November 5 — On the Perfection of our ordinary Actions

Consider, first, the error of a great many Christians, in placing sanctity in such things as indeed are no part of it. Thus some suppose, that, in order to be a saint, one must work miracles. Now, St John the Baptist was one of the greatest of saints, and yet wrought no miracle. 8t. John x. 41. And, indeed, one single act of humility or sel (denial, or of the love of God, goes farther towards the making of a saint, than even the raising of the dead to life. Others, again, vainly imagine, that sanctity consists in having?kions, revelations and ecstasies, or in the gifts of prophecy, Of tongues, or of an eminent knowledge of the most sublime and di vine truths; because they often meet with such things as these in the lives of saints; but none of these things made them saints, and they have been even found in such as were no saints; whilst, on the other hand, many eminent saints have had none of them; neither ought any humble Christian to desire or to seek for such things as these; though every Christian ought to desire, and to endeavour to be a saint. • Nor does sanctity consist in much fasting, or in wearing hair shirts, or in taking disciplines, or in giving large alms, or in reciting long prayers, or in any other extraordinary practices or observances; all which, however good in themselves, have been found in hypocrites, or in such as have been, all the while, slaves to pride, self-love, and passion. But true sanctity consists in unfeigned charity, in both its branches, that IS, both as it regards the love of God, and of our neighbours: it consists in a conformity with the will of God in all things, and adhering close to him: it consists in being humble of heart, and sincerely despising ourselves: it consists in denying ourselves, and caking up our cross, and following Christ. Such as do these things are saints; where any of these is wanting, there is no sanctity.

Consider, secondly, that sanctity does not so much depend upon doing extraordinary actions, as upon doing our ordinary actions extraordinarily well. Our life passes away in the daily ordinary actions, which take up our time from morning till night; such as our rising, our morning exercise, our daily labours, or the business of our calling, our regular devotions, and spiritual lectures, our meals, our conversation, the employment of ottr thoughts, when our hands are at work, our examination of conscience at night, and our evening exercise, Now, if all these daily performances are done extraordinarily well, our whole time will be spent extraordinarily well; and nothing more will be required to make us saints. Neither will it coM us more to do them well, than to do them ill: on the contrary, the better we perform them, and the more diligent and fervent we are in them, the more easy and delig htfui thej will be to us; and the grace of God and his blessing will go along with all we do. O, now inexcusable, then, are we, O my soul, if we do not strive to be saints, when we may attain to this happiness, even by our daily ordinary actions, provided we perform them with due perfection!

Consider, thirdly, that the perfection of our ordinary actions depends upon the purity of intention with which we perform them; on our attention to God in all that we do, and our seasoning all our labours and employments with frequent aspirations and ejaculations of divine love, and frequent oblations of ourselves and of all that we do to God. By the ordinance the day gocth on, saitl EYEKY DAT IN TKE TEAR..he royal prophet, (Psalm cxviii. 91,) for all things serve thee Yes, my soul, all things continually serve the Lord, but the rebe angels, and the rebellious will of man. Now, this rebellious will of ours we bring to serve him, by beginning the day with an ob> lation of our whole selves to him; by directing all our thoughts, words and actions, by a pure intention, to his glory; by making his holy will the rule of all we do; by beginning every work with an offering of what we are going to do, together with an offering of our hearts to him; and by often renewing this offering in the midst of our works; by doing all our actions, as much as we can, in his presence; and by intermingling acts of divine love with all we do. Thus shall all our days be found to he full days; thus shall they all go on by Gods ordinance; thus shall they cdl serve him.

Conclude to take great care to give to all thy ordinary actions their due perfection, by following these rules. And as to thy daily employments, and all the business and labours of thy lawful calling, ever consider them as appointed thee by tlie holy wdl of God, and ever perform them in compliance with, and in obelienee to, his heavenly will; thus thou mayst make them all acts of virtue, and even acts of divine love. And if these thy daily employments be laborious, or otherwise mortifying or disagreeable to thy self-love, thou mayst also make them acts of penance, by accepting of them as imposed upon thee by God for thy sins, and offering them up to God, in union with the labours and sufferings of Jesus Christ, for thy sins.