This is the last in a series of devotional letters on the practice of the presence of God by BROTHER L AW R EN C E
T o the Same: I am in pain to see you suffer so long. What gives me some ease and sweetens the feel ings I have for your griefs is that I am convinced that they are proofs of God’s love for you. Look at them in this light and you will bear them more easily. As your case is, it is my opinion that you should leave off hu man remedies, and resign yourself entirely to the providence of God. Perhaps He stays only for that resig nation and a perfect trust in Him to cure you. Since, notwithstanding all your cares, medicine has hitherto proved unsuccessful, and your mal ady still increases, it will not be tempting God to abandon yourself to Him and expect all from Him. I told you in my last that He some times permits the body to suffer to cure the sickness of the soul. Have courage, then; make a virtue of neces sity. Ask of God, not deliverance from the body’s pains, but strength to bear resolutely, for the love of Him, all that He should please, and as long as He shall desire. Such prayers, indeed, are a little hard to nature, but most acceptable to God, and sweet to those that love Him. Love sweetens pain; and when one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage. Do you so, I beseech you; comfort yourself with Him, who is the only physician of all our ills. He is the Father of the afflicted, always ready to help us. He loves us infinitely, more than we imagine. Love Him, then, and seek no other relief than in Him. I hope you will soon receive it. Adieu. I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are. I shall always be, in our Lord, Yours,------- Affectionate Compensation With Him To the Same: I render thanks to our Lord for having relieved you a little,
according to your desire. I have been often near expiring, but I never was so much satisfied as then. According ly, I did not pray for any relief, but I prayed for strength to suffer with courage, humility and love. Ah, how sweet it is to suffer with God! How ever great the sufferings may be, re ceive them with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him; so that if even now in this life we would en joy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, hum ble, affectionate conversation with Him. We must prevent our spirits’ wandering from Him upon any occa sion. We must make our heart a spir itual temple, wherein to adore Him unceasingly. We must watch contin ually over ourselves, that we may not do nor say nor think anything that may displease Him. When our minds are thus filled with God, suf fering will become full of sweetness, and of quiet joy. I know that to arrive at this state the beginning is very difficult, for we must act purely in faith. But though it is difficult, we know also that we can do all things with the grace of God, which He never re fuses to them who ask it earnestly. Knock, keep on knocking, and I an swer for it that He will open to you in His due time, and grant you all at once what He has deferred many years. Adieu. Pray to Him for me as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him very soon. January 22, 1691 I am, Yours,------ Brother Lawrence Meets His Lord To the Same: God knoweth best what is needful for us, and all that He does is for our good. If we knew how much He loves us, we should al ways be ready to receive equally and with indifference from His hand the sweet and the bitter. All would please
that came from Him. The sorest af flictions never appear intolerable, ex cept when we see them in the wrong light. When we see them as dis pensed by the hand of God, when we know that it is our loving Father who abases and distresses us, our sufferings lose all their bitterness and our mourning becomes all joy. Let all our business be to know God; the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. And as knowledge is commonly the meas ure of love, the deeper and more ex tensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love; and if our love of God be great, we shall love Him equally in grief and in joy. Let us not content ourselves with loving God for the mere sensible fa vors, how elevated soever, which He has done or may do us. Such favors, though never so great, cannot bring us so near to Him as faith does in one simple act. Let us seek Him oft en by faith. He is within us; seek Him not elsewhere. If we do love Him alone, are we not rude, and do we not deserve blame, if we busy ourselves about trifles which do not please and perhaps Offend Him? It is to be feared these trifles will one day cost us dear. Let us begin to be devoted to Him in good earnest. Let us cast every thing besides out of our hearts. He would possess them alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do what we can on our part, we shall soon see that change wrought in us which we as pire after. I cannot thank Him suf ficiently for the relief He has vouch safed you. I hope from His mercy the favor of seeing Him within a few days.* Let us pray for one another. Yours,— *He took to his bed two days after, and died within the week. END. I am, in our Lord, February 6, 1691
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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