goes; and as his intention in afflicting us is to sanctify and not to destroy us, he knoweth what degree of weight to give to his hand in order to diminish nothing from our merit, if too light, and, on the other side, not to lose it altogether, if beyond our strength.
Ah! what other intention could he have in shedding sorrows through our life? Is he a cruel God, who delighteth only in the misery of his creatures? Is he a barbarous tyrant, who finds his greatness and security only in the blood and in the tears of the subjects who worship him? Is he an envious and morose master, who can taste of no happiness while sharing it with his slaves? Is it necessary that we should suffer, groan, and perish, in order to render him happy? It is on our own account alone, therefore, that he punisheth and chastiseth us: his tenderness suffers, as I may say, for our evils; but as his love is a just and enlightened love, he prefereth to leave us to suffer, because he foresees that, in terminating our pains, he would augment our wretchedness. He is, says a holy father, like a tender physician, who pities, it is true, the cries and the sufferings of his patient, but who, in spite of his cries, cuts, even to the quick, the corrupted part of his wound. He is never more gentle and more compassionate than when he appears most severe; and afflictions must indeed be useful and necessary to us, since a God so merciful and so good can prevail upon himself to afflict us.
It is written, that Joseph, exalted to the first office in Egypt, could hardly retain his tears, and felt his bowels yearn toward his brethren in the very time that he affected to speak most harshly to them, and that he feigned not to know them. It is in this manner that Jesus Christ chastiseth us. He affects, if it be permitted to speak in this manner, not to acknowledge in us his co-heirs and his brethren; he strikes, and treats us harshly, as strangers; but his love suffers for this constraint. He is unable long to maintain this character of severity, which is so foreign to him. His favours soon come to soften his blows: he soon shows himself such as he is; and his love never fails to betray these appearances of rigour and anger. Judge, then, if the blows which come from so kind and so friendly a hand can be otherwise than proportioned to your weakness.
Let us accuse then only the corruption and not the weakness of our heart, for our impatience and murmurs. Have not weak young women formerly defied all the barbarity of tyrants? Have not children, before they had learned to support even the ordinary toils of life, run with joy to brave all the rigours of the most frightful death? Have not old men, already sinking under the weight of their own body, felt, like the eagle, their youth renewed amidst the torments of a long martyrdom? You are weak; but it is that very weakness which is glorious to faith and to the religion of Jesus Christ: it is even on that account that the Lord hath chosen you to display in your instance how much more powerful grace is than nature. If you were born with more fortitude and strength, you would do less honour to the power of grace: to man would be at
