s
to my soul night and day. He gives my soul more and more grace. This
has not come about of myself. No effort of mine brought this about. His
Majesty does it all. And He has held me by the hand, that I might not go
back. For this reason, it seems to me, the soul in which God works His
grace, if it walks in humility and in fear, it may be led into whatsoever
temptation, and thrown into whatsoever company, and it will only gain new
strength there, and win new victories and spoils there. Those are strong
souls which are chosen of the Lord to work for the souls of others. At
the same time, their best strength is not their own. All that such souls
ever attain to and perform, all these things only make them more humble,
and therefore more strong; more able to despise the things of this world,
and to lay up their treasure in those things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him. May it please His Majesty that the great munificence
with which He has dealt with my soul, miserable sinner that I am, may
have some weight with some of those who read this, so that they may be
strong and courageous to give up everything at once and most willingly
for such a God!

ON GOD IN THE SOUL

This has done me a great deal of good, and it has affected me much and
opened my eyes in many ways. It is an ennobling thing to think that God
is more in the soul of man than He is in aught else outside of Himself.
They are happy people who have once got a hold of this glorious truth. In
particular, the Blessed Augustine testifies that neither in the house,
nor in the church, nor anywhere else, did he find God, till once he had
found Him in himself. Nor had he need to go up to heaven, but only down
into himself to find God. Nay, he took God to heaven with him when at
last he went there.

Now consider what our Master teaches us to say: 'Our Father which art in
heaven.' Think you it concerns you little to know where and what that
heaven is, and where your Heavenly Father is to be sought and found? I
tell you that for vagrant minds it matters much not only to believe
aright about heaven, but to procure to understand this matter by
experience. It is one of those things that strongly bind the
understanding and recollect the soul. You already know that God is in
all places: in fine, that where God is there heaven is, and where His
Majesty most reveals Himself there glory is. Consider again what Saint
Augustine said, that he sou