‘Have not we prophesied in Thy name ... and done many miracles in Thy name?’ Christ our Redeemer will answer: ‘Depart from Me, you that work iniquity.’

5. Man, therefore, ought to rejoice, not in the possession and exercise of these gifts, but in that he derives from them the second spiritual fruit, namely, serving God in true charity, wherein consists the fruit of everlasting life. Our Lord rebuked His disciples when they returned to Him with joy because they had power over evil spirits, saying, ‘Rejoice not in this, that spirits are subject unto you: but rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven.’⁶ The meaning of which, according to sound theology, is: Rejoice, if your names are written in the book of life. Man, therefore, ought not to rejoice, unless he is walking in the right way, doing his good works in charity. For of what profit is anything in the sight of God which is not His love? Now that love cannot be perfect if it is not strong enough and wise enough to purify itself from all joy in these things, and to find it only in doing the will of God. It is in this way that the will is united to God by the help of these supernatural goods.