plainly by the continual hungering of nature itself, which feeling itself in want, can never rest, but is continually crying and sighing for more. GOD has been pleased to take thee by hunger, to make thy very necessities bring thee to His doors, and lead thee to Him. This is why He would not finish thee at first: this is why He did not enrich thee at once; not because He grudges His gifts, but because He loves; not to make thee poor, but humble; not that thou mayest be in necessity, but to keep thee ever with Him. If then thou art poor, and blind, and needy, why dost thou not go to the Father Who begat thee, and to the Painter Who began thee, that He may finish what is wanting? See how David did this, "Thy Hands," he said, "have made me and fashioned me: O give me understanding, that I may learn Thy Commandments," (Ps. cxix. 73,) which may be explained more fully thus, "Thy Hands, O LORD, have made all that there is in me, but the work is still unfinished; the eyes of my soul, amongst other things, are yet unfinished; I have not light to know what is good for me; of whom shall I ask what is lacking, but of Him Who gave what I have? Give me this light, Lord, open the eyes of one born blind," (S. John ix. 2,) "that he may know Thee; and thus complete what Thou hast begun in me."

And as it thus belongs to our LORD to give its ultimate perfection to the understanding, so it appertains to Him also to give it to the will, and to all the other faculties of the soul, so that the work may be finished by the Same Who began it. He Alone it is Who satisfies perfectly, Who exalts noiselessly, Who enriches quietly, and Who gives perfect rest and peace without great possessions. With Him the creature is content in poverty, rich in nakedness, blessed in loneliness, lord of all things in destitution. And therefore the wise man saith, “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." (Prov. xiii. 7.) For the poor man who has GOD, like S. Francis, is very rich; but the man who has not GOD is very poor, though he be lord of the world. For what does all his wealth avail a rich and mighty man, who lives full of cares and longings which all his riches cannot satisfy! And what power have costly garments, and a

delicate table, and a full coffer to take away the anguish of the soul? The rich man turns and tosses in his soft bed the whole night through, and his full purse does not hinder it.

From all this it follows, that we are bound to serve our LORD, not only as a debt for this Benefit, but also by our need of what is yet wanting to our happiness and restoration.

CHAPTER III.

Of the Third Title under which we are obliged to God's Service; the Benefit of Preservation and Guidance.

MAN is bound to GOD's service, not only by the Benefit of

creation, but also by that of preservation; for He made thee, and He also preserves thee now thou art made. So that at this minute thou art as dependent on the Hand of GOD, and as little capable of living without Him, as thou wert of beginning to exist without Him. This is no less a benefit than the former; but that He did once, and this He is ever doing, for He is continually creating thee in continually renewing what He has created, and no less Power and Love is required for one than for the other. If then thou owest Him so much for creating thee in one instant, what dost thou owe Him for preserving thee in so many? Thou dost not take a step without His moving thee to do it. Thou dost not open or shut thine eyes, but His Hand is there. For if thou dost not believe that GOD moves thy limbs when thou movest them, thou art not a Christian; and if thou believest that He does this for thee, and yet offendest Him, truly I know not what to call thee.

If a man stood on a very high tower, holding another suspended outside the battlements by a very thin cord, would the man who hung there dare burst out into violent language against his upholder? Then if thou art hanging by the little thread of GOD'S absolute Will, so that if He let thee go, thou wouldst in one instant return to nothingness, how then art thou daring enough to provoke the wrath of That Glorious and Exalted One Who is still sustaining thee at the very time that thou art

offending Him? For as S. Dionysius says, the virtue of the Supreme Good is so excellent and so immense, that even when His creatures oppose Him, it is from that very Virtue that they receive the existence and power whereby they resist. How darest thou then with these members and senses offend thy very LORD Who gave them to thee? Incredible revolt and blindness! Was ever such a conspiracy seen, the members rising up against the Head, for which naturally they should face death? A day will come when this offence shall cease, and when the plea of the Divine Honour shall be heard against thee. Have you conspired against GOD? It is just the universe shall conspire against you; that GOD shall "make the creature His weapon for the revenge of His enemies," and that "the world shall fight with Him against the unwise." (Wisd. v. 17, 20.) For it is just that they who refused to open their eyes in time, at the call of so many benefits, should be made to open them by so many chastisments, when the time of amendment is past.

To this consideration add that of the rich and plenteous table of the world, which our LORD has made for thy service. All things under the sky, are either for man, or for things useful to man. For if he does not eat the gnat that flies in the air, the bird on which he feeds eats it; and if he does not browse the grass of the field, the flocks and herds which he needs browse it. Stretch out thine eyes through the whole world, and see how wide and spacious are the boundaries of thy dominion, how rich and plentiful is thy heritage. All that walks on the earth, all that swims in the water, all that flies in the air, and all that shines in the sky is thine." (Ps. viii. 6-8.) For all these things are benefits of GOD, works of His Providence, specimens of His Beauty, tokens of His Mercy, sparks of His Charity, and proclaimers of His Bounty. See how many preachers GOD has sent to bring thee to the knowledge of Him. "All things in heaven and earth," says S. Augustine, "tell me to love Thee, O LORD, and they say the same unceasingly to all, that none may have an excuse."

If thou hadst ears to hear the voices of the creatures, thou wouldst perceive undoubtedly that they all agree in telling thee to love GOD; for they all tell thee wordlessly that they were

created for thy service, in order that thou mightst love and serve their LORD and thine for them and for thyself. The sky says, "I light thee day and night with my stars, that thou mayest not walk in darkness, and I send various influences for the nourishment of things, that thou mayest not die of hunger." The air says, "I give thee breath of life and I refresh thee, I temper thy inward heat, lest it consume thee, I have in me many varieties of birds, to gratify thine eyes with their beauty, thy ears with their song, and thy palate with their flavour." The water says, "I serve thee with the early and latter rain in their seasons, and with rivers and springs to refresh thee, and I nourish innumerable varieties of fish for thy eating; I water the fields and orchards that sustain thee, I give thee a short and straight way across the seas, that thou mayest make use of the whole world, and join the abundance of foreign lands to thine own." And the earth, what does she say-that common mother of all—that general laboratory of all natural causes? The earth also says with good reason, "As a mother I carry thee on my shoulders, I provide thee with food, I sustain thee with my fruits, I hold intercourse and communication with all the elements and with all the heavens, and from all I receive influences and benefits for thy service; yea, as a good mother, I forsake thee not in life nor yet in death; in life I carry thee on my shoulders and nourish thee, in death I give thee a place of rest, and receive thee into my lap." Finally, the whole world cries aloud, and very loudly to thee, saying, “Behold how greatly my LORD and Maker loved thee, for He created me for thee, and He requires me to serve thee for His sake, that thou mayest serve and love Him Who created me for thee, and thee for Himself."

These, O Christian, are the voices of all creation; none can be more deaf than he who is deaf to these voices, and ungrateful for these Benefits. If thou receivest the Benefit, pay the debt of thankfulness, lest thou have to pay the penalty of ingratitude. For every creature, a doctor tells us, utters these three words to man, "Accipe, Redde, Cave. Hoc est, Accipe Beneficium; Redde debitum; Cave (nisi reddideris) supplicium." Which means, "Receive, Pay, and Fear. Receive the Benefit, pay