Chapter III. Of Trust in God

ALTHOUGH, as we have said, self-distrust is essential for this spiritual combat, nevertheless it alone would not be enough, for then we should fly from our enemies or be overcome by them. There is need to add to it perfect trust in God, in the hope and expectation that He Alone will vouchsafe to us every good thing we need—His help, and the victory.

From ourselves indeed, who are nothing, we can expect nothing but falls, for which cause we ought entirely to distrust ourselves; but, with the help of our Lord, we may be assured of success at all times; provided that to obtain His aid, we arm our hearts with a lively confidence in Him. Four means will help us to gain this.

First, by beseeching God to grant it to us.

Secondly, by keeping the eye of faith fixed on the immense Power and infinite Wisdom of God, with Whom nothing is either impossible or difficult; by considering that His Goodness is unbounded, and that His willingness and desire to give, each hour and moment, whatever may be needful for the spiritual life and for the entire mastery over self, is unbounded, if we with trustfulness fly for refuge to His arms.

For if our Divine Shepherd for thirty-three years followed after His lost sheep, with cries so piercing that His voice grew hoarse, through a road so rough and thorny that He shed all His blood upon it, and laid down His life, will He not now—when the poor sheep follows Him by obeying His commands, or at least with the desire of doing so (though sometimes feeble), when it calls upon Him and entreats Him, will He not now cast upon it the life-giving glance of His Countenance, hear its cry, lay it upon His Divine Shoulders, rejoicing with all His neighbours and with the Angels of Heaven?

For if our Lord in His love spared no pains in order to find the blind and dumb sinner, the lost coin of the Gospel, is it possible that He would turn away from one who, like a lost sheep, calls and cries piteously after the shepherd?

And can it be imagined, that God, Who knocks continually at the door of man's heart, that He might enter in and sup there, and communicate His gifts, would, when invited by man to enter into that heart, turn a deaf ear, and refuse to come in?

The third way of gaining this holy confidence in God, is to recall the truths of Holy Scripture where it will be plainly seen in so many places, that no one who trusted in God has ever been brought to confusion.

The fourth means is this, (and this will serve both to acquire distrust of self, as well as trust in God,)—when any thing occurs to be done, or some struggle with self has to be met, and you desire to overcome yourself, before you propose or make any resolution, consider first your own weakness; then, full of self-distrust, turn to the Divine Power, Wisdom and Goodness, and in reliance upon these, commence the action or conflict with fearlessness. Armed with these weapons, and with prayer (of which I shall speak presently), go forth to battle and to action.

Unless you observe this order, though you may think you are acting in reliance upon God, you will find generally that you are mistaken. For presumption is so natural and common to man, and withal so subtle, that it secretly lurks under an imagined self-distrust, and the trust we fancy we place in God.

To escape, then, as far as possible, from presumption, and to work in the spirit of self-distrust and trust in God, the consideration of your own weakness must go before the consideration of God's power, and both should precede all your actions.