Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/82

 sleep, I  took  my  book  into  my  bed,  and  after  I  had  slept  a  while, I fell  a  reading  again,  and  was  so  wholly  taken  up  with  this passion of  studying,  that  I  could  take  no  delight  in  anything else. Since I  came  to  be  a  religious,  I  have  often  reflected  and said to  myself,  "  If  thou  didst  heretofore  take  so  much  pains, and  wert  so  zealous  to  acquire  eloquence,  what  great  pains  and careoughtest  thou  not  to  take  now,  in  order  to  acquire  true virtue?  And  this  very  thought,"  says  he,  "  was  a  great  help  to me,  and  gave  me  fresh  courage,  and  new  strength." (Doroth. Doct. 10.)

Let us  encourage  ourselves  by  the  same  consideration,  and remember that  it  is  of  greater  concern  to  become  good  religious, than great  and  learned  orators. Let all  our  endeavours  and application, therefore,  be,  to  attain  to  the  knowledge  and  love  of God,  which  is  the  greatest,  and  indeed  our  only  affair  in  this life. All the  time  that  our  blessed  Saviour  lived  amongst  us, be had  no  other  intent  than  to  manifest  the  tender  love  he  had for us,  and  to  procure  us  the  greatest  happiness  we  were capabable of  enjoying;  and  to  that  end  he  refused  not  to  shed his most  precious  blood,  and  even  to  lay  down  his  life. And shall we  think  too  much,  in  return  for  so  great  goodness,  to make  it  our  chief  business  to  love  and  serve  him,  and  always  to promote  his  honour  and  glory? "Wherefore lift  up  your  hands that  hang  down  as  if  tired,  and  stretch  out  your  loose  knees" (Heb. xii.  12):  "Let  us  make  haste  to  arrive  at  the  place  of rest"  (Ibid.  iv.  11),  and  let  us  not  stop  till  we  go  to  "  Horeb, the  mountain  of  God"  (3  Kings,  xix.  8),  that  is  to  say,  the highest pitch  of  glory  and  perfection. And as  a  traveller that has  slept  till  late  in  the  morning,  makes  haste  to  repair  the time he  has  lost,  by  mending  his  pace  till  he  overtake  his  company, that  were   gone  before;  so  should  we  make  haste,  and never stop  in  our  course,  till  we  have  repaired  the  time  we  have lost by  our  negligence. It is  to  this  end,  that  each  of  us should  always  have  these  thoughts  in  our  mind: — My  companions and  brethren  are  already  far  advanced  on  their journey, and  I  alone  still  loiter  behind,  notwithstanding  I  began my journey  first,  and  entered  into  religion  before  them. How great a  happiness  and  advantage  would  it  prove  to  us,  if  we  did truly grieve  for  all  the  time  we  have  lost? And what  an  encouragement would  it  give  us  for  the  future,  to  advance  with more diligence,  and  make  haste  without  remissness?

Denis, the  Carthusian,  reports  a  passage  which  he  takes  from