Book II, Chapter XIV Summary and Analysis

St. John writes about the line in "Stanzas of the Soul," which reads "I went forth without being observed / My house being now at rest." The soul speaks these lines out of the happiness of being purged. The house being at rest can indicate that the passions of the natural man are asleep. God calls that which keeps the soul from seeking Him the enemies of man, and they must be purged. People who have not experienced this dark night do not understand what spiritual freedom is like because they are still prisoners of their natural desires and wants.