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The first Means is, the Mortifica∣on of the Principal Powers and Faculties of the Soul, with the Passions of the sensitive Appe∣tite.
THe greatest Impediment in the affair of our Salvation, is inte∣riour, which consists in the dis∣order of the powers and facul∣ties of the Soul and Passions, Rebellion
of the flesh, & infidelity of our Sences; all which enemies seem to conspire to our Perdition, & to destroy all Spiritual Life in us. For the preserving of which, a∣gainst them, we must practise Mortifica∣tion; by this means to subdue and regu∣late them, that we be not carried head∣long by their violence to our utter ru∣ine. In the first place it is necessary, to reform the three Spiritual Powers of the Soul, which are the Intellect, Will, and Memory, which are the principles and origine of humane Acts, from which they proceed and depend, if they be done knowingly and voluntarily; if these be infected and corrupted as ordinarily they are, no good can be expected to proceed from them. Concerning the Intellect, we ought to esteem the purga∣tion of it, as St. Augustine informs us. [St. Aug. lib. 1. de doctrin. Christ.] Quasi ambulationem & navigationem: As a walking and navigation to our Heaven∣ly Country. For it is the guide of the will which in it self is a blind power, and being troubled and disordered, causeth
an irregularity in all the other faculties. In the Intellect one may discover many faults to be reformed, as ignorance of things, one is obliged to know: Incon∣sideration and imprudence in executing; Errour, by which one apprehends whats false, for a truth: obstinacy, to defend and persevere in a mistake, after good infor∣mation and instruction, to which one ought to Acquiess; Temerity, to judg of the intentions, actions and designs of another; Carnal and sensual Pru∣dence and Craft, to circumvent others, and contrive (by ill expedients) worldly affaires. Curiosity, to know things, which it were more profitable to us to be ignorant of. The Intellect vitiated by these and the like faults, ought dili∣gently to be mortified and reformed, or els it will be the cause of many defor∣med humane Acts; This reformation may be made by divers means; the chief is, a diligent practise of Vertue, which produceth true intelligence, as the Pro∣phet David affirms [Psal. 128.] Man∣datis tuis intellexi: I got understanding
by observing thy Commands. The cu∣stome of doing well, and experience in Devotion, is the best Mistress, by which one apprehends and profits most. A∣nother means is, reading Spiritual Books, with an intention to obtain Purity of Mind, interposing Affective Prayers. A third means may be, conferrence with Illuminated Persons, from whom, they may receave good instructions of Salva∣tion, and directions for their conduct in all Doubts, Temptations, & ocurring Difficulties. As for the Memory, it ought to be reformed about the variety of I∣mages and Representations of terrene and vain objects, by which it is often soiled; and in pusuit of which, it im∣portunes the Will to evil desires and actions; one must labour in this Refor∣mation, by exercising himself in the frequent meditation of Divine things; which if a man exercise constantly, he will in time deface and race out the Phantasies and imaginations of vain Objects: so that after a faithful labour in this, the Soul will find it self, as it
were absorpt in God, and will entertain and delight it self in nothing so much, and so often, as in God. The Will pur∣chaseth it self proper satisfactions and in∣terests by the motive of self-Love, with which it is dangerously impoysoned, and which is the Mother and Nurse of all Sin and Vices; it perverts the recti∣tude of intentions, Rebells against the commands of God and Superiours; it is the Enemy of perfection, the Mur∣derer of an interiour and Spiritual Life. This Mortification and Reformation must be affected by a Dolorous Con∣trition for Sin, by Acts of Abnegation, by a total Submission and Conformity to the divine Will: In fine, the practise of all moral Vertues, with purity of in∣tention, embellisheth it, as Stars do the Firmament. Next, the sensual Appe∣tite (which is the inferiour portion of the Soul inclin'd to the commodities of the body) is to be mortified, with its Pas∣sions; which in the estate of corrupt Nature ordinarily are culpable: they are not to be condemned in Beasts, because
they are not governed by Reason; but it is far otherwise in Man, endued with a rational Spirit, able to discern between good and evill, and to unite himself to God his Soveraign good, whom he ought to prefer above all Created things; and by his superiour Reason, imploy and order all the powers and faculties of his Body, to attain this Good. But we see the contrary arrive to man, by means of his passions which turn him from the true love of God, replenish him with impetuous Solitudes, for the pur∣chasing of terrene things, and with fears and anxieties, for the loss of them. They fill him with impure phantasies, Imaginations and Delights, precipi∣tate him into many Errours and Irregu∣larities, employ him more for the cor∣ruptible Body, which is meat for Worms, then for his immortal Soul, the Divine Particle in him; causeing con∣tinually Rebellions in the interiour Ap∣petite, against the Superiour, preventing Reason and Judgment, and tyrannizing over the Spirit; so that they are the
source and origine of Sins, which ruine our Salvation, and further a Soul towards her Damnation; and as Lactantius speaks [Lactan. lib. 6. Institut. c. 5.] Omnia fere, quae improbe fiunt, ab his af∣fectibus oriuntur: Almost all evils com∣mitted, proceed from these passions and affections. If one would repress the im∣petuosity of choller, all clamours and contentions would be appeased, not any one would endamage an other; if one would moderate the desire of having, there would be no Theeves by land, no Pyrates on Sea, no Arms taken up to in∣vade others Dominions; if one would mortify the concupiscence of the flesh, every Age and Sex would be Holy; no person would do, or suffer, what is in∣famous in this kind; all these and the like discords come from the passions, not mortified and regulated according to reason. Passions thus ordered, are good, and about lawful Objects.
Thus they are Souldiers, which Se∣cond the endeavours of their cheif, the Spirit: they are Ornaments of ver∣tuous
actions; Ardours of the heart, without which it would languish. But the most part of men, by the corrup∣tion from original sin, follow their naturall inclinations and passions, by which they are hurryed into many disorders and damages, irreparably; therefore a strict mortification of these, is necessary to a good and well ordered life, and to conserve the in∣teriour state of the soul entire: with∣out the regulating of these, a man is so far from tending to perfection, that at last he will find himself, to become uncivil, barbarous, brutish, wholly governed by humours and phantasies, without repose in his Soul; continual∣ly agitated by disquiets, caused by his sensual affections, to which he hath resigned the dominion and empire of his affairs, not capable to govern them with any order. For which the An∣tients compared such a man unto an uncultivated field, over-run with weeds, thorns, bryars; as such a one or∣dinarily is, with sins and vices. These
passions and affections may often be hindred, from riseing and breaking forth, by a prudent foresight and pre∣vention of the occasions of them; for oftentimes when they seem to be mor∣tified in us, they lurk Secretly in the heart as fire under ashes, which will break forth, with a violence upon oc∣casions presented, if there be not a strong and vigilant guard set over them; for which reason St. Gregory Nazianzen ascribes the destruction of Saul, to one spark of his former pas∣sions, stirred and blowed up by occa∣sions: In this we should imitate a cunning Pylot, who shuns a tempest, when he sees he cannot easily resist it. Again, one may Suppress these passi∣ons, by combating generously against them, not once or twice, but as often as these assault us; for this reitera∣tion of resistance, will moderate and debilitate their violence and forces, according to that advice of St Augu∣stine, that we must frustrate by this means their attempts, that they may
not presume any more to rise; having so often assaulted us in vain. One may mortify and moderate passions and af∣fections, by yeilding something to them, and by making use of them a∣gainst themselves; which is done, by giving them supernaturall and right objects. This course our Blessed Sa∣viour took; St. Paul was of a choler∣rick-hot humour, but our Saviour Jesus converted it, he turned this fire into a flame of Apostolical Zeal; he did not Suppress this passion, but changed its object; so that by the same arms with which he persecuted his Name, he preached his Gospel; St. Mary Magdalen's passion was Love, he did not destroy it, but converted it, presenting himself to be the object of it; this is an easy cure, & an admirable triumph, to use passions themselves, for an instrument, whereby to gain a con∣quest over them. St. Augustine teach∣eth us this Art, councelling us, to over∣come fear by fear; the fear of the evills of the world, by fear of offend∣ing
God, of incurring hell, and losing Heaven. St. Isidore affirms the same, ex∣plicating those words of the Psalmist Irascimini, et nolite peccare: be angry, but Sin not: overcome (saith he) choller by choller it self; give somthing to this passion, but to the end to delude it; turn thy choller against thy bro∣ther, to a hatred against your self, and your passion; this was the advice of St. Basil, saying, Turn thy anger against the devil the destroyer of Souls, but have mercy upon thy Brother offending thee.
Some hold, that the greatest expe∣dient to mortify these passions is, to Chastice the body, by fasting and rigo∣rous austerities; for which reason many of the Saints treated their bodies very rudely, that by this means, they being debilitated, their Souls might be more vigorous in their functions, and the flesh less rebellious & refractory to the decrees of reason. From hence proceed the austere Vows of religious, crucifying our carnal af∣fections, thereby to chastise the inso∣lencies
of the sensuall appetite, and to render the body a slave to the spirit. However, not to condemn corporall mortifications, if used with discretion, according to the Custom of all an∣tiquity, and not takeing Christ down from the Cross: In my judgment, the best and most efficatious means, is not to tame the spirit by the body, but to subject the body by the spirit; for the flesh is not the only and principal criminal to be thus handled; wherefore it is more ex∣pedient, to mortify these passions by the Superiour part of reason and the spirit; which, considering what is pro∣fitable, and what hurtful to its salva∣tion, from generous resolutions of pursuing the former, and declining the latter, and so sweetly draws the sensitive appetite after it, and forceth it to desist from following its vitious inclinations. For example, a man re∣flecting upon the motions of the sen∣sitive appetite, and perceiving it en∣gaged in the desire of things super∣fluous, and troubled about them, dis∣approoving
such a conduct; flyes to interiour repressions, considering that we were created for paradice; not inordinatly to desire and pursue tem∣poralls, but covet and seek eternalls; and that it is to little purpose, to dis∣quiet ones self, for the transitory af∣fairs of this world, but that rather we ought to possess our souls in peace and patience. After such considerations and interiour repressions, the soul with a great resolution frames desires of spiritualls, and forceth it self to re∣main in peace and silence; by which it attracts after it the sensitive appetite, and rationally orders the passions of it, at least as long as it remains in that condition. O my Soul, thou hast a difficulty to Suffer a disgrace, thy passions spur thee forward to reveng; consider with thy self, that it is far more reasonable for a Christian to imitate the clemency of his Saviour, and benignity of the same God. By the like considerations, according to the diversity of passions, a man will
become more vigilant over them, and more powerfull to suppress and mor∣tify them. This methode is more sweet and humane, more generall and easie for a good regimen of life, and is also a moderate chastisement for the body. I will conclude this first means with that of the Apostle [Rom ch. 8.] If you live according to the flesh, you shall dye; but if by Spirit, you morti∣fy the deeds of the flesh, you shall live.