ment of God, be it in relation to our Creator or to our fellow-creatures, which binds us under pain of mortal sin" (a): the plain meaning of which is, that I ought rather live in the friendship of Christ, though it should entail on me insults, poverty, and afflictions, than enjoy all that the world has of riches, honours, and pleasures, if the condition of enjoying them were that I should contract the stain of mortal sin. This first degree is the fruit we are supposed to gather during the first week of the exercises, and the motives to incite us thereto, are: 1. The malice of sin, which is infinite, because of the sin itself, because of the baseness of him who offends, and because of the infinite majesty of Him who is offended. 2. The terrible punishment which followed the sin of Lucifer, and that of our first parents. 3. The fearful and eternal torments which yet await sinners in another life.

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To these we might add: 1. the natural equity which imposes on us the obligation of obeying Him who is our sovereign Lord; for "It is just to be subject to God" (b). 2. The obligation to do so imposed upon us by the Holy Ghost Himself: Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is all man" (c). 3. The rewards which await the observers of this precept; for "Evil pursueth sinners, and to the just good shall be repaid" (d). 4. The example of the holy martyrs, who suffered every torment rather than defile themselves by sin; "They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were

(a) Direct. xxii. 3 & 4. (c) Ecclesiastes xii. 13.

(b) Macch. ix. 12.
(d) Proverbs xiii. 21.

put to death by the sword" (a). 5. The necessity of attaining to this degree, in order to work out your salvation; "for if we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, but a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries" (b).

And have you as yet arrived at this degree? Do you feel that you are really determined to forfeit fame, honours, health, and even life itself, rather than offend God by sin? If you have reached this point in the difficult road to perfection, maintain yourself there with inflexible constancy, for if your foot should slip but ever so little, you may find yourself precipitated into hell. Should your progress, however, not have as yet reached so far, strive to gain that goal at once, for not to reach it is to be damned.

II. "The second degree is one of still higher perfection, and consists in our being indifferent to riches or poverty, to honour or disgrace, to health or sickness, to a long life or a short one; and, still more, that no consideration, either of personal interest-how great soever it may be--or of dishonour, or of temporal calamity-even though it involved our instant death-should be powerful enough to draw us to the commission of deliberate venial sin" (c). So that one would prefer to lead in the company of Christ a poor and abject life, full of all sorts of tribulations, rather than purchase, at the price of a single venial sin, whatever riches, and

(a) Hebrews xii. 37.

(b) Hebrews x. 26, 27. (c) In lib. Exercitiorum.

honours, and pleasures, the world could place within

his grasp.

From the very first day of the Exercises we have seen that we are bound to be indifferent, in God's service, to riches and to poverty, to honour or to disesteem, to sickness or to health. We are now asked to come to the conclusion that we should forfeit the highest degree of human happiness, rather than commit even the least venial sin. This will not appear too much if we reflect: 1. That, mortal sin excepted, venial sin is the greatest evil in the world. 2. That God hates it beyond measure. 3. That it infects all our other good actions, diminishes the fervour of our charity, and disposes us to mortal sin. 4. That God punishes it with a very severe punishment.

Now, tell me, what horror have you conceived for venial sin? Search your heart, and tell me honestly whether you would tell a slight lie, if you thought you could thereby rescue yourself from poverty, or disgrace, or death? And what sentiments do you hold regarding indifference to the goods and ills of this life? Is it the same to you to have an abundance of all things, and to be in poverty? to enjoy honours and a life of luxury, as to be in disgrace and difficulties? Come, tell me, what answer does your conscience give you on these points? . . . and yet this degree of perfection, high though it be, was not too high for the noble soul of S. Ignatius, who invites all Christians to embrace not only this high state, but even one still higher.

III. This most sublime of the degrees of humility consists in this: "that even though the glory of God would suffer nothing thereby" (which means

to say, though I might as easily save my soul, and attain the end of my salvation amid honours and riches, as amid poverty and disgrace), "nevertheless I would prefer to be like Christ, poor and despised, and the butt of the world's mockery, rather than be rich, and honoured, and deemed learned; and this I would desire, solely that I might thereby follow the more closely on the footsteps of the Redeemer" (a). This third degree is the fruit of the exercises of the second week, and especially of the meditations on the " Reign of Christ," and the "Two Standards ".

The motives which urge us to arrive at this third degree of humility are the following: 1. The example of Jesus Christ, who, solely through love of us, embraced a life of poverty, ignominy, and sorrows; who, "Having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame" (b). And this he did in order that we, reciprocating His love, might be induced to tread closely on His footsteps, not alone at the sacrifice of riches and honours, when these would be a hindrance to our salvation, but even when these would serve equally well to guide us to our last end, and to help us in working out our salvation.

Now if Jesus Christ, through pure love of you, suffered so very much, submitted to insults of all kinds, became the victim of unspeakable torments, how can you possibly have the heart to deny Him the only consolation it is in your power to afford, and that is to imitatate Him in His poverty, and in His labours, and to share with Him the insults that

(a) In lib. Exer. de tribus grad. humilitatis.
(6) Hebrews xii. 2.

He had to bear? If soldiers see their captain the first to lead the storming party and enter the breach, :hey vie one with the other who shall be the next to follow him; and will you prove such a coward as to be unwilling to follow your King? And yet, in the meditation on the "Reign of Christ," you promised Him, and repeated that promise a hundred times over, "Behold, O Lord of all things, I shall follow Thee, whithersoever Thou goest."

2. The second motive impelling us to embrace this degree of humility, is the help towards salvation which the soul derives from making a noble effort to reach this third degree; for a soul which is so generous as to prefer, for the sake of imitating Christ more closely, poverty, sufferings, and contempt, before riches, comforts, and honours, when either state would serve equally well for the purposes of salvation, is not likely, for the sake of such perishable goods, to offend its Creator, I will not say by mortal, but even by venial, sin.

To this powerful motive we may add, that whosoever does not reach this third degree, runs the risk of not remaining firm in the second, or even in the first. For though such a one may be resolved not to sin mortally, or even venially (at least with deliberate intent), though he should be placed in the midst of riches, comforts, and honours, nevertheless every one clearly sees that the difficulty of avoiding many defects is vastly increased, when we are placed in the midst of circumstances which directly tend to open the gate to sins of every description.

It is from this last degree of humility that the general idea, and many of the constitutions of the Society of Jesus took their rise. Amongst these