through their want of experience, have not always attained to.
One thing only there is about the book that may reasonably cause
any hesitation till it shall be very carefully examined;
it contains many visions and revelations, matters always to be
afraid of, especially in women, who are very ready to believe of
them that they come from God, and to look on them as proofs of
sanctity, though sanctity does not lie in them. On the contrary,
they should be regarded as dangerous trials for those who are
aiming at perfection, because Satan is wont to transform himself
into an angel of light, [23] and to deceive souls which are
curious and of scant humility, as we have seen in our day:
nevertheless, we must not therefore lay down a general rule that
all revelations and visions come from the devil. If it were so,
St. Paul could not have said that Satan transforms himself into
an angel of light, if the angel of light did not sometimes
enlighten us.

"2. Saints, both men and women, have had revelations, not only in
ancient, but also in modern times; such were St. Dominic,
St. Francis, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Catherine of Siena,
St. Gertrude, and many others that might be named; and as the
Church of God is, and is to be, always holy to the end, not only
because her profession is holiness, but because there are in her
just persons and perfect in holiness, it is unreasonable to
despise visions and revelations, and condemn them in one sweep,
seeing they are ordinarily accompanied with much goodness and a
Christian life. On the contrary, we should follow the saying of
the Apostle in 1 Thess. v. 19-22: 'Spiritum nolite extinguere.
Prophetias nolite spernere. Omnia [autem] probate: quod bonum
est tenete. Ab omni specie mala abstinete vos.' He who will