Confined to its own sphere of action, it is a precious
auxiliary, which often facilitates the perception of the truth, and
the accomplishment of good, by presenting them to the mind and heart
under colors that render them amiable and attractive. When properly
employed, it is an invaluable gift of God, who has given it to us to
aid the infirmity of our nature, by rendering less painful the
efforts that we are so often obliged to make in order to triumph over
our bad inclinations. But when we fail to make a proper use of it, it
then becomes for us a source of danger, and a great obstacle to our
advancement towards perfection.
Placed between the will and the senses, it should neither be
controlled by the latter nor emancipated from the sway of the former.
The faithful observance of this condition can alone insure us all the
advantages we may hope to derive from it. Should it prove to be a
frequent cause of mischief to us it is because we let it act
independently of the will's control--in which case it is sure to
become the slave of the senses. Separated from the intelligence, from
which it receives light, and from the will, which points out its
course of action, the imagination is a blind instinct, precipitous in
its movements, impetuous and inconstant in its flights, violent and
capricious in its pursuits.
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