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 GIFT OF 
 
COMPENDIUM 
 
 ART OF ALWAYS REJOICING. 
 
 BY 
 
 F. ALPHONSUS DE SARASA, S.J. 
 
 TRANSLATED BY A LADY, 
 
 WITH A PREFACE BY THE REV. T. MEYRICK. S.J. 
 
 aJ^iA^fibitjw,, 
 
 BURNS AND GATES, 
 
 GRANVILLE MAlfSIONS, 
 
 28 Orchard street, 
 
 LONDON, W. 
 
 CATHOLIC PUBLICATION 
 
 SOCIETY CO. 
 
 9 Barclay Street, 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
BT-/36- 
 
 « « r - 
 
 « . I "• e • - *i ' 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following treatise is a compendium of the admir- 
 able work of F. Alphonsus de Sarasa, of the Society of 
 Jesus. It was so much esteemed in Germany that the 
 great Leibnitz, according to the testimony of Koeler, 
 considered it to be a perfect model of composition and 
 sound morality. Weigel, who translated it from the 
 Latin into German, styles it 'an incomparable and 
 golden book.' 
 
 Alphonsus de Sarasa was born of Spanish parent- 
 age in Flanders, a.d. i6i8. He entered the Society of 
 Jesus at the early age of fifteen. After his noviceship 
 and usual course of studies, he taught humanities for 
 seven years, was a ripe scholar, profound philosopher, 
 and great preacher, listened to with marked attention 
 at Brussels, Ghent, and Anvers. But his chief title to 
 renown is his work on the Art of always Rejoicing, 
 
 The effort of composing so noble a production, 
 requiring such a compass of thought and imagination, 
 together with his labours in teaching and preaching, 
 and his fervent piety, consumed his feeble frame, and 
 he died of a pleurisy and decUne at the age ofiorty- 
 eight. 
 
 The greater work in fifteen treatises, and the com- 
 
 285074 
 
iv Preface. 
 
 pendium drawn up by himself and published with it, 
 were printed by Meursius, at Anvers, in 1664. A new 
 edition by Fischer, professor of the University of 
 Jena, appeared in 1741, and was printed by Weigand 
 at Leipsic, with notes by Fischer and Erard Weigel. 
 The book is now very rare indeed, and deserves re- 
 production in any form. 
 
 The compendium made by F. Sarasa was translated 
 in 1842 into ItaHan by the accomplished F. Antonio 
 Bresciani, S.J., author oiiki^ Jew of Verona. From 
 the Italian, as it is not easy to procure th». Latin copy, 
 this brief treatise has been well and faithfully rendered 
 by a lady. 
 
 May the consolation which it is calculated to give 
 reach thousands of hearts, and give them the sweet 
 peace which it proclaims ! 
 
 THOMAS MEYRICK. 
 Feast of the Epiphany, a.d. 1872. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 That peace is to be sought within us and not with- 
 out us ......... 2 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 That the world is full of trouble and vexation . . 4 
 
 That there is only one thing in the world which afflicts 
 us, and this is the opinion that nothing is done as it ought 
 to be 7 
 
 That in order to have peace we must correct this 
 folly 9 
 
 Suppose that everything happens as you would have 
 it, and you will have peace 10 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 That the world is apparently in disorder . . .12 
 
 That it is not necessary to know the reasons of things 
 in order to judge of them . . . . . .14 
 
 That it is sufficient to know that all. is governed by 
 God 17 
 
 That a man will have peace if he form the highest , 
 conception of God . . . . . . .19 
 
 By considering the instruments which God makes use 
 of to rule the world, you will acquire a high conception of 
 God's power ..... ..., 20 
 
 b 
 
vi Index, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 That eveiything in the world is directed by Divine 
 Providence ......... 27 
 
 That God takes care of the smallest things . . 30 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In order to excite in us this high opinion of God's 
 power, we must contemplate His threefold knowledge . 38 
 Science of intelligence ...... 39 
 
 Science of vision . . . . . . . 40 
 
 Science of conditional things . . . . .41 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 That everything happens by the supreme design of 
 God 44 
 
 That nothing which takes place in nature happens by 
 chance ......... 46 
 
 That we ought to consider all well done which is done 
 by God 48 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 That God turns to good the evils of the universe . 50 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 That we ought not to feel indignant at the prosperity 
 of the wicked. God permits it in great wisdom . . 54 
 
Index. vii 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 That there must be a great variety of dispositions and 
 humours ....... • . 5^ 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 That we ought also to aj^ prove of public calamities . 59 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 That everyone ought to be contented with his own 
 state of life ......... 62 
 
 That God selects that state of life which is most suit- 
 able to each person ....... 65 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 That he who is content with his state of life ought 
 also to be content with those things which led to it . 66 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 That if we are pleased with our own state of life, we 
 ought to be pleased with everything belonging to it . 70 
 
 That we ought not to wish to advance our children's 
 state of life, or for them to be in a higher condition . 71 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 That we ought to be content with the annoyances in- 
 cident to our state of life 73 
 
viii Index, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 That we ought not to cease from the labours proper 
 
 to our state of life 77 
 
 That we ought to rejoice in tribulation . . .81 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 That, lastly, we must think of death with a calm 
 mind .......... 83 
 
 Conclusion 87 
 
THE 
 
 ART OF ALWAYS REJOICING. 
 
 The object of this, my little treatise, is to ex- 
 plain to you the art by which you may attain 
 to the full possession of the joy that the Apostle 
 commends so highly. In order to conduct you 
 to this happy lot, it is not my intention to dis- 
 play fully before your eyes the whole magnifi- 
 cent series of the inscrutable designs and the 
 unfathomable abyss of Divine Providence on 
 which every human event depends, but I shall 
 only endeavour to impress upon your mind the 
 most sublime idea of the infinite wisdom and 
 the supreme goodness with which God rules 
 the world in order to persuade you to conform 
 your will to His. This is the source of all 
 joy. From this fountain springs that peace 
 which overflows our heart and which keeps it 
 quiet, tranquil, and at rest, amidst the storms 
 
 B 
 
2 ,', \ [ •: ^;4^t, of always Rejoicing. 
 
 and turmoil of human events. I shall, indeed, 
 have done much if, after having found where 
 to commence in the midst of such a labyrinth 
 of intricate matter, I am able to find the clue 
 and to explain to you briefly and distinctly the 
 jirf of Rejoicing, and to put it before you in 
 such a manner that you may see it plainly and 
 clearly as in a glass. And what is more, hav- 
 ing cleared away all confusion, I shall show 
 you that this art rests upon one sole powerful 
 argument, which is the basis of the whole stu- 
 pendous fabric. 
 
 I. That peace is to he sought within us, and not 
 without us. 
 
 And now, my reader, permit me to depart 
 somewhat from the ordinary custom, and to 
 reason with myself instead of with you. Let 
 me occupy myself for a short time witli my 
 own aiFairs, and consider attentively my own 
 thoughts. 
 
 There is a small secret apartment in my 
 house where I am in the habit of collecting 
 together my thoughts, and of holding converse 
 with them. I hear outside everything in con- 
 fusion and disturbance ; the tumult, the tramp, 
 and noisy cries of the people put me in fear, 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 3 
 
 and I dread lest when I go out of doors I may- 
 be involved in the general disturbance of the 
 world, and be dragged into the vortex of its 
 torrent. I therefore take refuge in myself alone, 
 and seating myself at my fireside I quietly call 
 up my thoughts, which for a while have been 
 still and dormant, like bees sleeping in their 
 hive, and having arranged them in good order, 
 I address them thus : * As there is no peace, 
 my friends, to be found amid the tumult and 
 incessant agitation of human affairs, let us see 
 if it can be found at home and in converse 
 with you; for you know that true enjoyment 
 is found only in tranquillity and internal peace, 
 as Seneca says : '^ Gaudium cuique domi suse 
 nasci" — '' Every man's joy begins at home." ' In 
 this way, kind reader, I shall draw out for you 
 gradually the workings of my thoughts, while 
 you will follow me ; and if I succeed in finding 
 peace in the midst of so many earthly troubles 
 and disorders, you will have the clue which 
 will enable you to extricate yourself from the 
 labyrinth of human vicissitudes, and to gain 
 that most profound peace of the soul which all 
 wish for, and to which so few attain. And 
 then you will, indeed, be happy ! 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 That the world is f till of trouble and vexation. 
 
 There is no one who does not complain 
 that the world is full of annoyance and deceit. 
 And I can the more easily believe this to be 
 true, when I see that those who assert it are 
 so numerous, so wise, and so well versed in 
 affairs. But if I ask them the cause of all this 
 vexation and misery, they reply with one voice, 
 that the bitter source of all sorrow is that 
 the whole world ' positus est in maligno,' * lies 
 in wickedness,' and therefore everything goes 
 wrong and at cross purposes, since * every man 
 is for himself,' ' omnes quae sua sunt quaerunt' 
 (Phil, ii.) ; and while each one seeks his own, 
 he gets that which belongs to others ; and not 
 only so, but by means of theft and force, and 
 by trampling justice under foot, takes posses- 
 sion of it. Friends are rare, and not to be 
 trusted, and often full of envy, calumny, and 
 deceit ; they are friends in name, but enemies in 
 deed. Thus enemies and friends are merely 
 interested, not real, and men put on a smile 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 5 
 
 without while the heart is false within. No- 
 thing is done for justice, but all goes by might 
 instead of right. The drift and purpose of 
 every action is ambition and the desire of 
 rule. Poverty is held in contempt, simplicity 
 and virtue are derided. In order to attain to 
 any higher position, it is sufficient for the 
 schemer to be a clever flatterer, a liar, a per- 
 jurer, ready with his tongue for any invention 
 or any deception, bold of hand, and a con- 
 temner of God and man. And when we turn 
 our attention to our own body and soul, what 
 constant changes do we find in their condition ! 
 Sometimes our bodies are aflBicted with mala- 
 dies, and O, with what grievous ones ! and 
 though we may occasionally be strong and 
 robust, yet we are liable at any time to be 
 attacked by sickness, and to suffer from feeble- 
 ness and pain. The soul, too, has its peculiar 
 diseases, which are severe, grievous, and full of 
 anguish. Ennui, melancholy, anger, cupidity, 
 aversion, hopes and fears, agitate it continually. 
 If we look around us at those in the midst of 
 whom we live, we see them sometimes loving 
 us to excess, at other times hating us intensely; 
 perhaps they help us with one hand, and humili- 
 
6 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 ate us with the other; now they may crown 
 us with praises and exalt us to the skies, and 
 then again load us with injuries and cast us 
 down to the lowest depths. Fortune itself is 
 uncertain ; it is seldom successful, often adverse, 
 and always changeable. The sky does not even 
 always look the same. At one time we suffer 
 from the cold of winter, at another from the 
 heat of summer ; and though the heavens now 
 may be unclouded and serene, we suddenly see 
 them grow dark, clouds cover them, the wind 
 whistles, the lightning flashes, the thunder rolls, 
 hailstones rattle on the ground. Hence arise 
 dearth, destruction of the corn, pestilence, dread- 
 ful diseases, and sudden deaths. And how can 
 I describe domestic and public discords? In 
 the courts of law I see a crowd of litigants, 
 hustling one another, and pressing round the 
 bench of the judges, while the conclave echoes 
 with a thousand outcries, like the noise and 
 roaring of the sea during a storm. Again, the 
 violence of war destroys and lays waste pro- 
 vinces and kingdoms ; so that everything in the 
 world is in a state of unceasing agitation. How, 
 then, can peace be found amid such tumult, such 
 groans and tears, such misery and ruin ? How 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 7 
 
 can I find any rest at all in the midst of such 
 a universal commotion? 
 
 11. That there is only one thing in the world which 
 afflicts tis, and this is the opinion that nothing is 
 done as it ought to he. 
 
 This is what is said continually up and 
 down in the world, and quite seriously and 
 with a grave countenance. When, however, 
 I turn my eyes within, and reason seriously, I 
 resolve henceforth not to listen to what people 
 say. For I see that the world makes an un- 
 just accusation, and that the ten thousand evils 
 which the multitude see in the world can be 
 reduced to one. And this is to be found in 
 myself alone, and through my own fault. It is 
 a certain idea which has taken possession of 
 my mind, and is the origin and the exciting 
 cause of all my disquieting thoughts. Epictetus 
 warns me to beware of it when he says, 
 ' Homines turbantur non rebus, sed iis quas 
 de rebus habent opiniones' — * Men are troubled 
 not by things, but by the opinions they have 
 about things.' And the mischief of such ideas 
 consists in this — that I wish to see everything 
 done according to my fancy ; and because this 
 
8 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 does not happen, I am annoyed at everything, 
 nothing pleases me, and I am filled with anger 
 and indignation. Just reflect for a short time, 
 and see if this be not the case. You ask me 
 why I feel annoyed; and I reply, because nothing 
 is done well, but everything goes wrong. Well, 
 and suppose everything were done as you wish 
 it, and as you have pictured it to yourself? 
 O, in that case it would be different ; then 
 things would go on smoothly. Thus you see 
 I do not vex myself because the world goes 
 wrong, but because it does not go according 
 to my idea ; so that if I had only the power of 
 turning it round as I wished, then, though the 
 earth fell from its poles, though the rivers ran 
 backwards, though the sea were dried up, and 
 the mountains removed, though the earth quaked, 
 and everything were turned topsy-turvy, I should 
 look on calm and unmoved in the midst of it all, 
 and should amuse myself with smiling at the 
 ruin. And why should I feel thus ? only be- 
 cause all this took place by my will. Then 
 those things would please me which now I cen- 
 sure and disapprove of, since what pleases one 
 does not disturb one's peace. I can now there- 
 fore no longer say, as I did before : The world 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 9 
 
 goes wrong, it is a swarm of vexations, a cess- 
 pool of misfortunes ; it is a valley of tears; I 
 shall say instead : Nothing in the world is done 
 rightly and properly, because nothing is done as 
 I would have it : this is the sole well-spring of 
 all my troubles. 
 
 III. That in order to have peace, we must correct 
 this folly. 
 
 If, then, I could henceforth get rid of this 
 idea (whether good or bad we need not in- 
 quire), if I could banish it from my house and 
 home, and, conforming my own mind to the 
 universal opinion of mankind, I could approve 
 of whatever is done, and of the way in which 
 it is done, and if I could accustom myself to 
 wish things thus and not otherwise, I cannot 
 see that anything would for the future disturb 
 my peace of mind, not even if the heavens and 
 the earth were to be turned upside down. 
 But what if they were ? Why, still I would say 
 all is well. But it ought not to be so. What 
 concern is that of mine? Let those who are 
 vexed at it dispute about it. We shall see 
 afterwards who is wrong. Meanwhile, whether 
 it be well or ill, I think as I do ; and this is 
 
lo Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 enough for my peace of mind. Find fault still, 
 my friends, but nothing will change my belief 
 that what happens as I wish will make me 
 most happy ; and I wish that it may happen as 
 it does; for it is my opinion that it ought to 
 happen thus, and not otherwise. 
 
 IV. Suppose that everything happens as you would have 
 it, and you will have peace. 
 
 It has been, then, up to this time a strange 
 delusion of mine, that, in order to attain to peace, 
 I wished everything out of myself quiet, and 
 I did not know how to restrain and calm the 
 tumult of my fancy within me. If I calmed this, 
 everything would be calm. It would indeed be 
 absurd in any person who desired to reach 
 some place by sea, if he were to wish that the 
 winds should not blow, that the sea should 
 become calm, that the shrouds should not 
 creak, that the sails should not be set, that the 
 oars should not ply, that the sailor-boys should 
 not ascend the rigging, that the sailors should 
 sit still, that the pilot should not direct the 
 helm, but that all should compose themselves 
 in the profoundest calm, and quietly go to 
 sleep: certainly such a person would wish that 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 1 1 
 
 which could not be attained; and if it could, 
 it would be to his disadvantage; for without 
 movement no progress could be made, and the 
 ship would remain stuck fast, as on a sand- 
 bank. If he wish to sleep in the midst of the 
 raging of the sea, the roaring of the wind, the 
 hauling up of the ropes, the groaning and the 
 creaking of the ship, the going to and fro of 
 the sailors, the chattering, the scolding, and the 
 clamouring of the passengers, he must curb his 
 imagination and go down quietly below deck, 
 leaving all to make their own noise at their 
 posts; he must distract his mind, impose silence 
 on himself, and wrap himself up in his cloak, 
 and then he will enjoy the sweetest repose in 
 the world. The case is exactly similar. Let 
 things take their own course. And why, 
 indeed, need I foolishly trouble myself about 
 everything, and mix myself up in every con- 
 cern? Why puzzle my brain, and become so 
 confused in my thoughts, letting them wander 
 without rule, and judge of everything, and cen- 
 sure the actions of other people? Do I, indeed, 
 wish to adjust and to arrange all that takes 
 place in the world? What folly! for while I 
 am endeavouring to set others right, I only vex 
 
12 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 and irritate myself. What, then, shall I do in 
 order to feel at peace? Simply what Epictetus 
 advises : ' Non postulabo posthac ea quse fiunt 
 arbitratu meo fieri, sed ut sapiam, ita fieri 
 quaeque volam, ut fiunt* — * I will no more ask 
 for everything to be done according to my will, 
 but for wisdom to will that all should be done 
 as it is done/ 
 
 To change the will of others is not in my 
 power, to bend my own is. If hitherto nothing 
 has been done as I wish it, I will henceforth 
 wish that all may be done as it is done. And 
 this wish will be most easy, if I correct this one 
 opinion, and believe that everything which hap- 
 pens in the world is right. If I attain to this, 
 although the world turn upside down, my soul 
 will always possess unchangeable peace. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 That the world is apparently in disorder » 
 
 Believe me, the case is as I have stated it. 
 Be it so; what you say sounds well, but here 
 is the difficulty: and who will explain it? How 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 13 
 
 can I think that all proceeds rightly, and in 
 order, when I see everything go to ruin? You 
 din into my ears the praises of nature, calling it 
 most wise. This is nonsense. Most wise in- 
 deed! It is still more changeable and variable 
 than ever. Consider, as I said before, how 
 inconstant is the sky of heaven. To-day there 
 is not a breath of air, and yqu have a suffo- 
 cating heat which enervates the body. Next 
 day there are blasts and whirlwinds, which root 
 up and carry along with them the trees of the 
 forest. Now mountains are struck by light- 
 ning, now there are furious storms at sea, and 
 hail breaks the branches of the oaks and beats 
 out the standing corn. At one time of the 
 year the frosts are very sharp and prolonged ; 
 at another the heat of the dog-days parches 
 the ground and dries up the springs; it 
 withers the fruit, kills the herds, and impreg- 
 nates the air with pestilential vapours: and 
 must I think that all this takes place by rule, 
 by law, by wise arrangement, and not rather 
 by chance, by caprice, and by accident? If I 
 next turn to consider human events, how can I 
 think that all there works rightly? Is not 
 everything full of falsehood, of perfidy, and of 
 
14 ^rt of always Rejoicing. 
 
 feigned friendship? And are not the courts of 
 justice filled with litigants, and are not king- 
 doms contending with each other in war? Are 
 not the worst of men the most prosperous? 
 To them is chiefly opened the road to court, to 
 dignities, and to riches, which is closed to the 
 good; the former holding a high position, the 
 latter having to be content with a low place ; 
 the one enjoying pleasures to the full, the 
 other pining in poverty and want. And is not 
 everything governed blindly by chance? And 
 has any one ever heard chance call itself wise? 
 
 I. That it is not necessary to kno7U the reasofis of things 
 in order to judge of the77i. 
 
 In the voice of another I gave utterance to 
 my own thoughts. Seeing that the world, not- 
 withstanding its confusion and disorder, has 
 yet lasted for so many centuries, and that it is 
 not flung from its poles by the disturbance and 
 disorder of human events which will continue 
 as long as the world lasts, I begin to suspect 
 that some great mind governs the universe 
 and rules its movements, though in an invisible 
 manner. Then it occurs to me to think of 
 what would happen to a person who, ignorant 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 15 
 
 of the art of navigation, should find himself in 
 a vessel at sea. If, while the ship sailed across 
 the wide expanse of ocean, the said passenger 
 were sitting under cover, and watching with 
 surprise the work of the sailors, he would see 
 some ascend the mainmast, others seat them- 
 selves on the spars, others climbing from rope 
 to rope as far as the maintop; some furling 
 one sail, some unfurling another; here giving 
 quarter to the wind, there setting the staysail; 
 now lowering the mainsail, or spreading out 
 the foresail full to the wind; others meantime 
 tightening or loosening the cords, laying hold 
 of and drawing in pulleys, engaged at the 
 wheel, pumping out the hold, or taking the 
 soundings with the lead. Then all in a moment 
 the vessel's bows are turned to the right or 
 to the left, as the wind blows; and suddenly, 
 while the ship is in balance, she is thrown on 
 one side, and almost resting on the waves, and 
 in an instant gliding along, she cuts through 
 the water, which bathes her sides so that they 
 appear to be immersed. The poor passenger is 
 frightened at seeing so many different opera- 
 tions and strange and sudden movements, and 
 he calls out to this or that sailor, and tries to 
 
i6 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 stop him and inquire why all this is done. 
 The sailor is occupied and does not listen to 
 him, nor, if he replied, would the passenger, 
 who is ignorant of the art, understand him; and 
 each instant the poor man, fearing and trem- 
 bling, thinks he will fall headlong into the sea. 
 But on entering the poop-cabin, he finds the 
 old pilot, concentrated in thought, with the 
 helm in one hand, the compasses in the other, 
 and his eyes fixed on the chart of navigation. 
 Now he sees him measure with the quadrant 
 the elevation of the sun, and follow with exact- 
 ness the degrees on the meridian; now con- 
 sider on the mariner s compass the polar devia- 
 tion, then count out the knots in order to learn 
 the speed at which the vessel is going, then 
 compare on the scale the distances which the 
 map indicates; and when he sees here and 
 there astrolabes, chronometers, telescopes, and 
 sextants hanging from the walls, and looks in 
 astonishment at the ephemeroids and the tables 
 of declination, refraction, and elevation, and 
 when he observes that the pilot makes use of 
 all these things to guide the ship, and not only 
 so, but that he also gives orders from his small 
 chamber, and that the crowd of sailors obey 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 17 
 
 him silently and respectfully, then at length all 
 his fear leaves him, and he believes that every- 
 thing is ordered rightly, and with great wisdom. 
 But does he therefore understand the reason of 
 the orders given? Certainly not. And why 
 does he now feel safe, though he was so afraid 
 before? Only because he now believes blindly 
 and entirely in the skill and wisdom of the 
 pilot. 
 
 II. That it is sufficient to know that all is governed 
 by God, 
 
 Is it not as I said? One such thought 
 alone is able to calm a man even in the jaws 
 and at the hour of death. Why, then, should 
 I vex myself by searching into the reason of 
 everything? And why grow angry at seeing 
 the world in confusion? And why torment 
 myself by examining into so many things, and 
 by endeavouring to set them right? I will act 
 otherwise. I will flee far from the noise and 
 the tumult of human events, and raising my 
 thoughts above, I will consider things in a more 
 exalted sphere, searching if there be not some 
 mind which watches over and orders all that 
 takes place in the world. The eternal portals 
 
 c 
 
i8 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 roll back, and with eye dazzled at first I enter 
 with David into the sanctuary of God, where 
 the deep and inaccessible counsels of His pa- 
 ternal providence are discussed in the presence 
 of Infinite Wisdom; and there within, though 
 hidden in an abyss of light, I see, with St. 
 Augustine, * nihil fieri sensibiliter et visibili- 
 ter, quod de interiori ilia aula non jubeatur 
 aut non permittatur — * that nothing is done 
 in the world of sense and sight which is not 
 by command or permission from that invisible 
 court/ Behold, in that majestic temple there 
 appears to me ' antiquus dierum Deus, et vide- 
 bam in conspectu suo habere omnes vias meas' 
 — * the Ancient of days, and in His sight are all 
 my ways, and those of all men.' The prophet also 
 exclaims with astonishment at the sight, *Thou 
 knowest my sitting down and my rising up, 
 and- Thou hast known all my ways.' ' Behold, 
 Lord, Thou knowest the first and the last ; and 
 in Thy book all are written. Lo, Thou hast 
 numbered my days.' * Thou, Thou, my Lord 
 and my God, searchest into everything, and 
 with Thine omnipotent sight penetratest the 
 most hidden recesses; and Thou dost work all 
 things in number, weight, and measure.' I am 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 1 9 
 
 filled with astonishment, and while worshipping 
 Thee prostrate on the ground, I admire, O my 
 God, the sublimity of Thy mind which governs 
 me. Fool that I was, to believe that anything 
 happened by accident, and that chance presided 
 over events and ruled the world ! 
 
 III. That a man will have peace if he form the highest 
 conception of God, g 
 
 If I have the highest opinion of this most 
 wise Mind, which governs, orders, and rules 
 everything, I can easily bear each human event 
 with calmness ; it is a divine Mind, and that 
 is sufficient for me, because I have the highest 
 opinion of its wisdom. Epictetus, although a 
 heathen, speaks of it thus : * Religionis erga 
 deos immortales, prsecipuum illud est, rectas 
 de eis habere opiniones ; ut sentias et eos 
 esse, et bene justeque administrare omnia' — 
 ' It is a chief part of religion towards the 
 deities to have right opinions about them ; to 
 believe that they exist, and that they govern 
 all things justly and well/ From which it fol- 
 lows, ' parendum esse eis, et omnibus iis quae 
 fiunt acquiescendum et sequendum ultro, ut qu^ 
 a mente prsestantissima agantur ' (Epict. Ench. 
 
20 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 38) — * we must obey them, and acquiesce in 
 all things which are done by them, taking them 
 for the best, as being done by a mind of con- 
 summate wisdom.' There is no necessity to 
 understand all the causes of human events in 
 order to judge if they happen rightly; but while 
 sweetly trusting in God, I must confide all 
 things to His loving and wise providence. 
 The passer^er who set sail ignorant of the 
 art of navigation, did not suddenly know how 
 to guide the ship because he saw the instru- 
 ments and the calculations of the pilot, nor did 
 he guess the use and the nature of those in- 
 struments, of which he knew not even the 
 name ; but from the sight of them there arose 
 in his mind admiration, admiration led him. to 
 have the highest opinion of the pilot, and this 
 high opinion calmed his mind, which was agi- 
 tated before by a thousand fears. 
 
 IV. By conside7'ing the instruments which God makes 
 use of to rule the world, you will acquire a high con- 
 ception of God's power. 
 
 In order to impress upon my mind the 
 highest opinion of the great wisdom of God, 
 it is not necessary to contemplate God Himself 
 
 J 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 21 
 
 in His essence — and who could do so ? — but 
 only to consider the means which He makes 
 use of to organise and direct the machinery of 
 the universe. Nor, in order to do this, need 
 we think of the finest, the most recondite, and 
 the most elaborate of the instruments, but of 
 those which are the most manifest, the most 
 ordinary, and the most simple. I look up and 
 consider the vast expanse of the sky, which, 
 like a rich pavilion ornamented with stars, 
 covers and adorns the immense sweep of the 
 firmament. And then I see the sun enter as 
 the king of light, with all the splendour of its 
 countenance, shedding its rays, its heat, and its 
 light all around; its rapid revolutions moving 
 concentric and eccentric on the ecliptic. I be- 
 hold the order of its rising and setting, of its 
 advancing and receding between the tropics 
 and the equator, in order to form the different 
 seasons of the year, the measurement of time, 
 the distinction between day and night, and the 
 computation of years and centuries. The earth 
 presents other phenomena to the eye of the 
 observer, and I see everywhere mountains and 
 plains, indentures of its shores made by the 
 action of the sea, and slopes from the summits 
 
22 Art of always Rejoichig. 
 
 of the highest mountains, in order to give a 
 course to rivers, aitd reservoirs in caves and 
 caverns to afford a constant supply to springs. 
 Here the earth is clothed with ancient forests, 
 arid there it spreads out into cultivated lands, 
 and germinates everywhere, affording a thou- 
 sand kinds of food to domestic and to wild 
 animals. I notice amongst so many closely- 
 allied variations of nature, that the greatest 
 does not destroy the least, nor the highest 
 injure the lowest, nor does proximity mingle 
 those nearest together, but all work together 
 in harmony. I am astonished at the sight of 
 so many wonders, and exclaim : * Coeli enarrant 
 gloriam Dei, et opera manuum ejus annuntiat 
 firmamentum ;' ' magnus Dominus, et lauda- 
 bilis nimis, et sanctus in operibus suis ' — ' The 
 heavens declare the • glory of God, and the 
 firmament showeth the work of His hands ;* 
 * great is the Lord, and to be praised exceed- 
 ingly, and holy in all His works.* And while 
 I am full of admiration and praise of the in- 
 finite wisdom of God, who rules the world, 
 would you not think it absurd if some foolish 
 person were to whisper in my ear, * O, my 
 brother, I should be wrong not to blame you 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 23 
 
 for praising God for that which He has not 
 done : chance is the great architect of the world, 
 and collects the atoms wandering through space, 
 unites them, and enables them to form them- 
 selves into all that which you so much admire 
 in nature/ Should we not tell such a foolish 
 person that the atoms must have formed his 
 brain badly? He had better go and relate 
 such nonsense to old women in their dotage, 
 but not to any one who has a grain of sense in 
 his head. Let him tell them that the beautiful 
 harmony and order displayed throughout crea- 
 tion is not the work of a divine Architect, but 
 that chance rules the world, and orders all 
 things. Has such a one looked on the shores 
 of the ocean, and seen the grains of sand 
 carried to the shore by the billows during a 
 storm? Has he ever seen them, amid all this 
 boiling and foaming of the waves, form them- 
 selves into a beautiful palace — the minute 
 particles forming large stones for the founda- 
 tion, others building the walls, and here and 
 there leaving openings for windows; others 
 taking the form of bases, and others the round 
 shafts of columns; others curving themselves 
 into arches, or making pedestal, capital, or ar- 
 
24 Art of always Rejoicing, 
 
 chitrave ? Has he seen them take the fantastic 
 forms of light carving or decoration, and form 
 the faces of lions and bulls' heads ? 
 
 Has such a dreamer ever seen chance geo- 
 metrise, and form such a palace as I have 
 described above ? He would never see the 
 sands form so much as a fisher's cabin; and 
 does he wish to make us believe that the beau- 
 tiful proportion, symmetry, and wonderful har- 
 mony of the world's fabric, is not the work of 
 a sovereign Mind, but accomplished by chance ? 
 
 How, too, shall I speak of the movements 
 of the heavenly bodies, and describe the power 
 which urges them forward incessantly, and at- 
 tracts them to the centre, making them rotate 
 rapidly both with a simple and compound move- 
 ment, and always in harmony with each other, 
 with advancings, recedings, and influxes which 
 in time and measure form but one music and a 
 celestial dance ? 
 
 If, moreover, I observe that the most glorious 
 bodies are not created to delight in their own 
 beauty, but in order to be instruments in the 
 hands of God, to preside over nature, and to 
 render it fruitful, — O, then, full of the highest 
 admiration, I exclaim, *Magnificata sunt opera 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 25 
 
 tua, Domine, et nimis profiindge sunt cogita- 
 tiones tuas' — ' Great are Thy works, O Lord, 
 and Thy thoughts are exceeding deep.' 
 
 Is it not clear that light emanates from the 
 sun, to revive, to adorn, to colour, and in various 
 ways to rejoice the world? The sun is the 
 cause of the alternation of day and night. By 
 its oblique position, either in Cancer, or high 
 up in Capricori^, or lower down, the zones are 
 either torrid, or temperate, or frigid. The sun 
 causes seeds to grow, roots to spring up, stems 
 to sprout afresh; by it leaves are coloured, 
 fruits ripened, flowers tinted, ice melted. By 
 it animals warm to love, nightingales salute it 
 from their nests, lions and tigers from their 
 caves, frisking colts from the meadows, butter- 
 flies from the flowers, insects from the herbs, 
 fish from the depths of the sea. The sun is 
 the cause of clouds, tempests, whirlwinds, rain- 
 bows, lightning, winds, snow, and rain. It 
 lights up the inaccessible peaks of mountains, 
 and hardens and colours gems and marbles. 
 It is the cause of all the brilliancy of diamonds, 
 the green of emeralds, the golden colour of 
 amber and topaz; it causes the sky-colour of 
 the beryl, the bhie of the lapis lazuli, the ver- 
 
2 6 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 milion of the ruby, the whiteness of the pearl, 
 the pale colour of the sapphire, the azure of 
 the turquoise, the blood-colour of the jasper, 
 the eyed face of the onyx, the wavy look of the 
 agate, the spotted surface of the porphyry, the 
 speckled, striped, and veined appearance of the 
 many various kinds of marble. The moon too 
 works incessantly for the benefit of nature. 
 She tempers the heat of the sun, regulates the 
 months, presides over agriculture, fertilises 
 seeds, invigorates plants, changes the winds, 
 dissipates or condenses the clouds, and also in 
 a mysterious manner causes the flow and ebb 
 of the tides. Such instruments in the hands of 
 God, and directed with such order for the good 
 government of the world, commend to us highly 
 His sovereign wisdom, and make us repose 
 tranquilly on the loving breast of so provident 
 a Father, who by His benefits consults our 
 greater good, and that continually by ways 
 sometimes patent to our eyes ; but more often 
 hidden ; for, as is said in Ecclesiasticus, * Multa 
 abscondita sunt majora iis ; pauca enim videmus 
 operum ejus. Benedicite, ergo, omnia opera 
 Domini, Domino ; laudate et superexaltate eum 
 in saecula' — ' Many things are hidden greater 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 27 
 
 than these ; for we see few of His works. Then, 
 O all ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord, 
 praise and exalt Him for ever.' 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 That everything in the world is directed by Divine 
 Providence, 
 
 While I am thus filled with admiration and 
 pious feelings, the doctrine of the old physical 
 philosopher provokes my disgust which denies 
 that there is any providence of God in the 
 world below, but makes it only extend as far as 
 the moon, and then confine its sphere of opera- 
 tion to the space between it and the firmament, 
 giving motion, light, and harmony to the stars. 
 He assures us that it would not be worthy of 
 God to cast His eyes so low, and to cloud them 
 with the dust of this e^th, nor would it be 
 fitting that He, who is so majestic and grand, 
 should take the trouble of making the grass 
 grow, of giving flowers their beautiful colours, of 
 curling the endive, or of infusing odour into the 
 thyme, the goat's-rue, and the cinnamon. Worse 
 
28 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 still to make Him nursing-father to young lions, 
 colts, and chickens, to make Him hatch the ova 
 of the fly, the gnat, the flea, and watch over 
 vile insects, in order to disperse abroad the 
 putrid matter of dead carcasses. ' What,* he 
 asks, ' has God to do with such infinite minu- 
 tiae? Would He not be equally great with- 
 out having to uphold the earth under the shock 
 of an earthquake, or to still the raging of the 
 sea, or calm the winds, or send rain upon the 
 earth ? Suppose it were to enter your mind to 
 make Him come down at any time to number 
 the drops of the ocean, or the atoms of the air, 
 or the grains of sand, in order to get Him to 
 place them in a spot here or there ! Truly 'tis 
 a mean idea of God! Leave Him rather in 
 heaven, to measure the immense sphere of the 
 stars and their orbits ; to arrange their circuits; 
 to adjust their centre of gravity, to moderate 
 their impetuosity, and to trace out their road. 
 Yes, leave Him in heairen. It is clear also that 
 He takes no care of mankind ; for when we 
 see them act so imprudently, and grope, as it 
 were, in darkness, we know that God has left 
 them to themselves. For if He watched over 
 them, we should not see such difference of for- 
 
 I 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 29 
 
 tune, nor such terrible misfortunes; neither 
 would so much daring wickedness not only go 
 unpunished, but oftentimes appear to be re- 
 warded.' Thus say the impious in the words 
 of the Stagyrite, whose brain in this case has a 
 taste of the moon's influence. But tell me, 
 you who make the moon a barrier to Divine 
 Providence, and thence with your dull argu- 
 ment pretend to drive Him from the earth be- 
 low. You say that God's highest perfection 
 consists in walking about through the heavens, 
 and in regulating and giving movement to those 
 highest and most noble orbs, without ever 
 deigning to turn His eye to this earth, to see if 
 things are going on rightly, or to stretch forth 
 His omnipotent hand to govern them well. 
 You who are so clever in syllogisms, let me 
 see if you can solve the following question. 
 Listen. Would any artificer display all his 
 care in making his instruments exact, beautiful, 
 and ornamental, and then not take care of the 
 work which he models by the means of these 
 instruments ? Or have you ever seen the beau- 
 tiful statues sculptured by Policletus, and when 
 he had finished them, and given them their last 
 touches, did he leave them without care, amongst 
 
3 o Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 the dust and the spiders, and go to caress 
 the chisels and the files? And did Apelles, 
 who painted your Alexander so excellently, 
 frame the pencils and gild the paint-pots, and 
 hang them up to adorn the walls, leaving mean- 
 while his exquisite canvas to be gnawed by mice ? 
 What do you answer, friend Aristotle? You 
 laugh, and I laugh at you, and at your blunders. 
 Let us suppose again that a skilful watchmaker 
 put together a watch, with much study of its 
 various parts, such as the wheels, the pivots, 
 the springs, the pendulum ; that he placed, all 
 the pieces in their right position, and set the 
 exquisite piece of machinery in motion ; and that 
 after all this trouble, he cared not whether the 
 hand pointed to one hour or to another, but 
 looked upon such minutiae as unworthy of his 
 noble intellect. Would it not be foolish in any 
 one to act thus ? And if such conduct would 
 be ridiculous in the watchmaker, it would in- 
 deed be unworthy of God, the all- wise Creator 
 of the world. 
 
 I. That God takes care of the smallest things. 
 
 If I turn my eye again towards the earth, 
 and consider what is taking place in its sphere, 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 3 1 
 
 I see clearly that no cloud rises in the sky, or 
 breath of wind blows, no meteor is bright, or 
 drop of dew descends, without the instrument- 
 ality of the sun ; without its action not a blade 
 of grass grows, not a leaf buds forth, not a 
 flower blossoms, no fruit ripens. The sun 
 causes the silvery appearance of the moon; this 
 latter presides over night, and is able by its 
 influence to produce a thousand effects on 
 water, plants, and animals. I see that without 
 the sun eternal darkness would cover the earth, 
 and extinguish in it all life and heat ; it would 
 become either a mass of mud or of thick ice. 
 And who will persuade me that God governs 
 only the heavenly bodies, and cares not for 
 earthly things, when we know that He has 
 created and set the sun in its position, in order 
 to give them form, to enliven, to nourish, to 
 increase, and to preserve them ; and when we 
 see also that He has neither placed the sun so 
 high as to chill the earth, nor so low as to set 
 it on fire; that He has not placed it in this 
 or that fixed spot, so that one hemisphere would 
 have perpetual day, and the other perpetual 
 night. He gives the sun its oblique path in 
 the ecliptic circle in order to cause the different 
 
32 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 seasons of the year ; and while in one part of 
 the earth fruit-trees are only budding into blos- 
 som, in another their fruits are ripening; and 
 in the adjoining parts the corn is fit for reaping, 
 and the fruit for gathering; while in the still 
 colder portions of the earth, where the sun's 
 rays penetrate less and more feebly, nature 
 seems almost asleep. The stars themselves, 
 which hang at infinite distances, hardly give a 
 tremulous ray of light to the earth ; as if track- 
 ing the path of the sun, they accompany him in 
 his wanderings, and give names to and divide 
 the months and the seasons. The constellation 
 of Aries opens the new year ; that of Leo rises 
 with the sun in the heat of summer; that of 
 Libra, mitigating the sun's heat, renders the 
 month of September mild ; that of Capricorn 
 lengthens the nights, and gives rise to hoar- 
 frosts and intense cold. 
 
 And does, then, God solely take pleasure in 
 the instruments which He makes use of in such 
 a wonderful way for the good of the earth, and 
 ivill He not watch over the earth itself with 
 the greatest care? You repeat that it is un- 
 worthy of God to regulate such small matters. 
 I will not reply. God Himself shall answer 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. '^'^ 
 
 you ; God, so jealous of His glory, shall speak 
 to you from out the whirlwind which envelops 
 Him, and say: *Quis est iste involvens sen- 
 tentias sermonibus imperitis ? Accinge sicut vir 
 lumbos tuos : interrogabo te, et responde mihi. 
 Ubi eras quando ponebam fundamenta terrse? 
 Quis posuit mensuras ejus, si nosti ?' — * Who 
 is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskilful 
 words ? Gird up thy loins like a man ; I will 
 ask thee, and answer thou Me. Where wast 
 thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? 
 Who laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? 
 Who shut up the sea with doors ? Tell me, if 
 thou canst. Was it not I who put it within 
 confines and barriers when I said : * Usque hue 
 venies, et non procedes amplius' ? — * Hitherto 
 thou shalt come, and shalt go no further.' 
 Didst thou ever bid the day to dawn, or shake 
 the extremities of the earth ? Have the gates 
 of the abyss of the kingdom of death been 
 opened to thee, or knowest thou where the 
 light dwelleth, or hast thou entered into the 
 storehouses of the snow or hail ? * Indica mihi, 
 si nosti' — ' Tell me, if thou knowest.' Every- 
 thing obeyeth My bidding, and I alone rule over 
 all; not only over that which thou esteemest 
 
 D 
 
34 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 great, but also over that which appeareth little 
 in. thy poor sight. * Quis est pluvise pater, vel 
 quis genuit stillas roris ? Quis prgeparat corvo 
 escam suam, quando pulli ejus clamant ad 
 Deum?' — *Who is the father of the rain, or 
 who begot the drops of dew ? Who provideth 
 food for the raven when her young ones cry to 
 God ?' Fool that thou art ! ' Numquid con- 
 tendis cum Deo?' — 'Dost thou contend with 
 God ?' (Job xxxviii.) And to speak the truth, 
 why should you think it unworthy of God to 
 watch over an animal, while you consider it glo- 
 rious that He rules the sun ? ' Pusillum et 
 magnum ipse fecit, et a^qualiter est illi cura de 
 omnibus' (Sap. vi.) — 'He hath made both 
 great and small, and hath a care alike of all.' 
 
 Nay, rather, if we consider the matter well. 
 He perhaps displays greater power in forming 
 a gnat than in creating the sun, which being 
 without life, gives light to others, and does not 
 itself possess the power of sight. Does not 
 the structure of a gnat strike you as marvellous? 
 Look at this small creature ; see it balance itself 
 on its wings of gauze, and move them rapidly 
 so as to cause a humming in the air, and then 
 give forth suddenly a shrill trumpet-like sound. 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. ^^ 
 
 I observe that its wings are clothed with a 
 transparent tissue, and with network, and small 
 muscular fibres, which enable them to bear up 
 against the motion of the air ; the head, placed 
 above the body, is very light, and at its extre- 
 mity there is a small and indescribably fine 
 proboscis, at the top of which you can see a 
 little mouth, provided with a lancet and suckers 
 to pierce through the skin and extract the 
 blood which it feeds upon. It is enough to 
 make one wonder to watch the quick move- 
 ment with which it draws this out of its sheath 
 and extends it, and the cleverness with which 
 it extracts the blood, and draws the sucker up 
 with the act of swallowing, and having got the 
 mouthful, swallows it, and makes it pass into 
 its body, and there digests it, and forwards it 
 through imperceptible passages for nourish- 
 ment. 
 
 It is all formed of such a fine and delicate 
 fibrous texture as to feel the least impressions 
 of the air. Observe how lively this little in- 
 sect is ; how it is attracted by the smell of food; 
 watch it resting on its long and nodous legs, 
 and swaying to and fro, and showing off its 
 beauty ; and does not God appear as great to 
 
36 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 you in giving light, defence, and nourishment 
 to this little insect, as in clothing the sun with 
 light ? And does it not appear less wonderful 
 that He gives movement to the sun than that 
 He puts together the small machinery of this 
 tiny frame? 
 
 Run through in your mind the vast num- 
 ber of other insects even more minute than 
 this, and you will find all wonderfully organised, 
 and all having wherewith to feed, defend, clothe, 
 and adorn themselves. Look through the finest 
 microscope, and you will see on every blade of 
 grass, however smooth it may look, in every 
 drop of water, on each petal of a flower, an 
 infinite number of small insects which are im- 
 perceptible to the naked eye. But why do I 
 tell you to make use of a common microscope, 
 simple or compound ? This is not enough. I 
 will bring before your sight numberless other 
 tribes of insects. Have you ever had an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the immense magnifying power 
 of a solar microscope, which possesses the 
 power of making a flea look as large as an 
 elephant ? Well, place under that lens a mi- 
 nute particle of cheese, the size of a millet-seed. 
 See it so increased in size as to appear a trans- 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 37 
 
 parent rock. Look more closely, see how it 
 swarms with life. Who would have thought 
 it? How many inhabitants people that small 
 space ! They are insects, and though magnified 
 so highly, they do not exceed the size of a 
 lentil-seed. This piece of cheese contains an 
 entire world : valleys, mountains, caverns, pas- 
 tures, hiding-places from the plots of the more 
 powerful ; some live in a solitary state ; others 
 in families and make laws for themselves; others 
 lead a wandering life, and live as they like. I 
 see some feeding, some setting out in quest of 
 amusement, some creeping into caves, some 
 gambolling, some drinking ; there is one, who 
 has the worst of it in a combat, and I notice 
 how it twists itself about, bites, and chafes ; 
 the conqueror stands over it, tears it with teeth 
 and claws ; some run away ; others fly to give 
 help, and so the fight is rekindled. O omni- 
 potence of God ! "Whenever I see this wonder- 
 ful spectacle, I feel my heart full of a thousand 
 affections. And you who so foolishly deny the 
 providence of God, are you not convinced, and 
 will you not adore the wisdom of God in small 
 matters as well as in great ? I ask you in the 
 words of St. Augustine, ' Quis disposuit, quis 
 
 rr^ 
 
38 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 fecit ista ? Expavescis in minimis : lauda mag- 
 num. Qui fecit in coelo angelum, ipse fecit in 
 terra vermiculum' — * Who hath arranged, who 
 hath done all this ? Thou art full of fear at 
 these least things. Praise Him in His greatness. 
 He who made the angel in heaven maketh the 
 worm upon earth.' 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 In order to excite in us this high opinion of God^s power, 
 we must contemplate His threefold knowledge, 
 
 I MIGHT possibly think that God, who has 
 to attend at the same time to such a number of 
 diiferent things, and so fer removed from each 
 other, might perchance err through forgetful- 
 ness, inadvertency, or ignorance. First, there- 
 fore, humbly asking leave of His divine majesty, 
 I enter farther into that august and mysterious 
 conclave of the sanctuary of God, and there 
 contemplate the threefold divine knowledge. 
 O Lord, my God, how many and what won- 
 drous things do I see therein ! and yet not only 
 am I unable to follow and to read all, but I 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 3.9 
 
 scarcely can scan rapidly the titles of the 
 books. 
 
 Science of Intelligence. 
 
 The first science which meets the eye on 
 entering this stupendous sanctuary is that which 
 theologians call the * science of simple intelli- 
 gence ;' and they give it this name because it 
 works nothing external to itself, and stops in 
 pure perception. What an abyss ! This 
 science comprehends every possible creature ; 
 all possible infinite worlds, including our own ; 
 all the endless species of creatures, and the 
 endless number of individuals of each species ; 
 infinite angels, infinite men, infinite animals, 
 who will have no being but in the mind of 
 God alone. And thus I see that this science, 
 in fact, so much belongs to God, that without 
 it He would not be God. Because, if He 
 knew no other possible creatures beside those 
 which He creates; these being created. He 
 would not be able to create other fresh crea- 
 tures, because He would know no others ; for 
 no one can form anything without having first 
 conceived the idea of it in his mind. I see, 
 also, that all such cognitions are not diverse 
 
40 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 in God, and some succeeding others; but all 
 simultaneous, clear, distinct, and unchangeable. 
 Thus I see clearly, that all such indivisible acts 
 are nothing else but God Himself; so that 
 if one only were taken away, God would no 
 longer exist. Whence it also appears that this 
 science is absolutely necessary to God, in order 
 that He may be able freely to create what He 
 pleases. And I said freely ; for if He wished 
 to create the world, as He did create it freely, 
 would He have been able to do so if He knew 
 no other possible world except this ? He could 
 not do that of which He was ignorant. And 
 where there is no choice, there is no freedom. 
 
 Science of Vision, 
 
 Going still deeper into my contemplations, 
 I discern the * science of vision,' as theolo- 
 gians call it, by which all things which were 
 to take their rise in the mind of God, and to 
 have existence, were seen in an instant by God 
 clearly from all eternity, as if already called into 
 being, and present to Him. Hence the history 
 of every creature, present, past, and to come, 
 is described by His omniscient eyes ; all the 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 41 
 
 story and circumstance not only of men but of 
 animals, of herbs, of stones, of atoms, so that 
 even the life of a tiny ant is delineated and 
 divided into chapters and paragraphs. From 
 what tribe it is descended, who its parents 
 were, where it saw the light, and the place, 
 the day, and the hour of its birth are all noted 
 down. Also what it did day by day, what it 
 ate, where it dwelt, what battles it had with 
 its enemies, and the place and the manner of 
 its death. Nothing escapes that eye, which 
 even occupies itself with the exact history of 
 a little ant. And in like manner the histories 
 of all creatures are written and divided into 
 lines, chapters, and volumes, for God sees 
 them all distinctly as it were in a looking- 
 glass. For if He failed even in the knowledge 
 of a grain of sand. He would no longer be 
 God. 
 
 Science of Conditional things. 
 
 And what shall I say, lastly, of that divine 
 light, which, according to theologians, compre- 
 hends the * science of conditional things' ? It 
 is so deep, and extends so far, as to be al- 
 most infinite in each and every single created 
 
42 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 thing. Thus God does not only know what I 
 am now doing, or shall do hereafter; but He 
 also foresees what my thoughts would be, and 
 what I should do in that place, or at that time, 
 in prosperity or adversity; He knows what I 
 should- do at Rome or at St. Petersburg, at 
 Meaco or at Mexico ; in the courts of kings or 
 in the dwelling of the poor ; in the populous 
 metropolis or in the deserts of the Hottentots 
 or the Laplanders. And as the circumstances 
 which might happen to me are infinite, and the 
 combinations of persons and things which could 
 take place with regard to me alone are infinite, 
 so it is clear that the conditional knowledge 
 which God has of me alone is also infinite, 
 while the knowledge which He has of all pos- 
 sible contingencies is, if I may use the expres- 
 sion, infinitely infinite; and, as I said before, 
 this knowledge is in God, clear, distinct, and 
 evident, and all simultaneously comprehended 
 in the twinkling of an eye. Will not, then, 
 what has been said, and according to the poor 
 capacity of our thoughts and language darkly 
 shadowed, more than suffice to awaken in our 
 minds the most noble, the most august, the 
 most immense idea of the consummate wisdom 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 43 
 
 of God ? If thou art wise, adore simply, be- 
 cause thou understandest it not. 
 
 Let it be enough to have scanned for a 
 moment the profound abyss of knowledge 
 whereby the mind of God governs with such 
 deep counsel us and our affairs. Yes, for this 
 little insignificant man alone, for this handful of 
 dust, this little piece of clay, God puts in ex- 
 ercise such mighty arguments, such profound 
 thoughts, such infinite wisdom. And this 
 atom, this piece of dirt, dares to be proud in 
 the sight of the Omnipotent, and fixing its weak 
 gaze on the inscrutable abyss of the divine 
 intelligence, would fain fathom at a glance the 
 sea of His knowledge, and the designs of His 
 providence ! 
 
 Ah, Sovereign Creator, my Lord and my 
 Keeper, I am confounded, and throw myself 
 lovingly into Thy arms; *for all Thy com- 
 mands are justice ; in wisdom Thou hast done 
 all things' (Ps. cxviii. 103). 
 
44 -^^^ of cil'ways Rejoicing. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 That everything happens by the supre^ne design of God. 
 
 The thought that God regulates all human 
 events with infinite wisdom, is of great use in 
 composing the mind to peace. It would be of 
 little avail to the pilot to be well acquainted 
 with the art of navigation, if he could not 
 practically make use of it to guide the ship to 
 the port ; and sometimes even although he can 
 do this, the ship does not obey him readily, either 
 from the fury of the winds, the raging of the 
 sea, the unshipping of the helm, or from some 
 other unforeseen cause. But it is not thus 
 with God. He knows how much effectual 
 action is necessary in order to direct the uni- 
 verse, and He can do what He wishes, because 
 no obstacle can oppose itself to the Almighty. 
 I see that before creating a world, He thought 
 of all possible worlds in order to select that 
 which He wished of His own free will to draw 
 out of nothing. In the same way, wishing to 
 create me, He cast His eyes on all possible 
 men, ran through the history of each, and com- 
 pared them with me in every possible way. He 
 
 I 
 
 H'im,.jk1i i<A r .k^'^*i 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 45 
 
 weighed all circumstances, and selected me for 
 creation at His own time, and as if reading the 
 catalogue of those who were to be created, He 
 called me by name with a loud voice. This 
 was the signal for my creation : ' He said, and 
 they were made' (Ps. cxlviii.). Just as my 
 voice in the articulation of the word * sun,' by 
 expressing the idea of that heavenly body, 
 brings it before the mind of him who hears 
 me pronounce it, so in the same way I only 
 exist by the express word of God. While I 
 read it merely with my eye, the word * sun' is 
 in my mind alone ; if I say the word, this idea, 
 which before was but a conception of my in- 
 tellect, is formed in the mind of him who hears 
 me. In the same way, before God has spoken. 
 He sees in His mind the possible creature; 
 when He speaks, He has already created it. 
 Besides, just as the word which I pronounce 
 depends upon my voice, so that at one time 
 it sounds longer or louder or more subdued, 
 as I may wish by my way of pronouncing it, 
 so all creatures whatsoever depend on the voice 
 of God ; for if God were to cease existing or 
 speaking, they would all perish in an instant, 
 just as my words would cease if I were silent ; 
 
46 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 ' By the word of the Lord the heavens were 
 framed, and all their power by the breath of 
 His mouth' (Ps. xxiii.). 
 
 I. That nothing which takes place in nature happens 
 by chance. 
 
 Thus my mind has acquired more clearly 
 the knowledge that nothing in nature happens 
 by chance; but that, on the contrary, every- 
 thing proceeds, is regulated and governed by 
 the highest skill, the greatest wisdom, and the 
 fullest knowledge. For if chance is nothing 
 but an unforeseen event, and far from what 
 would have been expected, how can a casual 
 accident have place in God, if He, by His infi- 
 nite wisdom, foresees all possible events ? For 
 if we turn to consider merely natural operations, 
 and those which have no dependence on the 
 free will of man, it would be absurd to think 
 that they are the offspring of chance, when we 
 see that God created so many celestial bodies 
 to regulate events. Therefore we should not 
 say that winter, summer, rain, wind, drought, 
 proceed from mere chance, when we know that 
 God in His great wisdom disposes secondary 
 causes in such a manner as to produce them 
 
Art of always Rejoicing, 47 
 
 alternately. It is only an aberration of the 
 brain to confuse chance with wisdom. And 
 do not actions, which proceed from the free will 
 of man, happen by God's disposing providence ? 
 We read in Scripture, that having often fore- 
 seen them, He described them to the prophets 
 many years before, and they came to pass after- 
 wards exactly as He had predicted. How could 
 He know of them so long before, and with such 
 certainty, if chance, and not His divine mind, 
 had directed them ? 
 
 The providence of God, in order not to in- 
 terfere in the least with man's free will, hav- 
 ing foreseen in the immense volume of events, 
 and well weighed, how each person would 
 have acted under such or such circumstances, 
 selected those circumstances and that position 
 in which man could use his free choice in such 
 a way that his free action should lead infallibly 
 to that which God, in His wisdom, had fore- 
 ordained. For if you look at the proximate 
 cause leading to the result, it may often appear 
 to you to be chance ; but if you wish to enter 
 into the mind of God, who remotely disposes 
 the said causes, you will understand clearly the 
 deep counsel which produces that effect. I see 
 
48 Art of always Rejoicings 
 
 it in the history of Joseph, as in that of mauy 
 others. He interprets dreams, he accuses his 
 brethren; his father loves him, he is ill-used by 
 them. They entrap him, throw him into a 
 well, and cruelly sell him. At first he is made 
 much of in Egypt, then cast into a dungeon like 
 a felon, and then into the stocks ; and we see 
 him at length, instead of suifering misery, en- 
 joying greatness as a saviour of the kingdom 
 and of his father's house. God wished such a 
 termination ; and it was attained through means 
 apparently unfavourable. Read here your own 
 history, and you will find there in all the finger 
 of God. 
 
 II. That we ought to consider all well done which is 
 done by God. 
 
 This being the cage, as it really is, why 
 should I feel disturbed about human events, 
 when I see infinite wisdom presiding over and 
 ruling them? Am I so foolish as to believe 
 that God does not know what is best to be 
 done ; or that though knowing it. He does not 
 wish to do it ; or that wishing it, is not able to 
 do it ? How can I be so inflated with pride 
 as to think myself more farseeing than God 
 
 k 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 49 
 
 Himself? Do I wish to make myself His coun- 
 sellor and director; to show Him His mistakes 
 and to teach Him to act with greater wisdom ; 
 I who cannot draw a single drop of rain from 
 the clouds? I should have a much more ex- 
 alted idea of divine wisdom if I did not venture 
 to blame that which it commands, or even to 
 doubt the wisdom of its counsel. From hence- 
 forth I will be silent and adore. Let there be 
 thunder or lightning, rain or drought ; let the 
 winds roar, the winters be severe, the summers 
 hot ; let the earth be fruitful or without a blade 
 of grass; let the animals pine away; let the air 
 be full of infection ; let wars rage ; I will cer- 
 tainly approve of everything. Nor can I do 
 better than spare myself the least doubt as to 
 that which depends on God's will being the 
 best. He rules over everything from all eter- 
 nity, and He knows how to turn causes and 
 effects, so as to make His greater glory shine 
 forth, for the increase of which all things work 
 together in admirable harmony ; * for the Lord 
 has made all things for Himself (Prov. xvi.). 
 And if He does everything for and by Himself, 
 cease to say that He can act otherwise than 
 rightly. 
 
JO Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 That God turns to good the evils of the universe. 
 
 Having considered the way in which divine 
 wisdom rules the world, I now turn to notice 
 the complaints which blind mortals make against 
 God's providence ; and I see that these, far from 
 diminishing God's glory, only serve to increase 
 it. These objectors ask if it is worthy of God 
 to bear with the extreme wickedness of sin- 
 ners ? Homicides, adulteries, poisonings, cheat- 
 ings, treacheries, blasphemies, perjuries, and, 
 the worst of all crimes, idolatries; these wound 
 God's honour most deeply ; and surely if He 
 occupied Himself with mankind. He would not 
 permit such dishonour to His sovereign majesty. 
 Thus do those short-sighted people speak who 
 cannot penetrate the counsel of God. 
 
 But I see clearly that although men run 
 riot in a thousand pleasures, God wisely per- 
 mits this in order to preserve inviolate their 
 liberty of action. He created them free, and 
 considered it worthy of His wisdom to let them 
 know that He would not on any account in- 
 fi'inge upon their sacred right of liberty. For 
 
Art of always Rejoicing, 51 
 
 it is great glory that a noble emperor receive 
 unforced homage from poor and abject slaves ; 
 but surely greater glory to receive homage from 
 free vassals, who -are themselves barons, and 
 who, of their own free will, do him homage. 
 God had no lack of obedient servants ; all the 
 inanimate creation, and that part of the animate 
 which is deprived of reason, praises and sub- 
 mits itself to God its Creator ; but it does this 
 by the law of necessity. Demons, even though 
 fretting in chains and in torments, bend down 
 before Him and proclaim Him king. Angels, 
 absorbed in contemplation of the divine beauty, 
 prostrate themselves before Him with willing 
 but not with free homage. God wishes both 
 for voluntary and for free subjection, and there- 
 fore He selected man to give Him more exalted 
 glory. As in His sovereign wisdom He gave 
 man liberty, so in order to preserve this liberty 
 intact, it was also necessary to permit wicked 
 actions, if He wished for free homage. 
 
 Also His glory shines forth more clearly 
 through these same wicked actions; for if 
 there had not been sin, God the Son would 
 not have clothed Himself in human flesh, nor 
 would He have offered Himself to divine jus- 
 
52 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 tice on the altar of the cross. For from that 
 death more glory accrued to His offended Father 
 than all the actions of sinners had deprived Him 
 of. His glory was increased, because, were it 
 not for the perverse wickedness of the sinner 
 who breaks His commandments, God's dominion 
 and jurisdiction would not be manifest to us ; 
 nor His generous patience in bearing with the 
 sinner, nor His mercy, which inclines Him to 
 pardon, nor His infinite love, which receives him 
 when penitent, and having welcomed him back, 
 admits him to the former place in His love and 
 regard, whence these high and clear attributes 
 of God are displayed before mankind. I see 
 plainly therefore that God's glory is augmented 
 by the wickedness of sinners, instead of dimin- 
 ished, as you think. And not only is this the 
 case, but you are to observe that God orders 
 the evil actions of the perverse for the good 
 and for the use of men. The patience of the 
 elect would not shine forth so vividly without 
 the smoke and darkness caused by the malice 
 of the reprobate, which like a shadow throw 
 it into relief. But for the cruelty of tyrants, 
 there would not be such a long line of martyrs 
 to give glory to God 5 nor would the Church 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. ^^ 
 
 be rich with so many invincible champions, if 
 God had not permitted her to be tried long 
 and severely by the wickedness of evil-doers. 
 Hence the battles of patience and the victories 
 of courage both conduct us to an eternal crown ; 
 whilst, on the other hand, even the wicked 
 themselves, who are tormented unceasingly in 
 hell, will, with gnashing of teeth, glorify the 
 justice of God. Whence, I observe, that 
 human wickedness turns to the highest glory 
 of His divine majesty ; for, as St. Augustine 
 excellently remarks : * For Almighty God — as 
 the heathen allow Him to be — the Lord of all 
 things, being supremely good, would by no 
 means permit any evil to be in His works un- 
 less He were so omnipotent and good, that He 
 would bring good even out of evil' (Ench. x.). 
 *Non enim Deus omnipotens (quod etiam in- 
 fideles testantur, " rerum cui summapotestas"), 
 cum summe bonus, nuUo modo sineret mali 
 aliquid esse in operibus suis, nisi usque adeo 
 esset omnipotens et bonus, ut bene faceret 
 etiam de malo.' 
 
54 ^^t of always Rejoicing. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 That we ought not to feel indignant at the prosperity of 
 the wicked. God permits it in great wisdom, 
 
 I NEXT turn to consider the other com- 
 plaints which fill the mind and agitate it ex- 
 tremely, and I hear men scornfully ask, ' Why 
 is the path of the wicked prosperous, and why 
 is God silent while the wicked devoureth the 
 man that is more just than he?' (Hab. i.) 
 Why do the wicked rejoice, while the good are 
 sad ? Why does fortune smile on the former, 
 and deal hardly with the latter ? Instead of 
 loining in these complaints, I view the matter 
 in a different light ; for the joy of the wicked, 
 far from extinguishing my faith, only makes it 
 burn the brighter ; for it teaches me that after 
 this life a new life awaits us, in which God 
 will reward virtue with everlasting happiness, 
 and punish sin with everlasting pains. He, be- 
 ing just, will not punish everything in this life, 
 just as He will not reward everything in it. 
 
 Besides, in accounting for such inequality of 
 fortune, it will be a great comfort to your mind 
 to consider that the fool often esteems those 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. ^^ 
 
 things to be blessings or misfortunes, which in 
 reality are not blessings or misfortunes. * For 
 this/ as Seneca says, ' is the design of God, to 
 show to the wise man that the things which 
 most men desire and fear are neither good nor 
 bad; they will seem to be good if He give 
 them only to the good, and bad if He give them 
 only to the bad. (De inv. v.) So, then, the 
 good things which are given only to the good 
 must needs be of another kind ;' and this also 
 awakens the sweet hope of a future life. 
 
 And why, then, do I continue fretting and 
 disturbing my mind so much about the unequal 
 division of pleasures and of good fortune ? For 
 if I consider the matter, I see clearly that there 
 is no reason why the wicked should be excluded 
 from good fortune, or why good men should 
 be the only fortunate ones ; for if the wicked 
 were to be fortunate to the exclusion of all 
 others, they would give themselves up to sin, 
 drawn to it merely by pleasure ; whilst, on the 
 contrary, if the bad were excluded from all 
 enjoyment, grown wicked out of despair, they 
 would become doubly rebellious against God, 
 through rage at His chastisements ; besides, be- 
 ing irritated and exasperated through misery, 
 
^6 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 evil-doers, thieves, and homicides, might over- 
 whelm human society, and destroy both human 
 things and divine. Nor would it be wise that 
 the good alone should enjoy every good ; for, 
 inebriated with delights, they might easily turn 
 aside from the path of virtue, and fall by de- 
 grees into sin ; as, on the other hand, it would 
 not be fitting that all the good should be miser- 
 able, for then divine worship could not be 
 protected by the rich, or guarded in a fitting 
 manner from its irreverent and bold opponents. 
 Therefore I ought in no wise to complain of 
 the inequality of fortune, which I see is ordered 
 rightly by divine wisdom, so as to maintain in- 
 violate the order of the universe. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Thai there must be a great variety of dispositions and 
 of humours. 
 
 No less was my folly in being disturbed 
 by seeing so many different dispositions and 
 inclinations amongst mankind ; as if it were a 
 misfortune to meet continually with inexperi- 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 57 
 
 enced, giddy, mad, and foolish people. Here I 
 see a person of a melancholy, unhappy, cross, 
 and sluggish temperament ; there is another 
 who is possessed of a lively, sanguine, and 
 volatile one; some persons are easily moved 
 to anger and passion ; others are cold as ice 
 and chilling ; some are foolish, some hasty, 
 some jovial, some fond of joking, some talka- 
 tive, some silent. Is it not an extreme annoy- 
 ance and weariness to be obliged to live amongst 
 those who possess such different natures and 
 dispositions ? 
 
 Would it, however, be the happiest state 
 of existence to pass one's life in conversing 
 with men of the same genius, temperament, 
 and disposition as one's own? What an ex- 
 travagant idea! The other day I was tan- 
 gibly made sensible of my folly, w^hile saunter- 
 ing through the city, and the thought came 
 into my mind to separate the various classes 
 of citizens, and to disperse them in different 
 quarters, each according to his nature: here 
 the choleric, there the morose ; on this side the 
 foolish, on thaf the learned ; here the talkative, 
 there the combative; and then elsewhere the 
 wise, I found that I had never erred so much 
 
58 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 as when I thought myself so wise ; for I saw 
 that such was the fickleness of human brains, 
 that they would not continue stationary for an 
 instant, and therefore it was impossible to 
 arrange them in different classes. Besides, 
 without this variety of professions and of dis- 
 positions, social intercourse would soon cease, 
 or at least life would become a misery and 
 weariness. For if all were equally rich and 
 of an equally subtle intellect, who would there 
 be to serve and to be in subjection to their 
 betters ? Who would apply himself to me- 
 chanical arts, or to cultivating land, or to build- 
 ing, or to merchandise ? Who would prepare 
 our food, or weave cloth, or provide the other 
 necessaries of life? And yet without these, 
 men would live like the wild animals of the 
 forest, deprived of the refinements and the ad- 
 vantages of social life. Thus God makes use 
 of such diversities of fortune for the benefit of 
 man, so that some amongst mankind are obliged 
 to exert themselves in the service of others in 
 order that they may get their living and pro- 
 sper. In the same way He forms the different 
 dispositions of mankind, in order that each, as 
 his talent leads him, may give himself up to 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 59 
 
 whatever art suits him the best ; this it is 
 which gives rise to such a variety of pursuits, 
 of machinery, of ornaments, of business, of 
 trades, of amusements, of sciences ; all these 
 make the world so pleasant, varied, and mag- 
 nificent. If we add to these the variety of 
 the powers of the body, and observe that some 
 persons are weakly, some delicate, some stout, 
 and some so strong as to bear any fatigue, we 
 shall find that all are suited for diflferent exer- 
 cises, and that this variety of dispositions and 
 of strength, of riches and of poverty, of govern- 
 ing and of subjection, is proportioned and given 
 us by God, with so much forethought and 
 counsel, that we should not be set against it, 
 but, on the contrary, be fully content and en- 
 tirely approve of it. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 That we ought also to approve of public calamities. 
 
 Having laid down these general observa- 
 tions as the basis of our reasoning, I turn my 
 eye and thoughts to the particular events which 
 may take place in human affairs. And, first 
 
6o Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 of all, I consider the calamities which happen 
 to a country, such as seditions, wars, the sub- 
 version and the ruin of provinces, and that 
 which most of all distresses and wrings my 
 heart, the seeing that so many evils happen 
 through the folly of princes, or the cowardice 
 of soldiers, or the arrogance and bad advice of 
 those in high place. But if I look more closely 
 into the merits of the case, I see that such dis- 
 orders are decreed by God, who disposes rightly 
 not only of men, but of the most extensive king- 
 doms. The course of human events is such, 
 that happiness without alloy does not last long ; 
 for even the states which were of such ancient 
 origin and such high destinies were overturned 
 at last and demolished. God transfers the good 
 fortunes of one country to another, and makes 
 them vary continually, like the waves of the 
 ocean, lest by a long state of prosperity they 
 should overwhelm the world. 
 
 Why, then, am I so surprised at hearing 
 of wars, or at seeing enemies spread them- 
 selves, like inundations, over provinces? For- 
 tune changes its abode, and enemies, like 
 porters, in the form of soldiers and plunderers, 
 carry it elsewhere. Does even a private citizen 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 6 1 
 
 ever leave his old home quietly? Must there 
 not be the noise of wagons and conveyances 
 to carry away his possessions ? And how can 
 the fortunes of provinces and kingdoms change 
 quietly and without tumult ? 
 
 I will therefore not trouble myself to ac- 
 cuse either the bad counsels of rulers, or the 
 insolence of magnates, or the quarrels of princes, 
 or the cowardice of soldiers, or the rebellions 
 of subjects. All these are only instruments 
 which God makes use of to change the pro- 
 sperity of kingdoms, as a punishment for the 
 crimes of the people. It is their wickedness 
 which gives the enemy power ; ' for by our sins 
 the barbarians are strong,' as St. Jerome says ; 
 and on account of the wickedness of subjects 
 God sometimes casts down the best of kings 
 from their thrones, and banishes them from 
 their realms. It is our evil deeds which de- 
 prive kings of counsel, ministers of wisdom, 
 soldiers of their strength, citizens of concord. 
 As God therefore sends us these disasters as 
 chastisements for our good and for our greater 
 merit, it only remains for us humbly to bow 
 down and kiss, without a murmur, the just 
 and paternal hand which strikes us. For St. 
 
6z Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 Augustine truly says, * God seems to be angry 
 when He does these things. Fear not. He 
 is not angry to destroy. He is more angry 
 with thee when thou livest ill and He spares. 
 All these tribulations are the rod that scourges, 
 lest it be the sentence that condemns' (Ps. Ixv.). 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 That every one ought to be contented with his own 
 state of life. 
 
 Having considered things which take place 
 external to myself, in public and in private, and 
 which are ordered in accordance with divine 
 wisdom, and being fully convinced of their just 
 and proper procedure, I enter my house finally 
 in order to find out whence come the many dis- 
 turbances which throw it into such disorder. 
 And I collect together my thoughts, and mak- 
 ing them a sign to be quiet, I say thus : ' What 
 now, noisy things, and why such an uproai'? 
 Why so furious and in such a state of strife ? 
 Pray now be still.' Having reestablished peace 
 and order with much difficulty, I consider things 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 6^ 
 
 with a calm mind, and I see that such wild 
 confusion had its origin in my own discontent. 
 It seems to me that I ought to be quite dif- 
 ferent from what I am; I can neither please 
 myself nor am I pleased at being what I am 
 at this moment; what wonder, then, that no- 
 thing pleases him who cannot please himself? 
 
 In order therefore to uproot this painful 
 thought which fills my mind, I make use of the 
 following argument : Tell me, my dearest self, 
 how is it that you, who are made out of no- 
 thing, are so foolish as to oppose yourself to 
 the wise law of God, because you think that 
 He ought to have made you a more noble crea- 
 ture than what you are ? 
 
 Have you any claim to be preferred in crea- 
 tion before all possible men, who have no other 
 existence than to be eternally present to the 
 wisdom of God as possibilities ? 
 
 Have you not emanated from His sover- 
 eign intellect, like some chosen model? Has 
 not God, so to speak, designed and painted you 
 on the vast canvas of the world, and placed 
 you in that position in which at present you 
 find yourself? Whether, then, you are weakly, 
 sickly, miserable, or obscure; rich or poor, 
 
64 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 master or servant, whatever you are, you are 
 such as you are by the "Will of God. ' Every 
 one has his proper gift from God' (i Cor. vii.). 
 He has willed you thus ; He by whose hands 
 and by whose voice you are what you are ; He 
 who has made you in such a way that His glory 
 might be magnified. 
 
 Tell me, would it not be ridiculous if the 
 little figures whom a painter places in his pic- 
 ture, and with a few pencil-strokes sketches in 
 in the shadow or distance, should b^gin to cry 
 out to the artist thus : * What a clumsy way 
 you have of doing things ! Paint us in brighter 
 colours, give us a better look, and draw us out 
 of the dark part of the picture, and place us 
 more in the light with the other figures ! Do 
 you think it well to make us look so mean and 
 lost in the distance ?' If the painter does not 
 think it necessary to give these figures a reason 
 for how he manages his art, or what shades or 
 lights are necessary in order to give his picture 
 the different effects which he had proposed to 
 himself, is God obliged to give a reason to His 
 creatures ? 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 6$ 
 
 I. Thai God selects that state of life which is most 
 suitable to each person. 
 
 Would it be well if all mankind were to 
 be rich, all kings, or all eminent ? Why, the 
 symmetry of the world would be destroyed. 
 What matters it if I am represented in one 
 portion of this great universe in preference to 
 another, provided the part I play serves to 
 show the skill of God, the great master ? I 
 see also that God, in His wisdom, knew that 
 my condition of life was the one most suited 
 for me, and the only one which could conduce 
 to my eternal salvation ; for in no other state 
 of life would my salvation be so secure, nor in 
 any other state could I so well promote His 
 glory. Why, then, do I not trust myself to 
 His good providence, and adore God and give 
 Him thanks ? 
 
 Do I really think that He who rules over 
 all things, and weighs and disposes everything 
 with such wisdom, has erred with regard to 
 me alone? I notice that He does not create 
 the tiniest ant without having weighed and 
 provided all that is necessary for such a 
 minute creature ; do I then suppose that He, 
 
 F 
 
66 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 who has created all things for me, does not 
 know what conduces to my greater good and 
 to His greater glory ? I should be very foolish 
 if such an extravagant idea entered my head. 
 Therefore I intend henceforth no longer to 
 disturb myself with such an idea, but to say, 
 with a peaceful heart, Whatever I am, I am 
 from God ; and only because I am from God, 
 I am what I am. And it is good for me to be 
 thus ; nor if I could, would I wish to be other- 
 wise than I am, for fear of opposing so much 
 wisdom. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 That he who is content with his state of life ought also 
 to be content with those things which led to it. 
 
 If I have spoken faithfully above of resign- 
 ing myself with tranquillity to that state of life 
 v^hich Divine Providence metes out to me, it 
 is also right that I should keep firm the pro- 
 mise I have made to be resigned also to all 
 the events which have led me to such a state. 
 These are of two kinds, external and internal. 
 External things pertain to our relations, our 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 67 
 
 country, education, the death of relatives, the 
 favour of friends, the envy of rivals, nobility 
 and obscurity of birth. Internal things per- 
 tain to the endowments of mind or of body ; 
 as for instance, a lively or idle disposition, a 
 noble or mean spirit, a magnanimous or fearful 
 heart, a good or bad memory, a robust or 
 weak body. Why, then, was I foolishly dis- 
 turbed by such things, instead of considering 
 the views and dispositions of God? Precisely, 
 because by His providence He intended me to 
 fill a station of mediocrity. He willed that I 
 should be born of poor parents, who had not 
 the means to give me a good education, or to 
 let me apply myself to the higher studies. 
 God ordained that I should gain my livelihood 
 by the sweat of my brow and by the work of 
 my hands, and therefore He made me of low 
 origin, and wished that I should harden my 
 childhood by toiling in a workshop, urged by 
 necessity or by the example of my father. 
 Whence He easily made me familiar with my 
 lot in life, whilst if I had been obliged to 
 encounter the changes of fortune, I should 
 have suffered intolerable pain. If God wished 
 me to be in a humble position, could He have 
 
68 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 led me there more gently ? And of what use 
 is it therefore to lament and bewail if prema- 
 ture death has deprived me of my father, who 
 could have improved my state of life; or if the 
 favour of the powerful is denied me ; or if I 
 have lost a lawsuit; or if evil fortune has 
 everywhere crossed my path? God wishes 
 me to be a plebeian, poor and abject, and I 
 kiss my rags, rejoicing to be at the mercy of 
 God who governs me. You will also, if wise, 
 be tranquil under those events which may have 
 led you to that state in which you now find 
 yourself. * At durus hie sermo' — * But this is 
 a hard saying;' and very hard, bitter, and too 
 biting. According to what you say, then, is 
 it not lawful to seek to better one's condition, 
 to deliver oneself from misery, and to raise 
 oneself from the dust by using honest arts 
 and just means? Must we wallow in the 
 mire and crawl in the dust like worms, or be 
 caged like birds, and not strive to deliver our- 
 selves and fly away ? Man tends to greatness 
 because of his lofty spirit and his noble and 
 free disposition; you do him injury and de- 
 stroy his vigour of mind. Indeed ! but I have 
 never forbidden you to seek for your advance- 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 69 
 
 ment in a lawful manner. I only told you 
 that you ought not to lose your peace if, after 
 having made use of the means necessary for 
 succeeding in your intention, it was not the 
 will of God that you succeed ; for if He does 
 not wish, though you were to move heaven 
 and earth, you could not even raise yourself a 
 hand's breadth from your position. Never wish 
 to find fault with God respecting the quality 
 of mind and body which He gives you; nor 
 complain of the natural ungraciousness of your 
 disposition, or of the unprepossessing features 
 of your countenance, or of your variable health, 
 because God, by such means, determines to 
 constitute your state. Nor, if you wish to 
 live happily, must you compare the condition 
 of others with your own : ' For every one has 
 his own gift from God, one in one way and 
 one in another' (i Cor. vii.), according as He 
 sees good for each state of life. For if you 
 wish to compare yourself with others, you 
 must weigh all the troubles of their state, nor 
 wish to put them aside and only consider the 
 happy side; then compare the blessings and 
 the evils of your state with the blessings and 
 the evils of those whom you envy, and you 
 
70 Art of always Rejmcing. 
 
 will see clearly that nothing is wanting to you, 
 and that all has been dealt out to you justly. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 That if we are pleased 7vith our own state of life ^ we 
 ought to he pleased with everything belonging to it. 
 
 Whence it follows, that if I am content 
 with my own state of life, I ought not to desire 
 to add anything with the view of bettering my 
 condition. It does not seem to me right, be- 
 cause I may wish to have that small comfort 
 added, or that little bit of nobility, or that tri- 
 fling honour, or that increase of health, to com- 
 plain of my Creator, who was so bountiful in 
 giving me all except that one little thing which 
 I, ungrateful, seek so eagerly. I am really in 
 want of nothing, but my own envy torments 
 me. Thus, if I see that my neighbour lives in 
 a better style than I do, I immediately begin to 
 think that I want many things, and I should 
 bear my poverty contentedly, if he were not 
 richer than I am. It is, indeed, a shame that 
 I should be annoyed by the riches of others. 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 7 1 
 
 and become ungrateful to my Benefactor, only 
 because He gives more largely to others than 
 to me; He gives me the full measure which 
 suits my state, nor do I require anything more 
 unless my state of life were changed. This is 
 my state, this alone, and no other. 
 
 I. That we ought not to wish to adva?ice our children's 
 state of life, or for them to be in a higher condition. 
 
 That for which I am constantly striving, 
 and which much occupies my thoughts, is to 
 help on my family in the world, and to amass 
 riches for them, so that they may increase in 
 state, nobility, and calling. This is a puerile 
 way of hiding from other people the desire 
 which I have to leave the low station in which 
 God has placed me, and to grow rich and im- 
 portant. "What folly and want of faith! Who 
 but God gives me children to take care of? 
 Therefore, He is Lord of me and also of my 
 children. If I am poor, God wishes my sons 
 to be poor, and He wishes them to be born, 
 and to be so numerous, in order that they may 
 be poorer than I am myself. 
 
 Let me take care «to educate them well, and 
 
72 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 provide for them, as is my duty ; but I ought 
 to be more anxious still to please His Divine 
 Majesty, and to keep my own soul in peace. 
 During my life I will wish for nothing more 
 than what is fitting for myself and my children; 
 at my death I will trust them to the care of 
 God, who is such a good Father ; and why, 
 then, do I go on puzzling my brain, and vexing 
 myself as if God did not exist, or was no 
 longer able to bestow benefits and graces upon 
 men? 
 
 Nor must I indulge the vain imagination 
 that I wish to acquire more riches, more dig- 
 nity, greater knowledge, or of managing great 
 aifairs, for the sake of being able to be more 
 liberal, or of acquiring more noble or excellent 
 virtue. This is only folly and pretence. I see 
 plainly that I myself should change with a 
 change of fortune, nor should I wish to do 
 w^hat my imagination now so grandly pictures. 
 The highest talents are as it were surrounded 
 and swallowed up by a whirlpool of many and 
 important aifairs, and while those who possess 
 these talents, and are occupied in these con- 
 cerns, rule others, they neglect themselves. 
 Riches and an expensive* way of living harden 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 73 
 
 the heart instead of softening it, and they ren- 
 der it avaricious and covetous instead of making 
 it great and liberal. It is difficult to find any- 
 one who is inclined to be merciful to others 
 unless he is poor himself, for he who wants for 
 nothing himself is not easily moved by the 
 wants of others. I learn from all these con- 
 siderations that I ought to be content with my 
 poverty, and not wish to change it, because it 
 is the state in which God wishes me to be ; if 
 I am satisfied with what I am, what can deprive 
 me of peace ? 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Thai we ought to be content with the annoyances incident 
 to our state of life. 
 
 What can deprive me of peace ? Not 
 poverty, certainly ; or being of small impor- 
 tance amongst men, or possessing little talent, 
 or small experience in business, or being lame 
 and of bad carriage, or of not very agreeable 
 countenance, or timid in manner. It is not 
 worth while to let such things as these disturb 
 my peace of mind. But suppose I bear my 
 
74 ^^i of always Rejoicing. 
 
 misfortunes calmly and bravely, and content 
 with my insignificance, I watch over my actions 
 and cease to disquiet myself, or to give pain to 
 any one, and even help others, and behave 
 kindly to them, still how is it possible that I 
 should bear calmly being ridiculed by idle per- 
 sons, and abused, calumniated, and persecuted 
 by bad people, with a thousand other injuries 
 and affronts ? I can bear to be poor ; but I 
 cannot bear to see myself trampled on so 
 rudely. 
 
 Friend, I pity you most sincerely, but if you 
 will calm yourself a little, and think of some 
 matters which I offer for your consideration, I 
 am sure that you will join with me in smiling 
 at your own indignation. Do you suppose 
 that any state of life is without its peculiar 
 trials and vexations ? If so, you are mistaken. 
 And it would be necessary for us not to be - 
 men, if we would not suffer calamity. Who-H 
 ever • is born into this valley of tears must 
 weep ; be he king or beggar, he cannot escape 
 the sorrows of this life. He who wishes that 
 the winds should not blow, or the waves be 
 in motion, does not wish to sail, but to remain 
 in the midst of the ocean without reaching the 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 75 
 
 port. And what are evil tongues, evil speak- 
 ing, murmurings, calamities, and injurious 
 words — what the hatred of the malevolent, 
 the envy of rivals, the persecutions of enemies, 
 but winds which guide us to our desired 
 haven ? The winds may blow, the sea roar, 
 the waves rise, and the whole ocean be in 
 commotion, we will not fear. There sits at 
 the helm a pilot who is Lord over all, .and 
 whom the winds and the sea obey. He, calm 
 in His might, and in order to make known His 
 power, let loose that storm, and bid that tem- 
 pest blow. Therefore, I have no reason to 
 fear. I suffer, but I do not disquiet myself; I 
 suffer, but I am not afraid ; for I know well 
 that so many evils would not disturb us, were 
 it not for the opinion that we have of evils, for 
 we often think those things a hindrance which 
 wonderfully assist us in our journey towards 
 eternal happiness. There are many examples 
 of this in sacred Scripture. When the people 
 of Israel groaned in Egypt under every kind of 
 misfortune, and when they gave themselves up 
 for lost on account of the barbarous law order- 
 ing all the new-born children to be slain, Moses 
 was placed amongst the rushes by the river- 
 
75 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 side, and from being well-nigh drowned, he 
 passed to the court, and became the saviour 
 of his people. If Moses had not been put in 
 the river Nile, Israel would have been deprived 
 of a leader. In the height of misfortunes came 
 the salvation of God. And how often has the 
 same thing happened to me, when, by those 
 very circumstances which I considered evils, I 
 have been led to that prosperity to which, per- 
 haps, I should not have attained under more 
 ordinary and peaceful circumstances ! Hence- 
 forth, if 1 am wise, I shall commit myself en- 
 tirely to God, trusting in His love : * He will 
 not suffer us to be tempted beyond our 
 strength, but will also, with the temptation, 
 make a way of escape* (i Cor. x.). I will 
 not prescribe the time or the manner of my 
 suffering : I will keep my eye fixed on God 
 alone, and trust to Him who holds me in the 
 palm of His hand, and bowing down reverently 
 before Him, I will kiss that loving hand sup- 
 pliantly, and while bathing it with my tears I 
 will say : ^ The hand of the Lord hath touched 
 me,' and * in Thy hands is my lot* (Job xix. 
 Ps. XXX.) ; and from those hands it is my highest 
 happiness to receive favours as well as trials. 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 77 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 That 7ve ought not to cease from the labours proper to 
 our state of Ufe, 
 
 If I, with great profit to my soul, can feel 
 persuaded that I am placed by Divine wisdom 
 in that state of life which is most suitable for 
 me, and therefore that my condition is the best 
 for me in every way, I must also resolve not 
 to be diverted from any work or labour which 
 belongs to my state of life ; for to wish for 
 anything, and not to make use of the means 
 proper for attaining it, is to wish for the im- 
 possible, and would be the same thing as wish- 
 ing to fly without wings. And what kind of 
 blacksmith would he be who, after promising 
 to be fully contented with his occupation, be- 
 gan to feel tired of blowing and stirring the 
 coals which were to make the iron red hot? 
 Or suppose that after heating the iron, he 
 would not draw it out with pincers in order to 
 place it under the anvil, nor fashion it with 
 mallets and hammers ? or suppose again that he 
 cast it aside without having first wrought and 
 shaped it with files, and polished it with bur- 
 
78 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 nishers? Such a man would only wish to be a 
 blacksmith by name, and not in reality. Every 
 state of life has its own especial work, and it 
 would indeed be folly in any one to give up his 
 own work, and to envy the state of others'. If 
 God calls you to the state of matrimony, what 
 use is there in your lamenting that you are 
 not a cenobite, enclosed in a monk's cowl, and 
 singing psalms, and weaving straw-mats ? And 
 if by Divine mercy you are a religious, what use 
 is there in complaining of the discipline, the 
 coarse clothing, the retired kind of life, and the 
 singing of psalms ; or in envying the life of a 
 merchant, a soldier, or a courtier ? And if old 
 age makes you gray, and weakens your circu- 
 lation and the vigour of your limbs, why do 
 you murmur and envy the freshness, grace, and 
 activity of youth ? And if Providence makes you 
 a woman, why do you complain of the weari- 
 ness of being obliged to occupy yourself with 
 the spindle, the bobbin, or the needle, and 
 wish instead to handle swords and manage 
 horses ? God deals out employments most 
 justly, according to age, sex, and condition; 
 why, then, should I feel disturbed at having to 
 do the work necessary for my state of life ? 1 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 79 
 
 will do what I am expected to do, and will do 
 it willingly, and with peace of mind ; for God 
 will not ask of me more than it is fitting for me 
 to perform. He is just, and requires from me a 
 just service; He is a father, and requires me 
 to do my own work, and not that of others. 
 Because as a father, who sent his son to learn 
 the work of a goldsmith, would not require of 
 him other work, such as painting, but would 
 only require him to learn all that was necessary 
 for his own especial work with the gold ; so in 
 like manner, God deals with us. He asks each 
 to do the works of his own state of life, and 
 not those of others, for * He will give to every 
 man according to his works' (Matt. xvi.). 
 
 If I am content with my condition, I shall 
 not refuse the annoyances, troubles, and fa- 
 tigues which are inseparable from it ; nor shall 
 I be cast down, like one who feels himself op- 
 pressed by a heavy burden. The blacksmith 
 does not complain of the weight of the hammer, 
 or of the smoke from the coal, or of the sound 
 of the anvil, because these are necessary to the 
 work, and the iron could not be moulded with- 
 out them. It would indeed be a new idea if, 
 on account of fatigue, the neck were to com- 
 
8o Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 plain of having to support the head, the shoul- 
 ders the arms ; if the bones were to refuse to 
 be clothed with flesh, and the legs declined to 
 carry the body and all its structure above them. 
 It is necessary, for the sake of the order 
 and economy of mankind, that some should be 
 placed first, others last; that some should have 
 to command, and some to obey ; some to rule 
 with wisdom, and others to work: but in every 
 class, in every state, and in every employment, 
 some must aid others, and toil in order to live. 
 But for this, every link which holds society to- 
 gether would be disunited and broken asunder, 
 and human and divine things being in confusion, 
 laws would no longer be holy ; nor would the 
 love of one's country, nor the ties of citizenship, 
 nor the incitements to virtue, nor the august 
 authority of religion, be able to restrain such 
 disorder. God, the wise ruler of the universe, 
 wished that everything should fulfil that for 
 which it was created : all creatures obey this 
 law, and shall man alone rebel, and say, * I will 
 not serve'? Have you ever seen a rose-tree 
 become tired of bearing roses, and ask for a 
 lighter load, such as lilies of the valley ? or does 
 the lily wish to bear peonies, the tulip daffo- 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 8i 
 
 dils, and thorn flowers ? Each stem peacefully 
 carries that flower with which nature adorns it, 
 just as each tree willingly bears the fruit which 
 nature gives it. The apricot-tree does not wish 
 to change its fruit with the cherry-tree, nor 
 does the peach-tree refuse to bear peaches, nor 
 the bergamot pear-tree wish to exchange with 
 the sultan pear-tree, nor the russet-coloured 
 apple-tree with the rosy-coloured or the apple 
 of paradise ; but each bears and takes care of 
 its own fruit, however much it weighs down its 
 branches and draws upon its sap. And shall I 
 not feel satisfied with the tasks annexed to my 
 state, and shall I envy the state of others, as if 
 it were sweeter than my own and less fatiguing? 
 Without labour I should not be what I am, nor 
 do that which I ought to do. 
 
 I. That we ought to rejoice in trihdation. 
 
 As pain is the accompaniment of labour, I 
 will bear it willingly, and will rejoice in the 
 pain, because I suffer with good reason. Weep- 
 ing, sorrow, and suffering being bequeathed by 
 God to every state of life, I learn that in order 
 to please God I must rejoice, because it is His 
 
 G 
 
82 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 will that I suffer and pass my days in bitterness. 
 And joy is so deeply rooted in the noblest part 
 of my nature, that while my body is full of 
 suffering, my soul rejoices exceedingly. 
 
 This, I know, seems difficult enough to cor- 
 rupt nature, but he who wishes to rule himself 
 according to reason, and still more according to 
 faith, sees clearly that those grievous and bitter 
 things which he suffers are ordered by the wise 
 providence of God, and he rejoices that they 
 happen, in order that God's divine will may be 
 accomplished. See wherein lies the high mys- 
 tery, unknown to the uninitiated, of rejoicing 
 because thou rejoicest not ; of being full of 
 consolation because thou art deprived of conso- 
 lation ; of being full of joy in the midst of the 
 most desolating bitterness. He who attains to 
 this breathes a pure air, disquieted by no tem- 
 pest ; and while storms are raging around him, 
 he enjoys an unchangeable peace, which gives 
 him happiness to the full. 
 
Art of always Rejoicing, i7^ 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 That lastly we must think of death with a calm mind. 
 
 We have at length reached that climax of 
 human misery which alarms and disturbs the 
 minds of mortals so much, and the thought 
 alone of which changes all happy feelings into 
 unhappy ones, and every joy into bitterness — I 
 mean to say death; which, when considered 
 without reference to Divine Providence, appears 
 the most fearful and dreadful punishment of 
 mankind. We look upon death as very sad, 
 and as injurious to our tranquillity, first, be- 
 cause it deprives us of life and its pleasures ; 
 secondly, because it takes us by surprise ; 
 thirdly, because we have to suffer from bodily 
 infirmities ; fourthly, because our eternal happi- 
 ness or misery depends upon it. I confess that 
 at first sight the very thought of death filled me 
 with fear and uneasiness ; but by degrees my 
 fears ceased, and gave place to reflection. I 
 first began to free my mind from its fears, and 
 when I had gained tranquillity, I was able to 
 view things more calmly. By means of quietly 
 reasoning with myself, I was able to say, If I 
 know that my state is a mortal one, and if in 
 
84 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 order to conform to God's will, I wish it thus 
 and not otherwise, why should I complain of 
 being obliged to go forward to meet it ? Do I 
 think that men ought to be immortal ? So then, 
 if I do not conform myself to my condition, I do 
 a plain injury to my God, who wills that I am 
 mortal. Why indeed should I complain of 
 dying more than of living, if it is necessary that 
 whosoever is born must die? And indeed is 
 life so sweet and pleasant, that I should eagerly 
 desire to be spared death ? And why do I con- 
 tinually complain of the ills I suiFer, if I do not 
 wish to be rid of them ? And if I do wish this, 
 why do I dislike death, which mercifully delivers 
 me from so many evils ? 
 
 It is my own fault that the time of it is 
 uncertain, for I ought not to let a moment pass 
 without preparing to meet it. Thus I ought 
 to be thankful to God that I am ignorant of 
 the time of its arrival, for this is a blessing 
 to me; for if it were given us to know for 
 certain the hour of our death, life would be- 
 come very unhappy ; the continual thought of 
 that fatal moment would poison every pleasure 
 of life. But we live, uncertain of the time of 
 our death, and rejoicing in our happy fortune ; 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 85 
 
 and we rejoice because we do not think of the 
 grim visage of death, and because life appears 
 to us flowery and full of joy. 
 
 And coming now to consider infirmities, I 
 say that they are mercifully ordained by God's 
 providence. God loves us as children, and 
 wishes by means of them to soften the pass- 
 age from life to death. For infirmities cause 
 our vital strength to languish by degrees, and 
 at length we die. Secondly, they cause us to 
 die at the time appointed. Thirdly, they make 
 us more willing to leave a body which is tor- 
 mented by so many pains, and which is there- 
 fore such a disagreeable dwelling-place. Finally, 
 they render death easier to us, for pain stupe- 
 fies the senses, dulls the imagination, and clouds 
 the mind; it also freezes the blood and di- 
 minishes the activity of the limbs;, and thus 
 it comes to pass that the spirit departs almost 
 without being aware of it. Why, then, do 
 we find fault with illness, which is so wonder- 
 fully planned, in order that we may pass away ? 
 
 Lastly, there is no reason why I should 
 fear this last moment, but I ought to fear 
 leading an evil life, which alone can render this 
 time terrible to me. Neither do 1 wish to 
 
86 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 know when it will come to me, nor do I think 
 it necessary to know it ; for in order to pre- 
 pare myself for it, God does not require that I 
 should act otherwise than I am now acting, if 
 I am now acting well. If death overtakes me 
 while my mind is pure and at peace with God, 
 death will be sweet to me, and I shall wel- 
 come it eagerly. When this last moment 
 arrives, I will render thanks quietly to my Lord, 
 my creator and my ruler. When the scene of 
 this life closes, * I shall lay aside my body 
 like raiment \ and when placed in the tomb 
 of my fathers, * I shall sleep with them in the 
 dust.' 
 
 Meantime * my conversation shall be in 
 heaven,' until that desired and precious mo- 
 ment arrives, when I shall be with my dearest 
 Saviour, ' who will reform the body of my low- 
 liness, made like to the body of His brightness.' 
 Then * we shall be with the Lord,' and we shall 
 rejoice exceedingly and for all eternity. God 
 grant that such may be the course, and such 
 the termination of my life ! 
 
Art of always Rejoicing, 87 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Then what is there which I need complain 
 of in my condition ? And if there is nothing, 
 why do I not congratulate myself and return 
 thanks to God? Is not this life to be re- 
 puted happy, when it leads to eternal happi- 
 ness ? I who am born to such high destinies, 
 shall r wish to be otherwise than I am, when, 
 by means of those very daily things which 
 happen to me, I am being conducted and led 
 to such greatness? Certainly, if while a mortal 
 man, and full of many anxieties, you can say 
 with the poet, * wish to be what you are, and 
 wish nothing more than this,' you have found 
 the short road to happiness, and also the only 
 true joy of life. Think that you can attain to 
 this in any station, whatever it may be ; and if 
 you are content with your own, because it 
 pleases God to place you in it, you are already 
 happy. 
 
 Lastly, if you could picture to yourself all 
 possible delights, excepting only those which 
 God reserves for you in heaven, you would 
 not find one which could be compared with 
 the happiness which you feel when satisfied 
 with your state of life. Nor do I exaggerate 
 
88 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 when I say there is no other true happiness in 
 the world, except that of a soul content with 
 its condition. This is the way to carry heaven 
 about within you, and to be filled with the 
 delights of Paradise in this valley of tears. If 
 you seek elsewhere for happiness, you will 
 seek in vain; and if, from the blindness of 
 your mind, you sometimes think you have 
 attained to it, you will suddenly discover that 
 you only possess a fleeting shadow. Remain 
 therefore firm in your resolution, and wish not 
 for false happiness. You possess true hap- 
 piness, and you will only find it in a rightly 
 ordered mind. 
 
 And as you have seen, we must, in order to 
 have always a right frame of mind, have a high 
 conception of Divine wisdom, for this is the 
 foundation of all human tranquillity. Nor is it 
 necessary for us to search into the reasons of 
 everything in order to keep our mind calm and 
 quiet; it is only necessary to believe firmly 
 that nothing can take place in nature but what 
 is ordered by the divine providence of God. 
 
 I know also that when it is given us to con- 
 template uncreated wisdom * face to face' in 
 heaven, we shall know the reason of all that 
 
Art of always Rejoicing. 89 
 
 happens in this world; and in the excess of 
 our joy we shall approve the wonderful designs 
 of that great mind, and praise them through 
 all eternity. And this only because we shall 
 see in heaven with our own eyes those things 
 which we believe here by faith, and partly also 
 by our reason. Then we shall be able to join 
 with the prophet in those holy exclamations of 
 wonder and of joy: * Great is the Lord, and to 
 be praised exceedingly, and holy in all His 
 works.' O eternal mind, O most sacred 
 providence and infinite wisdom of God, why 
 wast thou so long hidden from my view, thou 
 who dost manifest thyself so wonderfully to 
 the world? 0,*how foolish and blind I was! 
 How great must have been the darkness in 
 which I was, to obscure such brightness! 
 What thanks do I owe thee, eternal light of 
 God, for dispelling the darkness from my eyes, 
 and for rendering them able to enjoy thy bright 
 rays. * Hoc unum de te conqueri possum, quod 
 non ante mihi voluntatem tuam notam fecisti : 
 prior enim ad ista venissem, ad quse nunc 
 vocatus adsum' (Senec. de Prov. 5) — *This 
 only can I complain of thee, that thou hast not 
 made known to me thy will before ; for then I 
 
90 Art of always Rejoicing. 
 
 should have gone freely to that to which I am 
 now come when called/ And what more dost 
 Thou seek, and what more dost Thou ask of 
 me, O my God ? Is it Thy will to take my 
 children ? I offer them to Thee. Dost Thou 
 wish for any part of my body ? I give it Thee. 
 I do not anticipate much by so doing, for very 
 soon I shall have to give Thee the whole of it. 
 
 Dost Thou wish for my soul ? Ah, can I 
 deny it Thee when Thou hast given it ? Thou 
 wast able to take it when Thou kindly askedst 
 for it. But why do I say take it ? Nothing is 
 taken forcibly but that which is refused. I am 
 forced to rtothing, no violence is done to me ; 
 I will obey Thee, O Lord, as- a son, and not 
 serve Thee as a slave. 
 
 Reader, perfection consists in this, not only 
 in bearing the changes of human fortune with 
 patience, but in welcoming them and approving 
 of them. This is true happiness, to wish 
 things to be as they are, and not otherwise ; 
 this is the root of that grand ' Thy will be 
 done,' by saying which we not only give God 
 our will, but also our intellect. From this 
 proceeds also the lively, ready, and sincere 
 gratitude, with which we return thanks to our 
 
Art of aiwa'yi Uejojcing, \^i 
 
 Almighty Ruler for having so wisely selected 
 for us, amidst all the variety of events, states 
 of life, and fortunes, that state which He 
 judged the most suitable for our eternal safety, 
 and for His greater glory. 
 
 What do you say to all this, my readers ? 
 Will you at length decide to commit your 
 affairs, without the least hesitation, to the wise 
 providence of God? Will you continue to 
 oppose your judgment, which you see is worth 
 so little, to the Divine will, which has no other 
 object than to render you eternally happy? 
 Where, then, is the esteem in which God's 
 majesty should be held ? Where the high con- 
 ception which you have formed of His infinite 
 wisdom ? What ! Do you desire that the 
 eternal decrees of God should be decided as 
 you think best ? O, do not, I entreat you, wish 
 to do such injury both to your Creator and to 
 yourself. Rather say, with Epictetus, though 
 he was a heathen and deprived of the clear 
 light of grace: *Tracta me posthac arbitratu 
 tuo, ejusdem tecum sum animi, nihil recuso 
 quod tibi videtur' (apud Aria, i, 2) — 'Deal 
 with me henceforth according to Thy will, mine 
 is conformed to Thine. I refuse nothing that 
 
9 2 Art 'of airways 'Rejoicing. 
 
 seemeth to Thee good.* Lead me where Thou 
 wiliest, clothe me with what pleaseth Thee 
 best. Dost Thou wish me to be a ruler, or 
 wiliest Thou rather that I should be a private 
 citizen ? Am I to lead a quiet life in the midst 
 of my family, or, exiled and banished, shall I 
 pass my days in a foreign land ? Am I to be 
 laden with riches and honour, or wilt Thou 
 keep me wrestling with poverty and in pro- 
 tracted misery ? Whatever happens to me, I 
 will be on Thy side, O my God, and will take 
 Thy part amongst men, and I will bravely afHrm 
 that all happens to me justly: for I shall ever 
 be able to fight better when, lamenting my evil 
 passions, I defend Thy holy decrees. 
 
 If, my reader, this Divine sentiment is 
 firmly rooted in your mind, you are already 
 happy and blessed ; you have at length found 
 that peace which the world cannot give you; 
 and rejoicing together with you, I will say with 
 the Apostle: * Rejoice in the Lord always: 
 again I say, rejoice ; and the peace of God, 
 which passeth all understanding, keep your 
 hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 Amen.' 
 
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