and whose delights, have greatly exalted all consolations, worldly joys, and pleasures. And thus it is most true that they receive a hundredfold more than what they left; for false and counterfeit good things they receive true; for doubtful, certain; for material, spiritual; for cares, repose; for heart-aches, tranquillity; and for a vicious and abominable life, one that is virtuous and full of joy. If then thou hast despised worldly things for the love of Christ, thou wilt find in Him inestimable treasures; if thou hast rejected false honours, in Him thou wilt find true; if thou hast renounced the love of thy parents, the Eternal FATHER will gladden thee with more tender caresses; and if thou hast put from thee pestilential and poisonous pleasures, thou wilt find in Him sweeter and more exalted joys. And when thou hast attained to this thou wilt find that all the things that once pleased thee, not only please thee no longer, but are objects of thy abhorrence and loathing. For when that heavenly light has touched and illumined our eyes, all things put on a new aspect, and appear to us under a very different form. That which before appeared sweet now seems bitter to thee, and that which appeared bitter is sweet; that which terrified now delights thee, and what seemed beautiful is now ugly. It was so before, but thou knewest it not. Thus is CHRIST'S promise fulfilled for temporal good of the body He gives us the spiritual good of the soul; for what are called the gifts of fortune He gives us the gifts of grace, which are incomparably greater and more capable of enriching and satisfying the heart of man.

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In confirmation of this I will here relate a memorable example which is found in the Book of Illustrious Men of the Cistercian Order. It is written there, that when the great S. Bernard was preaching in Flanders with a most fervent desire of drawing men to GOD, amongst those who were converted by the especial movement of the HOLY GHOST was a person of considerable rank, named Arnulf, whom the world held bound with such strong chains that, when at last he forsook it and took the habit in the monastery of Clairvaux, the blessed Father so greatly rejoiced in this conversion that he said publicly that CHRIST was no less admirable in the conversion of Brother

Arnulf than in the resurrection of Lazarus, (S. John xi.), having raised him and brought him to a new life when he was tied with the bonds of so many sins, and buried in the grave of so many pleasures. The after course of Arnulf's life was no less admirable than his conversion; but, because it would take too long to recount all his virtues, I come to what concerns our present purpose. This holy man often suffered from a disease which caused him such pain as brought him to the verge of death. Once when he was in this state, almost senseless, speechless, and with no hope of life remaining, they gave him Extreme Unction. Shortly after, he recovered his senses, and suddenly began to praise GOD and to cry aloud, "True are all the things that Thou hast said, O Good JESUS." And when he repeated these words many times, the monks were astonished, and asked him how he was, and why he said this; but he made no answer, and only repeated the same sentence, "True are all the things that Thou hast said, O Good JESUS." Some who were there said that the great pain had taken away his senses, and that this was why he said these words. Then he answered, "Not so, my Brothers; not so, but with all my sense and with all my understanding I say that all things are true that our SAVIOUR JESUS spake." They answered, "We also confess this; but why dost thou say it now?" He replied, "Because the LORD has said in His Gospel that every one who renounces the love of his kindred for His sake, 'shall receive an hundiedfold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal life.' (S. Mark x. 30.) And I experience in myself, and confess to you, that I am now receiving the hundredfold in this life, for I give you to know that the intense pain which I am suffering is so pleasant to me, by reason of the sure hope of salvation that is given me with it, that I would not change it for all that I have left in this world multiplied an hundredfold. And if I, who am so great a sinner, receive such consolation in my agonies, what must saints and perfect men receive in their joys? For truly the spiritual joy that I am now receiving outweighs a hundred thousand times all earthly joy that I received in the world." When he said this, they all marvelled to hear such words from an unlearned monk, a layman, and plainly perceived

that it was the HOLY GHOST, dwelling in his soul, Who said them.

This is an evident instance how without pomp or parade of temporal worldly possessions GOD gives His servants greater contentment and better things than what they left for Him, and what a delusion it is to suppose that nothing is given to virtue here.

Now the object of this and the next twelve chapters is to dispel this dangerous delusion. We will treat in them of twelve marvellous fruits and privileges that accompany virtue in this life, in order to show the lovers of the world that there is more honey here than they think. And although experience and the practice of virtue are necessary to understand this perfectly, the lack of them may be supplied by faith, which confesses the truth of the Sacred Scriptures, for I intend to prove all that I say in this part by testimonies therefrom as shall leave no room for doubt.

CHAPTER XII.

Of the Twelfth Title under which we are obliged to the Practice of Virtue, namely, its First Privilege, the Special Providence whereby God watches over the Good to guide them into all Good, and over the Wicked to punish their Wicked

ness.

THE

HE first and chiefest of these privileges and advantages, the fountain from which all the others are derived, is GOD's fatherly care and providence over those who serve Him. For although He watches over all His creatures with a general providence, yet He has a more especial care for those whom He has received for His own. For as He has adopted them into the place of sons, and given them the spirit and the heart of sons, He has Himself the heart of a most loving Father towards them, and in conformity with this love are His care and providence over them.

But what this providence is no man can comprehend except one who has experienced it, or who has carefully and attentively read the Sacred Scriptures and diligently marked the passages that treat of this. For any one who does this will see that almost the whole of Scripture, from the beginning to the end, is full of it. For, as the world turns on two poles, so does Scripture on two points, requiring and promising. On the one hand, GOD requires of man obedience and the keeping of His commands; and on the other, He promises very great rewards to those who keep, and threatens grievous punishments to those who break them. And this doctrine is so distributed, that all the moral books of Holy Scripture require and promise, whilst

the historical books show the fulfilment of both requirements and promises, enabling us to see practically the difference between GOD's dealings with the righteous and with the wicked. But as GOD is so liberal and munificent, and man so weak and wretched; He so rich to promise, and we so poor to give, the proportion between His gifts and His requirements is very unequal; for He asks little and gives much, He asks love and obedience, which He Himself gives us; and for this He offers us inestimable treasures of grace and glory in this life and in the next. And among these treasures let us speak first of His fatherly love and providence over those whom He accepts as sons; which surpasses all the love and care that all earthly fathers can give to theirs. We have good ground for this assertion, for no father on earth ever laid up or prepared such great good for his children as that which GOD has prepared and promised to His, even a partaking in His own glory. No father ever so toiled for them as He, Who spared not to shed His Blood. Nor does any take such continual care of them as He, Who keeps them ever before His eyes, and helps them in all their troubles. And this David confesses, saying, "And as for me, Thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before Thy face for ever." (Ps. xli. 12, Bible version.) That is, "Thou never turnest away Thine eyes from me, but carest for me continually." And in another Psalm he says, "The eyes of the LORD are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers. The countenance of the LORD is against them that do evil, to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.” (Ps. xxxiv. 15, 16.)

But because this providence of GOD over him is the greatest treasure of the good Christian, and because the more certainty he has of this, the greater is his joy and gladness, it will be well to put together here some testimonies from the Divine Scriptures, each of which is like a royal patent, and a fresh confirmation of the rich promises and assurances of GOD's covenant. It is said then in Ecclesiasticus, "The eyes of the LORD are upon them that love Him, He is their mighty protection and strong stay, a defence from heat, and a cover from the sun at noon, a preservation from stumbling, and an help from falling.