reasonable in a religious man, to be so entirely absorbed in study, or in any other worldly employment, as to neglect his interior— to neglect prayer, examination of conscience, penance and mortification — to give to spiritual things the last and lowest place in his thoughts — to employ in devotion, that time only which remains after the discharge of other duties, and in case he could not compass both, to choose rather to omit his spiritual duties, than to be remiss in the others. This, in a word, were to live not as a religious person, but as a man who had no relish for heavenly things.
St. Dorotheus reports, that his disciple Dositheus discharged the duty of infirmarian so well, was so attentive to the sick, made their beds, dressed their rooms, kept all things so neat, and in such good order, that the saint going one day to visit the infirmary, Dositheus said to him: " Father, I have a thought of vain glory, which tells me, that I do my duty perfectly well in this employment; and methinks you ought to be perfectly well satisfied with me." But the answer of the good abbot gave a check to the presumption of his disciple. " I allow," said St. Dorotheus, " that you are grown a very good infirmarian, and very careful; but I do not perceive as yet, that you are become a good religious man." (Patr. torn. 3. Doct. 11.) Let every one, therefore, use his utmost endeavours, that no man may say of him, you are a good infirmarian or a good porter — you are a great scholar, a learned doctor, or a celebrated preacher; but you are not a good religious man. For in fact, we entered religion only to become true religious. It is this character we ought to prefer to all others — it is this we ought to seek after with the utmost diligence, and have perpetually before our eyes. Indeed all other things, compared to our advancement in piety, ought to be looked upon as accessaries only, according to the words of our Saviour: " Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all those things shall be added unto you." (Matt. vi. 33.)
We read that some of the Fathers in the desert (Cass. lib. 10), unable to apply themselves continually to prayer and spiritual reading, yet resolving not to spend any of their time idly, employed all their leisure hours in making baskets of palms, or in some other manual labour. And at the end of the year many of them burnt what they had made, having laboured only to give themselves occupation and to avoid idleness. So ought we to make what relates to our spiritual ad-
