CHAPTER XIV.

ON CONSIDERING GOD'S HIDDEN JUDGMENTS THAT WE MAY NOT BE PUFFED UP IN WELL-DOING.

HOU thunderest Thy judgments over me, O Lord, and shakest all my bones with fear and trembling, and my soul is greatly terrified.1 I stand astonished, and reflect, "The heavens are not clean in His sight."2 If "His angels He charged with folly," ,"3 and spared them not, what shall be done with

me?

The stars fell from heaven, and shall I, who am but dust, resume?4

Those whose work seemed deserving of praise fell to the west depths, and those who used to eat the food of angels ve I seen delighted with the husks left by the swine.5 2. There is, therefore, no sanctity if Thou, O Lord, withw Thy hand. No wisdom will avail, if Thou cease to l the helm. No courage will suffice, if Thou withhold

ob xxxvii. 1. "At this also my heart trembleth, and is 1 out of his place."

ob xv. 15.

od spared not the angels

n fell unto the earth." food: He sent them meat would fain have filled his eat."

Almighty, the Supreme, Who created all things out of nothing, subjected Myself to man humbly, for thy sake?1 I became the humblest and lowest that I might conquer thy pride by My humility.

“Thou dust! learn to obey. Learn to humble thyself, thou soil! thou refuse! and throw thyself beneath the feet of all men. Learn to break thy wishes, and to give thyself up to subjection.

3. "Be thou bitter against thyself; nor suffer pride to exist within thee, but show thyself so subject and so lowly, that all may walk over thee and tread upon thee, like the mud of the streets.

"What hast thou, O foolish man! of which thou canst complain? What, O wretched sinner! canst thou say to those who accuse thee, thou who hast so often offended God, and so very often hast deserved hell-fire?

"But Mine eye hath spared thee, because thy soul was precious in My sight, that thou mightest know My love, and mightest ever be grateful for My benefits, and that thou mightest continually give thyself to true subjection and humility, and mightest patiently bear thy merited contempt."2

1 Ecclesiasticus i. 8.

"There is one wise and greatly to be feared, the Lord sitting upon His throne."

2 1 Sam. xxiv. 10. "But mine eye spared thee." 1 Sam. xxvi. 21. "For I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day."

CHAPTER XIV.

ON CONSIDERING GOD'S HIDDEN JUDGMENTS THAT WE MAY NOT BE PUFFED UP IN WELL-DOING.

HOU thunderest Thy judgments over me, Lord, and shakest all my bones with fear and trembling, and my soul is greatly terrified.1 I stand astonished, and reflect, "The heavens are not clean in His sight." If "His angels He charged with folly," and spared them not, what shall be done with me?

The stars fell from heaven, and shall I, who am but dust, presume?4

Those whose work seemed deserving of praise fell to the lowest depths, and those who used to eat the food of angels have I seen delighted with the husks left by the swine.5

2. There is, therefore, no sanctity if Thou, O Lord, withdraw Thy hand. No wisdom will avail, if Thou cease to hold the helm. No courage will suffice, if Thou withhold

1 Job xxxvii. 1. "At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place."

2 Job xv. 15.

3 Job iv. 18; 2 Peter ii. 4. "For God spared not the angels that sinned."

4 Rev. vi. 13. "And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth." 5 Ps. lxxviii. 25. "Man did eat angels' food: He sent them meat to the full." S. Luke xv. 16. "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat."

L

Thy care. No chastity will be secure, if Thou do not protect it. No watchfulness of one's own will avail, if Thy blessed vigilance be not present.1 For if we be left, we sink and perish; if we have Thy presence, indeed we are lifted up and live. For we are unstable, but through Thee are made strong; we wax cold, but by Thee are aroused.

3. O, how humbly, how abjectly, ought I to think of myself, how absolutely nothing ought I to consider myself, if I seem to possess any good! O, how profoundly ought I to submit myself to the abyss of Thy judgments, O Lord, since I find that I am nothing else than nothing, and nothing! O weight not to be measured, O sea not to be crossed, when I find nothing in myself but nothing throughout! Where then is the lurking-place of glory, where the confidence placed in virtue?

All my vain-glory has been absorbed in the depths of Thy judgments towards me.

2

4. What is all flesh in Thy sight? Shall the clay boast itself against Him who moulded it? How can vain boasting arise if the heart is subjected to God in truth?3

For the whole world will not exalt him whom truth has subdued, neither will he be moved by the praise of all men whose whole hope is founded in God. For even those who speak, lo! they are all naught; they cease with the sound of their words, but "the truth of the Lord endureth for

1 Ps. cxxvii. 1. waketh but in vain." 2 1 Cor. i. 29.

3 Isaiah xlv. 9.

Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman

"That no flesh should glory in His presence."

"Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?" Rom. ix. 20. "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ?"

4 Ps. cxvii. 2.

CHAPTER XV.

HOW WE ARE TO ACT AND SPEAK IN REFERENCE TO

M

THINGS WE DESIRE.

Y son, speak thus in every matter:-"If it please Thee, O Lord, let this come to pass. If it shall be for Thine honour, O Lord, let this be done in Thy name. 1 O Lord, if Thou see it to be expedient for me, and if it have Thy sanction as useful, then do Thou grant me to use this for Thine honour; but if Thou know that it will be hurtful to me, and not conduce to the safety of my soul, remove such a desire from me.'

"For not every desire is from the Holy Spirit, even though it may seem to men right and good. It is difficult to judge for certain whether a good or an evil spirit impel thee to this or that desire, or whether thou art incited by thine own spirit. Many have been at last deceived who at first seemed to be induced by a good spirit.

2. "Therefore, with fear of God and with humility of heart, always pray for whatever occurs to thee as desirable, and above all, with complete resignation commit all to Me and say,-O Lord, Thou knowest what is best, let this or that be done as seemeth to Thee good. Give what Thou pleasest, how much Thou pleasest, when Thou pleasest.

1 James iv. 15. "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live."