CHRIST. "I am the Lord, a strong-hold in the day of trouble :” when, therefore, trouble rises up within thee, take sanctuary in me. The support of heavenly consolation comes slowly, because thou art slow in the use of prayer; and before thou turnest the desire and dependence of thy soul to me, hast recourse to other comfort, seeking from the world or within thyself that relief which neither can bestow. Thy own experience should convince thee, that no profitable counsel, no effectual help, no lasting remedy, is to be found, but in me. When, therefore, I have calmed the violence of the tempest, and restored thy fainting spirit, rise with new strength and confidence in the light of my mercy; for I, the Lord, declare, that I am always near, to redeem all fallen nature from its evil, and to restore it to its first state, with superabundant communications of life, light, and love. Dost thou think, that "there is anything too hard for me?" or that I am like vain man, who promiseth and performeth not? Where, then, and what is thy faith? O believe, and persevere ! Possess thy soul in patience, and comfort will arrive in its proper season. Wait for me; and, if I come not, wait; for I will at length come, and "will not tarry." That which afflicts thee, is a trial for thy good; and that which terrifies thee is a false and groundless fear. What other effect doth thy extreme anxiety about the events of to-morrow produce, than the accumulation of anguish upon anguish ? Remember my words, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." It is unpro fitable and vain, to be dejected or elevated by the anticipation of that which may never come to pass. Such disorders of imagination are, indeed, incident to fallen man: but it is an evidence of a mind that has yet recovered little strength, to be so easily led away by every suggestion of the enemy; who cares not, whether it is by realities or fictions, that he tempts and betrays thee: whether it is by love of present good, or the fear of future evil, that he destroy thy soul. "Let not thy heart be troubled,” neither let it be afraid. “Believe in me," whose redeeming power has "overcome the world," and place all thy confidence in my mercy. I am often nearest thee, when thou thinkest me at the greatest distance; and when thou hast given up all as lost in darkness, the light of peace is ready to break upon thee. All is not lost, when thy situation happens to be contrary to thy own narrow and selfish judgment. It is injurious to thy peace, to determine what will be thy future condition, by arguing from present perceptions; and it is sinful to suffer thy spirit to be so overwhelmed by trouble, as if all hopes of emerging from it was utterly taken away. Think not thyself condemned to total dereliction, when I permit tribulation to come upon thee for a season, or suspend the consolations which thou art always fondly desiring; for this is the narrow way to the kingdom of heaven : and it is more expedient for my servants to be exercised with many sufferings, than to enjoy that perpetual rest and delight which they would choose for themselves. I, who know the hidden thoughts of thy heart, and the depth of the evil that is in it, know, that thy salvation depends upon thy being sometimes left in the full perception of thy own impotence and wretchedness ; lest, in the undisturbed prosperity of the spiritual life, thou shouldst exalt thyself for what is not thy own, and take complacence in vain conceit of perfection, to which man of himself cannot attain. The good I bestow, I can both take away and restore again. When I have bestowed it, it is still mine; and when I resume it, I take not away that which is thine; for there is no good of which I am not the principle and centre. When, therefore, I visit thee with adversity, murmur not, neither let thy heart be troubled ; for I can soon restore thee to light and peace, and change thy heaviness into joy; but in all my dispensations, acknowledge, that I, the Lord, am righteous, and greatly to be praised. If thou wert wise, and didst behold thyself and thy fallen state, by that light, with which I, who am the Truth, enlighten thee; instead of grieving and murmuring at the adversities which befall thee, thou wouldst rejoice and give thanks: nay, thou wouldst "count it all joy, thus to endure chastening." I once said to the disciples whom I chose to attend my ministry upon earth, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you ;" and I sent them forth into the world, not to luxury, but to conflict; not to honor, but to contempt; not to amusement, but to labor; not to take repose, but to "bring forth much fruit with patience." My son, remember my words! CHAPTER XXII. The Creator to be found in abstraction from Creatures. DISCIPLE. O MY GOD, what grace do I still want, to be able continually to turn to thee without adherence to the creatures; who, while they retain the least possession of my heart, keep me at a tremendous distance from thee! He truly desired this liberty, who said, "O that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” And what can be more at rest, than the heart that in singleness and simplicity, regardeth only thee? What more free than the soul that hath no earthly desires? To be able, therefore, in peaceful vacancy, and with all the energy of my mind, to contemplate thee, and know that thou infinitely transcendest the most perfect of thy works, it is necessary that I should rise above all created beings, and utterly forsake myself; for, while I am bound with the chains of earthly and selfish affections, I find it impossible to adhere to thee. CHRIST. Few, my son, attain to the blessed privilege of contemplating the infinite and unchangeable good, because few totally abandon that which is finite and perishing. For this, a high degree of grace is necessary, such as will raise the soul from its fallen life, and transport it above itself. And unless man, by this elevation of spirit, is delivered from all adherence to the creatures, and united to God, whatever be his knowledge, and whatever his virtue, they are of little value: he must remain in an infant state, grovelling upon earth, while he esteems anything great and good but one alone, the eternal and immutable God. 'The difference between the meek wisdom of an illuminated mind devoted to me, and the pompous wisdom of a critical and classical speculatist, is as incommensurate, as between the knowledge that "is from above, and cometh down from the Father of light," and that which is laboriously acquired by the efforts of human understanding. Many are solicitous to attain to contemplation as an exalted state, who take no care to practise that abstraction which is necessary to qualify them for the enjoyment of it: for while they adhere to the objects of sense, to external services, and the signs of true wisdom, instead of the substance, rejecting the mortification of self, as of no value, they adhere to that which principally obstructs the progress to perfection. DISCIPLE. Alas, Lord! we who have assumed the profession and character of spiritual men, know not at what our purposes aim, nor by what spirit we are led, that we exert so much labor, and feel so much solici tude, about that which is external, but retire so seldom to the sacred solitude of the heart, to learn what passes within us. Irresolute and impatient as we are, after a slight recollection, we rush into the world again, unacquainted with the nature and end |