the greater; but if it comes to the uttering of grievous and injurious words, and much more if it mounts to an actual revenge, the sentence of eternal fire is already given against it, with which in hell is joined the fire of wrath itself, to be a most cruel tormentor of the soul, for that which there most torments is anger, impatience and rage. And although the fire of purgatory and of hell be all one, yet that is sufferable with patience, but this insufferable with anger. And therefore the wrathful and impatient have two hells; one in this life by their lack of patience in temporal afflictions, and another afterwards by their rage in the eternal.
Colloquy. — O most patient Jesus, deliver me from anger and impatience, seeing there is no greater hell than to live subjected to it! Amen.
2. From these considerations I will draw two resolutions of very much importance for the perfect mortification of this vice. i. To avoid any motion of anger whatsoever, [1] though it come covered with the cloak of justice and zeal, fearing lest with the zeal of correcting or chastising other men's vices I mingle an affection of my own revenge, ii. Speedily to repress the first rising of anger before it increases, [2] for "of one spark," says the Holy Spirit, " cometh a great fire [3] but in the beginning it is an easy thing to appease it, and appeased it will be if I repress the words and exterior signs of anger, [4] our Lord rewarding the mortification of that exterior by giving me victory over the interior.
POINT III.
Thirdly, I will consider the great benefits obtained by the perfect mortification of anger, comprehending the two virtues which oppose it — meekness and patience.
