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The greatest privilege attached to virtue is the care
which God exercises over those who serve Him. From
this, as from a fountainhead, flow all other favors.
Though God's providence is extended to all His
creatures, yet He manifests a special care for His
faithful servants. To appreciate the greatness and
goodness of God's providence we must have experienced
it, or attentively studied the Holy Scriptures,
which, from the beginning to the end, treat either
directly or indirectly of God's care for His
creatures. Throughout the Bible we behold two
characteristic features: on the one hand God
commanding man to obey Him, and on the other
promising him, in return for this obedience,
inestimable rewards. To those who disobey, He
threatens the severest torments. This doctrine is so
distributed through the Bible that all the moral
books contain God's commands and promises and
threats, while the historical books record the
fulfillment of the same, manifesting how differently
God deals with the just and with the wicked. All that
God commands us is to love and obey Him, and in
return He offers us inestimable blessings for this
life and the next. The most important of these
blessings is the fatherly love and care with which He
watches over His children. His solicitude for them
exceeds that of any earthly father. What man ever
reserved for his children an inheritance comparable
to that of eternal glory? What man ever suffered for
his children the torments endured by Our Saviour? At
no less a price than the last drop of His Blood He
purchased the Kingdom of Heaven. What can equal His
constant care for us? We are ever present to His
mind, and He constantly helps and supports us in all
the labors of life. "Thou hast upheld me by reason of
my innocence," says David, "and hast established me
in thy sight forever." (Ps. 40:13). And again: "The
eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto
their prayers. But the countenance of the Lord is
against them that do evil things: to cut off the
remembrance of them from the earth." (Ps. 33:16-17).
As the greatest reward of the Christian in this life
is God's fatherly care, and as our joy and confidence
must increase in proportion to our faith in this
providence, we shall add here a few passages from
Scripture in proof of this doctrine. In
Ecclesiasticus we read, "The eyes of the Lord are
upon them that fear him; he is their powerful
protector, and strong stay, a defence from the heat,
and a cover from the sun at noon; a preservation from
stumbling, and a help from falling; he raiseth up the
soul, and enlighteneth the eyes, and giveth health,
life, and blessing." (Ecclus. 34:19-20). "With the
Lord," says the prophet, "shall the steps of a man be
directed, and he shall like well his way. When he
shall fall he shall not be bruised, for the Lord
putteth his hand under him." (Ps. 36:23-24). And he
says again: "Many are the afflictions of the just,
but out of them all will the Lord deliver them. The
Lord keepeth all their bones; not one of them shall
be broken." (Ps. 33:20-21). This providence is still
more strongly set forth in the Gospel, where Our
Saviour affirms that not a hair of the just shall
perish. (Cf. Lk. 21:18). Even stronger is His
assurance expressed by the mouth of His prophet: "He
that toucheth you toucheth the apple of my eye."
(Zach. 2:8). Besides this care which He Himself
has for us, "He hath given his angels charge over
thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone." (Ps. 90:11-12). Thus the mission of
these pure spirits is to help the just, who are their
younger brethren, to walk in the way of piety. Nor
does their ministry cease at death, for we read in
St. Luke that the holy beggar Lazarus was carried by
angels into Abraham's bosom. (Cf. Lk. 16:22). The
royal prophet tells us that "the angel of the Lord
shall encamp round about them that fear him, and
shall deliver them." (Ps. 33:8). We find another
illustration of God's guardianship and defence of the
just in the Fourth Book of Kings (4Kg. 6), where we
are told that when the servant of Eliseus feared for
his master, against whom the King of Syria with all
his army advanced, the prophet begged the Lord to
open the eyes of his servant, to show him that there
were as many for Eliseus as there were coming against
him. The prophet's prayer was heard, and the servants
beheld the mountain full of horses and chariots of
fire, and in the midst of them Eliseus. Does not the
Holy Spirit will to teach us by these symbols the
care with which God surrounds the just? This
protection not only delivers the just from evil and
leads them to good, but turns to their profit the
sins into which they are sometimes permitted to fall.
For after a fall they acquire greater prudence,
greater humility, and love God more tenderly for
pardoning their offences and delivering them from
their evils. Hence the Apostle tells us, "All things
work together unto good" to them that love God. (Rom.
8:28). And this protection God extends to the
children of the just and to all their posterity, as
He Himself assures us, saying, "I am the Lord thy
God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy
unto thousands to them that love me and keep my
commandments." (Ex. 20:5-6). His words are verified
in His treatment of the house of David, for whose
sake He would not destroy his posterity, though they
several times merited it by their crimes. No less striking was His mercy to the children of
Abraham, for whose sake He repeatedly pardoned them.
He even promised that Ismael, Abraham's son, though
born of a bondwoman, should "increase and multiply
exceedingly," and grow into a great nation. (Gen.
17:20). He protected even the holy patriarch's
servant, whom He guided in his journey and instructed
in the means he should adopt to procure a wife for
Isaac. He is not only merciful to servants for the
sake of a good master, but He even blesses wicked
masters because of just servants, as we see in the
history of Joseph, whose master God visited with
prosperity because of the virtuous youth who abode in
his house. Who, then, would not be devoted to so
generous, so grateful a Master, who watches so
carefully over the interest of His servants?
Numerous are the titles which the Holy Scriptures use
to express God's providence. The one most frequently
recurring is the sweet name of Father, which we find
not only in the Gospel but also throughout the Old
Testament. Thus the Psalmist says, "As a father hath
compassion on his children, so hath the Lord
compassion on them that fear him; for he knoweth our
frame, he remembereth that we are dust." (Ps. 102:
13-14). But because the love of a mother is deeper
and more tender than that of a father, God makes use
of it to express His care and solicitude for the
just. "Can a woman," He says by the mouth of His
prophet, "forget her infant, so as not to have pity
on the son of her womb? And if she should forget, yet
will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee in
my hands; thy walls are always before my eyes." (Is.
49:15-16). What sweeter or more tender assurances of
love could God express?
And shall we continue blind to so many proofs of His
tenderness? And not content with illustrating His
love for us by that of a mother, He compares His
watchfulness to that of the eagle, a creature noted
for its devotion to its young, saying by Moses, "As
the eagle enticing her young to fly, and hovering
over them, he spread his wings, and hath taken him
and carried him on his shoulders." (Deut. 32:11 ).
Even more forcibly did Moses express the paternal
goodness of God when he told the Israelites, "The
Lord thy God hath carried thee, as a man is wont to
carry his little son, all the way that you have come,
until you came to this place." (Deut. 1:31 ). As
our Father, God does not disdain to call us His
children, His cherished children, as the prophet
Jeremias attests when, speaking in the name of God,
he says, "Surely Ephraim is an honorable son to me,
surely he is a tender child; for since I spoke of
him, I will still remember him. Therefore are my
bowels troubled for him; pitying I will pity him." (Jer.
31:20). Let us ponder these words, which are uttered
by God Himself, that they may inflame our hearts and
move us to make some return for His affectionate
tenderness to us.
It is an illustration of this same providence that
God assumes the title of Shepherd. "I am the good
shepherd," He tells us; "and I know mine, and mine
know me." (Jn. 10:14). How dost Thou know them, O
Lord? "As the Father knoweth me, and I know the
Father." (Jn. 10:15). Oh! Blessed care! Oh! Sovereign
providence! What happiness is comparable to this?
Hear the prophet Ezechiel, speaking in the person of
God, and beautifully describing His loving
watchfulness over us: "Behold I myself will seek my
sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visiteth
his flock in the day when he shall be in the midst of
his sheep that were scattered, so will I visit my
sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where
they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will
gather them out of the countries, and will bring them
to their own land; and I will feed them in the
mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the
habitations of the land. I will feed them in the most
fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the
high mountains of Israel. There shall they rest on
the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the
mountains of Israel. I will feed my sheep; and I will
cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will
seek that which was lost, and that which was driven
away I will bring again; and I will bind up that
which was broken, and I will strengthen that which
was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will
preserve; and I will feed them in judgment" (Ezech.
34:11-17) � that is, with great care and tenderness.
"I will make a covenant of peace with them," the
prophet continues, "and will cause the evil beasts to
cease out of the land; and they that dwell in the
wilderness shall sleep secure in the forests. And I
will make them a blessing round about my hill; and I
will send down the rain in its season. There shall be
showers of blessing." (Ezech. 34: 25-26). In what
stronger terms could God express the tenderness of
His love? It is needless to say that the flock
mentioned represents the just, and the fat lands and
pastures the spiritual riches and treasures with
which God surrounds them. The Holy Spirit makes use
of the same touching figure again in the
Twenty-second Psalm, where the different offices of a
shepherd are portrayed. God is our Shepherd,
because He guides us; He is also our King, because He
protects us; our Master, because He instructs us; our
Physician, because He heals us; and our Guardian,
because He watches over us. Holy Scripture is full of
these names. But the tenderest of all, the one which
best expresses His love, is that of Spouse, which
occurs most frequently in the Canticles of Canticles,
though mentioned many times in other parts of the
Scriptures. With this name would He have even sinners
invoke Him: "From this time call to me: Thou art my
father, the guide of my virginity." (Jer. 3:4). But why seek in Scripture various names? Cannot every
name expressive of good be applied to Our Saviour?
Does not he who seeks and loves Him find in Him the
fulfillment of all his desires? Hence, St. Ambrose
says, "We possess all things in Christ, or rather
Christ is all things to us. If you would be healed of
your wounds, He is a Physician; if you thirst, He is
a living Fountain; if you fear death, He is your
Life; if you are weary of the burden of sin, He is
your Justification; if you hate darkness, He is
uncreated Light; if you would reach Heaven, He is the
Way; if you hunger, He is your Food." (De Virg. L.3).
Behold how numerous are the titles which represent
this one and indivisible God, who is all things to us
for the healing of our innumerable infirmities. We
have selected a few of the passages of Scripture
bearing on our subject, to comfort the just and to
win and encourage souls who have not yet begun to
serve God. These consoling truths will support them
in labor; will reassure them in danger; will comfort
them m tribulation; will inflame them with love for
so good a Master, and impel them to give themselves
wholly to the service of Him who gives Himself so
completely to them. Thus we see that the principal
foundation of the Christian life is the practical
knowledge of this truth. What are all the promises
of the world compared to the assurance and hopes
contained in these blessed titles? How much reason
have they to rejoice who are the objects of the love
of which the Scriptures speak in such beautiful
terms! "Be glad in the Lord," says the prophet, "and
rejoice, ye just; and glory, all ye right of heart."
(Ps. 31: 11). Yes, let others rejoice in honors, in
riches, or in dignities; but you who possess God for
your portion enjoy an inheritance which exceeds all
other blessings as far as God exceeds all created
things. "They have called the people happy," says the
psalmist, "that hath these things; but happy is that
people whose God is the Lord." (Ps. 143:15). Why,
O prophet? Because in possessing God all things are
possessed. Therefore, though I am a king and the
ruler of a great nation, I will glory only in the
Lord. How, then, can men refuse to serve Him who is
the Source of all blessings? "What iniquity have your
fathers found in me," God asks by the mouth of His
prophet, "that they are gone far from me, and have
walked after vanity, and are become vain? Am I become
a wilderness to Israel, or a lateward springing
land?" (Jer. 2:5,31). If God complains so bitterly of
the ingratitude of a people who had received from Him
but temporal favors, how much more reason has He to
reproach us, upon whom He has lavished so many
spiritual and divine blessings! If unmoved by the
loving providence of God towards the just, at least
be not insensible to the rigor with which He punishes
the wicked, to whom His justice is meted out
according to their own measure. For if they forget
their Creator, He will forget them. If they despise
Him, He will despise them. How miserable will their
condition then be! They will be as a school without a
master, a ship without a rudder, a flock without a
shepherd. "I will not feed you," God says; "that
which dieth, let it die; and that which is cut off,
let it be cut off. Let the rest devour every one the
flesh of his neighbor." (Zach. 11:9). "I will hide my
face from them, and will consider what their last end
shall be." (Deut. 32:20). The just punishment
inflicted by God on the wicked is still more plainly
declared in Isaias. The prophet speaks of his people
under the figure of a vine which has been carefully
pruned and dressed, but has failed to bear fruit.
God, therefore, pronounces sentence against it: "I
will show you what I will do to my vineyard. I will
take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted.
I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be
trodden down. And I will make it desolate; it shall
not be pruned, and it shall not be digged; but briers
and thorns shall come up; and I will command the
clouds to rain no rain upon it." (Is. 5:5-6). That
is, God will take from man all the efficacious help
and protection which he ungratefully refused, and
will leave him to inevitable ruin and destruction.
What greater misfortune can befall a man than to be
thus deprived of God's care in a world beset with
dangers? With what arms will a creature so frail,
helpless, and blind resist the attacks of the
numerous enemies that assail him? Where will he find
strength to resist them? Who will enlighten him, to
enable him to avoid their snares? Without the divine
assistance, how can he avoid destruction?
But the punishment of the wicked does not end here.
God not only abandons them to their weakness, but
scourges them with His justice, so that the eyes
which hitherto watched for their happiness now look
unmoved upon their ruin. This God Himself tells us by
the mouth of the prophet: "I will set my eyes upon
them for evil, and not for good" (Amos 9:4) � that
is, the providence which hitherto watched for their
defence will now work for vengeance on their crimes
and disorders.
Even more expressive is the language of Osee: "I will
be like a moth to Ephraim, and like rottenness to the
house of Juda. I will be like a lioness to Ephraim,
and like a lion's whelp to the house of Juda: I, I
will catch, and go; I will take away, and there is
none that can rescue." (Osee 5:12,14). Here also the
prophet Amos, who, after telling us that God will put
the wicked to the sword for their sins of
covetousness, thus continues: "They shall flee, and
he that shall flee of them shall not be delivered.
Though they go down even to hell, thence shall my
hand bring them out; and though they climb up to
heaven, thence will I bring them down. And though
they be hid in the top of Carmel, I will search and
take them away from there; and though they hide
themselves in the depth of the sea, there will I
command the serpent, and he shall bite them. And if
they go into captivity before their enemies, there
will I command the sword, and it shall kill them. And
I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for
good." (Amos 9:1-4). Who can read these words,
remembering that they are uttered by God, and not
tremble at the misfortune of having an enemy so
powerful and so relentless in seeking his
destruction? What rest or peace can he enjoy who
knows that God's eyes are upon him with wrath and
indignation? If it be so great a calamity to lose
God's love, what must it be to have His providence
armed against you; to have turned against you that
sword which was formerly drawn in your defence; to
have your destruction now viewed without emotion by
those eyes which formerly watched so solicitously for
your welfare; to have that arm which hitherto
sustained you now stretched forth to annihilate you;
to have that Heart which in the time of your goodness
breathed but love and peace fox you now filled with
projects for your abasement; to have your shield and
defence changed into a moth to consume you, a roaring
lion to devour you? Who can sleep securely, knowing
that God is over him like the rod of Jeremias to
chastise him? Who can thwart the designs of God? What
power can resist His arm? "Who hath resisted him,"
says Job, "and hath had peace?" (Job 9:4). Numerous are the passages in Scripture in which God
threatened the withdrawal of His providence as one of
the most terrible punishments which He could inflict
upon the sinner. "My people heard not my voice," He
says, "and Israel hearkened not to me. So I let them
go according to the desires of their heart. They
shall walk in their own inventions." (Ps. 80:12-13).
Abandoned to the desires of their corrupt hearts,
they will proceed from disorder to disorder until
their ruin is accomplished. What, then, is man
without God, but a garden without a gardener, a ship
without a pilot, a state without a ruler, an army
without a general, a body without a soul? Behold,
dear Christian, how God's providence encompasses you.
If you are not incited to fidelity through gratitude
for His paternal care, at least the fear of
abandonment by Him should impel you to serve Him. For
many are moved by threats and the fear of punishment,
while they remain utterly insensible to the hope of
favor or reward.
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