Page:The Eternal Priesthood (4th ed).djvu/122

110 to the knowledge of His work and will: to make known also to us the communications of the Father: to have chosen us when we thought not of Him, to have made us capable of serving Him—each and all these signs of grace pledge to us that His will is steadfast to save us if we do not betray ourselves.

2. And next, to be a pastor is to possess the most abundant source of grace. We have already seen the unfailing supply of sacramental grace proportionate to our needs, duties, and dangers; and also the grace which attaches to the state in which we are. On this we need not dwell again; but there is a twofold discipline in the exercise of the pastoral office which aids us in a special degree in working out our salvation. The one is the continual augmentation of charity; the other is the continual exercise of self-denial.

"God is charity; and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him." And God is the life of the soul. Where this life abides, except through our infidelity, the second death has no power. God will never revoke His gifts. He wills not the death even of a sinner. He pleads with him, "Why will ye die?" "Ye will not come unto Me, that ye may