Sixteenth Letter

To the Same

My Good Mother,— 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 be always 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, but when we see them in a wrong light: when we see them in the hand of God, Who dispenses them; 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 measure of love, the deeper and more extensive 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 amuse ourselves, to seek or to love God for any sensible favours (how elevated soever) which He has done or may do to us. Such favours, though never so great, cannot bring us so near to God, as faith does in one 59 simple act Let us seek Him often by faith; He is within us, — seek Him not elsewhere. Are we not rude and deserving of blame, if we leave Him alone, to busy ourselves about trifles, which do not please Him, — which perhaps offend Him? He bears with them now, but 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 favour of Him. If we do what we can on our part, we shall soon see that change wrought in us which we aspire after. I cannot thank Him sufficiently for the relief He has vouchsafed you. I hope from His mercy the favour of seeing Him within a few days.¹ Let us pray for one another. — I am, in Our Lord, yours, etc.

February 6 th, 1691.

Footnotes

1. He took to his bed two days after, and died within the week. ↩