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God has signified unto us by so many ways and means
that his will is that we should all be saved, that
none can be ignorant of it.
To this purpose he made us to his own image and
likeness by creation, and made himself to our image
and likeness by his Incarnation; after which he
suffered death to ransom and save all mankind, which
he did with so much love that, as the great S. Denis,
apostle of France, recounts, he said once to the holy
man Carpus that he was ready to suffer another
Passion to save mankind, and that this would be
agreeable to him if it could be done without any
man's sin.
And although all are not saved, yet is this will a
true will of God's, who works in us according to the
condition of his and of our nature. For his goodness
moves him to liberally communicate unto us the
succours of his grace in order to bring us to the
felicity of his glory, but our nature requires that
his liberality should leave us at liberty to make use
of it to our salvation, or to neglect it to our
damnation.
One thing I have asked of the Lord, said the
prophet, this will I seek after; . . . . that I may
see the delight of the Lord and visit his temple.(1)
But what is the delight of the sovereign goodness,
save to pour out and communicate his perfections?
Verily his delights are to be with the children of
men, and to shower his graces upon them.
Nothing is so agreeable and delightful to free
agents as to do their own will. Our sanctification is
the will of God, and our salvation his good-pleasure,
nor is there any difference at all between
good-pleasure and delight, nor, consequently, between
the divine delight and the divine good will: yea the
will which God has to do man good is called good,(2)
because it is amiable, kind, favourable, agreeable,
delicious, and as the Greeks, after S. Paul, said; it
is a true Philanthropy, that is a benevolence or a
will entirely loving towards men.
All the celestial temple of the triumphant and of
the militant Church resounds on every side with the
canticles of this sweet love of God towards us. And
the most sacred body of our Saviour, as a most holy
temple of his divinity, is all decorated with the
marks and tokens of this benevolence. So that in
visiting the divine temple we behold the loving
delights which his heart takes in doing us favours.
Let us then a thousand times a day turn our eyes
upon this loving will of God, and, making ours melt
into it, let us devoutly cry out: O goodness
infinitely sweet, how amiable is thy will, how
desirable are thy favours! Thou hast created us for
eternal life, and, thy maternal bosom, with its
sacred swelling breasts of an incomparable love,
abounds in the milk of mercy, whether it be to pardon
sinners or to perfect the just. Ah! why do not we
then fasten our wills to thine, as children fasten
themselves on to their mother's breast, to draw the
milk of thy eternal benedictions!
Theotimus, we are to will our salvation in such
sort as God wills it; now he wills it by way of
desire, and we also must incessantly desire it,
following his desire. Nor does he will it only, but
in effect gives us all necessary means to attain it:
we then, in fulfilment of the desire we have to be
saved, must not only will, but in effect accept all
the graces which he has provided for us and offers
unto us. It is enough to say: I desire to be saved.
But with regard to the means of salvation, it is not
enough to say: I desire them; - but we must, with an
absolute resolution, will and embrace the graces
which God presents to us: for our will must
correspond with God's. And inasmuch as it gives us
the means of salvation, we ought to receive them, as
we ought to desire salvation in such sort as God
desires it for us, and because he desires it.
But it often happens that the means of attaining
salvation, considered in the gross and in general,
are according to our hearts' liking, but considered
piecemeal and in particular, are terrifying to us.
For have we not seen poor S. Peter prepared to
undergo in general all kind of torments, yea, death
itself, to follow his master, and yet, when it came
to the deed and performance, grow pale, tremble, and,
at the word of a simple maid, deny his master?
Every one deems himself able to drink our
Saviour's chalice with him, but when it is in fact
presented to us, we fly, we give up all. Things
proposed in detail make a more strong impression, and
more sensibly wound the imagination. And for this
reason we have advised in the Introduction that after
general affections we should descend to particular
ones in holy prayer.(3) David accepted particular
afflictions as an advancement towards his perfection,
when he sang in this wise: O Lord, how good it is for
me that thou hast humbled me, that I might learn thy
justifications!(4) So also were the Apostles joyous
in their tribulations, because they were held worthy
to endure ignominy for their Saviour's name.
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