The Dialogue

Of the mistake which worldly men make who desire to serve God for their own consolation and delight.

" I WISH to tell thee somewhat of imperfect love, and not .conceal from thee one snare, which those who love Me for their own consolation alone, may fall into. I would have thee know that My servant, who loves Me imperfectly, seeks rather the consolation, on account of which he loves Me, than Myself, and it is to be observed that, when he fails to obtain either spiritual or temporal consolation, he is troubled. This often shows itself in regard to temporal consolation in men of the world, who practise every act of virtue as long as they live prosperously. But when tribulation comes upon them, which I send them for their good, they are disturbed, and do no longer that little good which they once did ; and if one should ask them, " Why are you disturbed ? " they reply, " Because we have received tribula-

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tion, and that little good which we did seems to be almost lost, because we no longer do it with that heart and •courage which we used to possess, on account of the tribulations which we have received, for it seems to us that we exerted ourselves more when our hearts were at rest than we do now." Such as these are deceived by their own delight, for it is not true that tribulation causes them to love and work less. The works which they do in the time of tribulation are worth as much in themselves as those which they did before in the time of •consolation ; they might indeed be worth more if the murmurers had patience. But this comes to them because they delighted in their own prosperity, while they loved Me with but slight virtue, in order to pacify their conscience. Being deprived of that on which they really rested, it seems to them that the repose, in which they exerted themselves, is taken away from them, but it is not so, for it happens to them as to a man in a garden who, because he takes pleasure in the garden, finds peace of mind and repose in working in it ; that is to say, that it seems to him that he finds repose in his labours, but he is really all the time reposing in the delight caused him by the garden. He takes more delight in the garden than in his labours, because when the garden is taken away from him he feels himself deprived of the pleasure, for had his principal pleasure been placed in his labours he would not have lost it, but would have it still with him. For the exercise of working well cannot be lost unless a man be willing to lose it. From such as these the delight of prosperity, the garden, as it were, in which they worked, has been taken away, so that they have deceived themselves. Therefore they deceive themselves in working for their own pleasure, and acquire the habit of saying, " I know that I did better and had more consolation before I was troubled than now, and I rejoiced in doing good, but now I take no delight therein." Their sight and their speech is false, because, if they had had delight in doing good for love of virtue, they would not have lost it, neither would it have failed, but rather increased. But it fails because their good works

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were founded upon love of their own consolation. In this way are people in general deceived in all their good works, that is, through love of their own consolation and of the delight which they find in Me.