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. VIII. Pursues the same Matter.

58. THose that Govern Souls without Expe∣rience, go in the Dark, and arrive not at the Understanding of the States of the Soul in their internal and supernatural Operations: they onely know that sometimes the Soul is Well, and that it has Light; other times, that it is in Darkness; but what the State of all these is, and what is the Root from whence these Changes grow, they neither know nor understand, nor can verify it by means of Books, till they come to find it experimentally in themselves, in whose Furnace the true and actual Light is made.

59. If the Guide hath not passed himself through the secret and painful ways of the inte∣riour Walk, how can be comprehend or approve it? It will be no small favour to the Soul, to find one onely experienced Guide to strengthen it in insuperable Difficulties, and assure it in the continual Doubts of this Voyage: otherwise he will never get to the holy and precious Mount of Perfection, without an extraordinary and singu∣lar Grace.

60. The spiritual Director, which lives dis∣interessed, longs more for the internal Solitude than the Employment of Souls: and if any spiri∣tual Master is displeased when a Soul goes from him, and leaves him for another Guide, 'tis a clear sign, that he did not live disinterested, nor sought purely the Glory of God, but his own proper Esteem.

61. The same loss and evil comes, when the Director is secretly diligent to draw some Soul to his Direction, which goes under the Govern∣ment of another Guide; this is a notable mis∣chief; for if he holds himself for a better Di∣rector than t'other, he is proud; and if he knows himself to be a worse, he is a Traytor to God, to that Soul, and to himself, during the prejudice he does to the advantage and good of his Neigh∣bours.

62. In like manner there is another conside∣rable hurt that discovers it self in spiritual Ma∣sters, which is, that they do not suffer the Souls Guided by 'em, to Communicate with others though they are more Holy, Learned, and Ex∣pert than themselves: all this is Interest, Self∣love, and Esteem of themselves. They do not permit Souls thus to unburthen and vent them∣selves, for fear they should loose 'em, and that it may not be said, that their spiritual Children seek that Satisfaction in others, which they can∣not find in them; and for the most part, by these imperfect ends, they hinder Souls from be∣ing advantaged.

63. From all these, and infinite other impu∣tations,

the Director is free that is once arrived at hearing the inward Voice of God, by having passed through Tribulation, Temptation, and passive Purgation; because that interiour Voice of God works innumerable and marvellous Ef∣fects in the Soul, which gives place to it, hear∣kens to it, and relishes it.

64. It is of so great Efficacy, that it rejects worldly Honour, Self-conceit, spiritual Ambiti∣on, the desire of Fame, a wish to be Great, a presumption of being the only Man, and thinking that he knows all Thnigs; it bids adieu to Friends, Friendships, Visits, Letters of Complement, Commerce of the Creatures, Interest with spiri∣tual Children, Mastership, and Business; it turns away too much inclination to Confessor∣ship, the Affection that is disorder'd in the Go∣vernment of Souls, that makes a man think he is fitting for it; it removes Self-love, Authority, Presumption, treating of Profit, making a shew of the Letters which a man writes, shewing those written by his spiritual Children, to make known what a great Workman he is; it turns a∣way the Envy of other Masters and Teachers, and the procuring more Customers to his Chair of Confession.

65. Lastly, this interiour Voice of God in the Soul of the Director, begets a mean Value, and Solitariness, and Silence, and Forgetfulness of Friends, Relations, and spiritual Children; be∣cause it makes him never remember 'em, but when they are speaking to him. This is the onely sign to know the Disinterestedness of a

Master; and therefore such a one doth more good by being Silent, than thousands of others that make never so great a noise with their infi∣nite Documents.