Thus, nature has a greater share than grace in piety and fervor of
this stamp. Self-complacency and self-love are here most adroitly
concealed under the garb of humility, and it requires a rare sagacity
to discover their presence. The Christian soul in this state seeks
not to please God or others, but it seeks rather its own pleasure,
and for many women this kind of piety is a form of affectation and
vanity. With those fine sentiments and enthusiastic transports they
remain unmortified, vain and curious lovers of flattery and averse to
reproof, retaining all their faults, which they endeavor to conceal
under the mask of external piety.
Do not ask such women to bridle their will or to restrain the
sallies of their humor,--speak not to them of the good derived from
self-mortification, self-abnegation and the love of the Cross,--words
such as these have no signification for them. They are satisfied with
simply feeling and giving expression to those virtues, after the
manner of artists who, by a happy disposition of mind, are expert in
becoming penetrated with ideas and sentiments in which their will has
no part whatever; and which have no moral influence over their life.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113