25. "The highest perfection in this life," says a pious author "consists in remaining so closely united to God that the soul with all its faculties and its powers is recollected in God, that its affections united in the joy of love find rest only in possession of the Creator. The image of God imprinted in the soul is formed by reason, memory, and will. As long as these faculties do not bear the perfect image of God, they do not resemble Him as on the day of creation. The form of the soul is God who must imprint Himself there like the seal on wax, like the stamp on its object. Now, this is not fully realized unless the intellect is completely enlightened by knowledge of God, the will captivated by the love of the supreme good, and the memory fully absorbed in contemplation and enjoyment of eternal happiness. And as the glory of the blessed is nothing else than the perfect possession of this state, it is obvious that the initial possession of thee blessings constitutes perfection in this life. To realize this ideal we must keep recollected within ourselves, remain silently in God's presence, while the soul immerse itself, expands, becomes enkindled and melts in Him, with an unlimited fullness.
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