"There is no disposition so good but it may be made bad by reason of vicious habits, and neither is there any natural disposition so perverse but that it may be conquered and overcome by God's grace primarily, and then by our earnest endeavor."
St. Francis de Sales ends this first part of the Introduction with instructions on making a general confession along with a firm resolution at amendment. He concludes with an exhortation that the devout soul be resolved to purge away all tendency to venial sins, all inclination to useless distractions, and all imperfections whatsoever. In Part 2, he will lay out the means for doing so.
Links
Introduction to the Devout Life full text: https://watch.formed.org/introduction-to-the-devout-life-by-st-francis-de-sales
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Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.