Some desired from me a book of Considerations on the Eternal Maxims, for souls who wish to establish themselves more firmly and to advance in the spiritual life. Others asked me for a little collection of subjects to be preached in Missions and Spiritual Exercises. In order not to multiply books, labor, and expense, I have thought it best to compose the present Work in the manner you see, so that it may serve for both purposes. So that it may benefit seculars for meditation, I have written these Considerations divided into three points. Each point will serve for one meditation; and for this reason, after each point I have added the Affections and Prayers. And I beg my readers not to grow weary if in these prayers they will always find petitions for the graces of holy perseverance and of love for God; for these are the two graces most necessary for us to obtain eternal salvation.
The grace of divine love is that grace, says St. Francis de Sales, which contains within itself all graces, because the virtue of charity toward God brings with it all the other virtues: «Venerunt autem mihi omnia bona pariter cum illa» — "Yet all good things came to me together with her" (Wis. 7:11). He who loves God is humble, is chaste, is obedient, is mortified — in a word, he possesses every virtue. «Ama, et fac quod vis» — "Love, and do what you will," said St. Augustine. Love God and do what you wish — yes, for he who loves God will strive to avoid everything that displeases Him, and will seek nothing else but to please Him in all things.
The other grace, that of holy perseverance, is the one that obtains for us the eternal crown. St. Bernard says that paradise is promised to those who begin a good life, but it is then given only to those who persevere: «Inchoantibus praemium promittitur, perseveranti autem datur» — "The reward is promised to those who begin, but it is given to him who perseveres" (St. Bernard, Serm. 6, De modo bene vivendi). But this perseverance, as the Holy Fathers teach, is given only to those who ask for it. Hence St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that to enter heaven, unceasing prayer is necessary: «Post baptismum autem necessaria est homini iugis oratio, ad hoc quod coelum introeat» — "After baptism, continual prayer is necessary for man in order that he may enter heaven" (III, q. 39, a. 5). And before him our Savior had said it: «Oportet semper orare, et non deficere» — "We must always pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). And this is the reason why many wretched sinners, though forgiven, do not remain in the grace of God: they receive pardon, but because they then neglect to ask God for holy perseverance, especially in time of temptation, they fall again. On the other hand, although the grace of holy perseverance is entirely gratuitous and cannot be merited by us through our works, nevertheless Father Suarez says that it is infallibly obtained through prayer; St. Augustine having already said that this gift of perseverance can be merited through prayer: «Hoc Dei donum suppliciter emereri potest, id est supplicando impetrari potest» — "This gift of God can be merited by supplication, that is, it can be obtained by praying" (De dono perseverantiae, ch. 6).
This necessity of prayer we shall demonstrate at length in another little work published separately, entitled The Great Means of Prayer — a little work which, although brief and therefore inexpensive, has cost me much labor, and which I esteem to be of the utmost benefit to every kind of person; indeed, I say with assurance that among all spiritual treatises there is none, nor can there be one, more useful and more necessary than this treatise on prayer for obtaining eternal salvation.
So that the present Considerations might also serve for preaching to priests who have few books or no time to read them, I have furnished them with texts of Scripture and passages from the Holy Fathers — brief, indeed, but lively, such as sermons require. Note that each Consideration, together with all three points, forms a complete sermon. To this end I have endeavored to gather from many authors the most vivid thoughts, which seemed to me most apt to move hearts; and I have set down several of them in brief, so that the reader may choose those that please him most and expand them at his pleasure.
May all be to the glory of God.
Live Jesus our love, and Mary our hope!