第一章
第一章 天主臨在之室
Chapter I. God's Presence Chamber天主賜下進入第七重居所的靈魂的崇高恩惠。作者展示了她認為靈魂和精天主之間存在的差異，儘管它們都是一體的。本章包含一些值得注意的事情。
1. 這些居所的崇高奧秘。 2. 聖女小德蘭在對待這些對象時感到羞愧。 3. 我們的主將祂的新娘引入祂的臨格室。 4. 犯下大罪的靈魂的黑暗。 5. 為罪人代求。 6.靈魂是一個內在世界。 7. 屬靈的婚禮。 8. 以前的恩惠與精神婚禮不同。 9. 聖三位一體向靈魂啟示。 10. 它在靈魂中的永久存在。 11.影響。 12. 這種存在並不總是同樣實現。 13.它超出了靈魂的控制範圍。 14、靈魂的中心保持平靜。 15.靈魂和精神雖然統一卻截然不同。 16. 靈魂和它的能力並不相同。
1. 1. 姊妹們，你們可能會想，關於這個靈性旅程已經說了這麼多，沒有什麼可以補充的了。這將是一個巨大的錯誤：神的浩瀚無邊，祂的作為也沒有極限；祂的作為是無限的。因此，誰能講述祂的憐憫和偉大？ 392這是不可能的，所以不要對我所寫的關於他們的內容感到驚訝，這只是關於天主的未述之事的密碼。他向能夠向我們講述這些奧秘的人展現了極大的憐憫，因為當我們更多地了解他與受造物的交往時，我們應該更加熱情地讚美他，並更加高度地尊重他所喜悅的靈魂。我們每個人都有一個靈魂，但我們沒有意識到它是按照天主的形象創造的價值，因此我們無法理解它所包含的重要秘密。願陛下樂意指導我的筆，並教我說出他對他帶領進入這座居所的靈魂的啟示。我懇求祂幫助我，因為祂看見我的目標是彰顯祂的憐憫，使祂的名得著讚美和榮耀。我希望他會給予這種恩惠，即使不是為了我自己，至少也是為了你們姐妹們——這樣你們就會發現，在新郎與你們靈魂的精神婚姻的道路上不設置任何障礙是多麼重要，正如你們將了解到的，這會帶來如此顯著的祝福。
2. 2. 偉大的神啊！當然，像我這樣一個悲慘的人，一想到要談論這樣一個遠遠超出我應該理解範圍的話題，就應該顫抖。確實，我感到羞愧和懷疑，是否應該三言兩語地把這座公館寫完，免得讓人以為我在講述我的親身經歷。我感到羞愧難當，因為我知道我是誰，這是一項可怕的事業。另一方面，這種恐懼似乎只是一種誘惑和軟弱：即使我被誤判，只要天主稍微得到讚美和認識，就讓全世界都辱罵我吧。而且，在看到這本書之前我可能就已經死了。願那活著並將永遠活著的主受到讚美！阿門。
3. 3. 當我們的主樂意憐憫這位被他靈性接納為新娘的靈魂因渴望他而忍受的過去和現在的痛苦時，他在完成天國婚姻之前，將她帶入他的居所或臨終室。這是第七重居所，因為正如他在天上有居所一樣，他在靈魂中也有居所，除了他之外沒有人可以居住，這可以被稱為第二個天堂。
4. 4. 姊妹們，重要的是，我們不應該幻想靈魂處於黑暗之中。由於我們習慣於相信除了外部之外沒有光，因此我們想像靈魂被包裹在黑暗中。這確實是脫離恩典狀態的靈魂的情況，393然而，不是透過任何保留在其中並賦予它存在的正義之陽的延遲，而是靈魂本身無法接收光明，正如我想我在談到第一重居所時所說的那樣。 394某個人被賦予了理解這種不幸的能力。靈魂就像被囚禁在陰暗的地牢裡，手腳被鎖鏈鎖住，無法做出任何功績：他們又瞎又啞。當我們想到我們自己也曾經處於同樣的境地時，願我們憐憫他們，願天主也憐憫他們。
2645. 5. 那麼，姊妹們，讓我們最熱心地為他們代求，絕對不要忽視。為一個犯了大罪的靈魂祈禱是一種更有利可圖的施捨形式，比幫助一個基督徒更有利可圖。我們看到他的雙手被牢牢地綁在背後，綁在柱子上，死於飢餓——不是因為缺乏食物，因為他身邊有很多美味佳餚，而是因為他無法把它們放進嘴裡，儘管他已經極度疲憊，瀕臨死亡，而且這不是暫時的死亡，而是永恆的死亡。我們站著看著他，卻不給他吃東西，這不是太殘忍了嗎？如果透過你的祈禱你可以鬆開他的束縛怎麼辦？現在你明白了。
6. 6. 看在天主的份上，我懇求你們在祈禱中不斷地記住類似情況的靈魂。我們現在談論的不是他們，而是其他因天主的仁慈而懺悔自己的罪孽並處於恩典狀態的人。你千萬不要認為靈魂是微不足道的、瑣碎的，而是一個包含著你所見過的許多美麗居所的內心世界；確實如此，因為在靈魂的中心有一座為天主自己保留的居所。
7. 7. 當陛下屈尊賜予靈魂這些神聖婚禮的恩典時，他將其帶入他的臨在室，並且不再像以前那樣對待它，當他將其置於催眠狀態時。我相信他隨後將其與自己結合在一起，就像在結合的祈禱期間一樣；但只有上面的部分受到影響，靈魂並沒有像在這座居所中那樣感到被召喚進入自己的中心。在這裡，無論是一種方式還是另一種方式都無關緊要。
8. 8. 在前者的恩惠中，我們的主將精神與自己結合起來，並使其像聖保羅在皈依之後一樣又瞎又啞，395因此阻止了它知道從何而來或如何享受這種恩典，因為精神的最大快樂就是意識到它與天主的接近。在神聖結合的實際時刻，靈魂沒有任何感覺，它的所有力量都完全失去了。但現在他的行為不同了：我們可憐的天主除去了它眼睛上的鱗片396，讓它透過理智的視覺看到並理解在這座居所中以一種奇怪而奇妙的方式所接受的恩典。
9. 9. 透過真理的某種神秘表現，最受祝福的三位一體的三個位格顯露出來，隨後有一道光照，像最耀眼的光雲一樣照耀在精神上。 397 阿爾瓦公爵夫人多納·瑪麗亞·恩里克斯說，聖德蘭向她透露了她從我們的主那裡收到的許多啟示，並且她（公爵夫人）擁有三幅根據聖母的描述而創作的神聖三位一體的畫作，聖母在完成這些畫時，親手抹去了這些畫的作品。 」（Fuente，l.c. p. 297.）這三個人彼此不同；一種崇高的知識被注入靈魂，使靈魂充滿了真理的確定性，即三者俱有同一個實體、力量和知識，並且是一位天主。因此，我們所持有的信仰教義，可以說，現在的靈魂是通過視覺來理解的，儘管它既不是通過身體的眼睛，也不是三象的視覺。 這裡所有的三個位格都與靈魂交流，與靈魂交談，並使其理解我們主在福音中的話，即他、父和聖靈會來，與愛他並遵守他誡命的靈魂一起居住。 398
10. 10. 我的天主啊，以這種方式認識它們的真理與僅僅聽到和相信這些話是多麼不同啊！日復一日，越來越多的驚訝佔據了這個靈魂，因為神聖三位一體的三個位格似乎從未離開過。正如我所描述的，它確信它們居住在它自己的中心和深處。儘管由於缺乏學習，它無法描述如何，但它意識到這些神聖同伴的居住。
11. 11.你可能會認為這樣的人精神錯亂，她的思想太醉了，無法關心其他任何事情。相反，她在事奉天主的事上比以前更加積極，閒暇時她也享受這種有福的陪伴。除非她先拋棄天主，否則我相信天主永遠不會停止讓她清楚地感覺到祂的存在：她確信，事實上她可能如此，天主永遠不會讓她失望，以至於讓她在一次給予她之後失去這種恩惠；她相信天主永遠不會讓她失去這種恩惠。同時，她比以前更加小心，避免以任何方式冒犯他。
12. 12. 這種存在並不總是那麼完全實現，也就是說，像最初那樣，或者當天主重新給予這種恩惠時，那麼明顯地顯現出來，否則接受者就不可能關注其他任何事情，也無法在社會中生活。雖然並不總是能看到如此清晰的光芒，但每當她反思時，她都會感受到神聖三位一體的陪伴。這就好像，當我們和其他人一起在一個光線很好的房間裡時，有人要關上百葉窗來讓房間變暗；而當我們和其他人一起在一個光線充足的房間裡時，有人會關上百葉窗來讓房間變暗。我們應該確信其他人還在那裡，儘管我們看不到他們。 399
13. 13. 你可能會問：「她不能帶迴光明並再次見到他們嗎？」400 這不在她的權力範圍內；當我們的主選擇時，他會打開理解的百葉窗：他向她展示了極大的憐憫，從不放棄她，並讓她如此清楚地認識到這一點。神聖的陛下似乎正在透過這種神聖的陪伴為他的新娘準備更偉大的事情，這顯然有助於各方面的完美，並使她失去當其他恩寵被授予她時有時感到的恐懼。
14. 14. 某個如此受寵的人發現她的所有美德都得到了提高：無論她經歷什麼考驗或勞動，她靈魂的中心似乎從未離開過它的安息之地。因此，她的靈魂在某種程度上顯得分裂：在天主給她這個恩惠後不久，在經歷巨大的痛苦時，她抱怨自己的靈魂，就像瑪莎抱怨瑪麗一樣，401責備她的靈魂享受孤獨的和平，卻讓她充滿煩惱和忙碌，以至於她無法陪伴它。
15. 15. 女兒們，這對你們來說可能顯得有些奢侈，然而，儘管眾所周知靈魂是不可分割的，但這是事實，並非幻想，而且經常發生。內在效果確實表明，靈魂和精天主之間存在著積極的差異，儘管它們彼此一體。 402它們之間存在著極其微妙的區別，因此有時它們似乎以不同的方式彼此相處，就像天主賦予它們的知識一樣。
16. 16. 在我看來，靈魂和它的能力並不相同。我們內心有這麼多如此超然的奧秘，我試圖解釋它們是一種自以為是的行為。如果我們靠著天主的仁慈進入天堂，我們就會明白這些秘密。
TREATS OF THE SUBLIME FAVOURS GOD BESTOWS ON SOULS WHICH HAVE ENTERED THE SEVENTH MANSIONS. THE AUTHOR SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE SHE BELIEVES TO EXIST BETWEEN SOUL AND SPIRIT ALTHOUGH THEY ARE BOTH ONE. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME NOTEWORTHY THINGS.
1. Sublime mysteries of these mansions. 2. St. Teresa abashed at treating such subjects. 3. Our Lord introduces His bride into His presence chamber. 4. Darkness of a soul in mortal sin. 5. Intercession for sinners. 6. The soul an interior world. 7. The spiritual nuptials. 8. Former favours differ from spiritual nuptials. 9. The Blessed Trinity revealed to the soul. 10. Permanence of Its presence in the soul. 11. The effects. 12. This presence is not always equally realized. 13. It is beyond the soul’s control. 14. The centre of the soul remains calm. 15. The soul and the spirit distinct though united. 16. The soul and its faculties not identical.
1.
1. You may think, sisters, that so much has been said of this spiritual journey that nothing remains to be added. That would be a great mistake: God’s immensity has no limits, neither have His works; therefore, who can recount His mercies and His greatness?392 It is impossible, so do not be amazed at what I write about them which is but a cipher of what remains untold concerning God. He has shown great mercy in communicating these mysteries to one who could recount them to us, for as we learn more of His intercourse with creatures, we ought to praise Him more fervently and to esteem more highly the soul in which He so delights. Each of us possesses a soul but we do not realize its value as made in the image of God, therefore we fail to understand the important secrets it contains. May His Majesty be pleased to guide my pen and to teach me to say somewhat of the much there is to tell of His revelations to the souls He leads into this mansion. I have begged Him earnestly to help me, since He sees that my object is to reveal His mercies for the praise and glory of His name. I hope He will grant this favour, if not for my own sake, at least for yours, sisters—so that you may discover how vital it is for you to put no obstacle in the way of the Spiritual Marriage of the Bridegroom with your soul which brings, as you will learn, such signal blessings with it.
2.
2. O great God! surely such a miserable creature as myself should tremble at the thought of speaking on such a subject so far beyond anything I deserve to understand. Indeed I felt abashed and doubted whether it would not be better to finish writing about this Mansion in a few words, lest people might imagine that I am recounting my personal experience. I was overwhelmed with shame for, knowing what I am, it is a terrible undertaking. On the other hand, this fear seemed but a temptation and weakness: even if I should be misjudged, so long as God is but a little better praised and known, let all the world revile me. Besides, I may be dead before this book is seen. May He Who lives and shall live to all eternity be praised! Amen.
3.
3. When our Lord is pleased to take pity on the sufferings, both past and present, endured through her longing for Him by this soul which He has spiritually taken for His bride, He, before consummating the celestial marriage, brings her into this His mansion or presence chamber. This is the seventh Mansion, for as He has a dwelling-place in heaven, so has He in the soul, where none but He may abide and which may be termed a second heaven.
4.
4. It is important, sisters, that we should not fancy the soul to be in darkness. As we are accustomed to believe there is no light but that which is exterior, we imagine that the soul is wrapt in obscurity. This is indeed the case with a soul out of the state of grace,393 not, however, through any defer in the Sun of Justice which remains within it and gives it being, but the soul itself is incapable of receiving the light, as I think I said in speaking of the first Mansion.394 A certain person was given to understand that such unfortunate souls are, as it were, imprisoned in a gloomy dungeon, chained hand and foot and unable to perform any meritorious action: they are also both blind and dumb. Well may we pity them when we reflect that we ourselves were once in the same state and that God may show them mercy also.
2645.
5. Let us, then, sisters, be most zealous in interceding for them and never neglect it. To pray for a soul in mortal sin is a far more profitable form of almsgiving than it would be to help a Christian whom we saw with hands strongly fettered behind his back, tied to a post and dying of hunger—not for want of food, because plenty of the choicest delicacies lay near him, but because he was unable to put them into his mouth, although he was extremely exhausted and on the point of dying, and that not a temporal death, but an eternal one. Would it not be extremely cruel of us to stand looking at him, and give him nothing to eat? What if by your prayers you could loose his bonds? Now you understand.
6.
6. For the love of God I implore you constantly to remember in your prayers souls in a like case. We are not speaking now of them but of others who, by the mercy of God, have done penance for their sins and are in a state of grace. You must not think of the soul as insignificant and petty but as an interior world containing the number of beautiful mansions you have seen; as indeed it should, since in the centre of the soul there is a mansion reserved for God Himself.
7.
7. When His Majesty deigns to bestow on the soul the grace of these divine nuptials, He brings it into His presence chamber and does not treat it as before, when He put it into a trance. I believe He then united it to Himself, as also during the prayer of union; but then only the superior part was affected and the soul did not feel called to enter its own centre as it does in this mansion. Here it matters little whether it is in the one way or the other.
8.
8. In the former favours our Lord unites the spirit to Himself and makes it both blind and dumb like St. Paul after his conversion,395 thus preventing its knowing whence or how it enjoys this grace, for the supreme delight of the spirit is to realize its nearness to God. During the actual moment of divine union the soul feels nothing, all its powers being entirely lost. But now He acts differently: our pitiful God removes the scales from its eyes396 letting it see and understand somewhat of the grace received in a strange and wonderful manner in this mansion by means of intellectual vision.
9.
9. By some mysterious manifestation of the truth, the three Persons of the most Blessed Trinity reveal themselves, preceded by an illumination which shines on the spirit like a most dazzling cloud of light.397
’Doña Maria Enriquez, Duchess of Alva, said that St. Teresa made known to her many revelations she had received from our Lord, and that she (the duchess) held in her possession three paintings of the Blessed Trinity made according to the description of the holy Mother, who, while they were being done, effaced with her own hand those portions which the painter failed to design conformably to the vision she had had.’ (Fuente, l.c. p. 297.) The three Persons are distinct from one another; a sublime knowledge is infused into the soul, imbuing it with a certainty of the truth that the Three are of one substance, power, and knowledge and are one God. Thus that which we hold as a doctrine of faith, the soul now, so to speak, understands by sight, though it beholds the Blessed Trinity neither by the eyes of the body nor of the soul, this being no imaginary vision. All the Three Persons here communicate Themselves to the soul, speak to it and make it understand the words of our Lord in the Gospel that He and the Father and the Holy Ghost will come and make their abode with the soul which loves Him and keeps His commandments.398
10.
10. O my God, how different from merely hearing and believing these words is it to realize their truth in this way! Day by day a growing astonishment takes possession of this soul, for the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity seem never to depart; it sees with certainty, in the way I have described, that They dwell far within its own centre and depths; though for want of learning it cannot describe how, it is conscious of the indwelling of these divine Companions.
11.
11. You may fancy that such a person is beside herself and that her mind is too inebriated to care for anything else. On the contrary, she is far more active than before in all that concerns God’s service, and when at leisure she enjoys this blessed companionship. Unless she first deserts God, I believe He will never cease to make her clearly sensible of His presence: she feels confident, as indeed she may, that He will never so fail her as to allow her to lose this favour after once bestowing it; at the same time, she is more careful than before to avoid offending Him in any way.
12.
12. This presence is not always so entirely realized, that is, so distinctly manifest, as at first, or as it is at times when God renews this favour, otherwise the recipient could not possibly attend to anything else nor live in society. Although not always seen by so clear a light, yet whenever she reflects on it she feels the companionship of the Blessed Trinity. This is as if, when we were with other people in a very well lighted room, some one were to darken it by closing the shutters; we should feel certain that the others were still there, though we were unable to see them.399
13.
13. You may ask: ‘Could she not bring back the light and see them again?’400 This is not in her power; when our Lord chooses, He will open the shutters of the understanding: He shows her great mercy in never quitting her and in making her realize it so clearly. His divine Majesty seems to be preparing His bride for greater things by this divine companionship which clearly helps perfection in every way and makes her lose the fear she sometimes felt when other graces were granted her.
14.
14. A certain person so favoured found she had improved in all virtues: whatever were her trials or labours, the centre of her soul seemed never moved from its resting-place. Thus in a manner her soul appeared divided: a short time after God had done her this favour, while undergoing great sufferings, she complained of her soul as Martha did of Mary,401 reproaching it with enjoying solitary peace while leaving her so full of troubles and occupations that she could not keep it company.
15.
15. This may seem extravagant to you, daughters, yet though the soul is known to be undivided, it is fact and no fancy and often happens. Interior effects show for certain that there is a positive difference between the soul and the spirit, although they are one with each other.402 There is an extremely subtle distinction between them, so that sometimes they seem to at in a different manner from one another, as does the knowledge given to them by God.
16.
16. It also appears to me that the soul and its faculties are not identical. There are so many and such transcendental mysteries within us, that it would be presumption for me to attempt to explain them. If by God’s mercy we enter heaven we shall understand these secrets.
註腳
詩。 CXLIV。 3：“Magnitudinis ejus non est finis。” ↩
請參閱聖人對處於罪孽狀態的靈魂的描述，Rel，iii。 13.（接近尾聲）。 ↩
上文，M.i，ch.二. 1. ↩
使徒行傳九. 8：「Surrexit autem Saulus de terra, apertisque oculis nihil videbat.」然而，沒有任何跡象表明他既愚蠢又盲目。 ↩
使徒行傳九. 18：「Et confestim ceciderunt ab oculis ejus tamquam squaremæ，et visum recepit.」Perf.. ch 的方式。二十八. 11. ↩
相對。三. 6； v.6-8；八. 20、21；九. 12, 17, 19. 神父的證詞。賈爾斯·岡薩雷斯 (Giles Gonzalez)，舊卡斯蒂利亞省，後來擔任羅馬助理將軍：「當聖母住在亞維拉化身修道院時，我經常與她交談，有一次我記得她問我：「神父，我該怎麼辦？每當我回想起自己時，我就意識到，在這一生中，可以看到神聖三位一體的三個位格，他們陪伴著我，幫助我管理我的生活。 （Fuente，Obras，第 6 卷，第 280 頁。）阿爾瓦公爵夫人多尼亞·瑪麗亞·恩里克斯 (Doña Maria Enriquez) 說，聖德蘭向她講述了她從我們的主那裡得到的許多啟示，並且她（公爵夫人）擁有三幅根據聖母的描述繪製的神聖三位一體的畫作，而聖母在完成這些畫作時，親手抹去了這些畫作時，親手抹去了這些畫作。畫家未能設計出符合她所設想的部分。 」（Fuente，l.c. p. 297.） ↩
聖約翰十四。 23：“Si quis diligit me，sermonem meum servabit，et Pater meus diliget eum，et ad eum veniemus，et mansionem apud eum faciemus。” ↩
聖人最喜歡的比較之一。參見《生活》，第 1 章。二十七. 7. 城堡，M. vi。 ch.八. 3. 相對值。七. 26. ↩
雖然自從天主將靈魂置於婚姻的崇高地位以來，儘管如此，儘管實質的結合是持續的，但其所有力量的實際結合並不是持續的。在這種實質的結合中，靈魂的力量最常處於結合狀態，並暢飲他的地窖、知識的理解、愛的意誌等等。因此，我們不應認為靈魂在說靈魂消失時已經停止了與天主的實質或本質的結合，而只是停止了其能力的結合，而這種結合在今生不是、也不可能是永久的。 「我在我所愛的人的內窖裡喝過酒，當我出去時」）。 ↩
聖路加 X. 40. 不包括。 v. 2, 3. 性能方式。 ch.十五. 4； xxxi。 4. 相對值。八. 6. 概念。 ch.七. 4. ↩
生活，第 1 章。十八. 4. 魂與靈的區別，可見於《希伯來書》第 4 章。 12，根據Cornelius a Lapide（ad loc.）的說法，「靈魂」一詞包括能力、感覺和激情，而「精神」一詞則表示獨立於其力量的靈魂實體。在神秘生活的較低層次中，天主透過能力來運作，而在神秘婚姻中，祂直接作用於靈魂的實質。聖德蘭在使用這些術語時不太一致，這並不奇怪，因為她承認她不太理解這種微妙的區別。 ↩
Ps. cxliv. 3: ‘Magnitudinis ejus non est finis.’ ↩
See the Saint’s description of a soul in the state of sin, Rel, iii. 13. (towards the end). ↩
Supra, M. i, ch. ii. 1. ↩
Acts ix. 8: ‘Surrexit autem Saulus de terra, apertisque oculis nihil videbat.’ There is, however, nothing to imply that he was dumb as well as blind. ↩
Acts ix. 18: ‘Et confestim ceciderunt ab oculis ejus tamquam squamæ, et visum recepit.’ Way of Perf.. ch. xxviii. 11. ↩
Rel. iii. 6; v. 6-8; viii. 20, 21; ix. 12, 17, 19. Deposition by Fr. Giles Gonzalez, S.J., Provincial of Old Castile, afterwards Assistant—General in Rome: ‘While the holy Mother lived at the convent of the Incarnation of Avila [as prioress], I often spoke with her, and once I remember she asked me: “What am I to do, Father? Whenever I recollect myself I realize that already in this life the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity may be seen, and that They accompany me and assist me in the management of my affairs.”’ (Fuente, Obras, vol. vi. p. 280.)
’Doña Maria Enriquez, Duchess of Alva, said that St. Teresa made known to her many revelations she had received from our Lord, and that she (the duchess) held in her possession three paintings of the Blessed Trinity made according to the description of the holy Mother, who, while they were being done, effaced with her own hand those portions which the painter failed to design conformably to the vision she had had.’ (Fuente, l.c. p. 297.) ↩
St. John xiv. 23: ‘Si quis diligit me, sermonem meum servabit, et Pater meus diliget eum, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus.’ ↩
One of the Saint’s favourite comparisons. See Life, ch. xxvii. 7. Castle, M. vi. ch. viii. 3. Rel. vii. 26. ↩
’Though the soul be always in the high estate of marriage since God has placed it there, nevertheless, actual union in all its powers is not continuous, though the substantial union is. In this substantial union the powers of the soul are most frequently in union, and drink of His cellar, the understanding by knowledge, the will by love, etc. We are not therefore to suppose that the soul, when saying it went out, has ceased from its substantial or essential union with God, but only from the union of its faculties, which is not, and cannot be, permanent in this life.’ (St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle, stanza xxvi. 9. On the words: ‘In the inner cellar of my Beloved have I drunk, and when I went forth’). ↩
St. Luke x. 40. Excl. v. 2, 3. Way of Perf. ch. xv. 4; xxxi. 4. Rel. viii. 6. Concept. ch. vii. 4. ↩
Life, ch. xviii. 4. The distinction between soul and spirit, to be found in the Epistle to the Hebrews, iv. 12, according to Cornelius a Lapide (ad loc.) consists in this, that the term soul comprises the faculties, senses, and passions, whereas the term spirit denotes the substance of the soul independently of its powers. In the inferior degrees of the Mystical life God operates through the faculties, while in the Mystical marriage He acts directly on the substance of the soul. St. Teresa is not quite consistent in the use of these terms, which is not surprising, as she owns that she does not quite understand this subtle distinction. ↩