Page:MyPrayerBookHappinessInGoodness.djvu/28

 always; interior  joy  is  theirs  both  in  adversity  and prosperity.

Religion does  not  take  the  sunshine  out  of  a man's  life. The true  follower  of  Christ  has  a blessing  on  his  lips,  a  song  in  his  mouth,  amid sorrows and  trials. Faith —  Christianity  —  does, indeed, make  a  man  serious  and  thoughtful,  but  it does  not  rob  him  of  the  real  pleasures  of  life,  nor does it  paralyze  his  energies,  but  it  directs  them aright. No more  joyous  hearts  can  be  found anywhere in  the  world  than  the  hearts  of  Religious — the hearts  that  beat  behind  the  grilles  of  the  cloister. Religious not  only  lead  good  Christian  lives,  but also practise  heroic  penance,  austere  mortification, complete self-renunciation;  yet  their  hearts  overflow with  joy,  they  abound  with  mirth  and  innocent glee such  as  is  quite  unknown  to  the  butterflies  of "  society,"  to  those  who  seek  their  happiness  in  the gratification of  self  in  the  treasures  and  pleasures of the  world.

A devout  Christian  life  certainly  implies  self-denial  and  self-control.

Good is  never  done  except  at  the  expense  of  those who do  it. — Cardinal  Newman.

It seldom  happens  that  one  can  do  good  without any trouble. — St. Vincent de  Paul.

"Life is  all  a  void, On  selfish  thoughts  alone  employed."

— Jane  Taylor.

"Self -reverence, self-knowledge,  self-control,  — These  three  alone  lead  life  to  sovereign  power."

— Tennyson.