flagrant　a　shape　that　the　Sufis　see　before　them；　whilst　wide
  awake；　the　angels　and　the　souls　of　the　prophets。　　They　hear　their
  voices　and　obtain　their　favors。　　Then　the　transport　rises　from
  the　perception　of　forms　and　figures　to　a　degree　which　escapes　all
  expression；　and　which　no　man　may　seek　to　give　an　account　of
  without　his　words　involving　sin。
  〃Whosoever　has　had　no　experience　of　the　transport　knows　of　the
  true　nature　of　prophetism　nothing　but　the　name。　　He　may　meanwhile
  be　sure　of　its　existence；　both　by　experience　and　by　what　he　hears
  the　Sufis　say。　　As　there　are　men　endowed　only　with　the　sensitive
  faculty　who　reject　what　is　offered　them　in　the　way　of　objects　of
  the　pure　understanding；　so　there　are　intellectual　men　who　reject
  and　avoid　the　things　perceived　by　the　prophetic　faculty。　　A　blind
  man　can　understand　nothing　of　colors　save　what　he　has　learned　by
  narration　and　hearsay。　　Yet　God　has　brought　prophetism　near　to
  men　in　giving　them　all　a　state　analogous　to　it　in　its　principal
  characters。　　This　state　is　sleep。　If　you　were　to　tell　a　man　who
  was　himself　without　experience　of　such　a　phenomenon　that　there
  are　people　who　at　times　swoon　away　so　as　to　resemble　dead　men；
  and　who　＇in　dreams＇　yet　perceive　things　that　are　hidden；　he　would
  deny　it　＇and　give　his　reasons＇。　　Nevertheless；　his　arguments
  would　be　refuted　by　actual　experience。　　Wherefore；　just　as　the
  understanding　is　a　stage　of　human　life　in　which　an　eye　opens　to
  discern　various　intellectual　objects　uncomprehended　by　sensation；
  just　so　in　the　prophetic　the　sight　is　illumined　by　a　light　which
  uncovers　hidden　things　and　objects　which　the　intellect　fails　to
  reach。　　The　chief　properties　of　prophetism　are　perceptible　only
  during　the　transport；　by　those　who　embrace　the　Sufi　life。　　The
  prophet　is　endowed　with　qualities　to　which　you　possess　nothing
  analogous；　and　which　consequently　you　cannot　possibly　understand。
  How　should　you　know　their　true　nature；　since　one　knows　only　what
  one　can　comprehend？　　But　the　transport　which　one　attains　by　the
  method　of　the　Sufis　is　like　an　immediate　perception；　as　if　one
  touched　the　objects　with　one's　hand。〃＇249＇
  ＇249＇　A。　Schmolders：　　Essai　sur　les　ecoles　philosophiques　chez
  les　Arabes；　Paris；　1842；　pp。　54…68；　abridged。
  This　incommunicableness　of　the　transport　is　the　keynote　of　all
  mysticism。　　Mystical　truth　exists　for　the　individual　who　has　the
  transport；　but　for　no　one　else。　　In　this；　as　I　have　said；　it
  resembles　the　knowledge　given　to　us　in　sensations　more　than　that
  given　by　conceptual　thought。　　Thought；　with　its　remoteness　and
  abstractness；　has　often　enough　in　the　history　of　philosophy　been
  contrasted　unfavorably　with　sensation。
  It　is　a　commonplace　of　metaphysics　that　God's　knowledge　cannot　be
  discursive　but　must　be　intuitive；　that　is；　must　be　constructed
  more　after　the　pattern　of　what　in　ourselves　is　called　immediate
  feeling；　than　after　that　of　proposition　and　judgment。　　But　our
  immediate　feelings　have　no　content　but　what　the　five　senses
  supply；　and　we　have　seen　and　shall　see　again　that　mystics　may
  emphatically　deny　that　the　senses　play　any　part　in　the　very
  highest　type　of　knowledge　which　their　transports　yield。
  In　the　Christian　church　there　have　always　been　mystics。　Although
  many　of　them　have　been　viewed　with　suspicion；　some　have　gained
  favor　in　the　eyes　of　the　authorities。　　The　experiences　of　these
  have　been　treated　as　precedents；　and　a　codified　system　of
  mystical　theology　has　been　based　upon　them；　in　which　everything
  legitimate　finds　its　place。＇250＇　The　basis　of　the　system　is
  〃orison〃　or　meditation；　the　methodical　elevation　of　the　soul
  towards　God。　　Through　the　practice　of　orison　the　higher　levels　of
  mystical　experience　may　be　attained。　　It　is　odd　that
  Protestantism；　especially　evangelical　Protestantism；　should
  seemingly　have　abandoned　everything　methodical　in　this　line。
  Apart　from　what　prayer　may　lead　to；　Protestant　mystical
  experience　appears　to　have　been　almost　exclusively　sporadic。　　It
  has　been　left　to　our　mind…　curers　to　reintroduce　methodical
  meditation　into　our　religious　life。
  ＇250＇　Gorres's　Christliche　Mystik　gives　a　full　account　of　the
  facts。　　So　does　Ribet's　Mystique　Divine；　2　vols。；　Paris；　1890。　　A
  still　more　methodical　modern　work　is　the　Mystica　Theologia　of
  Vallgornera；　2　vols。；　Turin；　1890。
  The　first　thing　to　be　aimed　at　in　orison　is　the　mind's　detachment
  from　outer　sensations；　for　these　interfere　with　its　concentration
  upon　ideal　things。　　Such　manuals　as　Saint　Ignatius's　Spiritual
  Exercises　recommend　the　disciple　to　　expel　sensation　by　a
  graduated　series　of　efforts　to　imagine　holy　scenes。　　The　acme　of
  this　kind　of　discipline　would　be　a　semi…hallucinatory
  mono…ideisman　imaginary　figure　of　Christ；　for　example；　coming
  fully　to　occupy　the　mind。　　Sensorial　images　of　this　sort；　whether
  literal　or　symbolic；　play　an　enormous　part　in　mysticism。＇251＇
  But　in　certain　cases　imagery　may　fall　away　entirely；　and　in　the
  very　highest　raptures　it　tends　to　do　so。　　The　state　of
  consciousness　becomes　then　insusceptible　of　any　verbal
  description。　　Mystical　teachers　are　unanimous　as　to　this。　Saint
  John　of　the　Cross；　for　instance；　one　of　the　best　of　them；
  thus　describes　the　condition　called　the　〃union　of　love；〃　which；
  he　says；　is　reached　by　〃dark　contemplation。〃　　In　this　the　Deity
  compenetrates　the　soul；　but　in　such　a　hidden　way　that　the　soul
  〃finds　no　terms；　no　means；　no　comparison　whereby　to　render　the
  sublimity　of　the　wisdom　and　the　delicacy　of　the　spiritual　feeling
  with　which　she　is　filled。　。　。　。　We　receive　this　mystical
  knowledge　of　God　clothed　in　none　of　the　kinds　of　images；　in　none
  of　the　sensible　representations；　which　our　mind　makes　use　of　in
  other　circumstances。　　Accordingly　in　this　knowledge；　since　the
  senses　and　the　imagination　are　not　employed；　we　get　neither　form
  nor　impression；　nor　can　we　give　any　account　or　furnish　any
  likeness；　although　the　mysterious　and　sweet…tasting　wisdom　comes
  home　so　clearly　to　the　inmost　parts　of　our　soul。　　Fancy　a　man
  seeing　a　certain　kind　of　thing　for　the　first　time　in　his　life。　He
  can　understand　it；　use　and　enjoy　it；　but　he　cannot　apply　a　name
  to　it；　nor　communicate　any　idea　of　it；　even　though　all　the　while
  it　be　a　mere　thing　of　sense。　　How　much　greater　will　be　his
  powerlessness　when　it　goes　beyond　the　senses！　This　is　the
  peculiarity　of　the　divine　language。　　The　more　infused；　intimate；
  spiritual；　and　supersensible　it　is；　the　more　does　it　exceed　the
  senses；　both　inner　and　outer；　and　impose　silence　upon　them。　。　。　。
  The　soul　then　feels　as　if　placed　in　a　vast　and　profound　solitude；
  to　which　no　created　thing　has　access；　in　an　immense　and　boundless
  desert；　desert　the　more　delicious　the　more　solitary　it　is。　There；
  in　this　abyss　of　wisdom；　the　soul　grows　by　what　it　drinks　in　from
  the　well…springs　of　the　comprehension　of　love；　。　。　。　and
  recognizes；　however　sublime　and　learned　may　be　the　terms　we
  employ；　how　utterly　vile；　insignificant；　and　improper　they　are；
  when　we　seek　to　discourse　of　divine　things　by　their　means。〃＇252＇
  ＇251＇　M。　ReCeJac；　in　a　recent　volume；　makes　them　essential。
  Mysticism　he　defines　as　〃the　tendency　to　draw　near　to　the
  Absolute　morally　AND　BY　THE　AID　OF　SYMBOLS。〃　　See　his　Fondements
  de　la　Connaissance　mystique；　Paris；　1897；　p。　66。　　But　there　are
  unquestionably　mystical　conditions　in　which　sensible　symbols　play
  no　part。
  ＇252＇　Saint　John　of　the　Cross：　　The　Dark　Night　of　the　Soul；　book
  ii。　ch。　xvii。；　in　Vie　et　Oeuvres；　3me　edition；　Paris；　1893；　iii。
  428…432。　Chapter　xi。　of　book　ii。　of　Saint　John's　Ascent　of　Carmel
  is　devoted　to　showing　the　harmfulness　for　the　mystical　life　of
  the　use　of　sensible　imagery。
  I　cannot　pretend　to　detail　to　you　the　sundry　stages　of　the
  Christian　mystical　life。＇253＇　Our　time　would　not　suffice；　for　one
  thing；　and　moreover；　I　confess　that　the　subdivisions　and　names
  which　we　find　in　the　Catholic　books　seem　to　me　to　represent
  nothing　objectively　distinct。　　So　many　men；　so　many　minds：　　I
  imagine　that　these　experiences　can　be　as　infinitely　varied　as　are
  the　idiosyncrasies　of　individuals。
  ＇253＇　In　particular　I　omit　mention　of　visual　and　auditory
  hallucinations；　verbal　and　graphic　automatisms；　and　such　marvels
  as　〃levitation；〃　stigmatization；　and　the　healing　of　disease。
  These　phenomena；　which　mystics　have