The Practice of the Presence of God the Best Rule of a Holy Life Part 4

TWELFTH LETTER.

If we were well accustomed to the exercise of _the presence of_ G.o.d, all bodily diseases would be much alleviated thereby. G.o.d often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue _with_ Him.

Take courage: offer Him your pains incessantly: pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with G.o.d, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities, offer yourself to Him from time to time, and in the height of your sufferings, beseech Him humbly and affectionately (as a child his father) to make you conformable to His holy-will. I shall endeavor to a.s.sist you with my poor prayers.

G.o.d has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes hides Himself from us, but _faith_ alone, which will not fail us in time of need, ought to be our support, and the foundation of our confidence, which must be all in G.o.d.

I know not how G.o.d will dispose of me. I am always happy. All the world suffer; and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and so great that I can scarce contain them.

I would willingly ask of G.o.d a part of your sufferings, but that I know my weakness, which is so great, that if He left me one moment to myself I should be the most wretched man alive. And yet I know not how He can leave me alone, because faith gives me as strong a conviction as sense can do, that He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us be always with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do you pray for me, as I for you.

I am, Yours, &c.

THIRTEENTH LETTER.

_To the Same_.

I am in pain to see you suffer so long. What gives me some ease and sweetens the feelings I have for your griefs is, that they are proofs of G.o.d'S love towards you. See them in that view and you will bear them more easily. As your case is, it is my opinion that you should leave off human remedies, and resign yourself entirely to the providence of G.o.d: perhaps He stays only for that resignation and a perfect trust in Him to cure you. Since, notwithstanding all your cares, physic has. .h.i.therto proved unsuccessful, and your malady still increases, it will not be tempting G.o.d to abandon yourself in His hands, and expect all from Him.

I told you in my last that He sometimes permits bodily diseases to cure the distempers of the soul. Have courage then: make a virtue of necessity. Ask of G.o.d, not deliverance from your pains, but strength to bear resolutely, for the love of Him, all that He should please, and as long as He shall please.

Such prayers, indeed, are a little hard to nature, but most acceptable to G.o.d, and sweet to those that love Him. Love sweetens pains; and when one loves G.o.d, 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 maladies. 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 consolation elsewhere. I hope you will soon receive it. Adieu. I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are, and shall always be, in our LORD Yours, &c.

FOURTEENTH LETTER.

_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. Accordingly, 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 G.o.d! However great the sufferings may be, receive them with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him; so that if in this life we would enjoy the peace of paradise we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, affectionate conversation with Him. We must hinder our spirits wandering from Him upon any occasion. We must make our heart a spiritual temple, wherein to adore Him incessantly. We must watch continually over ourselves, that we may not do, nor say, nor think anything that may displease Him. When our minds are thus employed about G.o.d, suffering will become full of unction and consolation.

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 G.o.d, which He never refuses to them who ask it earnestly. Knock, persevere in knocking, and I answer for it that He will open to you in His due time, and grant you all at once what He has deferred during many years. Adieu!

Pray to Him for me, as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him quickly.

I am, Yours, &c.

FIFTEENTH LETTER.

_To the Same_.

G.o.d 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 always 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 afflictions never appear intolerable, except when we see them in the wrong light. When we see them as dispensed by the hand of G.o.d, when we know that it is our loving FATHER who abases and distresses us, our sufferings will lose their bitterness, and become even matter of consolation.

Let all our employment be to _know_ G.o.d: the more one _knows_ Him, the more one _desires_ to know Him. And as _knowledge_ is commonly the measure of _love_, the deeper and more extensive our _knowledge_ shall be, the greater will be our _love_: and if our love of G.o.d were great, we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures.

Let us not content ourselves with loving G.o.d for the mere sensible favors, 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 often 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 everything besides out of our hearts. He would possess them alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do what we can on our parts, we shall soon see that change wrought in us which we aspire after. I cannot thank Him sufficiently for the relaxation He has vouchsafed you. I hope from His mercy the favor to see Him within a few days.[4] Let us pray for one another.

I am, in our LORD, Yours, &c.

NOTES:

[1: Gal. i, 10; Eph. vi, 5, 6.]

[2: The particulars which follow are collected from other accounts of Brother Lawrence.]

[3: _I suppose he means_ that all distinct notions he could form of G.o.d, were unsatisfactory, because he perceived them to be unworthy of G.o.d; and therefore his mind was not to be satisfied but by the views of _faith_, which apprehend G.o.d as infinite and incomprehensible, as He is in Himself, and not as He can be conceived by human ideas.]

[4: He took to his bed two days after, and died within the week.]