First of all, the soul must direct the beam of contemplation upon what is WITHIN itself, and behold how it was formed in the state of nature, deformed in the state of sin, and reformed in the state of grace. Next, the soul must turn the beam of contemplation upon what is WITHOUT itself, and recognize the transiency of worldly riches, the inconstancy of worldly honors, and the poverty of worldly glory. Then, the soul must turn the beam of contemplation upon what is BELOW itself and understand the inevitability of death for man, the awful severity of final judgment, and the intolerable cruelty of the pains of hell. Finally, the soul must turn the beam of contemplation upon what is ABOVE itself, and know and taste the priceless worth of heavenly joys, their inexpressible delightfulness, and their everlasting duration.
This, indeed, is the blessed cross with its branches pointing in four directions....
[St. Bonaventure, "On the Retracing of the Arts to Theology", in The Works of Bonaventure: Opuscula, Second Series (Volume III), de Vinck, tr., St. Anthony Guild Press (Paterson, NJ: 1966) pp. 36-37.
