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<dl><dd>CONTENTS.</dd></dl><p>1. What constitutes Christian perfection. We must fight in order to attain it : of the four things necessary for this combat 1 
2. Of mistrust of self 7 
3. Of trust in God 10 
4. How a man may know whether he is acting in mistrust of self, and trust in God 12 
5. Of the error of many, who mistake fear for godliness 13 
6. Further advice as to the attainment of mistrust of self, and trust in God 14 
7. Of spiritual exercise, and first of the understanding, which must be guarded against ignorance and curiosity 16 
8. Of the causes which hinder us from a right discernment of things, and of the method which we must adopt for enabling us to understand them aright 17 
9. Of another thing from which the understanding must be guarded, to enable it to discern things rightly 19 
10. Of the exercise of the will, and of the end to which all actions, whether external or internal, should tend 21 
11. Of some considerations which may incline the will to seek to please God in all things 26 
12. Of the divers wills that are in man, and of the warfare between them. 27 
13. Of the way to resist the impulses of sense, and of the acts to be performed by the will, in order to acquire habits of holiness 30 
14. What must be done when the superior will seems to be wholly stifled and overcome by the inferior, and by other enemies 36 
15. Some advice touching the manner of fighting ; and especially against whom, and with what resolution we must carry on this warfare 39 
16. In what manner the soldier of Christ should take the field early in the morning 40 
17. Of the order^o be observed in the conflict with our evil passions 43 
18. Of the way to resist sudden impulses of the passions ib. 
19. Of the way to resist the sins of the flesh 45 
20. Of the way to combat sloth 51 
21. Of the regulation of the outward senses, and the way to pass on from these to the contemplation of the Divinity 55 
22. How the same things are to us the means of regulating our senses, and of leading us on to meditate on the Incarnate Word, in the mysteries of His Life and Passion 58 
23. Of other means whereby to regulate our senses according to the different occasions which present themselves 60 
24. Of the way to rule the tongue 66 
25. That in order to fight successfully against his enemies, the soldier of Christ must avoid, as much as possible, all perturbations and disquiet of mind 69 
26. What we should do when we are wounded 72 
27. Of the means employed by the devil to assail and deceive those who desire to give themselves up to holiness, and those who are already taken captive in the bondage of sin 75 
28. Of the devil's assaults and stratagems against those whom he holds in the bondage of sin ib. 
29. Of the arts and stratagems by which he holds in bondage those who, knowing their misery, would fain be free ; and how it is that our resolves prove so often ineffectual 77 
30. Of the delusion of those who think they are going onward to perfection 79 
31. Of the devil's assaults and devices to draw us away from the path of holiness 81 
32. Of the last assault and device above-named, by which the devil tries to make virtues already acquired the occasion of our ruin 84 
33. Some advice as to the conquest of evil passions, and the acquisition of fresh virtues 91 
34. Virtues are to be acquired gradually, by exercising ourselves in several degrees of them, and giving our attention first to one, and then to another 94 
36. Of the means whereby virtues are acquired, and how we should make use of them, by attending for some space of time to one virtue only 96 
36. That in the exercise of virtue we must walk in continual watchfulness 99 
37. That as we must always continue in the exercise of all virtue, so we must not shun any opportunity which presents itself for their acquisition 100 
38. That we should highly cherish all opportunities of fighting for the acquisition of virtues ; and chiefly those which present the greatest difficul ties 102 
39. How we may avail ourselves of various opportunities for the exercise of a single virtue 105 
40. Of the time to be given to the exercise of each several virtue, and of the signs of our progress 106 
41. That we must not yield to the wish of being delivered from the trials we are enduring patiently ; and of the way to regulate all our desires, so as to advance in holiness 108 
42. How to resist the devil, when he seeks to deceive us by means of indiscreet acts of devotion 110 
43. Of the power of our own evil inclinations, and the instigations of the devil to incline us to form rash judgments of our neighbours ; and of the way to resist this temptation 112 
44. On prayer 115 
45. What constitutes mental prayer 119 
46. Of prayer by means of meditation 121 
47. Of another way of praying by means of meditation 123 
48. Of meditation on Christ's Passion, in order to excite various affections in the soul 124 
49. Of the profit to be derived from meditation on The Crucicified, and on* the imitation of His holiness 129 
50. Of the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist 133 
51. Of the manner in which to receive the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist 134 
52. How to prepare for communion, in order to excite within ourselves the love of God 137 
53. Of spiritual communion 144 
54. Of thanksgiving 146 
55. Of self-oblation 147 
56. Of sensible devotion and of dryness of spirit 150 
57. Of the examination of conscience 154 
58. How we must needs persevere in this combat, ever fighting, even unto death 155 
59. How to prepare ourselves against the enemies who assail us at the time of death 157 
60. Of four assaults of our enemies at the time of death; and first, of the assault upon our faith, and of the way to repel it 158 
61. Of the assault of despair, and its remedy 159 
62. Of the assault of vain-glory 160 
63. Of the assault of illusions and false appearances at the point of death 161 
SUPPLEMENT TO THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT. 
1. What constitutes Christian perfection 163 
2. How to fight in order to attain to Christian perfection 164 
3. Of three things necessary to the young soldier of Christ ib. 
4. Of resistance and violence, and the art of using them 165 
5. That we must continually watch over our will, in order to discover thp passion to which it inclines 167 
6. How by removing the first passion of the soul, which is love of the creature and of self, aud giving it to God, all the others will continue well-ordered and regulated 168 
7. That the human will stands in need of assistance 169 
8. How the will of man is greatly assisted by victory over the world 170 
9 Of the second help to the will 172 
10. Of the temptations of spiritual pride 173 
11. Of the third help to the human will 174 
12. How a man may habitually, and as often as he will, place himself in the presence of God 175 
13. Some farther advice concerning prayer 176 
14. Of another mode of prayer 177 
15. Of the fourth help to the human will 178 
16. Of meditatiou on the being of a God 179 
17. Of meditation on the power of God ib. 
18. Of meditation on the wisdom of God 180 
19. Of meditation on the goodness of God 181 
20. Of meditation on the beauty of God ib. 
21. What God has done for man, and with what spirit, and what He would further do for him, if needful 182 
22. What God does for man daily ib. 
23. Of God's goodness to the sinner, in bearing with him and awaiting his return 183 
24. What God will do in the life to come, not for him only who has always served him, but for the converted sinner 184 
25. Of the fifth help to the human will 186 
26. How the love of self may be discerned ib. 
27. Of the sixth help ; and first, of sacramental communion 188 
28. Of sacramental confession 191 
29. How to overcome impure passion 192 
30. How many things are to be avoided, that we fall not into this sin 194 
31. What is to be done when we have fallen into this sin 195 
32. Of some motives whereby the sinner may be induced to return speedily to God 196 
33. How to obtain the gift of tears for thine offences against God, and the grace of conversion 198 
34. Of some reasons why men live without weeping for their sins against God, without holiness, and without Christian perfection 200 
35. Of love towards enemies 203 
36. Of the examination of conscience 204 
37. Two rules for living peaceably 206 
OF INWARD PEACE, OR, THE PATH TO PARADISE.
1. What is the nature of our heart, and how it should be governed 208 
2. Of the care to be taken in order to acquire a peaceful spirit 209 
3. How by little and little this peaceful habitation is to be built up 210 
4. That the soul must refuse all contentment; for this is the true humility and poverty of spirit by which this peace of the soul is obtained 211 
5. How the soul must keep herself in mental solitude, that God may work within her 213 
6. Of the prudence by which the love of our neighbour should be regulated, lest it disturb this peace 215 
7. How the soul, stripped of her own will, should present herself before God 217 
8. Of the faith we should have in the most holy sacrament of the altar; and of the offering we should make of ourselves unto the Lord 220 
9. That we ought not to seek enjoyment, nor anything which gives pleasure ; but God only 221 
10. That God's servant must not lose heart, though he feel within himself some repugnance and disinclination towards this peace 223 
11. Of the pains the devil takes to disturb this peace, and how we should guard ourselves from his wiles 224 
12. That the soul must not disquiet itself because of inward temptations 227 
13. That temptations are given to us by God for our good 228 
14. Of the remedy to be used against uneasiness under faults and failures 232 
15. How the soul should, without losing time, quiet herself, and make progress 235 
Maxims for the guidance of a soul that wishes to love Jesus Chriat perfectly 237 
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<dd>Description based on print version record</dd></dl><br>Subjects: Perfection -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church; Christian life -- Catholic authors; Perfection -- Catholic authors</div>
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Scupoli, Lorenzo, 1530-1610</div>
Internet Archive identifier