have committed unto Him against that day.”[1] Not only do I hope, but I am assured and certain that the just Judge is able and willing to keep His promise regarding the reward in store for me on the day when I shall come to Him. And what reward is that? An eternal one in heaven, the desire, longing for, and love of which is inflamed in me by the difference of the lot of the just and the wicked on earth, as we shall briefly see in the
Third Part.
Our desires for heaven are inflamed by the afflictions we suffer. It is natural for one who is confined in a gloomy dungeon to long and sigh for his release all the more eagerly the greater the hardships and discomforts he has to endure. And it is also beyond a doubt that the trials and crosses of this life, in which we are confined as in a prison and vale of tears, excite a love and earnest desire for the joys of heaven, especially in those who groan most under the weight of affliction. Is it surprising that heaven should be so insipid and earth so agreeable to one who enjoys all the delights of the world according to the wishes of his heart? But on the other hand, consider the poor, oppressed servant of God sighing and moaning under the weight of the cross like another Job; you will hear him saying: “My soul is weary of my life.”[2] The day and night seem to me as long as a year; when shall it all have an end? When shall I attain the repose I long for? The persecuted David cries out: “When shall I come and appear before the face of God? My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?”[3] St. Paul, overwhelmed with various trials, exclaims: “I am straitened: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ.”[4] And one of the reasons that God has for leaving His faithful servants in affliction and suffering is, that they may grow tired of and disgusted with earth and turn all their desires and aspirations to heaven. But I will dilate no longer on this.
By the joys in which the wicked live. And strange as it seems, even the prosperity and happiness of the wicked, when we consider the matter aright, can and should awaken in our minds a love and desire of heaven. How so? The greater the good one expects as a reward the greater his
- ↑ Hæc patior, sed non confundor. Scio enim cui credidi, et certus sum quia potens est depositum meum servare in illum diem.—II. Tim. i. 12.
- ↑ Tædet animam meam vitæ meæ.—Job x. 1.
- ↑ Quando veniam? et apparebo ante faciem Dei? Fuerunt mihi lacrymæ meæ panes die ac nocte, dum dicitur mihi quotidie: Ubi est Deus tuus?—Ps. xli. 3, 4.
- ↑ Coarctor: desiderium habens dissolvi, et esse cum Christo.—Philipp. i. 23.
