Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/110

 ing of  your  will,  unless  it  be  conformable  to  His  own. Offer Him,  besides,  the  "gold"  of  charity  and  love;  the "frankincense" of  prayer,  and  the  "  myrrh"  of  mortification. Offer Him  the  sacrifice  of  your  predominant  passion and  ruling  propensities. In fine,  give  Him  as  much as you  can;  for  it  will  be  returned  with  increase.

" I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  who  teach  thee  profitable  things.  Show, O Lord!  Thy  ways  to  me,  and  teach  me  Thy  paths." (Is. xlviii.  17  and Ps.  xxiv.  4.)

I. Christ  was  found  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors,  "  hearing them,  and  asking  them  questions." (Luke ii.  46.) Christ is  your  doctor  or  teacher, — not  of  profane  erudition, but  of  spiritual  knowledge  and  justice. Hence the prophet says  of  Him:  "Ye,  O  children  of  Sion,  rejoice and  be  joyful  in  the  Lord  your  God,  because  He  has  given you  a  teacher  of  justice." (Joel ii.  23.)  He  Himself  invites us  by  the  mouth  of  royal  David  to  listen  to  a  lesson on  the  fear  of  God. "Come, hearken  to  me;  I  will teach  you  the  fear  of  the  Lord." (Ps. xxxiii.  12.)

II. This science  of  justice  as  far  excels  every  earthly science, as  the  eternal  kingdom  of  God  excels  the  transitory kingdoms  of  this  world. Worldly knowledge  cannot save  us — it  may  increase  our  reprobation,  if  we  abuse it — but the  science  of  the  Saints  alone  can  make  us  happy. Learn, hence,  to  appreciate  the  benefit  of  possessing  this