The Love of Religious Perfection

I HERE present you, religious reader, with three little books on the persuit of religious perfection, which, though small in size, are however for that very reason most adapted for constant use. My design in writing thenl was not to render service to others, but to excite myself by the best means in my power to carry out in practice the full idea of religious life. And this is why, after having selected and portioned out in articles the chapters on each subject, and arranged them in order, I cared but little for other ornaments of composition; and looking to the matter rather than to the words, my only desire was to present in plain and simple, not to say, careless diction, the really enamoured of virtue will find matter herein wherewith to arouse and strengthen itself more and more. It is then with perfect confidence that I beg to offer to you, with a few suitable additions, what I have from time to time experienced to be of such great assistance to myself, in order that, even amid such an abundance of the very best books, you may be able to make a diligent use of this poor aid of mine, to advance the pursuit of religious perfection. Let us consider this excerpt: "Let each one walk with care and solicitude in the way, in which the Spirit hath called him, if he will please God, and arrive at the perfection proper to him. For if he neglect or despise the care of his own perfection, truly it, vill be a marvel, if he ever gain life eternal and the happiness promised to the faithful followers of Christ. He, that followeth not the path marked out for him by the Spirit, shall seek with great peril for another one to gratify his self-will."