The spiritual guide which disintangles the soul, and brings it by the inward way, to the getting of perfect contemplation, and the rich treasure of internal peace. / Written by Dr. Michael de Molinos, priest : with a short treatise concerning daily communion, by the same author. Translated from the Italian copy, printed at Venice, 1685.

CHAP. VII. Wherein the same thing is Treated of; Dis∣coursing the Interests which some Confessors and Spiritual Directors use to have; in which are declared the Qualities which they ought to have for the Exercise of Confession, and also for the Guiding of Souls through the Mystical Way.

49. THe Confessor ought to get Penitents in∣couraged to Prayer; especially when they often present themselves at his Feet, and make known to him their Desire that they have of their spiritual Good.

50. The Maxim which the Confessor ought mostly to observe, that he may never come into Perdition, is, Not to accept any Present, though the whole World were offered him.

51. Though there are abundance of Confes∣sors, yet they are not all good ones, because some of 'em know but little; others are very Ignorant; others betake themselves to the Ap∣plauses of the Gentry; some seek the Favours of their Penitents; some their Presents; some are full of spiritual Ambition, and seek Credit and Fame, getting a multitude of spiritual Chil∣dren to themselves; others affect their Master∣ship and Command; others affect the Visions

and Revelations of their spiritual Children, and instead of despising 'em, the onely way of secu∣ring 'em to Humility, they commend 'em, that they may not leave 'em off, and make them write 'em that they may shew 'em abroad for Osten∣tation: All this is Self-love and Vanity in these Guides, and great prejudice to the spiritual Pro∣fit of Souls: since it is certain, that all these re∣spects and interests serve onely to hinder the use and exercise of their Office, with advantage and profit; which requires an universal freedom from such things, and whose end and aim ought only to be the glory of God.

52. Other Confessors there are, which with ease and lightness of Heart, do believe, and ap∣prove, and commend all Spirits: Others falling into the vicious extream, do condemn, without any reserve, all Visions and Revelations; such things are neither to be believed all, nor con∣demned all: Others also there are, who are so inamoured of the Spirit of their spiritual Daugh∣ters, that whatever they Dream, let 'em be ne∣ver so much Deceits, they reverence 'em as sa∣cred Mysteries! O what a world of Miseries are known in the Church by these means! O∣ther Confessors there are also, having on the Garb of wordly Courtesie and Civility, having little regard to the holy Place of the Confessio∣nary, discoursing with their Penitents concern∣ing things vain, superfluous, distractive, and far from that decency which the Sacrament re∣quires, and from that disposition which should be fit to receive divine Grace; making parti∣cularly

like discourses and about the Houshold Affairs of their Penitents, before they come to Accuse themselves of their Sins: whereupon that little Devotion which they brought along with 'em to the Sacrament, becomes cool'd and good for nothing: Sometimes it happens that many Penitents are fain to wait to be Confessed, who are full of business of their own, and when they see such a long Demur, they grow weary and sad, and fall into impatience, losing the actual disposition of Mind wherewith they were be∣fore prepared to receive so healthful a Sacra∣ment: whereupon the medley of these distra∣ctive, superfluous and vain matters, not onely makes 'em lose their precious time, but also prejudiceth the holy Place, the Sacrament; the disposition of the Penitent who is Confessed, and that of others who wait to be Confessed; all of 'em considerable mischiefs, and worthy to be re∣dressed.

53. For Confession, there are some good; but for the Government of Spirits by the my∣stical Way, there are so few, (says Father John Davila) that in a thousand, you shall possibly find one: St Francis of Sales says, One among ten thousand: And the illuminated Thauler says, That in a hundred thousand, it was a hard thing to find one expert Master of Spirit. The rea∣son is, because there are so few who dispose them∣selves to receive the mystical Science: Pauci ad eam recipiendam se disponunt; said Henry Arpi∣us, (Lib. 3. Par. 3. Cap. 22.) Would to God it were not so true as it is. For then there would

not be so many Cheats in the World, and there would be more Saints and fewer Sinners.

54. When the spiritual Guide desires, effectu∣ally, that all should be in love with Vertue, and the love which they have of God, is pure and perfect, with few Words, and few Reasons, he will reap a very great deal of Benefit.

55. If the interiour Soul, when it is in the Cleansing it self of Passions, and in the time of Abstraction, has not a sure Guide to curb in the Retirement and Solitude, to which its Inclinati∣on and great Propension draws it, it will be un∣able and unfit for Exercises of Confession, Preaching, and Study, and also for those of its own Obligation, State and Calling.

56. The skilful Director therefore, ought to mind carefully when the Powers of it begin to be employed in God; that there may not be gi∣ven too free access to Solitude, commanding the Soul not to omit the outward Exercises of its State, as of Study, and other Employments, al∣though they should seem distractive, so that they be not contrary to his Calling; because the Soul is so much Abstracted in Solitude, is so turned Inward in its Retirement, and is remo∣ved to such a degree from Exteriority, that if it afterwards apply it self again, it doth it with toyl and resistance, and with prejudice to its powers, and the strength and soundness of Head: which is considerable hurt, and worthy the weighing of spiritual Directors.

57. But if these have no Experience, they will not know when the Abstraction is formed

and at the same time, thinking it holy Counsel, will encourage 'em to Retirement, and find De∣struction in it: O how necessary it is that the Guide be Expert in the spiritual and mystical Way!