them into a state of emptiness and darkness, Proofs from 8S. Luke and Isaias.
second HAVING now to explain how the three powers of the soul, in-
dispo- tellect, memory, and will, are to be brought into this spiritual
night, which is the means of the Divine union, it becomes
71necessary, in the first place, to discuss in this chapter how the
three theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity — through
the instrumentality of which the soul is united to God in its powers — effect this emptiness and darkness, each one in its own power: Faith in the intellect, Hope in the memory, and Charity in the will. Afterwards, I shall show how the intellect is made perfect in the obscurity of Faith, how the memory is made empty in Hope, and how, also, the will is to withdraw and detach itself from every affection that it may ascend upwards unto God. This done, we shall see clearly how necessary it is for the soul, if it will travel securely along the spiritual road, to journey in the obscure night, leaning on these three virtues, which make it empty of all things and blind. For, as I have said, the soul is not united to God in this life by the understanding or feeling or imagination, or any other sense whatever, but only by Faith, in the intellect; by Hope, which may be referred to the memory — though also to the will — in so far as Hope relates to that emptiness and forgetfulness of every temporal and perishable thing which it causes, the soul preserving itself entire for the Supreme Good which it hopes for; and by Love, in the will.
These three virtues render empty all the powers of the soul; Faith makes the intellect empty and blind; Hope takes everything away from the memory, and Charity detaches the will from every pleasure and affection which are not God. Faith teaches us what the intellect cannot reach by the light of nature and of reason, being, as the Apostle saith, ‘the substance of things to be hoped for.’* And though the intellect firmly and certainly assents to them, yet it cannot discover them; for if the intellect had discovered them, there would be no room for Faith. And though the
* Hebr. xi. 1.
72intellect derives certainty from Faith, yet it does not derive clearness but rather obscurity. As to Hope, there is no doubt that it renders the memory empty, and brings darkness over it as to all surrounding objects, for hope is ever conversant with that which is not in possession, for if it were already possessed there would be no place for hope; because, as the Apostle saith, ‘ hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth why doth he hope for?’* This virtue, then, makes empty also, for it is the virtue of that which is not in possession, and not of that which is. Charity, too, in the same way empties the will of all things, for it compels us to love God above all, which we cannot do without withdrawing our affections from every object, to fix them wholly upon God. Christ our Lord hath said, ‘ Every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth cannot be My disciple.’t Thus these virtues bring darkness over the soul, and empty it of all created things.
Consider that parable of our Lord recorded by 8S. Luke, t of the friend who went out at midnight asking for three loaves. These loaves are the three theological virtues. They were asked for at midnight, to teach us that the soul must dispose itself for perfection in these virtues in darkness as to all its powers, and that perfection is to be acquired in this night of the spirit.
The prophet Isaias saw in a vision two seraphim on either side of God, each of them with six wings. With two of their wings they covered their feet. This signifies the quenching and subduing of the will in everything for the sake of God. With two of their wings they covered their faces; this signifies the blindness of the intellect in the presence of God. With two of their wings they flew; this signifies the flight of hope towards those things which we possess not; lifted up on high
* Rom. viii. 24. + S. Luke xiv. 33. t S. Luke xi. 5.
73above all possession short of God. ‘ Upon it stood the seraphim: the one had six wings, and the other had six wings; with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two they flew.’*
We have, therefore, to lead these three powers of the ‘soul unto these three virtues; informing the intellect by Faith, stripping the memory of all that it possesses by Hope, and informing the will by Charity, detaching them from, and making them blind to, all that is beside these three virtues.
This is the spiritual night which I have called the active night; because the soul labours, on its own part, to enter into it. When I was treating of the night of sense, I explained how that the sensual powers of the soul are to be emptied of all sensible objects in the desire, so that the soul may go forth from the beginning of its course to the middle, which is faith; so now, while speaking of the night of the spirit, I shall also explain, by the help of God, how that the spiritual powers of the soul are to be emptied and purified of all that is not God, and remain in the darkness of these three virtues, which are the means and dispositions by which the soul becomes united with God. Herein is found every security against the cunning of the devil and the craftiness of self-love with all its ramifications, which is wont most deeply to deceive and hinder the progress of spiritual persons, because they do not know how tw be detached, and to guide their steps by these virtues. For this cause they never perfectly reach the substance and pureness of spiritual good, neither do they journey, as they might do, by the straightest and the shortest road. Keep in mind, however, that I am now speaking specially of those who have begun to enter the state of contemplation. For, as to beginners, this must be discussed at greater length, which I shall do when I shall have to treat of what is peculiar to them.
* Is. vi. 2.