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It came to pass one day that through the vigilance of the devil a sifter was tempted againft faith, as she meditated upon the Holy Trinity of our Lord God, and the virginity of our Lady Saint Mary, and the sacred transubftantiated Hoft of our Lord God. While this sifter was tempted con¬ cerning the articles of faith aforesaid, she called to mind the rule and ordinance which was eftablished by the abbess and L', S1 arS tbe convent, according as is related above.

,he" ™ ' abbess ^ sifters were in chapter, the sifter who had been tempted in this wise rose and asked for dis- X^Sayinf.theSeWOrdS: “ h is Gained of God that God and !0Uu1S aSSailed by a temptation it betake itself to may “d,°- “ He haS 8ivc" »» that they

, J °Ut necessities- My soul was given up

OF THE SEVEN VIRTUES , AND FIRST, OF FAITH lightness and poverty of faith, that the power of God might be made known through its sin, and that Strength and hope might fortify faith in my soul. But since my soul forgat the hope and the Strength of God, it doubted concerning the Trinity of the MoSt High, and I pondered how there could be in God unity of Essence and plurality of Persons Who should be diverse without diversity and composition of Essence. And not alone was this doubt in my mind, but likewise did I doubt concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God, cogitating how such great humility could be in the Divine Nature, Which was pleased to unite with itself human nature to be with it one Person. Concerning the Divine virtue and power my soul doubted, cogitating how before the birth of Chrift and likewise after His birth our Lady Saint Mary could have been a virgin. In all these manners my mind has fallen into doubt, and moft of all as to the nature of the sacred Hoff, which has the colour and tafte of bread, yet beneath its colour and tafte is the Flesh of our Spouse Jesus Christ. For having doubted thus I beg a penance, and before the whole community I confess the lightness of my faith, to the end that all the sifters may take example from me and know how to preserve themselves in like case from temptation. And I would have an exposition made to me concerning this matter of my doubt, that doubt may never more return to my soul.”

2. The abbess answered: “ It behoves not that our minds should comprehend the manner of the work that God has in Himself, wherein the Father begets the Son, and the Holy Ghoft proceeds from the Father and the Son ; for if our mind comprehends not all that God has created, which is a matter complete and finite, how much less can it comprehend all that God works in Himself. Wherefore that which we understand not in God is that which our understanding suffices not to comprehend, and therefore God wills that by the light of faith we believe that which we cannot understand concerning His Trinity and the re-

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maining articles. Nevertheless God has given to the understanding a virtue whereby through the creatures we may have understanding of God; for even as the under¬ standing can comprehend that man is one person composed of two diverse natures, to wit, body and soul, even so, and beyond all comparison more easily, can God be One in Essence yet in Persons Three, and the Three Persons be one Essence; and if God had not such power, it would follow that He had greater power to unite plurality in the creature than in Himself, and this is a thing that can in no wise be granted.”

3. “ All that which God has made in the world, has He made to show forth to us His virtues, that He may be known and loved of us, and through our knowledge and love He may have reason to use in us juSticc and mercy, and so may give to us eternal glory. Therefore did the Son of God take our nature that He might use toward us humility and give us an example of how humility may be ours. He desired to show His Power and His Love; for His Power and Love are better shown through the Incarnation of the Son in human nature than through the creation of the world out of nothing; and we are constrained to love God more because He was pleased to take our nature and to die for us, than we are so constrained for any other thing that He could do for us whatsoever. Wherefore, even as according to physical nature it seems to our understand¬ ing impossible that the Son of God should become incarnate,

even so in spiritual wise does our understanding perceive, according to the great humility, charity and power of God, that God had the will and the power to become incarnate. For if He desired not or were unable to unite with Himself our nature, it would be manifest that in Him there was a ack of will or of power, whereby He might charge us1 to know and love Him. For all these reasons, therefore,—

V reach, “ He might compel

OF THE SEVEN VIRTUES, AND FIRST, OF FAITH

and for this further one, that God can unite soul and body to be one person together, even if the nature of the soul be one thing and that of the body another, — for all these reasons our souls can mortify the doubts which they might have concerning the Incarnation of the Son of God.”

4. “ God created Adam in the Earthly Paradise, and made Eve his wife of a rib that He took from him : this work was not performed after the course of nature, but according to miraculous working. So the Conception in the Virgin, — being, as she was, a virgin, — of the Son of God, Who came within her as Man and God, and was born of her, Man and God, albeit she was a virgin : this was a miraculous work opposed to the working of nature, show¬ ing that God has greater power and virtue and will than nature, in that He works that which nature has no power to work, and shows Himself in this way Lord over nature. And if God used not such supernatural working, He would not give proof that His power was above nature.”

5. “ With the eyes of the body man cannot be seen ; for man is composed of soul and body, and the eyes of the body can see but a part of man, — that is, the body. But with the eyes both of spirit and body can man be wholly seen, for the undemanding sees the soul, as the eyes of the body underhand and see the body. Now with the eyes of the body man sees in the sacred Hofl the form and colour of bread, and with the spiritual eyes the Flesh of Jesus Chrifl ; for as the eyes of the body see physical things, so the eyes of the spirit see spiritual things; and as the bodily eyes see the Hoft by means of light and as to colour, so the spiritual eyes see in the I loft, through the virtues of God, the Flesh of our Spouse, Who wills with infinite will, and power omnipotent, and wisdom wherein is all fulness, that beneath that form and colour of bread should be the very Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ. And if God willed it so, and it could not be, it would follow that His power, will and knowledge had not infinity, neither all fulness; and since our under-

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•Sanding sees all fulness and infinity in the virtues of God, therefore it sees with the virtues of God that which with the eyes of the body we cannot see.”

6. According to this and other manners, the abbess mortified the doubts into the which the sifter had fallen concerning faith. So this sifter and all the reft were gladdened thereby in their minds ; and their faith was so severely ftrengthened againft the temptations which should assault it, that thenceforward no power which the demon had could make them to doubt the Faith or its articles. All the sifters praised and blessed God Who had endowed the abbess with so great wisdom, and to them had given so good a paftor, who by her knowledge and her holy life inftrufted them so deeply in the love and knowledge of their Spouse Jesus Chrift and of His works.