Page:The Practice of the Presence of God.djvu/19

 to love Him with all our hearts. That seemed to have granted the greatest favors to the greatest sinners, as more signal monuments of His mercy. That the greatest pains or pleasures of this world were not to be compared with what he had experienced of both kinds in a spiritual state; so that he was careful for nothing and feared nothing, desiring only one thing of, viz., that he might not offend Him.

That he had no scruples; for, said he, when I fail in my duty, I readily acknowledge it, saying, I am used to do so; I shall never do otherwise if I am left to myself. If I fail not, then I give thanks, acknowledging that the strength comes from Him.

 

He told me that the foundation of the spiritual life in him had been a high notion and esteem of in faith; which when he had once well conceived, he had no other care at first but faithfully to reject every other thought, that he might perform all his actions for the love of. That when sometimes he had not thought of for a good while, he did not disquiet himself for it; but, after having acknowledged his wretchedness to, he returned to Him with so much the greater trust in Him as he had found himself wretched through forgetting Him.

That the trust we put in honors Him much and draws down great graces.

That it was impossible not only that should deceive, but also that He should long let a soul suffer which is perfectly resigned to Him, and resolved to endure everything for His sake.

