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The divine good-pleasure is scarcely known otherwise
than by events, and as long as it is unknown to us,
we must keep as close as possible to the will of God
which is already declared or signified to us: but as
soon as the Divine Majesty's pleasure appears, we
must at once lovingly yield ourselves to its
obedience.
My mother (or it would be the same of myself) is
ill in bed: how do I know whether God intends death
to follow or not? Of course I cannot know; but I know
well that while awaiting the event from his
good-pleasure, he wills, by his declared will, that I
use remedies proper to effect a cure. But if it be
the Divine pleasure that the disease, victorious over
the remedies, should at last bring death - as soon as
ever I am certain of this by the actual event, I will
amorously acquiesce, in the point of my spirit, in
spite of all the opposition of the inferior powers of
my soul. Yes, Lord, I will say, it is my will because
thy good-pleasure is such; thus it has pleased thee,
and so it shall please me, who am the most humble
servant of thy will.
But if the Divine pleasure were declared to me
before the event took place, as was to the great S.
Peter the manner of his death, to the great S. Paul
his chains and prisons, to Jeremias the destruction
of his dear Jerusalem, to David the death of his son,
- then we should have at the same instant to unite
our will to God's in imitation of the great Abraham,
and, like him, if we had such a command, we should
have to undertake the execution of the eternal decree
even in the slaying of our children: Oh admirable
union of this patriarch's will to the will of God,
when, believing that it was the Divine pleasure that
he should sacrifice his child, he willed and
undertook it so courageously! admirable that of the
child, who so meekly submitted himself to his
father's sword, to have God's good-pleasure performed
at the price of his own death!
But note here, Theotimus, a mark of the perfect
union of an indifferent heart with the Divine
pleasure. Behold Abraham with the sword in his hand,
his arm extended ready to give the deathblow to his
dear only son: he is doing this to please the Divine
will; and see at the same time an angel, who, on the
part of this same will, suddenly stops him, and
immediately he holds his stroke, equally ready to
sacrifice or not to sacrifice his son; whose life and
whose death are indifferent to him in the presence of
God's will. When God gives him an order to sacrifice
his son he does not grow sad, when God dispenses with
the order given he does not rejoice, all is one to
this great heart, so that God's will be fulfilled.
Yes, Theotimus, for God oftentimes to exercise us
in this holy Indifference, inspires us with very high
designs, which yet he will not have accomplished, and
as then we are boldly, courageously and constantly to
commence and to pursue the work as far as we can, so
are we sweetly and quietly to acquiesce in such
result of our enterprise as it pleases God to send
us.
S. Louis by inspiration passed the sea to conquer
the Holy Land; the event answered not his
expectation, he sweetly acquiesces. I more esteem the
tranquillity of this submission than the magnanimity
of his enterprise. S. Francis went into Egypt to
convert the infidels, or amongst the infidels to die
a martyr; such was the will of God: yet he returned
without performing either, and that was also God's
will. It was equally the will of God that S. Anthony
of Padua desired martyrdom and that he obtained it
not.
Blessed (S.) Ignatius of Loyola having with such
pains put on foot the Company of the name of Jesus,
from which he saw so many fair fruits and foresaw
many more in the time to come, had yet the nobility
of soul to promise himself that though he should see
it dissolved (which would be the bitterest pain that
could befal him), within half an hour afterwards he
would be stayed and tranquil in the will of God.
John of Avila, that holy and learned preacher of
Andalusia, having a design to form a company of
reformed priests for the advancement of God's glory,
and having already made good progress in the matter,
as soon as he saw the Jesuits in the field, thinking
they were enough for that time, immediately stopped
his own undertaking, with an incomparable meekness
and humility.
Oh how blessed are such souls, bold and strong in
the undertakings God proposes to them, and withal
tractable and facile in giving them over when God so
disposes! These are marks of a most perfect
Indifference, to leave off doing a good when God
pleases, and to return from half way when God's will,
which is our guide, ordains it.
Jonas was much to blame in being angry because
God, as he considered, did not fulfil his prophecy
upon Ninive. Jonas did God's will in announcing the
destruction of Ninive; but he mingled his own
interest and will with that of God; whence, seeing
that God did not fulfil his prediction according to
the rigour of the words he had used in announcing it,
he was offended and shamefully murmured. Whereas if
God's will had been the only motive of his actions,
he would have been as well content to have seen it
accomplished in remission of the penalty which Ninive
had merited, as in punishment of the fault which
Ninive had committed. We desire that what we
undertake or manage should succeed, but it is not
reasonable that God should do all after our liking.
If God wills Ninive to be threatened, and yet not
overthrown (since the threat is sufficient to correct
it), why should Jonas think himself aggrieved?
But if this be so, we are then to care for (affectionner)
nothing, but abandon our affairs to the mercy of
events? Pardon me, Theotimus, we are to omit nothing
which is requisite to bring the work which God has
put into our hands to a happy issue, yet upon
condition that, if the event be contrary, we should
lovingly and peaceably embrace it. For we are
commanded to have great care in what appertains to
God's glory and to our charge, but we are not bound
to, or responsible for, the event, because it is not
in our power.
Take care of him, was it said to the innkeeper, in
the parable of the poor man who lay half-dead between
Jerusalem and Jericho. It is not said, as St. Bernard
remarks, cure him, but, take care of him. So the
Apostles with most earnest affection preached first
to the Jews, though they foresaw that in the end they
would be forced to leave them as an unfruitful soil,
and betake themselves to the Gentiles. It is our part
to plant and water carefully, but to give increase -
that belongs only to God.
The great Psalmist makes this prayer to our Saviour
as by an exclamation of joy and with presage of
victory: O Lord in thy comeliness and thy beauty,
bend thy bow, proceed prosperously and mount thy
horse.(1) As though he would say that by the arrows
of his heavenly love shot into human hearts, he made
himself master of men, and then handled them at his
pleasure, not unlike to a horse well trained. O Lord
thou art the royal rider, who turnest the hearts of
thy faithful lovers every way about: sometimes thou
givest them the rein, and they run at full speed in
the courses to which thou impellest them: and then,
when it seems good to thee, thou makest them stop in
the midst of their career and at the height of their
speed.
But further, if the enterprise begun by inspiration
fail by the fault of those to whom it was committed,
how can it then be said that a man is to acquiesce in
God's will? For, some one will say to me, it is not
God's will that hinders the success, but my fault.
This is not caused by God's will, for God is not
author of sin; but yet for all that, it is God's will
that your fault should be followed by the overthrow
and failure of your design, in punishment of your
fault; for though his goodness cannot permit him to
will your fault, yet does his justice make him will
the punishment you suffer for it. So God was not the
cause that David offended, yet it was God that
inflicted upon him the pain due to his sin. He was
not the cause of Saul's sin, but he was the cause
that in punishment of it the victory fell from his
hands.
When therefore it happens that in punishment of
our fault our holy designs have not good success, we
must equally detest the fault by a solid repentance,
and accept its punishment; for as the sin is against
the will of God, so the punishment is according to
his will.
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