himself, and seek the help of our Lord, he will be entangled more and more, till the slender meshes of the net become as iron Ichains which bind and hold him fast. Ideals which he once cherished will grow faint and die out. Little acts of unfaithfulness will dull his conscience and harden his heart, and prepare the way for some serious fall, and the end may be the frustration, or even the total abandonment, of some high vocation. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that each one should carefully examine and discover what, in his own case, is the snare by which Satan seeks to entangle him, so as to hinder his progress, and draw him little by little away from Christ to his own standard.

Seeing, then, that the snares of the evil one are so subtle and so dangerous, S. Ignatius would have us pray most earnestly throughout this meditation for light that we may clearly discern them, and for grace that we may be able to escape them. Nor is this sufficient. For in the human heart there lies hid a deepseated inclination and affection towards those false goods by means of which our great enemy is always trying to deceive and ensnare us; and at the same time a natural shrinking from those things in which Jesus Christ shows us that our true life and freedom are to be found. It will be necessary, therefore, to strive with all our might against these two opposite tendencies; and the way in which we shall best do this is by praying our Lord that He would receive us under His Standard in the most perfect detachment of heart and poverty of spirit, and even in actual poverty, if that should be His divine will; and also in bearing reproaches and injuries, in order that we may be made more like to Him, and follow more closely in His footsteps.

But besides this, there is another thought which S. Ignatius introduces in this meditation. He begins to turn our attention to the thought of the sacred ministry. For when he shows us the two opposing leaders calling together their servants and sending them into all the world to seek recruits for their respective standards, he contrasts with the evil spirits whom Lucifer sends forth, not the holy angels, though of course it is true that our Lord does send these to succour and defend us, but men, Apostles, Evangelists, disciples whom our Lord chooses and sends throughout the whole world to spread abroad His sacred doctrine among all states and conditions of persons. We see, therefore, how this meditation is an introduction to the consideration of

a vocation not only to the Religious life, but also to that of the Apostolic ministry. We are to consider not merely how we ourselves may be delivered from the deceits and snares of Satan, but how we may deliver others also, and bring them to serve under the Standard of Christ, drawing them first to the most perfect spiritual poverty, and (if it should please His divine Majesty, and He should will to choose them) not less to actual poverty; secondly, to a desire of reproaches and contempt, because from these two things results humility, and from humility all the other virtues.

This is the sacred doctrine which we are to spread abroad among all persons in every state and condition of life: the doctrine of Christ, and of Him crucified. It is a severe doctrine, but full of inward peace and sweetness to all who heartily embrace it. For in the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection against our enemies, in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross the height of virtue, in the cross the perfection of sanctity. . . . Behold, in the cross all doth consist, and all lieth in our dying thereon; for there is no other way unto life' (that true life which Christ our Lord reveals), ' and unto true inward peace, but the way of the holy cross, and of daily mortification... It is not, indeed, according to man's inclination to bear the cross, to love the cross, to chastise the body and bring it into subjection, to flee honours, willingly to suffer contumelies, to despise oneself and to wish to be despised, to endure all adversities and losses, and to desire no prosperity in this world. If thou look to thyself, thou shalt be able of thyself to accomplish nothing of this kind. But if thou trust in the Lord, strength shall be given thee from heaven, and the world and the flesh shall be made subject to thy command. Neither shalt thou fear thine enemy the devil, if thou be armed with faith, and signed with the cross of Christ.' 1

There is yet another thought which S. Ignatius suggests in this meditation, and which should be borne in mind all through it, viz. the contrasted characters of the two leaders, and the opposite effects which the soul experiences according as it listens to the voice of the one or of the other. These contrasts are indicated in the second prelude, and more fully in the first point of each of the two parts of the meditation. On the one hand 1 De Imitatione Christi II, xii. 2, 3, 9.

we are to picture to ourselves how the chieftain of all the enemy seats himself in the midst of that great plain of Babylon, as on a lofty throne of fire and smoke-horrible and terrible to behold. And on the other, to consider how Christ our Lord takes His stand on a great plain near Jerusalem, in a lowly place, fair and gracious to behold.

These two pictures are plainly symbolical. They symbolize first the real characters of the two leaders; and, secondly, the inward effects produced in the souls of those who come under their respective influence. Lucifer is pictured as seating himself upon a lofty throne, to denote his indomitable pride and cruel tyranny, and this throne is composed of fire and smoke, emblems of the instability, agitation, and darkness which surround him; in that great plain of Babylon, the city of confusion. And the same characteristics are, in turn, symbolical of the effects he produces in souls, confusing and darkening the minds and agitating the hearts not only of those who are the victims of his wiles, but also of the faithful followers of Christ during their hours of temptation and desolation. (See Note 53, p. 102.) Our Lord, on the other hand, is represented as taking His station near Jerusalem, the city of peace, for He is indeed the Prince of Peace' (Isa. ix. 6), and gives to all who come to Him 'the peace of God which passeth all understanding' (Phil. iv. 7, cf. S. John xiv. 27; xvi. 33; xx. 19, 21); and in a lowly place, by which is expressed His great humility, 'Who, being in the form of God . . . made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. ii. 6-8). Fair also and gracious to behold, as we may think of Him in the synagogue of Nazareth, while men wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth' (S. Luke iv. 22), or on the Mount of the Beatitudes, proclaiming the laws of His spiritual Kingdom. And all this again is a picture of the inward peace and sweetness of spiritual consolations with which He is wont from time to time to visit the souls of those who are gathered under His Standard. The rules for the discernment of spirits, especially those which treat of consolation and desolation, are closely related to this Exercise, and will help greatly in the understanding of it.

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NOTE M

ON THREE CLASSES

In the meditation on the Kingdom of Christ we have contemplated the beauty, the nobility, the generosity, and the invincible might of our great Captain, Jesus Christ, and have professed our desire and our resolution to follow Him in His warfare against sin, the world, and the devil. In the Two Standards we have learnt something of the dangers and deceits of Satan against which we have to guard, and how our only safety lies in fighting under the Standard of Christ, which is the Standard of the holy Cross; and we have prayed that we may be received under that Standard in a true spirit of poverty, and in actual poverty, with its accompanying humiliations and hardships, if our Lord should be pleased to choose and call us to such a state and life.

How far are these professions and prayers sincere? They are not, and cannot be, sincere unless we are ready actually to part with our possessions if the call should come. Many deceive themselves here. They think they love poverty and humility so long as nothing is wanting to them, and they are honoured and esteemed by all; but when the actual test comes they draw back, and are unwilling to part with their possessions, or to suffer indignities. Therefore in order that we may test the reality and sincerity of our desires and prayers S. Ignatius gives us this meditation on Three Classes, in which he urges upon us and forces home this point, that the only way of really eradicating the love of riches, or in other words the only way of reaching that disposition of perfect indifference to wealth and all that wealth brings with it, without which we cannot be sure of making a sound and good Election, is to be ready and desirous to embrace actual poverty if that should be more for the service and praise of God.

He proposes for our consideration three classes, or more exactly three pairs of persons (see Note 65, p. 109), but the exposition will be simpler and more personal if we speak here of three individuals.

Each of these three persons has acquired a fortune quite honestly and legitimately, though without any direct thought of God or reference to His will in the matter. Each wishes to find God in peace and to save his soul, but each feels that his

wealth, or his attachment to it, is a hindrance to his spiritual life, perhaps even to his salvation, because it weds him too closely to the world, and fosters in him avarice or pride, or the love of sensual enjoyment. Here, then, we have three persons, each of them ensnared by the first of those nets of which S. Ignatius speaks in the Two Standards, the love of riches, and each wishing to be free to give himself to God and to follow where He calls. But here the likeness ends, for they act very differently.

The first would like to escape from the net in which he is entangled. He would like to rid himself of the thing which weighs him down and holds him back, so as to be able to find God in peace and save his soul; but he cannot make up his mind to take the necessary steps. He turns a deaf ear to the call of grace, and stifles his conscience; or he hesitates and delays, resolving to do something some day, only not just at present. The money, he says to himself, was honestly gained, and money is not a bad thing in itself; indeed it may furnish the means of doing much good. So he will do nothing in a hurry. There is plenty of time yet. Meanwhile, little by little, the meshes of the net in which he is ensnared become chains which bind him with the ever increasing strength of custom and habit. In the end he never acts at all, but dies still a slave to the inordinate affection which has all along been a snare and a hindrance to him. Such a one wishes, but does not really will.

The second is willing to take some steps towards freeing himself from the burden and hindrance which weighs him down, but not actually and wholly to part with that which causes the hindrance. Although he knows, or suspects, that the best course would be to part with his wealth, yet he cannot bring himself to go so far as that. He wants God to come over to what he desires and let him keep his money without feeling the hindrance and disquietude which its retention causes. In other words he wants not to feel the trammels of the net while still remaining within its meshes. Thus he compromises with his conscience. He tries to persuade himself that he can get rid of his attachment to wealth without parting with the wealth itself, or at least without being resolved to part with it if God should call him to do so.

Vain hope! for where his treasure is there will his heart be also. Therefore whatever good desires he may have are fruitless