sire, do not admit it into your heart, until you have first, free from all self-seeking and self-will, laid it before God; and, confessing your own ignorance and blindness about it, have earnestly besought Him to show you, whether the desire comes from Him, or from your adversary. And, if possible, obtain also the judgment of your spiritual father in this matter.
Moreover, even if the desire does come from God, yet be careful, before you follow it, to restrain all impetuosity, because the work which is entered upon in a mortified spirit, will be far more acceptable to Him, than that which is undertaken with natural eagerness. And often the mortification is more pleasing in His sight than the work itself.
Thus, rejecting all desires not good, and not acting upon the good ones until you have first curbed your natural impulses, you will be enabled to possess the fortress of your heart in peace and safety.
If you would keep it in perfect peace, you must take care also to guard and defend it from certain stings of conscience and feelings of remorse, which are sometimes from the Devil, although, as they accuse us of some moral failure, they seem to come from God. By their fruits you shall know their source. If they humble you, if they make you diligent in good
