Page:MyPrayerBookHappinessInGoodness.djvu/65

 and give  us  one  of  the  blessed  secrets  of  brave,  true holy living.

wo principles  form  the  unalterable  basis  of  the virtue of  abandonment  or  absolute  surrender  to divine  providence.

First Principle:  Nothing  is  done,  nothing  happens, either in  the  material  or  in  the  moral  world,  which  God has not  foreseen  from  all  eternity,  and  which  He  has not willed,  or  at  least  permitted.

Second Principle:  God  can  will  nothing,  He  can permit nothing,  but  in  view  of  the  end  He  proposed  to Himself  in  creating  the  world;  i.e.,  in  view  of  His  glory and the  glory  of  the  Man-God,  Jesus  Christ,  His  only Son.

To these  two  principles  we  shall  add  a  third,  which will complete  the  elucidation  of  this  whole  subject, viz.: As  long  as  man  lives  upon  earth,  God  desires  to be  glorified  through  the  happiness  of  this  privileged creature; and  consequently  in  God's  designs  the  interest of  man's  sanctification  and  happiness  is  inseparable from  the  interest  of  the  divine  glory.

If we  do  not  lose  sight  of  these  principles,  which  no Christian  can  question,  we  shall  understand  that  our confidence in  the  providence  of  Our  Father  in  heaven can not  be  too  great,  too  absolute,  too  childlike. If nothing but  what  He  permits  happens,  and  if  He  can permit nothing  but  what  is  for  our  happiness,  then  we have  nothing  to  fear,  except  not  being  sufficiently  submissive to  God. As long  as  we  keep  ourselves  united with Him  and  we  walk  after  His  designs,  were  all creatures to  turn  against  us  they  could  not  harm  us.