The third evil, to which the soul is liable from the Natural Apprehensions of the Memory, is negative. These apprehensions can impede moral, and deprive us of spiritual, good. And, first of all, to show how they impede moral good, we must keep in mind, that moral good consists in curbing the passions, and in restraining our disorderly appetites; the result of which is peace, tranquillity, and rest, which appertain unto moral good. But this curbing and restraining of the passions is impossible for any soul, that does not forget and withdraw from all those things, by which its affections
are excited; and no trouble is ever produced in the soul but
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by the apprehensions of the memory. For if we forget all things, there is then nothing to disturb our peace or to excite our desires; seeing that, as they say, what the eye has not seen the heart does not desire.
This is a truth of daily experience: whenever the soul broods over anything, it is changed or disturbed, be it much or little, according to the measure of its apprehension. If the subject of its thoughts be serious and disagreeable, it elicits feelings of sadness or dislike; if, on the other hand, the subject be pleasant, its feelings are those of joy and desire. The inevitable result of these changing apprehensions is interior disorder: joy and grief, hate and love suc~ ceed each other, and there is no possibility of preserving a uniform state—which is an effect of moral tranquillity—but by the studious oblivion of all these. It is, therefore, quite clear that this knowledge of the memory greatly impedes the good of the moral virtues.
A cumbered Memory also impedes the mystical or spiritual good; for the disturbed soul, having no foundation of moral good is, so far, incapable of that which is spiritual, because this enters into no soul, that is not under control and ordered in peace. Besides, if the soul cleaves and gives heed to the apprehensions of the memory—it can attend to but one thing at a time—if it occupies itself with apprehensible things, for such are the notions of the memory, it is impossible that it can be at liberty for the Incomprehensible, which is God. For, as I have already said,* the soul that will draw near unto God must do so by not comprehending, rather than by comprehending; it must change the mutable and the comprehensible for the Immutable and Incomprehensible.
* Book ii. ch. 8.