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If I remember correctly St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila warned against this sort of thing as the mere "seeking" could lead to deception or feelings of spiritual superiority.

The great Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards (of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God fame, surely the classic American hellfire sermon) wrote an entire book on the subject.

On Relgious Affections (web version and many free downloadable versions).

A very comprehensive exposition on the subject and the problems it causes. Suggested for Protestants and Baptists, not sure if it's on Rome's list but I doubt it, being a Puritan book. I don't recall it speaking about Rome either way or containing anything an RC bishop would object to. It is about the markings of true and false spirituality and the signs that accompany each. Very sound reading for all, I think.

Dr. E, I pinged since I mentioned one of the great Puritan books.

Thanks for the link - I'll dump it down to my PDA Monday when I'm back at work. Most theological reading is way above my pay grade, but I'm interested in this - my mother is a charismatic Catholic, my dad remains very calvinistic Southern Baptist. The years in their household following her conversion were interesting, to say the least.

Thanks, GWB, for the link to Edwards' great "On Religious Affections."

Isn't the internet amazing? I sent a link to Van Til's "Defending the Faith" to our son, and he actually read it, and is now reading the hard copy book.

There are so many wondrous truths of God right before our eyes it seems misguided to look for them in unintelligible utterings. From...

VAN TIL, THE THEOLOGIAN

...Man's knowledge is true "because," not in spite of, the fact that it is "analogical." Man's being and action are genuinely his own "because of" (again, not "in spite of") the more ultimate being and activity on the part of the will of God...