The Living Flame of Love

370 Pages·2017·8.13 MB·English

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THE LIVING FLAME OF
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ST. OHN OF THE C ROS S
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LETTERS POEMS AND MINOR WRITINGS
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TRANSLATED BY
DAV I D LEWIS
WITH AN ESSAY BY CARDINAL WISEMAN
AND ADDITIONS AND AN INTRODUCTION
BY
B ENEDIC T Z IM M ERMAN O. C .D.
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P rior o S t. Luke s Wimanton
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1 1 82 88
LONDON
THOMAS BAKER
M C M XIX
C O NTENTS
PAGE
AN ESSAY ON ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
, B Y CARDINAL
WISEMAN
INTRODUCTION BY REV. BENEDICT Z IMMERMAN
,
TIIE
LIVING FLAME OF LOVE
PROLOGUE
STANZ AS
STANZ A I
STANZ A II
STANZ A I II
STANZ A IV
INSTRUCTIONS AND PREC AUTIONS
LETTERS
SPIRITUAL MAXIMS
POEMS
INDEX To PASSAGES FROM HOLY SCRIPTURES
INDEx
AN ESSAY ON ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
WRITTEN BY HIS EMINENC E C ARDINAL WISEMAN
AS A PREFAC E TO THE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION
IT is nowman years a o long before th e episcopal
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burthen pressed upon h is shoulders that th e
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author enjoyed th e pleasure of kIIowin and
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frequently conversing with th e estimable Gorres
,
at Munich. One da th e conversation turned
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on a remark in t at deep writer s Philoso h o
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M sticism to th e effect that saints most re
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markable for their mystical learning and piety
were far from exh ibitin in their features and
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expression th e characteristics usually attributed
,
to them. They are popularly considered and by
,
artists represented as soft fainting and perhaps
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hysterical persons whereas their portraits re
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sent to us countenances ofmen or w
omen of a
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practical business like workin character.
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Th e author asked C Orres if h e h ad ever seen
an original likeness ofSt . Teresa in whom h e h ad
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thought these remarks were particularly exempli
fied. He replied that h e never h ad and th e
;
writer on returnin to Rome fulfilled th e promise
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ix
PREFACE TO FIRST ENGLISH EDITION
which h e h ad made th e philosopher by procuring
,
a sketch of an authentic portrait of that saint
,
preserved with great care in th e Monastery ofSt .
Sylvester near Tusculum. It was painted for
,
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Philip II . by a concealed artist while h e was
,
conversing with h er.
This portrait confirms most strongly th e theory
of C Orres as th e author wrote to h im with th e
,
drawing for while no mystical saint h as ever
;
been more idealised by artists or represented as
,
living in a continual swoon than St . Teresa h er
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true portraits all represent. h er with strong
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firmly set and almost masculine features with
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forms and lines that denoted vigour resolution
, ,
and strong sense . Her handwriting perfectly
suggests th e same conclusion .
Still more does th e successful activity of h er
life in h er many painful struggles under every
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possible disadvantage and h er final and complete
,
triumph strengthen this idea of h er. And then
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h er almost superhuman prudence by which sh e
,
guided so many minds and prosperously con
,
ducted so many complicated interests and affairs
,
and h er wonderful influence over men of high
education and position and of great powers are
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further evidences of h er strong commanding
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nature such as in th e world might have claimed
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-
an almost unexampled re eminence .
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It is not improbable that some who take u
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B Y CARDINAL WISEMAN xi
these volumes or di into them here and there
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ma conceive that they were written by a dreamy
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ascetic who passed h is life in haz contemplation
, y
of things unreal and unpractical . Yet it was
-
quite th e contrary . Twin saint it ma be said
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y
—
to St . Teresa Sharer in h er labours and in h er
sufferings St . John of th e . Cross actively and
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unflinchin l pursued their joint obj ect that of
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reforming and restoring to its primitive purity
and observance th e religious Order of C armelites
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and founding throu hout Spain a severer branch
,
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known as discalced or barefooted C armelites or
,
more briefly as Teresians .
,
We do not possess an autobio raphy of St .
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John as we do ofSt . Teresa or th e more active
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portion and character ofhis life would be at once
apparent . Moreover only very few ofhis let ters
,
— —
have been preserved not twenty in fact or we
,
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Should undoubtedly have h ad sufficient evidence
of his busy and active life . But even as it is
, ,
proofs glance out from his epistles of this im
portant element in h is composition .
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In h is third letter h e thus writes t
o th e
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religious of Veas a highly favoured foundation
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Wh at is wanting in ou if indeed anything be
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wanting is silence and work . For whereas
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peaking distracts silence and action collect
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th e thoughts and stre
ngthen th e spirit . And
a ain : To arrest
this evil and to preserve our
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