with
her.
Were
any
image
present
there
would
not
be
real
union
and
in
real
union
lies
thy
whole
beatitude.
Now
haply
thou
wilt
say
:
‘
But
there
is
nothing
innate
in
the
soul
save
images.’
No,
not
so
!
If
that
were
true
the
soul
would
never
be
happy,
for
God
cannot
make
any
creature
wherein
thou
canst
enjoy
perfect
happiness,
else
were
God
not
the
highest
happiness
and
final
goal,
whereas
it
is
his
will
and
nature
to
be
the
alpha
and
omega
of
alk
No
creature
can
be
happiness.
And
here
indeed
can
Just
as
little
be
perfection,
for
perfection
(perfect
virtue
that
is
to
say)
results
from
perfection
of
life.
Therefore
verily
thou
must
sojourn
and
dwell
in
tliy
essence,
in
thy
ground,
and
there
God
shall
mix
thee
with
his
simple
essence
without
the
medium
of
any
image.
No
image
represents
and
signifies
itself:
it
stands
for
that
of
which
it
is
the
image.
Now
seeing
that
thou
hast
no
image
save
of
what
is
outside
thee,
therefore
it
is
impossible
for
thee
to
be
beatified
by
any
image
wliatsoevcr.
The
second
point
is,
what
it
does
behove
a
man
to
do
in
order
to
deserv'c
and
procure
this
birth
to
come
to
pass
and
be
(*on-
summated
in
him
:
is
it
better
for
him
to
do
his
part
towards
it,
to
imagine
and
think
about
(hxl,
or
should
ho
keep
still
in
peace
and
quiet
so
that
God
can
speak
and
act
in
him
while
he
merety
waits
on
God’s
operation
?
At
the
same
time
I
rep(‘at
that
this
speaking,
this
act,
is
only
for
the
good
and
perfect,
those
who
have
so
absorbed
and
assimilated
the
essence
of
virtue
that
it
emanates
from
them
naturally,
witliout
their
seeking
;
and
above
all
there
must
live
in
them
the
worthy
life
and
lofty
teaching
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ.
Such
are
permitted
to
know
that
the
very
best
and
utmost
of
attainment
in
this
life
is
to
remain
still
and
let
God
act
and
speak
in
thee.
When
the
powa‘rs
hav('
all
been
withdrawn
from
tJieir
bodily
forms
and
functions,
then
this
\\
ord
is
spoken.
Thus
he
says
:
'
in
the
midst
of
the
silence
the
secret
word
was
spoken
to
me.’
The
more
completely
thou
art
a})lc
to
in-draw
thy
faculties
and
forget
those
things
and
their
images
which
thou
has
taken
in,
the
more,
that
is
to
say,
thou
forgetlcst
the
creature,
the
nearer
thou
art
to
this
and
the
more
susceptible
thou
art
to
it.
If
only
thou
couldst
suddenly
be
altogether
unaware
of
things,
aye,
couldst
thou
but
])ass
into
oblivion
of
thine
own
existence
as
St
Paul
did
when
he
said
:
‘
Whether
in
the
body
I
know
not,
or
out
of
the
body
I
know
not,
God
knoweth
!
’
Here
the
spirit
had
so
entirely
absorbed
the
faculties
that
it
had
forgotten
the
body
:
memory
no
longer
functioned,
nor
understanding,
nor
the
senses,
nor
even
those
powers
whose
duty
it
is
to
govern
and
grace
the
body
;
vital
warmth
and
energy
w(‘re
arrested
so
that
the
body
failed
not
throughout
the
three
days
during
which
he
neither
ate
nor
drank.
Even
so
fared
Moses
when
he
fasted
forty
days
on
the
mount
and
