THERE were three courts in Solomon's temple. One was for the Gentiles and strangers who, wishing to have recourse to God, went to adore in Jerusalem; the second for the Israelites, men and women (the separation of men from women not being made by Solomon); the third for the priests and Levites; and in fine, besides all this, there was the sanctuary or sacred house, which was open to the high priest only, and that but once a year. Our reason, or, to speak better, our soul in so far as it is reasonable, is the true temple of the great God, who there takes up his chief residence. "I sought thee," says S. Augustine, "outside myself, but I found thee not, because thou art within me." In this mystical temple there are also
Now this extremity and summit of our soul, this highest point
of our spirit, is very naturally represented by the sanctuary or
holy place. For, first, in the sanctuary there were no windows
to give light: in this degree of the soul there is no reasoning
which illuminates. Secondly, all the light entered by the door;
in this degree of the soul nothing enters but by faith, which produces, like rays, the sight and the sentiment of the beauty and
goodness of the good pleasure of God. Thirdly, none entered
the sanctuary save the high priest; in this apex of the soul
reasoning enters not, but only the high, universal and sovereign
feeling that the divine will ought sovereignty to be loved,
approved and embraced, not only in some particular things but
in general for all things, nor generally in all things. only, but
also particularly in each thing. Fourthly, the high priest entering into the sanctuary obscured even that light which came by
the door, putting many perfumes into his thurible, the smoke
whereof drove back the rays of light to which the open door
gave entrance: and all the light which is in the supreme part of
the soul is in some sort obscured and veiled by the renunciations
and resignations which the soul makes, not desiring so much to
behold and see the goodness of the truth and the truth of the
goodness presented to her, as to embrace and adore the same, so
that the soul would almost wish to shut her eyes as soon as she
begins to see the dignity of God's will, to the end that not
occupying herself further in considering it, she may more powerfully and perfectly accept it, and by an absolute complacency
perfectly unite and submit herself thereto. Fifthly, to conclude,
in the sanctuary was kept the ark of alliance, and in that, or at
least adjoining to its the tables of the law, manna in a golden
For although faith, hope and charity spread out their divine movements into almost all the faculties of the soul as well reasonable as sensitive, reducing and holily subjecting them to their just authority, yet their special residence, their true and natural dwelling, is in this supreme region of the soul from whence as from a happy source of living water, they run out by divers conduits and brooks upon the inferior parts and faculties.
So that, Theotimus, in the superior part of reason there are two degrees of reason. In the one those discourses are made which depend on faith and supernatural light, in the other the simple acquiescings of faith, hope and charity. Saint Paul's soul found itself pressed by two different desires, the one to be delivered from his body, so as to go to heaven with Jesus Christ, the other to remain in this world to labour in the conversion of souls; both these desires were without doubt in the superior part, for they both proceeded from charity, but his resolution to follow the latter proceeded not from reasoning but from a simple sight, seeing and loving his master's will, in which the superior point alone of the spirit acquiesced, putting on one side all that reasoning might conclude.
But if faith, hope and charity be formed by this holy acquiescence in the point of the spirit, how can reasonings which
depend on the light of faith be made in the inferior part of the
soul? As, Theotimus, we see that barristers dispute with many
arguments on the acts and rights of parties to a suit, and that
the high parliament or senate settles all the strife by a positive
sentence, though even after this is pronounced the advocates
and auditors do not give up discoursing among themselves the