the knowledge and love of God, re solving to use his utmost endeavor to live in a continual sense of His presence, and, if possible, never to forget Him more. That when he had thus in prayer filled his mind .with great sentiments of that infinite Being, he went to his work appointed in the kitchen (for he was cook to the society). There having first considered severally the things his office required, and when and how each thing was to be done, he spent all the intervals of his time, as well before as after his work, in prayer. That when he began his business, he said to God, with a filial trust in Him: O my God, since Thou art with me, and 1 must now, in obedi ence to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, / be seech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections. As he proceeded in his work he continued his familiar conversation with his Maker, imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions. When he had finished he examined himself how he had discharged his duty; if he found well, he returned thanks to God; if otherwise, he asked pardon; and without being discour aged, he set his mind right again, and continued his exercise of the presence of God, as if he had never deviated from it. “ Thus,” said he, “ by rising after my falls, and by frequently re newed acts of faith and love, I am come to a state wherein it would be as difficult for me not to think of God as it was at first to accustom myself to it.” As Brother Lawrence had found such an advantage in walking in the presence of God, it was natural for him to recommend it earnestly to others; but his example was a stronger inducement than any argu ments he could propose. His very countenance was edifying, such a sweet and calm devotion appearing in it as could not but affect the behold ers. And it was observed that in the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen, he still preserved his recol lection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty nor loitering, but did each thing in its season, with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquillity of spirit. “ The time, of business,” said he. “ does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things. I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at sacra ment.” END.
selves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us. That we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. That we should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavors, but that at last we should gain a habit, which will naturally produce its acts in us, without our care, and to our exceed ing great delight. That the whole substance of re ligion was faith, hope, and love, by the practice of which we become united to. the will of God; that all besides is indifferent, and to be used as a means that we may arrive at our end, and be swallowed up there in, by faith and love. That all things are possible to him who believes; that they are less dif ficult to him who hopes; that they, are more easy to him who loves, and still more easy to him who perseveres in the practice of these virtues. That the end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshipers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity. That when we enter upon the spir itual life, we should consider and examine to the bottom what we are. And then we should find ourselves worthy of all contempt, and not de serving indeed the name of Chris tians; subject to all kinds of misery and numberless accidents, which trou ble us and cause perpetual vicissitudes in our health, in our humors, in our internal and external dispositions. After this we should not wonder that troubles, temptations, oppositions, and contradictions happened to us from men. We ought, on the contrary, to submit ourselves to them, and bear them as long as God pleases, as things highly advantageous to us. That the greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon divine grace. Being questioned by one of his own society (to whom he was obliged to open himself) by what means he had attained such an habitual sense of God, he told him that he had consid ered God as the end of all his thoughts and desires, as the mark to which they should tend, and in which they should terminate. That in the beginning he spent the hours appointed for private prayer in thinking of God, so as to convince his mind of, and to impress deeply upon his heart, the divine existence, rather by devout sentiments, and sub mission to the lights of faith, than by studied reasonings and elaborate meditations. That by this short and sure method he exercised himself in
He told me that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are aware does not lead to God, that we might accustom our selves to a continual conversation with Him, with freedom and simplicity. That we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, and to ad dress ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us; offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done. That in this conversation with God we are also employed in praising, adoring, and loving Him unceasingly, for His infinite goodness and perfec tion. That, without being discouraged on account of our sins, we should pray for His grace with a perfect confi dence, as relying upon the infinite merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. That God never failed offering us His grace at each action; that he distinctly per ceived it, and never failed of it, un less when his thoughts had wandered from a sense of God’s presence, or he had forgotten to ask His assistance. That God always gave us light in our doubts when we had no other design but to please Him. That our sanctification did not de pend upon changing our, works, but in doing that for God’s sake which we commonly do for. our own. That it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works, which they performed very im perfectly, by reason of their human or selfish regards. That the most excellent method he had found of going to God was that of doing our common business with out any view of pleasing men, and (as far as we are capable) purely for the love of God. That it was a great delusion to think that the times of prayer ought to differ from other times; that we are as strictly obliged to adhere to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer. That his idea of prayer was noth ing else but a sense of the presence of God, his soul being at that time in sensible to everything but divine love; and that when the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no differ ence, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might, so that he passed his life in continual joy; yet hoped that God would give him somewhat to suffer when he should grow stronger. That we ought, once for all, heart ily to put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of our
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