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Eagles have a great heart, and much strength of
flight, yet they have incomparably more sight than
flight, and extend their vision much quicker and
further than their wings. So our souls animated with
a holy natural inclination towards the divinity, have
far more light in the understanding to see how
lovable it is than force in the will to love it.
Sin has much more weakened man's will than darkened
his intellect, and the rebellion of the sensual
appetite, which we call concupiscence, does indeed
disturb the understanding, but still it is against
the will that it principally stirs up sedition and
revolt: so that the poor will, already quite infirm,
being shaken with the continual assaults which
concupiscence directs against it, cannot make so
great progress in divine love as reason and natural
inclination suggest to it that it should do.
Alas! Theotimus, what fine testimonies not only of a
great knowledge of God, but also of a strong
inclination towards him, have been left by those
great philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Trismegistus,
Aristotle, Hippocrates, Seneca, Epictetus?
Socrates, the most highly praised amongst them,
came to the clear knowledge of the unity of God, and
felt in himself such an inclination to love him, that
as S. Augustine testifies, many were of opinion that
he never had any other aim in teaching moral
philosophy than to purify minds that they might
better contemplate the sovereign good, which is the
simple unity of the Divinity.
And as for Plato, he sufficiently declares himself
in his definition of philosophy and of a philosopher;
saying that to do the part of a philosopher is
nothing else but to love God, and that a philosopher
is no other thing than a lover of God. What shall I
say of the great Aristotle, who so efficaciously
proves the unity of God and has spoken so honourably
of it in so many places?
But, O eternal God! those great spirits which had
so great an inclination to love it, were all wanting
in force and courage to love it well. By visible
creatures they have known the invisible things of
God, yea even his eternal power also and divinity,
says the Apostle, so that they are inexcusable.
Because that, when they knew God, they have not
glorfied him as God, or given thanks.(1) They
glorified him indeed in some sorts attributing to him
sovereign titles of honour, yet they did not glorify
him as they ought, that is, they did not glorify him
above all things; not having the courage to destroy
idolatry, but communicating with idolators, detaining
the truth which they knew in injustice, prisoner in
their hearts, and preferring the honour and vain
repose of their lives before the honour due unto God,
they grew vain in their knowledge.
Is it not a great pity, Theotimus, to see Socrates,
as Plato reports, speak upon his deathbed concerning
the gods as though there had been many, he knowing so
well that there was but one only? Is it not a thing
to be deplored that Plato who understood so clearly
the truth of the divine unity should ordain that
sacrifice should be offered to many gods? And is it
not a lamentable thing that Mercury Trismegistus
should so basely lament and grieve over the abolition
of idolatry, who on so many occasions had spoken so
worthily of the divinity?
But above all I wonder at the poor good man
Epictetus, whose words and sentences are so sweet in
our tongue, in the translation which the learned and
agreeable pen of the R. F. D. John of S. Francis,
Provincial of the Congregation of the Feuillants in
the Gauls, has recently pat before us. For what a
pity it is, I pray you, to see this excellent
philosopher speak of God sometimes with such relish,
feeling, and zeal that one would have taken him for a
Christian coming from some holy and profound
meditation, and yet again from time to time talking
of gods after the Pagan manner!
Alas! this good man, who knew so well the unity of
God, and had so much delight in his goodness, why had
he not the holy jealousy of the divine honour, so as
not to stumble or dissemble in a matter of so great
consequence ?
In a word, Theotimus, our wretched nature spoilt
by sin, is like palm-trees in this land of ours,
which indeed make some imperfect productions and as
it were experiments of fruits, but to bear entire,
ripe and seasoned dates - that is, reserved for
hotter climates. For so our human heart naturally
produces certain beginnings of God's love, but to
proceed so far as to love him above all things, which
is the true ripeness of the love due unto this
supreme goodness, - this belongs only to hearts
animated and assisted with heavenly grace, and which
are in the state of holy charity.
This little imperfect love of which nature by
itself feels the stirrings, is but a will without
will, a will that would but wills not, a sterile
will, which does not produce true effects, a will
sick of the palsy, which sees the healthful pond of
holy love, but has not the strength to throw itself
into it. To conclude, this will is an abortion of
good will, which has not the life of generous
strength necessary to effectually prefer God before
all things. Whereupon the Apostle speaking in the
person of the sinner, cries out: To will good is
present with me, but to accomplish that which is good
I find not.(2)
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