natural, and entirely brought about by certain physical tendencies and
a highly imaginative mind; the second divine or angelic, arising from
intercourse held with the supernatural world; and the third produced by
infernal agency. (See, on this head, the work of Cardinal Bona, De
Discretione Spirituum.) Lest we should here write a book instead of a
preface, we will not enter into any development of this doctrine, which
appears to us highly philosophical, and without which no satisfactory
explanation can be given on the subject of the soul of man and its
various states.

The Church directs certain means to be employed to ascertain by what
spirit these ecstasies are produced, according to the maxim of St.
John: 'Try the spirits, if they be of God.' (1 Jn 4:1). When circumstances
or events claiming to be supernatural have been properly examined
according to certain rules, the Church has in all ages made a selection
from them.

Many persons who have been habitually in a state of ecstasy have
been canonised, and their books approved. But this approbation has
seldom amounted to more than a declaration that these books contained
nothing contrary to faith, and that they were likely to promote a
spirit of piety among the faithful. For the Church is only founded on
the word of Christ and on the revelations made to the Apostles.
Whatever may since have been revealed to certain saints possesses
purely a relative value, the reality of which may even be disputed- it
being one of the admirable characteristics of the Church, that, though
inflexibly one in dogma, she allows entire liberty to the human mind in
all besides. Thus, we may believe private revelations, above all, when
those persons to whom they were made have been raised by the Church to
the rank of Saints publicly honoured, invoked, and venerated; but, even