I take sides, on the whole, with those theologians of her day,
who began by doubting, but ended by believing in Teresa and by imitating
her. They were led to rejoice that any contemporary and fellow-sinner
had attained to such fellowship with God: and I am constrained to take
sides with them. 'One day, in prayer, the sweetness was so great that I
could not but contrast it with the place I deserved in hell. The
sweetness and the light and the peace were so great that, compared with
it, everything in this world is vanity and lies. I was filled with a new
reverence for God. I saw His majesty and His power in a way I cannot
describe, and the vision kept me in great tenderness and joy and
humility. I cannot help making much of that which led me so near to God.
I knew at that great moment what it is for a soul to be in the very
presence of God Himself. What must be the condescension of His majesty
seeing that in so short a time He left so great an impression and so
great a blessing on my soul! O my Lord, consider who she is upon whom
Thou art bestowing such unheard-of blessings! Dost Thou forget that my
soul has been an abyss of sin? How is this, O Lord, how can it be that
such great grace has come to the lot of one who has so ill deserved such
things at Thy hands!' He who can read that, and a hundred passages as
good as that, and who shall straightway set himself to sneer and scoff
and disparage and find fault, he is well on the way to the sin against
the Holy Ghost.
Pages:
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38