"Dear pupil, whom on earth I taught, "Is won :-and HOPE, thine earthly bliss, "When sorrows whelm'd thee, I sustain'd: ""Tis thine, 'tis thine! Her pledge redeem'd, "And from thy heavenly seat of joy, "Look down on her whose fond employ "Has been to soothe thine every pain "And guide thee where meek, lowly HOPE were vain." The Third pure form to the wanderer turn'd: Thus spake that holy spirit, CHARITY :- ""Twas I, 'twas CHARITY who fill'd "Thy heart with love: 'twas I instill'd "Thy yearning for a heaven above: "FAITH, HOPE, sustain'd; I bade thee love. "Now HOPE and FAITH, requir'd no more, "To earth again descend; "But CHARITY with thee will soar, "With thee will cross heaven's threshold o'er, "And still on thee attend. "Come, come with me; I still will guide. "Before the Almighty, side by side, "We'll bend in love, we'll bend in praise. "FAITH, HOPE, dear friends of former days, Farewell, farewell! Come, dear one! come, "And CHARITY will be at home." The portal opes. That heavenly form leads on The trembling soul. It closes. They are gone. Come back to earth. See that dear corpse again: More calm its look: less mark'd the trace of pain. Behold the steadfast, earnest smile of bliss It wears for ever.... Ask ye, whence is this? ORIGINAL. 161 RULES OF CONDUCT. As soon as you feel yourself tempted to any sin, do as little children do when they are frightened: they run into the arms of their parents, or call them to their help. So do you have recourse to God, and call for his mercy and aid. This is the remedy taught by our Lord," Pray, that you may not enter into temptation." Turn your mind to some good and praiseworthy occupation: this will interest you and drive out the temptation. The great remedy against temptation is to open your heart to your director. But if, after all you can do, temptations will persist in annoying you, you have but to persist in refusing to consent: for as no woman can be married while she says "No," so the soul, however much it may be tempted; can never be harmed while it persists in saying "No." But although we must fight against great temptations with an unconquerable courage, and although every victory that we gain is very useful to us; yet, perhaps, it avails more to our spiritual welfare to fight against lesser trials. For while the great ones exceed in quality, the lesser ones are so incomparably more numerous, that it may be as hard to get the better of them as of the others. It is, for example, M . It very easy to keep one's self from murder; but it is difficult to avoid those little bursts of anger which tempt one at all hours. is very easy not to commit fornication; but it is difficult not to give way to little beginnings of flirtation. It is very easy not to steal another's goods; but it is difficult not to covet them: very easy not to bear false witness; but difficult not to mislead in conversation easy not to get drunk; but difficult to be temperate easy not to wish for another's death; but difficult not to wish harm to him: very easy not to slander others, but difficult not to despise them. In short, all these little temptations to anger, suspicion, jealousy, envy, flirtation, vanity, duplicity, affectation, cunning, impure thoughts-are the constant trials even of those who are most devoted to God: and we must, therefore, strive strongly to withstand them; and we may be assured that every victory won against these smaller enemies will add a ray to the glory which God is preparing for us in heaven. While, therefore, no great temptations threaten us, let us watchfully resist all these lesser attacks upon our souls. And while we make up our minds to bear the greatest sorrows, even martyrdom itself, for the sake of the Lord, let us be ready to yield to him whatever we most value, if he should please to take it from us,-whether it be father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, children, health, or fortune: to this surrender we ought to school our hearts. But if Divine Providence does not send us such great and heavy sorrows, let us, in the meanwhile, bear with meekness all the little annoyances and affronts, all the little losses which beset us every day. By turning to good account these slight occasions, by meeting them with forbearance and sweetness, we shall best shew our submission and love. Every thing may be made a daily act of the love of God: that headache, that toothache, that cold, that ill-humour of husband or wife, that breakage of a piece of china, that affront received, that loss of a glove, a ring, or a handkerchief; that slight inconvenience of having to go to bed early or of getting up betimes to pray and to go to communion; that bashfulness which you feel at being seen to go through your religious duties-all these little annoyances, if borne with meekness and love, are well pleasing to that Saviour who has promised to reward the gift of a glass of water with an ocean of endless happiness. And as these slight occasions occur every moment, we have so many opportunities, if we well employ them, of laying up for ourselves spiritual treasures. Let me, then, most strongly advise you to imitate the valiant woman whom Solomon so much praises, and who, he says, put out her |