The Mind’s Ascent to God by a Ladder of Created ThingsEighth step. CONSIDERATION OF THE RATIONAL SOUL

Thus far to this point we have gone through all created things, striving with reflection of our mind to rise from created things to the Creator.

Now we find human souls higher in dignity than all bodies, and we know that they belong to the lowest order of spiritual beings, between whom and God we find no intermediate being, save the hierarchies and ranks of angels.

The human soul possesses such a likeness to God its Creator, that I hardly know whether by any other way a man could ascend to God more easily than by consideration of his own soul.

Thus it is that God wills man to be without excuse if he has no knowledge of God, since by the help of God he may easily draw it from the knowledge he possesses of his own soul.!

First, therefore, man’s soul is a spirit, for thus the holy Fathers explain those words in Genesis, ‘The Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’; 2 and the word of Tobit, ‘Command my spirit to be taken from me’;3 and that of the Wise Man, ‘Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.’

Although this word spirit means also wind, of which it is said in the Psalms, ‘Wind and storm fulfilling his word,’2 and in the Gospel, ‘'The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof’: 3 yet there is no doubt that the wind is a very delicate body which on account of its extreme rarity resembles more the spiritual nature than any other body.

The human soul is properly spirit, not body, and it is not produced from any substance, but is created by God, a truth concerning which there is no dispute among Catholics. Here, therefore, begins the excellence of the soul and its likeness to God: for God is Spirit, as the Saviour plainly declares, ‘God is Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.’4 But although God is a Spirit and the human soul is a spirit, yet God is a Spirit uncreated and the Creator, and the soul is a created spirit: from this it follows that there is an infinite distance between the spirit which is the human soul and the Spirit which is God. Wherefore greatly may the soul rejoice in being spiritual in the nature of its being, and therefore by the nobility of its nature superior to the heavens and the stars, and also how deeply ought it to humble itself and submit to God its Creator, since from nothing it was made, and is of itself nothing!

Next, the human soul, because it is simple spirit, is also immortal: for it possesses naught in itself whence it can be divided or be made to perish.

But in this matter also, in the degree in which it is able to boast in its superiority over the souls of brute animals which perish along with their bodies, to that degree also it ought to understand the nobility of its Creator and to marvel at it, for he is not only immortal, but also eternal. For there was a time when the human soul did not exist, and it came into being by the will of God alone, and by the will of the same God it can be reduced to nothing, although in itself it has no element of corruption. And so rightly the Apostle spake concerning God, ‘Who only hath immortality’:1 for it is he alone who can be dissolved by no force, no change, no reasoning, since he is in himself Being, Life itself, and the Fountain of being and of life.

Thirdly, the human soul is endowed with intelligence: for it recognizes not only colours, flavours, scents, sounds, heat, cold, hardness, softness, and other things of that kind which are evident to the bodily senses; but it also discriminates substances, and not only separately but altogether; and not only does it know present events, but conjectures the future, and by discoursing transcends the heavens, pierces. the depths, from causes searches out effects and from effects turns back again to the cause; and lastly, with the apex of his mind a man touches God himself, * Who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto’;2 and this is the light concerning which Saint John saith in his Gospel, ‘That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,’ 3 and David in the Psalms, ‘Lord, lift thou up the light

ty Tim, vi. 16. 2 ibid. 3 St. John i. 9.

of thy countenance upon us,’! and ‘Be ye not like unto horse and mule which have no understanding.’ ?

Great is the dignity of the soul, by possessing which a man is like unto God and unlike the beasts: and hence man can and should conjecture how great is the eminence and sublimity of God, his Creator.

The soul is endowed with the light of pain Sener ing, but God is Light and Understanding. *

The soul passes from cause to effect and ae effect to cause, and in the discourse it pursues knowledge, but with considerable labour; God by a single and simple intuition knows all things perfectly.

The soul understands the things which exist and thus its knowledge depends on things; God by understanding makes things to be as they are, and thus the existence of things depends on the knowledge of God.

The soul conjectures concerning the future; God always beholds all future things not less clearly than the past and the present.

The soul is in need of many things that it may exercise the gift of intelligence, e.g. an object, species, an image or other things; God is in need of nothing, for he himself is his own Essence, and it is all things to him: so also his own Essence is his understanding.

Lastly, the soul, so long as it is in the body, not only does not see God, but sees not the angels, nor does it even see itself or any corporeal substance properly; and it makes mistakes in many things, is ignorant of much, has an opinion about many things, but true knowledge of very few: whereas God is ignorant of nothing, surmises nothing, never is mistaken, never errs, ‘All things are naked and opened unto his eyes,’ as the Apostle says in the Epistle to the Hebrews.3

Therefore if a man makes so much of his knowledge,

Consideration OF THE RaTIONAL SouL III as the Apostle says, ‘Knowledge puffeth up,’⁴ how - greatly should the Creator’s knowledge be admired, compared with which all our knowledge is not knowledge but ignorance!

Fourthly, there flourishes in the human soul another kind of knowledge, which consists, not in speculation, but in action.

Why are there so many books of philosophers concerning vices and virtues, so many laws of princes and counsels of lawyers, so many institutions and exercises setting forth the art of living well? In these there is wonderfully perceived the light of human reason, by which we are separated a very long distance from the beasts. But all these things are nothing to the eternal law which exists in the mind of the Creator, from which as from a most fertile source proceed all laws and all commandments: ‘There is one lawgiver, God,’ says Saint James in his Epistle.’ He himself is truth and righteousness and wisdom, by whom ‘kings reign and princes decree justice.’3 Hence thou wilt never discover the art of living well and happily until, entered into the school of Christ who is the true and only master,4 thou hast learnt, by his word and example, that righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees 5 and, I may even add, of the philosophers, and the end of which is ‘Charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.’ 6

Fountain of genius and of the wisdom which invents things. FirrHiy, the soul of man possesses a third kind of knowledge, which consists in cleverly fashioning things. Indeed, spiders know how to weave their nets, and birds know how to build nests, and bees know how to make honey, foxes how to seek out holes for houses; but these animals by a kind of natural instinct accomplish one and the same thing in the same manner. But the human soul, endowed with reason of judgement, discovers numberless arts by which it rules and dominates all animals, whether they will or no: so that birds find their wings of no assistance, fishes are not helped by deep water, lions and bears by their remarkable strength, nor horses and mules by their fierceness, nor stags and goats by their harmfulness. Indeed, even boys take birds with snares and lime and nets, and fishermen catch fish with hook and nets. Men with skill and art shut up lions and bears in iron cages and lead them about, inclose bulls and stags with ropes or stab them with a spear, tame horses and mules with a bit and have learnt to subdue them to their control.

What shall I say of the art of navigation? What a great light of genius in the human soul is shown forth when great ships laden with heavy weights pass over the sea, not only by means of oars, as though on foot, but even by sails, as though they had learnt to fly with wings.

What shall I say of agriculture? Who is not astounded at the intelligence of man, when he examines the cornfields, vineyards, orchards, gardens, wells, various streams of water led for watering the gardens and moistening the fields

What of architecture? Who does not wonder at the palaces, temples, cities, citadels, towers, amphitheatres, pyramids, obelisks?

I leave aside the arts of painting and sculpture by which the faces of men, and other things yet living, are so depicted with paint in pictures, or sculptured in marble that one would believe them real, not painted or carved.

I leave aside other arts of human genius, which are either necessities of life or which minister to convenience or pleasure; they are so numerous as scarcely to be counted.

Therefore, my soul, give thanks to God who hath willed to separate by so great a distance thy nature from the nature of animals: and at the same moment lift the eyes of thy mind to thy Creator himself, in whom is the fount of intellect and of the wisdom that accomplishes all these things. From that fountain flowed whatever degree of intelligence hath come to thy nature: and if thou marvellest at the genius of man which has taught him by industry and skill to control those animals which lack reason, admire still more thy God, whom all things serve and obey, and not only animate creatures but inanimate. And if it seem to thee a great matter that a man should discover so many methods of navigating the seas, of cultivating fields, building houses, why doth it not appear to thee a far greater thing that God in his wisdom hath made heaven and earth, the seas and all things that are therein, and controlleth and ruleth all?

And if, lastly, thou art amazed at the art of painting pictures as though living countenances were drawn from marble, why art thou not amazed at the skill of thy Creator, who formed a real and living man from dust and from his rib formed a real and living woman, especially if thou add that what men do cannot be done without the help of God, and what God doth is done by himself alone, with aid from no other being? I

In the sixth place, the soul of man is endowed with a free judgement of the will, which is common to him with God himself and with the angels, and which separates him from other created beings. Great is this nobility and a wonderful excellence.

But in God, the Creator of all things, liberty exceeds it so greatly that the freedom of the soul, when compared with it, seems scarcely to be its shadow.

First, the liberty of the human will is weak, and easily prone to choose for itself evil and harmful things: the freedom of the divine will is very strong and can in no way fail or be inclined to evil. For as to be subject to death is a proof of the weakness of the mortal body, to be unable to die is a proof of the strength of the glorified body: so also to be able to sin is a weakness of the free judgement, not to be able to sin will be the health of the judgement when in the heavenly country God will bestow upon us by grace that which he himself for ever possesses by nature.

Hence our free judgement is indeed free, for it is able to will and not to will, or even to will and to refuse: but it is not able to accomplish what it wills, or to cause that what it does not will should not take place, even as regards itself, and how much more in regard to others. Hear the Apostle lamenting in his letter to the Romans, ‘For the good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do.’! And who of us has not experienced this? I will to pray to God with attention, and I bid my imagination not to wander while I am giving myself to prayer, and not to draw me away to think of other things and I cannot hold it to its duty: and when I am less careful about this

Consideration OF THE RATIONAL SOUL IIS matter I find myself deluded by imagination, prayer is interrupted and I have slipped off to the consideration of other things. I have a will not to desire evil things and not to be angered beyond reason, and by a free judgement I command the irascible and concupiscible faculties which are within me, and which ought to be subdued to reasonable law, I command them to submit entirely to the rule of reason and not to allow themselves to be led away in any manner by the bodily senses: and often they do not obey, and they do not what I desire, but what I do not will. But what is far more astonishing and wretched is that the mind commands the body and is obeyed immediately, the mind commands itself and is resisted. ‘Whence this monstrousness?” saith Saint Augustine. ‘The mind commands the hand to be moved: and such readiness is there, that command is scarce distinct from obedience: yet the mind is mind, and the hand is body. The mind commands the mind, its own self, to will, and yet it doth not. . . . But it willeth not entirely, therefore doth it not command entirely. It is therefore no monstrousness, but a disease of the mind, that it doth not wholly rise, by truth up-borne, borne down by custom.’ !

But the freedom of will of the Lord God is so joined with absolute power that it is written concerning it, * He hath done whatsoever pleased him,’ 2 and ‘There is none that can resist thy will.’ 3

Wherefore, my soul, if thou art wise, boast not concerning the power of a judgement free from control, until thou comest to ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God,’ 4 when the heavenly Physician shall have healed all thy weakness, and shall have fulfilled thy desires for good things. In the meanwhile earnestly bemoan thyself and say to God with the prophet, ‘Thou hast been my succour, leave me not’;! and say thoughtfully from thy whole heart, and not with thy body or from custom only, those words which thou repeatest more than seven times a day, ‘O God, make speed to save me; O Lord, make haste to help me.’ 2

Seventh: the soul of man hath a reasoning will, which not only is able to seek after present, particular, and corporeal goods, such as even animals desire; but also good things afar off, general and spiritual, which are made known by faith and reason, and so also that very highest and infinite good which is God.

And this it is which makes a man capable of great virtues, and especially of the queen of all virtues, namely Love.

Brute animals love, but with a love of concupiscence; they are altogether ignorant of the love of friendship. But thou, O soul, God has made capable of that very gift which is the fount of all gifts, and which so unites thee with himself, the highest good, that he abides in thee and thou in him, as it were a most beautiful charity. ‘God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.’ 3

But if the good of the created will is so great, how great will be that good in which is the perfect uncreated will |

Only the will of God is capable of infinite love, by which the infinite goodness of God is worthy to be loved. And that will is not lacking in virtues, nor has it need of being directed by the intellect: for it and intellect are one and the same thing, as wisdom and love are one thing in God.

Sicut: the human soul is in the human body, but in a way very different from that in which the souls of beasts are within their bodies.

The souls of brutes are material, and extend to the extent of the body, so that part is in a part, and the whole in the whole. But the human soul which is indivisible spirit, is in a wonderful way wholly in the whole and also whole in each part: and when it fills the whole body it nevertheless occupies no place in the body: and when the body grows, the soul does not grow, but that which before was not, now begins to be: and if a limb is cut off or burnt, the soul is not on that account lessened or dried up, but in that limb, where it was before, it ceases to exist, and without any bruise or mutilation of itself.

This is a true picture of the existence of God in created things. For God is indivisible Spirit: and although he fills the whole world and all its parts, he does not occupy any space, and he is wholly in the whole world and wholly in any part of it: and when a new creature is produced, God begins to exist in it, and yet he is not moved: and when any creature is perchance destroyed or dies, God is not destroyed, nor does he die, but he ceases to be in that creature, and does not change his place.

God surpasses the soul by a long way. If the soul is in the body and controls and moves it, it has of necessity to take the form of the body, and to be united with it so that of soul and body one man should be made. God does not need that a form should be produced, nor that the world should have a soul, nor that of himself and the world one substance should be produced: but from his own immensity, he has this, that wherever he is, because of his indivisible unity, he is wholly everywhere, and that because of his omnipotence he should rule all things, bear all things, move all things.

Next, the soul, although it may be said to exist in the whole body, yet it does not belong to it, except in the living and animate parts; hence it is not in the humours, in the hair, nails, or in limbs which are withered or dead: but God is absolutely in all things, not only in corporeal, but also in spiritual, and it is not possible that anything should exist in which God is not. Besides, the soul does not exist except in its own body, and in that narrow and confined space all the parts are gathered together: for if any part is separated from the others, in that part the soul cannot exist.

But God is wholly in this whole, although the whole is exceeding great, and its parts, though very close, not united together, and if another world were formed and yet another, God would be in them all. For thus it is written, ‘Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.’* And if other heavens and other earths should be formed, in them also he would be: and if new heavens and new earths were multiplied without end he would fill all things, and where he was not there would be altogether nothing.

In the soul: besides what has been said, the soul of man possesses in itself an image, though obscure, of the divine Trinity: since it has a fertile memory, strength of intellect, power of loving, and the mind also by its intelligence forms its own word, and from the mind

1 2 Chron. vi. 18.

and the word, love issues: because that which is understood by the mind and represented by the word, as good, is continually loved and desired.

But by a far higher and diviner mode God the Father begets God the Word, and the Father and the Word breathe forth God the Holy Spirit, who is living Love and the living Fount of all pure love. And for this reason the mystery of the Trinity surpasses natural means of knowledge, and it is not possible to attain to understanding it without supernatural light, however learned a philosopher may be.

And the soul of man produces the word and love, which are not substances but accidents, and therefore are not persons: but God the Father begets the Word of one substance with himself and the Father and the Word breathe forth the Holy Spirit, of like Substance with them both, whence the three Persons are rightly called Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Next, the soul of man produces a word which does not last long, and the will produces love which has no long continuance; but God the Father begets the eternal Word and the Father and the Son breathe forth the eternal Holy Spirit, for God without the Word and without his Spirit cannot exist.

Lastly, the soul of man by one word represents one thing, and so he multiplies words, not only of the mind, but of the lips, and the human will is forced to produce many acts of love if it desire to love many objects: but God speaks all truth by one single Word, and loves all good things by one act of love.

The soul contributes natural gifts to the body: God

bestows heavenly gifts on the soul.

Last y, the human soul has this quality, that while it is in the body, although unseen and unheard, though it does not move and is scarce known to exist in the body, and though when it is withdrawn nothing appears to be wanting to the body, yet it bestows all good things upon the body—sense, movement, speech, substance, beauty, strength.

For why does a man live, see, hear, speak, walk, subsist; why is he strong, handsome, lovable, unless there is a soul within him? And why is it that after death he neither sees, hears, speaks, nor moves but lies misshapen, useless, and unseen, unless the soul have departed, whence all those good things are derived?

Thus, O soul, thy God, while he lives in thee by his grace, himself causes thee to see what faith shows thee: causeth thee to hear what the Lord speaketh within thee, to walk by the way of his commandments to the heavenly Jerusalem: to speak in prayer unto God and to thy neighbour in holy exhortation: to live by persevering in good works and to be strong in battle against invisible enemies, and glorious in the eyes of the invisible God and of his angels.

But beware, lest the grace of God be withdrawn, for it is the life of thy soul, and if it be withdrawn thou wilt experience loss which will bring with it the first death: whence thou mayst be snatched away to the second death, from which no resurrection is vouchsafed.1

O if the Lord would open thine eyes and thou couldst gaze upon the glorious form and exceeding splendour bestowed upon the soul that is pleasing to God and is united to him by true charity: and if thou couldst see with what eyes God beholdeth her when he prepares a place for her, what joys he promises, and with how great a longing she is awaited by the angels and other blessed spirits: thou certainly wouldst not be able to suffer such beauty to be defiled by any, even a slight, stain: and if perchance that should happen, thou wouldst forthwith strive to wipe away those spots, even the smallest, in rivers of tears.

To this indeed Saint Bonaventura refers when he says concerning Saint Francis, “Since he saw that it was not possible to follow the Lamb without spot, without contracting any stain, he took the greatest care to purge his soul daily with copious showers of tears and to wipe away all stains, however slight they might be.’

But if by the same grace of God thine inward eyes are opened and thou canst see how great is the foulness of a sinful soul, what a fetid odour it breathes, as a putrid corpse, and how God and the holy angels refuse to look upon it, although perchance it dwells within a beautiful body and is in the eyes of men adorned and lovely: then without any doubt thou wilt be so horrified that for no cause whatever wilt thou suffer thyself to become such, or to abide any longer in that condition.

t Bonavent., Vice St. Franc., c. 5, no. 7.