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Wn ejaculatory prayers. 5. She is to make a firm act of faith and acknowledgtnent of God's presence in the centre of the soul before whom she intends to place herself with most profound reverence, humility, and love.

5. In consequence to these preparations (in which she is to continue till she find herself disposed to quit all such express and direct acts or affections, and having an implicit assurance by a bare and obscure faith that God, who is incomprehensible universal goodness, is indeed present to and in her), all that remains for her then to do is, with all humility and love, to continue in His presence in the quality of a petitioner, but such an one as makes no special direct requests, but contents herself to appear before Him with all her wants and necessities, best, and

are to have no will, whereas asking implies a wish to obtain what is asked for, and is therefore an imperfection. Thanksgiving is forbidden in the next proposition ; and others follow which it is beyond our present purpose, and certainly far from our desire, to allude to.

Although in the prayer of internal silence of Antonio de Rojas acts are required in the preparation, such as examination of conscience, contrition, resignation, faith, and the presence of God, yet when afterwards express acts towards God are discountenanced, and it is declared that an advantage of this kind of prayer is self-annihilation, and that resignation then becomes so pure that all private interest is forgotten and ignored, we see the prudence and watchfulness of the Holy See in cautioning her children against a book which, if it does not expressly, distinctly, and advisedly teach it, yet conveys the impression that a state of pure charity excludes all private interest, such as fear of punishment and hope of reward, and that perfection implies such a state.

In the year 1699, ten years after the work of Antonio de Rojas was condemned, Pope Innocent XII. condemned certain propositions contained in the Maxinees des Saints of the illustrious Archbishop F6n61on, the second of which declared that in the state of the contemplative or unitive life every interested motive of fear and love is lost. ` In statu vitae contemplativx, seu unitivm, amittitur omne motivurn interessatum timoris et spei.' Now when De Rojas, in addition to what he calls the most perfect operation of self-annihilation, gives as an additional recommendation to his mode of prayer, that resignation is so pure that ` the soul forgets all private interests, has nothing at all to ask for,' we can at once see what danger accompanies such an exercise, if that can be called an exercise where all activity ceases and prayer is really Gx oluded.