not to love Thee? Had we not better cease to live than cease to love? O, what shall I answer if I love not! Twelfth. What can make a soul more truly honourable and happy than to love God as He commandeth? What privilege to be admitted into privacy with God, to enjoy His company and conversation, enter into His secret chamber, eat at His table, repose on His breast, be His favourite,* become all one with Him! O honour most admirable! O holiness most amiable! O happiness most angelical! O Life! O Love! THE TWENTY-SEVENTH MAXIM. That Confidence in God's Goodness is the main Support of our Spiritual Edifice. two points re which we must have confidence, and the two maxims that will 1. We must be confident that our loving Lord will, first, pardon our sins; secondly, strengthen us Three in all our necessities; thirdly, bring us finally specting to eternal happiness. And to strengthen this confidence, we must deeply engrave these following maxims in our souls, and then we shall insure it. easily be content to leave ourselves in the arms of His paternal providence and lose ourselves in the abyss of His piety-First. That whatever befalls us comes immediately either from His will or His permission. Secondly. That He will turn all, even our frailties and failings, to our spiritual good. We may further * Original text 'minion.' weigh what wonderful cause we have for confidence and comfort. Motives to place our confidence in God. First, in heaven; 2. First, in heaven, where we have :-I. Bowels of in God the Father, to Whom we cry mercy daily as His Son taught us :-Our Father Who art in heaven.* Will not a good father forgive the fault and forget the folly of his returning and repentant child? II. Wounds of mercy in God the Son, the least of which was sufficient to redeem a thousand worlds; whereby, we being reconciled and made His friends, will He deny us anything that is necessary? Is not each drop of His dear blood a motive of loving confidence, and able to melt us into a filial dependency on Him?t III. Promises of mercy in God the Holy Ghost, Who hath assured us of His continued comforts till the consummation of the world. IV. Words of mercy when He said:-As I live, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; and why will you die, O house of Israel? What hard heart would not be touched with * Matt. vi. 9. He that spared not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how hath He not also, with Him, given us all things?' Rom. viii. 32. 'O Tu bone Omnipotens, qui sic curas unumquemque nostrum tanquam solum cures, et sic omnes tanquam singulos.' S. August. Confessiones, lib. iii. cap. xi. § Ezech. xxxiii. 11. tenderness, and say reciprocally:-'As I live, O my Lord God, I detest all sin, and convert myself totally to Thee, that I may live with Thee, and love Thee eternally. O holy conversion! O happy contract!' v. Breasts of mercy in the Mother of Jesus. O Jesus, be to us a Jesus! O Mother of Jesus, be to us a Mother of mercies! Let the care of thy honour be ever in our hearts, and the care of our welfare always in thine. VI. Castles of mercy in the Angels, who are before and behind us, to watch over and protect us. * VII. Oracles of mercy, the prayers and sufferings of all the Saints, pitying our misery, and purchasing pardon for us. If we put all this together, we shall find all heaven for us. What matter, then, if all hell be against us? Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? † on earth; 3. Secondly, on earth in the Church Militant, what is not for us? Sacraments, Scriptures, Ex-Secondly, amples, Prayers. If we go not to heaven, in whom lies the fault? What could God do that He hath not done? And what could we have more than we have for our consolation and salvation? comfort, and confidence? Who can but take courage, thirdly, in 4. Thirdly, look upon Christ Jesus. 1. Why Christ; St. Thomas (Summa, 1. 2, qu. 50, art. 3), St. Denis (De Cœlesti Hierarchia, cap. iv.), and Card. Bellarmine (De Ascensione Mentis in Deum, grad. 2, cap. ii.) teach that the angelic choir is so great and multitudinous as to exceed in number all things created. What, then, is there to fear, since we have so invincible an army to intercede and fight for us? Matt. viii. 26. came He into this world? 2. How did He carry Himself in it towards sinners both in His life and death? 3. Why was He called Jesus,* and termed a friend of publicans and sinners? 4. Why did He say that He came to call sinners, and not the just, ‡ and to do mercy, and not justice? 5. What access and comfort gave He to all sinners? 6. What was His last will and testament? 7. What His last words?-Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.§ 5. Fourthly, ponder God's perfections. 1. He is our Maker, we the work of His hands. Doth artist love his own handiwork? Hath fourthly, look on God's per- not every fections; not every one a natural proneness to protect, improve, profit, and perfect his own? Even so our loving Lord takes care of us. He hides and harbours us, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings;|| He defends us as the apple of His eye. Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, says our Lord, yet will not I forget thee, because I have graven thee in My hands.** 2. He is all-might, all-wisdom, all-goodness. Put these together: I have a Father and Maker that loves me exceedingly; He knows my necessities, and what is * ‘His name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.' Luke ii. 21. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners.' Matt. xi. 19. I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.' Matt. ix. 13. § Luke xxiii. 34. ¶ Deut. xxxii. 10. || Matt. xxiii. 37. best for me; He is rich enough to provide for me. Will He let me perish? Will He reject me?' Then reason further with yourself thus :- In whom shall I confide if not in God? In myself, or in others?' We are all inconstant, all ignorant of what is best, all impotent, and require means to help us. It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in man. * own experi 6. Fifthly, reflect upon our own experience. 1. Whom did God ever deceive in His promises? fifthly, our 2. Who ever heartily called upon Him and was ence. refused? 3. Hath He not hitherto marvellously protected and preserved you, and disposed all for your good? Why, then, should you doubt or distrust His providence for the time to come? No :-Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord. Heaven and earth shall pass away,§ but no tittle of my hope in Thee, my dear and only Saviour. This shall be my anchor and stay:-Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him.|| I will rest secure in His divine providence, and endeavour to get an habitual and stable trust in His paternal protection, without any care or fear, as doth *Psalm cxvii. 8. 'O my Lord, when we see that Thou dost frequently deliver us from dangers into which we rush, even so as to offend Thee, how can any one believe that Thou wilt not deliver us when our only aim is to please Thee and in Thee to find our joy. I can never believe it. God in His secret judgments may permit certain things to have diverse issues, but what is good never ended in evil.' St. Teresa's Foundation, p. 26. § Mark xiii. 31. Job xiii. 15. Jerem. xvii. 7. The Providence of God differs from His grace, His protection, His mercy, and His consolation. His Providence is His general superintendence and preservation of the universe. His grace is a superna |