The spiritual conflict writen in Italian by a deuout seruant of God ; and lately translated into English out of the same language.

Of the manner how to fight a∣gainst the motions of our sensu∣ality and of the actions which the Will hath to bring forth for to make the habite of vertue.

Chap. 7. (Book 7)

WHensoeuer thou art as∣saulted by the wil of the sence: that thou maist draw nearer to the will of GOD, (which knocketh and calleth vppon thee, to the end thou maist oppose thy selfe, and make resistaunce against thy sensualitie) in diuers manners thou must exercise thy selfe.

First when thou art assaul∣ted by the sence, it behooueth thee to resist couragiouslye,

that the superior will, consent not to his motions.

Secondly, when they bee ceased, thou must stirre them vp againe in thee, to represse them with greater voilence.

Afterwards it is necessarie that thou recall them to ano∣ther new combate, to the end that thou maye driue them from thee, with a certaine dis∣daine and abhorring.

These two stirrings vp, and and prouocations to battell, thou must vse in euery passi∣on, and disordinate appetite, except in carnall motions, whereof I wil speake hereafter in their place.

Last of all, thou must make acts of contrary vertues: let vs put an example. Thou arte

peraduenture tempted with the motions of impatience; if thou then retire thy thoughts, and ponder with thy selfe at∣tentiuely, thou shalt feele that they beate continually against the superiour will, to make it yeelde and encline vnto them.

In this thou must exercise thy selfe with redoubled fer∣uor, opposing thy selfe to eue∣ry motion, so that thy will do not consent, nor euer giue o∣uer this fight, vntill thou see that thy enemie as wearie, and dead, render himselfe vanqui∣shed.

But thou must vnderstand that when the diuel perceiueth that wee couragiously oppose our selues against the moti∣ons

of any passion, hee doth not only, not stirre them vp in vs, but being stirred vp, he as∣sayeth (for that time) to apease them, for feare we should by exercise, obtaine the habite of the contrary vertues.

Therefore when thou fin∣dest thy selfe in peace, reduce sometimes to thy memorye, and recal to battel, those things which prouoked thee to im∣patience, and stirre them vp in such maner that thou feele thy selfe mooued by them in thy sensitiue part, and then enfor∣cing thy selfe to a newe com∣bate, with often and forcible wills, represse his motions.

And because it often hap∣neth, that although we do put backe our enemies, (because

we know we do well, and do please God therein (yet not∣withstāding, for that we haue them not in hatred, we are not out of danger, another time to be ouercome of them.

Therfore thou must anew set vpon them, and beate them back from thee, not only with a repugning, but with a dis∣dainful will, vntill thou haue made them odious and abho∣minable vnto thee.

Finally to adorne thy soule with habits of vertue, it suf∣fiseth not, that with these exer∣cises aforesaide thou resist thy vitious passions, but it is neces∣sary also thou bring forth acts of the vertues wholly contrary to these passions.

For example, if one giue

thee occasion of impatience, thou oughtest not to content thy self to driue away this pas∣sion, but moreouer thou must desire often, and very often to be prouoked in the same ma∣ner, and by the same person, enforcing thy self to feele con∣tentment in the former trauel, expecting and purposing to suffer as yet much greater.

And if the vertue be such as do require it, thou must also put in practise the exteriour workes thereof, as in the ex∣ample afore saide, vsing to∣wardes him which molested thee, words of humilitie and loue, shewing thy selfe ready (according to thy estate) to do him any pleasure or seruice.

And although these works

accompanied with so greate faintnesse, and weaknesse of spirit, that it should seem thou dost the same wholly against thy will, yet thou must not in any case, leaue it vndone: for although they bee neuer so feeble, yet they keepe thee firme in the Battel, and make thee way to obtaine the victo∣rie.

And further thou must ob∣serue, that thou oughtest not only in the aforesaid maner, to fight against the great and ef∣fectuall wills of any vice, but also against the little, and slow motions of the same vice: for these are they which open the waye to the greater, which work afterwards in vs the viti∣ous habites.

And of the litle care which some haue had to roote out these litle wills, after they haue ouercom the greater, it hath hapned vnto them afterward, that when they least thought vpon it, they haue found them selues assailed afresh, and ta∣ken by the same ennemies, more forciblye then at the first.

And besides this also, thou must mortifie and break some times the wils of lawful things (so they be not necessarie) for by this means thou shalt make thy self more ready to mortifie thy selfe in the other, and thou shalt do a thing most gratefull to thy Lord and Maister.

Deare daughter, I tell thee plainely, that if thou holde on

in these exercises, within short time, by the helpe of GOD thou shalt profit much in spi∣rite.

But if thou proceede in any other sort, and with other ex∣ercises, although they seeme excellent vnto thee, and of so great taste, that they hold thee alwaies as it were in a sweete conference with Christ cru∣cified: yet do not perswade thy selfe, that thou shalt euer obtaine to be truly spirituall.

And thou must vnderstand that as the vitious habites are caused by many and often a∣ctions of the superior wil whi∣lest it giues place to the sensual appetites, so on the contrary part, the habites of the Euan∣gelical vertues are gotten with

conforming our selues more and more often, to the moti∣ons of the diuine will.

And as our will can neuer be vertuous and diuine, althogh it be earnestly called vppon, and asit were fought withal by inspirations and grace, from God whilst it dooth not con∣sent vnto it: So shall it neuer be vitious, and earthly, althogh it be much assayled by the inferiour part, vntill it giue place, and in∣cline to the same.