The Dialogue

How the soul who truly knows herself, wisely guards against all the aforesaid deceptions.

" I HAVE not wanted to conceal from thee the deception that common folk receive through sensitive love, through the small good which they practise, that is to say, through that little virtue which they exercise in times of spiritual consolation, or the spiritual self-love which My servants have in their own consolations, and how they deceive them selves with the self-love of delight, which does not let them know the truth of My affection, nor discern their own guilt, and the deception which the Devil practises on them, through their own fault, if they keep not the way which I have told thee. And all these things I have told thee, so that thou and My servants may walk in virtue, through love of Me, and nothing else. But they who love Me with imperfect love, that is, who love Me for My gifts and not for Myself, Who am the Giver, fall into all these perils and deceptions. But the soul who has in truth entered the House of Self-Knowledge, and, by the exercise of perfect prayer, has raised herself from the imperfect love of imperfect prayer, by the means of which I speak to thee in this Treatise on Prayer, receives Me, through affection of

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love, seeking to draw to herself the milk of My sweetness from the breast of the doctrine of Christ crucified. And when these souls have attained to the third state, that is, to friendly and filial love, they have no longer any mercenary love, but they act as do very dear friends. For, as the eye of one, on being given a present by his friend, does not turn to the gift alone but also to the heart of the giver, receiving and keeping the present for the sake of the affection which gave it, so the soul, who has attained to the third state of perfect love, when she receives My gifts and graces, looks not only at the gifts, but, with the eye of her intellect, looks at the affection of charity of Me, the Giver. And, in order that she may have no excuse for not doing so, in My Providence I have united the Gift with the Giver, that is, the Divine nature with the human nature, when I gave you the Word of My only- begotten Son, Who is one thing with Me and I with Him. So that, by this union, you cannot look at the Gift without looking at Me, the Giver. Thou seest then with how great affec tion thou shouldest love and desire both Gift and Giver. Doing thus your love will be pure and not mercenary, as is the love of those who remain barred up in the House of Self-Knowledge."