INDEX.

Abstraction of life recommended, 98, 104, 165, 225, 314, 461.

Actions, none are indifferent, 93, 109; to be perfect, must proceed from God and be directed towards Him, 109.

Active and Contemplative states differ, 35; and require different guidance, 37, 111.

Active state more usual at first, 37; represented by Martha, 38.

Active spirits not suited to guide Contemplatives, 174, 459.

Acts of the Will differ from Affections, 432.

Adam, in innocence, united with God, 30, 203, 240; his neglect of following the guidance of the Holy Spirit led to his fall, 67.

Affection to creatures must be mortified, 201.

Affective Prayer, 349.

Alvarez (F. Baltasar), his Apology, 385.

Angela de Foligno, 121.

Anger to be mortified by Patience, 273.

Anthony (St.), 154, 165, 229.

Antonio de Rojas, his method of Prayer, 490.

Apollonia (St.), 106.

Appetite to be mortified, and how, 266.

Aridities, 374, 464.

Aspirations, Prayer of, defined, 510; its excellency, 516.

Attention in Prayer, its degrees, 347.

Augustine (St.), 93, 138, 145, 180, 243, 266, 350, 362, 388, 435, 504.

Avila, 76, 78.

Barbanson, 87, 319, 396, 508, 519, 537, 544.

Basil (St.), 138, 350.

Bede (Ven.), 191.

Bellarmine on Affective Prayer, 351.

Benedict (St.), 47, 93, 100, 146, 154, 168, 172, 186, 221, 228, 311, 322, 330, 360, 366.

Bernard (St.), 41, 147, 159, 173, 183, 274, 326, 356, 388, 413, 435, 467, 508.

Bernardine Ochinus, his fearful instance, 176.

Blosius, 416, 439, 516.

Body to suffer for soul’s sake, 483.

Books, a list of spiritual ones, 87.

Caligine, in, described, 533.

Calls, as distinct from Inspirations, 128; external must overrule internal, 129.

Canfield (F. Bennet), 87, 396, 423, 464, 518.

Cassian, 87, 153, 267, 274, 278, 361, 507.

Catherine of Siena (St.), 50, 79.

Caution necessary in trying vocations, 178.

Charity enlightens the soul, 108; its acts and fruits, 247; its order and objects, 256; of active spirits more outward than of Contemplative, 41; resides in the superior will, 246.

Cloud of unknowing, 74, 87, 89, 144, 515.

Confession, instituted for peace of soul, 294.

Confessions of the scrupulous, 293.

Constancy in prayer, a remedy against scruples, 299.

Contemplation, the occupation of beatified souls, 44; defined, 502; philosophical and mystical, 503; the exercise of Angels, 504; active and passive, 505; its excellency, 508; may be aspired to in the world, 138.

Contemplative exercises within reach of most simple, 39.

Contemplative state more perfect than Active, 38; represented by Mary, 38; more easy and secure, 39; better for Superiors, 175; guided differently from Active, 111.

Courage, necessary in a spiritual course, 45.

Creatures, affection to, must be mortified, 201; helped Adam towards Union, 30.

Crosses, their value, 208; of little advantage without Prayer, 214.

Custody of heart, identical with Mortification, 197, 238.

Death, a gate to glory, 32; preparation for, an end of Religion, 467.

Decay of Religion attributable to want of Prayer, 173.

Defects, not seen at first, become visible later, 47.

Degrees in the Spiritual life, 396.

Delay of Conversion, 467.

Denys (St.), 118, 388, 390.

Desolation, its great trial, 537; its benefits, 540.

Devil, his chief combat is against Prayer, 343.

Direction, necessary in internal ways, 66.

Director, an office not to be voluntarily assumed, 78; lay persons sometimes serves as such, 79; or even women, 79; obedience to, much to be insisted on, 82; ought to be able to discern spirits, 82; frequent consultations with, to be avoided, 83; must not raise doubts, 85; how to deal with scrupulous souls, 293; how to deal in cases of Vision, &c., 527.

Discretion, a gift of the Holy Ghost, 107; its happy effects, 110; as regards Mortification, 484; Sensible devotion, 486; Meditation, 487.

Distractions, an effect of Original sin, 378; the result of inordinate affections, 379; their remedy, 379.

Distractive offices in reference to Prayer, 457; not to be sought after, 458.

Ecclesiastical state, a high state, 138; has our B. Lord as a model, 139.

Ecstasy, or rapture, defined, 521.

End of man is union with God, 29; of Religious state, 99.

Enemies, love of, and its degrees, 262, 264.

Euchitæ, their error regarding Prayer, 358.

Extraordinary ways and means to be avoided, 115.

Feasting, its dangers and evils, 267.

Fervor novitius of St. Benedict, 47, 183.

Florentius (St.), 139.

Forced immediate Acts of the Will, 432; variety of forms, 438; liberty to be exercised in, 440.

Francis Assisi (St.), 97; de Sales (St.), 79; Xavier (St.), 85.

Friendship, 245.

Gerson, 76.

God, His presence in a contemplative soul, 42; how He communicates Himself to recollected spirits, 151; rewards no actions but His own, 109; clears the understanding, 115; and moves the will, 117.

Good-nature, its real meaning and advantage, 179.

Grace, its power and efficacy, 33; to be followed, not outrun, 57; wholly driven away by mortal sin, 68; ordinary suffices for ordinary persons, but extraordinary for Contemplatives, 70.

Gregory (St., the Great), 155, 269, 318, 388; Nazianzen (St.), 138, 350; of Nyssa, 138.

Guide, necessary, especially at first, 73; necessary conditions of, 75; experience better than learning in, 75; active unfitting for Contemplatives, 76; requires illumination, 77; two always attend us, viz Nature and the Divine Spirit, 67.

Happiness of the Contemplative state, 43.

Harphius, 54, 250, 270, 351, 369, 371, 483, 489, 506.

Heaven and Hell differ in their objects of love, 249.

Hermits, their internal prayer, 166; their manual labour, 168.

Hesychius, 166, 197.

Hilton (F. Walter), 58, 87, 426, 526.

Holy Ghost, His gift, the principle of all good, 105; excited by Grace and our own efforts, 105; urges to extraordinary heroic acts, 106.

Humility defined, 310; properly regards God, 310; and our own nothingness, 314; how necessary, 315; becomes more perfect by prayer, 317; inspires a desire for Union, 45.

Ignorance inexcusable in Religious, 162.

Images, distracting, how to be removed, 98; of creatures disturb active spirits, 38; to be transcended by Prayer, 116.

Impatience, how to be repressed, 273.

Inspirations of God, our real guide, 67 &c., 92, 123 &c.; a principle to be admitted, 68; objections answered, 127; extraordinary, not to be desired, 72, 115; their necessity, 92, 98; are internal: calls are external, 128; obedience to, urged by St. Benedict, 93, 96; and St. Francis, 97; may be discerned, 125.

Introversion, the spirit of the Religious state, 151; same as recollectedness, 151; in what it consists, 152; perfect in ancient solitaries, 153; the spirit of Contemplatives, 36.

John the Evangelist (St.), 43, 233; of the Cross (St.), 52, 76, 84, 351, 384, 525, 528; Damascene (St.), 138; Climacus (St.), 277.

Knowledge, of self and God, the foundation of the spiritual life, 196.

Languishing love of Harphius, 489.

Lay brothers and sisters, not to be neglected, 182.

Liberty of spirit, 100, 412, 440, 449; evils from its want, 101.

Light grows brighter, 47; of the Holy Ghost, habitual and actual, 109; how to be obtained in doubt, 113.

Lord’s Prayer, a model of Acts, 445.

Love, an impelling power, 34, 104; our supreme happiness, 542; how to be mortified, 243; the root of all passions, 243; its objects are things or persons, 245; how sublime in perfect souls, 546; of God, an universal remedy, 244; of God, its acts, fruits, and expression, 247; of our neighbour, how to be ordered, 255; of our neighbour, must be rooted in love for God, 256; to enemies inculcated, 262.

Manifestation of Conscience, 322, 436, 528.

Manual labour, a help to Contemplation, 168; afterwards gave way to study, 170.

Martyrs of Love of Harphius, 489.

Mary (B.V.M.), her Contemplation, 43.

Mary Magdalene, 43.

Meditation, defined, 406; who are apt or unapt for, 407; most are to begin with, 407; how to supply its want, 408; how to be exercised, 413; what to avoid in practice, 410.

Melancholy must he resisted, 235.

Michael Constantiensis, 120, 124.

Mission, obligation of English Benedictines, 187; a sublime employment, 188; not to be undertaken too readily, 189; no excuse for neglecting prayer, 192.

Mixed state, most ordinary, 37.

Mortification and Prayer, duties of Religion, 195; its importance in removing obstacles, 197; must never cease, 197; its objects, 200, 241; its benefits, 209; taught by our Lord’s example, 201; subjects body to spirit, and spirit to God, 208; includes all virtues, 209; its general rules, 212; of little value without prayer, 214; of contemplative and active spirits, 215; sometimes harder in Religion than in the world, 216; necessary and voluntary, 218; caution necessary, 220; the kind most to be recommended, 225; in eating and drinking, 266; in sickness, 471, 475.

Mystic writers sometimes differ, 89.

Natural good dispositions beneficial, 207.

Nature not wholly driven out by Grace, 68; must be mortified, 207.

Nisteron, the Abbot, 117.

Not doing to be preferred by contemplatives, 71, 223; various instances enumerated, 71.

Novices, advices to, 183.

Obedience, to be insisted upon, 121, 129; to Inspirations no prejudice to authority, 128; required by St. Benedict, 157, 323; a great remedy against scruples, 294, 300; a good exercise of Mortification, 321; properly regards God, 321; not always binding under sin, 325; in grievous and dangerous matters, 328; wonderful instance in St. Basils life, 329; to brethren, 330.

Old age of Contemplatives, 483.

Parents, our first, their loss by sin, 30.

Particular friendships to be guarded against, 257.

Passions must be mortified, 99, 210.

Patience commended, 83, 273; its degrees, 276.

Paulinus (St.), 161.

Peace, the end of a contemplative life, 240.

Perfection, all must aspire to, 33, 359; consists in union with God, 33; end of the Religious Life, 34, 361; seldom attained till old age, 50; worth all pains to secure, 51; first step towards is Faith, 59; may be aspired to in the world, 138; in Prayer, the perfection of the Religious State, 152, 360; in prayer, the Spirit of St. Benedict, 155; its happy state described, 542; not to be expected too soon, 90.

Pilgrim, Parable from Hilton, 58, &c.

Prayer, best remedy against discouragement, 48; best step towards restoring primitive fervour, 160; vocal led the ancient Fathers to perfection, 167, 344; spirit of necessary in Superiors, 176; and Mortification our two great duties, 196; peace of mind necessary for, 236; degrees of, 396; defined, 341; its excellency and necessity, 342; division into Vocal and Mental not correct, 343; conditions and obligation of Vocal, 345; degrees of Attention, 347; Internal, Affective, Mental, 349; urged by the ancient Fathers, 350; its great blessings, 352; an universal Mortification, 354; its difficulties, 356, its conditions, 357; defended by F. Baltasar Alvarez, 384, &c.; when a change is advisable, 422; of internal silence of Rojas, 490.

Presence of God, 213.

Prosperity, its danger, 208.

Purgative, Illuminative, Unitive stages, 396.

Purity and Simplicity the perfection of Religious, 166.

Purity of Intention, 112, 249.

Quietism, 490 note.

Reading spiritual books, next to Prayer, 86; recreative sometimes advisable, 86; to be used with discretion, 88; must give way to Prayer, 90; mortification to be practised in, 90; not essential for Contemplation, 91.

Recollectedness, or introversion, 151.

Recreation, 233.

Redemption, its office to restore Union, 32; its grace more helpful than innocence, 33.

Religious should always love to be under obedience, 172.

Religious State, its end, 99, 145, 161; its advantages, 146; its commendation by St. Bernard, 147; secure only to those who live up to it, 148; motives for embracing it, 149, 305; special duties of, 172.

Retreats, not advisable for all, 417.

Riddance, a remedy under difficulties, 83.

Robust health, less encouraging to Contemplation, 96.

Rusbrochius, 174.

Sacraments, more likely to be profaned in Religion than in the world, 182.

Saints, indiscreet imitation of, to be avoided, 88.

Scrupulosity, defined, 279; how to be overcome, 280; must be resisted at first, 281; regarding inward temptations, 283; regarding the Divine Office, 288; regarding Confession, 292; regarding Contrition, 298; regarding Holy Communion, 301; to be conquered by Obedience,

294; arises from Tepidity, 303; concerning one’s vocation, 305.

Secular persons may aspire to Contemplation, 140; must not be solicitous, 144.

Self-abnegation a secure practice of Divine Love, 249.

Self-esteem, corrected by mortification, 213.

Self-examination, a caution to the scrupulous, 297.

Self-judgment, a cause of scrupulosity, 296.

Self-knowledge at the foundation of spiritual duties, 196.

Self-love is natural, 206.

Sensible Devotion, not to be too much relied on, 125; is twofold, 368; not necessarily a sign of grace, 370; must be dealt with cautiously, 371, 486, 517.

Seraphinus Firmanus, 76.

Sickness, how Prayer is to be exercised in, 466; its danger to tepid souls, 468; impatience to be resisted, 469; how Mortification is to be exercised, 471, 475; resignation as to the future during, 471; temptations during, 474, 481; remedies to be taken, 476; a fit time for meditation on the Passion, 478; best kind of prayer for, 480; not an excuse for self-indulgence, 481.

Sick persons are God’s prisoners, 470.

Silence, an useful mortification, 230.

Sin consists in the enjoyment, not the use, of creatures, 203.

Sleep, how to be regulated, 271.

Solitude, proper school for Contemplation, 135; may be found even in the world, 136; an useful Mortification, 225.

Soto, on Mental Prayer, 355.

Spirit of an Order, an abused phrase, 80.

Stability, required by St. Benedict, 157.

Stephen of Grammont (St.), 165.

Superiors, qualities of, 173; their duties, 177; their heavy responsibility, 182.

Suso, 45, 52, 274, 351, 384, 542.

Tears to be repressed, 371.

Temperance, identical with Mortification, 197; in refection, 266.

Temptations are not sins, 283; but occasions of merit, 283; purifying, yet not to be sought for, 284; how to be resisted, 285.

Tepidity renders Perfection impossible, 54; its character, 52; its miserable consequences, 55, 182; causes much uneasiness at death, 55; its bad effect upon others, 57; worse than open scandal, 57; must be resisted with great courage, 57; a cause of scrupulosity, 303.

Teresa (St.), 52, 78, 174, 206, 235, 351, 384, 411, 435, 523, 528.

Thauler, 52, 78, 109, 119, 124, 150, 174, 182, 351, 478, 485, 497, 506, 516.

Thomas (St.), 93, 117, 335, 387, 393.

Tranquillity of mind, a Mortification, 236; how to be procured, 238.

Turrecremata, 527, 363.

Union with God, the end of man, 29; even natural, 35; helped by Grace, 35; end of the Religious state, 150; Passive, described, 520; more perfect ones, 531; effect on Understanding, 533; effect on Will, 534; effect on Imagination, 535.

Union of Nothing with Nothing, 545.

Venial Sin, affection to, must be mortified, 203, 208; an impediment to Perfection, 204.

Virtues, how to be obtained, 332; progress in, measured by progress in Prayer, 334.

Vocation to Religion, 149; Scruples regarding, 305.

Vows or promises, discretion in, 103.

Want need not be feared by those who give themselves to God, 144.

Way to Perfection long and painful, 46; one of rising and falling, 46.

Will of God made known to us in two ways, 115.

Women, more saved than men, 137; better suited for Contemplation, 136; less apt for Meditation, 407.