ure in the remembrance of God? finds it sweetness therein? If the remembrance of God happen to thee amidst the Affairs and Dainties of the World, doth it find place in thy heart? doth it seize upon it? dost thou find thy heart turn towards God, and as it were go to meet him? certainly there are such souls in the world.

A Wife, when her Husband comes home from a long journey, so soon as she knows of his return, or hears his voice, although she be engaged in business, and detained from him by some necessity, yet her heart cannot be withheld from him, but abandons all other thoughts to think upon her Husband returned. It is the same with Souls that love God well; let them be never so busy, when the remembrance of God comes near them, they neglect all things else, for joy that this dear remembrance is returned.

Consider whether thou hast forsaken any affection, or renounced any thing for God's sake; for it is a great sign of love to deprive ourselves of any thing in consideration of him whom we love.

How lovest thou thyself? dost thou not love thyself too much for the world's sake? If so, then thou wilt desire to dwell always here, and wilt be very solicitous to establish thyself upon earth; but if thou love thyself for Heaven's sake, thou wilt desire, at least thou wilt be contented, to depart from hence whensoever it shall please our Saviour.

Dost thou keep good order in the love of thyself? for there is nothing ruins us but the inordinate love of our

selves. Now well-ordered love requires that we love the Soul better than the Body; that we take more care to store up virtue than any other thing; that we make more account of Heavenly Glory than of base and transitory Honor. A well-ordered heart will rather say in itself, What will the Angels say if I think upon such a thing? than What will men say?

But to speak in general in what state thy heart is towards thy Neighbor; dost thou love him cordially, and for God's sake? To discern this well, thou must represent to thyself certain peevish and crabbed persons; for it is to such people that we exercise the love of God towards our Neighbor, and much more towards such as have injured us either in word or deed. Examine well whether thy heart be right towards them, or whether thou findest any repugnancy against this love.

Art thou apt to speak ill of thy neighbor, and especially of such as love thee not? dost thou any prejudice to thy neighbor, directly or indirectly? if thou have the use of reason thou wilt easily discern thy defects.

But to abridge all; we must reduce our examen to the survey of our passions. What passion doth most of all possess it? in what hath it chiefly gone astray? For by the passions of the Soul we may judge of her estate, examining them one after another. For as he that plays on the Lute, by touching all the strings finds which are out of tune, and accords them, either by winding them up, or letting them down; so we, having examined the love, hatred, desire, fear, hope, sadness, or joy of our Souls, if

we find them out of tune for that air which we would play, which is the glory of God, we must tune them by means of his grace, and the directions of God's word. De Sales.

Although it be good and profitable that we should ask, and learn, and know what good and holy men have wrought and suffered, and how God hath dealt with them, and what he hath wrought in and through them, yet it were a thousand times better that we should in ourselves learn, and perceive, and understand who we are, how and what our own life is, what God is and is doing in us, what he will have from us, and to what ends he will or Thus that proverb is still true,

will not make use of us. "Going out were never so good, but staying at home were much better." Theologia Germanica.

When a man truly perceiveth and considereth himself, who and what he is, and findeth himself utterly vile and wicked, and unworthy of all the comfort and kindness that he hath ever received from God, or from the creatures, he falleth into such a deep abasement and despising of himself, that he thinketh himself unworthy that the earth should bear him, and it seemeth to him reasonable that all creatures in heaven and earth should rise up against him. And therefore, also, he will not and dare not desire any consolation or release, either from God, or from any creature that is in heaven or on earth; but he is willing to be unconsoled and unreleased, and he doth not

grieve over his condemnation and sufferings; for they are right and just, and not contrary to God, but according to the will of God. Therefore they are right in his eyes, and he hath nothing to say against them. Nothing grieveth him but his own guilt and wickedness; for that is not right and is contrary to God.

This is what is meant by true repentance for sin. And he who in this present time entereth into this hell, entereth afterward into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now God hath not forsaken a man in this hell, but He is laying His hand upon him, that the man may not desire nor regard any thing but the Eternal Good only, and then, when the man seeketh not himself, nor his own things, but the honor of God only, he is made a partaker of all manner of joy, bliss, peace, rest and consolation, and so the man is henceforth in the Kingdom of Heaven.

This hell and this heaven are two good safe ways for a man in this present time, and happy is he who truly findeth them. And when a man is in one of these states, all is right with him, and he is as safe,in hell as in heaven, and so long as a man is on earth, it is possible for him to pass ofttimes from the one into the other; nay, even within the space of a day and night. But when the man is in neither of these two states, he holdeth converse with the creature, and wavereth hither and thither, and knoweth not what manner of man he is. Therefore he shall never forget either of them, but lay up the remembrance of them in his heart. Theologia Germanica.

Desire not things which are far off; that is, such as cannot happen in a long time, as many do, who thereby do weary and distract their hearts unprofitably, and put themselves in danger of great disquiet. For such unprofitable desires fill up the place of others which I should have, of being patient, resigned, well mortified, very obedient, meek and mild in adversities, which is that which God would have me practise at that time.

Desire not crosses, but in proportion to the patience wherewith thou hast supported those which have been already sent to thee. For it is an abuse to desire Martyrdom, and not to have the courage to bear an injury. We fight with the Monsters of Africa in imagination, and in the mean time, for want of attention, we suffer ourselves to be slain by the little Serpents that lie in the way.

De Sales.

It is the great misfortune of Man to desire to enjoy those things which he should only use. 16.

Christians are too little aware what their religion requires from them with regard to their wishes. When we wish things to be otherwise than they are, we lose sight of the great practical parts of the life of godliness. We wish, and wish when, if we have done all that lies on us, we should fall quietly into the hands of God. Such wishing cuts the very sinews of our privileges and consolations. Cecil.