because you are brave. But this implies being a very earnest Christian, that is, devout, pious, spiritually minded ; as S. Paul says, "He that is spiritual judgeth all things," i.e. he knows the right time and place for a due practice of every virtue.

Often call to mind the thought that in this world we hang between Heaven and hell, and that our last step will land us in one or the other. Remember, too, that we do not know when we shall make that last step, and that he who would make it well must needs strive to make every step in the fear of God.

O blessed, endless Eternity! and blessed are they that rightly ponder it! All that we do here for a brief uncertain time is but as child's play. It were less than worthless, save that it is the passage to Eternity. But for that reason we must give good heed to our time and its use here, in order through a right use thereof to win our lasting good.

Think of me, I pray you, as wholly yours, as in truth I am in our Lord, wishing you all happiness in this world, but still more in the next.

and have you in His Holy keeping.

May God bless you,

To end as I began-you are taking to the high seas of life, but do not change your captain, your sails, your anchor, or your breeze. Ever keep Jesus for your Captain, His Cross for your mast, whereon to spread

'I. Cor. ii. 15.

the sails of good resolutions; let your anchor be a deep unfailing trust in Him, and then-go gaily on. May the propitious breeze of heavenly grace fill your sails more and more, and carry you safely and happily into the haven of a blessed Eternity. Such is the very hearty wish of, dear sir, yours, &c.

[222.]

XLI.

TO A MARRIED LADY.

April 3, 1611.

LIVE wholly to God, my dear daughter, and since you are obliged to be much in society, strive to make yourself useful to your neighbours by the means I have often set before you. Do not imagine that our Lord is any farther from you amid the weariness and temptation of your present position, than He would be were you enjoying a calm and peaceful life. No, my very dear daughter, it is not a peaceful life which brings Him into our hearts-but the fidelity with which we love Him; not the conscious sense we have of His sweetness, but our ready consent to His most Holy Will. It is better that It should be fulfilled in us, than that we should fulfil our will in Him.

[223.]

XLII.

TO A MARRIED LADY.

April 8, 1611.

N. WAS quite right to go to the Carmelites, for it seemed to be for God's Glory, but since the Superiors send her away, she must believe that though God accepts her attempt, He wills her to serve Him elsewhere, and she will do wrong if, after the first disappointment, she does not become calm and resolve firmly to live to God in some other way. There are various roads to Heaven, and so long as the fear of God is our guide, it matters not much by which we travel, although some may be more desirable than others, when we have a choice. I do not see why you should be distressed about this matter. You placed the poor girl in that holy place of refuge out of charity, but if it is not God's Will that she should abide there, it is not your fault. You must acquiesce in what His Sovereign Providence orders. He is not obliged to consult our wants and wishes. God will

provide a home for N, in which she can serve Him, either through consolation or tribulation, as He sees fit. . . . The Carmelites are quite right not to receive a person who is not calculated to observe their rule.

My dear daughter, the little annoyance to which you have given way on this occasion ought to be a warning to you that self-love is alive and strong in your heart, and that you must keep a careful watch lest it become your master. May God in His Goodness never let it be So, but may He ever reign in us, over us, against us, and for us, with the strength of His Holy Love.

[237.]

XLIII.

TO MADAME DE CHANTAL,

WHEN ABSENT ON FAMILY BUSINESS.

THONON, Sept. 10, 1611.

I INTREAT you, my dear daughter, keep close to Jesus Christ, and our Lady, and your good angel, in all your business, so that the multiplicity of affairs may not overwhelm you, or their difficulty trouble you. Attend to them one by one, as best you can, and to do this, give your mind steadily to your work, though quietly and gently. If God vouchsafes you success, we will bless Him; if He does not do so, we will equally bless Him. It is enough that you sincerely do your very best; neither our Lord nor common sense will call us to account for results or events; we are only responsible for steady, honest diligence in our work; that does depend upon ourselves, success does

not.

God will bless your good intention in this journey and in your undertaking to order matters well and wisely for your son; He will reward you either by a successful end to your labour, or by a holy humility and resignation under disappointment.

[247.]

XLIV.

TO A LADY. ON WITHHELD COMMUNION.

Feb. 11, 1612.

... You are right in obeying your confessor, whether he deprives you of the comfort of frequent communion in order to test you, or whether he does so because you are not sufficiently earnest in correcting your impatience. I should be inclined to think that he has both objects in view; and you must persevere in patience so long as he sees fit thus to deprive you, feeling sure that he does nothing without due consideration. If you obey humbly, one communion will be really more profitable to you than several made in a different spirit; food is never so nourishing as when we are hungry with exercise, and the exercise of mortifying impatience will invigorate your spiritual digestion.

But be gentle in your humiliation, and often make an act of love thereof. Put yourself awhile in the attitude of the Canaanitish woman, unworthy to eat the