The real stress and strain in life arises from the difficulty of applying principles to special cases in hand, and it is just this difficulty that is experienced amid the shock of the conflict by many souls, even those who are illuminated by the Holy Ghost.
I. The Test of Common Sense
What practical tests, therefore, can we bring to bear in order to know whether the will has consented? Before entering upon a discussion of them, we can sum up the whole matter by saying that to everything must be applied the test of common sense. At no time are scruples so apt to intrude themselves as when we seek to apply tests to discover whether or not we have sinned; and no spiritual scruple was ever based on common sense. On the contrary, the cherishing of scruples always points to some positive lack of mental balance. Above all things, we are to be reasonable with ourselves. We shall find with ever so little consideration that the laws which apply to the conditions of our ordinary daily life are the laws that must apply to our spiritual life. There will be no danger of perplexing scruples if we apply the same rules to the inquiry concerning sin as we should apply to a question of ordinary human relations, and as dutiful children we must give our heavenly Father credit for as much loving generosity in His dealings with us as we know would be employed by an earthly parent who had ever showed us a tender and loving consideration.
So bearing these things ever in mind, we can proceed to think of the further tests we may apply, to show whether or not we have consented to the devil's temptations.
II. The Test of Doubt
"If you doubt whether you have consented to evil, always take the doubt as a negative."[[1]] This is the rule laid down for us by St. Francis de Sales. In it he follows the great spiritual teachers in holding that if sin, especially mortal sin, "is not more than certain, you should decide that it does not exist," especially if the conscience is prone to be tender.[[2]]
It is a principle of divine, as well as human law, that a man is to be counted innocent until he is proved guilty.[[3]] We must give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. This we can do safely, and without scruple, provided we have been ordinarily faithful in the use of the means of spiritual knowledge that God supplies, such as Prayer, Sacraments, etc. We must insist upon this; in the first place, because the nature of the human mind demands it. A thing that the soul really abhors could not possibly find entrance without its certain knowledge. In the second place, because justice requires it. We are bound to exercise justice towards ourselves as well as towards others, and it would be manifestly unjust to regard a man as guilty of a crime so long as the case is involved in reasonable doubt.
The third reason why we must acquit ourselves when doubt exists, is that it is a grave danger to the soul to become accustomed to the idea of committing sin. It is a principle of psychology that it is much easier to perform an action when we have grown used to the thought of it.
A fourth reason is thus expressed by St. Francis in a letter to the famous Angelique Arnauld, Abbess of Port Royal: "If you accuse your soul without just cause, you spoil its courage, and turn it into a mere coward."[[4]] It is the Christian's duty by every means to encourage his soul and to do nothing to discourage it. The Psalmist gives us repeated examples of this, as for instance, when he cries, "Why art thou so heavy, O my soul, and why art thou so disquieted within me. Put thy trust in God, for I will yet give him thanks which is the help of my countenance and my God."[[5]] Discouragement has been called "the temptation of temptations."[[6]]