Thirty-first Day. Sentiments of divine love

I. We love him, because he first loved us.'' 1 John iv. 19. But when shall we return love for love? When shall we seek after him who seeks after us, and who bears us in his arms? It is within his tender and fatherly bosom that we forget him: it is through the sweetness of his gifts that we cease to think of him. What lie gives us every moment, instead of tenderly affecting, does but serve to amlise us. He is the fountain of all pleasures; the creatures are but the channels, and the channel makes us count the source as nothing. His immense love pursues us every where, and we continually fly from its pursuits 1

9£ Reflections,

He is every where, and we see liiai no where! We think ourselves alone when we have none but him. He doeth all, and we rely not upon him in any thing! We think our affairs to be all desperate, when we have no resource left us but what his providence can supply, as if infinite and almighty love was able to do nothing; O monstrous folly! O subversion of the whole man! II. Yet thou, O Love, bearest with us! thou waitest on us with patience wUhout end, and even seemestby thy excess of patience to indulge our ingratitudes: even they wh.i desire to love thee, love thee only for themselves, for their comfort,or their security. Where are they that love thee for thy own sake? Where are they that love thee, because they were created for no other end but to love thee? They are unknown amongst men; and their names are written only in thy book. But to what purpose doth the world subsist, if we love not ihee, and if we love thee not so as to be made sensible that the love of thee is above every other blessing? This was thy intention in producing without thee what is not thyself; thy design was to create beings, who holding all from thee, should devote themselves to thee alone.

On the words, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke xi. 1.

O Lord, I knov/ not what I should ask of thee. Thou only knowest what 1 want: and thou lovest me better than I can love mjself. O Lord give to me, thy child, what is proper, yhatsoever it may he. I dare not ask either crosses or comforts. I only present myself before thee; I open my heart to thee. Beliold my wants, which I am ignorant of; but do thou behold, and do according to thy mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up; I adore all thy purposes, without kuowing them. I am silent, I offer myself in sacrifice. I abandon myself to thee. 1 have no more any desire, but to accomplish thy will. Teach me to pray. Pray thou thyself in me.